Published October 28, 2009 | 
6-1 Phillies! Robin Roberts, thou art avenged!
The Phillies made more runs in this game than they did against the Yankees in the whole four-game series in 1950. No game in that series was this kind of blowout — all but one were decided by a single run. And although the Yankees swept that Series, it was, in the words of one Yankee, “closer than it looked.” The games were tough, tense pitching duels.
A few of the Whiz Kids are still alive. Hall-of-Famer Robin Roberts is taking part in the festivities. Curt Simmons, who wasn’t permitted to play in the 1950 Series, having been taken by the military, is also still around.
I’m glad some of the Whiz Kids survived to see this. It is very, very sweet.
Published October 6, 2008 | knocking on wood, praying, begging, pleasepleaseplease.
Phillies versus the Dodgers, best of seven, for the National League championship and a shot at winning the World Series.
(Sorry, Cubs fans. Some of my best friends are disappointed.)
Published August 22, 2008 | Dottie Wiltse Collins, one of the best pitchers in women’s baseball and the moving force behind the alumnae organization of retired players from the women’s leagues, died on August 12 at the age of 84.
A powerhouse pitcher who could throw overhand, underhand, and sidearm, she pitched two no-hitters within a seventeen-day stretch. Collins won more than 20 games each of her first four seasons as a pro. In her best year, 1945, her record was 29-10, with a 0.83 ERA and 293 strikeouts. She once pitched — and won — both halves of a doubleheader, and in 1948, she played until she was four months pregnant.
Her work to gather and preserve the history of women’s baseball inspired the movie A League of Their Own. More important, the memorabilia she helped gather is enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame at Cooperstown, NY. Where she belongs.