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Bruce Weber

Bruce Weber is making the rounds for his new book on umpires. This week, it’s Fresh Air. As an added bonus (like a box of cereal), the page comes with an excerpt from his book, As They See ‘Em, which was selected for NPR’s “Books We Like.” More recent baseball items from NPR: Secret Dirt’s […]

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Would baseball fans want a world in which all the calls on the field could be made by Questec-type devices or the Cyclops machines used in tennis? Are umpires part of the game or outside it? Are they, as one baseball personality suggested, pieces of human equipment, like bases: necessary but not thought about that […]

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It’s been a tough week. We lost three former players, each of whom were icons in their own right. On February 28, Jean Faut, a star pitcher in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, died at the age of 98. From The New York Times‘ obit by Richard Sandomir: Over eight seasons, the right-handed Faut […]

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Lest we forget: Tim McCarver

February 16, 2023

I have a soft spot for players with extra longevity. Tim McCarver enjoyed a 21-year career. And while others have been around longer, he managed to do it over four decades, so extra points. Sadly, he passed away today at the age of 81. McCarver began his career as a 17-year-old (!) with the St. […]

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Lest we forget: Joe Morgan

October 13, 2020

Remember the other day when I asked when does this end? And then again a few days later? Might has well make a template. The latest Hall of Famer to pass was Joe Morgan, the feisty second baseman, mostly with the Cincinnati Reds — with whom he had his best years– and the Houston Astros. He […]

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Lest we forget: Tom Seaver

September 4, 2020

This time, it’s personal. For many Mets fans of a certain age, Tom Seaver, who died earlier this week at the age of 75, was indeed “The Franchise.” If any one player deserves credit for reversing the fortunes of a team it was George Thomas Seaver, who turned loveable losers into World Champions. They say […]

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Lest we forget: Roger Kahn

February 7, 2020

The author of The Boys of Summer and almost 20 other books died yesterday at the age of 92. Here’s his obituary from The New York Times by Bruce Weber. You know he will be the topic of numerous tributes from sport and literary outlets in the days to come. Here are just a couple: […]

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Whenever I come across an obituary about a baseball player in The New York Times, I check the byline. More often than not these days, it’s been written by Richard Goldstein (Bruce Weber, a former Times staffer and author of As They See ‘Em: A Fan’s Travels in the Land of Umpires, about his experiences […]

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As many of you know, I was on a little hiatus during which time Jim Bouton passed away. There have been dozens of obituaries and accolades and I will not refer to them, save the few below; they’re easy enough to Google. But here’s my two cents. It was almost ten years ago when Bouton […]

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Forgive the nihilism, but such is the meaninglessness of life. I was about to line the bottom of the birdcage this morning and just happened to notice that one of the pages carried the obituary for “Tom Knight, 89; Knew It All About Brooklyn Baseball.” The 750-plus-word New York Times tribute was written by by […]

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One of the last great nicknames, Walt “No Neck” Williams died Jan. 23 at the age of 72. Williams debuted with the Houston Astros in 1964. He returned after another couple of years in the minors, spending six of his 10 big league seasons with the Chicago White Sox. He also played for the Cleveland […]

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Lest we forget: Ken Johnson

November 24, 2015

I frequently think about the statement, “X is going to be the first line in the obituary.” It’s usually offered when someone has a good life but will remembered for some unusual (often unfortunate) incident. Think about Steve Bartman or Bill Buckner, they should live and be well for many years. It’s a bit different […]

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Siebern died Friday at the age of 82. Another one of the “old” players on the cusp of my introduction to baseball. You know how you’re such a terrible judge of age when you’re a kid? This card comes from the 1968 set, when Siebern was 32 and in the last season of his Major […]

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Lest we forget: Dean Chance

October 15, 2015

I was surprised to see The New York Times given so much space for Chance’s obituary (by Bruce Weber). All due respect, Chance had a record of 128-115 in 11 major league seasons. Yes, he won 20 games twice, won the Cy Young Award in 1964 for the Los Angeles Angels, and was a two-time […]

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Lest we forget: Yogi Berra

September 24, 2015

Yogi Berra, the Hall of Fame catcher for the New York Yankees during their glory years of the 1950s-early 60s, passed away Tuesday at the age of 90. Needless to say, Berra was one of a kind. One of the last great players of his generation as well as a “colorful character,” the media is […]

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Bruce Weber gave Monbouquette, who died at the age of 78 on Jan. 25 , the NY Times obit treatment. Monbouquette was a sturdy pitcher during his 11-year career, winning 20 in 1963 for a Boston Red Sox team that was 76-85. He was a two-time All-Star and threw a no-hitter against the Chicago White […]

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Lest we forget: Tony Verna

January 22, 2015

The inventor of instant replay died Jan. 18 at the age of 81. In a way, I blame him for ruining sports and perhaps culture in general. Because IR is so pervasive, there is no “dead time,” pardon the expression, any more. If you watch a baseball, you will invariably see at least two replays […]

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Two gentlemen with some interesting attachments to baseball. Hermann, one of my favorite actors, passed away Wednesday at the age of 71. Frankly, I thought he was older. He played Lou Gehrig to Blythe Danner in the 1978 TV movie, A Love Affair: The Eleanor and Lou Gehrig Story. I haven’t seen this one in […]

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A few weeks ago, I believe I was among the first in baseball circles to mention the passing of Jim Brosnan. In fact, I take at least some credit for his obit in The New York Times since Bruce Weber, who wrote the piece, had not heard of Brosnan’s death prior to my e-mail to […]

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Feast or famine: we haven’t had a book written by a real umpire in how many years? Bruce Weber’s As They See ‘Em doesn’t count because he was an embedded journalist working on a project. This year we have two: Doug Harvey’s They Called Me God, and Al Clark’s Called Out but Safe. Clark, an […]

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