Baseball Essays
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June 23, 2018 at 7:00 am
Calling the Pen: A nearly perfect game for me — and for Jim Palmer
Forty-five years ago this month, I attended my first Orioles game. It was a momentous occasion for any lifelong O’s fan, but special for several other reasons, too. It was Father’s Day weekend and featured a near-historic pitching performance by Jim Palmer. An unfortunate error also occurred that cost me a game...
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June 17, 2018 at 7:00 am
Calling the Pen: A father’s love might bend, but it never breaks
My dad was meticulous about the work he did. There were no shortcuts. He might have invented measure twice cut once except I recall he measured at least three times before he cut. There was nothing he couldn’t do, and nothing he didn’t do right, including repairing the rain spouts. Through the...
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May 19, 2018 at 7:00 am
Calling the Pen: To be Frank — 1966 was my favorite season as an Orioles fan
It was a sunny afternoon in early October, the kind that connects the fading of summer with the emergence of fall and its bold colors. I was about to make a bold prediction, with my dad as a witness. We had stopped at a diner after going to the grocery store, and...
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May 5, 2018 at 9:00 am
Calling the Pen: 1983 — a very good year for the Orioles, and for me
Every once in a while, a season in our life runs parallel with a season of a lifetime. It happened to me in 1983. April 4th was Opening Day, but my focus was on the birth of our third child, Kelly Patricia, to whom I gave three nicknames — Lover Dover, Special...
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April 7, 2018 at 7:00 am
Calling the Pen: To Pop Pop, baseball and beer
I grew up knowing only one grandfather. He was on my mother’s side, and I called him Pop Pop. We spent more time with the relatives of my father, whose dad died when he was 6, so I mainly saw Pop Pop on holidays and birthdays until I got older. Pop Pop...
