Tag Archives: baseball

Baseball’s Cleveland Indians change name to… guess what….

Farewell Chief Wahoo. Today baseball’s Cleveland Indians changed their name. From 2022 they will be the … Guardians. Custodes. There’s that word again. Synchronicity.   Clevelandensis custodes. It’s as if the Devil was telling us what he is up to.

Posted in Pò sì jiù | Tagged ,
23 Comments

Bob Gibson… Whitey Ford… RIP

Whitey Ford died today. It is the end of Sukkoth Bob Gibson died on 2 October, the beginning of Sukkoth. I’m looking forward to the end of 2020.

Posted in SESSIUNCULA | Tagged
12 Comments

I am too angry for words. Wherein Fr. Z… grrrrrr

I am so angry I could spit. There are already so many problems with modern baseball… now this. Is the Novus Ordo age of baseball upon us? From Hot Air: Another bad idea from MLB: Intentional walks will now be … Read More

Posted in Pò sì jiù, You must be joking! | Tagged ,
49 Comments

Mike Piazza – Baseball Hall of Fame Speech: “…the greatest gift a mother could give a child, the gift of my Catholic Faith.”

Famed-catholic Mike Piazza (AVG .308 HR427 RBI1335 OB% .377 Total Bases 3768 Slugging % .545) was inducted into the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame today. During his understandably emotional speech he thanked his mother for… “…the greatest gift a … Read More

Posted in Just Too Cool, Our Catholic Identity | Tagged ,
23 Comments

Card. Dolan: “Where’s the Catholic Sandy Koufax?”

Because it is Spring (or close enough) and because in Spring all right-thinking souls turn their thoughts and hopes once again to that summa of sports, baseball, and because the Old English origin of the word “Lent”, lencten, means “Spring”, and … Read More

Posted in Cri de Coeur, Our Catholic Identity, POLLS | Tagged , , , ,
56 Comments

SUPER COOL: Baseball player who was a spy in WWII

Do you have a friend or loved one who is a baseball fan?  A student of WWII? This book would make a great gift. A reader alerted me to this via email… one of the coolest things I have seen for a long … Read More

Posted in Just Too Cool | Tagged , ,
11 Comments

1947: Jackie Robinson

From History.com: Jackie Robinson breaks color barrier On this day in 1947, Jackie Robinson, age 28, becomes the first African-American player in Major League Baseball when he steps onto Ebbets Field in Brooklyn to compete for the Brooklyn Dodgers. Robinson … Read More

Posted in Just Too Cool | Tagged ,
8 Comments

“Knock the cover off the ball!”

I was alerted to this by a Chicagoan friend, a long-suffering Cubs fan   It shows how statistics don’t tell the whole story. From NRO: Not only did Garcia’s teammate, Jose Abreu, slug two home runs against the Indians on … Read More

Posted in Just Too Cool | Tagged ,
4 Comments

Murder mystery space time continuum ham baseball fire fighter movie

Last night I watched a movie I hadn’t seen in years. I had a couple of good actors and used plot devices that I am into. The movie: Frequency (2000) Starring: Denis Quaid and James Caviezel Device:  Aurora Borealis and … Read More

Posted in Linking Back, SESSIUNCULA | Tagged , ,
5 Comments

It ain’t a day game, but HEY HEY!

By complete coincidence I think it is social media day here at The Friendly Confines! Alas the EAMUS CATULI sign didn’t show up very well. UPDATE: Full moon rising! UPDATE: Cubs imploded, right on schedule. Then off to Chinese on … Read More

Posted in Just Too Cool, On the road, What Fr. Z is up to | Tagged ,
18 Comments

Steeee-RIKE!

I just received this in my email and, almost against my will, it got me to smile: The game God loves most. And – just because – a really funny commercial. I dunno.  One of the best commercials ehvvur? (And … Read More

Posted in Lighter fare | Tagged , ,
15 Comments

The Honus Wagner card from “Sweet Caporal Cigarettes”

Now that the season of the sport God loves best is underway again, we turn to the really important news. From MLB comes this! The ‘Holy Grail’ of baseball cards just sold for $2.1 million in an online auction If … Read More

Posted in Lighter fare | Tagged , ,
26 Comments

Stan the Man – R.I.P.

I learned just now that Stan “the Man” Musial died, at the age of 92. Today it seems no one stays in one place anymore, as Joni might put it.  That holds true for baseball players and pastors of parishes. … Read More

Posted in "How To..." - Practical Notes, Four Last Things | Tagged ,
25 Comments

“He was going to be a major leaguer, absolutely”

The writing is a bit scrambled, but have a look at this story of a fellow who gave up a promising career in baseball (the sport God loves best) for a vocation with the Norbertines in Orange, California: SILVERADO, Calif. … Read More

Posted in Just Too Cool, Liturgy Science Theatre 3000 | Tagged , ,
10 Comments

PERFECTO: 27 up – 27 down! 23rd Perfect Game in Major League Baseball!

From MLB: All hail the King! Felix throws perfect game By Greg Johns / MLB.com SEATTLE — General manager Jack Zduriencik hushed the crowd of reporters on the elevator headed to the Mariners’ clubhouse after the game on Wednesday afternoon, … Read More

Posted in GO TO CONFESSION, Just Too Cool | Tagged , , , , , , , , , ,
12 Comments

“Bob, you’ve been traded to Diocese of Black Duck.”

I have watched Moneyball a couple times. The movie offers grist for our mill. In one scene Carlos Peña is curtly traded by the A’s to the Tigers because of internal team management (vision) conflicts. Priests are mostly treated like … Read More

Posted in SESSIUNCULA | Tagged , , ,
36 Comments

Practice makes perfect

This can be applied in some ways to the spiritual life. The acquisition of virtues is a long, arduous process.  But once one has the habits which are virtues, they can appear to be easy. [wp_youtube]PpEeoYOB3Os[/wp_youtube]

Posted in "How To..." - Practical Notes, Just Too Cool | Tagged , ,
12 Comments

God loveth a cheerful giver.

Hoc autem qui parce seminat parce et metet et qui seminat in benedictionibus de benedictionibus et metet.  Unusquisque prout destinavit corde suo non ex tristitia aut ex necessitate hilarem enim datorem diligit Deus.  2 Cor 9:6-7. I saw this video … Read More

Posted in Just Too Cool | Tagged ,
13 Comments

HELP! Fr. Z needs some sports equivalents

I am comparing the forthcoming Instruction Universae Ecclesiae to a baseball no-hitter, rather than a perfect game. What would be the equivalents for perfect game and no-hitter in other sports? I am especially interested in analogous accomplishments in cricket and … Read More

Posted in "How To..." - Practical Notes, I'm just askin'..., Lighter fare, SUMMORUM PONTIFICUM, The Drill, Universae Ecclesiae | Tagged , , , , , ,
67 Comments

Fr. Z on John Allen on “Top Nine Reasons why Baseball is to Sports what Catholicism is to Religion.”

My friend the nearly ubiquitous John L. Allen, Jr., sadly still writing for the ultra-liberal dissenting National Catholic Reporter has a in his Friday saddle-bag a piece about the sport God loves which I must share with the readership here. … Read More

Posted in Lighter fare | Tagged ,
49 Comments