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Now Pinch Hitting: Vandy and Me written by Robert Skead

June 24, 2015

Vandy and Me

By Rob Skead, Baseball Author

They say records are made to be broken. After all, Cal Ripken broke Lou Gehrig’s consecutive game record. No one ever dreamed that would happen! Mark McGuire and Sammy Sosa broke Roger Maris’ home run record. It seems logical that sooner or later someone is bound to come along and break every long-standing Major League record. Well… maybe. There is one record in baseball history that may never be broken! It may be tied, but broken… I, along with many other baseball fans, seriously doubt it.

The record to which I am referring is the back-to-back no hitters pitched in 1938 by Johnny Vander Meer of the Cincinnati Reds. It was a feat that earned the 23 year-old southpaw the nickname “Double No-Hit” Vander Meer. This amazing accomplishment, that I believe will never-to-be-broken, is one of the reasons I collect Johnny Vander Meer baseball cards. Johnny Vander Meer was raised in Midland Park, New Jersey – a small town settled by Dutch pioneers whose love affair with our national past-time takes priority only after love of God, family, nation and love of a job well done.

It was when my wife and I moved to Midland Park that I first learned about Johnny – and became fascinated with his story. Continue Reading…

Ballpark Memory, Pinch Hitter

Now Pinch Hitting: Meeting Eric Karros written by Blake Keathley

June 23, 2015

Meeting Eric Karros: Dodger Legend and My Hero

By Blake Keathley

Blake’s Facebook Page

For as long as I can remember, I have been a fan of the Los Angeles Dodgers. I grew up in Central California in a house divided; my dad is a lifelong fan of the Dodgers while my mom is loyal to the San Francisco Giants. So the first opportunity he got, my dad packed me in the car, put a Dodgers cap on my head and a Dodgers Dog in my hand, and in those moments, my allegiances were sealed forever.

I am very fortunate to have a wealth of memories that I’ll cherish forever, and I’ll always be thankful for the quality time that I got to spend with my father and friends at Dodgers Stadium. However, no individual game has been as memorable as the game I most recently attended at Dodgers Stadium on May 1, 2015. Even if the Dodgers had lost 100-0 to the Diamondbacks that night, nothing could have taken away from the excitement that I was fortunate enough to experience before the game.

In order to understand why this moment is so significant in my baseball fandom, I first have to say that Eric Karros has been my favorite baseball player since the first Dodgers game I attended in 1995. Throughout my own baseball career, I always wore #23 in his honor and even though he hasn’t played in the big leagues since 2004, I’m fairly certain no baseball player will ever come close to meaning as much to me as Eric Karros did in my childhood.