Baseball is no longer America’s national pastime. It still embodies the nation’s soul and spirit. Football is more popular and has more money; basketball attracts more young sports fans. All Major League Baseball ballparks display the number 42 to commemorate Jackie Robinson, who blazed the trail for racial integration of the game 64 years ago; today, the percentage of African-American players in the league is smaller than in the population at large. Yet baseball’s magic, on view in the playoffs, excites and rejuvenates an angry and dispirited American citizenry as almost nothing else -- even killing Osama bin Laden -- can. - http://www.businessweek.com/news/2011-10-09/baseball-still-reigns-supreme-as-the-american-game-albert-hunt.html
This year the safe picks were the Red Sox and the Phillies. Just one writer, Jon Heyman, of Sports Illustrated, had the Rangers in the World Series, but before you canonize him as a baseball clairvoyant, note that he had them losing to the Rockies, who lost 89 games this year. Not one of the 101 writers had the Cardinals in the final four, and just one — Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch picked the Tigers. (He had them losing to the Phillies in the World Series) And only two writers — Jonah Keri of FanGraphs.com, and Steve Henson of Yahoo — had the Brewers in the Series. Keri had them losing to the Red Sox and Henson the Yankees. - http://bats.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/10/08/baseballs-final-four-just-as-nobody-predicted
On August 24th, 1960, a man who would soon become known as the Iron Man in Major League Baseball came into the world. This amazing shortstop and third baseman not only made a name for himself in the world of baseball, but he was also one of the most loyal players in all sports – playing his entire twenty-one year career with the Baltimore Orioles – never leaving their side for a moment in time. Cal Ripken, Jr. has a great many things to be known for – one of the most-recognized is the fact that he was the man who broke Lou Gehrig’s record for consecutive games played – which most fans said was a record that could and would never be beaten. But when the Iron Man appeared in his 2,131st consecutive game in 1995 in front of a sold-out crowd, fate was with him. He not only proved to that crowd who was routing for him with all their hearts that he would show up, but he also made sure to hit a home run in that historical game for all to see. In fact, fans were so elated that they named that game as the “Most Memorable Moment” in all of MLB history. - http://staugnews.com/2011/10/09/cal-ripken-jr-the-iron-man-of-baseball.html
Plush is the kingpin of the myriad personalities inside Morgan's clean-shaven head. He was born years ago when Morgan and some friends became fans of Frank Sinatra's Rat Pack, and wanted alter egos of their own. Morgan adopted Tony Plush, a supremely confident, self-described entertainer, troublemaker and bundle of baseball energy who on Friday night "tickled" -- Plush's word -- a 10th-inning single up the middle to send the Brewers past the D-backs in the NL Division Series. He ran around during the wild hour or so that followed wearing a S.W.A.T. team helmet -- that's his nickname for Milwaukee's offense -- that has "T. Plush" printed on the back. His nose was bleeding after being dog-piled by his teammates, and his uniform grew more stained as the celebration raged on. Plush hugged Melvin and assistant GM Gord Ash so hard you worried someone would get hurt. Then he sat quietly for a moment, Nyjer again, savoring the Brewers' biggest hit since Cecil Cooper's seventh-inning single in a decisive Game 5 of the American League Championship Series sent Milwaukee to its only World Series. - http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20111008&content_id=25562836&vkey=news_mlb&c_id=mlb
Bryan Fischer of the conservative Christian group the American Family Association floated an interesting theory about why there hasn't been a "Muslim attack" since Sept. 11 during his speech before the Values Voter Summit on Saturday. "By God's blessing, we have not been hit by a Muslim attack since 9/11," Fischer said. "I suggest that in part, we have Major League Baseball to thank. You remember that the week after 9/11 Major League Baseball converted the seventh inning stretch from the singing of 'Take Me Out To The Ballgame' to the singing of 'God Bless America.'" - http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/10/fischer_mlb_fans_singing_god_bless_america_during_7th_inning_stretch_have_prevented_another_911.php
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