Author Archives: Eric

A Baseball Hall of Fame for the Soul

Posted on April 30, 2012 by Eric

If I have one cause as a baseball blogger, it’s to advance a kind of fandom defined by idiosyncratic love as opposed to institutionalized expectations. That being: More Roger Maris Museum in a strip mall in  North Dakota Dakota, and … Continue reading →

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Joe Canseco II

Posted on April 10, 2012 by Eric

When Jose Canseco was just a little infant, he supported himself and his twin brother Ozzie Canseco by driving Canadian tourists around Havana in a red and white 1952 DeSoto. This was the early 1980s, when body-building was just coming … Continue reading →

Posted in Players | 3 Comments

It’s 3 a.m. I Must be Baseball a.ka. Scattered Reflections from Opening Day

Posted on March 28, 2012 by Eric

I woke up at 2 a.m. and trekked to my friend Kenneth’s house to watch the Mariner’s and A’s kick off the season in Tokyo. Here are some things I noticed and wrote down. The Tokyo Dome gives the impression … Continue reading →

Posted in Memoir, Special Events | 5 Comments

Jose Canseco

Posted on March 8, 2012 by Eric

I once got Jose Canseco’s autograph on a baseball at Tropicana Field. He was playing catch with Bubba Trammell when I called out ‘Mr. Canseco, Mr. Canseco’ and he turned and grinned. The year was 1999. Although his role that … Continue reading →

Posted in Players | 5 Comments

On Snake Oil, Gem Mint Rookie Cards, and Dmitri Young

Posted on March 7, 2012 by Eric

Jesse Gloyd is approaching regular contributor status at P&P. He’s written about fishing in the LA River, and about Satchel Paige on the site. Check out his podcast Buckshot Boogaloo. Talk of coming back is always inspiring, but it rarely … Continue reading →

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P&P Conversation: Location, Dislocation, and A.J. Burnett

Posted on February 15, 2012 by Eric

Ted: Well, Eric, we are in the dregs of the offseason, after all of the big free agents have signed with their new teams, but before Spring Training begins in earnest. It’s the time of year when, for example, we … Continue reading →

Posted in PnP Conversations | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

A True Nightmare by Ross Allen

Posted on February 8, 2012 by Eric

Ross Allen is a Cubs fan and former second-rate Division I tennis player. I awoke several weeks ago from the most searing nightmare. It brought me back to my teenage years when I would awake from horrible dreams involving Craig … Continue reading →

Posted in Kooks, Memoir, Situational Essay | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Pitchers & Poets Podcast 35: The Mat Latos Game

Posted on December 30, 2011 by Eric

In episode 35 of the podcast we feel our way through the offseason’s latest transactions, consider on the antics of one J. Burnitz, and suffer with poor Yorvit Torrealba — he of the suspended from Venezuelan baseball for hitting an … Continue reading →

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Jeff Blauser Should be in the Hall of Fame

Posted on December 27, 2011 by Eric

I saw this headline on Google News: Voting for Hall of Fame too complicated these days I so badly wanted the enclosed article to be about the convoluted and absurd process of electing members to the Baseball Hall of Fame … Continue reading →

Posted in Thinking | 6 Comments

Situational Essay: A Cardinals Fan Reflects on the End of the La Russa Era

Posted on November 2, 2011 by Eric

Brian Kist writes the blog Punk On Deck. He’s on twitter, too, @punkondeck. The Cardinals did it.If I based fandom on general managing style or minor league makeup, I might have difficulty justifying this, my favorite team’s success. But since … Continue reading →

Posted in Situational Essay | 1 Comment