19 June 26

Today we're meeting Joel Kleppinger's family to celebrate his birthday! A few weeks ago he got a special baseball at a Reds-Rockies game, and so I'm wearing my tie that shows a baseball in a glove!

4 July 25

I'm not particularly patriotic. I'm wearing this baseball-glove-and-stars-and-stripes tie because I'm remembering some great 4th of July times with my parents -- family picnics and watching fireworks in Bethlehem, PA --and they gave me this tie some 30 years ago!

27 October 22

Tomorrow marks the first game of the 2022 World Series in Major League Baseball ("America's Pastime")! This year's championship series features the Philadelphia Phillies and the Houston Astros. In my childhood our family followed the Phillies, attending one game almost every year. I haven't paid much attention this year but I might watch some games.

8 March 21

 While I was growing up in Bethlehem, PA, my baseball team was the Philadelphia Phillies, and one of their stars was "Richie" Allen (also known as Dick Allen). He was born on this date in 1942. He was an All-Star and MVP several times. Two other baseball stars with this birthdate are Jim Bouton (1939-2019) and Jim Rice (1953). More birthday greetings go to my cousin Sally Ann Miller Sheets and cousin-once-removed Alyssa Kleppinger. Today is National Proofreading day! (Haha -- I left that uncapitalized d so you could catch it!) I must let Google help you celebrate International Women's Day. See today's Google Doodle at https://google.com.

11 July 19

Honoring the debut (in 1914) of baseball great George Herman "Babe" Ruth. Today is also called "Bowdler's Day," for the birthday of Thomas Bowdler (1754-1825). He is most famous for his "bowdlerized" editions of Shakespeare's plays. That adjective might remind you of bawdiness, but it actually is just the reverse -- Bowdler produced "family-safe" versions of the plays "in which nothing is added to the original Text: but those words and expressions are omitted which cannot with propriety be read aloud in a Family." Bowdlerization is one form of censorship, changing the author's intended tone and style to impose prudery. I much prefer understanding why the author uses bawdy language -- or else simply finding something else to read.

20 June 18

Today is a good day to recall many famous events in baseball history. My tie pairs up baseball with Americana, which is appropriate today because it was on this date in 1782 that the Continental Congress adopted the Great Seal and approved the bald eagle as our national symbol, and then on this date in 1787 they agreed that the official name for the new country would be the United States.

20 June 17

Repeating last year's discoveries for 20 June: On this date in 1782, the Constitutional Congress accepted Charles Thomson's design for the Great Seal of the new country, featuring a bald eagle and a shield with thirteen stripes. In 1787, Oliver Ellsworth (of Connecticut) proposed "the United States" as the official name for the new government, and that was approved by the Congress. In baseball, in 1950, Joe DiMaggio scored his 2000th career hit (and you can find many more baseball occasions for this and every day of the year at "National Pastime -- Baseball History"). So it's appropriate to tie these themes together with this tie!

20 June 16

I had to search for great occasions to recognize on 20 June, but the ones I found match nicely for this baseball-and-flag tie. On this date in 1782, the Constitutional Congress accepted Charles Thomson's design for the Great Seal of the new country, featuring a bald eagle and a shield with thirteen stripes. In 1787, Oliver Ellsworth (of Connecticut) proposed "the United States" as the official name for the new government, and that was approved by the Congress. In baseball, in 1950, Joe DiMaggio scored his 2000th career hit (and you can find many more baseball occasions for this and every day of the year at "National Pastime -- Baseball History").

18 August 15

BASEBALL! "The one constant through all the years, Ray, has been baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It has been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt and erased again. But baseball has marked the time. This field, this game: it's a part of our past, Ray. It reminds us of all that once was good and that could be again." (From "Field of Dreams," spoken by Terence Mann to Ray Kinsella,) Last night our family celebrated baseball at a game where the Lexington Legends beat the West Virginia Power 4-2. One baseball star born on this date was Roberto Clemente (1934-1972).

7 August 14

As stated by Terence Mann, through James Earl Jones' voice: "The one constant through all the years, Ray, has been baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It has been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt and erased again. But baseball has marked the time. This field, this game: it's a part of our past, Ray. It reminds us of all that once was good and it could be again. Oh... people will come, Ray. People will most definitely come." Last evening we joined 2900 other people who "definitely came" to watch the Lexington Legends and the Rome Braves.

22 August 13

Major events in baseball on 22 August: 1989 – Nolan Ryan strikes out Rickey Henderson to become the first Major League Baseball pitcher to record 5,000 strikeouts.

Birthdays: 1857 – Ned Hanlon; 1939 – Carl Yastrzemski; 1949 – Doug Bair; 1950 – Ray Burris; 1956 – Paul Molitor; 1972 – Steve Kline.

11 July 12

On this date in 1914, George Herman "Babe" Ruth debuted in major league baseball, pitching for the Boston Red Sox. In today's baseball news, the National League team beat the American League 8-0 in last night's All Star Game.

22 August 10

Today's significance in major league baseball:

1989 – Nolan Ryan strikes out Rickey Henderson to become the first Major League Baseball pitcher to record 5,000 strikeouts.

Birthdays: 1857 – Ned Hanlon; 1939 – Carl Yastrzemski; 1949 – Doug Bair; 1950 – Ray Burris; 1956 – Paul Molitor; 1972 – Steve Kline.

12 May 10

New York Yankees baseball star Lawrence Peter "Yogi" Berra was born on May 12, 1925. The baseball bears with me in this photo include Yogi Bearra, Lou Bearig and "Slugger" (whose full name might be Joe Bearagiola).

25 August 09

American baseball