Michael said…
I swear to God, if it weren’t for the fact that you are way, way, way more talented than I, I would assert uncategorically that either you are somehow ripping these thoughts out of my head, or that I am actually you, and I write this blog in my sleep, and that’s why I am so damn tired all the time.

I assume you have read Roger Angell’s incomparable “Distance”, about Mr. Gibson in retirement? If you haven’t, hie thyself to a library and partake. It’s reprinted in many of his anthologies, and it might be the finest nonfiction baseball piece ever.

Except, perhaps, for this piece.

If you don’t try to edit together and publish this blog, you are out of yer cotton pickin mind.

In my humble opinion.

5:48 PM

Jon said…
Josh, here’s a discussion of .

Bill Sharman was on the Brooklyn bench when Bobby Thomson hit the Shot Heard Round The World. The Bavasi’s were still pissed at Red Auerbach making him a Celt that Peter(?), Buzzy’s son almost didn’t let Danny Ainge out of his Blue Jay’s contract.

8:00 PM

Josh Wilker said…
Thanks, Michael. Interesting theory about the creation of the blog, but it doesn’t explain why I’m tired all the time, too.

And yes, I have read Angell’s essay on Gibson, but not for a long time. I’ll have to check it out again.

Thanks for the link to that discussion, Jon. Some great baseball-hoopster names mentioned. One guy not brought up was Koufax, who got into U of Cincy on a basketball scholarship. Also, from the Red Sox fan angle: I think Yaz set a lot of high school basketball records on Long Island, Jimmy Piersall was a high school basketball legend, and Derek Lowe was first-team all state in basketball in Michigan.

I see that you mentioned Tim Stoddard playing in the final four and the World Series. I think Kenny Lofton also played in both.

8:52 AM

Jon said…
My source must be 20 years old, Josh. From Whiskeypedia:

Lofton is one of only two men to play in a college basketball Final Four (1988, the first for the Arizona Wildcats) and a Major League Baseball World Series, the feat having also been done, coincidentally, by another East Chicago native, Tim Stoddard.

11:11 AM

twi-ny said…
As an addendum to the Gibson story, it might be worth noting that Pete LaCock is the son of someone who is probably a Hartland legend, Peter Marshall, host of the one and only HOLLYWOOD SQUARES.