This is the grave of Ralph Branca. Born in Mount Vernon, New York in 1926, Branca was the 15th of 17 children. He was the child of immigrants. His father was an Italian streetcar conductor and his mot
“Standing on the gallows with my head in the noose/ Any minute now I’m expecting all hell to break loose.”- Bob Dylan, “Things Have Changed” Look folks, I’m not a b
This is the grave of Don Baylor. Born in 1949 in Austin, Texas, Baylor grew up in Clarksville, Texas. He was among the first black students to integrate Texas public schools in the early 1960s. He wen
With the Nationals trailing the Dodgers 3-2 in the bottom of the 7th inning of Game 5 this past Wednesday night, I went to the bullpen, which is to say I broke out a Chelada. Many have suggested that
This is the grave of John Clarkson. Born in 1861 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Clarkson rose to become one of the pitching beasts of the early baseball era. He grew up in a pretty wealthy family. His f
This is the grave of Frankie Frisch. Born in The Bronx in 1897, Frisch was a phenomenal athlete who played four sports at Fordham University: baseball, basketball, football, and track. Given the profe
Good. Nineteen-year-old pitcher Carter Stewart is in agreement with the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks of the Japanese Pacific League on a six-year contract worth more than $7 million, a groundbreaking deal t
This is the grave of Willie Wells. Born in 1906 in Austin, Texas, Wells grew up in the city and became an outstanding baseball player. Of course, the major leagues were closed off to black players dur