The Tuesday Discussion: Some Holiday Gifts

December 27, 2022

***

Oh, the holiday, a great time for giving... and receiving. We asked our writers to share one, or some, of the baseball related gifts they received this year.

Here are some:

Andy Singer - My wife bought me a blue and white door wreath made from old baseballs, a toy bar, and home plate with the inscription, "There's No Place Like Home." I am hanging it in my kitchen, even more prominently than I was known to hang a curve ball!

***

Paul Semendinger - Way back in 1979, with the Yankees out of the playoffs, II found another rooting interest... The Pittsburgh Pirates. I loved that team that year. I rooted for them to defeat those pesky Baltimore Orioles in the World Series. Oh all the pirates, the one I rooted for the most was the great Dave Parker. I liked Parker so much that I convinced my patrol within my Boy Scout troop to call ourselves the Cobras (Parker's nickname).

In May 2023, my oldest son, Ryan, and I will be running the Pittsburgh Marathon. I thought it would be fun to wear a Pirates jersey over the 26.2 miles in Pittsburgh. Ryan obliged by providing me with this jersey:

The Cobra strikes again.

I already have black shorts. I'll just need some yellow running shoes for the big day.

(The race announcer for the Houston Marathon reached out and said I should run their race. I thought about that for 2014, but if I wear an Astros jersey... I thought, "Why should I choose?" I certainly did not want any current Astros... and then I hit upon the best idea. If I run that race, I just might get myself a uniform with number 56 on the back for Jim Bouton.

I'll also have to decide on a number to wear for the NYC Marathon next November. Nettles? Roy White? Reggie? Guidry? Hummmmmmm.....)

***

Mike Whiteman - This Fall I played in an over-38 baseball league, my first baseball action since high school. I used the same glove I had in high school, which was a bit worn. Santa realized that an upgrade was sorely needed for 2023.

***

Ethan Semendinger - In addition to the 1959 Topps baseball cards I'll be discussing this week at 6:00 p.m. each day here at SSTN, I received some baseball books including The Book of Joe by Joe Maddon (a fellow graduate of Lafayette College).

***

James Vlietstra - I bought my son the Aaron Judge commemorative bat from Big Time Bats.

***

Michael Saffer - My wife and daughter got me these amazing jackets for the cool weather games. My daughter specifically got me the one jacket knowing the games in Miami are in an air conditioned stadium. Very thoughtful!

***

Cary Greene - My favorite Baseball Christmas this year was given to me by a close friend who knows I'm a huge baseball fan who, in the summer time is often rocking a vintage baseball jersey and this year's present is definitely another all-time great added to my collection - none other than George Brett, the great third baseman who played for the Kansas City Royals.

Brett was an American League MVP (1980), a 13-time All-Star, a three-time Batting Champion who is the only MLB player ever to have won Batting Titles in three different decades ('76, '80 and '90), a Gold Glover (1985), a 13-time Player of the Year, a World Series Champion, a three-time Silver Slugger award winner and an American League Championship Series MVP. In fact, George Brett was the first player ever with career totals of more than 3,000 hits, 300 home runs, 600 doubles, 100 triples and 200 stolen bases.

Apparently, over this past summer I was telling my friend who bought me the present all about how good George Brett, rated as being a 88.6 bWAR player, truly was. Our conversation centered on Brett's great 1980 season, when he posted a 203 OPS+, 9.4 b-WAR season in which his .390/.440/.664 slash line and great defense to this day reflects one of the most dominant season's a third baseman has ever put up.

George Brett and the Royals teams he played on were the Yankees greatest rivals back in the 80's and it will be especially fun to wear his jersey from time to time. It will no doubt start up conversations with the most unlikely or random people and that's the fun of rocking a vintage jersey. It's also good to know a little bit about the player, so that when the inevitable conversations arise, it's then possible to reward the person who remembers the player with some fun tidbits.

***

Ed Botti - My gift; my daughter, in this photo from 1998, just announced that there will be a new member in the Yankee family. Miranda and my son in law Cesar are expecting the baby in early June!