Writers Bloc: Legend's game

Updated: July 14, 2003, 9:28 AM ET
By Jim Baker
  • It is interesting to note that for some on the very first National League All-Star team in 1933, it was their first chance to see Babe Ruth play in person. With no television and no interleague play, Ruth was to them just as he was to many fans: a name in the headlines and an image in the newsreels. He did not disappoint, smacking a quick-shot home run off a Wild Bill Hallahan pitch. Dick Heller of the Washington Times looks back at the very first game, also held in the Chicago American League venue.

  • Speaking of that game, it was the idea of Arch Ward, sports editor of the Chicago Tribune. That publication's Rick Morrissey, who writes a column once penned by Ward called "In the Wake of the News" says that his predecessor's legacy is a strong one. Morrissey talked to Ward's son Tom who revealed that writing came very easy to his father. "He could bang out a column in 20 minutes," he told Morrissey. Now there's a neat trick many of us in this profession would like to learn.

  • Why does Chicago have two teams when Washington has none? So asks Thom Loverro in today's Washington Times. Furthermore, he asks, what is the All-Star Game doing in a dump like New Comiskey Park? What is really on his mind, though, is the disposition of the Montreal Expos. When will a decision be reached on their status for next year and the years beyond?

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    Jim Baker is an author at Baseball Prospectus and a frequent contributor to Page 2. You can e-mail Jim at bottlebat@gmail.com.

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