Marc JohnsonJun 3, 20102 min readThat’s BaseballQuite a day in baseball yesterday. Ken Griffey, Jr. made a good call and an umpire in Detroit didn’t. The good call first. Perhaps the...
Marc JohnsonMay 13, 20102 min readCivilization Requires CivilityJim Leach is on a mission. The former Republican Congressman from Iowa, now chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH),...
Marc JohnsonMay 5, 20102 min readThe Great ErnieIt was a cold, wet night at Safeco Field in Seattle on Tuesday and the Mariners played like they would rather have been sitting by a fire...
Marc JohnsonMay 3, 20102 min readCollaborate or LitigateYou’ll get lots of hits: Alaska v. Babbitt or Defenders of Wildlife v. Kempthorne or Andrus v. Shell Oil Company. Much of the litigation...
Marc JohnsonApr 24, 20102 min readThe Boys of PolyesterWhen it comes to baseball, I’m a traditionalist. Some of the most appealing aspects of the great game are its traditions. It’s been said...
Marc JohnsonApr 8, 20102 min readLife in the WestWhen Bob Abbey, the director of the Bureau of Land Management, testified before Congress last year during his confirmation hearing he...
Marc JohnsonApr 4, 20101 min readLet the Games BeginMy all-time favorite cartoon appeared in the New Yorker several years ago. In the cartoon, a fellow is settling into his big, comfortable...
Marc JohnsonApr 3, 20101 min readRed Sox vs. YankeesJosh Beckett vs. C.C. Sabathia as the best rivalry in baseball tees up the season. This time of year – just before a new season unfolds –...
Marc JohnsonApr 1, 20102 min readThanks for the MemoriesMajor league baseball in Tucson ended yesterday with a routine ground out. Score it an Owners Choice. Tradition flies out to the...
Marc JohnsonMar 31, 20104 min readThe End of an EraIt’s going to be a sad day at the ballpark today in Tucson, Arizona. Since 1947, a major league team has conducted spring training at...
Marc JohnsonMar 29, 20102 min readA Delicate BalanceIn the old TV series, Perry Mason always wrapped up the case in the last few minutes of the show, tied a ribbon on the verdict and went...
Marc JohnsonNov 7, 20092 min readWait Until Next YearWhile I wait for the warmth of spring and the baseball fan’s certainty that opening day (148 days away by my count) brings all things new...
Marc JohnsonNov 6, 20092 min readIt Might As Well Be WinterThe late, great Commissioner of Baseball, Bart Giamatti, while serving as President of Yale, said: “All I ever wanted to be president of...
Marc JohnsonOct 14, 20093 min readRooting for MicrosoftI confess. I was pulling for the Red Sox to advance in the American League playoffs. Alas, as usual for me, baseball in October is about...
Marc JohnsonOct 14, 20093 min readRooting for MicrosoftI confess. I was pulling for the Red Sox to advance in the American League playoffs. Alas, as usual for me, baseball in October is about...
Marc JohnsonAug 29, 20092 min readReading BaseballLabor Day approaches and a baseball fan’s thoughts turn to, well – baseball. One of the best new baseball books is Satchel: The Life and...
Marc JohnsonAug 9, 20092 min readThe Great KillebrewWhen Idaho’s best ever baseball player retired in 1975, he stood at fifth all-time on the home run list with 573 dingers. Now Harmon...
