Think of the exposure Adidas has gained over the years from their barter deal with the New York Yankees. A 10-year deal first signed in March of 1997.

It’s staggering to think of the many tens-of-millions of people who have seen the Adidas name prominently displayed on the cover of the Yankees (more…)

This morning I read a tribute to “The Stadium” by Larry Stone, Seattle Times baseball reporter. After reading it you will see by everyone who ever played there has (more…)

It’s not an easy road…making the bigs in any professional sport. But in today’s world riding the bench can be very lucrative. Here’s a look at what I mean…

This is the story of (more…)

It was a decade ago that…

Don King was the 65-year-old promoter of the famous heavyweight fight between Evander Holyfield and Mike (big-bite) Tyson. Famous as a fight promoter, King also controlled (and knew how to leverage) the sponsorships to the fights, too.

For example…King has always been interested in more than just selling advertising. “I’m interested in empowerment. That’s what this country is all about!” And so, for all of King’s (more…)

Yesterday was the last game played in Dodgertown, ending 61-years of spring training in Vero Beach, Florida. Carl Erskine, a former Dodger great, wearing his Dodgers whites, played the national anthem with his harmonica. The scene was too much for many of the assembled. It was bittersweet, and the dabbing of eyes ensued.

You don’t have to be an ex-Dodger to have an appreciation for the place. Just (more…)

Back in 1975 Los Angeles Lakers head basketball coach Phil Jackson was 29, and the author of his first book, Maverick. Obviously Jackson was pondering life much more than the typical athlete, as he tried to find what is right for himself, the league and the world around him.

The fact that Jackson felt compelled to write a book at 29 is an indication that he was unusual and an indication of greater accomplishments. The following excerpts show his early thinking/ideas that would eventually lead to (more…)

Continuing from the March 2nd post on the story of Capslun, the red-hot chili peppers-based paste that was applied to one’s sore arm… Capslun

Years later, after I retired, I learned that I had a torn rotator cuff. Back in 1964, when it occurred, no one knew what a rotator cuff tear was. Not even the renowned sports doctor, Dr. Kerlan, who was the Dodgers Orthopedic Surgeon. In September of 64 I flew in from Kansas City to consult with Kerlan and he gave me some (more…)

Well, spring training is now a week old and already the stories are being written about the many pitchers who have sore arms. Of course there are various stages, when talking about sore arms. I still remember my first spring training after having just signed with New York Yankees. (A professional contract on January 2, 1960 in Toledo, Ohio.). One month later I arrived in a sleeply and charming town called Lake Wales, Florida.

It was the spring training site for the Yankees AAA (International League) Richmond Virginians. For the remainder of my 11-year career I spent every spring training with a major league team, where the atmosphere is different. (But that’s another story.)

And it wasn’t too far along while down in Lake Wales before my arm ached a bit, as I was firing every pitch as hard as I could to impress the (more…)

Football is the most popular sport in America. Rochester, N.Y.-based Harris Interactive says the popularity of major sports is unchanged, since last year.

Harris last month polled 2,302 adults–of whom 1,562 follow one or more sport–and found that 30% of the latter say professional football is their favorite. Second place goes to baseball, with 15% saying it is their favorite sport. College (more…)

The Dodgers set a single-game attendance record at the Los Angeles Coliseum on May 7 1959, when they drew 93,103 fans to an exhibition game against the New York Yankees to honor paralyzed catcher Roy Campanella.

On March 29 the Dodgers will face last year’s World Series Champs, the Boston Red Sox, in a spring training game before 90,000, as all the existing tickets for the game were sold out within an hour of being put on sale!

Two-thirds of the tickets were purchased by (more…)