There’s a fundamental tension in spectator sports that goes a little something like this: The things a player or coach or team will do to win and the things that make the game fascinating and authentic and fun and are rarely the same. Much of the time they are at odds with each other. We’ve…
Author: Joe Posnanski
Joe Posnanski writes about sports for a living, particularly baseball. Here, he writes about sports and also Springsteen, Hamilton, Harry Potter, iPads, infomercials, his idolization of Duane Kuiper, his family and magic. He lives in Charlotte with his wife Margo, two daughters Elizabeth and Katie, and their dog Westley. Joe is currently working on a book about Harry Houdini in today's world.
Adjustments and Didi
For his first 25 games of the 2018 season — a span that ended on April 27 — Didi Gregorius was hitting .368/.459/.828 and was basically making a case for immortality. My pal Brian Kenny, who had the audacity not to include Gregorius umong his Top 10 shortstops, was spending roughly 95% of his time…
Links May 19
Teams keep on shifting Atlanta’s Freddie Freeman, even though he crushes the shift. Weird. The 21-strikeout game is coming. A look back at the strikeout record’s rise, going back to 1884 and an jealous teammate of Old Hoss Radbourn. Is Bryce Harper a superstar? From The Athletic: Part two of our greatest ever series, who should…
Links: May 11
Looking back at Nomar Garciappara’s greatest day … and his brilliant but too short career. This was a fun one. I heard a startlingly loud crack on a home run ball hit by Bryce Harper, and it sent me back to ask that great Buck O’Neil question: What are the loudest home runs I’ve ever…
Links for May 8
Quick: Who is the best pitcher in baseball? For years now — a generation even — the answer was obvious and immediate: Clayton Kershaw. Well, for the first time in a long time, that’s not the answer. The Athletic: Starting a series where we are trying to get some parameters for the Greatest of All…
Links for May 4
Loved this one: Went back 30 years to look at the astonishing 0-21 start of the 1988 Baltimore Orioles. On MLB.com, I riff off the recent Sporting News story let’s talk about the very real possibility that Nick Markakis will finish with 3,000 hits. The Athletic: Our friend Negro Leagues Museum president Bob Kendrick, every…
Links for May 1
Our baseball roundup, featuring Oakland early-season sensation Sean Manaea, who is getting people out by pitching slower. For The Athletic: LeBron. For The Athletic: That crazy Yankees-Twins thing (featuring Michael Schur)
Some personal news
You probably know this but, whew, the business I’m in has changed. I’m sure this is true for every business, but I don’t know about any other business. I barely understand my own business. When I became a sportswriter some 30 years ago, there was a clear path for dummies like me. You started at…
The King of Fouls
On Sunday, San Francisco’s Brandon Belt had an at-bat for the ages against Los Angeles’ Jaime Barria. First inning, Belt was the second batter of the game. He fouled off 16 pitches. Yes, Belt fouled off 16 pitches, including 11 in a row. He eventually flew out, but that 21 pitch at-bat is the longest…
In & of Itself
I have this vivid memory of a moment that may not have happened. I can’t be sure. My father doesn’t remember it at all, and he would be the only other person who would remember. I still see it though, and feel that in a way that it altered my life. It would be strange…