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When people write about Jackie Mitchell, the story almost always revolves around a single question: Did she? No, did she REALLY? I'd like to turn the question around a little bit. I'd like to talk for a minute about what Jackie Mitchell means to our oldest daughter, Elizabeth. There's a legend in our house about Elizabeth -- I've written many times about her aversion to sports. She has never liked them. We always thought that this was, at least in part, because sports took me on the road a lot when she was little and wanted me around. But mostly, her mind and energy are just geared a whole different way. She's not competitive. She always brought a book along on our family baseball game...
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Definitely found the pattern to the Shawowball pieces — somewhere towards end my eyes swell up.
Does the pattern which you have found have any reference to how these entries correspond to the Baseball-100 entries, or is the pattern something just within the Shadowball-100 series?
Nothing that sophisticated— I’m just a softy for good writing and get choked up on each one… sorry, I didn’t really have any great revelation.
” I’m just a softy for good writing ” -> LOL
The sophisticated pattern still remains undiscovered.
She’s not pitching from MLB distance, but its fun anyway to see Jennie Finch strike out Albert Puhols.
Joe – As somebody born and raised in Chattanooga, I appreciated this entry in Shadowball. I’ve always enjoyed the story of Jackie Mitchell, and glad you made the point it is irrelevant if Ruth and Gehrig struck out on purpose or if Mitchell was just better for those specific at bats.
I also always enjoy hearing stories about Joe Engel. My earliest baseball watching memories are of the Chattanooga Lookouts playing at Engel Stadium so the name always makes me smile. The Lookouts are still here, but sadly at a new stadium. Engel Stadium is also still here — it was used for some of the baseball scenes in 42 — but has been neglected for years. I continue to hope that somebody will took charge and restore that stadium to its old school glory.