Wild Pitch: How a Book, a Baseball Card and Nolan Ryan Helped Fulfill a Childhood Dream

Nolan Ryan taught me how to pitch.

I learned every move he had, from the way he held his glove as he started his windup, to the high leg kick, to the explosion off the pitching rubber as another 100 mph-plus fastball hurdled toward the plate. 

Oh, I had everything he had.

Minus the 100 mph fastball.

Or any fastball, really.

Go Royals, for KC

It’s really more than just a hat.

Earlier this year, Cory Graham and I, in an effort to pay some sort of tribute to our old friend KC Jones, who had unexpectedly died, decided we should probably become Kansas City Royals fans. The reason was purely superficial: the Royals’ cap featured the letters “KC,” and we’d had more than few conversations over the years that our KC should be a fan of that KC. Not only would he have personalized caps (or shirts or jackets or whatever piece of Royals memorabilia he desired), he’d also be rooting for an obscure small-market team in an area surrounded by fans of the Yankees, Cardinals, Braves and Reds. Basically, our friend would stand out.

Season 2, Football Picks: Week 5

I suck.

I cannot pick NFL games (but at least I’m better at it than, say, Cory or Jeff.