Author: jeremy

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Major League Baseball History: Evolution of the Pill

In 1990, three years before the Florida Marlins and Colorado Rockies joined the league, Opening Day was pushed back a week due to yet another gripe between the owners and players. For those in the know, this shutdown was the seventh since 1972, after decades of consistent play without a significant lapse. All of a sudden, it was just as common for the audience to have to sit through a strike, whether minor or major, as it was for them to experience a Triple Crown winner in the American League. Since runs batted in became an official statistic in 1920, there had been seven seasons in which a player led the league in batting average, home runs, and runs batted in, in the same year: Jimmie Foxx (1933), Lou Gehrig (1934), Ted Williams (1942), Ted Williams (1947), Mickey Mantle (1956), Frank Robinson (1966), and Carl Yastrzemski (1967). Seven Triple Crown winners in the AL, and seven strikes.
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Major League Baseball History: The 1981 Cincinnati Reds

In 1981, Major League Baseball suffered its worst stoppage yet, as all scheduled contests between June 12 and July 31, 1981 (a total of 713 games) were obliterated due to a disagreement between players and owners surrounding the hot topic of free agency. Owners longed for reparations for when they lose players to free agency, which the players execrated in unison, claiming that restitution in this case would be detrimental to free agency, as it would harm its mere worth. As the summer rolled on, the two sides, accustomed to quarrelling, came to an understanding, and play resumed.

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Jeremy’s Journal: LeBron James in the ECF (5/15/2018)

Jeremy Bhandari

21. At, 21-years-old, fresh off  of graduating from the University of Massachusetts, I had the privilege to go to my first Eastern Conference Finals game. Though I attended the celebrated contest with my childhood friend, him and I resided on different sides of the spectrum when it came to who we were supporting. As you’ll find in the photo below, I was rocking with LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers, while he was advocating for the hometown Celtics in his Larry Bird jersey. Somewhat subtle in the backdrop of the image is the Conference Finals banner bound to the bleachers. As an enthusiast of any championship-specific pennants, pins, or hats that feature a fresh logo in honor of the crowning event, I love seeing signs like that scattered throughout the premise. My appreciation for this aspect of sports is further felt with the lid on my head: an Adidas-branded, black, Cleveland Cavaliers 2016 NBA Finals Champions Locker Room hat.

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Jeremy’s Journal: Droppin’ Pennies

While operating at my work-station, scanning statistics in an effort to materialize some cutting-edge content for whatever show I was helping out on, my manager called me over to his desk. Expecting the impending discussion to be an ordinary one, I wandered over in conventional fashion. Had I known what was about to be divulged, I would have added a bit more pep in my step.

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Jeremy’s Journal: Heisman Year

In the conversation for coolest trophy in sports, the bronze figurine of a stiff-arming, able-bodied football player is like no other. Though short in stature (13.5 inches tall), and light on its feet (about 25 pounds), the essence of the Heisman Trophy transcends its slight frame. While it’s a great debate, as the Stanley Cup, Vince Lombardi Trophy, and Commissioner’s Trophy are all beautiful entities, there’s just something about the Heisman that rises it above the pack. If I were to pinpoint its preeminence in comparison to the field, I would say that the sensed grit and overall toughness in the heart of the gridiron star is what puts it over the top.

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Jeremy’s Journal: Baseball Royalty (6/26/2018)

Having grown up 30 minutes outside of the legendary, squeaky-seated, Fenway Park, I was more than spoiled with the access I had to baseball’s most fabled diamond. Over the years, while in attendance at the quirky, and ever-so-dated playing ground, I’ve been able to witness some incredible talent. As a baseball junkie, any time a historic player made his way to Boston, I would do whatever I could to make sure I reserved one of those comfortless chairs in the crowd.

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Jeremy’s Journal: Unranked Boston College Upsets #1 Duke (12/9/17)

It was a frosty afternoon in Chestnut Hill, MA.  With white flakes parachuting from the sky, and the temperate below freezing, Duke’s militant-minded head coach,  the legendary Mike Krzyzewski, prepared his soldiers in black and blue for a December matchup against an in-conference opponent, Boston College.

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