MLB Memories on the Cusp of a new Season

By Lenny Moon

I’ve always found baseball discussions over the years, particularly on the major level, to serve as a bridge to previous generations of the sport once known as “America’s Pastime”. Being a proud Baby Boomer, the collection of trading cards as a kid was always a highlight each season to compare with the vast accumulation already in your shoe boxes. This of course predated the explosive windfall that would beset that industry down the road (boy if I had a fraction of that collection in contemporary times). Be that as it may, on the verge of the upcoming 2023 Major League Baseball season, I browsed through some of my previously released MLB-related videos and chose to post the links in this baseball edition. Before we dive in, congratulations to the 2022 World Series Champion Houston Astros led by future Hall of Fame skipper Dusty Baker. Perhaps it not ironic that the first two video links are pertaining to the “back in the day” version of Baker as he speaks with Lenny Moon about former teammate Hank Aaron’s lack of respect as an all-time great, as well as the Hammer’s torturous home run chase of Babe Ruth’s then-record (see below).

Current Houston Astros manager Dusty Baker (then of the Atlanta Braves) greets teammate Hank Aaron following one of his 755 round trippers
Hank Aaron rounds the bases as he eclipsed Babe Ruth’s career mark of 714 homers as former teammate Dusty Baker discussed the death threats involved with Aaron’s journey.

Following an up and down early career with the Los Angeles Dodgers, hurler Dave Stewart found himself up the coast in Oakland and developed himself into the ace of the Athletics (1986-92) and later the Toronto Blue Jays (1993-94) where he won World Series titles with both franchises. Stewart talked with Lenny Moon about why he felt that there were not more Black pitchers in the modern day game (see below).

Former MLB fireballer Dave Stewart won World Series championships with three different ball clubs during his 16-year career (Dodgers, Athletics and Blue Jays)

We caught up with famed Los Angeles Dodgers broadcaster Vincent Edward “Vin” Skully during our MLB coverage days as he talked about why he felt the southern California team produced so many Rookie-of-the-Year Award winners. Skully served 67 years as the voice of the Dodgers prior to retiring in 2016. On that same video, “Mr October” Reggie Jackson talked with Lenny Moon about being a star in New York and “doing his thing” in fabled Yankee Stadium (see below).

Legendary Los Angeles Dodgers broadcaster Vin Skully and “Mr October” Reggie Jackson talked with Lenny Moon about different aspects of the sport they greatly assisted in making it “America’s Pastime”

We wrap this segment with a gentleman that created history in 1974 by becoming the first Black manager in the history of Major League Baseball. Hall of Fame slugger Frank Robinson talks with Lenny Moon about his preparation of posturing himself to become the game’s barrier-breaker as the leader of a MLB team (see below).

Although he would manger three other MLB teams other than Cleveland and served as a coach for three more clubs, Frank Robinson was one of the greatest players in the game’s history. The 14-time MLB All-Star blasted a whopping 586 home runs, MVP in both leagues (NL-1961 and AL-1966), led Baltimore to two World Series titles (1966 & 1970) and a Triple Crown winner (leader in home runs, RBI and average) in 1966.

WITH THE GAME’S RICH HISTORY, THE CALENDAR TELLS US THAT IT’S TIME AGAIN FOR SOUNDING THE ALARM TO “LET’S PLAY BALL”

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