Sunday, July 17, 2011

For those that love the game!

I just picked up a copy of the Dickson Baseball Dictionary - sound kinda' dull? All 957 pages of it. Think again - it is a great read for those who love the game.

Do you know what a "raisin game" is, or a "mush bag," or a "looney joe?" Ever heard of a "do-fer pitch?" It was a term used by Terre Haute, IN MLB pitcher, Tommy John, for a pitch that will work ("do-fer-awhile") until the pitcher gets something else going.

John is also known, of course, as the first player to come back and play in the majors after innovative ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) reconstruction. The procedure was dubbed "Tommy John Surgery."

Back to words. If your interest has not yet been peaked, how about: a "needle nose," the "Rouge Hose," a "sliding dolly," or the guy who is "under the willow." I've thrown out some of the historic or unusual terms, but the book includes thousands of words from today's game as well.

There are over 18,000 individual entries and over 250 photos, providing a comprehensive history and fascinating incite into the world of baseball.

Friday, July 8, 2011

AND NOW WE KNOW!


Special thanks to Dave Murphy and his family for providing Danville Stadium memories and showing us a part of it's history not recorded or seen by anyone I know of for the last 65 years.

I just finished scanning 12 very special pictures that look to be postcards and are most certainly original pictures of the building of Danville Stadium. We now know that the "boss" of the project was Ernie Hayworth, that his crew included Joe Rodgers and Freemont Rodgers. We even know what they look like. We know that the picture we have, which we thought was the building of the stadium, is really a renovation to replace wooden beams with steel.

What a gift to the community and it's baseball fans and historians! Everyone come out tomorrow night and help us celebrate!

Sunday, July 3, 2011

Blast from the Past


Wow - 65 years of stories and memories of teams and times at Danville Stadium. From those days long ago, we have photographs of the construction of the Stadium, the first team to play there - the Danville Dodgers, Sachel Paige standing on the field, and many, many other pictures that tell the story of it's history.

Today, we are lucky enough to live in a digital age where we can relive the action. In 1996, eight Danville Dans helped lead the LSU Tigers as they won the College World Series. Leading the group was Warren Morris, who won an ESPY award by hitting a walk-off home run called "The Shot Heard Round the Bayou." Check out -

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The other Dans on the team were: Tom Bernhardt, Patrick Coogan, Brian Dougherty, Chris Demouy, Tim Lanier, Keith Polozola, and Trey McClure.

Come help celebrate the 65th at the Danville Dans game on July 9th!