The legend of baseball thrives with the Auburn Doubledays

When you were a baseball-loving kid growing up in New York during the belly of the 20th century, the name Abner Doubleday carried weight. The old soldier dude invented the game we loved, said the Lords of Baseball. Of course now the myth-busters say it ain’t so. None of that matters to the folks that…

Wasn’t it 1986, like, yesterday?

My New York Mets are doing something cool this weekend. They’re honoring the last squad to bring a World Series title to the fans who started that little cheer of “Let’s Go Mets” when they were born as lovable losers in 1962 and the generations since who haven’t stopped reciting that phrase, if not on…

Roof, roof, roof for the Mets

Ellie B aka Dogamous Pyle is a Mets fan, just like me and my dear wife Karen. She loves to watch the games with us. I swear. Does your pet show any interest in sports? Does your pet watch TV with you? Does your pet prefer to play fetch in the backyard?

I don’t mind being a sub in the little golf league that could

When Commish made the calls to see who was joining our little golf league for this season, I had to tell her no thanks. I was still working at the store at the time, and my frequent shifts during the weekly play-time at Northern Pines made it seem impossible for me to make it for…

Timber Banks shows me I’m no Nicklaus

For our first great-course-with-a-coupon trip for this season, KP, Tater and I chose that challenging track that Jack Nicklaus drew up northwest of Syracuse. And as always, Timber Banks was as tough and challenging as it was fun and rewarding. Netti didn’t have one of the discount tickets we three snagged when we bought the…

Ellie B puts her best paw forward for the Chiefs

The Syracuse Chiefs were thankful that the last Saturday in April went to the dogs. Our Triple-A baseball team has been having one heck of a time with the spring weather so far this season, general manager Jason Smorol pointed out several times with the microphone in his hand during the pregame pooch parade at…

A cool wind and a warm sun greet our golf season

A day off from the store and friends a stretch of warm spring Syracuse weather added up to the opening of golf season 2016 for KP, Tater and I. Tater chose Camillus Country Club, a public-private hybrid built high on a hill on the west side of Onondaga County. The sun shined brightly again for…

Looking fast and fit for football

My dear wife Karen and I have attempted to attend the Syracuse Orange’s annual spring football game, loyal season ticket holders that we’ve been for seven seasons now. It’s not always been so much fun, through the four years under the guidance of Doug Marrone, even though that Orange alum turned a bad team around…

The shirts were still Orange

Hopes were high. Stores were selling shirts, fast. My dear wife Karen and I were up on the Syracuse University hill to catch the spring football game Saturday — more on that here tomorrow — so we ducked into a couple of stores on Marshall Street to see for ourselves what was hot. We walked…

Welcome to the hoops capital for men and women

The games will be played elsewhere. Houston on Saturday and Indianapolis on Sunday, to be precise. But make no mistake about it. The folks who call Syracuse, N.Y., and its surrounding miles home can undeniably make claim as the basketball capital of the entire world this weekend. The Syracuse men’s and women’s teams both won…