Sports & Society

How does Major League Baseball grade for diversity in 2011—64 years after Jackie Robinson broke the color line? 

Take a walk with me along the river of my thoughts and grading scale, and you’ll probably be able to pick my brain for the answer by this column’s end.

No longer just a buzzword in college business classes, diversity is a must in almost every walk of global corporate life. 

If you want to know why the hobgoblins of 1989’s Field of Dreams refused to allow Ty Cobb to play ball on their ghostly field, you have only to re-watch the classic 1994 movie Cobb, starring the inimitable Tommy Lee Jones.

Alas, one was the lovely, tear-jerking movie that men loved to bawl about. The other was an antidote to sugarcoated cotton candy about life and death that Field of Dreams provided.

Barry Bonds is in trouble. With his perjury trial underway, Bonds faces a maximum of 10 years in prison, as well as the tarnishing of his legacy. As if it wasn't already.

For three years we have waited for this. The date was March 2011, and everyone in San Francisco and anyone growing up with an awareness of Bonds would remember that date. The day is finally here.

Craftsbury, Vermont, nestled in the forests of northern New England, is famous for two movies filmed on location: one film was made by Alfred Hitchcock, and the other stars Bill "Spaceman" Lee.

Alfred Hitchcock, The Master of Suspense who brought us Psycho and The Birds, went to Craftsbury in 1954. He was attracted to the rural small-town setting where for a few weeks in the autumn, the foliage and splash of colors roll over the hills for miles in every direction.

With the alleged ghostly spirits that live at the 99-year-old Fenway Park, ghost-seeking fans may have plenty to spook them late in the night. Bumps in the Monster seats may be more scary when the Sox are on the road.

According to Baseball Hauntings by Mickey Bradley and Dan Gordon, there is a bit of action at Fenway Park. Among the alleged spirits to be found there on off-nights when the Sox are on road trips are the late announcer Sherm Feller and owner Tom Yawkey. 

A former Las Vegas showgirl inherited the Cleveland Indians from her deceased husband and wanted to move the team to the warm climate of Miami, sound familiar LeBron James?

The latest appearance of Fenway Park on the screen was in local boy Ben Affleck’s view of Beantown. In The Town, pleasant and upscale Charlestown serves a haven for bank-robbing Red Sox fans.  Stars Ben Affleck and Jeremy Renner case the joint in the right-field stands during a Yankees game.

Miguel Cabrera: We don’t know the whole story and we may never know the whole story. 

The two parts that trouble me most about this story are, “Do you know who I am?” and, “You don’t know anything about my problems.” 

No, Miguel, I don’t know anything about your problems. But I really don’t care any more about your problems than you care about mine. 

With pitchers and catchers set to report next week and full workouts to take place a week later, it's time to turn our attention to the boys of summer.

Baseball is America's past time—a game that spans more than a century of tradition and excitement. No other sport in America can claim that kind of longevity and devoted following.

The best sports movies are about baseball (with apologies to "Hoosiers" and "Rudy"), and if you haven't seen "The Natural," "Bull Durham," or "The Sandlot" you are just letting the best in quality sports movies pass you by.

It is always nice to get recognized for something you put your heart into, so I was thrilled when Ballhyped.com wanted to feature Lady Loves Pinstripes as a favorite female sports site during Women’s Week. It is an honor for women to be getting acknowledged in the sports world.