Do you do any baseball tributes?

[Rob D.]

In one of his early books from the 1980s, Bill James extolled the baseball prowess of Hank Aaron when he mentioned that as a little personal tribute to Aaron, whenever James reheated a cup of coffee in the microwave, he'd always set the timer to 44 seconds. That little tidbit has stuck with me all these years because I thought it was so cool.

The past few summers I've done a tribute to Earl Weaver, not only because I admire his career as a manager but because he gave us one of the best pieces of baseball comedy with a certain episode of his Manager's Corner pre-game radio show. (Don't click the link and listen to the show unless you're prepared to hear a lot of profanity.)

I always thought it neat that during the season Weaver grew tomato plants that were hidden in the Orioles bullpen. On a side of our front yard is a hedge about 4 feet high and 12 feet long. The area gets full sun, which is perfect for tomato plants. I'm able to plant the tomatoes on the house-side of the hedge (or as I think of it, a natural version of an outfield fence) so we can see them but they're hidden from our neighbors and people on the street. I don't even like tomatoes, but it's fun growing them for our family and neighbors, and it serves as my little tribute to Earl (plus, tomato plants play a key role in the aforementioned Manager's Corner.

I know a board member named his child Mathewson as a tribute, and while we didn't go that far, our first dachshund's official name on his AKC registration was Wahoo Sam (we just called him Sam, among other things).

I'm curious whether other folks on the board have little baseball tributes they do during everyday life. (For your own safety, please don't post that your PIN number is "T206" or you always use the password "Mickey7" on websites.)

[Bilko G]

I have a couple of Hockey tributes i use in everyday life but won't post them for safety reasons. At work i use the password "Yankees" for most everything (password isn't for anything private or financial)

[Rob D.]

Originally Posted by Bilko G

I have a couple of Hockey tributes i use in everyday life but won't post them for safety reasons. At work i use the password "Yankees" for most everything.

That's funny, because I had a boss once who knew that I hate the Yankees, so whenever she'd set up a new account for some software I'd be testing or using, she always made the password "Yankees."

[Matt]

I had a great idea to name my firstborn Seven to honor The Mick, but some jerk used the name for his kid first.

(written from the hospital as my wife is laboring with #4)

[slidekellyslide]

Heh...my pin number is totally baseball related, but I won't say how.

I wanted to name my son Pete after Pete O'Brien who was my favorite player when I was younger, but my wife said NO..I then suggested Ted (for Ted Williams) and again she said NO. When my wife suggested Addison for our girl I didn't tell her that that was a street Wrigley Field was on. My cat is named Sammy after Sammy Sosa...we got him in 97.

[GoldenAge50s]

Had my daughter been born a boy, her name would have been Mickey, by mutual agreement between my wife & I.

When I play Powerball & MegaMillions I use Yankee retired #'s & a combination of #'s pertaining to Mantle.

I have passwords & ID's in some safe instances that also honor #7.

PS---I live in RI & have been a Red Sox fan since 1980.


When my wife suggested Addison for our girl

It is also a tiny town in WNY that is the home of Jimmy Greengrass.

[2dueces]

Ever since the lotto was invented I played every # I wore since youth baseball till I quit playing. 14,17,22,27,32,36. Don't play the lotto but still remember the #'s.

[Doug]

Originally Posted by Rob D.

(For your own safety, please don't post that your PIN number is "T206" or you always use the password "Mickey7" on websites.)

I do but it explaining it would violate the above rule.

[Section103]

In 1989, Texas A&M started the college season by winning 40 and losing 1 of their first 41 games. I stood behind the railing of Section 103 for most all of the home games. There's some other stuff too.

[Tim Kindler]

My son is named Tyrus after Tyrus Raymond Cobb.
My garage door opener code is the numbers of my favorite Yankees.

[brickyardkennedy]

George Plimpton's "tribute" to Carl Hubbell. From Plimpton's book, "Out of My League":

"Carl Hubbell with his screwball was a particular hero. I'd read somewhere, that the effect of his screwball, delivered with a violent inward snap of the wrist, put such a strain over the years on his arm that when he stood relaxed, with his arms down at his sides, the palm of his pitching arm faced out. When I stood around at the age of eleven, having read this, I did the same - faced the palm out, hoping that it would be associated with screwball pitching, and not with a malformation of the arm, which is what it looked like. One day my father finally said: 'What's wrong with your arm, son? You fall out of a window?'
'Well, that's from screwball pitching,' I said."

[cliftons8]

At Church picnics when I play the cake wheel, I always play #8 for Joe Morgan and #35 for Darrell Griffith.

Mike

[yoyot1]

I have two dogs, Satchel and Paige.

Very few people recognize the names.

[ChiefBenderForever]

Whenever I eat at Dennys I have a Grand Slam breakfeast.

[Hot Springs Bathers]

I had the chance to name our last cat after Casey Stengel, much like the "Old Perfessor" Casey lived to the ripe old age of 20. Ever since grade school I have always fought to wear the number 7, growing up in the 50s and 60s you can easily guess why. Although I was never much of a baseball player I still have several football jerseys from junior high years thru college with my number 7. I need to add that there was never much of a carry over value of the number to my meager talent level.

[steve B]

Not baseball, but a bicycle mechanic/technician guy I admired died a year or two ago. He was a big fan of the French language, and insisted derailleur wasn't actually french, but a made up english word. since he died I've tried to use his habit of spelling it derailler.

A purchsing guy I used to sell to used POs with a format of xxxxx-33. The company had insisted on a suffix to identify which person wrote which PO. He picked 33 for his to honor Larry Bird.

Steve B

[mets41]

I've seen auto liscense plates that were sports related: REDS 5, REDS 7, 41 METS (mine), and LEFTY 32.

[Zach Wheat]

Originally Posted by Matt

I had a great idea to name my firstborn Seven to honor The Mick, but some jerk used the name for his kid first.

(written from the hospital as my wife is laboring with #4)

I had a friend that named their kid "ESPN" pronounced "Es-pen". Both husband and wife watched a lot of baseball.....presumably other sports as well.

Zach Wheat

[Zach Wheat]

Oh, and on or around September 23rd of most years it seems like someone ont his forum usually gives tribute to Merkle for his "play".

Zach Wheat