In addition to my ongoing research about the Black Sox Scandal, I also write articles about other aspects of baseball history. Here are some of my recent articles:
The 1919 Flu Mask Baseball Game
SABR Games Project, May 21, 2020
A batter, catcher, and umpire stand at home plate, all wearing cloth masks over their mouth and nose. The photographs are some of the most enduring images of the 1918-19 global influenza pandemic that infected an estimated 500 million people, nearly one-third of the world’s population, and the cause of nearly 50 million deaths over a 24-month span. If these images did not survive, it might be hard to believe such an absurd spectacle ever took place: a baseball game played while everyone present was wearing flu masks. It happened only once, during a California Winter League game on January 26, 1919, in Pasadena, where city officials enacted — and enforced — a strict ordinance requiring all citizens to cover their faces while out in public. Read the full article at SABR.org.
By The Numbers: Iconic Numbers in Baseball
Memories and Dreams (Baseball Hall of Fame), Vol. 42, No. 3, Summer 2020
Baseball’s iconic numbers roll off the tongue easily. They are instantly recognizable to generations of fans, who understand their significance without any explanation necessary. The complete history of the game can be told through numbers like Bob Gibson’s ERA (1.12), Cy Young’s win total (511), and Cal Ripken’s consecutive games streak (2,632). From the Civil War to the sabermetric WARs, baseball’s greatest players, teams, and moments from its earliest origins to the modern era are captured in statistics that still catch our attention. Click the link above to download the PDF.
Baseball ghosts in Bisbee, Arizona

Copper City Classic, April 6, 2019
You can feel the ghosts more easily in Bisbee, Arizona, than just about anywhere else in America. The presence of the past is evident as soon as you pass through the tunnel carved into the Mule Mountains that takes you back in time to a town hailed as the “queen of the copper mines.” Most of all, you can feel the spirit at Warren Ballpark, Bisbee’s century-old baseball stadium and communal gathering space that has played host to generations of ballplayers from Hall of Famers to high schoolers on its dusty diamond. Read the full article.
SABR BioProject: Chipper Jones

SABR.org, June 10, 2018
Chipper Jones was groomed for superstardom, with a cool nickname to match his father’s Hall of Fame idol, Mickey Mantle. The Atlanta Braves selected him as the No. 1 pick in the 1990 amateur draft and over the next two decades, he helped lead the franchise to its greatest heights, winning a World Series in his rookie season, earning the National League’s Most Valuable Player award, and becoming the face of a baseball dynasty. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2018. Read my SABR biography of Chipper Jones at SABR.org.
Books
Here are books in which my writing has appeared:
Articles
- In Memoriam: David Vincent, SABR.org (July 3, 2017)
- Ring Lardner, Baseball’s Comedic Genius, The National Pastime Museum (June 5, 2017)
- April 30, 1922: Charlie Robertson’s perfect game, SABR’s No-Hitters (May 31, 2017)
- The Tim Murnane All-Star Benefit Game, The National Pastime Museum (May 29, 2017)
- Hugh Fullerton, Baseball’s Carnac the Magnificent, The National Pastime Museum (May 22, 2017)
- Take a Seat: The 1908 World Series and the Origin of the BBWAA, The National Pastime Museum (May 15, 2017)
- The “Chicago School” and the Birth of Modern Baseball Writing, The National Pastime Museum (May 8, 2017)
- The J.G. Taylor Spink Award, The National Pastime Museum (May 1, 2017)
- Graham McNamee, Baseball’s First Radio Star, The National Pastime Museum (April 24, 2017)
- The Ford C. Frick Award, The National Pastime Museum (April 17, 2017)
- Award Winning History: A History of MLB Awards, Memories and Dreams, Vol. 38, No. 5 (Fall 2016 – PDF)
- Bones Ely, SABR BioProject (June 11, 2016)
- Greatness With A Catch, Memories and Dreams, Vol. 38, No. 1 (Spring 2016 – PDF)
- In Memoriam: Joe Garagiola, SABR.org (March 23, 2016)
- The World Series Champs … in Breaking Training, The National Pastime Museum (March 3, 2016)
- Seasons Past: 1912, The National Pastime Museum (February 17, 2016)
- Closing the Door on Black Sox Reinstatement, The National Pastime Museum (January 4, 2016)
- Three More Minor League Home Run Kings, The National Pastime Museum (November 27, 2015)
- The Baseball Book That Changed My Life: Eight Men Out, The National Pastime Museum (October 14, 2015)
- Mike Hessman and the Evolution of the Minor League Home Run Record, The National Pastime Museum (October 2, 2015)
- A Rose by Another Name: Ray Fisher’s Ban From Baseball, The National Pastime Museum (June 11, 2015)
- My Dream Game: Perfection in a Pennant Race, The National Pastime Museum (April 15, 2015)
- Lefties are Right for Baseball, Memories and Dreams, Vol. 37, No. 2 (Spring 2015 – PDF)
- My First Game: Still Searching, The National Pastime Museum (November 2, 2014)
- The Final Pitch of the Season: Glory and Goats, The National Pastime Museum (October 15, 2014)
- Walking Off To The World Series, The National Pastime Museum (October 17, 2014)
- Judge Landis and the Forgotten Chicago Baseball Bombings, The National Pastime Museum (July 9, 2014)
- Colliding With History At Home Plate, The National Pastime Museum (June 30, 2014)
- Rare footage of 1919 World Series discovered in Canadian archive, SABR.org (May 2, 2014)
- Two of a Kind: Babe Ruth’s Record-Setting Yankees Debut, Memories and Dreams, Vol. 36, No. 2 (April 2014 – PDF)
- Still at the Top of Their Game, Memories and Dreams, Vol. 36, No. 1 (February 2014)
- My
- Favorite Player: Cal Ripken Jr., The National Pastime Museum (January 27, 2014)
- Baseball’s Other Sad Lexicons, Old Time Family Baseball (January 18, 2014)
- Shellenback and the Spitter, The National Pastime Museum (December 6, 2013)
- ‘Spectacular’ SABR Baseball Research Center opens at new San Diego library, SABR.org (September 28, 2013)
- Back in Time: A Trip to Historic Warren Ballpark, The National Pastime Museum (April 28, 2013)
- Shoeless Joe Jackson: The 50 Best Players Not in the Hall of Fame, Baseball Past and Present (January 2, 2013)
- Merv Rettenmund, SABR BioProject (May 1, 2012)
- Johnny Oates, SABR BioProject (May 1, 2012)
- The Most Painful Braves Gut Punch Losses In October, Seamheads.com (October 11, 2010)