Karl Lindholm: Satch, Fleet, and Diz: The “Porous” color line

Editor’s note: This is the latest in a series inspired by the centennial this year of baseball’s Negro Leagues. Baseball, the American version of the British games of cricket and rounders, began in an organized fashion in the United States with actual contests in the 1840s. By the time of the Civil War, “base ball” (two words in those days) was a big deal in the U.S.  In the Civil War, both the Union and Confederate armies played the game in their ample downtime. It was a favorite pastime for Black soldiers … (read more)

It’s October — time to talk a little baseball, right? League playoffs now, World Series coming right up.  Alas, only the hardball diehards in this strangest of all baseball seasons are paying close attention to the end of this baseball season. My friends, … (read more)

As I write this, It’s almost painfully beautiful outside. It is the weekend of the 25th of September, on Saturday. It’s like a mid-summer day, with temperatures nearly 80, but with fall foliage hastening to turn. I drove into town on this day, late aftern … (read more)

Editor’s note: This is the latest in a series inspired by the centennial of baseball’s Negro Leagues. “Whether confronting the challenges of world population growth or the nutritional needs of children, building a hospital or overseeing disaster relief, y … (read more)

Latest in a series of reflections inspired by the 2020 centennial of Baseball’s Negro Leagues. Larry Doby was the second Black player in the major leagues, first appearing for the Cleveland Indians on July 5, 1947, just 10 weeks after Jackie Robinson’s de … (read more)

Editor’s note: Third in a series on the centennial of baseball’s Negro leagues. Perhaps you have seen the cover of the New Yorker magazine from June 22. It has been widely circulated. This cover is a stunning portrait of George Floyd, from his head to his … (read more)

Editor’s note: Second in a series on the centennial of baseball’s Negro leagues. Over the years I have conjured a number of fantasy jobs for myself. None were consummated, of course — reality intruded, but it was fun to imagine myself in these roles. One … (read more)

This is the first in a series. Perhaps you have seen this “tip your cap” campaign celebrating the centennial of baseball’s Negro Leagues. In December 1920, Andrew “Rube” Foster, the owner-manager of the Chicago American Giants, gathered seven other owners … (read more)

A week or so ago, I met Mike, and he asked me (behind his mask) what I thought of the most recent plan to begin the Major League Baseball season. “I haven’t given it much thought,” I told him. “I don’t really care.” He was taken aback. After all, with the … (read more)

One of my heroes growing up was Joey O’Brien, a star athlete at Lewiston High School in Maine, three or four years older than I.  He was a gregarious Irish kid, full of bluster, who loved sports and was really good at them: All-State in football and baske … (read more)

In the new (2015) field house at Middlebury College, against the north wall (nearest the main entrance), down on the actual playing surface, large boards behind glass list the individual record holders in track and field — men and women, indoors and outdo … (read more)

SABR, the Society of American Baseball Research, is in its 50th year. Begun in 1971 by 16 serious baseball fans, the organization today has over 6,000 members. To celebrate it 50th anniversary, SABR is publishing a book of 50 essays, “SABR 50 at 50: The S … (read more)

“Shake hands and come out fighting.” When I was a kid watching the Friday Night Fights with my dad (brought to you by Gillette — “to look sharp and to feel sharp too …”), that’s what the referee instructed in the ring center before the boxing match bega … (read more)

Editor’s note: Peter Lindholm takes over the space in the Independent this week usually occupied by his dad, Karl. He offers a reflection on playing basketball, pickup hoops, in Middlebury, Vt., and in Los Angeles, Calif., where he finds himself now. 2008 … (read more)

I ran a few times with Ben, quite a while ago. He worked at Redlands University in California and I was from here at Middlebury College. Our jobs brought us together on a nearly annual basis as we represented our schools in travels to universities in the … (read more)