Rise Of The Road Dogs, A Perseverance Tale

by Kevin Burton    I was so sure it was going to happen, I had the headline written: “Bad Dogs! Cellar Dwelling Fantasy Team.”    That was two weeks ago. My K&J Road Dogs, in 9th place at 2-4, were playing the last place team, which was 1-5.  If The Dogs lost, the teams would …

More Musing On Life, Baseball And Pete Rose

by Kevin Burton    One day I answered the phone and instead of a typical getting I heard, “Your boy’s in jail.”    Baseball was one of the few things that my father and I could talk about peacefully. But we had a disagreement about Pete Rose.    I loved Rose, who died Sept. 30 …

I Can Still Feel That Mexican Embrace

by Kevin Burton    There is a cove that I visit, a path where I meander, to which no one on earth can follow.    I don’t go often, but when I go, I go down deep.    Out of despair from not being able to break into journalism, I decided at 24 to go …

My Shifting Sports Team Allegiances

by Kevin Burton    Time and location, location, location, can change even the most fervent loyalties when it comes to sports fan allegiances.       On ESPN’s Pardon The Interruption, Tony Kornheiser talks about the New York Mets as “the team of my youth” to differentiate it from his current favorite, the Washington Nationals. That is …

“Here Comes Foster!” There Goes Al Michaels

by Kevin Burton    I love me some Al Michaels. Our sportscaster-sports consumer relationship goes back more than 50 years.    How much do I love Al Michaels?  Well, I watched the entire unwatchable Raiders-Chargers game Thursday because he was calling it. I didn’t even have any fantasy players involved.   And I’ve been watching …

I Guess Static Cling Is A Thing After All

by Kevin Burton    Serving up quibbles and bits for Saturday breakfast on Page 7.  Stray ideas, quick hitters, random asides.    It’s food for thought, albeit maybe not real deep thought…..    So, I spent the first 90 percent of my workday Friday with a washcloth stuffed inside my shirt. I put on a …

Old Times, Springtime And Baseball Cards

by Kevin Burton     Mid-March, this time of year. In the old days, when it wasn’t quite time for baseball, it was time for baseball cards.     Growing up at the school for the blind in Ohio in the 70s, with the gloom and chill of February fading, with temperatures perhaps in the high 40s …

Hey Baseball, Get Off My Lawn!

by Kevin Burton    The seasons are changing, calendar and sports calendar; the time is changing (spring forward Saturday night, kids), too much is changing.    Any number of poets have rhapsodized about the beginning of spring and all it symbolizes. OK, I’m good with that. But as a sports guy in the man cave, …

Sweet Dreams And Super Bowl Victory For KC

by Kevin Burton    My wife Jeannette got the news late: the Kansas City Chiefs are Super Bowl champions!    She got the news late because she left the game in the second quarter and headed to bed. Her work starts very early and so bedtime comes early too, Super Bowl or not.    She …

Baseball And Radio, A Perfect Pairing

by Kevin Burton    The greatest marriage of all time marks its 101st anniversary today. May death never part the two.    The two I speak of, baseball and radio. Baseball on the radio has been a comfort to millions of Americans all their lives.  Baseball was the national pastime, radio a sort of national …