Tuesday, April 7, 2026

Len Levin of SABR Has Passed Away at Age 95 (Society for American Baseball Research)

 


For several years after my retirement, I was active in the SABR Games Project.  Authors would research and write accounts of professional baseball games.  As Coordinator of Fact Checking, I either reviewed the game myself or sent it to another team member.  After the game was fact-checked, I would send the manuscript to Len Levin to copyedit before publication.  I must have exchanged hundreds of emails with him over the years. I did meet him at two SABR National Meetings. It was always a pleasure to work with him.

Obituary by Jacob Pomrenke, SABR's Director of Editorial Content

Comments about Len by John Fredland, Coordinator of the Games Project:

Sad news for the Games Project and SABR in general: Len Levin, who served as copy-editor on a remarkable variety of SABR publications, including nearly every Games Project article during my five-and-a-half years as committee chair, died today at age 95. Len's reviews of our articles facilitated our weekly output until he broke his hip last December, and he struggled with his health after that.

I will miss how Len's revised articles arrived in my inbox overnight, with countless improvements in phrasing and citations brought into compliance with the SABR Style Guide. He once told me he worked on the articles after his wife Linda went to bed at night. He was born about a month after Ernie Banks and three months before Willie Mays, when the Philadelphia Athletics were defending World Series champions. He was a great teammate, and it is heartbreaking that he is gone.





Saturday, April 4, 2026

Radio Log Saturday April 4th

 


Here is a list of radio stations I heard today:
  • 1010 WINS
  • WFUV
  • Classic AT 40 with Casey Kasem
  • Elvis Radio on SiriusXM
  • Rewound Radio
  • 60s Gold on SiriusXM
  • WBGO - Rhythm Revue with Felix Hernandez
  • WABC - Cousin Brucie

Thursday, April 2, 2026

Passover Seder in the NYC Subway

 


The story on the TV News last night states that this seder took place on the #6 train.

  • A rapper known as Kosha Dillz started hosting pop-up Passover Seders on subway trains three years ago.  It is obviously an abbreviated version.
  • The moving celebration brings together riders of different backgrounds, including some attending their first Seder
  • Organizers say the quick, unconventional format is designed for people who might otherwise skip the holiday
  • Participants say the experience is both meaningful and uniquely New York
I think there should have been a seder on a New Jersey Transit train.  With their history of long delays, there could have been a complete seder.

Wednesday, April 1, 2026

Everybody Plays the Fool by the Main Ingredient on April Fools Day

 


I have to be careful about what I read on the Internet on April Fools Day.  Somebody stated that the Mets traded Richard Lovelady to the Baltimore Orioles for Pete Alonso.

Sunday, March 29, 2026

Pirates 4 Mets 3 in 10 Innings


Since we hold a Sunday partial ticket plan, we were at today's game after being at the home opener just 3 days ago.  Like yesterday, today's game had to go into extra innings.  The Pirates did not hit well with runners in scoring position in the first 9 innings, but in the 10th inning Ryan O’Hearn singled to left field, driving in automatic runner Bryan Reynolds.  Four batters later, Pittsburgh added to the lead when catcher Henry Davis singled to right-center field, scoring pinch-runner Billy Cook.  With runners on first and second with no outs in the bottom of the 10th, Juan Soto doubled to left-center field, scoring automatic runner Francisco Alvarez, but relay throws from center fielder Oneil Cruz and shortstop Jared Triolo were able to nail Francisco Lindor at the plate.  Jorge Polanco flied out to Cook in right field to end the game.

The Mets are now 2-1, but there are 159 more games to play.




 

Friday, March 27, 2026

Jamie Ding - Latest Jeopardy Superstar

 


Last night, Jamie Ding won his 10th game qualifying him to be a Jeopardy Superstar.  Here are his statistics compiled by The Jeopardy Fan.

Jamie Ding, career statistics:
306 correct, 20 incorrect
22/24 on rebound attempts (on 42 rebound opportunities)
48.42% in first on buzzer (275/568)
12/17 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $34,200)
8/10 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $25,540
Total winnings for the first 10 games: $272,810

He now ranks #18 in all-time winnings in regular play.  He made one mistake when he bet and lost $30,000 in a Final Jeopardy.

We must take Jeopardy one game at a time, so we don't know how many games he will win.  It depends on the categories, Daily Doubles, and competition.



Thursday, March 26, 2026

Opening Day at Cit Field Mets 11 Pirates 7

 


Since we bought a 20-game package for 2026, we got tickets for Opening Day.  There was a full house at Citi Field.  I saw reports of horrific traffic jams in Queens, but, as usual, we took the #7 to the ballpark.  The Mets made several roster changes in the offseason, so this was obviously the first time to see the new players in action.

Freddy Peralta, acquired from the Milwaukee Brewers, gave up two home runs in the first inning, but it was uphill from there for the Mets.  They scored 5 runs in the first to knock out the 2025 Cy Young Award Winner, Paul Skenes. The Mets were helped by defensive mistakes by centerfielder Oneil Cruz.

Rookie Carson Benge hit his first career home run, while catcher Francisco Alvarez also homered.  Brandon Lowe hit two home runs for the Pirates.

It is a very long season, but so far, so good.

Box Score



 
Personal-Journals blog