As teenagers, Shelley Duncan (pictured), his brother Chris, Brian Anderson, Scott Hairston and Ian Kinsler spent their youth on the baseball diamonds of Tucson's northwest side. Today, the quintet of Big Leaguers make up arguably the greatest team ever to grace a high school ball field. Here's how it all began:
THIS DATE IN FUTURE HISTORY
06.05.2040
Breast In Peace: Pamela Anderson passes away at the age of 72. Her lifeless body was found floating face-up in a Los Angeles pool. The buxom actress flourished in her second career as a Senior Olympic gold-medal swimmer, excelling in, of course, the breast stroke.
___ . VISIT THE FOLLOWING SITES FOR MORE WRITING FROM CHRISTOPHER C. WUENSCH . ___
My Blog List
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2024 NBA Cup Biggest Winners and Losers: Giannis Antetokounmpo, SGA and More
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The 2024 NBA Cup is officially in the books, and the Milwaukee Bucks are
your in-season tournament champions. Behind a stifling defensive effort,
the Bucks…
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OUT, BUT NOT DOWN
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Photo by Scott Schroeder.
On a muggy, opening night in August, we were introduced to hope. And the
uncertain promise that things could be better.
When...
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WOODEN SOLDIERS...
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John Wooden came about as close to sainthood as one can get without
sprouting wings. On June 4, 2010, the former UCLA coaching legend passed
away, taking...
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Griffey Jr. XXL
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Throughout his 21-year Major League career, Ken Griffey Jr. has feasted off
a robust buffet of flat cheddar, ripe fastballs and hanging curveballs that
da...
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STILL IN PROGRESS AT PRESS TIME...
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All too often, an Olympic hockey team will take on the persona of its
country.
The rink rats of the young, on-the-go United States squad can skate laps ...
THE PUBLIC SOUNDS OFF ON..."NO AUTOGRAPHS PLEASE...UNLESS YOU'VE GOT $10."
"Great article! I'll never forget as a teenager, seeing Carl Yastrzemski at a show. I waited in line, not realizing he was charging for his signature (I didn't pay). It's sad. You grow up idolizing these guys and want to honor them by asking for their autograph, all they want is the money."
- Abdulhadi Ahmedi, via Facebook
SIPAPT: It really is a bummer. Among some of the nicer athletes I've met, I'd have to include Tommy John and Martin Brodeur. Oh, and nice work on correctly spelling 'Yastrzemski.' !!
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"I'm still waiting for Jerome Walton's $8 autographs to live up to its price tag. I think I bought like 8 of them and waited an hour on line in a mall. And I don't think he said a word to me."
- Gary Housman, via Facebook
SIPAPT: You can get an autographed Jerome Walton bat on eBay for $72. If you hadn't bought all those autographs back when Walton was considered a young phenom and not-a-future bust, you'd have enough to buy that bat today...and still have enough left over to buy a Bob Feller signature.
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"Since my uncle, Jesse Hill was head football coach at USC in the mid 1950's and later A.D., I've got every Trojan Heisman winner on a correct period football program.
"But my prized Heisman winner autograph is Glen Davis of Army, who won it in 1945. Back in the '70's, I was working at the L.A. Herald-Examiner and went to the Times Grand Prix on a press pass, and Davis was the PR guy for the Times in charge of the press. I had to have him sign my press pass so I could get into the Press Patio for the free lunch and beer.
"I kept the signature because I had heard that when he was married to his 1st wife, Terri Moore, Davis had caught her and Howard Hughes making love on the couch in his living room one evening and he knocked Howard out, over the couch, and threw him out on the front lawn, naked before throwing the clothes in the trash. I shook his hand, too.
"I got this story from Jim Bacon, who was Howard's PR guy, and was my co-worker at the Her-Ex later.
"Yer pal, Ferrari Bubba"
- Ferrari Bubba, via TucsonCitizen.com
SIPAPT: Wow.
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"When I was 15, I worked as a caddie at the really nice local golf course in my hometown. It was the middle of summer and I had other things to do than sweat it out for some rich bozo on a Saturday morning.
"Anyhow, I get to work at 7 a.m. and I get the 'privilege' of being assigned to carry the bag of former St. Louis Cardinal pitcher Bob Forsch. For a guy who slammed 12 home runs and threw two 'no-no's,' he couldn't hit the green to save his life. I know, because I was carrying that 1/4-ton bag of his. Mind you, I've played enough golf to give tips to the guy if he's struggling (He did listen, too).
"So, 18 holes, four hours and what seemed like 15,000 yards later, it finally comes time to pay out. After he signs my pay-card, I look at it, and there it is in all it's glory.
"Right next to this 168-win, 1,100+ strikeout, 3.75 ERA Cardinal great's John Hancock: $2.
"I guess Major Leaguers didn't get paid that much in the '70s and '80s."
- Scott Salisbury, via e-mail
SIPAPT: You gotta remember, back then $2 could get you and a date into a movie, popcorn, Sno-Caps, one milkshake (two straws) and still have enough left over to tip the soda jerk (insert your Bob Forsch joke here).
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