I didn't know this until nearly two days after his death, but Ernie Banks, aka Mr. Cub, essentially was the first player to break the color line with Chicago's National League baseball club. Sports writer Joe Posnanski explains: At that time in the National League, just about every black player played in New York, either … Continue reading Ernie Banks broke the Cubs color line
Category: Sports
11,000 participate in Route 66 Marathon
A total of 11,000 people participated in a variety of races during the past weekend's Route 66 Marathon in Tulsa, including the 26.2-mile main event. A few highlights on what has become one of Tulsa's biggest events in less than a decade: Jason Cook of Norman, Oklahoma, who was runner-up in last year's marathon, won … Continue reading 11,000 participate in Route 66 Marathon
Solutions for Joplin’s troubled golf course
A few days ago, the Joplin Globe published a long article about the financial issue about the city-owned Schifferdecker Golf Course, which is on Route 66 on the west side of Joplin, Missouri. The golf course runs an annual deficit of about $140,000 a year, and it draws about half the users it did a … Continue reading Solutions for Joplin’s troubled golf course
Summer in St. Louis
A friend on Facebook posted this a few days ago, and it certainly will make former residents of the Gateway City homesick. If nothing else, maybe it'll encourage a few Route 66 travelers to hang around the city for a few days. Here is St. Louis from Grain Inc. on Vimeo. The exceptional video was … Continue reading Summer in St. Louis
New Mexico continues to snub Tucumcari for a racetrack license
The Quay County Sun newspaper last week published a well-researched story that speculates why the Route 66 town of Tucumcari, New Mexico, hasn't been awarded a license from the state to build a horse-racing track and casino, despite a license being available for more than a year. The proposed Coronado Park racino in Tucumcari calls for … Continue reading New Mexico continues to snub Tucumcari for a racetrack license
Joplin’s new baseball team is called the Blasters
The name for the new American Association professional baseball team in Joplin, Mo., will be the Blasters, with a logo that includes a reference to Route 66. The club announced the nickname and logo Monday afternoon in Joplin. The logo contains a nod to the region's lead-mining history and the town's old Joplin Miners ballclub, with … Continue reading Joplin’s new baseball team is called the Blasters
The amazing story of Joe Bauman
Famed sportswriter Joe Posnanski a few days ago wrote about Joe Bauman, who set a professional baseball record of 72 home runs in a season in 1954. That record stood until Barry Bonds hit 73 in 2001. The hot, dry air of the region and smallish ballparks of the Longhorn League undoubtedly helped Bauman set … Continue reading The amazing story of Joe Bauman
Overview of the 2013 Route 66 Marathon
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma yesterday posted this video below about the 2013 edition of the Route 66 Marathon, held in Tulsa in November. Blue Cross / Blue Shield is a major sponsor of the marathon, but the video serves as an excellent overview of it regardless. In a relatively short time, the … Continue reading Overview of the 2013 Route 66 Marathon
Route 66 makes brief appearance in Chrysler Super Bowl ad
The advertisement Chrysler aired tonight during the 2014 Super Bowl will forever be labeled as the "Bob Dylan Chrysler ad" -- mostly because of the surprising appearance by the famously reticent singer-songwriter. But a Missouri Route 66 shield also makes an appearance. You'll see it about the 20-second mark. https://youtu.be/KlSn8Isv-3M Chrysler has produced a few … Continue reading Route 66 makes brief appearance in Chrysler Super Bowl ad
Professional baseball will return to Joplin
As expected, the City of Joplin, Mo., approved a lease this week with an independent professional baseball team from El Paso, Texas, to move into and renovate century-old Joe Becker Stadium, reported the Joplin Globe. The newspaper reported details of the arrangement: The lease requires the city to spend $4 million enlarging and updating the … Continue reading Professional baseball will return to Joplin