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
Category: Sports
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
Andy Granatelli, race car owner and Route 66 Hall of Famer, dies
Andy Granatelli, who became famous as an owner of a winning Indianapolis 500 race car and as a CEO of STP motor oil, died Sunday in Santa Barbara, Calif., at age 90 of congestive heart failure, according to varying media outlets, including the New York Times. Granatelli also was inducted into the Illinois Route 66 … Continue reading Andy Granatelli, race car owner and Route 66 Hall of Famer, dies
The waitress on Route 66 who loves sports
One of the reasons people love traveling Route 66 is the unique characters they meet. Los Angeles Times columnist Bill Plaschke reports on another such character at the Peppertree Cafe in Glendora, Calif. She's a waitress who serves sports commentary along with breakfasts, and she's become so popular that some diners wait hours for a … Continue reading The waitress on Route 66 who loves sports
Joplin likely will acquire minor-league baseball team
The City of Joplin, Mo., is moving swiftly to accept a proposal to renovate historic Joe Becker Stadium and land a minor-league team from El Paso, Texas, as its new tenant, reported the Joplin Globe. The council voted to have the city staff write a formal agreement defining the terms of a deal toward relocating … Continue reading Joplin likely will acquire minor-league baseball team
Joplin ends Mother Road Marathon
The city council of Joplin, Mo., voted 5-3 on Monday night to end the city's annual Mother Road Marathon because of financial losses and declining participation, reported the Joplin Globe. According to the newspaper, the 26.2-mile event that ran from Commerce, Okla., through Kansas and ended in Joplin dropped from 1,657 participants its inaugural year … Continue reading Joplin ends Mother Road Marathon
Team wants Joplin to improve historic baseball stadium
The El Paso Diablos baseball team wants to move to Joplin, Mo., but wants the city to improve Joe Becker Stadium in return. The Diablos, affiliated with the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball and owned by WLD Suarez Baseball, were so successful in El Paso, Texas, that a professional team moved a Class AAA affiliate … Continue reading Team wants Joplin to improve historic baseball stadium