A 'lil HooHaa

Messing with the blogging world since 2005

Can of Corn Challenge

Can of Corn: Best baseball memory

This one isn’t easy for me.

Baseball, for me, is like a religious experience. I’m a baseball nerd. When I go to games, I go to watch. I rarely have a beer. I eat hot dogs. I usually only spend an inning taking a walk around the park. I get there early. Oh, and I’m one of those people who keep a scorebook.

Yes, that’s me.

For six years, I covered professional baseball as well as the National Baseball Hall of Fame. It was by far my best baseball experience. I had the chance to cover future major leaguers, including Brennan Boesch.

Every. Single. Game.

And ask me to leave a game? Very rare. Ask those who went me to a Phillies game (against the Mets) and sticking it out through a three-hour rain delay. It was totally worth it, though, as Jayson Werth homered off Billy Wagner to send it to extras. The Phils lost… but still.

So baseball memories are plenty. Trying to figure out the best one? It’s really tough. I wish I could say it was the 2008 Phillies playoff run and being there as I was selected for tickets in the first round. Alas, when I saw the e-mail an hour later and tried to buy tickets (without knowing if I’d actually be able to pull it off), the ones offered were sold out. So while the Phillies winning the World Series was an amazing memory, I wasn’t there during any of the run. Same with the 1993 Phils and that amazing run they had.

There’s a lot of minor league memories, from excellent parks to cool experiences (covering the first New York-Penn League All-Star Game in Brooklyn was awesome)

So where can I go with this?

I thought about talking about the opening of Citizens Bank Park in 2004 as I was there. But, honestly, the Phillies lost that game and it was miserable out.

So my favorite baseball memory? Getting paid to watch the game.

I grew up working at newspapers. When I was in college to get the degree to help get to the next level, my goal was simple — cover professional baseball. It didn’t have to be the major leagues — but I wanted to cover pro ball.

My first full-time daily newspaper was my “hometown” paper. When I was hired, I was told that the job included the beat of the Oneonta Tigers, the short-season Single A team for Detroit. Apparently, others didn’t enjoy it as much.

One of the Hall of Fame induction ceremonies I covered.

I. Loved. It.

For six seasons, it was my beat. It also included many things at the Hall of Fame (inductions, induction tours, other events etc.), so I was in heaven. Over the years, I covered many future major leaguers (including future All-Star Matt Joyce), some great players on other teams (Hunter Pence for one), and had the chance to see local kids do well at the pro level and also cover some colorful coaches. Tom Brookens managed Oneonta for two years and I really enjoyed covering him. For a few years, former major leaguer Bill Monbouquette was the pitching coach. Apparently he didn’t like many reporters (his words), but I was OK by him.

With Hall of Fame things, I had some great one-on-one interviews with legends such as Bob Feller, Phil Niekro, Mike Schmidt, and Ozzie Smith, among others.

I got to live a dream for six years.

I’m no longer in newspapers, but those six years are hard to top. Even when I go to games now, I think about how amazing those years covering the game was. I didn’t get to travel much (twice — inaugural NY-Penn All-Star Game, and one opener in Troy), so it was a home game beat. I didn’t cover every game, but when I was there — it was magical.

And easily my best baseball memory.

How about you? What’s your best baseball memory? You have time to link up, so get a post and come back and link here and visit the others who link up! Baseball season is here!

I look forward to seeing other people’s favorite baseball memories and for the rest of this year’s Can of Corn Challenge! If you participated this month, please link up below! Please remember to try and check out other people’s posts and leave them some baseball love, too!

If you want more information on the season-long Can of Corn Challenge, please visit this page. I am co-hosting this challenge with Kasey at Kasey at the Bat, so go visit her, too! The more the merrier, so please feel free to visit all the others and join up! Also, feel free to grab the button below!

Can of Corn Challenge

Can of Corn 2016 – Dates

  • March 17: Your favorite baseballism (saying, quote, jargon etc.)
  • April 14: Best baseball memory
  • May 12: Favorite ballpark (minor or major)
  • June 16: The best promotion you’ve ever been to
  • July 14: Dream baseball road trip
  • August 18: A current rule you’d change
  • September 15: Favorite player of all time
  • October 20: Favorite tradition/superstitions

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog@gmail.com. Also, please Like HooHaa Blog on Facebook!

Can of Corn Challenge: Favorite Baseballism

The Can of Corn Challenge is here!

For those of you joining in, welcome! I am co-hosting this challenge with Kasey over at Kasey at the Bat, so for all who have come to take part, I’m super pumped for this season-long challenge!

Before this starts, though, I’d like to say Happy St. Patrick’s Day to all! A pint of Guinness will be on the plate later tonight for me!

Baseball is one of those sports full of slogans and catchphrases. Those who play the game often are characters in many ways, so that lends to some great interviews. Cliches are aplenty, that’s for sure.

Let’s first learn about cliches:

That’s how you learn them, that’s for sure.

But what is my favorite? There’s so many out there. Whether you go back in time to some of the classics, or something even newer, it’s hard to pick out a favorite, that’s for sure.

I almost went with “rub some dirt on it” as it’s something I say often during softball season. But I think that’s a saying that has a wider appeal, so I had to go back to the drawing board and really think about it.

Then I got thinking about one I saw a year or two ago and I’ve always liked it because it’s so true. For those who have played or love the game, you can probably attest to the truth of this.

Close up of a baseball threads with room for copy

I look forward to seeing other people’s favorite baseballisms and for the rest of this year’s Can of Corn Challenge! If you participated this month, please link up below!

If you want more information on the season-long Can of Corn Challenge, please visit this page. The more the merrier, so please feel free to visit all the others and join up! Also, feel free to grab the button below!

Can of Corn Challenge

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog@gmail.com. Also, please Like HooHaa Blog on Facebook!

Announcing the Can of Corn challenge!

OK, I admit it, I like blog challenges.

Well, some anyway.

And if you didn’t know already, I love baseball. Love, love, love. More on that in a bit.

Challenges and linkups are good for personal bloggers because it helps fill some space when you feel you might be struggling to find something to write. Now, don’t get me wrong, I couldn’t do challenges every day of the year. Then it would get kind of crazy.

And, let’s be honest, not all challenges/linkups are for everybody. Take for example the A-to-Z Challenge. It’s a great challenge and it happens every April. I’ve thought about doing it for several years, but I don’t think I’d be successful with it the way I blog.

Home Plate

There’s a lot of other linkups out there, too, covering so many interests. Some don’t fit me well and others sometimes cross days when I have other things planned.

But the monthly photo blogging challenge I run each month is fun and it allows me one post per month with photos, and with it being themed, it makes it interesting. The 20 Days of Chill Challenge, which I started last year after a writing challenge I had been involved in decided to not continue. I kept it up this year and it was fun.

I always keep my eye out for smaller challenges that might interest me as it often opens the chance to find new bloggers and different things to write about.

Last year, I stumbled across a baseball challenge that was at the end. I had the chance to write one post, but it unfortunately didn’t seem to have a lot of links (I know that feeling with running these things!)

The idea though got me thinking about baseball challenges. It doesn’t seem like there are a lot of them in regard to blogging. Yes, I’ve seen a few. But they are either no longer running, or hard to tell if they are continuing etc. I just want different ways to write about baseball, outside of the occasional stadium review.

We’ve had a mild winter, too, which makes me think about baseball.

Baseball season is upon us.

In fact, pitchers and catchers started reporting officially around February 18, with position players reporting a few days later.

I’m ready, too.

To watch baseball. And to blog.

So, let’s mix them together. One of the two who co-hosted the one I found last year was interested in joining on with this one, so I’ll be co-hosting this blogging challenge with Kasey of Kasey At The Bat. You’ll enjoy her style of blogging and she’s a full baseball nut (and has interned in the sport and had a blog on MLB.com), though she’s a Braves fan – but don’t hold that against her.

So I’ve tweaked a little and chatted with Kasey on some thoughts and what is happening this summer should be a lot of fun.

Allow me to introduce to you the Can of Corn – a season-long baseball blogging challenge.

This will be an eight-month challenge. I’m sure many won’t do the whole thing, but that’s fine. Come and go as you like. Hopefully a bunch of people will get involved and have fun with it enough to keep with it every month.

The first post will be in March, with the final being in October. I’m sure the World Series will again go into November, but baseball should end in October, so that’s where it will end with the challenge.

How’s it going to work? Simple.

  • Write about baseball using the theme (or not) on the dates provided (or thereabout) from March-October. Just make it baseball!
  • Use the button in your post somewhere (at the end or whatever) and link back to me and Kasey.
  • Go to one of our blogs the day this comes up (or thereafter) and linkup! The linkup will be “live” for a week after the date.
  • Visit other blogs, read, comment, and make some new baseball pals!
  • Have a cold beer

OK, I can’t lie – I totally stole that from one of Kasey’s posts from last year, who in turn stole it from her co-host last year Allison. But the reality is it’s a pretty good rule, even if you don’t necessarily do it…

That’s it.

OK, it would be totally cool if you followed each of us for updates and such, be it via the blog (P.J. I Kasey), twitter (P.J. I Kasey), Instagram (P.J. I Kasey), Facebook page (P.J. I Kasey) etc., but totally not mandatory!

We’ve come up with some themes and the dates. You can post yours whenever you are up for it, but remember to come back and link up so others can find your posts. We’ll leave the linkup live for about a week after each date, giving people the chance to catch up!

Can of Corn 2016 – Dates

  • March 17: Your favorite baseballism (saying, quote, jargon etc.)
  • April 14: Best baseball memory
  • May 12: Favorite ballpark (minor or major)
  • June 16: The best promotion you’ve ever been to
  • July 14: Dream baseball road trip
  • August 18: A current rule you’d change
  • September 15: Favorite player of all time
  • October 20: Favorite tradition/superstitions

Will you be joining us for the Can of Corn challenge? We hope to see you and your posts! Please go check out Kasey’s post about the challenge, too!

You can also snag the button below, if you want!

Can of Corn Challenge

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog@gmail.com. Also, please Like HooHaa Blog on Facebook!