Few probably know this story about Tony La Russa. It’s when the past sees the future, says his thank-yous and, in the process, reminds everybody of why he was so successful. In essence, little details always mattered. In September 2012, almost a year after retiring as a big-league manager following 33 seasons in dugouts, La… Read more »
For area golfers, it’s a chance to play on the same course where Jack Nicklaus and other greats roamed just weeks ago. But that’s only one reason why the head of the Ozarks Water Watch – which promotes water quality in the White River basin – appreciates his organization’s annual golf tournament. Consider what the… Read more »
The Missouri Sports Hall of Fame will salute all military veterans this Memorial Day weekend with free admission for those who bring a child. Hours are from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, and noon to 4 p.m. Sunday. The Hall will be closed on Memorial Day. Admission is $5 for adults, $4 for… Read more »
Mike Shannon, the voice of the St. Louis Cardinals, and play-by-play broadcaster John Rooney are now booked to attend and participate in the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame’s next luncheon on May 27. Tickets remain for the Baseball Sports Enthusiasts Luncheon presented by the Ozarks Coca-Cola/Dr Pepper Bottling Company. The event will feature the naming… Read more »
What a great story: Former Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Bobby Bell, a 1995 inductee of the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame and later named a Missouri Sports Legend, has completed his college degree. The Kansas City Star is on the scene with two sports writers covering Bell’s big weekend at the University of Minnesota, which… Read more »
When it comes to baseball stories, they are a lot like fishing stories – heavy on entertainment, with some truth maybe sprinkled in somewhere. Maybe. Exhibit A is Brad Simmons, a former Glendale High School pitching standout who recently took a seat in the dugout of his old stomping grounds and reminisced about his long-ago… Read more »
KANSAS CITY — The Missouri Sports Hall of Fame’s reach across the Show-Me State continued on May 5 with another successful tournament, the Kansas City Celebrity Golf Classic presented by Hillyard, Inc. The tournament, held at Tiffany Greens Golf Club in Kansas City, drew roughly 30 teams. Winning A Flight was the Advertising Plus team… Read more »
The voice on the other end of the line paused, and soon got choked up. For Diane “Dink” Miller, trying to describe the man who showed her the game, taught her the game and who was her biggest fan was understandably emotional. “In September 2013, I lost my dad,” Miller explained. “And while my family… Read more »
The Mizzou Alumni Association Tiger Ball & Golf Tournament certainly can be called a success after raising thousands in scholarship dollars. Final tallies are not yet official, but the two-day event held over Thursday and Friday in Springfield is expected to greatly help the Greater Ozarks Scholarship Fund. The Tiger Ball, presented by Meyer Farms and… Read more »
The Missouri Sports Hall of Fame wishes all moms a Happy Mother’s Day weekend and will offer free admission on Sunday to all moms, grandmothers, aunts and sisters who bring a child. The Hall, whose hours are from noon to 4 p.m. Sunday, is located at 3861 E. Stan Musial Drive in southeast Springfield, about… Read more »
He burned up under the sun and burned up his summers playing baseball because, well, that’s what kids did the 1970s in Springfield. And the evenings? For Tim Blasi, was there anywhere else to be? “I grew up at Fassnight Park with the AAA softball. That was the only show in town,” Blasi proudly says.… Read more »
Summers used to mean meeting up with buddies not long after breakfast and playing some form of baseball, returning home for lunch and then heading back out the door again. Jim Lumpe cherishes those days, as you might imagine. He and several of his childhood friends went on to further the tradition of Glendale High… Read more »
The nostalgic Coca-Cola paintings hang along a hallway to his office, naturally evoking memories of Norman Rockwell covers of the Saturday Evening Post. This is in east Springfield, at the Ozarks Coca-Cola/Dr Pepper bottling company, and it’s easy to see why all employees seem to have a bounce in their step. For John Schaefer, the… Read more »
Looking back, sure, Marionville native Janice Crumpley-Bluebaum wonders what might have been had high schools of the late 1960s offered softball for girls. However, in what’s a terrific reminder about the value of fighting through roadblocks, Crumpley-Bluebaum still found a way to enjoy the sport she loved. The southwest Missouri farm girl became a fixture… Read more »
In some towns, kids who love baseball have no choice but to ride their bikes to the other side of town just to find a ball field. So imagine Jack Burrell’s childhood. “I grew up in Humansville, and (baseball) was all there was. We played all the time,” said Burrell, now working for Ozarks Coca-Cola/Dr… Read more »
It’s amazing if you think about it. In sports, you can be a kid just hanging around a ball field and, years later and thanks to happenstance, you’re traveling across the country getting to play a game you love. Roy Burlison was one of the lucky ones in life. In fact, he still remembers the… Read more »
