Blaze Beginnings

Here’s a look at the initial note taking I took on the creation of this fiasco I’ve come up with known as The ‘Amazing’ Blaze Zine. If you can read it. I made these blank page journals out of my old CD covers from growing up & I’d carry them around jotting down ideas. Blaze somehow became one of them. It’s been fun. Thanks for following along..

I guess The Amazing Blaze Zine is my contribution to the ’Yestermania’ that’s going on these days. It really started as some kind of silly art project; a daily graphic exercise. Eventually morphing into my own ambiguous chronicle of sports history, in a sort of 8th grade book report fashion. Sports to me always had a built in connection to both aesthetics and interpersonal experiences. To Memories. Blaze has become a chance for me to go back and think about my life surroundings at the times of these random sporting events. Before judgements & responsibility came around. Recall family gatherings with everyone huddled around the TV watching the Big Game, or hanging with your buds trading cards in the dugout after baseball practice. Dig deeper into the 'Heroes' & 'Ghosts' of days gone by and to re-connect with my inner kid sports fan. 

Nirvana Rules!!

Back To Back MVP - Frank Thomas

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Frank Thomas won back to back AL MVP awards in 1993 & 1994. He was the first player to do so since Roger Maris did it back in 1960 & ‘61. Who knows what his numbers may have been had the 1994 season not been cut short by the Strike. In the 113 games played that year ‘Big Hurt’ was batting .353 with 38 Homers, 101 RBI’s & 106 runs!! Happy B-day Hurt!!

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Hall of Famers Combine For A Win

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Back in 1987 forty-eight year old Phil Niekro pitched 5 innings of a 14-3 Indians win over the Toronto Blue Jays, earning his 312th career victory as a result. What made this particular game special was that coming on in relief for Phil that day was fellow 300 game winner Steve Carlton! The first time in MLB history that two 300 game winners combined for a victory. Steve pitched four innings of scoreless ball earning him just the 2nd save of his career, the first being way back in 1967.

Who earned the victory back in Steve’s first save? Hint: He’s a Hall of Famer as well.

Pitcher Rick Rhoden Starts At Designated Hitter

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On June 11th 1988 Rick Rhoden became the first pitcher to start as the Designated Hitter in the lineup since the DH rule was implemented in 1973. Yanks skipper Billy Martin put Rhoden into the 7th spot in the lineup where he went 0-1 with a RBI on a Sacrifice Fly. The Boynton Beach, FL native was actually a pretty decent hitter for a pitcher. Over his 16 year career he hit .238 with 9 HR’s & 75 RBI’s. He even had an 11 game hitting streak while he was with the Pirates in 1984. Happy Birthday Rick Rhoden!