On The Fly

In this episode, Chasing the Magic: How the Summer of ’98 Inspired the 'Ball Boys' . . .  Do you remember that feeling? The late-summer air was thick with humidity, radios crackling on porches, the smell of fresh-cut grass and barbecue smoke in the backyard. Every evening carried a new kind of suspense—the country holding its collective breath after every pitch. “Did he hit one today?” became more than a question; it sparked a nationwide conversation.   For me, and millions of others, the summer of 1998 wasn’t just another baseball season. It was theater, a movement, a time when the game recaptured something sacred. As sportswriter Mike Lupica said so perfectly,   “No matter how old you are or how much you’ve seen, sports is still about memory and imagination. Never more than during the summer of ’98, when baseball made everyone feel like a kid again, when it felt important again.”    Just four years earlier, the 1994 players’ strike had left the sport bruised...

With   AC/DC’s “Hells Bells” playing in the background Trevor Hoffman enters the field (at Miller Park) to record his 600th save in Major League Baseball, to secure his spot in the Baseball Hall of Fame - "Oh Doctor!” This summer will mark a historic day for Padres fans. On July 29, 2018 San Diego’s Trevor Hoffman will grace the podium at the annual induction ceremony held at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. Only the third Padre, along side Tony Gwynn (2007) and Dave Winfield (2001). From 1993-2008 Trevor Hoffman was the bullpens backbone for the San Diego Padres. Many a call was made by broadcaster Jerry Coleman ending in “Oh Doctor!” Why you ask? Trevor had the deadliest change-up in baseball history, or so it seemed. “Some pitchers fool you, some guys overpower you, Hoffman embarrasses you.” - Mike Piazza. In 1998, the Padres went to World Series, Trevor was unstoppable. With teammates Tony Gwynn, Ken Caminiti, Steve Finley, Greg Vaughn, Wally Joiner, ...