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MLB Pilgrimage
Van Meter, Iowa : Hometown of the "Fireball Pitcher"
In the summer of 2010, while on a road trip around the United States, I stopped in Madison County, Iowa, to see Roseman Bridge, the covered bridge made famous by the novel "The Bridges of Madison County " by Robert James Waller. This is an internationally bestselling novel about the love story between a photographer who comes to Madison County to photograph covered bridges and a local married woman. The 1995 film of the same name based on this novel was also a huge hit, star
Nov 28
Commerce, Oklahoma : The Hometown of the Greatest Switch-Hitter in History
During the summer of 2010, I took a road trip across the United States. On that trip, I visited a place I had always wanted to see: the town of Commerce, located in northeastern Oklahoma. Baseball fans will immediately recognize this name. Yes, it's famous as the hometown of Mickey Mantle. Mickey Mantle played for the New York Yankees in the 1950s and 60s and is considered the greatest switch-hitter in Major League Baseball history. His 536 career home runs rank 18th all-tim
Nov 7
Hubbard, Texas : The first man to achieve “another” 50-50
In the summer of 2011, I was driving around the US, mainly in Alabama and Mississippi, but I decided to take a quick trip to Texas as...
Oct 3
Wiggins, Mississippi : A funny rest area on U.S. Highway 49
In my last column, I wrote about my visit to the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame & Museum. The purpose of my visit was to see the...
Aug 15
Jackson, Mississippi : The Dean Brothers in 1934
The American novelist I consider to be the most knowledgeable about Major League Baseball is Paul Auster, who passed away in 2024 at the...
Aug 8
Cooperstown, New York : The wonderful eleven days I spent
July 20, 2016. I was so excited to leave Japan and head to the US. The time had finally come to realize my long-held dream. Being old, I...
Jul 18
Milwaukee, Wisconsin : The city where a moving story happened
Wisconsin is a state in the Midwestern United States. It is famous for its large German population and for its beer production. The...
Jun 27
Kalamazoo, Michigan : The only man who has tied the great record of Hank Aaron
On April 25, 2016, I flew from Japan to the US, arrived in Houston, Texas, and started my road trip in a rental car. Then, on May 3, I...
Jun 6
Fargo, North Dakota : The man who first broke Babe Ruth's record
Fargo is located in the southeastern part of North Dakota, bordering Canada, in the northern part of the US mainland. It is the largest...
May 2
New York City, New York : The Pride of the Yankees
On the evening of August 16, 2017, I arrived at Newark Liberty International Airport after a 13-hour nonstop flight from Japan and headed...
Apr 25
Fargo, North Dakota : The first man to overcome a high wall
In August 2009. I was in the US from Japan on summer vacation and headed to Fargo, North Dakota in a rental car to visit a facility...
Apr 4
Clearbrook, Minnesota : The man who appeared on the cover of a famous magazine
May 2016. I was driving around the US and I wanted to visit Clearbrook, Minnesota. It's the hometown of Wes Westrum. Westrum was a...
Mar 7
Greenville, Texas : A pitcher who lost his right leg in his prime
In the summer of 2007, I visited Greenville, Texas. This is the small city where a pitcher named Monty Stratton lived after his...
Feb 25
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