Jimmy Sez

In the late 1980's two of the favorite pastimes of young boys - action figures and sports - combined to create a new obsession for me. Kenner's  Starting Lineups  gave me the ability to play out baseball scenarios at home without having to turn G.I. Joe into some kind of awkward, gun-toting center fielder. By the late 1990's the figures mostly died in popularity, but I never ditched the decent collection I amassed as a kid. Then something magical happened early on during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the midst of getting increasingly stir crazy, my 2-year old son discovered my old Starting Lineup collection - along with a few "new ones" that I've been able to find in recent years on Amazon - and became as obsessed as I was when they were first produced. He endearingly calls them "hatball guys" and we play with them often. I'm also rapidly acquiring more "new" figures to expand our collection. Below is a peek at select few with a focus on Ne...

Derek Jeter was supposed to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame today, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic the induction has been postponed until 2021. As a small consolation I'm posting my account of the day I met The Captain in person. Through a stroke of dumb luck that had nothing to do with this book I wrote , I was able to have lunch with Derek Jeter on August 8, 2019. Here's the story: It was at a Goldman Sachs event held in the fancy part of Philadelphia. My boss was somehow able to score a ticket for me and with about 30 other people we sat at a big square table with Jeter for about an hour and a half. Things kicked off with a high-level suit at Goldman Sachs describing Jeter and his success, with a heavy focus on his Turn 2 Foundation , a worthy cause which helps kids steer away from addiction, crime, etc. Jeter's sister was also in attendance as she helps run the foundation. The moderator gave the obligatory plea for contributions to Turn 2, then opened the fl...