ZIONICA.com » baseball

Branch Rickey Bible signed by 1953 Pittsburgh Pirates surfaces in California

Zionica — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 11:30:36 +0000

A California book repairer reportedly knew something was unusual when she opened up an old Bible found last week amid thousands of materials donated to the Friends of the Sacramento Public Library. But little did she know that the 31 signatures on the Bible’s first page along with “Pirates 1953” written in blue ink were…

Stan Musial wore his faith on his sleeve

Zionica — Wed, 23 Jan 2013 11:45:55 +0000

As news of St. Louis Cardinal great Stan Musial’s death spread, Rocco Palmo tweeted: As “The Man” goes to his reward, a memorable Dolan quote on receiving the red hat: “The only Cardinal I ever wanted to be was Stan Musial.” Of course, Musial was not just an amazing baseball player, admired by everyone. He wasn’t…

Manny Ramirez finds peace out of game

Zionica — Fri, 14 Sep 2012 15:41:51 +0000

It seemed like a crazy idea initially: cold-calling on Manny Ramirez. Our quest seemed over when the guard at the gate said there was no Ramirez at the address we provided, but he volunteered that Manny Ramirez lived at a different address within that neighborhood. When he called the house and got the OK to…

Humber Uses Perfect Game to Glorify a Perfect God

Zionica — Thu, 31 May 2012 14:05:47 +0000

It's perhaps the loneliest feeling in baseball. It's the 7th inning and you've got a perfect game going. And nobody wants to talk to you. Not your manager. Not your teammates. Even the batboy is nowhere to be found. But on one unlikely Saturday afternoon in Seattle, White Sox pitcher Philip Humber welcomed the silent…

Dodgers' Josh Lindblom says his faith helped make him a better pitcher

Zionica — Tue, 01 May 2012 13:04:19 +0000

On the Dodgers' most recent day off, reliever Josh Lindblom visited the Dream Center in Echo Park, which offers residential drug rehabilitation programs and other services. Later on Thursday, he distributed food on skid row and took 15 to 20 homeless people to church. There weren't any news cameras or reporters around. "I'd be sitting…