Husband, father, baseball junkie, SABR member, historian, tech professional, musician… I’m not always very good, but I do the best I can with what few skills God gave me.https://bsky.app/profile/paulproia.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/paulproia.bsky.social/post/3mlpdzkxkt224Here's the interesting life (and short @mlb.com baseball life) of Philadelphia Athletics (and Philadelphia police officer) Frank Zinn. https://mightycaseybaseball.com/2026/05/12/frank-zinn-a-heroic-life-catching-would-be-thieves/13 May 2026 03:22 +0000at://did:plc:fiqqdleyt2yut2nqrpahreo7/app.bsky.feed.post/3mlpdzkxkt224https://bsky.app/profile/paulproia.bsky.social/post/3mlo3yauxxk24John Leckie Ake was an @mlb.com infielder of some repute in the 1880s, whose career and life were swept away by the Mississippi River. https://mightycaseybaseball.com/2026/05/12/the-brief-life-of-john-ake/12 May 2026 15:26 +0000at://did:plc:fiqqdleyt2yut2nqrpahreo7/app.bsky.feed.post/3mlo3yauxxk24https://bsky.app/profile/paulproia.bsky.social/post/3mks5pw5sms2eClipper Flynn: One of Chicago's first baseball heroes. https://mightycaseybaseball.com/2026/05/01/william-clipper-flynn-hired-hitter-and-heroic-fielder/01 May 2026 12:42 +0000at://did:plc:fiqqdleyt2yut2nqrpahreo7/app.bsky.feed.post/3mks5pw5sms2ehttps://bsky.app/profile/paulproia.bsky.social/post/3mkn6kq2ht22fFun things found while doing research #2: Jason Robards' dad was an actor, too. Apparently his star waned after sound was added to movies - but Robards, Sr. was still working on the stage. Here's a small promo from a 1927 St. Louis newspaper with an image of the original Jason Robards. #hollywood29 Apr 2026 13:14 +0000at://did:plc:fiqqdleyt2yut2nqrpahreo7/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkn6kq2ht22fhttps://bsky.app/profile/paulproia.bsky.social/post/3mkn6aynhws2fFun things found while doing some historical research #1: In looking for an obituary for former @mlb.com pitcher Ben Harris, I found the thumb of a microfilm photographer. Thanks for saving this piece of history for us, whoever you are.29 Apr 2026 13:09 +0000at://did:plc:fiqqdleyt2yut2nqrpahreo7/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkn6aynhws2fhttps://bsky.app/profile/paulproia.bsky.social/post/3mklhshz3ec2gBack in the day, players were frequently called upon to umpire @mlb.com games when an umpire was unable to take the field. Joshua Bunce was an NL umpire (and amateur player) who was called into duty to play a game for the Hartfords of Brooklyn in 1877. https://mightycaseybaseball.com/2025/04/29/joshua-bunce-nl-umpire-pressed-into-playing-left-field/28 Apr 2026 20:54 +0000at://did:plc:fiqqdleyt2yut2nqrpahreo7/app.bsky.feed.post/3mklhshz3ec2ghttps://bsky.app/profile/paulproia.bsky.social/post/3mjuya7apvs2oHey, Mr. @mikebatestwibh.bsky.social - have a great rest of the weekend… [contains quote post or other embedded content]19 Apr 2026 22:17 +0000at://did:plc:fiqqdleyt2yut2nqrpahreo7/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjuya7apvs2ohttps://bsky.app/profile/paulproia.bsky.social/post/3mizmflx5gs2wDigging through old newspapers: Future evangelist Billy Sunday was playing the piano in the hotel lobby when his White Stockings teammate Ed Williamson entered. Ed asked, "Hey, Billy. Why do you always play religious songs on that piano?" Sunday quickly replied, "Because it's an upright piano."09 Apr 2026 01:03 +0000at://did:plc:fiqqdleyt2yut2nqrpahreo7/app.bsky.feed.post/3mizmflx5gs2whttps://bsky.app/profile/paulproia.bsky.social/post/3micax27f2k2gI finished tinkering with a biography of a stage great that a whole bunch of us have heard very little about. He had more starts on a Broadway stage than he had for the @mlb.com Syracuse Stars... Meet Toby Lyons. https://mightycaseybaseball.com/2026/03/30/baseballs-unknown-comic-toby-lyons/30 Mar 2026 18:07 +0000at://did:plc:fiqqdleyt2yut2nqrpahreo7/app.bsky.feed.post/3micax27f2k2ghttps://bsky.app/profile/paulproia.bsky.social/post/3mi34ojuqrc2jThis is the last opening day I will attend in Miami. A 7 o’clock start when the regular traffic is already on the road and people can’t get to the park makes no sense at all. Dumb.27 Mar 2026 22:02 +0000at://did:plc:fiqqdleyt2yut2nqrpahreo7/app.bsky.feed.post/3mi34ojuqrc2jhttps://bsky.app/profile/paulproia.bsky.social/post/3mhxooserik2kTony Vitello is not the first manager to get the job without professional experience as a player, manager, or coach. This guy did it more than 100 years ago. And he's the only man to manage in MLB and be a head coach in the NFL. Meet Hugo Bezdek... https://mightycaseybaseball.com/2025/10/23/happy-birthday-hugo-bezdek/26 Mar 2026 13:14 +0000at://did:plc:fiqqdleyt2yut2nqrpahreo7/app.bsky.feed.post/3mhxooserik2khttps://bsky.app/profile/paulproia.bsky.social/post/3mfmsubnick26What a great story about a lifelong obsession with an assist from one of the best baseball historians! Mad props, @justmckinney.bsky.social - well done. https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7044866/2026/02/24/cleveland-baseball-shorty-gallagher-search/?source=user_shared_article24 Feb 2026 18:39 +0000at://did:plc:fiqqdleyt2yut2nqrpahreo7/app.bsky.feed.post/3mfmsubnick26https://bsky.app/profile/paulproia.bsky.social/post/3mfigvh2r5s2tI also killed a few hours today with the tale of Billy Blair, who was released by Zanesville for not wanting to share his uniform with another player. Blair's tale is short, in part, because just as he was about to sign with a #mlb team, fate intervened. https://mightycaseybaseball.com/2026/02/22/billy-blair-was-released-for-not-sharing-his-uniform/23 Feb 2026 00:54 +0000at://did:plc:fiqqdleyt2yut2nqrpahreo7/app.bsky.feed.post/3mfigvh2r5s2thttps://bsky.app/profile/paulproia.bsky.social/post/3mfigphc25s2tTrying to remember how to do this writing thing... Anyway - I was able to help correct the historical record regarding the death date of Negro League pitcher Alex Albritton. https://mightycaseybaseball.com/2026/02/20/the-violent-death-of-alex-albritton/23 Feb 2026 00:51 +0000at://did:plc:fiqqdleyt2yut2nqrpahreo7/app.bsky.feed.post/3mfigphc25s2thttps://bsky.app/profile/paulproia.bsky.social/post/3m65o3e4rhk2hGeorge Mundinger was a New Orleans born catcher who got in three games with Indianapolis in 1884. His career was short, but interesting - and someone shared an image of Mundy with his facemask to Ancestry. https://mightycaseybaseball.com/2025/11/21/dey-gets-nudding-george-mundinger/21 Nov 2025 16:07 +0000at://did:plc:fiqqdleyt2yut2nqrpahreo7/app.bsky.feed.post/3m65o3e4rhk2hhttps://bsky.app/profile/paulproia.bsky.social/post/3m65nyb3rb22hHappy birthday, Henry Youngman (the infielder and not the comedian)! Henry and Henny are not related, except by this essay. mightycaseybaseball.com/2024/11/21/henry-youngman-and-a-few-one-liners/ https://mightycaseybaseball.com/2024/11/21/henry-youngman-and-a-few-one-liners/21 Nov 2025 16:05 +0000at://did:plc:fiqqdleyt2yut2nqrpahreo7/app.bsky.feed.post/3m65nyb3rb22hhttps://bsky.app/profile/paulproia.bsky.social/post/3m4rcishuds2q⚾️ Immaculate Grid 946 9/9: Rarity: 10 IMMACULATE! 🟩🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩 Play at: https://www.sports-reference.com/immaculate-grid/play04 Nov 2025 00:43 +0000at://did:plc:fiqqdleyt2yut2nqrpahreo7/app.bsky.feed.post/3m4rcishuds2qhttps://bsky.app/profile/paulproia.bsky.social/post/3m4oajr3rjk2m⚾️ Immaculate Grid 945 9/9: Rarity: 17 IMMACULATE! 🟩🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩 Play at: https://www.sports-reference.com/immaculate-grid/play Happy to have gotten the job done.02 Nov 2025 19:29 +0000at://did:plc:fiqqdleyt2yut2nqrpahreo7/app.bsky.feed.post/3m4oajr3rjk2mhttps://bsky.app/profile/paulproia.bsky.social/post/3m3uidfujyc2fNew @SFGiants manager Tony Vitello is following in the footsteps of Hugo Bezdek, the football and baseball coach at Oregon, who took over the Pirates from 1917 to 1919. He’s also the only MLB manager to be a head coach in the NFL. https://mightycaseybaseball.com/2017/04/02/happy-birthday-hugo-bezdek/23 Oct 2025 13:40 +0000at://did:plc:fiqqdleyt2yut2nqrpahreo7/app.bsky.feed.post/3m3uidfujyc2fhttps://bsky.app/profile/paulproia.bsky.social/post/3m3uidfujyc2fNew @SFGiants manager Tony Vitello is following in the footsteps of Hugo Bezdek, the football and baseball coach at Oregon, who took over the Pirates from 1917 to 1919. He’s also the only MLB manager to be a head coach in the NFL. https://mightycaseybaseball.com/2017/04/02/happy-birthday-hugo-bezdek/23 Oct 2025 13:40 +0000at://did:plc:fiqqdleyt2yut2nqrpahreo7/app.bsky.feed.post/3m3uidfujyc2fhttps://bsky.app/profile/paulproia.bsky.social/post/3lzosi6i4vs2hHey, @marksimon.bsky.social... Someone I know is interested in SIS as a solution provider. Can you DM me so that I can ask a couple of questions before I turn this over to him? Thanks!25 Sep 2025 20:35 +0000at://did:plc:fiqqdleyt2yut2nqrpahreo7/app.bsky.feed.post/3lzosi6i4vs2hhttps://bsky.app/profile/paulproia.bsky.social/post/3lx7ykwzlwk2jI rarely use #YouTube - but today I wanted to watch a preview of the KU Football team’s new stadium, “The Booth” - which is awesome, by the way. The CRAP that was in the queue after I watched the video I chose - all nasty confrontational junk. And so I return to not using YouTube. Good riddance.25 Aug 2025 12:24 +0000at://did:plc:fiqqdleyt2yut2nqrpahreo7/app.bsky.feed.post/3lx7ykwzlwk2jhttps://bsky.app/profile/paulproia.bsky.social/post/3lwpifnsjrk2jBilly Williams homered in the 2nd off Tom Seaver at Wrigley Field in Sept. 1972. The one I remember more was Burt Hooton’s grand slam off Seaver in the 3rd, sending Seaver to the showers. Jose Cardenal added two HRs and Dave Rosello hit one in an 18-5 win. Willie Mays played 1B for the Mets. [contains quote post or other embedded content]18 Aug 2025 22:52 +0000at://did:plc:fiqqdleyt2yut2nqrpahreo7/app.bsky.feed.post/3lwpifnsjrk2jhttps://bsky.app/profile/paulproia.bsky.social/post/3lsfiff6y6k2v@marinermatt01.bsky.social - this may surprise you, but I loved the Seahawks for a while in HS. [contains quote post or other embedded content]25 Jun 2025 01:44 +0000at://did:plc:fiqqdleyt2yut2nqrpahreo7/app.bsky.feed.post/3lsfiff6y6k2vhttps://bsky.app/profile/paulproia.bsky.social/post/3lsfaatkuqc2vChase Burns!!! Three Ks to open his first inning in MLB - and threw four strikes to fan Aaron Judge. So fun to watch!!! @reds.com24 Jun 2025 23:18 +0000at://did:plc:fiqqdleyt2yut2nqrpahreo7/app.bsky.feed.post/3lsfaatkuqc2vhttps://bsky.app/profile/paulproia.bsky.social/post/3lsbl26ptz22sSaw this and thought of @mikebatestwibh.bsky.social and @billtwibh.bsky.social this morning…23 Jun 2025 12:21 +0000at://did:plc:fiqqdleyt2yut2nqrpahreo7/app.bsky.feed.post/3lsbl26ptz22shttps://bsky.app/profile/paulproia.bsky.social/post/3lriaa3qa4k2iI sold a TV antenna to Walter Payton (my childhood hero). He came in the store as we were closing. Had to check in back for one as there were none on the shelf. Couldn’t find them in storage, so I said a prayer and went back for one quick look and saw a box leaning against the wall. God exists. [contains quote post or other embedded content]13 Jun 2025 10:31 +0000at://did:plc:fiqqdleyt2yut2nqrpahreo7/app.bsky.feed.post/3lriaa3qa4k2ihttps://bsky.app/profile/paulproia.bsky.social/post/3lrdjtp2oek2zWasted 15 minutes this morning just to see... Current standings through 66 games for the six post-1901 teams and a smattering of the worst teams of the 1800s who played at least 66 games...11 Jun 2025 13:40 +0000at://did:plc:fiqqdleyt2yut2nqrpahreo7/app.bsky.feed.post/3lrdjtp2oek2zhttps://bsky.app/profile/paulproia.bsky.social/post/3lqzsjxfaac2zToday's #SABR BioProject birthday bio celebrates the great @cleguardians.com pitcher and voice, Herb Score, born #OTD in 1933. Score's career was derailed by a line drive and later ended by a shoulder injury. Joseph Wancho wrote this excellent bio. https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/herb-score/07 Jun 2025 16:49 +0000at://did:plc:fiqqdleyt2yut2nqrpahreo7/app.bsky.feed.post/3lqzsjxfaac2z