Al Hunter’s Story Archive

Tito Francona and the Curse of Rocky Colavito, Part 2

March 28, 2019 | by Al Hunter

During a spring training Cactus League exhibition game on March 26, 1961, Cleveland Indians outfielder Tito Francona hit a 350-foot home run against the Boston Red Sox at Hi Corbett Field in Tucson, Arizona. It’s 349 feet to right field, 366 feet to left field, and 410 feet to dead … Read More

Tito Francona and the Curse of Rocky Colavito

March 21, 2019 | by Al Hunter

Spring training baseball is back. I am one of those legions of fans who wait every year to hear the five most beautiful words in the English language: “Pitchers and Catchers Report.” As a kid growing up, spring training baseball was always synonymous with Florida. In the mid-1970s, my family … Read More

Did You Forget Lincoln’s Birthday?, Part 2

March 14, 2019 | by Al Hunter

In 1909, to honor the 100th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s birth, President Theodore Roosevelt was instrumental in issuing the Lincoln head penny. It was a smash hit. But the new coins were not beloved by everyone. They were too thick for vending machines and, much to the dismay of the … Read More

Did You Forget Lincoln’s Birthday? Part I

March 7, 2019 | by Al Hunter

So, what did you do for Abraham Lincoln’s birthday? Go out to dinner? Go to church? Get together with friends and family? Wait, you knew February 12th was Honest Abe’s birthday didn’t you? Well, don’t feel bad, nobody else did either. But once upon a time, everyone celebrated Lincoln’s birthday. … Read More

Oscar Wilde in Indianapolis

February 28, 2019 | by Al Hunter

It would be harder to find a more quintessential Victorian Era Englishman than Oscar Wilde, especially if you were to ask a literate American. Oscar Fingal O’Flahertie Wills Wilde (October 16, 1854-November 30, 1900) was the flamboyant Irish poet and playwright. He became one of London’s most popular playwrights in … Read More