Driving through southern Indiana, we come upon French Lick, which is Larry Bird’s hometown.
This is where Larry Bird grew up. He shot baskets on this garage (on a previous version of backboard).Larry Bird bust at the recreation center.33 Brick Street is a restaurant, very much Larry Bird-themed. A lot of memorabilia inside. Trophy from Bird’s high school winning a tournament in 1973-1974 seasonBasketball autographed by the “Big 3”: Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and Robert Parrish.Basketball autographed by (among others) John Havlicek, Kevin McHale and Bill Walton.Basketball autographed by legendary coach Bob Knight commemorating that last undefeated college basketball champions, Indiana in 1976.Bird’s college jersey.Bird’s Celtics warmup.Bird’s 1992 Dream Team Olympic jersey.French Lick depot.What is an old RF&P engine doing in French Lick Indiana?French Lick Winery for a tasting.The winery tasting was packed!West Baden Springs resort. Might be worth a re-visit someday!The grounds of West Baden Springs resort.Trolley goes from the resort to downtown French Lick.
Joe Jackson, a native of Greenville, is widely considered one of the greatest hitters in baseball history. He was banned from baseball after the 1919 Black Sox scandal where several White Sox players were found guilty of taking bribes to throw the series. Jackson was never proven to throw a game.Joe Jackson’s home in Greenville. It is now a museum with memorabilia from Jackson’s life.Jackson’s living room.Joe and his wife KatieJackson’s kitchenDoctor’s “prescription” for Katie to fix breakfast “in grease”.
Statues outside Nationals Stadium. Walter Johnson, arguably the greatest player in Washington Senators’ historyJosh Gibson, Negro Leagues superstarFrank Howard, home run hitter for the Senators in the 1960sItems from Stephen Strasburg’s major league debutMax Scherzer itemsMax Scherzer Cy Young AwardsSilver Slugger Awards for Anthony Rendon and Stephen Strasburg.Bryce Harper awardsBryce Harper awards, including 2015 NL MVP2019 National League Championship Trophy2019 World Champion trophyGame actionNot a good night for the Nationals
The “Granddaddy of all them all” – the Rose Bowl. The first bowl game was played in Pasadena in 1902.Statue of Jackie Robinson outside the Rose Bowl. Notice the circle of rose bushes surrounding the statue.The Gamble House, widely considered the premier example of Craftsman architecture.Albert Einstein lived in this house when he was at Cal Tech in Pasadena.This house was depicted on The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, and Benson TV shows.This fire station in Carson CA was featured as the home base for Squad 51 in the Emergency TV series in the 1970s.
I was able to get a tour of Dodger Stadium.Beautiful stadium, with the San Gabriel Mountains in the background.This is the Dodger Stadium Retired Numbers Plaza. Gil Hodges was #14. He was recently elected to the Hall of Fame. In addition to playing first base for the Dodgers, he was the manager of the Mets when they won the World Series in 1969.Duke Snider was one of the “Big 3” during the 1950s in New York baseball. Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays and Duke Snider were by far the most popular players of that decade.Sandy Koufax was one of the greatest pitchers in baseball history. A star of the 1960s.Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in 1947, playing for the Brooklyn Dodgers. His #42 has been retired by all of major league baseball, so no team has a player wearing #42.This is me sitting in the press box.Another angle of the stadium.Display of team trunks.When the Dodger players exit the elevator on their way to the locker room, this is what they see. First, all the Dodger Gold Glove Awards, awarded to the best fielders by position.One of the Gold Gloves won by Gil Hodges, 1957.One of the Gold Gloves won by Greg Maddux, 2008.Then past the Cy Young Awards for the best pitcher in the league.One of the Cy Young Awards won by Sandy Koufax, 1963.One of the Cy Young Awards won by Clayton Kershaw, 2014, a current star for the Dodgers.Then past the Silver Slugger Awards for the best hitting player for each position.A couple Silver Slugger Awards for Mike Piazza, 1995 and 1996.And then the Dodgers’ World Series Championship Trophies. This one is from 1988.In their first year, the Brooklyn team was known as “The Bridegrooms” because many of the players were young and had been recently married.This is me in the Dodgers dugout.The dugoutThe view of the field from the dugout.Downtown Los Angeles skyline from Dodger Stadium.
