There is a famous quote attributed to Rogers Hornsby, “People ask me what I do in winter when there’s no baseball. I’ll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring.” As a Chicagoan, this sentiment seems a bit disingenuous considering Hornsby lived in Texas. Nonetheless, I really hate winter, too. Snow is a hassle and messy and annoying.
Looks like someone waited too long to stow the patio furniture
It was somewhat quaint this morning to wake up to a surprise snowstorm in the smartphone age, (especially in mid-November before someone had put the patio furniture away for the winter). Regardless, snow has at least one redeeming quality—it often creates magical, though fleeting, moments of serenity.
Billy Sunday – Forest Home Cemetery, Forest Park, IL
Cemeteries are typically tranquil places, but they take on a whole new level of quiet peacefulness under a fresh blanket of snow.
Pretzels Getzien – Concordia Cemetery, Forest Park, IL
This winter, don’t let a little snow prevent you from paying your respects at the graves of departed ball players.
Billy Pierce – Chapel Hill Gardens South Cemetery, Oak Lawn, IL
We would love to see hear your stories.
Dick Hyde – Grandview Memorial Gardens, Champaign, IL
JOHN RACANELLI is a Chicago lawyer with an insatiable interest in baseball-related litigation. When not rooting for his beloved Cubs (or working), he is probably reading a baseball book or blog, planning his next baseball trip, or enjoying downtime with his wife and family. He is probably the world’s foremost photographer of triple peanuts found at ballgames and likes to think he has one of the most complete collections of vintage handheld electronic baseball games known to exist.
John is Vice Chair for the Emil Rothe (Chicago) SABR Chapter, founder and Co-Chair of the SABR Baseball Landmarks Research Committee, and a regular contributor to the SABR Baseball Cards Research Committee blog. His series of articles "Death and Taxes and Baseball Card Litigation” was a 2023 McFarland-SABR Baseball Research Award winner and the book he co-authored with Derek Bain - "Hardball Retro’s Compendium of Baseball Video Games and Electronic Handhelds" - was a 2025 Sporting News-SABR Baseball Research Award recipient. On August 25, 2023 John was honored to deliver the keynote address at a dedication ceremony for the historical marker placed in honor of Lewis Robert “Hack” Wilson in Ellwood City, Pennsylvania.
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The Hardball Voyager 