Three for Thursday

Fenway Park is inching its way toward Metrodome and U.S. Cellular Field status in the heart of this Tigers fan. Anyway…

1. I’ve long been a fan of the Oakland A’s. Admittedly, it was because I loved their gold, green and white ensemble they wore in the 1970s, but also because of Billy Martin‘s Oakland clubs in the early ’80s. The other day I picked up “Champions: The Story of the First Two Oakland A’s Dynasties and the Building of the Third” by Glenn Dickey, at the library.

   The first chapter, fittingly, is about long-time A’s owner Charlie Finley. Dickey shares this nugget: Before Finley bought the Kansas City A’s, one of his many failed attempts to buy a club included the Tigers. Can you imagine? Denny McLain and Charlie Finley? And we thought Jim Campbell was cheap…

2. I can’t abide by Batting Stance Guy.

3. If you’re an autograph hound, and I mean that lovingly, you can score a Zach Miner and Clete Thomas autograph on Saturday. Just donate new or gently used baseball equipment, or who provide a cash-money donation, at ABC Warehouse at 30280 Plymouth Road in Livonia from 12:30-1:30 p.m.

   The donations benefit Gloves For Kids, a program designed to provide Detroit’s youth the proper sporting equipment to participate in organized baseball and softball. Tell them The Fungo sent you…and be prepared for a blank stare.

Wanted to mention a couple of housekeeping items. Over the years I’ve grappled with the notion of advertising on The Fungo; I don’t want to clutter up the site with stuff that you have no interest in. You might have noticed that I added an Amazon block ad to the sidebar and Google Ads w-a-a-a-y down the page. A couple of things to point out. I control the Amazon ad and I’ve customized it so it shows only Tigers-related books. So, if you click on the ad and end up buying a copy, I get a morsel of revenue. And I mean morsel.

The Google Ads are there more as an experiment than anything else. I’ve had an Adsense account for about five years and in that time I’ve accrued a whopping $50 in revenue. (Google only cuts checks for $100 or more, so at my current pace I’ve got another five years before I get paid.) Of course, if you feel moved to click an ad, by all means do so.

Bottom line: I’m not going to get rich on these but every little bit helps.