“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.” How true.

Those words were spoken by legendary shortstop Honus Wagner, who became one of the first five players elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown in 1936.

The late, great Henry Aaron was renowned for his five-tool ability on a baseball diamond. But he was also a deep thinker who spoke words of wisdom. During his Hall of Fame induction speech in 1982, the slugging outfielder paid homage to Jackie Robinson and Roy Campanella, saying, “A man’s ability is limited only by his opportunity.”

Margo Price understands opportunity too. In 2002, in the Oklahoma City suburb of Edmond, she made it her mission to assure children with disabilities that they had the opportunity to play baseball.

Route 66 in Texas runs from Shamrock to Glenrio, 189 miles in all as the horse gallops. The midway point is Amarillo, also known as the “Yellow Rose of Texas,” given the Spanish origins of the city’s name. It’s where you’ll find the Big Texan Steak Ranch, which promises that if you can eat their 72-ounce steak in under an hour, you get it for free, as well as the Cadillac Ranch, an artistic outdoor installation of 10 wildly spray-painted Caddies on end and all in a row. It’s also home to a vibrant grassroots baseball community.

If you want to find the roots of the game in Baxter Springs, head to the Little League field at the corner of 14th and Grant. That’s where you are more than likely to find Wayne Metcalf. Thanks to his care, passion, energy, and unwavering commitment, the kids in his community have been provided with joy and opportunity for more than half a century. He’s the man who has dusted off this wonderful home for so many young ballplayers.

If you enjoy learning new things, you might want to take a step back in time to something really old: Vintage Baseball. Exit velo? Spin rate? OPS? Not a chance — life and the game were simpler in the 19th century

There are 10 vintage teams in Missouri and Illinois that play by the 1860 baseball rules. Baseball’s rules date to 1845 and the New York Knickerbockers, evolving throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries...

It was spring 1971, my first season playing organized baseball.  Our late-afternoon practice had ended and the coach instructed the team to jog over to his car and line up in order of height.

He opened the trunk of his car, which was full of uniforms, socks and caps.When it was my turn, he handed me a grey button-down jersey and pants made of wool, green stirrups and a hat. I immediately put on my first baseball cap. I was officially a member of the Newton Central Little League Oakland A’s. I was beaming with pride. I was in love with baseball…