Doug Glanville

The New York Times

May 6, 2010

by Doug Glanville

I get asked from time to time about how the game has changed since I played it. For me, it feels like yesterday that I was part of the inaugural season at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, and this has lulled me into believing that change, if any, would be subtle. But that is far from the truth. For one thing, something as glaringly new as instant replay for home runs cannot be ignored.

The New York Times

July 13, 2009

By Doug Glanville

Every player feels overwhelmed at one time or another, by one thing or another. (Even all-stars — in fact, it may be worse for the stars of the game because the microscope they are under is set to a higher magnification.) It could be the strain of maintaining a marriage when you spend half your time on the road. It could be because your batting average is plummeting during a free

The New York Times

January 26, 2009

by Doug Glanville

O.K., you got me. I didn’t get voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame the other week. A .277 batting average with 60 career home runs is cool, but it won’t garner you any votes unless you led the world in some other category.

But I often wonder whether a player who gets into the Hall should be automatically considered successful. And whether one who doesn’t should be seen as unsuccessful.

The New York Times

January 12, 2009

By Doug Glanville

Every holiday season, after getting our fill of egg nog, my family and I enjoy a tradition of watching one of our favorite movies: “A Few Good Men,” starring Jack Nicholson, Kevin Bacon, Tom Cruise and Demi Moore. Its most famous line is Col. Jessup’s “You can’t handle the truth!” But the one that always sticks with me is Lt. Kaffee’s parting words to one of the defendants, Lance Cpl. Harold Dawson: “You don’t need a patch on your arm to have honor.”

The New York Times

December 22, 2008

By Doug Glanville

I remember my father telling me the story of when he first landed in New York, having emigrated from Trinidad, West Indies. He was proud of his spanking new suitcase until he reached customs and couldn’t find the key to the lock, and they had to break it open to search his belongings. My father’s heart sank. After all, he saw the opportunity in this new world and wanted to make a good impression with the best he had to offer.

The New York Times

December 10, 2008

by Doug Glanville

I’m Doug Glanville and my wife approved this message.

Being a major league baseball player has its perks, one of which is the wide-open access you can have to celebrities in all industries. I’ve met Mia Hamm, I’ve met “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, I’ve met Josh Grobin, I’ve met Michael Jordan. If you added up all the stars I have encountered, the sum of their 15 or more minutes of fame could make a heckuva grandfather clock.

The New York Times

November 10, 2008

by Doug Glanville

The season is over; my old squad, the Philadelphia Phillies, have been crowned kings of baseball; and all is well throughout the land. But the champagne will eventually go flat, or maybe you didn’t even come close to drinking champagne. Either way, there’s a journey back home, wherever that may be.

The New York Times

November 1, 2008

by Doug Glanville

For Game 5 (Part 1) of the Philadelphia-Tampa Bay World Series, I had the pleasure of bringing out the ball for the first pitch, to be thrown by former Phillies great and current United States Senator Jim Bunning. The world did not know what I knew at that moment: The Phillies were now ordained to win this game, no matter how many days it took. Because in my world, that moment was the convergence of all the magic in my life.

The New York Times

October 16, 2008

by Doug Glanville

The New York Times

September 18, 2008

by Doug Glanville

Seven years ago this week — Sept. 17, 2001, actually — my team, the Phillies, played a key game against the Atlanta Braves inside a packed Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia. The electricity in the stands was stunning. The pre-game ceremony showed off one of the biggest American flags I had ever seen, and the video presentation was one of a kind.