h/t KOB

In Honor Of Opening (cont.)

TW: A nice bridge photo of a future POTUS (GW the first...ie the one with some brains) and baseball's past.

In Honor Of Opening Day...This Week

TW: Can you identify the former POTUS...

Some More Hal McCoy

TW: I never tire of hall of fame writer Hal McCoy's old baseball stories

From Hal McCoy at the Dayton Daily News:
"...RON BROOKEY is an Ohio High School Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Famer and coached Steve Yeager at Meadowdale High School. Brooked asked [Reds manager Dusty] Baker about Yeager because the two played together for the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 1970s.

“Boomer?” said Baker. “You mean Boomer? We always called Yeager ‘Boomer.’ He was the best catcher I ever played with, but what I remember is how Boomer could go into the shower holding a cigarette in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other and get neither of them wet.”

...CHARLIE SHEEN. He was, and maybe still is, a huge fan of the Cincinnati Reds, probably because his actor father Martin Sheen was born in Dayton.

In the early 1990s, I was sitting in my press box seat in Dodger Stadium, head down as I pounded the keys on my laptop because I was near deadline. There was an empty seat next to mine and some guy sat down and began bombarding me with questions about Barry Larkin, Eric Davis and Rob Dibble.

I was busy, so I was terse and cryptic with my answers, never looking up. Finally, the guys says, “Would you like a cup of coffee?” To get rid of him, I said, “Yeah. Black. Two Sweet ‘n’ Lows.” The guy left to fetch the coffee and another guy two seats down leaned over and said, “Do you know who you keep ignoring? That’s Charlie Sheen.”

Well, he should never bother a writer on deadline - but I was more alert and polite when he returned with my coffee.

...THEN THERE was the day I was standing at the batting cage during batting practice in New York’s Shea Stadium when a guy next to me said, “Don’t you just love Sean Casey’s all-out swing?”

I looked over and it was The Boss, Bruce Springsteen. For once I was speechless, when I knew I should have said, “We have something in common. I was born in the USA, too."
http://www.daytondailynews.com/o/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/cincinnatireds/entries/2010/02/04/cincinnati_reds_manager_dusty_1.html

Mr. Cub

TW: It is February which means spring training beckons...can never have too much Ernie Banks on a blog.

A Little Baseball Humor

TW: I vented a bit with the day's first post, so will revert to less cynical fare.

From Hal McCoy at Dayton Daily News:
"THE SPEAKER...was major-league umpire Charlie Reliford...If the guy quits umpiring, he can do stand-up comedy.

When the crowd gave him a rousing round of applause when he was introduced, he said, “That’s not the way you normally greet umpires. Greet me the way you always do umpires.”

The crowd booed lustily and he said, “Now I feel better.”

He said umpiring is the only job he knows where you have to be perfect your first day on the job, “Then get better.” And he added, “Umpiring is like a toilet. Nobody notices you until you aren’t functioning.”

Former Reds pitcher Don Gullett, from nearby Lynn, Ky., attends the dinner and Reliford said, “You all think Gullett is such a nice guy. I remember a day I was pitching and he sauntered up to me and said, ‘Hey, Charlie. Flip home plate over and read the directions because you ain’t getting ‘em right.’”

Former Reds third base coach Jim Lett, now a coach with the Washington Nationals, is from nearby Nitro, W.Va. and Reliford said Lett walked by while the umpire was sweeping off home plate and said, ‘Hey, Charlie. You’ll make somebody a nice wife some day.” To which Reliford replied, ‘Very funny. Now go into the dugout and tell your hitters that the batter’s box is now part of the strike zone.”

http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/cincinnatireds/entries/2010/01/17/baseball_talk_portsmouth_style.html

Vintage Baseball

TW: It is cold outside so time to rev things up with some baseball. This piece shows vintage 1909-1920 video, a rare treat.

A Deep Sigh Of Relief In Chicago

TW: For those who do not frequent the Chi Tribune website this was the #2 story on the site for awhile. Many men have expressed real concern about whether the new owners of the Cubs would do away with one of Wrigley's more infamous attributes. Thankfully, tradition will be continued.

From the Chicago Tribune:
"Wrigley troughs to survive bathroom renovations, Cubs say
Modern urinals apparently not on immediate horizon
Good news for men who enjoy urinating in stainless steel troughs at professional baseball games: The Chicago Cubs will renovate the bathrooms at Wrigley Field this offseason, but a team spokesman has assured the Tribune that the treasured urinal troughs, long a part of the stadium's lore, will remain.

Specifics of the loo renewal effort were not released. The Cubs also offered no explanation as to why the team has decided not to invest in more modern-day urinal technology -- say something along the lines of a "Nano Pint Ultra-Low Consumption Urinal System."

Generations of male Cubs fans have stood side-by-side depositing the remnants of their ballpark beer into the troughs. The silver receptacles are spoken of both lovingly -- in that they give the place character -- and loathsomely -- in that some struggle to go in the close company of others."
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-talk-wrigley-field-bathroomsdec11,0,7445107.story

TW: And who can forget this classic youtube video...to give u a feel for what they look like

Learn Something New Every Day

TW: Am sure all of you have pondered the evolution of the ear flap on baseball helmets. Now you know the innovators were two Minnesota Twins, Earl Battey and Tony Oliva, who had their equipment manager attach impromptu flaps on their helmets in about 1964. Soon enough (about 1980) they became mandatory. How no one (other than Ray Chapman in 1920 or so) was killed by a pitch pre-helmets is beyond me.

A Sayonara Homer

via CT Rosecrans blog
TW: I have gotten tired of the now requisite scrum when a walk-off hit occurs in MLB even in the most irrelevant games. But this one from Japan provides some new flavors given the Japanese commentating and different crowd feel. The hitter btw is Termel Sledge a former major league journeyman. The game above was the first game of the Pacific League championship.

A Baseball Tradition

TW: As you may or may not know, in late September baseball teams traditionally haze their rookies by making them dress up in strange outfits for their final roadtrip of the year...

From LoHud Yankees Blog:
"Ill-timed as it was after a loss, the Yankees had their annual rookie hazing today.

The theme was the old Batman television show.

Mark Melancon was Batman. Ramiro Pena was a disturbing Catwoman and Mike Dunn was the Riddler. Massage therapist Lou Potter was the Penguin and video man Anthony Flynn made a fine Robin."

An Ode To Wrigley Field

TW: Was at the game Sunday with my brother, we were talking about how we hoped the new Cubs owners would not screw up Wrigley Field. Sunday was also the beat writer for the Reds, Hal McCoy's last game at Wrigley on the job. He summarized his thoughts on his blog:

"As I sit in the press box high above Wrigley, scanning the horizon to see the high rise buildings and Lake Michigan, I think of 37 years of coming to these hallowed grounds. They can talk all they want about Fenway Park, this is THE place to watch baseball. This is what baseball is all about.

Amazingly, the place has changed very little over 37 years - a few new seats crowded into the corners and a while bunch of grandstands atop the brownstone buildings on Waveland and Sheffield. The old-time scoreboard remains the same and the boisterous and belligerent Bleacher Bums remain the same.

But they’re gone now and I’m left here with my memories, of great times, of mostly day baseball, the way it was meant to be played. I love this park when it is empty and I love it when it is full.

...I could sit here and gape for hours, watch the elevated trains beyond the center field bleachers, watch the fans hitting all the bars in Wrigleyville, listen to the sirens from the firehouse behind the left field wall - a firehouse that has to be one of the busiest in Chicago because sirens are constant.

I can look at the ivy on the brick outfield walls and remember outfielder after outfielder getting tangled in the branches and searching frantically for lodged baseballs.

But I have a plane to catch home, so I’ll take my last look around this baseball pasture, this REAL Field of Dreams, and with a tear or two at the corner of my eyes, I’ll walk to the left field corner, take one last glance very close to the left field foul pole, then walk down a portal to the elevator and leave by the gate across from the firehouse. I’ll hail a cab and watch another dream fade over my shoulders."

Dock Ellis: A Child Of the Sixties

TW: Dock Ellis was a very good pitcher during the early 1970's for the Pittsburgh Pirates. He helped them win the 1971 World Series. But he is most notorious for having pitched a no-hitter whilst under the influence of LSD (or so he claimed). He was a child of the '60's who became a 1970s rebel. He naturally burned out quickly.

Wellman Classico

TW: An oldie but goodie, takes him a few seconds to really get rolling but certainly an all-time performance.

Hal McCoy's Favorite Cities

TW: Hal McCoy is a hall-of-fame baseball writer for the Dayton Daily News, one of the few remaining writers with some style. Unfortunately given the current and future economics of newspapers his type who follow baseball teams around the country are a dying breed. This will be his last year as his paper has chosen to join the trend and end their baseball beat. The Reds, my team, which as recently as two years ago had three beat writers will now have one whose future is likely also dubious. This will change the nature of sports reporting. No on-site perspective, merely generic PR releases from the teams and whatever the internet chatter can gin up.

Below is Hal's run-down of his favorite NL cities. I might not agree with his exact rankings but he gets the top five cities right.

From Hal McCoy at the Dayton Daily News:
"ONE: San Diego — I think I saw it rain once in 37 years in San Diego. They rolled out the tarp to cover the field and it shredded into pieces because it was rotted from non-use. The airport, though, is right downtown with one main runway and the approach takes you between tall building and I swear I once saw a lawyer counting his money as we passed his office window.
TWO: Denver — A great ballpark, the mountains with snow on them in mid-summer and a lively downtown. The only detriment is that if I walk at a fast pace (which I haven’t been able to do for five years) I am quickly out of breath due to the thin air. That’s what I tell myself.
THREE: San Francisco — You can eat at a different restaurant every day and seldom will you be disappointed. The walk between restaurants, though, is fraught with street beggars, one on every corner. I always tell them, “I gave to the last guy.” There was a guy once on Fisherman’s Wharf who had a sign, “I won’t lie, I want money for beer.” I gave him $5.
FOUR: Washington, D.C. — Until the Nationals came into the league, I hadn’t been to the nation’s capital since I was in the fifth grade and won a trip as an elementary school crossing guard. I was Lieutenant McCoy of the schoolboy patrol. The last three years I have been able to catch up on my sightseeing duties, plus there is a great cigar bar in which you can get a hand-rolled cigar and a Tangueray and tonic for, oh, about $100.
FIVE: Chicago — Big and eclectic, but not too big like New York City. My favorite steak house (The Saloon), my favorite pizza (Giordano’s) and my favorite Mexican joint (El Mexicano) are in the Windy City, but to tell the truth, I think it’s windier in Milwaukee. Folks think I probably love Wrigley Field. Wrong. Great place to watch a game, but horrible conditions for the poor w"

The White Sox Announcers In Their Playing Days

TW: Both Hawk Harrelson and Steve Stone were pretty good players in their day. One does not run across a Hawk in action shot often. Hawk is a total homer but I have no problem with that from local announcers. Stone has gotten in trouble with his frankness but to me that is another good trait.

The Spitters

TW: My sis in law, Ms. Leslie, is always asking for Derek Jeter photos to hit the blog so here goes. The Homer Derby blog did a feature on baseball spitting...they also did a post on baseball crotch grabbing but that was just creepy.

http://homerderby.com/archives/4663

Bad Uniforms: Did the Sox Really Wear These?

TW: Bill Veeck was the best but his uniform ideas a bit off. I think the major leagues banned the shorts.

Steroids Trifecta

TW: Orioles fans must be so proud that their 2005 media guide managed not one, not two but the full trifecta of steroidal scum on the cover (Tejada, Sosa, Palmeiro).

Self Inflicted Trauma