The Greatest Single Inning of Baseball

Just finished The Glory Of Their Times by Lawrence Ritter. Probably my 3rd reading in 20 years or so. I’m glad I hung on to it.

How will the GW crowd make this The West’s fault?

Curling Sweeps Nation

League Within A League

Glad to hear that major league baseball’s annual winter meetings (Dec 3-6) will be held at the Gaylord Opryland in Nashville, TN

After hearing that, I half wished that Babe were done and we could truck him out there and display him as a temporary exhibit in Nashville, before putting him in his permanent home in the Gaylord National On The Potomac, in Washington DC.

Various things that have come up recently:

The Discovery Channel’s Mount Everest show - History Channel and Discovery have really slipped. There are no more WWII footage shows. It’s all human combat and Dirty Jobs and UFO’s and Ghosts and nonsense. If I see one more show on bootleggers or Bonnie and Clyde I’ll scream. WHEN, as a society, are we going to stop glorifying a**h***s who robbed banks and shot up people who got in their way? What suckers we all are. This stuff gets ratings and sells books and newspapers or we would not keep seeing it. The Wild West stuff is just as bad. We just heap glory on, and romanticize these illiterates who played with guns. Great lesson for the kids. ***

The Everest show is one of the ones I will watch these days. It is year 2 for this one and there is a guy who has come back. He was very problematic for the expedition last year and almost got himself and a sherpa killed by being insubordinate. So of course he’s back. And I’m thinking that there’s no way Russell, the organizer, would ever take this guy back but then it dawns on me that the producers of the show probably paid for this guy to return and made it a condition of year 2. He’s the big antagonist. Otherwise, it’s pretty vanilla. Just goes to show you that 99% of what you see on TV is hooey. Maybe more.

The whole Everest game is creepy really when you look at it. The “climbers” pay a huge sum to have everything arranged so that they just turn up and climb. They go up with sherpas who will bail them out if they get into trouble and who also, schlep a lot of the food and Oxygen up to the camps so that they can make their run. All the climbing is on fixed ropes that are in place before any paying customer goes up. Are they really climbing? What ARE they doing? They are risking their health to bag the big peak but it’s all very “arranged”. And they say the climb is not technically difficult but is just so absurdly high and remote that it is more of an endurance/weather gamble than a climb. I think 11 people died last season doing the “climb”.

One guy was trying a double traverse. He wanted to be the first. That’s up and over and then back up and back over. He was with Purbah, a superman of a sherpa who has 14 summits of Everest under his belt. This guy did the first up and over with Purbah and then retired from moutaineering. He admitted that he realized that he wasn’t fit to shine Purbah’s crampons and to go back over the mountain and try and claim to be the first “double traverser” would be a joke because the guy with him, Purbah, could whip his butt in anything climbing, anytime. So here’s a guy who does actually “get” the absurdity of some of it, but only after he’s actually been in it up to his eyeballs. Strange world. ***

Capn Crunch - I bought the Crunchberry version recently and realize that they have added 3 other colors to the crunch berries. There is almost no original Capn Crunch in there. It’s all crunchberries. And they are dyed with some horrible green and blue food dye that I think, in large enough quantities, could actually kill you. I suggest to General Mills a spinoff cereal of all crunchberries, called: “Poison Cruchberries”; you’re almost there now. ***

Why would ANY Mets fan listen to Mike Francesa? That’s my question. His hatred and disdain for all things Mets just permeates all of his pompous comments. He’s not even good at hiding it. It’s an insult to your intelligence. Why does he feel so threatened? Why do Yankee fans seem to have a higher incidence of that “pile-on” nastiness? Their money has bought them 1 in about every 4.5 world champeenships and yet STILL they are insecure. ***

Only 5 or 6 teams can afford Santana - I keep reading & hearing that the only teams that can afford Santana and Tori Hunter and really any big Free Agents these days are the Mets/Yanks/Boston/Cubs/Dodgers and Angels. It’s becoming more and more clear to thinking fans that there are 2 leagues in MLB: those 6 clubs and the rest of the miserable, poor teams. I don’t want to hear that the Royals pocket the lousy 10 million in revenue share which never made any sense to me as the Yanks are paying their squad 220 million. I also don’t want to hear that more recently, each year a different team wins it. I ain’t buying it, no sir. No thanks. Baseball has a major problem with that IMO and really should just get it over with and spin off the rich clubs into their own “super-major-league” and stop blowing smoke up the fans behinds. It won’t happen because most fans are easily fooled or just all too willing to go head first into major, lifelong denial (See Yankees fans).

There’s plenty of room in this “space”, as they say in business, for a 3rd major circuit. I have half a mind to devote the rest of my life to putting it together. Not since 1959 has there been a credible threat of a 3rd major league circuit (Branch Rickey and Bill Shea’s “Continental League”). There is plenty of room for more teams. New York alone could support 5 or 6 teams but the Mets and Yanks don’t want ANY part of that noise. If I were starting up a league, I’d structure it from the ground up for “family-affordability”. No A-Rods making 30 million a year because if you have them, you need to charge me 100 per ticket and then I can’t afford to take my kids. And of course, if you don’t pay, the big players don’t play, and then they say you’re a “minor” league, but no matter, if the regular guy can take his family and it seems major enough, I think it could succeed. Just imagine: no long term contracts! Everyone paid on a formula for their actual production in the season just passed. Player movement could be handled in lottery form or with ordinals. It’s doable. I can dream, can’t I?

Did you know that Wrigley Field was built for the Federal League? That was a 2 year circuit that gave the NL-AL monopoly a good run in 1914-1915. There was an attempt in 1946 called the Mexican League and it folded but not before raiding a few players. The Continental League scared the NL and AL so much that New York (Mets) and Houston were granted expansion franchises. There is strong precedent. The AL, after all, is called “The Junior Circuit” because it was started from scratch in 1900 as a competitor to the National League. The NL didn’t take them seriously and even played the bad joke on them of making them wait outside their meeting and then slipping out the side door. In about 2 years, they were not laughing anymore. By 1903, the Boston Pilgrims were beating the Pittsburgh Pirates in the first true Woil Serious. In 1904, John J. McGraw of the NY Giants refused to play the AL champs as he felt that it was beneath the National League’s dignity. He played the A’s in 1905 however, in one of the best series ever. Every game was a shutout by a Hall of Famer. Christy Mathewson pitched 3 shutouts. Iron Man Joe McGinnity, the other. Plank or Bender or Waddell may have tossed one for the A’s. 1905. The AL was there to stay. ***

The aoogah horn that I installed on my car has stopped working.  Need to get that fixed.  Aoogah horn: Not optional.

Yanks Outweigh Opponents by 3.4 Billion in Sept 2007

Yankees fans always amaze me with the depth of their denial. They are right up there with the OJ jury. I keep hearing the Yankee-nation talking points: (1) the other teams just pocket the revenue sharing money (2) The Mets spend just as much (3) Most of the Yankees are home grown like Jeter and Posada. (For the record, the Mets currently sit at 120 million while the Yankees sit at 212 million — can Yank fans do math? That’s 8 million bucks shy of 100 million! Real close.)

With the Yankees turning MLB into a rigged deck, Globetrotter-like, pro-wrestling setup with their disgusting salary bloat, I thought I’d sit down and calculate just how much they outpay the teams they will be facing in their remaining “pennant race” games. Even I was astounded. It totes up to 3. 4 BILLION dollars. That’s BILLION with a “B”. Ooh, Yankee fans, I’m getting goose bumps watching these “contests”. How can you stand the suspense?

You know, 8 men on the 1919 Chicago White Sox were banned from the game for life for gambling on the games. Pete Rose, as we know, was also banned for gambling. Every major league clubhouse in professional ball has the anti-gambling caveat painted on the clubhouse wall for all to see. It’s THE core concept. Why is it so? Because baseball believes that if the public thought that the games were not on the level (fair contests), then they would not spend their time and money on it.

My question is, what is the difference between a game that gamblers may have rigged and ANY Yankee game when they outweigh their opponents by so much money? It’s as if you had a pickup game on your playground and gave the first 9 picks to one captain. Why are people so entertained by this rigged deck? The only thing remarkable about the Yankees is a game like last night, when the 23.8 million dollar Devil Rays ACTUALLY beat the 212 million dollar Yankees. –fog

* figures for salaries came from USA Today and Sportscity.com

The USA today salaries are from the start of the year.  The Sportscity ones appear to be updated to include things like Roger Clemens.  I find it interesting that the Yankees’ team salary increased 23 million from the beginning of the season to now.  23 million is the figure that the Devil Rays pay their whole squad.  Breathtaking gluttony.

Willie Randolph: Deer In The Headlights

Being home with Tommy up all night crying has made me watch more TV than I normally would. Has anyone seen this ESPN thing on which athlete is “more Now”?

A Big, Flying Gas Can Full Of Smoking Germans

 

I hate to pluck stuff off of Drudge but this one, I couldn’t resist. The Germans are looking to launch a smoking-friendly airline~! What’s German for ‘Whooo ahhhhhh…? I’m sure that no vegetables will be served on that flight.

And you never know what the Germans will latch onto. A few years ago, my brother was in Germany and saw Hogan’s Heroes dubbed into German. I know–who knew? He also brought along an old game of “Trouble”, you know, the one with the pop-a-matic?

They LOVED it! They played it so much, that my brother left it there for them and there they were, all hunched over the Pop-A-Matic, sending each other back. –fog

Overstimulation

I really like the Clarinet (Bassinet) that Mrs. Pinetar bought (or was given) for the Tomster. It has these little controls on the side and it will play a little music (something they played at our wedding but I didn’t know that-was told) and it has a little “activity center” for Tommy’s “activity time”.

Anyway, it has these bears that hang on a little dry-cleaning rack and you press a button and the bears spin around over Tommy.

But you have to swing it into position first.

 So I’m admiring the thing and we put him down and I swing the thing into position and Mrs. Pinetar says, “…Wait! You can’t do that yet.”

“Why?”, I say.

“You’ll overstimulate him. It’s too much for him”, She replied.

“Oh”, I said.

How cute is it, that the three little flying stuffed bears will overstimulate him?

***

This clarinet has one other thing that I really, really love. The vibration button. You can even adjust the frequency (although not as low as I would like, but I’ll take it). It is like Tommy is at the belly of a big cat that is purring. It’s very soothing and pacifying.

There is some newer research that indicates that the vibrations that cats produce is very, very healing and beneficial to the cats themselves. They actually have been shown to HEAL faster from wounds for purring. This is verifiable data, not the global warming hooey that you see on CNN.

I went through a phase a few years ago where I read anything I could get my hands on re ‘after death experiences’ or, NDE (Near Death Experiences). They have gone on for all history but are more prevalent now due to advancing medical technology (the same amazing medical discovery and technology that Al Gore and Hillary say isn’t fair and needs to be curtailed by government intervention). What’s even more true today is that with medical tech being what it is, people are simply more inclined to entertain the POSSIBILITY that these folks come by some information that they really don’t or shouldn’t have access to, if you discount the “experience”.

The books are fascinating reading and they make you think plenty, especially about some of our downright silly religious customs and institutionalized hokum. The book, “Embraced by the Light” by Betty J. Eadie, is by far, the best book I’ve ever read in my life. I’ve read it over 10 times and it has influenced me far more than any other book, no question. There is a bookend book to it that is also amazing: “Beyond the Darkness” by Angie Fenimore. They compliment each other and should be read together, and read in the order listed. They are quite different so don’t assume…

Anyway, in the dozens of books I’ve read on this topic, one of the things that strikes you about these experiences is their diversity. All are different and highly personal. However, there are still many similarities. One is that many of these folks report on the “music” or “vibrations” that run through and permeate EVERYTHING on the spiritual side. Everything vibrates and resonates and all things are in vibrational/musical harmony “over there”. In this other dimension, these vibrations are described as “healing” and “loving” and “containing great intelligence”.

It is interesting that we are finding out that cats’ purring heals wounds. I predict that in the future, more money and effort will be spent looking into the effect of vibrations on living tissue. I don’t think enough is being done but the vibration gizmo on the clarinet is a good start.

***

We had Tommy outside a lot yesterday and like rookie parents, got him a little too warm in his fleece swaddling blanket. But on day 4, the jaundice is at maximun, so I insisted that we get him some light (indirect) to break down that bad old Billy Rueben. I also decided it was time to fly the Bunker Hill flag. You don’t see many outside of New England.

And this morning he was opening his eyes more than usual. I used a no-flash setting and it was dark so don’t worry about his color there. He is looking great. It’s just hard to get him to open the eyes. A lot of the time, he just opens one eye. It’s funny to see him fall off the feeding spout and then get mad. Unfortunately, it’s a family trait to quickly get pretty mad at something very simple in the scheme of things. Oh well.

We are baptizing him at about 1 month. This shocked the church down the street. They grilled my wife about it. That’s how it was done in the old days (25 years ago and before) but now it is wigging them out. Almost any time I have “official dealings” of any sort with a member of the church, I walk away shaking my head. I’m trying.

Since Mrs. Pinetar may not be able to make the baptism class, I will have to go alone. I told Mrs. Pinetar, “…wait until they get a load of me…”

And she basically said, “Don’t get excommunicated again!”

And that would be the second time this year! The odds on excommunication are currently running about 7-1. We’ll see.

***

For the record, Julio Franco is now 1 for 12 with the Atlanta Braves. I’ll say it again: Somewhere out there, there is a golf-course missing a guy. –fog

The Tommy Show! Starring: Tommy!

 

Here we are going to the hospital at about 2:30am. She had the breakage at 12:30am and there was some discussion as to whether we could sleep on it and then go, or head in. The phone call quickly cleared that up: We had to go in. Once that happens, they want the show on the road. We were calm enough to drag our feet over and hour and take this photo on the way out the door. I wore my Nixon Library shirt for luck. Mrs. Pinetar is feeling good and not having any contractions and is quite calm.

This is right after Tommy is cleaned up and Mrs. Pinetar as well. She’s probably had him on her for all of a minute and a half at this point. He was born at 3pm and right here it’s about 3:10pm. We are both really not believing what a neat little guy we’re holding here. What a privilege!

For the record, we checked in at 3:00am and at 7am, they had induced her somewhat with a drug so traditional labor was marked at 7am. Pushing began at 1:25pm and the winning run was plated at 3:00pm on the button.

And here’s the man that causes all the trouble, Tommy. This was taken a day later when he’s about 22 hours old (kind of like El Duque).

Also at 22 hours and below, Mom and Tom, at 22 hours.

Below is one of the few, specific hopes that I had for my little guy, besides just overall health. In the photo here, you can see that Mrs. Pinetar has really long hands and fingers. I have little, stuby, Fred Flintstone fingers. If I had a boy, I was hoping that he would get “the hands”, so that if he ever pitched a baseball, he’d have a chance to throw a nice overhand slider or split fingered fastball, pitches that I can only dream of with my little fingers.

Anyway, check this out:

Nice and long! So I’d say, he has “the hands”.

But there will be no undue pressure on him to do anything. If he wants to be a Curling star, then we’ll be up early and out at the rink. I’m just happy to have him around. We’re both thrilled and feel very blessed and lucky to have had such a smooth ride and people have been very nice to us all the way through. We thank God. Take that, ACLU! –fog

Just for the record, here’s the old man, tearing up the sheet at the Jaques Cartier Curling Club in Quebec City, Quebec.  Oui.

Tommy 8 Lbs 10.5 oz 22 inches

Well, he’s here! What a nice surprise. Water broke at 12.30 am, and we got down there at 3:00 am and missed the flooding that came later. Labor started or was induced at 7:00 am and the little guy was out at 3:00 pm. Mrs. Pinetar is fine. The boy looks great! He seems to be long–long legs, long torso. He looks a bit like the Mr. Pinetar side of the family. I am typing on the eyboard in the hospital room so it isn’t easy. Thanks to everyone for helping and sending the good prayers over as they certainly seemed to have worked.

 

Nick: I can’t change my lineup from here. Just tried. Make sure you get Helton in there at 1st. Eithier, if he’s playing. Victorino is hot (2 Triples!). Ibanez, only if he matches up. Pitching is hard as Max threw Sheilds and Hallady and got nice retunrs on that. Jerred Weaver is hottest for me now, if you can believe that. Harrang should go. Oswalt, only really at home but you know about his problems. Thanks.

 

Now as to Cincinatti Bill’s comments that having the Yanks’ gluttonous payroll is good for baseball, I totally, totally disagree! Wrong on so many levels! You’re basically saying that the leagues should be rigged with the Yankees sitting at the top as the best business model. Oy. The height of Yankee arrogance…Bill, I love ya but I gotta disagree here…

Tommy’s weigh-in. There’s the 8 10.5 in digital readout. We’ve come a long way from his great grandmother having his grandpa in a house in Wortendyke. He’s just lucky we didn’t give him the old family Swiss name: Balz, short for Balthalsar, which is quite Biblical.

I like the Biblical tie in to the “doubting” apostle, Thomas. I don’t see Thomas’ doubt as a negative, but rather as a positive. He WANTED to believe. He wasn’t going to be lazy about it. He had data points right in front of him and he took advantage of them. He WANTED to believe enough to investigate the thing himself. I see nothing wrong with that (in fact I like it) as I will teach this boy to ALWAYS THINK and to INVESTIGATE and to LEARN, and to question why we do things the way we do them. Apostle Thomas represents a whole group of people by allegory: People that learn and internalize ideas very deliberately. But once learned, they stay learned. In American history, we have the “Thomas” allegory in the people from Missouri, the “show me” state. It’s an old idea.

And after posting this and showering so I can go back to the hospital, a few more things occurred to me. Apostle Thomas, gets a bad rap. People tend to see things negatively and in his moment in The Gospel, Christ uses his boots-on-the-ground, investigativeness to COMPLIMENT another group, by allegory. That is the group that can plug right into an idea without any physical, experimental evidence. THEY are being praised in the “Thomas” moment, and NOT, that Thomas is being chastised. And here’s the “media-bias” in this one: It’s never mentioned in the “report” that inherent in the whole story is that Thomas walked away from his profession and his possessions to follow Christ 3 years before the “Thomas” moment.

Faith, anybody? –fog

Thanks to Pat for helping me understand that point in a discussion several months ago.