Adios, Jason Grilli

As everyone knows by now, the Pirates traded relief pitcher Jason Grilli over the weekend, and neither Marilyn nor I can quite recall when the departure of a local athlete made us feel as bad as this one did.

Don't get me wrong, Grilli certainly appeared to have lost it this season, and his departure from the Pirates, either by trade or outright release, was not unexpected, and it can certainly be defended in pure baseball terms.  That, however, doesn't make it any easier to take, because Grilli was a most likable Pirate.  Loved how he took charge when he came in from the bullpen, loved how he could close out games, loved those three quick punches to the catcher's chest protector when the final out was made.  Just loved his whole attitude.  And we should never forget that the magical season of 2013 for the Pirates would no doubt not have occurred had Jason Grilli not been a part of it.   

The sad fact of Big Time Athletics is that the one opponent that ALWAYS wins in the end is Father Time, and that looks like that is the case with Jason Grilli.  Nevertheless, I hope he tears it up for the Angels for the remainder of this season.

One other point was made about Grilli the other night by my friend Tim Baker.  He pointed out that much was made prior to the 2013 season that Grilli accepted a "hometown discount" to sign with the Pirates when he was a free agent, and a lot of good that did him now.  As Tim put it, "remember that the next time your favorite Bucco signs with another team for a boat load of money."

Farewell to Grilled Cheese.  He served the Pirates well, and you will never hear a bad word about Jason Grilli from The Grandstander.

Out-of-Town Company - A Night at the Ballpark

We had a special weekend these past few days due to the visit of Marilyn's brother George and his wife Ann, plus their kids and grand kids, George, Claire, Lizzie, and Andrew, visiting from Socorro, New Mexico.....

(Unfortunately, Claire didn't make it to the ball game)

 and Bonny, Michael, Mara, and Sophie, visiting from Durham, North Carolina....

As you can see, the high point of the visit was a trip to see the Pirates play the Mets at PNC Park.  The game itself was a good one, an eleven inning 3-2 Pirates victory, won when Josh Harrison delivered a walk off double in the bottom of the eleventh.

The trip to PNC Park was especially exciting for five year old Andrew, who came prepared to show that he is the Pirates biggest fan in the State of New Mexico:

He also offered full support to Mark Melancon when he came in to pitch the ninth inning:

Attending the game with these folks gave me a valuable lesson, and that is to be fully appreciative of being able to attend a major league baseball game whenever the mood strikes me, by simply getting in my car, driving for twenty minutes or so, and buying a ticket. For our niece, Bonny, this was the first time in her life that she had ever seen a major league game.  For George and his kids, well, maybe that can get on an airplane and fly to Denver from New Mexico to see a game, but it's not an easy proposition.  It is easy for me to take for granted the ease of going to a Pirates game, but I was given a nice dose of perspective the weekend, thanks to our nephew, niece, and their families.

By the way, they loved PNC Park and their visit to the City of Pittsburgh.  They're ready to do some commercials for the Visitors Bureau!

We left the ball yard on Friday by experiencing the Left Field Rotuda, where I took these pretty cool photos of us departing the Park.

Selected Sports Subjects

A quick whirl around the wide, wide world of sports.....

Time to weigh in on the subject of the nickname of the NFL's Washington DC franchise.  How anyone, Daniels Snyder and son-of-a-US-Senator Roger Goodell especially, can defend a name as pejorative as "Redskins" as an honorable tribute to the heritage of American Indians is at best a joke, and is in actuality an embarrassment and a disgrace.  Many of you have probably received the supposed-to-be-funny email circulating that defends the "Redskins" name by attacking the entire concept of political correctness, but, really, do the folks sending that out REALLY think it is okay to bandy about a terms like "Redskins"?  In the year of Our Lord 2014? Wow.

The sad irony is that Snyder and the NFL will inevitably give in and change the nickname, not because it is the right thing to do, but because they will realize how much money can be made from merchandise sales when a new nickname is put in place.

I am not so certain where names such as "Braves", "Warriors", "Chiefs", and "Indians" fall in this discussion.  They seem less offensive, if not inoffensive, to me, but, then again I am not a Native American, so perhaps I'm not qualified to judge. That said, even if the name is okay, the Indian-head logo of the Cleveland Indians really has to go. 

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The Steelers, in the person of Heinz Field Operations Manager and mouthpiece Jimmy Sacco, have weighed in on the pigsty that Luke Bryan concert attendees turned the Heinz Field parking lots into last Saturday.  In case you missed it....

The word coming down from on high is that it wasn't so bad, not nearly as bad as last year's Kenny Chesney concert (now THERE'S a great argument!), and anyway, look how much in tax revenue was collected by the City.  The Mayor's Office responded with words to the effect that a just because one pays taxes, it doesn't give you the right to turn city property into a waste dump and an open public toilet.

I think this is one instance where the Steelers should have just kept their mouths shut.

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Belated congratulations to the San Antonio Spurs for their thoroughly dominating beat down of the Miami Heat in the recently concluded NBA Finals.  Winning four games out of five with each win having a greater than 15 point margin of victory, the Spurs left no doubt as to who the best team was in the NBA Playoffs.  

This was the Spurs fifth NBA title in the last fifteen seasons (and they were so close to winning it last year, too).  The term "dynasty" is not undeserved when discussing the Spurs of the Greg Popovich Era.  And is not Tim Duncan the most underated, unappreciated "great" player of his generation, if not of all time?  And you could ask the same question about Greg Popovich as well.

The Spurs seem to be getting a bit long in the tooth, so who knows how long this run will continue, but it sure has been a great one.

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Speaking of the NBA, the playoffs really brought the LeBron James haters out in full force.  Not sure I understand the enmity that is out there towards James (other than in the City of Cleveland, of course), but it is only going to get worse now that he has elected to opt out of his contract in Miami - which, I remind you, he has every right to do (as he did when he left Cleveland in 2010) - and become a free agent.  The pursuit and eventual landing spot of LeBron James will no doubt completely dominate off-season basketball news.

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Barring any rain outs, the Pirates will reach the literal half-way mark of the 2014 season at the conclusion of Saturday's game.  They currently sit at 39-39, and there is some stat out there that tells you that they have had the best or second best record in the National League since May 1.  They are not the team we saw last season, to be sure, but neither are they the team of the twenty seasons previous to last year.  There are areas of concern, but it really isn't a sinking ship or a lost cause at PNC Park, either.

They are going to make it interesting for fans in the second half.  Making the Post-Season will not be easy, but it is far from a lost cause at this point.  

World Cup Thoughts

At the Caring Place last night, my new friend and fellow volunteer Janine Pischke, who has become a reader of The Grandstander, asked why I haven't commented on the World Cup as yet.  

OK, Janine, here we go!

Like many people here in the US of A, I am taking my quadrennial dip into the waters of international futbol by following the World Cup, although I guess I should say the FIFA World Cup so as to avoid potential lawsuits.

I have been following the fortunes of Team USA, and am hoping that they can make it out of Pool Play and into the knockout round.  We'll know after Thursday's match with Germany.  I watched the game against Portugal on Sunday afternoon in its entirety, and was heartbroken (OK, that may be stating it a bit strongly, but you get the idea) when Portugal scored the tying goal in, literally, the last seconds of the game.

Let me say right off the bat that I have nephews and nieces who play futbol on the high school level, so I really don't want to come off as an Ugly American when discussing the world's most popular game, BUT there are some things about the game that keep me, and I suspect many other Americans, from becoming a rabid fan of the Beautiful Game.  I will not even comment upon the lack of offense in these games.  That is too much of a cliche, but here are some things that bother me.

• Stoppage Time.  The clock never stops running in futbol games so when ninety minutes have expired, the referee adds "stoppage time" to the game for those periods during regulation when play, but not the clock, was halted.  The trouble is, no one has any idea how the ref comes up with a figure for stoppage time, and the time is nowhere to be seen on the field of play or the TV screen when the game is in "stoppage time".  That USA-Portugal game is a perfect case in point.  Would the USA have played differently had they known that there were only seconds remaining in the game when Portugal scored that tying goal?  Who knows?  By the way, if someone can correct me on this, I am happy to listen.
• Talk is already afoot that the USA and Germany will "agree" to play for a draw in Thursday's match because such a result will allow each team to advance out of pool play and into the knockout round.  That does not strike me as being altogether kosher in terms of any sporting event, but such are the machinations of the FIFA World Cup.
• Diving or Flopping.  People complain about players in the NBA "flopping" in order to draw fouls, but the NBA guys have nothing on these international futbol-ers.  I have seen guys fall down like they have been shot with an AK-47when replays clearly show that they have been barely touched, if they have been touched at all.  I mean...

To my many family members, friends, and readers whom I know to be big futbol fans, I apologize for what you will no doubt consider my narrow view.  I hope that my final observation will serve to put me back into your good graces.

• Clint Dempsey is one major badass dude who I would love to have on my team in ANY sport.

All that said, Let's Go USA!!!!!!

Movie Review - "Jersey Boys"

We took in the new movie "Jersey Boys" this afternoon.  It is the film version, directed by Clint Eastwood, of the hit Broadway musical that has been running in New York since 2005, and productions of which are touring all over the world.

You probably all know the story.  It is about the formation of the musical group, The Four Seasons, focusing on lead singer Frankie Valli.  We were fortunate enough to see the play in Las Vegas several years ago, and loved it.  As for the movie, what can I say?  It was terrific!  (It also makes us want to see the play again.)

John Lloyd Young, who originated the role on Broadway and won a Tony Award for it, plays Valli in the movie.  Great move by Eastwood to cast him in the movie as well.

Other recognizable actors include Vincent Piazza as Tommy DeVito.  Piazza also plays gangster Lucky Luciano in the excellent "Boardwalk Empire". Fans of "The Sopranos" will also recognize Frankie's mother played by Kathleen Narducci (Charmaine Bucco) and a barber played by Steven Schirripa (Bobby Bacala).

A special shout out to Christopher Walken playing Jersey mob leader Gyp DeCarlo, a role that was expanded for the movie.  He's great in it.

The music in the movie is terrific.  Hey, it's the Four Seasons, so why wouldn't it be, and the story is great.  Truth often is better than fiction.

And how about director Clint Eastwood?  Who knew he could do musicals, and at age 84, no less?  Great job.

I won't give anything away here, but the sequence that ends movie is fabulous, and be sure to stay for the closing credits.

Trust me, you don't want to miss "Jersey Boys".

Michelle Wie Wins the Open!

Michelle Wie has been around the world of professional golf for so long, it seems, that it is easy to forget that she is only 24 years old.  So, it was with interest that I noted that she led the US Women's Open at Pinehurst #2 after two rounds and was tied for the lead headed into today's final round.  Such news caused me to plant myself before the TV set this afternoon and root for Wie to capture her first major championship.

An eagle on the par five 19th hole gave her a four shot lead, but Stacy Lewis finished birdie-birdie to post the lead in the clubhouse, three shots behind Wie.  All Michelle had to do was par out and the Open would be hers.  However, on the 16th hole, an embedded ball in a hazard caused Wie to have to take a penalty stroke and resulted in a double bogey, which she saved by making a lengthy putt that was far from a gimme, and her lead over Lewis was down to only one stroke.  Perhaps a younger Michelle Wie would have lost her composure at that point, but it didn't happen.  In fact, Wie looked the same after that hole as she had all day.

She rebounded in fantastic fashion by sinking about a twenty foot putt for a birdie on 17....

...and all that remained at that point was a workmanlike par on #18 to secure the Championship.

She played the entire Open, all 72 holes of it, without having one three putt green.  Under US Open conditions, that fact is absolutely amazing!

In a golf season that has been lacking in drama, I really enjoyed this day watching the charismatic Miss Wie take home this most prestigious victory, and I hope that there will be many more for her in the years ahead.

Fake Beatles

Marilyn and I ventured out to the Homestead Carnegie Library Music Hall last night to see The Fab Four, a Beatles tribute band, or, as Marilyn puts it, "Fake Beatles".  We have seen three different such bands over the years, and we are convinced that The Fab Four are (is?) the best "fake Beatles" that we have seen.

The act began with a guy impersonating Ed Sullivan and introducing the four "youngsters".  The first act was the group doing Beatles tunes from the Fab Four/Beatlemania/Ed Sullivan era while wearing the black suits and ties.  In the second act, they came out in Sgt. Pepper outfits and sang songs from that era, and then concluded with "John" in the white suit singing "Imagine" (which wasn't actually a "Beatles" song, but why quibble?), and closed with a couple of tunes from the Rooftop Concert Let It Be era.

I was most surprised that the group did "A Day in the Life" which is so musically intricate (and is often rated as The Beatles' best song of all by many), that it is hard to duplicate outside of a studio, but this group did a terrific job of it.  They also sang "Revolution" and that number really brought down the house.

Let's face it, no one, NO ONE, can be THE BEATLES, but when the originals are no longer with us, good tribute bands have a place in show biz, if only to expose whole new generations to such terrific music.  So, if you ever have a chance to see The Fab Four perform, by all means do so.

And a word about the venue.  The Homestead Carnegie Library Music Hall is a true gem.  Small and intimate, terrific acoustics, and free parking on the street outside the Hall.  True, the old style wooden seats can be tough on the posterior, but it's a small price to pay for seeing a concert at such a great old place.   If you have chance to see one of your favorite acts there, by all means do so.