The Grandstander is Back!

I am sure that you have all noticed that The Grandstander has been off the grid in recent weeks, or maybe you haven't, but at any rate, I am back in my perch in the Grandstand.  Where have I been, you may ask?  Well, when it comes to reporting on social media, I like to try to follow the wise rule of one Mr. Dan Bonk which states, "never tell people where you are going; only tell them where you have been", and where I have been is off on a trip with Mrs. Grandstander to celebrate our 40th Wedding Anniversary, which took place on December 27.

The trip covered fourteen days and included two nights in San Francisco, three nights in Honolulu, and seven nights in Maui.  It was our third time in San Francisco (although it had been thirty years since the last visit), and our first visit to Hawaii.

Rather than doing one long Grandstander post summarizing the entire trip, my plan is to do several shorter posts over the next week or so telling the highlights of the trip, so watch for them.

I will tell you this, the trip was everything we had hoped for and wanted it to be.

So, if you want to hear all about it, in the words of Steve McGarrett, as played by Jack Lord, "Be here. Aloha."

The New Hall of Fame Class

The news arrived yesterday that four guys have been elected into Baseball's Hall of Fame: Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez, John Smoltz, and Craig Biggio.  Just missing election were guys like Mike Piazza, Jeff Bagwell, Tim Raines, and, of course, all of the usual PED suspects.

First off, congratulations to Johnson, Martinez, Smoltz, and Biggio.  No question in my mind that these guys are Hall of Famers, so good for them.

I have been a big fan of the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown. I have made five visits to the place over the years, and will probably get there a time or two again before I am called to that great Bullpen in the Sky, but I have to tell you that one drawback of Social Media is that it gives everyone (including me) a forum to vent their opinions, and the endless parsings of things like Hall of Fame voting, who got in, who didn't get in, why didn't so-and-so vote for this-or-that guy, and, of course, this leads to the inevitable ramblings about guys like Pete Rose and Gil Hodges.  It can get tiring.

However, I guess that such debate is all a part of the fun.

As for me, I will look forward to getting my HOF plaque postcards this summer of the four new guys to add to my collection.  

"Motown the Musical"

So, today we said "to hell with the NFL" and decided to try to see "Motown the Musical" at Heinz Hall.  Trouble was, the show was sold out, so that led me take a bold step into the 21st century: Stub Hub.  Yes, I finally heeded the advice of numerous friends and finally made this foray into legalized ticket scalping, or free-market capitalism, depending on how you look at it.

We were able to purchase two seats about two hours before curtain time, print them out at home, and headed on down to the Cultural District.  Oh yeah, we paid way more than face value for the tickets, but in the end, it was worth it, because it was a terrific and entertaining show.

The show tells the story of Berry Gordy, Jr. and the founding of Motown Records.  The show featured actors playing the parts of Motown's greatest stars and it also included some of the greatest music of that generation.  Among others portrayed in the show were Smokey Robinson, The Temptations, the Four Tops, Diana Ross and the Supremes, the Jackson Five, Jackie Wilson, Mary Wells, and Marvin Gaye.

Do I have to actually tell you who these people are and what their greatest songs were (and still are)?  If so, then you probably stopped reading this post after the first paragraph, or never even opened it to begin with.  So I'll only list a few of the songs featured in this show today: "My Girl", "Where Did Our Love Go", "I Want You Back", "I Heard It Through the Grapevine", "What's Goin' On", and "My Guy".  Get the idea of how great this show was?  Oh, and there was terrific ballad at the end called "Can I Close The Door" that Gordy wrote especially for this show.

It was a rousing, big-energy show with a relatively small cast.  In fact, at the curtain call, we were surprised at how few people comprised the ensemble - probably fewer than two dozen - with many of them playing multiple characters in the show. The lead "characters" in the show were Gordy, Diana Ross, Smokey Robinson, Marvin Gaye, and a young man who played a young Michael Jackson.  I suppose that you would have to be a real theatrical nerd to know any of the actors in this show, but man, were they talented, and, of course, when you look at their biographies in the Playbill, they all have credits a mile long.   Special props go out to Julius Thomas III who played Berry Gordy.

Berry Gordy, Jr., by the way, is now 85 years old.  

He wrote the book for this musical  and produced it on Broadway.  His accomplishments in the recording and entertainment industry are too numerous to list.  I am glad that he also conceived "Motown the Musical" as a way for future generations to enjoy this music and story for years to come.

And In The End.....

Well, that was certainly a disappointing end to the Steelers season last night at Heinz Field.  

Here are my thoughts on the game....

• Le'Veon Bell was surely missed. 
• Dri Archer stinks.
• Not having to worry about a weapon like Bell, the Ravens were free to concentrate on teeing off on Ben Roethlisberger and blanketing the receivers, and that is exactly what they did.
• Having had what might be the best season that a Steelers QB has ever had, Ben was surely off the mark last night.
• Stupid, stupid, STUPID personal foul penalties.

But in the end, it was the defense that cost this game for the Steelers.  After forcing Baltimore to go three-and-out and punt on their first possession, the Steelers did not stop the Ravens once (the kneel down at the end of the first half doesn't count) until late in the fourth quarter, at which point this one was pretty much decided.  This is not to let Roethlisberger and the offense, which settled for FG's instead of TD's early on, off the hook, but this one falls on the Steelers defense.

Oh, and the Ravens were pretty good last night.  They thoroughly earned this win.

Looking back, eleven wins, a division title, and a trip to the Playoffs were more than most people expected this year from this bunch, but getting bumped in the first round always leaves you with a sour taste in your mouth.

Forty-five days until pitchers and catchers report to Bradenton.

To Absent Friends - Edward Herrmann, Donna Douglass, Mario Cuomo

The New Year of 2015 is barely out of the gate, and I am already backed up with three "Absent Friends" to honor.

1943-2014

Actor Edward Herrmann died on New Year's Eve at the age of 71.  If you were not familiar with his  name, you surely recognize this versatile actor from over 130 acting credits (per IMDB) on television and motion pictures.  Herrmann was a five time Emmy Award nominee, one time winner.  I remember him best for playing Franklin Roosevelt in two TV mini-series in 1976 and 1977.  He also played FDR in the 1995 movie, "Annie".  Interestingly enough, he also played such historical figures as Nelson Rockefeller, George Bernard Shaw, and Branch Rickey.

1933-2015

New Year's Day saw the passing of actress Donna Douglass at the age of 81, a victim of pancreatic cancer.  Miss Douglass, a native of Louisiana, began her acting career in such TV shows as "Bachelor Father", "77 Sunset Strip",  "Route 66", and other shows of that ilk, but she will forever be known for playing Elly May Clampett on "The Beverly Hillbillies" from 1962-71.  Her second most famous role was in a 1960 episode of "The Twilight Zone" called "The Eye of the Beholder".  Chilling episode, I might add.

She co-starred with Elvis Presley in 1966's "Frankie and Johnny", and then did some guest spots on shows like "Love: American Style", but the acting gigs pretty much dried up for her once the Hillbillies left the air.  IMDB lists only 38 acting credits for her.  She spent the rest of her life dabbling real estate, writing children's books, answering fan mail, and doing the celebrity nostalgia show circuit.

1932-2015

Former outfielder in the Pittsburgh Pirates minor league system Mario Cuomo died on New Year's Day due to heart failure at the age of 82.  When Cuomo washed out as a baseball player, he enrolled St. John's University, received a law degree, had a successful legal career and went on to a distinguished political career, culminating in serving three terms as Governor of New York from 1983-94.  An unapologetic voice of liberal politics in America, Cuomo is remembered for a rousing keynote speech that he gave at the 1984 Democratic Convention that thrust him into national prominence.  Considered a front runner for the Democratic Presidential nominations in both 1988 and 1992, he declined to fully seek the office in both of those years.

All kidding aside about his minor league career, Cuomo appeared at length in the Ken Burns' documentary "Baseball" and he tells how he ended up using his $2,000 signing bonus from the Pirates in 1952 to buy an engagement ring for his wife (their marriage would last 61 years) and begin college.  "It all worked out okay",  he said.

RIP Edward Herrmann, Donna Douglass, and Mario Cuomo.

Good Decisions

As I alluded to in my post this morning, after sitting glassy-eyed in front of the TV last night watching the College Football Playoffs today, I opted to pass on the Pitt-Houston Armed Forces Bowl clash this afternoon, and instead Marilyn and I took a drive down to the Tanger Outlets in Washington County, where we made some shrewd post-Christmas purchases, and then made a stop at the Meadows Casino.

In forty-five minutes at the Black Jack table,

I managed to turn $100 into $170, and I then colored out and cashed my chips.  And on my way to the cashier's window, just for the hell of it, I even put ten bucks in a penny slot machine and cashed out when it reached $16.90.

So, that made two good decisions today: Skip the Pitt game, and leave the table while ahead.

This is a great country!!

As for the Pitt game, the less said the better.  We listened to the high comedy of a Bill Hillgrove play-by-play broadcast on the way down to Washington, and left the car with Pitt up 17-6 at the half.  Got in the car with Pitt ahead 34-13 in the fourth quarter and headed to the Casino.  While seated at the black jack table, I watched Houston recover two - count 'em two - onside kicks and score twice to win game 35-34.  It was only while in the car driving home that we realized the enormity of the loss: a twenty-five point fourth quarter lead lost.  Defeat snatched from the jaws of victory.

As I said, the less said the better.

Welcome to Pitt, Pat Narduzzi.  You can only go up from this point.

Bleary-Eyed Reflections On The First CFP

After seven and one-half hours of watching the College Football Playoffs, I offer these bleary-eyed and dead-assed observations.....

• Like many, I was delighted to see the Florida State Seminoles and their overly entitled miscreant (allegedly) of a QB not only get beat, but get their heads handed to them on a platter by Oregon.
• Oregon sure is a fun team to watch.
• Did you catch Nike Punjab Phil Knight standing on the sideline with the Oregon team? Guess he just wants the world to know who REALLY runs the show up there in Eugene.
• How about Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit pimping for Oregon coach Mark Helfrich to get a big raise, since he made so much less money than the other three coaches in the CFP?
• Speaking of Herbstreit, I genuinely respect his knowledge of the game, and I believe that he does a great job as an analyst, but his constant use of the term "true freshman" absolutely drives me up the wall.  STOP IT ALREADY!!!!
• Besides, at this point in the season, those players were playing in their thirteenth game of the year.  Their freshman status should be irrelevant at this point.
• I am guessing that Jameis Winston will announce that he is leaving Florida State to enter the NFL Draft by midnight Sunday, if he hasn't already.  And if he has ever actually been inside a Florida State classroom, I am sure he will never be inside another one ever again.
• When Alabama went up 21-6 early on, I figured that I'd be in bed by halftime.
• Not sure how Ohio State QB Cardale Jones got it done, he looked clumsy and awkward at times, but get it done he did.
• That Alabama-Ohio State game was a terrific one, but both teams showed unbelievably poor clock management in the closing minutes of the game.
• Wonder what all of the SEC fanatics and apologists will be saying today in light of Alabama losing to a team in a (supposedly) inferior conference who (allegedly) did not belong in the four team playoff in the first place?  They are no doubt weeping all across the Confederacy as we speak.
• How much do you think Urban Meyer is paid by Gatorade?  I mean, he has to have some sort of deal with them what with the way he was chugging that bottle of holding up that towel during his post-game interview.
• I like Todd Blackledge as an analyst, but I missed the bit they do during the season where he goes to local bars and restaurants and loads up on local food dishes.  New Orleans would have been perfect for that particular bit of schtick.

Getting away from the actual football, here are some other observations made from sitting in front of the boob tube for close to eight straight hours.....

• I busied myself by "Live Facebooking" throughout both games.  I did this on both my regular FB news feed and the outstanding Western Pennsylvania Football Huddle Chat Page.  This is a fun way to watch an event, and it was almost as if folks like Tim Baker, Joe Risacher, Sean McCormick, Matthew Algeo and numerous other friends were sitting in the living room with me watching. Thanks to all.
• Since Marilyn had the iPad, I was using the web browser on my Kindle Fire HD tablet to Facebook.  The auto-correct feature on the Kindle drove me nuts.  It did not allow me to type out such words as "Jameis", "Bo" (as in Jackson), "NFL", and "trickeration" (although thank God for that, I suppose).  It was quite frustrating.
• Commercials I liked: The commercials that featured Doug Flutie, Joe Montana, Herschel Walker, and Bo Jackson (think it was for some kind of phone network; AT&T?), any AT&T  commercial featuring Lily, any Viagra commercial with the hot chicks on them.
• Commercials I disliked: Those Allstate "mayhem" commercials (sorry about that, Dave Glass), Matthew McConaughey car commercials, the ones where the dudes rub their pits and snap their fingers after spraying on deodorant, and the one about the Garcias getting a new Buick.
• No commercials are more fun and/or cringe worthy than those for local automobile dealerships, and two come to mind immediately.  The first is the one with Susan Baierl and the odd way in which she has her head turned to her right, showing only the left side of her face.  Why does she do that?  She appears to be a very attractive woman. Why doesn't she face the camera head on?  (I made a post on Facebook  about this and received over a dozen responses, so I am not the only person who has noticed this.)  The second such commercial is any one with Rob Cochran.  Exactly how much time does he spend getting his hair to look exactly like that?

As you can no doubt tell, I am pretty much footballed out after last night, and I will probably even skip all or part of today's Pitt game (although I may give it the "FF" treatment via the DVR later) in order to be fresh for the Steelers-Ravens tomorrow night.  Instead, a trip to the Meadows Casino looms in our plans for this day, although it will never be as much fun as the trip to the FGE Casino this past Tuesday evening!