Saluting the All-Stars

Well done, Guys.  Have fun in Cincy and then come home and kick ass in the second half!

Oh, What A Night....Pirates 6 - Cardinals 5 in 14!

With all due respect for the win in the 2013 Wild Card Game against the Reds, the Pirates 14 inning win over the Cardinals last night surely must rank as perhaps the most strange, weird, exciting, and (perhaps, time will tell) important Pirate win in the fifteen year history of PNC Park.  I am pleased to say that I put an ass-groove in my sofa by staying with all fourteen innings and all five hours and four minutes of it.

If you care enough about this sort of thing, you already know what happened, so I'll give no play-by-play recap here, but I will say that this is the kind of game that makes baseball the best sport there is.  Consider.....

• Horrendous umpiring
• Second inning ejections of Francisco Cervelli and Clint Hurdle
• Some innings where the Pirates looked totally impotent at the plate with some god-awful at bats
• Key hits when it counted from unlikely sources (AJ Burnett and Chris Stewart)
• Great pitching from seven Pirates pitchers (same with the Cardinals)
• A triple and continued great defense from Jung Ho Kang
• Stewart picking Yadier Molina off of first base
• A key hit from Pedro Alvarez against a left hander
• The possibility of Gerrit Cole being used as a pinch hitter
• A key hit by Neil Walker to lead of the bottom of the fourteenth
• And, of course, that walk-off home run by McCutchen

What a game, and it gives the Bucs a chance to take three of four against the Cardinals with a win tonight.

Let me take detour from the game itself to talk about the Fox Network telecast of the game last night.  If you were watching this game with an eye on The Faceboook, it is apparent that most people take the knee-jerk reaction to dislike the national announcers before a pitch is even thrown.  However, I really enjoyed the Fox broadcast team of Matt Vasgersian and John Smoltz.  Vasgersian did a smooth job of play-by-play and Smoltz is really smart and offers great insight into the game.  He has taken all the smarts that led to a terrific career and a spot in Cooperstown right into the booth with him.

No, paranoid Pirates fans, I do NOT think that they favored the Cardinals, and, yes, I felt they were equal in their praise of the Pirates and their players.  (There's a reason that broadcasters "slobber" over Yadier Molina, folks - he really IS that good.)  I loved how the fact that Vasgersian has to be in Cincinnati this afternoon to broadcast the Futures Game became a comic thread of the broadcast as the game went on and on and on.  This is entertainment, folks, it ain't hearts and livers, as we used to say at Highmark.

I also liked how Vasgersian and Smoltz spoke of another subtext of the game, Andrew McCutchen's 17 game hitting streak.  Despite an 0-for-3 start followed by three bases on balls, how Cutch was STILL getting chances to continue the streak, which he ended up doing in a most spectacular fashion.  It should also be noted that as soon as Walker led off the fourteenth with that single, Smoltz immediately noted that you could "not underestimate the importance of that hit.  Now the Cardinals have to pitch to McCutchen."  That's pretty keen analysis, and, of course, McCutchen made him look like a prophet.

So, I say, I'll listen to a telecast from Vasgersian and Smoltz anytime!

One cool thing about the Internet is that this morning you were able to watch the replay of Cutch's home run in three different versions: Vasgersian's call on the Fox telecast, Greg Brown's and Steve Blass' call on the Pirate radio network, and the Cardinals call on their radio broadcast.  Fabulous stuff.

As the headline says, Oh, What A Night!

Book Review - "The Grind, Inside Baseball's Endless Season"

Were I not a regular listener of the podcast of the Tony Kornheiser Radio Show, I would not be aware of Washington Post baseball writer Barry Svrluga, a regular guest on the show, nor would I be aware of his new book, "The Grind", released earlier this week and that would be too bad, because it is a book well worth  reading for every baseball fan.  I read it in two days.

Svrluga follows the Washington Nationals throughout "the grind" of the 2014 baseball season, by covering certain members of the Nationals and certain people within and around the organization who are all involved in what goes into and around a baseball season: The Veteran, The Wife, The Scout,
The Starter, The Twenty-sixth Man, The Glue (this is two people: the traveling secretary and the clubhouse manager), The Reliever, and The General Manager.  And if you are thinking, "I don't want to read a book about the Washington Nationals" consider this passage from Svrluga's introduction:

"This book, it would seem, is about the Washington Nationals. But the characters in it and those around them will invariably agree: It could be about any of the thirty major league teams.  In baseball, these themes are universal."

Ever wonder about the life of a baseball wife with two young children and a third one on the way goes through?  Chelsey Desmond, wife of infielder Ian Desmond will let you know.

When does "the season" start for a ball player?  For Ryan Zimmerman, it starts before the Christmas holidays.

Ever wonder what a starting pitcher does between starts?  For Doug Fister, preparation for the next start actually begins before he leaves the clubhouse after his current start.

How about traveling and moving equipment on road trips? in 2014, the Nats' travel schedule included 33 flights, 2 train trips, and 5 bus charters.  From the book: "The last of the Nationals' 12 road trips (in 2014) would go through 3 cities and involve 1 train ride, 3 flights, 46 bus rides, 78 passengers, 25 equipment trunks, 6 sets of golf clubs, 70 equipment bags, 1 massage table, 125 pieces of luggage, including 2 guitars. What could go wrong?"  As Ryan Zimmerman said of the clubhouse/travel staff: "He's got to deal with twenty-five prima donnas that get paid a lot of money that want everything that they want, and he's got to make them all happy. That can't be easy."

And when does "next season" become "this season" for the General Manager?  For Nats' GM Mike Rizzo, it began on the plane ride back to Washington after the Nats were eliminated from the playoffs by the Giants.

No, I am not going to feel sorry for ball players making millions of dollars while putting up with "the grind", but I do have a new level of respect for them - and for every one within an organization - after reading this book.

And if you are still thinking that this book is only about the Nationals, consider this post-season quote from Zimmerman when he contemplates the future:

"After this year, the landscape can change. If a couple of guys are gone, the goal would be the same again, but the situation would be different. It's almost a lot more emotional for the fans than for us. If it was up to me, I'd keep everyone and pay everyone and have the same team for ten years, but we understand that that's just not how it works.  You can't keep everyone."

As a Pirates fan this season when the long term futures of fixtures like Neil Walker and Pedro Alvarez have been topics of discussion, that quote hits home.

Really good book.

To Absent Friends - Ken Stabler

December 30, 1972 is remembered as one of the greatest days in all of Pittsburgh sports history - The Steelers defeated the Oakland Raiders, 13-7, in an opening round NFL Playoff Game by means of the Bradshaw to Fuqua/Tatum to Harris Immaculate Reception, but that game could have been so much different.  With 1:17 left in the game and the Steelers clinging to a 6-0 lead, Raiders quarterback Ken Stabler ran a broken play bootleg around left end for 30 yards and scored the first touchdown of the game, and gave the Raiders a 7-6 lead and surely put the nail in the coffin for that Steelers season.

Well, we all know how the game ended, but the play that led to the Raiders lead, and the player who made it, will always remain in my mind, and it all came back to me yesterday with the news that Kenny "The Snake" Stabler died at the age of 69, a victim of colon cancer.

Ken Stabler

1945 - 2015

As a member of perhaps the Steelers most bitter rival of the 1970's, Stabler epitomized the Raiders, and he remains very vivid in my mind.  Transport your mind back to those days and think of the Raiders being involved in a close game, perhaps trailing by a score, a cold day, crummy weather, and two minutes to play.  Was there ever a doubt in your mind that Stabler would lead the Raiders up field to win the game?  I may not have liked the Raiders (still don't), but I have nothing but great admiration for Stabler, and it is always a sad feeling when someone like that leaves us.

One quote I read today from his old coach, John Madden, says it all:  "When you think about the Raiders, you think about Ken Stabler."  Indeed.

RIP Kenny Stabler.

Congratulations, Ladies!!!!

Sometimes, a picture is worth a thousand words......

I have to say that I really enjoyed following this team throughout the World Cup event over this last month.  It was exhilarating, and it was sure fun to watch that 5-2 victory last night.

Well played, Ladies.

Movie Review - "Inside Out"

The folks at Disney and Pixar have produced another gem in he current summer hit, "Inside Out".

The movie tells the story of a young girl, Riley, whose family has been transferred from their home in Minnesota to San Francisco, and it tells her story through the emotions in her brain - Joy, Sadness, Fear, Disgust, and Anger. These emotions exist in the minds if everyone, as the movie points out from time to time, but the story is centered on Riley and the emotions within her as she and her family undergo a significant life change.

Like all Pixar movies, it can be basic so that even the youngest of children can get a kick out of it, but it tells a much larger story that hits home with anyone, adults included.  It's sweet, it's sad, it's emotional, it's funny....it's a wonderful movie.

Don't miss it.

On the Fourth, Smart Phones, Collins, the Pirates, St. Vincent College, and Go USA!!

Cleaning out the Mental In-Box.....

Happy Fourth of July, everyone (one day late).  Hope you all had a safe and happy day with family and friends.  Our day ran late yesterday, so we were sorry to have missed out on seeing a Holiday Tradition - watching A Capitol Fourth from Washington DC on PBS.  I saw today that the featured performer was Barry Manilow.  Didn't feel quite so bad then.  Actually, I wouldn't have minded listening to Manilow perform.  He's just hard to watch these days after all that bad plastic surgery.

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There was another Fourth Tradition that we did not miss - the Hot Dog Eating Contest from Coney Island.  In case you missed it, eight time defending champion Joey Chestnut was upset by young Matthew Stonie, 62 dogs to 60.  The King is dead; long live the King.

I saw in the paper that both Chestnut and Stonie are from San Jose, CA.  What, if anything, to made of that?

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After years of resistance, Marilyn and I finally succumbed to inevitable progress and purchased smart phones last month.  I swore up and down that I would never become one of "those" people, but since getting the gadget, I confess to having done the following:

• Taken selfies on the golf course
• Taken a picture of a pizza I was eating for lunch and posting it on Facebook
• Having my cute ringtone ("My Girl" by the Temptations) go off during a meeting I was having with some executives at Highmark
• "Checked In" while eating at a restaurant
• Texting.  Lots of texting. Including pictures.
• Probably several other things that I said I would never do, but can't think of at the moment.

I will admit, however, that while I could live without it, it is a nice thing to have.

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I have often written about one of my favorite authors, Max Allan Collins.  The last time I did, I gave a less than favorable review of the last book of his that had read.  Well, in checking out Collins' website (www.maxallancollins.com) a few weeks ago, he mentioned and hyperlinked my Grandstander post of the review.  I was stunned!  I responded to him on his site, and we had an interesting and thoughtful exchange.  He mentioned that he pays close attention to less than favorable reviews (unless they are just all out, hate filled hatchet jobs).  It was a very interesting experience.

The lesson here is that authors, DO pay attention to what is written.  Also, they very much value reviews that readers post on sites such as Amazon, Barnes & Noble,  Goodreads, and other such sites.

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As I am typing this, the Pirates are playing their 81st game (the literal halfway point of the season), and are leading the Indians 5-3 in the bottom of the seventh inning.  Should the score hold, they will have a record of 47-34, and be either 5 or 6 games behind the first place Cardinals.  Seven games will remain before the All-Star Break, including a four game series with the Cardinals next weekend.

There is not  a lot to complain about (although plenty of people ARE finding such things).  The team has the second best record in the NL and the fourth best in all of MLB.  Unfortunately, the team with the best record, the Cardinals, are in the same division.  All the more reason that series next weekend looms large.

The pitching has been outstanding.  The hitting could be better, and it will be interesting to see what Neal Huntington will do as the July 31 trade deadline approaches.  In the past, it has often been pitching that the team has sought, but it seems to me that the acquisition of a hitter, or "a bat' as the current lingo goes, would be the priority.

I will probably reflect more on the first half performance over the Break.

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Marilyn and I did something a little different this past Wednesday night.  We drove to Latrobe, specifically St. Vincent College, to take in a play at their Summer Theater program. The play was "Tuesdays with Morrie", Mitch Albom's one act play based upon his best selling book of the same title.  If you are not familiar with the book, it is about the weekly visits that Albom made to Morrie Schwartz, his college sociology professor who was dying form ALS.  Like the book, the play was a very profound and moving experience.

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This was my first visit to St. Vincent College since, I am going to say, 1980 or -81, when I visited a Steelers training camp.  The campus has changed A LOT in those thirty-plus years, and it is one of the most beautiful ones that you will find anywhere.  

A visit to Steelers Training Camp used to be a regular summer trip for my Dad and I, but since those days, it has become a real extravaganza, and I have really never had the desire to fight the crowds and do it again.  I did, however, pay proper homage to the Hallowed Ground before entering the St. Vincent Theater:

Memory can be selective, but I can definitely say these practice fields were NOT this nice back in the early 1980's.

Those photos, by the way, were taken with my new smart phone.

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I am looking forward to watching the Championship Game tonight of the Women's World Cup.

Go USA!!!!