Shorts

The answer isn’t to make electric/hybrid cars louder. The answer is to re-train ourselves that not all cars make the same kinds of noise anymore. Yes, that’s a challenge for the blind, but let’s not look backwards for a solution. Let’s not force the new world into the rubric of the old. Let’s look forward for a new solution.

Hybrid Cars Pose Risk to the Blind, Visually Impaired


**

Here’s another thing I missed while I was home this weekend, and it was just blocks from my house:

SF Zine Fest

**

Don’t get me wrong. I had a fabulous time this weekend at home. I’ll write about it more soon, probably on Our Intrepid Hero, but it did seem like everything was happening last weekend: birthday parties, trips down rivers, Burning Pirate, Batman opening, Jaws at the Castro… I could go on and on.

**

I turned the radio broadcast of the Cubs game on last night in the 6th inning and the first play I heard was Romero’s home run to break up Harden’s no hitter. D’oh. Harden’s pitched two brilliant games and not gotten a decision in either. We need to start hitting.


**

Hot to get a free haircut in San Francisco:

Random Cub

Andre Dawson “The Hawk”.

When he became a free agent after the 1986 season, Dawson really wanted to play for the Cubs. He hit far better during the day and he wanted to get off the artificial surface he’s played on for so many years in Montreal, hoping the natural grass at Wrigley would prolong his career.

The Cubs didn’t really want him. They didn’t think one player could turn a last place team into a contender and didn’t want to spend the money to sign Dawson an MVP runner-up twice in Montreal.

Dawson, determined to be a Cub, showed up at training camp anyway and presented the Cubs with a signed blank contract. The Cubs paid him a modest $500,000 plus $250,000 in incentives.

Dawson hit 49 home runs that year, threw a runner out at first base from the outfield, started in the All-Star Game, and was the NL MVP, first MVP ever to play for a last place team. You see, the Cubs were right, one player couldn’t turn the team around.

Andre Dawson on Wikipedia

Shorts

If by some miracle the Cubs make it to the World Series this year (knock on wood), but drop the first two games on the road and go on to lose because the @#$@! All-Star Game gave the AL home field advantage, I am done with baseball. That’ll be just too heartbreaking.

**

There, now I’ve said it. Nothing but positive thoughts, positive thoughts the rest of the season. Visualize winning.

**

I had some problems with some off milk last week. I don’t know if the experience has left me particularly sensitive to spoiled milk, but I took one spoonful of my cereal this morning and had to spit it out. My milk had gone bad 3 DAYS before its sell-by date. I turned my fridge up. Maybe it’s not cold enough.

**

I recently got a pair of glasses that correct for my slight astigmatism. I've never had it corrected before. I don't wear them that often because I feel like they strain my eyes. Just now I was wearing my old glasses standing in the elevator bay, and suddenly I could see how all the straight lines were curved and bowed out by my astigmatism. I instantly wanted to vomit.

Random Basball Player

I'll do more Random Cub posts, but this one was too good to pass up:



Rusty Torres had the strange luck of playing in the last three American League games to end in a forfeit (all in the 1970’s).


Senator’s Last Game (9/30/1971, Washington D.C., Yankees over Senators):
Fans stormed the field in the 9th inning of the Senators’ last game in Washington before moving to Texas to become the Rangers. (Bill Short owned the Senators.)


Ten Cent Beer Night (6/4/1974, Cleveland, Rangers over Indians):
The title pretty much says it all there. Who thought that was a good idea?



Disco Demolition Night (7/12/1979, Chicago, Tigers over White Sox):
This night has been cited as the beginning of the end of the disco era. A crate of disco albums was exploded in the outfield between games of a double header, blowing a whole in the turf and inciting the oversold crowd to storm the field and riot.

See some more amazing photos of Disco Demolition Night here.

Shorts

Soon, very soon, I will post the link to my novel online. And I expect you all to read it, bitches! It’s the best novel ever written, in spite of any moments of doubt I may have experienced.

**

I need to join Publisher’s Marketplace so I can search for an agent. I just haven’t been able to bring myself to spend the $20 a month. I will do it today.

**

In yesterday’s game between the Twins and the Red Sox, four World Series MVP’s played: Livan Hernandez (1997), Josh Beckett (2003), Manny Ramirez (2004) and Mike Lowell (2007). Three of them were playing for the Red Sox. That’s a good team.

Baseball Shorts and Links

I did it! I posted to my other blog today.

**



Went to several of the Cubs/Giants games this week. Thanks to Diana, I got to sit in the Arcade section Monday on top of the right field wall. I highly recommend it. It’s a unique view of the game and the seats are bleachers with backs, so they’re comfortable and good for snuggling your sweetie. Not as windy as the other bleacher sections, but still chillier then the View section where we sat last night.

**

While nothing beats Wrigley for an overall game experience, the view from the View section is spectacular, and you’re almost completely blocked from the wind.

**

Best comment about my hand, from a Cubs fan last night: “Next time don’t high-five so hard!”

**

The Giants had laptops set up in those little portable, plastic, voting dividers you see at polling places where people could vote for the All-Star Game. They even gave out red, white, and blue “I voted” stickers. Genius.


**

Here’s a random collection of news stories I wanted to link to:

Obama Voters Protest His Switch on Telecom Immunity: Guess what? He’s a politician.
When Marichal and Spahn Dueled for a Game and a Half: 16 innings: 1 pitcher per team.
The Case That Led to an Uneasy Shift in the Balance of Government Powers
Cave Men Loved to Sing

Brandon Inge-ury

The recovery was going quite well until I rolled over in bed last night and adjusted my pillow with my left hand. Ouch! Brandon Inge, I feel your pain. Pillows are dangerous. I’m going to file a class action lawsuit.

(photo credit)

Random Cub

May 11, 2000

Glenallen Hill

from baseball-reference.com:

• He was the victim of perhaps the most bizarre injury in baseball history. He suffered cuts, scrapes, and bruises while sleepwalking during a nightmare about spiders.
• He once was arguing balls and strikes with an umpire, who ordered the pitcher to deliver the next pitch while Hill was standing several feet out of the box. With a two strike count, Hill jumped into the box while the ball was being delivered and amazingly slapped the ball to right field for a single.
• Hill admitted in February of 2008 to using performance-enhancing substances during his career. He said he had made poor decisions in his past life.

(link)

Shorts

An Amazing Inning

In yesterday’s game between the Reds and the Blue Jays, David Weathers of the Reds threw just 6 pitches in the bottom of the 7th inning. That’s an amazing feat (but not unheard of) just on its own, but what’s even more amazing is what happened in those 6 pitches. Three Blue Jays reached base on 3 hits to load the bases with nobody out. Then Weathers pitched out of the jam retiring the side without any runs scoring. He got Scott Rolen to pop out on the infield and Lyle Overbay to hit into a rare 1-2-3 double play. Only 1 pitch reached catcher David Ross’s mitt the entire inning. Overbay took a ball before hitting into the double play. (link)

The Best Team in Baseball

The Cubs have the best record in baseball right now. I'm savoring it while I can. They haven't had the best record in baseball as of June 1 since 1908, a century ago. Lets hope this year turns out like that one.

****

I'll post all about my weekend in L.A. stalking Neil Gaiman soon. Don't you worry.

One of those sports related posts

Earlier this week Asdrúbal Cabrera turned an unassisted triple play in the Indians game. That’s when a player records all three outs of an inning on one play without the help of any other player (an assist). Cabrera’s was a text book example. The runners on first and second were going with the pitch. The batter hit a sharp line drive up the middle. Cabrera made a great catch (1 out) stepped on second to force the lead runner (2 out) and tagged the runner who had been on first (3 out) now standing helplessly at second.

This is the rarest and most anticlimactic feat in baseball. There’s no build up to it. No one’s watching the game thinking “oh, this is a prime spot for an unassisted triple play”. And it’s over in seconds.

A four homer game (where one player hits four homers) is the next most rare. Ok, it’s actually the rarest in modern baseball history, but if you count the 2 four homer games prior to 1900 it’s the second most rare. (13 post 1900, 15 all time. 14 unassisted triple plays all time and all since 1900.) A four homer game has a fair amount of build up and anticipation. Once a batter has three homers in a game, every other time they come up to the plate you know you have a shot at witnessing history.

The third rarest feat in the “triple crown” of rarities is a perfect game (where a pitcher retires all 27 batters he faces with none reaching base). There have been 17 perfect games with several notable near misses. (Milt Pappas went 8 and 2/3 before giving up a questionable walk. Pedro Martinez pitched 9 perfect innings before giving up a double in the 10th. Harvey Haddix pitched 12 perfect innings in 1959 before allowing a baserunner on an error.)

A perfect game has the most build up and is the most heart-attack inducing. A perfect game hasn’t happened, until it’s over. Until then, every pitch to every hitter carries with it the potential of ending it.

A four homer game is the most singular effort, meaning a highly skilled hitter gets good pitches and makes the most of them. A perfect game, while an amazing feat for the pitcher, relies heavily on the fielders. A pitcher has no control over where a ball goes once it’s hit. An unassisted triple play is blind luck. There’s very little skill involved. It’s all about being in the right place at the right time.

Which is why I find them so interesting. The only triple play of any kind turned in a World Series was an unassisted one turned in 1920 (pictured). (The only no-hitter in post-season play was Don Larson’s perfect game in the 1956 World Series.) There were 6 unassisted triple plays in the 1920’s including ones on back-to-back days in 1927. Then 65 years passed with only 1. There have been 4 since 2000.

Completely random.

Opening Day

Today’s Opening Day. Ok. Ok. Technically there were two games last week in Japan and the Nationals opened their new park last night in DC, but today is really Opening Day. Today’s the day they close down the streets and have a parade in Cincinnati to commemorate the first pro baseball team that went 2-2 in 1869. Today’s the day the Giants and the Dodgers celebrate 50 years on the west coast. Today’s the day the Cubs take the field a century after winning their last World Series back in 1908.

I am a Cubs fan.

If you know anything about baseball, that will illicit some sort of response from you, most likely one of sympathy or pity.

Inevitably I am bound to spend some time on this blog musing about the Cubs season, especially now that I’ve plunked down the change to listen to the games online. I will try to keep such musings accessible to the average reader who might not follow baseball.

I am a baseball fan.

Over the years I have introduced many skeptics to the beauty of the game. Admittedly it’s not for everyone, but if you think baseball’s boring, you’re missing the point. But I won’t go into that right now.

Opening Day is about potential, about the one day every team is in first place. That is until you lose 4-3 in extra innings and join half the league in last place heading into game 2. Ah, that’s the Cubs starting off the season in style.