Monday, September 25, 2006
It's almost October
Start seeing red
Here are Diamondbacks uniform elements for next season for next season (the "db" logo that looks like a snake head is pretty cool). Also, Mr. Redlegs seems to have grown a mustache while no one was paying attention.
Labels: diamondbacks, reds, uniforms
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
Finlayson for your life
Way back on May 31, 2004, I made reference to Larry Finlayson, singer of the "Race for Your Life, Charlie Brown" theme song. Courtesy of someone who recently found that post, I now have more information about him:
With those pieces of additional information in hand, a quick Yahoo! search reveals that he's using a different name these days. And he's available for weddings! I'd consider hiring him if the "Race for Your Life" theme is still a part of his repertoire, assuming I ever have a wedding.
He was my teacher in elementary school in Berkeley, California. I happen to be recording his LP from 1979 to MP3 right now. It's called, "Give Your Friend A Smile...". It was recorded at the Music Annex under the name of Finlayson Music Production in 1979. Larry was/is indeed a songwriter and played the guitar in this album.
With those pieces of additional information in hand, a quick Yahoo! search reveals that he's using a different name these days. And he's available for weddings! I'd consider hiring him if the "Race for Your Life" theme is still a part of his repertoire, assuming I ever have a wedding.
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
Going mobile
There's a Cardinals version and, in honor of Talk Like a Pirate Day, here's the Pirates version -- but the cutest one is, of course, the one with Li'l Mister Met. (The Angels one might be the cutest if it had monkeys -- but it doesn't.)
Levi and Mrs. Levi: are you sure you don't want kids?
Levi and Mrs. Levi: are you sure you don't want kids?
Labels: angels, Cardinals, Mets, pirates
Monday, September 18, 2006
But does the state want them?
If the Florida Marlins become the Miami Marlins in exchange for a new stadium, the Devil Rays are apparently set to take up the mantle of representing the entire Sunshine State.
Labels: devil rays, marlins
Friday, September 08, 2006
It's official
Back on March 29th, I mentioned it was a possibility, and now it's apparently official: this is the last year the Pirates will be on KDKA, so they can capture that all-important youth demographic over on the FM dial.
Thursday, September 07, 2006
Losing baseball
Some notes from last night's Cubs-Pirates game, which featured the two worst teams in the league performing a sloppy "After you"/"No, I insist"/"No, no, you first"/"Well, if you insist, I'll muff this bunt" routine to see who would get the privilege of losing:
1) In my shoulder bag was a grocery sack of sage from Stacey's garden for my seatmate, Michelle. The bag inspector at the gate looked at it askance.
BI: "What's that?"
Me: Sage."
BI:"What?"
Me: "Sage. It's from a garden, for my seatmate."
BI: "What?"
Me: "Sage."
BI:"Like you put on food?"
Me:"Yeah. You can smell it."
[BI Smells it. Makes a face.]
BI: "I'm gonna have to ask about this."
Me: [Astonished] "You're kidding. Really. You're not serious."
BI: "I am, too."
She called her manager over, he took one look at it and, presumably deciding that I could neither blow up the stadium with it nor injure anyone by throwing it at them, waved me into the park.
2) During the game, the season ticket holders who sit in my section--those who bothered to attend, that is--had a discussion of whether this is the worst Cubs team we've had to watch. I've been attending games at Wrigley Field since 1993, and I've had season tickets since 1999, and I, like all the rest, weighed in with a resounding "Yes." You could argue that the 1997 team was worse, but it at least had Sammy Sosa doing his strikeout/homer/strikeout routine. This team didn't even have Derrek Lee for most of the year, and Ryan Theriot's remarkable mustache can only go so far towards making up for such bad baseball.
3) The good thing about the Cubs suffering through their third straight disappointing (and second straight flat-out bad) season is that the fair-weather fans are starting to see the storm clouds. The announced attendance for last night's game was only 32,000 or so, way down from the 40,000+ the Cubs were drawing earlier in the year. But I'd be surprised if the actual attendance was half that. In the center field bleachers the night before, the cameramen had shown a guy stretched out flat, sleeping, and he could have easily reprised his nap in any section of the bleachers last night. Meanwhile, there were only about five beer vendors working the whole of the upper deck, and nary a Super Ropes guy in sight.
It's kinda nice to be able to stretch out a little again. It reminds me of the wonderful days of 1997, pre-Kerry Wood and that first wild card run, when you could decide to go to the game day of, with three or four friends, buy upper deck tickets and sit pretty much anywhere.
So for all you folks who love Wrigley Field but have given up on attending in recent years--I'm looking at you, Bob and Luke--this is your warning: the glory days may soon be back. Start practicing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame."
4) Then, in the 8th of what had been a forgettable ballgame, Matt Capps hung a curve to Derrek Lee, who immediately reminded him of why his pitching coach had advised against such behavior. It was a beautiful night in a beautiful ballpark, and that moment was a good reminder of why we were there.
1) In my shoulder bag was a grocery sack of sage from Stacey's garden for my seatmate, Michelle. The bag inspector at the gate looked at it askance.
BI: "What's that?"
Me: Sage."
BI:"What?"
Me: "Sage. It's from a garden, for my seatmate."
BI: "What?"
Me: "Sage."
BI:"Like you put on food?"
Me:"Yeah. You can smell it."
[BI Smells it. Makes a face.]
BI: "I'm gonna have to ask about this."
Me: [Astonished] "You're kidding. Really. You're not serious."
BI: "I am, too."
She called her manager over, he took one look at it and, presumably deciding that I could neither blow up the stadium with it nor injure anyone by throwing it at them, waved me into the park.
2) During the game, the season ticket holders who sit in my section--those who bothered to attend, that is--had a discussion of whether this is the worst Cubs team we've had to watch. I've been attending games at Wrigley Field since 1993, and I've had season tickets since 1999, and I, like all the rest, weighed in with a resounding "Yes." You could argue that the 1997 team was worse, but it at least had Sammy Sosa doing his strikeout/homer/strikeout routine. This team didn't even have Derrek Lee for most of the year, and Ryan Theriot's remarkable mustache can only go so far towards making up for such bad baseball.
3) The good thing about the Cubs suffering through their third straight disappointing (and second straight flat-out bad) season is that the fair-weather fans are starting to see the storm clouds. The announced attendance for last night's game was only 32,000 or so, way down from the 40,000+ the Cubs were drawing earlier in the year. But I'd be surprised if the actual attendance was half that. In the center field bleachers the night before, the cameramen had shown a guy stretched out flat, sleeping, and he could have easily reprised his nap in any section of the bleachers last night. Meanwhile, there were only about five beer vendors working the whole of the upper deck, and nary a Super Ropes guy in sight.
It's kinda nice to be able to stretch out a little again. It reminds me of the wonderful days of 1997, pre-Kerry Wood and that first wild card run, when you could decide to go to the game day of, with three or four friends, buy upper deck tickets and sit pretty much anywhere.
So for all you folks who love Wrigley Field but have given up on attending in recent years--I'm looking at you, Bob and Luke--this is your warning: the glory days may soon be back. Start practicing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame."
4) Then, in the 8th of what had been a forgettable ballgame, Matt Capps hung a curve to Derrek Lee, who immediately reminded him of why his pitching coach had advised against such behavior. It was a beautiful night in a beautiful ballpark, and that moment was a good reminder of why we were there.
Labels: cubs, derrek lee, matt capps, pirates, ryan theriot, security theater, Wrigley Field
