Congratulations Harold Baines and Lee Smith

Harold Baines, who played for five major league baseball teams in a 22 year career and Lee Smith who played for eight over 18 years, have been elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

I had the opportunity to watch Smith pitch for the St. Louis Cardinals in the early 90s while I was still a season ticket holder.  If the Cards had the lead going into the 9th inning, it was as good as a win with Smith on the hill.  Smith had 47 saves in 91, another 43 saves in 92 and 43 saves with the Redbirds before he was traded to the Yankees late in 1993.  Smith and Baines will go into the Hall of Fame on July 21st.

I don't think I ever got to see Baines play in person but I knew he was good in his years with the White Sox, Rangers, A's, Orioles and Indians.  He ended up with a .289 batting average in that 22 year career.  The fact that Baines lasted 22 years in "The Show" speaks volumes.  He came up just short of three thousand hits and 400 home runs.

This past week also saw the selection of Al Helfer as the 2019 Ford Frick award winner to the broadcasters wing and the selection of Jayson Stark as winner of the J. G. Taylor Spink award to the writer's wing in the Hall of Fame.  Helfer was a legendary broadcaster with Mutual radio and Stark is known for his work with ESPN and the MLB Network.

The selection of recently retired players to the class of 2019 will be announced on January 21st.

Pitiful

What's pitiful you ask?  The St. Louis Blues ice hockey team.  As I write this the team trails the Vancouver Canucks 5-0 after two periods.

I enjoy the game but don't pretend to be too knowledgeable of it.  But, I do know St. Louis doesn't play much defense and at times they seem to have trouble putting the puck in the net.  That's not a good formula for success.  Coming into this game the team was 10-13-4.  The team can be impressive one night (as they were on Friday night when they beat the Winnipeg Jets 1-0) or look like crap as they do right now.

It's a long season since the National Hockey League plays 82 games before the playoffs.  But, if the Blues don't turn it around soon there won't be any playoffs come April.

CNN Violates A Rule of Journalism

Let me qualify this as I begin.  I am not a fan of Cable News Network.  I rarely watch it but did last night and tonight read an article by New York Post columnist Michael Goodwin that is extremely critical of CNN reporter Jim Acosta.  Goodwin is also a contributor to Fox News, a competitor of CNN.

It's been over 40 years since I graduated from the University of Missouri School of Journalism.  But, one thing I was taught early is the reporter does not become a part of the story.  Apparently, Mr. Acosta was out sick the day his journalism school taught that lesson.  He injected his opinion into a question and continued to argue with President Trump until he finally gave up the microphone he was using to argue with the President.  So having qualified this post with my bias toward CNN here is the column written today by Michael Goodwin in the New York Post.

By producing a split decision, the election that was supposed to end all elections turned out to be fairly predictable. But it’s the day after that was unlike any other.

The Republican president, the likely speaker of the Democratic-controlled House and the Senate’s Republican majority leader each started Wednesday by talking about working together to get things done. They talked to each other privately and talked separately in public about what they thought they could accomplish for the country.

For most Americans, that would make for a very good day. Given the overheated environment leading up to the midterms and the fear among many that we are drifting toward an era of disunion and spreading political violence, bipartisan pledges to work together for the common good were like the sudden emergence of a bright candle flickering in the wind.

Alas, it was the last thing some members of the White House press corps wanted, so they tried to snuff it out.

The conduct of a handful of so-called reporters during President Trump’s news conference was disgraceful beyond measure. This is not journalism, this is narcissism.

Naturally, the boorish Jim Acosta of CNN was the instigator. As is his habit, Acosta doesn’t ask questions — he makes accusations and argues. Almost daily, he does it with the press secretary; Wednesday, he did it with the president.

“I want to challenge you,” Acosta began after Trump called on him. Trump realized he’d made a mistake, murmuring, “Here we go” and Acosta didn’t disappoint.

He insisted that despite the president’s use of the word “invasion,” the caravan of Central America migrants “is not an invasion.”

He adopted a lecturing, I-know-best tone to declare that “they’re hundreds and hundreds of miles away; that’s not an invasion.”

Trump’s response should not have been necessary: “Honestly, I think you should let me run the country, you run CNN.”

After more back-and-forth, he called Acosta “a rude, terrible person” and said “CNN should be ashamed of itself.”

But Acosta wouldn’t give up the microphone and kept talking over Trump, trying to lob another grenade.That should have been enough — Acosta got the attention he wanted and got Trump’s goat, giving his network video it could make hay out of for days. Besides, there were scores of other reporters raising their hands to be called on.

The president, clearly angry now and stepping away from the podium as if he might bolt the room, pointed at him and said forcefully, “That’s enough, that’s enough. Put down the mic.”

Finally, Acosta sat down, then stood up to argue again, interrupting another reporter. That reporter, from NBC, praised Acosta and picked up the baton by making his own accusation disguised as a question. He mentioned Trump’s attacks on Democrats and “asked” the president: Why are “you are pitting Americans against one another?”

Trump, to his credit, actually answered in a substantive way, but that didn’t satisfy because the reporter didn’t really ask a question. He, too, just wanted to make an accusation and argue. On camera.

There was a time not long ago when young journalists were taught not to become the story. Apparently, many news organizations have flipped that lesson on its head.

But we are witnessing something more insidious here than media trash talk. Plain and simple, we are watching expressions of personal hatred.

Yes, it’s true that most journalists lean far left and their bias sticks out like so many sore thumbs. That’s been true for a long time, but political bias is an insufficient explanation for the Jim Acostas of our time.

They hate Trump. They really, really hate him. There’s nothing professional about it.

They are not alone. Take a poll of almost any major newsroom in America and the vast majority of those working there, if they are being honest, will confess they, too, can’t stand the existence or the sound of Trump.

Or try to imagine Acosta and his ilk behaving in similarly hostile fashion toward Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton. Keep trying, but you can’t imagine it because it never happened. Both of those pols lied to journalists repeatedly, yet you can bet 90 percent still voted straight Democratic.

Even if they didn’t like Obama or Clinton, the political reporters would never dare accuse them publicly of anything, argue with them or interrupt them. Even when skeptical, they were respectful.

Recall how Obama used to spend 10, 15 and even 20 minutes answering a single question — without interruption.

Many in the press corps may have found him overbearingly arrogant. They may have resented the way he looked down on them and bristled at critical stories or tough questions. They knew he started more leak investigations than any other president, and might have feared him because his Justice Department wiretapped a Fox News reporter during a leak case.

But they would never interrupt him or insult him or refuse to give up the microphone.

White House press credentials are not a universal right. There are implicit expectations of proper behavior, and the White House decision to suspend Acosta’s credential is warranted.

Just as Acosta can’t go into a movie theater and yell “fire” when there is no fire, he should not have the right to hijack a presidential press conference to suit his own ego.

It is also long past time for his colleagues, including those from other outlets, to remind him that his shameful conduct is making all of them look bad. More important, scenes like Wednesday’s further erode the public’s already-declining mistrust of the media and fuel resistance to the First Amendment.

The anti-Trump antics are no longer a side show. America has serious problems as well as dangerous enemies, and the mere prospect of Trump, Nancy Pelosi and Mitch McConnell working together is the best news we could have hoped for Wednesday.

Instead, it was overshadowed by a few narcissists chasing their own vanity.

Did I Call It?

At the risk of offending you by patting myself on the back, did I call the World Series and it's winner early or what?  On July 19th I wrote the Dodgers and the Red Sox would play in the World Series and the Red Sox would win it.  Go to the third paragraph and you will find the prediction that called the outcome of the World Series three months before it was played.

I did well with this forecast, just don't go back and read all of the bad ones I have made over the past dozen years.

And the Series is Over. Game Five = 3:00

Funny how when you thought the Dodgers, who were facing elimination, would pull out all of the stops, they didn't.  This was the "fastest" game of the 2018 World Series coming in at three hours.  Congratulations to the Boston Red Sox on their latest World Championship.  The Red Sox now own nine baseball championships.  They still trail the Cardinals by two World Series championships and the Yankees by 18.

The five games of this series took a total of 21 hours and 21 minutes to play 53 innings or a little over 24 minutes to play one full inning.  The average time of game was four hours and 16 minutes.  If you consider the 18 inning game as two games the length of each game averaged 3:33.

Baseball moves at a snail's pace and if the game wants to thrive it must do some soul searching if it is serious about speeding up the game.  This generation of fans will not put up with long periods of inactivity when it wants instant gratification.  MLB you can do the right thing if you really want to speed things up.

Game Four = 3:57

The Red Sox won the game 9-6 after having fallen behind the Dodgers 4-0.  But, with big seventh, eighth, and ninth innings the Red Sox are now on the verge of clinching the 2018 World Series.  There was nothing special about the game, it was just another overly long baseball game played by two teams at a snail's pace.

So far it has now taken a total of 18 hours and 21 minutes to play 44 innings or about 25 minutes to play one inning  The Red Sox lead the series three games to one.  Game Five will be played this evening in Los Angeles.

Game Three = 7:20

OK, OK, I know this game lasted 18 innings and was the longest game in World Series History.  But, if we look at it as if the 18 innings were two games; each of the games lasted three hours and 40 minutes.  I live in the Central Time Zone and the last thing I remember seeing was the game was tied at 1-1 in the eleventh inning.

To be honest I did not watch the game(s) because it was too long and boring.  Instead I fell asleep in the middle innings and then woke up later when the game was tied in extra innings.  My guess is not many people in the country watched the entire seven hours and 20 minutes.

So far it has now taken a total of 14 hours and 24 minutes to play 35 innings or a little over 24 minutes to play an inning.  The Red Sox lead the series two games to one.  Game Four will be played this evening in California.

Game Two = 3:12

Relatively speaking Game Two was a quick one; well for Major League Baseball.  Relatively is the key word here.  It took three hours and 12 minutes to play an eight and a half inning game in which Los Angeles had a total of three singles.  The Red Sox won 4-2 and used four pitchers.  Meanwhile, the Dodgers used six pitchers to go down two games to none in the series.

So, thus far it has taken a total of seven hours and four minutes to play 17 innings.  That's a lot of wasted time for the people at the game in Boston where the Wind Chill Index was 42 at the start of the game.  Way to go MLB!

Game One = 3:52

I estimated it would take about three hours and 45 minutes to play Game One of the 2018 World Series.  Well, I missed it.  But, by only seven minutes.  The time of the game was 3:52.  And keep in mind that was for an eight and a half inning game.  A boring almost four hour long baseball game that was never in doubt when it ended at 12:03 Boston time.  But, for some reasons the Dodgers and Red Sox used a total of 14 pitchers between them.

Let's see what tonight brings.  My guess is it will be around that 3:45 mark.

Just Another "Who Cares World Series"

In a little under an hour the 2018 World Series will begin in Boston.  I predicted Boston would win it all earlier this summer and missed when I incorrectly chose Milwaukee to beat the Dodgers in the NL Championship Series.

But, honestly I don't plan on watching much of what Major League Baseball (MLB) calls the "Fall Classic".  I am not invested in either of the teams and both clubs have an unfair advantage over their smaller market opponents.  But, the real reason I won't watch is I just don't have three and a half to four hours a night to devote to the games.  Thiis is why I call it a "Who Cares World Series".  This was the headline of an East Coast newspaper prior to the start of the 1985 World Series between the Kansas City Royals and the St. Louis Cardinals.

The average time of the National League Championship Series games was 3:33.  And if you add in the 13 inning game between the Brewers and Dodgers the average time becomes 3:53.  This is too long and much of the time there is no action.  (Unless you want to say batters stepping out of the box and adjusting their gloves is "action".)

And the American League is worse.  The average time of the AL Championship Series games was 3:57.  Three hours and 57 minutes on the average to watch a nine inning game.  And while MLB would tell you it was a classic, Game 4 lasted 4 hours and 33 minutes.  The final score was 8-6 and it was a nine inning game.  That amount of time for a baseball game is way, way, way too long.

And what makes this all worse is grade school kids won't be able to see the end of most games unless they live in the Pacific time zone.  Based on the average times of the NLCS and ALCS contests, games in this World Series games will take about 3:45 minutes to play.  For those living in the Eastern Time Zone the games probably won't end until several minutes before midnight.  For the Pacific Time Zone it is a little more manageable for children in that the games should end about 8:53.

MLB brags about record attendance figures every year but the bottom line is the people who will be paying for tickets in ten to 15 years will be shut out from seeing the World Series games to their conclusion.  MLB my advice to you is wake up! (No pun intended.)

Rants and Rambles

Happy October!  The weather has finally cooled off to more seasonable temperatures and fall has finally checked in where I live.  Instead of highs in the low 90s temperatures are now in the upper 50s.  I welcome fall, but wait until this winter and I will bitch about how cold it is.

In no particular order here are a few things I have been thinking about.

-NCAA Football.  My beloved Missouri Tigers are 3-2 on the young season and play at Tuscaloosa this Saturday night against the top rated team in the country; the Alabama Crimson Tide.  'Bama is a 28 point favorite and the over under number is 74.  I think if I were a betting man I would take the over number.  Mizzou has generated offense in every game it has played this year, but it's secondary leaves a lot to be desired and will have a hard time getting stops against the Tide.

-Times of games.  The NCAA still needs to figure out a way to speed up its games.  They are way too long and I am getting tired of sitting in the stands at Mizzou games watching the teams stand around and do absolutely nothing.  For starters, when a 30 second timeout is called, make the teams stay at the line of scrimmage and start play 30 seconds after the timeout is called.

-Baseball has done absolutely nothing and despite all of the hype about limiting the number of visits to the mound the games are still way to long.  The playoffs have brought the games to a crawl, with too many now taking over four hours to play.  This is ridiculous.  As I wrote earlier this year, keep the hitters in the box and the pitchers on the rubber, and limit the number of commercials and the games will have more action.  Oh, and have the umpires call the strike zone as it is written in the rule book.

-Baseball Predictions.  I think it will be the Red Sox and Brewers in the World Series.  And I think the Red Sox will win it all.  The Sox won 108 games this year and seem to have it all.  I look forward to both of the League Championship series too. While I like the Sox and Brewers, I may be wrong since Houston and the Dodgers seem to be peaking at the right time.

Well enough for now.  But, I will leave you with a picture I took while on vacation of a spot I had always wanted to visit.  It is the new Yankee Stadium at 161st Avenue in the Bronx.  The view is looking down the first base side of the ballpark.  I hope you enjoy it.

Happy Labor Day 2018!

Today the United States of America recognizes the hard working men and women who have helped build this nation into what it is today.  Much of the credit for advancements and improvements in the lives of many Americans go to labor unions and guilds.

Health insurance, the 40 hour work week, paid vacations and most benefits from employers are the results of labor taking a stand against management.  In 2018 America it seems as if the divide between top management and the rank and file worker is more divided than ever.  So, with that in mind thank labor for stopping some of the more inane proposals from ownership and top management.  Sure, there have been abuses from big labor, as well as management, but those have usually been corrected when rank and file union members have stood for what is right.

This year the state in which I live (Missouri) went to the polls in August and overwhelmingly rejected "Right to Work" legislation that had been approved by the state's Republican controlled legislature.  Management claimed right to work would make it easier to attract new companies to the state.  But, labor countered with right to work would mean lost wages for workers in Missouri.

It's kind of strange how history repeats itself because Missourians overwhelmingly rejected right to work legislation 40 years ago when I was just starting out in the work force.  But, politicians have short memories and deep pockets so the issue was again put on the ballot.  Hopefully, the most recent vote will put right to work back on the shelf for many, many years.

I hope wherever you are and whatever you are doing today you celebrate labor and have a happy, safe and blessed Labor Day!

Congratulations Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2018

Traditionally I have posted congratulations to the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class.  While my interest in professional football is not what it once was the men inducted into this year's class worked as hard as anyone who has ever played to earn their spot in Canton, Ohio.

I count myself fortunate to have seen some of these guys play in person and the rest on television.  So, without further ado, congratulations to:contributor Bobby Beathard, linebacker Robert Brazile, safety Brian Dawkins, guard Jerry Kramer, linebacker Ray Lewis, wide receiver Randy Moss, wide receiver Terrell Owens, and linebacker Brian Urlacher.

It took a longtime for Kramer and Brazile to get to Canton, but the honor is well deserved for each of these men.  Congratulations class of 2018!

Congratulations to Baseball's Newest Hall of Famers

This is a little late, but better late than never.  Congratulations to the Class of 2018 who were inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY the weekend of July 28 - 29.

I count myself fortunate to have seen all six of this year's inductees play in person. Chipper Jones of the Braves, Vladimir Guerrero of the Expos, Jim Thome of the Indians and Trevor Hoffman of the Padres all played against my beloved Cardinals and I was fortunate to be able to see all of them on several occasions at Busch Stadium II or Busch Stadium III in St. Louis.  I saw Jack Morris and Alan Trammell of the Tigers on a road trip to visit friends when we took in a game against the Angels in May of 1984 at old Tiger Stadium located at the corner of Michigan & Trumbull  I was also lucky enough to see Morris pitch and Trammell play shortstop against the Kansas City Royals at Kaufmann Stadium on different occasions during the 80s.  All six of these men are deserving of the honor to be called Hall of Famers.

Two more men joined the Hall this year not as players but as those who describe the action of baseball.  The winner of the J. G. Taylor Spink Writer's Award is Sheldon Ocker of the Akron Beacon Journal.  Joining Ocker was this year's Ford C. Frick Broadcaster's Award winner Bob Costas.  I have had the chance to listen to Costas frequently since he worked for KMOX radio in my home town.  Costas went on to bigger and better things working for NBC and the MLB network calling baseball, football, basketball, hockey and the Olympics.  Congratulations to Ocker and Costas!

Random Thoughts at Baseball's All-Star Break

My beloved Cardinals baseball team has fired Mike Matheny as its manager and now starts the second half of the season with interim manager Mike Schildt.  I'm not sure I would have made the change to Schildt now.  If the Cards are serious they would have named a new permanent manager immediately.  My choice would have been former infielder Jose Oquendo who reportedly relates well to Latin players and young players.  But, the Cardinals went interim instead.  Perhaps Oquendo doesn't want the job or the Cardinals have something else planned.  I am skeptical the team will get back into the National League Central division race this season.

-The MLB All-Star Game on Tuesday night epitomized everything wrong with the professional game.  Just like regular season games, batters were swinging for the fences in each at bat and striking out at a record pace.  While the home run is an exciting part of the game its pursuit results in a lack of action on the field.  Wake up MLB.  As far as the All-Star Game, thank God we won't have to deal with it for another year.

-Finally, if you put a gun to my head and ask who will be in the World Series this year, I will say the Boston Red Sox and the Los Angeles Dodgers.  The Dodgers have struggled at times, but in my opinion they are the best of a mediocre National League.  Ultimately I expect the Dodgers' pitching to put them into the series.  I also think the Red Sox are much better than any team that would face them in the World Series.  The Bosox pitching, hitting, defense and speed will carry them to their second world title in the last six years.

Happy 242nd Birthday USA!

Today marks the 242 anniversary of the United States of America.  This my where I live and I am proud to be a citizen of this great land.  Yes, we have our problems and with any nation we have our disagreements and arguments over how we should be headed and how we should be treating our citizens.  But, I can think of no other place I would rather live.  I originally posted the article below several years ago.  It still holds true today.  Happy 4th of July America!


"I am blessed to live in the United States of America.  It is still the richest and most powerful nation in the world.  But more importantly I am allowed to express myself and to criticize our leaders as I see fit due to the Bill of Rights of this great nation.

Today  marks the 242nd birthday of the United States of America.  It is one of the longest running democracies in the world.  This has been accomplished through the sacrifice of thousands going back to the Revolution against the British to today with our troops deployed in Afghanistan and other Middle East hot-spots.  These brave men and women paid the ultimate price for our enduring freedom.  I have no good way of sufficiently expressing my gratitude to them and to those who have served in conflicts such as World War I, World War II, Korea and Vietnam.  Today I say thank you to all of our armed forces past and present.  Because of you I am able to live in what I truly believe is the greatest nation on Earth.  Happy Birthday America!  Long may you stand"! 

Farewell Red Schoendienst

Copyright Baseball Hall of Fame

This past week one of my St. Louis Cardinal childhood favorites passed away at the age of 95.  Albert Fred "Red" Schoendienst was nearing the end of his career when I first saw him play as an eight year old in 1961 at Busch Stadium I.  I wasn't old enough at the time to realize I was seeing a Hall-of-Fame second basemen.  Schoendienst had a long distinguished career including four years with the Milwaukee Braves in the late 1950's,  During that period the Braves went to the World Series twice and won it in 1957.  Red was recognized as one of the best second basemen of his era for his hands and range.

Later in his career he managed the Cardinals to the 1967 and 1968 National League pennants.  In 1967 the Birds won it all beating the Boston Red Sox in seven games.  Schoendienst worked and consulted with the Cardinals until earlier this year.  RIP in Red.

I have been a frequent critic of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, but not this weekend.  Writer Rick Hummel, who is also in the Hall-of-Fame in the writers wing, wrote the following article looking back at how Mr. Schoendienst was remembered by those with he whom he came into contact.  The copyright on the following article is with the Post-Dispatch.  Here is the link to the article.

MLB Games are Just Too Long and Boring

Greetings oh  blog reader.  As I write this I am watching the St. Louis Cardinals and Cincinnati Reds play a divisional game from Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati.  The game is being played at a snail's pace and honestly isn't any fun to watch.  It just moved into the top of the 5th and is almost two hours old.  Major League Baseball is boring because the games are too long.  I was offered tickets by a friends to a Cardinals game earlier this week and fortunatly I had other plans.  Fortunate because it was 93 degrees and I knew the game would last over three hours.  The seats were great seats, but also in the sun.  So while I love the game of baseball I was glad I didn't go to the Cards and Marlins game.

I've written about these long games on several occasions.  The average game time is well over three hours in the National League and even longer in the American League.  There are several reasons that the times have gotten out of hand.

For starters, umpires are not calling the strike zone as it is written in the rule book.  The book says a pitch over the plate from the letters to the knees is a strike.  But, for must umps, the strike zone exists between the waist and knees.  Batters take extra pitches looking for a free pass.  This results in more pitches seen in each at bat, which results in a longer game time.  For most hitters and pitchers the game is a cat and mouse contest.  The pitcher gets the ball back from the catcher and he steps off the rubber and does any number of things from rubbing up the ball, to walking around the back of the mound to blowing on his hand to God only knows what he will do next.  While the pitcher is wasting time the batter is stepping out of the batters box.  The hitter goes through a litany of tightening his gloves, looking down the foul line to the base coach for signals, knocking dirt out of his cleats, taking a couple of practice swings and then stepping back into the box.  If you're lucky the pitcher will throw to the hitter and the game resumes for one pitch.  If not they go through this routine again. Each at bat is too long, the inning becomes even longer and the fans get bored waiting for something to happen.  This could be resolved by the Commissioner of Baseball, Rob Manfred, issuing an order that the hitters will stay in the box and the pitcher on the rubber.  If they don't the pitcher is assessed a ball for each violation and the hitter is assessed a strike each time he steps out of the box.  It wouldn't take long for them to learn their bad habits won't be tolerated.  The commissioner also needs to order umpires to call strikes as they are written in the rule book.  If not they get a warning, that if repeated enough could result in suspension or termination.  The commissioner needs to realize fans do not go to the games to watch the umpires call balls.

If MLB is serious about picking up the pace it would also limit the amount of times between innings to 90 seconds.  As it is now MLB allows some networks to run up to three minutes of commercials each half inning (ESPN/ABC is a prime offender).  Baseball makes a ton of money off of TV rights so its TV partners need to show as many commercials as possible.  But, if the TV networks went to a grid system, they could charge more for each spot and reduce the number between innings.  MLB has to remember the fans in the stands who have to sit and wait every time TV shows a commercial.  These are the same fans who in some cases are paying over $100 per ticket to get into the ballpark. Baseball needs to show some consideration to those paying for tickets and not roll over for broadcast rights holders. If baseball would reduce the amount of time between innings it could result in a savings of at least 24 minutes per game.

If baseball is serious about shortening its games it's not that difficult.  My guess is nothing will change any time soon because of the amount of money being made by MLB and its business partners the way things are at this time.

Happy Memorial Day 2018!

Thank you to the United States of America Armed Forces present and past.  As we celebrate this weekend, with barbecues and get togethers with family and friends let's not lose sight of what Memorial Day means.  Memorial Day is set aside to honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice for their nation, and to those who are ready to step into harms way to keep us all safe.  I give my personal thanks to the hundreds of thousands of US troops who are serving in various posts around the world. Your bravery allows me to sleep  at night knowing people who want to destroy the United States are being held at bay. Thank you very much!

Huckster Stadium

I had an old friend of mine once refer to Busch Stadium as "Huckster Stadium".  It's been about five years since he said it and the home of the St. Louis Cardinals has become little more than a blatant display of commercialism.  Each year there are more and more advertisements on the outfield walls, each half inning brings sales pitches from the PA announcer and to top it off every part of the game has an "Official Cardinal" sponsor.

I still love the game.  I was there last Thursday and watched the Cardinals beat the Mets 4-3 in 13 innings even though the game lasted over four hours.  (Major League Baseball would say that's not bad for a long extra inning affair, but it's way too long.  I will go into why baseball is played at a snail's pace in a future blog.)

When the game ended I was ready to go back for another game.  But after watching four games in a row on TV.  I am not sure I will go back unless someone gives me free tickets.  And to top it off the 2018 version of the Cardinals is mediocre at best.  The team has a terrible defense and an un-dependable bullpen.  I hope I'm wrong but this Cardinal team will be lucky to finish the season at the .500 level.

Stay tuned for more on this boring team that plays games that are averaging well over three hours each.

Another Month Older

April has flown by and I had the best of intentions of writing more faithfully.  But, I didn't because I guess I have too many other things to do.  This past month saw Easter, the start of baseball season, high school baseball season, family events, playing golf and a health issue.  I could have written volumes on any number of these.  But, I didn't.

So, I will write in May.  I have a number of thoughts on what is wrong with Major League Baseball and why a game is in some ways like going to work.  Thanks for your patience and see you in May.

Happy Spring to You! Belatedly

I hope your Spring is off to a great start.  Mine has been OK thus far as the temperatures are starting to rise.  The only problem at this point is it seems to rain everyday.  The drought we had been experiencing where I live seems to have come to a halt with the many inches of rain we have experienced in the month of March.  We have had so much rain that water stands in my backyard in spots that never had any water problems in the past.

But, hopefully the rain is over for now.  Today was a beautiful 60 degree day and the sun shone all day long.  Perhaps it is just a harbinger of Spring as there is a chance of snow on Easter Sunday.  But soon enough we will be experiencing one of my favorite seasons.

Thanks for reading and I will be updating my blog as time permits in the coming days.  Have a great weekend!

And Like That...The Games are Over

The two weeks since I posted about the opening ceremonies of the Pyengchong games went by in a heartbeat.  I watched much more than I care to admit, because, well they are the Olympic games and there really wasn't much more on the telly during this fortnight.

As I write this I'm watching the closing ceremonies and the Chinese promotion for the 2022 games from Beijing.

These games have been entertaining and the South Koreans have been great hosts.  At this point in time I am ready to move on and get back to normal, but for the next few days I will miss seeing the 23rd Olympic games from Pyeongchang on my television 12 hours a day.  I know it sounds somewhat sarcastic but I really will miss the athleticism and competition.

So long Soohorang, you were a wonderful host.

It's been fun, so let's do this again in 2022 in Beijing.  It will be here before we know it!

"Let the Games Begin"

The 2018 Olympic Games are now officially open after today's ceremonies in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

I am a casual fan of the Olympics, especially the Winter games.  I don't watch most of these events outside of Ice Hockey at any other time than during the Olympics.  But, I am a sucker for the Opening Ceremonies.  I was out earlier tonight but did see the last couple of hours of the tape delayed event from Korea on NBC.

Here are a few thoughts on what I saw...

-The combination of athletes from North Korea and South Korea was lauded by the TV talking heads.  Tonight those TV heads were Mike Tirico and Katie Couric.  Yes, it would appear as if there is hope for the two Koreas if you watched TV tonight.  But, in the long run this is just a PR stunt by North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un.  Remember how Vladimir Putin made nice four years ago at Sochi and then a week or two later his troops invaded Ukraine.  I don't trust Kim any further than I can throw him.

-Speaking of talking heads, it seemed strange not to have Bob Costas hosting NBC's coverage.  Couric has been there before and is steady.  But, Mike Tirico?  I have always though of him as a Sports Center host on ESPN.  This should have been Brian Williams, oops, Matt Lauer's, oops, chance to shine at the opening ceremony.

-What is this Athletes of Russia thing or AOR as they will be listed during the games?  If they cheated in the Putin games at Sochi why are they being allowed to compete this year?  If you failed your drug test no one wants to see you again.  Stay home.

-The torch relay reminded me that baseball is just around the corner.  The torch used in the relay and to light the cauldron reminded me of a Louisville Slugger.

-One thing I thought was really cool was the way the Korean organizers utilized Intel drones to animate the opening ceremonies.  What a great use of technology.  NBC reported the light show was pre-recorded but still, it was amazing.

Photo courtesy of Zeno Group

Hopefully, the next fortnight in Pyeongchang will be without incident and "Little Rocket Man" will behave himself while his fellow citizens are competing at the Olympics. Time will tell.  Keep your eyes on this blog for updates.

Moronic TV Commercial for Volvo

Someone needs to tell Volvo to get a new advertising agency.  The company is running an ad so much louder in volume than everything else that you have to turn down the volume on your monitor.  This was supposed to have been prohibited by a congressional act six years ago, yet the practice continues unabated.

Volvo also needs to get a new commercial.  The one that is loud enough to wake the dead portrays a young woman driving her car and texting.  What the heck?  Most states in the US have already banned this practice.  And then it goes on to portray the car slowing itself to keep from running over a small child who appears to be walking from school.  What kind of message are you sending Volvo?  Is the message people who want to drive these supposed luxury cars can do as they please without consequence for their actions?  Whoever wrote this spot and whoever approved it for Volvo should be fired and then get the crap kicked out of them.  Volvo wake up!

Congrats to 'Bama

Congratulations to the University of Alabama football program and its winning the national college football championship last night.

To be honest I was cheering for the Georgia Bulldogs because they're from the same division of the Southeast Conference as my beloved Missouri Tigers.  I was pleased to see the Bulldogs jump on 'Bama 13-0 at the half, but as we all know they don't pay off on the halftime score.  You know the rest, the Crimson Tide rebounded and came out in the second half much different than in the first half winning the game in overtime 26-23.

Give 'Bama Head Coach Nick Saban credit as he replaced starter Jalen Hurts with true freshman Tua Tagovailoa.  Tagovailoa gave the Alabama offense a badly needed spark and was able to move the offense when Hurts couldn't.  The Tide outscored Georgia 20-6 in the second half and could have won in regulation had it not missed a FG as time was running down.  And it was Tagovailoa who threw the game winning 41 yard touchdown to DeVonta Smith in overtime after Georgia had taken a 23-20 lead on its OT possession.

Georgia played well but not quite enough defense to be national champions.  Congratulations to Saban on his sixth national championship and fifth at Alabama.

Happy New Year!

Here's hoping 2018 brings you the best of everything!  Have a happy, health and prosperous New Year!