George Stallings (1867)
Mike Garcia (1923)
Orlando Pena (1933)
Gary Bell (1936)
Tom Seaver (1944)
Brad Havens (1959)
Mitch Williams (1964)
Paul Sorrento (1965)
Jeff Nelson (1966)
Eli Marrero (1973)
Darnell McDonald (1978)
Ryan Braun (1983)
Nick Markakis (1983)
George Stallings managed in the major leagues for thirteen years. He is best remembered as the manager of the 1914 Miracle Braves.
In 1978, heavy metal/hard rock was tired and bloated. It seemed like all rock bands were only interested in creating dirge-like long songs about mysticism or Satan and one couldn’t listen to a rock album without six minute organ suites and self-indulgent guitar solos that didn’t go anywhere. Rock was almost an afterthought as the Southern California light rock sound, disco, and nascent rumblings from the punk scene dominated popular music at the time.
It’s this background that Van Halen’s first album exploded on the rock scene. Short (no song is over 4 minutes), punchy rock songs that were fun but freakin’ rocked! Make no mistake, even though the songs weren’t about evil wood nymphs, this was metal as Eddie Van Halen’s guitar work and David Lee Roth’s screams was straight from the heavy metal handbook.
The album kicks off with Running with the Devil, a common theme in mid-70’s metal. But at the two-minute mark, you realize something is different as EVH’s short guitar solo screams for attention. Followed by Eruption, an extended guitar solo that kicks off a very muscular You Really Got Me and Van Halen has taken all of five minutes to grab you by the balls. This wasn’t your older brother’s metal.
Not only were the songs short and about partying and hitting up the chicks, they had 3-part harmonies, something unheard of in metal circles. David Lee Roth is a fine frontman and singer, and the rhythm section is top notch, but let’s face it, the album belongs to Eddie Van Halen. Every song has a scorching guitar solo that just wasn’t heard before. It’s style that’s been copied many times in the nearly 40 years Van Halen came out, but at the time it was mind blowing.
For me the highlight of Van Halen is Feel Your Love Tonight. This is a classic “I’m going to make you mine” song, but it’s so infectious, while also hard rocking you have to be practically comatose not to enjoy it. This song should be the national anthem to teenage Friday night (live version from 1977 below). Ice Cream Man is a song David Lee Roth had been singing since he was a teenager, while Eddie takes over the last third with another classic guitar part. Unfortunately the album ends with I’m on Fire, which is more a vehicle for Roth’s screaming, but by that time who cares, you’ve been thoroughly rocked.
Van Halen would change rock, not always for the better. While the tired old 8-minute drones fell by the wayside, unfortunately it was replaced by hair bands more interested in copying David Lee Roth’s sexual swagger or emphasizing the party, not the rock. Plus let’s face it, there is only one Eddie Van Halen. But let’s also not end up on a sour note. Van Halen came out when I was 15, which was probably the perfect age for that album. But I still listen to it fairly regularly and along with Cheap Trick Live at Budokan, one of the few albums I still have on a regular rotation from the era. If you like the rock,Van Halen should be in your music collection.
So, to no one's surprise, I missed the deadline for initial submission of Pledge Week posts. Rather than mail it in, I'm whipping up something quick and simple: crockpot chicken congee.
Like much of my life at the moment, the photo is a bit out of focus.
This recipe is a mild adaptation of one published by the NY Times.
combine 2 cups brown rice and 2 quarts chicken stock (brought to boil separately) in a crock pot. Cook on low all day, stirring every couple of hours if you can. When the rice cooks down to a porridge, it's ready. Alternatively, this can be cooked on the stovetop. It takes a couple of hours on low. Monitor the liquid level so that it does not dry out. You can always add water to maintain consistency (thick porridge, not thin gruel). And the leftovers will thicken considerably due to all the starch. Just add more water or stock.
The magic lies in the mix-ins and toppings. I served this with spinach (sauteed with chopped garlic and ginger), fried garlic and ginger, toasted sesame seeds (white and black, because that's what I had), chopped green onion, and splashes of soy sauce, sesame oil, and hot chile oil. But let your imagination rule. A common mix-in is a raw egg, which will cook from the residual heat of the congee. Or you could add chopped, leftover pork chops (I did this one night), chicken, fish, or almost any leftover veggies.
So if you need to curl up on the sofa with a tear-jerker movie or a good book, a hot bowl of this will feed your soul. And who doesn't need a little soul food these days?
GLENDALE 1, SURPRISE 0 IN SURPRISE
Nick Tanielu singled home Andrew Stevenson in the first inning, and that was all the scoring there was. Mitch Garver was 0-for-4 for Surprise. Nick Gordon was used as a pinch-hitter and was 0-for-1. Stephen Gonsalves struck out six in three innings, giving up one run on three hits and no walks.
SCOTTSDALE 8, PEORIA 6 IN SCOTTSDALE
A five-run seventh put Scottsdale up 8-1, but Peoria scored five in the ninth and brought the tying run to the plate before the game ended. Corey Oswalt pitched five innings for Scottsdale, giving up one run on three hits and two walks while striking out three.
MESA 6, SALT RIVER 5 (10 INNINGS)
Salt River scored two in the top of the tenth, but Mesa got three in the bottom half to win. Bradley Zimmer delivered a two-run single to bring home the tying and winning runs. Zimmer went 2-for-4 with a home run (his fourth) for Mesa.
ANZOATEGUI 7, CARACAS 3 IN ANZOATEGUI
Caracas scored three in the top of the seventh and trailed by only 4-3, but in the bottom of the seventh Tomas Telis hit a two-run triple and later scored to put Anzoategui back in control of the game. Starter Donovan Hand pitched four perfect innings for Anzoategui. Balbino Fuenmayor was 3-for-4 with two RBIs.
MAGALLANES 6, LARA 3 IN LARA
Three walks and three singles produced four third-inning runs for Magallanes, who eventually built a 6-0 lead through five. Luis Arraez was 2-for-5 with a triple, scoring once and driving in three for Magallanes. He is now batting .377.
LA GUAIRA 10, ARAGUA 9 IN LA GUAIRA
Aragua had leads of 7-0 and 9-1, but did not score after the third inning. A five-run fourth got La Guaira back into the game, and Jose Martinez came through with a game-winning single in the bottom of the ninth. Brock Stassi was 4-for-5 with a home run (his sixth) and two RBIs for La Guaira.
LICEY 8, ESCOGIDO 1 IN ESCOGIDO
A five-run third put Licey up 7-0 and they controlled the game from there. Daniel Palka was 0-for-2 for Escogido.
GIGANTES 2, AGUILAS 1 AT AGUILAS
Moises Sierre broke a 1-1 tie with an RBI double in the fifth. Alec Asher pitched five innings for the Gigantes, giving up one run on six hits and no walks while striking out three.
ESTE 3, ESTRELLAS 1 IN ESTRELLAS
Miguel Olivo's two-run single in the ninth put Este up 3-0. Estrellas got the tying run on base with two out in the ninth. Nick Martinez pitched six shutout innings for Este, giving up two hits and five walks while striking out one.
SANTURCE 3, CAGUAS 1 IN CAGUAS
Santurce scored single runs in the third, fourth, and eighth. A. J. Himenez was 3-for-4 with a double for Santurce. Evan Grills pitched five innings for Santurce, giving up one run on six hits and a walk with four strikeouts.
CAROLINA 4, AGUADILLA 1 IN AGUADILLA
Irving Falu's two-run homer in the third gave Carolina a 2-0 lead and they led the rest of the way. Raul Rivera pitched 6.2 innings for Carolina, giving up one run on four hits and no walks with three strikeouts. Aguadilla is now 1-12 on the season.
NAVOJOA 10, OBREGON 5 IN OBREGON
Alan Sanchez hit a grand slam in a seven-run third that led Navojoa to victory. Sanchez went 3-for-5 with a triple in addition to his grand slam (his second homer), scoring twice and driving in five.
LOS MOCHIS 3, JALISCO 2 IN LOS MOCHIS
Sebastian Valle homered in the bottom of the ninth to tie it 2-2 and Leandro Castro's RBI single later in the inning won it for Los Mochis. Manny Barreda pitched seven innings for Los Mochis, giving up two runs on three hits and three walks while striking out three.
HERMOSILLO 7, MAZATLAN 6 IN HERMOSILLO (11 INNINGS)
Corey Brown hit a three-run homer for Mazatlan in the ninth to tie it 6-6. In the eleventh, however, Efren Navarro singled home Carlos Alberto Gastelum with the winning run for Hermosillo. Matt Skole was 3-for-5 with a double and two runs for Hermosillo. Juan Pablo Oramas pitched five innings, giving up one run on four hits and two walks while striking out three for Hermosillo.
CULIACAN 10, MEXICALI 6 IN MEXICALI
Joey Meneses hit a three-run homer in a four-run Culiacan first and Culiacan scored four more in the fifth to put the game out of reach. Meneses' homer was his sixth. He was 3-for-5 with two runs and four RBIs. Maxwell Leon was 3-for-5 with a double and three runs for Culiacan.
It's been a while since we've done this -- not because I don't want to (they're pretty entertaining), but because there has been a serious shortage of Twins' action photographs in recent baseball card sets...thanks Obama Topps. We've done several of these in the past, but never as their own dedicated post.
We're going to go back a bit here, and throw a shout out to a recently retired former Twin. This is 2003 Upper Deck card #114 from their flagship product:
Not sure that there is enough to go on here, but you guys are rabid ferrets, and if this play can be singled out, you're just the ones to do it.
The clues:
Alright Citizens, have at it! Further clues in the comments are fine, but spoiler your answers.
Date: Tuesday, May 26.
Batting stars: Tom Brunansky was 2-for-4 with a home run (his eighth) and a triple, scoring twice and driving in two. Steve Lombardozzi was 2-for-4 with a run. Tim Laudner was 1-for-2 with a double and a walk.
Pitching stars: Bert Blyleven struck out eight in seven innings, giving up two runs on four hits and two walks. Jeff Reardon struck out two in two shutout innings, giving up only a walk.
Opposition stars: Chuck Crim struck out two in two shutout innings, giving up two hits. Jim Gantner was 1-for-4 with a two-run homer, his third. Rob Deer was 1-for-2 with two walks.
The game: Al Newman doubled home a run in the third to put the Twins up 1-0. In the fourth, Brunansky delivered an RBI triple and scored on a passed ball to make it 3-0. Blyleven left a pitch up to Gantner in the fifth, making the scored 3-2. He came back to retire the last seven batters he faced, and Brunansky homered for an insurance run in the seventh. Deer walked in the ninth and stole second with two out, but that was as much as the Brewers could do off Reardon, who had come in to start the eighth.
Of note: Kirby Puckett was 0-for-4, dropping his average to .320...This was Reardon's third consecutive appearance (4.2 innings) without giving up a run. He allowed two walks and two hits and struck out eight. His ERA has now come down from a high of 10.80 to 8.27...Juan Nieves started for Milwaukee, going six innings and allowing four runs (three earned) on seven hits and two walks while striking out four.
Record: The Twins are 22-22, tied for second with Seattle, five games behind Kansas City.
Notes: Newman was at shortstop, replacing Greg Gagne...Gene Larkin was the DH rather than Roy Smalley.
Player profile: Chuck Crim was a pretty fair relief pitcher for the Brewers for about four years. He was a seventeenth round draft choice for them in 1982. He pitched quite well in A and AA, but did very little in AAA. One assumes he must have had a really good spring training in 1987, because he started the season in the majors and stayed there through 1993. He was never the closer, but he twice led the league in appearances and from 1987-1990 he went 25-26, 39 saves, 3.22, 1.27 WHIP. He never struck out a lot of guys, but he didn't walk very many, either. Making between 67-76 appearances a year for three years may have taken a toll, though, because he never had a good year after 1990. He stayed with the Brewers through 1991, spent two years in California, and pitched for the Cubs in 1994 before ending his playing career. He has been a minor league pitching coach and a major league bullpen coach since then, and is currently the bullpen coach for the Dodgers.
Both in memorandium and an ode to you, friends. Thanks for all you do to make the WGOM the world's greatesf.
1971
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Loading... It seems like every time I turn around, there's a new show about people returning from the dead. I guess that's our thing now.
Mike McGeary (1850)
Joe Quest (1852)
Paul Foytack (1930)
Frank Bolling (1931)
Harry Chiti (1932)
Minnie Mendoza (1933)
Don Hahn (1948)
Herb Washington (1951)
Glenn Burke (1952)
Curt Wardle (1960)
Dwight Gooden (1964)
Chris Haney (1968)
Pete Rose (1969)
Julio Lugo (1975)
Juan Centeno (1989)
Sprinter Herb Washington played for Oakland for two seasons as a pinch-runner. He appeared in 105 games but did not play in the field and did not bat. He stole 31 bases in 48 attempts and scored 33 runs.
I don't know how many good analogies really exist. Most seem clumsy, if not forced. The ones that don't have been beaten so far into the ground that they have sort of lost any meaning that they once had. I think back to something I heard once in a movie about how if you say a word enough times in a row, it kind of loses all meaning, barely even sounding like a word anymore.
Potential.
Potential.
Potential.
Poe-tench-uhl
Potential.
This Wolves team is pretty fun to watch, right?
Karl-Anthony Towns is evolutionary Tim Duncan
Andrew Wiggins is turning into an absolute scoring machine-- creating images in my head of how people described Bernard King to me
Zach Lavine, seriously, that Zach Lavine is proving to be nearly as effective from the 3 point line as he has been in dunk contests.
Rubio's true shooting percentage has been high in the forbidden zone, if not the restricted area.
See what I mean about analogies being clumsy and forced?
I was surprised when jobu asked me to put together a post about the Wolves for Pledge Week. I haven't posted in over two years here at the WGOM (!). Life kind of gets in the way sometimes. The herd is getting older. The Bison is 5 and The Bisonette is 3. Wife and I just celebrated a wedding anniversary this past weekend. Since I started hanging out at the WGOM in 2008 I have bought three houses and sold two. I had a great job, lost it, Got a bad job and turned it into a good one. Things change, people change, situations change. One thing that has been kind of a constant is a bad Timberwolves team. It reminds me of another show full of clumsy metaphors, Lost. Desmond had Penny and I have the Timberwolves. But then again -- spoiler alert-- something happens with Penny, I think. The whole show got kind of confusing after a little while and the whole thing starts to blend together. One analogy that probably isnt clumsy is Pekovic as Mr. Ecko though.
Some lousy things have happened to some fine folks here over the past few years. Maybe the WGOM has been their constant. The thing that brings them back. The thing that makes you smile when you are having a crummy day.
Maybe it is a Dieng shot from the elbow.
Maybe it is Shabaaz rotating on defense.
Maybe it is Dunn leaping into a lane for a steal.
Maybe it is couting Tyrus Jones' freckles.
Maybe it is cheaptoy's 1000th list comprising of only metal songs on FMD
Maybe it is new guy's twitter account.
Maybe it is hoping that 6 will show up and post one of his homemade photoshops in a gamelog
Maybe it was looking in the CoC everyday in 2016 hoping that Moss will come back with his thoughts about the election...
Everybody needs something to keep them going-- and if that is the WGOM-- even if it is only part time-- and you havent been allowed to talk about politics for like 7 years-- that is a great thing.
Donate some money to keep this thing alive. If you look at it once a week or twenty times a day it is still something worth having.
Sort of like the Timberwolves.
