FMD: 3/31/17 – Placeholder

paging free...

Started this, and then I realized Philo hadn't responded on until 11:30ish PM... so not on free.

Two items from me.

1: Old Crow Medicine Show will be at the renovated Palace Theatre in St. Paul on June 10. They're performing one of my favorite Dylan albums of all time, Blonde on Blonde, so that's nice.

2: Dylan himself has released his third album of standards recorded by Frank Sinatra. Rolling Stone seems to like it and I pretty much adore Dylan & Sinatra and think this concept is pretty fun:

Dylan moves through this area – the region of Sinatra, and also of standards songwriters like Irving Berlin, Jerome Kern, Hoagy Carmichael, Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein – as if it's territory for him to chart and command.

I know we've covered 'covers' here before, but feel free to rehash any you find particularly well done.

Drop Your Sword List.

Happy Birthday–March 31

Bill Hallman (1867)
Jack Stivetts (1868)
Big Jeff Pfeffer (1882)
Brick Owens (1885)
Tom Sheehan (1894)
Carson Bigbee (1895)
Mule Suttles (1900)
Marv Grissom (1918)
Dave Koslo (1920)
Moises Camacho (1932)
Moose Stubing (1938)
Balvino Galvez (1964)
Chien-Ming Wang (1980)
Jeff Mathis (1983)
Josmil Pinto (1989)

There have been two players in the majors named Jeff Pfeffer.  They were brothers.  "Big Jeff" Pfeffer was actually Francis Xavier Pfeffer.  Plain old Jeff Pfeffer was actually Edward Joseph Pfeffer.  "Big Jeff" was 6'1", 185 pounds.  Plain old Jeff was 6'3", 210.

Brick Owens was a longtime major league umpire.  His first name was Clarence.  He got the nickname "Brick" after being hit by one while umpiring a game in Pittsburg, Kansas early in his career.

Mule Suttles is sometimes credited as the all-time Negro Leagues home run leader with 237.  He swung a fifty-ounce bat.

One of the top second basemen in the history of the Mexican League, Moises Camacho played  there from 1951-1975.  He was known as the Rogers Hornsby of Mexico.

Continue reading Happy Birthday–March 31

March 31, 2017: Quaint

I couldn't wait to move out of Blue Earth when I was young, but it really isn't all that bad. Main Street is fairly charming. It's certainly got more personality than the average suburb.

I'm still down here; my grandfather's funeral is Saturday morning. Then it's back home for Wrestlemania, and then the home opener, which I'll be attending (on the Budweiser deck, no less; the Milkmaid gets some comps through work).

March 31 30, 2017: Game Log (& Recap(?)) Sign-Up

Looks like the season is right around the corner, so we should probably get this going. I'll keep on with Mondays. Let us know if you want in and will update the list below:

GAME LOGS
Sunday: socaltwinsfan
Monday: hungry joe
Tuesday: freealonzo
Wednesday: Can o' Corn
Thursday: cheaptoy
Friday: davidwatts
Saturday: nibbish
Sunday:
All-Star Game: Rhubarb_Runner
2039 Playoffs: Rhubarb_Runner

GAME RECAPS(?)
Volunteers: Jeff A, Can o' Corn

Also, is there any interest in Game Recaps? That feature has been a little, uh, "anemic" in years past. If there are volunteers, we'll get a sign up going for it.

Happy Birthday–March 30

Tom Burns (1857)
George Van Haltren (1866)
Ripper Collins (1904)
Dick Fowler (1921)
Dick Woodson (1945)
Grady Little (1950)
Jason Dickson (1973)
Jeriome Robertson (1977)
Josh Bard (1978)
Shairon Martis (1987)

Grady Little was the manager of the Boston Red Sox from 2002-03 and the Los Angeles Dodgers from 2006-07.

Josh Bard was drafted by Minnesota in the thirty-fifth round in 1996, but did not sign.

Continue reading Happy Birthday–March 30

March 29, 2017: The End

...of my grandfather. Probably. Soon.

He would appreciate the smartass running gag.

My grandpa has been gone for a year or so. His mind left him, and first he forgot the youngest grandkid, then the next, and so on. Then my generation left, and eventually, so did his own children and wife (who's been gone since 2004). Still, his impending death - I've been told to expect it within the next couple of days - is proving tough to deal with. Grandpa Wells overcame alcoholism on January 1st, 1980 in an extremely rare instance of a successful New Year's resolution. He shed his anger for a better version of himself, to the point where those of us in my generation sometimes have a hard time believing he spent so many years battling demons.

Grandpa Wells was a huge Twins fan. I suppose I'm sad he didn't get to see the next upswing of the team, but he was glued to the set during the two world championships, so it's all good.

I'm fine, I think. I don't know how I'll react when the call comes in, but all the same, he's been gone for a while and therefore the big moment of catharsis probably isn't around the corner. Instead, this is one of those losses where I have to remind myself that a part of me is gone, even if it was such a gradual loss that I never saw it coming.

Hug your loved ones, or whatever. I certainly don't have anything new to add to the conversation about death, but I do know it sucks. Love to all of you, Citizens.

Happy Birthday–March 29

Cy Young (1867)
Duff Cooley (1873)
Bill Dietrich (1910)
Tommy Holmes (1917)
Ferris Fain (1921)
Denny McLain (1944)
Bill Castro (1952)
Tom Hume (1953)
Domingo Ramos (1958)
Mike Kingery (1961)
Billy Beane (1962)
Laz Diaz (1963)
Eric Gunderson (1966)
Brian Jordan (1967)
Alex Ochoa (1972)
Danny Kolb (1975)
Pat Light (1991)

Laz Diaz has been a major league umpire since 1999.

Danny Kolb was drafted by Minnesota in the seventeenth round in 1993, but did not sign.

Continue reading Happy Birthday–March 29