Happy Birthday–September 28

Lou Bierbauer (1865)
Wilbur Good (1885)
Jack Fournier (1889)
Whitey Witt (1895)
Al Evans (1916)
Dick Gernert (1928)
Grant Jackson (1942)
Pete Filson (1958)
Jerry Layne (1958)
Todd Worrell (1959)
Ed Vosberg (1961)
Charlie Kerfeld (1963)
Matt Vasgersian (1967)
Mike DeJean (1970)
Ryan Zimmerman (1984)
Nick Greenwood (1987)
Eddie Rosario (1991)
Manuel Margot (1994)

Jerry Layne has been a major league umpire since 1989.

Matt Vasgersian has been a major league baseball broadcaster since 1997.

Continue reading Happy Birthday–September 28

Rings in the Sky: A Twins Cautionary Hymn

With apologies to Joe Hill.

Oh the Pohlads come out every year,
Tell Twins fans they've got something to cheer;
But when asked to shell out for their team
They won't tell you they sell a pipe dream:

(Chorus:)
Twins will win, bye and bye,
In that glorious land above the sky;
Shorthanded play, most everyday,
You'll get rings in the sky when you die.
(That’s a lie!)

A nepo baby holds the club's purse strings,
Dave St. Peter counts up their earnings,
Once they've raked your coin into the bank,
That's when they tell you the payroll has shrank.

(chorus)

The Twins needed a new TV deal,
Waves of greenbacks to steady the keel.
"Give your money to Bally," they say,
"They might televise a ballgame today."

(chorus)

There was some talent down on the farm,
Young Brooks Lee and a number of arms;
Big wheels fell off all season, you know:
Carlos, Paddack, Royce, Buxton, Max, and Joe.

(chorus)

Help was needed for several key roles,
To patch a roster with quite a few holes,
The front office was mostly clear-eyed:
Can't sign free agents — their hands were tied.

(chorus)

Private equity holds all the cards,
Socialized losses with private rewards,
Never trust their inherited wealth,
"Caveat emptor" for your mental health.

September 27, 2024: Mirror, Mirror

The boy wanted to take his school computer up to his room to "do his homework" (he can't do much on those things, but he can access YouTube). I told him no, the living room or kitchen was fine. He said, "Dad, I'll cast my screen, okay?" I thought for a moment, and said, yeah, sure. And so, he could sit comfortably in his room, and while he was likely also talking to his special lady friend, I could watch his computer on the living room TV to see he was at least still working on his math. The future is weird.

Happy Birthday–September 27

Jelly Gardner (1895)
Whit Wyatt (1907)
Dick Hall (1930)
Dave Wickersham (1935)
Gary Sutherland (1944)
Mike Schmidt (1949)
Bob Veselic (1955)
Don Schulze (1962)
Todd Blyleven (1972)
Vicente Padilla (1977)
Jon Rauch (1978)
Jon Garland (1979)
Matt Shoemaker (1986)
Simeon Woods Richardson (2000)

Todd Blyleven is, as you probably know, the son of Bert Blyleven. He pitched in the minor leagues for seven years, getting as high as AA, then was a scout for eight years.

Continue reading Happy Birthday–September 27

It’s a numbers game

Prior to my upcoming G.I. visit, I got lab work done and just got the results.  Across the board, all indicators were in the green (normal range).  Numerous key indicators were out of the range a year ago.

Reflecting on a year ago, I started with a trainer (Donovan) at my club to do strength/flexibility workouts.   I was well into the Walk With Bo program, which started in a walker, and got up to 108 different guest-stars (including a deaf-dog, CT Speaker of the House, the Mayor of Cagliari, and representation from This Nation).

I've been able to swim all along, even right away after the Big Surgery (after the first 1/2 lap I was so happy I cried) .

I started hockey-skating and running in November, ran a 5K (Mitten Run) on 12/3, two 10Ks (Hartford HMF 3/17, Collinsville 5/5), finished running all Hartford Streets 5/26, Reykjavik Half Marathon 8/24, and Von Trapp Trail 5K 9/23.  And 54% complete running Windsor streets as of this morning.

So I'm back in the saddle again, planning my next Half (probably Nordic/Baltic).  Feels good.

So Nation, how/what are you doing for your health?

 

Happy Birthday–September 26

Gus Schmelz (1850)
Bob Coleman (1890)
Bobby Shantz (1925)
Mel McGaha (1926)
Dave Duncan (1945)
Jim Gideon (1953)
Rich Gedman (1959)
Steve Buechele (1961)
Dave Martinez (1964)
Brian Shouse (1968)
Brian Looney (1969)
Sean Doolittle (1986)
Chris Archer (1988)
Jordan Luplow (1993)

Gus Schmelz managed several teams in the late 19th century.  He is one of the few who became a manager without having played professionally.

Bob Coleman managed in the minor leagues for thirty-five years.  He had the most wins as a minor league manager when he retired, 2,496, a mark since passed by Stan Wasiak.

Former Knicks player Mel McGaha was the manager of the Kansas City Athletics from 1964-1965.

We'd also like to wish a happy birthday to Beau's daughter.

Continue reading Happy Birthday–September 26