When I was 13-years old, I went to a Halloween costume party – as Captain America.

My mother actually made the shirt and mask for me…she’s very talented with the sewing machine…and I made the shield.

I had a Metal Snow Disc Sled from when I was younger – it was probably made in the late 60′s. (It looked like this one – without the dents.) And, I painted it to look like Captain America’s shield (to bring to the party).

After the party, I put the Disc Sled/Shield down in our basement since I didn’t have any need for it thereafter. Years later, when I moved out of the house, I left it there – again because I had no need for a sled, etc.

Sometime after I moved out, my folks needed to have a plumber come to the house and my mom took him to the basement (where all the pipes were) and, when he saw my item hanging on a hook down there, he screamed out to my mother “That’s Captain America’s shield!” I guess he thought he was working on Steve Rogers’ mother’s hot water heater or something.

My mother still likes to tell that story because she thinks it was very funny.

Not sure what happened to the sled. They either gave it away or trashed it when they moved to a retirement community. Of course, now, today, with the movie and all, you can probably buy a shield somewhere.

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Blondie, Grandpa Al Lewis and King Kong Bundy…

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TNT is making a huge mistake here.  It’s just plan stupid.  No other way to say it.

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I’ve been a Yankees season ticket holder since 2001. Every season for the last 11 years, I buy the full 81-game package (2 seats) and split it nine ways with eight other parties. We each get 9 games – making sure that we all get at least one game for each month of the season and (when possible) one game for each day of the week. (Everyone gets at least one Sunday game, one Saturday game, one Friday game, etc.)

In the last Stadium, the seats were in the Loge, Section 15, not far from first base. And, in the current Stadium, they’re in a similar spot in the Main Level. (Both times under cover – which is sweet when the sun is blistering or when it’s raining.)

But, I’m thinking about not renewing my Yankees season tickets for 2012.

Why? It’s the cost. When I started this in 2001, the tickets were $37 each and parking at Yankee Stadium was around $10 per game. This season, the tickets are $80 each and parking at Yankee Stadium is closer to $40 per game. When you’re looking at $200 to sit and park as opposed to $84 to sit and park per game, that’s a big difference. And, of course, this doesn’t include the cost of eating and drinking these days inside the Stadium.

Also, lately, it seems like there’s an advantage to buying tickets on the secondary market if you’re willing to see games against non-premium teams/draws and wait until close to game-day to purchase the seats – since sellers are anxious to unload the tickets and willing to let them go under face value.

There are two things holding me back pulling the plug.

One is my “package-mates.” More than half of them are interested in doing the split with me next year. And, some of these folks have been doing this with me for a long time. I don’t want to pull the rug out on these guys – even though there’s never been any promise to anyone what this situation with the tickets is a guaranteed right or a long-term deal.

The second is my ego. I like saying “I’ve been a Yankees season ticket holder since 2001.” And, I like it when I sell my tickets to someone I know and then they tell me, after attending the game, “Your seats are great.” Also, I see the look in my kids’ eyes when I tell them that I might not renew the seats again next year – even though I also promise them that we’ll still attend as many games each season, in the future, as we do now.

Now, I know that the ego is a dangerous thing – in many, many, ways. So, I try and keep that in check and look at this objectively.

And, I know that, while most of “package-mates” have said they’re in for next season, every year it seems like we have to replace two parties (or so) because they dropped out or were not invited back. Therefore, this thing has always been a house of straw as opposed to a house of bricks – and capable of getting blown down in any given season.

I’m really on the fence with this one. If you were me, what would you do?

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By now, you should know that I’m a raving fan of Lee Sinins’ Complete Baseball Encyclopedia.  And, today, I just found out that this incredible tool has just gotten better!  Here’s what Lee shared on this:

A new, updated edition of the Complete Baseball Encyclopedia is now available.

Starting now, all orders will include a couple of new stats–FRAA and TRAA.

FRAA (Fielding Runs Above Average) is the fielding equivalent of RCAA and TRAA (Total Runs Above Average) is RCAA + FRAA.

The encyclopedia can be ordered at http://www.baseball-encyclopedia.com

If you don’t already have the “CBE,” I highly recommend getting one.  It’s the best application of it’s kind, without question.  And, given how inexpensive it is, the ROI on this product is off-the-charts great.

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Really, it’s true.

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I “officially” coached my son’s Little League team this season. (Me and two other guys helped the manager with the practices and games.)

Our last game was on Saturday. I loved this season. It was a pleasure to work with these seven and eight-year olds and see them get better as ballplayers.

In fact, I was thinking about asking to manage a team next season. And, then, I saw this story.

Maybe it’s better just to catch BP and give out high-fives on the base paths….and not be the one on the hook for dealing with this type of stuff?

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Look at all the “Boston” sports championhsips since 2002:

• Patriots (2002)
• Patriots (2004)
• Red Sox (2004)
• Patriots (2005)
• Red Sox (2007)
• Celtics (2008)
• Bruins (2011)

Does this mean that Boston is now the sports capital of our country? They have a claim to that, over the last decade or so, no?

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My son’s Little League team – maybe I should say “our team” since I’m one of the coaches? – took a pounding today.  I lost track of the score but it was around 28-7.  Really, it was that bad.  With the holiday last weekend, we had two weeks between games and no full team practice.  (Five of the kids were able to get together last night for a bit – but, that’s less than half the team.) 

Basically, today, they played like they’ve never played baseball before in their life and they were half-asleep.  Yeah, I know they’re a bunch of seven, eight and nine-year olds.  But, still…the score would have been worse if not for a rule that stops an inning once your team has scored five runs.

So, after this game I’m thinking to myself “It can’t get much worse than that” and then I saw the terrible news about the boy in Arizona.  And, that made me think about the horrible story about the New Jersey boy last year.

This stuff is beyond scary.  Just last weekend, I was practicing with my son – who is seven – in the backyard.  I threw a hardball from maybe fifty feet (thereabouts) and he never got a glove on it – nailed him right in the chest, heart level.  Luckily, because he is little and learning to play, I cookied it over to him with a bit of an arc on it.  But, he still took it full and solid to the chest – and it made him cry.  Of course, I wanted to kick myself after it happened – and was very, very, appreciative of the fact that he was not seriously hurt.  (Ten minutes later, he was fine and running around having fun.)

In any event, I don’t know what is going on these days?  I played Little League in the ’70′s.  I don’t ever remember hearing about kids getting hit in the heart and dying when I played. 

I could understand if these were batted balls causing the harm today - since the bats are more deadly these days.  But, thrown balls?  Are kids throwing harder these days – compared to when I was a kid?  Or, were just better at getting out of the way?  I have no clue.

I just know that having kids die – in any manner – is one of the worst possible things that can happen in the world.  And, it should not happen playing baseball.  Somebody needs to figure out what’s going on and put a stop to it – and fast.

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Via Jim Benson -

The standard television angle at a baseball game comes from a camera in center field. It shows the pitcher’s back as he delivers to the plate with the batter, catcher and umpire waiting.

More and more, the players aren’t the focal point when watching Major League Baseball telecasts from this standard shot.

It is the box seats behind the plate.

Namely, the empty box seats.

MLB and commish Bud Selig might want to look into technology and see if they can do something to cover up this glaring eyesore. Maybe they can digitally put bodies in those seats or just black them out.

This is really becoming an embarrassment to MLB. Those seats have been priced so high that even fans who don’t have to take out a second mortgage to sit there are taking a pass.

We’re not just talking about the Pittsburgh Pirates or Kansas City Royals, either. Even some of the high-profile teams, such as the New York Yankees, can’t escape having more empty seats than filled ones behind the plate.

Selig won’t tell the teams what to do. Yet he needs to encourage owners to jump back in time — like, say, five years — and make those seats affordable again, even for the rich guys.

It has become apparent this spring that baseball isn’t just pricing itself out of the market with premium seats, but throughout the whole park. The empty seats all over MLB parks can’t be explained by the rainy weather which has plagued the sport in the first two months.

When Wrigley Field isn’t selling out on a regular basis anymore, there is a problem in baseball. It isn’t that the Cubs’ faithful are fed up with the product, although who could blame them.

Baseball is on the verge of losing a generation of fans who don’t mind shelling out big bucks for NFL or NBA games, but aren’t quite willing to do so with 81 home baseball games on the schedule.

I agree with this 100%. And, I am happy to see someone write about this issue. It bothers me, too, every time I see all those empty seats.

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Good read on these two from Neil Best.

H/T to Mike Silva.

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Last night, I saw the Somerset Patriots host the Bridgeport Bluefish. The Pats won by a score of 6-3. 

Bill Pulsipher got the win for the Patriots – allowing just one run on one hit during his 6 2/3 innings on the mound. Yes, it was that Bill Pulsipher.  Hey, give the guy credit for hanging in there.

Former Yankees farmhand Willie Upshaw is the manager of the Bluefish. And, former Yankees Angel Berroa plays for him – but was not in the game last night.

Former 1999 National League Rookie of the Year Scott Williamson closed out the game for Somerset.  Yes, it was that Scott Williamson who saved three games for the Red Sox against the Yankees in the fabled 2003 ALCS.  Another, hey, give the guy credit for hanging in there.

Of course, when you see the Pats play, you’re always going to see Jeff Nettles and Sparky Lyle.

My buddies and I sat in the third row, behind home plate.  The tickets were $10.50 each.  We bought them 15 minutes before the game started at the box office.  Oh, and, the cost for parking was $2.

If you’re ever in the area, I suggest heading over to TD Bank Ballpark and checking out a game there. I’ve been doing it for years now. (It’s been at least ten years – maybe twelve?) It’s a fun baseball time, with major league ties, at a cost nowhere near what it is in the big leagues.

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I’d rather watch boxing in a movie than watch a true boxing match. And, I’ve probably only seen a handful of boxing matches in my entire life. In fact, if they outlawed boxing tomorrow, I wouldn’t think twice about – much less shed a tear.

That all said, as a 48-year old, it’s always cool to see a 46-year old do something major in professional sports – no matter what the contest is…

And, yes, I just  caught the last few rounds of this one on HBO, once the Yankees blew their game open in the 7th today.

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Some story, huh?

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I got to see the phenom, in person, in Lakewood this evening. Here’s my reaction, some pictures, and a story.

(more…)

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Via TV Squad -

It’s that time of year again, the upfronts, when TV networks decide which shows live and which shows die. This year Fox has become the first network to announce which shows are being culled, and it’s bad news for Christian Slater. Again…

Fox announced that it’s cancelling five of its live action shows: ‘Human Target,’ Lie to Me,’ ‘The Chicago Code,’ ‘Traffic Light’ and ‘Breaking In.’ It also dropped the ax on some of its drama pilots, including the much talked-about ‘Locke & Key’ and ‘Exit Strategy.’

Angry fans turned to Twitter to vent as the news broke late Tuesday, with ‘Human Target’ fans being among the most vocal. In fact, according to THR, they tweeted so vociferously that the show became a Top 10 trending topic.

After a promising start in its debut season ‘Human Target’ faltered, and it had seemed ripe for cancellation last year. However, it was instead given a radical overhaul with the addition of new central characters, together with a new showrunner and a change of direction. It wasn’t enough: Season 2 never really caught fire and it steadily shed viewers as it progressed.

Similarly, procedural drama ‘Lie to Me’ was also in danger last year but limped on. Its cancellation has been a double whammy for its former showrunner, Shawn ‘The Shield’ Ryan, who left in 2010 to work on ‘Terriers’ (cancelled after one season) before moving on to helm ‘The Chicago Code.’ Which has now also been cancelled after one season …

I’m a big fan of Human Target and a fan of Lie to Me. So, I’m pissed over this news. Heck, I’m still annoyed about them pulling the plug on Sarah Connor.

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Six years ago today, my book was published.

I’ve been writing about baseball publically since 1997.  That’s a long time.  And, very often, today, I look back at things that I’ve written in the past and think “Good grief, I wish I knew what I know now, back in 1999, because I never would have written that!” or “I look like an idiot for writing that back when I did!”

However, I am still proud of my book.  Sure, there may be a few things that I would change, add or remove from it, today, if I were doing it over.  But, as it stands. I still believe that it’s an entertaining read and a fun, thought-provoking, offering that most baseball fans would enjoy.

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No, I’m not giving it away. And, I’m not selling it. But, I’d be willing to consider a trade – this blog in exchange for a wallet made of Chupacabra leather. If you’re interested, let me know.

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This is a follow up on my “Love of Glove” story from three years ago.

This season and last year, I’ve pulled an oldie out of my collection for when I’ve been working with my kids and their Little League teams.  Here it is below:

Model: Rawlings 8526 – “Robin Yount” signature
Estimated Date of Purchase: 1986
Marking on outside thumb: “Edge-U-cated Heel”
Marking on inside pinky: “The Finest In The Field!”
Markings inside pocket: “Deep Well Pocket” and “Hinged Pad”

Comments: Yes, I “modifed” this one with a sharpie – back in the day – making it two-toned. Hey, it’s what the big leaguers were doing back then – before you could buy them in black and brown.

My son, who is now seven, is starting to catch up to me in the glove collection game. He’s had three of them so far. Here they are below:

As always, click on the thumbnails to enlarge the image.

xxxx

His first one was a Wilson AD425 EX 95 “T-Ball” Model. I think we found it in Marshalls. After that, he used the Rawlings JD10B “Alex Rodriguez” model. In terms of style, it’s a real mini-me version of my Rawlings 8526 model. The diffence, of course, is that his came in all black whereas mine was modified. We got that one in Modells last year. And, this season, he started using a Wilson A450 model. It is not a signature model – but, it came with a tag saying that it was endorsed by David Wright. (I suspect they don’t name these so that they can tag them in different areas with different players.) He saw it in Target and insisted on getting it. Maybe he wanted one like the model I’ve been using the last two years – meaning a two-tone look?

Of course, he’s killing me with an A-Rod model and now a somewhat David Wright model. Then again, it could be worse. At least it’s not a Jose Reyes model or a Kevin Youkilis glove.

I still can’t believe the one that I’ve been rocking these last two years is like a quarter-century old. Granted, it wasn’t used all that much for close to 18 of those years. But, it’s still serving me well. I do have some others in the collection that I could dig out one day. And, I have a feeling that I’m going to need a sturdy catcher’s mitt in my near future. My son’s starting to get his pitching mechanics down and I may need that soon.

Yadier Molina is a Rawlings guy, I think? Maybe I’ll check out one of his models. I’ve always been partial to Rawlings.

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So, looking, forward, to this one.

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Happy 80th, Captain K!

(more…)

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Have you read “Sabermetrician In Exile“?  Oh, my, what a story…

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…do me a favor and win it before you start acting like you’ve already won it, OK?

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a fan, either way. I grew up a football Giants fan. But, today, I could barely name five players on the team and can’t remember the last time I watched a Giants game on TV. So, this is not a Giants fan complaining. The Jets? I’m not rooting for them or against them – because I have no interest in them, really.

But, good heavens, over the last week or so, listening to Jets fans has been…well…let’s just say it’s been an earful of cocky, and then some.

Perhaps it’s better to actually win the thing before you put yourself into a coma with the chest-thumping, eh?

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In the late 1980′s, a lot of people told me that I looked like Peter Scolari. And, I totally got that – really, I did. And, then, in the early 1990′s, I had more than a few people tell me that I looked like Harrison Ford. That didn’t bother me, I took it as a compliment. (Around 1989-90, once, at a party, a girl – who was a bit buzzed at the time – told me that I looked like Tommy Lee Jones. After I asked her if that was an insult, she said “Oh, no…he’s totally hot!)

When I got older, and lost my hair, the Scolari/Ford thing petered out. And, then, people started telling me that I looked like Gerald McRaney. This was in the mid-90′s after Major Dad had its run on TV. That’s was OK. I laughed it off most of the time. Later, after I shaved off my mustache, and with what little hair left on my head shaved close, some people started telling me that I looked like Bruce Willis. And, that was cool – as far as I was concerned.

In any event, today, I met someone for the first time ever – in a professional setting, no less. He introduced himself and then I told him who I was, in return. And, the very next words out of his mouth were “Has anyone ever told you that you look like actor Paul McCrane?”

Paul McCrane?

Really?

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Day two of the new year. And, if you’re looking to improve on your condition in 2011, I highly recommend Tony Horton’s new book – or, if you’re really at ground zero, something like a freebie program such as Couch to 5K.

Just get moving, more, and, go easy on the Homer Simpson food.

It’s your health. Take care of it. No one else will do it for you.

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So, we’re having another blizzard today, huh? Contrary to what some other bloggers and twitter-mongers would like you to believe, I’m not old enough to remember the Blizzards of 1888 and/or 1947. But, I do remember these notable storms:

The Storm of the Century, aka, the Great Blizzard of 1993 (March 12–13, 1993)
Storm of February 1994 (February 8-9 & 11, 1994)
Blizzard of 1996 (January 7-8, 1996)
President’s Day Storm 2003 (February 17, 2003)
Storm of February 2006 (February 11-12, 2006)
Storm of February 2010 (February 25-26, 2010)

The first two here elicit strong memories. In 1993, I had to walk a mile in the blizzard to go to a pharmacy, as my wife was sick and needed a prescription. And, then I had to walk a mile in it, again, to get back home. And, the storm in 1994 caused drifts so high that I couldn’t use the front door at my (then) house for a while. The President’s Day Storm 2003 is one I’ll always remember too. After they plowed the streets on that one, the snow on my sidewalk was over three feet high. I remember being out there, looking up and down the street, and seeing that all my neighbors were not shoveling their walks – and only doing their driveways. So, I thought “Screw it, I’m not doing mine either.” And, the next day, the county came by and gave me a summons for not clearing my sidewalk. Lesson, learned.

How about you? Any major storms/blizzards in the New York City area stand out to you, more than some others?

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I had an interesting/strange dream last night. The Yankees were playing the A’s in the ALDS and were down, two games to none. It was the top of the 9th inning in Game 3, at Oakland, where the A’s were leading the Yanks, 2-1, with two outs and no one on base.

Yup. We’re talking post-season death’s door here. New York down to its last out of the year.

However, Derek Jeter was up and he singled to reach base.

Lance Berkman was the next batter. (Yeah, don’t ask me why. I know he’s not on the team now. But, dreams cannot be controlled, right?) Berkman hit a sharp worm-killing grounder right at the A’s first baseman. It should have been an easy three-unassisted out at first, to close the game and give the A’s a sweep in the ALDS. However, the ball hit the first baseman squarely on his right spike – he was a left-handed thrower, for what it’s worth – and then it violently ricocheted towards the shortstop position, scooting past the Oakland shortstop, to his left, and into left field.

Jeter was running on the play and made it to third, easily. And, Berkman, somehow, sneaked into second, by a whisper, giving New York the tying run on third and the potential winning run on second, also in scoring position, albeit with two outs.

Mark Teixeira was up next and promptly banged the first pitch for a hit. It was a liner over the third baseman’s head. Jeter scored easily and Berkman also came around to score, giving the Yankees a 3-2 lead.

I don’t remember how the Yankees inning ended, if I even dreamt that part at all. But, the next thing I remember was Mariano Rivera closing out the bottom of the 9th inning to give the Yankees the win.

As non-Angelina Jolie dreams go, I have to say, it was pretty damn exciting. (Don’t ask me how the ALDS ended, I didn’t dream that part.) The whole thing had a 2001 ALDS Game 3 feel to it, for sure.

In any event, what better segue to say: May all your holiday dreams come true this season! Have a great one.

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One of my buddies – who’s a really good guy and a big baseball fan – has a daughter (Allison Raskin) who is competing in an American Idol like stand-up comedy competition run by the Laugh Factory in LA.

Click here to check her out. And, please consider voting for her. Oh, and, by the way, the rules allow for one vote a day – so, you can hit this up on other days too.

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Hey, you don’t see this everyday!

Next one is in 2094? Hey, isn’t that also the last year of A-Rod’s contract?

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I’ve mentioned this several times in the past. From 1978 to 1992, I was really into the NFL thing – and a pretty huge Giants fan. I watched the games every week and sweated out the big ones. But, after that time, I basically stopped watching pro-football. Since then, I’ve gone to a couple of Jets’ games, with a friend who has season tickets. And, I still watch the Superbowl each year – but, that’s just about the one and only football game that I watch on TV each season. I’ve just become disenchanted with the NFL.

Yet, I couldn’t help but notice what the Giants did today. Right up there with “The Fumble” and Flipper Anderson.

Wow.

I can’t even think of how to put this in a Yankees perspective. Obviously, it’s not as bad as the 2004 ALCS. But, it’s pretty bad. My condolences to the Big Blue fans out there. Man, the last two Decembers have not been kind in Giantsville.

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