Teamwork and Accountability
We can dish out blame for last night’s Devils playoff loss all over the place: the inconsistent referees, the fact that Kovulchuk skated like he’s got a “lower body injury” (groin, hamstring, torn back), DeBoer’s line shuffles that accomplished nothing, Marty’s decision to play the puck without looking at the forecheckers, Volchenkov once again managing [...]
Feeling Old On A Friday Night
Bily Crystal wrote in 700 Sundays that he felt old when Mickey Mantle died, his first childhood hero’s death forcing him to deal with mortality. I felt the same way when Willie Stargell died in 2001, on the very day that the more-than-lifesize statue of him was to be unveiled at the new Pittsburgh baseball [...]
Celebrating With Willie Stargell
In his book 700 Sundays, Billy Crystal remarks that he finally felt like an adult the day that his boyhood hero Micky Mantle died. Six years ago, I had a similar experience: as the Pittsburgh Pirates prepared to open the new PNC Park for their home opener, Hall of Famer and personal boyhood hero Willie [...]
Hot Times in the Igloo
Went to the Penguins-Canadiens game Thursday night (2/1) in the Igloo in Pittsburgh. Work related, not purely for fun, although it was a fun game. The Igloo is a complete toilet by most standards of modern ice hockey arenas. The ceiling is low and domed, there are a scant few luxury boxes, there is exposed [...]
Elias Signs, Everybody Dances
Patrik Elias just demonstrated everything that I have wanted to ever teach about sportsmanship and loyalty. He signed with the Devils for $42M over 7 years, netting him a cool six million a year. While it’s a nice jump over where he is now, you have to frame it within two endpoints: during Elias’ first [...]
Remembering The Goofy Stuff
Jose Reyes hit for the cycle tonight. My son and I saw the triple, which made him 3-3 and left Reyes only a single away from accomplishing the feat, and then we managed to catch his single that put him on this list of rare accomplishments. What other baseball statistical class includes Willie Stargell, Honus [...]
Links, Communities and Cycles
Tonight’s post-Mets game quiz question: What baseball statistical community includes Stan Musial, Joe DiMaggio, Yaz, Honus Wagner, Willie Stargell and Ted Williams, but excludes Barry Bonds, Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth and every single Yankees player since 1996? Answer: Players who have hit for the cycle, collecting one hit of each type in a game. Hitting [...]
Lucky 13
It’s been 13 months since I started blogging. I’ve discovered old friends (who have discovered me online). I’ve found interesting Google page-ranking algorithm effects that cause my blog to show up in the most amusing searches. I’ve received emails from Willie Stargell’s niece, from Rick Wakeman (of Yes keyboard fame), and from a friend of [...]
Building a community, one email at a time
I have Willie Stargell in action figure form, posing in front of my blog entries under construction. I’m not a big collector of any kind of action figures, but when your boyhood idol comes out in the Kenner 4-inch form factor, sometimes you have to bend the rules. And now Stargell’s batting pose is a [...]