Dodgers Blue Heaven

Thursday, August 03, 2006

Maddux Was No-No Bound

What a masterful performance by the old professor they call "Mad Dog." I am certain that if they started the game on time we would be celebrating a no hitter this evening. No doubt in my mind. Nevertheless, he still has what it takes to win and this team will benefit from his efforts. Welcome Greg!

On a side note, I firmly believe that Saito, by anchoring our relief staff, is our MVP so far. Where would we be if he was not here?

Rain Delay Musical Break

For your listening pleasure during this evenings rain delay I bring you a live concert brought to you by the Grateful Dead, Friday, June 2, 1995. This was the last show I had the pleasure and honor to see with Jerry Garcia at lead guitar. Frankly, this was the best show I had ever seen. I remember dancing in the grass section as they played "Standing on the Moon." Jerry was singing this tune with such passion I nearly had tears flowing down my face. What had me locked in was the phrase "I'd rather be here with you." I had this sudden sense that he was thanking us- all of us- for being there for him. I was thankful for that evening and I had a sense that the band was thankful to all of us. As you may know Jerry died several months later.

Flash Link:

BTW, the best online archive of live concerts can be found at Archive.org. Check it out. There are hundreds of Grateful Dead concerts, as well as, many other bands.

Update: I was checking out some of the comments from fans about this show and this one really stuck out and reflects my feelings at the time.

"There was a weird energy...and it was contemplative to say the least. This show wasn't as much of a rocker as a soul-searcher. You gotta hear it as a story instead of a party.... and during this amazing standing on the moon....Jerry closed his eyes through the entire song, never opening them from my point of view. He seemed to almost wince in pain singing this song and i know i saw an occasional tear from the corner of Jerry's eyes. He really felt this night....it was plain in his face, for all to read. He was carrying his ol' burden at this show...u could tell, and it was a deep trip. He let us out alive...but it wasn't long for him afterward. When hearing it now, i detect the warnings.....as if Jerry was saying "Yeah, you may hate this, but I know u rider....gonna miss me when i'm gone............." This show was a slice of what made the dead experience, and so often, that was not a smoking or perfect set-- It was life....full of the ups and downs that make us human. This show was equal to the 'real' Dead experience....a mountain of emotion....and not all can be pretty. Indeed, at this show, some got raw."

Let's Go Maddux!

This is the game to see. Where's my ticket... oh, it's in Cincinnati. I guess Prime Ticket will have to do. The future Hall of Famer, Greg Maddux, goes to mound tonight in his Dodger debut. For years I've wondered what he would look like in Blue and now we get to know. Enjoy his mastery. I am hopeful this spearheads the continuation of this winning streak. If there is one game you should see this year it should be this one. Go Blue!

UPDATE: NO NO NO... Not Rain!!!!!

Five and Counting

The magic of the number 5:

A Perfect Fifth is the most consonant harmony, and is the basis for most western tuning systems.
In chess, the number of first titled grandmasters.
The five senses are sight, smell, hearing, touch and taste.
Retired number of former baseball players Joe Dimaggio, Hank Greenberg, Brooks Robinson, Johnny Bench, and George Brett.
Reggie Bush, the recent Heisman Trophy Winner, wore number 5.

And who could forget the memorable line from the movie Short circuit.

"Johnny Five- Is Alive!"

I know this is a bit much, but, ya know, the couple of weeks before this winning streak had me on the verge of exploding. I just couldn't watch the last few games in that losing streak.

Now we get to see the Old Master Greg Maddux at work. Hopefully he still has some juice left in him.

Number 6 here we come.

Wednesday, August 02, 2006

"Faith Day" in Atlanta

If politics and Baseball are ingredients you would rather not have mixed please skip this post.

Bigotry of any sort pisses me off to no end. When are people gonna learn. Below is a story from Think Progress that caught my attention. I've placed it here in entirety. The Atlanta Braves did the right thing.

Focus on the Family Disinvited From Atlanta Braves’ ‘Faith Day’ Events

Last week, the Atlanta Braves became the first team in major league baseball to sponsor a post-game Christian evangelizing event called “Faith Day.” The Atlanta Journal-Constitution provided details:

The blend of big-tent evangelism and the national pastime is expected to draw thousands of new eyes. … [The event is] designed to reach out to people looking for a spiritual purpose in life. Faith Day is the first promotion of “intentional Christian ministry” in Major League Baseball.

Except the Faith Day festivities didn’t offer a “big tent.” The event was cosponsored by right-wing group Focus on the Family, which, according to their press release, used the event to distribute promotional materials about a website they run called TroubledWith.com, which features virulently anti-gay content:

Male homosexuality is a developmental problem that is almost always the result of problems in family relations, particularly between father and son. [Link]

The following factors can also contribute to the homosexual orientation: pornography; spousal abuse in the home; molestation and pedophilia… [Link]

‘Mom…I’m Gay’: The story of one woman who heard these devastating words. [Link]

Contacted yesterday by ThinkProgress, Braves spokesperson Beth Marshall said that the Braves have asked that Focus on the Family not be affiliated with the two upcoming Braves “Faith Day” events on August 13 and August 26. Marshall declined to explain what brought about the decision to exclude Focus on the Family from the future events.

Unfortunately, Focus on the Family remains a cosponsor of several other Faith Day events at baseball games this summer, which are organized by a group called Third Coast Sports. Email the CEO of Third Coast — mike@thirdcoastsports.com — and urge him to completely sever their ties with the anti-gay group.

There’s no crying in baseball, and there shouldn’t be bigotry either.