BASEBALL FUN

TECHNO THRILLS                                GAMEDAY I was, until  ambulance chaser Peter Angelos bought and ruined the Orioles, an avid fan.  When Angelos forced Manager Davey Johnson out, just hours before he was named American League manager of the year (1997), I quit.  I've missed nothing but a lot of grief in the ensuing years. Last year Hucker got my attention with tales of sensational play under manager Buck Showalter, and the club's return to building from below.  This enthusiasm got me to actually watch a full game.  I'm not a regular yet.  For one thing I couldn't put a name on a single position;  these guys were all strangers.   Now I  Google  "Orioles" whenever I want a quick game score.  Today when I checked, the O's were losing to Detroit 1-0.  I fiddled with some links and found this amazing deal.  It follows the game in real time, instantaneously (seemingly) showing the flight of pitches thrown, and what type of pitch it was, e.g.,  four seam fastball in the dirt.  You can at anytime listen to the radio broadcast, or watch it live. I stayed with the computer generated version.  I's amazing how drama and tension builds, and it reminded of the old days—before my time. Dutch Reagan's first job in broadcasting was doing play-by-play for the Cubs for an Iowa radio station. In those days all he had to work with were telegraphed pitch by pitch summaries sent by an agent watching the game.  He'd weave that into a commentary that took the listener into the ballpark.  That's what I thought of while this deal was running.  And best, the O's  came from behind to win 4-2.  Go to MLB.com, find the game you want and select the baseball diamond avatar.   Because player stats accompany each at-bat, it's easy to learn who these guys are.  There really is no better game than baseball.

Aging racefully

The Heartthrob “ Have you ever been guilty of looking at others your own age and thinking, surely I can’t look that old. My name is Gladys Charles, and I was sitting in the waiting room for my first appointment with a new dentist. I noticed his DDS diploma on the wall, which bore his full name. Suddenly, I remembered a tall, handsome, dark-haired boy with the same name had been in my high school class some 30-odd years ago. Could he be the same guy that I had a secret crush on, way back then?   Upon seeing him, however, I quickly discarded any such thought. This balding, gray-haired man with the deeply lined face was way too old to have been my classmate. After he examined my teeth, I asked him if he had attended Morgan Park High School. “Yes, Yes, I did. I’m a Mustang,” he gleamed with pride. “When did you graduate?”, I asked. He answered, “In 1975. Why do you ask?” “You were in my class!”, I exclaimed. He looked at me closely. Then, that ugly, old, bald,  wrinkle-faced pompous fool asked, “What did you teach???”   Francois E. ”

Lost in the fold

Oh My

Tommy Lee Smith

Coulda been Teresa Heinz. I'm just sayin

Balls and Strikes During a long rain delay, a baseball color commentator decides to kill some time by sharing a little trivia with the play-by-play announcer. "I'll bet you don't know who hit the most home runs between 1955 and 1975," the color man says. "Everyone knows that," says the announcer, "Hank Aaron." "How about who had the most RBI's between 1955 and 1975?" "Easy," says the announcer, "Hank Aaron again." "OK, here's a harder one. Know who got hit on the chin with the most balls between 1955 and 1975?" "I'm not sure on that one, but I'm guessing Hank Aaron." "Nope," says the color man, "Liberace."  Tim W

Marines hot meals lose out to Michelle's vacation allowance

More Outrage Upon Which We Shall Not Put !                                     Every weekend I'm mind-pestered by outrageous news that I noted, but never got around to commenting on.  Here's this week's outrages upon which I will not put!                                                                                                                                                            It's a hands down given  that the next Pacific naval war will be fought against China.  So what have the  Obamas done?  That's right; invited the Chi-Coms to participate in a naval exercise  held ostensibly to practice deep-sixing  their fleet.  Can you spel D-U-H? And,  even the LA Times got this right. America's China mistake As Beijing becomes more bellicose, Washington clings to the hope that military-to-military relations will somehow relieve tensions. They won't.                                                       17% (3,641 votes) Said YES;  83% (17,725 votes) Said NO!  The second thing that sent me to the liquor cabinet was this. Marines at Camp Leatherneck in Afghanistan will lose a key daily meal starting Saturday, causing some to forgo a hot breakfast and others to work six-plus hours without refueling on cooked food, according to Marines at the base and Marine Corps officials. Are you kidding? What's the first thing that came to your mind?   Was it  THIS? That's right! Finally, and this was not on my original list,  I noticed that he LAT's editorial cartoonist is Ted Rall.  TED-Freaking-Rall/  Here's some of Rall's work I clipped after 9/11.  Small wonder then that  Times thinks that enforcing the Federal immigation kaws makes you a loose cannon.   Enough said.