I BELIEVE IN THE CHURCH OF BASEBALL...

The Bullpen Gospels: A Non-Prospect's Pursuit of the Major Leagues and the Meaning of Life by Dirk Hayhurst
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This books holds no romantic illusions of baseball players. Think more of a Frat, a lot of young men in their early 20's, hoping to get through the minor leagues to the major leagues. Crude at times, funny at times, and touching in other times. To me the game is still magical and wonderful, but I try not to put too much of that on the mere humans that play the game. Some days you're the Bat and some days you're the Ball.

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Dave Niehaus taught me how to score a game

It's been more than a month since Dave Niehaus passed away. It didn't seem real to me until I saw part of the memorial on TV last Saturday.

I cried because I knew that come April I wouldn't be greeted by "Hello Everybody...."

I cried because it was so obvious how many people truly loved the man.

I cried because his family who had little time with him as it was no longer has him.

Dave Niehaus made me want to score a game, taught me to score a game. My first scorecards were crude and hand drawn on notebook paper. I consequently used MS Excel to make a scorecard I could use to keep score. I didn't like the ones that were available for purchase they were too small for me. I always fantasized about the camera zooming in on my lovingly self made scorecard and Dave marveling at my ingenuity and terrific between inning doodles.


Sometimes when they showed the booth you could see Dave's mammoth scorebook I was jealous. I would love to have looked through that book. I think the one thing that got me kind of hooked on keeping score was Dave talking about pulling down past season's books and looking through them and remembering this game or that. Like a diary.

They used to always show people in the crowd keeping score and Dave and Rick would talk about how everyone's scorecard was different. That Phil Rizzuto used to have a WW code that meant Wasn't Watching. I had a special code too SBC Sat By Caitlin, she was a chatty kid and sometimes I missed a play or 2 (or more) talking with her.
Now I have an app for my phone that I can keep score with. Which is nice...but... a little less romantic and has no room for notes or doodles.

Mr Niehaus I'm going to miss you a lot. Many a time you would talk about your childhood in Indiana and I could almost feel the hot summer heat and see the cornstalks waving in the breeze as you pulled an ear off the stalk and sunk your teeth into the fresh sweet corn of your youth.

I once rode the elevator with Dave at the Kingdome, I wanted to pull out my scorecard and have him sign it. But I'm a chicken.

Dave you've left us in the capable hands of Rick Rizzs but I'll miss you forever and always.

Library in a Mall!!

 

On my trip to Reno Darcy and I found this library in a mall...quite a grand entrance.

Sisterhood of the travelling Pets

What if we all took our pets everywhere and we expected people to be 'ready' for them.

"Hi I'm bringing my 2 cats to the party tonight, is there a room with a litter box and some water where they will be safe but still get to enjoy the party? " (also implying that if they were a good host they would have some cat treats so the cats don't feel left out of all the fun.)

Then someone will bring their pet mice and they get out of their cage and between the boa constrictor Jeff brought and my cats those mice are soon history and all the while the little yappy dog is yap yap yap yap yapping away.

Then the pit bull breaks loose from its' chain in the yard and comes in and is in a frenzy and starts chewing up the children(the cats are smart enough to get up really high out of reach). And we won't even mention the miniature horses that came and the little presents that are left every where.

Doesn't that sound like fun!!!

My Most Excellent Year: A Novel of Love, Mary Poppins, and Fenway Park by Steve Kluger


I enjoyed this book, which is told through journals, e mails and text messages of 3 High School Freshmen. But it was a rather lame way to write a book. There wasn't a lot of teen angst, but their should be a more than this!


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Dressed: A Century of Hollywood Costume Design by Deborah Nadoolman Landis

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is a great book for a movie buff. It is organized by decade and features photos of the movie stars in their costumes w/ commentary by the the actor/actress, designer or director. Just a lot of fun.



I learned that you can make "chain mail" from hemp rope and painting it silver. A chance to put those macreme skills to use for halloween ;).


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