Thursday, June 30, 2011

hit the ball and run!

I'm watching the Giants play the Cubs right now, and am reminded of the biggest hit of my baseball playing days:

I was in my first season in the league, playing for the Braves. Okay, okay, so it was Jr. Optimist, akin to Little League, and I was in grade school. Now back to my reflection: I was playing in a game and I was at bat - and this one time I hit the ball harder than I had ever hit a ball before. I hit that ball fully square and it felt good... it felt right. And I put my head down and ran.

I rounded first base, and then kept running towards second base. And being that I had put my head down and ran from the time I hit the ball, I had no idea where I had hit it. NO idea. And luckily the kindly man that was umpiring at second base that day, and who I happened to know because he was the father of one of my teammates, said: "Congratulations Arthur! You hit a ground-rule double!"

It was a good thing he told me that. Mostly because, like I mentioned, I had no idea where I had hit the ball in the first place, and I likely would have kept running until someone tagged me out. And also, well, I've never hit a home run, ever, in my life, but a ground-rule double was a nice consolation prize! That means it must have been darn close to being a home run. Not a home run, but pretty close! Right?

Saturday, June 25, 2011

what Willie Mays would make today

So this is the story I heard:

Willie Mays, in my opinion, the greatest baseball player ever, was recently asked what he thought he would be paid (per year) if he played baseball today. And he replied, "Oh, I'd say about $300,000."

Aghast, the questioner told him, "But Willie, players nowadays are making millions of dollars!"

And Willie said, "Well, I am 80 years old!"

Friday, June 24, 2011

three picks

In yesterday's NBA draft, the Golden State Warriors selected three players: Klay Thompson, Jeremy Tyler, and Charles Jenkins. I had forgotten that in last year's draft, the Warriors sold their 2nd round pick, so this year they made up for it by purchasing an additional 2nd round pick! New ownership, indeed.

Klay Thompson was the name I was expecting to hear announced as the Warriors pick when he was still available at #11. Although one never knows for sure in drafts! But he was being mentioned as the guy the team had their eye on, as well as a favorite of Jerry West's, which is an added feather in Thompson's cap.

He too is the son of a former NBA player, Mychal Thompson, who won several championships with the Lakers some years ago. Which got me wondering if Stephen Curry's father, former NBA player Dell Curry has any kind of history (teammates, or rivals in any memorable games, etc.) with Mychal Thompson. I'll have to look that up...

Even though there is plenty of talk that Thompson plays the same position as SG Monta Ellis, and therefore increases the likelihood of Ellis being traded, I buy the explanation that Thompson strengthens the bench and Curry, Ellis, and Thompson can all make for a very strong backcourt. Besides, Curry and Ellis can't play entire games without getting some minutes of rest, especially during a long NBA season. Plus, the Warriors coaching staff and management should get at least a season to see how they mesh with each other on the court. It's still June, of course, so anything can happen.

The trade for the rights to sign Tyler (that extra second pick they purchased in the 2nd round) came as a surprise. When the Bobcats chose him originally, I was barely paying attention to what the commentators had to say about him. I wish now that I was listening; all I caught was something about how he's been around, including playing in Japan. What I've read since is exciting - he's got a lot of size and raw talent that if harnessed and developed correctly, could be the presence the Warriors have been looking for near the basket.

The Warriors' final pick in the draft got plenty of cheers from the crowd. 'What?' I thought to myself. Well, it turns out he's from Hoftstra, and there were plenty of Hoftstra supporters in the crowd, waiting to hear the name 'Charles Jenkins' announced. Reading about him too, he could well be a steal himself. We'll just have to wait and see how things all pan out. As an aside, I wonder if his nickname is 'C.J.' Back in the '70s, the Warriors had a player named Charles Johnson, whom was known as 'C.J.'

Monday, June 20, 2011

basketball draft

The NBA draft is this Thursday and although I'm not nearly as excited about this draft compared to the NFL draft, I am looking forward to it. After all, there have been some awfully important hires lately, particularly in Jerry West and new head coach Mark Jackson. The new ownership has been making big, decisive changes to the team and I can't help but look forward to big improvements.

To my knowledge, the NBA draft only goes for two rounds; I don't know if it's always been this way or for how long. As opposed to the NFL draft which lasts seven rounds (way, way down from years ago where it lasted more than ten rounds), and the MLB draft, which I hardly follow at all - draftees head to the minors first in a process that is completely different than for basketball and football. Anyway, the Warriors as it stands have the eleventh pick in the first round going in and I've only read about a handful of possibilities that are likely to be chosen. Hey, they all sound good to me. The difference this year is I expect the decision to be more spot-on than in previous years, precisely because of the new ownership and management team.

And as usual, only time will tell...

Monday, June 13, 2011

simply huckabee

There is a politician named Mike Huckabee. For the longest time, whenever I heard his name, I would think to myself that his name would sound better if it was Mick Huckabee. I didn't know why I would have that reaction. What I eventually settled on is both 'Mick' and 'Huckabee' have first vowels that are 'short.' As opposed to sounding like 'Mike' and 'Hewkabee' or 'Hughkabee,' if that makes any sense.

Then it finally occurred to me when I either heard a song by the band Simply Red, or they otherwise popped into my head. Their lead singer is named Mick Hucknall. That's it!

Perplexing, how the mind works.

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

the bench coach

In baseball, most of the coaches' titles are self-explanatory: the Hitting Coach coaches hitting; the Pitching Coach coaches pitching; the Bullpen Coach is in charge of the bullpen; etc.

Then there's the Bench Coach... ?? I could look it up, but until then I can only imagine what a Bench Coach does, and this is what I imagine a Bench Coach typically says:

"Hey, are you done sitting there? Then clean up after yourself! My bench... what a mess... were you eating sunflower seeds?"

"You two - sit up straight! Show some respect for the game."

"How rude! Now that's a disgusting habit."

"Hey, if it's so funny, then why don't you say it loud enough so everyone can hear it?"

"We'll have none of that. Go to the clubhouse... go to the clubhouse!"

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

acronyms

Tony LaRussa's Animal Rescue Foundation is nearby to where I live. And it's rather obvious that the acronym for that name was taken into account: ARF. I think it's perfect! Whenever I hear it, I imagine little puppies yelping arf! arf! arf!

Having a good acronym is important, as important as naming the business itself. Because if a business is carelessly named, the resulting acronym can be a source of embarrassment. Case in point: let's hope no one comes up with Bay Area Rescue Foundation.

I know, I know, it's a juvenile thought, but something to keep in mind nonetheless!