A Look Forward… From Backwards

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1. Haha, in 2013, I would’ve 100% agreed with you on Kemp. Even before 2013, I thought he was on track to become the greatest LA Dodger hitter of all time (a path Piazza was on until we stupidly traded him, or Beltre was on before we stupidly let him go)

   1. Kemp never got on my radar and then all of a sudden he was a stud. By then it was too late for me say I suspected greatness. Piazza was on my radar from A ball. I would say Piazza, Beltre, Martinez, and Sax are four Dodgers that should have been life long Dodgers. Martin as well.

      I would have predicted Loney would have had a better career but at least he was a Dodger for quite a few years. Loney and Pederson are my last too players that I have rooted the most for.

      Bobby, looks like you were not into Westerns. So today, maybe we can talk about something you are an expert in. Raisins lower blood pressure and improveheart health. Studies have shown that daily consumption may significantly lower blood pressure, especially when compared to eating other common snacks, making them one of the better natural remedies for high blood pressure.

      1. haha thanks for the bp advice. I do love raisins (maybe it’s the 5 years I spent in Fresno?)

         I wasn’t into westerns as most were made before I was born. The shows from the 60s that I did watch were Gilligan’s Island, Batman, Gentle Ben, and Flipper. And none of them were remotely close to Westerns!

2. Thank you for the in-depth report, Evan. It is always interesting to look back to see what was predicted then and what happened now. I agree with you on Greinke, one of my favorites WHEN he was a Dodger. I think he will be in the front office in the future with someone. Glad to see you were really close on predictions for Kershaw, Seager And Jansen. Will forgive you for Kemp and Puig.

3. Fun article. Did you write these predictions down at the time? I know your Puig prediction didn’t come to pass, but I saw him play in his last game as a Chattanooga Lookout when I was living in Mobile, AL, and thought he might be another Roberto Clemente. He looked so good early on. Too bad his career isn’t what it might have been. I’m sitting here with three different Puig t-shirts in my dresser which I don’t wear anymore. Oh, well, I picked up a Cody Bellinger shirt as my go- to as well as an old Manny #99.

4. I was never a Kemp fan, even in his very good years.

   1. B1439 – has the same feelings with Puig. Didn’t ever see him as a team man – more of a distraction.

      Guess that’s how it’s panned out looking at the lack of interest in him as a FA.

5. I suck at prognostication so therefore I do not even try. As for Matt Kemp, it is funny how one incident can derail a career. For Kemp, it was a hard meeting with the left center field fence at Coors Field in 2012. Up until that moment, Kemp was on a pace to absolutely crush the numbers he put up in 2011. He was hitting above .350. Playing a solid CF. stealing bases, and providing power. After the crash, he went on the DL and was out for quite a while. He missed 56 games. He still managed to hit .303 with 23 homers. In 2013 mostly due to injuries, he had an awful season. He had 2 different surgeries. In 2014, he staged a comeback of sorts. He played in 150 games, had 25 homers and 89 ribbies and hit a solid .283. A good year, not quite beast mode like. He was then traded to the Padres and had decent numbers while playing 150 or more games over the next 2 years. He drove in 100 runs both seasons and in 2016 hit 35 homers. Injuries plagued him in 2017, and then he was traded back to LA> He was not expected by anyone to make the opening day roster. But he did, as a starter and the Dodgers were lucky to have him because with Seager out, and various other injuries, his stellar first half kept them close in the race. In the first 92 games he hit .310 with 15 homers and 60 ribbies. And until they got Machado just after the all star game, he was their main source of power from the right side. He did not fare as well the second half, and tailed off a bit. But he hit .339 in Sept when they needed him the most with 3 HR’s and 16 Ribbies. He only got 10 at bats in the World Series, but hit their first homer at Boston. So no matter what you might think of Matt Kemp, through most of his career as a Dodger he played very good baseball. The little snit about moving from CF notwithstanding, he was solid. In 10 years as a Dodger he had a .292 average and 203 HR’s. Numbers some of the other players can only see in their dreams. I liked Kemp, always will. I think he did a great job as a Dodger and gave us some really great memories. Only seeing the bad in a player can make your vision of the game very narrow. One little incident, changed a career. Another Dodger CF had the same kind of misfortune, Pete Reiser. Pete ran face first into the CF wall in St Louis chasing a ball hit by Enos Slaughter. He was never really the same. He was hitting .350 at the time, and only missed 4 games, but tailed off hitting .244 the rest of the way. He was carted off the field a record 11 times. He even fractured his skull once, and still made the throw back to the infield. Durocher once said of Reiser, he had more power than Willie Mays, all of the tools to be a superstar except luck. A little luck, and Kemp may have won a couple of MVP’s. We will never know.

   1. Good synopsis Bear. I too always liked Kemp. In addition to running into the wall, it was about this time that Colletti decided to publicly bash Kemp in favor of his hero, Jeff Kent. It was after that, when Kemp started to display a more outward attitude of displeasure. Before his injury, he was among the best!

      1. Kemp got into an argument with Kent. Who I never really cared for anyway. Kent was disdainful and said the kid did not respect the game, Kemp being a brash kid fired back. Colletti had Kent when he was a Giant, so he had a soft spot for him. But Kent’s Dodgers never came close to being as good as the Dodgers were when Beast Mode was in full bloom. In his 4 seasons as a Dodger, 2005 to 2008, Kent never came close to matching the numbers he put up in SF. Some think Kent is a HOF 3rd baseman, but I think he is a bubble choice. If he does get in it will be one the strength of his 366 career dingers. He never won a gold glove.

6. I lost no sleep over Kemp… Why?? Can’t really point to anything… The wall and Rihanna also took it’s toll…
   Puig…Wish the controversy would end… I haven’t seen such God given go to waste… (Carlos Bernier and Johnny Werhas come to mind)
   I know I’m practically alone with this, but when Piazza let it be known to the media that he felt embarrassed and disrespected by the contract he was offered by the Blue, I wasn’t sad he left…
   Beltre was a HUGE mistake…
   Jaysen Werth… wished that they would have given him a year more to get over his injury woes..

   1. The trouble with the Piazza trade was that it was not made by baseball people. Fred Claire had no idea what was going on. The entire trade was orchestrated by FOX employees. Claire had no idea he was traded until after the announcement. Pretty much ended Claire’s effectiveness as a GM. Beltre was also a home grown kid, and had a monster year in 2004. Here is the kicker, he never in his career approached those lofty numbers again. In 7 years in a Dodger uni, he was good, but not what you would call superstar stuff. Same thing in his 5 years in Seattle. Boston had him for a season and got a bargain. He had a stellar season and turned that into another long term deal, this time with Texas. Texas is where Beltre shined. He put up his best career numbers there. Hit over 30 HR’s 4 time while he was a Ranger and gave them excellent defense at 3rd. There was no way the Dodgers were going to match the contract he got from the Mariners. And in retrospect, they did not get the production they felt they should be getting from a player being paid that much. Would he have come close to his 2004 numbers had he stayed in blue. I do not think so. Dodger Stadium is still a pitchers park.

      1. Bear, the Mariner’s park was more pitcher friendly however and Hr’s in 2019 were up everywhere. But even with that, there were combined total of 246 HR’s hit at DS last year. So it’s not the pitcher’s park it once was.

         1. That is more on the ball than the pitchers. Dodger Stadium was rated 24th in the league for run scoring. Coors field was # 1. Everyone knows the ball was juiced last year. Back when Beltre signed with the Mariners, they were still at Safeco Field. They did not hit many HR’s in 2005, Beltre’s first year, but the Dodgers were not that great hitting dingers in 05 either. We are talking 2005, not 2019. Beltre was good, but not great as a Mariner. He did bring great defense, but they got the bulk of their offense elsewhere. He had a couple of 5 WAR years there, and was very steady. But come on, he was not a superstar by any stretch. Ichiro was the star on those teams. Who by the way did not hit all that many HR’s anyway.

            1. Of course Beltre did not have his greatest years in Seattle and yes the ball was different so to speak. But ya must admit that many players appear to really step it up in their walk years. I was well aware that 2005 was a year Dodgers were a sub .500 team as well. But credit to Dodger pitching that contributed to DS being 24 th in the league for run scoring and if I recall Dodgers lead the league for team runs scored. It is amazing to note that the pitching staff allowed 185 HR’s last year, the fewest in the NL. How times have changed? If Dodgers had served up that many about a decade or 15 years ago that might have been at or near the top of HR’s allowed. As far as Beltre’s years go as was said his best years were in Texas with of course the exception of 2004 with Dodgers.

   2. Boy, there’s a blast from the past Peter. I remember some great afternoons at Gilmore Field here in L.A. watching Carlos Bernier play for the Hollywood Stars back in the mid 50’s.

      1. I saw a couple of games there as well.

7. My dad was a die hard Wrigley Field/Angel fan … Going to Gilmore Field for the Holly wood Stars was just not going to happen..

   1. I saw the Angels play a game there their first year in the league. Played the Tigers. Vic Wertz hit a ball that is probably still in orbit. Albie Pearson was their CF that game. If I remember right, Ryne Duren pitched an inning of relief. As was his MO, his first warmup went to the backstop. Probably scared the hell out of everybody. Big news in LA today is the Rams releasing Gurley. Some Ram fans pretty incensed about that.

   2. Seemed like the Angels and Steve Bilco were on TV every Sunday. How about those Orange County Rhinos.

      1. Bilko was a PCL legend. Spent a little time in a Dodger uni. His 1959 Topps card shows off his biceps. I think his were almost as big as Kluzewski’s, That guy was scary. He would wear the sleeveless jersey’s even when the team did not have any. Big part of the Chi Sox 11-0 win in game one of the 59 Series.

8. So far, 2 Lakers have been tested positive for the virus.

9. Chris Sale to have TJ!

10. Rumor at the time was that Duren’s glasses could be substituted at our local observatory.
    He would take those suckers off to clean and batters could be heard mumbling prayers.

    1. The thing was with Duren that not only did he have those specs, but he threw 95 plus, and was wild. Easy for a hitter to become jelly legged up there. A lot of history torn down now. Gilmore and Wrigley are nothing but faded memory’s. Dodger Stadium is the 3rd oldest stadium in the majors behind Fenway and Wrigley. Players rarely play their entire careers with the same team anymore. There will be an exception now and then, looks like Trout will be a lifelong Angel, and Kersh will probably never wear a different uni. But those days are long gone. It is all about launch angle and spin rate. The stats I grew up memorizing have been trivialized. The Hall of Fame will have to come up with a different approach to what makes a player HOF worthy. There will be few pitchers who will get 200 wins, let alone 300. Cy Young’s 511 will never fall, neither will Bonds HR mark, Another mark that is safe is Ricky Henderson’s career steal’s mark. I doubt anyone even approaches .400 again. But remember how exciting it was when Tony Gwynn was chasing that some years ago. The game has changed a lot. More analytical approach to signing players. Pitch framing, it is all different. But one thing is constant. It is still a travesty that Gil Hodges is not in the hall.

11. A couple of notes. Giants pitcher Beede also to have TJ surgery. Players still being optioned to the minors as business goes on. Here is something I found interesting, Betts needs 102 days of service time to qualify for free agency. What was once a given is now not so sure. More than likely the players assn and MLB are going to have to reach some sort of an agreement over that. I will also keep some rookies from becoming super 2’s. Bud Black say’s he is open to double headers to make up games. Another thing the league and the players assn will have to hash out. There was a list of the top 25 centers of all time in the NBA on yahoo. 3 Lakers were 1-2-3. Jabbar, Chamberlain, and Shaq. 3 other Lakers were in the top 11. George Mikan, Bob McAdoo, and Dwight Howard.

    1. As if MLB and the player’s association didn’t have enough to hash through before the agreement expires in winter 2021, now they’ll have to come to an agreement about service time/free agency. That’s a very important issue for both sides so I don’t think an agreement will be all that easy to reach. They may wait until they have a better idea of when play will resume before sitting down. That would certainly factor into any solution.

12. US Water Systems is still open. No one is sick. We have two people working from home because they are high risk.

    Here’s our industry’s stance:

    Open Letter on WQA member essential products and services

    An Open Letter from the Water Quality Association on

    Life Sustaining Essential Products and Services During the COVID-19 Pandemic Crisis and

    Shelter-in-Place Directives

    March 20, 2020

    The Water Quality Association (WQA) and its more than 2,500 member companies work to ensure that homes and businesses throughout America, including health care facilities, nursing homes and dialysis centers, have access to quality drinking water and in many cases purified water.

    In responding to the COVID-19 crisis, water treatment professionals, manufacturers, deliverers and service providers of point-of-use and point-of-entry (POU/POE) water treatment products and home and business delivered bottled water are incorporated into many designations and categories (and governmental announcements and directives) for products and services deemed “essential” due to the critical products and services they provide and their role in safeguarding America’s drinking water.

    For so many citizens in the United States, whether rural, suburban or urban, such products and services are life sustaining, basic and fundamental – the very essence of “essential.” These products and services are a must have, like electricity and working plumbing. Consider the following:

    Some small public water systems rely on POU/POE treatment systems for compliance to the Safe Drinking Water Act
    The food and beverage industry relies on POU/POE treatment systems to meet their quality requirements
    Restaurants rely on POU/POE treatment systems throughout their stores (coffee, beverages, protection of kitchen appliances, etc.)
    Most if not all, bottle water production requires water treatment prior to bottling
    Many manufacturing processes require POU/POE treatment systems in order to achieve the specific water quality needed for processes and formulations
    The pharmaceutical industry requires extremely high-quality water
    Medical clinics and hospitals require POU/POE treatment devices (e.g., dialysis equipment, Legionella treatment devices, highly purified water, protection of sensitive equipment, etc.)
    Even for consumers on municipal water, POU/POE systems are helping to protect public health by serving as a Final Barrier against unexpected contamination events
    These systems must be maintained, or they will no longer work to protect public health
    Denying consumers access to these products and services will only escalate the panicked rush on bottled water
    Hydration is vital as we fight this illness
    Some consumers have medical conditions that dictate special water-quality requirements
    Some people who suffer from eczema need a very high-quality water for bathing and showering
    CPAP users need access to purified water
    If the drinking water treatment systems are not maintained, warranties on certain products and systems will be voided, and these devices will be damaged or even stop working altogether
    Furthermore, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued advisory guidance to state, local, and tribal officials on March 19 regarding the designation of essential employees who are necessary to maintain critical infrastructure and public works. In that guidance, DHS advises that governmental authorities designate manufacturers of public health equipment and “employees needed to operate and maintain drinking water and wastewater/drainage infrastructure” as “essential”. In addition, it identifies as “essential” those “workers such as plumbers, electricians, exterminators, and other service providers who provide services that are necessary to maintaining the safety, sanitation, and essential operation of residences.” WQA agrees with those recommendations. Text of DHS guidance can be found here.

    It is for these reasons that water treatment professionals, manufacturers, deliverers and service providers of point of use and point of entry water treatment products and home and business delivered bottled water are “essential” and their associated employees are “essential employees.”

    Thank you for all your effort to combat the coronavirus pandemic and support American families and businesses.

    Pauli Signature

    Pauli Undesser
    WQA Executive Director

13. Very informative letter, Mark. I agree water treatment is essential to good health for the reasons stated in letter. Water is gold, we need to protect it.

14. A sad day for me. Last night Kenny Rogers passed away at 81. One of the few who had multiple hits across different genre’s of music, he was one of those singers who’s voice was so distinctive that you knew who was singing the moment you heard the song. One song spawned 5 TV movies, and a movie was also made of another of his tunes. The Gambler, and Coward of the County. I have done his songs on stage so many times. I had done Lucille so much, that a friend of mine and me made up a parody of the tune just to keep it from not being monotonous. He had not had a chart topping song since 1999, but continued to record and tour up until 2018 when he started having health issues. He along with Haggard, Jennings, Alabama, and a few others shaped the kind of music I loved to perform. RIP Kenny. Your music will always inspire me.

    1. “Coward of the County” is my favorite. My favorite Waylon Jennings song might surprise people. It is, “The Days of Sand and Shovels”, which was probably released around 1970. Roy Drusky had a parallel song , “Jody and the Kid”, I listen to quite often.

       Kenny Rogers had a concert here in our little town a few years ago perhaps in his farewell tour. Linda Davis was with him.

15. Report on Yardbarker says the union is wanting full service time even if the 2020 season is cancelled. This is going to get nasty.

    1. According to Ken Rosenthal and Joel Sherman (MLBTR), ” the union will not seek a full season of service for every player if the 2020 campaign is canceled… in the event there is no 2020 season, the union has proposed for players who totaled a certain, unknown number of service days in 2019 to garner a full year…the union’s hope is that everyone who tallied at least 60 days in 2019 will earn a full year of service time this year. The league countered with an offer of 130 days in 2020 or ‘that proportional service would be given’ if there are fewer days this season…” I am still hoping for a shortened regular season (even if only 80 games), even if played in empty stadiums located in Florida and Arizona, and televised without blackouts.

       1. Betts needs 102 days to qualify. I just hope there is some sort of season. I want to see what that guy can bring to a very talented team. I am also thinking that this thing is getting better at least here in the US. People are listening and doing the right thing, now if we could only get some TP into the stores, we would be better. Our building here is pretty much on shut down mode.

          1. Betts is a special player who I am hoping will be a Dodgers for many years. Seems like people are finally heeding the advice of experts and avoiding public gatherings. Most of our local markets are getting back to normal, with more food, and supplies. Wife and I have “hunkered down” for last couple of weeks as we are both in the high risk category. Stay safe and well.

16. I have that movie on blu ray disc. Very well done and Christian Bale does a fine job playing the officer in charge. I have always liked Wes Studi who played the chief they were returning to his native lands, and Adam Beach who was his son. We have not had any confirmed cases in my small town, and so far only 1 death in the state. An elderly lady in Colorado Springs. My illness turned out to be something totally unrelated, so I am thankful for that. I am feeling a lot better too. I still check on MLBtraderumors.com. There has been a lot of player movement as some are optioned out. 2 Padres pitchers to also have TJ surgery. I remember how revolutionary it was when John had it as a Dodger. It sure managed to lengthen his career.

17. 79 cases out of a population of 6.7 million doesn’t tell us much Mark until we are told how many people have been tested. That’s the important ratio: cases/number tested.

    1. Thank you. 79 REPORTED cases as opposed to real cases, which I’d be willing to bet is a tad more than 79.

       It’s like saying “oh this dude had 150 hits!!” What we don’t know is, did he have 150 hits in 400 at bats or in 2000 at bats?

18. Kenny Rogers’ music is some of the very first music in English I recall ever hearing. He was one of the very best. And one of the first to really cross over to mainstream.

19. So sad to hear of Kenny Rogers. Being a romantic, some of my favorites were Lady, She Believes In Me and Islands In The Sun.

    1. I have always loved doing his music. One of my all time favorites and was also my CB handle when I was driving a truck was Sweet Music Man. Great song. His ballads always touched a nerve. Lady is a beautiful song, as is she believes in me. Islands In the Stream with Dolly Parton is a classic. Back in the day when I was playing at a bar in Carson, the band I was with did a skit to Lucille. I played the husband since I was pretty big at the time. Wore torn jeans, a straw farmers hat, and a piece of twine for a belt. It was pretty funny.

    2. Oops, Mark, I meant Islands In The Stream, not Sun. Thank you.

20. Do you have any of your music on YouTube, Bear? If so, could you post it on here? I, with others on this blog, I am sure, would love to hear it.

    1. No, I have never posted there. But, a friend of mine has his own webpage, and a couple of songs I wrote are on there. garyandmaureenshoe.com. When the page comes up it will say songs. Put the pointer on there and then it says Arroyo music. pick that and you will see Bear Tracks….click on that and my 2 original tunes are shown. One is Don’t Look Down on Me, a song I wrote for homeless vets, and the other is Satisfied. One of my first tunes I wrote many many years ago.

       1. Will do. Thank you Bear.

          1. Your welcome.

       2. Bear,

          You may not know this but I have always liked you and your comments a lot. To hear your music just blows me away! None of us know what others have been through, but our scars define us. I love the depth of your music.

          You are someone I would want t go to war with… or be my friend.

          Damn, that is great!

          1. Thank you Mark. I appreciate the compliment very much, and someone appreciating the music makes it even nicer. I have been at it a long time, and it is what keeps me sane in a sometimes insane world. My only regret is that I did not start doing it until after I was out of the Army. I had sung in choir in high school, but was out of the Army about a year before I got serious about music. Played in a lot of so called honky tonks. Got to perform and do shows with some stars and near stars. And my main thing was to keep learning the craft and getting better. My voice came naturally. I was born with it. I probably should have gotten some sort of voice training, but I never got around to that. I met Wes Parker at a card show in Orange County and invited him to a show I was doing at Georges Round-Up in Long Beach. He came and we had a great time. We were just chatting afterwards and I mentioned that my dream was to sing the anthem at Dodger Stadium. Wes said he would find out how that could happen. Now this was about October of 1980. He called me about 3 weeks later and told me what I needed to do. Make a cassette with 3 different versions, without music, of me singing the anthem. Then he told me to take the cassette to his dads machine shop in Santa Monica. I got it done, dropped it off and waited. Around February in 1981, got a letter from the Dodgers saying I had been selected to do the Anthem on Sept 9th 1981. They sent me a field pass, 4 box seat tickets, and a parking pass. Of course the players went on strike for a while that year, and I thought maybe they would not be back. But the strike settled in August and they came back. I got a letter from the Dodgers again confirming my performance date. So on the 9th, I went to the game. Some of my family was there and so was my girlfriend, it was her birthday. I went down in the elevator that was behind home plate and Wes met me. He took me in the dugout and introduced me to some of the players and Danny Ozark. The Dodger rep met me there and we went out to CF, where they sung the anthem back then. Fernando and Bobby Castillo were coming in from the pen and I got to shake their hands. The mic was set up when I got there and the guy asked if I wanted to warm up, and I told him no. Then the organist started the intro, and I did my thing. They take you back through the pavillion, and Frances Friedman, who was known as the garlic lady came down out of the stands to shake my hand. Then you go back under the stadium, and around the walkway past the Dodger clubhouse where Rick Sutcliffe signed the ball Wes had given me. My 2 1/2 minutes of fame. I loved it. They played the Giants that night. There were 50,000 people there. They lost the game in 10 6-3. Ron Cey got his arm broke by a pitch and would not return until the playoffs. But I got to sing the Anthem for a championship team. That they can never take away.

          2. On another note Mark. All that stuff that went on is in the past. I try to be friends with everyone. Not always successful. I am blunt, and sometimes pretty immobile on my opinions. But I do try to see the other side. I will never really be an analytics guy, but like Badger has told me many times, they are part of the game now. I still am more of an eye test fan. And I probably always will be. Since MLB.TV opened up their archives and fans can watch for free, I went back and watched a couple of games from last year. One thing I noticed, that even when a player is going well, you can still see the things that got him in trouble or caused slumps in prior seasons. Kike, who was the starting second baseman at the beginning of the year last year, still had a tendency to chase that low and away pitch even when it was so far away he had no shot at hitting it solid. Belli chasing those back foot breaking balls and Seager doing the same. It was looking like 2020 might be a special year. Now, it will be an abbreviated season at best. I wish you the best during this trying time for all of us. Be well stay safe and healthy…..and by the way…..Grandal is still a slug! LOL>

             1. 😉

             2. Steve Garvey swung at those same low and away impossible to reach pitches as well.

21. I’ve lived in NJ all my life and have been a Dodgers since the mid 50’s (among a sea of Yankees fans) There’s something thing I’ve been curious about. To all of you westerners who were baseball fans in the mid 50’s (before anyone knew that the Dodgers would be moving to LA) How did you choose which ML team you were going to root for? Was it based on which ML team had a farm team near you or was it for some other reason? Just my curiosity.

    1. I was 7 in 1954 and went back to visit my uncle in Brooklyn. He took me to my first ballgame (Dodgers vs Pirates at Ebbets Field). I was hooked and naturally the Dodgers became my favorite team. Lucky me, the team that wound up moving out here was the team I rooted for.

       1. At 6 years old I met a kid who became my best friend. We lived in Ticonderoga, NY. His older brother had been a Brooklyn fan and since “Brent” was a Dodger fan I became one. Sandy Koufax was and is my all time hero!

          1. Good choice for a hero.

          2. Good fort story at Ticonderoga. A cool place to visit.

       2. That’s great STB that you got to see a game at Ebbets Field. My dad was not into sports at all so I never got to see a game at Ebbets Field. I do remember taking my girlfriend (now my wife) to a Mets vs. Dodgers doubleheader at Shea Stadium and got to see Koufax win a run away game as the Dodgers scored 13 or 14 runs in the 1st game.

    2. I became a Dodger fan because the first game I ever saw on TV was a Dodger game. Then they moved here when I was 10.

    3. Everything west of the Mississippi was nearly owned by Cardinals who nearly owned all of the south.

22. I saw an interview with Kenny Rogers yesterday from four years ago. He said he felt that “Lady” was his favorite and “Islands in the Stream” was not far behind.

23. Growing up in Canada, I became attached to the Brooklyn Dodgers because of Sandy Koufax, Jackie Robinson, Duke Snyder, PeeWee Reese, Johnny Podres, Clem Labine and others. When I moved to SoCal, I continued to follow and root for them. Have never wavered and they have always been my favorite team.

24. I grew up a Yankees fan starting in the very early 1950’s – Mickey Mantle, Whitey Ford, Yogi Berra, et al, When the Giants arrived in San Francisco, and my father met Chris Pelekoudas and got to go into the umpires dressing room and got the autographs of Orlando Cepeda and Willie MCCovey. Since I lived in Santa Clara and actually earlier lived in Naval Housing in Hunters Point (actually it was only up to age 1 1/2) it was just natural that would become a Giants fan.
    When did the light’s finally come on and I switched allegiances?
    I met my current wife of over 45 years and her family lived in Southern California and had Season tickets. My first visit to LA I was invited to a Dodgers game. It was beautiful as was the weather and the women at the game. It sure beat Candlestick park and the even older Seals Stadium where you had to bundle up in July and where the wind blew trash through the stadium.
    Never went back to Candlestick and have been a Dodger fan for almost 50 years,

    1. You married well. I thank her for pulling you out of a sports team ditch.

       1. Thank you, I certainly believe I did.
          I mentioned an Umpire by the name of Chris Pelekoudas. He was actually a pretty interesting person.
          Pelekoudas was the home plate umpire when Willie Mays broke Jimmie Foxx’s record for homers by a right-handed batter to move into second place on the all-time home run list. He shook Mays’ hand at home; Mays biographer James Hirsch writes that Pelekoudas “quickly realized his error and turned sheepishly to the Cardinal dugout as if seeking dispensation. He later said, ‘We’re supposed to be impartial, and I suppose an umpire shouldn’t do a thing like that. But when a man reaches baseball immortality – well, I’m not sorry I did it.'”
          In 1968, Pelekoudas decided to try to enforce the rule against spitballs. With Phil Regan on the mound August 18th, Pelekoudas ruled three pitches illegal. Once he ruled a foul ball to be a ball, and twice he let batters hit again after making outs. Pelekoudas made his rulings based on the flight of the ball, not on evidence of illegal substance. NL president Warren Giles apparently didn’t back his umpire, telling umpires not to penalize pitchers unless they had concrete evidence of foreign substance.
          Chris’ brother, Perry Pelekoudas, was a minor league umpire and his son, Lee Pelekoudas currently works in the Seattle Mariners front office. Chris’ grandson Chris Pelekoudas is currently a Mariners scout, and another grandson, Bryan, works in the Arizona Diamondbacks front office.

25. Bear…..Went to your songs and listened to them both. Everyone should go to hear them. I thought both of them were wonderfully written and performed. Satisfied, if not, should have been a big big hit. I loved it. Don’t Look Down On Me, I liked also and understood the lyrics describing the shameful way the Viet Nam Vets returning home were treated. Thank you for sharing your music and keep writing and singing.

    1. Thanks, I really appreciate that. Gary Shoe did all of that off of his computer. Except the lead guitar parts. The 12 string lead on Don’t Look Down On Me was a 12 string Rickenbacker, like the Byrds Roger McGuinn used to play. The back ground vocals were done by Gary and his wife Maureen. Yeah, what happened was really shameful. Yet today all I have to do is wear my Army Veteran baseball cap, and people come out of the wood work to thank us for our service. Trying to make up for all that abuse back then maybe. Funny thing about those tunes, my voice is not what it was 20 years ago. I could really hit the high notes. Still can once in a while, you don’t sing the anthem at Dodger Stadium if you can’t belt it out. But on those two recordings, there is a lot of emotion that comes out.

26. There was a baseball game played today between two Junior College teams. The centipedes came back in the bottom of the ninth from a 10 to 0 deficit and won 14 to 10. They didn’t get a runner on base until the 9th. Asked why it took so long for them to get going and they said it took that long to get their shoes on.

    I’m already self quarantined so just cringe and take it.

    1. Love it Bums. Keep ’em coming.

27. As a very young boy living in Southern California I wanted to be outside playing. My dad watched the game of the week and always tried to get me to watch an inning or two when I ran through the house eager to get back outside.

    The Dodgers and Yankees were popular teams and my Dad liked the Dodgers. A couple of times when I watched a few innings with him, the Dodgers were playing and Duke Snider would hit a home run. I became a fan of both Duke and the Dodgers in 1953 and my best recall of players and games were from the 1955 World Series.

    I loved hearing the Gillette Blue Blade song (quickest slickest shave…) in the morning that let me know the WS was about to start. Kids got to listen to the WS at school on the radio. That was when baseball was truly America’s game.

28. To fill my time. I’m enjoying reruns of old baseball games on MLB channel. The older, the better. I would love to see an old black and white of a Koufax game. I recently watch a Yankee @ Detroit game from June of 1976 featuring a complete game by Mark Fidrych. I remember he was way quirky but but seeing him again reminded me of how quirky and how refreshing he was. I loved it. In those days anything perceived to be showing somebody up drew ire. I guess Thurman Munson especially took issue with Fidrych’s animated behavior. It would be extreme today but in 1976 talking to the ball, manicuring the mound with his hand, and talking to himself was never seen before. And wonderful. He was very much a victim of the times as well. With just 2 seasons in MiLB he became a sensation in Detroit in 76 at age 21, going 19 and 9 and winning ROY. He also logged 250 innings on that young arm something that would never happen today, thankfully. In 77 he tore cartilage in his knee shagging in BP. It’s claimed that the knee caused arm trouble but I bet the 250 innings didn’t help. It was later discovered in 85, he had a torn rotator cuff. After 76, he was 10 and 10 his last 4 years. What a shame. With today’s medical technology and innings restrictions who knows how long Mark and many others like Koufax could have pitched?
    Fidrych had a darting arm side running fastball at 93 (big stuff in 76 and average for today) and and a snappy slider with great control. I guess he had a change but i didn’t see it. That 2 pitch combo, along with his funk, would have made him a devastating closer in today’s game.
    I’m glad to have a chance to watch any baseball right now. I can’t believe how we hit back then. Lots of stride, weight shift and front foot hitting. You never saw foul balls off the ankles and feet. No ankle and elbow guards. And far fewer baseballs used.
    I’m glad to have had the chance to watch Fidrych once again. He was a treat.

    1. Check out Youtube MLB vault: Koufax pitching 7th game of 1965 WS

29. Bear, your music was outstanding. In an industry where so many untalented rise to stardom, it is unfortunate that someone with talent such as yours is overlooked. I am certain that it happens in all industries (especially music and sports), but it is still a shame when it goes unnoticed.

    I grew up during the Viet Nam era, and had a couple of friends not make it back. And many others who did make it back, but not really. I fully expected to be drafted (in 1971), and was ready to go if called, but fortunately I was never called, even though my birth date was called. I later had someone connected to the draft said that “too many” were being selected from the North Hollywood Draft Board which I believe had the most registered in the country. I grew up idolizing the military, and I was no different in that era. I got into fights because I was supportive of the soldiers fighting in Viet Nam. So thank you and to Badger and anyone else who served during that time (or any other time). Your service will always be appreciated by most. I hate getting political, but your song Don’t Look Down On Me brought back memories of the mid to late 60’s and early 70’s when the political animosity was at least as bad as it is today, and may have been worse. We will eventually get past this current animosity as we did in that era. But it is painful, and our veterans should never have been treated as they were.

    At my daughter’s wedding, since I was paying, I asked if I could have a dance with her mother akin to her first dance with her new husband. She said yes, and I had previously arranged with the DJ to queue up “Through the Years” by Kenny Rogers for that dance. It was then, and it remains today, my favorite Kenny Rogers song. And that is for someone who has just about everything he ever recorded on my iTunes. Kenny, RIP. While you may be gone, your music will last forever.

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