Matthew

These Dodgers, what happens to them in the post season? It always seems when things get tight, they disappear. I DO NOT LIKE THE WAY ROBERTS MANAGES EITHER, in big games he's frozen into some kind of predetermined game plan, and by heaven, nothing's going move him off that plan! Kershaw, come on, if anyone followed the Dodgers, you know that he should have come out after five innings. The idea of manufacturing runs has become a lost art for the Dodgers (and most teams), what ever happened to the idea that "little baseball" can win games? Lone gone in this day and age.

I always taught in history classes that the "classic definition" of a southern state was membership in the confederacy, has that changed now?

No, believe it or not, the St. Louis Cardinals played the St. Louis Browns(!!!???) in the 1944 World Series, I think St. Louis is considered southern, isn't it? Also, the Cards played Texas in the World Series (sorry to bring that one up JSangray!) 1944 World Series

Nice article, meditation, on the book store scene in The Big Sleep

That is sad, RIP to a great player. I was lucky enough to see the Big Red Machine in person many tines in San Diego, and that was an amazing team, with Morgan especially playing a style of game that you rarely ever saw. Plus, who can forget his homer as a Giant that put the nail into the Dodgers pennant hopes. RIP Joe.

Great performance by Rafa, Novak overmatched, to say the least. Shaking my head over the abysmal state of American men's tennis. You know it's bad when John Isner is still the top ranked USA player with Taylor Fritz and Reilly Opelka being the top "young" players.

Is the thinking that the call was made by the GM? I know the Giants operate that way, but the Yankees also? The article just dropped the point after it was made.

I love being irrational, it's in my baseball DNA.

My Whitey Ford story: I knew a man, Ken F. (RIP! He was a great guy!), who grew up in New Jersey, he was an umpire for high quality amateur baseball games in Jersey. One day, he's umping an exhibition game where some of the Yankees are playing a good semi-pro team and Whitey Ford is pitching. Something happens in the game getting Ford really pissed off, and so he starts to throw pitches "high-and-tight", if you know what I mean. Ken was the umpire behind the plate and knows what's going on. So he goes to the mound to tell Ford to cool it, telling Ford how dangerous it is because these guys aren't big league players and never will be, so they're way overmatched and Whitey can really hurt someone bad. Ken goes back behind the plate, next pitch, high-and-really-tight, Ken goes to the mound and kicks Ford out of the game, chaos ensues. A couple of years later, Ken is in Yankee Stadium, sitting close to the Yankee bullpen before the game with his newlywed wife, Irene (RIP, great woman!), and here comes Whitey Ford, ambling towards the bullpen, he recognizes Ken, stops and apologizes for putting Ken in a bad spot and agrees that he should've been kicked out of the game. Ford spends time talking and congratulating Ken & Irene on their marriage and being the classy guy that everyone knows he is. Ken loved telling this story and I heard it many times.

Just saw where Whitey Ford passed away, sad news RIP. About Dave's question: I always felt that those 1980-81 Oakland A's teams, where Billy Martin ground the starters in mulch, killed the rotation and any thought of just three days rest. MLB coaches looked at that, ran away from anything like that, and started to add a fifth starter to the rotation. I seems to me that by the end of the 1980's, everyone had a five-man rotation. Pitch count put the final nail in the coffin in the possibility of three days rest. Nice article of the starters that Billy Martin ruined.

I love the app the TCM has for smart TV's if you have them on your tv package, it's a great way to catch movies that I miss, and TCM keeps most films on the app for at least two weeks after their tv appearance. I hope Direct TV doesn't bump them up to a higher bracket.

Sad news, great, great pitcher. His game 1 in the 1968 World Series is a great game to watch. RIP.

Wire Train: Between Two Words

Yeah, they did. There's a good movie to be done of Babe's life, the guy came from absolutely nothing, no education, no family, and became a national hero. He deserves better than William Bendix or John Goodman trying to be "larger that life". Maybe there's no way you can put that on film, who knows, but I find it an amazing story. You start out like this, in the world's most depressing Christmas picture (Babe on left, his father on the right) And you wind up with the idol of kids and hero to the nation. It must of been one hell of a ride.

Hey, it's all on film!

supposedly proof of The Call

Thanks for the good wishes, it seems as if we will be sticking around, there's been no word about having to leave. AQI is now at 306 here, I'm drinking water constantly to clear my throat.

Fred Allen rocks!

Hot & windy, with very thick smoke from the Glass Fire. We expect an evacuation order sometime today or tomorrow, the fire is at the boarder of Rutherford, and we're next in line. Plus, there's a new fire, Campbell Fire, that is right above us, it's smaller, but we'll see what happens.

The Digital Age: Evening : Morning

Ok, this stinks! I'm calling it utter bull**** that ESPN announcers are talking to Justin Turner, while he's on the field, playing the game! That is way beyond the pale for me, and if it distracts Turner from making a play, a way that ESPN can effect the out come of the game.

Good news!

Hot, high winds, with fires. Many places in St. Helena are being evacuated.

Giants out, couldn't win a game against a very good Padres team, Tatis Jr. is unreal. All for the best, the Giants weren't that good of a team in the first place.