dd June 20th, 2007
I love baseball. My love affair started when I was a little kid in Detroit and my dad used to take me to Tiger Stadium to watch Al Kaline and the gang. We loved going on Sundays and seeing Charlie “Paw Paw” Maxwell hit his Sunday home runs. He was famous for hitting on Sunday. The love affair sort of cooled off when I moved to D.C. 37 years ago especially with no baseball team in D.C for so long. But, I always followed the Tigers in the good years and the lean years. Lately, the team has been awesome.
Last year, my good friend Gene and I went to see the Tigers in their new Comerica Park stadium when I was in Detroit visiting my mom. The Tigers got crushed by the White Sox that day even though that was the first live Tigers game I had seen in many years. How could they? Oh well, they went on to vanquish all AL foes and ended up in the world series.
Tonight, my wife and I and Bill and Kris went to see the Tigers play the Washington Nationals at RFK. It was the Tigers first visit to DC in over 35 years! Tonight’s game was the final one of a 3 game series and the Tigers had won the first 2 by scores of 9-8 and 15-1. They had crushed the Nats last night. So, I was worried that maybe they would be a little flat tonight. Not to worry. On a gorgeous night in the nation’s capital, the mighty bengals lambasted the woeful Nats again 8 -4. I think there were as many Tiger fans as Nats fans, especially when the Nats fans started heading toward the exits after the 8th inning. Come on, you don’t leave a game before it’s over. How would they have felt if the Nats (remote chance but you never know) had come back and rallied in the bottom of the 9th? What a hoot to hear thousands of the olde English D hatted fans yelling “Let’s Go Tigers!”
But, Todd Jones shut them down in the 9th and the Tigers behind great hitting from Maglio and Carlos did it again. “Hold that Tiger, hold that Tiger….”. I’m in love again!
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dd June 1st, 2007
Yesterday at my local Whole Foods, I stopped at the fish counter where I overheard the customer before me wishing the “fish man” good luck in his upcoming competition. In the past, I probably wouldn’t have followed up on this, but lately I seem to be more and more anxious to engage people in conversation and I was curious. I’ve also been served by his guy many times and was curious about other aspects of his life. So, when it was my turn, I had to ask:
“So, what kind of competition are you involved in?”
“Straight pool. I’m entered in a Maryland tournament and if I finish 1st or 2nd, I’ll qualify for the national tournament.”
“Think you’re good enough to do that?”
“Oh yeah, I’m a pretty good player. In New York City, I played for many years starting in 1964 until about 1980. I stopped playing for 17 years, but took it up again a few years ago. I walked into a bar in Clarendon that had a pool table and thought ‘what the hell’, let me play a few games. I beat the pants off everyone there and started my ‘comeback’. You know who taught me how to play?”
“No idea.”
“Willie Mosconi! Ever heard of him?”
“Of course - he was the greatest straight pool player that ever lived. He did all the pool shots in the ‘Hustler’. That’s still my favorite movie.”
“Not only did he do all the playing, it’s his hands you see racking the balls.”
….
“Hey, best of luck in the tournament”.
“Thanks, buddy.”
I loved this chance encounter and dialogue for a couple of reasons. The Fish guy was no longer just some anonymous employee. He was a very cool guy.
And, I loved talking to him about pool. In my early 20’s, I loved playing pool. In fact (don’t tell any of my relatives), I spent the majority of my sophomore year at the student union playing straight pool, 8 ball, 9 ball, and snooker. I was a pretty good shot, so snooker was my favorite. And, along with my friend Tom Parker, I went to several pool tournaments in the Detroit area. I saw Minnesota Fats (Rudolph Walter Wanderone Jr - he adopted the name after the movie). He turned out to be a good talker, but not that great a pool player. I also saw Luther (Wimpy)Lassiter and Irving Crane, 2 U.S. champions play. They were the real deal. I even had my own “stick” - bought if off a guy I worked with on a summer job with the Mich. State Highway Dept.
This chance encounter brought back a lot of good memories. Good luck, Fish Man!!
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dd January 23rd, 2007
When Shahar Peer, a young 19 year old Israeli, played none other than two time champion Serena Williams in her first Grand Slam quarterfinals last night, how many American do you think were watching? Given hardly any Americans watch tennis on TV anyway, I’d say not many. But, oh what a different story in the tiny country of Israel!
As AP reported, “The win over Kuznetsova (her previous opponent) catapulted her onto the front pages of Monday’s newspapers, overshadowing Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and the incoming army chief of staff. Olmert opened his weekly Cabinet meeting Sunday by applauding Peer’s performance.”
This is equivalent to Bush opening a cabinet meeting by applauding Andy Roddick. Not likely. Not only was the PM interested, but Israeli TV carried the match live at 4AM, with a large audience tuned in.
Although the young Peer lost in the 3rd set, 8-6, it was an extremely close match and she had a chance to win it by holding serve at 6-5. She fought valiantly against her heavily favored and experienced opponent. It was definitely a David vs Goliath contest, not unlike those her own country has had to fight many times over the last 60 years. The whole often beleagured country of Israel was uplifted by her gutsy performance.
While other 19 year old tennis prodigies are training year round in elite Florida academies — Americans, Russians and Czechs — Shahar must still serve in the Israeli Army like all her 19 year old compatriots. Perhaps, that experience helped her to play with such poise in the most pressure filled tennis match of her young career. Tov M’od, Mitzuyan and Mazel Tov, Shahar!
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