Jaybird's Jottings

Roadshow

"Roadshow illuminates the daunting rigors of a major international concert tour, as well as Peart's exploration of the scenic byways and country towns along the way…. Observations and reflections range from the poignantly, achingly personal to the wickedly irreverent." – Rounder Records

Neil Peart, best known as the drummer and lyricist for the rock band RUSH, recently sat down with Mark Goodman of Sirius Satellite Radio. The Classic Rewind interview is a promo for Peart’s new book, Roadshow: Landscape with Drums - A Concert Tour by Motorcycle. The veteran musician chronicles his travels across America and eight other countries in the summer of 2004. The 21,000 thousand miles journey took place in between shows of RUSH’s 30th anniversary tour.

Born and raised in Ontario and now living in Southern California, Peart suffered through a terrible tragedy in the late 90s. Back on his feet again, the legendary drummer sounded upbeat and enthusiastic. He and Goodman discuss a variety of subjects including Peart’s love of America, his BMW motorcycle, drummer jokes, the status of RUSH’s new record (“serious recording in November") and Peart’s relationship with his fans.

When it comes to that last subject, Peart (it’s pronounced “Peert” but many a RUSH fan has and still says “Pert.”) is the complete opposite of his band mates and longtime Toronto friends Alex Lifeson and Geddy Lee. They handle the press interviews, meet and greet the fans and pose shoulder to shoulder for the snapshots.

Peart, on the other hand, is shy and cherishes his privacy. When it is invaded, he enjoys the “wonderful little… human to human” conversations and said that “999 out of 1000… are nice people.” What he dislikes are the unrealistic, “I’ve been waiting my whole life” (to meet you) type of encounters.

RUSH fans find this difficult to reconcile. They’re quite aware of what their favorite drummer wrote in Limelight - I can’t pretend a stranger is a long-awaited friend. A recent topic, however, at a popular RUSH discussion board, found fans still dismayed.

“Great sirius interview, Once again Neil seems like a good guy and very interesting to listen to. It's just this late in the game he still harps on the nerve of some fans that might recognize him and dare approach him and say that they might appreciate his work.”

Roadshow provides some great insight into why Peart felt the need to “put up barriers to keep oneself intact.” In the prologue he recounts the band’s early days. In 1976, the hard-working trio had started to make a name for themselves through heavy touring and the release of 2112. The attention he got from overzealous fans (“reception committees”) unnerved him. In response, he “hid out and read books.” His love of reading led to a love of writing. Prose-wise, nothing clicked until the late ‘80s when Peart made a bicycle trip through China. It was that old saying in writing. “Write what you know.”

Peart, who celebrated his 54th birthday a few weeks ago, knows a lot about life on the road. In addition to stepping on the stage over 1500 times with RUSH, he has logged countless miles on wheels. (He notes in the book that he has motorcycled 200,000 miles). In the early 80s he began bicycling his way on the back roads to some of RUSH’s show. In between albums and tours, Peart has biked in other countries. He has written several self-published books abut these experiences.

Roadshow is a travelogue that anyone can enjoy. Peart has excellent descriptive abilities and details those “daunting rigors” in such a way as to make you appreciate what a musician goes through on the road. RUSH fans, of course, will enjoy this book the most. They’ll have fun reading what Neil has to say about their towns/states/regions and the shows they went to on the “R30” tour. I was thrilled to learn Geddy, a huge baseball fan, plays fantasy baseball and checks the scores (no doubt his beloved Blue Jays) during the show’s 20 minute intermission (I thought he might but never knew for sure).

The interview wraps up with the two discussing drummer jokes. Peart has a great sense of humor. He ends with tongue in cheek, saying, “Drummer writes book. It’s an oxymoron.”

Not so for this one. His 2002 Ghost Rider was chosen by The Writers’ Trust of Canada as one of the five best biographies of the year and Roadshow has spent time at the top of Amazon’s best travel books. Its only disappointment is no pictures. Otherwise, this book, Peart’s fourth, puts him in unique company. He’s one of the best drummers in rock history and an author too.

The Echoing Green

“It’s the greatest victory in all baseball history.” – Gordon McLendon, Liberty Broadcasting System

55 years ago, with one week left in the season, the Giants were four games back of the Dodgers. With a 7 and 0 finish, they caught them on the last day. If you don’t know what happened three games later, you’re in the wrong solar system.

Josh Prager’s starred-reviewed book on the story is now available - The Echoing Green: The Untold Story of Bobby Thomson, Ralph Branca and The Shot Heard Round the World. Be sure to check out his website for some great memories of that game (make sure you have the volume on). It has some excellent links. The newsreel shows some footage not normally seen after Thomson crosses the plate and I had never heard McLendon’s call.

Prager will appear in New York City, New Jersey, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Miami. Thomson and Branca are scheduled for the NYC and NJ date. Check the schedule at his site.

Business of Baseball Blog

Back in the days of my baseball youth, I knew next to nothing about the business of baseball. I remember turning on the tube on Saturday afternoon to watch NBC’s pre-game coverage and being annoyed there was more talk about what was happening off the field than on it.

I would still rather read about what happens between the lines but there’s a lot of interesting and compelling stuff going on in the business of baseball. One of the best providers in this realm is Maury Brown. His new site is Biz of Baseball.

As the Hardball Times notes, the site is a “one stop source for anything and everything related to the business of baseball. You get everything from news updates to stadium renderings and interviews.”

Go get ‘em Maury.

2007 Tentative Schedules

The 2007 tentative schedules are starting to come out. Looks like the Braves and Padres are the first two.

An interesting side note is the fact that Katy Feeney is the senior vice president in charge of scheduling. Feeney is the daughter of the late Chub Feeney, who worked in the Giants front office from 1946 to 1968 and served as the National League President from 1969 to 1986.

Related Reading

The Schedule is a Major Undertaking

Say Hey in Song

"In the days before the instant response of all-sports radio and television, popular songs were a common way of acknowledging athletic feats." - David Hinckley, New York Daily Times

SABR member Ron Kaplan posted this question the other day at SABR-L.

“In the book, Hammering Hank: How the Media Made Henry Aaron, the authors claim that there were a dozen songs about Willie Mays. The only one I'm familiar with is "Say Hey." It's hard to believe there are 11 others. Could someone, perhaps on the Music Committee, address this?”

Here is a list of the songs SABR members provided (Darrell R Hanson, Tim Wiles, Roberta Newman, Don Marion, Merritt Clifton, Bobbie Plapinger, Andrew Milner, Paul Hallaman and Blaise Lamphier).

Willie, Mickey, and The Duke (Talkin' Baseball) by Terry Cashman

Say Hey (The Willie Mays Song) by The Treniers

Like Willie Mays by John Pinamonti (Tragico Magico)

Say Hey Willie by Massacre (Funny Valentine)

Paging Willie Mays by Jughead (Jughead)

Willie Mays by Adam Stengel (Last Day of Summer)

Home Run Willie - Larry Hosford

The Amazin' Willie Mays by The King Odom Quartet

I searched the Library of Congress and found these.

Say Hey Willie by Singing Wanderers

Say Hey, Willie Mays performed by Johnny Long Orchestra

A search of google found this song.

Me and Willie Mays by Rob Mehl (Diamond Cuts-Centerfield, Mays on cover)

Also, the article by Hinckley mentions The Nite Riders and Ricky Segall who "recorded variations on that theme."

A couple of members provided songs where Mays is mentioned including Center field by John Fogerty. Someone also mentioned Movin with the Giants by the Box & Bleacher Society (Mammoth). It's a "jazz side with the 1965 starting lineup of the Giants interjected during the first minute or so. Then a Russ Hodges call of a Mays homer is overdubbed as the music fades. The B-side is "Willie's Guajira." "Movin" was included on "The Giants' Greatest Hits" (Solid Smoke CD) in 1991."

A Capitol Viewpoint

"When you visit a ballpark, you want to feel like the ballpark belongs where it was built." - Ballpark Watch.

Baseball fans go to major league ballparks to see major league baseball and major league players. Attendance figures, however, suggest the park itself can be a significant part of the draw.

Two of the most highly-rated ballparks, Camden Yards and Mays Field, owe part of their appeal to the views they offer. In Baltimore, fans and critics rave about the historic B&O Warehouse. In San Francisco, the backdrop of the bay waters and the headlands add a special quality to the Giants' beauty by the bay.

Here in Washington, the National’s new downtown ballpark (Opening Day 2008) will offer views of the Capitol, arguably the most famous man-made landmark in the country. Located about a mile to the north, the dome stands out prominently in D.C.’s height-restricted cityscape. Views of the Capitol dome, however, may not end up being as good as some fans originally thought.

In September 2004, with MLB still undecided about the fate of the Expos, District officials announced their plans to build a publicly financed ballpark. View lovers must have smiled when they saw the accompanying photo in the Washington Post. The caption read

"The planned stadium site, in foreground, has a view of downtown and the Capitol as well as the Anacostia waterfront."

Views, however, are never a guaranteed thing, especially in a booming city. Buildings are already starting to rise just north of the ballpark on an 11-acre, mixed-use, “Ballpark District.” In October 2004, a group of property owners near the stadium met with D.C. Council members and expressed their desire to maintain views of the landmark (Washington Business Journal). Super fan and D.C. Council member Jack Evans agreed with that sentiment, as did an editorial in the journal.

After MLB finally unlocked the gates of purgatory and awarded Washington with the Expos franchise, the ballpark’s design was unveiled (March 14, 2005). A Virtual Stadium tour at the Post’s website gave hope to those who had their hearts set on seeing the Capitol from their seats, at least those in the upper deck. When the camera panned around for a view of what’s beyond the outfield, the Capitol dome could be seen without any obstruction.

Several months ago, on one of my Saturday morning look-sees at the ballpark’s construction site, I met Jacqueline Dupree. She blogs the Nationals’ ballpark and the re-development in “Near Southeast” D.C. A better site on the subject there is not. I had the chance to tell her how much I enjoyed the service she was providing. On a subsequent visit to her site, I took a better look at the renderings of the stadium she had posted and her comments:

“With all of the development planned north of the stadium, views of the Capitol from within the seating bowl will be hard to come by.”

View lovers are also dealing with a controversy regarding parking. The deal the city signed with MLB requires 1,200 on-site parking spaces for premium seat and suite holders, as well as team employees and players. Putting them underground would have kept view fans happy but the expense was too high and the tight ballpark schedule did not allow it. Instead, the parking spots must be built above ground and due to physical layout around the site, they must be built behind left field on a line of sight that looks out to the Capitol.

Seeking clarification, JD explained to me:

"As for them blocking views of the Capitol, they won't be totally responsible. They would block the view for some seats that would have had the view without them, but 20 M Street is going to be the main culprit, not the garages."

At this point, my thoughts turned to thinking about the other retro parks. Realizing I had only been to a game at four of them (Giants, Orioles, Pirates, Philly), I decided to take a virtual tour of the ones I had not been to see what their views were like.

I looked at the open-air parks only - Cards, Braves, Reds, Padres, Rockies, Tigers, Indians, Angels and Rangers. The disclaimer is obvious. The photos don’t cover every viewpoint and sometimes they do no justice to the target.

From what I saw, it’s a mixed bag regarding views of landmarks and scenic backdrops. For example in St Louis, the cityscape makes for a nice backdrops but two taller buildings partially block views of the arch.

In other cities, the views don’t seem to be that great. In Anaheim, a suburban hiway makes you feel like you’re at spring training. In Texas, there are no views for Rangers fans due to an office building behind centerfield.

Conclusion

I have to admit that when I was writing this article, I thought to myself - Is this view issue really a big deal? It may not be but consider this. May’s Field, PNC Park and Oriole Park at Camden Yards, which ballpark expert Andrew Clem ranks first, second and third best among the retros, each has a 9 rating for location. Part of that rating has to do with what fans see from the park.

How it all turns out in Washington, it’s wait and see. The new ballpark does have a good downtown location. And if Clem sees the Capitol, who knows?

Of course, some fans may not even want to see the place where Congress works (or doesn’t work). Another part of a ballpark’s appeal is the escape it provides us.

"In the Spring of 2007, the Museum of the City of New York will present a landmark exhibition The Glory Days: New York Baseball, 1947 – 1957. We invite you to help the Museum plan this exciting exhibition by telling us your stories and lending us your photographs, objects, and memorabilia!"

Museum of the City of New York

Let the Willie, Mickey and The Duke arguments begin!

Giants at Boston

The Giants would travel to Boston for the first time since the 1912 World Series under a revised 2007 regular-season schedule being reviewed by the 30 major-league teams. – Henry Schulman, Giants Notebook, San Francisco Chronicle, August 26, 2006.

I shouldn’t pick on Henry Schulman. He has done a very good job pounding the Giants pavement for the last dozen plus years and I’ve enjoyed his thoughts and insights on the team.

But Oh Henry. You just flunked National League History 101! Before moving to Milwaukee and then Atlanta, the Braves were in Boston from 1876 to 1952.

And not to be pedantic (who me??), but if Schulman meant - the Giants would travel to Fenway Park for the first time since 1912 - that too is wrong. (I had to look that one up).

Waiting for Braves Field to be finished, the team left South End Grounds III in August 1914 and played their home games at Fenway Park until August 1915. As best as I can determine, the Giants last played at Fenway in a three game set against the Braves on June 1-3, 1915.

The Great Eighth Inning

Maybe it wasn’t always so, maybe it isn’t so, or maybe it’s obviously so, but it seems to me that the most heart-thumping inning is the eighth.

Yesterday provided two examples. The first happened at RFK Stadium. The better half and I were there to see the DBacks and the Nationals. We had the potential for double the fun. A Nats win would mean a sweet sweep for the morale-strapped home team and Arizona’s loss would be a Giants' gain.

Behind 3-1, the Nationals came to bat in the bottom of the eighth. Remembering they had rallied late in both games of Saturday’s doubleheader, I thought to myself that the odds of another comeback were very low. All the worse, Brandon Webb was still on the mound. The ace had retired 13 Nats in a row and 19 of 20.

I had forgotten about the Nats’ Thursday come from behind win over the Phillies (Friday's game was rained out). They scored two in the bottom of the ninth to tie the game up at 4 apiece. After Philly went ahead 5-4 in the top of the tenth, the Nationals scored two for the 6-5 win. (Another Giant-helping win).

As it turned out yesterday, the Nats were not only trying to buck some serious odds, they were also chasing history. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the last time a team won four in a row when trailing by two runs in the seventh inning or later in all four, was 1923. Our Giants did it against the Braves and Phillies from June 25-28.

In the middle of the Nationals' rally, I flashed back to that awful three game set the Giants had here in July. Washington picked San Francisco to get hot, sweeping three. In two of those games, the Nats rallied late. Now that I wanted them to do it again, they probably would not.

Defying the odds, the Nationals sent four across the plate. The crowd went nuts. Then the DBacks went down 1-2-3.

The second example came at Wrigley Field. We came home and picked up the Giants-Cubs game on WGN. SF 6 CHI 3 with the Cubs batting in the eighth. Sure enough, the Cubbies loaded the bases with one out. Great.

My blood pressure began to rise but the Giants bullpen gave up just one run and then got a merciful 1-2-3 in the ninth.

Of course, this isn't something one cheers about too loudly. The next time, the eighth inning may not go the way you want.