Jaybird's Jottings

A Pleasure Dome for D.C.?

The next big thing.

Here in Washington, three next big things, the Nationals’ new ballpark, National Harbor and The Newseum, will open their doors this spring. But for development watchers at forums like Skyscraper City, those three are so yesterday. They want to talk about something new on the horizon.

Well, then, how about a retractable-roof stadium, holding, say, 100,000?

Yea, yea, we know the story. Redskins’ owner Daniel Snyder wants one so he can bring a Super Bowl to Washington and make gazillions of dollars more, all wrapped up in a glorious return to the city.

Such a move has been mostly talk, but the plot thickened this past Wednesday. NBC News 4 led their 6 p.m. show with a report that D.C. Mayor Fenty, who was once against giving millions to millionaires, will lend his support to an effort to get the Redskins back by building a domed stadium that would host the team and other big-time events. D.C. Council member Jack Evans, who has previously supported such an effort, “confirmed on Thursday that he has asked Chief Financial Officer Natwar Gandhi to become involved.”

Interest in a domed stadium for the Redskins goes back to the early 1980s when they were becoming popular and were seen as the wave of the future. Team owner Jack Kent Cooke indicated some interest in one, although initially, plans were vague. In 1988, after Cooke pursued the effort further, an NFL official stated that Washington would be in the running to host the Super Bowl in 1992, on the condition that a 75,000-seat domed stadium would be built. Ultimately, the Redskins built FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland. The team has had no problem filling the 90,000 plus stadium, but NFL rules state that a Super Bowl host city must either be in a warm climate or have a dome/retractable-roof stadium.

Interest in a large sports stadium in the nation’s capital goes back to the late 30s. Congressman (N.C.) Robert Reynolds, citing the “deplorable fact that America is the only major country not possessing a stadium with facilities to accommodate the Olympic Games,” urged the District of Columbia Commissioners to push for the building of a municipal outdoor stadium and ancillary facilities within the District. What is now the RFK site was where the planners wanted to build the stadium. Those bigger plans were scrapped and D.C. Stadium, with a capacity of 45,000, was opened in 1961. It was re-named RFK Stadium in 1969.

Like all big projects, the District’s Pleasure Dome faces major hurdles. If it does get to the drawing boards, look for another topic heading at the development forums.

Call it “The Really Big Next Big Thing.”

SABR’s Super Saturday

Yesterday was “Super Saturday” in SABRland, with eight regional chapters scheduled to hold Hot Stove League meetings. Not sure how such a thing came to be, but it sure does help with the waiting for the Super Bowl.

These member gatherings (non-members are always welcomed) are called meetings but they’re more like a mini-convention. I attended the one put on by the Bob Davids (Baltimore-Washington) Chapter held at the Sheraton Hotel in Columbia, Maryland. They’re the granddaddy chapter, counting 35 annuals now. Attendance was about 115 this time, close to last year’s figure but short of the 140 in 2006 and 150 in 2005.

The informal get together was the usual great stuff, catching up with friends and colleagues, trivia, browsing the tables where regional baseball publishers sold their books, a raffle, catered lunch and the featured guests and research presentations.

Reprising his role of many times before, Dave Vincent emceed the event. He gave a brief history of the chapter’s meetings. The first few were held in member’s houses before larger turnouts dictated a change to a library and then hotels.

We've had some superb guest speakers in past years, but as far as gravitas, the law of averages caught up this time. We were supposed to hear from Marshall Purnell, one of the architects for the new Nationals ballpark. That would have been great.

Speaker highlights:

If the chapter gave out a Rookie of the Year award for speakers, Nicole Sherry, head groundskeeper for the Orioles, would have been the winner. The irony is the forethought I and the others might have had. Grass growing? Watering? Laying down the lime? Let's hope she's not slated for after lunch.

Well, not to worry. Young and passionate, she stole the show with a witty presentation that kept the audience chuckling over her anecdotal stories. She showed photos that detailed her job at Camden Yards. The pressure is tremendous to have the field in immaculate condition and every little brown spot gets scrutinized. Fitting right in with the audience, she spoke of her love for the traditional mowing at Camden. She said the Nationals outfield will probably feature the curly W.

Brent Gambill, a producer for XM Satellite Radio, touched on the various programs for their Baseball Channel. Baseball Beat, the show he produces, focuses on writers, announcers and celebrities. They prefer to not interview players due to their canned answers and shying away from controversy.

Mark Pankin, a long-time familiar face at SABR gatherings and conventions and someone who has devoted a lot of time to studying Markov Models (don't ask, don't tell), (and a Tigers fan!) gave a sabermetric presentation on Pirates' manager Bobby Bragen and his unconventional lineups in 1956. Mark's presentation is detailed at his website. He did a good job of not getting too technical and he always looks like someone who loves his work.

Cort Vitty, one of the nicest gentleman I have ever met, pinch-hit for a no-show and gave a nice summary of his bio on Goose Goslin. Goslin admitted at the end of his career that he could have been even better if he had taken his life and health more seriously.

Steve Walker is writing a book on the ’69 Senators with a working title of Moonstruck Over Washington. His presentation included sound clips of interviews with some of the team’s players. The Senators of that time gave me some early baseball thrills so I am looking forward to his book and will pass along the info.

As is sometimes the case, there wasn’t necessarily an overall theme to this regional. But I did have an interesting thought towards the end. There were a couple of new faces and I thought to myself, what were their expectations? Were they surprised there was just one sabermetric presentation?

These SABR get togethers are much like the organization itself. One part is the romantic research, such as Steve’s book on his childhood team. Two is the number crunching Mark did and the insight it provided. Three is the inside-the-current-game stuff as told by Sherry and Gambill. Four is the biographical look as told by Cort.

As mentioned before, this meeting did not feature as many heavy hitters as in the past. But I’d say most, if not all, walked away feeling they got their $25 worth.

It was small ball, but it was baseball, the game we love.

Greatest World Series Games

“Other Game Sevens are great, but there was something mythic about this one. It’s like the Gods and Fates up above decreed that the Senators shall win this, and that Walter Johnson will be the winning pitcher. I mean, twice in one game? If Homer wrote about baseball games, it would’ve looked like this.” – Chris Jaffe on the 1924 World Series.

Chris Jaffe had just completed an excellent series on the best World Series games. I was pleased to see him pick 1924 as the greatest Game Seven ever. I’ve always thought 1912 was right up there too.

The Top Five he listed were all great and you could make a case for most of those. Either way, thumbs up to The Hardball Times for doing a continuing great job of looking at history.

Jaffe did not look at Game Eights. No need to really, there were just four (1903, 1919, 1920 and 1921) of the Best of Nine series.

The one that stands out is Giants-Yankees in 1921. It was McGraw and small ball versus Ruth (injured and missed some action) and his big bat, the first World Series on radio, with all the games played at the Polo Grounds.

It all came down to the bottom of the ninth inning and involved a smash to second base (sound familiar?). With the Giants clinging to a 1-0 lead, starter Art Nehf stayed in the game. After retiring a pinch-hitting Babe Ruth on a grounder to first, Nehf walked Aaron Ward. Frank “Home Run” Baker, who earned his nickname by beating the Giants in the 1911 World Series, came up next.

Baker hit a hard shot grounder towards Giants’ second baseman Johnny Rawlings. Rawlings dove for the ball, fielded it and from his knees threw out Baker at first.

On the play, Ward, a veteran infielder, rounded second and bolted for third. George Kelly, the Giants' first baseman known for having a great arm, stayed alert and fired the ball to Frankie Frisch at third.

The New York Times:

"Frank Frisch, stalwart guardian of the final turn for the McGraw forces, took a throw from George Kelly and hurled himself into the path of the flying Yankee. With both players sprawled on the ground Frisch raised his hand to show a glistening white ball. Umpire Ernie Quigley snapped his right arm skyward to denote that the runner was out, and the 1921 world series became history."

Giant Thrills

I’m not sure what made me think about this. Perhaps it’s the baseball doldrums we’re stuck in, the lingering cold weather, or a defense mechanism for seeing fans of other teams enjoying their good times.

Anyway, I decided to come up with my favorite memories as a Giants fan. I’ll cop out as far as ranking them and list them chronologically.

1966 The Arnold Hano Book

My parents, neither of whom were big baseball fans, picked up on my budding enthusiasm for Willie Mays when I was eight or nine. For Christmas 1966, they bought me his biography by Arnold Hano. That book had a profound impact on me and helped shape the course I took as a baseball fan.

I still have it and I’m not sure how much I would sell it for. I also treasure a photo my parents took that Christmas Day. It shows me and my sister on the couch in our living room. At my feet are three books, and one of them is the Hano book.

The Seventies, I See the Giants on TV for the First Time

I hesitated to list this one because I can’t remember the date or even the year it took place. But I do remember the excitement. Like many baseball fans, I watched the Game of the Week on NBC in the late 60s, early 70s. In our parts, it was the only game on TV.

The problem for Giants' fans was they were always the 4 p.m. game, and they never showed the second game. Finally one year they showed the Giants at the Pirates.

August 6, 1976, First Giants Game

Being a Giants fan in North Carolina was a lonely existence. Then, in the early 70s, I met Steve Styers, the brother of Dylan, my best friend in high school (he liked the Reds). Our friendship grew on our love of baseball and the Giants. In the summer of '76, we decided to drive to Atlanta and see them. At the time, the Giants were 48 and 62 and mired in last place.

Atlanta beat San Francisco 7-0 and the Giants made as many errors as hits. But what did we care? It was my second big league game ever and first for the Giants, and I was thrilled.

1978, Giants in First Place and On the Cover of The Sporting News

I joined the Air Force in the winter of 1978, and reported to basic training on March 20th. After that six weeks vacation at Lackland AFB in sunny Texas, I reported to Denver for technical training in the first week in May. I would walk out to the newspaper stand outside the dorm and buy the morning paper. Great timing, as the Giants were on fire, winning 12 of 13 to surge to the top of the NL West.

Towards the end of May, I got home for a weeks worth of leave. The Giants were still winning and maintaining a small lead over the Reds and Dodgers. And then, at a convenience store, I spotted four Giants pitchers - Vida Blue, John Montefusco, Jim Barr and Bob Knepper - on the cover of The Sporting News (June 3, 1978).

Thirty years on, that doesn’t sound like a big deal, but for me, an East Coast Giants fan, coming home with the Giants on fire, and seeing the starters like that with the classic shot in front of the Golden Gate Bridge and the city in the backgroud, and Montefusco was my favorite player, and my future and their looking bright, well, I’ll put it to you this way. That cover meant so much to me I eventually had it framed.

1984, Al Oliver Traded to the Giants

My favorite player has always been a Giant. But an exception to this occurred in the early 80s. With the Giants not doing too good, Al Oliver emerged as my favorite player. Steve had talked about him and then I started liking him when he was with the Expos.

One winter day, I was in my room reading The Sporting News. The Expos had traded Oliver to the Giants on February 27. The hard-hitting lefty was 36 but still had some pop in his bat.

I had a pen pal in San Francisco who sent me a magazine, or maybe it was a newspaper, that said, “Will Al Oliver Bring Respectability to the Giants?”

The marriage did not last long. The Giants traded Oliver to the Phillies in August. But for that brief period of time...

September 1987, Cincy Road Trip

After a tour of duty in England in 1984 and 1985, I returned to Pope Air Force Base in North Carolina. My roommate was a big Reds fan. With the Giants in first and the Reds three to four back in second, we drove from North Carolina to Cincy for a three game set in September.

The Reds won the Friday night game, moving past the Astros and to within four of the Giants. We won on Saturday and Sunday. That was a great feeling although I’m not a stand up and rub it in type when I’m in the enemy camp. And I had to consider Bill's feelings.

1989 NLCS, The Giants Win the Pennant in My Big TV

In the summer of 1989, I bought a 26-inch console TV, which back then, was a big deal. Then came the NLCS. I think I watched every second of every game. Will Clark, my favorite player, wow! Remember his grand slam out of the park at Wrigley? Then his game-winning hit in Game Six.

The final out was routine but that ground ball to Robby Thompson seemed to take forever to get to him. Clark webs it. Giants win the pennant!! Nuf said!

April 2000, Mays’s Statue and Seeing Pac Bell

A beautiful day for a statue unvieling. The Giants did a great job with this one. The guests included ex-Giant Bobby Thompson. Willie gave a gracious acceptance speech.

After the ceremony ended, many of those in attendance stood around and took in Mays’s statue. It was too crowded to get anywhere near Willie’s new place of immortality that day, so I waited and returned several days later. With the statue practically to myself, I gazed proudly at this magnificent depiction of my childhood hero and read each of the handful of quotes etched into the base of the statue. Then I walked around Pacific Bell Park. So much to praise including the arched windows along King Street. On display was photos of McGraw, Mathewson and McGinnity and seven scenes depicting various facets of Giants’ history.

As a fan of both baseball and the Giants, I felt thankful. Thankful of what Mays, the player, has done and thankful for the job Magowan had done with the ballpark and the statue.

October, 2002, Making the Call

During the week the Giants were playing the Cardinals for the N.L. pennant, my wife had to make a business trip overseas. She took a rest stop in San Francisco. The night of Game Five, she and some friends were at Lu-Lu's restaurant. They wanted an update on the game so they called me.

Bottom of the ninth, about 10:30 EST, the phone rank (I later told Roberta she was the only person in the world who could get away with that call!). She put Joe on the phone. I told him the Giants had scored a run in the eighth to tie the game at one. With two out, David Bell had singled and now pinch-hitter Shawon Dunston came up. Single. Men on first and second.

Kenny Lofton was up next. On the first pitch, the veteran outfielder cracked a single to right.

Thinking several things at once, I screamed into the phone, “Lofton got a hit to right, Bell’s rounding third, the throw’s wide, the Giants win the pennant, the Giants win the pennant!!

Sep 20-22, 2005, When the Giants Come to Town

The Giants, a metro ride away. After all those years of having to hit the road to see them, the Giants finally came to me in 2005 when the Nationals brought back baseball back to Washington.

Before the season started, I had hoped when the Giants arrived in D.C., they would be in the post season chase. Well, let me re-phrase that. I hoped they would be a good team and in the race. Not to be. This was Bill James's plexiglass hitting us smack in the face, a team that would finish 75 and 87.

But my actions were the same. I was one of the first to the ballpark and went to all three games. The Giants winning 2 for 3 was nice but that old cliché of “just happy to be there” rang true.

Conclusion

Well there you have it. My Top Ten best memories for the Giants. I hasten to summarize, knowing these are personal things. But I have thought about them as a whole.

Sometimes something small can provide something big.

Sometimes you don’t have to win it all to be happy (although I’d like to know that feeling).

The longer you have to wait for something, the sweeter it is when it comes to you.

And although some take a lot longer than others, dreams do come true.

The Winter Blues

Weather-wise, it was actually not bad yesterday in these parts. Between getting acclimated to the colder temps and the sunny day, the mid 40s could have been worse.

But it's nasty today, the real cold stuff is coming this weekend and my skin will be dry for a few more months.

During lunch, I searched for comfort in the form of browsing baseball books at the local Barnes and Noble. For the first minute, nothing stood out except chunks of titles on the Yankees and the Red Sox and a reminder to myself that January wasn't the greatest month for new baseball books.

I was about to give up, but then spotted Roger Angell's The Summer Game.

Started in on it and it has helped melt away the winter blues. In the first chapter, Angell provides what seems like an appropriate passage.

"Today the Times reported the arrival of the first pitchers and catchers at the spring training camps, and the morning was abruptly brightened, as if by the delivery of a seed catalog. The view from the city window still yields only frozen tundras of trash, but now spring is guaranteed and one of my favorite urban flowers, the baseball box score, will burgeon and flourish through the warm, languid, information-packed weeks and months just ahead."

There's just something satisfying about Roger Angell. Sitting down with him is like coming in out of the cold and relaxing in a quiet room with a warm beverage.

How many days?

Note: The Angell book I bought is the first University of Nebraska printing, 2003.

The Big Apple, Finally

“The Algonqiun Round Table set the standard for literary style and wit long beyond it ten-year duration. After the first World War, Dorothy Parker, Robert Benchley, and Robert E. Sherwood regularly lunched at the hotel, which was located a few doors away from Vanity Fair, where they all worked.

For one glorious decade beginning in June of 1919, members’ opinions and writings strongly influenced young writers like Fitzgerald and Hemingway. Harold Ross, legendary editor and friend of the Round Table, was so inspired he created The New Yorker and secured funding for it at the hotel. It made its debut February 21, 1925, staffed by many of the members of the Algonquin crowd.” - The History and Traditions of the Algonquin, no author given.

After years of procrastination, the better half and I finally took a trip to New York City this past weekend. The irony is the relative ease it takes to get to the Big Apple from Washington, an hour flight from National to LaGuardia, and a 20 minute cab ride to mid-Manhattan. (We thought about taking Amtrak, knowing it would arrive near our hotel, but their fares are just too high).

Back in late December, the stars had finally aligned. After showing me a review of the Algonqiun Hotel, and expressing her desire to see the Metropolitan Museum of Art and The Lion King, Roberta asked me if I wanted to go.

How about the weekend of the 12th? The New York Giants Historical Society is putting on a get together. I’ve always wanted to go.

My first trip to New York City came in 1964. I was just eight at the time. My parents get a lot of credit for driving the six of us all the way from North Carolina. We stayed with relatives on my Mom’s side. She was born and raised a Jersey shore gal, and spent time in New York with the circus as a professional ice skater.

I remember so very little of that trip but I’m certain I must have been absolutely thrilled. We went to the World’s Fair and I recall seeing Shea Stadium lit up at night.

On Friday morning, the weather tried to spoil the start of our trip. “High winds aloft” the pilot said after parking the plane at a spot just off the runway. Was our flying luck finally catching up? We worried about a significant delay but soon took off for the short flight.

One of the fun things about travel is researching your destination. After reading the review, I went to the web and read more about The Algonquin. Located on West 44th Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenue, the hotel, opened in 1902, is both a registered historic landmark and a National Literary Landmark.

In the early 20s, Harold Ross secured funding for The New Yorker on the second floor of the hotel. The latest issue of the magazine can be found in each room. Our room also had a refurbished black writing desk by the window. What an invitation, I thought to myself, to sit down and pen some thoughts old-school style. Pressed for time on our criminally short trip, I never got around to doing so.

We most certainly found time to check out the famed Oak Room, although only a quick peek inside. The famed Round Table, a group of playwrights, writers, critics and actors met there (later in the Rose Room). They lunched daily from 1919 to 1929.

Among the “Vicious Circle” were baseball writers Franklin P. Adams (Baseball’s Sad Lexicon) and Heywood Broun, who covered the Giants starting in 1919. Broun, winner of the Hall of Fame’s 1970 J.G. Taylor Spink Award, wrote the famous “look of eagles” description of John McGraw’s young players. He also founded and presided over the American Newspaper Guild (now called the Newspaper Guild).

The hotel is small and noisy during the day for street-side rooms (go figure), but its primo location, history and even Matilda, the beautiful rag doll house cat, add value. The wait for the elevator turned out not as quick as a New York minute, but patrons can kill the time by reading wallpapered Mankoff cartoons that line the hallways. Reading them took me back to the late 90s when Roberta subscribed to the weekly magazine. Can’t say I was an avid reader but finding a Roger Angell piece on baseball was always heavenly.

The Giants get together took place in a dimly-lit backroom at Forlini’s Italian Restaurant in Chinatown. Guest speaker Mike McCormick spoke in a refreshingly honest manner for the crowd of about 20. Had steroids been available, he said, some of the players would have taken them. Amphetamines were the drug of choice back then, swilled with alcohol.

In talking of the ’57 season, he said the Giants and Dodgers “had to go.” Considering his audience, many of whom would more than likely disagree with that sentiment, I thought that statement was quite remarkable. But it showed he was not pandering.

Gray-haired, tanned and looking fairly trim and fit, the 1967 N.L. Cy Young Award winner spoke for about an hour. He came to the Giants from California. No minor league experience, just a record of mowing down American Legion batters. He recounted his initiation into the bigs in ‘56. Whitey Lockman nailed McCormick’s only set of cleats to the wooden floor of the Polo Grounds. The kid lefty got his revenge by tying Lockman’s glove to the dugout wall. When skipper Bill Rigney whistled him in to the game, Lockman grabbed his glove to no avail.

Before I made this trip, I was worried that I wouldn’t fit in with these fans. But I was welcomed just fine. Bill, wearing an SF sweater, related how he was born in the late 50s. He sees the Giants at Shea and San Francisco and takes road trips. Armelio was also pleasant to talk to. He told me his first year at the Polo Grounds was 1931, and that his Dad saw Mathewson and McGraw. Another older gentleman, with a sad and distant look in his eyes, reminisced about his days at the Polo Grounds. Keith, sitting across from me and also a Mets fan, spoke with an accent and told some colorful stories.

I’m richer for rubbing shoulders with these guys (and two gals), and very glad we finally made this trip.

Middleburg, Virginia

“There’s a real sense of community about Middleburg; it involves not just the town residents, but people who live all around here. It’s not a place, it’s a feeling.” – Carol Bowersock, former Mayor of Middleburg, The Middleburg Mystique: A Peek Inside the Gates of Middleburg, Virginia by Vicky Mason

Roberta and I spent a relaxed afternoon in Middleburg, Virginia this past Sunday. If every region has a “most overlooked place,” my vote for the Washington area goes to Middleburg. This small town of some 600, established in 1787 and located about an hour west of Washington, offers speciality shops, a slower pace and the chance to dream of what it would be like to live in the middle of horse and fox hunting country.

My interest in Middleburg began last month. My sister was planning her trip from North Carolina to visit us over the holidays. “Are there any quaint little towns along the way?” she asked.

My first thought was Leesburg, but that was too far from I-66.

Annapolis! They love nautical themes.

No, wrong direction.

Old Town! Right here.

Well, we would be showing them Old Town that night.

Swallowing my pride, I turned to google. Middleburg emerged as a great candidate, just 10 miles north of I-66. I recommended it to my sister but time became the enemy during their short stay. We ended up taking them to several other places closer to home.

About a week after they left, Roberta came across a stashed away Washingtonian magazine. We enjoy reading it, especially for its day trip recommendations. Looking at the cover, and wondering how I had missed that particular issue, I saw one of the highlighted articles.

A Delicious Day Trip to Middleburg

Feeling guilty that our two visitors were not able to go with us, we decided to go, taking advantage of Sunday’s warmer weather. The article said traffic can be heavy during the summer so we benefited from going when we did. Coming in from the south, we were mostly the only ones winding our way past the stone walls, wineries and rolling piedmont hills.

Note: Mapquest directed us to take Hiway 50. We took I-66 to exit 31 and came up from the south. On the ride home, we took Hiway 50 back towards Washington, but turned south at Hiway 15 and took the Prince William Parkway, as a way to vary our route.

Whatever way you arrive, you’ll soon see the one stop light in Middleburg. It’s located at the corner of Washington Street (Hiway 50) and Madison. Once you find it, park on the street or a side street (meters, Sunday for free). Most of the restaurants and shops are within a short walk along Washington Street.

We wanted to eat at the French Hound but it was closed on Sundays. Some of the other shops were also closed, a throwback to a time when most merchants weren’t open.

We walked back to the stoplight and ate at the Red Fox Inn, on the northeast corner of Washington and Madison. The stone building dates back to the early 1700s and is filled with history. Confederate soldiers rested and ate there. President Kennedy held a press conference in one of its room. A handwritten letter from First Lady Jackie is preserved below the glass on the counter as you walk in. A sign outside proudly claims the place as the oldest original inn in the country.

The Washingtonian touted their crab cakes so we gave them a try. Roberta is a toughie to impress. We’ve had better but they were tasty and meaty. The service was excellent and the fireplace added to the ambience. The creaking floors were accepted as authentic.

The shops are fun to browse through. The merchants were friendly.

I wouldn’t make a huge effort to see Middleburg. You can find quaint shops, history, charm, and upper crust homes in Old Town Alexandria. Middleburg, however, does stand out in its own way and the nearby mountains make for a beautiful backdrop.

Just don’t wait too long. Washington’s western sprawl is creeping ever closer to this place. On the ride home we saw new subdivisions on Hiway 15, not that far from the outskirts of town.

Summing up this place, it seems the ex-mayor has it right.

Middleburg is more about a feeling.

Recommended Reading

The Middleburg Mystique: A Peek Inside the Gates of Middleburg Virginia by Vicky Mason

Also There

National Sporting Library

Joe Gibbs Retires

"On Jan. 7, 2004, owner Daniel Snyder signed Gibbs to a contract and returned him to Washington as Redskins coach. The franchise was disoriented and leaderless. With one more spiral downward, despite all the wealth in the world, the Redskins might be a joke." - In Touch With His Priorities, Thomas Boswell

Sonny Jerguson, who I watched on TV when I was a kid, will always be my favorite football player.

Favorite coach? That's easy too - Joe Gibbs.

At his emotional press conference yesterday afternoon, the three Super Bowl trophies he helped bring to Washington were proudly on display in front of the podium. Those were the glory days for the franchise, when RFK Stadium rocked and roared with each Redskins victory.

It’s never easy to leave when you're a coach. Gibbs managed it gracefully. The news shocked fans and there’s no doubt a small minority were thinking that what he did was selfish and premature. The move gives Gibbs more time with his family, as well as more time with his NASCAR team.

For the most part, the fans and even the media understood. It takes a special set of circumstances to leave a team, a region and a set of fans without any negative thoughts. Joe Gibbs produced those circumstances, a legacy of the three Super Bowl wins and excellent teams, returning the franchise to respectability and bringing a lot of class along the way.

When you’re a NFL coach, you spend more time with your teams than with your family. Gibbs reversed that yesterday. We hate to see him go but Redskins fans fully understand.

Thanks Joe Gibbs. You will be missed.

Update on SABR Convention, D.C. 2009

The SABR front office has announced the dates and hotel for the 2009 National Convention here in Washington. Mark July 30 – August 2 on your calendars and the JW Marriott Pennsylvania Avenue as the host hotel.

As indicated in the latest issue of the SABR Bulletin, advanced booking was necessary in order to get a reduced hotel rate. The good news is attendees can plan well ahead. The bad news is there’s a chance the Nationals will not be home during that time (If not, the Orioles likely would be).

The JW Marriott is a very nice hotel with a fabulous location in the heart of the city and very convenient to Metro and The Mall. The hotel is located in the vibrant Penn Quarter, a revitalized area that sports the Verizon Center, The Newseum, ESPN Zone, Ford’s Theater, Warner Theatre, the International Spy Museum and a great selection of restaurants (as if you'll have time for such things...)

Sacrificing the certainty of seeing the Nationals' games for a reduced rate and a prime location will certainly raise more than a few eyebrows among the SABR faithful. On the other hand, something good is gained by securing a first-rate location. My first SABR convention was San Francisco in 1998. In looking back, I still give it high marks. But the site, south of the city, did take something away.

The 2009 Convention will certainly offer the benefits of location.

See you there!

Odds and Ends

Odds and Ends from a radar screen cleaning.

Washington Baseball Hall of Fame

In September I wrote some thoughts on who the Washington Nationals should honor at their new ballpark. At the time, it wasn’t exactly clear how the Nationals would accomplish this. The only concrete plans are statues for Walter Johnson, Josh Gibson and Frank Howard and some paintings.

Now that I think about it, Stan Kasten, at the SABR/RFK event in July, had mentioned the team might do something along these lines of a Hall of Fame, and in conjunction with the National Baseball Hall of Fame. I was thinking in terms of memorabilia and a dugout store.

Evidently, Kasten was referring to a Washington Baseball Hall of Fame.

I say that because Nats320 has just posted an update on this. Just a few details, but it now appears this is something the Nationals will do.

Say It Again

Maury Brown has an excellent interview with Bob Bowman, head honcho at MLB Advanced Media. Enjoyed it a lot but Bowman gave a totally confusing, industry-speak answer. It's about two-thirds of the way down, Maury’s question about the 2009 launch of The Baseball Channel (yea!). His reply made me think of the way Goober, on the Andy Griffith Show, when he didn’t understand what somebody had just said, would say, “Say it again.”

The BOB site does not allow copy and pasting, so let me list the more confusing phrases.

“back end overlap”

“integrate everything up and down”

“a pro side of things”

“overlap editorially”

“backend basis”

Or as Paul Vitti might say, “English, English.”

Top Marks for Washington

In his book, The Option of Urbanism, Chris Leinberger, in talking about changing demographics and where we will live in the future, notes that for some households, the quality of public schools will no longer be a primary concern. For many, however, it remains a crucial factor when deciding to stay or move.

In the nation’s capital, District schools most certainly have challenges ahead, something new chancellor Michelle Rhee is working on turning around. The news is better in the suburbs. In two recent education rankings, the Washington metro area took top honors.

Forbes Magazine ranked educational systems using criteria such “public school support, private school options, library popularity, college town and college options.” Washington/Arlington ranked first.

U.S. News & World Report, in its first ranking of "America's Best High Schools," rated Fairfax County's Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology number one in the nation. Five other schools in the Washington suburbs -- two in Fairfax and three in Montgomery County -- are in the top 100.

These rankings are no doubt flawed but do provide an indication for people interested in such things. People like, oh, say, major league baseball players who might be pondering future locales…

Awesome Boston

It must be a great time to be a Boston Red Sox fan. On top of their play on the field, there’s now the news that their farm system is ranked second. Also, their upcoming SABR regional touts Bill James, bloggers, a website roundtable and some other great guests, all in a tavern near Fenway.

It would be so easy to be jealous of these guys but I can honestly say I got no problem with it. The Boston folks I know are good people.

Of course, I'll probably change my mind when Red Sox Nation invades Nationals Park...

Now Reading

The First Campaign, Globalization, the Web, and the Race for the White House by Garrett M. Graff. Excellent so far and what timing for my reading, coming on the heels of Obama’s youth-fueled Iowa win. The catch phrase this time around just may be, "It was the young vote stupid."

Snakes and Arrows

RUSH’s Snakes and Arrows get a nice write up at Gibson.com

When Alex Lifeson, Neil Peart, and Geddy Lee—now all in their fifties—remerged this year with their ambitious eighteenth album, Snakes & Arrows, it had been five years since Rush’s last studio effort. Chock full of the same experimentation that made these arena fillers a household name in the ’70s, Snakes & Arrows is a rock and roll riot of swirling metal guitar and theatrical vocals. Asserting their maturity with some of the most literary lyrics of their career and their contemporary relevance by recruiting ace producer Nick Raskulinecz (behind Foo Fighters and Velvet Revolver), Rush released one of the most buzzed-about albums of the year. Entering the Billboard chart at No.3—their second highest debut ever—wasn’t even the band’s headiest achievement this year; instead, their first-ever dalliance with instrumental tracks took the cake. One of the three instrumentals included on the album has been nominated for a Grammy for Best Rock Instrumental Performance. A must for all diehard Rush fans. - Ellen Mallernee

By the way RUSH’s instrumental is killer but it has about as much chance of winning the Grammy as me putting all my CD’s back in their cases.

Redskins

Sad to see my childhood team end its season, but good that Joe Gibbs turned things around after his infamous back to back timeouts that dropped Washington to 5 and 7 and put his job in jeopardy.

That's it. How many days to pitchers and catchers?