Jaybird's Jottings

One Helluva Gal

The good ol’ boys.

Back in the 60s and 70s, they were the heart and soul of stock car racing. Raising their cans of beer at storied tracks like Darlington, they hooped and hollered for legends like Richard Petty, David Pearson, Cale Yarborough and Bobby Allison.

Back then, NASCAR also had fans in places like the nation’s capital. But I can flat out guarantee you it was nothing like what took place last night at Olsson’s Book Store in D.C.’s Penn Quarter. A diverse crowd of about 60 packed the place, four and five deep in the standing areas, to listen to Liz Clarke, sportswriter for the Washington Post and author of One Helluva Ride: How NASCAR Swept the Nation.

Clarke grew up in the D.C. area, dreaming of working for the Post. Hearing nothing but no, she took writing assignments in Charlotte and Dallas. Returning home with an impressive resume, she landed the gig with the Post. Clarke still covers motor sports but also writes about other sports including the Redskins.

The author read a short excerpt from her book, an emotional description of Dale Earnhardt. If you’re not familiar with NASCAR, it can not be overstated the impact “The Intimidator” had on racing before he was tragically killed on the final lap of the Daytona 500 in 2001. Clarke, who got tears in her eyes at one point, related how when Earnhardt’s car, number 3, came out of the tunnel at races, and on to the track, everyone in the grandstands stood. A large portion cheered and raised three fingers while the others booed and raised one.

Clarke befriended Earnhardt, but not before getting the psych test some athletes give reporters, a way of sorting them out and trying to understand their motivations. She said it wasn’t easy but once the door was open, she had the inside track on stories. Petty, the King in his time, was super nice from the beginning as are most drivers. This access and piece of mind helped her write the book.

Although NASCAR doesn’t have the same PR problems other sports suffer through, there have been some rough bumps for both the sport and those who cover it. In the late 80s, popular racer Tim Richmond contacted the HIV virus. Clarke related how the big boys who run NASCAR told her they did not like the fact that she wrote a story on Richmond, at a time when rumors were swirling on how he might have contacted the disease.

What these sports executives don’t seem to realize sometimes is that reporters can be their biggest boosters. NASCAR has gained fans thanks, in part, to writers like Clarke.

Buy the book bubba, and pass me the wine and cheese.

Local Foods at Nationals Games

Hungry Phillies fans wait in line for their beloved cheese steak sandwiches. In San Francisco, mouths water for a Cha Cha Bowl. At Camden Yards, the smoke from Boog’s BBQ pits lures ‘em in. Sausage lovers have it good at Fenway and in Milwaukee. In Seattle, they brag on the fresh sushi and salmon.

In Washington, after three seasons of substandard grub at RFK, Nationals and baseball fans have been wondering what local foods they will chow down on. On Monday, the Nationals announced about a dozen local companies will sell their specialty items at the ballpark.

Marc Fisher and Dan Steinberg (hat tip JD) have good write ups on the food items that include hot dogs, half smokes, chili, BBQ, Cajun food, tropical drinks, coffee, ice cream and snow cones.

At both those two blogs, I noticed commenters asked about Five Guys, famous in the area for excellent home made burgers and thick fries, and Capitol City, brewers of microbeers. According to the Washington Business Journal, both of these deals are in the works. Also, Dip and Dot Ice Cream (very popular at RFK) and Hebrew National Hot Dogs, not listed by the two Post writers, have also signed deals.

Tiger Woods Learning Center in D.C.

A year ago, when the PGA Tour, in conjunction with Tiger Woods and his Tiger Woods Foundation, announced a new tournament for Washington D.C., area golf fans rejoiced. The debut tourney, played over the Fourth of July weekend, drew over 140,000 fans.

“Tiger’s Tournament” is certainly fabulous in terms of first-class golf spectating and prestige for the region. Also important are the goals Woods established in association with the tournament. Tiger handpicked the Washington area in order to honor and thank the military, provide grants and scholarships for area youth and establish a second Tiger Woods Learning Center.

Woods’s first goal was a wish of his father Earl who wore the Green Beret of the Special Forces. Members of the Armed Forces got to meet the host player on the traditional Wednesday grouping of pros and amateurs, and a select number played with Woods and other pros in the Earl Woods Memorial Pro-Am.

The second goal started paying dividends this past November, when the Foundation used proceeds from the tournament (AT&T National) to award 41 grants totaling $500,000 to area youth services organizations.

The third goal was put on hold while the Foundation searched for an appropriate location. After a year of uncertainty, the site has been selected. According to the Washington Business Journal (Tiger Woods Foundation links with D.C. on education project by Jonathan O'Connell), the Learning Center will be built at the Ridge Recreation Center in Southeast D.C.'s Fort Dupont neighborhood. Other new public recreation facilities will also be built there.

The Washington Regional Association of Grantmakers took note of the news, adding:

"On Jan. 17, funders also heard from the District’s Housing Authority about a sports themed out-of-school time program being planned in that ward. The District of Columbia Baseball Academy will base itself on a similar program in Harlem that uses “baseball and softball as the ‘hook’ to improve academic and social skills of young people."

The Washington Times reported that D.C. Council Chairman Vincent Gray “is hopeful that a new Major League Baseball academy will be under construction within the next year at Fort DuPont.”

With his recent stretch of incredible play, Tiger Woods is reaching another level in his amazing golfing career. With his contributions to D.C. under way, Tiger is also reaching a new level in that part of his life.

And it won’t stop there. Last February, at the dawn of his tournament, he told the assembled crowd on Capitol Hill,

"If we can have as much impact in this community, and show (the politicians), who have a lot of clout around the country and the world, there's no reason we can't have an impact globally."

This and That

More Goodies from J.D.

JD has new interior photos of Nationals Park, including new panoramas, the team store that will be located on the ground floor of the western parking garage (to the fan’s right as they enter from Half Street), the “Red Porch Restaurant,” looks at the stone work walls and the “Scoreboard Walk” behind the scoreboard.

Awesome as always J.D. I was able to look at our seats a lot better than before and others have said the same thing.

More on Washington Baseball History

Nats320 has a don't miss two part interview with Frank Ceresi on the Nationals and their plans to pay homage to the history of Washington baseball.

Jeff is also blogging the team down in Viera. Between him and Giants Jottings blogging the Giants in Scottsdale, well, it's super to see their shots of the players, the sunny skies and the carpets of green grass. Thanks to both these guys for making winter more bearable.

Less Hiway Traffic on the Fourth of July Weekend?

Like many places, the Fourth of July is an exodus weekend for Washingtonians. But if these sports options keep popping up, more locals might just have to stick around. First came Tiger with his tournament, then the Nats requesting they be a permanent fixture on the Fourth, and now Serena Williams and Team Tennis have signed on for what might be appearances on fireworks day.

Global Baseball

Two recent discoveries on the web, both with a global baseball perspective and both worth mentioning.

My World of Baseball Blog and the book, Growing the Game: The Globalization of Major League Baseball (Paperback) by Alan M. Klein

Take the N22 Bus to and fro’ the Ballpark

When the Nationals played at RFK, some smart fans using Metro avoided the late innings/end of game crush at the Stadium station by taking a Metro bus to Union Station, which has a Metro stop for the Red Line.

A similar plan will be in effect at the new ballpark. Metro’s N22 bus will shuttle every ten minutes between the new ballpark and Union Station. The service is scheduled to start in March, per the Washington Post.

J.D. also covers this, providing a link to the timetable and reminding fans that the service ends at 10:30 pm., although all the details about this service are still tbd.

The Confusing Name Game

Geoff Shackleford (yep, he's the son of half-moon artist Len) makes a good point about what happens when a tournament changes sponsors and thus its name.

Don't people do a disservice to the current sponsor by forcing them in like that? Just as it was absurd to say that the Riviera first hosted the Northern Trust Open in 1929?

He's talking about the Wyndham Championship, the name of the tour's stop in my hometown of Greensboro. The headline at the pga site reads, Wyndham Championship comes home to Sedgefield.

Figuring that the Greensboro Daily News and Record would somehow say it better, I checked their site and found similar results.

What ever happened to plain language and not bowing down to the corporate gods? In this case, how about something like

PGA Tour Returns to Sedgefield

Good move by the way. Sedgefield has the great GGO history and Forest Oaks always seemed a bit too far south of the city and the airport. Of course, I was always prejudiced, having grown up two miles from Sedgefield with great memories of seeing Arnie's Army, Lee's Fleas and the excitement of what was one of the best sporting weeks on that stretch of Tobacco Road.

That's it for another week. Time to get ready for Oscar.

The First Game at Nationals Park

If it’s true, it will be an appropriate touch.

On Saturday, March 22nd, a week before what is currently thought to be the first game at Nationals Park, the exhibition between the Nationals and the Orioles, George Washington University’s baseball team will take the field at the new stadium.

The Nationals have not announced this game, but according to a video report from MLB Reporter Ed Randall, “the honor of playing the first game at the new ballpark will go to George Washington University on March 22nd."

I haven’t seen anything else on-line about this, but such a game is certainly doable. GW is scheduled to host St. Joseph on that day in Arlington. The connections are there too. Nationals’ owner Ted Lerner is a GW alumnus as well as three other members of the Lerner family (hat tip to JD). The game would serve as a dry run and give those college players the thrill of a lifetime.

RUSH, The Movie?

"With Across the Universe, Julie Taymor put together a film based on dozens of unrelated Beatles songs, stitching them together to tell a story. ("I Want You" as a military recruiting anthem? Genius.) But what about all those other bands with deep back catalogs full of plot possibilities? Here are our (admittedly jokey) picks for ten groups and artists whose music (entire catalogs, not just single albums) is ripe for adapting into a feature film... and how we think that movie would go down. (Hey, we're not saying all of these movies would turn out good.)" - 10 Other Bands Whose Music We'd Like To See Turned Into a Movie, by Christopher Null, Film Critic.com

"Claire, I’m having a hard time finishing this assignment you gave me."

"What’s the problem?"

"Well, you wanted me to sketch an outline for a cover piece we might do on these musical acts. Nirvana, Elvis, Aerosmith, The Ramones, maximum cool factor, of course. But I’m totally confused why you included RUSH. They’ve, like, never been in trouble and their image is, well, their music."

"Welcome to Image Magazine Jennifer. I put them there as part of your initiation. Pretty funny, uh?"

And so it goes for RUSH fans, wondering if the band will ever get the call from Cleveland. In a lot of respects the veteran trio doesn’t belong on such a list, so RUSHheads take what they can get in the way of recognition.

The latest nod comes from none other than Christopher Null. He came up with a list of “10 Other Bands Whose Music We'd Like To See Turned Into a Movie.” It is a tongue-in-cheek thingy, but still, it means something for them to be at the top of his list.

I’ll be the first to admit RUSH would be a huge challenge for a publicist or even Hollywood. But their approach does give hope to aspiring bands who want their music to be their image. Doing it that way is not easy, but it can be done.

Say, was that Geddy Lee on TMZ??

Where’s the Love, Peter?

Dear Peter,

Some of my fans have written to me regarding the Giants' 50th Anniversary celebrations. They said they like what you are doing with it, some nice stuff you’ve put together. But there’s one thing that puzzles them. At the top of the page for the 50th Anniversary section of your official website, they noticed you put up images of six Giants greats. Strangely, mine isn’t there.

So these fans of mine, they collected some money and had a banner made. It says:

Barry Bonds, San Francisco Giants, 1993-2007.

They will be sending it to you in hopes you'll find a place for it at The House That I Built.

Sincerely,

Barry Bonds
Seven-Time Most Valuable Player

In Season Exhibition Games

On June 26, 1944, 50,000 fans gathered at the Polo Grounds for one of the most unique games in baseball history. The contest was an exhibition match played between the Giants, Dodgers and Yankees to raise money for War Bonds and honor wounded war veterans. The New York Times called it a “three-cornered contest.” Each team batted six times and fielded six times. The final score was Dodgers 5, Yankees 1, Giants 0.

Exhibition games like this one are a forgotten part of baseball history. They’ve been brought back to life, however, by Walter LeConte. This SABR member and researcher found 2,800 or so such games, and has provided a list of them and a write-up via Retrosheet. He calls them “In Season Exhibition Games" or ISEG.

Have fun with this one. I know I am, still trying to figure out how that game at the Polo Grounds was talked about.

"How'd the Giants do honey?"

"They lost to the Dodgers and the Yankees."

"Uh?"

2008 Giants

It’s February in Baseball Land, a time for being glad the boys of spring are heading for camp and checking out the predictions and projections. In years past, I’d be champing at the bit to see what kind of lusty numbers the computers had crunched for Barry. This time around, not so good. I’m guessing I was not the only Giants fan who looked with one eye closed when David Pinto provided the team’s projected offense last week.

Even with the best case scenario, it looks like the Giants will struggle to avoid a fourth straight losing season. That has happened twice, 1974-1977 and 1899-1902, and never has it reached five -- Copy to Peter Magowan.

Fans react different ways to bad news. After seeing the Giants could score as low as 3.71 runs a game, I let my mind wander back to the 70s. No projections then. Ignorance was bliss, soft analysis from The Sporting News and being excited about picking up Von Joshua.

Grant had a good idea the other day, reminding us about the lucky ‘97 season. Maybe the Giants will even pick up on it, inspiring them to come up with a slogan for the upcoming season, something like, “Let’s Kick Pythag’s Butt Again!!”

Then again, something David said about the 2008 Giants is pretty sobering:

“Not one person in the starting lineup is projected to obtain an OPS of .800.”

When the news isn’t so good, I often turn to music for comfort. So here are my initial thoughts on a soundtrack that, hopefully, won’t be appropriate for the upcoming season, but we’ll, you know the old saying, hope for the best, prepare for the worst.

(Group names left off so I can keep my day job…)

Some Heads are Gonna Roll
We Don’t Get Fooled Again
One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer
The Mob Rules
You’re No Good
We’re Not Gonna Take It
This Ain’t The Summer of Love
Diary of a Madman
Welcome to the Jungle

D.C.’s Baseball History on Display at Nationals Park

In less than two months, a new era of baseball will begin in the nation’s capital. For the first time in nearly 50 years, a new ballpark will open for the home team. In addition to taking in stunning views of the Capitol, chowing down on local cuisine such as a Chili Dog from the legendary Ben’s Chili Bowl, and cheering on the Nats, game goers at Nationals Park will have the opportunity to see memorabilia and artifacts on display throughout the glass and steel ballpark, representing Washington’s storied baseball past.

To head up this effort, the Nationals’ front office hired Frank Ceresi, President of FC Associates, author of Images of Baseball in Washington, D.C., and local baseball historian. I spoke with Frank about the presentation of the exhibits. Most will be ready for Opening Day. Some will be on display in the general public areas, while others will be located in the President’s Club and Stars and Stripes Club suites. Placing memorabilia in these exclusive areas limits viewing by the public. Ballclubs, however, do so for security. The Nationals will likely conduct guided tours that will, hopefully, include these areas.

Baseball fans are in for a real treat. Ceresi has prepared a wide variety of items that represent not only the play of the Washington Senators, but also the Homestead Grays, the great Negro League team which played some of their home games at the old Griffith Stadium. 19th Century buffs will be very pleased that overlooked period of history will not be forgotten, at least in terms of the timeline.

The following is a list of the items that will be included in the exhibits.

A pair of timelines covering baseball in D.C. from 1859 to the present

Photo exhibits of Presidential first pitches, players from the Washington Senators and Homestead Grays, and images from Sport magazine

Vintage covers from Baseball magazine

Topps baseball cards and images from the T-3 (Turkey Red) Tobacco Card set

Classic baseball movie posters

So get ready for a great game day experience at Nationals Park. The team can make no guarantees for what happens on the field this season, and for those to come. From this sneak preview, however, the game of taking in Washington’s baseball history looks like it will be a winning hit.

Notes: Ceresi is always on the lookout for any 19th Century baseball images. If you have any, please contact him at the email at his website.

Also, my thanks to my friend Don Pollins for the news of these exhibits and Frank for the interview.