Jaybird's Jottings

Yomiuri Giants Advance

The saddest words in baseball, the season is over, have been spoken.   Fans of Japanese baseball, however, can hang on with their World Series equivalent, the Nippon Series. 

The Yomiuri Giants won the Central League Climax Series and will face the Seibu Lions.  The series starts Saturday at the Tokyo Dome.

Michael Westbay, one of the foremost authorities on Japanese baseball, has a Climax Series wrap up and a preview between the two great franchises.  

The Giants, who won 9 times in a row between 1965 and 1973, have won 20 titles.  The Lions, who won 8 of 9 between 1982 and 1992, have the second most with 12. 

Waterfront Park at The Yards

With all their struggles both on and off the field, right now is not a good time to talk about the Washington Nationals.   Oh sure, third baseman Ryan Zimmerman's money is still no good in the bars here, but I bet you team owner Ted Lerner carefully checks his D.C. tabs.  

Given their lowly status, and the slowdown of the re-development around their ballpark, the Nats will take any good news they can get.   Although it won't translate into wins, they got something to be thankful for yesterday, some news that will also please their game-going fans.  

Standing symbolically inside a soon-to-be-refurbished building just three blocks east of Nationals Park, D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty announced funding for a new city park along the Anacostia River to be called "Waterfront Park at The Yards."    Near Southeast blogger J.D. has all the details, including photos of the event, the area as it looks now, and renderings. 

The 5.5-acre patch of land will connect Nationals Park to "The Yards," the 42-acre mixed-use project that will hug the gateway park.  Comparisons are being made to Baltimore's Inner Harbor and Chicago's Millennium Park. 

Construction will begin in January and is slated for completion in 2010.    The refurbished Boilermaker Shop (retail and restaurant) and Pattern Joiner Shop (the Foundry Lofts) are also scheduled to open around the same time.

Note:  I asked J.D. about water taxi service at the park and got this reply.

Diamond Teague Park, directly across from the ballpark at 1st and Potomac, is supposed to open in March of 2009, with water taxi piers. So while the Yards Park is supposed to have taxi piers, you don't have to wait until 2010 for them (provided Teague opens on time and provided a deal is struck with a water taxi service).

The Weather's Wicked Curve Ball

Tonight: Skies will be mainly cloudy and showers are possible through the evening and overnight hours. Showers may become a steadier light rain as the evening progresses and moves through the night. The Phillies' game may be a bit wet at times but the rains should not be heavy enough to cause delays or cancellation of the game. North winds will be dragging chilly air south from Canada and by morning temperatures will be in the upper 30's to mid 40's across the region. - PhillyWeather.net


This was the forecast for Philadelphia on Monday as told by Phily Weather.   As we know, the rain was heavy and it caused Game Five to be ppd.  

Not that most folks are interested, they just wanna see the ballgame tomorrow.  But for those interested, Capital Weather Gang blog has an excellent piece on why the weather system produced more rain than thought.  

Also, Philly Weather has some great coverage of what happened with associated graphs and radar.

Will Northern Virginia Become the 51st State?

If you'll forgive my DC/urban-centric snobbery, I have to wonder how great a place really is if two of its major attractions are shopping malls.    Make no mistake, however.  Northern Virginia, the set of counties and cities west and south of Washington D.C., is a powerhouse region, the wealthiest in the nation with six of the twenty highest-income counties in the nation, including the two highest as of 2007.  

There's a downside, however, for those who live in Northern Virginia.  The area, which makes up about seven percent of Virginia's land area and about a third of its population, sends almost half of its income-tax revenues to the capital in Richmond, some 70 miles to the south.   But by some estimates, the region gets back only 25 cents on the dollar. 

With that disparity, some Northern Virginians have wondered, Why not secede and become the 51st state?     The issue is not a new one, but no one has written about it as eloquently as Drew Lindsay.  In an outstanding article in the current (November) issue of Washingtonian magazine (So Long, Virginia), the author lays out the case.   Lindsay covers the history of the turmoil, the cultural differences ("Northern Virginia is arguably part of the state in name only"), and the difference in the demographics (More than 20% of Northern Virginians were born outside the U.S., while 3% for the rest of the state).   

He also writes about why the breakaway probably won't happen.   In addition to the political realities, there are business factors.   Forbes has named Virginia the Best State for Business three years in a row.   Lindsay notes, "Businesses that locate in Northern Virginia often praise the low tax rate as well as the state's laissez-faire regulatory style - both a function of Virginia's conservative government."   
      
The author seems to conclude that the two sides will probably get along better in the future.   And who knows? Maybe the two sides will even get together and fund a badly needed widening of Interstate 95 between Richmond and Northern Virginia.   Talk about traffic woes...

Note:  I wasn't able to find a link to the article at the Washingtonian website.

Marine Corps Marathon

Congrats to all the runners who took part in the 33rd annual Marine Corps Marathon yesterday, the fourth largest in the country and a great way to see the sites in DC and Arlington.   DCist has coverage including some photos.

The runners got a great day for it, as the system that brought the Saturday soaker moved along overnight, leaving the day mild in advance of the colder stuff that arrives this week.  

I ran one marathon, San Francisco's in 1991.   Bill Rogers waved at us as we started at the north side of the Golden Gate.   I trained properly but it was still brutal at the wall and those last few miles.  

Had some great times running, the Hash overseas, the 10Ks, and not letting bad weather stop the daily run, but eventually I had to give it up.   My knees finally convinced my brain.   Sure wasn't easy because running is so addictive.  I really miss that sense of purpose as you train for the next event and the freedom it gives you.

Enjoy it while you can!

 

Elevation Burger

There's nothing like a good hamburger - the sizzle on the grill, the sight of the melted cheese, the narcotic-like relief as the juicy fat pours through your veins.   Burgers are comfort food, too, and with the tougher times ahead, we may turn to them more often. 

In the last several years, Roberta and I have cut back on red meat.   I'm here to confess, however, that when the craving calls, I gotta' go get me some beef patty and white bread.   A recent urging came from two sources -  the local write-ups, which have featured burgers and a Hamburger Paradise segment on the Travel Channel that made me want one right then.

Going back 10-12 years, I remember there not being much in the way of burgers here in our area other than Fuddruckers.    They were cool for awhile but only have a couple of locations.   Then several years ago, Five Guys came on the scene with lots of locations, good quality beef, fresh french fries, rock music through the pipes and all those great reviews hanging from their walls.  

My hunt for the ultimate cheeseburger, which may or may not become a full-fledged one, started a couple of weeks ago at Ray's Hell Burger.    Although they were pricey, I gave them high ratings.  (One thing I failed to mention was that they have the condiments at each table).  Ray's reminded me of the way I used to make them at home.    My favorite way of pounding out the patties included adding some Werstershire Sauce and chopped onions.   Ray's seemed to have that sort of strong taste, as well as the juicy drip.  But Roberta, having acquired a taste for organic beef burgers at a stop we made this summer in New Market, Virginia, wasn't too keen on Ray's.

So last weekend we decided to head for Elevation Burger in Falls Church (more locations coming including Arlington and National Harbor).  Quite frankly, I was somewhat disappointed with them.   The décor is nicer than Five Guys, the prices are decent, and since Ray's didn't have french fries, we were glad to have them there.   But their fries were small and not all that good.   The burgers weren't anything special either.

Upon reflection, however, I think Elevation Burger needs to be in its own burger category.   Its CEO, Hans Hess, who recently won a Green Business award (category Visionary) for launching an all-hybrid taxi fleet in Arlington, has created a healthy alternative.   When we walked out, we noted it felt good to not be stuffed. 

But my little food id was disappointed, so it looks like the hunt will continue... 

Game Three, Radar Update

7:30 update.

Looks like they just might get the game in.  The system seemed to pick up some speed and that heavy band is exiting stage left right now.  There's some light rain behind it but also some breaks.

Enjoy FOX's filler…

Game Three

It is coming up on 6 pm here on the east coast, and weather geek baseball fans (who me?) are monitoring the radars.   Philly is getting light rain but a heavy line that just dumped some needed rain on Washington is headed their way.  

This blogger seems to have made a good guess. 

The frontal system is moving through Pennsylvania this afternoon. Both the GFS and NAM models continue to show about 0.20 inches of rain falling after 8PM tonight (Sat). Not sure if the Phillies game will be delayed for the rain to pass. Hard to tell about the exact time for the rain ending, but I would put it between 9 and 10 PM tonight.

It's going to be a tough call for Selig and probably a disappointing night for the fans going.   The good news is Sunday is forecasted for sunny skies and above average temps in the mid 60s.  Game time temperature probably around 60.

By the way, I loved weatherguy's disclaimer.

Disclaimer: I am not a meteorologist and provide this information as a hobby and for entertainment (mostly my own :-) . While attempts are made to predict the weather as best as I can, use at your own risk! I am NOT responsible for any direct or indirect consequential injury/damages due to your use of these forecasts. Always check the NWS Official Forecast for your final plans.

 

Senor Al Rubio

In junior high school, high school, and my first year of college, I took five years of Spanish.    I remember my high school teacher, Senor Al Rubio, telling us that in five years, our country would become bi-lingual.   It didn't happen that fast, but besides the fun I had learning the language and culture (gracias a Senior Rubio), it's really paying off now.   We have Spanish-speaking neighbors beside us and across the street  (Thankfully their English is way better than my Spanish...)  

Anyway, what prompted me to write about this is the news on a report released earlier this week by the Pew Hispanic Center.   Of the top 25 counties in the nation with the largest Hispanic population growth from 2000 to 2007, seven are in Virginia. 

By the way, I googled Mr. Rubio and learned several things about him which can be found here.   One is never sure with these things so the two photos helped.  There's a man smiling, wearing a costume, and embracing his fellow teachers.

That's Senor Rubio!

John Pardon, 1938-2008

SABR members and others are saddened today by the news of the passing of John Pardon.   He died of cancer on Sunday. 

Pardon was one of the sixteen founding members of SABR and served as its first Vice-President in 1971, as well as on the Board of Directors from 1979-82 and 1985-88.  In addition to being named the Bob Davids Awardee in 1998, Pardon co-founded the NYC chapter and played a major role in starting the Westchester Baseball Group.  

John's expertise was the minor leagues, but as a friend to others, he was major league.   I met him at the convention in Milwaukee in 2000.  Somehow, the conversation turned to Keith Graffanini, a player for the G-Yanks in my hometown of Greensboro.  I told him Graffanini had moved into the house below us when I was a kid, and related how he had given us one of his bats.   John was a sports writer for the Asheville Citizen-Times from 1966 to 1971, and was familiar with Graffanini.    As promised, shortly thereafter, I received some items on him that John had mailed me.

A SABR member described Pardon as "the truest gentleman, consistently kind at conventions, local meetings, and the HOF celebration of SABR's founding every 5 years." 

That was John, and we will miss him dearly.  

Obituaries

At SABR.org and NYJnews.