Jaybird's Jottings

Happy Halloween!

Although April is a close second, October is my favorite month.   The post season, cooler temps, fall foliage, harvest moons, my birthday, and to cap it all off, Halloween.

Old Town Alexandria always does it up nicely as far as decorating homes, and this year I decided to take some pictures.   Participation is scattered throughout as one would expect, but I noticed the heaviest concentration is the three or four blocks south of King and west of Lee.

Anyway, here’s some of the best ones.

 Boo, scary, Happy Halloween!

 

One Nation, Under Jon

Creativity.

That is what I will remember the most about “The Rally to Restore Sanity And/Or Fear” that took place on the National Mall today.  

First came the signs made by some in the crowd that might have exceeded 100,000.     Using Glenn Beck’s Rally as a springboard for thought, they poked fun in a variety of ways.     My favorite was made by a lady from Wisconsin whose sign said, “What would Spock Do?  Restore Logic.”

Then came the costumes and the skits.    Yusuf Islam (Cat Stevens) sang the first part of his hit “Peace Train,” only to be interrupted by Ozzy Osbourne who tore into the first part of “Crazy Train.”   

I doubt everyone got the joke but there was enough humor to go around to satisfy everyone.     Another hilarious act was the Benediction by actor Don Novello.   Religion will never be the same.

I arrived around 10:30, already a ton of people there.   Everyone was having a great time, some carrying those signs and many wearing smiles of anticipation.   

Walked around and got these photos, then hightailed it home to watch on C-SPAN.

Stewart and Colbert, you rocked, thank you for this unique day, a nice blend of comedy, activism, and creativity.

 

 

 

The Rally to Restore Grass on The Mall

Checked out The Mall this morning.   It’s a bit muddy in spots, but hopefully the wind will dry it out.

Talked with others getting the close shots they won’t tomorrow.  One from Chicago, one from Boston, one from Texas.

Weather should be excellent.  Here’s CWG forecast: 

Mostly sunny skies and breezes around 10 mph from the south/southwest boost temperatures from their crisp morning start. Afternoon highs probably end up several degrees warmer than Friday, in the low-to-mid 60s. Overall it's a pretty decent day, whether you're headed to the rally on the Mall or otherwise.

 

A lot written about this rally.   Best headline I’ve seen is from WeLoveDC.

The Rally To Restore Sanity: Why We All Need To Stop Analyzing It And Just Enjoy It

See you there!

 

 

 

Rally Schedule

Metromix (hat tip DCist) has released this yet-to-be-confirmed schedule for The Rally on Saturday.

Who's your pick for the comedian warm-up?

I'd love to see Robin Williams.

Pre-Pre Show - 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Video montages and music will play on Jumbotrons to entertain the audience

Pre Show - 12 p.m. to 1 p.m.

12:00-12:40 - The Roots will play for the crowd

12:40-12:57 - A comedian (TBA) will warm up the crowd

12:57-1:00 - Video countdown and intros

Main Show 1 p.m.-3 p.m.

1:00-1:05 - Singing of the National Anthem by special musical guest (TBA)

1:05-1:20 - Jon Stewart welcomes the crowd

1:20-1:30 - Stephen Colbert enters

1:30-1:35 - Benediction by actor Don Novello ("Father Guido Sarducci")

1:35-1:40 - Poem reading by actor Sam Waterson ("Law and Order")

1:40-1:50 - Performance by Jeff Tweedy (Wilco) and Mavis Staples 

1:50-2:15 - Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert perform together

2:15-2:20 - Performance by Sheryl Crow

2:20-2:30 - Brief statements from special guests (TBA), both live and taped

2:30-2:40 - Performance by special musical guest (TBA)

2:40-2:50 - Sanity and Fear Awards

2:50-3:00 - Final statements by Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert

 

 

Giants Greats Will Take To Mound, Mays To Toss Out Ceremonial First Pitch

Excitement is building for Game One.

MLB issued this press release today.

The ceremonial first pitch for Game One of the 2010 World Series on FOX will feature a lineup of Giants Hall of Famers. Orlando Cepeda, Monte Irvin, Juan Marichal, Willie Mays, Wille McCovey and Gaylord Perry and will collectively take the mound to commence the start of the Series, with Mays throwing out the first pitch.

Game Two at AT&T Park will feature the daughters of homerun hero Bobby Thomson, Megan Armstrong and Nancy Mitchell.

 

 

Game One Pitching Matchups

If Game One ratings are down, it won’t be due to the starting pitching matchup.  Tim Lincecum v Cliff Lee.  Yea, you might want to watch.

This possible great dual has fans and writers scrambling for historical comparisons.    Sean Forman and the gang at BR has a list of the top Game Scores.   Christy Mathewson dropped an 85 on the A’s in Game One of the 1905 Series.   His opponent was Eddie Plank, future Hallmate of the Big Six who had won 110 games in his first five season.   McGraw’s high powered offense, the only one to average 5 R/G, scored three times off Plank as the Giants won 3 to 0.

The Giants and A’s met again in the 1911 World Series and Game One was another great moment for fans to talk about who was on the mound. Mathewson, in his 11 seasons, had accumulated 263 wins.   The best pitcher in the game, he had led the league in ERA 4 times, including that season, shutouts 4 times and strikeouts 5.

Chief Bender’s numbers were not as impressive, but good enough to make the Hall.   In the game at the Polo Grounds, Mathewson gave up just one run.  Bender yielded an unearned run in the fourth, and two doubles and a run in the seventh, the difference in the game.

From there, everything seems downhill, but I have not looked at every series.   For the Giants, Carl Hubbell’s Game Score in 1933 ranks high, but his opponent Lefty Steward on the Senators did not make the Hall of Fame.    Hubbell was in his prime and gave up just five singles and two walks, while striking out 10, including the side in the first.    Both runs were unearned and the Giants won 5 to 2.   Hubbell’s WHIP that season was .982, marking the third straight time he led the league (of course, back then there was no such stat).  

No one knows what will happen tonight but it’s fun thinking about the possibilities.   Get those K markers and Game Score calculators ready.   Big time history could be made.

 

 

World Series, Game One

As dawn approaches in the East Coast, I’m awake a bit earlier than usual.  With visions of Giants and the World Series dancing in my head, I feel like a kid again.

In thinking about the games about to be played, I’m reminded of the 1989 World Series between the Giants and the A’s.    This current Fall Classic feels a bit like that.   The suits in Manhattan always want East Coast teams, or big revenue teams.   '89 wasn't that and this isn't either.     Giants and Yankees would have been a dream for the historic tie-ins, but the fit with the Rangers feels right.  It has that feel of something different, our Giants who were not picked to win and the Rangers who manhandled the Yankees and tasted pennant glory for the first time.     

The parallels also arose yesterday when the MLB Network showed some of the iconic scenes from San Francisco.   I remember that being played up to the hilt in 1989.   Part of the good feeling back then was that it had been so long since the last time the Giants were in the Series.   This time the wait was not long, but after what happened in 2002, we wondered how long it would be before the Giants had a chance at redemption. 

Yesterday, I was walking along King Street in Old Town Alexandria and crossed paths with a man wearing a well-worn SF hat.   I spoke to him briefly about the Giants.   The encounter reminded me of my younger days in North Carolina when I would occasionally come across someone with an SF hat.    Such instances were fairly rare, and I always spoke up and said I too was a follower of the Orange and Black.

Game One is now a sunset away.    The 8 pm EST start means it will still be daylight in San Francisco.   That’s the baseball I remember growing up.

Like I said, I feel like a kid again.   

 

Jon Stewart: Shows One and Two

Washington DC will never be the same.      The potent combination of a smart audience and Stewart and his great team of writers is producing some hilarious stuff.

Stewart has us laughing at ourselves very hard.   On Monday night, DC’s crazy diagonal streets and traffic circles like DuPont Circle, and NPR got pulverized.   Then last night, more of the NE/NW DC confusion, Metro and Insider Access produced loud roars of laughter. 

Jon, you gotta come back more often.   I mean, poking fun at left-leaning NPR one night, and John McCain the next, that’s brilliant, it’s fair and balanced comedy!

Note:  The Post Going Out Guide Blog has a good article on after parties.

One not mentioned is the "Capitol Steps," who produce some great political humor shows.   They have new shows every Friday and Saturday night at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in the Penn Quarter.

 

 

 

Civil War 150

As our nation prepares for the Senate, House and Gubernatorial elections on November 2^nd, the 150^th anniversary of the Civil War is about to enter the major milestone phases of looking back.  

On November 6, 1860, the election was held for a new President.    Douglas Egerton (PhD, Georgetown) has written a book (“Year of Meteors: Stephen Douglas, Abraham Lincoln, and the Election that Brought on the Civil War”) about this pivotal moment and will appear at the National Portrait Gallery on Friday.  

As far as I can tell, this will be the closest thing to a 150th commemoration of the election in our area, the nearest being Harold Holzer speaking in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and of course, events in Springfield.

An upcoming event that is not aligned perfectly in the sesquicentennial sense, but is one that will draw major attention and long lines for its four days, is the displaying of the original Emancipation Proclamation at the National Archives, November 11-14.  This rare public presentation will help kick off Part Two of their Civil War Exhibit, “Discovering the Civil War: Consequences,” which begins on November 10 and ends April 17, 2011.

As far as books on the events leading up to the war, none is better than David M. Potter’s "The Impending Crisis, 1848 - 1861."   The date of publication, 1977, might throw some off, but it won the Pulitzer Prize for History and is praised by many.

Better hurry though.  The news of Lincoln’s victory rumbled across the South like a thunderstorm.  On December 20, 1860, South Carolina voted for secession.

 

 

Rally to Restore Humor in Politics

Just got out of a meeting with my editor to discuss whether or not we should cover the “Rally to Restore Honor and/or Fear” on the Mall this Saturday.    Attendance won’t come close to the million plus for President Obama’s inauguration, but the numbers could be bigger than thought.   And evidently, the traditional media are scared to death about attending or even covering the event, so, yea, let the blogosphere will step in and fill the void!

We decided somebody has to provide weather reports and such mundane things, so we’re on the beat and will attend.   Of course, if you’re 18 to 34, you’re probably not reading this.

Should be a fun week.  Stewart is taping his shows downtown at the Harman Center.    Maybe he will quote some Shakespeare?   

The weather for Saturday is looking good, sunny skies and high of 60.    Starts out in the 40s, so probably 50 when the rally starts at noon.   (Breaking News -- There’s a separate “Rally to Restore Fear in Weather Forecasting!!”)

Leaf peepers are hitting the fall foliage just about right as peak coloring is approaching in some trees.   Biking along the trails here just be very pleasing in this regard.

The Washington Post is covering the event but they are doing so with their hands in the air or they’re going too far.  

Carlos Lozada writes an article titled, "The case against Jon Stewart's Rally to Restore Sanity."

I have to admit that by Stewart’s having it both ways, sometimes the Daily Show is a bit awkward that way, especially when he interrupts too much.  But there’s no reason to not have this rally.    Political points will be made but there will be some great poking fun, and right now, with the scorched-earth scene leading up to the election on November 2^nd, we need some chuckles.

And our man of intelligent laughter is safe.  The side poll shows 86% of votes saying Big Bad Jon has not gone too political.   

In our meeting, the boss recommended I start twittering.  I said if I do, that would make me a twit.  I don’t want to be a twit, so I will carry on with blogging.   

If you’re coming to Washington, be safe and have fun.  My one recommended must-do is to check out the front pages of the newspapers in front of the Newseum on Sunday morning.    

The media know a good story when they see it, but let’s see how they cover this one.