Jaybird's Jottings

Coliseum Baseball

“When the Dodgers moved out of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and into Dodger Stadium in 1962 it was believed that the Coliseum -- constructed in the 1920s for football and track and field -- would never again host another baseball game.... Forty-six years later, the Dodgers will return to the Coliseum one more time to play an exhibition game with the world champion Boston Red Sox as part of the organization's 50th anniversary celebration of its move to Los Angeles.” - Dodgers to battle Red Sox at Coliseum

Let’s see. The significance of the Red Sox jetting to Los Angeles to play the Dodgers at the Coliseum, as part of the Dodgers celebrating 50 sunny years, is…

Oh, I get it. They wanted the BoSox to serve as kind of a bookend on the progressive 50s. The Dodgers wrote the first chapter with the signing of Jackie Robinson. Then in 1958, the West Coast welcomed the Dodgers and the Giants. Throughout the decade more pioneers of color donned big league uniforms. Finally, in 1959, the Red Sox became the last major league team to integrate their dugout.

Brilliant!!

Ok, my bad, that’s a bit too cynical, and the very good thing is the proceeds will go to charity.

So let’s get to the good stuff concerning this turn-back-the-clock exhibition game. While it has raised eyebrows, I have to admit I think the Dodgers are doing something cool.

That feeling comes mostly from looking at the photograph of the Coliseum, the one currently at the Dodgers site. The baseball set up was way too lopsided to have a future, but as someone who loves quirky ballparks, well, I just sat for several minutes looking at how oddly beautiful the way Coliseum and baseball mixed there.

Another thought is the large crowds that used to fill up the larger venues. It's understandable why ballpark capacities are headed in the other direction, but at the same time, it's a shame to realize those amazingly large crowds are a thing of the past.

The other thing that I thought about in looking at that photograph was the baseball of my youth. When I was a young adult, we used to play pick up games at my high school. One of the variations we used was playing in the middle of the track. Right field was real close but a chain link fence knocked down most of our longer shots. I wasn't much of a power hitter but one day I socked two over the fence. Cheap, but it still felt mighty good to take the rare trot.

Another way we set things up made centerfield really deep. That was our favorite place because of the way you, as the one outfielder, chased down balls and tried to keep a triple from an inside-the-park homer. Either way it was a very exciting play, hitting it or being the outfielder that chased it down and tried to make a good throw to the cut off.

So here's hoping this game turns out to be a lot of fun. The Red Sox will make for an odd opponent, but on the baseball field, odd can be a good thing.

Rays New Waterfront Ballpark

"If all goes as planned, downtown St. Petersburg will have a new open-air baseball stadium, shaded by a massive white sail, ready for games in 2012 and close enough to the water for home runs to splash down in the Bay." Tampa Bay On-Line

No ballpark, in my humble and biased opinion, tops the Giants’ beauty by the bay. The Tampa Bay Rays, however, appear to have a really nice one coming, one that draws comparison with Mays Field.

The similarities can be seen at this rendering of the boats in the dock, the placement by the water and the chance for splash hits in right field.

Good luck to the Rays and their fans. Them folks need a reason to get excited.

Panel Discusses Barry Bonds

Maury Brown has put together a panel of baseball folks to talk about Barry Bonds. I would have liked to have seen John at Only Baseball Matters weigh in. Nevertheless, it is a distinguished set of voices with an array of expertise. Like many, I've been a bit weary on reading about this but the panel offers some excellent insight.

One thing is for sure. Whoever writes Bonds's biography won't be lacking for sources and material.

Now regarding that point of view...

Sean Taylor, 1983-2007

Yesterday ended well for me as I picked up the better half at Dulles.

But it started out very sad here in Washington, in Southern Florida and in the sports world. On Monday night, hearing the news that Redskins’ safety Sean Taylor had been shot in the leg, it seemed he would recover.

In the morning, the Post headline read “Redskins Rally Around Taylor.” But when I went on-line, I saw the tragic news of his passing.

Thoughts and prayers go out to his friends and family.

Sean Taylor was 24.

Waiting for 60 Minutes

”60 Minutes is an investigative television newsmagazine on United States television, which has run on CBS News since 1968… It is considered by many to be the preeminent investigative television program in the United States... It has been among the top-rated TV programs for much of its life, and has garnered numerous awards over the years.” – 60 Minutes, Wikipedia

A paradox occurs when something seemingly false is actually true. For example, if one of TV’s top-rated shows was chronically delayed, sometimes as much as an hour, that would be a paradox.

Such a thing would also make the fans of those shows angry, annoyed and confused. And that is exactly what is happening with 60 Minutes and the way CBS makes viewers wait by extending their coverage of the NFL. Granted, the suits do it because they can and the practice brings in more revenue. It is very frustrating, however, and has been so for many, many years, when 60 Minutes viewers have to wait and wait for this premiere show to come on.

To vent about this problem, if you’ll allow a sports metaphor, is to do so very late in the game. King Football, specifically the NFL, has been bleeding into 60 Minutes’ 7 p.m. time slot since the late 70s. I remember my Mom, who lived to watch the crooks get caught by Mike, Morley and their hard-charging colleagues (sorry, another sports metaphor), would get livid if there were any amount of delay. And it was easy to see her point. I loved watching the NFL on those Sunday afternoons. But come 7 pm, it seemed unfair for her and the legion of 60 Minutes viewers to have to wait.

I came to love the show too. Eventually, I got used to the waiting, learning that the rules of broadcasting allow the networks to do this. And it’s fair. Sports fans are entitled to see the whole game. But sometimes the way it all plays out is ridiculous.

Like last night. At around 7:15, the Baltimore at San Diego game ended. CBS then switched to the Denver at Chicago game which was close and nearing its conclusion. (Had this been a game where New England was in danger of getting beat, hey, I’m not be writing this).

In the worse case scenario, in terms of 60 Minutes fans waiting for the football coverage to end, the end of the bonus game will not only drag on, it will go to overtime. And that is what happened last night.

Finally, at 7:50, mercy was delivered with the winning field goal kicked. After the interviews and commercials, including one last bit of football boasting, the displaying of the NFL on CBS shield, 60 Minutes came on.

Tick, tick, tick, tick, tick...

I glanced up at the digital clock atop our TV. Eight zero zero.

That’s right, last night, a whole bunch of annoyed viewers waited 60 minutes for 60 Minutes.

A paradox, indeed.

Phoenix Rising

"Don't look now, but there's a very real chance Tucson could lose spring training, perhaps as early as 2009. Colorado Rockies officials say they are serious about negotiating with Goodyear officials about a move to a new spring-training complex that would be shared with the Cleveland Indians…" - Kevin Reichard, Ballpark Digest, November 19.

Airfare for two to Phoenix - $900
Hotel for three nights - $800
Tickets to Spring Training $150

15 teams to choose from – priceless

Sometime in the not too distant future, such a commericial could make the rounds. Business officials in Tucson are hoping that never happens. That is to say, they don’t want the Rockies and Diamondbacks to move their spring training digs to Phoenix. As Kevin Reichard notes, however, that possibility does exists.

As a regular to spring training, I sometimes get asked which I like more, Arizona or Florida? My reply is usually something like, both are great, you can’t wrong with either, but a tie breaker would be the proximity factor in Phoenix. Nine teams train there and the dust is flying for the Dodgers and the Indians who are on tap for the welcome wagon in 2009.

Florida has some clustering in the Tampa Bay Area but loses points in the transportation game. The gulf- side traffic is not as bad as Miami and South Florida but you can see it getting worse. All big cities have traffic but when I lived in Phoenix in 1993-1994, and on subsequent visits, the I-10 HOV lane there (only two required) took the sting out of getting around.

Tampa/St Pete counters with some of the most beautiful beach walks in the world (on a calm day the one in Clearwater can be surreal), so I suppose this “who is better” contest was a tie overall.

I say “was” because, if you’ll pardon the pun, Phoenix is rising in the spring training game. In 2002, the greater metro area there hosted seven teams. The following March, the Rangers and Royals left Florida for Surprise, a fast-growing locale on the western side. The average fan didn’t care too much about that but let’s just say the ballpark scoreboard at the Arizona Sports and Tourism Authority lit up like a Christmas tree.

The Sunshine State still has the media darlings from Boston and New York, Disney, the beaches and 18 teams, but Phoenix steals away two more teams beginning in 2009. The Dodgers, who broke ground on Tuesday, will leave Vero Beach after 50 plus years for the new ballpark in Glendale. The construction schedule is very tight but with the good climate there and some 11th hour overtime, it appears the park will open on time.

That same March, the Cleveland Indians will have said their goodbyes to Winter Haven (15 road turns and you were there) for a new ballpark and training facilities in Goodyear. That will bring the count to 12 teams in the Phoenix area.

The White Sox, who are all but gone from Tucson and will share fields with the Dodgers, would make it a baker’s dozen.

Spring training history is filled with teams moving. The Cactus League got its start in Tucson with Bill Veeck and the Indians and in Phoenix with Horace Stoneham and the Giants in 1947. It hurts the local hearts when the boys of March move away, but new chapters will be written. The winner in this game is the fans. More teams mean more choices, to say nothing of the fun in watching the Giants and Dodgers start a new chapter in their storied rivalry.

So have fun wherever you go. If it is Phoenix, but don’t be too surprised when you look down at your car rental charges and see a “Team Proximity Convenience Fee.”

Welcome to Spring Training.

Thanks for Working Today

Several years ago, my wife and I were plodding through the Atlanta airport in search of some decent food and rest. Appearing before me came a beautiful sight, a sign that said Chick-Fil-A.

For the legion of folks who have eaten Chick-Fil-A’s chicken breast sandwiches, well, they know what I’m talking about. So tasty they are, you don’t need anything on them except that white bread bun and the little dab of pickle.

I hadn’t seen a Chick-Fil-A in ages. With my mouth watering, we neared their little spot in the concourse. Seeing no one there, my heart sank. Closed on Sundays, the sign said, and it explained their policy.

As crazy as that seemed, I understood. I grew up in the 60s when Sundays were a slower day. You didn’t buy much on Sundays because few stores were open.

And so, we come to the moral of the story. On this day of Thanksgiving, let’s give thanks to those who have to work today. If and when you buy something today, don’t wait for that person standing behind the counter to say thanks. Let’s thank them for working on a day they probably don’t want to.

Oh, by the way, here's the Chick-Fil-A locator.

Springsteen Rocks D.C.

The Pope is coming to Washington next April. But this past Veterans Day weekend, 40,000 sets of ears listened to what The Bruce and his E Street Band had to say. Springsteen sold out the mid-town Verizon Center on both Sunday and Monday night, 20,000 plus each night, every seat taken as far as I could tell, including all the seats behind the stage.

We had never seen Springsteen so we were psyched. Went to Monday’s show and thoroughly enjoyed it. Arrived right before the 7:30 show time, thinking, cool, we won't miss that magical moment when the house lights go down.

But our hustle proved unnecessary. As we took our seats near the rafters, I saw a remarkable sight below. Normally all the fans would be in their seats, primed and ready to go. But there was a noticeable amount of empty seats, especially in the lower bowl. It occurred to me that his network of fans had the scoop the show would start later. Some guy behind us said the Sunday night show had started at 8:20.

He was right. The magical moment was delayed until then.

Concerts can be broken down into two categories I suppose. One is where you are familiar with the band's material. The other is where you know only the hits. We fell in the latter. Springsteen played a lot of material off his new album and backloaded the hits, something I had never seen before. I have no problem with this approach, because musicians have to play set lists that keep them refreshed.

In addition to hits like the roar-inducing Born to Run, my favorite was the song he sang with his wife. This type of nepotism has pitfalls (Paul McCartney) but it most certainly worked fine here. I don't know the name of the song but a google search tells me it's A Town Called Heartbreak, written by his wife Patti Scialfa.

Early on in his career, Springsteen was compared to Elvis and later to Bob Dylan. Any sane person knew that was the insanely silly stuff of magazines.

Bruce is Bruce, a great slice of Americana who is still rocking the masses in his no frills way.

Tommy Lasorda and Bill Plaschke

Under its Resident Associates Program, the Smithsonian Institution here in Washington hosts speakers on a variety of educational and cultural topics. Past guests include John Thorn and Bill James. I’m not a member but receive email from the local chapter of SABR when the talk is baseball.

This time the subject line said Tommy Lasorda and Bill Plaschke. They came to the nation's capital in support of “I Live For This: Baseball’s Last True Believer,” Plaschke’s new biography on Lasorda. When I got the note last month, I said to myself something like, nah, not interested in that double dose of anathema.

But the off-season can get lonely for baseball fans, so under the banner of “It’s Something Big League Baseball,” I ultimately forked over the $20 dollars (SABR members got $10 off).

The additional good thing was going with Don, fellow baseball fan and lover of Chinese food. As we walked past the State Department last night, I realized I had not explored that part of D.C. In the past, these events were held at the Smithsonian building along the Mall. But for some reason, this one was at the Department of the Interior.

The auditorium was full, about 500 people I’d say, an interesting mixture of cap-clad dressed downs and suit and tie dressed ups. After being introduced by the toastmaster who donned his Yankees hat (loud boos), Lasorda walked on stage to a standing ovation. Not everybody stood up initially, including Don and I, but as the applause continued, we gave in to conformity and joined in with the clapping.

I had wondered if there would be any Giants references and sure enough there were. Reacting to the warm greeting, Lasorda said, “If only I could have gotten this kind of reception in San Francisco?”

The format for the evening was simple. Plaschke set Lasorda up with familiar questions about his life. Topics included his friendship with Frank Sinatra (Sinatra surprised Lasorda early on by buying his Mom flowers), why he hugged his player so much (they did all the work), why he plunked the Giants' Buster Maynor (he refused to sign an autograph for Lasorda when he was a kid), why he fought with the opposing manager in his first game as manager in the minors (something about a scuffed ball) and the fun he had coaching the Olympic team (he cried when the players got their medals and the Old Glory was raised).

Listening to Lasorda talk, the word embellishment comes to mind. He’s like memory on steroids and he loves to ham it up. The audience laughed and roared repeatedly at his anecdotal stories and baseball memories. The just-turned 80 year-old Hall of Famer displayed a keen sense of details, although one would want to be aware of Dave Smith’s piece on Dubious Memories.

Lasorda's tripping down memory lane was followed by the questions and answer session. If you recall, I have this thing about people who ask these questions. A lot of them preface their questions with comments and then they finally get to the question. A quick line or two is ok, but sometimes the person goes on and on, totally unnecessary and annoying.

Sure enough the very first person, bam, the rambling on and on. This guy set the all-time record!

History will record Jay Roberts, life-long Giants fan, went and saw Tommy Lasorda and Bill Plaschke. As I told Don afterwards, I was glad I went, an entertaining event.

Do me a favor though, and don’t tell anybody I was there…

“A Thing of Beauty”

“After decades of waiting, Washington has a winner. Within a few years, as the Anacostia waterfront development project sparks urban revitalization, we may be even more pleased. For now, it's enough to know that, after all the angst and expense, Nationals Park will be stunning.” – A Thing of Beauty, Thomas Boswell, Washington Post

When football stadiums and basketball/hockey arenas are being built, fans no doubt derive pleasure when they see the progress. But, if you’ll forgive my baseball arrogance, there’s nothing like the coming along of a ballpark.

For those keeping tabs on the latest from Nationals Park, yesterday’s look-see was the best yet. Nats blogger Nats320 has provided the full text of Stan Kasten's comments and replies to questions from the media.

The main news, in addition to the update that the new park is on time, is the first contest will be an exhibition game on Saturday, March 29, versus the Orioles. It will be free for season ticket holders, stadium workers, and the Nationals Programs for Youths in the City.

The Nats are still waiting a decision by MLB about opening the park on ESPN Sunday Night Baseball. The Washington Post’s article this morning quoted a source as saying that the game is a “strong possibility.”

Coverage

Jacqueline Dupree has her usual great takes and photos, including a couple of must-see panoramics.

Nats Official Site Coverage

Video from the Washington Post that include Kasten's comments about the closeness of the seating - "the seats behind the dugout are 16 feet closer to the field" and "the back half is 23 feet closer because there’s no aisle."

Nationals Pride blog with a photo of the stone backstop and the location of the Walter Johnson painting

NBC News 4 has an overhead photo that is several months old but one that I have not seen before.