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The
Dugout (From Nerd’s Perspective)
Welcome Please allow me to introduce myself (to
those I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting); my name is Nerd.
I am a member of the Middleton Home Talent squad, serving primarily as
Chief Scorekeeper, a position I take most seriously. I will be appearing in this
space quite often in the months to come, especially with Summer approaching
fast. What to
Expect This column will delve into a variety of
matters, but the focus will, of course, be the goings-on of Middleton Home
Talent. Everything written on this
page will be from my perspective; from current affairs, pop culture, and the
weather to my reasoning behind why SoAndSo got an error or UmpWhatsHisName needs
his head examined. Although seeing
the world through my eyes will often be odd, sometimes scary, I am hoping it
will never be dull. And since I
will be writing mostly about Baseball and Middleton Home Talent (which hereafter
will be shortened to MHT because it takes too damn long to type) I am sure I
will not have a problem with keeping your attention.
After this column I have an article planned summing up our Annual Bowling
Tournament and there will be sporadic notes regarding Spring Training.
My regular schedule will begin with our season and you can expect an
article a week, come Hell or high water. There
is no particular format I will be following, and Pedro assured me I have no
maximum/minimum limit on word count, so things may tend to seem out of sorts,
rambling, maybe even incoherent, but trust me there is always a method to
Nerdness. And you can also trust me
that after a few of these columns no one is going to be wondering, Why do they
call that guy Nerd? Trivia Not only do I plan on discussing the
events of our season and the peculiar but hilarious things that happen during
practice and on the bench during games, but I also have a few weekly segments.
This here Trivia Section is one. I
will pose a question to all of you each week, during the season it will be
strictly Baseball-oriented. The
following week I will post the answer to the previous week’s question.
If you have absolutely no patience and you must know the answer (Attn:
Mandy), seek me out and ask or you can email me with your answer and I will
reply (my email address is posted at the bottom of the page). This week’s question is:
What is the symbolism of Rock, Paper, and Scissors?
(meaning: what do they stand for - I know what beats what)
And what is the origin of Roshambo, the term also used to refer to it? By the way, this question is dedicated
to Pedro and Stacy since this may be the only way to decide whether or not he
plays this year. Thoughts
on a Championship “Boys, baseball is a game where you gotta have fun. You do that by winning.” – Dave Bristol I had the absolute greatest time of my life last Summer and want to thank you all for it. Nothing could have been more fun than spending a Summer around Baseball and you guys, and our Fans, and winning a Championship. On the rare occasion when I enter a local watering hole it gives me goose bumps when someone says, “Congrats on the Championship” or “Hey Champ!” It is a feeling we should all take great pride in. We truly had a Storybook Season. From start to finish, it was right out of a Hollywood screenplay. A group of young men start a magical season of Baseball. Key players still haven’t joined, new guys looking for a position, old guys searching for their role. Guided by an ex-player, rookie coach. The season progresses slowly, more losses than wins, but huge potential looming on the horizon. After awhile the team takes shape. Players find their positions, their roles. Weddings and parties, and a touch of inner turmoil, bring them closer, as teammates become friends. A rallying point is found after the most significant loss of the season, the death of a True Fan. A dedicated season becomes more real, a promise more meaningful. The wins start to come more easily. The team becomes a Team. The arrival of the comical character and faithful fan, Scooby, helps make the game fun, gives them a totem to guide them. The playoffs arrive. The crowd in the stands always devoted grows with each game; their cheers intensify. Each win more exciting than the last. A Team winning, despite their errors, driven by a workhorse that refuses to lose. The final game, the Championship trophy within their grasp and another obstacle steps in their way. The true test of Team given when principal players, ones whose play paved the way cannot take the field. But others step in, waiting for their chance, and deliver on the grandest stage. A Team standing alone as Champions. I don’t know about anybody else but I’d pay eight bucks to see that movie, every day for the rest of my life. We are the only ones in all of Home Talent that can’t be called Loser. Although, the winter can be sad without Baseball, it sure is nice to be a Winner while waiting for the first crack of the bat. Quotes “Baseball
is dull only to dull minds.” -
Red Barber "People ask me what I do in winter when there's no baseball. I'll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring." - Rogers Hornsby “Since baseball time is measured only in outs, all you have to do is succeed utterly; keep hitting, keep the rally alive, and you have defeated time. You remain forever young.” - Roger Angell "I'd walk through hell in a gasoline suit to keep playing baseball." - Pete Rose Nerd Book
Club Back to another section which shall be recurring on a semi-regular basis. I wanted to do this weekly but realized that some people may not have as much free time as I do and may need longer than a week to finish a book. Obviously, no one is required to read anything I suggest in this space, I just enjoy recommending books that I feel others will like. Plus, expanding your vocabulary through the wonderful world of literature will help you all when you are conducting interviews or speaking before the parole board. This week’s selection is: (drum roll) Nine Innings,
by Daniel Okrent “This is a very good baseball book. Okrent's starting point is a game between the Baltimore Orioles and Milwaukee Brewers on June 10, 1982. From there, in meaningful digressions, he reveals the recent skirmishes of the game, the egos of the players, the signing of the talent, the history of the club, the machinations of the local business leaders in getting the club. We get the scouts and what they look for (speed, first, because it can't be taught, and body type: thick legs are bad, stiff wrists on a pitcher are bad), the wallowing in the minors (only 8.9 percent of players signed actually make the bigs). We get the road trips, the roommates, the shuffling of positions. Okrent gives us the relationship between reporters and players ("Singleton, said one Baltimore writer in the Milwaukee press box, 'couldn't tag up from third on a fly to Green Bay'"), the trades made (the Ted Simmons deal) and missed (Mike Caldwell for Ryne Sandberg), and the fact that umpires warm up along with relief pitchers, calling the balls and strikes in their head. Put it this way: the book begins with the groundskeepers and ends with the clean-up crew, and most of what comes in-between is insightful, and, at times, laugh-out-loud funny: One year, (Alex) Johnson had hit 7 homeruns by midseason, compared to 3 the year before. A Philadelphia writer asked him, "Alex, what's the difference between your homers last year and your homers this year?” Johnson glared at the reporter and said, "Four, you motherf***er, four!" Review acquired from http://home.earthlink.net/~elundegaard/bb-nineinnings.htm. This is a really good book. It has some great stories in it that will surely appeal to the Brewer fans out there, but it also has a lot of other stuff about the state of the game. With the way the Majors are now, with high salaries, looming strikes, and Selig as commissioner, it is interesting to look back and see that a lot of the problems began back then. I hope that those of you who choose to read this enjoy it. Happy reading! Well, that is all I have for this time. Hope to see you all at the Bowling Tournament. How to
Reach Me For those of you who would like to say “hello” or “shut up, Nerd” my email address is stephene@chorus.net. The
Dugout (From Nerd’s Perspective)
Hello again, Dugout
Dwellers!! (Yes, I have given
y’all a nickname) Thanks for stopping back into the Dugout. I also want to thank all of the players and fans that made
the MHT Bowling Tournament such a success.
I trust all had a good time. I
know I had a great time. Nothing
like the tourney to get the blood pumping and ready for Spring and Baseball.
It seems everywhere I turn there is a new reminder that the season is
quickly approaching. Whether it’s that damnable snow finally melting away, the
high schoolers taking BP down at the school, or a favorite Baseball-inspired
movie on the television. As for the
last one, I had the pleasure of watching Field of Dreams last night on
the tube. I absolutely love that
movie. In a perfect world, everyone
would have a diamond in his or her backyard, regulation or wiffleball.
Watching that movie really got me excited to get back out there and smell
the leather and grass, and feel the sun beating down on my face.
There is nothing better than Darth Vader talking Baseball to inspire you.
Does anyone else’s living room get really dusty watching that movie? While our season draws
near, another sport is coming to a close. I
want to pass on my congratulations to the Middleton High School Girls Basketball
squad for an outstanding season. I
don’t know any of the individual players, but I followed their State run in
the paper, and applaud their success. It’s
great to see a Team come together and strive for their goals.
March Madness is here as well, and I would be remiss if I didn’t chime
in on that with my two cents. The
Badgers have a tough row to hoe, but I’m anxious to see them face my Wildcats
(the ones from the desert) in the Final Four.
And for those who believe in jinxes, Go IUPUI!
I wish all Dwellers prosperity with your office pools and Internet
brackets. It is nice to have the
craziness of the NCAA tournament segue to the serenity of Baseball. Well, I hope
everybody else is as anxious as I am to get the glove and cleats out of the
closet and get going again. Some of
us have been lucky enough to be playing already, and I want to wish all of our
college players good luck this Spring. We
will be cheering for you, and awaiting your return.
And everybody else I will see you on March 27 (just a week away). Trivia Answer to Last Article’s
Question: Many of you gave me your
thoughts on the origin of the game - Rock, Paper, and Scissors.
Some of you even made a point in telling me that there is no known
origin. But through extensive
research Nerd has all the answers. The
earliest known version of the game dates back as far as 200 BC Japan.
But Nerd, you say, they didn’t have scissors in BC Japan.
Correct, you are. The early
versions used different names associated with the symbols.
For example, ancient Indonesia used an elephant, man, and an ant.
The elephant can crush the person, the person can crush the ant, but how
can the ant win against the elephant? It
crawls in the elephant's ear and drives it crazy.
Other variations exist for different cultures and different times.
As for the symbolism associated with our current Rock, Paper, and
Scissors, here you go:
Thanks
to Tim Cleary for supplying some of this information. He had the most detailed email answer and therefore holds the
Nerd Golden Cup of Triviality. Now,
for the significance of Roshambo. In
Europe, mid-1700s, the game, for some reason, came to be associated with one
Jean Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, Comte de Rochambeau.
Jean Baptiste was none other than the French general who was sent to
command an army in support of George Washington during the American Revolution.
Why this game came to be associated with the "Count of Rochambeau"
is a mystery, but it certainly calls into question the means by which Washington
secured Cornwallis's surrender in Yorktown.
In any case, it does explain the name often used for the game, namely
"Rochambeau," or, more commonly, "Roshambo." So
there you go, the detailed yet researched answer to The Dugout’s first trivia
question. This article’s question
is:
Quotes "Why certainly I'd
like to have that fellow who hits a home run every time at bat, who strikes out
every opposing batter when he's pitching, who throws strikes to any base or the
plate when he's playing outfield and who's always thinking about two innings
ahead just what he'll do to baffle the other team. Any manager would want a guy like that playing for him.
The only trouble is to get him to put down his cup of beer and come down
out of the stands and do those things.” - Danny Murtaugh, manager (dedicated
to Pertz) "There is always some
kid who may be seeing me for the first or last time. I owe him my best.” – Joe DiMaggio "I signed with the
Milwaukee Braves for $3,000. That
bothered my dad at the time because he didn't have that kind of dough.
But he eventually scraped it up." – Bob Uecker “The one constant through
all the years, Ray, has been baseball. America
has rolled by like an army of steamrollers.
It's been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt, and erased again.
But baseball has marked the time. This
field, this game, is a part of our past, Ray.
It reminds us of all that once was good, and that could be again.
Oh people will come, Ray. People
will most definitely come.” – Terrence Mann (James Earl Jones) Field of
Dreams Nerd Book
Club The first installment of
the Nerd Book Club was somewhat of a success.
Many of you expressed an interest in Nine Innings, and that
brought a smile to my face. I take
great pleasure in recommending books to people that I think they will enjoy,
especially when they go out and read them.
By the way, if any of you Dugout Dwellers have read any books that you
think I, or for that matter anyone, would like, send me an email and let me
know. Who knows it may end up in
the Club. And now for the
long-awaited second selection to the Nerd Book Club: Plan B,
by Jonathon Tropper “If The Big Chill had Gen X angst, you
would probably have something like Plan B.
It is the story of five friends from college who are turning 30 and
struggling with what it means to be an adult.
Ben, the narrator, is a frustrated writer and recent divorcee; Lindsey,
unemployed and afraid of commitment; Chuck, a doctor and unapologetic womanizer;
and Alison, a lawyer and unrequitedly in love with Jack, a major movie star and
cocaine addict. Afraid that Jack
has hit bottom with his drug habit, Ben and his friends decide to help.
Plan A is an intervention, and when that fails, they go to Plan B--kidnap
Jack and hole up in a cabin in the woods until he goes through withdrawal.
Everything goes as planned until Jack escapes. However, Jack's addiction is just a vehicle for Tropper in
this debut novel to explore the group's personal demons, failings, and
relationships. Moreover, he does it
with wit, insight, and a lot of fun cultural references to the '80s.” Review acquired from Booklist. Although not a baseball
book, I promise you will thoroughly enjoy this. It tells the tale of what it is like to turn 30 and realize
what you had planned for your life, when you were 15, isn’t necessarily what
happened with it. I know some of
you may have passed this mark already, or it is far on the horizon, but the
story in itself is entertaining. The
music of the 80s, Star Wars, Seinfeld, all find themselves in the book, not just
to make you laugh and remember but because those things truly shape how we view
life. Trust me, you won’t be able
to put this down. The world-famous
literary critic, Sam-a-lama, actually read this in one night. Thanks to all for sharing
this time with me. I promise once
this column appears on a weekly basis I will not be as long-winded.
First practice is Thursday, March 27.
The weekly article will begin on Tuesday, April 1.
How fitting of a day is that? How to
Reach Me For those of you who would like to say “hello” or “shut up, Nerd” my email address is stephene@chorus.net. The Dugout (From Nerd’s Perspective) “Hello again, everybody.
It's a bee-yooo-tiful day for baseball.”
Not many people could get you excited for a Baseball game like Harry
Caray, so I thought I would honor him by opening with his trademark line.
I apologize to all you Dugout Dwellers who were waiting with bated breath
for this article. I was suffering
from a prolonged period of mourning due to my beloved Wildcats stumbling in the
Tourney. But no need to worry, I
will now be appearing on a weekly basis. I am sure that before long you will be wishing for another
delay. Well, MHT has completed its
exhibition season and one thing is clear: I
sure missed Baseball. We played
four games and managed to split, 2-2. There
were moments of greatness and times that looked like a couple more hours of
practice would have been nice, but all in all, we did well.
It is pretty tough when you have players on the field who haven’t
played in years, or at all. We will be much better off when we got the whole team
available. Even the Big Nerd was on
the hill for four innings. I
don’t think I have lasted that long on the mound since high school, back when
our Spice Girls were in elementary school.
But the pre-season games are behind us, and Opening Day is this Sunday
down at Sorenson/Bakken Field. It
will be the first of four straight home games to open the season, and our run to
defend the title. I trust I will
see a monstrous crowd on the hill. And now, a little tidbit
from the back of my brain: The
other day I was reading about the Maloof brothers, they own the Sacramento Kings
and the Palms Resort in Las Vegas. I
was daydreaming about how nice it would be to have that much cash.
So, if I had a million dollars, I would…Open a Baseball Themed
Amusement Park, with a twist. I would build Wiffle Ball regulation-sized replicas of all
existing and famous ballparks. Each
stadium would look exactly like it does or did in its time, complete with
pennants and retired jerseys. Each
dugout would be a mini-museum, with memorabilia and videos documenting the park
and its team. Interspersed among
the ballparks would be batting cages and mounds set up with radar guns.
It would be a completely interactive experience.
Every night teams would be selected from the visitors based on age and
skill level. The teams would battle
it out, Wiffle Ball-style, in short, hour-long games held at the various
ballparks. Now wouldn’t that be
fun? But if I had a million
dollars…I’d be rich, and I am most definitely not. Trivia Answer to Last Article’s
Question: Several
people responded to last article’s question, with Ryan Suchomel sending in his
answer before I even knew the article was on the website.
Some were correct, some were wrong, and some were correct but not what I
was originally looking for. This
confusion was my fault. Yes, Nerd
made a mistake. I should have
phrased my question better. However,
my vagueness led to more answers, and my Hank Aaron trivia knowledge has grown.
The
original question asked - what unusual event accounts for Aaron and Babe Ruth
being tied for third place on the all-time list in runs scored.
What I should have said was what event in his last game accounts for the
tie. The
answer I was looking for (supplied by Ryan Suchomel) is: On
October 3, 1976, in the final at bat of his career, Aaron singled in the bottom
of the sixth inning off Dave Roberts of the Tigers. Manager Alex Grammas then lifted Aaron, so he could be
greeted by thunderous applause at Milwaukee County Stadium. Pinch runner Jim Gantner scored what would have been
Aaron’s 2175th run, which would have broken the tie.
The
additional answer (supplied by Sam Simon and Bags Bradley) is: On
May 26, 1959, Harvey Haddix of the Pittsburgh Pirates pitched 12 perfect innings
(yes, 12) against the Braves. In
the 13th, after a hit and a sacrifice, Aaron was walked
intentionally. Joe Adcock followed
by hitting the ball out of the park. Aaron,
in jubilation, ran off the field to celebrate the win, and Adcock passed him.
Aaron and Adcock were each called out, as Felix Mantilla scored the
winning run. So
there you go, two correct answers, both equally unusual, that account for Aaron
being tied with Ruth. Therefore,
Nerd’s Golden Cup of Triviality is split three ways between Suchomel, Sam, and
Bags. Please use separate straws,
guys. This article’s question
is:
Who am I?
I was Prefect of Discipline, as well as head baseball coach at a small
New England college in the late 1800s. This
school made an appearance in the 2003 NCAA Basketball Tournament.
I am often credited with the origination of the Seventh Inning Stretch.
Extra credit will be given to
those who give information that discredit this man’s claim to the Stretch. Quotes "A ballplayer spends a
good piece of his life gripping a baseball, and in the end it turns out that it
was the other way around all the time." – Jim Bouton, New York Yankees "Nothing flatters me
more than to have it assumed that I could write prose-unless it be to have it
assumed that I once pitched a baseball with distinction." - Robert Frost "The highlight of my
career? In '67 with St. Louis, I
walked with the bases loaded to drive in the winning run in an intersquad game
in spring training." – Bob Uecker "I remember one time
going out to the mound to talk with Bob Gibson. He told me to get back behind the batter; that the only thing
I knew about pitching was that it was hard to hit." -Tim McCarver (St.
Louis Cardinals catcher) Nerd Book
Club From here on out, Nerd Book
Club will be a monthly feature. Even
I can’t read some of these books in a week.
By limiting the Club to one selection at the beginning of each month, I
hope that some of you can take pleasure in the books I will be recommending. Nerd Book Club – May The Giving Tree,
by Shel Silverstein "Once there was a
tree ... and she loved a little boy."
So begins a story of unforgettable perception, beautifully written and
illustrated by the gifted and versatile Shel Silverstein. Every day the boy would
come to the tree to eat her apples, swing from her branches, or slide down her
trunk ... and the tree was happy. But
as the boy grew older he began to want more from the tree, and the tree gave and
gave and gave. This is a tender story,
touched with sadness, aglow with consolation.
Shel Silverstein has created a moving parable for readers of all ages
that offers an affecting interpretation of the gift of giving and a serene
acceptance of another's capacity to love in return. Review acquired from Amazon. I chose this for a couple
of reasons. First of all, a lot of
my friends have been having children lately and Shel Silverstein is one of my
favorite authors. This book is very
short, as most children’s books are, but the lessons learned within will last
a long time. I absolutely love this
book, and believe it should be on every child’s bookshelf and on every
adult’s nightstand. Previous Selections: Nine
Innings, by Daniel Okrent (recently named in the State Journal #1
Baseball book – told you I know my books) Plan
B, Jonathon Tropper Thanks to all for sharing
this time with me. It is time for
me to go – I have to sharpen my pencils so I will be ready on Sunday. How to
Reach Me For those of you who would
like to say “hello” or “shut up, Nerd” my email address is stephene@chorus.net.
HI MOM The Dugout (From Nerd’s Perspective)Hey there, Denizens of the Dugout!
The first game of the season is behind us and a big fat W is in
the books. MHT kicked off the year against Cazenovia, and did so with a
bang, eight runs in the first inning. Wouldn’t
that be lovely every week? Everybody
did his part extremely well. Lots
of base runners (12 hits, 7 walks), and only two errors in the field (one
debatable, and one preventable, if Nerd had longer arms).
It was nice to see the Coach step up to the plate and continue his hot
hitting with a bases clearing double in the first, thus justifying his placement
as DH. Plus, it is always
entertaining to see him leg one out. Ralph
did an excellent job on the mound, using the cushion we gave him to go out there
and get outs and the win. The crowd
was nice for the weather. It’s
great to get support when it’s chilly. Awesome
job, guys! The second game of the season was rained out.
That could have been predicted, I suppose, it being Mother’s Day. Mother Nature had to make an appearance.
I hope all of you had wonderful days with your families.
I want to send my love West, and wish my mother a Very Happy Mother’s
Day. “The word “mother” is
already a synonym for some of the hardest, most demanding work ever shouldered
by any human…It is one she cannot easily give up for several decades.
It can be slavery, joy in work, a magnificent career.
It can be failure or triumph, but it can never be insignificant or
unimportant since it is one “job” affecting the outcome of another’s
life.” Liz Smith We have a big week in store for us -- An exhibition game,
Night League opener, make-up of the rain out, and our regular Sunday game,
against Waunakee. Four games, all
at home. College guys should be
around, so it should be exciting. Let’s get this party started!! Trivia Answer to Last Article’s Question: Once again, several of you emailed me your answers to last
week’s question. However, not all
of you read the entire question. I
asked who holds claim to the 7th Inning Stretch, but also was the
Prefect of Discipline at a university in the late 1800s.
I also asked for any information to discredit that claim. The answer is: Brother Jasper.
He was the Prefect of Discipline at Manhattan College, and supervised the
student fans during baseball games while also directing the team itself. During one game in 1882, Brother Jasper noticed the Manhattan
students were becoming restless and edgy as Manhattan came to bat in the seventh
inning of a close game. To relieve
the tension, Brother Jasper called time-out and told the students to stand up
and stretch for a few minutes until the game resumed. Since the College annually played the New York Giants, their
practice of the "seventh inning stretch" spread into the major
leagues. However, there is evidence to
dispute this as being the first instance of a 7th Inning Stretch.
Baseball historians have found a manuscript, dated 1869, describing the
Stretch. Harry Wright of the
Cincinnati Red Stockings wrote a letter with the following account – "The
spectators all arise between halves of the seventh inning, extend their legs and
arms and sometimes walk about. In
so doing they enjoy the relief afforded by relaxation from a long posture upon
hard benches." So maybe
Brother Jasper was a fan of the Red Stockings, attended one of these games, and
borrowed the idea. There is also another man who
some claim started the Stretch. President
William Howard Taft, weighing in at well over 300 pounds, tossed out the first
pitch in a game on April 14, 1910. Legend
has it that later during that game he rose to adjust himself, since seats during
that time were better suited for a man of much smaller size.
The fans, thinking the President was leaving, all rose.
When he sat back down, so did they, thus starting the tradition of the
Stretch. However, this story is
more fairy tale than truth, especially given the evidence above. As for Nerd’s Golden Cup of
Triviality, the honor goes to my father this week, for the most complete answer.
Congratulations, Pops, I knew you had it in you. This article’s question is:
President Taft did set a precedent on that day back in 1910.
He became the first President to throw out the ceremonial first pitch on
Opening Day. Every president since
has continued the tradition at least once during his tenure except one.
Finding the answer to that would be far too easy, so that is not the
question. The question is: why did
Jimmy Carter never throw out a first pitch on Opening Day? Quotes "Show me a guy who's afraid to look bad and I'll show
you a guy you can beat every time." - Lou Brock "For five years in the minor leagues, I wore the same
underwear and still hit .250, so no, I don't believe in that stuff." -
Dusty Baker, on superstitions "I hit a grand slam off Ron Herbel and when his
manager Herman Franks came out to get him, he was bringing Herbel's
suitcase." - Bob Uecker "I remember one game I got five hits and stole five
bases, but none of it was written down because they forgot to bring the
scorebook to the game that day." - James "Cool Papa" Bell
(further evidence why I play such a pivotal role) Nerd Book Club Next installment scheduled for June 1st. Previous Selections: o
Nine Innings, by Daniel Okrent (recently named in
the State Journal #1 Baseball book – told you I know my books) o
Plan B, Jonathon Tropper o
The Giving Tree, by Shel Silverstein Lots of games this week, folks.
Plenty of chances to see y’all at the ballpark.
Check the Schedule page for game times and locations.
How to Reach Me For those of you who would like to say “hello” or
“shut up, Nerd” my email address is stephene@chorus.net.
HI MOM The Dugout (From Nerd’s
Perspective)
Well, all good things must
end. And that includes Scooby
Streaks. Our big week of Baseball,
with an exhibition game, Night League opener, and two Day League contests,
started off with a rainout and ended with the first loss in awhile, with two
great wins in between. Our exhibition game against
Oregon was washed out, which benefited us considering that although we have a
lot of good arms, it’s best to save them for games that count.
And that was no more evident than on Thursday when we walloped Cambria,
9-1, in the Night League opener. Four
of our guys went out there and pitched awesome.
Bolstered by Housework’s “welcome back, I’ll have two jacks”
hitting display, the game was never in doubt.
A little side-note to this game, Nerd got his first MHT hit that counted.
Woo-hoo!! The following night the
great pitching and hitting continued, with another nine run tally against
Mazomanie. Up and down the line-up
we had guys with multiple hits, with TC leading the way with a 4 for 5 barrage.
The defense played strong behind B-Town’s return to the team, and
Kruller closed out the 6-hit shutout. It
is a very nice problem to have when Crutch Pertzborn can substitute mass players
at a time and not miss a beat. Sunday’s game with
Waunakee, however, was another story. Riding
a winning streak as long as we have has a lot of advantages, but it carries some
weighty disadvantages as well. When
you have that target of Champion on your back everyone is geared up to play you,
which means no game should be taken lightly.
I am, by no means, saying there was a lack of effort, or even fire, but
for some games you need to have that little extra, and we needed it on Sunday
and couldn’t find it. We lost a
close one, 5-1, and had plenty of chances.
The pitching was strong, the defense was good, but we couldn’t get the
runs across. No worries, we’ll
get ‘em. We just need to find
that edge we had at the end of last year, where the clutch hits come, the
fielding is crisp, our pitchers don’t walk runners (and if they do, they get
stranded). It is early yet, and
when a streak ends, it is simply time to start another one.
And we have an excellent chance to do so this Memorial Day weekend.
No better time to have a weekend with two games, when we can get the
kinks straightened out and start riding that wave again. Trivia Answer to Last Article’s
Question: Alas,
my efforts to find an answer to a question that has been baffling me for months
were unsuccessful. I am
disappointed to announce that I have no idea why President Jimmy Carter never
threw out a ceremonial first pitch on Opening Day while he was in office.
He has thrown out pitches at World Series games, games in Cuba, and even
is an avid softball player, but no Opening Day appearances.
I have searched high and low for the answer and have come up
empty-handed. Why Nerd, you ask, did I tease you with a question that I
have no answer for? Well, I was
hoping some great mind out there would have the answer, but no one seems to
know. I have written emails to
Major League Baseball, ESPN, Pat and Ron at WGN, and even the Jimmy Carter
Presidential Library, who actually sent a very lengthy, and friendly response,
but concluded by saying they have no idea either.
Don’t fret, Dwellers, I will not rest this Summer until I have the
answer, even if I have to search the man out myself. Stay tuned. This article’s questions
is (The Rules Edition): This week, in atonement for
last, I will present you with three questions (all of which have answers).
The answers can all be found in the Major League Rulebook, but I urge you
to try to figure out the answers by yourself (especially Utes).
Quotes "Winning means
outlasting everyone else." – Mason Cooley (to remind us all that the
season is not a sprint, but a marathon) "Every day is a new
opportunity. You can build on
yesterday's success or put its failures behind and start over again.
That's the way life is, with a new game every day, and that's the way
baseball is." - Bob Feller "Baseball hasn't
forgotten me. I go to a lot of
Old-Timers games and I haven't lost a thing.
I sit in the bullpen and let people throw things at me.
Just like old times." - Bob Uecker “Nobody ever said,
"Work ball!" They say,
"Play ball!" To me, that
means having fun.” –Willie
Stargell Nerd Book
Club I have a mini-selection to
the Book Club this week. It is not
a novel you will find in bookstores, but a collection of works posted on a
website. The prose found on this
page displays a depth of talent that I think you will all enjoy.
And considering the author is a former MHT’er, I felt Club selection
was warranted. The author of whom I
speak is Jordan Bodendein and his website is www.bodendein.com.
Great stuff, Jordan, and I hope you don’t mind the plug. Next installment scheduled
for June 1st. Previous Selections: o
Nine Innings,
by Daniel Okrent (recently named in the State Journal #1 Baseball book – told
you I know my books) o
Plan B,
Jonathon Tropper o
The Giving Tree,
by Shel Silverstein Memorial Day weekend is
coming up which means two big games for MHT.
Time to get another streak going. Come
out and have some fun, because fun and Baseball go hand in hand.
Check the Schedule page for game times and locations.
How to Reach
Me For those of you who would
like to say “hello” or “shut up, Nerd” my email address is stephene@chorus.net.
HI MOM The Dugout (From Nerd’s
Perspective)
June 7th, 2003 After a weeklong hiatus,
Dwellers, Nerd is back. Did ya miss
me? After the exhilaration of
watching the Scripps Howard National Spelling Bee last week, I presented myself
with the challenge of using the words given in the competition throughout this
article. Because of the absence of
occasions where betony or hypozeuxis
can be used, I have chosen to incorporate words that won the Championship this
year and in years past. Due to the meticulosity
(1950) of this task, this article took a little longer than expected, and still
pales to what I initially intended to do. I
hope that it is intelligible (1935), and none
of you need therapy (1940) after reading it.
No worries, Dwellers, I will never be pococurante
(2003) when it comes to the Dugout. Memorial Day weekend saw
MHT play two solid and important games, winning against Arena and at Ashton.
We seem to be developing a knack
(1932) for small-ball – bunting, stealing, hit-and runs.
Although we have been burned a couple of times on the base paths, it is
far better to play aggressive than to sit back and wait for the big blast.
Kamikaze-style (1993), so to speak.
Our pitching was superb, and the fielding steadfast.
It felt eudaemonic (1959) to get a
couple in the win column. Last Thursday, on the other
hand, was definitely some atrocious baseball.
We seemed to have developed a case of narcolepsy
(1976) while playing Monona. We
surely looked as if we were asleep out there.
No hitting, no fielding, missed signs.
We seemed to be deteriorating (1934)
before my very eyes. Coach Crutch
was headed for a sanitarium (1938), but great
teams are measured not by their successes but by their response to their
failures, and we responded very well. I am, of course, speaking
of our Sunday game against Black Earth. Sometimes
a different milieu (1985) helps.
After getting some early runs and then struggling for a couple of
innings, the Team exploded in the last three innings, belting 9 hits and scoring
7 runs. Final score: 12-2. Final
result: we bounced back from a
pitiful game and jumped all over a team that we need to beat, at their ballpark.
Nerd couldn’t have been happier. I
don’t want to sound elegiacal (1988), but
this game was really big. Gutsy
performance by B-Town in his longest outing of the year.
And we had five guys make the newspaper with multiple hits. By the way, they had the initials
(1941) MB, NS, TP, EV, and JG. Here’s
hoping the momentum carries through to this next week. Just
a side note: Pedro has been doing
an excellent job of updating our games every week on the News and Statistics
pages, so if you yearn for more than I provide – go there. And now, to conclude, I
would like to say a few things about the Spelling Bee.
I watched several hours of the Bee on TV and spent several more on the
official website. I would like to
share some things I witnessed and learned.
There were 251 spellers in this
year’s competition.
The youngest speller was 9 years
old, and he finished 4th!!!!
Four of the spellers are from a
set of twins.
Two spellers were 4-year
repeaters, including the Champion Sai Gunturi.
The first competition was in 1925
and the winning word was gladiolus.
The only winner from WI was
Madison’s Joanne Lagatta, who correctly spelled
antipyretic.
The shortest word was luge,
in 1984.
There were 3 ties, in 1950, 1957,
and 1962.
Nerd can’t spell diddly, but he
did get the winning word from this year. And now back to our
originally scheduled program…. Trivia Answer to Last Article’s
Questions (Rules Edition): To refresh your memories, I
will restate the question followed by its answer.
This article’s questions
is: Here are a couple of
questions that are more typical of Baseball trivia.
Name the five players who hit
better than .390 for a season and failed to win the batting crown that year.
There are eighteen pitchers who
have recorded more than one no-hitter. Of those 18, four have had 3 or more no-hitters.
Name these pitchers. (Hint:
One threw 7, one threw 4, and two threw 3). Preview question for next
week’s Lingo Edition.
What is the origin of “can of
corn?” Quotes "I don't know what
you're going to do Mr. (Dizzy) Dean, but I'm not going to give up any runs if we
have to stay here all night." Satchel
Paige "A good friend of mine
used to say, 'This is a very simple game. You
throw the ball, you catch the ball, you hit the ball.
Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, sometimes it rains.'
Think about that for a while."
Nuke LaLoosh, Bull Durham "I knew when my career
was over. In 1965 my baseball card
came out with no picture." - Bob Uecker Where Lou still
starts Original Poem by
Mike Stoker "I've always swung the same way.
The difference is when I swing and miss, people say, 'He's swinging for
the fences.' But when I swing and
make contact people say, 'That's a nice swing.'
But there's no difference, it's the same swing." – Sammy Sosa,
(because I believe him, and don’t think it matters what bat he uses, he hits
the ball far) Nerd Book
Club It is time for a new
selection to the Book Club. I know
many of you have been waiting for this moment with bated breath.
The voracious reader Rick Schu has even stooped to sending me scathing
emails demanding a new book to read. Hopefully,
my past selections have elicited a similar thirst for Literature in other
Dwellers. And since I have made it my duty to quench this thirst, my
work continues. So, without further
ado: Nerd Book Club June
Selection The New York Trilogy,
by Paul Auster “These
three novels brought Auster international acclaim for his creation of a new
genre, mixing elements of the standard detective fiction and postmodern fiction.
City of Glass combines dark, Kafka-like humor with all the
suspense of a Hitchcock film as a writer of detective stories becomes embroiled
in a complex and puzzling series of events, beginning with a call from a
stranger in the middle of the night. Ghosts,
the second volume of this interconnected trilogy, introduces Blue, a private
detective hired to watch a man named Black, who, as he becomes intermeshed into
a haunting and claustrophobic game of hide-and-seek, is lured into the very trap
he has created. The final volume, The
Locked Room, also begins with a mystery, told this time in the first-person
narrative. The nameless hero
journeys into the unknown as he attempts to reconstruct the past, which he has
experienced almost as a dream. Together
these three fictions lead the reader on adventures that expand the mind as they
entertain.” Review acquired from Barnes
& Noble. This is a very interesting
book. It is comprised of three
separate, but carefully connected, novellas.
Although, each story is powerful and complete enough on its own, reading
them together truly gives you the full experience. It is not an easy read, but a highly enjoyable one.
Questions abound regarding identity, reality and illusion, the meaning of
words and language, and it explores the fine line between commitment and
obsession. It will definitely make
you think. Next installment scheduled
for July 4th weekend. Previous Selections: o
Nine Innings,
by Daniel Okrent (recently named in the State Journal #1 Baseball book – told
you I know my books) o
Plan B,
Jonathon Tropper o
The Giving Tree,
by Shel Silverstein o
www.bodendein.com,
Jordan Bodendein Huge game this Sunday at
Cross Plains. A win gives us a
share of 1st Place, so we can use all the fan support we can get.
Hope to see y’all there. Check
the Schedule page for game times and locations.
How to Reach
Me For those of you who would
like to say “hello” or “shut up, Nerd” my email address is stephene@chorus.net.
HI MOM The Dugout (From Nerd’s
Perspective)
As many of my friends and
teammates are well aware, Nerd has a slight tendency to be late for things.
Attempting to keep a once-a-week schedule with this article has proved to
be a more daunting task than I expected, especially with exhibition games and
rainouts tossing a wrench into the system.
Nevertheless, I have returned, and there is much to address. First and foremost, I want
to send out a gigantic “congratulations!!!”
to the Middleton High School Boys Baseball team for their superb performance in
winning the State Championship. Many
of us on the Middleton Home Talent squad, as well as neighboring Home Talent
teams, are Middleton alums, and your accomplishments make us all proud.
You peaked at the perfect time, and displayed a Team effort that should
be applauded, loudly. Great Job,
guys! (with a special pat-on-the-back to Coach Thomas T. Melvin). Since my last article
Father’s Day has come and gone. I’d
like to extend a Happy Father’s Day to all those fathers out there in Dugout
Land, especially my own. Fathers
and Baseball go together a lot like peanut butter and jelly.
Many of us probably wouldn’t be playing the game if our fathers
weren’t fans, and in some cases players themselves.
I can tell you a ton of stories about the bond formed by Baseball between
my Dad and I. Granted, and he would
agree, not all the stories are happy ones; however, those experiences made us
who we are today, and I wouldn’t want it any other way.
Some of the most vivid memories I have of my early childhood involve
Baseball and my Dad. I remember
him: in the dugout as a coach when I was in Little League,
teaching me to throw a curveball (which I never really grasped), throwing me
balls until his arm ached (but always throwing more because I wanted to hit a
little extra), tripping on the way to first base trying to beat out a ball hit
back to the pitcher ‘cuz Dad was in the stands.
I also remember being told to follow through, mix it up, and just throw
strikes. That last one I have heard
so many times it will probably be on my gravestone. (Nerd was never a control pitcher). I went to see Nolan Ryan win his 300th game with
my Dad when they were pretty much the same age.
I have some great memories involving my Dad and Baseball.
He always made me feel like I was the best player on the diamond.
And although I might not have always been the best, the fact that I was
in his eyes is one of many reasons to love him.
Thanks Dad, for being my coach and fan, but my father above all else. “My
father used to play with my brother and me in the yard.
Mother would come out and say, "You're tearing up the grass."
"We're not raising grass," my dad would reply, "we're
raising boys." -Harmon Killebrew I’d also like to send a
“Happy Father’s Day” to my Grandfather out in Arizona.
Some of my lyrical eloquence is truly a bi-product of his genes, and I
thank him. A better Granddad one
would be hard-pressed to find. We actually played some
games since my last appearance. We
are playing really great ball with some occasional lapses.
Unfortunately, those lapses have occurred against Waunakee.
Our pitching has been excellent. All
expectations have been exceeded and then some.
It’s been great to keep score when we trot out pitcher after pitcher
and stymie the opposition. Our
offense has been a little less consistent.
In our 6 wins, we have averaged 9 ˝ runs; our two losses – 1 run each.
And that’s just Day League. Toss
in the whooping at Verona’s expense last week and our run average in wins goes
into double figures. We seem to
score runs in bunches. As you know,
hitting can be contagious, as well as a lack of hitting, and our offensive
immune system is highly susceptible to both contagions.
We are sitting in a great position in both the Night and Day League
standings. All we need now is a
good run where the bats get hot and clutch, and the pitching stays strong, and
the playoffs will set up in our favor. We
have Baraboo this weekend, followed by a huge 4th of July weekend
with games against Cross Plains and Black Earth.
Hope to see you at the games! One last note before we get
to the fun stuff. I would like to
thank all of you who have made a point to approach me at games, or beer tents
and the like, and compliment me on these articles.
I am mostly pecking away at this keyboard to appease my own self-imposed
feelings of unimportance so it is very comforting to know that there are people
out there actually reading the words. Thanks. Trivia Last article’s answers
are:
The five players who hit better
than .390 for a season and failed to win the batting crown that year. o
Joe Jackson .408 in 1911
(Ty Cobb .420) o
Ty Cobb .401 in 1922
(Gene Sisler .420) o
Babe Ruth .393 in 1923
(Harry Heilman .403) o
Babe Herman .393 in 1930
(Bill Terry .401) o
Al Simmons .392 in 1927
(Harry Heilman .398)
Eighteen pitchers have recorded
more than one no-hitter. Of those
18, four have had 3 or more no-hitters. These
pitchers are: o
Nolan Ryan – 7 o
Sandy Koufax - 4 o
Bob Feller - 3 o
Jim Maloney - 3 Answer to last week’s
Bonus Question:
Origin of “can of corn” The phrase comes from the
old-time grocery store where the grocer used a pole or a mechanical grabber to
tip an item, such as a can of corn, off a high shelf and let it tumble into his
hands or apron, which was held out in front like a fire net. As
promised, this week’s trivia will take a look at Baseball lingo.
I will give you several words and phrases.
All you need to do is tell me what they mean, and where they came from.
Some of these are pretty obvious as to what they mean, but others are of
the more archaic variety. Let’s
see who knows what.
Quotes "My only day off is the day I pitch
(in regards to how hard he works out during off-days)." – Roger Clemens
(in honor of 300 wins) “Lady, I'm not an athlete. I'm a baseball player.” - John Kruk "In 1962 I was named
Minor League Player of the Year. It
was my second season in the bigs." - Bob Uecker "There'll be two buses leaving the hotel
for the park tomorrow. The two
o'clock bus will be for those of you who need a little extra work.
The empty bus will leave at five o'clock." - David Bristol,
Milwaukee Brewers manager "They can holler at
the uniform all they want, but when they holler at the man wearing the uniform,
they're in trouble." - Umpire Joe Brinkman “Pedro, can you bring me my coat? It’s cold out here.” – Alex Shekey (told you I would mention you Sheek) Nerd Book
Club No selection for this
article but I do want to tell you that the next selection is going to be a good
one. I don’t normally decide on
whether or not I like a book until I have finished it, but the book I am reading
now is definitely one for the Club. Be
prepared for a review of A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius,
coming soon. Next installment scheduled
for July 4th weekend. Previous Selections: o
Nine Innings,
by Daniel Okrent (recently named in the State Journal #1 Baseball book – told
you I know my books) o
Plan B,
Jonathon Tropper o
The Giving Tree,
by Shel Silverstein o
www.bodendein.com,
Jordan Bodendein o
The New York Trilogy,
by Paul Auster See y’all next time for
The Dugout, patriotic-style. Check
the Schedule page for game times and locations.
How to Reach
Me For those of you who would
like to say “hello” or “shut up, Nerd” my email address is stephene@chorus.net.
HI MOM The Dugout (From Nerd’s
Perspective)
All right, Dwellers, we
have a doozy of an article this time. It
is definitely one of the longest yet. Approach
it like you would your favorite pie. Although your stomach might want to eat that whole pie the
first night, it will undoubtedly leave you feeling bloated and uncomfortable.
Plus, you will have no slice for the days and nights to come.
So, don’t try to read all this at once; take your time, enjoy it and
the experience will be far better. Okay,
enough nonsense for now. Lots of Baseball was played
since I spoke to you last. We have
won some games, and lost a couple. To
try to recount all the events of the past games would most likely take even more
pages than this already long article will provide. So I will mention some of the highs and lows that stuck in my
brain. Lowlight number one deals
with a loss we suffered at the hands of Sun Prairie. Sometime Dweller Ryan Suchomel plays for SP, and it always
leaves a bitter taste to lose to a former teammate.
Pitching ace extraordinaire Hoochie-Ma provided the Nerd with some fun
bookkeeping. Hooch has been
throwing excellent in Night League and it has been a thrill to watch.
The 4th of July supplied some highlights and lowlights.
The game during the day was not a good one.
We couldn’t muster enough runs to overcome a tough first inning by
Ralph Nater to surpass Black Earth. However,
the Nerd was proud of the pluck displayed by Ralph to shake off the first and
come back and throw strong for four more innings.
The night was a blast, pun intended, watching the fireworks at Casa de
Pertzborn. It’s great when the
guys can get together and match wits exchanging one-liners and impersonations
into the wee hours. The last two
Sunday games have been beyond excellent. Superb
pitching by B-Town coupled with scoring barrages. B flirted with Destiny in Reedsburg, and I don’t mean a
dancer at Chubby’s, carrying a no-no into the 7th. The team holds part of the blame, scoring eight runs in one
inning means your pitcher has a long time to wait to get back out there and
continue to roll. But even B will tell you, having a cushion of 8, is never a
bad thing. Roger has found his
stroke, joining the Ya-Ya Sisterhood three times in the past two Sunday games,
with a homer thrown in at NBC as well. One
of the greatest highlights of all also came in that game at Reedsburg, when all
roster players made an appearance, including new pinch-hitting specialist and
sausage pugilist Randall Simon. Randy,
if it was a home game, Nerd guarantees you that would have been a double.
The new young guys have added a spark, and more welcome headaches for
Coach Crutch. And Sir Timothy is
hitting the snot out of the ball. All
in all, great times, great times. The
Nerd is pleased. On a personal note, Mama
Nerd was in town a couple of weeks ago. I
would like to thank all those who made her and her beau (not you Padfield) feel
welcome, especially Randy, Darrell and Yacie.
I had a wonderful time when she was here and it was great that she got to
see our game, and get the opportunity to put faces to the names she hears about
from me and this website. Love you,
Mom. More Baseball is ahead of
us, and it is becoming crunch time. Every
game is a play-off game, and the intensity is going to be fierce.
I can’t wait to roll into the Sectional with the fire and unbeatable
ferocity we had last year. I expect to see that hill filled with all you fans.
And for the first 5 lucky fans who mention the Theory of Relativity, the
beer is on Nerd. Trivia Last article’s Lingo
Edition answers are: Southpaw – A left-handed pitcher. Derived from the layout of old-time baseball parks. The fields were situated in a way that the sun was not in the batter’s eyes and expensive seat holders. This meant that the pitcher being faced west and a lefty threw with his southern limb. Fungo – A bat used in infield / outfield practices.
There are five theories regarding the origin of “fungo.”
Briefly, they are: 1) a combination of “fun” and “go”; 2) the
sound it made off an original bat sounded like a ball striking fungus wood; 3)
the word fungible, which means something that can be substituted for something
else, such as a fungo bat for a real bat; 4) the German fang-en, which means
“to catch;” or 5) the Scottish verb “fung” which means “to pitch, toss
or fling. I prefer the first.
Answers provided by The New Baseball Dictionary, by Paul Dickson. As promised I will update you on my progress in the search for the answer to why President Carter never threw out a first pitch. The Jimmy Carter Presidential Library returned my email and informed me that they have no idea, but wanted to assure me that President Carter’s favorite sport is Baseball. Mlb.com has no idea. Ron Santo didn’t respond. Neither did espn.com. However, through my extensive research I have found a possible answer. President Carter continually did things during his tenure as President to buck tradition. He was the only President to walk back from his Inauguration. Also, before each season the Commissioner of Baseball presents the President with a season long pass to all games. This was usually done before a press conference. President Carter, however, refused. Instead, the pass was presented to his son without fanfare. Asked why he did this, President Carter said that tradition was meant to be changed and strayed from. I can only conclude that this attitude applied to his feelings on ceremonial first pitches. So although, he loved Baseball, he was not a fan of doing something just because tradition said he should. This
week’s questions deal with Major League Firsts:
Have
fun!! Quotes
(Patriotic Edition) “Whoever wants to know the heart and
mind of America had better learn baseball, the rules and realities of the
game.” – Jacques Barzun, philosophy professor, 1954 “If a man worked at it, he observed, he could make himself do more than he thought he could do; that was baseball, and that was America.” - Tom Wicker "Baseball is the very symbol, the
outward and visible expression of the drive and push and rush and struggle of
the raging, tearing, booming nineteenth century.” – Mark Twain, 1889 "Good ballplayers make good citizens.” – Chester
Arthur "Suddenly there came a scattering of fire of which the three outfielders caught the brunt; the center field was hit and was captured, the left and right field managed to get back into our lines. The attack was repelled without serious difficulty, but we had lost not only our center field, but the only baseball in Alexandria, Texas." – George Putnam, Union Army Nerd Book
Club In a month that we celebrate our freedom
and all things American, and during a time when this celebration is tempered
with the sadness and fear events on the other side of the globe have created, I
have chosen a very special book for this month’s installment of the Book Club.
Flags of Our Fathers, by James Bradley is a historical
account of the life and times of the six men captured on film and immortalized
in bronze as they raised a flag on Iwo Jima in World War II.
To paraphrase a famous quote, some people are born famous, some people
achieve fame, and others have it thrust upon them.
How you deal with that fame is what separates you from the ordinary man.
Randy Simon, a couple of years back, recommended this book to me, and I
am grateful to him for that, because this book is informative and moving.
The tales told within are amazing. And
the author (the son of one of the men) writes with a personal touch that gives
the story added emotional weight. I
am positive that all of you will truly enjoy this book. In this
unforgettable chronicle of perhaps the most famous moment in American military
history, James Bradley has captured the glory, the triumph, the heartbreak, and
the legacy of the six men who raised the flag at Iwo Jima.
Here is the true story behind the immortal photograph that has come to
symbolize the courage and indomitable will of America. I really hope all you Dwellers will head
out to the bookstore or library and grab a copy of this book.
Americans need to know about stories like this.
We need to learn that what we take for granted wasn’t always so, and if
we learn about what our fathers and grandfathers had to go through our
appreciation for what it means to be an American will grow tremendously. Next installment scheduled for the
beginning of August. Previous Selections: o
Nine Innings,
by Daniel Okrent (recently named in the State Journal #1 Baseball book – told
you I know my books) o
Plan B,
Jonathon Tropper o
The Giving Tree,
by Shel Silverstein o
www.bodendein.com,
Jordan Bodendein o
The New York Trilogy,
by Paul Auster It is the home stretch of
the regular season so we can use all the fan support we can get.
The Old-Timer’s game is this weekend, as well as Fan Appreciation Day,
which insures a great time for all. Hope
to see you there! Check the
Schedule page for game times and locations.
How to Reach
Me For those of you who would
like to say “hello” or “shut up, Nerd” or “where the heck is the next
article” my email address is stephene@chorus.net.
HI MOM March 1, 2004The Dugout
(From Nerd’s Perspective)
I’m baaaaaack!
After a long off-season, the Nerd has re-surfaced.
I don’t know about you, but the way last year ended left a bad taste in
my mouth. Don’t get me wrong we
had a great season; it’s just that after you have seen the view from the
mountaintop it’s not the same from the lodge.
Winning begets winning, however it also raises expectations, which can
lead to bigger disappointments. Enough
of that though – it is time for a new year, new faces, and new goals. But first, there are a few things to
touch on before we get started. This
past off-season Nerd left you high and dry.
What on Earth did you talk about? What
did you read? Was it lonely without me?
Never fear – I’m back and this season I promise to write on a far
more frequent basis. At least,
until I bore every last Dweller to tears. (Quick side-note: why is it off-season?
Is there an on-season? Wouldn’t
non-season and season make better sense? Oh
well, things that rattle in the brain of Nerd.) Football season has come and gone.
There is an interesting connection to be made between football and MHT. The New England Patriots, a Team void of superstars, won the
Super Bowl. You all know how much I
admire Teams. But what is
interesting is that they also won the Super Bowl in 2002.
Hmm. Another year for
another Team? The beginning of the Baseball year also
means Fantasy Baseball has begun. I know many of you also enjoy watching the statistics of
ho-hum players in meaningless games while cursing under your breath.
It is truly a thing of beauty. Currently,
Nerd’s Herd is not faring well in his league.
Can’t expect to when relievers get shelled for 5 runs in an inning
instead of securing the save. But I
live by the philosophy of not placing importance on the first month of the
season. So I must have faith.
The Herd will win a second championship in a row.
There it is; it is written so it must be true. Well, the Season is fast approaching.
We were supposed to kick it off with some exhibitions this weekend, but
the games were postponed. Seems we
are not the only ones who have trouble fielding nine when the young bucks are
off learning. Next week is the
Marshall tournament, however, and I trust those games are a sure thing. I’m looking forward to seeing what we have this year and
putting the pieces together for another magical year.
My next article will chronicle the tourney and give y’all an idea of
what’s in store for MHT in 2004. One last thing before you can get to the
fun stuff. Middleton Home Talent
saw the retirement of a couple mainstays this year.
Todd Passini and Jamie Guerrero have each hung up their spikes to move on
to bigger and better things. I, for
one, am sad to see them go. Each
played for over a decade and brought a passion to the game that is not often
seen. Leaders on the field and in
the dugout, Pedro and Roger leave some mighty big shoes to fill.
I don’t think anyone will ever be able to fill Rog’s hat, though. I was thrilled to play ball with you both.
I expect to see you on the Hill. Trivia My
last article, way back when, did have its customary trivia question.
Although quite a few of you emailed me to learn the answers, the Dugout,
as a whole, has not been properly enlightened.
In my never-ending quest to raise everyone’s Baseball IQ, the
questions, as presented, follow with the glorious answers: ź
In his major league debut on Opening Day in Cincinnati,
April 13 1954, Hank Aaron went 0-5. That day marked another important
first for Baseball. What happened? This
was the first game in which outfielders were required to bring their gloves into
the dugout between innings, rather than follow the previous tradition of leaving
them on the field. ź
Who had the first error in All-Star
game history? Lou Gehrig, in the fifth inning of the 1st
All-Star game in 1933. ź
Which was the first major league
stadium with an organ? Wrigley
Field - Roy Nelson first played it on April 26, 1941. ź
Who was the first outfielder to
play a full 162-game season without committing an error?
Rocky Colavito - 1965 - 274 chances, no errors. ź
Who was the first player to bat on
television? Billy Werber,
the Reds third baseman who led off against the Dodgers at Ebbets Field on August
26, 1939, in the first televised big league game, which was broadcast by Red
Barber. To
kick off the new Baseball year, Nerd’s trivia section follows a slightly
different format. I have created a
Baseball / Middleton Home Talent themed crossword puzzle.
This was not the easiest undertaking.
I will, no doubt, not be as pretty this Season due to all the lost beauty
sleep. This puzzle is very special
because the most gifted crossword puzzlers in the world will have more
difficulty in solving it than you, the Middleton Home Talent player and fan.
I have tried to incorporate the entire roster into the puzzle; however,
some people did have to drop to the cutting room floor due to the sheer pain of
trying to fit the words into the tiny, little squares.
I have also attempted to cut as much of the crossword-ese as I could, so
even the puzzle novice should have a chance (still a few acronyms). I hope y’all enjoy it, because it will be a cold day on the
diamond before I try it again. Pedro
has created a link to the puzzle so you can print it out and use your #2
Ticonderoga. Have
fun!! In Word Crossword
Puzzle Quotes (Bartlett’s
Familiar Quotations Edition) “Baseball breaks your heart.
It is designed to break your heart.
The game begins in the spring, when everything else begins again, and it
blossoms in the summer, filling the afternoons and evenings, and then as soon as
the chill rains come, it stops, and leaves you to face the fall alone.” – A.
Bartlet Giamatti, The Green Fields of the Mind “Whoever wants to know the heart and mind of America had better learn baseball, the rules and realities of the game – and do it by watching first some high school or small town teams.” - Jacques Barzun, God’s Country and Mine "For it’s
one, two, three strikes you’re out - at the old ball game.” – Jack
Norworth, 1908 " Little boy, in a baseball hat "Play Ball!” – Umpires everywhere. Still gives me the shivers. Special
Note I was informed last year about something
that warrants mentioning. Our Alex
Shekey did a good thing. There is
an award given out to those who show respect for students with disabilities and
are determined to help them, called the Devi Bhargava Award.
Sheek nominated a coach and mentor for the award.
And the best man won! Congratulations
to Steve Hauser, MATC Athletic Director, and head baseball coach. And congrats to Sheek for making the extra effort to see that
someone gets the acknowledgement they deserve.
I have been late in giving this
recognition and apologize to those concerned. Nerd Book
Club And now for every Dweller’s favorite
section, (round
of applause) my newest book selection.
Last Season I recommended several books to you and am happy to say that
it worked. Several people told me
that they read something I suggested. Not
all of you were fans of all my selections, which gives me pleasure as well.
There is only room for one Nerd, so I welcome different tastes and
opinions. Following the long
tradition of the Club, the first book of this new Season will once again be a
book about Baseball. Moneyball: The Art of Winning an
Unfair Game, by Michael Lewis Most of you will be very familiar with
this book as it was hyped to no end last year.
Since its recent release in paperback makes it affordable for all, it is
a prime candidate for inclusion to the exclusive Club.
Moneyball takes a look at Baseball from the front office,
not the field or the stands. It
deals with wizards behind the curtain. By
transforming a money-poor team in a small market to a talent-rich contender,
Billy Beane made the Oakland A’s the new blueprint for success at the Major
League level. Using computers
instead of scouts, and signing players on skill and experience instead of
potential, Beane went completely against traditional Baseball policy; and it
worked. Lewis was given all-access
to Beane, his underlings, and the A’s, and provides us with a fresh look into
the game and all of its shadiness. This
is very well written book and I really enjoyed it.
(Plus, some of the insights it provides can help the Fantasy Leaguer.)
But don’t take my word for it, here’s more: “Billy Beane,
general manager of MLB’s Oakland A’s and protagonist of Michael Lewis’s Moneyball,
had a problem: how to win in the
Major Leagues with a budget that’s smaller than that of nearly every other
team. Conventional wisdom long held
that big name, highly athletic hitters and young pitchers with rocket arms were
the ticket to success. But Beane
and his staff, buoyed by massive amounts of carefully interpreted statistical
data, believed that wins could be had by more affordable methods such as hitters
with high on-base percentages and pitchers who get lots of ground outs.
Given this information and a tight budget, Beane defied tradition and his
own scouting department to build winning teams of young affordable players and
inexpensive castoff veterans. Lewis was in the room with the A’s top
management as they spent the summer of 2002 adding and subtracting players and
he provides outstanding play-by-play. In
the June player draft, Beane acquired nearly every prospect he coveted (few of
whom were coveted by other teams) and at the July trading deadline he engaged in
a tense battle of nerves to acquire a lefty reliever.
Besides being one of the most insider accounts ever written about
baseball, Moneyball is populated with fascinating characters.
We meet Jeremy Brown, an overweight college catcher who most teams
project to be a 15th round draft pick (Beane takes him in the first).
Sidearm pitcher Chad Bradford is plucked from the Chicago White Sox
triple-A club to be a key set=up man and catcher Scott Hatteberg is rebuilt to
be a first baseman. But the most
interesting character is Beane himself. A
speedy athletic can’t-miss prospect who somehow missed, Beane reinvents
himself as a front-office guru, relying on players completely unlike, say, Billy
Beane. Lewis, one of the top
nonfiction writers of his era offers highly accessible explanations of baseball
stats and his roadmap of Beane’s economic approach makes Moneyball an
appealing reading experience for business people and sport’s fans alike.” Review acquired from Amazon.com,
written by John Moe. Get out and read, Dwellers, because,
remember, Reading is fundamental. Next installment coming soon. Previous Selections: o
Nine Innings, by Daniel Okrent (recently named in
the State Journal #1 Baseball book – told you I know my books) o
Plan B, Jonathon Tropper o
The Giving Tree, by Shel Silverstein o
www.bodendein.com,
Jordan Bodendein o
The New York Trilogy, by Paul Auster o
Flags of Our Fathers, by James Bradley So that concludes another edition of the
Dugout. I hope you had a pleasant
stay, and you are welcome back anytime. I promise you’ll be hearing a lot more from me in the weeks
ahead. How to
Reach Me For those of you who would like to say
“hello” or “shut up, Nerd” or “where the heck is the next article”
my email address is stephene@chorus.net.
HI MOM June 3, 2004The Dugout
(From Nerd’s Perspective)
Mother Nature has not been
kind. The beginning of the Season
has seen more rainouts than fly-outs. And
that does not put a smile on Nerd’s face.
The Nerd is highly opposed to physical labor so raking fields and
shoveling Diamond Dry is not welcome to the routine.
I have made an impassioned plea to the big MN though, and She has assured
me that we will see minimal rain for the duration of the Season.
Just enough to keep the farmers happy. Between clouds and
raindrops, MHT has managed to squeeze in a handful of games. After a couple of dreadful outings where it appeared we were
sponsored by Chico’s Bail Bonds, instead of seasoned HT’ers, we have begun
to play ball like we should. Sunday
record 2-2, Night league 2-0. Not
too bad. There have been many
bright spots to the Season thus far. It
appears we have the market cornered on pitching.
Lots of arms on the Team this year.
Bodes well for the weekends to come where we have to play multiple games.
Not many teams in the league can match our depth on the bump.
Defense has been stellar as well. Since
the early Bad News Bears impersonation, we have made some tremendous plays.
Combined with our pitching, the defense has been excellent in stranding
opposing base runners. On Memorial Day, this was especially evident in that we kept
fourteen Cross Plains runners from scoring in our marathon 12-inning victory.
Great things to look forward to this Season.
Nerd is optimistic. As
everyone’s roles become more defined, I see this Team having the potential for
something big. Nerd was recently asked,
“why are you still on the Team if you don’t play?” I thought I would take this space to answer that question.
And that answer is simply, “why not?”
Baseball is magical. There
is no other sport that gets under my skin like Baseball.
It is a chess match played between men under the beating sun.
No game has the cerebral component that Baseball has.
Situations abound where there are any number of different strategies that
can be employed. Man on third, one
out. There are so many things that
can happen. The batter can swing
away - go for the deep fly or the ground ball up the middle.
Suicide squeeze, wild pitch, intentional walk.
Is the infield in? Different
for the first inning and the last. Your
mind can swim in the possibilities. Baseball
is a game that can be stripped to its smallest elements.
A bat and ball, and two boys, in a tiny backyard.
Where the roof is a homer and the tree is an out.
Or it can be a game on a Sunday between two towns battling it out for
pride. Every single guy playing his
heart out for the win. That’s why
I do it. It’s Baseball, it’s
Summer, and I’m just a boy who wants to be part of the game. The rest of this
installment of the article is dedicated to Nerd’s role on MHT – Scorekeeper.
Because I don’t merely keep track of who won or lost, but am the
historian of the game. Because of
my pencil, the game is immortalized. Another
good reason to want to be part of the Team. Trivia My
first foray into the world of crossword puzzle construction was a success.
Albeit, not one without its hiccups.
Many of you expressed to me some level of delight in your attempt to
solve the puzzle, or even pleasure in seeing your name make the cut.
However, faithful Dwellers and their keen powers of observation did not
let my mistakes go unnoticed. Crossword
connoisseur John Manderino was most diligent in pointing out my errors.
For those keeping score, Wrigley’s warbler is, of course, Harry Caray,
although I had Carey in the puzzle. Taipei
is not a country but a capital city. And
I also failed to give a clue for an entire word.
It would have been after 37 Down. I
did catch this mistake myself but it was late and the need for sleep far
out-weighed the desire to re-number everything.
Overall, I believe my experiment went smoothly enough to possibly be a
fixture in the Dugout, but strictly on an annual basis. The
completed puzzle:
And
now for some trivia questions that would qualify as Scorekeepers’ Nightmares.
These involve incidents that would dull the pencil, scramble the brain,
and push the eraser to its limit. ź
What were the most double plays ever recorded in a game for both teams
combined? By a single team? ź
What was the longest game ever played in terms of innings?
In hours and minutes? ź
What was the most combined amount of runs scored in a game?
By a single team? In one
inning? ź
What were the most balks in one game,
combined and for a single team? ź
On an official scorecard of Phil
Rizzuto, what does WW stand for? Quotes (Scorekeeping
Edition) “You can’t tell the
players without a scorecard!” -
Traditional cry of scorecard vendors. “A Baseball fan has the
digestive apparatus of a billy goat. He
can – and does – devour any set of diamond statistics with insatiable
appetite and then nuzzle hungrily for more.” – Sportswriter Arthur Daley “When I was a small boy in Kansas, a friend of mine and I went fishing and as we sat there in the warmth of the summer afternoon on a river bank, we talked about what we wanted to be when we grew up. I told him that I wanted to be a major league Baseball player, a genuine professional like Honus Wagner. My friend said that he’d like to be president of the United States. Neither of us got our wish.” - Dwight D. Eisenhower "’You
can look it up,’ he’ll say to doubters.
They do and doubt no longer.” – In reference to Casey Stengel, New
York Times, 1960. "Any person claiming to be a Baseball
fan who does not also claim to have invented the quickest, simplest and complete
method of keeping score probably is a fraud.” – Thomas Boswell "For when the One Great Scorer comes To write against your name, He’ll write not that you
won or lost, But how you played the game.” – Grantland Rice, 1908 Special Note The 77th Annual
Scripps Howard Spelling Bee was concluded today. Nerd was glued to the television with pen and paper in hand,
matching wits with the nation’s brightest youngsters. Due to the popularity of my article on the Bee last year, I
am certain that everyone was watching along with me. For those of you who were too busy reading selections from
the Nerd Book Club, I am pleased to announce that David Tidmarsh from South
Bend, Indiana was the winner. The
championship-clinching word was autochthonous. Obviously meaning, “of or relating to where it is found;
indigenous.” Nerd Book
Club In keeping with the theme
of this edition, my new selection for the Book Club is The Joy of Keeping
Score, by Paul Dickson. This
book in no way would ever be classified as fine literature.
However, it is loaded with history and anecdotes related to scorekeeping.
When did it begin? Why is
the K used for strikeout? Who
fancies themselves a fan of scorekeeping? All
the answers can be found in Mr. Dickson’s book.
It is loaded with fun little stories and photographs of old historic
scorecards. Definitely a fun, quick
read for anyone who has a passion for keeping score. “There are two reasons to head out to the ballpark.
One is to passively watch the game, the other is to actively see it, and
you can't do the latter without a scorecard.
In this slim gem of a volume, Paul Dickson clearly explains and
translates the quirky documentation system, which looks like cuneiform to the
uninitiated, for recording what happens on the ball field, and why true fans are
so adamant about doing it. Filled
with history, anecdotes, and rules, it also reproduces--to the joy of scorers
everywhere--the official scorer's records for some of baseball's most
significant moments, including Don Larson's perfecto and Babe Ruth's called shot.”
Review acquired from Amazon.com. Get out and read, Dwellers,
because, remember, Reading is fundamental. Previous Selections: o
Nine Innings,
by Daniel Okrent o
Plan B,
Jonathon Tropper o
The Giving Tree,
by Shel Silverstein o
www.bodendein.com,
Jordan Bodendein o
The New York Trilogy,
by Paul Auster o
Flags of Our Fathers,
by James Bradley o
Moneyball: The Art of
Winning an Unfair Game, by
Michael Lewis So that concludes another
edition of the Dugout. I hope you
had a pleasant stay, and you are welcome back anytime. Argument
Starter Best Player in Baseball
Today --- Vladimir Guerrero Nerd is willing to match
him against anyone. How to Reach
Me For those of you who would
like to say “hello” or “shut up, Nerd” or “where the heck is the next
article” my email address is stephene@chorus.net.
HI MOM The
Dugout (From Nerd’s Perspective) Nerd is in a reflective
mood. My last attempt I made a
comment about boys playing Baseball in the backyard; and how the landscape
played a role in the game. That got
me thinking about my brothers and me when we were kids.
We played all kinds of sports together, just us three or with the whole
neighborhood. Half the fun was in
the invention of rules to accommodate the playing field. We would play field hockey in the yard (this was Arizona, so
no ice) but not everyone had sticks so we used croquet mallets.
We would ball up soccer socks and put them inside another sock to make a
wonderful, yet not too painful, weapon and played some demented form of
gladiators. Nerf basketball in the
house, while Mama Nerd was away, was another favorite pastime.
Pulling off the perfect dunk after vaulting off the couch with two little
brothers hanging off you is certainly an unmatched feeling.
But what I remember most fondly were the Baseball games. Wiffle-ball, inside and outside.
I definitely became quite adept at handling Super-glue as a child.
I could piece back together a Ming vase without a member of the dynasty
seeing the cracks. What was great about Baseball is we could play with only
ourselves. One batter, one pitcher,
one hitter. And we could play
anywhere, rain or shine, no matter how big the area, because we just changed the
rules a bit to fit our needs. Don’t
have a catcher? Well, if the throw
from the field crosses home before the runner, he’s out. And who doesn’t remember shouting “ghost runner on
third” because it was your turn to bat. Hits
into especially prickly bushes, or even cacti, were taken away and made outs
because it was just too darn hard to get the ball out, so we learned to go
opposite field. Of course, it was
awesome when we could get to a park and play with close to full teams, and
Little League was when it counted, but there was something pure about “our
rules” and us. Makes Nerd smile
to think about. Well, Mother Nature has
been kinder and we have played a little ball over the past couple of weeks.
We lost a heartbreaker to Cross Plains.
But had a huge weekend with wins over Cazenovia and Pine Bluff.
We are staying right in the thick of things.
Our defense has remained solid. Pitching
has shined, especially with Mr. David Bradley Woodall blanking the Bluffers.
The hitting is still a bit inconsistent.
Aggressiveness is the key. To
a man we have the talent to spin a few caps out there, we just need to jump on
‘em hard and early. With our bats
and our depth, we could start burying some people.
And don’t forget, speed kills. Have fun out there and keep
your eyes on the prize. Trivia I hope you
enjoyed the questions from last time. Searching
for these little trivia nuggets keeps me sane.
It is amazing the amount of websites devoted to Baseball and its history.
Nerd often gets lost amid the mountainous minutiae.
Where do I unearth this vast knowledge to pass on to thy Faithful
Dweller, you ask? I should keep my
secrets, but for those interested in great reading regarding Baseball, check out
the following sites: www.baseball-almanac.com
and www.hardballtimes.com. Answers from last time: What were
the most double plays ever recorded in a game for both teams combined?
By a single team? o
Both teams – 9 (Bos v. Cal 5/1/1966,
Bos v. Min 7/18/1990) o
Single team – 7 (SF v. Hou 5/4/1969)
What was the longest game ever played in terms of innings?
In hours and minutes? o
26 innings, Brooklyn v. Boston, 5/1/1920 o
8 hours, 6 min., Chicago v. Milwaukee,
5/9/1984 ź
What was the most combined amount of
runs scored in a game? By a single
team? In one inning? o
49, Chicago 26 v. Philadelphia 23,
8/25/1922 o
36, Chicago 36 v. Louisville 7,
6/29/1897 o
18, Chicago v. Detroit, 7th
inning, 9/6/1883 ź
What were the most balks in one game,
combined and for a single team? o
6, Milwaukee v. Chicago, 5/4/1963 o
7, Pittsburgh v. Cincinnati, 4/13/1963 ź
On an official scorecard of Phil
Rizzuto, what does WW stand for? o
Wasn’t watching This
edition will deal with the father-son connections in the Major Leagues, in honor
of Father’s Day. I’m quite
certain my father instilled in me a thirst for knowledge, as well as a love for
Baseball; so father-inspired trivia seems apropos. ź Who made his Major League debut in 1903 and became the first son of a Major League father to play in the big leagues? ź Which families are the only ones to have both a father and son manage a Major League team? ź Who are the three father-son pitcher combinations that have made it to a World Series? ź Who had the most strikeouts of any other father and son combination? ź Who was the first black father-son combination? Quotes
(Humor Edition?) “One Day the Devil
challenged the Lord to a baseball game. Smiling
the Lord proclaimed, ‘You don't have a chance, I have Babe
Ruth, Mickey
Mantle, and all the greatest players up here’. ‘Yes’, snickered the
devil, ‘but I have all the umpires.’” – Anonymous “Abbott: You throw the ball to Who? Costello:
Naturally. Abbott:
That's it. Costello:
Same as you! Same as YOU!
I throw the ball to who. Whoever
it is drops the ball and the guy runs to second.
Who picks up the ball and throws it to What.
What throws it to I Don't Know. I
Don't Know throws it back to Tomorrow, Triple play.
Another guy gets up and hits a long fly ball to Because.
Why? I don't know!
He's on third and I don't give a darn! Abbott:
What? Costello:
I said I don't give a darn! Abbott:
Oh, that's our shortstop.” – Abbott & Costello, Who’s on First? "Statistics are used
much like a drunk uses a lamp post: for support, not illumination." – Vin
Scully "Quit trying to strike
everybody out. Strikeouts are
boring and besides that, they're fascist. Throw
some ground balls. They're more
democratic." - Crash Davis to Nuke, Bull Durham "Ahh, Jesus, I like
him very much, but He no help with curveball." - Serrano.
"Are you trying to say Jesus Christ can't hit a curveball?" –
Harris, Major League Special Note Mark July 2 on your
calendar. On that day, Steve Adler
will be honored on the Wall of Fame at the Duck Pond. Just before the Madison Mallard’s game, a plaque will be
given to the Adler family, commemorating Steve’s lifelong involvement and
passion for Baseball. The
presentation will take place immediately preceding the game, which starts at
7:05. As mentioned before in these
pages, Steve was a dedicated player and fan of MHT, and he is missed. This is a great tribute to Steve and I hope everyone can make
it out to the game. To get tickets
call 246-4277; mention Steve Adler Wall of Fame Night for a special deal.
Check out the Events page for more information. Nerd Book
Club Nerd has decided to reach
back into the past for the new selection to the Book Club.
I haven’t read this book in several years but it is one of my
favorites: Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, by Robert
Pirsig. It is certainly a book
inspired by the father-son relationship. But
it is a book about much more. It
delves into the differences between Western and Eastern philosophies, and
tackles the question of quality versus quantity. It makes you look at life in a whole new light, seeing it as
a process, something to be cared for. I
have decided to read it again, because the lessons learned, and the thoughts
provoked, are timeless and can never be overstated. I don’t want to say too much because this is a book that
should be experienced. But I will
say it is about a father and son on a motorcycle trip across the country and
it’s about life. Read
to Achieve, Dwellers. Previous Selections: o
Nine Innings,
by Daniel Okrent o
Plan B,
Jonathon Tropper o
The Giving Tree,
by Shel Silverstein o
www.bodendein.com,
Jordan Bodendein o
The New York Trilogy,
by Paul Auster o
Flags of Our Fathers,
by James Bradley o
Moneyball: The Art of
Winning an Unfair Game, by
Michael Lewis o
The Joy of Keeping Score,
by Paul Dickson So that concludes another
edition of the Dugout. I hope you
had a pleasant stay, and you are welcome back anytime. Argument
Starter Best Pitcher in Baseball
Ever --- Roger Clemens Come on, Dwellers, does
anyone have any doubt? How to Reach
Me For those of you who would
like to say “hello” or “shut up, Nerd” or “where the heck is the next
article” my email address is stephene@chorus.net.
HI MOM The Dugout
(From Nerd’s Perspective) Hello again, Dwellers!
Before I get to the madcap recap of all the recent excitement, I want to
tell you who has become Nerd’s new role model:
Jim Siscel. Haven’t heard
of him? This guy and his wife just
completed a three-year, 55,604-mile trip to see every Major and Minor League
Ballpark in the country. Each and
every one of the 172 parks. How
great would that be? Cruising
around every Summer in a big ol’ Winnebago with your honey and watching
Baseball. It makes me lightheaded just thinking of it all.
It’s one of those things that people talk about, but drifts from
reality, but this guy actually did it. I
think this guy has a permanent place at the table of “famous people I’d like
to have dinner with” just so I could hear all his stories.
On the other side of the coin, how about that dude in the Minors who blew
out his knee celebrating a game-winning walk-off grand slam?
Talk about your highs and lows all in one night, huh? Woo doggy!
Talk about some great Baseball. These
past couple of weeks has got Nerd’s juices all in a bubble.
The MHT’s have been playing incredibly lately.
In the NBC tournament, which was spread over two weekends, we battled
hard to a runner-up finish winning three games and only losing in the
championship. Everybody had a
chance to contribute, and everybody did. It’s
great to see Coach Pertz use the full bench and get big plays from whomever he
throws out there. With all those
NBC games, you would think there wouldn’t be time for any others, but yes
there was. Two great games against
Ashton and one huge game with Waunakee and MHT finds themselves right in the
thick of things. B-Town has pitched
exceptionally well. He is putting
us on his back again, and I love the ride.
With all these games, it’s great to see him take the ball on Sundays
and say, ‘bullpen, rest easy awhile.’ And
speaking of pitching, E-Si takes the bump versus Ashton and shuts them down
cold, and I mean no-hit cold. In
his first Sunday start of the year, he tosses a gem, doing something I have
never seen in a Home Talent game, a 9-inning no-no.
And with the hitting coming together, getting the clutch hits when
needed, it has been a joy to behold. Don’t
let that State Journal fool ya either with that Top-Ten, TC’s got some
company. But I won’t tell ya
who’s cruisin’. The defense has
been solid, beyond solid, with guys diving all over the place.
Our Team would make a good advertisement for Tide.
Excellent things to look forward to from here to the finish line.
And Nerd is ready. Trivia Fathers
and sons was our theme from last time, and I hope you all store away the new
knowledge in your Baseball Memory Bank. Just
a side note before I give you the answers.
My father participated in the big Old-Timer’s Game a couple of weeks
back, and this son is proud of his performance.
He did an excellent job displaying the proper form for catching fly
balls, not once but twice, and I am glad that he practices what he preached.
Dad, maybe next year we’ll work on the hitting? And
now, the answers from last time:
ź
Who made his Major League debut in 1903 and became the first son
of a Major League father to play in the big leagues?
Jack Doscher ź
Which families are the only ones to have both a father and son
manage a Major League team? Sisler
(George & Dave)
and Mack (Connie & Earle) ź Who are the three father-son pitcher combinations that have made it to a World Series? Bagby (Jim & Jim Jr.), Borbon (Pedro & Pedro Jr.) and Stottlemyre (Mel & Todd) ź Who had the most strikeouts of any other father and son combination? Mel Stottlemyre and his sons, Todd and Mel Jr. ź
Who was the first black father-son combination?
Hairston I struggled with choosing a
topic for this article’s trivia section.
When you have been perusing websites for Baseball trivia as long as Nerd
has, it is difficult to find something that you haven’t used before, is far
too easy, or too hard. So, I have
decided to stray from Baseball trivia this time.
If you Ask Jeeves the answer to these questions he probably won’t know
them, but if you strain your brain you can figure them out on your own.
Hope you find it entertaining. ź
A boy goes and buys a fishing pole
that is 6' 3” long. As he goes to
get on the bus, the bus driver tells him that he can't take anything on the bus
longer than 6'. The boy goes back
to town, buys one more thing, and the bus driver allows him on the bus.
What? ź
If you are in a dark room with a
candle, a wood stove and a gas lamp. You only have one match, so what do you light first?
ź
You are stuck in a room with some
really short leprechauns. They are
really loud and very annoying! Bob
is 2' 5", Barry is 2' 2", Brad is 2' 5", Bryan is 2' 1" and
Brittany is 2' 1". Who is the
tallest? Quotes
(Satchel Paige, The Wisest Man to Play the Game) "Age is a case of mind
over matter. If you don't mind, it
don't matter." "I ain't ever had a
job, I just always played baseball." "I use my single
windup, my double windup, my triple windup, my hesitation windup, my no windup.
I also use my step-n-pitch-it, my submariner, my sidearmer, and my bat
dodger. Man's got to do what he's got to do." "Just take the ball
and throw it where you want to. Throw
strikes. Home plate don't
move." "Work like you don't
need the money. "The only change is
that baseball has turned Paige from a second class citizen to a second class
immortal." Welcome
Wagon, starring Nerd as The Stork Nerd would like to take
this time to welcome three new members to the MHT family and congratulate their
proud parents. So step on up, Alden
Cleary, Avery Passini, and Ryanne Woodall, and grab a seat on the Hill.
(Hopefully, they are all future Dwellers.) Nerd Book
Club For the first time in
Nerd’s Book Club, we have a returning author: James Bradley. Last year, around the 4th of July I recommended Flags
of Our Fathers, by Bradley, due to its poignancy as we were, and are, in
the midst of war. I live by the
adage that on first dates (and no, I haven’t been on a first date in awhile,
although every day with Kari is like a first date since I find something new I
love about her) you shouldn’t talk about religion or politics, and I strive to
carry that into the Dugout. Especially,
since my view is that there are two sides in politics and each of them are
wrong. However, Mr. Bradley’s
books aren’t about politics, or even about war, but about men.
Granted these men were in a war declared by governments, but Mr. Bradley
tells us about who they were as individuals in a situation that was far from
pleasant. In his newest book, Flyboys:
A True Story of Courage, Bradley introduces us to the men that fought
World War II from the air. Nine
aviators were shot down over Chichi-Jima in the Pacific and Bradley tells us
their tale. Through detailing their
lives, he sheds light on the aspects of that war that weren’t in the headlines
or history books in school. Bradley
puts a face on war, its brave young men, and its atrocities.
Like Bradley says in the end, “war is a tragedy of what might have
been.” Read
to Achieve, Dwellers. Previous Selections: o
Nine Innings,
by Daniel Okrent o
Plan B,
Jonathon Tropper o
The Giving Tree,
by Shel Silverstein o
www.bodendein.com,
Jordan Bodendein o
The New York Trilogy,
by Paul Auster o
Flags of Our Fathers,
by James Bradley o
Moneyball: The Art of
Winning an Unfair Game, by
Michael Lewis o
The Joy of Keeping Score,
by Paul Dickson o
Zen and the Art of
Motorcycle Maintenance, by Robert
Pirsig So that concludes another
edition of the Dugout. I hope you
had a pleasant stay, and you are welcome back anytime. Argument
Starter Best Baseball Movie --- Bull
Durham The last argument starter
apparently turned into Nerd’s humble version of the Sports Illustrated jinx,
as Mr. Roger Clemens didn’t fare too well at the All-Star Game.
But remember, the measure of a man is not how he deals with his success
but how he responds to his failures. Chin
up, Rocket. How to Reach
Me For those of you who would
like to say “hello” or “shut up, Nerd” or “where the heck is the next
article” my email address is stephene@chorus.net.
HI MOM The Dugout
(From Nerd’s Perspective) Nerd had one heckuva time
with this article. It is tough to
come up with words to accurately capture the emotions of a season’s end.
“Damn!” “Why, why,
why?” “Aaargh!!”
And even uncontrollable sobbing, all came to mind, yet there needs to be
more. Baseball is great because
absolute highs (running onto the field after the Waunakee game) can be quickly
followed by absolute lows (hearing about the Black Earth loss over the phone,
from miles away), and vice versa. We
are all a part of Baseball, as players, coaches, and fans, because we love the
competition. We want to be able to play when it is all on the line, when
excuses are not allowed, for that chance to hoist the trophy. But we also know that only one team gets that chance.
We compete knowing that the odds are stacked against success.
Everybody knows the old phrase that Baseball players are crazy because if
they fail seven out of ten times that is considered a good year.
We do it anyway because it’s downright fun. And because we do it with friends and the memories will last
forever. It is a tad late for an
in-depth recap but I would be remiss if I didn’t at least touch on the games.
The MHT season this year was a great one.
We overcame some early inconsistency to put together a solid regular
season record. We played a bunch of
games over a couple of weekends and grabbed second place at NBC, while winning
our Sunday games as well. We saw E-Si
pick up a spot start and toss a no-no for the fun of it.
We rolled through the second half behind some offensive outbursts and
solid pitching from B-Town. We had
two guys spinning caps to stake claim in the Top Ten of hitting, with an honest
book to support them. (Let’s see
those other guys do it with the pencil in Nerd’s hands.)
We battled hard and got the home playoff game we deserved.
And Waunakee came to town… We owed Waunakee for last
year. They beat us like a rented
mule. Now it was our turn to send
them home. But it looked like it
wasn’t in the cards. Down 3-0,
ninth inning, one out, no chance. But
then the heart came out. Boo gone
doubling, Sheeks 0-2 pinch-hit single, DL on a stroll – bases full.
Could it happen? Rookie
shows Waunakee how speed kills and a run comes in.
E-Si crack, score knotted up. Failed
squeeze to let the drama build…TC – game over.
Pandemonium. Goosebumps. Obviously, the next game
didn’t have the same fairy tale ending. Nerd
was out in Portland for his brother’s graduation (congrats again, Kevin), so
he had to wait to hear how the story ended.
You wouldn’t believe how nerve-racking it was.
Well, the news shot out of the phone like a punch in the gut.
Black Earth had the better day. For
a round ball, Baseball sure takes some crazy hops.
I suppose all good things must end, but what did we learn?
We learned we have the talent and heart to reach the top again.
We learned we can overcome obstacles, big and small.
We learned that we play with a group of guys who are damn fun to be with.
We learned that it sucks when the season ends. So, I raise my glass and
toast another well-played season, and begin counting the days until the next
one. Check back from time to time
because this off-season Nerd is not going away. Too much Baseball left in me. Trivia It seems that brainteasers
are a Dweller-favorite. I received
quite a few comments on the previous round of trivia questions.
Many of you couldn’t wait for the answers.
I’ll keep that in mind and be sure to sprinkle more riddles into the
mix of Baseball trivia. Here are
the answers, and please don’t bang your head against the desk too hard. ź
A boy goes and buys a fishing pole
that is 6' 3” long. As he goes to
get on the bus, the bus driver tells him that he can't take anything on the bus
longer than 6'. The boy goes back
to town, buys one more thing, and the bus driver allows him on the bus.
What? The boy bought a 6' long box and put the pole in it
diagonally. ź
If you are in a dark room with a
candle, a wood stove and a gas lamp. You only have one match, so what do you light first?
The match. ź
While on the island of Dellzup,
you have been captured by the Evil Prince. He has decided to play a game with you. He offers you the choice of two doors, behind one of which
lays a hungry lion and behind the other lies treasures beyond your wildest
dreams. Guarding one of the doors
is a native who always lies and guarding the other door is a native who always
tells the truth. Unfortunately, you
cannot tell which is which. You may
ask one of the natives for help in choosing the door.
They both know which door they are guarding, so what single question
could you ask? You ask one of
the natives: 'What would the other native say if I asked him behind which door
lies the lion.' You then open this
door for the treasure. (Nerd Note: Don’t you love the name of the island?) ź
You are stuck in a room with some
really short leprechauns. They are
really loud and very annoying! Bob
is 2' 5", Barry is 2' 2", Brad is 2' 5", Bryan is 2' 1" and
Brittany is 2' 1". Who is the
tallest? You are.
Duh. In honor of my trip out
West to visit my brothers, this edition of trivia will deal with brothers who
have played in the Major Leagues. A
couple of the questions are quite easy, but the others will surely take some
thought. ź
Which brothers are number one on
the list of combined home runs? ź
Which brothers hold the record for
most games appeared in by brothers? ź
Which brothers were Major League
managers, as well as ballplayers? ź
Which brothers are in the Hall of
Fame? ź
Whose brother Larry owns the
shortest Major League career in history? ź
Whose brother Tom lays claim to
the highest career batting average and on-base percentage in baseball history? ź
Who were the biggest group of
brothers to make it to the bigs? Quotes
(Pitching Some Wisdom) "The two most
important things in life: good friends and a strong bullpen."
Bob Gibson "It helps if the
hitter thinks you're a little crazy."
Nolan Ryan "A pitcher needs two
pitches, one they're looking for and one to cross them up."
Warren Spahn "I became a good
pitcher when I stopped trying to make them miss the ball and started trying to
make them hit it." Sandy
Koufax "You should enter a
ballpark the way you enter a church."
Spaceman Bill Lee "Everybody kind of
perceives me as being angry. It's
not anger, it's motivation." Roger
Clemens Nerd
Book Club While in Portland, my
grandmother commented that a lot of the books I have recommended are a bit
strange. First off, I was thrilled
that another Dweller, a relative at that, braved the world of Nerd’s Book
Club. I then responded that the
purpose of the Club was to stray from the beaten path, show a glimpse inside my
head, figuratively speaking. If you
want mainstream, look to the New York Times; if you want something a little
different, look to Nerd. However, I
agree with my grandmother that not all the books need to be off that path, so
the new selection is in honor of her: Chicken
Soup for the Baseball Fan’s Soul, by a bunch of people.
I took this book with me on my trip because it is a collection of stories
and anecdotes related to the game we all love.
A book like this is perfect for travel because it can be read in snippets
without losing your place. If the
person sitting next to you on the plane is hogging the armrest while he snores
in your ear, this is the perfect book. You
can finish the 3-page story you are on, elbow him in the ribs, and move onto the
next without losing the flow like you could with a novel.
Or if the pilot seems intent on pointing out the top of every mountain
you pass, which is more often than not only seen from the windows on the other
side of the plane from you, you can quietly mutter to yourself and not lose
track of any complicated plot points. Obviously,
I didn’t just pick this book due to its travel benefits; it really is a good
read. There are stories to make you
laugh, cry, and reminisce. I was
surprised on how many of the stories would be a perfect fit in the Dugout.
I actually got déjŕ vu reading some of them.
If you are a fan of the Chicken Soup series, and Baseball, this book is
perfect for you. And Grandmom,
I’ll keep my eyes open for some more things we all can enjoy. Read
to Achieve, Dwellers. Previous Selections: o
Nine Innings,
by Daniel Okrent o
Plan B,
Jonathon Tropper o
The Giving Tree,
by Shel Silverstein o
www.bodendein.com,
Jordan Bodendein o
The New York Trilogy,
by Paul Auster o
Flags of Our Fathers,
by James Bradley o
Moneyball: The Art of
Winning an Unfair Game, by
Michael Lewis o
The Joy of Keeping Score,
by Paul Dickson o
Zen and the Art of
Motorcycle Maintenance, by Robert
Pirsig o
Flyboys: A True Story of
Courage, by James Bradley Argument
Starter Playoff Predictions- AL East – Boston Red Sox AL Central – Minnesota
Twins AL West – Oakland A’s AL Wildcard – Anaheim
Angels NL East – Atlanta Braves NL Central – St. Louis
Cardinals NL West – San Francisco
Giants NL Wildcard – Chicago
Cubs ALCS – Boston vs. Oakland NLCS – Chicago vs. St.
Louis World Series – Boston vs.
Chicago Winner – Boston Nerd is hoping to witness a
piece of history. Will the Baseball
gods be kind? So that concludes another
edition of the Dugout. I hope you
had a pleasant stay, and you are welcome back anytime. How to Reach
Me For those of you who would
like to say “hello” or “shut up, Nerd” or “where the heck is the next
article” my email address is stephene@chorus.net.
HI MOM The Dugout
(From Nerd’s Perspective)
The beginning of a new Season is once
again upon us. And once again, Nerd
has high hopes. It was a long
winter without Baseball but with the sun shining and the crack of the bat
echoing off the hill all is right with the world. The Team is looking mighty good.
We had to say farewell to some guys, but welcomed some new ones.
We got off to an excellent start sweeping through the exhibition games,
getting solid pitching and great hitting. The
first Sunday game of the year got us started on the right foot (or with
Pedro’s complete game shutout win maybe I should say left foot) I sure
wouldn’t want to be out on that hill facing our line-up either.
When you get home runs from the leadoff and seven spots (like we did on
Opening Day), you got a Team to be reckoned with.
The batting order looks like the perfect mix of speed and power, which
means a little bit of small ball, and the delight of the long ball.
The pitching has gotten deeper with the return of Pedro and the addition
of Bones. Defense could be the key,
but I have faith in all the guys that they can make the plays.
I do not envy Pertz one bit; he is going to be sprouting some gray ones
with the amount of talent we have. Nerd envisions a streak with everybody
comfortable with his role; guys up and down the bench making contributions.
I see solid pitching outings, with arms coming in to shut the door.
I see jumping out to big leads, with clutch hits and smart baserunning.
I see late-inning pinch-hits pounding the nail in the other team’s
coffin. And I see smooth, crisp
defense making it all seem easy. I
see big things. What I also hope to see is every Dweller in MHT Country out
at the ballpark. Lots of road games
to kick off the Season but that just means a wonderful stretch of home games to
wind it up. So, grab your chair and
come on down – it’s Baseball for goodness sakes. Nerd is going to try something a tad
different this year. I’m going to
attempt to cut down on the length of these articles.
I have a tendency to be long-winded.
I’m hoping that if I can make them shorter, I’ll be able to churn
more out. Of course, my schedule,
as well as Webmaster Pedro’s, will dictate some of this, but that’s the plan
anyway. Trivia Hopefully,
y’all have figured out the answers to the past article’s trivia questions,
since it was over six months ago. I
would be remiss, however, if I didn’t post the answers.
As you may or may not remember the questions were inspired by my trip to
Portland to see my brothers. So,
here they are: ź
Which brothers are number one on the list of combined home runs? o
Hank
and Tommie Aaron, 768. ź
Which brothers hold the record for most games appeared in by
brothers? o
Felipe,
Matty, and Jesus Alou played in 5129 games combined. ź
Which brothers were Major League managers, as well as ballplayers? o
Marcel
and Rene Lachemann. ź
Which brothers are in the Hall of Fame? o
Lloyd
and Paul Waner. ź
Whose brother Larry owns the shortest Major League career in
history? o
Robin
Yount. Brought in to pitch the
ninth inning of a game toward the end of the '71 season, Larry felt some
discomfort in his arm while warming up and never threw a pitch in his major
league debut. He was shelved for
the rest of the season and never made it back to The Show.
ź
Whose brother Tom lays claim to the highest career batting average
and on-base percentage in baseball history? o
John
Paciorek played only one game on the last day of the 1963 season.
He went 3-for-3 with two walks to lay claim to the highest career batting
averages and on-base percentage. ź
Who were the biggest group of brothers to make it to the bigs? o
The
five Delahanty brothers: Ed, Frank, Jim, Joe, and Tom. This
season I am going to try something different with the trivia section.
Instead of posting multiple questions in each article, I am going to come
up with one, more difficult question. I’ll
try to mix it up with tough brainteasers and detailed Baseball-related
questions. So, although there will be only one question, it should take
you awhile to figure out the answer. Einstein's Pet ProblemEinstein
wrote the following riddle. He said
that 98% of the world could not solve it. Give
it a try and remember patience is a virtue, especially when it comes to
brainteasers:
The
question is: WHO OWNS THE FISH? Quotes “The way a team plays as a whole
determines its success. You may
have the greatest bunch of individual stars in the world, but if they don’t
play together, the club won’t be worth a dime.” Babe Ruth “The first day of spring is one thing, and the first spring day is another. The difference between them is sometimes as great as a month.” Henry Van Dyke, (in honor of the frigid weather on Opening Day). “Give me the splendid silent sun with
all his beams full-dazzling.” Walt
Whitman “Grown don't mean nothing to a mother.
A child is a child. They get
bigger, older, but grown. In my
heart it don't mean a thing.” Toni
Morrison, (Happy Mother’s Day to all mothers; I love you, Mom.) “May the Force be with you.”
Obi-Wan Kenobi, (what kind of a Nerd would I be if I wasn’t excited
about the new Star Wars?) Nerd Book
Club We all have pet peeves.
Some people can’t stand the sound of fingernails scraping a blackboard.
Some people need the toilet paper to be put on a certain way, or they go
crazy. And others go nuts behind
the wheel, for all kinds of different reasons.
As for Nerd, my peeves are three, and they are these:
gum smacking, more than fifteen items in the express lane, and poor
grammar. Before everybody becomes
all tight-lipped around me, let me explain.
I don’t mind the occasional misused word, or the “me and him went to
the movies.” What bugs me is the
slaughter of the language when used in print, i.e. billboards and TV
commercials, especially bad pronunciation.
“Best Waffles in Town – There Great!”
Are you kidding me? I
can’t trust your waffle prowess if you don’t know English. My newest selection to Nerd’s Book
Club deals with this very subject: the
art of punctuation. Rest assured,
Dwellers, this isn’t a high school textbook. Eats, Shoots, & Leaves, by Lynne Truss
makes English fun. Ms Truss takes
you through all the wonderful squiggly lines and little dots that keep us sane.
If you have always wanted to know the proper use of the ellipsis, this is
the place to go. If you have always
wanted to know what an ellipsis is, it will tell you that too.
Instead of a review, I have decided to let the back of the book sell
itself. A
panda walks into a cafe. He orders
a sandwich, eats it, then draws a gun and fires two shots in the air. "Why?"
asks the confused waiter, as the panda makes towards the exit. The panda
produces a badly punctuated wildlife manual and tosses it over his shoulder. "I'm a
panda," he says, at the door. "Look
it up." The waiter
turns to the relevant entry and, sure enough, finds an explanation. "Panda.
Large black-and-white bear-like mammal, native to China.
Eats, shoots and leaves." Read to Achieve, Dwellers. Previous Selections: o
Nine Innings, by Daniel Okrent o
Plan B, Jonathon Tropper o
The Giving Tree, by Shel Silverstein o
www.bodendein.com,
Jordan Bodendein o
The New York Trilogy, by Paul Auster o
Flags of Our Fathers, by James Bradley o
Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game, by
Michael Lewis o
The Joy of Keeping Score, by Paul Dickson o
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, by Robert
Pirsig o
Flyboys: A True Story of Courage, by James Bradley o
Chicken Soup for the Baseball Fan’s Soul Argument
Starter In case you missed it, just wanted to
remind everyone that on this very page in the end of the season argument
starter, Nerd correctly picked the World Series Champion.
To keep the trend rolling, Phoenix Suns over the Miami Heat in six games.
So that concludes another edition of the
Dugout. I hope you had a pleasant
stay, and you are welcome back anytime. How to
Reach Me For those of you who would like to say
“hello” or “shut up, Nerd” or “where the heck is the next article”
my email address is stephene@chorus.net.
HI MOM
The Dugout
(From Nerd’s Perspective)
Hello?
Is there anybody out there? Writing
this article has been a very interesting experience for me.
The lack of any instant feedback makes it feels as if I am merely talking
to myself. That’s not to say that
I don’t get any feedback at all. I
truly appreciate all you Dwellers out there that take the time to read what I
have to say – and offer your praise and encouragement.
What I am saying is that sitting alone at my little cubicle deep within
Nerd Central Command (Location: Classified), writing these modest articles is
akin to therapy. So, the Dugout is
my couch, and the Dwellers, my shrink. That
should explain why I tend to be a tad wordy; there is a lot of stuff rattling
around up in my head. But enough of
that, and on to more important things: Baseball and MHT. MHT has continued its
torrid pace. After winning the
Opener at home, we strung together three impressive road wins.
The Team has looked beyond sharp. Pitching
has been absolutely superb. The
Elder Statesman, Pedro, has notched quality start after quality start.
And now with B-Town back, with an excellent first start at
then-undefeated CP, are pitching looks ready for the long haul.
The defense has been flawless, with Cooker leading the charge with some
gems at short. And the hitting –
tremendous. In all three wins, the
leadoff batter has scored; which obviously translates to us getting a lead
before they even get a chance. It
makes a statement to jump out early on a team, especially at their place. The acquisition of Hin-Son has shown some mighty early
dividends, with an extra-inning game-winning bomb in Waunakee. The hitting, up and down the order, has been clutch, with the
Team hitting a blistering .323, and four guys over .400. Night League is looking
great, too. Started off with two
big wins, in one week due to a rainout. One
of those wins being against Waunakee, putting that all-important record against
them to 2-0 for the Season. A lot
of guys who haven’t had a chance to shine on Sundays have made the most of
their opportunities in Night and exhibition games.
What can you say about DL joining the Ya-Ya Sisterhood?
Looking good all the way
around, and Nerd likes it. Big
Memorial Day weekend with two games on the slate.
Here’s to the smile staying on my face. Trivia Feedback
on the last Brainteaser was sparse. However,
I think most people enjoyed it. Before I give you a round of Baseball questions, here is one
more teaser to give the brain some exercise. Nerd
frequently has to travel for his company, which gives him a chance to meet many
people from all parts of the USA. In
April, Nerd flew to five different US cities on business and he flew a different
airline each time. During each trip
he chatted with the person next to him, and no two people he talked to were in
the same profession. 1. Three consecutive
flights were, in order from first to last, the flight Nerd took with WTA
Airways, the flight where he sat next to the teacher, and the flight he took to
Atlanta. The Answer from last time:Einstein's Pet Problem – The German owns the fish.Quotes
(Motivation from Some of the Greatest Minds in History) “It’s not the size of
the dog in the fight; it’s the size of the fight in the dog.” – Mark Twain “Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference.” – Winston Churchill “A person who never made
a mistake never tried anything new.” – Albert Einstein “This above all; to thine
own self be true.” – William Shakespeare “Once you say you are
going to settle for second, that’s what happens to you in life.” – John F.
Kennedy “Anybody with ability can
play in the big leagues. But to be
able to trick people year in and year out the way I did, I think that was a much
greater feat.” – Bob Uecker Nerd
Book Club Nerd doesn’t normally
read a lot of autobiographies, especially by athletes or actors.
They tend to be too boastful for my tastes.
However, I did read Michael J. Fox’s book, Lucky Man: A Memoir,
and was duly impressed. Being
stricken with a disease or injured in an accident is very difficult to accept.
How the individual responds to that adversity says a great deal about
that person and his or her character. I
have an enormous amount of respect for Michael J. Fox, and only a small amount
is due to him being a 5’2” werewolf who can dunk a basketball in between
time traveling adventures. Read
to Achieve, Dwellers. Previous Selections: o
Nine Innings,
by Daniel Okrent o
Plan B,
Jonathon Tropper o
The Giving Tree,
by Shel Silverstein o
www.bodendein.com,
Jordan Bodendein o
The New York Trilogy,
by Paul Auster o
Flags of Our Fathers,
by James Bradley o
Moneyball: The Art of
Winning an Unfair Game, by
Michael Lewis o
The Joy of Keeping Score,
by Paul Dickson o
Zen and the Art of
Motorcycle Maintenance, by Robert
Pirsig o
Flyboys: A True Story of
Courage, by James Bradley o
Chicken Soup for the
Baseball Fan’s Soul o
Eats, Shoots, & Leaves,
by Lynne Truss Argument
Starter No argument starter this
time. Nerd is slightly upset with
the happenings in the NBA since his playoff prediction. I pick the Suns and Joe Johnson breaks his face.
So, for this time out the Dugout Jinx is on hiatus.
So that concludes another
edition of the Dugout. I hope you
had a pleasant stay, and you are welcome back anytime. How to Reach
Me For those of you who would
like to say “hello” or “shut up, Nerd” or “where the heck is the next
article” my email address is stephene@chorus.net.
HI MOM The Dugout
(From Nerd’s Perspective)
Ladies and Gentlemen, the
weather’s been hot, MHT – not so much.
Since Memorial Day, MHT has been playing below .500 ball on Sundays.
Not good in a division as tough as ours, and it has caused a traffic jam
in the standings. The losses have
been hard to take. We have the
talent and skill to succeed but our focus and intensity have been lacking at
times. And those lapses have cost us games. We got a bull’s-eye on our backs and the other teams out
there bring their A+ effort when we are in town.
We’ve definitely struggled to put a solid game together - getting an
early lead and sitting on it, committing errors that lead to big innings for the
opponent, quiet bats with runners on and two outs.
However, the bright spots
have sure been blinding. We are
hitting a scorching .320 as a Team, with four guys still hitting over .400.
The League leader list comes out soon and it should be peppered with our
boys (provided the home-cooking elsewhere isn’t laced with something fishy).
Our power numbers are up too, with nearly a third of our hits going for
extra bases. The Reedsburg game is
a great example, with nine of our whopping eighteen hits being two-baggers or
better. Pitching has remained solid
as well. The Team’s ERA is well
below 3.00, which shows you the guys laboring on the hill have done their part
(we should be able to score 3 runs every time out).
It doesn’t take a Nerd to see we got the goods, just need to shape up
and start proving we don’t just belong at the party, but should be hosting it.
This potential can
absolutely be seen in games outside of Day League. We are playing super-tough Baseball in Night League, reeling
off a 6-0 record. We dropped into
Cazenovia and took their Tournament title, with Boo, E-Si, and Hin-Son (MVP)
making the All-Tourney Team. Lots of guys are getting time with all the
Exhibition and Night games and making the most of their opportunities.
It’s great to win those games but it is even better that we are using
those chances to improve as a Team. Every
play of every game helps us build what we are striving for.
It’s not whether you won or lost but how you played the game, but how
you play the game definitely determines whether you win or lose.
And winning certainly feels better than losing.
Well, nothing but home
games in the month of July. We know
the areas that need improvement and we have this stretch run at home to iron out
those kinks, and put a streak together that carries us into the playoffs on a
high note. So, hope to see you all
at the park. Trivia Back to some
Baseball-related brainteasers for this go-around. Nerd promised to keep this section short, but thought these
were too good to pass up. Not
really trivia, but should get you thinking.
The Answer from last time: Apparently, nobody really looked at this too closely since I got no response that there was a city and an airline missing, but here it is anyway. Date
Airline
Destination
Seat Mate Quotes (Good
Baseball Heckles) Give him his receipt
because he just got rung up! You want some belt with
that buckle? I have seen better hoses in
a garden! You'd better not shower
after the game, your hands might rust! (Hold up cell phone) Hey
Ump, is this your cell phone? Because it has three missed calls! Nerd
Book Club Everybody knows that Nerd
has a great thirst for knowledge. What
you also probably know is that Nerd is not too big on extra work.
So, when I heard about this guy who read the entire Encyclopedia
Britannica, I thought what a great idea. I
instantly thought that it would be so cool to learn all that information.
My second thought was: that will take way too long. Then I heard that this guy wrote about his experience.
And that he divided the book into alphabetical chapters, with each
chapter giving various tidbits straight from the Encyclopedia.
Of course, Nerd came to the obvious conclusion: read the book, save the
time, and still learn a bunch of stuff that I’ll never need in everyday life
– perfect. The book I am talking
about is The
Know-It-All, by A.J. Jacobs. This
book is loaded with all kinds of useless info which will at best help you win
that pie piece, at worst clog your brain. Keep
in mind Ebbinghaus and his forgetting curve, though.
It has something to do with the more stuff you learn the more you tend to
forget. So, while reading this book
will teach you that a-ak (ancient East Asian music) is the first word in the
Encyclopedia or that heroin was developed by Bayer, you might very well forget
your middle name. It is fun
nevertheless. Trivial Pursuit,
anyone? Read
to Achieve, Dwellers. Previous Selections: o
Nine Innings,
by Daniel Okrent o
Plan B,
Jonathon Tropper o
The Giving Tree,
by Shel Silverstein o
www.bodendein.com,
Jordan Bodendein o
The New York Trilogy,
by Paul Auster o
Flags of Our Fathers,
by James Bradley o
Moneyball: The Art of
Winning an Unfair Game, by
Michael Lewis o
The Joy of Keeping Score,
by Paul Dickson o
Zen and the Art of
Motorcycle Maintenance, by Robert
Pirsig o
Flyboys: A True Story of
Courage, by James Bradley o
Chicken Soup for the
Baseball Fan’s Soul o
Eats, Shoots, & Leaves,
by Lynne Truss o
Lucky Man: A Memoir,
by Michael J. Fox Argument
Starter I’m going to step away
from a sports-themed argument starter and try something a little different.
Best Cereal Ever – Cinnamon Toast Crunch. So that concludes another
edition of the Dugout. I hope you
had a pleasant stay, and you are welcome back anytime. How to Reach
Me For those of you who would
like to say “hello” or “shut up, Nerd” or “where the heck is the next
article” my email address is stephene@chorus.net.
HI MOM The Dugout
(From Nerd’s Perspective)
This has been one heck of a
month, emotions like a yo-yo on a string. Off
the field, things have been really tough, but the support we find in each other
has made it nearly bearable. The
Team has definitely grown as a Family. And it has carried onto the field, as well.
We are playing great, with each guy doing his part.
We truly have each other’s back, in every sense; whether it’s a pat
on the back when you’re low, or a base hit by a buddy after you fail.
And it is inspiring and makes Nerd proud. The games in July have been
excellent, with MHT on the good side more often than not.
The Team started a big winning streak Fourth of July weekend that wrapped
up our first division title in years. We
had a blowout, some nail-biters, and a huge come-from-behind win.
It all adds up to a five game streak on Sundays.
The heroes have been many. We
still got several guys competing in the top ten of hitting.
(And the number would be more if the league got rid of the crazy three
at-bats per game minimum. Even the Major League goes by plate appearances and they can
hardly do anything right.) The
power displayed has been something to behold with Boo, House, and Hin-Son
leading the charge. Just the
Waunakee game alone provided enough Rhythm and Booms-type of excitement: back-to-back homers early and a 2-run bomb by Housework to
bring us all the way back from an early deficit, capped by Beau’s game-winning
single (just a single?) in the 11th inning. B-Town’s battled the opponents, as much as the heat, to
once again show us if we can score a handful, it’s all she wrote.
E-Si has emerged as a shutdown closer, when he isn’t trying to play
every position on the field. And the fielding has been dynamite. We are putting a stretch together of nearly error-less ball.
The outfield is tracking down everything, highlighted by Mikey (no, he’s
Scott) Brabender proving that walls are merely an inconvenience.
The infield has a new sponsor in Hoover, sucking up everything and
keeping the bases clean. We have
seen stellar plays all around: E-Si
barehanded, Pedro’s liner turned double play against Waunakee, Brabs and
Cooker working the middle to perfection. It
has been a fun stretch. Night League has been a
joy, too. MHT finished the regular
season with an unblemished record. Lots
of guys have been getting time in these games and it is great to see them step
in and the Team not miss a beat. Mikey
threw a gem in the first play-off game, and Boo hit one to the courts to secure
the W. Hopefully, we can remain
sharp and take the NL title. It’d
be nice to have that notch in our belt, and use these games to drive us in the
Sunday playoffs. The dog days of Summer are
upon us, and playoffs are coming. It
is a fun time. If the Team keeps
doing what they’re doing, Nerd has a feeling.
We need you at the park, the more the better. Trivia Here are some quick ones.
The Answers from last time:1)
28. Official game is five innings if called for rain. Six pitches an
inning thru 4 innings and then three in the top of the 5th and one in
the bottom of the 5th for the game-winning home run. 2)
He threw straight up. 3)
They are all women. Tricky. 4)
Walk, hit batsman, catcher’s interference, dropped 3rd
strike, error by 5)
And the last one is change-up, because you have to have a speed Quotes (MHT
Top Ten) Sheeks proposed an MHT-oriented
quote section, and, of course, I obey immediately whenever he asks me to do
anything. So here it is, the MHT
Top Ten. The ground rules were
simple: it must be original to MHT (therefore, no “soupcan it”), it must be
recognizable to the majority of the Team, it must be somewhat humorous, and
Nerd’s gotta like it (cuz it’s my article).
Remember, always more fun when you can channel the original speaker.
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