What I have been watching lately #3

I just finished watching the movie Kelly's Heroes for the first time since I was a little kid. It features many of the most important twentieth-century American actors, including Telly Savalas, Stuart Margolin, Don Rickles, Gavin MacLeod, and Donald Sutherland. I do have the following questions, however:

• If they needed the combat engineers to build a bridge across the river, how did Kelly and his men get across the river before the engineers built the bridge?
• Why was the town completely deserted before and during the battle, but then afterwards all the people came out as if from nowhere?
• When the American soldier was ringing the church bell over and over again, why didn't any of the Germans go investigate?
• Has there ever been a movie that had so many tanks and other vehicles crashing through walls so many times?
• How did Kelly and his men get the stolen gold back to Allied lines, especially since they were driving in captured German vehicles?

Below-- the main soundtrack theme as performed by the Mike Curb Congregation.

Abandoned books and/or movies #4-- more information about false memory #2?

Black and Honolulu Blue: In the Trenches of the NFL by Keith Dorney

In 1979, the Detroit Lions went 2-14, tying them for the worst record in the NFL that year. 1980 was a much better year for Detroit - during the offseason they drafted Billy Sims and started off the season 5-1. In the middle of this, veteran defensive back Jimmy "Spiderman" Allen recorded and released his own version of the popular song "Another One Bites the Dust," in which he explained how the Lions were going to defeat all their opponents. The lyrics included such statements as, "Come and watch the Detroit Lions that no one seems to beat," and "Last year's team was 2 and 14, but this is the year for New Orleans" (ie, Super Bowl XV, played in New Orleans). The song was a fan favorite in the Detroit area.

Despite the fact that Detroit finished the season 9-7, tying for first in the NFC Central Division and just barely missing the playoffs, the Lions were ridiculed for years to come because of Allen's song. According to Keith Dorney:

• That stupid song was rubbed into our faces time and time again and was played by our opponent's band after every away loss we suffered for years to come. How humiliating it was to hear Bamp, bamp, bamp. Another one bites the dust! as we walked off the field after a loss. (page 37)

Click here to find a link to the song. It is at the bottom of the article, before the comments section.

Click here to find out more about false memory #2?.

Historically significant baseball games I have attended #4

Who was playing? San Francisco Giants versus St. Louis Cardinals

Where did they play? Busch Memorial Stadium, St. Louis, MO

When did they play? August 22, 1982

Did I know this game might be significant before it started? No

What happened? The St. Louis Cardinals beat the San Francisco Giants 5-4 in extra innings. The winning run was scored in the bottom of the 12th with two outs when Cardinal catcher Glenn Brummer stole home.

What do I remember? The Cardinals were playing well and were in a tight race for the National League East (old-style) Division title. The game was on a Sunday afternoon, and I went with my father, brother, and maybe somebody else (perhaps a friend of my brother). It was very sunny and hot, and we moved around a lot during the game to sit in different seats.

When the 12th inning came, we were sitting on the third base side. Either we were sitting in the sun and the field was in the shade, or we were sitting in the shade and the field was in the sun. Either way, there was both bright sunlight and dark shadows at the same time.

I remember being surprised when the base runner (Glenn Brummer) on third suddenly started running towards home plate. He slid in just as the pitch arrived, and the umpire called him safe. We were all very happy and cheering, but I remember having one worry - since there were two outs and also two strikes on the batter, if the pitch was a strike, then the run would not have counted. But the umpire made no signal other than safe at home, so the game was over.

Was there an aftermath? The Cardinals went on to win the National League East, the National League Championship Series (over the Atlanta Braves), and the World Series (over the Milwaukee Brewers).

Glenn Brummer's steal of home has gone down as the best-remembered moment of the Cardinals 1982 regular season. It has been the subject of many feature articles, blog postings, newspaper articles, and television programs. It has also been memorialized in a plaque that can be found in St. Louis. (See photo below)

At some point in my life, I heard a radio interview with the person in charge of making the World Series Championship rings every year for the winning team. When the radio host asked the ring-maker man who had the largest ring size of any player they had made a ring for, the answer was "Glenn Brummer."

Above, the World Series ring for the 2006 (not 1982) St. Louis Cardinals

Tony Pena, Jr. will try to become a pitcher

The Kansas City Royals have announced that they will attempt to convert shortstop Tony Pena, Jr. into a pitcher. So far this year, Tony Pena, Jr. has batted .098. Tony Pena, Jr. is the son of Tony Pena (both pictured below) and should not be confused with the other Tony Pena. Last year, during a 19-4 blowout against the Detroit Tigers, Tony Pena, Jr. pitched one inning and retired all three batters he faced. Tony Pena, Jr. will spend the next few months/years in the minor leagues working on the transition.

Matt Tuiasosopo currently plays for the Tacoma Rainiers

Last Tuesday, July 21, 2009, my daughter and I went to watch the Tacoma Rainiers lose 11-7 to the Sacramento River Cats. The Rainiers are the Triple-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners. Here are some important facts you may need to know about Rainiers third baseman Matt Tuiasosopo (pictured above):

• Matt Tuiasosopo has good speed and is an excellent bunter. In his first at-bat, he bunted down the third base line and reached first base without a throw.
• Matt Tuiasosopo comes from a very athletic family. His father, Manu Tuiasosopo, played for the Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers of the NFL. One of his brothers, Marques Tuiasosopo, played quarterback for the University of Washington Huskies and later briefly with the New York Jets and Oakland Raiders of the NFL. Another brother, Zach Tuiasosopo, also played for the UW Huskies.

Below, Marques Tuiasosopo

• According to one of the gentlemen sitting behind us (see photo below - I am not sure which gentleman it was, however), his granddaughter played fast pitch softball with Matt Tuiasosopo's sister, and the entire family, including the more famous brothers, would come to watch her games.

• Matt Tuiasosopo was called out for interference in the first inning when he slid too hard into second base trying to break up a double play. The slide was more of a roll than a slide and was similar to the kind of block an overmatched running back might make on a blitzing linebacker.
• Matt Tuiasosopo's at-bat theme song is the same as my wife's ringback on her cell phone.
• Matt Tuiasosopo had a double at some point during the game.
• At another point, one of the Rivers Cats batters hit a pop up down the left field line. Matt Tuiasosopo turned and ran after the ball, and it looked like he was going to make a nice over-the-shoulder catch, but then he missed it. The batter ended up with a double, I believe.

Above, Matt Tuiasosopo at third base

• Matt Tuiasosopo struck out twice during the game. (See video below - watch how Matt Tuiasosopo refuses to leave home plate for a long time after being called out.)

• Matt Tuiasosopo grounded into a double play to end the game. This was one of four double plays the River Cats turned that night.

I have a Franklin Gutierrez bobblehead doll

Last night my wife, daughter, and I went to see the Seattle Mariners lose 9-0 to the Cleveland Indians. It was also Franklin Gutierrez Bobblehead Night (see picture, above). Earlier this week, Manny Ramirez hit a pinch-hit grand slam for the Dodgers at Manny Ramirez Bobblehead Night, and we were hoping for something similar from Franklin Gutierrez. It didn't happen, though-- he went 0-for-2 with a walk (see picture, below).

Gutierrez also tried, but failed, to catch a home run hit by Travis Haffner in the 7th inning. (see picture, below).

Also at the game were such celebrities as Flo Rida and members of the Everton FC squad, including Tim Cahill (below, holding the baseball), who has the same birthday as I do.

What I have been reading lately #29

Asterisk: home runs, steroids, and the rush to judgment by David Ezra

David Ezra is a lawyer from southern California. In 2008, he wrote a book about Barry Bonds. His views about Barry Bonds are quite simple:

• Just because Barry Bonds is a rude, arrogant jerk, it doesn't mean that he used steroids.

• Just because Barry Bonds grew bigger and stronger over the years, it doesn't mean that he used steroids.

• Just because Barry Bonds suddenly started hitting a lot more home runs, it doesn't mean that he used steroids. (See the career home run statistics for any of the following players - Hack Wilson, Babe Ruth, Davey Johnson, Wade Boggs, Brady Anderson, Davey Lopes, Andre Dawson, or Roger Maris.)
• Just because Barry Bonds had some of his best seasons after turning 35, it doesn't mean that he used steroids. (See the career statistics for any of these players - Carlton Fisk, Darrell Evans, or Ted Williams.)
• Just because other baseball players have admitted to or been caught using steroids, it doesn't mean that Barry Bonds used steroids.

Ezra believes that there are other, more reasonable, explanations for the league-wide home run surge in the late 1990s and early 2000s:

• improved workout regimens
• maple bats
• harder, smaller baseballs
• elbow armor for batters
• smaller ballparks
• more teams/more bad pitchers
• use of video for training
• smaller strike zones
• fewer inside pitches

I tend to agree with Ezra and his arguments. On the other hand, I have often had a soft spot for many of history's villains.

Elvis Andrus gets a haircut

Elvis Andrus, shortstop for the Texas Rangers, gets his hair cut. The barber's name apparently is Montro99. For those of you who are interested, here is his website.

For those of you who would like to see Mariners pitcher Felix Hernandez get his hair cut, click here.

Two nights in a row Jeff Francoeur failed to catch a fly ball

Two nights in a row newly-acquired Mets outfielder Jeff Francoeur failed to catch a fly ball, and two nights in a row the New York Mets lost to the Washington Nationals.

For more information about Jeff Francoeur, here is a link to his official website.

Facts you might not know about Kevin Appier

Here are some facts you might not know about Kevin Appier:

• Kevin Appier was a right-handed pitcher for the Royals, Athletics, Mets, Angels, and Royals (again).
• Kevin Appier pitched in the major leagues from 1989 to 2004.
• Kevin Appier had a career record of 169-137 with an ERA of 3.74.
• Kevin Appier's best season was probably 1993, when he went 18-8 with a 2.56 ERA for the Royals.
• Kevin Appier made 5 postseason appearances with the Athletics and Angels, and his record was 0-2.
• Kevin Appier was once traded for Mo Vaughn (2001).
• Kevin Appier briefly attempted a comeback in 2006. He pitched for the Tacoma Rainiers, AAA affiliate of the Seattle Mariners. During that time, I went to a Rainiers game and got to see Kevin Appier hanging out in the bullpen. According to the journal entry I made at the time-- "Tacoma won 1-0 --We mostly watched Kevin Appier in the bullpen-- spewing out sunflower seed shells, spitting large amounts of a clear fluid, leaning back, and once stamping his feet." (See photos below, taken by Jeremy, a friend of my step-brother Justin).

• If you search on the internet, it is possible to find people who believe that Kevin Appier deserves to be in baseball's Hall of Fame.
• Kevin Appier was born on December 6, 1967, the exact same day I was.

False memories #2?: Detroit Lions versus St. Louis Cardinals

What I remember: It was December 1980. Ronald Reagan had just been elected president in a landslide over Jimmy Carter.

My father took me to see the football Cardinals play the Detroit Lions. I don't remember anything about the game. The Big Red won, though, and the pep band played Another One Bites the Dust, which was popular at the time.

On the car ride home, as we pulled up to the house, the same song came on the radio, this time in the more commonly-heard original version by Queen.

What actually happened: The Cardinals beat the Lions, 24-23. Cardinals quarterback Jim Hart threw for 99 yards and two touchdowns, and Roy Green ran a punt return back in the 4th quarter for the winning score. The Big Red defense held Lions running back Billy Sims (pictured above) to only 43 yards. The Cardinals raised their record to 5-9, and the Lions fell to 7-7.

Below: Roy Green returning some sort of a kick

Below: Somewhere a high school band is playing "Another One Bites the Dust"

Picture of the Day - Gattuso rides a bicycle

LOS ANGELES 19 LUGLIO: GATTUSO IN BICICLETTA

AC Milan were recently in Los Angeles to play a friendly against the LA Galaxy.

Best base running you may have missed from Friday night

Above: Rajai Davis of the Oakland Athletics scores all the way from first base on a wild pick off throw. The A's went on to win 7-3 over the California Angels. Click here to see the video. For some reason, they haven't posted another excellent highlight - when Davis stole third base off the Angels on the throw from the catcher back to pitcher Joe Saunders.

Elsewhere on the internet

This summer Deadspin.com has been running a regular feature about major league baseball stadiums called Why Your Stadium Sucks. In honor of the All-Star Game, this week's column featured the new Busch Stadium, and it also included a contribution from one of the folks here at Ape Canyon News Service. (Keep reading - you will find it.)

Most of the installments in this series actually talk about the stadiums themselves, but this one focuses on the St. Louis fans, who are widely rumored to be the "Best Fans in Baseball."

For the record, here is my personal list of the most shameful moments in Cardinals fan history:

• Redbird fans boo Garry Templeton and Keith Hernandez on their returns to St. Louis after being traded;
• St. Louis welcomes and embraces slugger Mark McGwire;
• Fans throw cowbells and other objects at the San Francisco Giants outfielder Jeff Leonard during the 1987 National League Championship series.

Major league baseball teams and whether I have seen them

Baseball teams that I have never seen play in person:

Baseball teams I have probably seen play at some point, but I can not remember specifically when*:

Baseball teams I know I have seen in person:

All other current teams, including-

*A) I was taken to see many St. Louis Cardinals games as a child, but I can't remember who played in all of them; B) I worked as a vendor at Busch Memorial Stadium during the summer of 1987. I saw many teams play the Cardinals while I was working. I just can not remember which ones.

False Memories #1 - Roy Green's Five Touchdown Catches

What I remember: On November 13, 1983, Grandpa Nussbaum took me with him to see the St. Louis Cardinals play the Seattle Seahawks. Cardinals receiver Roy Green (pictured below) caught five touchdown passes to tie an NFL single-game record.

What actually happened: Roy Green caught four touchdown passes in the first half, and we spent the entire second half desperately hoping that he would catch another one to tie the record. He did not.

For probably twenty years I went around telling people that I had seen Roy Green catch five touchdown passes that day. Only recently did I try to look it up, and then I found out the truth.

Below, Busch Memorial Stadium

Abandoned Books and/or Movies #3

Sometimes when you are reading a book, you realize that you want to stop. Sometimes that happens with movies, too. Here are some recent examples:

Peeling the Onion by Gunter Grass. Famous German author admits that he voluntarily signed up for the Waffen-SS as a youth during World War II.

The Black Arrow by Robert Lewis Stevenson. Adventure story set in England during the War of the Roses. I read it once as a kid. I have tried (and failed) twice as an adult.

Rebels Without Borders by Marc Vachon. True story of a Canadian hoodlum who becomes a logistics expert for an international medical relief organization. Not as interesting as it might sound.

Becoming Manny: Inside the Life of Baseball's Most Enigmatic Slugger by Jean Rhodes and Shawn Boburg. Discussed elsewhere.

The Italian Job. Boring movie from 1969 that was remade into another boring movie in 2003. I actually have watched the 2003 version twice but could not quite make it through the 1969 one.

Escape from New York. Way back when, movie director John Carpenter needed to find a place that looked like Manhattan would look if they turned it into an island prison colony run by the prisoners and then the prisoners went wild. He chose downtown St. Louis, which is the only reason I would ever watch this movie. I fell asleep on the couch about halfway through.

Below- downtown St. Louis

The Sixth Man: A Season Inside the NBA Playground by Chris Palmer. Do you know those little, tiny square candy bars that are about two centimeters across? This book has the same relationship to a real basketball book that a little, tiny square candy bar has to a real, full-size candy bar. (The "season" in question is 2004-2005.)

Historically significant baseball games I have attended #3

Who was playing? Baltimore Orioles versus Seattle Mariners

Where did they play? Safeco Field, Seattle, WA

When did they play? July 15, 2005

Did I know this game might be significant before it started? Yes. The only reason I wanted to go was to have a chance to see someone get their 3000th hit.

What happened? Rafael Palmeiro, first baseman for the Baltimore Orioles, got his 3000th hit, a double to left field in the 5th inning off Mariners pitcher Joel Pineiro.

What do I remember? The Orioles were in Seattle, and Rafael Palmeiro had 2999 hits. I convinced my daughter that we needed to go see the game. We sat out in the left field bleachers.

In his first two at-bats, Rafael Palmeiro walked and grounded out. At one point, he hit a long foul ball down the right field line, and the crowd groaned in disappointment. Finally, in the 5th inning, Rafael Palmeiro hit a line drive into left field that sliced towards the corner and barely stayed fair. Rafael Palmeiro ended up with a double. Everyone cheered and his team came out onto the field to surround and congratulate him. (Picture below)

One of the important things about sitting in the left field bleachers at Safeco Field is that you can not see the out-of-town scoreboard. At the same time the Orioles were playing the Mariners, the Cardinals were playing the Houston Astros in St. Louis. Throughout the game, my daughter and I took breaks to walk down to where we could get a look at the out-of-town scoreboard. Every time we checked, it seemed like the score was 2-2 - in the 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th. Finally, in the top of the 13th inning, we saw that Houston had gone ahead 3-2, and my daughter and I were very sad. But when we checked a little while later, we saw that the final score was 4-3 and the Cardinals had won. We both were very happy and started screaming and jumping up and down. The Mariners fans around us probably thought that we were crazy. When my daughter and I got home, we found out that Albert Pujols had hit a two-run home run to win the game.

Was there an aftermath? The Orioles won the game 6-3. They finished the season in 4th place in the American League East with a record of 74-88. Rafael Palmeiro had already testified to Congress (in March of 2005) that he had never used steroids. However, in August, 2005, he was suspended for ten days by Major League Baseball for violating the league's policy on performance-enhancing drugs. It is now unlikely that Rafael Palmeiro will be elected to the Hall of Fame, even though, with his career numbers, he certainly deserves it.

Below: Rafael Palmeiro testifying before Congress: "I have never intentionally used steroids."

The St. Louis Cardinals finished in first place in the National League Central with a record of 100-62. They beat the San Diego Padres in the first round of the playoffs but ultimately lost to the Houston Astros in the National League Championship Series. Albert Pujols continues to play first base for the Cardinals. He has not been implicated in any steroids-related scandals.

Albert Pujols watching a home run he hit against the Houston Astros, just not the home run he hit on July 15, 2005.