Middle-age Craziness

I Don’t See Dead People—I Dream of Outs, Outs, Outs; a Freaking Ocean of Outs!

2009-07-11T07:26:00.000-07:00

Even though I sprung for the full 2009 Baseball Package, I still might have to cut back on my Sox-watching. Last night I tossed and turned badly as, in my tortured dreams, in one nine-inning game wherein the Sox were shut out, the following happened: J.D. Drew grounded out to second nine times; Pap popped out to shortstop eight times; Jason Bay struck out seven times; Tek fouled out to the catcher six times; and Youk flied out to shallow center five times.

And Pedey watched twelve first pitch lollipops float by, and then swung at thirteen pitches that were at least a foot outside.

Eck Speak

2009-07-09T08:18:00.000-07:00

I missed last night's game, but the night before, and reading between the lines and applying ‘poetic license,’ the irrepressible Eck basically said, “Boy, does this poor Eveland suck—and the Red Sox offense isn’t much better.” (I hate poetry, but I sure do love poetic license.) Same rules, Sox hitting coach Dave Magadan basically said, “Youk, Ped, and JB are solid pros—but they are generally not gonna be MVP candidates; last year and the beginning of this year notwithstanding.” I sure hope Theo and co are thinking beyond Lowell, Pap, Tek, and Nick, because this team isn’t gonna beat the Yanks over the next couple of years.

Cultural insight: Unfortunately, I’m afraid internet porn is only gonna get more popular—because your computer won’t (can’t) shoot you while you’re sleeping. So, my advice to the young ladies: don’t shoot your boyfriends, because the computer was already gaining on you.

What My Friends and I Are Doing to Honor Michael on This Sad, Bittersweet, Historic Day

2009-07-07T08:18:00.000-07:00

Some of us could arrange to be in LA and some of us couldn’t, and we agreed we just had to all be together, so we are shuttering businesses, taking vacation days, traveling great distances in some cases, and meeting at a friend’s mansion in Acton, Mass, wherein he has a huge, state-of-the-art home theater, since he is very, very rich; virtually to the point of obscenity.

And his incredible mansion is absolutely chockfull of gorgeous Michael memorabilia—his ‘most cherished treasures,’ as he lovingly calls them. So, the perfect venue to revel in the proceedings together—and of course, we will be taping them, so we can watch over and over and over and over, for the next several days; and then at this time every year from now on.

For the past week, we have all been tenderly crafting our personal remembrances of how Michael touched and enriched our lives in so, so many countless ways—and polishing, polishing, polishing. (Personally, I’m counting on getting to deliver mine at least three times. And I’d just better, or there will be some serious pouting and indignant foot-stamping!!! I might even jump up and down while holding my breath!!!)

We’ve all agreed not to let any phony ‘machismo’ get in the way of plenty of hand-holding, hugging, wailing, speaking from overflowing hearts—and the inevitable unburdening, comforting virtual river of shared tears.

Not being able to be at the LA memorial all together (and with literally millions of fellow mourners—and the slightly inconvenient logistics totally inconsequential given the magnitude of the moment) certainly seemed tragic at first, but we now agree that our own personal (and surely very well documented indeed, as we just love to take pictures of each other) ‘Acton Memorial Service’ will not only bring us all closer together, but will also furnish us with indelible, bittersweet but cherished memories we can savor together for the rest of our lives!

And then we can say another bleeping prayer—for what’s left of the *#%*##%* Red Sox Offense!!!

The Powerful New Lexicon

2009-07-03T13:22:00.000-07:00

I know where the ubiquitous, “Don’t blame me, I’m still trying to get over Michael,” and “Stop being so suspicious, I was just out hiking the Appalachian Trail” come from…but now, for some reason, in my circles, anytime anyone dares to say anything even remotely dumb, mundane, or trivial, he’s immediately greeted by a chorus of deep, powerful voices bellowing, “That would make one Sweeeeeet Tweeeeeet, Bro!!!!”

The Red Sox and the WWF

2009-07-03T06:41:00.000-07:00

Those last two games against the lowly Orioles didn’t even seem real, like they were scripted by Vince McMahon: “You beat the crap out of that steroidal monster with this chair for a while, and then you smash this burly fool into oblivion with that even bigger chair.”

Pap, Matzaka!!!, and now the sudden abject futility of fan favorite Jason Bay…why can’t Sox players just have normal slumps like guys on other teams do? Perhaps, given the love fans have for underdogs and comebacks, more WWF influence?

(John Henry made his fortune in hedge funds, so he is certainly no stranger to smoke and mirrors.)

I’m Not Sure Even The Gifted Bernie Can Pull This Off

2009-07-01T09:00:00.000-07:00

People Magazine reports that, to fit in and avoid being ‘punk’d out’ in prison, Bernie Madoff has shaved his head, covered himself in tattoos proclaiming his loyalty to the Aryan Brotherhood, and taken to loudly boasting that he’s in the joint for ‘beating up a whole bunch of great big mean guys in my latest barroom brawl.’

It’s Hard to Hit the Corners When Pitching with a Broken Heart

2009-07-01T06:24:00.001-07:00

Through Ed, Farrah, and Michael, somehow the Red Sox bullpen bravely soldiered on—but I guess Billy Mays was just more than they could bear.

Pap and JB

2009-06-30T08:28:00.000-07:00

Given his own struggles earlier, I’m disappointed to hear that resurgent Pap is now constantly climbing all over Jason Bay about JB’s recent lack of production; and not good-naturedly either. Pap was even recently spotted in the clubhouse wearing a shirt that said, “Jason Bay Sucks!’ I don’t think that’s right.

Bernie Madoff and Claw Back

2009-06-30T08:09:00.000-07:00

Since Bernie ‘Yikes, I’m Gonna Die in Jail’ Madoff made no investments, he couldn’t have lost any of those billions in bad investments. So, if they can use the threat of serious jail time on all involved, both investors who did profit and collaborators, with an exhaustive claw back and asset seizure process they ought to eventually get most everything back, except whatever Bernie and his evil cohorts spent on non-assets, which can’t be all that much. Nothing like $50 billion or even $15 billion. There are plenty of capable financial types out of work these days, so hire the horses to follow the money. Likewise with lawyers.

To me the claw back rule should be simple: If you took out less than what you put in, you get to keep it. Whatever you got above what you put in goes into the pool to be redistributed. Anything Madoff paid in fees to anyone goes into the pool, assets seized accordingly. Non-cooperative investors and collaborators right to the hoosegow. The threat of jail time for perjury used uncompromisingly.

An estimate of what should ultimately be recovered can be done, and then the government could provide partial early payments to victims, so someone who had their life savings with the crook(s) might not have to fire sale their house, etc.

Where Is Matzaka!!!???

2009-06-25T11:22:00.000-07:00

Now that he’s out of the rotation and on the DL, someone asked where is Matzaka!!! and what exactly is he doing?

My guesses are he is either:

· Taking a few days to get over the breakup of Jon and Kate; or

· Hiking The Appalachian Trail; or

· In Argentina

The governor’s staff is getting credit for that inventive new classic, probably soon to become a cliché, “Not to worry, I’ve just been hiking the Appalachian Trail,’ but it’s really about 50 years old.

Jackie: “What’s this I hear about you and Marilyn Monroe?”
Jack: “No big deal, Dear. Miss Monroe and I have just been hiking The Appalachian Trail together.”

Matt Diaz is a Better Sportsman Than JD Drew

2009-06-22T08:27:00.000-07:00

The craziest swing at the worst pitch to end a bases loaded ninth in a tie game that this middle-aged madman has ever seen. Unlike JD, undoubtedly the honorable Matt just couldn’t bear to be the beneficiary of a bad call in that crucial situation. Of course, JD felt entitled, since a bases-loaded bad strike three in ALCS Gm 7 undoubtedly cost him and the Sox a trip to the Series last year. (And if Chipper Jones wasn’t mired in about the worst slump of his career, I doubt he’d have gone to so much trouble to get himself tossed.) I still say, a little discreet electronic help to the umps, please.

To read the Globe, now, based on a wind-blown 300 foot flyball, Nick Green is the second coming of Honus Wagner.

Sox so far this Year:.....W.…L…..Over .500
April…………..............………..14…..8………+6
May………….............….………15...14………+1
June So Far…..........….………13…..5….….+8
Total…………….....………42…27….+15

In June so far:……..…HR……..RBI…….Avg…….. Slg.
Pedroia…………….........…….0……..…..8………..178…...…..205
Drew…………..........………….2……..…..9………..289…….....533
Youk………….........…………..3……...….9………..210…….....403
Bay…………..........……………3………...17……….246……......449
Pap………………..........………5……..….12……….308……......654
Lowell…………….........….…..2………....6…….….220..….......339
Ellsbury……………........…….2…...…….6………..308……......442
Tek……………….........…...….0……..…..3………..190….....…..333
Green…………….........………3…….….10…..…….283……......528
Total Starters…..…….18………71……….244……...422

The Starters in June:………W….L……ERA
Beckett………………….............…….3…..1……..1.91
Lester………………….............………1…..1……..1.71
Wakefield………...........……………..3…..0……..4.30
Penny…………….............……………1…..1……...2.78
Total these Starters……..….8….3…….2.68

(I think I might be leaving somebody out, but I can’t for the life of me remember who it might be…or find any mention of him on the Sox website. In fact, when I clicked on the vacant fifth starter spot in the Sox rotation, all that came up was an Official Police Report, filed by a Mr. Theodore Samuel Epstein, alleging that '$100 Million is missing from the coffers of the Boston Red Sox Baseball Club.')

Anyway, pretty amazing for the Sox to be 13-5 in June, with Ped, Youk, Lowell, and Tek all really struggling. I bet those nattering naysayers who kicked Poor Pap when he was way, way, way down, absolutely stinking out the joint night after night after freaking night, feel quite foolish now!!

“Boy, Did That Ever Suck, Dear!”

2009-06-20T06:59:00.000-07:00

There had to be at least one middle-aged ex-Bostonian Sox-fan couple who hadn’t been to Fenway in years, and who went to great planning, time, travel, and especially expense to journey to Boston for just the two games Thursday and Friday night. Been looking forward to it, and often talking about it, for over a year, I suppose they had, what with the lead-time on tickets.

Then absolutely drenched on Thursday watching the Sox get one hit, and brutally victimized by yet another Japanese atrocity on Friday, while watching the Sox get all of two hits. And, squirming uncomfortably in their tiny seats and the world working they way it usually does, they undoubtedly also had a fat, drunk guy squashing them from the left, and an ever fatter and drunker woman globbering all over them from the right.

But, thanks to the Baseball Package, historic Fenway sure is pretty—from 1500 miles away.

I wonder when was the last time the Sox totaled three hits in back to back official games at Fenway? Still a very inconsistent offense for an elite team.

It takes an act of Congress to move Pap out of #3, and get the totally lost Matzaka!!! to agree to rehab at Pawtucket? Or maybe Matzaka!!! has finally agreed to head south, but now the Sox can’t get the fellas down in Pawtucket to agree to take him? They do have their own lives to live down there, too--and the right to pursuit of happiness still applies, even to people who choose to live in Pawtucket.

And when have two stars on the same team fallen so far so fast, as Pap and Dice-BB?

(As I said below, ‘Matzaka!!!’ comes from the simple, fun way the Japanese little leaguers at Williamsport, who last year almost unanimously cited him as their favorite player, gleefully bellowed out his name. You do have to feel bad for the little guys—the free fall certainly disappointing to Sox fans, but probably confusing enough to a poor hero-worshipping Japanese kid to actually shake his faith in the glorious game.)

Other Struggling Favorites

2009-06-15T08:20:00.000-07:00

Pedroia is 2 for 28; Youk is 1 for 12; Chipper Jones is 0 for 20. See Investigation Below.

North Korean Terrorists Are Poisoning America’s Best Pitchers!!!

2009-06-15T08:10:00.000-07:00

…………………………..............…IP..…ER…………………………………
Beckett’s Last Start…......….6.0……6……(Had 1.72 ERA in Prior 7 Starts)
Santana’s Last 2 Starts…..10.0…..14……(Had 2.00 ERA YTD)
Greinke’s Last 3 Starts......17.1…..11……(Had 0.84 ERA YTD
Halladay’s Last Start…...….3.0….…1….…(Wounded in Groin. Ouch!)

Perhaps presumably still-healthy John Lester and Tim Lincecum should be quarantined until we can sort those pesky North Koreans out.

If The Sox Lose the East to Yanks By 1 Game

2009-06-13T10:21:00.000-07:00

Luis Castillo’s ridiculous and costly gaffe that handed the game to the Yanks had me look him up in Baseball Reference. Just happened to notice that for the Marlins in 2000, Luis batted .334, had 180 hits…and only knocked in 17 runs all year!! I know he batted leadoff, with the pitcher batting, but that is still one amazing stat.

Today’s Pitching Matchup

2009-06-13T10:12:00.000-07:00

Matzaka!!! Cost the Sox over $100MM, he’s got 1 win and an ERA of 7.33—and they’re calling the other guy Bastardo??

‘Pitching to Contact’

2009-06-10T16:29:00.000-07:00

With the focus on pitch count, we hear this more and more lately. “Ease up so they can hit it—but just don’t let them hit it too hard, and, most importantly, check the alignment of your fielders before every pitch, and then make sure they hit right it at someone.” Sounds slightly easier said than done, I must admit.

But, the record says that it has been done. Here are the modern 300-game winners, ranked in order of ‘Pitching to Contact.’

………………........…....Wins………K/9……..W/9……..(K&W)/9
Warren Spahn…..….363………..4.4……..2.5…………6.9
Greg Maddux….……355………..6.1……..1.8…………7.9
Early Wynn….….…..300………..4.6……..3.5…..…….8.1
Gaylord Perry……. .314………..5.9……..2.3………….8.2
Tom Glavine….…….305………..5.3……..3.1………….8.4
Don Sutton……..……324………..6.1……..2.3………….8.4
Phil Niekro………..…318………..5.6……..3.0………….8.6
Tom Seaver…………311………..6.9……..2.6………….9.5
Steve Carlton……….329………..7.1……..3.2…………10.3
Roger Clemens……..354………..8.6……..2.9………….11.5
Randy Johnson……..300……….10.6…….3.3………….13.9
Nolan Ryan………..…324………..9.5……..4.7………….14.2

So, clearly, Warren Spahn, who’s motto was, “Hitting is timing. Pitching is upsetting timing,” is not only the modern-day win king, but also well ahead of the illustrious pack in ‘pitching to contact.’ Nolan Ryan, who would rather walk three than give up a hit, is the clearcut King of, “Contact is for girly-men!” (Lord help hitters if old Nolan had been on steroids instead of mainlining Advil.)

Old Heroes and The Record Book

2009-06-10T16:28:00.000-07:00

Speaking of Spahn, if he hadn’t lost three years at the beginning of his career to most honorable service in WW2, I calculate that he would have won another 54 games, based on his average wins in his first 2 years back. That would have given him 417, tieing him with Walter Johnson, behind only Cy Young, who might as well have been playing fast-pitch softball.

In a similar scientific vein, if we give Ted Williams the three missed years from 43-45 based on the average of his actual stats in the bookend years of ‘42 and ’46, and then replace a year lost to Korea (Why make Ted, of all other-wise gainfully-employed people, serve yet another year, seven years after he’d honorably mustered out?) with his actual stats of 1951, he’d end up with 3,366 hits, 662 home runs, and an all-time best 2,355 RBI’s. With the changes in pitching since The Babe, clearly the best hitter ever.

Conan Throws in The Towel

2009-06-10T16:24:00.000-07:00

In response to the universally-accepted theory that Conan’s appeal is primarily to young knuckleheads, and that he’s soon gonna fail in the all-important 11:30 time slot, Conan has finally courageously bitten the bullet, and subjected his on-air idiosyncracies to an elderly focus group. In fact, he moderated the session himself, with an effective disguise reminiscent of Mrs. Doubtfire, if all of Daniel Hilliard’s relatives had been straight. Tragically, this last-ditch brave gambit failed disastrously. The seniors, to a man and woman thoroughly aghast and totally oblivious of the real identity of their moderator, referred to Conan in such terms as, “Mentally-ill, perverted, dangerous, out-of-control, silly, goofy, daft, immature, foolish, nutty, dippy, mad, uncoordinated, gangly, autistic, retarded, moronic, idiotic, stupid, brain-dead, impotent, disheveled, unwashed, unkempt, untidy, uncombed, tousled, scruffy, messy, funny-looking, and half the time not even all that funny. Now the only question is will Jay be willing to come back.

And speaking of Conan and 300-game winners, someone once asked Conan if he thought Gaylord Perry would have been a hall-of-famer without his infamous spitter. The daft Conan replied, “No, I don’t. And, illegal pitches aside, as a long-time advocate of an egalitarian society and equal opportunity, I don’t think he would have been nearly as successful if his name had been, instead of Gaylord, Peasantfag Perry, either.

The Eck is Out for Bronx Bomber Blood!

2009-06-10T14:18:00.000-07:00

If the Sox pitchers don’t actually plunk a Yankee some time soon, I’m afraid the Eck is gonna take it upon himself to assassinate Joba Chamberlain. Joba certainly has it coming, but I wish Eck would at least wait until the Remdawg gets back.

Spahn and Sain and a day of rain! Lester, Beckett, and I wish the rest of ‘em would miss the ferry back from Nanteckett!

Movie Trivia—What Movies and What Classic Characters?

2009-06-08T13:21:00.000-07:00

1. “You’re a lot of woman, you know that? Wanna make fourteen dollars—the hard way?”

2. “This woman is sporting a full-on fallopian fungus!”

Related questions: what is the correct medical terminology for the condition referenced above, and how is it usually diagnosed? And, in the subject movie #2, how much in product placement fees did the manufacturer of ‘Vagi-Clean’ pay?

Confidential advice: Be wary of anyone who’s all-time favorite movie is ‘Zoo.’ (2007) Be equally suspicious of anyone who keeps horses, and has an extraordinarily huge bedroom but no stable.

Inconsistent Carmines

2009-06-08T13:19:00.000-07:00

See earlier posts about Matzaka!!! and the Sox spotty, sputtering offense. They’re gonna eventually have to add a bat, and try Bucholz/Bowden/Smoltz or some combination thereof in the rotation. Won’t beat the Yanks as is.

Movie Trivia—What Movie and What Classic Characters?

2009-06-07T09:58:00.000-07:00

1. “If y’all don’t shut up, I’m gonna go out of my mind. Besides, Karl here is about to bust his spring. He was already off balance.”

2. “Wow, you really love animals, don’t you?”
“Yeah…if it gets cold enough.”

Resurgent Rampaging Pap

2009-06-07T09:56:00.000-07:00

Pap is now the first 300-pound major leaguer to take a curtain call after hitting a 300-foot fly ball. I wonder how he kept it fair—and how he kept it from going further. If he’d hit it to center, it would have dropped in for a single. If he’d hit it at the softball field in my retirement complex, where the fence is a uniform 300-feet, it would have been caught up against the fence, by a 60 year old guy. (With four outfielders, and playing Pap to pull) Well, he has had a few 400-foot shots caught recently, as well as some questionable strike calls, so he definitely deserved a break.

Last 3 Outings for Sox Starters

2009-06-07T09:52:00.000-07:00

…………………….IP/ER….IP/ER…...IP/ER…..Cum. ERA
Lester……….……9.0/1…….6.0/1……6.0/5…….….3.00
Beckett…………..7.2/0…….7.0/1…….8.0/0…….….0.40
Penny…………….5.2/5…….6.0/2……5.1/3………..5.50
Matsuzaka………5.0/1……..5.0/3……5.0/4………..4.80
Wakefield……….6.2/3……..4.2/6……6.0/5………..7.70
Overall: 6.1 Inn/Start….3.96 ERA

Good, primarily due to Beckett and Lester. Bucholz deserves a shot in place of Wakefield.

Lester, Lincecum, and Greinke

2009-06-07T09:51:00.000-07:00

Yikes, now Greinke is watching Lester, for ideas on how Zach can get his suddenly faltering command back. Amazing how the tide can quickly turn. The entertaining Eck followed up his candor on Julio’s ridiculous range with those comments on Holland not yet ready for the bigs, even as he was pretty much handling the Sox, and then on and on about Kris Benson’s blank look. Maybe poor Kris just burns on the inside. He did look comically bored, though. Maybe he is sick of baseball, and thinks it’s a slow, dumb, albeit very well paying pastime.

Conan’s ‘Foley Stage’ Bit; and Rodney and Gustav

2009-06-06T06:28:00.000-07:00

Conan can be funny at times, but his long ‘Foley Stage’ bit Thursday night was the worst skit I’ve ever seen, (including high school plays) and it just went on and on. I was watching it at home alone, and I was still embarrassed for all concerned. You could even tell that the technical sound-effects guy helping Conan was thinking, “Yikes, Conan, what are we trying to do here? And when can we stop?”

But at least ‘Back to School’ was on the next morning:

Very proper, matronly party guests admiring a painting: “Vanessa is sooo proud of her Klimt. She’s been showing it to everybody!”

The Great Rodney overhearing, and grumbling, “Yeah, I’m proud of mine too. But I don’t go waving it around at parties.”

(Poor Gustav. It’s a wonder he got any painting done at all, what with everyone always asking him, “What was your last name again?”

Julio and The Eck and All-Star Voting

2009-06-06T06:24:00.000-07:00

The Eck very politely but still pretty clearly trashed poor Julio’s ridiculous range, and his ‘going-through-the motions’ dives last night. Overhead from Brad Penny relative to those trade rumors: “Hey, do they have a major league shortstop in Atlanta?”

I don’t know why they have to start the all-star voting so early, before we’re even halfway to the all-star game, or why they don’t just allow one vote instead of 25. I guess I could justify Youk over Teixeira, Pena, and Cabrera, because of Youk’s average and defense, but not Pedroia over Kinsler, who now has 15 home runs. Starting for the AL, I’d vote: Youk, Kinsler, Bartlett, Longoria, Mauer, Bay, Cruz, and Hunter. In the NL: Pujols, Utley, Ramirez, Zimmerman, BMolina, Ibanez, Braun, and Beltran. Pedroia may or may not get picked over Aaron Hill as a reserve. Maybe Sox on the team: Youk, Pedroia, Bay, and Papelbon.

The Tonight Show Sea Change

2009-06-02T05:36:00.000-07:00

Conan’s long-planned bits:
· The run across America was an excellent start.
· Joe Biden whispering his favorite Mexican foods into Justice nominee Sotomayer’s ear while the President was introducing her, and then asking her if she had the swine flu, was funny—but really, the credit has to go to V/P Joe, both for his usual delightful wit, and for graciously allowing Conan to use the tape in his inaugural show.
· The too-long bits about the Universal bus tour and driving the old Taurus were pretty lame, especially given the amount of time Conan had to work on them.
· First feature guest Will Ferrell’s schtick seems to me to be just constantly dead-panning very dumb stuff. But, maybe Jim Carrey saw the sorry Universal and Taurus bits, and turned Conan down. Big Papi had the day off, maybe Brookline-bred, Harvard-educated Conan could have gotten Pap to explain himself.
· Andy Richter is certainly gonna have us missing Kevin Eubanks.
· I’m afraid quirky Conan’s gonna wear thin long before 17 years. (Not that Jay or Johnny ever wore thin.)

Scary Sox Thoughts

2009-06-01T07:18:00.000-07:00

At the moment, come November, the Sox have no more right to Jason Bay than do the Yankees, Mets, or any other deep-pocketed team. Other than Johnny Damon’s short-lived little homer spurt, the Yankees have a relatively weak-hitting outfield, and Matsui is basically done. Show this guy maximum respect, and get him signed soon.

Overlooked Stat: RBI/(RBI & LOB)

2009-06-01T07:00:00.000-07:00

The great Baseball Reference has Advanced Batter Stats which cover about every conceivable hitting statistic, except I haven’t been able to find RBI/(RBI & LOB) which is a measure of success in knocking in available base runners—and perhaps of the manager’s sanity relative to placement in the batting order.

The YTD stats for Poor Pap and Jason Bay—the current Sox RBI leader—are: Poor Pap = 18/(18 + 91 LOB)= .165; Power-wristed JB = 49/(49 + 86)= .363. The surprise in the statistic is not that JB turns out to be having a more run-productive year than Poor Pap—I think we all suspected that, even before it was uncovered in my brilliant research—but that JB, despite his great RBI total, has left almost as many men on as PP. Seems impossible, but I double-checked all the LOB’s in the box scores. (Yikes, I might need to get a life one of these days!) I guess the point to all that is, if my logic is correct, that even if PP had been moved down to 6th in the order much earlier, he might have killed just about as many rallies. I suspect that to maximally minimize his damage without actually benching him, Tito would have to move him all the way down to 9th. (And, again, tell him that his sub .200 BA and especially sub .300 SA are far more embarrassing than placement in the order could ever be.)

Lester, Lincecum, and Greinke Update

2009-06-01T06:58:00.000-07:00

Lincecum is now pushed back a game, but Lester, perhaps for the first time this year, pitched a significantly better game than Greinke, who gave up a whopping 3 earned and 8 hits in a 7-inning ND. Lester was generally dominant, with 12 ks and only 3 hits in 6, and even hitting 97 once. Santana demonstrates the power of a great change, Lester will soon have the ability to reach back for 98, so if he gets command of both the outstanding fastball and the off speed, 20 wins and a Cy Young or two should be in his future. Obviously, keep the focus to avoid the truly tragic 1-inning meltdowns.

The Immortal Bard and Captain Quint

2009-05-30T06:42:00.001-07:00

Watching Wakefield ‘pitch’ reminds me of the interminable agony of Quint scraping his fingernails on that town hall blackboard. Bard sure was a breath of fresh air, after that fifth inning torture. But still more of the same…Sox now 4 runs or less in 13 of 19…yet another starter blow-up…Pap 0 for 4, and it sure looked like he gave that shot to center about all he had, deep but Wells had it all the way. And his hard liner to first would have been foul if not caught. Sox 9 and 10 over those 19, while the now first place Yanks are 14-4 over their last 18.

Inconsistent Sox Offense Redux

2009-05-29T07:46:00.000-07:00

Now 12 of last 18 (2/3) scoring 4 runs or less. But, they’re 9 and 9 over that span, at least. I still say, a little private electronic help for the umps on balls and strikes…but then I guess two-homer Tek says, “Did you get a hi-tech tickle on that obvious strike?”…the rookie ump sneers, “What happens in my underwear is none of your business!”, Tek replies, "I'm gonna make it my business!," and he and Tito get tossed anyway. At least Beckett got to finish the outstanding seven, and Okajima and Pap looked good. That throw by Kubel was reminiscent of Dwight Evans. The ump’s gonna get an argument on that close play no matter how he calls it.

Inconsistent Offense!!!

2009-05-28T07:12:00.000-07:00

Of course the big news is Matzaka’s!!! ridiculous lack of command yet again…you could tell poor Kottaras was thinking, as he repeatedly ran to the backstop, “Hey, this expensive little Japanese fella can’t pitch any better than I can hit”…but for the 11th time in the last 17 games (almost two-thirds) the Sox failed to score more than 4 runs. And that’s been against such ordinary pitchers as Matt Palmer, Chris Jakubauskas, Jason Vargas, Brian Tallet, Mike Pelfrey, Nick Blackburn, and Kevin Slowey last night. They’re 8 and 9 over those last 17 games. And watching the games, the Sox are definitely misfiring on a lot of hittable pitchers.

P.S. Not that Poor Pap is swinging anything close to good…but with some of the outs he’s hit pretty good lately, and some of the bad strike calls he’s suffered from, I’m beginning to think that there has to some kind of supernatural conspiracy involved with this crazy thing!

More Greinke, Lincecum, and Lester

2009-05-27T13:12:00.000-07:00

More of the same—outstanding wins for Greinke and Lincecum, and another one-inning blow-up for almost-as-gifted Lester. Some scratch hits, but that gopher to hot left-handed hitting Morneau with two on just can’t happen in a tight game. And what an absolute rocket that was! But, can’t expect to win with only 2 runs, either. For a team that’s tied for 4th in the AL in runs scored, the Sox sure have struggled against a bunch of ordinary pitchers lately. Matzaka!!! wasn’t great last start, but at least his arm seemed lively again. Maybe by some miracle tonight….

One Batter One Pitch

2009-05-26T12:53:00.000-07:00

Although I have been primarily just writing brief commentary on the ups and downs of two Paps and The Bo-Sox, one purpose of this Blog is to help publicize my two Boston-based novels, An Informal Boston Education and One Batter One Pitch. A positive review of One Batter One Pitch from Foreword Clarion is posted below. I have engaged renowned Book Publicists Kelley and Hall (http://www.kelleyandhall.com/) of Marblehead, Mass., to see if anything can be made of One Batter One Pitch. K&H has helped numerous self-published novels become successful, as well as doing publicity work for traditional publishers. I found them through articles in the Boston Globe on Brunonia Barry and her success with The Lace Reader, and on iUniverse author Lisa Genova, and her novel Still Alice. The Boston area, and Cape Cod, are featured throughout my books, so of course it helps that K&H is based in the Boston area. A News Release prepared by K&H is posted below.

· Recommended Books on Writing
* How to Write and Sell Your First Novel by Oscar Collier
* On Writing by Stephen King (Includes an interesting brief biography, and is very worthwhile even if you don’t plan to try writing yourself)
* On Writing by George V. Higgins (George was first--surprising that Mr. King, with all the great stuff he's written, couldn't think up his own title.)
* The Right to Write by Julia Cameron

· The iUniverse Experience
*Production—excellent, including the outstanding responsiveness and competence of the ‘PSA’s' (Production Support Assistants) and a very efficient process for making corrections.
*Editorial Evaluations—generally quite helpful and on target.
*Content / Line Editing—expensive, with somewhat mixed results, but generally helpful, and educational.
*Marketing—$300 for Press Release, extensive Regional Media Distribution, and free promotional copies, if any of the media wants one. Seems like a good deal. I haven't used any of the other myriad marketing services that they offer. K&H, with their reputation, contacts, competencies, and Boston area base, seemed like the best possible option.

News Release for One Batter One Pitch

2009-05-26T11:55:00.000-07:00

For Immediate Release: Contact: Jocelyn Kelley 617-680-1976
kelleyandhall@comcast.net

“(Four Stars) The novel’s structure takes on the character’s persona—frenetic, in your face, and like Rocky, it reaches to accomplish great things. The novel gives readers a wild ride grounded in truth and gritty fact. Anyone who faces the doldrums of middle age and appreciates the Boston attitude, baseball, weight lifting, and a glimpse at the movers and shakers in corporate America will embrace Rocky and this novel.”
Dawn Goldsmith, Foreword Clarion

“…fans aggrieved with certain ticks in the modern game will take Rocky’s “Action B Baseball League” as a respectful sendup of the Major League…Rocky’s conversations with friends and colleagues have a special vitality…the book has an endearing protagonist…[and] moments of great humor.”
Kirkus Discoveries

One Batter One Pitch: Entrepreneurship; the Action B Baseball League; the Penultimate Sports Bar; and Reverend Green’s Life Training and Development Center by Michael Connelly.
I-Universe, 2008

West Palm Beach, FL—As Kevin “Rocky” Collins, hard-working, beer-drinking, agnostic, Irish Catholic CPA from just outside of Boston, approaches middle age, he becomes sadly aware that he’s losing his fastball. Not that his athletic prowess ever blazed to begin with. His friends say that he is seeking that “illusive middle ground between snob and slob.” His children, although essentially well adjusted and likeable, often emulate his worst traits. And his loving wife, Kelly, remains cheerfully optimistic about their family’s future, spiritual as well as fiscal, despite Rocky’s career foibles. And so it goes…this hilarious amalgam of Harvard Business School’s case studies and Jim Bouton’s Ball Four.

Author Michael Connelly’s latest novel, One Batter One Pitch: Entrepreneurship; the Action B Baseball League; the Penultimate Sports Bar; and Reverend Green’s Life Training and Development Center, is a sequel to An Informal Boston Education, which introduced Rocky, the hard-drinking, nearsighted, underachieving, undersized, wisecracking, ball playing, weightlifting son of a hard-drinking, overbearing, equally underachieving, ex-minor-league-baseball-playing, Boston cop father. Amid the joking, drinking, cheering, rooting, and jeering, we follow Rocky from the near-impossible task of maintaining profitability as CFO of a medium-sized manufacturing company severely squeezed by its largest client to his ultimate redemption in joining venture capital-type entrepreneurs in eventually turning around two small companies.

Along the way, amid the joking, drinking, working out, and male bonding, Rocky has to deal with family issues, including good but feisty children, and then decides to invent a new way to improve the game of baseball by increasing the amount of playing and decreasing the amount of standing around staring and scratching. He lives the dream of middle-aged barroom jocks by actually starting the “Action B-Ball” independent league, where action is the driving force. With an accountant’s mentality, Rocky calculates that the typical amount of real playing time in a professional baseball game is 6.65 minutes or only 3.7% of the average 3-hour game. Rocky’s rules accelerate the ball in actual play to almost 15%—two strikes and you’re out, a limit on foul balls, 10 seconds for a pitcher to deliver a pitch, an expanded playing field with longer base paths and deeper fences, a livelier ball…to name a few of the many improvements.

In addition to all these frenetic activities, Rocky, his friends, and business associates manage to open the greatest sports bar ever conceived (where the likes of Patriots quarterback, Tom Brady, hangs out) and partner with a charismatic, black minister to build a “Life Training and Development Center” for inner city Boston youth.

The book is an inspirational testament not only to hard work, persistence, positive thinking, and competent, ethical business management, but also to both family and friendship—including Rocky’s group of funny middle-aged white guys’ unique bonding with a charismatic young black man (Taurean Green) who works for Rocky. As Rock says: “Despite the obvious differences not only in race and background, but also in age and marital status, we certainly do have intense work, baseball, boxing, weightlifting, and especially the ol’ edgy, semi-combative humor well in common. So why not?”

Author Michael Connelly, also a CPA and CFO, is a Boston Irish Catholic, semi-pro baseball pitcher, who had a fastball, he now grudgingly admits, that equaled the velocity of Red Sox pitcher Tim Wakefield’s knuckleball, and who has spent the better part of his life lifting weights in over 250 commercial gyms—a non-feat of which he is perplexingly proud. That he knows and has lived Rocky’s life, and wisecracked and drank with Rocky’s friends is evident. The details of the business situations are depicted as accurately as the authentic and notable Red Sox games that are being telecast in the background of these bars.

One Batter One Pitch is extraordinarily real, funny, and most often authentically profane. It captures the middle-aged angst preceding a good man’s last hurrah.

About the Author:

Michael Connelly has had a long career in senior financial management as a CPA and CFO in companies in the United States and in Europe. He has a B.S. degree in mathematics from the University of Massachusetts and a M.S. degree from Northeastern in accounting. He grew up in a blue-collar, Irish-Italian neighborhood of Hyde Park, just outside of Boston, where he inherited his police captain father’s love of baseball and the Boston Red Sox. He has also been an avid exercise enthusiast and weight trainer for over 45 years. Michael retired from the business scene to West Palm Beach, FL, with his wife of 30 years. The Connellys have one daughter, a graduate of the University of Florida, who works as a teacher. Michael now writes and blogs full time (www.writingbaseballandfitness.blogspot.com).

Uh oh…Is The Sox ‘Pap Problem’ Spreading?

2009-05-26T07:02:00.000-07:00

Coming into the 2009 season, what were the odds of this combination being true at the end of May…Closer Pap giving up more home runs in 2 days than DH Pap has hit all year, acclaimed Sox starters with an ERA well over 5, Sox shortstops collectively leading the league in errors…and the Sox in first freaking place!!! Who’d a thunk it?

Watching Penny yesterday reminded me of when I coached a team in a Saturday morning beer-drinking softball league, and had to tell a prospective reserve outfielder who was about 10 pounds thinner than Brad, “We’ll take you on if you can lose about 15 pounds. We don’t care much about how we look, but there has to be some limits…besides, we don’t have any pants that big.”

To get DH Pap to just relax: instead of checking his woeful stats before he comes to bat, he should have at hand at all times a little piece of memo paper showing his net worth compared to that of the average debt-ridden, unemployed, insomniac member of Sox Nation, and take that to the plate with him, and glance at it between pitches…if that doesn’t give him a ‘What…me worry?’ upbeat, loosey-goosey attitude, then all is lost.

I thought Closer Pap’s gopher ball Sunday wasn’t a bad pitch, 97MPH at the top of the strike zone, a blistering high strike that should generally be almost impossible to catch up to…but the pitch to Mauer (.444A; .914S; 1.444OPS) yesterday was ‘right in the proverbial wheelhouse.’ The Sox definitely cannot afford two (2!) Bad Paps! Constant Focus and Command, young fella!

Josh Beckett Says “Why Me???”

2009-05-25T09:29:00.000-07:00

Finally some hitting throughout, even Kottaras, picking up Wake big time. No earned runs-no decision Beckett’s gotta be thinking, “What???” Too bad they have to go on a daunting 10 game road trip now.

It occurs to me that home runs are very hard to hit, and when in doubt, the umps oughta give the benefit of the doubt to the hitter. I’m sure the replay on that absolute bomb Youk launched well above the fair pole was inconclusive, and, like Don and Dewey, the umps really just could not tell if that shot was fair or foul. So give it to him. (And it seemed from the look on Youk's face that his feelings were hurt when they didn't.)

The only good news for poor Pap was that at least he didn’t swing at that pitch Takahashi threw backwards. I guess the rule is that it’s a balk if the ball does not get past the rubber, and that if the ball slips out, but rolls forward even a few feet, it’s just a very poor pitch. The replay did show that poor Pap was thinking about swinging, though. What would have been confusing is if Pap had gone a little further into a check swing, and the catcher asked for a ruling from the third base umpire, who called it a swing, while the home plate umpire was scratching his head, and wondering, “How do I sort this out? Is it a backwards-thrown balk or a swinging strike, since I don’t want to show up my esteemed colleague, who says he went around.”

Uh-oh…speaking of Poor Pap, does anybody know the record for LOB/RBI?

I miss the Remdawg, but it is interesting to have guys like Eck and Dewey sitting in. I just wish Dewey wouldn’t get so all-fired excited, and start spouting such controversial stuff.

Now It’s the Hitting!!!

2009-05-24T06:47:00.000-07:00

Can’t blame Papelbon, even if he blames himself—97MPH at the top of the zone, 99% of the time that’s a strike, a foul, or a popup. The guy just happened to guess right and hit it. The Sox went the last 8 innings without scoring. You can’t expect to win when you score 2 runs at Fenway. Beckett was great. Just too many holes in that lineup, with Ortiz an automatic out, Lowell can’t run at all, and Drew just never gets it going. Gotta be thinking seriously about life post-Pap, and sadly Lowell does not seem long for this game either—gotta be able to do better than a slow jog on the basepaths in the majors. Sox averaging less than 4 runs/game over the last 12. And now they have to go back on the road. The Yanks are coming on—and transition time is bearing down on the Sox. DH, Shortstop, Third Base, Catcher—almost half the offense, in the not-too-distant.

P.S. Tito, when it comes to Pap still batting third, in the immortal words of that classically unsympathetic chinaman Lai Jiansheng, "Jump, or get off the bridge!"

Matzaka!!! on Friday Night

2009-05-23T09:40:00.000-07:00

Matzaka!!! actually pitched pretty well, and his fastball looked good. Lugo’s ridiculous 4th inning gaffe is, I think, the first time in fifty plus years of watching that I’ve ever seen a major league shortstop appear totally unfamiliar with the concept of a double play. (Not one but two glorious outs on just one ground ball!) He looked like a little leaguer awkwardly trying to turn his very first…or it actually seemed as if Julio caught the good feed from Dustin, got the out at second, and then suddenly thought to himself, “Hey…I might be able to get that guy running to first too! Maybe it’s worth a shot, and coincidentally that fielding savant Youk even looks ready for a throw!!” Nothing hit all that hard off Dice-BB, and the ump totally blew an inning ending third strike call on him, too. (Why can’t the home plate umpire have some secret little electronic gizmo in his underwear that gives him an immediate, enjoyable gentle tickle whenever the pitch tracker senses a strike, thereby putting him in an upbeat mood to make the correct call ?)

Tito doesn’t want to shake Poor Pap’s confidence by dropping him in the order, but he sends him out there to be thoroughly overwhelmed by about the best lefthander since Koufax? The Eck with his three career bombs he kept talking about would have had a better chance against Johan than Poor Pap did last night.

And speaking of The Eck, since he was loudly reading Youk’s lips after Santana clipped him, it’s a good thing Youk only said ‘s..t’, rather than, “F..k, F..k, F..k!!! That hurt! Johan, you @#$%^&*!@#$%!!! Actually, maybe Youk purposely toned it down because he figured Eck would be clearly but casually quoting him on the air.

Pitching: Lester, Lincecum, and Greinke

2009-05-22T09:03:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a good day to watch pitchers---Greinke at 2, Lester at 7, Lincecum at 10. All pitched well—especially Lincecum, allowing only 4 hits and striking out 10, while Greinke didn’t have his normal command, and Lester scattered 8 hits (the last 2 games the Jays totalled 25 hits but only scored 4 runs total) and got the win, while the other guys got NDs, as their teams didn’t hit. Lester does have stuff to rival those 2 magicians, just needs their consistent, unrelenting confidence, command, and unwavering focus. Lester can hit 96 when he needs to, and actually looks like he’s eventually gonna be able to reach back for 97 or 98 in a crisis. Papelbon still effective, but topping out at 95, and mixing in more breaking balls against the fastball feasting Jays.

At the beginning of the season, in Sports Illustrated’s Baseball Preview, the top 10 pitchers (per their Player Value Rankings) were, with their 2009 To-date stats:

……………………………………......……….Won-Lost………..ERA
1. Johan Santana………………..…….……5-2…………...1.36
2. Tim Lincecum………………..….………3-1…………...3.45
3. CC Sabathia……………….………...……4-3…..……....3.43
4. Brandon Webb…………….……………Shoulder Injury…..
5. Francisco Rodriguez…………………11 Saves……….0.92
6. Roy Halladay………………………...…..8-1……….….2.78
7. Jon Lester……………………………...…3-4……….….5.91
8. Joe Nathan………………….………….6 Saves……….3.07
9. Cliff Lee……………………………….......2-5…………..2.90
10. Cole Hamels………………………....……2-2…………..4.95

….46. Zack Greinke………………………….7-1…………..0.82

Greinke of course well overachieving, and only Santana, Rodriguez, and Halladay really pitching up to expectations. Aside from the injured Webb, Lester still the biggest underachiever, at least up until last night.

Big Papi’s Historic Tear

2009-05-21T08:40:00.000-07:00

Just to bring a little sanity to the state-wide wild euphoria over the amazing feats of David Ortiz, and the joy over the exquisite hitting zone he is now undeniably in, we cannot avoid putting a little cold hard mathematics to the justifiably jubilant situation.

Pap’s pace is now: 162/40 x 1= 4 for the year. But that of course goes out the window, again considering the amazing zone he is finally in.

But, for Pap, even with this tear, to break Bonds’ single season home run record of 73 here in the summer of 2009, the numbers remain quite daunting:

162/122 x 73 = 97. Pap would have to hit home runs at an annualized pace of no less than 97 (to get 73 more to add to the 1 he’s already got) to break the record this year! (I said it was daunting.)

Relative to Bonds career mark of 763 home runs, the task for Pap is still quite formidable:

Coming into 2009…………………….………….....…………..................……..289
Optimistically, concede him the single season record in ’09…....…..74
………………………….....………..................So End of 2009……....……..….363
………………………………………...............…Bonds Career Mark…......……763
………………………..............……………..…Pap Then Needs…..….......…..400
Pap is at least 36, give him 4 more years until he’s 40…….....…../4
……..…....………………Pap Then Needs to Hit Each Year..........100!

Meanwhile, the Yankees have won 8 straight, and Johnny D, Rodriguez, and Teixeira are getting it together. I doubt it’s gonna be the Jays or Rays that the Sox will be worrying about in September.

Doesn’t Anybody Care About Brett Cecil?

2009-05-21T08:33:00.000-07:00

Red Sox fans can be a selfish, cold-hearted bunch, wildly cheering other people’s tragic misfortunes.

First of all, the poor young fella has always had self-image problems because he’s named Cecil, even if it is his last name.

Now he not only gives up Pap’s first dinger, but four in one heartbreaking inning, and two to Tek? Thank God it wasn’t Cecil who gave up that triple to Rocco Baldelli! Given the tragic end to poor Lucy Gordon, let’s hope the Jays are keeping a very close eye on Mr. Brett Cecil.

And let’s all pray that the next time poor Mr. Cecil pitches against the Sox he doesn’t give up a final-straw home run to George Kottaras!!!

Lefty

2009-05-20T12:38:00.000-07:00

I guess there are more important sports stories than the travails of Pap and the Sox starters and shortstops…Remdaug’s illness, the passing of Dom D, and now sadly Phil Michelson off the tour indefinitely because of his beautiful wife’s breast cancer… But, hopefully things will soon turn out okay, and then in the not-too-distant future we will see Tiger and Phil once again both in top form, and head to head in a major.

It may just be me, and as an exercise enthusiast I’m all for weight training as a supplement to sports—but maybe Tiger is getting just slightly upper-body-bulky for a world class golfer?

Unfortunately, More on Big Pap and the #3 Slot

2009-05-20T09:16:00.000-07:00

For his first 5 years with the Sox, 2003 thru 2007, Big Pap DH’d regularly and had an overall average slugging percentage of .612, comfortably in the super star stratosphere. Two championships, fantastic all around!

Stats writer Chris Altruda, in the Yahoo preview of the Sox game tonight, says that for the Sox players and management, it’s not if Pap will return to form, but just a question of when. But they can’t really believe that. (What’s Tito gonna say to the reporters: “Yeah, Pap’s pretty much a goner…we just haven’t gotten around to embalming him yet.”) And the Globe readers, in a poll today, overwhelmingly believe that his all-star days are behind him.

The precipitous decline of Jim Rice is oft mentioned, but of course there have been others:

Age….Pap Slug….Rice Slug….Vaughn Slug.…Mantle Slug….DiMag Slug
32………507……….487………....….498………….....…591……….....…..522
33………293……….490…………......Inj……....……….452……….....…..598
34………………….…408……….....…456………...…….538……….....…..596
35………………….…406….……....…329…………...….434……….....…..585
36………………….…344…….....……Ret…………...…..398……….....…..422

All these guys had injuries, and all were done for at age 36. But none were totally washed up at age 33 like Pap seems to be. Maybe, like these guys, he does have a couple mediocre years—slug .425 to .450—left in him. Very unlikely we’ll see .500+ slugging again—or a legitimate #3 hitter for any length of time. If his decline stays more precipitous than those comparisons above, I guess it could be some combination of some or all of the following: injuries continuing worse than reported; pharmaceuticals had been involved; he really is older than reported; psychological issues; pitchers finally having a better book on him; vision issues; personal problems. Sad…but there’s a limit to how sorry you can feel for a fella who’s gonna have made over $70 million playing baseball, by the time his current contract is up…and has 2 rings for his trophy case.

On Pitchers

2009-05-20T07:48:00.000-07:00

Matzaka!!!(Dice-BB) to oppose Johann Santana on Friday—the way the Sox have been (not) hitting lately, D-BB probably needs to hurl a shutout. That’s likely, all right. To me, the three most interesting starting pitchers these days, because they’re great without being oversized lugs like CC or Randy J, are:

...............................................Ht...Wgt....W-L ....IP/K........ERA

Zack Greinke.......................6-2...185.....7-1......60/65........0.60
Tim Lincecum.....................5-11..170.....3-1......50/66.........3.75
Johann Santana..................6-0...208....5-2.......53/67.........1.36

Greinke and Lincecum are both pitching on Thursday, so some channel surfing there, around my beloved baseball package. (And, man, isn’t Baseball Reference.com fantastic?)

Sox Win--But Once Again Don't Hit

2009-05-19T18:59:00.000-07:00

Of course it’s fine that the Sox won tonight, and Wake pitched great…but:

*29 runs over the last 8 games = 3.6 runs/game—against some very ordinary pitchers.
*That lineup tonight was, of course, hamstrung by: Pap @ .203; Bailey @ .190; Kottaras @ .133 (They oughta let Wake hit, and DH for this lost soul. Do they buy him his own bats, or does he have to borrow one from Tek? Sometimes he looks down at the bat like he’s thinking, “What’s this big long piece of wood I’m holding?”) That’s a full third of the lineup collectively hitting well below the Mendoza line. I sure hope that tweak Youk felt in Pawtucket turns out to be nothing. Tito, you have to move Ortiz down in the order.
*The productive Pap got the good results generally throwing only about 94MPH—probably helped by the contrast with Wake. He seldom hits that overpowering 97 any more, which could be a problem at times, even if he is now 11 for 11.
*Yet another shortstop error, even if it did turn out harmless this time.
*Matzaka!!! on Friday. I need to find a Florida bar that does not have the baseball package. I’d rather be water boarded than watch.

Sopranos Ending--Better Late Than Never

2009-05-19T14:22:00.000-07:00

Sopranos Ending – Morality Play Version
As Opposed to the Absurd Non-ending They Showed (Hey Chase—Check Out the Last Seinfeld, You Might Learn Something! Critics Be Damned!)

* Paulie Walnuts, a couple seasons earlier and especially heinously, strangled one of his mother’s elderly friends, when she interrupted him trying to rob her. Tony almost dumped Paulie into the ocean when they took their road trip together, because he had doubts about Paulie’s character and big mouth. The local police have finally turned evidence over to the Feds linking Paulie to the heinous murder of that elderly “civilian.” Paulie, faced with a sentence certain to have him in prison for the rest of his life, flips big time.

*Patsy Parisi, with the Soprano family in shambles and trying to squeeze out a living, is caught selling heroin. He also has never forgiven Tony for the hit on his twin brother, Philly. He also flips and corroborates Paulie, relative to murders sanctioned by Tony.

*So Tony, many murder charges against him, is in prison for basically life. With the Soprano family done for, Furio returns. Tony permanently up the river, Carmela divorces him and happily takes up with Furio. Tony then tells her to never visit him again.

* But Furio turns out to be somewhat abusive; Meadow absolutely hates him. She gets back with Finn, marries him, and moves to California. Although she of course knew her father was a Mafia Boss, she did not realize the extent of the violence, that now comes out at Tony’s trial; and she is appalled. She basically loses contact with both the hypocritical Carmela and the murderous Tony.

* AJ is the only one faithfully visiting Tony in prison. Blanca inexplicably takes the young loser back, and he is finally doing great. But then, crazy, alcoholic Liz La Cerva – Adriana’s mother – who always thought just Christopher killed her daughter in a lover’s quarrel, finds out that Tony had her hit, from the charges made by Paulie and Patsy Parisi. She can’t get to Tony - and she is crazy - so she shoots poor AJ, for revenge, in a fit of drunken rage. AJ has virtually the same wound Tony had when Junior shot him, and a very long painful road back. Blanca does not stand by him through it, so he is now total toast.

* Crazy Liz LaCerva ends up in the same state mental facility as Senile Junior, where they begin to swap total nonsense. Somehow during therapy, Crazy Liz gets it in her fool head that Tony’s crew didn’t actually kill super-sexy Adrianna, just kidnapped her to keep her quiet, and now her captors are using her as a sex slave and prostitute. (But Silvio really did, of course, kill her.)

* Tony no longer has anybody whatsoever visiting him. In the final scene, after a full year with no visitors, Senile Junior – who shot Tony - and Crazy Liz – who inflicted the same wound on AJ - have somehow got a chaperoned day pass, and gone to see Tony. Liz is on and on begging him to tell her where her daughter is being held against her will, and Junior is incessantly pleading for information on his old obsession that got Tony shot in the first place, long-deceased Pussy Malenga. As those two dribble and drool on and on, Gandolfini’s ultimate challenge is to have captive Tony look classically miserable indeed on where his long life of violent crime has finally landed him.

Adaptive Economic Oversight—Post 1

2009-05-19T10:53:00.000-07:00

Good books on the economic meltdown, and economics in general, include:
· The Two Trillion Dollar Meltdown by Charles Morris (2009)
· Meltdown: How Greed and Corruption Shattered Our Financial System and How We Can Recover by The Editors of The Nation (2009)
· The Subprime Solution by Robert Shiller (2008)
· Fortune Favors the Bold by Lester Thurow (2003)
· Head to Head by Lester Thurow (1992: A Classic, even if now dated)

Obviously, the failures of Treasury Secretary Paulson, Federal Reserve Chairmen Greenspan and Bernanke, and both the Clinton and Bush administrations in general, in adapting government economic oversight and regulation to the rapidly changing financial markets and technologies were both egregious and, quite literally in terms of collective resultant misery, nothing short of tragic. (No warnings/actions relative to outrageous trends in basic metrics like mortgage debt to home equity and personal income; home prices in relation to personal income; credit card debt to personal income; derivatives/other complex financial instruments to GDP; stock prices to corporate earnings; and massive credit swaps and the disastrous separation of risk creation from its ultimate consequences???)

Absent other calamities, like lethal pandemics, natural disasters, or escalated terrorist acts, President Obama’s team will probably return the economy to at least a semblance of normalcy over the next year.

But an undeniable and unrelenting major cause of the massive, unsustainable increase in overall debt is the increase in income disparity and the stagnation of average real wages, even as improvements in technology have consistently created major increases in productive capacity. Massive debt was created because America (and the world) can build more and better houses, cars, electronics, and a vast array of other gadgets and gizmos, than the collective everyman can afford to buy. As technology inevitably continues to advance, the economy will be more and more hamstrung by the increasing disparity in wealth and resultant over-concentration of purchasing power. (Even before the recession, actual production in many key industries was less than 75% of productive capacity in place. Now, of course, it’s far less. Witness the seas of new cars stored across the industrialized world, and the upcoming auto factory shutdowns.)

The ongoing perfect storm of increasing automation, immigration, and globalization will continue to eliminate good jobs for the average hardworking American, unless new well-paying jobs are agressively created and made widely accessible. It’s long been fashionable to support less government—but at times of crisis government is often the only possible answer. Absent adaptive new strategies, the tremendous overall potential of our continuously improving technology, productive capacity, and social infrastructure to ‘foster the common good’ will be more and more unrealized. The potential is wonderful—but the continuing trend is alarming.

My recommendations would be:

· Egregious failures in both strategic economic planning and in overall economic regulation and oversight have caused not only the current, near-catastrophic super-recession, but also have resulted in increasing income inequality and continuing loss of well-paying jobs, resulting in the need to turn the current crisis into a nation-mobilizing wake-up call for long-term radical reform. Continuous improvement in collective real wages is the only way to harness the amazing power of US technological innovation and productive capacity for the long-term financial security of all hard-working citizens; and that isn’t going to be achieved with a post-recovery ‘business as usual’ process of economic oversight.

· The task of promoting collective US prosperity is now so complicated (and the recent failures so outrageous) that it is advisable to create one new department—call it ‘The Office of Strategic Economic Planning and Technology Development’—with the following mandates, in addition to assuming the Treasury Department’s current ‘Promote economic prosperity and financial security’:
*One competent agency staffed with the very best and brightest—and one comprehensible and comprehensive website—with new, innovative trend metrics, such as indices of income and wealth inequality; jobs and wages by major industry; the impact of globalization on jobs, wages, and consumer prices; and well-publicized estimates of economic ‘Ponzi-layers’ (versus sustainable historic averages in comparison to relevant real incomes and GDP) embedded in stocks, home values, mortgages, consumer debt, corporate debt, and other financial instruments. With in-depth comment and analysis on all of it.
*With specific, clear goals, and innovative new metrics, implement meaningful performance-based financial incentives for senior economic overseers to help attract the best available talent into the new Office—along with a call to national service in a time of crisis. (The US economic system has been too purely capitalistic—and economic oversight not ‘capitalistic’ enough.) Rather than having many of the ‘best and brightest’ financial and economic minds in the country devoting their genius to developing complex financial instruments and sophisticated econometric models to prevail in the essentially rigged, zero-sum game that the financial markets have become, (creating nary a new product or improved process along the way) find ways to recruit, incent, publicize, and reward some of them for contributing to the daunting challenge of fixing and managing the overall system.
*A comprehensive, far-sighted, thoroughly-researched new policy on globalization, for the economic benefit and financial and general security of all Americans. Blind protectionism isn’t the answer, but neither are open markets an end in themselves. The Treasury Department’s current strategic goal of ‘Promote open markets and resist protectionism’ is way over simplified. Running huge trade deficits—borrowing from foreigners and selling massive amounts of US assets to the rest of the world—while both American manufacturing capacity and American workers stand idle does not make sense. Inadequately-regulated blending of our economy with low-wage-paying economies like China’s has contributed to the striking disparity between the remarkable growth in US GDP and productivity versus the virtual stagnation of the average working American’s real income.
*Implement a well-funded coalition of business, academic, and political thinkers planning for future well-paying jobs and the required skill sets. Accompany with voluntary aptitude testing and relevant targeted, thorough, and earlier career-specific training in public secondary schools. We have to find a way to convert accelerating technological progress into a better life for every hard-working citizen, at all levels of native ability. No one forced to do anything of course, but better, targeted opportunities made available for those who want them. Even as technology and automation continue to reduce manufacturing and construction jobs, there will always be plenty to do to improve everyone’s quality of life—if we manage the planning and training processes properly. Those jobs, at varying levels of responsibility, might be in education, health care, assisted living and nursing homes, computer and robotics technology, industrial engineering, biotech, medical research, city planning, traffic management, architecture, air travel, security, criminal justice, and youth counseling. And in vastly improving the oversight of the US economy—see above and below. Formalize a comprehensive process of analyzing the impediments to productivity, job creation, income and other equality, health, security, stability, and overall quality of life, and promote the development of new or improved jobs to reduce or eliminate those impediments. The important point is, The Office of Strategic Economic Planning and Technology Development coordinates with business and academic leaders in identifying changing human resource needs and skill sets and designing the proper training—and making that training readily available to those with the talent, interest, and determination to best capitalize on it.
*Identify with business leaders—as in the funding for development of green energy included in the stimulus package—where and how government should support development of key technologies, especially in ‘linkage’ industries.
*Promote more productive investment in general, that leads more directly to new technology, new products, improved processes, productivity improvements, and, again, to creation of well-paying jobs. Track the investment dollar—and promote venture capital and real business investment versus the rigged, zero-sum games of Wall Street and Hedge Funds.
*Develop regulations to keep risk with those best able to evaluate it, manage it, and ultimately mitigate it—‘live and die’ with it, actually. The way entrepreneurship has worked for centuries.
* Via the one central, well-publicized and well-organized web site chock full of meaningful trend metrics and informative comment and analysis, educate Congress and other political leaders, business executives, and the general citizenry on the key economic issues that are so integral to quality of life. And, in keeping with ‘what gets measured gets done,’ reporting and commenting to a better informed—and now more attentive—citizenry on performance against the right goals and metrics will promote far better and more responsible management of the economy than what we have suffered from lately.
*Obviously, a major strength of a free-market system is in the productive benefits of a significant element of ‘survival-of-the-fittest.’ But the unavoidable negative individual impacts of massive gaps in talent, charisma, energy, and other genetic traits cannot be then compounded by artificial, unproductive, and unfair impediments to wealth and income equality, such as we have had. Restoration of confidence in the economy and in government’s ability to regulate it is key, but improving the public’s perception of fairness of the overall system is also critical. To the extent possible, the most egregious lawbreakers who contributed to the collapse need to be rigorously prosecuted, with the goal of serious jail time and maximum forfeiture of ill-gotten gains, with compounding financial penalties. Relative to the US history of harsh penalties for drug and violent—or even potentially violent—crime, and much milder penalties for so-called ‘white collar’ crime, an ‘Index of Cumulative Misery’ should be developed and brought to bear in determining punishment. Rudy Giuliani, as New York District Attorney, in 1988 threatened to indict Michael Milken under the RICO laws, until Milken agreed to plead guilty to lesser charges. The potential for wide-ranging serious harm from illegal corporate and financial mismanagement is such that the cause of legal prosecution must be strengthened. The RICO laws could be the basis of new ‘FRICO’ laws, adapted for the types of illegal financial activities that have recently plagued the US--such creative new laws to make investigations, prosecutions, and convictions of both individuals and corrupt financial organizations more effective, while simultaneously facilitating both harsher penalties and easier seizure of ill-gotten gains. (Based on my first draft of the “Index of Cumulative Misery’ and related ‘Sentencing Guide,’ Bernie Madoff should be drawn and quartered on a Saturday night in Times Square—or on Worth Avenue in Palm Beach. George Bush and Hank Paulson haven’t broken any laws that I know of, but they should still, at minimum, both be sentenced to three years working for Freddie Mac, restructuring mortgages in an inner-city neighborhood, one by one. After the proper training, of course. And still with their work, especially George’s, very carefully reviewed. And from what I’ve seen on Jay Leno recently, George isn’t doing anything all that important now, anyway. Although from the clips I've seen, he certainly does seem to be enjoying himself.)

Thursday, May 14th—and the Red Sox Sports Psychologist

2009-05-15T07:39:00.000-07:00

Brother, Thursday, May 14th has to go down in Boston Sports history as a day of at least mild infamy—Bruins so-promising season done in OT, Celts blowing that series-clinching lead, and the Sox and especially the late great poor Pap missing all those chances, and losing in extra.

I mentioned a couple of days ago that a sports psychologist might help those underachieving Sox starters find some command to capitalize on their, overall, undeniably excellent stuff.

While that miracle-working headshrinker is at it he can address:
· Sox travails away from Fenway. Last year, their H/A winning percentages were .691/.481, for a difference of .210, while the American League overall was .565/.433, for a difference of only .132. So far this year, (still early, of course) their H/A is .765/.444, for a difference of .321, while the league overall is .556/.444, for a difference of only .112. To date in 2009, they are slugging .527 at home, and a dismal .387 on the road, a ridiculous disparity. Some of that has to be either psychological—or perhaps too much late night time at the bars while away from wife and kids?

. Tito and David Ortiz. Pap is ‘slugging’ an absurd .300 in that all-important #3 slot. Dropping him in the batting order can’t possibly embarrass him any more than the cold hard statistics and his woefully late swing do. Read the unanimous chorus of reader comments in the Globe, respectfully begging for him to be given some recuperative time off, or at least dumped out of his current rally-killing role. This is becoming an absurd case of putting one individual above winning, and above the fans who pay the bills. Sure, Big Pap’s past contributions were historic and are treasured, but batting third for a playoff contender is hardly an honorary role. But I guess we need a psychologist to convince Tito and Pap of that.

“We’ll Be Okay—If We Can Stay Healthy”

2009-05-14T07:59:00.000-07:00

Even more true in football, but obviously also a huge issue in baseball. That Sox lineup last night flailing away against journeyman Mike Palmer, with Youk and Pedroia still out, and poor Pap a misplaced shadow, was hardly post-season contender quality.

Here as I try to balance 60-year-old arthritic knees, shoulders, elbows, and back with a reasonably rigorous and consistent (obsessive?) daily exercise regimen, it seems that knowing when to hold ‘em and when to fold ‘em is more art than science. Playing through pain can be admirably gutsy or just plain foolish, depending on one’s knowledge of one’s body, and recognition of when a few days rest is needed to save a season. No MRI or trainer can fully substitute for the savvy, experienced athlete’s dispassionate knowledge of his own body. There’s a key recuperative point when a tendinitis flare-up in my shoulders or elbows requires reasonably light/high repetition weight training to complete recovery—but if in my restlessness I get back to it prematurely, next thing I know I’m on the shelf for a most frustrating month or two.

Some baseball players (J.D. Drew, Chipper Jones, Brad Penny, to name just a few) seem to always be getting injured in one way or another, while others are almost never hurt. It’s amazing (and potentially illuminating) to look at the lengthy careers of the lifetime leaders in plate appearances and innings pitched. (And perhaps MLB could learn something by really looking for common qualities that enabled these players to stay so amazingly injury-free for so long??)

Starting with the 40’s the hitters with 12,000 lifetime plate appearances (which equates to an amazing 600 per year over 20 years!) are, in order, Pete Rose, Carl Yastrzemski, Hank Aaron, Ricky Henderson, Cal Ripken, Eddie Murray, Stan Musial, Barry Bonds, Craig Biggio, Willie Mays, Dave Winfield, Robin Yount, Paul Molitor, and Rafael Palmeiro. (All with HOF careers—absent a ‘roidal indiscretion or two.)

Modern pitchers with 4400 career innings (which equates to 220 per year over 20 years!) are, in order, Phil Niekro, Nolan Ryan, Gaylord Perry, Don Sutton, Warren Spahn, Steve Carlton, Greg Maddux, Bert Blyleven, Roger Clemens, Tom Seaver, Tommy John, Robin Roberts, Early Wynn, Jim Kaat, Ferguson Jenkins, and Tom Glavine. (Blyleven, John, and Kaat are not in the HOF—but probably should be.)

On the other hand, maybe, like a lot of things, it’s just primarily genetics. Some of these supermen had vigorous conditioning routines, most probably didn't. All of them certainly played hard. (Well, except maybe Knucksie Niekro. He never looked winded to me.)

A Baseball Salary Cap—and Corporate Tickets

2009-05-12T12:09:00.000-07:00

Absent some kind of united fan action, the players’ union would be crazy to agree to a salary cap. As long as attendance and revenue keep going up, the owners have no real incentive to fight for a cap either. No one, especially the fans, wants a strike—or, even if the average Joe can’t afford to take his family to a game--to stop watching MLB on TV. As a passionate if caustic and critical Sox fan living in Florida, thank God for the Baseball Package.

The only way there will be a cap any time soon—and true league-wide consistent competition—is if: (As a Sox fan, I have noticed the temporarily over-achieving Rays.)
· The Yankees outrageous spending again results in a few successive years of World Series appearances, and some championships, with resultant renewed outcry;
· With that as backdrop, someone somehow organizes a united fan front, that results in significant fan action which reduces overall MLB revenue—say by an effective boycott of overpriced MLB merchandise—with the sole goal of a cap being implemented.
· The primary driver of the outrageous ticket and concession prices that have driven the average fan and family from the ballpark at the high revenue/exorbitant payroll franchises is corporate attendance, especially corporate season tickets, in the phony guise of entertainment of customers—and with attendant tax deduction as a business marketing expense. Tax deductions for corporate tickets to sporting events, which subsidize the exclusion of the average fan, should be eliminated.

Religion and Retirement Communities

2009-05-12T12:07:00.000-07:00

Overheard at the Fitness Center:
"When I was in high school, there was this very special college girl neighbor…so I said a passionate prayer in praise of older women…but was told, “Be patient, my son…”

Now that I live in a retirement community, I have finally received the rest of The Father’s message…”when you’re 60, you can have all the 70 year old women you want!”"

State of The Sox

2009-05-12T08:38:00.000-07:00

· Sportscasters who could noticeably make watching a game better: Curt Gowdy, Hawk Harrelson, Howard Cosell, Frank Gifford, John Madden—and Jerry Remy. Don and The Eck are great, but that Remdawg sure is missed!

· At the moment, Theo and the Sox seem to have $100 million invested in Japan’s 2009 WBC championship. Dice-BB, (or as the Japanese little leaguers simply call him, Matzaka!!!) Youk, Dustin, Big Papi—all the Sox WBC participants are either hurt at the moment—or playing like he’s hurt, in the case of poor Pap, who has been agonizingly late on a slew of very hittable fastballs. Maybe the last Sox players to participate in that contrived nonsense. Let's hope.

· Sox Grades relative to reasonable expectations:
o Overall, 20-12; .625; 13-4 H; 7-8 A. Grade: B (As expected--but need .500 on the road.)
o Youkilis: OBP .505; Slug: .719 Grade A+
o Bay: OBP .468; Slug: .667 Grade A+ (Swing almost reminiscent of new HOF Jim Rice)
o Pedroia OBP .409; Slug: .414 Grade B (Low Slug)
o Lowell OBP .344; Slug: .560 Grade A (But only 5 Walks??)
o Ellsbury OBP .326; Slug: .354 Grade C- (15 steals-but painfully low OBP)
o Drew OBP .368; Slug: .474 Grade C- (Mr. Unrealized Potential)
o Varitek OBP: .324; Slug: .443 Grade B- (Not good-but as expected)
o Ortiz OBP: .338; Slug: .328 Grade K (As a team man, needs to insist that Tito drop him to 8th. In terrible danger of posting the lowest S.A. of any 3rd place hitter in the modern era.)

· Pitchers: Bullpen A; Starters E, except Wakefield A. With the crackling stuff they have, how can Lester, Beckett, and Masterson have a combined ERA over 6, not to mention the travails of Dice-BB? The Sox literally need to hire a sports psychologist to get these guys to focus, stay confidently in the moment, and avoid those big inning meltdowns. Four good innings and two terrible ones is not a quality start. Overall, these guys’ stuff matches up with Zack Greinke’s, he of the .51 ERA and, so far, absolutely jaw-dropping command. (And that sports psychologist should at least say hello to Big Papi while he’s in the area.)

· P. S. Kevin Youkilis asked me to post this: “If Joba throws one more 98 mph beanball at my big ol’ bald squash, would someone please freaking retaliate!! My skull only looks unbreakable. And would Girardi please make Joba wear a normal ballcap—that dumb thing he wears now would look better sideways, especially when he sticks his tongue out.” (Jason Bay seconded it all.)

Manny, the Media, Pete Rose, and the HOF.

2009-05-12T06:09:00.000-07:00

It’s no secret that recently re-testosteroned Manny is a knucklehead for the ages, but when he went to LA plenty of the clueless media approvingly helped him thumb his nose at Boston…ha ha ha…take that, you bleepin,’ two-championship-savoring Red Sox Nation.

HOF-banned hit king Pete Rose bet on baseball, but no one ever accused him of laying down on the ballfield or on his teammates—at least until he became a manager. Heck, he hardly ever missed a game for 21 years, from 1963 through 1983—no other way to reach 14,053 official at-bats and 4,256 hits. And he damn sure didn’t worry about protecting his thick-legged hamstrings by not running out routine ground balls. Come to think of it, quick-wristed Jason Bay seems to have a little Pete in him—but with power and without the wagers.

Well, at least Manny didn’t bet on baseball…that we know of, anyway.

I sure hope Pete gets in before any of the ‘juicers’ do. (And fully expect that Manny will go back to being the relatively ordinary hitter that he was for the Red Sox in 2007 and 2008: .508 slugging average, compared to that now very suspicious .743 slugging for the Dodgers in 2008.)

Forword Clarion Review for One Batter One Pitch

2009-05-11T09:34:00.000-07:00

Michael A. Connelly tells the story of Boston-born-and-bred Kevin “Rocky” Collins’ coming of age—middle age that is—in this sequel to An Informal Boston Education. At forty-three, this pessimistic mid-level executive behaves as if he were the “smartest guy…the most outspoken, and biggest asshole in the room,” even though he ranks the lowest—this combination is not conducive to executive success. Rocky’s group of lifelong friends say that he is seeking that “elusive middle ground between snob and slob.”

Rocky’s wife, Kelly, provides balance and they maintain a surprisingly strong and loving marriage. Their children have picked up all of Rocky’s worst phrases and attitudes. As a fairly typical middle-class suburban family, their lives are lived on the limited time allotted after long hours at frustrating and mind-numbing jobs. As life ticks by, Rocky sees his body succumb to time and gravity, and he reaches for a last hurrah to vindicate his existence. When a group of venture capitalists embrace his acerbic ways and offer him a chance to use his creativity, Rocky finds his stride, turning around mid-sized manufacturing companies, birthing a new baseball league, designing a sports bar, and even helping a minister set up a life training center.
Dialogue flashes dizzyingly like a fireworks display—or perhaps something earthier, like a manure fight. Profanity, unkind quips, put-downs, and racist epithets fly unfettered. Some original phrases elicit winces and groans from readers, although the targets of those invectives barely notice. The novel’s frenetic pace slows a bit and takes on a more structured tone when turned toward corporate accounts, turning around companies, and dealing with numbers.

The author, a retired senior executive and former semi-pro baseball player, spent most of his life in Boston. He knows of what he writes. His writing is energized, innovative, and almost a stream-of-consciousness experience. The novel’s structure takes on the character’s persona—frenetic, in-your-face, and, like Rocky, it reaches to accomplish great things. A skilled editor might have pared down some of the long and repetitive strings of colorful dialogue.
The novel gives readers a wild ride grounded in truth and gritty fact. Anyone who faces the doldrums of middle age and appreciates the Boston attitude, baseball, weight lifting, and a glimpse at the movers and shakers in corporate America will embrace Rocky and this novel.

Dawn Goldsmith

Press Release for 'One Batter One Pitch'

2009-05-11T08:43:00.000-07:00

One Batter One Pitch
The next installment in Rocky Collins' saga is about business, baseball, family and fun

WEST PALM BEACH, FL - Energy, determination, creativity, humor, and the support of family and friends enable Kevin “Rocky” Collins to overcome some bad breaks, daunting new business challenges, an armed mugging, and a little of his own "middle-age craziness," and to help a couple of Boston entrepreneurs turn around two companies, start a creative new independent baseball league with very unique rules and equipment, open a sports bar, and partner with a magnetic black minister to build a "Life Training and Development Center."

The sequel to "An Informal Boston Education," One Batter One Pitch, (published by iUniverse) is Michael Connelly's update on the life of Kevin "Rocky" Collins, whose frenetic and hilarious career, social, and romantic missteps delighted readers first time around. Collins is a wisecracking, ball-playing, weightlifting, and beer-drinking young Boston CPA who with the help of a good woman and promising new job finally has his life under control—at least for a while.

Now approaching middle age, frustrated with limiting age-related physical issues, and feeling increasingly out of tune with current American culture, he gets his career back on track by helping those locally-renowned venture capitalists fix a couple of struggling mid-size manufacturing companies, while also helping found this new Action-B Baseball league. Rocky and his teammate co-workers find plenty of ways to fend off the unavoidable stress and periodic long hours with frequent humor. Our protagonist Collins inspires and entertains readers with his unrelenting drive and determination, intelligence and wit, and ultimate commitment to be the best he can be.

(Note: One Batter One Pitch received four out of five stars from Foreword Clarion, with the following summary comment: “The novel gives readers a wild ride grounded in truth and gritty fact. Anyone who faces the doldrums of middle age and appreciates the Boston attitude, baseball, weight lifting, and a glimpse at the movers and shakers in corporate America will embrace Rocky and this novel.”)

About This Blog

2009-05-11T08:38:00.000-07:00

o To publicize my two Boston-based novels: ‘An Informal Boston Education’; and ‘One Batter One Pitch’
o To foster discussion about writing, the economy, President Obama, the Red Sox and Patriots, and middle-age fitness and the related relentless orthopedic issues