Cool Books
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Calico Joe by John Grisham |
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One Pitch Away: The Players’ Stories of the 1986 League Championships and World Series by Mike Sowell |
K. Dana Morris
I'd rather be swinging at grapefruits than aspirins.
Archive for the month “October, 2012”
It might be over…
…but this play by play will never get old.
I remember it now. It was Game 4 of the 2012 NLDS. I was at my favorite Mexican joint in Winter Park, PR’s Taco Palace. Nats jersey is on, beer is cold, and I some how charmed the bartender into putting the Nats vs. Cards game on every TV in the place. I was in heaven! Mostly because when you are at a bar they don’t stop serving beer after the 7th inning. The game seems to drag on forever with the score tied at 1-1. All I can think of is this might be it. This might be the last Nats game of the season! Ugh. How can this be? I’m not ready for baseball to be over!! Especially after the spectacular season the Nats have had.
I called my brother who lives in Arlington, VA, and he was listening to this very broadcast. For this game he decided to mix it up a little bit and listen rather than watch on TV. You know. He was trying to change up his routine in order to spark a Nats win. Together we usually go to about a dozen Nats games per season, if not more, and I had vowed to fly to DC if we made it to the NLCS. So, in my mind I was never going to make it.
And then. BOOM! Werth’s walk-off home run blasted all over the world! I flew out of my chair and squealed inappropriately loud and jumped for joy! The other bar partons were high-fiving me and made me feel as if I’d hit that game winning home run. My phone rings and my brother is on the line feeling the exact same way. Although his house wasn’t full of people, his family was up out of their chairs cheering, and their smiles were as big as the moon. We did it! We are going to Game 5 of the NLDS!!! We still have a chance!!
I’d better get home and book my ticket…
Tribute to Veterans
Baseball has everything: hot dogs, beer, fastballs, long balls, and heart. The tribute to our veterans before Game 2 of the 2012 World Series (Thursday October 25) was incredibly memorable and moving. No mistakes in the star spangled banner, the flag unfolded flawlessly, and the fly over brought the crowd to its feet! Then to put the icing on the cake, the video narrated by Tom Brokaw might be one of the most special pieces of baseball history I’ve seen. It really took me inside the heart of the best sport ever.
If you missed it, please take a moment and watch this to get an idea of what this tribute was all about.
If that didn’t get your star-spangled blood moving then check out the first pitch thrown by triple amputee Marine Nicholas Kimmel. Right down the middle! Every time I think I’m having a bad day I stop and think about what I’m complaining about. My “omg-I-broke-a-nail” bad day isn’t even in the same universe as a “our-squadron-just-got-shot-at” bad day experienced by our Soldiers and Marines. God Bless Our Troops!
Here are some of my favorite pictures of The United States Army Golden Knights. I got to meet the Gold Team in Cocoa Beach, FL on October 4, 2009.
Perfect Strike
If you didn’t see the first pitch of Game 2 of the 2012 World Series then you missed a perfect strike!! The catcher didn’t even have to move his glove. Which is a good thing considering how moving the tribute to our Veterans was.
The first pitch at AT&T Park was thrown by Marine corporal Nicholas Kimmel, who lost both legs and his left arm while on his second tour of duty in Afghanistan. He was accompanied by Willie Mays.
See the full tribute here:
http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20121024&content_id=40017630&vkey=news_mlb&c_id=mlb
Favorite Baseball Quotes
Progress always involves risks. You can’t steal second base and keep your foot on first. ~Frederick B. Wilcox
I believe in the Church of Baseball. I tried all the major religions and most of the minor ones. I’ve worshipped Buddha, Allah, Brahma, Vishnu, Siva, trees, mushrooms and Isadora Duncan. I know things. For instance, there are 108 beads in a Catholic rosary and there are 108 stitches in a baseball. When I learned that, I gave Jesus a chance. ~Ron Shelton, Bull Durham, 1988
It is well to remember that a Martian observing his first baseball game would be quite correct in concluding that the last two words of the National Anthem are: PLAY BALL! ~Herbert H. Paper, in Cincinnati Enquirer, 2 April 1989
Things could be worse. Suppose your errors were counted and published every day, like those of a baseball player. ~Author Unknown
You don’t save a pitcher for tomorrow. Tomorrow it may rain. ~Leo Durocher, in New York Times, 16 May 1965
I’ve come to the conclusion that the two most important things in life are good friends and a good bullpen. ~Bob Lemon, 1981
Just a lil’ taste
I grew up in a traditional family and we could be compared to the Cleavers, only with beer and margaritas.
I’m helpful. I take abandoned shopping carts back to the safety of their grocery store home because I prefer a clutter-free parking lot.
If I won the lottery and I quit my job I’d buy a Minor League Baseball team. I’d also love to volunteer/work at the Spring Training games in Florida or Arizona in March.
I’m old school when it comes to birthdays and holidays. I like to send snail mail greeting cards.
One thing my mother would want you to know about me is that I love my nieces as if they were my own. And I miss my grandparents every day of my life.
Ask me about my drive from Clemson, SC back to Lexington, KY in the spring of 1990.
My favorite concerts:
- Lit 2012
- REM 1986
- Cheap Trick 1986 and 1994
- Smithereens 1996 and 2011
- Psychedelic Furs 1986 and 2012
- The Who Quadrophenia Tour 2012
If I had to present at show and tell I’d bring a picture of my Dad flying his Beechcraft Baron 55 twin engine airplane, and then tell you about all of the fun trips we’ve made in it.
My perfect Sunday is sleeping late, watching CBS Sunday Morning, pool time, catching up on sports scores, then hitting the local bar to meet up with friends and continue the weekend fun.
K. Dana Morris 