I plan to offer up my final thoughts on the 2012 Pirates with a lengthy post later this week when the season finally, mercifully, concludes, but I can't let the day on which they officially clinched their 20th consecutive losing season (say it after me now, "the longest losing streak in North American sports history") without noting this milestone, or should I say "millstone".And when it actually comes right down to it, what can I say? As I...
Sunday, September 30, 2012
We celebrated a non-Steeler Sunday today with a trip to The Rivers Casino. Marilyn had received a buy-one-get-one-free coupon from the Casino for her birthday earlier in the month for dinner at the Grand View Buffet in the Casino, so we decided to take advantage of that and head on down to the norsside. Let me tell you, the food at that buffet is excellent, and there is plenty of it, and the twofer coupon made this a terrific dining option....
I had the pleasure of engaging in some mild vandalism early yesterday morning when SABR buddies (from L to R) Len Martin, Jim Haller, Dan Bonk and I visited the parking lots in the vicinity of Heinz Field and marked the spots where home plate and second base were located at Three Rivers Stadium. It was especially appropriate that second base was located and marked...
Friday, September 28, 2012
One of baseball's great cliches is that every time you go to a ball game, you might see something that you have never seen before, and tonight that was fulfilled as Marilyn and I watched the Reds' Homer Bailey throw a no-hitter against the Pirates. There you see the evidence above - my score sheet and game ticket. I saw my first Pirate game in 1959, and now, 53...
Thursday, September 27, 2012
I don't remember if I wrote it down on The Grandstander, posted it on Facebook, or just mentioned it in discussions with friends, but my thoughts all along about the NFL lockout of their game officials was that as soon as one especially egregious officiating error took place that involved and negatively impacted one of the League's "flagship" franchises (Cowboys, Giants, Patriots, Steelers, and Packers were the teams that sprung to mind at the time),...
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Time to wish Melancholy Happy Trails.....A belated Happy trails to Steve Sabol, of NFL Films, who, along with his father, Ed, changed forever the way we watch all sports, and professional football in particular. They, as much as any player, coach, owner, or commissioner, are responsible for the unparalleled popularity of the NFL in America. Steve Sabol, who won over 40 Emmys for his work, succumbed to brain cancer last week at the...
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Warning: This post will include spoilers!When we last saw "Hawaii Five-0" back in the spring, that goofy bald guy was taking Steve to Japan to meet "Shellburn" and all we saw was an incredulous look on Steve's face, Chin's wife had been shot, Kono was dumped overboard a ship in the middle of the ocean while gagged and handcuffed, Danny was, well, I can't remember what sort of pickle Danny was in at the time, Wo Fat was in prison, and all sorts...
Today marks the 65th Birthday - yes, I said 65!!! - of Super Model and Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue Icon Cheryl Tiegs. I know that many of you are probably disappointed that I didn't reproduce THAT one special photo, and you know the one I'm talking about, but I try to keep this blog family friendly. Anyway, the above pic shows Miss Tiegs in her prime, but...
Sunday, September 23, 2012
I mentioned on Facebook yesterday that I was looking forward to my first visit to Heinz Field since 2003 yesterday, and I was not disappointed. I was able to join friends Dan Bonk and Len Martin when one of their "regulars" was unable to use his Pitt ticket yesterday, and I really enjoyed the experience.I had not been to a Pitt football game in many, many years, and...
Saturday, September 22, 2012
Yesterday, I had the honor of being one of four docents at the Heinz History Center to conduct a tour for a group of World War II veterans, and I do not use the word "honor" lightly in this case.This was an annual reunion gathering of a platoon of men that served in the infantry and marched through Europe under George Patton. It is a reunion whose numbers get smaller each year. Think about it. If you were serving in WW II at the...
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Barbara Cloud, 83, former fashion editor and columnist for the Pittsburgh Press and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, passed away last week after a long battle with cancer. I won't pretend that I was along-time reader of hers, but I did enjoy the column she wrote on Sundays after she retired as a full-time fashion editor at the PG. She was delightfully old-fashioned...
Catching up after being on vacation for a week....In my write-up yesterday about our trip to Ocean City, I neglected to mention what was perhaps the highlight of the trip. After a hotly contested round of miniature golf on the Boardwalk, we approached the 19th hole wherein a hole-in-one would earn you a free round of golf. If you've played mini-golf in your life,...
Monday, September 17, 2012
Perhaps you noticed that The Grandstander has been inactive for the last several days. That is due to the fact that Marilyn and I took leave of the Home Base last week to celebrate our birthdays in the resort town of Ocean City, New Jersey. I first visited Ocean City in the Summer of 1971, and it was the site of many Sproule Family vacations into the early 1980's....
Sunday, September 9, 2012
As we have been told repeatedly, the Steelers kick off their 80th season in the National Football League tonight against the Broncos in Denver. Since the team is celebrating this milestone season with those horrid throwback Three Stooges-style uniforms, I thought I would celebrate it with their old logo, one that I always thought was a pretty cool one.When last we saw...
Friday, September 7, 2012
This morning's Post-Gazette featured a preview of the Fall movie releases, and one in particular caught my eye: "Lincoln". It is a serious movie about our 16th President. It is based on Doris Kearns Goodwin's award winning book, "Team of Rivals". It stars Daniel Day-Lewis, who makes a movie once every three or four years, but when he does, he usually...
The obit for Art Modell from the New York Times that was reprinted in the Post-Gazette made interesting reading today. ( I was amazed to see that Modell was a high school drop out.) Not surprisingly, for all of his accomplishments, and there were many, the obit led with the fact that he moved the Browns out of Cleveland to Baltimore in 1995, forever earning him the enmity of the the community that he was so much a part of for the previous 35...
Thursday, September 6, 2012
Three quickies:I had a most enjoyable round of golf today at Pheasant Ridge Golf Course in Gibsonia. It was the first time that I had played at Pheasant Ridge, and I really liked the course. It is one that i would definitely like to play again. I played fairly well (103) by my standards, but the best part of the day was playing once again, for the first time in several years, with former co-worker and long time golf partner Bill...
Monday, September 3, 2012
Astros 5 - Pirates 1.A guy who was pitching in the Mexican League earlier in the year was made to look like a reincarnated combination of Larry Dierker/Nolan Ryan/Roy Oswalt by the Pirates pathetic line up today. Only five hits against some stiff named Edgar Gonzalez and an Astros bullpen consisting of Moe, Larry, and Curly.Correction: Moe, Larry, and Curly were playing short stop, catcher, and first base for the Pirates.Astros first...
Sunday, September 2, 2012
Lyricist Hal David passed away this week at the age of 91. If you've never heard of Hal David, perhaps you've heard of his most frequent and famous collaborator, composer Burt Bacharach. If this is STILL not ringing a bell for you, then be assured that you have heard their work for the music of Bacharach and David provided a soundtrack to America in the 1960's and beyond as surely as did Lennon and McCartney, Paul Simon, Brian Wilson,...
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