To Absent Friends: Karen Black

Actress Karen Black passed away yesterday, a victim of cancer at the age of 74.  

I remember her as an actress who starred in several big movies in the 1970's, most notably "Five Easy Pieces" (she was sitting in the booth with Jack Nicholson when he tried to order a sandwich at the diner), "Nashville", and Alfred Hitchcock's last movie, "Family Plot".  I remember finding her oddly sexy in a kind of kooky way (see picture below).  I also recall that she was very hot at one time, but if you'd have asked me six months ago, I couldn't have told you anything that she did in recent memory.

As is often the case, however, her obituary in this morning's paper made for interesting reading. Yes, she was very hot back in the 1970's, and her work garnered her a Golden Globe Award and an Academy Award Nomination.  However, she also starred in a movie called "Day of the Locust" in 1975 that bombed, and she blamed the failure of that movie for pretty much ruining her career as a capital M, capital S Movie Star.

However, and this is what fascinates me, while she may no longer have been an above-the-title-actress/star, she never stopped working.  The obit stated that she appeared in over 100 movies and many, many other TV shows.  The Internet Movie Data Base gives her "actress credits" for 194 roles in films and TV shows, including three movies made in 2013. Granted, many of these movies are ones that you have never heard of, and could probably be classified as pure schlock, but she always had a part to play, right up to the very end, and isn't that all that any actor wants?

RIP Karen Black.

So Tell Me, Why ISN'T Gil Hodges in the Hall of Fame?

Since I have been involved with SABR and become part of several baseball discussion groups on various social media, I can tell you that there is no topic - none! - that stirs the fires and passions of a certain segment of the baseball community than the fact that Gil Hodges is not an enshrined member of the Baseball Hall of Fame.  Ask the question or making a comment either for or against Hodges being in the Hall on certain Facebook pages, and you are absolutely certain to be starting a thread that will generate thirty, forty, fifty or more comments.

Myself, I had no particular bias one way or the other.  If a guy makes the Hall of Fame, I'm happy for him, but if a certain player doesn't, I don't lose sleep over it either, and I always found the debates amusing, especially when it veers into the area of "O'Malley's-a-bastard-for-taking-the-Dodgers-out-of-Brooklyn".  However, this is what being a baseball fan is all about, and some folks have embraced this cause with an amazing passion.  Facebook friend and Pirate Chatter Scott Russell has compiled some documentation that has absolutely convinced me that Hodges should be in the Hall of Fame.

All of this brings me to the question stated in the title of this post: Why ISN'T Hodges in the Hall?  What is the case against him?  He was passed over by the BBWA in regular Hall voting for all fifteen years of his eligibility.  He has been passed over (or "snubbed" as the Hodgesophiles would put it) by the various iterations of the Veteran's Committee ever since (although there is anecdotal evidence that Hodges was voted in by the Vet's Committee one year, only to have his entrance sabotaged by Ted Williams on a procedural technicality).  

Again, why?

Everyone makes the case FOR Hodges, but I am asking for someone now to make the case AGAINST him.  Can somebody please state the case as to why Hodges has never reached the Promised Land in Cooperstown?  I'd be interested in hearing the other side of this. Please state the case, and please be civil.

Oh, and a couple of points of my own.  When making their arguments, the Hodges Backers always include as reasons (a) that Gil was a nice guy, the salt of the earth, and (b) that he managed the 1969 Mets to a World Series win.  To me, these are NOT reasons to put him in the HOF.  We all know that "nice" doesn't get you in the Hall, witness Ty Cobb and Steve Carlton, to name only two, and if "nice" was a criterion, then Mike McKenry would be a first ballot entrant..  As for managing the '69 Mets, that would make a nice footnote on his HOF plaque, but there are a lots and lots of managers who have won one World Series.

As I always do, I will be copying this post on several Facebook pages, and I am looking forward to the responses.  

The Big Break Mexico Champion

I suppose that this can be considered a spoiler, but if you don't know who won Golf Channel's The Big Break Mexico by now, then you probably didn't care in the first place.  Anyway, 23 year old Taylor Collins won this edition of the Big Break when her finals match with Matthew Galloway went to the 18th hole.  Ms. Collins won 1 Up.

It was a well played match, and Taylor is a deserving champion.  In addition to a bunch of cash and other prizes, Taylor's "big break" will be an exemption into the LPGA's Lorena Ochoa Invitational in Mexico in November.  The tournament will run from November 14-17.

The Grandstander will be monitoring that tournament to see how Ms. Collins takes advantage of her big break.  I'm rooting for her.

I love "The Big Break".

Narcissism, Thy Names are A-Rod and Johnny Football

I would highly recommend that you read this week's edition of Sports Illustrated for two stories.

The first is the cover story on the soon to be banished Alex Rodriguez.  If there is any doubt in your mind as to why MLB is going after A-Rod with such fervor, then read this story.  Talk about a guy who had it all, threw it away, got a second chance, threw it away again, and STILL doesn't get it.  As the writer S.L. Price puts it, how can a guy with such superior talent and baseball smarts be so...dumb. 

The second story concerns Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel, aka "Johnny Football".  In the space of a few short months, Manziel has evolved from being an exciting football player, and a refreshing story to a near train wreck.  You know the stories...speeding tickets, underage drinking, getting thrown out of the Mannings' Quarterback camp, being seen at the NBA Finals, and so on and on.  He has come this close to being awarded an H.A. Citation by The Grandstander, but one feature of this story is making me hesitant to do so, and that is the details of how Texas A&M is reaping a financial bonanza by selling all sorts of Manziel jerseys and t-shirts, caps, photos etc.  Manziel, of course, gets not a penny of this loot, so NCAA hypocrisy allows me to give Johnny Football a break in not awarding him an H.A Citation.  He is, however, on the "H.A. Watch List".

Oh, and one more thing.  In none of these stories, not the SI story this week nor in all of the others that have surrounded Manziel this off season, is any mention at all made of him actually, you know, attending classes at A&M.  I know this brands me as being hopelessly naive, but can't they at least pretend that he is a student-athlete?  At least until he declares for the NFL at the end of the season? I mean...

Book Reviews: "Bye Bye, Baby" and Bad Monkey"

Back in May, I wrote about a book, "The Titanic Murders" and its author, Max Allan Collins:

http://www.grandstander.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-titanic-and-thinking-machine.html

I mentioned in that post how Collins wrote a series of mystery novels that surrounded actual historical events.  Collins is an incredibly prolific writer, and he has another series that features a Chicago based private investigator named Nathan Heller.  I finally got around to reading one of these novels as well. and it's fascinating.

Heller, it seems, always involves himself in cases that involve, you guessed it, actual historical people and events, and the stories are told as first person "memoirs" by Heller himself. The plot of "Bye Bye, Baby" (2011) concerns the events surrounding the death in 1962 of Marilyn Monroe.  Heller, of course, is a fictional character, but this book is populated with real people. In addition to Miss Monroe, you will encounter people like Frank Sinatra, Jimmy Hoffa, Peter Lawford. Hugh Hefner, J. Edgar Hoover, Joe DiMaggio, and, oh yeah, Jack and Bobby Kennedy.

As he did in "The Titanic Murders", Collins spins a yarn that comes up with a somewhat plausible explanation of the circumstances that led to Monroe's death.  The research that Collins had to do to write this book is incredible.  Do I accept it as historical fact?  No, I don't, but it is entertaining, compelling, and maybe, just maybe, events could have happened the way they did in this book.

There are other Heller novels that involve our hero with Al Capone, Elliot Ness, and Amelia Earhardt, and in 2012, Collins published a Heller novel called "Target Lancer" about the JFK assassination.

I plan on reading more of them, and so should you.

I also recently read the newest novel by Carl Hiaasen, "Bad Monkey".

The book opens when a honeymooning couple on a fishing excursion off of Key West hooks, not a game fish, but a human arm.  A Key West detective who is on suspension for assaulting his mistress' husband is told by the sheriff to pawn the arm off on the Miami PD.  Of course, that doesn't happen.....

Sounds crazy, doesn't it?  Not if you are familiar with and a fan of Hiaasen's fiction.  This is no exception.  Strange and goofy characters, hilarious dialog, environmental statements, voodoo curses, a hurricane, a movie star monkey, and lots of oddball romance add up to another winner.  

Read it!

The Bucs, A Burger, and Buddy

It has been a busy week since our return from vacation, and in many respects, we still haven't recovered from that middle-of-the-night drive from Corolla to Pittsburgh last Saturday, so let's cover some selected short subjects, all beginning with the letter B....

BUCS

It was a wild week for the Pirates, who jumped into first place with an amazing four game winning streak against the Cardinals, and the fact that they have now lost two in a row, one to the Cards and one to the Rockies, in no way  diminishes that accomplishment.  As this is being written, the Pirates have a 1/2 game lead over the Cardinals in the NL Central, and are 21 games over .500.  A long, hard road lies ahead, but the goal now is to win the division.  Finishing with a winning record is all but assured and the odds of securing a wild card spot are almost overwhelmingly in the Pirates' favor, but winning the division, well, that will be a long hard slog right through the end of the season if it is to happen.

I was fortunate enough to be in attendance at the Wednesday night 5-4 win over St. Louis, and it was an amazing atmosphere at PNC Park that night.  I am hoping for many more such evenings between now and September 29.

As for the trade deadline that passed without the team making any moves, I am OK with it.  I would not have wanted to see major pieces of "the future" traded away for marginal players (Alex Rios, Bud Norris) or short term rentals (Raul Ibanez), and, as I mentioned in a post a few weeks back, I believe that Neal Huntington has earned a benefit of the doubt for the time being.  Also, what has been credited as one of NH's best deals over the years was acquiring Derek Lee in 2011, and I believe that that move was made at the August 31 waiver deadline, so I am guessing that some move will be made between now and then to shore up what is a glaring weak spot in the batting order at the 1B and/or RF position.

BURGERS

It has been a while since I have written of my Quest to find the best hamburgers in Pittsburgh, but this week, I found an outstanding burger in a surprising place:

Yep, the hamburger at Manny's BBQ in PNC Park has moved into the Top Five among Pittsburgh Burgers.  First off, the burgers is cooked on a charcoal grill right before your eyes, you can choose your toppings, and it is relatively inexpensive for PNC Park concessions: $8.50, and for an extra buck, you can get a side of cole slaw and baked beans.  Of course, you  have to pay for a ticket to actually get into the ball park, so that does add to the cost.  Still, if you are planning on eating at the game anyway, go for the burger at Manny's.

Current Top Five Burgers in Pittsburgh (listed alphabetically because it is becoming too hard to list them numerically!):

• Manny's BBQ (PNC Park)
• McFadden's (North Shore)
• Rochester Inn (Ross)
• Tessaro's (Bloomfield)
• Union Grill (Oakland)

BUDDY

We took in our final CLO show if the season on Thursday at the Benedum, "Buddy - The Buddy Holly Story".  Based on the life of Buddy Holly, this was as much a rock & roll concert as a musical play, and it was really a fun show.  Great energy and musical performances by the actors, particularly by the actor portraying Buddy Holly.

This is actually the second time that we have seen this show, and it is one that I would not hesitate to see a third time as well.  The way the show starkly ends at the Clear Lake concert on "the day the music died" is shocking and most effective, and the encore performance that serves as a curtain call is absolutely fabulous.

In the course of this two and on-half hour show you can really see how Holly's music and Holly himself evolved over the course of his very, very brief career.  It makes you realize that the "what ifs..." and the "could have beens..." that surround the death of Buddy Holly are very real and very sad.

A great, great show. 

To Absent Friends: Terry Lee

Saddened to hear of the death at age 70 of former Pittsburgh superstar disc jockey Terry Lee.  If you are of a certain age (mine) you remember listening to McKeesport radio station WIXZ to the distinctive "TL Sound", and you especially remember being with your girlfriend (or boyfriend) while listening to TL's "Music for Young Lovers".  Actually, if you were like me, you remember listening to TL's "Music for Young Lovers" and wishing that you actually had a girlfriend!

Reading Lee's obituary the other day, coupled watching the Buddy Holly musical at the CLO on Thursday night, made me remember the time when the deejays themselves were the stars who played such key roles in the shaping of musical tastes and making stars of the performers whose records they played.  In Pittsburgh, those deejays were people like Lee, Porky Chedwick, Clark Race, and Chuck Brinkman.  With the way radio and the music industry have evolved over the years, do deejays like that even exist anymore?

RIP Terry Lee.