A friend was over last night and I showed him my prized Sherm Lollar #10 1955 game-worn jersey. It’s in a glass case along with his worn, signature Rawling’s glove that pales in comparison to the 45” mitt worn by Baltimore Oriole’s catcher Clint Courtney in 1960 to better handler the knuckler of future Hall-of-Famer Hoyt Wilhelm. Courtney was back-up to Lollar for half the 1955 season before going to the Orioles while Wilhelm came to the White Sox in 1963, the year Lollar retired. I could find no evidence that they ever formed the same battery because Lollar only played in 35 games that final year of his career due to injury.
I also came across some interesting stats that prove how much the catcher matters to a pitching staff. A good example is that of future Hall of Famer, Yadier Molina, who while on the disabled list, St. Louis Cardinals starting pitchers had a combined 3-10 with an ERA above 5. The same is true as to why World Series Champion catcher Martin Maldonado remains in the Astros starting lineup despite a batting average of .151. Catchers should not necessarily be judged on their hitting.
Defensive skills, the ability to call a game and work with pitchers are incredibly important to a team’s success. It supports my argument as to why more catchers like Sherm Lollar, should be inducted into the Hall of Fame. His outstanding .992 fielding percentage, using the cumbersome gear of the era, supports the argument. Could a bigger glove have enhanced his chances or at least earned him more attention?
Clinton Dawson Courtney, nicknamed Scrap Iron, was an American professional baseball catcher who played in Major League Baseball for the New York Yankees, St. Louis Browns, Baltimore Orioles, Chicago White Sox, Washington Senators and Kansas City Athletics. He batted left-handed and threw right-handed. His oversized glove earned him notoriety. However, eventually MLB adopted a rule that restricted the size of a “Big Bertha” mitt like Courtney’s:
Rule 1.12: “The catcher may wear a leather mitt not more than thirty-eight inches in circumference, nor more than fifteen and one-half inches from top to bottom. Such limits shall include all lacing and any leather band or facing attached to the outer edge of the mitt. The space between the thumb section and the finger section of the mitt shall not exceed six inches at the top of the mitt and four inches at the base of the thumb crotch. The web shall measure not more than seven inches across the top or more than six inches from its top to the base of the thumb crotch. The web may be either a lacing or lacing through leather tunnels, or a center piece of leather which may be an extension of the palm, connected to the mitt with lacing and constructed so that it will not exceed any of the above mentioned measurements.”
The Sherm Lollar mitt in my collection measures less than 35” in circumference and is less than 11” from top to bottom. It’s well within the guidelines of this rule and ten inches smaller than Courtney’s. Meanwhile, “Old Sarge” Wilhelm, used primarily as a reliever, only had 52 career starts. Gus Triandos handled the catching duties in 32 of those games. Courtney got the assignment only 5-times, but “Big Bertha” also played a role in relief work during their two years together with the Orioles. Hail to the catchers!
Only 12 days until we land in Kauai, our next retirement adventure. It hardly seems possible that the holidays are upon us with the new year just ahead. We will get there first to set up the menu, while the other two couples arrive two days later with our rental car. It will be a fun family week of drinking, eating, sunning, playing games, hiking, running, and swimming, including lunch on an ocean catamaran. We also hope to go to Michelle & Todd Rundgren’s island restaurant, Tiki Aniki. It will be a ten-day holiday family celebration, followed by a few extra days with just the two of us. Two nights at the Seattle Airport Aloft will also help break-up the long flights to and from Fort Myers, Florida.
This will be my 10th visit to Hawaii, beginning with a 25th wedding anniversary trip in 1998 with my ex-wife. I.U., where both of us attended, was the runner-up to Syracuse in the Maui Invitational. It was the first time that we met Coach Bob Knight. Five years later, I was in Honolulu with a new wife, our first of nine times together. One was for the 2008 Maui Classic with a group of Indiana friends where we shared a Thanksgiving dinner. It was the start of a miserable basketball season for the Hoosiers. Four of my travels to Hawaii were to accompany my wife for the Auto Dealers Association annual meetings. She may have gone once by herself.
Outside of Honolulu and The Big Island our lodging was primarily at Marriott Vacation Clubs, frequently in Wailea. For fun, we tried various “Rock Star” restaurants like Gannon’s and Fleetwood’s. We’ll soon add Todd Rundgren’s place to this distinguished list of musicians. Other restaurants favorites include Longhi’s, Hali’imaile General Store, Mama’s Fish House, Monkeypod, and Lahaina Grill. It will be a whole new experience on the island of Kauai, since we were only there for one day on our recent cruise. We’ll also take turns preparing meals in the condo because there are few restaurants in our secluded area
The Hurryin’ Hoosiers made their national debut in the Gavett Games at Xavier and barely escaped with a 81-79 victory. I bring the nickname “Hurryin'” out of moth balls from the Branch McCracken coaching era because I got the sense that they were playing somewhat out of control. Although they had only 11 turnovers, four were by Senior Xavier Johnson to go with his 23-points. All-American candidate Trayce Jackson-Davis led all scorers with 30, while Freshman Malik Reneau added 12 and a key deflection on the last Musketeer lay-up attempt. This was after he missed two free throws that could have iced the game. It was a great physical test that will pay dividends during the upcoming rugged BIG conference battles.
Indiana led 78-70 with 2:25 left but Xavier rallied to within a point in the final minute. I.U put magic on their side when they reached the 60-point mark first with 10:08 remaining. A Musketeer three then tied it up 27-seconds later, one of seven from long distance. I.U. only managed 4-triples but shot an outstanding 51.7% overall from the field. Free-throw shooting was the biggest concern at only 65.4% and kept Xavier in the game. Defense was suspect, giving up 79 points. Last year’s Woodson squad beat Minnesota 84-79, but lost all six games where they allowed 80 or more points.
It was Indiana’s first non-conference road victory in eleven seasons, dating back to North Carolina State in November of 2011. A road victory like this is a monumental step forward for this veteran Hoosier team that has amassed a pitiful14-40 record away from home in the last 5-years. Coach Mike Woodson, who replaced Archie Miller two seasons ago got his first victory over Archie’s brother, Sean, who was rehired by Xavier, where he was A-10 Coach of the Year in 2008, then spent 12-years at Arizona where he earned Pac-12 Coach of the Year three times. Hopefully, this season will be the start of Woodson’s coaching honors. Defense and 3-point shot efficiency will be the measures of success.
I.U. football plays at Michigan State this afternoon, after being pounded by Michigan last Saturday. Let’s hope for a less embarrassing effort today. Big Red soccer meets storied St. Louis tomorrow, after being named the 13-seed in this year’s NCAA tourney. It is a record 9th straight seed selection for the 8-time national champions. St. Louis University has ten to their credit but the last was in 1973. All of IU’s titles have been since 1982. Mike Woodson’s squad also is back in action tomorrow against Miami of Ohio. Go Hoosiers!
I can’t explain why I enjoy tuning into shows like Gold Rush and Curse of Oak Island, yet season after season I find myself captivated. Obviously, there’s the intrigue of finding buried treasures and the risk of spending money to make money. These ventures also involve the need for heavy equipment to bulldoze, dig, and move soil and rock. Most importantly, it’s the patience of treasure hunters like this that I admire. Nothing seems to deter them from their quest. I would be frustrated and would have given up long ago. I do, however, have the ability to frequently cuss like they too have mastered, and the producers are forced to bleep out.
Every week on Curse of Oak Island, the Lagina brothers believe that they’re about to hit the mother load. Instead, it’s another dead end, equipment malfunction, legal jurisdiction hassle, or mother nature getting in the way. Occasionally, they find a tid-bit after spending millions on just research, scientific support, lab work, carbon dating, and consultants. This doesn’t include the labor or mining equipment required to reach the depths where the treasure is supposedly buried. The appeal of the show is the history that’s slowly uncovered and the speculation that ancient organizations like the Knights Templar are involved. Fortunately, no one has died lately of anything but natural causes, but the “curse” claims that more lives will be lost before the treasure is found.
When it comes to hard work, nothing compares to searching for gold. Teams travel to remote areas to deal with rusty equipment and muddy conditions. They’ve often crafted crude contraptions to extract the precious metal from underground, forging icy creeks and surviving on little sleep. It’s a mechanical nightmare keeping the massive equipment running while they move and sift through tons of dirt and boulders. It’s probably the last thing you would ever find me doing to make a living, but I enjoy watching their struggles. At the end of each show, each group weighs their gold take that on occasion is little nothing. Some of the prospecting teams are heavily financed while others are simply rag-tag hopefuls. I find myself rooting for the underdog, while enjoying the comforts of the couch.
I’ve learned how to change an 8-foot tire on a dump truck and what to look for when searching for gold. None of these skills will personally ever be used, as will the survival techniques that I’ve acquired by watching Alone. I don’t enjoy the rigors of the outdoors but somehow I am fascinated by seeing others suffer or succeed on TV. Oh, the retirement life of a couch potato.
I secured my final reservation for the trip to Kauai this morning, after earning enough Marriott Reward Points to cover the cost. This will be my first stay in an Aloft property located near the Seattle airport, where we make an overnight stay on our way to and from the island. It helps break up the long flight from Ft. Myers, although substantially out of the way. Getting to Hawaii was easy on the West Coast, but here in Florida much more of a challenge. We typically either fly through L.A. or Seattle to get there.
It was supposed to be my first time on the island of Kauai, but with the itinerary change on the recent Alaska cruise we ended up there for a day. We were able to check out the Marriott Vacation Club site where we’ll be staying with my wife’s two daughters and their spouses. There should be plenty of room with three bedrooms and three baths. The “kids” will be much more active and adventurous than me, but we did schedule a joint catamaran tour for all of us. It’s a very remote location, so we also needed a rental car, but the airport is nearby. My wife and I are there for two full weeks, but the girls are staying ten days. Each of us will plan a group dinner in the condo, and we’ll go out to eat on a couple of occasions.
Kauai is known for its natural beauty, as we discovered on our boat excursion on the Kalapaki and Hule’ia Rivers during our whirlwind stay there a month ago. Many movies were filmed there, as documented in a article by Margy Parker:
“It all started in 1933, with the filming of White Heat, directed by Hollywood’s influential female director, Lois Weber. Originally titled Cane Fire, the feminist Weber worked with a diverse cast to show the angst of mixed ethnic love relationships. White Heat was released in June 1934. From there, Kauai has served over the decades as a movie location for more than sixty feature-length films shot by a host of national and international film-makers.”
Sixteen years after the release of White Heat, Olympic swimmer, Esther Williams came to Kauai to film Pagan Love Song (1950). Rita Hayworth showed up in 1954 to star in Miss Sadie Thompson. Tony Curtis followed two years later to star in Beach Head. The international hit, South Pacific, was filmed entirely on Kauai’s north shore in 1958, starring Mitzi Gaynor and Rossano Brazzi. Jack Lemon and Ricky Nelson hung out on Kauai in 1960 to star in The Wackiest Ship in the Army.
The 1960 film first connecting Elvis Presley with Hawaii, Blue Hawaii, also made Kauai’s former Coco Palms Hotel famous. Presley starred in three movies filmed in Hawaii. Following Presley to Kauai in 1963 were Hollywood’s macho men, John Wayne and Charlton Heston. They starred in Donovan’s Reef and Diamond Head.”
“Frank Sinatra starred in None but the Brave, filmed on Kauai in 1965. Julie Andrews was seen on both Oahu and Kauai during the filming of James Michener’s Hawaii in 1966. Charlton Heston returned to Kauai in 1970 to star in The Hawaiians. Four years later James Garner showed up for Castaway Cowboy, the first of Disney’s five movies featuring Kauai.”
“The second production of King Kong was shot on Kauai’s Na Pali Coast in 1976 with Jessica Lange and Jeff Bridges. Two years later, George C. Scott showed up on Kauai for the film, Islands in the Stream.”
“Disney came back to Kauai in 1979 to film Last Flight of Noah’s Ark with Elliot Gould. Steven Spielberg chose Kauai as a location to film parts of Raiders of the Lost Ark in 1981 starring Harrison Ford. Kathleen Turner and William Hurt turned Kauai “steamy” during that same year for the filming of Body Heat.”
“In 1987, Danny DeVito brought comedy noir to Kauai with the film Throw Mama from the Train. Nicolas Cage was spotted around Kauai’s east and north shores in 1991 during the filming of Honeymoon in Vegas. Steven Spielberg returned to Kauai in 1992 to shoot Jurassic Park starring Laura Dern and Jeff Goldblum. Its sequel, The Lost World, was shot on Kauai four years later. Castle Rock Pictures brought Bruce Willis to Kauai to film North in 1993, directed by Rob Reiner.”
“The filming of Outbreak followed in 1994 starring Dustin Hoffman and Morgan Freeman. Disney showed up on Kauai three times over the next five years to film George of the Jungle (1996), Dinosaurs (1997), and Lilo and Stitch (2001).”
“In 1997, Harrison Ford came back to Kauai bringing his co-star, Anne Heche for the filming of Six Days Seven Nights. Four years later Kevin Costner was seen on Kauai locations to star in the movie, Dragonfly.”
“Kauai was featured as a film location for two action movies released in 2006 and 2007. The first, Tears of the Sun, starred Bruce Willis. The second, Tropic Thunder, included the masculine trio, Tom Cruise, Ben Stiller and Robert Downey Jr.”
“From 2008 through mid-2010, four more movies were filmed on Kauai; The Descendants, staring George Clooney, Just Go With It, starring Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston, and Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides with Johnny Depp and Penelope Cruz. These three will be released in 2011. The fourth, Soul Surfer, with Dennis Quaid and Helen Hunt is the story of Kauai’s, Bethany Hamilton, made famous by her comeback from a shark attack. This movie was released in 2009.”
“Undoubtedly, more movies, TV series and commercials will be filmed on Kauai in the years to come taking advantage of its extraordinary scenery, rural charm, and outstanding climate.”
Although this article was at least ten years old, we’ll be making our own memorable film in a few weeks and sharing some more movies captured in Paradise.
It’s midweek, formerly known in my working world as “Hump Day.” In retirement, however, it’s just another day and just as good as a Saturday. Our entertainment commitments are now down to just Thanksgiving before we head to Hawaii. Last night, it was friends from the neighborhood for appetizers and wine, wrapping up a very busy week of socializing. We’ll soon be resting up with two weeks in Kauai under the wing of Mother Marriott.
I was admiring our new outdoor kitchen this morning. The polished stainless steel glistening in the sunlight. The DCS grill was purchased in Portland and moved several times. It has a built-in motorized rotisserie that somehow survived being stored all these years. The seller had also included a side-burner unit that’s remained in the original box. I take great satisfaction in deciding to save it, despite my wife’s reluctance to keep it since it took up so much space. For once, my pack-rat instincts paid off because it’s now built-in to the stonework and provides the gas burners that she loves to cook on. She was disappointed that we had bought an all-electric home, when a gas range was preferred but not an option. We added refrigerated drawers, a custom stainless steel exhaust hood, under counter storage, granite countertops, and a sink to the limestone base, a definite upgrade from the one we built in Austin. A decorative tile backsplash that coordinates with our kitchen completes the look.
I remember last using a similar rotisserie in Austin to roast our Thanksgiving turkey when my son and his family came to visit. The one we have now has yet to be used and won’t for awhile. My grandson has decided that he wants ham for Thanksgiving this year, so Honey Baked it is! We’ll pick it up on Monday when we’re at the nearby movie theatre. We saw Black Panther: Wakanda Forever for last week’s “Matinee Monday.” Hopefully, some new Thanksgiving releases will provide next week’s big screen entertainment. Pass the popcorn please!
With my hurried run behind me this morning, I’m waiting for the refrigerator repairman. We’ve been without our main refrigerator since returning from Alaska/Hawaii, using the smaller garage frig and the recently installed outdoor kitchen unit. It’s probably saved on groceries since my wife has a tendency to overbuy, but without the cold storage space it’s prevented her from stocking up. I’m hoping that our warranty will cover these repairs today, but I’m prepared to spend anything just to get it running again. It’s an inconvenience to all of us to have to go to the garage or lanai for something cold.
We’re having company again tonight, so maybe we can once again use the main Kitchenaid. They’re supposed to be here between nine and one, but you know how that goes. Hurry up and wait! I’m also keeping an eye on the street repair guys. They have the end of our driveway marked to replace with new concrete, but seem to have skipped over our house. Driveways on both sides have me have been taken care of already, but I’ll need to track them down for another reminder. I’m also due at the dentist for a 2pm appointment.
Tomorrow, the Borrego Boyz ride again after our summer hiatus. It’s the Florida version of the “Leadership Meetings” that we arranged in Portland. This will be our 8th get together when you count the trip to St. Pete for the Indycar race. Last Saturday night was the 10th “Meet the Neighbors” event, involving now 75 homes on Borrego and Fassio streets. It’s getting to be exhausting hosting these bigger get togethers – too many introductions, too much noise, and too much organization. I got there early to set up chairs and the food table but then it was Hurry Up and Wait.
I discovered an Islandwalk neighbor that lived in Indianapolis, went to I.U. like I did, worked at the same radio station, and went into the T.V. business. Somehow, we never crossed paths, but I’m thinking that I replaced him at WIBC-AM when he went to WRTV. He also worked with my wife when she was a media buyer in Indy and remembered her face and married name at the time after 40-years. His wife went to grade school through high school with the guy that I hired to be my General Sales Manager at WLFI-TV in Lafayette. We had the two of them over for brunch yesterday.
My wife loves to entertain, but likes to do the inviting. Whenever I bring people to the house, she always seems to resist. I spent the morning before they arrived hanging pictures, cleaning windows, and vacuuming as penalty for intruding on her Sunday. I had already tried to help make the breakfast casserole the night before but managed to screw that up. She thinks that I do this intentionally so that she never asks me to help, but I’m really not that clever. I just don’t do things the same way she does, which is the right way.
They stayed a little longer than we expected yesterday, especially after two other weekend get-togethers with neighbors and one more to go tomorrow night. We were both tired, but there were so many common connections that needed to be explored, so it naturally took a long time to catch up. There was also the circumstances that put them together with me. A few weeks ago, I had arranged to reunite with this guy I hired in Lafayette, who has a winter home on Anna Maria Island, not too far from us. He was entertaining a group of high school friends in town for golf. As we were all having lunch, they suggested stopping by the house of another Lafayette classmate. Coincidentally, it turned out to be in my neighborhood, not to mention that her husband had followed this similar Indianapolis media path as myself. That impromptu visit, in turn, led to yesterday’s lengthy brunch. It’s a small world after all!
It’s a challenge to come up with something to write about every day, and all too often I come up with nonsense. This morning I got back into the lap swimming because my arms were feeling flabby. Obviously, the push-ups aren’t enough to fight off gravity. My wife is at an aqua-fit class while I will soon take Tally to be groomed. It’s another party night with a “Meet the Neighbors” event at the clubhouse. I saw most of my neighbors at a dinner party last night now that the snowbirds are back to roost. Many of these folks I haven’t seen since May when they retreat to their northern lake homes for the summer. Those that don’t own second homes use this time for travel. We took trips to Mackinac Island, Portland, and were gone another month on the excursion to Alaska and Hawaii.
There was a lot of talk about hurricane damage last night as everyone compared wounds. It was everything from roof tiles to lanai cages. We seem to be the only one that lost our refrigerator to a power surge. I’m suspicious of the manufacturer’s claim that it was storm related, enabling them to conveniently ignore my warranty. The repairman will be here again next week to further explore the problem. I’m already out of pocket on some tile work and the $1,250 HOA assessment for tree replacement. Fortunately, our lanai was spared, but this was not the case for many neighbors. The second hurricane, Nicole, swept through mid-week but caused little destruction.
I saw some frightening footage last night of the storm taken just across the street where most of the neighborhood damage occurred. It showed a torn screen flapping, debris flying, dark skies, torrential rain, and waves crashing in the pool from the 150-mph winds. I’m glad we missed it while waiting for updates safely aboard our Alaska cruise ship. We took evacuation to great extremes. Those who stayed in their homes here said they would never do it again. I’m glad to see the end of hurricane season.
Our friend that came to visit last week usually treats me this time of year with her delicious pumpkin bars, at least when we’ve lived in or come to visit Indianapolis. They have a cream cheese frosting that puts them on the level of my chocolate chip favorite. There’s also a woman in our neighborhood that knows the cravings of a “Cookie Monster” like myself. She bakes me goodies all the time including oatmeal, cinnamon, and snickerdoodles. I’ve never met a cookie I didn’t like.
Since pumpkin bars were difficult to deliver cross-country, our Indy friend took the time to shop for ingredients and bake me pumpkin Whoopie Pies while she was staying here. By definition, a Whoopie Pie is “a baked good comprised of two mound-shaped cookie-cakes with a creamy marshmallow-based filling sandwiched between them.” They’re like an ice cream sandwich or Moon Pie, combining the unbeatable elements of cookie and cake frosting. The filling reminds me of licking the bowl and mixing beaters as a kid.
I’ve been living on these sweets this past week with just a few yet to finish. I’m sure they’ve helped heal my bruised eyelids. They are really the only reminder of fall here in Florida where the temperatures are rarely cool, the trees don’t change color, and there’s no frost on the pumpkins. The smell of pumpkin spice is the only sign of the season in the tropics other than the start of basketball. I’m glad to enjoy a Fall diet of Whoopie Pies.
