I was looking for a fabulous finish to Shohei Ohtani’s stellar season with perhaps a World Series MVP, but instead he’s fizzled a bit. No home runs or stolen bases, just an injury scare. Instead, Freddie Freeman has stolen the limelight and has the Dodgers one game away from a sweep. His walk-off grand slam in Game One all but sealed the MVP award, plus he added two more homers, all on a bad leg. It was compared to Kirk Gibson’s feat in 1988, in dramatic fashion with two outs. Some reports indicated that both walk-offs occurred at 8:37 pm PDT, adding to the mystique.
I bought a baseball card to celebrate the moment but was honestly hoping for more Ohtani cards to add to my collection of over 170. I would like to sell it, thinking that a Series MVP would add more value. He will undoubtedly receive the National League MVP and Aaron Judge will earn the American League prize. Judge, with another disappointing postseason performance, is just 1-12 in the first three games. Ohtani is 1-11 but has at least scored twice. Both hyped superstars have all but disappeared in their very first World Series appearances.
Freeman is all but a MVP lock, but “it’s never over till it’s over,” Yogi Berra’s famous quote. He knows more about World Series play than anyone, but his Yankee Stadium ghost has yet to scare the Dodgers. There still could be four more games, and the stars could yet shine. The Yankees are certainly capable of winning four-straight, especially if Aaron Judge starts to deliver. We have to give the opposing pitchers credit for exploiting the weaknesses of these great players. With all the focus on them, it’s the other eight on each team that have made the difference. Bring on Game 4!
It’s probably better that I focus on writing about sports today rather than bladder control and Depends. I will say that the prostate surgery went well, but I feel like Baby Huey in his signature plastic panties, primarily worn as a precaution. It will apparently be some time before my bladder returns to normal. In the meantime, I will begin a “pain management” program for my unrelated sciatica. Relief is on the way!
In an uncomfortable situation like this, I refer to the movie, “Planes, Trains, and Automobiles,” where Steve Martin wakes-up-side-by-side in the same motel room bed with John Candy….”Those aren’t pillows.” They break the awkwardness with the words: “See that Bears game last week?” I’ll use that same distraction in avoiding details about my current health issues.
Da Bears did win last week and had this weekend off. It was the remarkable Indiana football Hoosiers that made my day. Despite record-setting trips to the restroom, I was able to enjoy the stunning victory over Nebraska and a 7-0 start to the season. Baby Huey’s Ducks also claimed the top spot in this week’s polls after crushing helpless Purdue.
After a quick trip to the toilet, I’ll try to finish. Purdue is already looking forward to basketball, where they are expected to win the BIG, while I.U fans can’t wait for the Bucket Game and have a chance for a title and major Bowl appearance. Basketball is not a priority for once, even after a taste of hoops during Hoosier Hysteria on Friday night, all part of the Homecoming Hoopla! The exhibition game against formidable Tennessee is only a week away.
Aside from my love of the Hoosiers, Shohei Ohtani’s Dodgers have made it to the World Series with a ticket to play Aaron Judge’s Yankees. The two likely season MVP’s will get a chance to compete against each other head-to-head for a Championship. Ohtani’s move from the Angels have led to his very first postseason experience and a chance for the World Series MVP, the perfect cap to a sensational season.
IU’s QB Kurtis Rourke will miss next week’s Washington game with a thumb injury. Tayven Jackson replaced him in the second half of the Nebraska game and will be challenged with the task of maintaining the unblemished record. Michigan
State, Michigan, Ohio State, and Purdue loom ahead on the schedule, followed by a Bowl game yet to be determined. The Ducks and Hoosiers top the BIG TEN standings, with what was unimaginable years ago before league expansion and the portal. There’s a lot to look forward to despite the Baby Huey Blues!
I just finished my 15-part series on White Sox catcher Sherm Lollar (See Post #2509). It was a good distraction from shoulder and leg pain, as well as the incoming hurricane named Milton. The baseball playoffs continue with the Dodgers and Shohei Ohtani in danger of early elimination by the Padres and the Mets are on a roll. Royals, and Tigers, and Guardians, Oh My! IU football remains undefeated and bowl eligible at 6-0 with a week off. My other distraction has been watching The Old Man on Hulu and sorting my son’s baseball cards.
I took the level of the pool down about 4 inches this morning in anticipation of heavy rain and then shut off the breakers. We’ve stocked up on food/water and filled the tubs/containers. Everything on the lanai has been taken to the garage or bungeed together as a precaution. Fountains and hoses have been disconnected. It’s currently raining with tornado warnings to add to the stress. We’re still a day away from Milton’s estimated landfall that should happen near Tampa, far enough away from us. The Weather Channel is currently reporting from Jacksonville for some reason, but the farther away from us the better.
We bought 11-bags of mulch yesterday to use as sandbags, if necessary, but with Hurricane Ian last year, the water only came up halfway down the street. It would need to rise another 5-feet or more to affect us. Let’s hope that doesn’t happen! We won’t be victims of the impending Gulf surge but flooding of the nearby Myakka River could pose a problem. We’ve elevated most everything possible in the house, just in case, up on tables or higher shelves. Throw rugs have been removed, as the lights start to flicker. We’ve even prepared a stock of frozen water containers to us in the refrigerator if the power goes out.
The neighbors all have generators and are more than anxious to test and show off their investments. They claim that it was worth it if they don’t have to use it but have a secret desire for glamping. For me, it would be just another thing to go wrong! Our resort community, Islandwalk, has a pretty good newly installed electrical back-up system. All our phones are charged with back-up. It’s cool enough that we won’t need air conditioning. My old Meteorologist in Lafayette, Indiana is reporting now for Channel 10 in Tampa. His team is on the background and love this sh*t! They, too, are fortunately not in our neighborhood! There will be some heavy drinking going on, but not at our house. Sleeping will be enough of a problem without the extra sugars.
The good thing about hurricanes is that you have several days to fret and plan, unlike other natural disasters. It’s the fretting part that’s painful, like watching a train wreck in slow motion. Before the day is over, we’ll pack a few bags if we’re forced to move. I see nothing but red on these TV weather maps, but we’re as ready as we can be.
Many of our neighbors have not returned from their Snowbird perches up north or have delayed coming because of the storm. Others have followed the warnings and left. My son lives near-by in less likely to flood Zone E but has a houseful of nephews and nieces staying with him. We will not benefit from emergency services since we’re in Zone C with mandatory evacuation. As mentioned, the other half of our street has had water problems in the past, but we’re uphill, but still subject to the same orders to leave. They’ve also added more drainage pumps because of that previous problem and are more vigilant about keeping the street drains open. We’ve all learned lessons since the last storms!
Where would we go? It took almost eight hours, more than twice as long as normal, for friends to get to the other coast because of the traffic congestion. Finding a place to stay, with all the hotels reserved for emergency services, is nearly impossible. Staying home, allows others to escape if necessary. I can only hope we’ve made the right decision! All of my pessimistic nature is showing its colors!
Another emergency message has interrupted the TV broadcast. There are those that are also annoyed that the wall-to-wall weather programming has preempted The Young and The Restless. We’ll likely be restless confined to our concrete bomb shelter with high-impact hurricane glass. If the power goes off, we’ll “resort” to books – maybe “resort” is the wrong word!
I will do another post when things settle down and the power is restored. However, I’m not sure how long that will take? A lot of people have been in touch, expressing their concerns, so maybe this will get more readership than normal. My biggest issue at this point is next week’s prostrate surgery. The pre-testing was cancelled for tomorrow, so I hope there won’t be a delay. I’ve got to go – to the bathroom, again! Go away, Milton, and don’t come again another day!
Between baseball cards and big games my life seems to revolve around sports. I check the scores every morning, look at all the box scores, go to the Topps Now site every afternoon to see what cards are available, and watch the live action whenever I can, then view a related documentary or read a book like Bushville Wins! about the 1957 World Champion Milwaukee Braves. IU sports, Purdue, other BIG Ten teams, Indiana Fever, the Cubs, White Sox, Colts, Bears, Kyle Schwarber, and Shohei Ohtani are currently my regular interests.
The baseball playoff race is in full swing, IU football is off to an unprecedented start, IU basketball is getting ready to start, and history is being made by Schwarber and Ohtani on the diamond. Sadly, the Cubs will fall short again this year, and the White Sox are a joke, about to lose their 120th game this season – more history of the worst kind!
Hoosier football won their first four games in dominating style, the local Venice High School Indians are 5-0 after a 54-51 victory last night over Cocoa. The WNBA Indiana Fever and rookie sensation Caitlin Clark are solidly in the playoffs and will battle the Connecticut Sun today on ABC-TV. At least, my sports interests are diverse, ranging from high school and college to professional. I follow the Portland Timbers in soccer as well as the IU program, watch the Little League World Series, men’s & women’s softball, Indy Car, NASCAR, and Formula One. If competition and skill or a ball are involved – I’m interested.
The Purdue-IU rivalry has finally taken a twist in football this year, as the Boilermakers look weak. Hopefully that trend will continue in men’s & women’s basketball, as well as the other sports. Purdue is my second favorite team, the result of working in that community for several years, but there’s no doubt as to my favorite when they play IU. The Colts and Bears tangle this afternoon.
My interest in Kyle Schwarber stems from his collegiate years at IU, my alma mater as well. He made history again last night with his 15th lead-off home run for the Phillies this season. No one else in baseball has ever accomplished that feat! He did it against the Met’s pitcher, Sean Manaea, who now boasts a 12-5 record and retired 21-24 batters with only three hits, including Schwarber’s 406-foot bomb. Manaea’s pitching gem, however, temporarily stalled the Phillies claim to the Division title.
Shohei Ohtani immediately intrigued my interest when he moved his skills from the Japanese leagues to MLB in 2018. This despite my being neither an Angels or Dodgers fan. The ability to both pitch and hit effectively is a rare art, dating back to Babe Ruth. I started collecting his baseball cards, as I also do with Schwarber, and have been caught-up in his success. After arm surgery late last year, he’s focused on hitting and base stealing this season, reaching the 52-52 plateau the other night with 7 more games yet to play. He could very well get back on the mound in the playoffs, finally on a team that has gotten him into the MLB postseason for the very first time.
Needless to say, I’m looking forward to the next game!
I just happened to tune into the MLB Network last night to watch part of Shohei Ohtani’s amazing historic performance. He went 6-6, with 10 RBIs, 2 steals, 2 doubles, 3 HRs, and 4 runs scored, becoming the first player to achieve membership in the 50/50 Club. Yes, other players have had more HRs or steals, but no one in all of baseball has done what he has done this season – and it’s not over. Although his Dodger team clinched their twelfth-straight playoff berth, he will have played 874 games without going to the postseason, once these last 9-games are in the books.
The Japanese superstar still hides behind his interpreter, although I think that he’s probably somewhat well-versed by now in English. He’d have to do too much talking to the press if it weren’t for this crutch. It’s a defense mechanism that has even protected him from gambling accusations. I also expect that he’ll be back on the mound before the playoffs are over, adding to his baseball mystique. Surgery has allowed him to focus on hitting and stealing bases that has not been a luxury in previous seasons as a two-way player.
I’m not a Dodger fan but I am intrigued with Shoei himself. I’ve been collecting his baseball cards since the 2018 Rookie season that brought him to the Angels and saw him play in Anaheim that year. If he had remained with the Angels this year, he would have missed this playoff opportunity with the rival Dodgers. Who can now blame him for the move? His collection of over 150-cards, and growing, is on display at my local baseball card shop, Blue Breaks. The limited-edition Topps Now cards chronologically summarize his MLB career. Hopefully, this 50/50 achievement adds to its investment value.
I’m moving on to the next milestone, only 500 posts from 3,000. I feel like Pete Rose, aiming for that next hit to earn another record. Shohei Ohtani is in a bit of a stall, throttled by Braves pitching in his quest for 50/50. Aaron Judge, on the other hand, moved out of his funk, and smashed home runs number 52 and 53. The Cubs will probably have to wait until next year, still 5-games out of the last Wild Card spot that now belongs to the Mets. However, the Braves are just a game back, with three head-to-head-matchups in Atlanta remaining in the 2024 regular season. Our neighboring park, Cool Today, just released the 2025 Braves Spring Training schedule. It would be good to see them at least make the Playoffs.
There’s a concert at the Park Saturday night, one of our favorite local bands, Dukes of Brinkley. Tonight, we’re out to dinner with Indy friends at Laishley’s in Punta Gorda and Friday night joining some neighbors at nearby Dockside. “Date Night” has therefore been moved to Saturday night, so we might be able to fit in a little live music.
I’m waiting for the refrigerator repair guy to call with a specific time, although there’s already been several frustrating cancellations. My wife is tired of running to the garage refrigerator during meal preparation. This has been an on-going hassle for several months. She’s substituting again today, so I had Dog Park duty. Once I finish writing, I’ll head to Chair Yoga and the fitness center.
My leg pain was especially bad first thing this morning but has since predictably gone away. Fosse did not help matters, running off to chase a rabbit, while I limped after. Hopefully, I will get some feedback on the cause of this sciatica with Friday’s MRI. It was in my lower back last night, making our evening walk miserable. The Dog Buggy (stroller) at least allows me some support, and Tally enjoys riding along with us rather than being left behind at home. The pain moves from my lower spine area to my upper left thigh, and into my calf, so it’s been difficult to determine the source of the pinched nerve or irritation. I’ll finally get some answers and eventually some relief. Maybe we’ll even have working kitchen refrigerator by then?
Like a kid in a candy store, I’ve been sorting baseball cards for the last few days. My son brought over his collection of sports cards, many of which were mine many years ago. I simply put them all in order, removed all the duplicates, and added some of those to my binders. The triplicates I’ll take to Blue Breaks, my local store and put them in the kid’s box – free cards to perhaps motivate a youngster to adopt the hobby.
Since I’ve been nursing a sore leg, sitting and sorting seems like a good idea. However, then it stiffens even more and makes walking miserable. It seems to be getting worse rather than better and a call to the doctor’s office yesterday didn’t seem to speed up the process of getting an MRI. No one knows what to do for me until I get these results, so progress is at a standstill. I’ll work out the pain in the morning and then am able to do my workouts at the gym or the pool. However, sedate evenings of watching TV or distractions like baseball cards, lead to hours on a soft couch. This seems to aggravate the nerve. It’s like a hamstring injury, with stabbing pain running down my left leg into my calf. Ice provides temporary relief, but a heating pad last night didn’t seem to help. I’m lost for a solution.
The baseball world that I live in this time of year keeps me sane. Kyle Schwarber hit 3-homers in a single game this week, the first, a lead-off shot, tied him with Alfonso Soriano for the season record. Japanese phenom Shota Imanaga hurled 7-innings of no-hit ball for the Cubs, and two relievers combined to finish off the game, holding the Pirates hitless. Aaron Judge pursues the 60-mark and Shohei Ohtani inches closer to the 50/50 Club. However, the White Sox continue to lose at a record pace. I still check the box scores in the middle of the night and go to the Topps Baseball site every afternoon to purchase cards that capture those moments of actions. History is made almost every day on the diamond. In another month or so, my entire focus will shift to I.U. basketball. Too much idle time, like this, is driving me crazy. I need to find something constructive to do with my days.
My wife spent another day teaching school, while I took the dogs to the park. She almost didn’t get home, considering the fact that her Lexus key fob fell apart, and she couldn’t get the car started. Fortunately, she was able to improvise and drove to Sarasota to pick up a pricy replacement. The nearly 20-year-old sports car, her baby, needs an oil change, tune-up, and struts, so hopefully the rest of it won’t fail in the near future. She has errands tomorrow and I’ll need it Saturday, but school is on hold until Monday. I need this leg to heel, so I can go back to work.
I guess I really know how to pick ’em, but how can I blame the 8-year-old child that fell in love with the Chicago White Sox 65-years ago in 1959. However, the 2024 version now needs to go 12-19 the remainder of the season to avoid tying the 1962 New York Mets (40-120-1) for the modern major league record for most losses in a season. They currently stand at an embarrassing 31-100 (.236). Thankfully, they will fall short of the all-time record held by the Cleveland Spiders, who finished 20-134 (.129) in 1899. History tells us just how bad this team has been after already losing their 100th game of this season at the hands of the Detroit Tigers. Only the 1916 Philadelphia A’s, who were 29-100-1 (.223), reached 100 losses in fewer games than the White Sox.
My stinking Sox have lost 100 or more games six times in franchise history and now in consecutive seasons for the first time. They went 61-101 last season under manager Pedro Grifol, who was fired Aug. 8. They are currently 3-11 under interim replacement Grady Sizemore. Their worst losing season was in 1970 when they lost 106-games, soon to be surpassed. You then have to go back to 1932 to find a worst winning percentage with the 49-102-1 (.325) club.
I understand that there is a Bill Veeck-like promotion where the first five people in line will make the starting lineup in an upcoming White Sox game. Veeck did things like this to attract crowds back in the day (See Post #257). Speaking of this, I was finally able to see a Savannah Bananas game in its entirety thanks to TruTV. I’ve obviously seen highlights of this spectacle that I liken to the Harlem Globetrotter shenanigans of my childhood. The closest thing in person that I’ve seen are the Portland Pickles, who play a serious brand of baseball but engage in extensive crowd antics. This is what attracts the crowds to the Minor League parks these days.
On a more serious note, my current favorite active MLB player, outside of Kyle Schwarber, is Shohei Ohtani of the Dodgers, even though I can’t say that the Dodgers are my favorite team. Japanese-star, Ohtani, has joined the elite 40-40 club, a group of batters, currently six, who have collected 40 homers and 40 stolen bases in a single season. There are still 31-games to go before the playoffs and Ohtani has done it in the fewest number of games. The club also includes Jose Conseco, Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez, Alphonso Soriano, and Ronald Acuna, Jr.
Last but not least, Florida won it first-ever Little League World Series. The team from Lake Mary “needed to win four elimination games and come from behind in both the semi-finals and finals to secure the championship, but thanks to a perfect bunt and a defensive miscue, they won it all.” They beat Chinese Taipei 2-1 in Williamsport. These are some future stars that the White Sox desperately need.
Shohei Ohtani joined the 30-30 Club, despite a recent draught that has hopefully only temporarily dropped him out of the Triple Crown race. In Chicago related sports, the Cubs took the series from the Cardinals to at least rise from the cellar to face the Twins and White Sox, while bed-ridden Steve McMichael was honored by the HOF and the Bears won a rain-shortened game over the Texans in Canton. Former Cubs World Series hero, Kyle Schwarber, now a Philly, hit his 41st career leadoff homer, and the 10th of this season in a 6-0 victory over the trade-depleted Marlins. Alfonso Soriano’s 13 in 2003 as a Yankee is the record he is chasing. Schwarbs and Ohtani faced each other in LA, both in a DH role.
Schwarber homered once in game two and three times in game 3 to boost his season total to 27 (11 lead-off shots) while Ohtani homered in the opener (#34).
Currently tied for seventh on the single season leadoff homer list, Schwarber joined Soriano as the only players with multiple seasons of 10-plus leadoff homers and is not done yet. If Schwarber can get to 3 more home runs from the top of the batting order at any point this season, he will be the first player since at least 1974 to have three consecutive such years. In addition, he’s the first Phillies player since Jayson Werth in 2008 with 3 homers and 7 RBIs in a game. He ties a career high and delivers his first ever 4-4 game. He is batting 364 over the last 15 games.
Ohtani and the Dodgers are slumping, as the surging Diamondbacks and Padres, both with 9 wins in their last 10 games, have closed the gap to two games — the smallest margin since late April. Ohtani’s batting average has slipped to .294 after the Brewers series and from .316 since the All-Star break. He and his teammates travel to St. Louis and Busch Stadium for Players Weekend where he has yet to have a career homer.
Gavin Sheets matched a career high with four hits and drove in four runs, Korey Lee and Brooks Baldwin homered and the Chicago White Sox gave interim manager Grady Sizemore his first win, pounding the New York Yankees 12-2. This was of course after losing 24 of 25.
The Little League World Series is underway, and as we passed through New Jersey, I couldn’t help but think of 1998 when Toms River, New Jersey, defeated Kashima, Ibaraki, Japan in the championship game of the 52nd Little League World Series. The title game was punctuated by a standout performance by future White Sox and 2015 MLB Home Run Derby champion Todd Frazier, who went 4-for-4 with a lead-off home run, and was also the winning pitcher. He retired from baseball in 2022.
As a final note or two, TruTV has agreed to broadcast five Savannah Banana games. I’ve set my record function in hope of catching some of the action. After all, tickets are both expensive and hard to get. Plus, Da Bears are now 3-0 in the preseason. It could be a good year.
There is a wealth of knowledge in my neighborhood. Retired accountants, bankers, lawyers, brokers, and doctors – men and women. I learn something new every day or benefit from their expertise when they assist the HOA on contract negotiations. They might help save money on insurance, zoning, or investments, for example, to keep our annual costs down. I often wish I had skills like this, but my media background doesn’t necessarily apply. What do I have to offer?
Sadly, my chief interest and wealth of knowledge these days seems to be baseball cards, for what it’s worth. It’s like going full circle back to childhood and skipping all those years of doing business. In the back of my mind is the hope that I uncover something valuable, but maybe all that matters is that it makes me happy. I keep thinking of my childhood neighbor, who hit me square in the forehead with a rock, requiring stitches. He was a little older and had an impressive assortment of baseball cards and enviable knowledge. As he and his mother came to see me in bed after the accident, they brought me a box of unopened baseball cards as an apology. I’m sure it was the mother’s idea! It took all the pain away and made me want another hit in the head. The baseball cards are long gone but the scar is still there.
Baseball cards tell a story and finding them like a treasure hunt. I have about ten massive binders of them, carefully organized by team and player. All of them are valuable to me, regardless of condition or worth. They bring back memories and inspire me to learn more about the history of the game. I have several neighbors that feel the same way. I spent yesterday afternoon with one of them, who made it his business. For many years, he was a distributor for Topps, the major brand in baseball cards that has bought out everyone else. They are currently capitalizing on the current resurgence of the hobby, that also extends to all other sports, video games, celebrities, and even Disney.
He eventually established his own trading card business, having recently sold it, but keeping an active role while in his 80’s. I wanted to drool when he showed me a recent shipment of classic cards that he bought for resale. We’re headed to a local card show today, but just to look, and not as an exhibitor, as is his norm. He’s off to the National Sports Card Convention in Cleveland next week. I wish I had the mad money to attend and participate, but I continue to get satisfaction on a smaller scale, by hanging with neighbors like this. No different than when I was a kid.
If I had an extra quarter growing up, I’d hop on my bike and head to the nearby grocery store to buy five packs of cards (5-cents each). All was right in the world, as I’d sit on the curb and open them like a Christmas package. Back then, they also contained a flat, pink, slab of bubble gum, so the scent became associated with the cards, as I’d begin to organize them once I got back home, sometimes putting together All-Star teams. Then, we’d get out the Whiffle ball and bat to play Home Run Derby as our favorite player. I’d imagine myself as Mickey Mantle, until I found a new hero, Sherm Lollar. These days, I’d be Kyle Schwarber or Shohei Ohtani at the plate.
I’ve been striking out a lot recently while participating in what they call “Card Breaks,” sharing the cost of buying several boxes and paying to keep the cards of the team of your choice. I’m not willing to invest in the higher-priced Dodgers or Yankees, so I tend to stick with the lower-priced White Sox or Cubs. Naturally, all the more desirable autograph and relic cards never seem to come my way. I prefer the random draws, but luck is never in my favor, so I’m still stuck with the less desirables, but content with the Hope.
