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The Who in Concert, the Best in Live Rock & Roll

I had just finished a project a few nights ago, it was about 9:00 pm. Still too early to go to bed, and as usual for me, nothing of interest on TV.

I glanced up on the shelf where I keep DVD’s, and I saw a small box set of music by The Who that I had bought a few years back. It included the rock operas “Tommy,” as well as “Quadrophenia,” and it had three concert outtakes from over the years.

The Who – A Listening & Viewing Experience That is Unforgettable

I knew what I’d be doing for the next couple of hours. I chose to watch the DVD of their concert performed at the Universal Amphitheatre in Los Angeles from 1989. It was the second set.

What a treat this was! The Who electrified the crowd. They were at the “top of their game.” Roger Daltrey’s voice never sounded better. Pete Townshend’s work on guitar, as well as his preening & prancing, had the place shaking. The ever steady John Entwistle had his fingers going a million miles an hour on bass guitar. Zak Starkey (son of Ringo Starr), was tremendous on drums.

The concert was beautifully taped from many angles, and with HD graphics, it was like you were in the concert hall.

The set included “Substitute, I Can See for Miles, Baba O’Riley, Face the Face, Love Reign O’er Me, Boris the Spider, Dig, Join Together, Rough Boys, You Better You Bet, Behind Blue Eyes, Won’t Get Fooled Again, and Who Are You?”

Seeing the show truly reminded me of my younger years, and the times I spent with some of the greatest guys you could grow up with. I was able to attend 4 Who concerts with my “buds,” 3 in Cleveland, and 1 in Dayton.

My favorite Who concert had to be the first one, back in 1975 I believe. It was at the Cleveland Coliseum (since demolished), and about 8 of us had 14th row tickets right on the floor in front of the stage. This was the only show that I saw when original drummer Keith Moon was still alive (he passed away in 1978).

If you never had the opportunity to see The Who live, I would suggest buying this DVD, or some other of their concert DVD’s. You won’t be disappointed, as it is truly a great Rock & Roll experience.

Still Treasures After All These Years

A few weeks back, it was reported that a family in Defiance, Ohio, had stumbled upon a treasure trove of baseball cards in the attic of an old home they were clearing out.

These cards were in pristine condition, and they dated back to around 1910 or so. They included Honus Wagner, Christy Mathewson, Walter Johnson, and of course, the great Ty Cobb just to name a few.

They were from a very rare set, of which there were a limited amount that ever went to print. The experts say that chances are, there will never be a find like this ever again. The cards are valued at around 3 million dollars.

This brought to mind all of the card collecting that I did when I was young. I started collecting around the mid 1960’s, and by the time I had reached my late teens, I had amassed quite a collection. My brothers and I, along with friends from that time, spent hours discussing, buying, and of course trading these treasured pieces of paper.

Back then, Topps pretty much controlled the card market. Today, there are countless companies that put out “the next best thing” in the collecting industry.

After I pretty much had quit collecting, my sons took over, and they amassed quite a collection themselves.

I spent a good portion of time over the past year or so getting the cards that I had, as well as my boys cards organized into albums. They are now neatly arranged alphabetically into “books,” and they are there for easy viewing. They include cards that go all the way back to the 1950’s.

I certainly doubt that the collection that I have would ever approach 7 figures, but to me and my sons, they are priceless.

MLB’s Second Half Gets Under Way

On Friday night, after a 4 day hiatus for the All-Star break, MLB started the second half of their season. If the second half is anything like the first, we are in a for a wild ride.

When Friday began, the Rangers, Yankees, and White Sox were in first places in the American League, while Washington, Pittsburgh, and Los Angeles headed up their respective divisions in the National League.

Keep in mind, that for the first time, there will be 2 wild card teams from each league. As of right now, there only a few teams that you could say are out of the race for the playoffs.

Many surprises in the first half, including the aforementioned Nationals and Pirates playing great baseball. On the other end of the spectrum, the Phillies, decimated by injuries, are 14 games out.

The battle tested Yankees & Rangers are taking care of business as was expected. The White Sox & Angels are also both playing very well.

Individually, we’ve seen the emergence of Bryce Harper in Washington, as well as a 10 win first half from Yu Darvish. Matt Kemp of the Dodgers was off to a sizzling start before being injured. Josh Hamilton of Texas slugged 4 home runs in a game. There were 4 no hitters tossed, including 2 perfect games. Knuckleballer RJ Dickey led baseball with 12 wins.

I had the opportunity to see 7 games in the first half, including witnessing Norwell’s Jarrod Parker come close to tossing a no-no against Texas.

Baseball. America’s Pastime. Get on the bandwagon, as the best is yet to come.

Rieke Park Hosts District Ten Little League Baseball

A few weeks back I wrote an article that featured the old home of Auburn Little League Baseball, Thomas Park. On Wednesday night, my son Ethan and I had the chance to go to the new home of Auburn Little League, Rieke Park, and take in a couple of fun games.

Both games featured 9-10 year old all-star teams, in what is called the “District Ten President’s Tournament.” On one field, one Auburn team was hosting a team from Leo, and on the other field, a different Auburn team was hosting a team from Don Ayres (Homestead area).

I had a rooting interest in both games, as in the game with the Leo team, a friend of mine who works at CK Technologies, Matt Obrien, his son Mike was the starting catcher. The other game had Dekalb’s baseball coach, Chris Rhodes as an interested spectator, as his son Easton was playing shortstop.

Both games had their ups & downs, as well as ebb & flow, but for 9-10 year old’s, I saw some pretty good baseball. I kept going back and forth between the fields just so I could enjoy the action from each contest.

If you haven’t been out to Rieke Park, take an evening to stop by and have an enjoyable time in an enjoyable atmosphere. It has developed into a very nice & comfortable facility. League President Mike Stafford and his core of volunteers have done a tremendous job in helping to make this one of the top-notch facilities in NE Indiana.

Payton Rhodes, Coach Rhodes, Ethan Prebynski, and Sam Yarian

When the evening was winding down, and the sun was setting off to the west, Leo rallied for 4 runs in the bottom of the last inning to eke out a 13-12 win, and to move on in pool play.I said my good-byes to Matt and his family, and I hurried over to the other field to watch the last half inning of a solid 7-3 win for Auburn.

Mike & Easton both played well for their respective teams, and most importantly, seemed to have fun, and to enjoy themselves while doing so.

No truer words were ever spoken when we say that “Little League Baseball is about the kids.”

Legends of Music Transformed My Man Cave

When moving to Indiana back in 1988, all of my old LP record albums were stored in boxes, as was my “turntable” that played those record albums. During the 4 hour ride to the Hoosier State, my “turntable” was broken.

I never had the record changer fixed, as we rented a house for the first ten months in Indiana. A lot of our belongings weren’t unpacked until we bought a house those ten months later, including the above mentioned precious cargo.

Anyway, by that time, cassette tapes were pretty much the vogue, with the onset of CD’s already making a huge inroad into the way that people listened to music.

So my albums sat in those boxes. For years.

Those albums contained what in my mind was some of the greatest music ever created, by some of greatest artists ever to put their own special influence into the “rock-n-roll” genre.

“Meet the Beatles,” “Who’s Next,” “Bat Out of Hell,” “Abbey Road,” “Quadrophenia,” “Dark Side of the Moon,” “Band on the Run,” “LA Woman,” “Hotel California,” “Rumours,” “Sgt. Peppers,” “Magical Mystery Tour,” “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road,” “Ziggy Stardust,” “Heartland,” “The Cars,” “Endless Summer,” “Grand Illusion,” anything by Led Zeppelin, the list goes on, and on, and on.

While rebuilding my “man-cave” a few years back, I was trying to think of a way to use these albums to remind myself when I was down there about growing up and listening to all of these great works of art.

I had to go on a business trip about this time, and while flying, I was paging through one of the airline magazines that is provided. There, right before my eyes, was a picture of what was called “Albums as Art.”

You frame as many albums that you want, and then you can display them in any pattern that you can imagine.

The problem in my case was, which one’s do you display? Of course that is left up to the individual.

I love music. I truly loved all of these albums. The “man-cave” has never been the same.

The “Dog Days” of Baseball Summer

Can the Texas Rangers Win Their 3rd Straight Pennant?

During the past week, as Major League baseball was grinding its way past the mid-point of the regular season,the 2-time defending American League champion Texas Rangers suffered their longest losing streak of the season, as they lost five straight. They still lead their division, but that lead is tenuous as the hard charging LA Angels are nipping at their heels.

Baseball takes its annual “All-Star” break next week, and the Rangers, along with numerous other teams, will come out of the break with hard decisions to make. Do you become a buyer, or seller, or just play the hand that you have?

Two years ago, Texas was able to acquire Cliff Lee before the trading deadline, and the move helped them to their first American League pennant. Last year, they bolstered their bullpen, the main deal being to get Mike Adams from San Diego. That move helped in getting them to within 1 strike of winning the World Series.

This year, they picked up veteran Roy Oswalt a few weeks back, but they are still looking for more pitching.

The question always is, how much of the future do you give up to win now? Texas is a veteran laden team, built for today. After the season, position players Josh Hamilton, Nelson Cruz, & Mike Napoli, as well as starting pitcher Colby Lewis are all free agents.

I’m not saying that this year is must win, or do or die, but the Rangers window of opportunity isn’t open forever.

With the rumored availability of Cole Hamels from Philadelphia, or Zach Greinke from Milwaukee, I wouldn’t be too surprised if General Manager Jon Daniels is actively pursuing one of these pitchers, or even more probable, going after someone who we don’t even know is available.

The Rangers, as well as the Angels, have taken their place right along side of the Yankees & Red Sox as movers & shakers as far as making deals at the trade deadline.

Look for a deal or two in the not too distant future.

Chicago, My Kind of Town

Frank Sinatra, God rest his soul, sang the words in one of his numerous hit songs, “Chicago, my kind of town Chicago is.”

On Wednesday night, I had the pleasure of enjoying baseball on the 4th of July in Chicago, at U.S. Cellular field as 2 first place American League teams hooked up, the Texas Rangers, and the host Chicago White Sox.

Members of US Military Take Their “Positions” Before the Game

In addition to what promised to be a great baseball game, the festivities included a number of activities before, during, and after the game that focused on American military personnel, both past & present. The after game festivities were capped off by a dazzling fireworks display that was simply top-notch.

Before the game, I was put in my “baseball nostalgic” mode, as my son Ethan & I walked over to the parking lot next to the field where old Comiskey Park used to reside, and took in, even though I had only been there once before, a favorite baseball sight of mine.

Bernie in the Old Left-handed Batters Box

In the parking lot, there is a spot that is marked off where the old home plate area used to be. You can stand in the exact spot where the batting boxes were, and just relish in the thought of all of the great players, and historical baseball events that happened right there.

Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Joe Dimaggio, Ted Williams, Mickey Mantle, etc., etc., just to name a few, all took their stances there, dug in, and simply hit away. A World Championship was won by a team that played there in 1917. One of the darkest hours of major league baseball also occurred on that spot, the “Black Sox Scandal” of 1919, when the Sox “threw” the World Series to the Cincinnati Reds.

As you would expect on a night like this, it was a great game. It was a game where 9 innings wasn’t enough. It was a game that featured excellent defense, good pitching, and timely hitting.

Thousands of Baseball Greats Have Stood on this Very Spot

The Rangers jumped on top by 3 in the first inning, the Sox came back for 4 in the second. A Josh Hamilton home run (his 26th), tied it in the third. It stayed that way until the 10th, when newly acquired Kevin Youkilis won it for the home team with a single to left. Youkilis also added a couple of sparkling defensive gems.

All in all, a great night for baseball. Chicago, my kind of town.

Haight-Ashbury, Still Crazy After All These Years

Street Sign at Intersection of Haight & Ashbury Streets in San Francisco

When we traveled to San Francisco recently, one of my “must-do” bucket list items was to travel to a part of the city known as Haight-Ashbury. The name simply derives from the intersection of two streets right in the middle of this area.

If you are around my age, or are even a history buff who studies these things, you know that back in the late 1960’s, Haight-Ashbury was the epicenter of what this era was known for – hippies, drugs, protests, make love not war, music, more drugs, and so on and so on.

Tremendous amounts of people, mostly 15-ish to 25-ish flocked to San Francisco, and would ultimately end up in the area known as Haight-Ashbury.

While we were there, it was easy to go back in time and picture the thousands of people lining the streets, as well as congregating in the nearby park, and doing all of the things that I mentioned above.

Whether you agreed what was going on there or not, it was history in the making, and it was the cutting edge of a time that shaped what is going on in our country today.

There are a number of shops & restaurants that are still run by the people who were there and experienced the 1960’s first hand, even though, they are now “hippies” of an older variety.

If you ever get the chance to travel to the “City by the Bay,” make sure and visit this area. I truly enjoyed the experience.

Wow, man.

Baseball Rules, Written & Unwritten

I was talking with my good friend Larry at lunch the other day, and the topic turned to the rules of the game of baseball, and the enforcement of those rules by umpires.

Larry and I have both umpired a number of youth baseball games over the years, as well as both of us doing our fair share of coaching. I’m talking 20+ years of experience for each.

We’ve both seen and heard some comments from fans, as well as coaches that just want to make you shake your head.

One of the most common things that you hear is “the tie goes to the runner.” Years ago, I had a coach come up to me after a close game that his team lost to my team, and his comment was “I can’t believe that that umpire who worked our game would not admit that the tie goes to the runner on a bang-bang play at first base.” What this coach, or any coach who utters that phrase is only showing ignorance of the rules. If anyone can show me a rule book that states that “the tie goes to the runner,” I’ll eat the rule book on the spot. There is no such rule. In baseball, there is no such thing as a tie. It’s either safe, or out. No questions asked.

Spot Behind Centerfield Fence at Thomas Park in Auburn

A situation happened the other day down at the Little League where a coach was screaming for his first baseman to tag a runner who had just been called safe at first because the runner had turned to his left to go to first base. When the umpire would not call the runner out, the coach was irate. If he had read his rule book, he would know that the runner has to make an “athletic” move towards second before the umpire can deem that he was trying to advance.

I’ve seen parents sit behind the fence in centerfield at old Thomas Park in Auburn berating the umpire for missing balls & strikes calls. The umpire is about 2-3 feet from home plate when he makes his call. Those parents were more than 200 feet away.

Something else that grinds my gears that you are seeing more and more of, is that when a runner is on second base, and he signals to the hitter what he thinks the pitch is going to be, that means that the next time up to bat for that baserunner, he is getting hit by a pitch. It happened just the other night in my son’s Summer league baseball game. This is something that goes on all the time. You try to figure out the other teams signals. Sorry Mr. Catcher, or Mr. Coach, if you can’t change your signs when there is a runner on second, I guess you really probably aren’t smart enough to be coaching.

When people scream and yell, especially at the youth levels of baseball, and they are let’s say, mis-informed on rules, it’s only an embarrassing situation not just for the person doing it, but for their children as well.

New Monument at the Rangers Ballpark in Arlington

I had the opportunity over the weekend to be in Texas and to see two MLB baseball games between the Texas Rangers and the Colorado Rockies. I had never seen the Rockies play in person, so it was a neat experience from that perspective. Also, it gave me the chance to see Michael Cuddyer play, who is in his first year with Colorado.

Michael came up through the Minnesota Twins organization, and started his professional career playing for the Ft. Wayne Wizards in the late nineties. We got to know him at that time, and we will be doing a story on his career in an upcoming posting.

I have truly gained a loving affinity for the Rangers ballpark. It is a great place to watch baseball. My son Joey, who works for the Rangers, will always take me on a special tour, and it is fun to see different parts of the stadium from an employee’s perspective.

Bernie Next to Statue of Shannon Stone & Son Cooper

If you get the chance to go there and watch a game, there is a new Monument to see that is right outside of the West entrance. A statue has been erected that commemorates Fathers and their children going to the ballpark. The statue is also a memorial to Shannon Stone.

About a year ago, Stone and his son were attending a game there. Early in the game, as Josh Hamilton was running off the field at the end of an inning after making a play, he harmlessly tossed the ball towards Stone and his son, as he has done countless times with fans throughout his career. Tragically, as Stone went to catch the ball, he lost his balance and fell over the railing in front of him, and he fell about 20 feet to the concrete below. As he was quickly attended to by emergency personnel, his last words were that he was asking about his son (who was 6 yrs. old), and if his son was alright. He passed away a short time later at a local hospital.

The statue is a touching reminder as to how fragile that life is. Things can change in the blink of an eye. Live life to the fullest with the ones that you love, and do it each and every day.