Da Bums Leave Town

52 years ago today, the Brooklyn Dodgers played their final game at Ebbets Field before heading west to LA. It was not officially known at that time that they were leaving, but the writing was on the wall, and most fans knew they were seeing their beloved Bums for the last time. Even with this knowledge, barely 6000 fans showed up to see the Dodgers play the Pirates. That is unimaginable today, where tickets to a final game in places much less majestic than Ebbets Field go for 10 times their face value on ebay.

I've always been torn on this move of my favorite team. LA is certainly a wonderful home for the Dodgers, and Brooklyn desperately needed a new park to replace the crumbling Ebbets. And contrary to most reports, the fact that this couldn't get done was more the fault of politician Robert Moses, as opposed to Dodgers owner Walter O'Malley. Would the team have survived much longer with the changing profile of the city, along with the fact that a 3-team city was no longer viable? We'll never know for sure. The Brooklyn Dodgers, like a celebrity who dies too young, are romanticized in a way that no other team is. And maybe that's better that way.

Here is video of the last pitch ever at Ebbets Field:

Health Care Companies

In case you missed this posted on my Facebook, here is the hilarious video with Will & friends concerning health care:

Protect Insurance Companies PSA from Will Ferrell

Catching Up- Week 1

The first week after my season ended has been a relaxing one. A full weekend of football and baseball was wonderful, plus six months worth of DVDs and books that need to be dusted off and caught up on. I have spent alot of my DVD time watching "The State," a sketch comedy show that ran in the mid-90's on MTV. This was, hands-down, the funniest sketch show on TV during that time- SNL was in a severe down cycle (pre-Will Ferrell), The Daily Show (and Comedy Central, for that matter) was not on the radar, and the Internet was just getting started. And this 11-person group was hilarious, and most of it still holds up today. The State tended to avoid topical humor, not wanting to seem dated just a few years later. And how right they were! As funny as Dana Carvey doing George Bush on SNL was, it seems like a million years ago now.

Younger fans would recognize some of the group from "Reno 911" (of which I am not a fan). "Michael & Michael Have Issues" is a funny show currently airing on Comedy Central featuring two of The State. But do yourself a favor- put this The State on your Netflix list and get ready to laugh your ass off. Here's one sketch to get you started:

Third Season In The Books

Yesterday ended my third full season in Minor League Baseball, 2nd with the Potomac Nationals. There is a definite melancholy associated with the finishing of a physically and mentally draining 5-month period, but also a sense of relief. Things to look forward to: catching up on much-needed sleep, hanging out with friends you haven't seen much since March, spending time with your wife, and knowing you do not have to worry about what the weather is for a long time. Though it has been a trying season at times (being sick twice, various knee and ankle injuries, dealing with the owner's crazy-ass wife), it also has been the most fun and rewarding. The people I got to work with this year have (mostly) been a pleasure, and good friendships were formed or strengthened. It was also alot of fun running the Team Store (except for the afore-mentioned crazy bitch). It solidified my thinking that merchandise is where I will be in the long run. So, here's to you, '09 P-Nats- and looking forward to to '10!

K-Tel Records- Those Were The Days!

K-Tel popped into my mind last night during a conversation with Paul. If you're over 30, you could not avoid these commercials on your 4 TV channels when you were a kid. K-Tel mostly did compilation albums of popular songs (much like "NOW That's What I Call Music" CDs in present times). The difference being that these ads aired seemingly every 5 minutes for about 15 years. Ah, memories..here's an example:



Which brought me to this...a stand-alone music compilation called "Freedom Rock." The songs were fine- it was the commercial that sucked and was shoved down our throats. Two aging hippies- "Is that Freedom Rock? Well, turn it up man!" Here it is: