Turner Field- Then & Now

It had been 7 years since I had seen a game in my old hometown ball park, Turner Field in Atlanta. While most of the park looks the same, the upgrade in video board and other electronics is phenomenal. Check out the 2000 and 2010 differences.

2000 Right Field View:


2010 Right Field View:


2000 Video Board:


2010 Video Board:


2000 Left Field View:


2010 Left Field View:


Many new bright lights, including side score and outfield walls, which really adds to a great place.

The Kid

Ken Griffey Jr, the greatest and purest power hitter of our generation, retired yesterday. Griffey retires with 630 home runs, 5th behind 3 legends (Aaron, Ruth, Mays) and 1 cheater (B***y B***s). Of all the players who invaded the 500 homer club the last 20 years, only he and Frank Thomas are considered clean from steroids. And his his acrobatic plays in center were a daily highlight. But his more lasting legacy will be saving baseball in Seattle. In the early '90's, the Mariners had never had a winning season, let alone a playoff appearance, and there was alot of talk of them moving to Tampa or Washington DC. Griffey led the charge in 1995 to an AL West title and a ALDS victory over the Yankees, and soon talk began on a new stadium in Seattle.

Griffey looked like the soon-to-be all time home run king as late as 2001-02, but injuries slowed him considerably. Still, I am glad to say I saw him play and saw one of his home runs with Cincinnati. And I would consider him a top-10 all time hitter. And one final note- how old am I that a legend of 23 years played his entire career in my adult lifetime? Sigh..

"24" Clock Ticks Down to Zero

On the heels of last night's phenomenal finale of "Lost," I have to say goodbye to my other favorite drama of the last 20 years in "24." While this is not as melancholy for me as "Lost," it is still sad to see a great show end after 9 years. I am proud to say I was with this show from Minute One, and turned dozens of friends and associates into "24" fans. The premise was risky back in 2001- every episode played in real time, and by season's end would equal one 24-hour day. At its best, "24" was the best adrenaline rush on TV- Seasons 1, 2 and 5 being my favorite 3 years. While it has lost some its luster, it has rebounded from the debacle of Season 6 and a 20-month hiatus because of the writers' strike. Jack Bauer is one the best and most complicated characters in the history of television. Here's to 2 more great hours of TV, and me not being too tired after our game tonight to sit down and watch it!

Thank You "Lost"

It's sometimes hard to believe "Lost" is just a TV show. As I prepare for the retrospective and series finale tonight, I have a bevy of emotions. I'm excited, sad, intrigued, and...well, lost. This is most likely the most emotional farewell for me since "Moonlighting" 20 years ago. Hard to believe Staci & I weren't watching on its first night back in September of 2004. I wanted to, but my schedule as a Chili's bartender (wow, was that like, 10 jobs ago??) was mostly nights, so I wasn't watching much. But in the summer of 2005, we started watching the re-airing of Season 1..and were forever hooked. Through 6 seasons of mysteries, romance, life, death, time-travel, and allusions to dozens of books, spiritualities, and movies, we get our answers tonight. But what if we don't? What if they pull a "Sopranos" and leave it up to us? (Which I personally loved but millions screamed about) I'm actually okay with that- if some things are left for us to decide, mull over and discuss for the next 30 years. Regardless of how it ends, thank you "Lost" for 6 wonderful seasons and for being a show that made you think in an era of reality garbage. You will be missed.

Uncle Slam and the P-Nats get a new scoreboard.

Many Thanks!

Last night when we sat down for dinner, I realized it was the 1st time in a month that we had a "normal" night. 3 P-Nats homestands and Addie's birth will do that. Now that things have settled down a bit, I thought it would be a good time to individually thank those who have made Addie's first 3 weeks a little more special.

Mom & Dad Grant- for jumping on a plane hours after their granddaughter was born and spending a great week with us, and all the countless ways they have helped us.
Dad Kenney & all my sisters, brothers, nieces & nephews- for driving 4 1/2 hours to meet the new addition and for the wonderful gifts for Addie.
Mandie & Sarah- Mandie for coming down from Maine to help Staci during my first long homestand and for making enough meals to last us a month! And thanks to both Mandie & Sarah for buying those meals.
Mari, Ian & Sharon- for being among her 1st visitors at the hospital and for the great gifts as well. And special thanks to Sharon for driving through traffic to take care of Willie while we were at the hospital.
Paul- for visiting Addie in her first few days and for bringing both Addie & Daddy a much-needed gift!
Megan- for visiting Addie & bringing Addie's 1st playmates.

Thanks to everyone for making Addie's first 3 weeks so special. She is clearly loved all around, as are we. Don't know what we would do without all of you!

Addie's First Playlist

Just the start but here's what I've got so far:

Jessica Stone- Addison
Ben Folds- The Luckiest
Stevie Wonder- Isn't She Lovely?
Crosby Stills & Nash- Teach Your Children
Paul Simon- Father & Daughter
George Harrison- Give Me Love (Give Me Peace On Earth)
Michael Sembello- Maniac (her first dance song- video will shortly follow)
BoB (f/Bruno Mars)- Nothin' On You (#1 on the day Addie was born)
Frank Sinatra- Love Walked In
Beatles- In My Life

The 1st Week of Addie B.

Tomorrow at 5:41 Addison will start week 2 of her life. Where has the time gone? Why haven't I written before this? Well, between the sheer hectic pace of the birth, the 4 days in the hospital, and getting Addie used to her new home, there hasn't been much time to put my thoughts down. And there still isn't- but I've got so much on my mind, so I figured I better take a few minutes.

Addie is just beautiful. I know, so easy to say about your own child, but she really is. The wonder in her eyes as she discovers the world a little at a time, the sweetness of her snuggling up to you, even her cry is adorable. I can't lie- she has stolen my heart in no time at all. I can't wait to see her grow and become even more of her own personality. And raising her with my soul mate will be the icing on the cake.

More to come in future days and weeks. But for now- a few more pictures to enjoy.

Underrated TV-Music "Moment"

I had my iPod on shuffle this morning when the 1987 hit "At This Moment" by Billy Vera & The Beaters started playing. When anyone of a certain age (30-40ish) hears this song, they are almost certain to be reminded of the hit show "Family Ties." It got me to thinking about how this song was a part of the mid-80's revolution of shows and the use of music.

Now, music had been integral on TV pretty much since the beginning. But it was usually in its own setting- a variety show, a theme song, "American Bandstand," a Casey Kasem countdown. And there were shows about music (WKRP, for example) in which hearing 4 or 5 songs in an episode was not unusual. But as the '80's got rolling, dramas and comedies started using songs to move story lines and create moments. "Miami Vice" & "Moonlighting" were big with this new technique. Probably the most resonating was "At This Moment." "Family Ties" was one of the biggest shows on TV at the time, and the only music you would usually hear was the very catchy theme song ("What would we do, baby...sha-la-la-la.."). But in '87, they had decided to do an episode with central character Alex (Michael J Fox) breaking up with his first serious girlfriend. The episode ends with Alex putting a quarter in the jukebox and listening to their song- "At This Moment." The song became an immediate smash hit. For a good 6 months, you couldn't get away from the emotional love song.

It's hard to imagine now, as seemingly every show overdoes the music-TV connection. But there was a time when the right use of a song could create an unforgettable moment.

A Day in The Season- 4/8

I am going to try a new segment from time to time this year called "A Day In The Season," to try to give everyone an idea of a typical day in minor league baseball. A look behind the curtain, if you will. I will try to make most of these a moment -by-moment account of what happens on a gameday. For Opening Day, though, I am just going to give you a quick recap.

I think you have a certain mentality to work in Minor League Baseball. Or maybe you just need to be mental. The bad: the WORST tarp pull ever. No joke, we somehow had half the folks pulling the wrong side, which twisted the tarp into a pretzel. Not fun in any situation, but especially during a wind-blown monsoon. We eventually got it on the field, but not before it almost pulled a few of our front office right off the ground.

The good: the great feeling of Opening Day. It's hard to describe unless you have worked in baseball, but there is just something special about it. It's the culmination of 7 months of planning, preparing, selling, ordering. To see someone walk out of the Team Store with a shirt or hat that I designed, or buy a pack of cards that I spent 2 months putting together, is a great feeling. Seeing the old faces, people I have seen hundreds of times since 2007, is also fun. But the highlight of my night?

Yes, I finally got a foul ball. Now, I have gotten plenty of baseballs here over the last few years, batting practice, parking lot bound, etc. But never one that came directly to me. I was standing in the field of play waiting to pull tarp, when a Salem player hit a shot just 2 feet from me. An intern ducked, I "caught" the ball with my foot, and 36 years of frustration came to a close. I still want my Major League foul, though.

So that's it for today. We've got a doubleheader at 5:30, then the first weekend games. Should be another fun season!

My First Quotable Movie

I watched the 2nd of 7 Police Academy movies tonight, for the first time in many years. I always remembered the 2nd movie as my favorite of the "Police Academy" series, and I think I now know why. This was my first "quotable" movie. Movies that would make me laugh are great, but being able to quote dozens of funny lines elevate it to "classic" status. Take any of my top 20 comedies of all time (Tommy Boy, Anchorman, Wedding Crashers, to name a few), you will find an unending supply of one-liners and jokes that never get old to me. What a pleasant surprise for me as I started quoting lines in my head tonight just before they happened on-screen. To name a few:

Lt Mauser: You're not playing with a full-deck, are you?
Proctor: Oh, no sir, I don't play cards.

Zed: Thank you very much!

Zed: I'm trying to watch "Family Affair"! Damn, it's a rerun!

Mahoney: You have the right to sing the blues. You have the right to cable TV.

Jones (mimicking bad Chinese dubbed films): You wanna fight? Fight me!

Zed: That didn't hurt. That didn't hurt. That hurt.

Hmm..so the lines weren't as funny as they were when I was 12. But it started me on the path to comedy nirvana, and made me realize the hilarity in repetition. And Bobcat Goldthwait (as Zed) was hilarious! Really!

Baseball & Video Games

I picked up "MLB 10: The Show" this past weekend, and it got me to thinking- buying a baseball video game has become one of my longest running traditions. Today, I'm going to take a walk down memory lane.

The first baseball video game I remember was Homerun by Atari. Quite simply, it was awful- even by 1978 standards. There was no mound, the pitcher appears to be standing on 2nd base. But I was really young, so I'm sure I was entertained. Take a look (the video is long, but you'll get the point after 30 seconds).



It wasn't till I was older that the baseball games started getting better. Two for Nintendo really stuck out, for completely different reasons. RBI Baseball was not great graphically, but for the first time, you had REAL players! They would have the division winners from the previous 2 years plus the All-Star teams. So if your team stunk, you were out of luck.



Bases Loaded for NES had some of the best graphics of its time. Plus, you could pick your lineup and pitcher, and even get ejected for rushing the mound! The problem? Generic team names, generic player names made for very little root-ability.



The first game I really got excited for was Super Nintendo's ESPN Baseball Tonight. The fact that you had real teams (all of them!), the ESPN set with Chris Berman and Dan Patrick, getting better with graphics. Gameplay was not great, however, and you had real player numbers but not names.



The absolute height of baseball video games, for me, was Triple Play 98 for Playstation 1. The reason that I initially bought a PS1 was for this game, and it did not disappoint. The graphics were fantastic, the stadium were realistic, and for the first time, stats were continually updated. You could play a "season" and try to make the World Series. It You had more control over pitch selection, batter set-up, etc. And best of all, you can create yourself to play for your favorite team! The Triple Play series had a great run through 2003.



As the 2000's progressed, great series came out (with the exception of 2K, which is pretty awful). High Heat was a one-year wonder before MLB made stricter rules about licensing. The game that is worlds-above right now is MLB: The Show. You can play as your favorite team and the minor league affiliates, create your own budget and concessions, or play as yourself and follow your career from minors to retirement.

So who knows what's next? But what a great run it has been the last 30 years.

Some Carlin On A Sunday Afternoon

The late great George Carlin talking about having a dog. Simply brilliant, 30 years later:

Job Fair Flashback

We held our annual P-Nats Job Fair the last 2 nights, and it reminded me of my first moment with the Potomac franchise- the Cannons Job Fair of 2004. I saw the ad on the Cannons website, and after talking to my girlfriend of a month (some girl named Staci), decided that it would be a fun extra job. And who knows, maybe I'd find a full-time front office job (naive, in hindsight).

I was a nervous wreck as I drove on that early Saturday morning. I didn't have a clue what I would be applying for, didn't know what kind of hours I could work (I was making great money as a Chili's bartender), didn't even know where the stadium was. When I did arrive, it was an exciting feeling- I had long dreamed of working in baseball, and even a part-time job was a good start.

My interview went well, it was alot easier than I imagined. It felt great to walk into the stadium and then the locker room- a strange sense that this place would be important in my life (little did I know!). Soon after, I received a call- they would like to have me cook and pour beer. I was very excited and loved working games. It was easily the most fun you could have at $5.50 an hour. I was only able to work a few months before my job situation changed, and it would be a long 3 years before my return to baseball (in the same place). Amazing that within a few short weeks I began dating my soul mate and started the long and winding road to my baseball career.

Talkin' Baseball...

With today's first Spring Training games, the season is now officially...closer to real baseball. The first couple weeks of games are littered with guys wearing numbers like 75 or 89, guys you won't see in the Majors for years, if ever. But still, isn't it better than nothing? It certainly is! And before you know it, the stars you know and love will be appearing in live action as opposed to stationary bikes. For now, hope springs eternal, for fans and players like #89.

Super Bowl Ads '10- My Best & Worst

The worst ads last night:

5. Sketchers- shoes help you lose weight? And Joe Montana voice over is supposed to make me want these?
4. Emerald Nuts/Pop Secret- People as dolphins. Dumb.
3. Dockers- Pantsless men running through a field.
2. Doritos- Gym rats steal a bag from a psycho.
1. Boost Mobile- Aging '85 Bears redux. Sad.

Here's my top 5:

5. Denny's- Screaming chickens. Free Grand Slams.
4. HomeAway.com- No idea what this company is, but seeing the Griswolds back together was worth it.
3. Snickers- You're playing like Betty White. Classic.

2. E-Trade- Baby is cheating on his girl. "Milk-a-what??"

1. Letterman- Letterman, Oprah & Leno at the worst Super Bowl party ever. Topical & fantastic.

Congrats to #22!

Emmitt Smith was voted into the Football Hall of Fame this weekend, becoming the third of the 3-time '90s champion Cowboys to be voted in, following the other two "Triplets," Troy Aikman and Michale Irvin. Picking my favorite Cowboy from those glory years is tough, but gun to my head, Emmitt would probably be the one. He embodied the tough-side of the Cowboys in those years, playing hurt often and running through defenses that were three times his size. Emmitt finished as the all-time leading rusher with over 18,000 yards, and sorry, Barry Sanders fans, he is the greatest running back of all time. Congrats, Emmitt, looking forward to seeing you join your contemporaries in Canton.

6 Years Later

2/6/04- Dinner and drinks at Damon's.
6 Years Later- Damon's is gone, now a place called Lucky's.

2/6/04- Dancing and drinking at Polly Esthers.
6 Years Later- Polly's has long since been shut down.

2/6/04- Drove into DC in my White Ford Ranger.
6 Years Later- That was about 6 cars ago for me.

2/6/04- First dance & kiss to Kylie Minogue.
6 Years Later- Kylie no longer relevant.

2/6/04- Fell in love with a great girl.
6 Years Later- Love her more everyday.

Most things change, but some things just get better. Happy dating anniversary baby!

Got Milk?

You know what really grinds my gears? Not only standing in line during my entire lunch break yesterday so I could buy my Super Bowl food, but dealing with the idiots who had to buy bread and milk for the snowstorm we're expecting tonight. Granted, it will be a monster storm (2-3 feet possible), but how long could you REALLY be stuck in your house? 2, 3 days, tops? And why milk? I've never understood this at all- a) power can routinely go out during a snow or ice storm- and milk is the first thing to go bad- and about the only thing you can't drink warm; and b) of all the hundreds of beverage choices available today, how is the beverage of choice? Do these same people normally buy 3-4 gallons a week? Why not just put a cow in your spare bedroom?

So the snow has begun. One last gripe- one of the few bonuses about moving back to VA from PA is less snow. We're expecting 2 feet- NEPA is expecting "a dusting." Lovely.

Digging For Musical Gold

I finally got around to spending my iTunes cards that I got for Christmas. In the process, I found some great songs that I hadn't possessed in a long time. When you already have 4000 songs on your iPod, as I do, you have to be creative when looking for tunes. One of my tricks is to go through my old mix tapes from the '80s and look for missing songs. I especially like finding the songs that nobody else remembers.



Here's one example: Tony Carey, a one-hit wonder from 1984, with "A Fine, Fine Day." I hadn't listened to this in over 20 years, and found it this past weekend. And I haven't gotten it out of my head since.



Other digging can lead to an unexpected gem. I randomly searched "Addison" on iTunes, and after wading through some horrible stuff, found "Addison" by an artist named Jessica Stone. She sounds alot like Sarah McLachlan, very melodic and sweet. Here some of the lyrics:

"Addison, she's just two weeks new.
And already she's got a hook in you.
She's put her heart into you,
Oh Addison, won't you let me see the world through your eyes."

So now I've got my little girl's first song.

The lesson? Try and dig deeper than the front page on iTunes. You never know what you'll find.

The Truth About Mac

I needed a few days to get my thoughts together on Mark McGwire finally admitting that he did steroids. Not that it was a shock, but sometimes having something confirmed kills that .00001% of you that hoped for a different outcome. That it was "just" the andro that was found in his locker in 1998 that he fully admitted to using (an over-the-counter product at the time that has since been banned).

Is this different than the other guys who have been caught/accused/admitted to PEDs? I think it's more harmful, for one simple reason: the 1998 Home Run Race. It should not be dismissed or taken lightly how important that race for 61 between McGwire and fellow roid-er Sammy Sosa was. Don't forget these important facts:

- MLB was just 3 years removed from the devastating Strike of '94-95 that canceled the '94 World Series and turned millions of baseball fans off for good.
- The country was trying to deal with the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal (sidenote: how quaint does that controversy seem now?). The public needed a diversion from non-stop coverage, and Mac and Sosa provided that.
- This was a NATIONAL headline day after day for weeks on end in the summer of '98. This was not relegated to the sports section, this was front page of the paper, lead story on the evening news.

So where do we go from here? We, as baseball fans, have been forgiving to those who came clean about their steroid use. I think McGwire will be treated the same way, and that's fine. I also believe that there is no way he gets into the Hall of Fame now. My wish is that he was more forthcoming earlier, and that he didn't say that PEDs didn't help him hit home runs. Yes it did, Mark. You used it to stay healthy, at the very least. And you took a part of Americana with you.

Where Were You In 1996?

12/28/96, to be specific. I was setting up my new apartment in Mansfield, in the midst of my senior year of college, and 3 days from finding out Jen was pregnant with my now-12 year old daughter Abby. That was also the last time my Dallas Cowboys won a playoff game. We changed that tonight with a thrashing of our most hated rival, the Philly Eagles, 34-14. No matter what happens from here on out, people can shut up about Tony Romo, the Cowboys in Dec/ playoffs, etc. My cynical self will not allow belief that we will go any further, but tonight was nice.

Thursday Funnies- Bob Uecker Style!

Just for Mari (HA!), here's a Bob Uecker commercial from the '80s- you know, when they made good beer ads?

BK's Top 102 Songs of the Oughts- Part 2

Sorry for the delay, been a crazy few days. As promised, here's the top 50:

50. Five For Fighting- 100 Years
49. Eminem- The Real Slim Shady
48. Coldplay- The Scientist
47. No Doubt- It's My Life
46. Sheryl Crow- The First Cut Is The Deepest
45. Garth Brooks- Lost In You (mine & Lynn's song)
44. Justin Timberlake- SexyBack
43. Shinedown- Second Chance
42. Norah Jones- Don't Know Why (likely my favorite newcomer of the decade)
41. Nickelback- Photograph
40. Kylie Minogue- Can't Get You Out Of My Head (1st dance and kiss with Staci- shows that you can't always control the soundtrack of your life :))
39. Jay-Z & Alicia Keys- Empire State Of Mind
38. Kanye West- Gold Digger
37. Staind- It's Been Awhile (another top newcomer)
36. 50 Cent- In Da Club (Oh, my 30th B-day- no dudes in the cage!)
35. Creed- With Arms Wide Open (already a solid song, more meaningful with the pending arrival of Addison)
34. The Fray- How To Save a Life
33. John Mayer- No Such Thing (saw him at the height of this song during my LA Trip)
32. Evanescence- My Immortal
31. Switchfoot- Meant To Live
30. Foo Fighters- Times Like These
29. Estelle f/Kanye- American Boy
28. Outkast- Hey Ya
27. Michelle Branch- Everywhere
26. 3 Doors Down- Be Like That
25. Fuel- Hemorrhage (In My Hands) (my last-ever (hopefully) break-up song)
24. Norah Jones- Sunrise
23. Muse- Uprising
22. Maroon 5- She Will Be Loved (always reminds me of Staci & I at the beginning- this and the cicadas)
21. TI f/Rihanna- Live Your Life
20. Kings Of Leon- Use Somebody
19. Creed- Higher
18. Coldplay- Viva La Vida
17. Goo Goo Dolls- Better Days (lifted me during hard times)
16. Default- Wasting My Time
15. Keane- Everybody's Changing (last MB trip in original format- general truthiness at time of release)
14. Eminem- Without Me (MB 4 in '02)
13. Foo Fighters- All My Life (ironically playing during worst accident of my life)
12. John Mayer- Why Georgia (released during my last months in ATL)
11. Vertical Horizon- Everything You Want
10. Sheryl Crow- Safe & Sound (song I most relate to 9/11- played live during concert week after)
9. Staind- So Far Away (theme song while I waited "patiently" to meet Staci in '03)
8. Kanye West- Stronger
7. Gnarls Barkley- Crazy
6. Rascal Flatts- Bless The Broken Road (what did I say about not picking your own soundtrack? This country song will always take me back to the moment I saw my beautiful bride walking down the aisle)
5. Justin Timberlake- Rock Your Body
4. Red Jumpsuit Apparatus- Face Down (theme during the "Mom incident")
3. Evanescence- Bring Me To Life
2. Black Eyed Peas- I Gotta Feeling (became the theme to just about everything- for me the top 2 were MB 10 & the fantastic Cowboys video in Dallas)
1. 3 Doors Down- Here Without You (the only song to span 3 years for me- first while waiting to meet Staci, then as a great song, then when Staci moved to UVA, our "See you next weekend" song. Sitting in a parking lot at UVa, hugging and crying, waiting for our long-distance to be over. The fact that we defied the odds makes it even more poignant.)

So, there you have it. Another decade in the books, and the songs that went with it. Hope you've enjoyed it as much as I have!