Baseball, Life, and Other Stuff

Hockey Then and Now

Thirty years ago this past Wednesday, the Miracle on Ice took place when the U. S. hockey team defeated the Soviet Union 4-3.  You had to be there to understand the euphoria that swept the country when we won at a sport few Americans knew much about at the time.  It was the height of the Cold War, the economy was in a shambles, we were coming off our second gas crisis in the past 6 years and in the middle of it all, we won a hockey game.

The victory resonated in a deep, psychological way and it meant a great deal whether you understood the nuances of icing or not.  The victory was symbolic of what America was all about:  A bunch of amateurs who were disciplined and well-led defeated the best professionals in the world.  The Americans simply wouldn't quit.  If that sounds like a certain army of farmers and artisans who defeated the best professional soldiers in the world say in the 1770s, then you'll understand why that victory still resonates in America.  Indeed, I can't watch highlights without getting chills and even a little misty.

Fast forward to the 2010 Olympics and another miracle has taken place.  Many Americans were rooting for the Russians to defeat Canada.  Certainly, if you're a Washington Capitals fan you were rooting for Alex Ovechkin and Alex Semin.  Perhaps, that's the greater miracle; that only thirty years later, two Russians represent the team that represents the nation's capital.  Kind of gives you hope that good things can happen in the world, doesn't it?

Playing with the Enemy

Playing with the Enemy:  A Baseball Prodigy, World War II, and the Long Journey Home by Gary W. Moore is an interesting, inspiring, and frustrating book.

The interesting story revolves around the main character, the author's father, Gene Moore.  Gene was a gifted catcher who was signed to a contract by the Brooklyn Dodgers at the age of 15.  The Dodgers saw to it that he was assigned to the Navy baseball team, which would compete against the Army team as a form of entertainment for the troops.  Later, the Navy team is sent to Camp Ruston, Louisiana to guard German POWs from a U-boat.  Gene, bored and desperate to keep his baseball skills sharp, convinces the camp commander to permit the team to teach the POWs the game of baseball.  (Hence, the title.)  In the final game, after V-E Day and before the Germans were to be shipped to England, Gene broke his ankle sliding into home, essentially ruining his baseball career.

The inspiring story revolves Gene's rise from despair and alcoholism that the sudden end to his baseball career precipitated.  Along the way, and in spite of his crippled ankle, he is given a second chance by the Pittsburgh Pirates who, not only hope he can catch again, but also want him to help his old Navy teammate, Ray Laws to the majors.  It is not until 1959, however, when Gene receives a visit from a former POW with whom he had built a friendship, that he finally embraces his life without baseball and learnes the old adage that a man is content when he is happy with what he has.

The frustrating part of this book is that it is based on the story of Gene Moore and so the dialogue and much of the detail is an invention.  Some of that dialogue, especially that which takes place between Gene, his brother Ward, and Ward's girlfriend Jamie in the aftermath of Pearl Harbor, is particularly stilted and rather contemporary in tone.  At other times, the narration seems off, such as the author's description of a pop out to "deep center field."  More than that, however, is the realization that while this is a "true" story, Ray Laws, for example, is a fictional character; one based on an actual pitcher, the identity of whom the author cannot discover.  To be fair, Gene revealed his baseball career to his son only shortly before his death, but this does not lessen the frustration for the reader.  I am biased, as I much prefer history to fiction and therefore, I found myself wishing that the book was all of the former and none of the latter.  Every interesting detail was diminished by the nagging thought that perhaps that detail was entirely fictional.  Indeed, Gene's brother Ward, an important character early on, simply disappears from the last quarter of the book.  Perhaps Ward was an invention, too.

Others may not share my frustration with the hybrid structure of Playing with the Enemy.  Despite a flaw that stood out to me, I recommend this book to anyone with an interest in baseball or World War II.  It is also certainly a worthy read for anyone who enjoys stories of redemption.

Happy Birthday, George Washington

Today marks the 278th anniversary of the birth of George Washington.  To many, Washington is the man on the dollar bill or the colonial cartoon-like figure who hip hops his way across our TV screens on some President's Day car commercial.  The father of our country should be so much more than a caricature.  The greatest American deserves to be known by every man, woman, and child in the country that he, more than any other single individual, is responsible for creating.

To that end, I highly recommend and excellent biography by Washington scholar Joseph J. Ellis entitled, His Excellency:  George Washington.  This is not a stuffy or academic work; at 275 pages it is an easy read.  It is not, however, a mere recitation of facts concerning Washington's life.  This book examines not only Washington the man, but also why his peers regarded him as the leading figure in the American Revolution.  Ellis illustrates the fact that Washington was not a perfect "marble man," but that what made Washington truly heroic was his battle against his own imperfections and his triumph, to a large degree over them.  Indeed, Ellis argues that his inner struggle prepared and guided him in his struggle to defeat the British and then govern the new-born United States.  To quote Ellis, "What we might call Washington's internal muscularity is, of course, impossible to see, though . . . is was just as impressive as his marvelous physique."

If you know little about George Washington, then His Excellency:  George Washington is an excellent work with which to begin your education about the man who was first in war, first in peace, and should remain first in the hearts of his countrymen.  If you are familiar with George Washington, you will enjoy this work for the new insight you may well gain into America's leading man.

It is Just Waiting . . .

Photo courtesy of Becky Dice, taken 2-14-10

And so, I look and I listen as I sit in Rebel Park, and I realize that it is not really empty.  It is just waiting.  Waiting for the winter to pass and the college season to end.  Waiting for the warmth of the late spring sun, which will bring life to old friendships that have blossomed in the stands, just as the wildflowers blossom in sprays across the Shenandoah Valley.  Waiting for the cry of "Play ball!" that will bring the Rebel family together once more.

Safe at Home Featured on TV News

I am excited to say that I appeared on WHAG's News at Noon on Wednesday, February 17th with host Nikki Burdine.  If you missed it or if you live outside WHAG's viewing area, just click here.

Nikki has a way of putting her guests at ease immediately and let's face it:  talking is not difficult for me.  It was fun to be on the set for the entire broadcast to see how it is produced.  As I was watching the weather, done with a green screen and a monitor, I wondered if anyone else remembers the days when a big map of the United States hung in studios and the weatherman drew in highs and lows with a giant marker.  Of course, I remember when the nightly national news was only 15 minutes in length rather than 24 hours in length.  I'm going to stop remembering right now before I feel any older.

Thanks again to Nikki Burdine for having me on and helping to promote Safe at Home and New Market Rebel baseball!

Spring Begins Tomorrow

Tomorrow marks the spiritual beginning of spring, as pitchers and catchers report to training camp or at least, the Orioles' pitchers and catchers report.  This is the season that we've all been waiting for and in spite of the eye-high snow piled in dirty heaps along the roadsides and in the parking lots, we can now see the light at the end of the tunnel.  That light is really the first ray of summer sunshine.

The beauty of spring training, of course, is that it allows us to practice unrestricted believing in the most active of ways.  Sure, intellectually we understand that there are too many rookies in the starting rotation; that we don't have a legitimate cleanup hitter; that the guy were expecting to anchor third has never played the position before. Yet, somehow, our hearts heed not our heads, but our imaginations, and we come to believe--I mean believe!--that the rookies will pitch like veterans, that the left fielder will jump from 18 to 40 home runs, and that the converted third baseman will resemble Brooks Robinson at the old hot corner.

The beauty of baseball, of course, is that our belieiving becomes reality just often enough to keep us coming back year after year and losing season after losing season.

Here's to spring training.  Were she a woman, her name would be Hope.

Happy Birthday Edgar Bergen

Tomorrow marks the 107th anniversary of Edgar Bergen's birth.  Bergen was a ventriloquist whose famous wooden pals included Charlie McCarthy and Mortimer Snerd.  The fascinating thing about Bergen is that he made his mark as a ventriloquist on the radio.  Think about that one for a minute!  It is a tribute to Bergen that his wooden characters, particularly Charlie McCarthy were so real, that audiences flocked to the Chase and Sanborn Hour, the radio program featuring Bergen.  Charlie was a sophisticated, wise-cracking, girl-crazy boy and as such, he could get away with lines that a sophisticated, wise-cracking, girl-crazy man could not.  According to Wikipedia, it was a conversation with Charlie that got Mae West banned from the radio for 15 years when she remarked, "Charles, I remember our date and have the splinters to prove it."

Edgar Bergen and his wooden entourage appeared in several movies and shorts.  One such short appears below.  Whether you're a fan or have never before heard of America's original ventriloquist, you owe it to yourself to view it.  After all, it is always character that makes for humor and Charlie McCarthy is one of the immortal characters in American humor.  At 9:54 The Eyes Have It is longer than most clips that I post, but hey, you're probably still snowed in so what else do you have to do?

Oh, and if Edgar's last name sounds familiar, he made one other contribution to American entertainment; he was the father of Candice Bergen.  And if you don't know who that is, just nod and smile politely so you don't make me feel too old.

Top 5 Reasons That All This Snow is Good!

5.  The squirrels can't get to the bird feeder.  Of course, I can't find the bird feeder, but that's beside the point.

4.  The hot chocolate is hotter and chocolateyer.  (Yes, it's a word.  Don't waste your time looking it up; just take my word for it.)

3.  Watching re-runs of Wife Swap while eating lunch in the living room with Sarah.

2.  That warm feeling one gets knowing that everyone is in and safe.

1.  The federal government has been closed for an entire week.  Five whole days without them sticking their noses in our business and their hands in our pockets.  Now, Martha tells me that she has heard on the national news that it costs taxpayers $100 million per day to NOT open the government.  Huh?  Are our leaders trying to tell us that it costs us more if they do nothing than if they do something?

It is now clear:  Congress takes its cue from the Marx Brothers.  Check out the following dialogue from Animal Crackers between Groucho, as Captain Spaulding and Chico as Ravelli, a musician, and see if it reminds you of Congressional logic:

S:  What do you fellas get an hour?

R:  For playing we get-a ten dollars an hour.

S:  I see.  What do you get for not playing?

R:  Twelve dollars an hour.

S:  Well, clip me off a piece of that.

R:  Now for rehearsing, we make special rate.  That's a-fifteen dollars an hour. . . . That's-a for rehearsing.

S:  And what do you get for not rehearsing?

R:  You couldn't afford it.  You see, if we don't rehearse, we a-don't play.  And if we don't play, that runs into money.

If you don't believe me, check out the following C-Span footage of this Joint Congressional Committee hearing on the Conduct of the War on Terrorism:

TV Appearances, Then and Now

Next Wednesday, February 17, I'll be appearing on NBC 25's "News at Noon" to discuss Safe at Home:  A Season in the Valley with host Nikki Burdine.  I'm grateful to Nikki and Assistant News Director Pieter Bickford for the opportunity to share the story of the 2009 New Market Rebels with a large audience.  Some people may be nervous about appearing on television, but there's nothing to it, really.  You just sit down and talk to the person who's talking to you the same as you would on the front porch.  Of course, it does help to be prepared and to strike a proper balance between being concise and telling a good story.

I know from whence I speak, as I have already been a guest star for a week on one of America's most famous television shows.  Well, I remember it as being a guest star, although I don't think I was billed that way.  You see, when I was five years old, in March of 1962, Miss Carol looked into her Magic Mirror and announced my name as being a guest on Romper Room. 
That debonair little lad on the left with the party hat cocked at a jaunty angle is me.  And, yes, I earned my Do-Bee diploma.

Romper Room originated in Baltimore on WBAL, the creation of "Miss Nancy" Claster and her husband, Bert.  The shows were live, and none from back in the day were taped.  The thing I remember about my time on Romper Room was getting ice cream at 9:00 in the morning and the fact that the Felix the Cat cartoons that ran as part of the show were snowy on the studio monitors.

In any case, when appearing on television, you just have to be yourself, whether you're 5 or 52; some things never change.  That reminds me:  I wonder if NBC 25 will serve ice cream while we talk about Safe at Home?

Super Game!

One of the most exciting games played in any sport this year took place yesterday.  No, I'm not talking about the Super Bowl, which for a change wasn't a Super Bore.  It was an interesting football game, but coming two weeks after the previous playoff game it was anti-climactic.  Furthermore, the game itself tended to get lost, as it always does, in the all-day pre-game, the incessant commercials, and the interminable half-time show by The Who, a band that got it's start about the same time that Red Grange came out of college to play for the Bears.  No, I'm talking about the Washington Capitals' exciting overtime victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Trailing 4-2 after two periods, the Capitals came out in the third period and killed off a 5-on-3 penalty situation, turning the momentum in their favor.  Alex Ovechkin then scored his 2nd and 3rd goals of the game for a hat trick as dozens of red caps came flying onto the Verizon Center ice.  With approximately 8 minutes still left in the game, both teams clamped down on defense, and the contest headed into overtime.  With only 2:34 left in the extra period, Penguin Brooks Orpik was called for high sticking, giving the Caps a man advantage.  The puck once again found Alexander the Great at the top of the left faceoff circle.  Ovechkin fired a slapshot toward the Pittsburgh goal, which was knocked down, but Mike Knuble slipped the rebound between the legs of goalie Marc-Andre Fleury for the game winner.  The win marks the Capitals 14th in a row, only 3 off the NHL record.

This exciting hockey game clearly illustrates the difference between the NHL and the NFL.  For the former, the game is everything, while for the latter, the game is an afterthought, simply part of an overall production.  You couldn't beat last night's contest for pageantry and hoopla.  The best game of the day, however, was played on ice in the afternoon.