Ed. Note: Perhaps the most famous speech given in American sports history was delivered on July 4, 1939 at Yankee Stadium by baseball player Lou Gehrig. For 17 years Gehrig was a star for the New York Yankees. His skills fell into sharp decline in 1938 and by May 1939 he was no longer able to play due to extreme physical weakness. On June 19, 1939 he was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and given less than three years to live. (The disease is now often referred to as “Lou Gehrig Disease.”) The news of his condition spread quickly and on June 21 (more…)
Posts Tagged ‘baseball’
speech: Lou Gehrig, “Lou Gehrig Appreciation Day” (early draft – June 1939)
Posted: October 22, 2012 in UncategorizedTags: baseball, humor, humour, in the attic, Lou Gehrig, luckiest man on the face of the earth, old, speech, Yankees
a few books which would make pretty decent movies if only hollywood would listen to me
Posted: May 17, 2012 in ArtsTags: Allan Folsom, baseball, books, books which should be movies, Christopher Moore, film, John Hough Jr., Kim Stanley Robinson, Megan Abbott, movies, noir, novels, sci-fi, thriller, vampire
The Conduct of the Game – John Hough Jr.
If baseball movies had a batting average it would be about .250. Not enough juice to be an all-star, but good enough to stay in the game. To help baseball filmdom I scout around for stories which could hit a Hollywood home run. This is because I am the studio puppet master, the guy who green lights films the way NFL players herd baby mamas. One phone call, one meeting, one lunch with me and your movie is golden. (And once that first phone call/meeting/lunch happens I’ll prove it.) This novel would be a fine start. It does not possess the nail-biting tension of more conventional sports films. No last minute drama, no death or glory moments. Instead, we visit a more subdued world – minor league umpiring in the 1950’s where the people are the stars. The characters are so well drawn you know them once you meet them resulting in a story brimming with quiet dignity. (more…)
The bright sunshine filled the summer sky like a blessing. Carl wished he brought his Donald Duck sunglasses, but it was too late now. His father handed the tickets to a man in a blue-striped shirt. The man roughly ripped them in two and handed one half back to his father. “I’ll hold these for safekeeping,” he said evenly and took Carl’s hand in his.
They walked to an escalator, the tallest escalator Carl had even seen. As they began (more…)
Trask Avenue 
artist at work
Posted: September 4, 2020 in Arts, Observations and CommentaryTags: art, baseball, life, pitching, Tom Seaver
Most of us never see artists at work. Most of us never want to see artists at work. The process of visualizing, creating, refining, and polishing is the best left in the shadows. The multiple iterations required to arrive at a completed piece are neither appealing or interesting to most of us. The mental and emotional gyrations which spun and swirled in Van Gogh’s head and hand as he accelerated towards The Starry Night or Café Terrace at Night may fascinate, but they hardly make good viewing. Bach’s endless tinkering with notes and sounds while he composed the Brandenburg Concertos may appeal to the musicologist, but the rest of us are satisfied listening to the music. Nobody wants to see Meryl Streep stand in front of a mirror practicing gestures, accents, and tone while preparing for a role. The image of Anne Coates viewing reels of film in a cramped editing room, then manipulating them in search of the proper pacing for Lawrence of Arabia, is best left to film students. We just want to see the movie. The effort behind (more…)