Sorry for the disappearing act; probably should have mentioned I was going on vacation last week. And nothing personal, but the best day I had during the week's West Coast swing just happened to be the one day that I had neither cellphone service or powered up the computer; a coincidence? Somehow I doubt that. And whilst I will make sure it doesn't interfere with posting my "regular" three blogs per week, I think taking a day off from this technology per week may just become a regular habit; I recommend it to you as well...

Despite my very real intentions to get home safe & sound, somehow yesterday through really no fault of anyone but myself, I missed my flight out of LAX. My dear friend Chris P. went the extra miles and got me to the airport in plenty of time for my US Air flight -- the only thing wrong with the scenario was that apparently (but clearly not to ME) I wasn't flying them, I was on United, who just so happen to be 6 terminals away at that bustling (even for 6:30AM) airport. So I paid the extra stress tax and I paid the stupid tax and I eventually made it home early yesterday evening.

I did get to AT&T Park on the trip with my very good friend Saxifrage during the trip and that was a good day with a great view even if those defending champs behind The Freak beat the Twins for whom I was rooting. I had only been to that baseball park twice before: once I sat in a friend's corporate seats behind the plate, the other time I actually sat on the field in the grass behind 2nd base. That last time was for a simulcast from the SF Opera House on the huge center-field screen. But having spied the view on TV from those right-field upper deck seats, I was looking forward to that and really wasn't disappointed (see: picture above) even if the Giants beat the Twinkies 2-1.

Okay, I will file a bigger report later this week. That is all...

Brian

I think I just very recently realized that I may pre-judge people in real life should they have one of the names that I use a lot in scripts and/or other writings in fiction. For quite some time, the name "Rick" was one that I utilized in screenplays fairly often and usually for the male lead. And I am not so sure if that was one extension of me - really - but I am sure that having related "Rick" to my very dear and now late friend J., that I no longer use that moniker for characters. I have put that one to bed. And, as far as I know, I don't know any real Ricks in real life.

But I do use the name "Zack" for characters who have a side to them that I don't like very much and I think this sometimes gets reflected onto real life people who carry that name around. Funny, huh?

Another character name I have used (and re-used) is "Miskit." David Miskit was the GM at a hotel at which I toiled back in the day, back when Times Square was still worthy of its name. I reserve this character name for my most hated, most evil of screen characters. My most prime example of this is naming the lead in my period piece horror flick "The Sin Eater" as Miskit although that movie has yet to see the light of the camera. But there is a movie that I ghost-wrote that will soon be coming out that does use that name . My name may not be on the picture, but that is evidence that my ghostly fingerprints are very much on the thing.

But by far the most amusing "life replicating art" incident I have experienced in regard to my characters names happened a few years ago back in San Francisco. I was attending an orientation/training for 826 Valencia (www.826Valencia.org) and we all had to give our names, etc.. There was a very cute young woman named Emily Blankenship -- I KNEW that name; figured I knew her. I had to, right?

And I know it most probably seemed like a pick-up line when I went up to her after the training ended and told her that I knew her from some place. And while I can really say I wasn't chatting her up -- I was more than happy with my girlfriend at the time -- she reacted as if I were and she reacted positively. She said something along the lines of "how about the two of us get together and try and figure it out." Normally, I would have leaped at that almost-modest proposal (but, see: "girlfriend;" see: "happy") and I probably said something about seeing her around 826.

She was very cute after all...

It didn't hit me until I was on the BART heading home to the East Bay. Of course I recognized the name (and mind you-- it's not "Mary Smith" you know) I had "created" her. In my script, "The Artificial Heart" there is an important (although not lead) character in the movie named, that's right -- Emily Blankenship.

Life imitates art indeed...

Cheers,

Brian

There was a quote, incorrectly attributed to Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., that circulated these here interwebs some years back. In it, it was said that one should like in San Francisco for a spell, but not so long as to get too soft; that one should live in New York, but not so long as to get too hard. And even if Mr. Vonnegut didn't say it, it's great advice and it speaks to me in regard to baseball catchers.

On and on we went about the Posey play at the plate that knocked San Francisco's budding young star out of action for at least the rest of the 2011 season. And then there's the new New York catcher Russell Martin. Martin, who was something of a stud in Los Angeles before injuries plagued him, the Dodgers didn't offer him a contract, now squats for the Yankees where once Berra, Dickey, Munson and most recently Jorge Posada have plied the tools of ignorance. A week or more ago, Martin injured his back lifting weights and missed a handful of games. Finally back behind the plate, he had mentioned to teammates about needing a play at the plate to invigorate him.

Careful what you ask for, Russell. Saturday afternoon at the gorgeous baseball cathedral that is Wrigley Field (I must get there!) the Yankee catcher was involved in just that sort of play. An important run was streaming right toward the plate as Martin caught the ball and braced for impact. And boy howdy-- did he get it! If you haven't seen the play, there's Martin (mind you with mask, chest protector, shin guards as per the position) catching Gardner's great 1-hop throw from left-field. And there's the runner not only making a beeline for him, but also raising his forearm like a running back making a hard block.

Not only did Martin absorb the mighty blow, hold on to the ball and get the out, he also showed the ball to Pena demonstratively. After the game, rather than crying about the slam-bang play at the plate or whining that the runner could have gone around him to reach the plate, Martin said the crash loosened him up and invigorated him.

I don't hope Posey was watching, but I sure hope that Sabean and the fans of his team were...

Yankees take 2 out of 3 from Cubs; let them win the 1st game so that the fans would continue to come out this past weekend and watch. They set an all-time Wrigley Field 3-game attendance record with the Bronx Bombers (who didn't homer until last night's contest: 2 if you're counting) visiting and how can anyone say that the Yankees aren't good for baseball? If they didn't exist, MLB would have to create them.

Next up: The Cincinnati Reds of whom I still hold a grudge for sweeping the Yankees in 1976, which just happens to be the 1st World Series of which I have any memory. Let's return the favor starting tonight...

Cheers,

Brian

All the money in the world (according to all other fans and GM's) and Brian Cashman has become a "scavenger" in the words of the NY Daily News. And I guess that's pretty spot on. During the winter at least it was Major Leaguers like Colon, Garcia, Chavez who have all made contributions; I am still wondering when Mark Prior will show up in the bullpen and when Carlos Silva makes a start. But of very recent late, the Yankees have had this odd little bullpen rotation of career minor leaguers, cast-offs, waiver wire pick-ups and now, the opt-outs. Last night's starter, making his 1st ML start at the ripe, ol' age of 32, wasn't even signed much before game time. Brian Gordon (who pitched very well but got a ND) had to throw with strangers on the ball field across the street from where Yankee Stadium sits. The field that he threw on? Oh, that-- used to be the OLD Yankee Stadium.

When Cashman was asked if he thought the Phillies would get angry for him plucking this guy who had been pitching great for their AAA squad he said that since the Phils got Cliff Lee he could take Brian Gordon. Makes sense to me...

Yanks can't beat the 1st place team in their division, but seemingly don't have the same issues with the leaders in the other two divisions; taking 3 out of 4 from Cleveland earlier this week and knocking them out of the Central division lead was the first part; sweeping the AL West leading Rangers out of the Bronx and very nearly out of 1st (they're a 1/2 game up over the suddenly-surprising Seattle Mariners) completed the 6-4 home-stand that began 0-3 vs the Bosox.

The Yanks head to the North Side of Chicago to face the Cubs and then on to Cincinnati for the next round of inter-league play. If MLB re-aligns like it might, this whole inter-league scenario very well may change, but I'll write more on that some other time...

Personally, I had a visit a few days ago from a friend I hadn't seen for 28 years! Tsuguo Nishijima was my host when I was an exchange student to Japan when I was 15 years old. Tsuguo and his family live in Morioka City in the Northern prefecture of Iwate, Japan which was decimated by the earthquake and tsunami three months ago. Through the weird world that is Facebook, we re-connected earlier this year and he was in Minneapolis for a medical convention (he's an MD specializing in sleep medicine and disorders, which is ironic since that is pretty much the bane of my nighttime existence) and we got to go out for some drinks (Kampai!) and for some dinner (and more drinks: Kampai!!) and then on to Zuba's, the tree-house bar for more drinks (KAMPAI!!!) and to re-connect after so many years. He plans on returning with his wife and kids next year and that would be fantastic...

KAMPAI!!!

Brian

ps - If I was able to poach a picture from Facebook I would have posted a shot of me & Tsuguo, but I couldn't so you'll just have to use your imagination...

The best laid plans of Yankee fans and management yada yada yada...

All hopes and expectations were that Derek Jeter would not only become the 1st New York Yankee to accumulate 3,000 hits in pinstripes, but also to mark that very notable achievement (only 27 players before him have done so in the history of the game) at home in Yankee Stadium. It is inevitable that he will get there, but this is something that the fans want to see and really -- it's great business for the team to fill the stands as he inched closer as everyone will want to say, "I was there when Derek Jeter got his 3,000th hit."

But alas, with but a scant 6 to go after his 1st inning single last night, Jeter removed himself from the game in the 5th after injuring his calf. It's been deemed a Grade 1 strain (the least serious of grades) but will barring something unimaginable overnight take the Captain out of tonight's game and most likely the entire three game series vs. the Rangers that commences this evening.

It then leaves the Yankees in something of a quandary: do you take the chance that Jeter will accomplish this amazing feat (something that the Babe, Gehrig, DiMaggio, Mantle, et al never did) not only on the road, but potentially on either a Fox broadcast (Saturday) or an ESPN one (Sunday) in the inter-league series vs. the Chicago Cubs in Wrigley. It would be historic -- no doubt -- but the Yankees, probably to a man, wanted to see Jeter do that before the hometown fans who have been rooting on Jeter for 15+ seasons now.

If I were a rich man, I'd hop on down to the North Side, score up some StubHub tickets and wear my Dave Winfield #31 Yankee uniform top proudly and loudly...

Since I wrote about my old man barber shop haircut last time, I suppose it's only fair to also write about the one I got yesterday. About as diametrically opposed to Nick's (other than a salon or something fey like that) is Sport Clips: it's closer to Hooter's than your Father's barber.

I used one of those coupons from the back of the supermarket receipt; it was probably the first time I have done so. But I am saving money for that aforementioned Chicago trip, so half price is a damn fine deal. Entering this joint is like entering a sports bar minus the Miller Lite. TV's tuned to Sports Center, nothing but sports photos and memorabilia on the walls and nothing but cute girls in tight tops doing the hair-cutting, etc.

Nikki seated me with a smile, discussed what I wanted and then up-sold me on the MVP package which included a shampoo, a head and shoulders massage and a few other niceties. And I would have said, "no thank you ," (like apparently most of the Mid-Western "guys" who come in do) except she said that it was free the 1st time (just like heroin, by the way) and Nikki was cute so I accepted. She didn't quite come out and say it, but it seemed like she works there to meet "guys" -- the place is so guy-centric -- whereas Nick's was masculine and male but not for "guys" per se.

But the haircut was definitely good enough and the treatment was appreciated and kind of sweet even if in a rather calculated way, this business did start in Texas and that makes sense.

I guess next time I should just split the difference and let Ephraim cut my head in the middle of Zuba's some Wednesday night, but not this one...

Cheers,

Brian

I used to think I wanted to come back as bookstore cat (or as Keith Richards, but it's probably a foolhardy desire to come back as someone still "living;" I sincerely doubt Keef will ever shake off this mortal coil) and it seemed obvious. Even with the occasional idiot who can't read the "Please Don't Tap the Glass" sign in the window when you're basking in the sun, you've got mice, books, quiet and literate people it just seemed to be an even more cush life than even regular, ol' house cats have.

But I now am pretty sure the best thing to be is a left-handed middle reliever pitching in the Major Leagues. Every team now must have at least one "lefty specialist" out in the pen. Some have two or more; go figure. For the neophytes out there, there is a universally held baseball truth that pitchers have a better chance against batters who hit from the opposite side than what they are throwing, ie right-handers have a harder time vs. right-handed pitchers and vice versa. This is especially true when it comes to left-handed players. There are less lefty batters, even less southpaw pitchers (Southpaws are also known to be more than a handful when it comes to boxing; I am not sure if this "truth" hold true in football in regard to quarterbacks) so how often a lefty batter has to face a lefty pitcher is decreased significantly.

So in every Major League bullpen there's a lefty out there. He's permitted to be a little off, a little weird because he's a lefty. He usually knows he is being held for that one good lefty bat coming up in a crucial situation late in the ballgame. This is his job most nights: get that one guy out. Now here's why these guys stick around: they are a built in excuse for any manager: "Well, we have Old Southpaw out in the pen to get out Big Lefty Bat, so I did as the situation warranted but he didn't execute his pitch," or some variation on that is a quote most told. These lefties are more "Cover your ass" than closer and even if they crash and burn with one team, there is another lined up for their services and another after that. Since some of these set-up guys are getting burned out (just see this year's Yankee bullpen for dire evidence) it almost makes sense to pick up a guy who was ineffective the previous season(s?) since that means he wasn't over-worked and will be the guy for your pen.

If I had a son, I'd make him throw with his left hand and I would teach him to pound the zone with strikes and then I'd make him buy me a house and a yacht.

Back on the field the number of Yankees getting plunked is getting ridiculous. Colon and Garcia might have something to say about that in today's contest against the sinking Indians. You don't expect Nova to retaliate so that's why Girardi was out on the field and really in Cleveland manager Acta's face. I like Acta and yes he does have to defend his guy but it was more bullshit and rather obvious that Carmona threw way up and way in on Tex following Granderson's home-run hitting him high up on the shoulder. I am not advocating a beanball war, but someone needs to alert the rest of the League that hitting Yankee stars is not going to stand.

I'm happy the Yanks are not the Fox Saturday night game. It's cold and gray and a perfect day to watch a baseball game on TV.

Cheers,

Brian

So, that is my new ride. No, it's not a Porsche. I'd like to thank DTA for finally dragging me out to get it and to the guys at Recovery Bikes on Central Ave. for going above and beyond in mostly getting it road ready for me (more on that in a moment). Took it for errands including but not limited to getting lights and a lock for the evening's mission. The night-time ride to South Minneapolis and Zuba's was pretty great especially considering the 7+ mile city voyage is probably the longest destination ride I've ever made to my knowledge.

The trip home, on the other hand, was far more of a struggle. Yeah, it was late and I'd had a few Brooklyn IPA's before getting back on. And yes, we were thwarted in our attempts to fortify the last bit of the journey with sliders from White Castle (but we showed them later!) but the real issue I discovered when I tried to climb the hill toward the house was the back breaks. Apparently, I had been biking with pretty much the emergency break on; back tire and break making some steady contact: Increase level of difficulty by a force 10 from Navarone. No more long trips or hills until that is fixed.

But so what if we parked the bikes at home, got into the car and drove back to the White Castle: when man needs sliders, man needs sliders. And after a week of soft food -- again -- those soft little cheeseboogers were a god-send. At this point even the lobster bisque and the Belgian chocolate gelato are not cutting it. I NEED FOOD STAT! I know these are problems that most 40somethings don't complain about, but I have sunk under 150lbs again and that is too little. Steak and mashed potatoes and beer sound really freaking great right about now except for the ensuing pain in my mouth.

But enough with the complaining. I'll see if I can fix the tire/break issue myself and get back out there. 100+ temps flew out of here quickly and it's a good day to be out and not on here.

Later,

B.

Grumpy, hot day. I would be fine with the near 100 degree temperature and maybe even the humidity, but having ripped out the scar tissue (that really should have been healed after almost 2 months following the oral surgery) and garnered an infection in the same spot has me back on soft-food (okay- when that includes Belgian chocolate gelato and lobster bisque that suffering is somewhat minimized), antibiotics and the saving grace of Vicodin has lead to this round of well-earned grump. Ha-rumph...

Having re-injured myself on Friday morning but feeling committed to show up at Harriet Brewery and shadow head-brewer Jason wasn't the greatest way to calm my mouth. I sucked it up and bore as much as I could until the pain got too much and I bailed home for pain meds. I have a damn high pain threshold; I've fallen asleep in the tattoo chair even when having some sensitive areas of my body stuck repeatedly with needles, so when something really hurts I know it's most likely legit; got proof (and the aforementioned Rx) from the oral surgeon yesterday.

Yanks go into 3-game series vs. Bosox looking to exact a little revenge for the 1-5 start against their heated (and hated; at least by us fans) rivalry. We're a game up and a sweep would be very tasty, but even 2 outta 3 sends them out of the Bronx a couple games behind us as June starts to get serious. A few more bats start to heat up along with the mostly effective pitching could make for a very nice Summer. The trade deadline is just around the corner (already?) and that could mean a new arm for the rotation, but even if Cashman fails to procure an upgrade, Phil Hughes is on the mend and could be that Summer shot-in-the-arm. Sorry for the pun...

Hopefully, I will start my video project with DTA next week. DTA performed a very interesting round of Reiki on me last week that opened my eyes to something going on in my body that somehow I had forgotten about. Weird. My plan is for a quid pro quo of Reiki for my video interviewing skills. Seems a fair trade...

Hoping to (re)connect with a handful of my California friends in a few weeks. I feel like I have let some of those friendships slide a little in the last few months but it hasn't been intentional and I am looking forward to seeing whomever is around and available.

Okay- at some point I will need to face the heat and sun and get out into Summer...

Cheers,

Brian

Brian Sabean is a jackass and Bruce Bochy, as a former catcher, should really know better. This is not helmet to helmet NFL collisions, this is a hard but clean play at the plate and it is and always has been a part of the game -- and really should remain that way. There have been some dirty plays at the plate, probably the most heinous of them was Pete Rose taking out Ray Fosse during an All-Star Game. Totally unnecessary in a game that didn't matter and it severely impacted the rest of Fosse's career -- although not Rose's, really.

Had Eli Whiteside been in the game at that point, I wonder if Sabean would have come out blasting the way that he has. And yes he has since backtracked on what he said (The Giants are still planning on speaking to Joe Torre on behalf of MLB; Torre you will note is also a former bad-ass catcher and "old school" in a good way. I wonder what Angels' manager Mike Sciosia, one of the all-time renowned plate-blockers in the history of the game has to say on this incident) this rookie Cousins in Florida is getting death threats from Giants' fans. Poor kid is from San Francisco, has family there, making this all that much worse. Having a fan of the Giants still in a hospital bed from what one would have to imagine came out of what had probably just started as words should have zipped Sabean's lip, but it did not.

Yes, it sucks to have your catcher and one of your best players injured and lost for the season. Many teams over the course of the history of the game have had this happen. Yes, it sucks -- but it is PART OF THE GAME! Sorry if you can't repeat after losing your backstop; this happened to the 1979 New York Yankees and we didn't ask for the end of plane travel, did we? But that seems like what the Giants' management wants. I strongly believe Mr. Torre will hear them out, but I also strongly doubt that any real changes will or should be enacted based off this incident.

I submit this similar incident from earlier this season. The Yanks' Nick Swisher took the Twins' new second-baseman Nishioka out with a slide into the bag attempting to break up a double-play (he was successful) in a game during the 1st week of the season. Swisher broke Nishioka's leg on the play -- a clean slide, Swish could have maintained contact with the bag per the rule -- and although the Twins were saddened to lose the player not only did they all admit a) the slide was clean b) Nishioka needs to learn to get out of the way -- the game is PLAYED DIFFERENTLY here than in his native Japan c) it's just part of the game so why should the Giants and Buster Posey be any different? It should not especially when you take into consideration (and you really must) that a catcher is uniquely qualified for just such a collision. Catchers are strong, usually stocky guys who are abetted by shin guards, a mask and a chest protector; they KNOW that during a play at the plate, a runner may be bearing down on them at top speed and they still put their body in the way to protect the plate and keep a run from scoring.

Posey knew exactly what he was doing as he was doing it. It's a damn shame he was injured; as a baseball fan I do hope this exciting young rising star comes back completely healthy and able to field his position next year, but the fact that Sabean and Bochy don't want him to block the plate is bush. I would imagine that Twins' management gives Joe Mauer, when he finally returns from different injuries, the same instruction. As a Yankee fan and a convert to Russell Martin (at least for this season, he does only have a 1 year contract) I still want to see our backstop block the plate when the situation warrants -- such as it did for Posey that night against the Marlins.

Brian Sabean - you are a jackass and you should be embarrassed for what came out of your mouth.

I haven't used my video camera for much in the last handful of years. Much of what has been shot is not for other's eyes, but that should be changing soon. The camera is going to start getting used for interviews as background research for the not-quite top secret Mid-West movie project; some call it "Caving" but nothing is etched in stone.

But I am also going to have DTA start telling stories -- whatever he wishes actually -- into my lens. I hope to serve as his frame, but literally and figuratively. I also hope that seeing and hearing his own wisdom screened right back at him will show DTA how much brilliance, immediacy and importance he has right now to share with his family.

Looks like change is upcoming for TTITD. And initially I wasn't wholly sold on the idea of a breakaway camp; great for all of those who make that change, but I have already made mine and have been looking forward to some of the isolation that I have actually enjoyed out in that desert the last few years and to not having to answer to anyone or anything during my week and a half wandering. That said- the lure of a no-toil camp of my community may be too powerful a thing to not be a party to. See? Sounds like I want in; I "poached" a couple others already for this new venture so it looks like I am in.

We'll see. I do think some of it will be predicated on my romantic entanglements (or lack thereof) as we head into August. Haven't been with anyone in that way out there for 5 years and I am open to the idea as well as the practice of sharing that week with someone else.

Listening Universe? Yeah, it listens but it has one of those weird voice modulators like Dr. J. Frank Parnell used in "Repo Man;" you can hear the other person speaking but you have to decipher it and mostly make it up yourself. A lot of help that is...

Somehow my summer travels seem to be following the local team. I will be seeing the Twins play the Giants in AT&T Park in a few weeks; hoping that Ranger training in Chicago in July coincides with the Twins playing the White Sox that weekend. I will enjoy that but it's not a sign of things to come - just a coincidence - you will NEVER come to this blog and find me a true Twins fan.

Thanks,

Brian