3rd Inning

Milwaukee's Corey Hart, who looks like a giant leprechaun, strikes out in this inning against Andy Pettite.

Yadier Molina, who is struggling offensively this year, rips a single up the middle. Cardinal hitting coach Mark McGwire is no where in sight.

0-0

2nd Inning

In the twilight the pitchers have the advantage as the ball is hard to see. So, not much offense.

Evan Longoria of the Rays gets a ringing double to left, but he's stranded. Still no score.

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1st Inning

The National League has not won this game since 1996. It would be nice if that changed, but these things go in cycles.

Albert Pujols will hit this inning. He wound up scorching one to right where Ichiro caught up with it.

Bottom of the first a very nice touch having a recording of longtime Yankee Stadium public address announcer Bob Shepherd introduce Derek Jeter. Shepherd passed away over the weekend and Jeter has requested that a recording of Shepherd introducing him be played for the rest of his career. Fox Sports announcer Tim McCarver on the deaths of Steinbrenner and Shepherd, "Rest assured there will be two more monuments added to Monument Park (in Yankee Stadium)."

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Pregame

I fixed my supper during the All Stars Among Us nonsense. I suppose it's nice, but it really interrupts the flow of the game presentation.

I got just a bit frustrated when the All Star players came and showered love on these people. Why? This love was denied to Stan Musial last year in St. Louis. Musial, overshadowed in his career by Ted Williams and Joe DiMaggio early on and Willie Mays later, was reduced to ferrying the baseball for President Barak (I've Written Two Autobiographies) Obama for the first pitch. Would have liked to have seen Musial get the attention Williams did in Boston a while back. This clip is from the day Williams died, but has a bit at about 1:38 from that All Star Game. Good for him. Too bad Stan didn't get some.

Very nice with a moment of silence for George Steinbrenner who passed today. Probably the greatest sports owner of all time, at least that's what they are saying. He frustrated those of us who rooted against him because he came out on top so often. But that's the point, right?

And very cool to have Rod Carew throw out the first pitch, which I anticipated. He played in Anaheim from 79-85 or so, after beginning his career in Minnesota. The player who caught the first pitch? Tori Hunter, who began his career in Minnesota and is now playing for Anaheim.

2010 All Star Game Live Blog

Here comes a live blog of baseball's All-Star Game. It's actually going to be quasi-live as I will post during commercials. Who knows how this will go?

One Road Diverged

Monday the second Diverging Diamond interchange in the nation was opened at National Avenue and James River Freeway, also known as Highway 60 right here in Springfield, Mo. The first one, shown in the photo, is located at Kansas Expressway and I-44.

Incidentally, we have a Kansas Avenue here in town but no one is ever confused if someone says, "Take Kansas south to Battlefield." We know it's the expressway that is indicated. And while we're at it, we would know that Battlefield Road is indicated not Battlefield, Mo., nor Wilson's Creek Battlefield, both located just southwest of town.

I didn't go on the new interchange today, though I was in the neighborhood. I was having blood work done at the clinic just about a block away and I had forgotten that the road was open for business after having been closed all weekend. There is the aforementioned clinic, a major hospital, various offices and businesses located near this interchange and traffic used to back up through the lights every evening. The diverging diamond allows unimpeded turns in either direction onto the highway from the street and so relieves a great deal of the back ups. It seems to have worked marvelously on Kansas and I anticipate it will on National, too.

The Next Cardinal Manager

Saturday night I dreamed that Tony LaRussa would resign as Cardinals manager on Monday. That would be all right with me.

I have such conflicted thoughts about LaRussa. There is no denying his successful record while managing St. Louis. And I know many fans would love to have a guy with his record in their teams' dugout. I honestly don't mind the success.

What I don't like is the way he does it and I can't even describe that very well. It seems he plays a lot a station-to-station baseball. He doesn't steal much, doesn't bunt much. Generally doesn't force the action. He just likes to wait for someone to hit a big homer. I like Cardinal home runs as much as anybody, but they don't always come around when you need them to. It just seems a bit like needing a '3' for a large straight in Yahtzee. You can do it, but you probably won't.

Someday LaRussa won't be manager and there is a fair chance the club won't be as successful. Maybe then I will appreciate what he's doing now.

NBA Player Holds Press Conference

The made for TV event orchestrated by LeBron James where he announces who he will play for next season is set to air on ESPN shortly. It is guessed, by many professional guessers, that James will say Miami, though most are hedging their bets.

If you read this blog you know that on this matter I have not hedged. I have been saying Miami and I've been saying it since May. We will know within the hour.

I may be wrong or I may be right. But hedge I have not.

The Caine Mutiny

I finished reading this book a week or so ago. It's one of the best books I've ever read, and I was surprised by it in that regard.

As I posted before, I was familiar with the movie having seen it a half a dozen times or so. I liked it pretty well, the end was always satisfying, but it always felt a little strained. It always seemed that some pieces were missing in the story and that the movie was just trying a bit too hard.

Having read the book, it's obvious that the movie was trying to cover way too much ground and suffered a bit as a result. That's not to say that the movie's no good because it is good and remains a popular film to this day.

The book, on the other hand, is so rich, so well written. I was very struck by what a good writer Herman Wouk (pronounced woke) is. He is a Navy veteran himself and it is clearly evident in his storytelling. I'm sure I wasn't expecting it to be poorly written, but it is so outstanding in my opinion that I can't help comment on it.

You could order one here.

One last thing - as I read the book, the dialogue for Queeg sounded like Bogart and Maryk sounded like Van Johnson and Keefer sounded like Fred MacMurray and Barney Greenwald sound like Jose Ferrar and I think I liked it that way.

It could have been worse.

Cool Images of the Moment

You will want to follow the link and see vintage national parks posters from the 30's. Love the colors, the composition and the fonts.

There are eight or so posters shown at the National Geographic website, but a Google search yielded the images of many more, and sites where you could buy some. It would be nifty to find some items like these in a local shop or flea market. They would look nice in office here at the house.

Enjoy.

What Is A Prokhorav?

With the current NBA free agent frenzy going on now, this article about one of the key persons in the drama was interesting to me.

Mikhail Prokhorov is a billionaire from Russia and he now owns the New Jersey Nets, which will soon be the Brooklyn . . . uh, . . . . whoevers. The fact that there will be a team in Brooklyn some day is pretty neat, as far as I am concerned.

I am intrigued by how a person who is as successful as this guy is thinks and what makes him different. I found one of his statements very interesting:

"I don't use a computer. We have too much information and it's really impossible to filter it."

You there, reading the computer! What do you think?

You can read the article here. Language warning applies.

Taste and See

My lovely bride and I were reading a selection from John Piper's Taste and See the other day. One portion was especially good for my soul and I'd like to share it. It's a quote from John Owen.

"The revelation of Christ deserves the severest of our thoughts, the best of our meditations and our utmost diligence in them . . . "

There was more, of course, but this was enough to spur my heart and prick my conscience.

I Might Be Right Again, But Didn't Say So

I told Number One Son and his buddy several weeks ago that I thought the best destination for free agent NBA star LeBron James is the Miami Heat. This was shortly after James came up missing in the two biggest games of his career in the playoffs against the Boston Celtics.

Whether James isn't the star that many tout him to be, or whether the problem was the inadequate help deployed by his club, the Cleveland Cavaliers, is not clear to me. What was plain was James could not win a title by himself. Therefore, I concluded, he should go to a team with a least one other scoring threat, and preferably, with a player who could be the 'Alpha' if James isn't in the mood, or able. I suggested the Miami Heat with Dwyane Wade who clearly is no stranger to taking over ballgames and with Pat (I coach the Contending, you coach the Rebuilding) Riley waiting in the wings to come back to the bench.

Of course, I did not write it here.

And of course, it may come to pass.

We'll know in a few days.

Friday Night

Just finished watching the listless St. Louis Cardinals lose a baseball game to the scrappy Kansas City Royals. KC, which switched managers in mid-May, are roughly a .500 ballclub since the hiring of Ned Yost. Hats off to them. The Cards, on the other hand, continue in enigma mode. They appear to be playing below their ability and manager LaRussa's laidback, station-to-station style doesn't do anything to jumpstart the club.

Pujols does not look right to me - he appears to be lethargic in the field and he looks as lost at the plate as I have ever seen him. He does not appear to be in command like in years past. I don't know if it contract issues or not, but I think something's on his mind.

Hitting coach Mark McGwire comes in for some of the blame for the team not performing well. I think that's fair. I'll be glad to be rid of the LaRussa Gang.

Stepped on the scale this morning (on purpose) and saw a number that was below a number ending in zero that I had been well above for a long time. That's a rather obscure and convoluted way of saying I have dropped to someplace I haven't seen in a while. My lovely bride has switched jobs and is now working for a weight management establishment. I am reaping some benefits and she is losing some weight also. Huzzah!