Another Reason I Love YouTube!

'Cause where else can you see Batting Stance Guy?

There is truth in humor, and this is so funny because this guy always nails it so well.

Here he is doing the Cardinals:



Who can ever forget Tom Lawless flipping his bat after homering off of Frank Viola in Game 4 of the 1987 World Series?

Obviously not Batting Stance Guy.

Or Joe Sports Fan, who described that moment as "the equivalent of the Loch Ness Monster popping out of the Mississippi River and eating center fielder Dan Gladden."

My Kind Of Meeting

I hate meetings. In general, I find them a waste of valuable time, tempting attendees to bloviate endlessly about minutiae.

I probably would have liked working with Whitey Herzog.

Here's a great article by Tim Kurkjian about the greatest baseball man alive, Whitey Herzog, who is being inducted into the Hall Of Fame today.

Finally. And I think maybe at my behest, no?

Below is an excerpt from the article:

"I don't remember him ever having a team meeting except for one time, which Whitey had in front of a thousand people," said former Cardinals outfielder Andy Van Slyke, who played for Herzog from 1983 to 1986. "In 1985, we started out 1-6. At the team's 'Welcome Home Luncheon,' Whitey got up in front of the crowd and said something like, 'I know a lot of you thought we had a pretty good club here this year. I thought we did, too.' Then he looked down the line of players at the luncheon and said, 'It's time to s--- or get off the pot.' Then he just sat down. He was talking to players, not the fans. I'll never forget that."

Short, sweet, and to the point, might sum up that meeting. Must have worked, too, as that team won 101 games and the NL pennant that year.

And if you haven't read Whitey's book, you're missing something. There are a lot of such stories in it.

Growing Season

Thanks to a new computer this summer, I've been able to start getting some things done. Like posting more.

One of the things I've been able to accomplish is getting a load of pictures off my camera and into files and then backed up.

This year I've been able to get a lot of plant pictures. I thought some of them turned out nicely, so I thought I'd share some over the next few weeks.

To get things started, I'd like to return us to Spring. You remember Spring, right? It was that few days in between the time it was icy and now, when it is unbearable to stay out past noon.

Spring always means tulips. I've had a bed full of Triumph Red tulips for 5 years now. Which is a long time in the tulip universe, considering all the critters in my backyard who like to make meals of bulbs.

The weird thing this year is that I had one lone tulip, in a sea of red, that came out looking like a candy cane. The only one that wasn't solid red, but red and white.

Here's what I've gotten to look forward to for 5 years. (I've also had a bed of taller yellow Big Smile tulips, but sadly, during the winter, they succumbed to both tree squirrels and chipmunks, so only a few survived).










Now, check this out.



I took this next photo at dusk with a flash and am pleased with how it turned out.



If you click on the pictures, you'll get an even better look.

So next year, I'll be looking for the return of the candy cane. Maybe he'll bring some friends. If he doesn't maybe I'll just call in "The Gunny" again.

Not Really Random Thoughts

I don't do Twitter, but these brief holiday weekend thoughts are probably things I could have twote.

Frustration, humor, and frustration summed up my July 4th weekend.

First was a little frustration.

I was reminded this past weekend that, aside from Halloween and New Year's, Independence Day is about the lamest holiday we have.

Not the idea behind it, but the execution of it.

When else can you get an endless serenade of little neighborhood explosions from the crack of dawn until you're trying to fall asleep that night?

After say, I don't know, the 2nd time you set off a firecracker, doesn't it all just get a little old? Who can sit there all day and light firecrackers? Apparently, some can.

Some of us do not enjoy the seemingly infinite barrage of disruptions in our attempt at a little tranquility. But it never fails to amaze me what entertains people.

I'm not down on fireworks, done professionally in capable hands. I am down on those whose idea of being neighborly is to subject the rest of the neighborhood to what can only be described as disturbing the peace.

Now for a little humor. I have learned to appreciate what a great announcer David Wells is after his performance this weekend.

On Sunday's TBS All Star Selection Show, he attempted to pronounce the name of Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt when discussing Phillies 3rd baseman Scott Rolen's selection to the team.

Only he left out the "m" sound in Schmidt's name. Fortunately, he quickly corrected himself. Since I wasn't sure if I heard what I thought I heard, I hit the rewind button on the DVR a few times, and sure enough, each time I listened I got the same result.

Didn't anyone else hear this?

Thanks for the laugh, David Wells. And big props to him, as well as Dennis Eckersley and Cal Ripken, for not bursting out into laughter.

Finally, back to frustration. Summed up in 3 words. St. Louis Cardinals.

But it was good to see that someone else is fed up with the Cardinals' descent into mediocrity. Boos at Busch? That takes a lot of screwing up.

There. Now I feel better.

Was this too long to be a twit?

I Heard This Song Today

I don't remember a lot about the day other than it was very hot. But in August 1980, incredibly now 30 years ago, I went to see this artist at the Illinois State Fair.

The other thing I remember about that day is stopping by the Republican tent and getting a Reagan for President button to wear.