Baseball Toaster was unplugged on February 4, 2009.
scott@scottlongonline.com
Driving today, I pulled out of Burger King and found myself behind a blue 1983 Toyota Corolla. The color is actually deep blue and I know this because my first girlfriend drove one. She got it for her birthday and was none too happy, expecting something else. (She upgraded a year later.)
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I drove downtown and watched people cross the street in front of me in their uniforms of ties and khakis and sullen looks. Lunch and the weekend seemed like escape. I sat in my car, a t-shirt and jeans, talking on my phone.
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My iPod has the new Coldplay and Fall Out Boy in heavy rotation. I passed six billboards for classic rock stations while I drove. I probably didn't notice others. I know I won't be the oldest guy at the Pixies show next week, only because Scott Long is older than me.
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I had lunch with Bryan Smith on Wednesday. Thinking back to that blue Corolla and late spring nights in the hills of Mountain Brook, it's theoretically possible that I could have a kid older than Bryan, but certainly not sharper.
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Ever find yourself Googling old friends or worse, old girlfriends?
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"Hit Me Baby One More Time" is just wrong. Yet I'll watch, just like I'll watch "Bands Reunited" and "Behind The Music." It's easier to remember seeing U2 at Boutwell Auditorium, singing the stage with songs from Boy and War than it is to find the next band that could be U2.
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Remember the first time a Playboy Playmate was younger than you? Mark Grudzialanek was born the same day as me. Ryne Sandberg is about to go into the Hall of Fame. He has his own "retro" jersey, on sale at Von Maur.
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That blue Corolla had seen better days, dented and a bit faded. So have I.
I Google old friends I've lost contact with every once in a while. Sometimes, I actually find them. And vice versa; an old junior high friend contacted me just this morning.
Will, did you catch the Dodger game last night. If not, try to watch the 9th on mlb and watch Gagne. He still is not himself - he never topped 92. He was throwing almost nothing but junk, couldn't locate his fastball and when he did Overbay almost put it back off his forehead. But there were two very interesting things:
1) He kept shaking his arm. He's always twitchy out there but this was like I've never seen before. It tells me he can't get "loose" Dodger fans are just saying it's still his spring training and he's 2-3 weeks from being himself.
2) Even more disturbing was the Brady Clark at bat. If you can see it, check it out. He was gripping the pitch before he would set and he didn't reset his grip in his glove. This I've never seen him do. He even smacked his had against his leg with his change grip and threw the change. He did this on about 5 straight pitches, but the Clark at bat was the most visible.
Taken separately these two points may not mean anything. To me it tells me something is not right with his arm and he is so worried about it he's not concentrating on other things - like disguising his grip.
After two at bats against rookies, in which he struck them out 8 pitches, Gagne threw 10 balls, 6 strikes, 2 wild pitches, a single, two walks and a run. He only got out of it with 3 straight changes to Jenkins who (bless his heart since he's an 'SC grad) couldn't have hit them with an oar.
As Dane Cook would says, "something's terribly wrong, something's w-r-o-n-g."
And I was born on the exact same day as Mark Petkovsek.
I loved Hit Me Baby...it was soooo bad it was delicious. I have a feeling the Motels will win next week. I think Martha Davis still performs.
Mike Reno, lay off the crullers, eh?
No ballplayers born on my birthday! The closest is that I was born exactly two days before Eric Plunk.
Am I the only one who is getting a bit excited about the upcoming White Stripes album on tuesday??
It's strange sitting here in my kitchen watching my 13 month old son bang his head to Metallica when I have such completely different memories of this music of a ---errr-- 'non-family' nature...life gets weirder..............
Nearest current players to me are Chris Hammond (two weeks older), and Mike Timlin (five weeks younger). At this point, I'm happy that anybody older than me is still playing.
Sandwiched between the soft tossin' lefty and the soft tossin' righty you clearly were meant to be a soft tossin' underhander.
You or the car? :)
Good post. Born the same day as Chris Widger, myself, so I know how ya feel.
Still, there's nothing wrong about googling old friends, even of the girl variety. It's when you start zabasearching them that you know you have a problem.
And sometimes I'm the youngest guy at the Pixies show.
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/05/arts/music/05pare.html?
Meanwhile, I'm hoping the thing with the Corolla-driving girl broke off when you found out she was spoiled enough to have the gall to be "none too happy" upon receiving a car for her birthday. Cripes, it makes me angry just thinking about it.
Randy Winn
Bill Virdon
Roy Smalley, Sr.
Dave Parker
Actor Michael J. Fox was born on 6/9/63, as was I.
I've googled lots of old friends, and even tracked down and corresponded with a few.
Randy Winn
Bill Virdon
Roy Smalley, Sr.
Dave Parker
Actor Michael J. Fox was born on 6/9/63, as was I.
I've googled lots of old friends, and even tracked down and corresponded with a few.
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