Friday night we drove down to IKEA, then to Jalisco to split a combo platter.
Saturday was all day baseball. Met at CFA at 8 am to hear Lee, the head of Advance Baseball International share the growth of the game in Malaysia. He pretty much started from scratch but has momentum. Has several major leaguers helping out, including former GT catcher Matt Weiters and current Cardinals manager Mike Matheny.
At ten I headed over to SunTrust Park for ChopFest. Cold. Collected several trinkets; drink can cozies, Phil the Bucket keychains, etc. Already a huge crowd and long lines. Went downstairs to the season ticket area, where it was warm. Got my picture with HOF GM John Schuerholz, then later several rookies: pitchers Ian Anderson, Kyle Wright, and Bryce Wilson. Also outfielders Drew Waters and Christian Pache. Later these guys were leaving, so I followed them and got a selfie with Pache.
Lots of food. Passed on wings, salads, cookies, brownies, and ice cream. Sampled the pizza, burgers, BBQ, and hot dogs. Later got my picture with manager Brian Snitker and coaches Ron Washington and Walt Weiss.
Went to the team store to look for a backpack (none). They had their $175.00 jerseys for $35.00. Had I gone earlier I might’ve found an #27 Austin Riley or #16 Brian McCann in my size. Didn’t want Inciarte, and everyone and their brother has a #5 Freeman, #7 Swanson, #1 Albies, or #13 Acuna. I already have an Acuna. I didn’t have a white home jersey. Said to myself “well Reid was talking about what a great player Josh Donaldson is” so I bought the $25.00 Donaldson. Didn’t want a single digit number, so #20 fits the bill. Also like the way the long DONALDSON name curves across the back.
Left SunTrust before 1 pm and drove over to Sandy Springs for another baseball meeting: several presentations about old Ponce de Leon Park: (1) an overview by Paul Crater from the Atlanta History Center (2) an “All-Poncey” team – the best players (3) details about the Crackers / Dodgers exhibitions in April 1949 (4) stories about players buried around Atlanta – including former SPdL member Hank Small. Very interesting. I’ll type up my notes and send them to you.
Then home for supper with Ceil, Anna, and Matthew: chicken and chopped vegetables.
Sunday AM: JFBC. Sat with the Malaysian baseball guy again. Spaghetti & meatballs, Nap. C went to a long meeting at JFBC. I did laundry and dishes and crashed on the couch, watching Parenthood and the Grammys – held at the Forum in LA, where Kobe played.
Picked up my phone around 3:50. Looked on Twitter. Cowboys HOF GM Gil Brandt had posted a Kobe tweet. Didn’t think much of it. Started scrolling and saw more tweets about Kobe. That’s how I learned the news. Nice tributes by the shocked players, starting the games with 24 and 8 second violations. Didn’t think the games should’ve been cancelled. Hawks PG Trae Young hit the half court shot at the end of the third quarter, wearing Kobe’s number eight. Heard he was a favorite of Kobe’s daughter. Lots of tributes, including from Trump and Obama, Louie Giglio and JFBC pastor Clay Smith.
Weight loss: I need to redouble my efforts. Went backwards last week. Been eating too much. BBQ chicken on Thursday, Jalisco on Friday, Braves buffet on Saturday. The protein shakes for breakfast last week didn’t help. Haven’t been to the gym since last Wednesday. Gotta finish the month strong.
I was late to the whole vest thing.
Potentially interesting articles…
- Jason Themanson, “Psychology of Walks and Singles,” The Hardball Times, June 19, 2019.
- Craig Goldstein, “Deep, But Playable: The Moral Hazard of Playing it Safe,” Baseball Prospectus, August 6, 2019.
- Jay Jaffe, "Pitcher, Author, Everyman, Hero: Jim Bouton (1939-2019)," FanGraphs, July 11, 2019.
- Rachael McDaniel, "The Meaning of Ichiro," FanGraphs, March 21, 2019.
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- Hall of Famer RED RUFFING [SABR Bio] was drafted into U.S. military service during WWII, despite being 38 years old and missing four toes. At 15 he was working as a train car coupler, hooking coal cars together when his left foot was crushed between cars. Doctors managed to save the foot, but he lost four toes. (Uncle Sam really needed soldiers and was anxious to induct just about anybody even if not 1-A classified). He was the first Yankee pitcher to hit a grand slam. GS = 14-May-1933. It was a 2-out, 9th inning walk-off. 3 of the 4 runs scored were by Hall of Famers.
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