NOVEMBER 24 UPDATE
COMMITMENTS
Misty Flesher, Tulsa Eagles signed with Mississippi State
Sarah Carriger, Tulsa Eagles, has committed to Oklahoma State University.
Lindsey Harris C/3rd Louisville Lady Sluggers 18U, Western Michigan University
Caroline McCauley, Louisville Lady Sluggers, to Ball State
April Ehlers, Lady Sluggers, to Ball State
Kirsten Allen, Lady Sluggers, verbal to Oklahoma
Elena Lampman, Lady Sluggers, to Liberty University
Lady Lasers
Dee Dee Hillman – Ohio State
Zada Lines – Bowling Green
Rachel Delp – Bowling Green
Andrea Nagy – Cleveland State
Jaci Messmer – Cleveland State
Annie Rowlands – University of Kentucky
Holly Finchum – Kent State
Heather Widner – Morehead State
Tara West – Mars Hill
San Jose Strikkers 18-u Gold
2007 Committments
1)Ashley Chinn P Stanford University
2)Christina Botkins INF Villanova
3)Richel Briones OF North Dakota State
4)Haley Corthel OF Wagner University
5)Audrey Gallien C INF University of Illinois
6)Emily Henderson OF Harvard University
7)Krista Haux 1B Cal Poly SLO
8)Megan Wirth P University of Santa Clara
9)Megan Yocke C INF University of Kentucky
MORE BATBUSTER REPORTS
Minors Gold
Minors Gold vs Connexion . Minors Gold won 3-0 on a two hitter thrown by Ali Fascetti.
Minor's Gold vs Victory. Victory won 1-0. This was a great game with Melanie Nichols battling on the mound all the way.
Minor's Gold vs AZ Inferno. Minor's Gold won 1-0 on a 4 hitter by Mia Pagano.
Minor's Gold vs WA Aces. Minor's Gold won 9-0 on the 2 hit pitching of Melanie Nichols.
Minor's Gold vs San Diego Renegades. Minor's Gold won 7-2 behind pitching of Ali Fascetti.
TANGENTIAL
A moment of ignominy at Harvard Park. Sat in the bleachers at #7; suddenly, one of the parents looked at me and said “you’re the guy who keeps getting hit by foul balls” and moved. Now, SPY’s superb photographer, Dennis Anderson of ActionSportsPhotos, got beaned watching a Batbusters game. Time to dust off the hard hat.
GOOD NEWS
Stoney Burke, long-time manager of Texas Impact Gold, suffered a heart attack last week and missed the Batbuster. Learned today he is out of ICU but still on the mend. Get well, Stoney. You’re an icon in the Texas softball establishment.
Click on the mark; truly outstanding photos; thanks Ronnie Lombard
IN MEMORIAM
Jeremy Slate. Movies distort a sense of time. Surprised to realize he was 80, remembering him in 1960s biker films and as a young deputy in The Sons of Katie Elder. Reality: the latter John Wayne/Dean Martin film was shot in 1965. Some age gracefully – Walter Pidgeon, Paul Newman and others segue into older roles – while others are kept forever young including a few who died young like Montgomery Clift and James Dean. Much prefer Elizabeth Taylor as Maggie the Cat to the blowsy Liz of today.
Anita O’Day. The acclaimed “Jezebel of Jazz” defined a hard knocks life and living in the fast lane.
Maurice Graham. The acknowledged “king of the hoboes” who was nicknamed “Steam Train Maury” rode the rods from the age of 14, and was named Patriarch of Hobos at their annual convention in 2004. A reminder of a time when US railroads were the best.
Betty Comden. Maybe you had to live in New York but she and Adolph Green gave us two great New York style musicals, On the Town and Singing in the Rain. How many of today’s compoaers/lyricists generate works that become theatrical standards?
Vladimir Ivanovich Palaniuk. Born in Pennsylvania, of Ukrainian descent and son of a coal miner, Palaniuk worked in the coal mines until the 1930's when he started a career as a professional boxer. Using the professional name Jack Brazzo, Vladimir Palaniuk won 15 consecutive matches -- 12 by knockout -- until losing his 16th by decision. World War 2 came knocking about that time; Vladimir joined the Army Air Corp and began training as a B-24 pilot. During training, an engine failed on his bird, and he suffered severe facial injuries and burns either during the bail-out process or when the bomber crashed -- I've heard both stories. He required extensive plastic surgery -- resulting in a distinctive gaunt look -- and was discharged from the US military in 1944. Not one to mope, Vladimir graduated from Stanford University in 1947 with a B.A. in Drama and pretty much instantly wound up on Broadway. Three years after his Broadway debut, Vladimir Palaniuk was discovered by Hollywood. Not content with a commanding screen presence, Palaniuk painted and sold landscape art, wrote and published poetry, spoke Ukrainian, Russian, Italian, Spanish, French and English. Most folks knew him as Jack Palance. Rest in peace, sir. (thanks Pat Lucey for adding to our first story)
POTPOURRI
Great Sports Quip. Sportscaster Howie Long talking about former Raiders teammate Lyle Alzado: If Lyle and King Kong went down a dark alley to fight, the one coming out wouldn’t be the monkey.
Too much money. In the wake of a national survey which disclosed that Loudon County, west of Washington DC, has the nation’s highest per capita income, the Post surveyed the parking lot at Centreville HS. A few of the Bemmers were older models, and the students were paying loans, but many newer Beemers, Porsches etc were gifts from doting parents. One girl got a Hummer for her 17th birthday, the newest Mercedes coupe for her 18th. I remember turning 16, and the Judge asked how much money I had saved: $600. My father put on his coat and said, “Let’s go look at $600 cars.”
Show biz excess. Mariah Carey’s flacks announced she wanted to help a good cause: she donated a $7500 fur coat to warm nomads in Mongolia. If they had checked, they would know that the nomads have been wearing heavy coats from yak hides and fur -- since the time of Ghengis Khan. Before any game show host could determine how many Mongolians can fit into a Carey fur, the coat was lost in transit.
Mixed blessing. Oak Hill youth detention center in Maryland is regarded as one of the nation’s more dangerous and decrepit juvenile centers. The decision to let their football team, which usually plays teams from other detention centers, play a road game in DC as a step to emphasize rehabilitation, was risky but widely applauded. Sadly, the photos of the team showed them in football uniforms enroute to the game – handcuffed, with leg irons and shackles. Fifty cops patrolled the sidelines; these kids are 14-18 but several meet the description of hardened criminals. And the possibility of an escape attempt was rated at 50-50. Palyers had to pass through security screens. Their star player, just turned 18, can’t remember his daughter’s name, but he not only won the semi-finals and finals, his leadership helped cool off possible escape attempts – because all would suffer the consequences. Whatever else, they can play football – despite internal fights about playing time – and rivalries between gangs. They never punt, and run 10 to 15 trick plays a game including double reverses, flea flickers, halfback passes, and have never had a losing season under dedicated coach Rodney Henderson.
Bones and Bellies on eBay. The International Crusade for Holy Relics has called for a boycott of eBay. Seems various people are offering relics like the bones of St Stephen, St Augustine, and St Eymard, among others. Recent eBay offerings include the ait which Christ supposedly breathed; St Stephen’s hand, and the alleged wing of the Holy Spirit. These relics generally cannot be verified. But, there’s no borderline on what people will buy. Amber Rainey, a 22 year old, sold space on her pregnant belly for $4,050. GoldenPalace casino bought a haunted cane and a grandfather’s ghost for $65,000 after previously buying a grilled cheese sandwich which allegedly bore a likeness of the Virgin Mary. P.T. Barnum was right.
Pet Peeve 9000. Receptionists et al who use headsets, talk fast and speak breathlessly as though they had just sucked on a helium pipe. Hard for old folks to understand.
THE SANTA MONICA DRIVER – A POLICEMAN’S VIEW
Though my daughter has quit
playing ball I still enjoy your reports. You are obviously one tough old guy.
About the Santa Monica driver, George Weller. I am a police officer in Los
Angeles who has studied traffic collision investigation and reconstruction. I
believe that the DA over filed and that there was no intent, nor malice. This
obviously semi-senile old man should have had his license taken away a long time
before the incident. It is a problem nationwide, at what point do we take a
senior's drivers license? I have requested re-examination on a few people that
I have stopped that seemed to need to have their abilities looked at. However,
I once gave a 93 year old a speeding ticket, and she was more alert than many
people significantly younger than she.
I believe that Mr. Weller's statements were that of a confused, disoriented old
man that had been severely traumatized. Yes he caused the crash, of that there
is no doubt, but to use his utterances immediately after such a traumatic event
to convict him of a crime is stupid. Is he fully capable of comprehending what
he did? Possibly. Is he remorseful? Probably. People's mental capacities
deteriorate over time. His state of mind, we will never know.
As to the crash itself, Mr. Weller made a pedal misapplication error. If I'm
not mistaken he was involved in a minor collision that precipitated this one. In
the confusion his right foot ended up on the gas instead of the brake. When his
car wouldn't stop, he pressed what he thought was the brake harder. However his
foot was on the accelerator, so no matter how hard he pressed the car wasn't
going to stop. But in his mind he was pressing on the brake. This type of
error is not that uncommon. If you remember the Audi 5000 that supposedly had
unexplained sudden acceleration, there was a design problem that put the
driver's feet in a position to make this error. When a lockout was put on the
vehicle to prevent taking the car out of park unless the driver's foot is on the
brake, the sudden acceleration problem went away.
This event was hugely tragic. The victims were totally innocent, the
perpetrator obviously liable, but guilty of a felony crime, I don't think so.
Keep up you good work, and I hope your health holds up.
Kurt Smith