Welcome Back, Kapler

One of the heroes of the 2004 Red Sox, Gabe Kapler (#19) returned to Boston this weekend as a member of the Milwaukee Brewers. I came across this article from the Boston Globe. I had forgotten that Kapler ruptured his Achilles tendon in September 2005 (on a home run by Tony Graffanino) and returned to play in June 2006, roughly nine months later. My prognosis to full recovery is 9-12 months, but I lack (somewhat) Kapler's overall fitness, so it might take me a little bit longer than him...

His Wikipedia biography makes interesting reading. He and his wife Lisa have also founded the Gabe Kapler Foundation to fight domestic violence.

Ice-Cold Battle

My current state of incapacitation limits my activities, so I've been working through my book and movie collection and recently watched Miracle for the fifth or sixth time. Knowing the ultimate outcome, one might expect that the conclusion could not help but be at least a little disappointing. However, it's interesting how this film "grows" on you. Most signifcantly is how the actors seemlessly become the real-life characters they're portraying. Kurt Russell is Herb Brooks. Patrick O'Brien Demsey is Mike Eruzione. While there are remarkable action sequences and a (more or less) true-to-life script, this is probably the film's greatest achievement.

Also notable is how the filmmakers succeed in placing the event in its proper context. The opening title sequence is nothing short of brillant -- almost certainly the best I've ever seen (the error about the 26th Amendment not withstanding). This is an inseparable part of the story. Miracle on Ice, the made-for-TV movie produced within a year of Lake Placid, wasn't nearly as weak as some have characterized it, but nonetheless came too soon on the heels of the event for its consequences to be fully understood. Thus, the earlier film (with the great Karl Malden as Herb Brooks) could talk about how exceptional it was for the US to beat the USSR in hockey (whoops -- gave away the ending), but was not far enough removed to properly juxtapose the event amongs the despair of the 1970's and the depths of the cold war. Not only did the teams represent countries that hated each other, but the team that emerged victorious won not only a hockey game, but broke a decades-long socio- and political losing streak. Those of us who lived through the 70's, and then the 80's, can understand this a little better, and Miracle -- set a quarter-century later -- succeeds in capturing both the mood and then the momentum change.

Enough of the soapbox. Watch the film. It's good.

Re-Martz-able

For those of us wishing that Matt Walsh would just go away (his Warholian 15 minutes are long expired), this statement by Mike Martz was refreshing, which says in part -- "Let me make this clear – we lost to the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl because we turned the ball over three times."

A classy move by a coach that I never thought I'd be quoting. Of course, I never thought I'd be rooting for Ted Kennedy over Arlen Specter, either.

While looking for images of Coach Martz, I stumbled across this article, a preview of Super Bowl XXXVI. Ah, memories. The happiest day of my life...

Comparing scars

Yes, there's a little bit of LBJ in each and every one of us...

Not for the squeamish...

For those of you that might care -- some recent pictures of my right lower leg (FYI, the heel is to the left) in the picture.`

Hoosier Hysteria

An interesting website for fans of The Greatest Movie Ever Made:

http://www.thehoosiergym.com/

I never realized that the gym was in Knightstown, fairly close to I-70. I regret that I never took a detour on one of my trips through the Hoosier state. Maybe someday...

"Mistakes in my personal life"

Am I the only one who finds the remarks of a once-future Hall-of-famer eerily similar to that of a prominent politician almost exactly 10 years ago?

HINT -- Both had the first name "William."

Somewhere Dan Duquette is smiling...maybe he was right in '96 after all...

Nightmare in the Bronx '03

I stumbled across this picture (reference the end of my 4/13/08 post on Bill Buckner, below).

Three solid professionals, one Hall-of-Famer, and the reincarnation of Forrest Gump. Actually, that's not fair -- Forrest Gump would have been smart enough to make the move.

One of these days I'm going to do a post on dreadful Red Sox managers through the years. As a sample -- between Butch Hobson, Jimy Williams, Dave Kerrigan and He Who Must Not Be Named, the Red Sox were basically without a field manager for 10 out of 12 seasons (1992-2003). I'll give Kevin Kennedy a pass -- for now.

The Heeling of Achilles

Two links that I found helpful in my present situation:

http://www.achillestendonblog.com/ -- a fellow Blogger who found himself in the same predicament not too long ago
http://www.achillestendon.com/ -- a summary of injuries, prevention, treatment & recovery

John Marzano (1963-2008)

John Marzano, 1984 Olympian and Red Sox backup catcher 1987-1992 has died, apparently from falling down stairs after a heart attack.

Notes from the Boston Globe.

Obituary on MLB.com (Marzano's current employer).

A marginal player who might have blossomed had he not played behind the likes of Rich Gedman and Tony Pena, he was nonetheless well-liked by his teammates. He was also a member of the 1990 Boston Red Sox, which remains one of my favorite teams of all time. He didn't get to play much behind Tony Pena, but he was with the club almost the entire season. The Red Sox will observe a moment of silence at tonight's game. He was only 45.

Get the Picture

The picture I refer to below appears here -- for some reason blogger wouldn't let me insert it into the applicable post.

Bouncing Back

The highlight of Boston's home opener earlier this week was the Sox' invitation to have Bill Buckner throw out the first pitch. Video is available here.

I was too remote from the 1986 World Series to feel a strong negative impact from games 6 & 7. In the 22 years since I have spoken to several people who were so devestated that they swear they stopped following the team after "Nineteen Eight-Six." From my distant perspective, the '86 Sox were quite the opposite -- the team that revitalized my interest in baseball in general and the Red Sox in particular.

Buckner's fielding miscue that ended Game 6 became the focal point of Boston's painful loss that year, but any serious or semi-serious student of the game will tell you that there was more than enough blame to go around in that game and in that series, most of which this reporter places on the manager in the Boston dugout. While Buckner received the loudest "boos" at Fenway in subsequent years, public opinion started to turn in his favor when (after having been released in 1987) he signed a minor-league deal with the Red Sox in 1990 and made the team out of spring training. He received a standing ovation on opening day of that memorable season, and was applauded warmly at every home at-bat thereafter, one of which resulted in about the most improbable inside-the-park homerun in Boston history.

Hopefully, with the 2008 opener, the rehabilitation of his name is complete, at least as much as possible. He was an excellent hitter and, believe it or not, a good fielding first-baseman whose injuries have kept him out of the Hall of Fame. Nonetheless, there is part of me that wonders what would have happened if Buckner had made that play in game 6 -- the score was tied, and the Mets were out of pitchers. Due to some horrifically poor management by Davey Johnson, they only had the immortals Doug Sisk and Randy Niemann, or would have had to have gone to a starter to retire the Red Sox in the top of the 11th. For that matter, what if Bob Stanley had heard Marty Barrett yelling at him and had turned to pick Ray Knight off second with the score tied? We shall never know.

One other thing -- years ago I saw a picture similar to the one above on display in a memorabilia store in Cooperstown, New York. I wasn't sure if the fact that Buckner had signed it was indicative of his ability to put the mistake behind him, or make a profit off the pain he had caused countless others. I'm still not sure, but it troubles me. I can say that if I ever see an autographed picture of Grady Little on the mound with Pedro Martinez in game 7 of the 2003 ALCS, I may require the services of a criminal defense team.

Larger than Life

Most of the obituaries about Charlton Heston note his starring roles in The Ten Commandments and Ben-Hur, and his political activism, most notably as a leading figure in the NRA.

Perhaps the most egregious omission is that of his civil rights activism in the early 1960's, well before it was "fashionable." He was the first prominent white actor to speak out against racial injustice, both in Hollywood and across the country.

On a more personal note, it's a shame there isn't mention of what I believe to be his best role, in The Greatest Show on Earth. I've seen most of his films, and that one remains my favorite of those in which he starred. IMDB has his complete filmography here. I also enjoyed his role as John the Baptist in The Greatest Story Ever Told, although his part wasn't enough to salvage the overall film.

He also served his country in World War II, leading to one of my favorite interview exchanges. Meeting with Robert Osborne for TCM, he was asked about his military service and noted (to the best of my recollection): "I was stationed in the Aleutian Islands. It was a quiet war. However, our outfit was designated for the invasion of Japan until they dropped the atom bomb. For myself and thousands like me, the atom bomb was a blessing."

Not only was this a succinct rejoinder to the armchair quarterbacks who questioned the decision some fifty-plus years later, but it left the loquacious Osborne speechless for a moment. Charlton Heston was a larger-than-life figure who filled larger-than-life roles both on and off the screen; he will be missed.

Ivan the Great (1931-2008)

Ivan Dixon was a great actor, a pioneer in radio, television and film, a terrific director and, above all, a true gentleman. In 1994 I had the privilege of interviewing Ivan several times for my Hogan's Heroes project (I interviewed all of the surviving cast and contributors with the exception of Richard Dawson and Leon Askin).

Ivan was living in Hawaii at the time, so it took an effort to get ahold of him, but he was very kind to give of his time to help a fledgling, no-name would-be author from Nowhere, Pennsylvania on a project that, despite nearly everyone's best efforts, ended up going nowhere, also.

Of course, he's best known for his portrayal of Sgt. James Kinchloe (mistakenedly referred to as "Ivan" by a guest star in one episode), Col. Hogan's steady sidekick and de facto second-in-command. He also delivers one of my favorite lines of the series:

NEWKIRK: Well, the first thing we must do is not panic.

KINCHLOE: I already have -- what's the second thing?

Ivan went on to have continued success as an actor, a director and the owner / operator of a KONI FM in Hawaii. IMDB has his complete credits here.

His death on 3/16/08 leaves only a handful of survivors from that great show -- by my count, Robert Clary, Richard Dawson, Cynthia Lynn and Kenneth Washington among the regulars and semi-regulars (the latter two having only appeared in one season apiece), along with co-creator Al Ruddy, and directors Bruce Bilson, Robert Butler and Gene Reynolds, all of whom are in their 70's and 80's.

Founding Father (1925-2008)

For my birthday in 1992, my mother-in-law bought me a gift subscription to National Review. The magazines started coming in January 1993, coinciding with the opening days of the Clintonista Administration. They continue today, roughly every two weeks, including the latest, glossy-covered issue as a tribute to their founder, Wm. F. Buckley Jr.

Always reasoned, never shrill, NR was the perfect antidote to an overtly left-leaning media (in the days before the Internet and before Talk Radio became populated beyond Rush Limbaugh), and the unmitigated chaos, vacuity, bean-counting and mendacity of the early Clinton years (not that the later years were much better). On top of that, it played a major role in pulling me out of the four years of left-leaning academic from which I had recently emerged. My only regret is that nobody, including me, thought to begin the subscription four or five years earlier.

Fifteen years later, I still have nearly every issue (a few having perished in various moves along the way), and look forward to my twilight years in the near future when I'm able to peruse them at my leisure. The tributes to Mr. Buckley have been numerous, but his courage in starting a serious journal of conservative thought in the early 1950's had a major impact on my life forty years later, not to mention to millions of people all over the world. Thanks, Bill.

Rocket is Grounded

Forgetting for a moment that George Mitchell, former lapdog of the Clinton Administration, was perhaps the least original thinker ever to serve under the constitution (I'd still like to know what happened to Louis Sullivan's health care proposal in 1991), and left a series of disparities in his report (which, in full disclosure, I have not read), the allegations against Roger Clemens are nonetheless pretty serious.

Dan Shaughnessy writes about it here.

As I've noted previously in this space (not that any of you read it), true Red Sox fans were somewhat disgruntled that Clemens "mailed in" his last four seasons in Boston, then burned up the league in 1997-1998 while with Toronto. I had previously attributed his success there to a combination of Dan Duquette's misjudgement and Clemens' personal motivation to prove he wasn't done yet. His success later in Houston could easily be attributed to pitching in a pitcher-friendly park against National League lineups that run 5- or 6-deep. On top of that, Clemens' teammates through the years have always attested to his intense work ethic and drive to keep himself in shape.

But his Yankee years are somewhat intriging. I hadn't forgotten that Clemens was a little better than ordinary during his first year in New York (1999), before having strong years in 2000 and 2001.

Now, with steroids et al in the mix, one can't help but see a pattern there. Maybe Dan Duquette was right after all. Stay tuned...

"No Dolphins were harmed in the harvesting of this Tuna"

Bill Parcells has taken a job with the hapless Miami Dolphins. This is his last football job. Really. He means it this time. Seriously. As soon as he wins another playoff game...

Aiming at the Jets

The Boston Globe has two articles / columns on Sunday's upcoming clash between the Patriots and the Jets that capture the backlash of "Spygate" as well as the rapid rise and equally rapid immolation of Jets coach Eric Mangini:

Christopher Gasper's Article

Eric Wilbur's Blog (I found this one absolutely hysterical)

Predictions are something I avoid in the NFL ("any given Sunday" and all that), and I don't even believe that the 0-and-whatever Dolphins are a sure thing next week. It's hard to believe that Belichick's boys will struggle against a team they already destroyed once this season on the road, and that was before the added motivation alluded to above. I suspect BB will pull out all the stops on this one, just to make a point. We'll see...

WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!

The Baltimore Browns, er, Ravens are a very bad team who played a pretty good game Monday night against the undefeated New England Patriots. That being said:

(1) Complaining about the penalties? PUH-LEEZE! The Browns are the second-most penalized team in the NFL. If there were 13 penalties against them, there could have been 40. They are a dirty team that make up for their lack of talent and discipline by breaking the rules. The plays that were flagged weren't even debatable, and that's not counting the ones that were missed.

(2) The Gaffney TD that put the Pats ahead might be open to discussion, but the replays weren't conclusive. However, let's say it was overturned. Then you have double unsportsman-like conduct penalties against the Ravens (Bart Scott, check your voicemail) that would have given the Patriots 1st-and-goal at the 2-yard-line. I somehow think the Brady Bunch would have found a way to score from there.

(3) What exactly possesses Brian Billick to blow kisses at Rodney Harrison? I don't care if Harrison insulted his mother (or his quarterback) -- coaches should be above that kind of stuff, even those that are overpaid and underperforming. That a head coach would act that way with national TV cameras rolling leads one to wonder what other nefarious deeds are taking place on and off the field.

(4) And then there was the Baltimore timeout called on the 4th-and-1 play at the end of the game that saved the Patriots' season.

(5) Finally, I personally thought it was rather tasteless for ESPN to have Don Shula in their broadcast booth for nearly the entire second half. Yeah, I know all about his connection to the original Colts, and of couse that other team in the early 70's that is on the verge of having its record tied, so go ahead and ask him a few questions. But he was in the booth for close to an hour, for crying out loud. Fortunately, I didn't have to listen to him, so I have no idea what he said (and I doubt he said anything too controversial, or we'd be hearing about it today), but the length of the appearance seemed to overstep the lines of objective journalism.

Penalties notwithstanding, I wasn't surprised that the Ravens defense gave the Patriots fits through most of the game. After all, there is some talent there. It was more surprising -- and troubling -- that the Ravens offense was able to move the ball with some consistency, marking the second week in a row that the New England defense has been exposed by a mediocre offense. Perhaps the loss of Roosevelt Colvin is being felt? In any case, it should make for another fun week of practice in Foxboro with the Steelers coming to town on Sunday.

In your spare time...

A few interesting links I discovered between Turkey and leftovers last week:

Story of Snoopy's Christmas Brilliant editing creating animation to accompany an oft-overlooked Christmas Classic

24 in 1994 for you Kiefer Sutherland fans (warning -- mild language)

Eight Letters in Search of a Word Scrabble-like timewaster