Pee Wee Backstop

Our four year old had his first practice game with the pee wee Red Sox team. Minutes before taking the field, the coach announced that he would be playing catcher. "Oh, boy! Catcher!" He has a strong fondness for catchers, even at four years old, so putting the gear on was a true joy for him. He played well for half the game. Because he's so small, the gear was huge on him. The shin guards came up to mid-thigh, and the chest protector came down to his knees. No problem, though.

The coaches pitch to their own team in pee wee league. What I didn't notice until after a while was that he was putting his fingers down between his thighs and giving signals to the pitcher. Amazing.

Four Bums

circa 1987, Oakland bleachers. Okay, here, from left to right, is Mac, me, Young Mike and Alan. I've written about Mac and Young Mike before, and Alan will come in due time. Dig the crazy hair and Mac's comb. My beer is part of the bleacher pose. This is one of my favorite baseball pictures in that it captures so much of the bleacher culture in the 80's. Notice also the multiple colored seats in the upper deck. The Coliseum replaced seats as they broke, and the stock color was different than the original.

Taking The Mound

While Jamey Wright was taking the mound last night for the Giants at Shea Stadium in New York, I was taking the mound at PacBell/SBC/AT&T Park in San Francisco. The Home Builders Association of Northern California's Sales & Marketing Council held their annual Marketing and Merchandising Excellence awards (our version of the Oscars) at the ballpark. It was a grand event. My firm had several finalists, including one project I worked on (we won!) and we had dinner in centerfield. We had complete access to the field, including dugouts and bullpen. First class all around. Barely visible is my Anchor Steam Beer, just above my left thigh, brewed in SF since 1896, and not visible is my red tie from the hall of fame (thank you Keith) or my wife from behind the camera phone. Technically speaking, I think I balked, but the night was a grand slam.