I Dream of J.D. With the Unpublished Books

Nattering Naybob: First, my apologies to Stephen Foster about the title of this post. The Red Ranger, I know you are not much of a reader (not that there’s anything wrong with that necessarily), but you may have heard about a new documentary and companion biography that are being released next week about the near-mythic author J.D. Salinger, whose “Catcher In the Rye” is considered by many to be the quintessential story of 20th century teen angst and disillusionment (other than your own real-life experiences in these areas, Red Ranger).

Salinger was probably as famous for his self-imposed withdrawal from public life in the mid-Sixties, as he was for his actual body of work. During this period of seclusion he did not publish any new material whatsoever, despite rumors that he still was in fact secretly writing, with the intention of this work being published only after his death.

He died in January 2010. In the 3-1/2 years since then there has been no indication whatsoever of any such “hidden treasure” of new material, and Salinger fans such as myself had pretty much given up hope that this would ever happen.

However a story in the New York Times (and other media outlets) over the weekend reports that the upcoming book and documentary will reveal that Salinger did indeed finish at least five major works during his seclusion and has left specific publication instructions for their gradual release, starting in 2015. Some of the books’ titles have even been leaked (one such title is purportedly “The Last and Best of the Peter Pans”.)

Just as last year I considered the Yankees’ re-signing of Ichiro Suzuki as the Christmas present you no longer had to buy for me, Red Ranger, consider this spine-tingling announcement as a similar reprieve from your having to purchase a gift for me this coming Christmas. That alone should turn you into a Salinger fan.

The Red Ranger: I am glad to hear that I do not need to buy you a holiday (I want to be PC in keeping with the paradigm of your ilk) present again this year.  My guess is these books will be published and then there will be some battle amongst his heirs for the proceeds.

I am anxiously awaiting the release of some as yet unfound writings of my favorite author, Dr. Seuss.

Nattering Naybob: Thank you, Red Ranger, I’ve always wanted to be part of an “ilk”.

 

More Yankee talk: The good old bad old days

Nattering Naybob: Well it looks like the bloom is off the Red Sox rose. Now that the shock of the immediate aftermath of the horrible Boston Marathon bombings have started to subside, I feel it is no longer in poor taste to start bashing the Red Sox again.

 
As you know, The Red Ranger, I have a what some might call a morbid fascination with the profoundly mediocre Yankee teams of the mid to late-sixties, and early seventies. So imagine my joy when I discovered a YouTube video recently that contains a snippet of an actual broadcast (sadly, from the Boston station) of a beanball war that broke out in a Yankees – Red Sox night game in 1967 at the old Yankee Stadium, resulting in a fairly interesting fight instigated primarily by Joe Pepitone. I like how some of New York City’s finest (policeman), actually jogged out on the field as if it were a garden-variety rumble in the South Bronx and they had to separate the “purpa-tratuhhhs”. You would never see that in a baseball fight today. The two Yankee pitchers referenced in the clip were the immortal Thad Tillotsen and Bill Monboquette. Mickey Mantle played first base and you will see him make a nice across-the diamond throw to third base to nab an over-eager Red Sox baserunner.Notice my man Carl Yastrzemski making a nifty back-handed catch near the left field foul line and getting an RBI single (as noted in a previous SGM post, even though he was on the Red Sox, Yaz was my favorite player growing up). At 3:26 of the video you catch a glimpse of a Yankee third baseman wearing number 6, that is none other than Charley Smith, who the Yankees received from the St. Louis Cardinals in exchange for Roger Maris the previous December. And the clip ends with Yankee manager Ralph Houk getting thrown out arguing a close play at first base.According to baseballreference.com (a truly miraculous website), this game took place on Wednesday June 21st 1967, before 13,061 fans and the Yankees lost 8-1. Not seen in the clip were such notable events as future Yankee coach and manager Dick Howser making a pinch-hitting appearance (he got hit by a pitch too) and Dooley Womack, one of the great mid-sixties Yankee icons, doing mop-up work on the mound. Notice also that batting helmets were not mandatory back in 1967; Reggie Smith bats wearing his regular “fielding” cap. After seeing the beanballs fly in this game, maybe Mr. Smith (Reggie, not Charley) re-considered his head gear choices. 

Drudge plays the Hitler card. Republicans stay quiet (again).

Nattering Naybob: Many Republicans (not necessarily you, Red Ranger, buy many Republicans), react with shock and indignation when anyone charges that the Right-Wing blamestream media complex, are on the extreme edge of what used to be considered common respect and decency. Matt Drudge is, as you know, perhaps the most influential Right-wing blogger out there today (The Red Ranger is gaining ground). Below is a screen shot of the homepage of the Drudge Report at one point late last week.

Prominent Right-wing personalities consistently get away with saying and writing things that would once have been considered so outrageous that it would have ended their career. Not so any more. I do not recall any high-profile Republican Thought Captains having condemned Drudge or his onerous homepage that appeared on the Internet last week.

There is a habit that has become something of a cliche, to say that “both sides are guilty”. Not so. Name me any example of prominent (emphasize: “Prominent”) Liberal-leaning bloggers who ever come up with anything resembling the kinds of outrageous horrible attacks that the Right-wing media complex ever do, and get away with regularly. The one episode that sticks out in my mind is that of Rush Limbaugh mocking the involuntary movements consistent with Parkinsons Disease about seven years ago, because Michael J. Fox had the audacity to make a campaign ad for then-Senate candidate Claire McCaskill, who was supporting stem cell research. Yet Limbaugh was never disciplined or suspended, nor did he apologize. That is why I laugh when I hear Republicans claim there is a Left-wing media bias in the country. What complete and utter boulderdash!!!

The Red Ranger: So I see you watched the Ed Show last Thursday night.  I had hoped you had something better to do with your time.

I have to laugh when the left gets all riled up whenever anyone has anything negative to say about Obama.  What about the eight years of vicious, vile attacks that George Bush withstood with such great dignity?  What about all the attacks on your favorite, Sarah Palin.  The left wing media darlings (not necessarily bloggers) Maher, Moore, Goldberg, Behar, etc. all get away saying whatever they want with nary a mention of it in any of the liberal, biased MSM.  This bias displayed by the left is so ingrained in society now that it has become their accepted norm and those on the left, yourself included, do not even realize it anymore.  You cannot see the forest for the trees (or whatever the saying is).

While I do not agree with the comparison to Hitler, from your outrage at this I am assuming that you are then comfortable with the President using an executive order to deny Americans one of their constitutional rights.  This time it may be the right to bear arms.  Maybe next time it will be freedom of speech because as you have indicated here the left cannot bear to take any criticism.

To not admit that the MSM has a liberal bias is confirmation of the fact that your mind has gone to mush and that you have succumbed to their brainwashing.  It is sad to see a once great mind operating in such a diminished capacity.

Nattering Naybob: NOW you tell me you think I at least has a great mind, once. To date you had never even told me that in all the 43 years we have known each other, so I consider that a victory of sorts.

I actually did not watch the Ed Show the night that this appeared, but you basically admitted that you did, by saying Ed Schultz talked about this. Is your insidious addiction to FOX News, weakening? We can only hope.

By the way, the Republican’s all-time favorite Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia (whose oft-stated allegiance to the Yankees is his only saving grace), said that the Second Amendment does not imply, or grant, exemption from regulation of guns. This finding was contained in the 2008 Supreme Court case 554 U.S. 570, District of Columbia v. Heller, and was summarized as follows in this main article in Wikipedia.

(2) Like most rights, the Second Amendment right is not unlimited. It is not a right to keep and carry any weapon whatsoever in any manner whatsoever and for whatever purpose: For example, concealed weapons prohibitions have been upheld under the Amendment or state analogues. The Court’s opinion should not be taken to cast doubt on longstanding prohibitions on the possession of firearms by felons and the mentally ill, or laws forbidding the carrying of firearms in sensitive places such as schools and government buildings, or laws imposing conditions and qualifications on the commercial sale of arms. Miller’s holding that the sorts of weapons protected are those “in common use at the time” finds support in the historical tradition of prohibiting the carrying of dangerous and unusual weapons. Pp. 54–56.

Therefore, since any sane-thinking person would acknowledge that President Obama would never attempt a sweeping confiscation of everyone’s guns, any Executive Order to implement rational limitations on large magazine clips, etc., would NOT be in violation of the 2nd Amendment. Is your heretofore moderate view on sensible gun limitations, eroding? Has the National Rifle Association implanted some kind of chip into your brain without your knowledge?

Ichiro under the Christmas Tree

Nattering Naybob: Don’t worry about doing any last-minute shopping to get me a Christmas gift, Red Ranger. I got my gift this past week courtesy of Brian Cashman and the Bronx Family Steinbrenner when the Yankees broke their vow to sign free agents exclusively to 1-year contracts, and brought back Ichiro Suzuki to the Yankees for a 2-year contract that, barring injury, will see Ichiro get his 3,000th major league hit as a Yankee. I admit that I was never much of an Ichiro fan previously, but my mind was changed when he came over to the Yankees last year in mid-season. His work ethic and professionalism really impressed me, and word is that he and Derek Jeter struck up a fast friendship. If you get the Derek Jeter stamp of approval, that’s good enough for me.

Here is the classy statement Ichiro put out after news that the final details had been worked out and he was officially back with the Yankees:

“The Yankees are the kind of team that I always envisioned being a part of. Everyone in the world of competition has a strong desire to win, but the Yankees also have an atmosphere where losing is not an option. These two observations may sound similar, but I believe it is a rarity to find both coexisting in the same organization. I believe the Yankees organization appreciates that there is a difference between a 39-year-old who has played relying only on talent, and a 39-year-old who has prepared, practiced, and thought thoroughly through many experiences for their craft. I am very thankful, and I will do my best to deliver on their expectations.”

Check out this You Tube video of a very young-looking Ichiro actually pitching the final inning of the 1996 Japan League All-Star Game. The man can do it all. And notice that our old friend Hideki Matsui makes a cameo appearance….

Baseball incompetence in the Bronx

Nattering Naybob: I have been a fan of the New York Yankees for about 40 years now, Red Ranger (roughly the same time as you have been, I’m sure). In all these 40 odd years, including the dark days of the early 90s / Oscar Azocar Era,  I do not think I have ever seen anything quite like the sickly offensive output that the Yankees have been putting on this post-season, in particular during the first two games of their current series with the Detroit Tigers. The four biggest culprits are, in order of least work to most worst, in my opinion: Nick Swisher, Alex Rodriguez, Curtis Granderson, and starring Robinson Cano as the biggest perpetrator of hitting malfeasance. Cano set a major league record that is sure to stand for a long time, as longest hitless streak (26 at bats) without a base hit, in a single same-year post-season.

But at least Cano is making contact, albeit resulting in weak ground balls directly at infielders. Granderson, A-Rod, and to a lesser degree Swisher, seems to have literally lost the ability to make contact with a pitched baseball by means of swinging a bat. All throughout this season we were told by Joe Girardi and others that there was no need to worry about the Yankees’ season-long ineptitude at situational hitting, since they were able to pummel their opponents with home runs (they set a team record for home runs in fact). Now during the playoffs, when they run into better, smarter teams, and their hitters’ weaknesses are pre-scouted more thoroughly by their opponents, some observer’s fears are being realized. The ability to hit home runs to remedy a multitude of sins does not come into play as much during the playoffs.

Maybe the Yankees will shock me and the rest of their fans by somehow, some way beating Justin Verlander Tuesday night, in Detroit no less. But the way things are looking, I sense yet another whimpering Yankees exit in the playoffs at the hand of a younger, more resourceful and nimble team than themselves.

At least your Giants beat the 49ers on Sunday.

The Red Ranger:  Live by the sword, die by the sword.  It takes heart and not just the highest payroll to win the World Series.  Lately, I do not believe the Yankees have the heart needed to drive for the championship.  Look who won it for them in the first round.  Raul Ibanez, someone who has not been with the Yankees that long and who is still hungry for the championship and for whom it probably matters whether they win or lose.  Not having Rivera and Jeter on the field will certainly diminish the experience factor but may lead to some more hungry play on the field.  Although Derek Jeter has time and time again come up with some incredible plays in the playoffs.

Nattering Naybob: Now yesterday comes a story from the New York Post (whose credibility in some issues over the years has, admittedly, proven to be “fluid”) saying that during Game 1 of the Tiger series, A-Rod was sending mash notes via a transcribed baseball to two ladies in the field box seats behind the Yankees dugout. Historically I have been an A-Rod supporter, some might say “apologist”, but if this story is true, I have to say it should represent the point of no return for A-Rod’s tenure with the Yankees. Unless he redeems himself for whatever is left of the Yankees’ playoff run, I think they need to engage in some sort of buyout of the remainder of his contract, or if all else fails, simply release him, swallow the rest of his contract (thanks, Hank Steinbrenner), and find a new third baseman for next year and beyond. I said last season that they should have tried out Jesus Montero at third base. If Miguel Cabrera can play third base serviceably, Montero could have as well. Too late though, as Montero was traded to Seattle this past winter for pitcher Michael Pineda, who has missed all season with a potentially career-threatening injury.

UPDATE: The Yankees lost Game 3 last night, 2-1 in a typically pathetic display of offensive malpractice. On a night where Justin Verlander actually did not have his 100% “A” game, the Yankees still managed only 2 hits until the 9th inning (by Ichiro Suzuki,who I think must be retained by the Yankees next year). Now the Yankees have to win four straight games with their offense in a shambles, to proceed in the American League playoffs. Pretty sad.

Why I am glad not to be a Red Sox fan

The Red Ranger: I had the opportunity to attend the final Red Sox home game of the season last night with my family.  Luckily I was given the tickets as the face value of each seat was $130 which is well out of our family’s budget at this point given the state of the economy under Obama.  However, this post is not about Obama but about the Red Sox.

Before the game the Red Sox introduced their all-time Fenway Park team.  While I had no idea that this was going to happen before the game the reaction to some of these players seemed muted.  Not sure if it was because it was the last home game of the season and most of the true die-hard fans had already abandoned the Sox this year and the stadium was occupied by non-fans like myself.  I would have expected the likes of Carl Yastrzemski, Jim Rice, Fred Lynn and Dwight Evans to evoke long standing ovations.  Even Roger Clemens was in attendance and he was cheered and not booed mightily like I thought he would.

As a Yankee fan, all I can remember is that no matter how many times the Yankees would show Thurman Munson highlights on the scoreboard they would always inspire raucous applause.

Perhaps another factor that minimized the applause and overall rowdiness level was the fact that a 12 ounce domestic beer from a vendor was $ 7.75.  Not that I support irresponsible behavior or excessive alcohol intake but a jovial drunk at a baseball game can make it more entertaining.  I make this comment more as a reflection on the crazy prices at sporting events than anything else.  However, the Red Sox still somehow have their sellout streak intact although I believe this is due more to using Obama’s number crunches than actual ticket sales.

Nattering Naybob: Since our latest blog posting is about baseball, I will use a related metaphor and congratulate you on your Joe DiMaggio-like streak of 26 consecutive Red Ranger posts that included a dig at our President. You are more than halfway to the Yankee Clipper’s 56-game hitting streak. That being said, I enjoyed hearing your observations on the Red Sox’s recent quasi-Old Timers Day gathering. Ironically, even though I have been a lifelong Yankee fan, when I was growing up, Carl Yastrzemski was my favorite player. I am not sure why. It may be that during one game in, I believe 1978 or 1979, when the Yankees were playing the Red Sox at Fenway Park, Catfish Hunter gave up four consecutive home runs in the bottom of the first inning. Catfish’s arm was worn out from years of throwing 250+ innings, and he just did not have it that night, or for much longer from a career perspective. Yastrzemski struck out to put a merciful end to the inning, and rumor has had it that he struck out on purpose to spare Catfish any further embarrassment. As a Yaz fan, imagine my rage when I recently read that, having grown up on Long Island, he originally had wanted to play for the Yankees but their offer to him was too low, and his father convinced him instead to sign with the Red Sox for more money. The thought of him playing on the same mid-Sixties and early Seventies Yankees teams alongside Horace Clarke, Jerry Kenney, Frank Tepedino, Dooley Womack, and the immortal Celerino Sanchez, gives me goose bumps.

Regarding rowdy crowds, I too admit to a yearning for the days when baseball crowds were a little more raucous than they are now. I fondly remember the days during the 1970s and early 1980s when the Yankee bullpen car, usually a Datsun or (later) a Toyota, would drive the incoming relief pitcher to the mound via the dirt warning track that encircled the perimeter of the Yankee Stadium field. As the car passed the fans sitting in the field box seats, they would unfailingly pelt the top of the car with hotdogs, rolled-up napkins, half-eaten pretzels, and cups of soda, for much of the entire trip around the field. The driver of the car would have to actually use his windshield wipers to get rid of some of the thrown liquid and other offal that hit the windshield. It eventually dawned on the Yankees that they would be better off just having the car cut across the field itself to and from the bullpen, and not go near the fans. When the bullpen car first starting taking this safer route, the fans booed because they felt cheated out of the opportunity to use the car for target practice. Oh, those were the days my friend, we thought they’d never end….

The Red Ranger: I am saddened to see that even you have resorted to using inaccurate numerical representations much like our present administration.  Last time I checked 26 was not more than half of 56.  I believe that I would have had a dig at the President in 29 straight posts to be more than halfway to the DiMaggio streak.  Funny you should mention DiMaggio though as his brother Dom was one of the Fenway greats honored.

Nattering Naybob: My math may be off, but my grasp of the larger events that shape our day, is fundamentally sound, The Red Ranger.

Dom DiMaggio always reminded me of a physics professor.

 

“Sports Pope” snoozes

Nattering Naybob: Don’t know if you heard about this, Red Ranger. Mike Francesa, for those of our readers who don’t already know, is the host of a long-running sports talk show on WFAN in New York, simulcast to several other networks and stations nationwide, including the New York Yankees’ YES Network. Up until a couple years ago, he was one-half of the renowned “Mike and the Mad Dog” show, with Christopher Russo, until Russo defected to his own show (in fact, his own channel) on Sirius / XM Radio. I still think that one day the two of them will re-unite as a team, probably back on WFAN… but I digress.

Francesa is known for being… how can I put this ?… “confident” about his opinions and analysis. If someone calls in about a player, a game, or an issue that Francesa does not know about, he typically berates the caller for asking a question that is not germane to the day’s topic, or he disputes the caller’s grasp of the facts. He is also known for repeating himself over and over again within the same spoken paragraph, almost to the point of obsessiveness, about a topic or viewpoint he is trying to get across. The sports broadcast columnist of the New York Daily News, Bob Raissman, has dubbed Francesa “The Sports Pope” for his occasionally high-handed and dismissive manner.
 
Accordingly, the fact that Francesa fell asleep yesterday for about 45 seconds while (ostensibly) listening to Yankee beat reporter Sweeny Murti talk about the current Yankees-Red Sox series, was met with great glee and amusement by many who have followed Francesa over the years. As his former partner Chris Russo might have shrieked had he been on hand during this, “Takin’ a little SNOOZE there, Mikey???…. Want your Teddy bear, maybe your little jammies?…. Glass of warm milk??? Haaa haaaaaa….”

The Red Ranger: Not being a fan of sports talk radio I probably would have also fallen asleep listening to anyone talking about the Yankees/Red Sox series.  Being up here in Boston there is a total lack of interest.  In fact my company was giving away to the first two respondees to a Boston-wide e-mail four free tickets to the game the other night.  It took over twenty minutes to give the tickets away whereas similar giveaways in the past were snapped up instantaneously.  However, somehow the Red Sox sellout streak remains intact.  Despite my allegiance to the Yankees I actually went to a Red Sox game the other week.  It was an interesting game, the Red Sox jumped out to an 8-0 lead but then managed to lose 14-13 in extra innings to the Angels.  Being the die hard fans that we are my family left in the 8th inning with the scored tied 9-9.

Interesting side note,  when living in New Jersey, I had the opportunity to play basketball a couple of times withe Christopher “Mad Dog” Russo.  He actually is a pretty normal guy off the radio.