[slynch9994]

I used to work for an insurance broker that specialized in insuring nursing homes. Keith Hernandez’s mother had Alzheimer’s and he was able to afford enough help to keep her at home. In an effort to give back he found a nursing home with a good reputation and built an supported an Alzheimer’s wing for day care. Every year they had a Gala to raise money for the wing. My boss always bought a table and I was always invited to attend.
On every table there were baseballs and pens. To be autographed by the numerous mets and former mets who were there for the purpose of giving autographs. i , as you know, am not a met fan, but several players played on both teams and I was always sure to get their autographs. I have four balls. Well, I have none, I gave two to each of my sons. Have autographs from keith Hernandez, bud harrelson, Darryl strawberry, al leiter, david cone and dozens of others. Have photos of me with keith hernandez, Darryl strawberry and al leiter.
Ultimately my boss got very ill, sold the business to big multi National Corporation, and I was no longer on the guest list. It was fun while it lasted

[johngriffen]

Hopefully randia will check in again. I didn't have much luck looking for the books today. I'll try again tomorrow.

slynch... while spring training is just around the corner, it was the annual Cub's convention this weekend. It was a great chance to see many of the older and new players in person. Many chances for autographs. Too bad you no longer have the opportunity.

I was in the media buying side of the advertising business for over 30 Years. We used to do all the media events sponsored by the tv networks and print media. There were always many opportunities to meet the players.
My daughter is now a producer at ESPN and we trade stories all the time. I miss those days.

[pjmpjm]

slynch and John, my brother has had numerous opportunities to meet MLB players over the years, thanks to his friendship with Dick Scott and his father. Has a collection of memorabilia that I didn't remember to scrutinise on my recent visit.

Regarding those books, John . . . I couldn't find ebook copies, which is why I asked. I would have thought that the Hernandez book would have been published in Kindle format, which would have meant that it would turn up 'in the usual places' . . .

slynch, I think I told you that my father, though he was born in Manhattan, grew up in the Bronx during the 1930s near the old Yankee Stadium. So seeing the Yankee players in those days wasn't uncommon for him. Can send you this book (below) if you don't have it already . . .



Is there a sports team more synonymous with winning than the New York Yankees? The team of Ruth, Gehrig, DiMaggio, Berra, Ford, Mantle, Jackson, Mattingly? Of Torre, Jeter, and Rivera? Of forty American League pennants, twenty-seven World Championships, and nearly forty Hall of Famers?

Like so many great American institutions, the Yankees began humbly, on the muddy, uneven grass of Hilltop Park. Eighteen years later the little second-class franchise won its first pennant. Today, the Yankees are worth more than a billion dollars.

It's been nearly seventy years since Frank Graham wrote the last narrative history of the Yankees. Marty Appel, the Yankees' PR director during the 1970s, now illuminates the team in its hundred-plus years of glory: clever, maneuvering owners; rowdy, talented players; great stories behind the great stories. Appel heard tales from old-timers like Waite Hoyt, Bill Dickey, Yogi Berra, Phil Rizzuto, and Whitey Ford, and has remained close to the organization ever since. He gives life to the team's history, from the demise of Hilltop Park in the 1900s to the evolution of today's team as an international brand. With a wealth of photographs, this is a treasure trove for lovers of sports, the Yankees, New York history, and America's game.

[slynch9994]

pj no i dont have it. please send. thank you

[pjmpjm]

The definitive biography of one of baseball's most enduring and influential characters, from New York Times bestselling author and baseball writer Marty Appel.

As a player, Charles Dillon "Casey" Stengel's contemporaries included Babe Ruth, Honus Wagner, and Christy Mathewson . . . and he was the only person in history to wear the uniforms of all four New York teams: the Dodgers, Giants, Yankees, and Mets. As a legendary manager, he formed indelible, complicated relationships with Yogi Berra, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, and Billy Martin.

For more than five glorious decades, Stengel was the undisputed, quirky, hilarious, and beloved face of baseball—and along the way he revolutionized the role of manager while winning a spectactular ten pennants and seven World Series Championships.

But for a man who spent so much of his life in the limelight—an astounding fifty-five years in professional baseball—Stengel remains an enigma.

[johngriffen]

A CHANCE TO WIN SOME MORE WRZ$
(New posters to the thread can still earn 100 WRZ$)

The NFL is now down to four teams.
There will be two games this weekend on Sunday.

AFC Championship
Jacksonville at New England
New England is a 7 and 1/2 point favorite in this one.
Tom Brady (QB) for New England has an injured hand but is expected to play.
Leonard Fournette (RB) for Jacksonville is probable with a nagging injury.
If either one misses the game, you can throw the point spread out.
While Jacksonville has a great defense, I don't think they are going to stop New England.

NFC Championship
Minnesota at Philadelphia
Minnesota is a 3 point favorite in this one.
While Minnesota's great receiver, Adam Thielen is injured, he will probably play. However, their RB, Dalvin Cook is out
And as we all know, Philadelphia lost their great QB, Carson Wentz, earlier in the season, which is why they are the under dogs. Even though Philly is at home, I think Minnesota will eek out a close win.

Here is the contest for this weekends games.
Instead of picking the winners (there are only two games, so how hard can that be)
Pick which of the four teams will score the most points, and which team will score the least points.

I pick New England for most and Philadelphia for least

Anybody that guesses both correctly will win 250 WRZ$

Remember, the games are on Sunday Afternoon, so make your picks before the first game starts.
Good Luck

[pjmpjm]

Minnesota most points. Jacksonville least points.

[johngriffen]

Still some time left to make some picks.
The first game starts at 3:05 PM Eastern Standard Time (US) on Sunday.
So make those picks for a chance to win some WRZ$

And remember, new posters earn 100 WRZ$

[pjmpjm]

Tom Clavin and Danny Peary chronicle the life and career of baseball’s “natural home run king” in the first definitive biography of Roger Maris—including a brand-new chapter to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of his record breaking season.

Roger Maris may be the greatest ballplayer no one really knows. In 1961, the soft-spoken man from the frozen plains of North Dakota enjoyed one of the most amazing seasons in baseball history, when he outslugged his teammate Mickey Mantle to become the game’s natural home-run king. It was Mantle himself who said, "Roger was as good a man and as good a ballplayer as there ever was." Yet Maris was vilified by fans and the press and has never received his due from biographers—until now.

Tom Clavin and Danny Peary trace the dramatic arc of Maris’s life, from his boyhood in Fargo through his early pro career in the Cleveland Indians farm program, to his World Series championship years in New York and beyond. At the center is the exciting story of the 1961 season and the ordeal Maris endured as an outsider in Yankee pinstripes, unloved by fans who compared him unfavorably to their heroes Ruth and Mantle, relentlessly attacked by an aggressive press corps who found him cold and inaccessible, and treated miserably by the organization. After the tremendous challenge of breaking Ruth’s record was behind him, Maris ultimately regained his love of baseball as a member of the world champion St. Louis Cardinals. And over time, he gained redemption in the eyes of the Yankee faithful.

With research drawn from more than 130 interviews with Maris’s teammates, opponents, family, and friends, as well as 16 pages of photos, some of which have never before been seen, this timely and poignant biography sheds light on an iconic figure from baseball’s golden era—and establishes the importance of his role in the game’s history.

[slynch9994]

john your daughter is lucky to have the job she has. my son is trying to get something like that. has a masters in sports management is has been working at a YMCA . unfortunately he is in north carolina and his family is all NY and NJ . guess that happens when you to to school out of state. your school's contacts are there. he got offered the job because he volunteered there while in school he has been trying to get back up here for years now, but wont give up his job until he finds one. hopefully soon.

[pjmpjm]

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-01-22/n ... tion=sport

Australian Open Tennis update . . .

[johngriffen]

slynch... My daughter went to school in Miami, which has a connection to ESPN. As a student, she volunteered to work UofM games and Miami Dolphin games for ESPN as a free intern.
While she did the work the games, she also worked real hard to meet the key players and started networking with them. She kept working those contacts after she graduated until a year later, it turned into an assistant producer job. She had a game plan when she was in school, and stuck with until she finally got the job of her dreams

Pj... thanks for the Open Update.

Well, the Superbowl teams have been determined.
Jacksonville lead for three quarters and had a ten point lead in the fourth quarter... But then Tom Brady did his thing. They scored the last 14 points and won 24 - 20 in an exciting finish.

In the other game, it was anything but exciting. Minny got out to a quick 7 point lead, and then rolled over and played dead as Philly scored 38 straight points. It was a slaughter.

So Minnesota scored the least points this week, and Philadelphia scored the most. No winners here

[pjmpjm]

When it comes to baseball glory, no other team comes close to the New York Yankees, winners of forty American League pennants and twenty-seven World Series championships. 'Amazing Tales from the Yankee Dugout' is a compilation of the funniest, strangest, and most unique stories, anecdotes, and tall tales that have been attributed to baseball’s legendary New York Yankees through the years. Fans will gain new insights about the famed Bronx Bombers that they’ve never read before.

[slynch9994]

john, good for her. my son did the same, but it was the "Y" he volunteered at. two weeks before graduation, li had the u haul rented, and he called and said "mom, how was your day, cause im about to break your heart". when he thinks about changing jobs his boss keeps telling him he is half way to his pension. he has 11 years there. and he wil only change to another Y unless he gets something with MLB, NFL,NHL or NBA, or something equally as good so there he stays, in north carolina

[pjmpjm]

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-01-23/s ... tion=sport



'Best cricket catch ever' in recent Australian Big Bash match . . . watch and be amazed . . .