Baseball Toaster was unplugged on February 4, 2009.
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TV and more ...
1) using profanity or any euphemisms for profanity
2) personally attacking other commenters
3) baiting other commenters
4) arguing for the sake of arguing
5) discussing politics
6) using hyperbole when something less will suffice
7) using sarcasm in a way that can be misinterpreted negatively
8) making the same point over and over again
9) typing "no-hitter" or "perfect game" to describe either in progress
10) being annoyed by the existence of this list
11) commenting under the obvious influence
12) claiming your opinion isn't allowed when it's just being disagreed with
If I were writing about something that happened 20 years ago 20 years ago, I'd be talking about when I was a baby. Today, I'm talking about being a college student the last time Asia hosted the Summer Olympics before this weekend and the only time the continent hosted me.
I got a job as a production assistant for NBC and spent five weeks in Seoul, working all but one day of my voyage. It was quite an experience, taking place just before my senior year - in fact, I missed the first few days of school (as well as Orel Hershiser's scoreless inning streak) because of it. But it was worth it.
That fall, I also began writing a column for the sports section of The Stanford Daily. The piece below was my debut, sent via Wally Matthews' TRS-80 across phone lines extending half a world away and published September 27, 1988 ...
(I apologize for the awful picture quality - and in fact had planned to run more. We're having scanner issues at home.)
Intrigue, psychodrama and Mr. Kim - one man's Olympics
SEOUL, South Korea - When nothing's safe and nothing's sane amidst all the fireworks of the Summer Olympics, one gets used to being expendable.
That's true whether you are a runner (gopher, slave, whatever you want to call it) for NBC's boxing coverage or a medal-contending boxer. You accept the extraordinary because everything here is extraordinary.
So last week, I'm assigned to go on an errand to the main NBC office at the International Broadcasting Center. Going in the car with me are Janis Murray, an NBC camerawoman who is going to see a doctor, and boxing announcers Marv Albert and Ferdie Pacheco, who are going back to their hotel.
Our driver, Mr. Kim Jae Ok, is not different from many other drivers in South Korea, who are aggressive, weaving though traffic like it were needlepoint and holding down the horn like they are wrestling down a grizzly bear.
He is rather the most extreme, a Korean driver raised exponentially, the Steinbrenner of the expressway.
Anyway, the decision comes up as to whether Albert or I will be the third to squeeze into the back seat. Pacheco became known as the "Fight Doctor" for being in Muhammad Ali's corner for over a decade. He has acquired a keen mind for analyzing situations both in and out of the ring.
Therefore, his word is accepted as gospel when he says simply, "Well, we can't afford to lose Marv." I sit uncomfortably, if temporarily, in the front seat.
But there really was no need for me to worry. As Albert said about our upcoming drive, "There can't be any more controversy than what we had today."
You can always count on a television announcer for a good transition.
You see, we've been having an informal competition on how best to describe the mayhem of the first week of 1988 Olympic boxing. Albert's word was "intrigue." Wally Matthews, the third boxing announcer, chose "ugly psychodrama." My humble offering was "full-contact tag-team floor hysteria."
It had been a wild 24 hours for the NBC crew leading up to the morning of Sept. 20th - and this is even before a melee broke out over a decision against Korean boxer Byun Jung-Il Sept. 22.
Just after wrapping up a story about a Canadian boxer winning his protest, a rarity in itself, we realized American middleweight Anthony Hembrick hadn't shown up for his first fight.
I'm camped out in the production truck again this morning, so I'm not down at ringside. But with all the cameras, I'm everywhere.
One camera has the shot of the Korean opponent, Ha Jong-Ho, sitting placidly in his corner. Another camera follows Matthews around as he tries to unravel the controversy. Another peers up a tunnel toward the dressing room.
Five minutes after the fight was supposed to start, Hembrick and U.S. Coach Ken Adams walk in their warmup suits. As they begin explaining what happened, Ha is announces as the winner of the fight by walkover.
With this extraordinary gaffe by the United States coming to fruition, we get word from the control room at the IBC that NBC wants us to be ready to go on the air live. That, more than anything else, unleashed our own "ugly psychodrama."
Even though we will go on "live," there are so many people that have to be interviewed that a package of taped material had to be put together within minutes.
That meant Matthews, who was solely a newspaper reporter for Newsday until this spring, suddenly materialized as Sam Donaldson. He thrust his microphone into one argument between boxing officials, and interviewed many witnesses, including Adams, who said he had misread the schedule.
Matthews made his way into the dressing room to interview Hembrick.
Hembrick starts to mumble something, then trails off.
They're yelling back at us from the IBC, "Are you ready? Are you ready?" just as we're putting the final touches on our report.
They come to us, and we come back with a sizzling 4-minute, 50-second package that explains every existing detail of the infamy, not stopping to virtually castigate Adams for not being competent enough to make sure, for crying out loud, to get his fighter to his Olympic debut on time. I mean, I've never missed a final at Stanford, and I rarely give a gold medal performance at the damn thing.
And yet, as I'm watching, I realize that as good as this report is, with a crew of 30 working on it down to my "expendable" duties of relaying messages and getting coffee to keep the thing going, we can't convey the extraordinary experience any more than Hembrick can.
Fifteen minutes after it ends, my boss, John Cregg, comes up to me and says with a smile, "Put on your crash helmet."
And so, I'm driving back from the IBC with Mr. Kim Jae Ok. A religious seat-belt wearer in the States, I disdain it now and I still don't know exactly why.
I just know it has something to do with the Olympics.
Mr. Kim is absolutely not looking at the road but rather at me. He's pointing excitedly at a pin in his collection and saying wildly, "Norway! Norway!"
I'm just laughing. As if I thought I could make him understand the situation (as if it mattered) - I try to make him look back at the road, saying, "Korea! Korea!"
A bigger travesty, we will never see.
1992 was when Jim Bell, who now runs the Today Show, got his start.
http://www.greencine.com/central/node/808
In honor of our favorite recuperating actor.
And then Roy Jones starts to cry and walks away.
Andy was extraordinarily kind to me.
FYI, Kenny Albert, Marv's son, was the other boxing P.A. The fellow I'm "punching" in the top picture is Matt Gallant, who also went on to an on-camera career.
https://dodgerthoughts.baseballtoaster.com/archives/318452.html
But then we do repeat ourselves a lot here and I only found it when I was looking up Andy Gluck and that link came up in the search.
Since it was almost the same conversation (though less detailed) I thought I would point it out.
1. Patriots cheat Rams in Super Bowl
2. Korean boxer given decision over Roy Jones
I'd put Jones #1, with the 1972 Russia-USA basketball final #2.
I went to high school with a member of the women's indoor volleyball team; I know a couple (it use to be more) of the girls on the water polo team, and a few on the guys team. That's really changed my perspective.
Plus I'm looking forward to being a fan of track and field for the required two weeks every four years.
There are events before the opening ceremony...?
I'm tempted to join.
Yep, I hope he does well too. He completed something like eleventy straight passes in 2004 against USC, nearly derailing the championship run.
But then I tend to repeat myself even in everyday conversation, so perhaps it isn't surprising.
Did you hear the story about the 7 year old Packer fan that came up to him during practice and started cussing him out?
Either that or the Rays can execute a waiver trade.
Plus, the NFL needs another great QB from Cal.
23 straight passes. The incompletion came on a pass that should have been ruled backwards and a fumble out of bounds.
I think the USC scoring crew was on the take from Tee Martin.
Perhaps if he has a historically good season and the defense has a historically bad one. that would work.
Osama bin Laden's latest tape weighs in on the Brett Favre situation.
KoreanCupid.com!
I am going to great pains to not type in that other guy's name but I would love to see him banished to the Dolphins.
Just an observation, but it seems to me like the S.Koreans are the biggest whiners when it comes to losing in Olympic competition. Whether it be boxing or speed skating, I've always been a little annoyed of them in the Olympics because of this.
Ever since the Olympics were awarded to China, I have been wondering how on earth were they going to have these world class atheletes compete outdoors in what I would guess is the worst smog in the world. Even with all their so-called pollution control for this years games, I think most of it will come down to weather. I hope all the atheletes have brought their anti-biotics with them, and don't test positive for drugs because of them.
vr, Xei
It's just that no one notices.
Xei
So these olympics have a lot of potential.
Now you may not get much sleep but then you probably don't get much anyways.
vr, Xei
Except for Greg and his mysterious vegetarian lady-friend who we've never heard anything about.
I would never date a vegan.
Ah, so. I've never seen that movie.
vr, Xei
vr, Xei
vr, Xei
Tampa Bay went double, double, home run, single, walk, home run to score six runs.
--
Speaking of which, no Andy LaRoche today for Pitt.
Stand down.
I have respect for Monday, but that may have been the most retarded thing I ever heard him say.
I'm trying to go the whole day without saying, writing, or even hearing the dreaded "F-word".
Let's see John Madden try that!
72 If that is the case, than he better hope that someone tries to snag him away from Pittsburgh.
60 I thought so because those Dodger Dogs probably have a lot of stuff in them but vegatable or soy products are not among their ingredients.
>> While DeJesus raised his batting average to .304, his errors led to two unearned Mobile runs in the sixth inning. DeJesus' season error total is 20 - a number he previously said he didn't want to exceed this year. <<
## LHP Eric DuBose, who appeared in 52 games for the Baltimore Orioles from 2002 to 2006, was assigned to the Suns after the Los Angeles Dodgers purchased his contract from Bridgeport of the independent Atlantic League. To make room for DuBose, RHP Jesus Castillo (strained oblique) was put on the disabled list, retroactive to Saturday. ##
http://tinyurl.com/6m9kkp
I'm not opposed to it or anything.
"The Dodgers' bullpen ranks second in the majors in strikeouts and OPS against and first in ERA."
Not sure what criteria he uses then, to rank 5 teams ahead of them. Star power, I guess.
But also, the Dodgers just have not really found themselves in a lot of games where they have had high leverage situations, when they win games, they tend to win them by more than 3 runs.
He's like the Vin Scully of updating scores on DT.
Any comparison to the great one I'll take anyday so thanks.
If comments do effect the ads, it may be fun on an off day or during a rain delay, to see what we can get to show up.
this is a strange thing in my family because we generally ask to have a side of steak instead of veggies. but it seems to work for her.
Grr, this makes me so fresturated, one of my buddies completely dismisses Billingsley's sucsess because he pitches in the NL west, yet he has a 2.31 ERA vs. Non-NL West teams.
Kemp, CF
Ethier, RF
Martin, C
Ramirez, LF
Loney, 1B
Blake, 3B
Ozuna, 2B
Berroa, SS
Lowe, P
http://www.insidesocal.com/dodgers/2008/08/tonights-lineup-96.html
Just ignore the bottom of the lineup, it may make you weep.
The Lakers play the Clippers twice in the first four games of the season and then they don' play them for 2 1/2 months and then again for another 2+ months.
The Celtics have replaced Shaq as the Lakers' Christmas Day opponent as Paul Pierce gets to have Christmas back home for their first meeting in the year.
Shaq comes back to LA for the first time on Decemeber 10th against the Lakers, in February he's back in a little over a week as the Suns play the Clippers and Lakers on the road.
For those thinking about heading to Phoenix for Spring Traiing, the Suns host the Lakers on Sunday March 1st.
Thats progress.
I figured Druw's bomb would get him 3-4 starts.
I'm going to assume Ethier is there to stay.
Love me, love my devotion to eating animals. They are delicious.
*I enjoy talking like British people more than anything in the world.
Lesson: animals taste great and are good for you.
1 earned run
http://tinyurl.com/eatingmeatisbadmmmkay
116 Top o' the mornin' to ya guvnor!
Hope he gets 300 wins tho. Seems pretty attainable.
No matter what happens, this is quite a nice start to his Pirates career, looking at his first two games...
Would be nice if the Pirates scored another run though.
Wow!
I do my thing and you do your thing and life goes on. It's like the harm principle, without caring about harming animals. I like to think of it as selective Utilitarianism.
I'm not a good person. I made peace with it.
vr, Xei
So we should just get rid of people?
Well it was a good run.
He's going to be 26 yrs old.
Is he that highly of a prospect?
He didnt do much at all with the Yankees.
Dunno why Melvin insisted on leaving Johnson in there other than hatred of his bullpen. Loyal to the starter.
mmmmm, buffalo.
He was over 100 pitches entering the 8th.
in short, he was pitching a good game and kept his team in, no need to take him out until he got into trouble.
Dodgers offense by Leadoff Man
Hitter G R R/G
Furcal 31 169 5.45
Kemp 21 100 4.76
Pierre 58 195 3.36
Other 2 4 2.00
Conclusions? How about three:
* Andre Ethier is better than Juan Pierre.
* Juan Pierre has a case for being the worst leadoff hitter in the game.
* The Dodger offense grinds to a half when Juan Pierre bats leadoff.
Makes it seem like he blames Pierre entirely for their badness when he bats leadoff, completely ignoring that no one but Martin was hitting well during that stretch.
vr, Xei
Outstanding job, Karstens. Now just settle down and get the win.
I don't have pre-1956 numbers, but the lowest since 1956 was El Presidente with 5 K.
Boo. A hit as I type this.
Short CY with a double.
vr, Xei
am i the only one that thinks 123 ,124 , and125 are rule 9 violations?
First of all, my wife and I decided to stop together, which I think made it easier.
Our reasons were mostly two-pronged.
1. We both really like animals, and have always felt guilty about eating them.
2. As people who are generally engaged in professions that preach pro-environmental values and such, we generally try to practice what we preach as much as possible/tolerable.
So, as somewhat of a New Year's resolution for 2007, we decided to give quasi-vegetarianism (we eat fish) a try. Like I said: I'm surprised at how easy it has been. I never thought I'd stop eating meat.
vr, Xei
Capps is out for the Pirates anyway. Their bullpen blows outside of him.
vr, Xei
Well, you have to let him bat at this point, right? He is the hottest batter of the whole game, after all. ;)
vr, Xei
vr, Xei
vr, Xei
169 Giants fans will probably complain if he pulls Lincecum and then the pen blows it. They'd complain if he was pulled after throwing 160 pitches.
4.81SO + 5.14BB + 3.27BB + (3.16*(outs-so))
What does that work out to for Karstens?
vr, Xei
vr, Xei
But, Weird Al is a vegetarian, so I'm torn on the issue. I'll let my taste buds win this argument.
I would imagine pressure from a girlfriend or potential girlfriend to turn vegetarian would severely weaken my resolve, however.
I got 86 pitches through 8 using your simulator.
You can't back down. Next thing you know, she will convince you to root for UCLA.
There are plenty of other food items that are equally (if not more) tasty. The bigger challenge (though not an insurmountable one) stems from finding alternative protein sources. But I have generally found legumes, soy, and fish to be more than acceptable substitutes for beef, chicken, and pork.
And they won the game.
Of course the Cubs were 0 for 27 (0 for 13 balls in play) , so that helps.
vr, Xei
vr, Xei
Rule 9 is subject for the most part to a literal interpretation. There have been some cases where I've enforced it beyond typing those words, but I try to avoid that to keep the troops at peace.
But you are allowed to acknolwedge a no-no in an oblique way, including by using the words "no-no."
vr, Xei
Foods like broccoli and spinach have a decent amount of iron and protein. Plus, there are mushrooms.
vr, Xei
I like fish quite a bit, so I could totally handle that.
191
I would root for UCLA in most cases, unless they were playing USC or if their win would directly hurt USC. But I'd play it up like I was giving up a lot! :)
I eat spinach everyday. It's yummy, especially with parmesan, salsa, and olive oil. Throw in some broth and you gotta stew going.
203
No. Not judgy, though I would encourage people to make at least some effort to buy meat from places who claim to only buy meat from places who claim to treat the animals relatively well.
Are you aware that you exist?
I'm going to eat you, are you cool with that?
And so on.
I'm sure there are still good seats left for Sat and Sun games too.
i'm guessing that since my date is a giants fan (relax guys, she grew up in the bay area), i could probably convince her.
Go Dodgers! I hope Derek Lowe throws a "no-no". :)
vr, Xei
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