Year: 2005

Rickey’s Ready For Social Security

It hit the news either today or yesterday that Rickey Henderson’s retiring. For a while, in the mid-80s of course, he was one of my favorite players, alongside Donnie Baseball, Tommy John, Willie Randolph and Mike Pagliarulo.

I’d go to a few Yankees games each year- but some of my favorite ones were with the Staten Island YMCA summer day camp. We’d get whole sections in the upper deck out in the outfield, when we were in left, and it was the top of the inning, we’d scream Rickey’s name at the top of our lungs. When we were in right, we’d scream for Dave Winfield. Rickey did a much better job of acknowledging us.

One of the games I remember (thanks to Retrosheet for the details) was August 24, 1988. A’s were visiting and took an early lead. By the eighth, it was 4-1, A’s. Yankees scored one in the bottom of the eighth, but Rickey made the last out of the inning. A’s scored two in the top of the ninth, but somehow, the Yankees came back with five in the bottom of the ninth- the game winner was a single by Rickey.

Rickey thinks the 86 Topps looked spiffy!

Of course the next year, they traded him for Eric Plunk, Luis Polonia and Greg Cadaret. I always think if the Yankees could have gotten just a little bit more (or something different) out of the Clark and Henderson trades, they wouldn’t have been as horrible in the early 90s. But the next decent trade the franchise would make wasn’t until the Sax for Melido Perez and Bob Wickman deal.

Well, thanks for the memories Rickey

Maybe in tribute, I should refer to myself in the third person for a whole day. The King will let you know how it goes.

King Tom

So you think you can stone me and spit in my eye

Hello out there in Internet land.

Things have been slowly busy around here. Work is keeping me occupied and distracted from my plans for world domination.

In the some people have way too much time on their hands category, I found this entertaining look at the first season of Lost: http://albinoblacksheep.com/flash/lost

It’s not too spoilerish, and you’ll definitely get it if you’ve seen the first season. There are so many different reasons why that rules.

And as one of the seven signs of the apocalypse, Wham! may or may not be getting back together:

He said he was persuaded to make the 95-minute film George Michael: A Different Story after Andrew Ridgeley who starred alongside him in the 1980s band agreed to talk on camera about their experiences for the first time in 20 years.

At least Andrew Ridgeley is finally getting his name back in the news.

King Tom1 Comment

Juiced Up King

Well, I won’t be playing Major League Baseball next year.

Thanks to an allergic reaction caused by what I believe to be a fresh mango (it’s a member of the poison ivy family, after all), I’m now on steroids for a few days. I’m better now, though. But I have to finish up the pills or who-knows-what will happen to me.

Except for the mightily swollen lip caused by the reaction, it was a fun Thanksgiving. I hope everyone else out there had a great Thanksgiving too.

Back to work.

King Tom7 Comments

Doing this because I have to.

From Tony:

1. Go into your archives.
2. Find your 23rd post.
3. Post the fifth sentence (or closest to it).
4. Post the text of the sentence in your blog along with these instructions.
5. Tag five other people to do the same thing.

Here’s one real quality sentence from post 23:

I had heard of Lewis from his performance in Abbot and Costello’s Hold That Ghost, but thought he was just some lounge singer.

And you know what? All the other bloggers I know have already done this. So I’m amending the “five” to “none.”

Unless I go around telling random people to do this, regardless of whether or not they have a blog. Then it would just be rediculous.

King Tom

The drummer in the glass cage of emotion

So Weezer’s performance on AOL sessions is finally online.

I think it’s a really good performance- they did Buddy Holly, Beverly Hills, Perfect Situation, Island in the Sun and Don’t Let Go. And the attached interviews are interesting too.

The best track of the sessions is easily Don’t Let Go. I was a fan of the Green version, but they’ve been playing it differently- changing the key of the song and adding a synth line. It was already an energy-packed song, but they’re just great on the Sessions version. It’s also nice to have an “officially recorded” new version of the song.

Something else: Last week, I saw Pride and Prejudice. Wrote about it for the Morning Toast.

King Tom

Cheers and Tears

Okay, cheezy title aside….

-Congratulations to Alex Rodriguez for winning the 2005 American League MVP award. Postseason aside (and he wasn’t the worst offender in that five-game stretch), A-Rod carried this team throughout the season. People are saying that he was the reason they lost the ALDS, but I say if it wasn’t for A-Rods performance from April-September, the Yankees wouldn’t have even been in the post season.

I shell out about $130 every year for the Extra Innings package from my cable company. Usually, it’s barely worth the price. But days like today make me glad to get it as I get to watch Rodriguez play on a day-to-day basis. I have a feeling he’s one of those players that I’ll be talking about like my father talks about Mickey Mantle.

Well, along with Jeter and Mo Rivera.

-My condolences to the family and friends of wrestler Eddy Guerrero. Guerrero was one of those special talents, great to watch in the ring, and while never the top guy in the industry, beginning with his entrance into the WWF, he was always one of my favorite guys to watch. One of the best moments in wrestling ever was this:
WM XX

from WrestleMania XX, where both Guerrero and Benoit walked off champions. While both reigns were cut short, it was a well-deserved moment for two guys who have always been under-appreciated.

Rest in Peace, Eddy.

-And this happened last month, but I just found out that Nipsey Russell died. I never really saw anything outside of his appearances on Conan and re-runs on the Game Show Network, but he made me laugh. And he always seemed to be having a good time on the Match Game. RIP Nipsey.

King Tom