It’s that time of the year when we make New Year resolutions. I always try to think of something that’s a self-improvement that becomes part of my life, i.e. like making the bed every morning before I head out to my studio. Last year’s resolutions were each month to make one new meal that we never did before and to blog once a week. Well, we had 12 exciting new dinner meals, on the blogging front I started off strong but because of other commitments I trailed off. So this year I will recommit myself to first blogging on a regular base and expand from their.
If I had a Vote
Player Vote Year
†Rich Aurilia 1st
Jeff Bagwell √ 5th
Craig Biggio √ 3rd
Barry Bonds √ 3rd
†Aaron Boone 1st
†Tony Clark 1st
Roger Clemens √ 3rd
†Carlos Delgado 1st
†Jermaine Dye 1st
†Darin Erstad 1st
†Cliff Floyd 1st
†Nomar Garciaparra 1st
†Brian Giles 1st
†Tom Gordon 1st
†Eddie Guardado 1st
†Randy Johnson √ 1st
Jeff Kent 2nd
Edgar Martínez 6th
†Pedro Martínez √ 1st
Don Mattingly 15th
Fred McGriff 6th
Mark McGwire 9th
Mike Mussina √ 2nd
†Troy Percival 1st
Mike Piazza √ 3rd
Tim Raines √ 8th
Curt Schilling 3rd
†Jason Schmidt 1st
†Gary Sheffield 1st
Lee Smith 13th
†John Smoltz √ 1st
Sammy Sosa 3rd
Alan Trammell 14th
Larry Walker 5th
Tomorrow at 1pm we will find out how the BBWAA voted
The teams are rested, 6 days for the KC Royals, and 5 days for SF Giants. The team that comes up short will say that the long layoff hurt them. Now for my last MLB prediction for 2014, SF Giants in 6 games (could be 5). The second long layoff for KC Royals will impact them this time…
June 1, is Marlyn Monroe’s birthday and would have been 88 today. Earlier this week in The Huffington Post was this story:
“12 Famous People Who Really Made The Most Out Of Their Last Words ” By Shelley Emling.
The second famous quote, was said by Joe DiMaggio,“I finally get to see Marilyn.” speaking of his former love Marilyn Monroe. DiMaggio died in 1999 following a battle with lung cancer. At his bedside was his attorney, Morris Engelberg, who told Vanity Fair magazine that the Yankee great never got over Monroe’s death from an apparent drug overdose in 1962.
Late in the afternoon in 1982, I got a call from Hy of Hy Zazula Studio and asked me to wait for a call from him to meet at his studio. The call comes late, and when I arrive his son David is there also and before going into the work area they say I cannot talk about what we will be working on. I enter the work area and covering a large light table are chromes of Marilyn Monroe; we then study the selects to create the budget for approval. The next morning I meet with HY before 9AM, and give him my final numbers, and within a day we started working on the prints for the book, Marilyn Monroe The Last Sitting
Every now than I run across a 20 x 24 limited edition Print of Marilyn Monroe in an art gallery or auction house and it reminds me of how I met Marilyn Monroe… Happy Birthday Marilyn!
When I was a kid it was popular with owners of station wagons to post on the rear side window small yellow stickers of places that they had visited. Whenever I would pass one I would stop look at the stickers, and think to myself, someday I am going to see them This also inspired me to reading about our National Parks and states. That youthful inquisitiveness has never left me and in 2010, my wife I headed out on our first 50 day cross country road trip since we have made three cross country trip plus 10 other road trips.
On the first trip heading back from California all I could think of was, I am going to see Mount Rushmore, except for Yellowstone National Park it the most popular sticker.
Also, aware of the Crazy Horse Monument, and before, and while on the trip would talk about it, to my friends, but to my surprise most of had never heard about it.
We stayed three days in Rapid City South Dakota, and visited Mount Rushmore three-times and it was never a disappointment. The second day we started out early first seeing Custer State Park, it is a large park with an abundance of prairie wildlife
Every September they bring in cowboys to do a buffalo roundup and about twenty thousand spectators watch from the hills. I highly recommend visiting it.
From there, we headed over to see the Crazy Horse Monument with no expectation. As you arrive off in the distance you get you first impression (the last image was taken from a mile away) of its size. Seeing it in person you realize the magnitude of the concept of this monument that started in 1947 by Korczak Ziolkowski, at the request of Sioux chiefs who said they wanted ”the white man to know the red man had great heroes too.” (The New York Time Oct 21 1982) Today with the passing of his wife two of their ten children carry on, and hope to finish this project by 2047. I think it will be difficult without public involvement, something that Korczak and the Sioux wanted to avoid….
These images all were taken in 2010 the fourth image is what the completed image will look like. To convey its scale all four heads on Mount Rushmore would fit into the opening under Crazy Horse arm…
If interested in purchasing any of these images contact me through
On May 12, 1966, four days after the final baseball game played at Sportsman’s Park, Busch Memorial Stadium opened with the St. Louis Cardinals winning 4 -3 in 12 innings over the Atlanta Braves. In 1970 the grass field was replaced with Astro Turf to make the conversion from baseball to football easier.
On May 12, 1966, four days after the final baseball game played at Sportsman’s Park, Busch Memorial Stadium opened with the St. Louis Cardinals winning 4 -3 on a Lou Brock single in 12th inning over the Atlanta Braves. In 1970 the grass field was replaced with Astro Turf to make the conversion from baseball to football easier.
Let’s be honest, this winter was a bummer and I could not wait until pitchers and catchers reported. Shortly after they reported we hit the road and spent the month of March in Florida visiting spring training ballparks. Now the 2014 baseball season is off and running I feel rejuvenated.
The Braves ballpark Champion Stadium part of the ESPN Wide World of Sports of Complex, and Disney is nice looking from the outside, it just does not give off that spring training feel like the other ballparks.
Champion Stadium ESPN Wide World of Sports of Complex 700 S. Victory Way Kissimmee, FL 3474
Once inside and looking out over the outfield it is the absence of advertising on the outfield walls and the oversized scoreboard that draws your attention. Having been to every spring training ballpark except the Mets and Phillies I came away feeling a little disappointed in the venue. If you are a baseball fan or someone that has never been to spring training and visiting Orlando, I suggest visiting the Astros or the Tigers in Lakeland, before seeing a game here.
Arrived yesterday in Winter Park Florida checked into The Alfond Inn (new and very nice surprise) dropped off our bags grabbed my camera equipment and dashed-off to the Braves spring training home ballpark. The Braves were playing the Nationals who have new rookie manager Matt Williams. Within the game, two plays stand out. The Nationals had runners on first and third base with one out, and Matt Williams pulled an old Billy Martin move, sending the runner on first base to have him caught in a rundown and the runner on third base breaks for home, the play worked with the runner scoring. The second play came late in the game , with the score tied 4-4 no outs, and the bases loaded Matt Williams moved one of his outfielders to the infield creating 5-infielders with three fielder on the left side the batter hit a lined out to the left side of the infield, but the next batter crushed one to a vacant right field, clearing the bases with a with a triple, and the score was now 7 to 4. I liked that Matt Williams a rookie manager of a team that’s expected to win its division was not afraid to try out some plays. After all, it is spring training for managers also, experiment a little, and it is fun for the fans also….
It’s Friday the cold, snowy weather is still pounding us in the northeast and I’m leaving for spring training in about 4 hours. While going through everything and looking up information I came across this:
BALLPARK PRINTS 