Baseball is a funny game

I've always enjoyed those famous utterances and insights from days gone by, such as the famous "Ninety percent of baseball is half mental" from Yogi Berra. Or this gem from San Diego play-by-play man Jerry Coleman: "There's a deep fly ball... Winfield goes back, back... his head hits the wall ... it's rolling towards second base! This is a terrible thing for the Padres!"

There are a couple recent entries. Earlier this month I was watching the Mariners face the Pirates on television. The Pirates catcher, according to broadcaster Dave Sims, eased into second base "with his 11th triple of the year." And I spotted this in one of the Seattle newspapers: "As far as all that other stuff, it's bridge under the water for me," said Reds first baseman Scott Hatteberg.

Playing catch-up

After a couple weeks of doing a really bad job coming up with a substantive topic to share, I find myself needing to bust out a series of random thoughts that have been bouncing around in my head. See if any ring true for you.

• Are any other Ducks getting tired of being asked why Oregon doesn't have a baseball team? I've taken to saying it's for the same reason Oregon State doesn't have a track team.


• Meanwhile, the Duck contingent at work got a good chuckle out of the photo of OSU fan in Omaha with the sign proudly proclaiming that she is a "BEAVER BELIVER." ("I wonder if she needs a liever transplant," says my friend David.) It reminds me of the giant banner that hung on the outfield fence at Goss Stadium last year, courtesy of Arbor Custom Homes: "GO BEAVER'S"


• There are some really amazing people on the Gladstone Education Foundation board.


• Have you ever been to the Wonders of Wildlife museum in Springfield, Missouri? It's an extraordinary place. But there's one thing that has always bothered me. I can deal with "Adopt a Whatever," but this outfit invites you to "Become a Parent." Well, hold on one second! Writing a check to "adopt a madagascar hissing cockroach" does not make anyone a parent. Calling these supporters "parents" really demeans and diminishes actual parents of human beings, adoptive or not. It just rankles me that things like nurturing, guidance, dedication, etc., are being ignored in a cheap effort to tug at heartstrings and wallets.


• Shouldn't I be able to listen to a baseball game on the radio (the Mariners, in this case) on a Sunday afternoon and not have a promo for other station programming (I believe it was Jim Rome's show) spend its entire 60 seconds blabbing about sex and orgies and how much sex somebody in the NBA has had and lot of sex and orgies and, uh let's see...oh, yeah, sex—all with a 7-year-old and a 14-year-old in the car with me? C'mon, KFXX, you can do better. Baseball should be safe for families, even on the radio.


• Next time you're in Lincoln City, give Momiji a try for some great Japanese food. I loved the udon in particular. They've been on Hwy 101 near SW 51st for awhile and have now opened an outpost up the road in the Tanger Outlet Center.


• More baseball: I'm not a big fan of the Internet when it comes to athletes who aren't even out of high school. Too much toxicity, not enough responsibility. But the boys in the Class of 2011 have a lot going for them. They are currently 12-4 at the Junior Baseball "Senior Federal" level and have been bouncing around between second and fourth place all season, in a 12-team league populated almost entirely of 5A and 6A teams. They should be fun to watch in the years ahead.

Until next time...

A commercial word

Part of my professional life involves working on behalf of a couple of Pacific Northwest brewing icons: Widmer Brothers Brewing and Redhook Ale Brewery. You may wish to direct your interest to a couple of fun interactive contest Web sites they each have recently launched.

www.lemonyourwidmer.com
Check out the amazing videos already posted here. I have it on good authority that the golf shot required no more than 10 takes.

www.defyordinary.com
We're all a bit odd, somehow. Immortalize your oddity in cardboard, or vote for others bold enough to want to.

Portland Ave.

The city is in the middle of an evaluation process regarding business and traffic (or lack thereof) in downtown Gladstone. I appreciate being able to get a haircut in downtown Gladstone for half of what it would cost me in downtown Portland. But good ideas for viable businesses are hard to come by. I do recall, though, that when the center turn lane was added to Portland Avenue some years ago, it became more difficult for intersecting traffic to see oncoming vehicles. Unless that center lane is important as temporary parking for delivery trucks, I wouldn't mind seeing it go away.

Click for Google Maps image of downtown Gladstone

If you're personally interested in this topic, there's a community forum scheduled for 6:30 p.m. June 14 at the Senior Center.