Merry Christmas to all from Bear (me!) and the bearclan! 
I think I need to post more – including those pictures I promised – in the New Year.
Cheers,
-Bear
Merry Christmas
December 24th, 2009Surgery
September 6th, 2009Well I “bit the bullet” so to speak and actually did go in and have the surgery on my right eye – yes there was always some question that I’d make a break for it and run screaming and yelling from the hospital. I don’t like hospitals, people die there. Don’t like doctors either, but that’s another story.
The surgery itself went better than expected. The surgeon wasn’t sure what my vision would be because the cataract was so large he couldn’t see behind it. So on the day after surgery when I went in for post-op tests and stuff, they were stunned that my distance vision in that eye was nearly 20/20. I was psyched to be truthful. Though they put a monofocal lens in my right eye, so once the eye is fully recovered ultimately I will need reading glasses – but I have worn glasses since I was a little kid so that’s not really a problem.
Bad news is I’m only about 1/4 of the way done with my eyes. I have a tiny cataract in my left eye and diabetic retinitis I think it’s called – slight bleeding at the back of each eye, so ultimately I’ll need to have those three problems taken care of.
For those that said I wouldn’t even remember the surgery they’re wrong, I remember talking to the doctor and nurses throughout the whole procedure until the doctor told me to be quiet so he could cut – which was kind of funny.
For those who told me I wouldn’t care they were cutting my eye open with the anesthsia, well they were right. It never even crossed my mind to care. I watched the whole thing with the eye they were cutting open with a detached, sort of academic view – wow, look what are they doing type of thing. Never felt a thing, no pain after the operation or anything. Pretty slick.
They do however, wrap your body in a sheet and blanket with your arms by your side so you’re not tempted to take a swing at the doc.
For now, five weeks of eyedrop antibiotics and steroids and stuff – I’d probably fail a baseball drug test right about now, and weekly doctor vistis to check on the progress of the eye and see what’s next.
Oh, and the pictures of the bears from helen are a coming.
Promise.
Cheers,
-Bear
Yaz and Ballplayers
August 22nd, 2009Today is Yaz’s – Carl Yastrzemski – 70th birthday. Yaz played more games for one team – over 3,300 – than any other player in baseball history and spent his entire career with the Boston Red Sox. Coupled with Jim Rice’s recent election to the Baseball Hall of Fame – another player who spent his entire career with the Red Sox – today brings to mind one of the things about baseball I truly lament passing – despite it being a great triumph for the people we actually pay to play.
While philosophically I applaud free agency in baseball because the people who play the game should get the lion’s share of the profit, my heart longs for the days when a player would come up through a team’s farm system and play his entire career with your team. You weren’t rooting for laundry back then, you were rooting for guys it seemed like you knew personally. Of course, the players were in economic bondage to ownership and even if they didn’t sign a contract they couldn’t go play for another team because of baseball’s “reserve Clause”, but I miss the closeness, the steadiness, the small town feel baseball once had.
Of course lately I have been wishing we’d experience a return to 1950’s America when the only bad guys were the Soviet Union and life seemed much happier, slower, more small townish.
As Doris Day once sang, “Que cera cera, whatever will be, will be.”
Cheers,
-Bear
Red Sox Music
August 20th, 2009As many of you know, I am a diehard Red Sox fan. I grew up in the glory days of Fred Lynn, Jim Rice, El Tiante, the 1975 World Series, and the tragedy of the Buddy Leroux coup, the Ralph Houk days and lived through the 1986 World Series fearing I’d truly die before we ever won a series. Then I move from New England in 2004 to Georgia and we win one that year and another in 2007.
I can die happy.
Sadly, I find I don’t like most diehard Sawks fans I find on the net. We’re rude, arrogant bullies. We’re prone to posting the nastiest, meanest things on the net about our own players and we’re mainly just purely antisocial crabs.
But that’s neither here nor there.
I’ve started a Sox Page – you can find it on the right side of the blog and I’ve added some music there. “Tessie”, an old Royal Rooters fight song reimagined in 2004 by The Dropkick Murphy’s, that 70’s cult classic “Dirty Water” by The Standels – played after every Red Sox win as the fans file out of the Fens, and “Sweet Caroline” by Neil Diamond – played during the 8th Inning of every Sox game at Fenway.
More to come.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
-Bear
Prepping for Surgery
August 20th, 2009Well I started my first regimen of eyedrops today. As I prep for cataract surgery next Thursday, I keep doing these and then start two more sets of drops on the 23rd.
I can’t really pretend I’m looking forward to the surgery – though the cataract does largely prohibit me from looking anywhere with my right eye. 
I don’t like hospitals and generally dislike doctors unless I have a longstanding relationship with them – I’m fine with my GP – but I have been seeing her for five years. Her nurse keeps me in line. Tough southrun gals IMHO.
Anyway, I don’t like hospitals – people die there. They tell me that they don’t actually put you to sleep for the surgery, that instead they give you just enough anesthesia to make you not care about anything and a local for the eye being operated on. Sorry, but it is beyond my comprehension that I will be awake, and with my good eye see a dude’s hand coming towards my right eye with a blade to cut my eye open, and just be like ” o/~ feeling groovy o/~ “. My gut reaction is I would take my left hand and instinctively grab at the scalpal wielding hand with my hands stop the doc from cutting my eyeball out.
Anyhoo, the good news they say this is routine and the most often performed surgery there is. I’m fairly well covered with health insurance so I don’t have any of that stuff to worry about, it’s all been preapproved. The bad news is I’ll still need to wear glasses for reading as the lens they’ll be placing in my eye is monofocal for distance seeing – my diabetes (and health insurance) complicates the bifocal lens that could be put in. Also, at some point I’ll need to have the same surgery done for my left eye – these’s a small cataract growing in it – largely the result of uncontrolled diabetes.
There’s a lesson here, much as I hate to admit it. When you’re young you have a beautiful body, a temple, a gift from god. You run and play and exercise and eat just enough calories to burn.
Don’t ever stop doing that.
Stay young by keeping fit. If you don’t, you get old, your body starts failing, and they start chopping you up like different cuts of meat, piece by piece.
Bitter? Me?
Yes, at me. Too many cigars and too much beer, too much food and not enough exercise. I used to be an athlete. In high school and college I enjoyed the crack of the bat, the smell of leather, the crisp feel of a baseball smacking a glove – because I did it.
Now, I watch it on TV and drink and eat – at least I quit the cigars *sigh* though I am often tempted by them – and fall ill from a whole mess of diabetes related illness.
Oh to be young again. What I’d give to be in college again.
Ah well, have a good one.
Cheers,
-Bear
Trip to Helen, GA
August 7th, 2009Took a day trip to Helen, Georgia with the family on Tuesday. I know, I know, that was three days ago – guess bears still live in the age of snailmail and four TV stations. So sue me.
Anyway, the trip was lots of fun – I almost got Brian (Hyperion) to drink beer – walking around the downtown area which is a small German village. We had dinner at a nice German restaurant and the kids and Yoreyore had a super time.
While we were walking around the village we were treated to a new style country singer doing covers of 70’s music, including Neil Diamond. Naturally Bree (my eldest daughter, she attends Georgia State University) and I were quite pleased to hear “Sweet Caroline” played – all Red Sox fans will understand. This gave Bree and I the opportunity to sing aloud in the middle of downtown (mortifying Christi, yoreyore and Hyperion of course) – in case you haven’t figured, I really don’t care much if people think I’m crazy and Bree is even worse – the words to “Sweet Caroline” as he played – “bomp, bomp, bomps” and all.
That was really quite a lot of fun. Didn’t run into any Red Sox fans though, despite our rendition of that traditional 8th inning classic.
We visited the Bear Rescue they have in Helen where they take in old Bears who can’t survive in the wild or from people who had them as cubs but can’t handle having large bears or any otherwise rescued bears. Because they’ve become domesticated and used to depending on humans for food they’re quite clever and perform and try and out-do each other to get treats from their visitors. It was good to see many of my own kind – living with humans is kind of annoying at times.
I took some nice pictures and will put them up on my website and post a link here in the next few days.
Cheers,
-Bear
October 18, 1983 (World Series Game 5)
July 31st, 2009The Kingdome – Seattle, WA
Seattle Mariners Game Notes
Roger Clemens takes the mound for us in Game 5. Clemens went a solid six innings in Game 2, scatterrting 7 hits and a walk while allowing 2 runs. The Rocket was 19-7 with a 3.88 ERA over 220 1/3 innings during the 1983 Regular Season.
Mariners (OF) Tim Raines has stolen 7 bases in 7 attempts off Braves (C) dale Murphy and is hitting .438 for the series with 2 home runs, 5 RBI and 5 runs scored. Mariners (C) Bruce Benedict has thrown out 6 of 12 Braves attempting to steal.
This will be our last chance to wrap up the series without heading back to Atlanta.
Atlanta Braves Game Notes
Atlanta will counter with Rick Mahler who got knocked around in Game 2 by the Mariners to the tune of 6 runs (only 3 earned) over 3 1/3 innings. Mahler has had an awful postseason getting hammerred by the Cardinals in his NLCS start. Mahler was 17-6 with a 3.39 ERA during the regular season.
(1B) Bob Horner had three hits including a 2 run homer in Game 4 as he led Atlanta to it’s first win in the series. (3B) Brook Jacoby has been on fire with 7 hits in 17 at bats including 3 homers and 8 RBI.
1983 World Series Game 5
1st Inning: Clemens looked very strong in the first, K’ing two. We got two hits off Mahler but couldn’t score. No score after one.
3rd Inning: No score after three as both Clemens and Mahler look to be in solid control.
5th Inning: Both pitchers still looking strong in this pitchers duel. After five, no score.
6th Inning: (SS) Cal Ripken broke the ice taking Mahler deep over the centerfield fence with a solo shot. Mariners 1, Braves 0.
8th Inning: Clemens leaves with one out and a runner on second. Jesse Orosco relieves Roger and the southpaw has been electric throughout the postseason and today is no different as he works out of the jam. Still Mariners 1, Braves 0.
In the bottom half of the inning Dave Collins walked, stole second and third and scored on a ground out, manufacturing an insurance run putting the Mariners up 2-0.
9th Inning: Tom Henke comes in to close out the game and the World Series for the Mariners and sets down the heart of the Atlanta lineup – Jacoby, Horner and Murphy – 1-2-3 to give the seven year old Seattle Mariners Franchise it’s first World Series Championship ever.
1983 World Series Game 5 Boxscore
Mariners (OF) Tim Raines was named MVP of the 1983 World Series. Raines earned the award going 7 for 20 while hitting 2 homers, driving in 5 runs and scoring 5 while stealling 7 bases in 7 tries. Raines also drew three walks giving him an OBP of .435 for the World Series.
I neglected to mention earlier that Dennis Eckersley was named ALCS MVP for his complete game shutout of the Yankees.
Final Thoughts on the MLB Expansion Challenge
Well, not only did we win the World Series, but we beat the challenge far earlier than I thought we could. It’s 2009 in real life and the Mariners haven’t yet won a World Series and don’t appear ready to even make their first World Series any time soon. Yet here it is 1983 and the Mariners family have their first of what we hope to be many World Series rings to come.
As I ruminate over this I think I have numerous advantages over the real Mariners. It’s easier to make trades in Baseball Mogul than it is in real life. While I made some bonehead trades there are some, like the massive swap for a just then picked #1 overall Roger Clemens that couldn’t have happened in real life.
Being able to sign arbitration eligible players to longterm, seven year contracts for short money was a big help. While it happens in real life – the Red Sox with Dustin Pedroia and Kevin Youlilis for example – they’re usually four or five year deals where the platyer is only giving up one or two years of free agency eligibility and not three, four or five.
I think I also faced some disadvantages that the real Mariners didn’t as well. There was virtually nothing but limited role players in my game’s free agency – the occassional good relief pitcher – during the birth of the era of modern free agency. I really had to build through the farm system and trading.
As I look through our World Series Champion roster, I wanted to see how we acquired each player. I only drafted two of the 26. Most of our players, like Clemens, were traded for as minor league prospects and then developed in our system.
Drafted: (1B) Kent Hrbek (2.1), (SS) Cal Ripken (1.1)
I’m a little bit disappointed I didn’t draft and develop more of this championship team like most small market teams are forced to do. I know they acquire a lot of prospects from other organizations for veterans, so it’s not that, and I also realize we became competitive long before most expansion franchises do, so we had lower draft picks.
Still, I regret not doing that.
Two other things of note that come to mind.
1. I missed playing with the Red Sox players of my youth – most of them I just couldn;t afford in Seattle.
2. Which leads me to my second point – it is an incredible challenge trying to win in a small market. You really can’t afford to make a mistake on a large contract. I made two such mistakes in the seven seasons and I had to deal prospects away to dump the first contract and the second I dealt away for a bench player – which was fine with me to get out of the contract. I’m not sure real life baseball GM’s would have been so generous.
In any case, the challenge has been conquered, and far earlier than I would have thought possible.
And that I feel very good about.
Fini!
Cheers,
-Bear
October 17, 1983 (World Series Game 4)
July 31st, 2009The Kingdome – Seattle, WA
Seattle Mariners Game Notes
29 year old Dennis Eckersley will take the hill tonight for the M’s as he looks for his third post-season victory in as many starts this year. Eck was 12-9 with a 3.30 ERA in 27 starts in 1983 with three consecutive complete game shutouts to his credit. Ready to close out the game and the World Series for Seattle this evening will be Tom Henke who has three saves in as many opportunities this postseason. Tom saved 15 games in 19 opportunities during the regular season.
(OF) Tim Raines stole his 6th base in as many tries this World Series. He was also 1 for 1 in stolen base attempts during the ALCS. Outfielders Dave Collins and Dave Engle each had two hits in Game 3.
Atlanta Braves Game Notes
The Braves will counter with righty Tony Brizzolara. Tony was 9-4 with a 3.45 ERA in 20 starts during a regular season spent between Atlanta and AAA Richmond. Brizzolara has yet to make a postseason appearance in his brief but promising career.
(C) Dale Murphy slowed the mariners running game down some, throwihng out 1 of 3 would be base stealers, but Braves runners are still being thrown out at a 50% clip by former Braves backup catcher Bruce Benedict. (3B) Brook Jacoby is 4 for 12 with a home run, double, 3 RBI and 2 runs scored.
Note: The season file was corrupted when I attempted to load it today and the backup was one game old. So Game 4 is a replay of itself. The original result was Atlanta 3, Mariners 1.
1983 World Series Game 4
1st Inning: The Braves got to Eck early bunching a few base hits together with Bob Horner driving in a run. Braves 1, Mariners coming up.
Tim Raines got aboard and stole off (C) dale Murphy but we couldn’t drive him in. Unless we start hitting we may start stealing third.
2nd Inning: Eck had nothing today, surrending two dingers to Braves (SS) gary Templeton and (3B) brook Jacoby and 6 earned runs over 1 1/3 innings. Rookie (P) Oil Can Boyd comes on to eat some innings. The Can gave up another three spot, including a dinger to Bob Horner, before the inning mercifully ended. Braves 9, Mariners 0.
5th Inning: Two run bomb by Brook Jacoby off Boyd makes it 11-0 Braves. The Can is just eating innings for us now.
We can’t touch Brizz – 2 hits through 5.
6th Inning: A Brett Butler single brings in another, making it 12-0 Braves. Can has hit 103 pitches in relief so he is likely done for the night. He ate up innings in a blowout, that’s all we needed him to do.
We bat around and score 5 in the 6th, driving Brizz from the game but not really making a dent in the score. Roger Erickson will come on and finish up. Braves 12, Mariners 5.
8th Inning: Erickson gave up 2 more on a (OF) Gene Richards 2-run single. Braves 14, Mariners 5.
9th Inning: We added a single run on a double play ball. Braves 14, Mariners 6 – Final.
Justice prevails as we lost the original Game 4 as well.
October 16, 1983 (World Series Game 3)
July 31st, 2009
The Kingdome, Seattle, WA
Seattle Mariners Game Notes
21 year old rookie Rick Aguilera takes the mound for Seattle tonight as the Mariners look to take a commanding 3-0 lead in the World Series. Aguilera lasted 5 2/3 innings in his sole ALCS start giving up 2 runs on 6 hits. Rick went 9-3 with a 3.02 ERA in 15 starts in the majors this season. Reliever Jesse Orosco, who earned a Save in closing out Game 2, has thrown 2 2/3 hitless innings over the first two games of the World Series.
On the offensive side of things, (RF) Tim Raines swiped 3 more bases in Game 2, giving him a perfect 5 steals in 5 attemps. (C) Bruce Benedict has thrown out 4 of 8 would be Braves base stealers, and (3B) Fritzie Connally had 3 hits, drove in 2 runs and scored twice himself in Game 2.
Atlanta Braves game Notes
The Atlanta Braves counter with southpaw Larry McWilliams. McWilliams was 13-8 with a 4.59 ERA in 35 starts during the regular season. In his sole NLCS start this year Larry scatterred 4 runs, 6 hits and 3 walks over 6 innings en route to a win. McWilliams has never pitched in a World Series Game prior to today.
Defensively (C) Dale Murphy has struggled behind the plate, allowing 10 steals in 12 attempts. But Murphy6 made up for his defensive shortcomings by blasting two homers in Game 2. (OF) Gene Richards has three hits and two walks through the first two games. (1B) Bob Horner, who hit 47 homers during the regular season and 56 last year, is 1 for 8 with no long balls during the first two games of the series.
World Series Game 3
1st Inning: Aguilera starts strong whiffing two and (C) Bruce benedict threw out another base stealer – Brett Butler at second. Braves 0, Mariners coming up.
Braves (C) Dale Murphy nailed Dave Collins trying to steal second and the Marners went down otherwise quietly. After one, no score.
3rd Inning: Both pitchers are cruising through three, no score.
4th Inning: Atlanta threatens with a Brook Jacoby double with no outs, but Aguilera works out of it and afetr four it’s Mariners 0, Braves 0.
5th Inning: The Braves draw first blood in the top of the frame scoring a run on a Casey Parsons single into the left field gap. Braves 1, Mariners 0.
6th Inning: The Mariners loaded the bases with none out against McWilliams but could only manage a single run on a Tim teufel groundout to short. Mariners 1, Braves 1 after six.
7th Inning: With one out the Braves get two men aboard and Aguilera calls it a night, being relieved by southpaw Ed Vande Berg, who promplty slammed the door and put down the Atlanta rally.
The Mariners took the lead as Ryne Sandberg got an infield hit, stole second and was driven in by (RF) Dave Engle who doubled to left. Mariners 2, Braves 1 after seven.
8th Inning: Vandy got the first two outs of the inning – both lefties – and Greg Minton came on in relief to finish the inning. Mariners 2, Braves 1.
9th Inning: Tom Henke came on to close the game out for us and K’d two in a 1-2-3 innings to wrap things up. Mariners 2, Braves 1 – Final.
1983 World Series Game 3 Boxscore
A huge win – well aren’t they all I guess – that puts us in complete control of the World Series. Four chances now to win one game and a World Series title, all by 1983.
Our pitching was just huge again as offense on both sides was non-existent. We managed to small ball and create a couple of runs we might not have otherwise scored – though we missed a huge opportunity when we loaded the bases in the 6th and only got one run. McWilliams pitched a lot better than his record indicated he would.
Still, we’ll take it.
October 15, 1983 (World Series Game 2)
July 30th, 2009Seattle Mariners Game Notes
We go after a second win in Atlanta in Game 2 of the 1983 World Series, starting 21 year old, 19 game winner Roger Clemens. Roger got a hard luck no decision in his only ALCS start, allowing 1 run on 2 hits in 7 1/3 innings pitched.
Mariners (RF) Tim Raines had 3 hits, scored 2 runs, stole 2 bases and led off Game 1 with a solo homer. When you think of Raines you don’t often think of power, but he did hit 16 dingers this year. (CF) Dave Collins stole 4 bases on 5 attempts in Game 1.
Atlanta Braves Game Notes
Atlanta counters with veteran Gary Beare who has won 31 games over the past two seasons winning 16 this year while posting a 3.26 ERA. Beare tossed a solid 7 innings against the St. Louis Cardinals in the NLCS giving up 2 earned runs and getting a no decision. In Beare’s previous World Series appearaces in 1981 he was 0-2 with a 2.08 ERA in 2 starts.
Braves (C) Dale Murphy is in a world of hurt right about now. Having thrown out only 28% of base stealers during the regular season Murphy had the Mariners swipe 7 bases in 8 attempts on him. That figures to continue unless the young backstop starts throwing guys out.
Atlanta (3B) Brook Jacoby had 1 homerun and drove in two runs in Game 1.
World Series Game 2
1st Inning: Both pitchers look strong with Clemens striking out two. No score after one.
2nd Inning: Mariners (LF) Dan Duran, picked up as the throw in the Don Sutton deal, continues his hot play with an offfield double driving in a run as the M’s drew first blood against Beare. Mariners 1, Braves 0.
Braves (C) Dale Murphy launched a bomb into the rightfield seats tying up the game at one apiece.
3rd Inning: Atlanta (3B) Brook Jacoby continues his hot play, singling in a run putting Atlanta up 2-1.
4th Inning: Clemens has 5 K’s through 4 but is getting hit, scatterring 6 hits so far. Braves 2, Mariners 1
6th Inning: A throwing error on a routine 3-1 grounder led to two bases for Dave Collins and a run to score for the Mariners, tying the game up at two. Atlanta starter Gary Beare was gassed by that point and Ken Dayley came on in relief where upon he promptly gave up a two run single to Tim Raines, putting the M’s up 4-2. Raines quickly stole second and Fritzie Connally drove him in making it 5-2. The Mariners added another before Steve “Bedrock” Bedrosian came in and put out the fire. Mariners 6, Braves 2.
Clemens will come out to start the 6th, already at 95 pitches. We’ll give him a little rope, but this is the shutdown inning and he needs to bare down.
And boy did he, 2 K’s and a weak grounder. Mariners 6, Braves 2.
7th Inning: Rocket is done after 6 with southpaw Ed Vande Berg coming on in relief. Clemens is charged with 2 runs over 6 innings, a solid, quality start. Vandy sets down the Braves easily in the 7th. Score still Mariners, 6-2.
8th Inning: A Tim Raines steal and a Fritz Connally single off Braves reliever Dale Murray added another run for the M’s and a passed ball allowed yet another. Mariners 8, Braves 2.
Vandy walked the first batter of the 8th and rookie Rob Dibble came in the mop things up. Dibble showed he isn’t quite ready for prime time, allowing a three run jack to Dale Murphy who must be pissed at all the baserunning showing him up and the Braves have closed the gap to 3. Greg Minton replaced Dibble with one out and he quickly gave up a single and a walk bringing the tying run to the plate – and Jesse Orosco into the game as the Mariners new pitcher.
And that was that. It just feels like Jesse just toys with hitters at times. Mariners 8, Braves 5.
9th Inning: With the day off tomorrow we could afford to let Jesse throw some extra pitches so he stays in the game and closes it out. Mariners 8, Braves 5 – Final.
1983 World Series Game 2 Boxscore
real big to get those first two wins in a best of seven series – especially on the road. Our offense was terrific today and Clemens threw a fine game – and I just can’t say enough about how much Jesse Orosco has added to this pitching staff. Right now I’ve got so much confidence in him – if I needed one guy to start a 7th game of the World Series I’d pick Eck, but if I needed one guy to get one out in a bases loaded, two out, 9th inning of a 7th game, I’d want Jesse Orosco on the hill.