If You Let Me Play Sports

This past week, a former classmate posted on Facebook a softball team photo from the summer before my sophomore year in high school. I played summer league softball from 7th to 11th grade. It was competitive, intense, and provided some of the best times I had growing up.

My first organized team was in 5th grade as an intramural basketball player. Mr. Hefner appointed me as one of the team captains. A noble, but unsuccessful effort as we ended the season with no wins. What I remember most was not how bad we were, but how exciting it was to be on a sports team.

My brother and I were very fortunate that our parents fully supported our love to play sports. For some kids, particularly girls, this wasn't always the case. The above picture is from a 1995 Nike ad that provided compelling reasons on why girls should play sports.

Here's the YouTube video (web access only):
Over a decade later, the commercial remains one of Oprah's all-time favorites. Mine too.

Pin Gods

image source: Larry Locke Films

About a year ago, I wrote a blog entry about the bowling documentary, "A League of Ordinary Gentleman". While fulfilling my fix of endless bowling videos on YouTube, another documentary that came out 10 years earlier came up on my suggested viewing list. The film's name is "Pin Gods".

Like "A League of Ordinary Gentlemen", the documentary follows 3 bowlers: Anton "Sonny" Pavelchak, Bob Vespi, and Tony Rosamilia. Their ultimate goal is to become the next PBA legend, Walter Ray Williams, who is briefly profiled in this film. Walter Ray was one of the 3 bowlers closely followed in "A League of Ordinary Gentlemen."

What is more evident in "Pin Gods" is how difficult and grinding it is to become even remotely successful on the PBA tour. For me, I found "Pin Gods" to be good viewing but not as good as "League", mostly because I'm a big bowling fan. However, it's not something I can recommend to the casual sports fan.

Sweet Caroline

Where it began
I can't begin to knowin'
But then I know
It's growing strong...



For those in Boston, my thoughts are with you.

Music and lyrics by Neil Diamond

Jerry Lucas - NCAA 75th Anniversary March Madness, All-Time Team

image source: News-Herald

Last week, the NCAA celebrated their 75th Anniversary All-Time March Madness Team. An awesome list of legends which include Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (formerly Lew Alcindor), Bill Walton, Bill Bradley, Bill Russell, Larry Bird, Earvin "Magic" Johnson, Patrick Ewing, Grant Hill, Christian Laettner, Michael Jordan, Danny Manning, Hakeem Olajuwon, Oscar Robertson, and Jerry West.

Last but not least is an Ohio State legend, Jerry Lucas. His former Buckeye teammates include Bobby Knight and John Havlicek. Most know Lucas had a successful pro career in the NBA with the Cincinnati Royals, San Francisco Warriors and New York Knicks. Unlike today, where most top-caliber college players leave school early to play in the NBA, this wasn't a career option Lucas thought was available to him.

But what many probably don't know - *of the 150+ schools that recruited him for an athletic scholarship, Lucas enrolled at Ohio State on an academic scholarship (at his insistence). He chose Ohio State because they were the only school to talk to him about academics first. In his 4 years at Ohio State, Lucas earned his bachelor's degree in 3. He spent his senior year of eligibility in post-graduate studies.

Jerry Lucas retired from the NBA in 1974.  In 1996, Lucas was named one of the 50 Greatest NBA Players. Lucas is now a public speaker, educator and memory expert.

*source - Wikipedia

Cool Hand Luke

image source: Robert Deutsch, USA Today Sports

A little more than a week ago, Luke Hancock, a relatively unknown player transfer from George Mason University got our attention. He ran from the bench to aid his fallen teammate, Kevin Ware. He comforts Kevin which enables Kevin and the Louisville team to regain their composure and win the game against Duke, 85-63, to reach the Final Four.

Two days after the Duke game, "Cool Hand" Luke comes off the bench to score 20 points in their semi-final match against Wichita State. Near the closing seconds of the game, he misses a second free throw attempt and immediately shifts into defensive mode. From the missed shot rebound, he ties up Wichita State's Ron Baker in what many consider a questionable jump ball. Regardless, this enables Louisville to regain possession and win the game, 72-68.

In the championship game against Michigan, Luke shoots an eye popping 5-for-5 from 3-point range. At game's end, he scores 22 points. The first four shots enable Louisville to eliminate a double-digit deficit (the second in as many games) in the first half of the game and defeat Michigan, 82-76. Luke's stats for the entire Final Four tournament, 8-for-10 shots made. ESPN.com's Eamonn Brennan's blog post in Men's College Basketball Nation writes a great detailed account of Luke's accomplishments in the Final Four.

For me, this year's Final Four was the most exciting series of games I've seen at least 15 years. It started with my alma mater, Ohio State, and their attempt to make to the Final Four for the second consecutive year after making the Elite Eight. Then the emotion of the Louisville-Duke game snagged me hook, line and sinker. Their chemistry and the ability to come-from-behind reminded me so much of my beloved San Francisco Giants, who fought off 6 elimination games to win the 2012 World Series.

Congratulations to Coach Rick Pitino, Peyton Siva, Russ Smith, Tim Henderson, Gorgui Dieng, Wayne Blackshear, Chane Behanan, Mike Marra, Stephan Van Treese, Logan Baumann, Jordan Bond, Montrezl Harrell, Zach Price, Michael Balfour, Mike Marra, and Kevin Ware.
Best wishes to Luke's ailing dad, Bill, and the rest of the Hancock family.

And the man we won't forget, Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four Tournament, Luke Hancock. The force was with you.

Luke Hancock - the other Louisville Cardinal we shouldn't forget

image source: USA Today

This past Sunday, many of us watched in horror the injury Louisville Cardinal Kevin Ware sustained after trying to block Duke Blue Devil's Tyler Thornton's 3-point shot attempt. What I saw immediately afterward (see above image) is something I'll remember even more.

Luke Hancock, one of Louisville's team co-captains, consoling Kevin.

Without Luke's presence of mind, I doubt Kevin would have been able to tell his team repeatedly not to worry about him and go win the game. This enables Louisville to regain their composure and go on to defeat Duke, 85-63.

Best wishes to Kevin, Luke and the rest of the Louisville team. It's going to be hard not to root for you.

Baseball Box Scoring

image source: Wikipedia

In less than 12 hours, my team for the past 29 years, the San Francisco Giants (and defending World Series Champions), will visit Chavez Ravine to begin the 2013 season to play longtime arch rivals, the Los Angeles Dodgers.

My interest in baseball began around the age of 7. It took me about 3 to 4 years for me to understand the finer and more nuanced points of the game (balk, double steal, sacrifice fly, past ball, wild pitch, etc.).

This was also the time I became acquainted with box scoring, mostly out of necessity. I'd listen to games on radio and hear an announcer call a 6-4-3 (shortstop-2nd base-1st base) double play. It drove me nuts not to know what that term meant.

For many of you who already follow baseball, the above diagram is nothing new. Those of you that don't, the diagram lists all fielders and their position numbers when a team plays defense. For example, a left fielder catches a fly ball for an out. This would be scored as "F7".  Other scoring examples can be found from this link at MLB.com.

Starting pitchers on 2013 Opening Day - Matt Cain for San Francisco versus Clayton Kershaw for Los Angeles. Time to play ball. Go Giants - BEAT LA.

Henri, un film de Will Braden

It's no secret cats have become an internet sensation. I am a fan of several: Sockington, Simon's Cat, Tard the Grumpy Cat, Maru, and most recently, Henri. As the Henri films capture so well to what we humans believe how cats think, I was somewhat surprised to learn the YouTube series creator, William Braden, is not Henri's owner/guardian.

I'm a sucker for Tuxedo and Snowshoe cats like Henri and Tard the Grumpy cat as I co-parented a pair of them in a previous relationship. I found myself liking the cats a lot more than the boyfriend. Much of the time in this relationship was spent seeing far too many angst-ridden foreign films. And why I find the le Chat Noir series beyond hilarious.

The video link below is Henri's second film. It got over 7 million views.

Fin.

Terrell Owens - PBA League Owner, Dallas Strikers

image source: PBA

Last week, I wrote about Bobby Valentine, a former baseball player and manager figure not very well liked among his peers. This week, it's former NFL wide receiver Terrell Owens.

Less than a season out of professional football, Terrell is now actively involved as a PBA League team owner. In what I've seen so far in his short tenure as owner of the Dallas Strikers, he's been nothing but enthusiastic, gracious and respectful. A complete contrast from his days as a gridiron gazelle.

Terrell and Jerome Bettis (Motown Muscle owner) bowled the ceremonial first roll to begin the season. There was some unfair criticism of Terrell when he was seen texting from his cell phone during one of the televised matches. True. He was tweeting details of the match. I've seen him sit with his Strikers team during several PBA League matches.

In last week's PBA League Clash, he was the only owner to sit with the only Dallas Striker in the clash, Rhino Page (1st player selected in the draft). Below is the unedited version of the match. If you're pressed for time, the last 5 minutes of the video will show you Terrell's presence wasn't just window dressing.

Hire or Fire Bobby Valentine?

Say what you will about Bobby Valentine's managerial skills (or lack thereof), the man has a sense of humor. His current occupation is sports related, but not in baseball. Wise decision.

Retro Masking Units - Bowling

image source: Bel Mateo Bowl

The above picture was taken from Bel Mateo Lanes, where I bowl Monday nights. Pretty much a typical looking bowling alley. The below picture is taken from an unknown center in Japan, where it features vintage masking units (AMF inverted triangles).

image source: The Streamlane Project

Until last night, I completely forgot about retro masking units. It all came back when I watched on YouTube the 2013 Fusion Realtors Open in Waterloo, Iowa. InsideBowling.com's Mike Flanagan pointed it out during the match.

So, what did Mike say to prompt the walk back to "Memory" Lanes? The masking units light up dots with pin numbers to indicate remaining pins on the rack after the first ball is bowled. When masking units were in their heyday, this was an extremely important feature for bowlers, especially for keeping score. I've included a video from the Fusion Realtors tournament for those of you who want to see the masking units in action.

In doing my due diligence for this entry, I came across Toby Schwartzman's blog, The Streamlane Project.  As described from his About page, "Toby Schwartzman is a former head mechanic of the Moose Exchange Bowling Alley in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania and an active member of the online community of mechanics who share materials and information relating to antique bowling apparatus. Early in 2012 he acquired three rare AMF masking units in dire need of restoration. The purpose of this blog is to document the progress of the restoration and to offer advice, resources and inspiration for similar projects."

A project that is truly a labor of love. Best of luck to you, Toby. His blog's last entry was in December 2012. Hope to see updates soon.

The Life and Work of Mark O'Brien

image source: Wikipedia

The film "The Sessions" received very favorable reviews when it was released last year, which included a Best Supporting Actress nomination for Helen Hunt. Based on the true life story of Mark O'Brien (portrayed by actor John Hawkes), I am reminded of another Academy Award connection, director Jessica Yu, in a blog entry I wrote on May 4, 2012.

Ms. Yu received an Academy Award in 1997 for Best Documentary, Short Subject for her film, Breathing Lessions: The Life and Work of Mark O'Brien.  As described from Wikipedia, "The documentary explored his spiritual struggle coping with his disability; he had to use an iron lung much of the time due to childhood polio."

image source: Lemonade Factory Press

A poet and journalist, Mr. O'Brien attended UC Berkeley in his iron lung, co-founded a small publishing house, Lemonade Factory Press, and was an advocate for the disabled. Despite his disability, he lived a very fulfilling life. Something many able-bodied people have yet to accomplish.

Mark O'Brien died in 1999 at the age of 49.

Jennifer Lawrence - Winter's Bone

image source: eonline.com

A few hours ago, 22 year-old Jennifer Lawrence was awarded her first Oscar for Best Female Lead Performance in "Silver Linings Playbook". This was her second nomination in 3 years. Her co-stars Bradley Cooper, Robert DeNiro and Jacki Weaver also received nominations.

Prior to "Silver Linings Playbook" and "The Hunger Games", Ms. Lawrence caught the attention of film critics in "Winter's Bone", which garnered her first Academy Award nomination in 2011. She portrayed a 17 year-old teen who becomes the primary caregiver for her mentally ill mother, younger sister and brother.



For me, I liked "Silver Linings Playbook" very much but thought her performance in "Winter's Bone" carried much more depth and nuance (trailer clip attached). I saw it online last year and found it on a cable network it over the weekend. See it if you can. The film shows a grittier, poorer side of rural America we don't see too often.

Alternate Shot/Scotch Doubles - Bowling

On November 11, 2012 my blog entry on team bowling (Baker System Format) discussed how this format was going to be used for the new PBA League. Another form of team bowling, which is rarely seen on the professional level is alternate shot doubles, or also known as Scotch Doubles.

The concept of Scotch Doubles is pretty easy. You bowl with a partner. Bowler #1 bowls the first ball. If s/he rolls a strike, then Bowler #2 bowls the first ball in the next frame. This is where the term "pick me up" said to teammates when your goal hasn't been achieved has real meaning. If Bowler #2 doesn't bowl a strike, then Bowler #1 bowls the second ball for the spare.

Whether or not the spare is converted, Bowler #2 continues to bowl first until s/he strikes again. Ideally, you'd like to strike as much as possible. If you can't convert spares, then your weaknesses become very exposed. Unlike the Baker format, where you bowl a set number of frames, Scotch doubles requires you to concentrate on every frame, because you may have to bowl it. The number of frames you bowl can be as few as 5 or as many as all 10.

Chinese New Year Parade - Butte, Montana

image source: Wikipedia

Global metropolises such as Beijing, Shanghai, Jakarta, Bangkok, Manila, Sydney, London, New York, Vancouver, Toronto and San Francisco are known for their large and festive Chinese New Year parades. I learned today there is a smaller, not so well-known city in the western United States that holds a short and very loud version people from afar come to see.

No, it's not in California, Washington or Nevada. It's in Butte, Montana, hosted by the Mai Wah Society. Between 1850 and 1900, a sizable number (in the thousands) of Chinese settled in Montana Territory. As listed in George Everett's "Butte's Far Eastern Influences", there were 1,949 Chinese (total 20,000) living in Montana Territory in 1870.

Below is a YouTube video of the parade in 2011:

For 2013, Mai Wah's parade takes place on Saturday, February 16. San Francisco will host their Year of the Snake parade on Saturday, February 23. I'll be parked in front of my 47" flat screen TV watching the parade in HD.

Wishing everyone a happy, healthy and prosperous new year. Gung hay fat choy.

2013 Chris Paul PBA League All-Stars Final

"You're a champion. Be a champion..." -- PBA League owner Kevin Hart, Philadelphia Hitmen.

For those skeptics including me who cringe at watching celebrity sports matches, the PBA League All-Stars final demonstrated what the San Francisco 49ers were unable to do against the Baltimore Ravens in Super Bowl 47. While the match was far from we'll remember as a classic battle 50 years from now, it showed why league bowlers like me can't wait to get to the lanes. To compete AND have fun.

With a final score 270-267, the Chris duo of Barnes and Hardwick of the Silver Lake Atom Splitters trailed by as much as 28 pins to come from behind to defeat Bill O'Neill and Kevin Hart of the Philadelphia Hitmen.

Hart and Hardwick both held their own bowling with their pro partners, O'Neill and Barnes. The 5 frames Hart bowled were ALL strikes. In 2 of his 5 frames, Hardwick left the 10 pin standing and with ease converted them successfully for spares. What brought the Atom Splitters to victory was to punch out (finish with all strikes) in the 9th (Hardwick) and 10th frames (Barnes).

Best part of this, Kevin Hart and Chris Hardwick are comedians. Not former/current NFL or NBA pros they bowled against. Although this may reinforce to some that bowling isn't a sport, at least concede that it requires skills. Bowling is a lot more than throwing a heavy ball down the middle of an oiled lane.

Weber Cup History Recap

image source: Weber Cup

The 2012 Weber Cup matches are now available for viewing on YouTube. The above video is a historic recap of previous Weber Cup matches. What I didn't know was that Kelly Kulick was a former Weber Cup member.

Roster for 2012 was probably the strongest I've seen of all the Weber Cups. I'd like to see future matches include women. Or at least have a women's version of Weber Cup.

Nina Flack, Sandra Andersson, Mai Ginge Jensen, and Birgit Poppler are among those that I think would be a great fit for Team Europe. Missy Parkin, Diandra Asbaty, Liz Johnson, Danielle McEwan, Josie Earnest and a return from Kelly Kulick would make great team members for Team USA.

Chris Hardwick, chip off the old block

On Super Bowl Sunday, ESPN will air the 4th annual Chris Paul Celebrity Bowling tournament on ESPN at 1 pm Pacific Time (4 pm Eastern).

This year's celebrities scheduled to bowl include several of the new PBA League's owners: Host Chris Paul (Los Angeles LXA) , Terrell Owens (Dallas Strikers), LaMarr Woodley (Pittsburgh Jack Rabbits), Kevin Hart (Philadelphia Hitmen), Jesse Williams (Brooklyn STyLES), and Chris Hardwick (Silver Lake Atom Splitters).

As I wrote in my blog entry of December 22, 2012, Chris Hardwick is the son of former PBA tour pro Billy Hardwick. While Chris's bowling isn't at the level of his doubles partner Chris Barnes, the video preview shows Billy's boy has definitely got game.

Jim Harbaugh, Sports Fan

image source: Michael Conroy, AP

Over the weekend, the San Francisco 49ers and Baltimore Ravens won their respective conference championships and will be playing in this year's NFL Super Bowl on February 3. What's probably gotten almost more headlines than the teams themselves are their head coaches, brothers John Harbaugh (Baltimore) and Jim Harbaugh (San Francisco).

Some of you already know John and Jim aren't the only coaches in the family. Their dad, Jack Harbaugh was a former head coach at Western Michigan University. Sister Joani is married to Tom Crean, who is head coach of Indiana University's men's basketball team.

The above picture is showing Jim Harbaugh on a visit to his one of his brother-in-law's home games in February 2012 (see USA Today story). Well, he did a little more than visit. He sat at the end of Indiana's bench and during timeouts, he would bring chairs on and off the floor for the players to sit.

And let's not forget this past October. Giants fans were floored when we saw Coach Harbaugh drive 1st baseman Brandon Belt in the World Series celebration parade.

I am in awe of Coach Harbaugh's support, admiration and respect for sports outside of his own.  As an Ohio State alumna, I must admit this is pretty good for someone who played football at Michigan.

Buster Posey did more than OK

After yesterday's impressive San Francisco 49ers playoff game versus the Green Bay Packers, it made me reflect for the umpteenth time on the San Francisco Giants 2012 season. To win 6 elimination games in the division and league series and then sweep the World Series. It's something that would be very difficult to repeat.

While deciding on what to write for my latest blog entry, I came across an article San Francisco Chronicle sports columnist John Shea wrote on May 29, 2011 ("After surgery, Buster Posey turns focus to 2012").  The above image contains my comments to Mr. Shea's article.  Remarks in the last paragraph include, "...Buster's going to do fine."

Fast forward to the 2012 season. Buster was more than fine. He broke out above and beyond most people's expectations. He started as the National League catcher in the All-Star game, won a Silver Slugger Award, became the National League's Most Valuable Player and played a HUGE part in capturing the 2012 World Series Championship for the Giants.

Buster: 2 full seasons = 2 World Series Championships.

Can't wait to see what he's going to do next.