Baseball Culture

Posted on October 25, 2011 by RegenAxe

I heard KWMU’s Don Marsh “Saint Louis on the Air” interview with Bob Krizek, a professor of communications at Saint Louis University (SLU). Dr. Krizek arguably has one of the best jobs in Saint Louis. His job seemingly is to philosophize about baseball. Admittedly not an “on the field” expert of baseball, listening to his interview he seemed better suited as a pastor in the Church of Baseball then as the professor he is at SLU, the very Catholic Jesuit University in town. One of his opening comments was that more people watch sports then attend church on Sunday.

An eighteen year resident of Saint Louis, Krizek hales from Chicago, but that’s OK. He is a White Sox fan and not a Cubs fan. His top ten list appears on the SLU website and lists his top ten favorite baseball games. Almost all of them are mere footnotes in the history of baseball, but serve to underscore his belief that baseball acts as a bridge between the generations. Younger fans remember going to the ball game with their elders, while older people come to cherish the time spent with the young.

I learned that Saint Louis was once the baseball team for the entire west, the only team west of the Mississippi. Back in the day, when radio was king, and was still the soundtrack of summer, baseball from Saint Louis spread out across the west. In the fifties though, the Giants and the Dodgers broke that monopoly and now there is a half-dozen or more teams in the west. Krizek describes his adopted city as strange. Saint Louisans expect to produce a playoff team every year and a World Series team every five years. Coming from Chicago I can see why he might think of this as strange. Is this really so strange though? No one thinks it strange of New York, or Boston. Maybe it is only strange that the bantam Saint Louis punches so well above its weight?

After all, this year finds this one small town pitted against the entire state of Texas. Last night’s game was both disappointing and frustrating. It was even more so, in the morning, after some of the behind the scenes machinations became known. The Cardinals are back in town now. Tomorrow night they play downtown. It’s still the same old story, a fight for love and glory, a case of do or die. As for love, the Cards had us at hello. As for glory, they’ve covered themselves before and will again. Now it is time to do or not do, there is no try, let alone die.

I met the most odd of birds on Saturday, another bicycling ornithologist. He pointed out and identified the above pictured Pied-billed Grebe. In truth he was the ornithologist, I was just a bird-watcher. He went on to identify Swamp Sparrows, yep, they’re in Sibley’s too. He was very generous and pleasant, so I should feel bad about telling you all that my bike was way better than his.

Now as this story heats up, it is time for another furnace update. Anne only saw one furnace contractor today. Add the five that she saw yesterday and that gave us six quotes to wade through today. Time for another spreadsheet! We’ve winnowed down the list to four and expect to pick one of them tomorrow. We are leaning towards the high-efficiency, 95% efficiency variety, the expensive ones. Cold weather coming in tomorrow should help expedite this process.

Vultures, Prosecutors & Jackasses

Posted on August 23, 2011 by RegenAxe

The pictures with this post are from our last walk down the beach on Saturday. While we were walking, six large black birds circled lazily overhead of us. I’m calling them vultures, but I don’t really know what kind of raptor they really are. Sibley’s doesn’t show that either the turkey or black vulture ranges as far north as the U.P., but I don’t believe that eagles congregate like these birds did. There was one exception, years ago, in Missouri. It was a very cold winter’s day and all the open water had iced over, all except below the locks, which were left partially open to keep the gates from freezing up. On that day we saw fifty bald eagles congregated around the only open water for miles around. It was quite the sight.

I’ve written about my friend and co-worker Steven Pogue before here. He got his fifteen minutes of fame last month, when he was cited for giving another motorist the finger. He was supposed to go to trial tonight, but the City of Baldwin’s prosecutor called up Steve’s ACLU lawyer and offered to drop the charges in exchange for Steve’s promise not to sue. This arrangement was quite agreeable to Steve. He was ready to put this incident behind him. His planned defense was to be a first amendment argument; he was simply exercising his freedom of speech. I guess you could say that this makes Steve a bit of a freedom fighter? Coincidently, Anne and I watched “My Cousin Vinny” on Netflix, last night. It has a great courtroom scene that culminates with the prosecutor saying, “Your honor, the prosecution would like to dismiss all charges.”

I spoke with Dave at work today. Dave is always a great source of blog fodder and today was no different. He had a book on his desk called, “It’s a Book” by Lane Smith. It looks like a children’s book, but is so much more. It wouldn’t be too surprising if Dave did have a children’s book on his desk, he has the best at work Lego collection. It fundamentally violates the premise of “It’s a Book”, but since it was uploaded by the publisher and adequately captures the feel of the book, I offer this link to a YouTube version of “It’s a Book”. In the book, the last time “It’s a Book” is spoken, it is embellished, “It’s a Book, Jackass!” I got grief over vacation, because while everyone else had their noses buried in a book, mine was in my iPhone. I guess that maybe at the cabin, I was the Jackass?

Angry Birds over Libya

Posted on March 30, 2011 by RegenAxe

For many Americans, modern warfare has taken on the aspects of a video game. So what better video game to act as a metaphor for the conflict in Libya than the highly popular Angry Birds? Angry Birds is the most popular game for the iPhone, a great time waster, enjoyed by millions and me too. My homemade, animated GIF above, uses some of the graphics from this game.

The aerial assault that President Obama has unleashed upon Kaddafi is no video game, at least not from his point of view. Everyday, I walk across the parking lot, as similar warplanes, arc across the sky. Above the lot, their passing rumble sets off car alarms. I can only imagine what their unleashed force must seem like in a warzone. I have no doubt that the application of American airpower will allow the rag-tag rebel forces to take Tripoli. Every time Kaddafi moves a tank or fires a gun, it becomes a target to aerial retribution.

What made me take up this topic were two things. Obama’s address to the nation on Monday evening and my chance encounter with the following YouTube video. [Previously shared to Facebook] I first encountered this video on the website, The Daily Beast. Tuesday, at noon, it only had about 10,000 YouTube hits. At writing, its hits had climbed over 100,000; I can only image what the hit count will be after another day. This could be a problem, because the video uses a Disney soundtrack and Disney is notably protective of its intellectual property. So enjoy it while you can, it may not survive intact long.

Anne biked after work on Monday. I could have accompanied her, but I wanted to catch the President’s speech on Libya. Yeah, I am that way. Anne got 15 miles. I could have gone too, but the address was being televised at 6:30 CDT, instead of the usual seven. I found out later that his address was moved up a half hour to accommodate ABC. They didn’t want their hit TV show, Dancing with the Stars, preempted or even delayed. Apparently, having Kristie Alley shuffle across the dance floor is more important than anything that the leader of our country has to say, especially when he is trying to explain our fourth war.

That’s right people, four. The aerial assault upon Libya is America’s fourth war with the Muslim world. Enumerated, they are Iraq, Afghanistan, the War on Terror and now Libya. These are real wars, not just video games. I’m not saying whether you should be for or against them, but I am saying that you should be paying attention to them. They are being fought in your name, you will have to pay for them, and someone you know, may have to die in one of them.

Breakfast, Birding and Biking

Posted on March 7, 2011 by RegenAxe

Sunday was another busy day. I’m happy to be back to work today, because I need the rest. Anne and I began our day by walking up to Stratton’s in Clayton. This Stratton’s is located in the plaza anchored by the Ritz Carlton. Before breakfast, we walked up to the intersection of Hanley and Forsyth, where we found the glass tower pictured below. It was built on the site where the first Borders Bookstore opened in Saint Louis. Before that, the store was the Library Limited. After Borders moved out, the building was vacant for years, before it was eventually torn down and replaced with this office building. I found its coloration interesting, especially in the gray overcast of Sunday morning.

After returning from our walk, we quickly turned around and re-launched towards the Riverlands Conservation Area. We saw a few Bald Eagles, but they were quite a ways a way and not all that photogenic. We didn’t see any Trumpeter Swans, but some of the people that we spoke with had seen some, so they are supposed to be still around. What we did see, were American Pelicans, hundreds of them. When pelicans fly they do so in a spiral flight pattern. What I find most interesting about this, is that as they spiral round and round, they also spiral in and out of sight. They are quite visible when viewed from their broad side, but then nearly invisible when viewed edge on.

The final leg of this B, B and B blog post is of course biking. It was getting late by then and we were just a little tired, but we launched towards the Park and got 10 miles. Thus, we got material for another triple-B post. It has been a busy three-day weekend. So busy, that I have neglected to mention that on Friday night we went to go see that Scottish play, Macbeth. It was a dark and stormy night. No really it was. We went out to dinner and then to The Rep, to see the play, dodging rainstorms all the way. I had biked that morning and was feeling it by Friday night. So come, the second act I began to doze, but then my Lady Macbeth began to stab me in my side, with her dagger-like elbows. She would then whisper something about snoring and Shakespeare do not mix. Like I said before, I’m happy to be back at work this Monday.

Forest Park Owls

Posted on February 20, 2011 by RegenAxe

After Saturday morning’s housework and errands, Anne retired upstairs to the sew-larium and I in turned descended to the bike-cave and hopped aboard the bike-mobile and rolled out the basement door. Heading east on Wydown, I rode to the Park. After three-quarters of the way around the bike trail, I decided to do some road work. I soon saw signs advertising a Mardi Gras event at the Worlds Fair Pavilion. I decided to ride over there and check it out.

On my way there I bumped into Mark Glenshaw of Forest Park Owls. I first met Mark back in 2009 when he and Edward Crim of Forest Park 365 fame were observing two Great Horned Owls named Sarah and Charles. I saw Mark again last spring when he was again observing this pair. Last year it was later and there were three owlets to be seen too. February is too early to see owlets, but Mark did point out for me Charles and then he showed me their nest. I didn’t have a very good camera with me on the ride, but I tried taking a few pictures. For this post though, I’ve recycled a shot of Charles from 2009.

Rodents of Owl Hill, Beware!

Mark’s dedication to his very particular birding pursuit is awesome to behold. In the few minutes that I spoke with him he recounted a complete history of Charles and Sarah’s hunting, mating and nesting behavior so far this year. Earlier this month, during the ice storm he was out there on watch. On his blog, Mark recounts various hunting incidents involving his owls and various URO (Unidentified Rodent Objects). According to Mark, Charles and Sarah’s love life has been very active this year, much more so than normal. The owls nest in trees and they move from tree to tree between years. This year they had picked out one tree for their nest, but then at the last-minute, and after a frantic search, they moved to another one. I’m sure they’ll do fine, as they have in the past.

After I left Mark, I cruised by the Mardi Gras event, but after having had an opportunity to commune with nature and with one of man’s more gentle souls, it just seemed crass, so I rode on. I got 15 miles. I hope that tomorrow, I can drag Anne out on her bike too. Then I can show her what Mark showed me.

Love’s Count Down from Ten

Posted on February 14, 2011 by RegenAxe

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“10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0!” The old man counted-down the walk-light counter, but nothing happened at zero, at least not immediately. “No blastoff”, I called out to him. “No blastoff”, he glumly echoed. He was dressed in a suit and overcoat. Then he belied his formal demeanor, with the briefest of smiles. In another second the traffic-light turned green. He walked across and I rode on.

Sunday was that kind of day. After weeks of below freezing weather, the mercury soared this weekend and hit a high in the sixties. All Saint Louis got out and about. People passing one another, would greet each other. It was an idyllic afternoon, especially with what the weather gods have served up this winter.

Anne and I rode together in the morning, she on Big Red. We rode in the Park, saw Kubie and got 15 miles. I rode again in the afternoon, got another 10 miles and saw Kubie again. The bike trail was still too icy to enjoy, although I tried to ride it. All of the ice melt made me glad that I had my fenders on.

While I was enjoying bike riding part deux, Anne and Joanie went to the zoo. Whoops! Since most of Saint Louis already had that idea they had to redirect. They ended up going to the gardens instead, more pictures to process.

Springtime in mid-February was not only Sunday’s weather, but is also the forecast for the rest of the week. Today is Valentine’s Day. It is good to see a weather warm-up on this holiday of the heart. Warmer temperatures will help to stir the blood and on this day of celebration of romance that is a good thing.

The old man who I met on the street today, he was across the street from Saint Mary’s Hospital. I don’t know it that was where he was walking. I don’t know if he was going to visit someone he loved there. I don’t even know if he has anyone special in his life. I do know that at that light his heart was light.

The pictures with this post are from Saturday’s trip to the Riverlands. The new to me SLR camera is fast enough to snap pictures of birds on the wing, while the old point-and-shoot was not. So, please notice that all of the birds are flying, flying with a certain lightness in their hearts.

Happy Birthday Jane!

Posted on February 13, 2011 by RegenAxe

Chris’s photograph with this post is of Point Pinos Lighthouse, which is located in Pacific Grove. Point Pinos is Spanish for point of the pines. Point Pinos is the oldest continuously operating lighthouse on the west coast. The purple sky is due to the sunset and not some midwestern thunderstorm.

Anne and I drove up to the Riverlands for another one of our birding expeditions. We saw lots of birds and got lots of good pictures too. We stopped in at the ranger station and they had a tally board of different bird sightings. Their board showed five eagles and 60 to 80 Trumpeter Swans. We didn’t see that many swans, but they were still plentiful. We did see over a dozen Bald Eagles. The big news though is that we saw pelicans. Pelicans are spring and fall migratory birds and usually don’t show up here until March. Could this be a sign of an early spring? Pictures to follow, once they are processed, they were taken with my new (to me) SLR camera. It is a lot faster than any of my point-and-shoot cameras.

After the Riverlands, I went biking. Anne’s bike is in the shop, so she went upstairs to work on Jane’s present. It hit 50+ °F today and tomorrow is forecasted for 60°F. The Post’s editorial cartoon had the Weatherbird lying about on a deck chair in only a swimsuit, while Mound City’s mounds of ice melt. Some old curmudgeon feels compelled to point out that it is only 45 °F. To which the Weatherbird retorts, “Hey! Don’t mess with the moment, Dude.”

I got 15 miles in the Park. There were lots of people doing lots of different things in the Park on Saturday afternoon. Lots of walkers and runners were there. Most like me were in the roads, because the bike trail is still iced over. I saw people cross-country skiing across the golf course and others rollerblading using cross-country ski like skates. A couple of guys were flying radio-controlled gliders and a couple was playing catch, albeit with a neon-green baseball, so as not to lose the ball in the snow. And bikers, lots of bikers were out on the roads. Tomorrow will be warmer and Anne will drag out Big Red.

Happy Birthday Jane! I dredged up this photo of you and Anne from last year. It shows you two cruising across the Mississippi River on the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge, Route 66’s path, the Mother Road. Dear God, please don’t let their mother learn about their hot-rodding ways. Anne has been working hard on your birthday present, but alas it is not finished yet, so please be patient.

RegenAxe