The Art of Baseball

What are baseball bats, baseballs and bases doing in an art gallery and shouldn’t Sandy Koufax be on the sports pages instead of hanging on a wall? Well, it must be time for the 10th Annual Art of Baseball exhibition at the George Krevsky Gallery located at 77 Geary Street in San Francisco. This year’s show, Spring Training started on March 15th and continues through Saturday, April 28th. Forty artists from across the country have been invited to create their interpretation of our National Pastime. Paintings, drawings, prints, and sculpture, on the theme of baseball, line the walls of a gallery normally showing Modernist art by such well-known artists as Thomas Hart Benton and Milton Avery.

Immortals like Honus Wagner, Satchel Paige, and Roberto Clemente can be seen, as well as Pacific Coast League favorites and sandlot players playing for the love of the game. Among the highlights of this year’s show are Carl Hugo Beetz’ canvas painted in 1938 of a White Sox exhibition game and Benjamin Blackburn’s contemporary wood sculpture of Honus Wagner’s famous Tobacco card. Artworks based on historical images of the 1934 Boston Red Sox, and the San Francisco Seals vs. the Oakland Oaks, were created by Bay Area printmaker Stacey Carter, Jennifer Ettinger’s homage to Satchel Paige and Tina Hoggatt’s porcelain enamel paintings on steel are all featured. Ebbets Field, now only a memory, Willie Mays, Ernie Banks, the DiMaggio brothers, and a young Ted Williams all create an atmosphere that will touch the hearts of art enthusiasts and sports fans alike.

Gallery hours are Tuesday through Saturday from 11:00 am to 5:30 pm and visuals can be seen on the website at http://www.georgekrevskygallery.com/.

Taking A Day Off

I'm just kicking back today. It's a beautifully sunny day in San Francisco, so I'm going to enjoy it.

Al Owes A Sharp Apology

Now that he’s played a huge part in bringing down Don Imus, Al Sharpton needs to start making some apologies of his own to the Duke University lacrosse players who were exonerated of rape charges this week. Sharpton pre-judged these poor guys and found a second career slamming them incessantly in the media and now he has to be held responsible for his racist remarks.

Sharpton called the players “rich white boys” and announced to the world that they were guilty before any evidence was presented in court. As far as Sharpton was concerned, they were guilty until proven innocent. It was just another chance for the sharp-tongued one to bash white folks.

Do you think he would have cared for a minute about the Duke case if these players had been accused of raping a white stripper? Or what if it the players themsleves had been black? Would Al have gotten so enthusiastically involved then?

Al Sharpton's words caused turmoil on the Duke campus and threw flames on an already blazing fire. This kind of lynch mob mentality is supposed to be one of the things Sharpton abhors. Which he does – as long as it fits in with his own personal agenda.

What did Sharpy want from the whole thing anyway? The answer is simple. Face time -- on CNN, The O'Reilly Report, MSNBC, Court TV and every major network in this country. Which he got big-time, because controversy means viewers -- something Sharpton is well aware of. As they say, hating gets ratings. And Al Sharpton can hate white people with the best of them, regardless of whether they deserve it or not.

Now, I’m not saying Don Imus was in any way justified in what he said about the Rutgers Women’s basketball team. He deserves everything he got. I support CBS for booting him off the air. There is no excuse for racism of any kind in the world, period. But, when you call kids “rich white boys” and vilify them as completely as Sharpton did, I have a problem with that.

I remember one summer when I was home on vacation from college, my father (who is of Italian heritage) said he believed that Spike Lee was a racist because of a scene in his movie “Do the Right Thing” where some black youths destroy an Italian family’s pizzeria. I distinctly recall looking my dad in the eye and replying, “Dad, how can you say something like that? Black people can’t be racists!”

Well guess what? ANYONE can be a racist.

Al Sharpton is a deft opportunist, as he showed us long ago with the Tawana Brawley rape hoax. The man makes a living out of chastising mostly white people for their wrongs against the black race. But, when he’s wrong, which it’s been proven he was in this instance, where is his apology? Why does he get to keep his radio show?

Sharpton has made a fortune from race-related commentary throughout the years and it’s time he was forced to be held accountable for incendiary comments like the ones he made against the Duke lacrosse players.

There cannot be a double standard and that has nothing to do with race. But, it does have everything to do with what's right. People from every race, color or creed should be able to see that rather clearly.

There is no doubt in my mind that Al Sharpton owes those players an apology. But, do you think it’s forthcoming? Don’t count on it!

Isagenix Day 26: Let's Talk Turkey!

It’s Day 26 of My 30-Day Isagenix Program and I would like to take this opportunity to personally thank all of the turkeys out there in the world. Turkey has been one of the main things that I’ve been eating to stay within my 400-600 calorie per day allotment. It’s a very lean, high-protein meat that’s delicious and filling and oh-so-good for you. I eat it sliced on whole wheat bread with mustard (no mayo) and tomatoes and so far it’s been a godsend. Today I received my shipment of Isagenix products – the ones I’ll be using for my next 30-Day Program. This time around, I’m using a bunch of other stuff which I’ll tell you about over the next few weeks. If you ever want more information about Isagenix, you call always visit my Isagenix web site. Since I’m fairly new to the program, I may not know it all. But, what I don’t know I can always find out from my Isagenix Counselor, a great guy named John Ettama.

Good Riddance to an Old Racist!

Don Imus is officially off the air. And all I can say is let the champagne flow. It should really be a national holiday. He is a hack and should have been taken off the air long ago. The fact that Imus survived in the business for as long as he did is testament to the fact that disc jockeys are right near the bottom of the entertainment talent totem poll.
Imus was chronically unfunny, unoriginal and I can’t believe anyone ever even listened to him, but they obviously did. My only worry now is that some other radio station hungry for ratings will hire him. The man should just retire and walk off into the sunset.
CBS fired the embattled talk show host and canceled his longstanding radio program after an uproar over his racist and sexist comments. The network made the announcement after coming under fierce pressure to fire him the day after MSNBC pulled the plug on his televised simulcast.
What a lot of people don’t realize is that Imus made racist, inappropriate remarks all the time. But, I guess this was the final straw. He’s a burnt-out old dinosaur. He reminds me of an Alzheimer’s patient in a senior care facility who just babbles away. The only difference is that guy in the old folks home isn’t broadcast all over the country, and Imus was.
Before he was fired from CBS, a defiant Don Imus took to the airwaves and spoke about MSNBC pulling his TV show.
On the air, Imus said, "Some of the stuff that MSNBC has done this morning is frankly unethical, and I've asked them to stop doing it."
He also took a swing at MSNBC, saying, "These (bastards) they went after me. They got me. But they didn't catch me asleep."
Imus conducted a telethon to benefit three children's charities, which was scheduled to be simulcast on his MSNBC show. Instead viewers saw a graphic that read, "Imus Off MSNBC."
MSNBC scrambled to replace Imus with live newscasts. NBC News president Steve Kapas was a guest and explained the network's decision to pull Imus' show, saying, "When people who work for me come to me and say 'this could be my daughter,' I have to do something."
Last week on his radio show, Imus described the Rutgers University women's basketball team as "hardcore," "nappy-headed hos."
The Rutgers players who have captured the hearts of the nation made a special appearance via satellite on the Oprah Winfrey show
Oprah told the team, "I speak for everyone I know when I say you all have made us all proud by how you've handled this whole ordeal."
Coach Vivian Stringer gave her first reaction to Imus losing his TV show, saying she and the team are waiting to judge him for themselves. "We want to have an opportunity to have a face-to-face meeting," she said. They should slam dunk his ass!
And she revealed that meeting could take place "very very soon."
But the meeting is too late to save Imus's job.

My Interview with Jim Landis

The other day I had the pleasure of interviewing Jim Landis, a former MLB player who played from 1957 to 1967, primarily with the Chicago White Sox. He was known as an incredible centerfielder and the winner of five consecutive Gold Gloves from 1960 to 1964. He was an all-star in 1962 and also played in the 1959 World Series for the Chisox, batting .292 with 7 hits in a losing cause vs. the Los Angeles Dodgers. In 1961, he had a career year, knocking in 80 runs while batting .283. He finished in the top 5 in stolen bases for the American League a total of 5 times.

Kevin Costner Will Sing his Song in Court!

Lots of actors have aspired to music careers – from Billy Bob Thornton to William Shatner – but Kevin Costner's foray into rock music has been a flop and now he's suing his promoter. Costner, 52, filed a lawsuit Tuesday in Los Angeles Superior Court accusing Mahee Worldwide Ventures Inc. of breach of contract and fraud, the Associated Press reports. He is seeking more than $8.5 million in damages. The Oscar winner is the singer and songwriter for the Kevin Costner Band, and has a company, Kevin's Music LLC, that manages his musical activities. According to the lawsuit, the company signed a two-year contract with Mahee Worldwide that would allow the Kevin Costner band to perform up to five concerts a year. Mahee also agreed to create a Web site for the band, court papers say. But Costner claims Mahee didn't deliver on its promises. The whole relationship is a sour note with Costner and he’s taking them to court. "Defendants made numerous promises regarding their capabilities to promote Mr. Costner's music and (their) willingness to pay for the right to do so," the lawsuit says. "Instead of following through on their promises, defendants continued to make false promises and ultimately disappeared." An e-mail from the AP to Mahee was not immediately returned Thursday. Costner's Web site is currently "under construction" and makes no mention of his fledgling music career. Costner tried his hand at singing in his movie The Postman, recording the duet "You Didn't Have To Be So Nice" with Amy Grant for the closing credits. His six-piece band made its debut last year at a charity gig in South Carolina. According to a press release, the group plays "original rock and popular music." Why do these actors think they can be successful musicians? Just because they’ve made it in one arena doesn’t in any way qualify them within another. I would be hard-pressed to name one actor or actress whose made it as a singer/musician. Comedian Eddie Murphy had a hit song for a millisecond, but it was terrible. I had the misfortune of seeing Keannu Reeves’ band one time in San Jose. My dishwasher makes better noise.

Fans, agents and assorted scum fawn all over these people 24/7, filling their little minds with delusional ideas about music stardom and pretty soon they start believing it. It’s like saying just because you’re a great musician that you can act. Anyone who saw Art Garfunkel in Catch 22, David Bowie in The Man Who Fell to Earth or Whitney Houston in The Bodyguard (with Costner, by the way) knows that can’t be true. Sure they’re exceptions. Jared Leto’s band, 30 Seconds to Mars, is very good. Will Smith, Queen Latifah, Mos Def and Cher are all pretty decent in front of the camera. But, in most cases, it’s a losing proposition when actors want to be musicians and vice versa.

Isagenix Day 24: This Health Train Ain't Stoppin'

Day 24 of my 30-Day Isagenix Cleansing Program is here and I’m rolling down that train track back to health. After my backslide experience on Easter Sunday I have rebounded nicely. It was easy because Isagenix doesn't make it a laborious process losing weight. I have now lost a total 22.5 lbs. and have lost three full inches in my waist. Pretty soon I am going to have to get my pants taken in. It’s getting a lot easier to do the program. I ordered my next 30 days of product and should hopefully get them any day now. My overall goal now is to do the program twice more (60 additional days) and then go into the maintenance phase. By then I should be able close to 70 lbs. which should put me at a very comfortable 224 lbs. At 6’2”, that would be a weight I could live with. By changing my overall lifestyle (Last night we walked the dogs for an hour down at Crissy Field and I ate one turkey sandwich on wheat with mustard and horseradish, a banana and some organic almonds. By the way, mustard and horseradish are great substitutes for mayo when it comes to condiments, because both contain ZERO calories.)

Check out This Great Game's Weekly Comebacker

The baseball Web site I have with my very talented partner and fellow baseball historian Eric Gouldsberry, This Great Game, is running at full speed with the start of the baseball season. Eric is doing what’s called The Weekly Comebacker, a recap of the previous week, complete with interesting anecdotes and personal observations. If you’re even a semi-serious baseball fan, it’s a must see!

Isagenix Day 22: Oops!

Yesterday I strayed from the 400-600 calories I’m allowed to consume during my Isagenix 30-Day Program. With all of the Easter goodies that were available, I have to admit that I probably consumed somewhere in the vicinity of 1,500 calories. But, now I’m back in the groove today and ready to resume the program. The worst thing you can do in a situation like this is get depressed or feel guilty. The right thing to do is stay positive and just get back on the horse and ride. Isagenix isn’t simply a diet program – it’s a complete change in the way I’m living -- and we’re all human. The way I look at it is that I’m in this for the long term and shouldn’t beat myself up over one day of gluttony. So, it’s back to the shakes and back to feeling great!!