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  • Who Are We? Welcoming Thread. Share your mini-profile

    As the creator of this thread, I RESERVE the RIGHT to delete, move, consolidate all posts which are not in the best interests of this thread. No opinions will be changed in any way.---Bill Burgess

    Guest Book. I hope all sign in.

    As all here well know, Fever is my favorite addiction. You guys are my passion. We share the National Pastime, battle each other royally, and have a general blast.

    Recently, I had a "painless, silent" heart attack, but thanks to dear friends, I was rushed to the hospital in time. On Feb. 10-11, 2005, the good docs at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, pulled me back from the brink. I'm fine again. Good doctoring did the trick, and I'm symptom-free, just lack some old zip. Hope my lack of aggression doesn't show.

    But my recent thoughts of my mortality, made me wonder who you guys are, that have been arguin' with me this past year. You spanked me good, put me firmly in my place, and that took good BB smarts.

    I'll go first. I'd like to know first names, year of birth, what you guys do for work, how you came by your BB passion, and did you play as a kid? How far did you get, and did you play ball recreationally post-school?

    William Burgess; 5'7; 140 lbs.
    Born: 1951, Brooklyn, NY
    . Lived on Putnam Ave., Brooklyn with our Nanny until 1953. Dad was in Korea, trying to not get himself killed.
    1953-56: Lived in base housing, Sheridanville, Fort Dix, NJ.
    1956-69: Lived in Mt. Holly, NJ.
    1969-79: Lived in NYC. Lived Woodside (Queens), Riverdale (Bronx), Inwood (Manhattan), West 73 St., near Columbus Ave.
    1979-present: Palo Alto/Menlo Park, CA area, 30 miles south of San Francisco, CA

    Nationality: Mom's side (1/2 Italian, 1/4 Spanish, Madrid, 1/4 French); Dad's side (English, Irish, Scotch)

    Education: Catholic grade school (Sacred Heart School on High Street, Mt. Holly, NJ), public HS (Rancocas Valley Reg. HS, Jacksonville Rd., Mt. Holly, NJ);

    Manhattan College, Riverdale, Bronx, NY, 1969-70. Dropped out and never regretted it for a minute. Ran track there, trained on my own, ran a 4:43 mile in only race I ran. Coaches there were Fred Dwyer/Frank Gagliano, both world-class.

    I came by my BB passion from Dad. He wanted to be a pitcher, and was good, but his mom (Grandma) wouldn't let him. So he hoped I'd be a ballplayer, but I wasn't near good, big, fast, strong enough. I played grade-school ball from 4th-7th grade, in CYO (Catholic Youth Organization), and was on my HS freshman team. Wanted to pitch but they sat me on the bench. Of course, as a grade schooler, we played BB in the neighborhood every day. Couldn't stay away from it. I was also in a slow-pitch softball league, around 1979, co-ed. Loved it. It was based on company employees.

    From 1966-'70, was a runner, set HS records in track/x-country. Went to NJ state meet as HS junior. Ran 4:34/10:17 in mile/2 miles double.

    Work: 1969-79 - NYC post office (GPO - 33-34 St. & 8th Ave.;
    1970-77, trained to be a professional dancer, worked NYC night-club, Trude Heller's as professional rock dancer. Rock Dance Super Freak.
    1979-89, Palo Alto, CA cab driver
    1985- 2004 - self-employed window washer
    1998-present - self-employed adult care-giver

    Along the way, I also did sales. Sold health supplements to pedestrians on the street in NYC (1977), Filter Queen vacuums (door to door in Joliet, IL, 1989), nutritional supplements, dental plans by phone (NYC, 1998), term life insurance (A. L. Williams - Mt. Holly, NJ, 1989). Also worked for temp employment agencies as a clerk in offices, shipping and receiving clerk, driving gigs, and a lot of crap jobs - just for a desperation paycheck.

    Most everything I've ever tried, I've done extremely well, except for sales. Not braggin'. Just obsess on stuff till I get it right.

    Favorite ballplayers: Ty Cobb, Honus Wagner, Buck Ewing, Rube Waddell, Walter Johnson, George Sisler, Eddie Collins, Joe Jackson, Babe Ruth, Sandy Koufax, Nolan Ryan, Oscar Charleston, John 'Pop' Lloyd, Biz Mackey.

    Favorite movies: Star War series, Somewhere In Time (1980), 7th Voyage of Sinbad (1958), Dune (1984), Forbidden Planet (1956), 8 1/2 (1963), Fargo (1996), 7 Beauties (1976), Blue Velvet (1986), Silence of the Lambs trilogy, Lord of the Rings trilogy (2001-2003), The Exorcist (1973), Gone With The Wind (1939), Wizard of Oz (1939), Hard Candy (2005), American Psycho (2000), No Country For Old Men (2007), Mr. Brooks (2007), anything concerning the Trojan War, many well-done love stories, most Ivory-Merchant movies.

    Favorite Rock Acts: Beatles, Beach Boys, 4 Seasons, Temptations, Miracles, Brian Wilson, Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, The Band, Staple Singers, Van Morrison, Carol King, Phil Spector, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Paul Simon, Sam Cooke, Smokey Robinson.

    Favorite Rock CD's: Abbey Road (1969, Beatles); Rubber Soul (1965, Beatles); Pet Sounds (1966, Beach Boys); Smile (2004, Brian Wilson); Sticky Fingers (1971, Rolling Stones); Exile on Main Street (1972, Rolling Stones); Bridge Over Troubled Waters (1970, Simon & Garfunkle); There Goes Rhymin' Simon (1973, Paul Simon); Tapestry (1971, Carol King); The Fairy Ring (1982, Mike Rowland, New Age pianist); (own 10 versions of HAIR, 1968 London version of Hair is the best, IMHO).

    Favorite "Greatest Hits" Collections: Temptations (1994, Emperors of Soul); Miracles (1994, 35 Anniversary Collection); 4 Seasons (1988, 25th Anniversary Collection); Beach Boys (1993, Good Vibrations: Thirty Years of the Beach Boys); Hank Williams, Sr. (1990, The Original Singles Collection); Supremes (1986, Anthology); The Band (1994, Across the Great Divide); Eagles (1994, Very Best Of Eagles); Bob Dylan (1985, Biograph); Aretha Franklin (1992, Queen of Soul); Simon & Garfunkel (1990, Collected Works); Elton John (2002, Greatest Hits, 1970-2002); Paul Simon (1993, 1964-1993); Bob Marley (1999, Songs of Freedom); Joan Baez (1993, Rare, Live, & Classic); The Very Best of The Dixie Cups (1998, Chapel of Love); Fleetwood Mac (1988, Greatest Hits); George McCrae (1994, The Best of George McCrae - Rock Your Baby); Chicago (2002, The Very Best of Chicago - Only The Beginning).

    Favorite Rock Geniuses: Brian Wilson (Beach Boys/soloist); Paul McCartney (Beatles/Wings); John Lennon (Beatles/soloist); Bob Dylan; Smokey Robinson (Miracles, soloist); Norman Whitfield (Temptations); Phil Spector (Righteous Bros., Crystals, Ronettes); Bob Gaudio (4 Seasons); Holland-Dozier-Holland team (4 Tops/Supremes/Martha & the Vandellas/Motown groups); Jagger/Richards team (Rolling Stones); Bob Marley (The Wailers); Ray Davies (Kinks); Paul Simon; Elton John; Sam Cooke; Robbie Robertson (The Band); John Fogerty (Creedence Clearwater Revival); Van Morrison.

    Favorite Rock Voices: Paul McCartney, Smokey Robinson, Eric Burdon (The Animals), David Ruffin (Temptations, soloist), Eddie Kendricks (Temptations, soloist), Chuck Jackson, Jackie Wilson, Little Richard, Frankie Vallie (4 Seasons), Aretha Franklin, Carol King, Joan Baez, Judy Collins, Sam Cooke, Roy Orbison, Jerry Butler, Lou Rawls, Brook Benton, Van Morrison.

    Favorite Rock Guitarists: George Harrison (Beatles, 1962-70); Keith Richards (Rolling Stones, 1962-present); Ronnie Wood (Rod Steward/Rolling Stones, 1975-present); Eric Clapton (Yardbirds, 1963-65)(Cream, 1966-68, etc.); Jerry Garcia (Grateful Dead, 1965-95); Marvin Tarplin (Miracles, 1961-73, Smokey Robinson, 1973-present); Ike Turner, Carlos Santana (Santana, 1970-present).

    Favorite Rock Drummers: The groups which are listed here are merely the most identified with. All these drummers worked with many groups, and free lance in studio sessions, and touring:
    Benny Benjamin (almost all Motown/Gordy/Tamla recordings, 1959-68); Hal Blaine (studio sessions); Bernard Purdy; Ginger Baker (Cream); Ringo Starr (Beatles, 1962-70); Graeme Edge (Moody Blues, 1964-75); Jim Keltner (Gary Lewis & Players, among others); Dino Danelli (Rascals, 1964-72); Bobby Colomby (Blood, Sweat & Tears, 1967-77); Steve Gadd (Steely Dan); Ansley Dunbar (Journey, 1974-78); BJ Wilson (Procol Harem, 1967-75,'77); Mitch Mitchell (Jimmy Hendrix Experience, 1966-70); John Bonham (Led Zeplin); John J. Badanjek (Mitch Ryder & Detroit Wheels, 1964-67,'71); Ian Paice (Deep Purple); Danny P. Seraphine (Chicago, (1966-90); Bill Bruford (Yes, 1968-69,91); Michael Shrieve (Santana, 1969-74,'88); Carl Palmer (Emerson, Lake & Palmer, 1970-79); Neil Peart (Rush, 1974-present); Jeff Porcaro (Toto); John Robinson, Gregg Bissonette.

    Music I Don't Care For: Although I may like an isolated example from a category, the categories I don't care for, as a whole are: Country, blues, bluegrass, gospel, hard rock, heavy metal, New Wave, Punk, Rap, Hip Hop, Jazz, Latin.

    Music I'm predisposed to Like: Classic Rock, light rock, 1950's Doo Wop, R&B (Soul Music), Easy Listening, New Age, Reggae, Broadway, Big Bands, Folk, Tex-Mex, Western, popular (Sinatra, Bennett, Streisand).

    Classical Music: Although I cannot access most classical music, finding it too bombastic, heavy, tedious or just plain boring, there are certain select pieces which bespeak genius: 1st/3rd movements of Beethoven's 9th Symphony; Adagio of Mozart's 41st (Jupiter) Symphony, adagios from Beethoven's Late String Quartets.

    Greatest Athletes of 20th Century: Jim Thorpe, Jim Brown, Ty Cobb, Babe Didrikson Zaharias, Honus Wagner, Michael Jordan, Mohammed Ali, Jack Dempsey, Wilt Chamberlain, Carl Lewis, Red Grange, Pele.

    Favorite Track Runners: Ron Clarke, Jim Ryun, Gerry Lindgren, Steve Prefontaine, Marty Liquori, Paavo Nurmi, Emil Zatopek, Haile Gebrselassie.

    Favorite Basketball Players: Michael Jordan, Dr. J. (Julius Irving), Walt Frazier, Bob Cousy, Meadowlark Lemon.

    Favorite Football Runners: Jim Brown, Jim Thorpe, Walter Payton, Red Grange, Franco Harris, Gayle Sayers, Barry Sanders, Eric Dickerson, Tony Dorsett.

    Favorite Movie Directors: David Lynch, Igmar Bergman, Federico Fellini, Akira Kurosawa, Luis Buñuel, Stanley Kubrick, John Huston, Alfred Hitchcock, Steven Spielberg, John Boorman, Lindsay Anderson, Ron Howard, Lina Wertmuller.

    Favorite Actors: Lawrence Olivier, John Gielgud, Alec Guiness, John Barrymore, Charlie Chaplin, Laurel & Hardy, Kenneth Branagh, Humphrey Bogart, Cary Grant, Clark Gable, Edward G. Robinson, WC Fields, Max Von Sydow, Dustin Hoffman, Robert DeNiro, Donald Sutherland, Marlon Brando, Sean Penn, Malcolm McDowell, Samuel L. Jackson, John Travolta, Nicholas Cage, Charles Grodin, James Woods, Vince Vaughn, Tom Hanks, Philip Seymour Hoffman, William Hurt, Joe Mantegna, Hector Elizondo, Alex Baldwin, Jude Law, Viggo Mortensen, Tom Wilkinson, Charles Laughton, Christopher Plummer; Jack Nicholson, Robin Williams, George Clooney, Matt Damon, Tommy Lee Jones, Kevin Spacey, Kiefer Sutherland, Morgan Freeman, Adrien Brody;

    Favorite Actresses: Meryl Streep, Glenn Close, Michelle Pfeiffer, Ingrid Bergman, Betty Davis, Liv Ullman, Mae West, Virginia Madsen, Mariel Hemingway, Yvette Mimieux, Cate Blanchard, Frances McDermott, Sandra Bernhardt, Scarlett Johansson, Sissy Spacek;

    Favorite Ice Dancers: John Curry, Toller Cranston, Scottie Hamilton, JoJo Starbuck, Katerina Witt.

    Favorite Mixed Martial Artists of the Ultimate Fighting Championships: UFC These names are hyper-links. Click onto any of them, and it will take you to their wikipedia page, showing their complete, current records.
    Ken Shamrock, Dan Severn, Royce Gracie, Randy Couture, Don Frye, Vitor Belfort, Wanderlei Silva, Georges St. Pierre, Diego Sanchez

    Technically Best-Made Movies: Exorcist I (1973), Lord of the Ring trilogy (2001-03), West Side Story (1961), Angel Heart (1987), Terminator I (1984), Silence of the Lambs (1991), Dune (1984), Blue Velvet (1986), Total Recall (1990), Forbidden Planet (1956), 7th Voyage of Sinbad (1958), Star Wars Series.

    Favorite Cool Stuff: Antique Ivory, artifacts made from ivory/bone/celluloid, antique maplewood furniture, old-fashioned fountain pens, old coins, old bills, marble, alabaster, autumn-toned quilted comforters, anything gold, living in NYC's west side, Jewish delis, jumbo shrimp, chopped liver from a real Jewish Deli, Orange Julius', vanilla egg cremes, Famous Ray's Pizza (NYC), Chinese take-out, Nathan's in NYC, Pretty Women who really like me.

    Favorite Comedy Stuff: Charlie Chaplin, Laurel & Hardy, Harvey Korman (Carol Burnett Show), Peter Sellers, Steve Martin, Chris Rock, Eddie Murphy, Dave Chappelle, Seinfeld, Danny Kaye, Madylyn Kahn, Phil Silvers (Bilko), WC Fields, Steve Allen, Robin Williams, Billy Crystal, George Carlin, Rodney Dangerfield, Jackie Gleason (Honey Mooners), William Bendix (Life of Riley), Amos & Andy.

    Least Favorite Comedy Stuff: Abbot & Costello, I Love Lucy, Tim Conway, Gilligans' Island, 3 Stooges, Buddy Hackett, Mel Brooks, Carl Reiner, Martin Short, Jackie Mason, Paul Reiser (Mad About You), Jerry Lewis, Don Rickles, Alf, Bronson Pinchot (Perfect Strangers), 3's Company, Bosom Buddies, Soap, The Ropers, Married With Children, Benny Hill, Stick Puppet 'Madame', MASH.

    Favorite Interests (hobbies): Old-fashioned baseball, chess, 60-70's classic light rock music, modern jazz dance, pretty women, Track and Field, Mixed Martial Arts Fighting (watching).

    Favorite TV Shows: My 3 Sons, Leave It To Beaver, Andy Griffith, Seinfeld, 8 Is Enough, Amos and Andy, The Real McCoys, Life of Riley, Maverick, Golden Girls, Larry Sander's, Dobie Gillis, Siskel/Ebert, Have Gun - Will Travel, Bonanza, LA Law, Waltons, Little House on Praire, Family, Columbo, baseball games, UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championships), Wicked Wicked Games 2007 mini-series, American Bandstand, The Apprentice, The Bachelor/Bachelorette, Aaron's Way, Love Connection, Parole Board, People's Court, Benu The Phoenix, A&E's American Justice, Cold Case Files, FBI Files, "I Shouldn't Be Alive" - aired on Discovery Channel, 2005-07, and Animal Planet, 2010-present, Court TV's Forensic Files, Arrest & Trial, Meerkat Manor, Dragon's Den, Hell's Kitchen, Kitchen Nightmares, American Restoration, Pawn Stars, Oxygen Channel's 'Snapped' series, Fear Factor, Antiques Roadshow, Shark Tank, American Idol, Bait Car, The Locator, Shipping Wars, Swamp People, City Confidential, Dual Survival, Dateline: Real Life Mysteries, Master Chef, Bar Rescue, Hotel Impossible, Auction Hunters, Whale Wars, Auction Kings,

    Least Favorite TV Shows: Keeping Up With the Kardashians, Kourtney and Khloé, Khloe and Lamar, Braxton Family Values, Tamar & Vince, Growing Up Gotti, My Fair Wedding With David Tutera, Bridezillas, The Real Housewives series, Gene Simmons' Family Jewels, Hogan Knows Best, Tori & Dean, Brooke Knows Best, Jerry Springer, Ricky Lake, Maury, Morton Downey Show, Kate Plus 8, Kathy Griffin, Flavor of Love with Flavor Flav, Bethenny Ever After, World's Dumbest, WWE, Mob Wives, Jersey Shore, 1,000 Ways to Die (It's all made up), Manswers, Raising Sextuplets, Graham Norton Show, America's Funniest Home Videos, Oxygen's The Bad Girls Club, Oxygen's Love Games: Bad Girls Need Love Too, Impractical Jokers, truTV's Rehab: Party at the Hard Rock Hotel, Wipeout, Ice Loves Coco, R&B Divas, Living With La Toya, Real Husbands of Hollywood, Go On, The Way It Is, Family First, Here Comes Honey Boo Boo, The Real Housewives of Atlanta, New Jersey, Beverly Hills, Orange County, New York City, and Miami, Exreme Couponing, Toddlers and Tiaras, Gene Simmons' Family Jewels, Say Yes To the Dress,

    Favorite Foods: chopped liver from a real Jewish Deli, thick well-done steak, lamb, fried chicken, pizza, cheese, potatoes in any form but especially baked, corn, avocados, artichokes, mushrooms, broccoli, shrimp, crab, lobster, scallops, oysters, clams, seafood/clam chowder, lasagna, quiche, cheese cake, hoagies, popcorn, fastfood burgers such as a mushroom cheeseburger with spicy mustard. (Also am a severe chocoholic, due to a severe caffeine addiction. But I don't eat it anymore because caffeine messes me up. Still yearn/long for coca-cola and ice tea! Memories of my favorite former downfalls are fading fast! Hate when that happens.)

    Favorite Comfort Junk food from Childhood - Hershey Bar, Peanut Butter Reese Cup, Baby Ruth, Chunky, Snickers, 3 Muskateers, Milky Way, oreo cookies, TastyCake Fruit Pies, Oatmeal Raisin Bars, Almond Joy, Slim Jim Beef Jerky,

    Favorite Colognes - Old Spice, Kent of London, Canoe, Brut, Jade East, English Leather, Pinaud.

    I Hope Fever members see me as: baseball knowledgeable, a friendly, nice guy who likes to help people, articulate, having good taste.

    Least Favorite People: George Bush, OJ Simpson, Amarosa (The Apprentice), Stacy Kessler (Millionaire Matchmaker), Walter O'Malley, Charles Comiskey, Ban Johnson, Ted Kennedy, TV evangelists, Ariel Sharon, Saddam Hussein, Dick Cheney, Dr. Laura Schlessinger, Diana Ross, the Rockefellers, the Rothchilds, Queen of England, Adolf Hitler and all high-level Nazis, Nicki Manaj,

    Favorite Books:
    Iliad, Odyssey, by Homer, ancient times
    Othello (1604), Hamlet (1600), by William Shakespeare
    The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, 1850
    Camille, by Alexandre Dumas, 1852
    She series, by Sir Henry Rider Haggard, 1887
    The Destruction of the Greek Empire and the Story of the Capture of Constantinople by The Turks, by Edwin Pears, 1903
    Green Mansions, by William Henry Hudson, 1904
    Seventeen, by Booth Tarkington, 1915
    Wisdom's Daughter, by Sir Henry Rider Haggard, 1922
    The Tiger's Fang, by Paul Twitchell, 1959
    2150 A.D., by Thea Alexander, 1971
    The Talons of Time, by Paul Twitchell, 1971
    With No Apologies: The outspoken political memoirs of America's Conservative Conscience, by Barry M. Goldwater, 1979
    Way of The Peaceful Warrior, by Dan Millman, 1980
    Ptolia, by Fred Baker, 1982
    Hand of Death, The Henry Lee Lucas Story, by Max Call, 1985
    On The Breath Of The Gods, by Ariel Tomioka, 1988
    Triumph of Justice, The Final Judgment on the (OJ) Simpson Saga, by Daniel Petrocelli, with Peter Knobler, 1998
    Your 1st Contact, by Sheldan Nidle, 2000

    Favorite Sports Books:
    My Life in Baseball - the True Record, by Ty Cobb, with Al Stump, 1961
    Cobb, by Al Stump, 1994
    Ty Cobb, by Charles Alexander, 1984
    The Unforgiving Minute, by Ron Clarke, 1966
    Walter Johnson, Baseball's Big Train, by Henry W. Thomas, 1995
    Baseball's Best: The Hall of Fame Gallery, by Martin Appel, Burt Goldblatt, 1980
    The Glory of Their Times, by Lawrence Stanley Ritter, 1966
    Big Sticks, by William Curran, 1990
    The Life That Ruth Built, by Marshall Smelser, 1975
    Various editions of Total Baseball, especially 1st. ed., 1989
    Bill James' Historical Baseball Abstract, by Bill James, 1985, 1988, 2001

    Those I Admire Most:
    Jesus, Budda, Socrates, Plato, For showing a darkened world a better way.
    Leonardo Da Vinci, 1452-1519, Italian Florentine Renaissance painter, sculptor, architect, engineer, scientist; leading figure in sparking the Middle Ages towards an Enlightenment in the arts/sciences.
    Winston Churchill, 1874-65, guided England through its darkest hour. Lord of Admiralty, 1911-15, '39; Prime Minister, 1940-45, 1951-55.
    Nelson Mandela, 1918-present, S. Africa's 1st black Pres., imprisoned 1962-90, 28 yrs. due to conscience.
    Mahatma Gandhi, 1869-1948, led India to independence from Great Britain via non-violence demonstrations.
    Vaclav Havel, 1936-present, imprisoned due to conscience, 1st. Pres. Czechoslovakia, allowed nation to divide without violence/bloodshed.
    Albert Einstein, 1879-1955, German Jew, theories on physics changed his field.
    Albert Schweitzer, 1875-65, German Christian philosopher, physician, humanitarian, missionary, musician.
    Nikolai Tesla, 1856-1943, Yugoslavian inventor whose ideas underlaid most modern machines.
    Giuseppe Garibaldi, 1807-82, Father of modern Italian state.
    Simon Bolivar, 1783-1830, Father of modern Bolivian state.
    Hannibal, 247 BC-183 BC, For military genius, and standing up to Rome.
    Emanuel Lasker, 1868-41, German-Jewish chess master, philosopher, mathematician. Chess world champion, 1894-21.
    Dali Llama Tenzin Gyatso, 1935-present, 13th in Tibetan lineage. Chinese invasion of Tibet in 1959, forced him into a government-in-exile in N. India. Awarded 1989 Nobel Peace Prize by Norwegian Nobel Peace committee.
    Lysander, ?-395 BC, Spartan general who granted unbelievably lenient terms of surrender to Athens in 404 BC, after Athens, during the 30 yr. Peloponnesian war, 431 BC-404 BC, had destroyed many Greek city-states, and killed all their men and sold their women/children into slavery.

    My Most Admired Americans:

    1. George Washington, 1732-1799, man of virtue, (outside of enslaving blacks), fortitude at Valley Forge, died at his beloved estate, Mt. Vernon, VA.
    2. Ty Cobb, 1887-1961, perfected his chosen aspect of human existence, due to his ability to commit his entire being to his goal.
    3. George Washington Carver, 1860-1943 American black educator, inventor, agricultural/food scientist, farmer discovered over 100 uses for the peanut/soybean. Did his utmost to assist his fellow Southern farmers in weaning themselves off of their dependency on cotton.
    4. Robert E. Lee , 1807-1870, (for EVERYTHING)
    5. Douglas MacArthur, 1880-1964, brilliant tactics of island hopping saved American lives. Led US military forces in Pacific in WWII, & Korea. Pissed off Pres. Truman, got fired.
    6. Mohammad Ali, 1942-present, for standing up to the draft board, refused to go & fight in Vietnam, spreading his chosen religion, Islam.
    7. Stonewall Jackson, 1824-1863, brilliant military tactician for Confederates, under Lee, in Civil War.
    8. Jimmy Carter, 1924-present, for his moderation in the Iranian "hostage crises" & building homes for the poor in 3rd world countries.
    9. Honus Wagner, 1874-1955, for his Lincolnesque humility & humor despite his awesome greatness in his chosen field.
    10. Connie Mack, 1862-1956, his angelic exemplary disposition and great knowledge in his field. Closest person BB ever came to producing a secular "saint".
    11. Martin Luther King, Jr., 1929-1968, advocated non-violent means to social progress for American blacks.
    12. Barry Goldwater, 1909-1998, American half-Jewish conservative/idealist. Represented Arizona in the US Senate, 1953-'65, '69-87. Ran for US Pres., 1964, lost huge to Lyndon B. Johnson.
    13. Murray Rothbard, 1926-1995, American Jewish economist, philosopher, author. Libertarian theorist.
    14. Paul Twitchell, 1909-1971, For introducing a spiritually-hungry, modern world to a spiritual path called ECKANKAR.
    15. Robert Nozick, 1938-2002, American Jewish Harvard Professor of Philosophy, Libertarian theorist, author. His 'Anarchy, State And Utopia', 1974, articulated Libertarian philosophy.
    16. Henry Louis Mencken, 1880-1956, The most prominent newspaperman, book reviewer, and political commentator of his day, Henry Louis Mencken was a libertarian before the word came into usage.
    17. William Morton Burgess, Jr., 1907-1998, My Dad - For his lifetime of commitment to his family. Love off the chart.

    Favorite Rock Tunes: I've now translated my little list below into youtube links. So now you can actually hear my favorite tunes. Enjoy!

    Island of Love (The Sheppards, 1959)
    High Life (Herbie Mann, 1960)
    Positively 4th Street (Bob Dylan, 1965)
    You're My Everything (Temptations, 1966)
    I Could Never Love Another (Temptations, 1967)
    Mercy, Mercy, Mercy (Buckinghams, 1967)
    Surf's Up, (Brian Wilson, 1967)
    Revolution (Beatles, 1968)
    Walking In Space (Hair, 1968 London stage version)This is NOT the best version. Only last 80 seconds are great.
    3-5-0-0 (Hair, 1968 London stage version)
    The Soft Parade (Doors, 1969)
    Love & Peace (Buddy Rich, 1969)
    All God's Children Got Soul (Dorothy Morrison, 1969)
    Me & Bobbie McGee (Janis Joplin, 1970)
    Dead Flowers (Rolling Stones, 1971)
    Touch A Hand, Make A Friend (Staple Singers, 1973)
    Rock Your Baby (George McCrae, 1974)
    That's Where The Happy People Go (Trampps, 1975)
    Look Into Your Heart, (Aretha Frankin, 1976, from movie, Sparkle)
    Don't Play That Song (Aretha Franklin, 1976)
    The Flesh Failures (Hair, 1979 movie version)
    Waiting For A Friend (Rolling Stones, 1981)
    Dreams (Cranberries, 1990)
    Sugar Sugar (Duke Baysee, 1994 reggae version)
    Stay (Temptations, 1998)

    Most of the CDs of Hair, Pet Sounds, Smile and the entire B side of Abbey Road, where the songs segue into the next.

    Favorite TV Character Actors:

    1. Fred/Ethel Mertz - I Love Lucy - William Frawley/Vivian Vance - 1950's.
    2. Festus Haggen - Gunsmoke - Ken Curtis - 1964-1975
    3. Barney Fife - Andy Griffith Show/Andy of Mayberry - Don Knotts - 1960-65
    4. Eddie Haskel - Leave It To Beaver - Ken Osmond - 1957-63
    5. Maynard G. Krebs - Many Loves of Dobie Gillis - Bob Denver - 1959-63
    6. Ed Norton - Honeymooners - Art Carney - 1955-71
    7. Dr. Zachary Smith - Lost In Space - Jonathan Harris - 1965-68
    8. Cosmos Kramer - Seinfeld - Michael Richards -1990-98

    Honorable Mentions: Several from Andy Griffith Show.
    Gomer Pyle (Jim Nabors), Aunt Bea Taylor (Frances Bavier), Floyd Lawson (Howard McNear), Goober Pyle (George Lindsey),

    also Lumpy Rutherford (Leave It To Beaver) - Frank Bank
    Maude (Bea Arthur)
    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    My Favorite Classic Baseball Movies:

    Listed chronologically, not in order of preference.

    1. It Happens Every Spring - 1949 - Ray Milland, professor who discovers wood-repellent substance. Ball jumps around the bat.

    2. The Winning Team - 1952 - Ronald Reagan played Pete Alexander.

    3. Damn Yankees- 1958 - Ray Walston (My Favorite Martian fame) - Tab Hunter. Gwen Verdon does Bob Fosse choreography (Whatever Lola Wants tango routine). Fosse also made a cameo appearance in dance routine. Music score was outstanding. Tab Hunter plays Joe Hardy, from Hannibal, MO, a transformed old Washington Senator's fan, into a young baseball super hero.

    4. The Natural - 1984 - Robert Redford as aging rookie sensation. Glenn Close does nice girl, Barbara Hershey does dark enigma, Kim Basinger is easy on the eyes.

    5. Field of Dreams - 1989 - Kevin Costner gets unique chance to reunite with his Dad.

    6. Talent For the Game - 1991 - Edward James Olmos plays a BB scout who finds a great pitching prospect, but must become personally involved.

    7. A League of Their Own - 1992 - Geena Davis played composite player, Dottie Hinson. Tom Hanks, Madonna, Lori Petty, Jon Lovitz, Rosie O'Donnell support well.

    8. Soul of the Game - 1996 - Delroy Lindo, Mykelti Williamson play HBO film's Satchel Paige/Josh Gibson. Good pathos. Had heart.

    9. For Love of the Game - 2000 - Kevin Costner is back in uniform.

    10. The Rookie - 2002 - Dennis Quaid plays a HS coach with a 100 mph fastball, giving it one more shot, if his HS team cops league title. Nice heart, good pathos.

    Honorable Mentions:

    Pride of the Yankees - 1942 - Gary Cooper, Babe played himself, as did Bill Dickey, Bob Meusel, and Mark Koenig.

    Babe Ruth (1991) (TV), Stephen Lang played Babe, who was trim, for once. Refreshing.
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Pet Peeves:

    1. Price of ink cartridges for my printer are $32. new. Refills kits only last weeks.
    2. Price of high-speed connections to the INTERNET. I pay $46./mo. Absurd.
    3. ATM's only give out money in $20. denominations. Wish it were $10.
    4. Fast Food chains which don't accept credit/debit cards.
    5. Friends who always choose the other person, in call-waiting situations.
    6. My computer media player won't let me create a queue for my music.
    7. TV/movies which make adults appear like dim-witted idiots. Home alone? Married With Children?
    8. Anyone who doesn't practice road etiquette/courtesy.
    9. Baseball-Fever presently doesn't accept Excel files.
    10. Cell-phone users who, when in public, feel it's OK to impose their personal conversations on those around them.
    11. Women claim that looks are not primary, and personality comes first. Wish they really meant it, and acted that way.
    12. Women with weight issues going on TV, and insisting how 'ghetto-fabulous' they are. And try to dress provocatively! NOT!! Makes me puke.
    13. Tabloid TV shows like Jerry Springer, Maury Povich. Trash. Should get dumped like Rickey Lake, Jenny.
    14. Judge Judy: Always bragging how smart she is. Judges should be less rude, more modest, less emotional. Like Judge Alex, or Judge Marilyn Milian from People's Court.

    Product Placement in TV reality shows. Examples:
    1. Who Wants To Be A Millionaire (Regis Philbin) - He says, "Our friends at ATT will connect you now."
    2. American Idol - Big Coca Cola drinks in front of the judges. And Ryan Seacrest constantly informing us how to use "text messaging".
    3. Extreme Makeover Home Edition - Ty Pennington constantly telling us that everything comes from Sears.

    These shows feel like one huge infomercial to me.
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    If I have forgotten any other Cool Categories that anyone wishes to include, please, be our guests. Suggested possibilities:
    Favorite Supreme Court Justices, Favorites Former Soviet Union Presidents, Favorite Popes, Favorite Former Israeli Presidents, Favorite Baseball Commissioners, Favorite American Presidents, Former Miss Americas and American Idol winners? Or The Bachelor/Bachelorette winners? Just to get you started.
    --------------------------------------------------------------------------
    mr. burgess i notice that at one time you worked at the famous n.y.c. club trude heller's. by any chance , did you happen to meet or see any of the local n.y.c bands of that era centered around the village there? meaning the velvet underground, the new york rock ensemble, the silver apples, the fugs, etc.?
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    I worked at Trude Heller's in 1972, and went there with dates for several years afterwards.

    I do not remember those bands you mentioned, but I remember many others.

    Margo Lewis Quintet - 5 piece female band. Margo Lewis played huge Hammond organ/keyboards, was beyond fantastic. Tracey Robbins was their totally soulful lead female vocalist. They sang great Staple Singers tunes, i.e. This World, I'm Just Another Soldier, Respect Yourself and Grandma's Hands and a fantastic version of Dorothy Morrison's "All God's Children Got Soul", Janis Joplin's "Me & Bobby McGee".

    Rosebud
    New York Central - 5 white kids from Astoria, Queens.
    Gotham - 3 young, male vocalists
    Manhattan Transfer - jazz, later got their own TV variety show.
    Frankie Paris
    Morgan - black vocalist from Paris, France. Played only James Brown, in French.
    Monti Rock III
    Blossom Dearie
    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Addendum on my Dad:
    My Dad was born in Dec. 24, 1907. He sold shoes in NYC at Macy's in the ladies dept. from 1927-41. He was drafted in '41, stayed in the army until 1962, as Master Sergeant, retired junior warrant officer, and then worked at the General Post Office in NYC from '62 until the 1980's. Somewhere in-between he was a professional ladies' masseur.

    When my family says, "You're just like Dad", my heart could burst with pride. Nicest thing they could say to me. Never tell them that, or they'd stop.

    When he was in Korea, trying to not get himself killed, he did something rare. Here is his write-up in "Infantry Blue".

    223D REGIMENT HAS HIGH RE-UP RECORD

    "Though continually subjected to the hardships that make up war, men of the 223d Infantry Regiment in Korea are literally fighting to remain with their unit in the midst of battle, even after their time for rotation to the States comes up.

    During the final three months of 1952, according to the regimental commander, Col. Louis W. Truman, Washington, D. C., 47 fighters re-enlisted to remain in combat with the 223d, and 26 of these were for a 6-year period. In addition, 11 draftees voluntarily extended their service tour by 9 months.

    Surprising as this is in itself, all the more astonishing is the fact that the unusually high number was reached not as a result of an organized recruiting drive but mainly through the hustle and drive of a pair of battle-scarred warriors.

    The men responsible for the re-enlistments are WOJG William M. Burgess Jr., Brooklyn N.Y., and SFC Chester C. Frost, Sacramento, Cal., both of whom are full-time front-line fighters. Between patrols, skirmishes, and defensive maneuvers, when they should be resting, this duo takes it upon its self to have friendly chats with the boys, help solve their problems and give them any aid they can.

    Burgess' successful philosophy is "the right man for the right job." He continually strives to get the best for each soldier, and the best out of each soldier, in his unit.

    "If the applicant for re-enlistment is eligible for transfer to Japan or another theater," Burgess explains, "we encourage and approve his attempts to better himself in the service. If he wants to stay in Korea for additional promotion, we assist him. We are endeavoring to fit the man's desires to the needs of the Army. Whatever a man's personal life plan or vocation may be, we can use it in the service." (Wednesday, February 25, 1953, Korea edition, Stars and Stripes)

    So I am very proud of him. Lost him May 22, 1998, age 90, NYC, but chat with him every day, in here. Thanks for putting up with my hokey sentiments for Dad.
    --------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Addendum on Dad/Mom:
    I want to mumble a few praises to my own Mom/Dad here. Mom's still with us, thank the Lord above. Dad checked out May 22, 1998, and has been doing what he can for us down here ever since, I'm sure.

    Dad: Born: Dec. 24, 1907, Magnum, OK. He was an only child. Growing up, his Mom moved around some. Spent some time in Anaheim, CA, and then on to Chicago, IL, where the White Sox/Joe Jackson were his favorites. Black Sox broke his heart. His Mom & him hit NYC by 1927, and stayed put there permanently. He wasn't allowed to attend school, because his mother, a very educated woman, felt the educational system was too socialistic. So she yanked him, and gave him lessons to do at home, while she worked. Of course a male child on his own won't do his lessons. She tried to put him into HS, unprepared, but it was too much. He later tried college on his own, but couldn't cope. He had no background in an accumulative system. So Dad had no education to speak of, but he could read well.

    He sold shoes in Macy's in NYC from 1927-42, when he was drafted by Uncle Sam. Did well in the Pacific sector, under MacArthur, and was called back from the reserves to do time in Korea. Once in Korea, he awoke with a rattle snake coiled sleeping on his belly. Had to have the best marksman in the squad shoot the rattler off his belly. Whew!

    He stayed in the service until 1961, a Master Sergeant, stationed at Fort Dix, NJ, with 5 kids. Came out of the service and went to work for the Post Office in NYC, and stayed there from 1962-1977. They then told him he had to retire, since 70 was the mandatory retirement age. He sued them, won, and they had to let him keep working there. But for only half-pay! The greedy sons-of-bitches told him he was taking too much out of the gov., with his SS, Army pension, military disability. He went along. What else could he do?

    So he worked until around mid-80's, and then retired. He told me, "Billy, you can't read the papers, play OTB (off-track betting) and watch TV all day." I remember thinking, "I could."

    I believe he was happiest in a bar/tavern, with a goodly sampling of folks his own age, preferably with a piano man playing. He loved singing the old songs in bars. He often bought everyone a round. Dad was English/Irish/Scotch. Couldn't get drunk. No matter how much he drank, and he loved his Seagram's 7/Coke highballs, he never slurred, never got stupid, could walk a perfect line. As they say, he "metabolized alcohol perfectly".

    Mom: Born: Feb. 24, 1925, New Orleans, LA. She was 18 years younger than Dad. She was Italian/French/Spanish (Madrid). She was a true beauty. Still is, as a matter of fact. Funny thing was, I once saw a copy of their wedding certificate. Dad lied about his age by around 7 years, Mom lied by around 3 years! Who was kiddin' who?!

    Mom had been raised by her Mom's sisters. She lived in a big estate on The Croton. Two of her relatives were world-famous Ballroom dancers, "Mary Raye and Naldi". Appeared often on the Ed Sullivan show, performed before the crowned heads of Europe, and the most exclusive night clubs. Their big number was a Tango to "Begin the Beguine". So Mom lived with them on their beautiful estate, in Croton-On-the-Hudson.

    Anyway, Mom was raised properly, had a beautiful singing voice, but lost a lot of her "polish" after being married to Dad! He never could adjust to marriage. He was 42 and she 24 when they got hitched Oct. 22, 1949. She raised us dutifully, but he didn't enjoy staying home with us. Usually out playing bingo, making excuses, etc.

    Mom did a good job with us, mostly by herself. And she wasn't a strong person, but we made her stronger than she ever knew she could be. So she's my hero, and strangely, Dad is too. He just couldn't make his appropriate adjustments. Mom is happy today, living in Florida with her second husband. Although he's a blowhard in many ways, he did right by her. He's still alive today, aged 90, Mom just turned 80, and he only retired this year from working. And I must respect that a lot.

    So that's about all I wanted to say about that for the time being. You may all come out of your comas now.

    William Morton Burgess, III
    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Thought some might be interested in seeing what I looked like back in the day. My Driver's License taken in 1980. Of course, I don't still look that good. Time had taken its toll.

    And the dance shot is from 1972, when I was only 21. From April to October, 1972, I had the supreme honor of dancing with Carol Fasano of Brooklyn. We were rock dance partners at Trude Heller's, 9th St./6th. Ave., Manhattan. Best time of my life. No close second.

    Bill Burgess
    --------------------------
    Originally posted by CATCHER24
    That driver's license photo looks an awful lot like Sandy Koufax! You been hiding something from us all this time, Bill, like a secret identity or something?
    Isn't it a shame what time does to a fine young specimen? I'm your age and can relate 100%!

    Originally posted by RuthMayBond
    Dang, a real ladykilller
    Originally posted by Outta Here
    Nice extension, Bill. Lots of time well spent hanging around the barres?
    Like a young John Travolta in SNF, not that I'd know anything about that movie... I never watch things like that

    Table of Contents:

    Code:
    Page 1
    1. Bill Burgess  ------------- - Feb. 22, 1951 - Mt. View, CA
    2. 64Cards  ------------------ - St. Louis, MO
    3. Julusnc   -----------Jeremy - October 4, 1971, West North Carolina
    4. BoSox Rule  --------- Bobby - March 16, 1989, Cambridge, MA
    5. Honus Wagner Rules --  Adam - August 17, 1968, San Jose, CA
    6. tearforamariner --- Russell - May 21, 1985, Tacoma, WA
    7. Torez77 - ------------Geoff - June 5, 1977 - Indianapolis, IN
    8. leecemark  ----- Mark Leece - September 20, 1959, Tacoma, WA
    9. Imapotato -------------- JT - January 16, 1975 - Troy, NY
    10. Appling --------Roger Kane - 1935 - 70
    11. Pumpsie Green ------- John - 14
    12. Kroxquo  ----------  Keith - May 11, 1965 - Goldboro, NC
    13. The Dude (Dudecar00)   Wil - June 29, 1988 - 16
    14. ElHalo --------------- Jim - 1980 - 25 - NYC
    15. Four Tool - --Mark Szymcik - June 9, 1949 - Worcester, MA
    16. Captain Cold Nose -- Scott - 34 - Kettering, OH
    17. CyNotSoYoung ------- Steve - 1953 - Pittston, ME - 34
    18. Mordeci ------------------ - August 29, 1967 - Hamilton, OH, N. of Cincinnati, OH
    19. Wagner33 ------------ Jeff - August 29, 1977 - Arlington, VA
    20. 2Chance ------------------ - February 17, 1960 - Cincinatti, OH
    21. Sirmudgeon - ------------- - 42 - Yountville, Napa, CA
    22. tonjes ---------------Mike - Nov. 28, 1981 - Norfolk, Va
    23. moviegeekjan ------------- - March 22, 1948  -  Phoenix, AZ
    24. Ichiro51 - ----------Frank - April 19, 1983
    25. Mac195 --------------Japan - 1963
    
    Page 2
    26. RuthMayBond --- Jeff James - July 31, 1960 - NE Ohio
    27. KHenry14 - ------------Ken - March 16, 1957 - Los Angeles, CA
    28. Chanceron ---------- Ronny - May 24, 1950 - Central Florida
    29. Rockin500 ------------ Ray - March 1, 1978 - Chicago, IL
    30. St.LCards2-Matthew Cornwell- Oct. 9, 1981 - St. Louis
    31. Bleacherbee
    32. DTF955 --------Davy Fowler - Sept. 13, 1970 - NE Ohio
    33. JohnnysGhost-------------- - 1992 - Rhode Island
    34. Irow Jaw ------------ Mike - Nov. 20, 1955 - Yuma, AZ
    35. JW ----------------- Jason - Oct. 9, 1979 - Baltimore, MD
    36. The Splendid Splinter - Bart Schutter - June 27, 1984 - Earl Park, IL
    37. Wamby-------------------Jim - 1964 - Northport, AL
    38. Say Hey - ----------------- - 1990 - Detroit, MI
    39. Busta J2632 ------------Sam - February 20, 1985
    40. 538280 -------------- Chris - February 18, 1992 - Ludlow, Mass. -13
    41. Yankees Rule -------- Chris - February 7, 1967 - Staten Island, NY
    42. Edgartohof --------- Robert - December 6, 1986
    43. catcher24 -------Lew Snyder - May 18, 1951 - Jamestown, NY
    44. therealnod ----------- Evan - 1974 - Mesa, AZ
    45. schlabotnik ---------Johnny - March 22, 1956 - Laval Island, N. of Montreal
    46. IPOD--------------------Ian - 1986 - U. of Berkely - SF Bay area
    47. SABR Matt --Matthew Souders - Oct. 16, 1981 - Oswego, NY
    48. Ize19 ----------------Isaac - August 9, 1988 - Rancho Bernardo, CA
    49. Big Stelly Padres 4Life
    50. TKO ----------- Randy Fiato - July 24, 1983 - Norwalk, CT, SW Conn.
    
    Page 3
    51. Uhhh_Stuff ------------- Eddie - Oct. 22, 1970 - CA
    52. Nick G ----------------------- - November 11, 1983
    53. Wolverineman-Kyle Alan Manning - March 10, 1985 - Oxford, Ind.
    54. E.Banks#14 ----------- Garrett - April 26, 1991 - Vernon Hills, IL
    55. barzilla -Scott Patrick Barzilla - Nov.30, 1973 - Houston, TX
    56. Giambijuice ------------------ - 1983
    57. Screwbll 45 --------- Harrison - March 12, 1989 - Houston, TX
    58. abolishthedh ------------- Wes - January 6, 1960  -  Bethany, MO
    59. scribe114 ------ Shafi McCants - August 15, 1968 - Detroit, MI
    60. VTSox Fan -------- Annie Marie - August 13, 1968 - Rawsonville, VT, SE
    61. Flash Gordon ---- Eddie Martin - February 19, 1970
    63. NeverJustAGame -----Scot Moore - August 17, 1960 - Columbia, SC
    64. #1Rangerfan                             --  14
    65. Bristol Boy -------------Pingu - Apr. 2, 1987 - Bristol, England
    66. Pjf-----------------------Pete - age 61,
    67. Myankee4life-----Mario Padilla - 16 -  Bronx, NY
    68. janduscframe-------------Loren - Ellendale, MN
    69. Yankee Legend-----------Elliot - May 2, 1989 - Staten Island
    70. Windy City Fan----Craig Ashley - July 27, 1977 - Chicago, IL
    71. Jalbright --------Jim Albright - April 14 - SE Pennsyvania
    72. pjuovolk------------------Pete - 1991 - Maryland
    73. MojoRisin71---------------Jim  - Arcadia, CA - June 24, 1980
    74. rbrittain56---------------Rik  - Mathis, TX - Aug. 3, 1956
    75. nutmeagh-------------------Ann - Canada
    
    Page 4
    76. clockwork-----------------Rich - Philadelphia, PA - 1987
    77. Southlake Cubs Fan------Trevor - 1990  -  Southlake, TX
    78. TyrusRaymond Cobb-Simon Foster - November 23, 1971 - Melbourne, Australia
    79. HankAaron86--------------Tyler - 1993--Atlanta, Georgia
    80. Deadball2005-------Zach Jendro - 1977  -  Cincinnati, OH
    81. Give It A Ride ---Samuel Hwang - Dec. 2, 1990 - Palo Alto, CA
    82. sschirer--------Shane Schirmer - 1970 - Ludlow, OH
    83. Tavish------------Jason Nelson - April 21, 1977 - Topeka, KS
    84. Freakshow--------------------- - 1960 - Detroit, MI
    85. Dgarza-------------David Garza - October 1, 1974 - Cincinnati, OH
    86. Cubsfan97----------------Shawn - November 10, 1990 - Round Lake Beach, Il
    87. Driver62---------------------- - Dayton, OH - 1941
    88. Dodger-----------Patrick Hogue - February 12, 1966 - West Covina, CA
    89. Sultan, 1895-1948 ------ Randy - Sept. 19, 1977 - Sunnyside, WA
    90. Digglahhh------Derek Ambrosino - 1980 - Jackson Heights, NY
    91. Oscargamblesfro - ------------ - 1971 - Indianaplois, IN
    92. YTown Tribe fan--------------- - Cleveland, OH
    93. ShoelessJoe3---------------Joe - Buffalo, NY - 1945
    94. Pretorius--------------------- - 1983 - Springfield, IL
    95. TonyK------------------------- - 1950 - Boston, MA
    96. Ken Burns discussion & Civil War battlefields
    97. abacab--------------------Andy - Dec.6, 1978
    98. History of Baseball Fan
    99. House Rules for this Thread
    100. 55 chmps------Joseph Pantorno - Dec.10, 1991, Farmingdale, NY
    
    Page 5.
    101. yank0714----------------Randy - Nov.29, 1952, Charlotte, NC
    102. baseball Pap-----Scott Carter - Sept. 15, 1972, Logan, Ohio
    103. Johnny--------------------Jon -
    104. DoubleX------------------Mike - Feb. 22, 1981, Brooklyn, NY
    105. EricGotMunsoned----------Adam - Aug. 26, 1987, Grand Rapids, Mich.
    106. christian gentleman-----Tyler - July 20, 1968, Amsterdam,
    107. Tigerfan1974------------Keith - Sept. 15, 1965, Dallas, TX
    108. Brannu----------------Brandon - March 23, 1972, CA
    109. AGI----------------------Adam - July 22, 1991, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
    110. Pghfan987----------Matt Busch - December 26, 1985 - New Alexandria, PA
    111. Murderers Row------Tony Aubry - New York City
    112. Food---------------------Alex - 1974, San Ramon, CA
    113. ThanksTheo--------------Roger - 1950, Boston, MA
    114. kckid--------------Eric Casey - January 8, 1992, Middlesex, MA
    115. SoberDennis------Dennis Jones - May 14, 1957, San Diego, CA
    118. Brownie31---George Robertson  - October 31, 1950, Bessemer, AL
    119. Pet Peeves
    120. TV Character Actors
    121. Rock Music
    122. Baseball Junkie----------Jere - PA, 20's
    123. The Big C--------Cameron Ball - Eaton Rapids, MI, August 28, 1988
    124. RichmondHillPhoenix ----Geoff - October 18, 1989
    125. 5LilPlayers------------------ - January 20, 1973
    
    Page 6.
    
    126. sturg1dg------------------Dan - September 12, 1982
    127. WestCoast Orange & Black-Tony -  San Francisco
    128. Outta Here----Bradley Meadows - 1990, Liverpool, England
    129. Chelle---------------Michelle
    130. Erik Bedard---------------Dan - Baltimore
    131. Kyle------------------------- - 1992 - Holliston, MA
    133. CanadianKid------------------ - February 6, 1990
    134. Senor Octobre---------------- - mid 1980's
    135. hubkittel----------------Jeff - March 3, 1968, Granite City, IL
    136. Tigers 527---------------Sean - 1972, Dearborn, MI
    137. A Crank---------------------- - 1961
    138. Evan Aparra--------------Evan - April 23, 1986, Texas
    139. falkirk-buc-------------Colin - 1979 - Falkirk, Scotland
    140. Astro------------Scott Roemer - June 12, 1988, Louisville, KY
    141. Go-Skychiefs-Go----Steve Reid - August 26, 1992, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
    142. bailiff----------------Andrew - Denton, TX
    143. John ------------------ -
    144. Down Under Dodger---------Bob - 1952, Australia
    145. dmbfan--------------------Tim - 1974, Middletown, PA
    146. Red Sox Rule-----Adam Corlett - 1988, Leeds, England
    147. Chris LDuncan---------
    148. Candy Curveball Cummings-Richard Castle - May 30, 1985, Tacoma, WA
    149. Nascarfn5-----------Dan Betts - July 7, 1989, Vandalia, OH
    150. OhBoy--------------------Bill - Tucson, AZ, 1962
    
    Page 7.
    
    151. W_Marone-----------Ken Marone - November 18, 1987
    152. SwingMan24--------------Chris - October 22, 1980
    153. Dodgerfan1---------Bill Irvin - August 4, 1958
    154. Keepthefaith3-----------Chris - 1990
    155. Chiefs 4 Life------Steve Reid - 1993
    156. AlaskatoBalto---Tiffany Amber - 1984, Bel Air, MD
    157. Jays632------------------Matt - February 17, 1988
    158. Johnny Seven-------------Mark - May 15, 1989, Baltimore, MD
    159. Westlake----------Evan Knoopp - April 23, 1986, TX
    160. EdmondsFan#1 --Hunter Guthrie - January 18, 1993, Bloominton, IL
    161. Wade8893-----------------Joel - January 12, 1985, Seattle, WA
    162. Stateofmain--------------Bree - Kentucky/Indianapolis area?
    163. Acid Lake-Sung-Min 'Slim' Kim -  January, 1991, Timonium, Maryland
    164. Future: Greatest2BofAllTime-Danny - February 5, 1992,
    165. Hellborn----------Bill Martin - November 22, 1966, Illinois
    166. Aleckboy006-------------Corey - October 23, 1991
    167. ReignInBlood--------------Rob - June 1, 1988, Tijuana, Mexico
    168. Pete Rose Rounding Third ---- - January 20, 1975, Texas
    169. Huntington Avenue - Nathan Leveille - February 15, 1991, Glocester, RI
    170. Dodger Black & Blue --------- - August 7, 1984, Glendale, CA
    171. Dalkowski110---------------JW - November 1, 1987, Ossining, NY
    172. Padday--------Patrick Fleming - November 11, 1991, Wicklow, Ireland
    173. Colin------------------------ - June 16, 1988, Houston, TX
    174. Koufax HOF------------------- - United Kingdom (England)
    175. Lin_Kue_Fighter--------------
    
    Page 8.
    
    176. JeffFrancoeur7--Brandon Matics - March 9, 1995
    177. Yankees2k6--------------Yani P - November 15, 1991---Jersey City, NJ
    178. JordanDL3891------------Jordan - March 8, 1991, Burnt Hills, NY
    179. Chickazoola----Justin McKinney - January 3, 1981, Calgary, Canada
    180. MattD1972--------Matt Donnelly - November 10, 1972, Millford, PA
    181. nolanryan5714-------------Dave - Dayton, TX
    182. Steveironcity-Steve Antkiewicz - November 14, 1980, Pittsburgh, PA
    183. Cricketfan_turned-baseball fan - Boston, MA
    184. MadHatter--------------------- - Boston, MA
    185. Stray Cat--------------------- - Mid-Missouri
    186. DaveTheYankee-------------Dave - West Palm, FL, 1995
    188. OleMissCub----------------Ryan -
    189. Jbooth-------------James Booth - 1950, Gilbert, AZ
    190. AlexC------------------------- - Birmingham, England
    191. philkid3--------Robbie Griffin - June 7, 1985, Kennewick, WA
    192. UrbanShocker13-Steve Osuchowski - November 13, 1979
    193. richie hebner--------------Ray - Detroit, MI
    194. gojays---------------Ian Usher - Toronto, Ontario
    195. George H Ruth-----------George - June 17, 1958, New York City
    196. stejay------------Steven Jones - Cleveland, OH
    197. Ninja Boi------------------Jay - February, 1967, Lancashire, England
    198. blacksilverfan12--Bryce Maddox - February, 13, 1990, San Luis Obispo, CA
    199. keystone------------------Judy - September 13, 1946, San Antonio, TX
    200. oldschoolyankee------------Ken - November 22, 1962, Franklin Town., NJ
    
    Page 9.
    
    201. YankeeFanUK--------------Steve - August, 1965, England
    202. wrigleybum-------------------- - August 3, 1989, Minneapolis, MN
    203. RubeWaddell19--------------Jay - Bradford, PA
    204. yeszir-------------------David -  1987, Boston, MA
    205. Tenorman------------------John -  May 14, 1962, Cold Lake, Alberta, Canada
    206. JasonNewEra--------------Jason - February 22, 1983, Westland, MI
    207. AstrosFan---------------Judson - 1982, Texas
    208. giantsrule-----------Hector L. - 1987, Sacramento, CA
    209. nyyfan--------------------Nick -  June 10, 1993, across the river from Louisville, KY
    210. Solrac---------Jeancarlos Nava - April 12, 1992, Santa Cruz, Aruba
    211. ShuttlePilot--------------Jane - Wyoming
    212. Domenic-------------Domenic L. - Buffalo, NY
    213. 108stitches------------------- - Moose Jaw, SK, Canada
    214. Allie Fox--------------------- - -1967
    215. Afterglow----------------Steve - June 24, 1983, Millington, TX
    216. Civil War posts
    217. Tyrus4189Cobb----
    218. davidsb----------------------- - -June 3, 1963
    219. MyMorningJacket------------Dan -  December 21, 1986  
    221. Brutus26------------------------ - - 1985 - Ohio
    222. Heals Going Nine
    223. gman5431--------------G Rizzle - Cincinnati
    224. soxfan34---------------------- - Boston
    225. Shea_goodbye-------------Sean - 1991
    
    Page 10.
    
    226.  ol' aches and pains--------Ken - 1949
    227.  BlueCrew08----Edward James Lucio - Avondale, Arizona
    228.  swingman24-----Chris - October 22, 1980
    229.  wcs71401-------John - August 18 1975
    230.  RSAmetsfan---------- - South Africa
    231.  RangerFanInNE-----Nick - Lincoln, NE,  1980
    232.  GoTribe --------------- - Germany, 1984
    233.  3and0------------Greg Brady -  1993, Cold Lake, Alberta, Canada
    234.  George H Ruth-------George - Toronto, Canada
    235.  Francoeurstein-----Brandon Matics - March 9, 1995
    236.  fan--------------Chuck - 1957
    240.  9RoyHobbsRF-----Cary C. - 1958, Federal Way, WA
    241.  Lurch------------------- - 1982, St. Louis, MO
    242.  NJMetfan4life---------Chris P - August 19, 1994
    243.  AJbaseball00024---Andrew R. Johnson - Brooklyn, NY,  October 31, 1992
    244.  killebrewski------Jason - West Chester, PA,  May 23, 1974
    August, 1972: Trude Heller Dancers, Bill Burgess / Carol Fasano. Carol has always been my Muse and my idol. And my dear friend.

    August, 1972: Trude Heller Dancers, Carol (Fasano) Lugo / Bill Burgess. Carol now goes by her married name, 'Carol Lugo'.
    She was recently featured on 'America Got Talent', August, 2009. She was the 62 year old A & P super-market cashier from Jersey City, NJ.

    March 15, 1975: Bill Burgess / former girlfriend. Inset, from my 1980 Cal. Driver's license.

    -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------1993: Bill Burgess dancing at a San Jose, CA dance club.

    September, 1999: I visited my ballet teacher from the 1970's, Wilson Morelli, in his beautiful San Diego, CA condo in September, 1999. He had been living with Aids since the late 1980's. Sadly, my dear friend/teacher passed away on March 18, 2005. Wilson had run Morelli Ballet in NYC, 1963-1989. May you rest in peace, dear friend.


    Three more publicity shots of me and Carol (Fasano) Lugo from Brooklyn. All from the same session, August, 1972.




    Originally posted by Bill Burgess
    I just added some photos to my original post. Hope you like them.
    Originally posted by keystone
    Those are, um, amazing? Seriously, it's fun to see you when you were young(er) and dashing. And, yeah, catcher24 is right about that mug -- you look like Koufax!

    I think we should all be required to post our prom photos. Mercifully, I don't know how!
    Originally posted by keystone
    Is this the girl who refused your offer to accompany you to the prom? How come she got to wear all of the make-up?

    What was this dance for? Community theater? College production? Broadway?
    Originally posted by Bill Burgess
    Oh no. The girl in the above photos was my rock dance partner. Carol Fasano. We worked at Trude Heller's in west Greenwich Village in NYC, 1972.

    She had worked there previously, with 2 other fantastic male partners. This photo shoot was paid for by a generous customer, who felt we should have professional 8x10 glossy photos. We went to a private photo studio, and these are from that photo session. I'm still in touch with Carol. She's my muse.
    Originally posted by keystone
    What a great story. And so cool that y'all are still in touch with each other... Greenwich Village, huh? Very counter-cultural of you!
    Last edited by Chadwick; 07-24-2022, 03:36 AM.

  • #2
    WB-Glad to hear you made it through everything ok. I know what you mean about the thoughts of mortality, recently turned 50.

    As far as my passion for baseball, I came by it by playing with my older brother and neighbors. My brother and the older neighbor brother played against me and the younger brother, my age. I still don't remember how in the world you play BB [this wasn't whiffle or corkball] with 2 players on a team, but we did. When we got a bit older, all the kids in the neighborhood would meet at a empty lot and play pick up games. We played all day in the summer and would meet after school during spring and early fall, usually switching to football games after the World Series. Played for about 6 years in local version of Little League, but always found our unsupervised games were much more fun. The older guys let us little kids play, but felt free to verbally abuse us. Toughened you up quickly and really learned how to properly and colorfully use profanity. Got turned off on bb around age 14 by a manager who was similar to Vic Morrow's character in "Bad News Bears"
    Played a little in high school, but wasn't blessed with very good eye-sight, couldn't hit a curve, I was much better at football [a fullback, could really run then]

    As far as MLB, what got me initially turned on was the bb cards on the back of Post Cereal boxes. Then I found out they came in gum packages!! I was a junkie for a couple of years, for the cards and that awful pink, hard gum. But I also starting paying attention to Cards radio broadcasts, with Harry Caray and Jack Buck, the greatest team ever, that my Mom usually had on. My dad took me & my brother to our first game, 7/17/62, saw Musial hit a HR to whip the Cubs. Was completely hooked. Parents would take us to Sportsman's Park about 10 times a year, usually for Sunday doubleheaders, since my dad worked most Saturdays.

    Besides St. Louis, I've lived in Chicago, KC, Dallas and Atlanta, but have never wavered in my loyalty to the Cards. I'm also a passionate NFL fan, but find I have more of a league interest than devotion to one team, which has changed over the years from the Cardinals, Packers, Steelers, Dolphins, Bear, Chiefs, and Rams. I will freely admit I'm a fair weather football fan, life is too short to root for lousy teams. And I won't root for the Rams again as long as Martz is coach.

    I prefer football on TV, but bb is my favorite to watch in person, although seeing the KC Chiefs at Arrowhead was special. I love the history of baseball more than any other sport and this is a great spot to share it.
    --------------------------------------------------------------------------
    addendum on Dad:
    Well, it's Memorial Day and I'd like to thank my Dad and all the other ones who served their country. Dad was 29 when the Japs hit Pearl Harbor, he probably could have sat the war out, but enlisted and was inducted on NY Eve, 1941. He was dating my Mom and she was pissed, cause she didn't have a date that night. Served 4 years, flying in USN PBY's. Went by yesterday to Jefferson Barracks Nat. Cemetery and placed flowers on his grave yesterday. I had the privilege of being with him at the end, 2 years ago at the nursing home I stopped by and he was in very bad shape, died about 20 minutes later.

    I mentioned earlier about as a kid, playing ball with older kids and first time I was playing, they stuck me in the outfield and I must have dropped or misplayed a dozen balls. was called every name in the book, came home bawling my eyes out. Told my dad what happened, on Sunday [his only day off] he took me up to the playground, told me something about watching the rotation of the ball. He wasn't much of a ballplayer, but he got me to keep my eye on the ball as he hit me fly balls for a couple of hours. I could catch a fly ball and the older guys stopped screaming at me in our sandlot games.

    Thanks Dad.
    --------------------------------------------------------------------------
    addendum on Family:
    Mentioning women, I hooked up with a wonderful gal about 25 years ago [still looks great,too!] and although we've had our ups and downs, still together, with 2 daughters, 18 & 15. I never had any sisters and I was talking about earlier our neighborhood, it was virtually all guys, for some reason. [Thankfully, there was a lot of gals in surrounding neighborhoods and at school] So living in a household of women has been, at times, a strange existence. They have different priorities and can't understand why I could sit and watch 6 hours of football on Sunday or why on Saturday night I would prefer to watch Fla.-FSU football game, rather than rent a movie, when I say I hate both teams. Or on weeknights, when I prefer watching the Cards game on TV to some nitwit network show. Fortunately, my wife indulges my passions for football, baseball and golf and realizes that I do require some male bonding, which usually involves meeting my buds at a bar and watching sports or going to a game.

    Enjoy reading the other posts. You younger guys...man, enjoy yourselves! The time goes by so quickly and there's only so much you can see or do.
    --------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Bill, I agree BB was more popular when we were kids, not necessarily as for measurable things like attendance or TV revenue, but as for interest among kids, what they talked about, etc. I'm a traditionalist about the game, loved the old ballparks, hated AstroTurf, domes, the silly uniform trend, now I hate the pants pulled down to the shoes, not to mention the stinking over- commercialization of the game.

    Spent 18 years working for a major airline that will probably file Chapter 11 in the near future. Have been a professional BS artist the last 11, in other words, sales. Maximum amount of $ for least amount of work. The airline thing enabled me to travel and see the Cards in lot of ballparks around the country.
    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Pet Peeves:

    Ok, here's what's driving me nuts....COMMERCIALS...tv, radio, at ballgames, at movies, not to mention annoying pop-ups on my favorite web-site [HINT,HINT, BBF] I mean I could accept in the old days, watching or listening to a baseball game, there would be a minute break between innings, then back to the game and Harry Caray or Jack Buck would do a few ad-lib mentions about popping open a cold Busch or Bud, but now every single event has a sponsor tie-in, such as someone going out to visit the pitcher, or an argument with an ump, or bringing in someone from the bullpen. Not to mention all the various clutter that's shoved on the screen. In this day of the internet, do we really need the crawler on the bottom of the screen giving us every possible score? How about watching football, a team scores, kicks the PAT, then 3 minutes of commercials, kickoff [usually a touchback] 3 more minutes of commercials. I've got news for these marketing genuises,WE HAVE REMOTES!! only a brain-dead zombie would sit and pay attention to the endless ads for autos, cellphones and fast foods. Oh yeah, plus continous promos for all these new series coming up on Fox, CBS, etc.

    On regular tv viewing, spend a lot of time with TCM and FMC, no commercials, which is why I rarely watch AMC anymore. Plus I subscribe to HBO and Cinemax, very same reason. Because I spend I bit of time driving during the week, got the XM sattelite radio, no ads on the music channels.

    How about ads they run at ballgames? At the Rams ugly dome, they blast these things over the PA. The cheerleaders stand at solemn attention, as if they were doing the national anthem.
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    His Official Opinions:


    Ok, I'm better now.
    Last edited by Bill Burgess; 06-30-2006, 08:50 PM.
    It Might Be? It Could Be?? It Is!

    Comment


    • #3
      Name: Jeremy

      Age: 33

      Home: born and raised in Asheville, North Carolina located in the Western NC mountains

      Schooling: Candler Elementary grades 1-8
      Enka High School grades 9-12
      University of North Carolina at Asheville 2 years
      North Carolina State University 2 years
      (Degree - Masters in Business and Art)

      Employment: I have helped my Mother and Father in their self-owned Antique business since I was seven and continue part time to this day. I opened my own sportscard shop in 1984 while still in school and it is my full-time business in 2005. 20+ years and still going strong.

      I have been a sports fan since I was very young. Baseball, Football, Boxing and Hockey are sports I enjoy.

      Hobbies: Antiques (collect vintage tin toys and vintage movie and TV Cowboy items), Sportscards, Paintball, Board games, Videogames, Comic Books, Trivia, Reading, and of course watching television

      Favorite Books: Chronicles of Amber, Glory of their Times, The Name of the Rose, Grapes of Wrath, The Hobbit, True Detctive, Dirty White Boys, The Thin Man

      Favorite Movies: The Searchers, The Raiders of the Lost Ark, The Natural, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, Dr No, The Untouchables, Blade Runner, Yankee Doddle Dandy, Sgt. York, High Noon, The Wild Bunch, Star Wars, The Outlaw Josey Wales, The Dirty Dozen, The Omega Man, The Seven Samurai

      Favorite Actors: John Wayne, William Powell, Harrison Ford, Brad Pitt, Clint Eastwood, Bob Hope, Dean Martin, Jeffery Hunter, Clint Walker, Lee Marvin, Charles Bronson, Charlton Heston, Tishiro Mifune, Cary Grant

      Favorite Bands: The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, The Cure, The Eagles, Van Morrison, Smashing Pumpkins, Johnny Cash, Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby

      Favorite Songs: Spirit in the Sky, Ring of Fire, Yellow Submarine, Paint It Black, Give Me Shelter

      Favorite Athletes: Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays, Jim Brown, Jim Thorpe, Frank Thomas, Walter Johnson, Joe Louis, Jesse Owens, Johnny Unitas, Red Grange, John L. Sullivan, Jack Johnson, Eddie Shore, Gordie Howe, Ted Williams


      Just some stuff about little ole me.

      - Jeremy

      I have several ex-professional athletes in my family. Baseball players and Bowlers.
      --------------------------------------------------------------------------
      I was at NC State for two years and they were productive for my degree. I am a huge NC State baseball, basketball, and football fan.

      My love for baseball started in the mid 1970's watching NBC Game of the Week and listening to Mel Allen. My fondest memories are of Johnny Bench, Mike Schmidt, Hank Aaron, Tom Seaver, Joe Morgan, etc.

      The name of my sportscard shop is Strike Zone.

      I was able to meet Charlton Heston back in 1985 at a Planet of the Apes SciFi con in Atlanta, GA. I had my picture taken with him and he shook my hand along with an original The Omega Man movie poster autographed.

      I am a Ty Cobb fan but Babe Ruth's ability to pitch and hit amaze me so my vote goes for The Babe.
      -------------------------------------------
      Jeremy's Official Opinions:
      Last edited by Bill Burgess; 06-30-2006, 08:54 PM.

      Comment


      • #4
        Name: Adam

        Age: 36

        Location: San Jose, CA

        Team Affilation: SF Giants!!!!!!!!!!!!

        I fell in love with baseball through collecting baseball cards about 1977. I had a friend that had just moved across the street from Japan. He always talked about some Giants player named Sadaharu Oh. I grew up in a town called Watsonville which is about 95 miles south of San Francisco. I loved the Giants of course. Willie McCovey came to our Little League banquet in 1979. That was so awesome!!!

        My high school years ('82-'86) were a down time for the Giants so I got chided a lot for my Giants' fan fever. In my senior yearbook one teacher referred to me as "the last of the great Giants' fans".

        I went to college at Cal Poly Sate University in San Luis Obispo, CA. Immediately the Giants became good, with Will Clark, Matt Williams, and Robbie Thompson. I still remember where I was when the Giants won the NL pennant in 1989. I was washing dishes in the cafeteria on campus. I brought a radio to work and I still remember Hank Greenwald making the call (Sandberg grounded out to Thompson).

        I played baseball through little league when I discovered I was a very good distance runner so I focused on that. I was really good in high school. One of my regrets was never trying out for the Cal Poly X-country team. :grouchy

        I've always read books. As a kid I'd used to go to the public library and read all kinds of books including baseball books. I remember reading Honig and Ritter's baseball books. There was a book on the history of the World Series that went through the 1972 WS. I memorized every World Series Champion when I was 11 years old!

        I am now a Senior Mechanical Design Engineer for Lockheed Martin in Sunnyvale, CA. (I actually start this job on May 9th) I am getting married in one week, April 30th!!

        My favorite players:
        Barry Bonds, Honus Wagner, Frank Thomas, Eric Davis, Rickey Henderson, Joe Morgan, Eddie Collins, Rube Wadell, Mike Schmidt, George Brett, Walter Johnson, Christy Mathewson, Lefty Grove, Jackie Robinson, Sadaharu Oh, Yogi Berra, Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays.
        --------------------------------------------------------------------------
        I ran a 2:03 800 m, 4:26 1600m, and a 9:43 3200m. Aslo ran a 35:02 10K. My track times were form 1986 and the 10 K from 1985...I am moving to San Jose next week. I work in the aerospace industry and I start a new job at Lockheed Martin in Sunnyvale next month!
        --------------------------------------------------------------------------
        Of course! So would Jim Ryun, Gerry Lindgren, and Marty Liquori. These guys were genetic freaks!! The mid 1960s was a great time for young American distance runners. It's been all down hill ever since for America. Some side info. My high School mile record was set in 1966 at 4:13. It still stands today. My high school x-country and track coach was a teammate of the record holder. He said this guy was the most gifted runner he had ever seen. He ran the 4:13 on very little training.
        Last edited by Honus Wagner Rules; 01-10-2013, 12:59 PM.
        Strikeouts are boring! Besides that, they're fascist. Throw some ground balls - it's more democratic.-Crash Davis

        Comment


        • #5
          Name: Russell

          Age: 20

          Home: Tacoma, Washington

          Schooling: St. Martin's College, Political Science

          Employment: Currently unemployed.

          Hobbies: Baseball, Football, Poetry, Politics.


          Favorite Movies: Clerks, Mallrats, Dogma, pretty much anything by Kevin Smith. Office Space, Marathon Man, Goodfellas, Raging Bull.

          Favorite Actors: Dustin Hoffman, Tom Hanks, Jack Nicholson.

          Favorite Director: Kevin Smith.

          Favorite Bands: The Beatles, John Lennon (Solo), Johnny Cash, Nirvana, Dropkick Murphys, Green Day, Jimi Hendrix Experience, REM.

          Favorite Songs: Happy Christmas, End of the World, American Idiot, Lithium, Hurt (Cash version), A Boy name Sue, and anything ANYTHING by Jimi.

          Favorite Athletes: Carl Yastrzemski, Pat Borders (real life Crash Davis), Steve Prefontaine, Steve Largent, Tom Brady, John Kitna, Rocky Marciano.
          Last edited by tearforamariner; 04-23-2005, 01:48 PM.

          Comment


          • #6
            OK, here goes:

            Name: Geoff
            Age: 27
            Born: June 5, 1977 in Indianapolis, Indiana
            Moved to Weston, Missouri in 1983. Now live in Platte City, MO.

            I have my brother to thank for my interest in baseball. My bro played a lot of Little League and in High School. He was never much of a hitter, but was an excellent fielder.
            Me? I was NEVER much of an athlete when I was a kid, mostly because I wasn't interested in sports when I was in grade school, so I never practiced. I was always the smallest kid in my class. My interest in sports grew as I got older, but I never possessed any special athletic ability. I participated in Track and Wrestling in High School. I was a decent sprinter in Track. I only wrestled for 1 year, cuz rolling around on the mat with sweaty guys didn't suit my fancy.
            Following High School, I began working out vigorously, and added 40 lbs of muscle to my frame. I now weigh 155 lbs with 5% body fat. I used to weigh 115 lbs in High School. No wonder I was always picked on! :o
            I now attend college at Missouri Western State College in St. Joseph, MO. I started in 1999, and am pursuing a Communications degree with a scriptwriting emphasis. I am not currently going this semester, as money's kinda tight right now. I enjoy writing stories and scripts, and am currently (slowly) working on a project that I hope will turn into a movie or TV series someday.

            My interest in baseball grew over the years playing computer simulation games with my brother, and I fell in love with baseball statistics. Baseball is NOT my favorite sport to watch! Football and basketball are much more exciting to watch. I do NOT watch today's baseball games. Some of the reason is cuz I lost interest in it with the strike of '94 and am losing more interest by the year as more players take roids. There has also been no player in recent history that is truly captivating, like Michael Jordan in basketball or Jerry Rice and Barry Sanders in football. But in terms of history and statistics, baseball is by far the most interesting sport, and that is why it captivates me, and that is why I'm here on Baseball Fever. I mostly enjoy comparing players, debating who's better, and creating all-time Dream Teams.


            Employment: I am currently working at a fitness center in Platte City, training people to work out and get in shape. I'm only working 25 hours a week, though, and am seeking better employment.

            Hobbies: Working out, Writing, Surfing the web and Baseball Fever , Swimming, Videogames, Watching TV, Reading, Big-Boned Women

            Favorite Movies: Back to the Future Trilogy, American Graffiti, Indiana Jones Trilogy, Star Wars Trilogy, Jaws, Field of Dreams, The Natural, Somewhere in Time (I like that one too, Bill!), Big Trouble in Little China, Rocky I thru V, Rambo I thru III, The Exorcist, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Superman I & II, and the list goes on and on!

            Favorite TV Shows: Wonder Years, Honeymooners, Incredible Hulk, Quantum Leap, Family Ties, Three's Company, Star Trek (original series)

            Favorite Songs: Beat It, Real American (Hulk Hogan's theme song in the 80's), Hurts So Good, Satisfaction, Back In Black, You Shook Me All Night Long, Flashdance, I Love Rock 'n' Roll, All I Need, Jailhouse Rock, If I Can Dream (from Elvis' 68 Comeback Special)

            Favorite Musical Artist: Elvis Presley - I was raised on him by my mother. He is my favorite entertainer, period! Other musical artists I like are the Rolling Stones, Motown from the 60's, Led Zeppelin, John Cougar Mellencamp, Michael Jackson (in the 80's), Rick Springfield, Van Halen, AC/DC, Def Leppard, Bon Jovi, U2, Duran Duran, Hall & Oates, and the list goes on and on! As you can see, I'm heavily slanted towards 80's music, but Elvis is the King and my all-time fave!

            Favorite Actors: Sylvester Stallone, Kurt Russell, Michael J. Fox, Mel Gibson, Elvis, Harrison Ford, AH-nold Schwarzenegger, Jackie Chan

            Favorite Athletes: Michael Jordan, Babe Ruth, Jerry Rice, Barry Sanders, Hulk Hogan

            Favorite Superheroes: As my avatar suggests - Superman! Also, the Incredible Hulk, and Wonder Woman (hubba hubba)

            Favorite Sports: WWF Wrestling in the 80's - Hands down the most entertaining sport ever! Today's wrestling sucks!
            Oh yes, and there's baseball (old-time baseball), football and basketball.

            Favorite Sports teams: Football - Indianapolis Colts, since I was born there. Used to like Montana-and-Rice-led 49ers, and Sanders-led Lions. Basketball - Chicago Bulls, specifically the Jordan-led Bulls. Baseball - since I don't watch today's game, NONE. Used to be the Royals in the 80's. College football and basketball - Notre Dame and Indiana!

            My birth state of Indiana and birthtown of Indianapolis will always remain special in my heart! I'm a Hoosier and proud of it!
            --------------------------------------------------------------------------
            Geoff's Official Opinions:



            That's all I can think of right now!
            Last edited by Bill Burgess; 06-30-2006, 09:20 PM.
            Red, it took me 16 years to get here. Play me, and you'll get the best I got.

            Comment


            • #7
              Name: Mark
              Age: 45
              Born: Michigan, about 50 miles north of Detroit
              Now Live: Washington, about 85 miles south of Seattle
              Education: History degree from University of Hawaii
              Employment: Spent some time in the Navy after college and retired from the Navy Reserve last year. Manage a drug store now.
              Hobbies: I used to read alot (mostly fantasy genre and , of course, baseball history, references and novels) , but most of the that time now goes to BBF. Gardening in the summer. Movies in the offseason or offdays/day games during the season. Fortunately, my wife is a baseball fan also - although not a fan of all the time I spend here. I've got 2 year old and 2 month old granddaughters who get most of my free time when I'm not with you guys and sometimes the 2 year old helps me with my posts.
              Baseball background: I grew up a Tigers fan. My father and grandfathers were all fans. We went to a few games a year and watched or more often listened (there were only a dozen or so televised games a year in those days) to mst of the rest. Strongest early baseball memory was being at the park for Denny Mclain's 30th win in 1968. Besides being a Tigers fan, I collected cards (a hobby that didn't follow me into adulthood) and played Strat-O-Matic. As some you know, SOM has been replaced by Diamondmind as my game of choice in the computer age.
              --I played Little League and American Legion ball and watched from the bench in junior college, but had more love than talent for the game. I was actually better at basketball, but wasn't exactly Micheal Jordan there either.
              --I haven't lived in Tigers country for over 20 years and they haven't been an easy team to follow long distance for awhile. I lived in Japan for a few years and Hawaii for longer and didn't really watch alot of baseball in those years. I've lived in Washington since 1995 and the Mariners gradually displaced the Tigers as my team. My wife is a big M's fan and we don't miss many games, although we only get to the park in person a few times a year.
              --------------------------------------------------------------------------
              addendum on Family:
              --Bill, I have 2 granddaughters ages 2 years and 2 months. My son is 23. I do feel a little guilty sometimes about the amount of time I spend here, but there are alot of worse vices I could have (and some that I used to in my younger days).
              --I share your enjoyment of the Dune series (the books, moreso than the movie versions) and the original Star Wars trilogy. Liked the Lord of the Rings movies even more than the books. Best books I've read recently are George RR Martin's "Song of Fire and Ice" series, of which he is a year behind schedule on the latest (and conclusion?).
              ------------------------------------------------------
              Mark's Official Opinions:

              Last edited by Bill Burgess; 01-14-2012, 04:58 PM.

              Comment


              • #8
                Well 1st I am a big Star Wars fan as well Bill, I love the games and such and as a kid, I built Star Destroyers and landscapes with cardboard boxes to go with my action figures (I sold the action figures about the time of the announcement of The Phantom Menace for around 5K)

                Ok - On to my very fast mini-bio.

                Born in '75.
                Grew up VERY poor, and excelled at athletics and was an honor student until puberty when baseball and women became my loves and school work slipped.
                My Mom started drinking heavily after marrying my step father, maybe something to do with thinking he would leave...the man was in love with her and 30 years later he is still with her.

                Had my 1st. son in '92 at age 17, mother stopped drinking 4 years later when she met him, I call him her Guardian Angel.

                A scout came to look at a pitcher we had (Justin Gardner) but was not impressed by his mechanics, and noticed that I called an excellent game, showed him my notes on every one of our opponents and he asked me to come to Mets Rookie Camp during the summer.
                Went to Mets Rookie Camp at the end of June, '93.
                Met the fabulous 3 (Bill Pulshipher, Isringhusen and Wilson) Pulshiper was a jerk, but this year I would find we suffered from the same mental illness. Mets had a Catcher by the name of Todd Hundley (who only I thought I was better then...and well look now) and so my lite bat, and my wanton to get HBP and walk more then hit was my undoing (only 1 player stole on me in that trial and it was with a man on 3rd). So my defense was spot on...but realized with technology my strength was not a strength at that level...
                I hit around .180 with 5 HBP and Pulsipher made me look real silly once.

                Joined the Army in August of 1993, at the completion of Boot Camp was sent to Somalia, 2 months after Black Hawk Down...was shot in the left knee, half of my knee is plastic, received Purple Heart and instead of medical discharge got Pool PT and recuperated. Sent to Haiti in '94, Panama in '95, and if I reupped would have been sent to Ft. Bragg and sent to Bosnia instead of Japan where I wanted to go. (A sailor and Marine raped a woman in Okinawa around this time and we had to move our base to an offshore oil rig, maybe some of you remember this.)

                Was married in 1994, divorced in '99.

                Second Son was born in '98.

                Have custody of both my boys.

                Worked in various jobs but landed a job at Sealy as HR/Payroll Manager, and thus started my Payroll, HR, Accountant twisting career.

                Moved to TX around 2001 or around there, met a woman who played me like a violin and got pregnant in order to collect 18 years of child support (her actions after the pregnacy dictates no other motive.)
                So I have 2 sons and a daughter I probably will never see.

                In 2003 moved back to NY, my career in shatters....went back to school, and my Stocks have plummeted (had Krispy Kreme stock..yah !) so now I am looking for work.

                Recently the Tri City Valley Cats wanted me to tryout, but I can't see myself making a living at my age in the Minors with 2 kids and a child support payment.

                Oh and my sons did not take after me in athletic ability, but my youngest has my terrible perfectionist trait.

                umm for Music, I like songs more than Artists.
                Books, I like The Face by Koontz and Bang the Drum slowly by L'Armour (one of his rare non-western titles).

                Baseball book - I am a business guy, so I like the "Economics of Baseball".


                I don't like football, basketball all that much, even though with all my anger issues I was quite the MLB in High School, and 6th man in B-ball they were just frustrating to me...Fouls in basketball and penalties in football (yea I was sort of a dirty player). Baseball was one game where the rules fitted me...if a guy tried to bowl me over a pop in the nose with my glove and the ball would make sure he wouldn't do it again...hard slide into second was a given with me.

                Favorite Players
                Sherry Magee
                George Cutshaw
                Ty Cobb
                Juan Samuel
                Garry Maddox
                Pepper Martin
                Rube Waddell


                I guess that's it for me, unless someone knows of any Accounting jobs to offer me
                --------------------------------------------------------------------------
                Well it also shows where some of my weaknesses come into play.
                I get along fine with you Bill...(after all I've been through, discussing whether Negro League players were HOF worthy or just decent ballplayers is not a life or death argument) but do NOT change your way of debating me...this is the ONLY Forum I have found that I love for the sake of all involved (yes even RMB and his needling) and wouldn't want anyone to change their perception of how to deal with me because my life has basically stunk. That would be pity, and I never needed that.

                I do find I have more patience and open mindeness for my elders and contemporaries then I do for a pseudo-wise 22 year old that thinks they have figured it all out. In fact I despise those people...and will be very blunt in saying so (college was a headache this year) I do have to work on that, and I also realize I am the type of person you either love or hate and there is no in-between.

                But I don't expect or want any more respect because of my life, I am quite anti-authority myself after the Army, and was one of the many that spoke out on the War in Iraq, and realized that the Terrorist Attacks of 9-11 did come from how our government treats them as a whole (not exactly well received by blind patriots in this country).

                As for the women, well, because of my home life, I always wanted the stable 30 year marriage full of compromise, understanding and perhaps sacrificing excitement for stability, which has led to wrong and hasty decisions. I realize after the last one, it just is not going to happen...but what can ya do?

                Even Superman had a weakness, mine is the women I choose.
                Last edited by Imapotato; 07-08-2013, 10:25 AM.

                Comment


                • #9
                  My real name is Roger. Born in Chicago (far South Side) in 1935 (I will turn 70 this summer!). Went to Catholic grade school and high school in Chicago, then to Johns Hopkins Univ, majoring in Engineering. (Some of my best friends became doctors, but I could never stand the sight of blood.)

                  During WWII we always played "War" with the enemy being the "gang" on the other end of our block. I was the leader of "Roger's Gang" but that all ended when the war ended -- and my good friend Marty moved to Chicago from New Jersey. We were in sixth grade.

                  He taught me and others to play sports -- mostly baseball and football. We all became White Sox fans but in those days we all needed a "backup" team that actually contended for the pennant. Marty's backup was the DiMaggio and the Yankees, mine was Williams, Stephens and the Red Sox. Others like the Musial and the Cardinals. But we all hated the Cubs!

                  My Dad was a great baseball fan and told me lots of stories about the teams of old -- especially Babe Ruth and the Yankees. He also took me and a couple friends to one or two White Sox games each year but I didn't have much interest until sixth grade (when Marty moved into our neighborhood).

                  Our gang (I remained the nominal leader but at least five or six were better players than I was) played pickup ball against others kids our age until 8th grade. Then in high school (and when I was home from college in the summer) we played in park leagues. We played slow-pitch softball on Tuesday and Friday nights, then fast pitch BASEBALL on Sundays. We were a great team in softball, usually playing against teams with players in their late 20's or early 30's -- and we usually scored lots of runs and won the league. But baseball on Sunday was different -- we had two good pitchers and a pretty good fielding team, but rarely scored. We won some games by 1-0 or 2-1 but also lost 2-1 or 3-1. We never scored more than one or two runs in a game -- usually with Marty getting on first, stealing second and then advancing on ground outs. I both baseball and softball I played second base and Marty was shortstop. I tried out for our varsity baseball team in college -- but after I ducked from an inside fastball they could get me out easily on curve balls.

                  About six of us from our softball team formed a league with APBA baseball teams (the APBA MAster Game) and that's where I started my interest in baseball history.

                  I was married shortly after graduating from college. 48th Anniversary later this year! We have six children (3 boys, 3 girls) and nine grandchildren.
                  Most of my life I worked in "Quality": Quality Control Engineer, Quality Manager, Reliability Manager, Director of Quality. I worked for only two companies but was transferred a number of times. We have lived in Milwaukee, Cincinnati, Minneapolis, Pittsburgh, Oklahoma City, and San Antonio. Some of those places more than once. Now retired and living in Oklahoma.

                  Favorite sports movies: Monty Stratton Story; Pride of the Yankees; the Natural.

                  Favorite music: almost anything from the 1950's. Very little music that I like after the mid-1970's.

                  Major interest here is college football.
                  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                  Originally posted by [email protected]
                  For those who haven't already done so, I'd like to re-invite all here to mention their Dads/Moms. Was your Dad/Mom your hero/heroine?

                  Also pet peeves, or what drives you nuts!. Also, your kids, anything more on music, etc. After a little while, I'll add your addenums to your original bios.
                  Most fitting that I should read this post today (Feb 1). My hero was my Dad, and if he were still alive today would be his 96th birthday. From what others have told me, Dad was a good athlete in his younger days but I remember him only as a scratch-handicap golfer. He would almost always win our church annual golf tournament, and as a city policeman he several times won the Longest Drive contest of their annual tournament. He actually had low gross at the police tournament only once or twice -- but if he could putt like a pro he could have been a pro golfer. The week he died (at age 65, after suffering a severe stroke the year before) he player 18 holes on Monday, 18 holes on Wednesday, and then was hit with congestive heart failure when he got home Wednesday afternoon. He died the next morning.

                  Dad was ten years old during the 1919 World Series, and the stories he told me of that event pretty well match the story of "Eight Men Out". Living on the South Side of Chicago at that time, Dad's personal hero was Buck Weaver, whom he remembered as possibly the best third-baseman ever. (Either Buck Weaver or Pie Traynor.) Dad helped me appreciate baseball history because he made it live for me.

                  I first came to appreciate baseball stats as a kid by playing the "Ethan Allen All-Star Baseball Game" -- but even more after my freshman year of college when I ordered my first set of APBA. I bought what was perhaps the very first edition of that game in Fall 1953 or Spring 1954. When I returned home the following summer, four friends and I organized and played a league using the "APBA Master Game" and their All-Time Great Teams. We played baseball on Sunday, slow pitch softball on Tuesday and Friday nights, and APBA the other nights of the week. My team was the 1934 St. Louis Cardinals. Until then I never heard of Ripper Collins!

                  I have three sons (adults now, of course) and the younger two are still great fans of baseball. Besides playing themselves in high school, they are avid fans of baseball stats and trivia. They learned their grade school arithmetic thru their working with baseball stats. When my younger boys were in 3rd and 5th grade I bought them their first APBA Master Game, and they loved it. They found a use of baseball stats! The game formed the foundation of their understanding of sabermetrics today.

                  Their older brother "Mike" was in 9th grade at that time, but by then his time was fully occupied with music: school band (French horn); school orchestra (cello) -- and he formed a combo group that played in restaurants in suburban Pittsburgh. In that group Mike played guitar and banjo. (Mike quit playing baseball in sixth grade when I -- as a designated parent-umpire -- called him out on a pitch he still insists was NOT A STRIKE!) Mike also composed music, and his middle-school had a concert "featuring the music of Paul Simon and (my son) Mike. He later earned a full tuition scholarship to college, majoring in voice.
                  Last edited by Bill Burgess; 02-12-2006, 07:11 AM.
                  Luke

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Name: John
                    Age: 13, almost 14
                    Live In: New Hampshire

                    Favorite Sports: Baseball, Football, Basketball, Hockey

                    Favorite Films (In Order Of Greatness): The Exorcist, Pulp Fiction, The Godfather, One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, The Empire Strikes Back, Halloween, The Terminator, This Is Spinal Tap, Silence of the Lambs, Dirty Harry, The French Connection, South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut, Waiting For Guffman, Animal House, Rushmore, Chinatown

                    Favorite Directors: Wes Anderson, Martin Scorsese, Quentin Tarantino, Christopher Guest

                    Favorite Actors/Actresses: Jack Nicholson, Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Marlon Brando, Lee Marvin, David Cross, Jeffrey Tambor, Kate Winslet, Uma Thurman, Natalie Portman

                    Favorite TV Shows: 24, South Park, The Simpsons, Arrested Development, Family Guy, Seinfeld

                    Favorite Musicians: Bruce Springsteen, The Rolling Stones, The Clash, The Velvet Underground, Chuck Berry, The Sex Pistols, Bob Dylan, The Who, U2, The Shins, Green Day, Ray Charles, LCD Soundsystem

                    Favorite Athletes(Non baseball): Jim Brown, Bill Russell, Larry Bird, Tom Brady, Terrell Davis, Tedy Bruschi, Ladanian Tomlinson, Joe Montana, Shaquille O'Neal, Ray Bourque

                    Favorite Baseball Players: Curt Schilling, David Ortiz, Ted Williams, Yaz, Willie Mays, Pumpsie Green, Jackie Robinson, Babe Ruth, Jeff Bagwell, Frank Thomas, Kevin Millar
                    --------------------------------------------------------------------------
                    At 12, I started to really apprectiate cinematic artistry in film. Before then, I'll admit I fell for those "popcorn flicks" with little, if any, real story or true characters, but just with many explosions. However, after seeing "Pulp Fiction" on AMC, which, along with the TV show "24", is my prime inspiration for wanting to go into directing/screenwriting film and television, I began to fully appreciate the greatness of film. Most all of my favorite films of all time, most of them universally critically acclaimed, I saw after age 12, so that was a turning point in my life, I think. I began to realize that film can be a true form of artistic greatness and power, and I think, despite being lofty expectations, that's what I want to do with my life. I just love film, and in my honest opinion, it tells stories greater than books. I really like gangster films, and films that aren't "Hollywood fare", that have implausible instances for the sake of the audience. Truth be told, I love James Bond films, at least the best of the bunch, but I also like films like "Chinatown", where not everything goes the way of the protagonist. Hollywood has lost sight of what makes films great, and I want to help change that. I'd love to see Hollywood return to the way it was in the 1970s, when directors were taking chances and consistently making great films. I know I'll probably have to leave my many friends and family to go to the City of Angels to reach my goal, but I think it's going to be worth it. I saw that you like many foreign directors, such as Fellini and Bunuel (I was surprised to not see Truffaut or Godard with the bunch), and although I haven't really seen any foreign films, I'd like to see "Rififi" and "Bob Le Flambeur", two 1950s seminal foreign gangster films, sometime.
                    Last edited by Bill Burgess; 09-24-2005, 05:35 PM.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Just a little not about me.

                      Keith
                      Born in Philadelphia, May 11, 1965 - I'm looking at the big 4-0 in a few weeks.

                      Simmons Elementary School, Horsham PA until 2nd grade which technically should have been first grade, however they skipped me to the second grade for the academic achievement.

                      Avalon Elementary School, Avalon NJ 2nd grade to 8th grade. My parents moved to the Jersey shore in '72 and we lived there full time for eight years. My Dad taught at Wildwood High School and coached baseball and basketball. During the summer, my parents ran a guest house, kind of like a bed and breakfast without the breakfast. I ended up doing 2nd grade twice to get me back on my age level. While living in Avalon, I learned that I would never be a pro ballplayer when I couldn't get off the scrub team in Little League.

                      Hatboro-Horsham High School, Horsham PA, class of '83. In '80 we moved back to suburban Philly and I managed to letter in baseball three years in a row while serving as statistician and equipment manager.

                      Grove City College, Grove City PA, class of '87 B.A. in history and political science

                      Duquesne University, Pittsburgh PA, class of '90 M.A. in History with a concentration in Museum Studies. While there I wrote a paper on the formation of the National League and how it correlated to the more general trend in American Big Business. This is where I became really aware of William Hulbert. While living in Western PA I became a temporary fan of the Pirates and got to know Three Rivers Stadium quite well. I also met my wife in Grad School. We now have three girls ages 14, 11, and 3 months.

                      After I graduated from Duquesne, I worked for about a year at Bushy Run Battlefield, a French and Indian War battle site about 45 miles east of Pittsburgh. I then moved to Eckley Miners' Village, a restored coal mining company town outside of Hazleton PA on the western fringe of the Pocono Mountains. I directed all the educational programs there. one of the prgrams I introduced to the museum was the game of townball, an 1850's precursor to baseball. There was an annual game held to show the public what the game was like. I worked at Eckley until 2000.

                      In April 2000, I moved to Goldsboro NC to take a job as a teacher. I am currently teaching eighth grade social studies and science.

                      Many of you may have seen me in September of 2002 when I was a one-day champ on Jeopardy! I won $29,801 on that one- day.

                      Other personal notes -

                      Music - Classic rock, classical, show tunes (curse you, Mom!)

                      Movies - Sci Fi, but interested in all genres. Stanley Kubrick and Terry Gilliam are among the best directors ever

                      Huge fan of the Hitchhikers Guide and Monty Python
                      Let's rid baseball of the pestilence of the DH now and forever!

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Name:Will
                        Age: 25
                        Home: Born in Milwaukee, WI, but currently living in Appleton, WI

                        Schooling: Kimberly High School Alumni (2006). Attended University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh for 3 years before deciding it wasn't for me.

                        My passion for baseball comes from being in a family whom loves baseball and living in a city that loves baseball.

                        Work: Cellular Business Accounts Manager

                        Hobbies: Writing. Baseball.

                        Favorite Books: Lord of the Rings, The Great Gatsby, The Gunslinger, Wizard and Glass.

                        Favorite Movies: The Big Lebowski, No Country For Old Men, The 3rd Man, The Big Sleep, The Seventh Seal, Inglorious ********, Pulp Fiction, In the Mood for Love, The Good The Bad and the Ugly, The Dark Knight, Sin City,

                        Favorite Bands: Franz Ferdinand (Post-Punk Revival), The Avett Brothers (Alternative Bluegrass/Folk), Wilco (Alternative Country) & Pink Floyd (Psychedelic/Progressive Rock),

                        Favorite Type of Music: Post-Punk, Post-Punk Revival, Alt-Country, Bluegrass, Bebop, Big Band

                        Favorite MLB Players: Richie Ashburn, Albert Pujols, Ryan Braun, Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt, Joe Mauer, Craig Counsell, Mike Schmidt, Dustin Pedroia, Tim Wakefield, Jason Varitek, Randy Johnson

                        Favorite NHL Players: Sergai Fedorov, Marc Savard, Zdeno Chara, Teamu Selanne, Tuukka Rask, Miroslav Satan, Chris Pronger, Bobby Orr, Ray Bourque

                        Favorite NBA Players:Rajon Rondo, Paul Pierce, Larry Bird, Bill Russell, Ray Allen, Andrew Bogut, Carlos Delfino, Chris Anderson, Dirk Nowitzki, Dennis Rodman.

                        Favorite NFL Players: Brett Favre, Tom Brady, Randy Moss, Teddy Bruschi, Ben Watson, Mike Alstott, Drew Bledsoe, Adrian Peterson, Tim Tebow.

                        Favorite Actors: Sean Bean, Robert De Niro, Mark Wahlberg, Humphrey Bogart, Tony Leung, Jeff Bridges, Clive Owen.

                        Favorite Actresses: Lauren Bacall, Parker Posey, Kate Winslet.

                        Favorite Directors: Joel & Ethan Coen, Stanley Kubrick, Wong Kar Wai, Sergio Leone, Quentin Tarantino, Judd Apatow.

                        Favorite Sports Film: In my opinion, I believe Field of Dreams is THE greatest sports film of all time. To me, it speaks volumes about what baseball is to people. Baseball isn't just a sport like basketball or football. Baseball is to us as Soccer is to the rest of the world. As a child the first thing I learned about was baseball from my parents and my family. Maybe one of the reasons I love Field of Dreams, is the final scene in the film where Ray gets to have that game of catch with his dad. Unfortunately, due to injuries my dad suffered, I've never been able to play a game of catch with him. Even today, every sunday night me, my sisters, my brother in law, and my parents gather on sunday to watch the Brewers in the afternoon and then watch sunday night baseball on ESPN. I think Field of Dreams isn't just about the sport of baseball, like so many sports movies are. So many sports movies just use the sport (wether it be hockey, baseball, football, or basketball) to get a message across or to teach a lesson or tell a story. However, it is Field of Dreams that stands out at the end, as a love letter to the game, it's history, and everything baseball means to everyone who has ever appreciated as much as the people on this forum.
                        -----------------------------------------
                        Wil's Official Opinions:
                        Last edited by The Dude; 04-17-2014, 09:19 PM.
                        AL East Champions: 1981 1982
                        AL Pennant: 1982
                        NL Central Champions: 2011
                        NL Wild Card: 2008

                        "It was like coming this close to your dreams and then watching them brush past you like a stranger in a crowd. At the time you don't think much of it; you know, we just don't recognize the significant moments of our lives while they're happening. Back then I thought, 'Well, there'll be other days.' I didn't realize that that was the only day." - Moonlight Graham

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Age: 25
                          Occupation: Attorney
                          Location: New York


                          Favorite ballplayers: P. Martin, B. Martin, D. Dean, R. Waddell, R. Hornsby, D. Jeter, D. Strawberry

                          Favorite movies:: Anything 90's neo-noir (Tarrantino movies, Se7en, Fight Club, etc.); anything with Jimmy Cagney

                          Favorite Rock Bands: Nirvana, Radiohead, Hendrix, CCR, Smiths

                          Favorite Rock CD's: Don't really go by CD's, go with songs

                          Favorite "Greatest Hits" Collections: CCR Chronicle

                          Greatest Athletes of 20th Century: Jim Thorpe, Jesse Owens, Joe Louis, Barry Sanders, Michael Jordan, Carl Lewis

                          Favorite Basketball Players: Allen Iverson, Bill Laimbeer, Isiah Thomas, LeBron James, Ben Wallace

                          Favorite Football Runners: Barry Sanders, nobody else close

                          Favorite Movie Directors: Tarrantino, Hitchcock

                          Favorite Books:
                          Lolita, Vladimir Nabakov
                          Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens
                          The Castle, Franz Kafka

                          Favorite Rock Geniuses: Kurt Cobain

                          Favorite Rock Voices: Janis Joplin, Joan Baez, Maynard Keenan (Tool, A Perfrect Circle), Thom Yorke (Radiohead), John Fogerty

                          Men I admire of the 20th Century: Keynes (economist), FDR, Michael Collins (Irish revolutionary), Lyndon Johnson

                          Technically Best-Made Movies: Silence of the Lambs (best acting ever)

                          Favorite Rock Tunes:
                          Brick, Ben Folds Five
                          Paint it Black, Rolling Stones
                          Maggie's Farm, Bob Dylan
                          Where Did You Sleep Last Night, as done by Nirvana
                          Folsom Prison Blues, Johnny Cash
                          --------------------------------------------------------------------------
                          Never met my father, never got along with my mother. My grandmother raised me, and was (still is, at almost 82) a saint of a woman.
                          --------------------------------------------------------------------------
                          Jim's Official Opinions:
                          Last edited by Bill Burgess; 06-30-2006, 08:10 PM.
                          "Simply put, the passion, interest and tradition surrounding baseball in New York is unmatched."

                          Sean McAdam, ESPN.com

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Mark Szymcik 06/09/1949,

                            Saving the BB stuff for last.

                            Grew up in Winchendon, MA. Live in Worcester MA.

                            Had Hemilitic anemia when i was 2, which made me pretty useless playing sports.
                            Ordained Catholic priest in 1975, left in 1998, Married 1999
                            Music: Van Morrison, Beatles, Bare Naked Ladies, Byrds, Neil Young, Dylan, Jimmy Buffet, Grateful Dead, Little Feat, Jefferson Airplane, Nora Jones, Avril Lavigne
                            Books: History, Science Fiction, (favorite living: Howard Waldrop favorite all time:Tolkien) Sports.

                            Grew up with everyone singing the praises of Ted Williams, followed BB through the newspapers and SI in the library.

                            First MacMillian Encyclopedia(1969) was an eye opener. Checked HR list, saw Musial just below Gehrig then looked at ABs and started number crunching! Been dealing with stats ever since.

                            Old enough to have lived through every Red Sox postseason since 1967.Still get goosebumps when I hear the replay of the final play of the 2004 series--it may sink in someday.

                            Been to Fenway, Wrigley, Shea, New Comiskey, Griffith, Old Baltimore Memorial

                            Buddy and I went to Chicago once and saw 4 games in 3 days, two at each stadium.

                            Been to more minor league games in Pawtucket lately than ML games.
                            --------------------------------------------------------------------------
                            Am a practicing married Catholic priest--just not practicing in Catholic churches.

                            I can understand the removal of the ten commandments from the courthouse for a couple of reasons. If they stayed, then because of church/state separation rules, the Buddhist, Muslim, Hindu etc equivalents would also need to be displayed. The whole point of the constitution is to allow freedom for all religions, not to push any one religion or even one religious tradition.

                            Every religion has the equivalent of the golden rule, IMHO that is what should be posted in public buildings because it covers everyone and even applies to agnostics and atheists.

                            Anyone who wants to debate religion feel free to email me at [email protected]. I am a very liberal Christian because I focus on Jesus, not on a denomination's take on Jesus. I'm convinced Jesus would not support right wing Christianity any more than He would support the over-regulated churches like the Catholic Church.
                            --------------------------------------------------------------------------
                            Addendum on Mom/Dad:
                            DAD/MOM: - Dad was one of my heroes, besides the usual stuff, he also taught us to think. 1962 during the Cuban missile crisis, I was cheering Kennedy on (I was in 8th grade) about getting the missiles out of Cuba. Dad said, "We have missiles in Turkey, what's the difference?" And any time he helped with homework, he asked, "But what does it mean?"

                            Mom raised 7 kids and always kept her sense of humor. One time she told me to stop sitting on my brother and to get up. As I started to rise after getting off Scott, she sat on me.

                            PET PEEVES: Too many to list: poorly designed websites and user manuals, teachers who believe in busy work, litterbugs, anyone with a major stake in poor companies, ISPs, etc.
                            --------------------------------------------------------------------------
                            People I admire:

                            Anyone who can successfully think outside the box:

                            Gandhi
                            Robert E. Lee for Chancellorsville et al
                            U.S. Grant for the Vicksburg manuvers
                            Napoleon, Hannibal, --lots of generals--I love military history
                            FDR for trying everything to break the great depression
                            Jackie Robinson
                            Amenhotep--first non hebrew Monotheist on record and well before most Hebrews were montheists

                            Anyone who says I can too--despite race, gender, etc.

                            Amelia Earhart
                            Jackie Robinson (yes, both lists)


                            favorite baseball people, in no order at all

                            Pedro Martinez--what an incredible record pitching in Fwnway
                            Teddy Ballgame
                            The Babe
                            The Georgia Peach
                            Earl Weaver
                            Big Papi
                            Phat Albert--best hitter since The Splinter
                            Walter Johnson--how could he win so much playing for the Senators? If he pitched for the Yankees he probably would have broken Cy's win record!
                            Branch Rickey for breaking the color barrier
                            Josh Gibson
                            Satch
                            Bill "spaceman" Lee
                            Charlie Finley
                            Bill Veeck

                            Casey Stengal
                            Yogi Berra-AS MUCH FOR THE WHAT THEY SAID AS ANYTHING
                            -------------------------------------------------------------------------
                            Mark's Official Opinions:

                            ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                            Bill and everyone,

                            I've been teaching teens and yound adults since 2000, and every class has some (note the some, not just one) students who are aware of the Beatles, Hendrix, Clapton, Doors, etc. They all think of them as groups/musicians for the ages, and the fact I saw most of them in their prime--not the Beatles, alas!--gives me lots of credibility in their eyes.

                            Mark & the Mrs. Who knew he was such a handsome cuss?
                            Last edited by Bill Burgess; 06-15-2010, 07:41 PM.

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Why not?

                              Name: Scott
                              Age: 34
                              Born: Detroit. Residing in Kettering (Dayton), Ohio.
                              Occupation: Corporate trainer for large information database. It's how you know. Disc Jockey-services for hire, with trivia my specialty.

                              Education: West Bloomfield, Michigan public schools. BA-Central Michigan University. MA-Wright State University.

                              Baseball:Ingrained. My grandfather worked at Tiger Stadium for 40+ years as "the pencil guy". Went to countless games growing up, also spent much time reading all the baseball books he would bring home from his bookstore.

                              Favorite players: Yaz, George Foster, Lou Gehrig, Ted Williams, Kent Hrbek, Roberto Clemente

                              Interests outside of baseball: Music, (jazz and rock what I listen to, but as a DJ, I need to listen to everything.) US History, with focus on Presidents, sports in general, books, movies. Road trips.

                              Favorite musical acts: John Coltrane, The Replacements, Art Blakey, Miles Davis, Led Zeppelin, Reverend Horton Heat

                              Favorite movies: Pulp Fiction, Glengarry Glen Ross, Soldier in the Rain, Wild Bunch, It's in the Bag, Napoleon Dynamite

                              Favorite actors: Steve McQueen, Humphrey Bogart, John Wayne, William H. Macy, Marx Brothers

                              Favorite Authors: Robert Ludlum, Ken Follet, John Steinbeck, Henry James, Douglas Adams, Harry Kemelman, Dick Francis, Loren Estleman

                              Childhood celebrity crush: Cheryl Ladd

                              Philosophy: Who am I to judge anybody?

                              "I've got no idols" Juliana Hatfield.
                              --------------------------------------------------------------------------
                              addendum on Dad:
                              It's from my father that I have inherited my work ethic. He worked his way through school in the Buffalo cage at the Detroit Zoo, a job he kept for a couple years after he got on at Chrysler, where he retired in a management role after some thirty years. I might not have appreciated it then, but his hard work helped put two kids through college. I'm not fond of admitting it, but I am starting to become like him as I enter middle age. I certainly have a lot more respect for him, even traveling with him to places like Cooperstown and Gettysburg. Wouldn't have dreamed of doing that ten years ago, that's for sure. I've even started to develop his fear of driving in high places, like bridges and mountains.
                              --------------------------------------------------------------------------
                              Pet peeves, eh?
                              Discourteous drivers are my biggest pet peeve. All the states I have driven to seem to have one particualr bad habit that stands out, although bad driving is everywhere. Tailgating to failure to use a turn signal to stopping to turn right or moving halfway into the right lane while turning left.
                              I cringe when I hear someone say anyways. No such word. And a lot is two words, not the combined alot.
                              --------------------------------------------------------------------
                              Scott's Official Opinions:
                              Last edited by Bill Burgess; 06-30-2006, 09:16 PM.
                              Dave Bill Tom George Mark Bob Ernie Soupy Dick Alex Sparky
                              Joe Gary MCA Emanuel Sonny Dave Earl Stan
                              Jonathan Neil Roger Anthony Ray Thomas Art Don
                              Gates Philip John Warrior Rik Casey Tony Horace
                              Robin Bill Ernie JEDI

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