I thought I was done for this year when I posted Hot Stove #295. But the recent headline news coming from the other team at the Truman Sports Complex has pulled me back in.
Those are the realities, which we can do nothing about, so I’m rewriting the headlines with positive spins …
First Eight Years – Patrick Mahomes Has Edge Over Tom Brady
Years 1-7: Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes had similar success in their first seven years. Mahomes holds a slight edge: (i) he got to the AFC championship game all seven years (to Brady’s five), and (ii) he played in five Super Bowls (to Brady’s four). They each won three Super Bowls. [Below, cool chart by Hot Stove Chart Guru Jeff Nelson]
Year 8: In Brady’s eighth season, his Patriots missed the playoffs. Same for Mahomes and the Chiefs.
Proving (hoping) that Mahomes (after injury recovery) remains on track to overtake Brady as the GOAT (Greatest of All Time). Go Chiefs!
Missouri and Kansas Agree to Bi-State Financing of Stadiums
Remember the 1996 bi-state tax election that saved Union Station? Voters in Jackson, Clay and Platte counties in Missouri and Johnson County in Kansas approved a one-eighth of a cent sales tax to redevelop Union Station and create a science museum. It has been a great success.
In 2004, an attempt was made for a similar bi-state tax to finance improvements at the Truman Sports Complex and fund regional art projects. Only Jackson County voters said yes, so that bi-state effort failed. Jackson County then proceeded on its own with a 2006 election that approved the sales tax for the stadiums that remains in place today (but will end in 2030).
In April of 2024, Jackson County voters turned down an extension of the sales tax that would have been used for a Royals downtown stadium and improvements to Arrowhead. In my Hot Stove following that “No” vote, I continued my fanboy promotion of a downtown baseball stadium and added a paragraph on the Chiefs:
[Hot Stove #250, 4/8/2024] What will the Chiefs do? Social media blew up within days after the election with rumors and speculation about a potential move to Kansas. Remember the failed 2004 bi-state proposal for the stadiums? The tax split envisioned in that election would be the indirect result if the Chiefs move to Kansas and the Royals end up downtown.
The lost election in 2024 indeed opened the door for Kansas to make a pitch for one or both teams to move across the state line. And as announced last week, the Chiefs have made a deal to move to Kansas.
What will the Royals do? Here’s hoping the team and local and state officials in Missouri quickly find a path to building a new stadium downtown. In that event, we get an accidental version of a bi-state financing for two new stadiums.
Go Royals (to downtown)!
World Series of 100, 75, 50 and 25 Years Ago: Now, some baseball nostalgia.
1925 – Pirates v. Senators: The great Walter Johnson won Games 1 and 4 for the Washington Senators. His attempt to win Game 7 failed, and the Pittsburgh Pirates won the Series. The Pirates did not win it all again until 1960 when Bill Mazerowski hit his dramatic walk-off homer. The Senators had won the World Series in 1924, but never again won the Series until they moved to Minnesota and became the Twins (winning in 1987 and 1991).
A major highlight of Game 7 in Pittsburgh was the infield needed to be set afire to dry out days of rain. It was partially successful, but mud, fog and rain led to a slippery finale to the Series. Click here for an entertaining recap of the game.
A couple of months after that World Series (December 13, 1925), Dick Van Dyke was born. He turned 100 this month, and some trivia about that kept popping up on social media: “Babe Ruth hit 405 home runs after Dick Van Dyke was born.” A testament to Van Dyke’s longevity and Ruth’s enduring relevance.
I checked the record to be sure. Below is an excerpt from Ruth’s home run log, showing that he had 309 career homers as of the end of the 1925 season. Ruth’s career total is recalled by most baseball fans – 714. So yes, Ruth did hit another 405 homers after Van Dyke was born.
To add to this Ruth lore, I offer Judge Howard Sachs who turned 100 and retired from the federal bench this past September. Judge Sachs was born on September 13, 1925, when Ruth’s career total was 303. So, “Babe Ruth hit 411 home runs after Howard Sachs was born.”
Below, from earlier this month, Judge Sachs holding court at his weekly lunch at Grand Street Café. Seated: Lonnie, Judge Sachs and Luther Washington. Standing: Paul Donnelly, Robert Barrientos, Leland Shurin, Adam Sachs, Steve Sturdevant and Alex Sachs.
1950 – Yankees v. Phillies: The Phillies team, full of young and talented players, was nicknamed the “Whiz Kids.” But they were playing the Casey Stengel Yankees of DiMaggio, Ford, Berra, Mize and American League MVP Phil Rizzuto (the favorite of 9-year-old Lonnie). The Yankees swept the Whiz Kids.
Another group of youngsters, not very talented on the baseball field, began their careers in the comics in 1950. Charles Schulz made baseball a frequent feature of Peanuts over five decades.
1975 – Reds v. Red Sox: Based on the constant replays over the years, the key moment in this Series was the walk-off homer by Carlton Fisk in the 12th inning of Game 6. When Fisk hit the ball, it looked like it might go foul, and he famously waved at it to go fair. It hit the foul pole and won the game, tying the Series at three games each (video here).
But the joy was tempered the next night when the Cincinnati Reds won Game 7. The Reds were a strong team in the ‘70s, becoming known as the “Big Red Machine” and winning back-to-back World Series in 1975 and 1976. Most Cincinnati fans can rattle off the names of the “Great 8” position players for those teams (Bench, Perez, Morgan, Concepcion, Rose, Foster, Geromino and Griffey).
[Rat Trivia: The Fisk homer would not be as well remembered if the cameraman had not caught him waving the ball fair. And getting that shot was pure serendipity. Fisk’s “waving at the ball like a madman” is #17 in Joe Posnanski’s Why We Love Baseball: A History in 50 Moments. Per Joe: “Lou Gerard was NBC’s cameraman. He was set up inside the left-field scoreboard. He was not supposed to train his camera on Fisk. He was supposed to follow the baseball. But he noticed a rat closing in on him…got flustered, could not pick up the ball, and so he focused on Fisk instead. And he got the shot of a lifetime.”]
2000 – Yankees v. Mets: From 1996 to 2007, the Yankees were the dominant team in baseball, led by the “Core Four” of Derek Jeter, Andy Pettitte, Jorge Posada and Mariano Rivera. Their manager was Joe Torre who was known for his calm, stoic demeanor, which was respected by players, the media and…Charlie Brown (as depicted in December of 1999 in what was the last baseball-themed strip before Charles Schulz ended Peanuts in 2000).
The Yankees won the World Series in 1998 and 1999 and were looking for a three-peat in 2000 in a “Subway Series” against the New York Mets. And they got it, beating the Mets four games to one. The most-remembered play is the bizarre incident when Yankee Roger Clemens (22) picked up a part of Mike Piazza’s shattered bat and threw it toward Piazza who was running to first (video here). The benches emptied, but no punches were thrown, and Clemens was not ejected. Clemens excuses for throwing the bat were also bizarre (and inconsistent).
Hall of Fame Voting – Carlos Beltran: Voting is now open for the Baseball Writers Association of America to select the 2026 class for the Hall of Fame. One of players who will be a leader in the voting is Carlos Beltran who is in his fourth year on the ballot. Last year, he received 70.3%, close to the required 75%. Beltran spent seven years each with the Royals (24.8 WAR) and Mets (31.1 WAR) in an overall 20-year MLB career (70.0 WAR). He has a cloud over him for his involvement as a coach in the Astros sign-stealing scandal of 2017.
Here’s hoping Carlos makes it this year. His numbers justify his place in the Hall of Fame (good summary here), and early returns on public ballots have him at 84.9% (ongoing vote tracker here). Voting ends January 20.
Festivus Sighting: As I’m sure Hot Stove readers have noticed, I love Seinfeld anecdotes. Last week, the holiday of Festivus was celebrated on December 23. Festivus is a holiday created by Frank Costanza who wanted an anti-commercial alternative to Christmas. It includes a no-frills aluminum pole rather than a Christmas tree, the airing of grievances, and feats of strength. Frank called it a “Festivus for the rest of us.” For the uninitiated, I recommend this four-minute video. In a New York Post cover story last week, “angry” Mets fans were airing grievances about the offseason moves of the Mets (especially losing Pete Alonso). A “Metsivus (For none of us !).” That’s Frank Costanza at the lower right of the cover.
Lonnie’s Jukebox – Rob Reiner/It Goes to 11: Today’s Jukebox is in honor of Rob and Michele Reiner who were tragically killed on December 14.
I first knew of Rob Reiner as the liberal foil (my kind of guy) to Archie Bunker on Norman Lear’s All in the Family. Reiner played Archie’s son-in-law Michael Stivic, or as Archie called him, Meathead (a nickname that followed him for decades). The show ran from 1971 to 1979 and was the most watched show from 1971 to 1976. It’s contribution to Lonnie’s Jukebox today is the opening theme song, “Those Were the Days.”
Although Reiner continued with acting, his primary fame came from directing movies. His inaugural film became a classic and is in my top ten list…
This is Spinal Tap (1984). This mockumentary of a fictional English rock band (making it also a rockumentary) follows the band on an American tour. Reiner also appears in the movie as a faux documentarian who does interviews of the band members during the movie (in the style of Martin Scorcese in his real 1978 documentary of the Band, The Last Waltz).
Spinal Tap’s claim to fame is being the loudest in rock history. The iconic scene in the movie is when Nigel Tufnel (Chrisopher Guest) explains that the band’s amplifier knobs go to 11, while other bands peak at 10. Click here and be prepared to laugh even if you have seen it before.
The phrase “turn it up to 11” has become part of pop culture to describe anything pushed to an extreme. For example, this Kansas City Star headline in July of 2023 lauded the Royals for scoring 11 runs in a comeback 11-10 victory. The headline writer was clearly familiar with Spinal Tap lore.
In 2024, Rita and I were in Texas to work on our stadium bucket list. At the Rangers game, the scoreboard encouraged the fans to yell loudly, to “TAKE IT TO ELEVEN” as shown on the three knobs.
Although Reiner’s death was the result of a family tragedy, President Trump posted that the death was caused by Reiner’s strong opposition to Trump (“Trump Derangement Syndrome”). An apt response came from cartoonist Mike Luckovich…
“Big Bottom” by Spinal Tap.
“Stonehenge” by Spinal Tap. On stage, this song was to include an 18-foot stage prop of a prehistoric Stonehenge trilithon (two columns topped with a horizontal stone). But a mix-up resulted in an 18-inch version that scuttled the band’s big moment.
Stand By Me (1986). In 1982, Stephen King published Different Seasons, a collection of four novellas. One of them was “The Body,” and Reiner turned it into the movie Stand by Me. The coming-of-age drama made for a great film, and as an added bonus for old rock ‘n’ rollers like me, the soundtrack was full of golden oldies from the 1950s and 1960s.
“Everyday” by Buddy Holly.
“Come Go with Me” by the Del-Vikings.
“Stand By Me” by Ben E. King
[Stephen King Trivia: Another novella from Different Seasons became a movie classic – The Shawshank Redemption.]
The Princess Bride (1987). Adventure/Comedy/Romance. “As you wish…” and “My name is Inigo Montoya…”.
“Storybook Love” by Willy DeVille and Mark Knopfler.
“The Battle of Wits” – Not a song, but a fun scene.
When Harry Met Sally (1989). One of the best-ever romantic comedies. And of course, most of you will know the scene with Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal at the Katz Delicatessen, ending with the line “I’ll have what she’s having” (said by a diner at a nearby table; that diner is Rob Reiner’s mother). Click here.
The movie features songs by various artists, but the soundtrack album is solely Harry Connick Jr. who won a Grammy for Best Jazz Male Vocal Performance.
“It Had to Be You” by Harry Connick Jr.
“Surrey with the Fringe on Top” by Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan.
Misery (1990). Another Rob Reiner movie based on a Stephen King novel. Annie Wilkes (Kathy Bates) cares for (and then terrorizes) her favorite author Paul Sheldon (James Caan) after a car wreck.
“Shotgun” by Junior Walker and the All Stars. Played just before Sheldon’s car accident.
“Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1” by Liberace. Three recordings by Liberace, Annie’s favorite musician, are featured in the movie.
A Few Good Men (1992). Elite assemblage of talent. Writer Aaron Sorkin. Director Rob Reiner. Actors Tom Cruise, Jack Nicholson (“You can’t handle the truth”), Demi Moore and Kevin Bacon.
“Hound Dog” by Big Mama Thornton. Written by Leiber and Stoller for Big Mama and later covered by Elvis Presley. Used in film for contrast of hound dogs (bad men) and good/bad Marines.
Spinal Tap II: The End Continues (2025). Reiner’s last film before his death was a sequel to his first film.
“Stonehenge” by Spinal Tap and Elton John. The band finally gets a life size stage prop of the Stonehenge trilithon and are joined by guest singer Elton John. In the movie (but not in this video), the prop tips over and crashes into Elton John’s piano and puts him in the hospital.
Walk-Off Photo: This past weekend, Union Station turned blue and posted a welcome on social media for the Royals to choose downtown for their new stadium. “A new chapter in Kansas City’s baseball story is ready to unfold. Included is a sincere expression of gratitude for the visionaries and leaders who brought us here – from the enduring legacy of Ewing Kauffman to today’s Royals ownership led by John Sherman.” Full post here.
