A few days after I posted the last Hot Stove, my job status changed. At 75, I was ready to retire. But I have not left the building. I still get to show up as “of counsel” the rest of this year to complete my 50th year of law practice. The firm held a nice reception for me and two fellow retirees, and we were asked to each write a 100-word memoir of our career. This was mine:
I am never sure what will be in my next Hot Stove post. I start piecing together things I pick up from the papers, books, Twitter, etc., and also have a reserve of items I am pondering. For this post, three items came together to create my imaginary bar scene. The last Hot Stove (“Martin, Jackie and Roberto”) was posted in anticipation of the Martin Luther King holiday, and on the actual holiday, President Obama feted the Chicago Cubs. A casual conversation over coffee led me to the rabbi. And the patron saint of baseball in Puerto Rico gets an encore.
Since 2002, I have circulated an annual message to commemorate Martin Luther King Jr. Day. This year, I am combining the message with a baseball story and sending it out to my Hot Stove subscribers plus friends who have received prior MLK posts. The holiday is two weeks away, but I need to send this out early because Rita and I leave Friday for a 10-day cruise out of LA. Rita will be traveling a little lighter – her appendix was removed last week. We will sail down the Baja and into the Sea of Cortez with the hope of seeing some whales and enjoying pleasant weather. [Note to those not on the Hot Stove list: If you are a baseball fan, especially of the nerd variety, and want some nostalgia and trivia on an irregular basis, you are welcome to sign up]
Just after Thanksgiving last year, Hot Stove #1 was posted. Rita and I were getting ready to leave for Mexico with our friends Larry and Diana Brewer – same story this year, leaving Wednesday, but with Cabo as the destination rather than Puerto Vallarta. The lead story in that inaugural post covered the selection of an all-time outfield with my grandson Ian (now 11). At Thanksgiving dinner this year, we selected our first baseman (story below). One negative change since that first post: I can no longer refer to the Royals as the reigning World Champions.
I hope you don’t mind, but I am interrupting my baseball posts to share a story about singer/songwriter Leonard Cohen who passed away earlier this month. For a good brief piece on Leonard’s career, click on the arrow at the top of this NPR report, (3:25).
Many of you on the Hot Stove mailing list were also part of Rita’s village in 2012-2013, and so you will be familiar with part of this story.
I had plenty of reasons to root for either team in the 2016 World Series. If forced to choose, the tipping point would be that my Mother would have been for the Cubs. In all events, what a great way to finish – extra innings in Game 7! And the Indians have graciously agreed to accept the results of the game.
My dream matchup for the Series remains possible. The Cubs need to finish off the Dodgers at Wrigley this weekend. As I discussed in Hot Stove #25 and #26, my sentiment with the Cubs relates to the obscenely long time since their last World Series win. To give that some personal perspective: My grandparents immigrated to the United States from Eastern Europe in 1907. That year and the next, the Cubs won the World Series. Our family has expanded by five additional generations since then (yes, I have great-grandchildren), but the Cubs remain without another World Series title. It’s time. Here is another take based on the opening number of Hamilton: (click here, 3:47).
Before getting into Part Two of that 1908 season, I’ll start with some current news.
Buck’s Bridge: I was out of town last week and so missed the dedication of the John Jordan “Buck” O’Neil Bridge. When Rita and I came in from the airport Friday night, we were excited to see the sign as we crossed the bridge on our way home. The dedication ceremony was held at the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum:
Nerd Alert: This Hot Stove thing grew out of the euphoria of the 2015 World Series. The idea was to supplement my playoff postings for the “serious” baseball fans during the Hot Stove season. Many casual fans also signed on and sometimes the commentary can get a little long for them. As my wife and editor Rita says, I occasionally “get down into the weeds.” Mostly I try to listen to her. Sometimes I just have to be in the weeds. So I have compromised and will do a short version and then take a commercial break for the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. Then, for the nerds, the long version, which is so long that there will be a Part Two in Hot Stove #26. Think of it this way. You can listen to the hit single (no pun intended) or the long play album. There will be no test.
Rita and I have returned from Cuba and the Telluride Film Festival. My Hot Stove sabbatical is over. If you are a movie fan, my Telluride reviews are on Lonnie’s Jukebox. As for Cuba and getting back to Hot Stove baseball, please read on.