Running Log - 7.9 Miles in Novato

Back on the pavement/trail today with a great run through Novato. No, I know it's not the beach like the picture shows, but it's one of my favorite loops from my house. This time up the hill, out School to Atherton, then much of the way down Olive (past Hamann field of course!), crossing back over to Atherton, then along the marsh and through the cemetary, up Bugeia/Bahia and then all the way up the hill home. Always good, but I'm now extra sore because of a too-long layoff. Good news is I'm back on track!

Distance: 7.9 miles

Time: 85 minutes - mid-day

Weather: Sunny, warm

On the iPod: Drood by Dan Simmons

Cheers! - Jason

The MMOB Daily Quote - Davy Jones

David Jefferson "Davy" Jones (June 30, 1880 – March 30, 1972)

Although his name is similar to the diminutive lead singer of the Monkees or the ancient mariner of lore, today's subject of The MMOB Daily Quote is a 19th century baseball player who played fifteen seasons for six teams alongside such greats as Ty Cobb, Sam Crawford, and Frank Chance (of 'Tinker to Evers to Chance' fame).

While I couldn't find any multi-media for Mr. Jones, I was able to find some interesting information to pass along.

The following is pulled from the Davy Jones listing on Wikipedia:

Jones is also known for recounting a famous story in The Glory of Their Times (by Lawrence Ritter) about the early ballplayer/comedian Germany Schaefer. According to Jones, Schaefer was the only player who ever stole first in a ballgame. The instance evidently took place September 4, 1908 during a Detroit game versus Cleveland. With Davy Jones on third and Schaefer at first, the double steal was on. But as Germany slid into second base safe, the Cleveland catcher held onto the ball. In order to set up the double-steal again, Schaefer took off screaming for first on the next pitch and dove in headfirst in without a play. This stunned the players, fans and umpires, but it was perfectly legal. On the next pitch, the double steal worked.

Cheers! - Jason

The MMOB Daily Quote - Harmon Killebrew

Harmon Clayton Killebrew (born June 29, 1936)

I always picture Harmon Killebrew as a monster of a man who swung tree trunks instead of regular baseball bats. He seemed bigger than life, and until the advent of the "steroid era" he epitomized the kind of home run crusher that ruled baseball. In real life, he's actually only 5'11" and 210 pounds, but he looms much larger through the magic of memory!

After amassing some impressive number over 21 years in the majors, all but one of them with the Washington Senators/Minnesota Twins organization, Harmon was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1984.

For a little video on Mr. Killebrew, check out his HOF Bio available from AOL Video.

And now, some quotes from Harmon to get us going on a Monday morning.

"Anything that harms the integrity of the game is terrible. We always thought we were immune to drugs in baseball, but we know that's not true anymore."

"I didn't have evil intentions, but I guess I did have power."

"It's very disappointing... Anything that harms the integrity of the game is terrible. We always thought we were immune to drugs in baseball, but we know that's not true anymore. "

"My father used to play with my brother and me in the yard. Mother would come out and say, 'You're tearing up the grass'; 'We're not raising grass,' Dad would reply. 'We're raising boys.'"

Cheers! - Jason

The MMOB Daily Quote -Mel Brooks

Melvin "Mel" KaminskyAKA Mel Brooks (born June 28, 1926)

Today's subject of The MMOB Daily Quote is the hillarious funny-man responsible for some of my favorite movies. While most "newbies" are likely with his work on recent hit The Producers I've always has a soft spot for Young Frankenstein and Blazing Saddles. His work strikes me in the same vein that Monty Python has over the years. I chuckle everything I think about hard riding cowboys stopping at a toll "crossing" in the middle of an dry, open desert.

Here are some funny clips from Mr. Brooks' films to get us all started on a Sunday morning.



And now, some quotes from Mel.

"Anybody can direct, but there are only eleven good writers."

"As long as the world is turning and spinning, we're gonna be dizzy and we're gonna make mistakes."

"Bad taste is simply saying the truth before it should be said."

"Every human being has hundreds of separate people living under his skin. The talent of a writer is his ability to give them their separate names, identities, personalities and have them relate to other characters living with him."

"Everything we do in life is based on fear, especially love."

"Humor is just another defense against the universe."

"I don't believe in this business of being behind, better to be in front."

"I only direct in self-defense."

"If God wanted us to fly, He would have given us tickets."

Cheers! - Jason

The MMOB Daily Quote - Mark Twain Sunday

Today's quote from the man in the white suit is about KINDNESS

"Never refuse to do a kindness unless the act would work great injury to yourself, and never refuse to take a drink- under any circumstances." - from Mark Twain's Notebook

Cheers! - Jason

Game #1 - Novato American vs. Novato South

The 2009 Novato American 12 Year-Old All-Stars

Carrie took photos today at my son's Novato American Little League 12 Year-old All-Stars Game #1 against cross-town rival Novato South. It's always great to get shots of the boys playing ball so we've made the entire set of photos available on Shutterfly. Check them out if you are interested.

Game Summary

Novato American won the coin flip and elected to be the home team, giving us the cooler dugout and sideline for our fans. Evan Bernardy pitched well in the first, giving up a hit to the leadoff hitter, but then getting a groundout and two strikeouts. Novato American got a leadoff single by Miquel Deldago, but followed it with three strike-outs so the game was knotted at 0-0 after the first.

The second through fourth inning were much the same: a pitchers duel. Bernardy battled with the South's Paul Kunst, neither giving an inch until the fifth.

The South side stuck first in the fifth after a couple of walks leading to a 12-pitch confrontation with Danny Dreher. Danny worked his way to a sacrifice grounder to second baseman Frankie Calcaterra, scoring Ricky Clary on the throw to first. South up 1-0.

The American side came roaring back in the bottom of the inning. Brian Bledsoe walked to lead off the inning followed by two quick outs. Calcaterra, in his first at-bat of the All-Star season, then crunched a two-run home-run to left for a 2-1 lead.

The South pushed back to the lead with two in the top of the sixth. Kunst's lead off with a single and was promptly scored on a double to left-center by Jason Rodriguez. After a passed ball, Rodriquez scored on a sacrifice grounder to first by Clary for a 3-2 lead.

The American side made the most of the bottom of the inning. Marcus Chiu lead off by getting hit by a pitch followed by a walk to #4 batter Tyler Torres. Bernardy drove in Chiu with a single to tie the game. Robbie Cassee's walk loaded the bases with no outs and things were looking good. After a strikeout to the next batter, Ryan Fong hung tough in his at-bat and worked his way to a 3-2 count. The sixth pitch was low and in the dirt. Ryan swung and was out on strikes, but the ball continued past the catcher enabling Torres to score from third. In Fong's understated words, "it's the first time I've ever had a walk-off strikeout" for a win!

Final Score: Novato American 4, Novato South 3


Here's a couple of highlight shots from the game.

Starting picher Evan Bernardy throwing some heat!

Ryan Fong during his now famous "walk-off strikeout" for the win!

Novato American and South players congratulate each other following the game

Cheers! - Jason

The MMOB Daily Quote - Bob "Captain Kangaroo" Keeshan

Robert James Keeshan (June 27, 1927 – January 23, 2004)

How appropriate that the subject of this Saturday version of The MMOB Daily Quote is one of the stalwarts of my childhood TV viewing experience. Mr. Keeshan played the title character on the Captain Kangaroo television show from 1955-1984. His signature large-pocket jacket and terrible mop-top haircut made him a welcome cornball counterpart to Mr. Rogers.

To get us started today, here's a little flavor of Bob Keeshan as Captain Kangaroo in a short clip with Mr. Moose



And now, some quotes to start this fine Saturday morning.

"Play is the work of children. It's very serious stuff."

"It is my contention that most people are not mugged every day, that most people in this world do not encounter violence every day. I think we prepare people for violence, and I think just as importantly we prepare people for the definition of being gentle."

"It requires more strength to be gentle, so it's the everyday encounters of life that I think we've prepared children for and prepared them to be good to other people and to consider other people."

Cheers! - Jason

Artist Spotlight - Bernie Wrightson

Another favorite artist from my earliest memories is Bernie Wrightson. While he really made his name working on DC Comics's Swamp Thing his uncanny ability to depict monsters and characters in varying states of decomposition make him a throwback to the early masters of the comic book horror genre.

Here's a good biography on Bernie from the website for the upcoming Dragon-Con which is scheduled for September 4-7 in Atlanta, Georgia. I also found a 2007 posting to the Dark, But Shining blog with an Interview with Bernie Wrightson that provides insights into some of his recent activities.

For a little multi-media, here's a video interview of the man with writer Steve Niles as they talk about a project they were doing for Dark Horse Comics in 2007.

And now, because this is an Artist Spotlight, presented below is a quick walk through some of Mr. Wrightson's his signature style. Enjoy!

A small GALLERY of Bernie Wrightson Art pulled from the Internet
All art and copyrights are the property of their respective owners

If you'd like to buy Bernie's art, you can find it on the official Wrightsonart Shop. Cool stuff.

Next Up: Mike Grell

Cheers! - Jason

Check it Out - Classic Spider-Man Cartoons

Thought you might get a kick out of the original 1967 Spider-Man animated TV classics on the web. Terrible in almost every way, but they bring back so many memories. Here's episode 13 for your enjoyment.

Cheers! - Jason

The MMOB Daily Quote - Chris Isaak

Christopher Joseph "Chris" Isaak (born June 26, 1956)

The subject of today's MMOB Daily Quote is the only man I know with both green lame and cut-mirror suits that he wears in his performances. I first "discovered" Chris Isaak when his music was used on a little watched TV series Private Eye. Cool show. Cooler music. I've been hooked ever since. Last time I saw him in person was in San Francisco in the early 1990s, but I encourage you to see him in person if you get a chance. He does a great show!

Here's Chris performing Solitary Man to get us started on this Summer Friday.



And now, some quotes from Mr. Isaak.

"I talk to people who are musicians, and they go, 'Oh this is hell.' And I go, 'Are you kidding me? You never put tar paper on a roof, did ya?'"

“I'm talking to you right now, looking out at the ocean, it's a sunny day, waves are peeling off, my surfboard is in the back of my car... damn, I love it. I'm a songwriter. Pop singer. What a great job.”

"I think I'm in a really nice position, where I'm sure I could do another show if I wanted to do one, but right now the main thing in my mind is writing songs."

"One thing, when you're an actor, you finish something and then you have to worry about what the next gig is. When you're a musician, you can always write your own stuff, and I'm working on new stuff for a new album right now."

"The things that got me through grade school are helping me out later in life. It's like, I show up on time. If you buy a ticket to one of my shows, I'll show up. I'll be there. And if it says 10:00, I'll be on stage at 10:00."

“I've been gone on the road for the past three years; maybe I've been home for two or three weeks in a year. I literally live - it's like one of those old movies where they show a train, and pages of a calendar are peeling away like leaves, and then there's a picture of me with gray hair.”

Cheers! - Jason