Cha-Ching!

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Mr. Cub

Ernie Banks was another one of my favorite players. How can you not like a guy who is known for his catch phrase, "It's a beautiful day for a ballgame, let's play two!" I don't think I've ever seen a photo of him where he's not smiling.

Artomatic!

Artomatic is a month-long art exhibit held in a different spot in DC each year. This year, May 29-July 5. I wanted to do it this year because, one, it's the 10th year anniversary of the event, two, it's in a beautiful location, and three, I have paintings. It's being held in a brand new empty 9-story office building next to Nationals Park. I got an awesome site selection time! I somehow got 3pm on Saturday and we had the choice of the 8th or 3rd floor. I chose 8th because I figured people would either start on the 9th and work their way down and that would be good whereas if they start on the 1st floor and work up, they might be burned out by the time they get to the 3rd. When I got to the 8th floor, I had my pick of anywhere! I chose a spot that faces a huge floor to ceiling window and a breath-taking view of Nationals Park and to the right, a view of July 4th fireworks. The Orientation Dude said I had the best spot because across from my wall is going to be a lounge (because of the view of the ballpark). I'm so psyched! The event is free to the public and will feature 1000 artists of all sorts. Nine floors! 55 M St, SE (Green Line, Navy Yard/Nationals Park Metro Stop).

Red Sox Nation

I was amazed last summer when I took my daughter to Camden Yards to watch the Orioles play the Red Sox. She wanted to wear her Red Sox gear and I talked her out of it, simply saying it's not cool to wear "visiting" team stuff to a home stadium. I saw a grandmother pelted with garbage in Yankee Stadium for wearing a Cubs hat (not even in the same league)! Anyway as we approached the stadium, we noticed all the vendors selling Red Sox stuff and everyone milling around had Red Sox shirts! Inside Camden Yards there were 30,000 Red Sox fans and about 5000 Oriole fans. I'd never seen anything like it for an "away" game. A guy standing next to me in the hot dog line in a "Camden Yards/Fenway South" shirt told me that all the games at Fenway Park were sold out and it was cheaper to take the train down to Baltimore and stay the weekend and buy plentiful Oriole tickets to watch their beloved Saux. I ended up buying Paige a Red Sox shirt to put on so she wouldn't be left out! These three cards here were commissioned by Ben Henry. I think I must have met Petrocelli once because I have his signature on an old ball. I think I pestered him while watching batting practice in Fenway Park on a summer vacation trip in the early Seventies. Thanks Ben! I hope you like.

Never Quite the Same

Two Red Sox greats who had careers cut short by injuries, Tony Conigliaro and Jim Lonborg, are this week's submissions. Popular Tony C was beaned in the head with a fastball and was understandably never quite the same. I believe the ear flap on the batting helmet began to appear after his frightening accident. I shook hands with him when he was trying to make a comeback with the Angels in 1971 and he signed a ball I had brought to the Senators' game with me. Jim Lonborg had an amazing pitching season in 1967 and a great World Series and then broke his leg in a skiing accident that winter and was never quite the same. He went on to have a career in dentistry. Thanks to Ben Henry for the request!

Weekend Section

Last two weekends to see my exhibit of paintings before it goes down on the 27th!
Mentioned in the Washington Post Weekend Section today! Go early, expect major crowds! Free candy! 1711 Wilson Blvd, Arlington, VA.

All-Star Break

I think I drew this when I was around 11 years old. An early graphic novel indeed! I think I must have drawn hundreds of pages of this nine inning All-Star game. The thing that I find hilarious reading it now is that everyone either hits a home run or strikes out. My favorite players hit three or four home runs in the game and the others have three or four strikeouts. I think I finally finished this masterpiece when I lost my green crayon or just got tired of drawing grass. click image to see larger

Koufax

Sandy Koufax retired with an excruciatingly painful pitching arm by the time I became aware of baseball so I never got to see him pitch live. I've seen film and video of him and he looked downright over-powering. I also remember seeing postgame interviews with him with huge ice packs icing down his inflamed elbow and shoulder.

715

Thirty-five years ago, yesterday, Hank Aaron broke Babe Ruth's home run record. I read an incredible story about the death threats he received as he approached the record and how Atlanta reporters had obituaries prepared for him as the 1974 season opened. Hank did it without steroids and had the quickest wrists in baseball. Great nicknames, "Hammerin' Hank, Oh Henry."

22

I loved to watch Jim Palmer pitch with his long stretch of a delivery. I believe this 1966 edition was his rookie card. My fondest memory of Jim Palmer doesn't come from the field (or his underwear ad). It was after he retired and he was doing Oriole television commentary. After a late game in Memorial Stadium, I had waited about half an hour for the crowd to clear before heading home and I was walking down the long concrete ramps from the upper deck to the parking lot and looked to my right and there was Jim Palmer! The two of us slowly walked down the ramps in the hot summer night and he looked happy, carefree and at peace and so cool in his jacket and tie despite the humidity. I didn't bother him or speak to him. He had finished his work and was heading home like everyone else that night.

Hondo

Frank Howard was the hometown hero in DC in the late sixties. He was the league home run leader in 1968, 1970 and at 6'7" , the bat looked like a toothpick in his hands. He was the Senators' All-Star from 1968-1971 and had an "all-or-nothing" powerful swing. They painted a couple seats in the RFK Stadium upper deck where some of his most impressive home runs landed. I remember a funny story when Ted Williams became manager of the Senators in 1969 he asked a sportswriter about the specially painted seats and the writer said that those seats marked where Hondo's tape-measure home runs landed and the unimpressed Williams said, "And what are all the other seats...his strikeouts?"
Howard was Washington baseball and I can still remember watching him towel off the sweat in the on-deck circle in the humid August night.