Skip to main content

That Time of Year

“It’s the most wonderful time of the year.” Catchers are squatting, and pitchers reporting - you be of good cheer.  “It’s the most wonderful time of the year.”

 Hah, you thought it was Andy Williams singing about Christmas.  Nope, for millions of baseball fans Spring Training rings in The National Pastime. A time of renewed hope and fresh starts. The season (for me) officially kicks off Monday, April 4, 2016, 7:05 pm (PST) with the Los Angeles Dodgers battling the San Diego Padres at Petco Park.

 With 162 games to play, 30 teams step confidently into opening day with renewed hope.

 Is this year "Next Year" for the Cubs? Ok, I’m a die hard Cubs fan at heart. Did anyone catch Bill Murray playing the 2016 Pebble Beach ProAm wearing Cubs golf slacks? John Daly would have been proud. Yes, every baseball fan has their special team. In California alone we have five teams to choose from: The Los Angeles Dodgers, Angels of Anaheim, San Diego Padres, San Francisco Giants, and Oakland Athletics. Each storied franchise has it’s own spring traditions.

I’ll admit my spring ritual is to begin the season listening to games on my iPhone with play-by-play announcer Vince (Vin) Scully broadcasting. Now in his 67th season with the Dodgers! The longest tenure of any broadcaster with a single team in professional sports history. So let's check the schedule at MLB.com to see when my favorite teams are playing at home, that's a must.

Did you know, Vin Scully began his career as a student broadcaster and journalist at Fordham University. In 1950, Scully joined Red Barber and Cornelius (Connie) Desmond in the Brooklyn Dodgers radio and television booths at Ebbets Field. When Barber got into a salary dispute with World Series sponsor Gillette in 1953, Scully (along side Mel Allen) took Barber's spot for the 1953 World Series. He became the Dodgers principal announcer. At 25, Scully became the youngest man to broadcast a World Series game (a record that still stands).

 Vin Scully announced Dodger games in Brooklyn until 1957 when the club moved to Los Angeles. He is the only announcer to handle play-by-play and color analysis in the broadcast booth.

 Listen carefully and you will hear exciting replays of baseball history on the radio. . . "Two and two to Harvey Kuenn, one strike away. Sandy into his windup, here's the pitch: Swung on and missed, a perfect game!" One of Vince Scully's most famous calls.

 Are you ready for the 2016 season? Today with the magic of the iPhone, Android phone, tablet device, computer, or yes an ole’ fashioned transistor radio - fans of the game can experience the melodic cadence of baseball from anywhere. I delight in listening to Spring Training games to get an idea of who was traded to what team. Tune to your favorite local radio station or download MLB.com At Bat® and enjoy.

So, join me if you like. Opening Day, Monday, 7:10 p.m. (PST), from Petco Park in San Diego, CA. when the magical voice of Vin Scully will once again fill the air waves.

On second thought, maybe we should be singing the 1962 Danny Kaye song, "So I say D - I say Do - Dod - Dodg - Dodgers - team - team - team, Oh . . . "

Yes, it’s that wonderful time of year!
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Most Popular of All Time

A Mother’s Day Reflection

With Mother’s Day here and the world bustling with cards, brunches, and busy schedules, I find myself reflecting on something a bit simpler: taking a moment to remember the person who helped shape my earliest sense of home. Mauricette Elaine (Bontemps) Ball. My Mom. We arrived in Cuba after leaving La Rochelle, France, in 1959—a transition whose enormity I only fully appreciate now. My mother, barely in her mid-twenties, stepped into Midwestern life with remarkable courage. Her smile could warm the coldest Illinois morning, and her hugs lingered long after she let go—quiet reminders that you were deeply loved. Born February 16, 1934, the third of four children, she grew up in Nazi-occupied La Rochelle. As kids, we listened wide-eyed to stories of soldiers patrolling her streets and fear shadowing everyday life. Yet she carried none of that darkness forward. What endured was resilience and an unwavering devotion to family—qualities she carried across the Atlantic and planted firmly in C...
1 comment
Read more

Time Travel, Roving Mics, and Muscle Memory

In this episode, the 2026 Sinkankas Symposium. Let’s get one thing straight: I didn’t arrive in a DeLorean. No flux capacitor, no dramatic lightning strike—just a Saturday parking pass and a name badge. And yet, somewhere between the rotunda doors and the first handshake, it happened anyway. This past Saturday, April 25th, I was transported—effortlessly and completely—back in time at the 20th Annual Sinkankas Symposium on the GIA campus in Carlsbad. Walking into that magnificent main campus rotunda early with my colleagues, Paul Mattlin and Glenn Wargo, felt like wrapping myself in a familiar, gem-encrusted blanket. It was less a building, more a family living room where nobody ever really forgets your name. The halls were quiet (a rare and beautiful thing), and the soft echo of our footsteps on the polished floors sounded exactly as I remembered it. For a moment, it wasn’t 2026—it was April 1997, my first time walking onto the beautiful, brand-new GIA campus as Director of Alumni. Som...
Post a Comment
Read more

Freedom 7 - 65th Anniversary

Podcast - Freedom 7; 65th Anniversary . "Man must rise above the Earth - to the top of the atmosphere and beyond - for only thus will he fully understand the world in which he lives." - Socrates, 500 B.C. May 5, 2026, marks the 65th anniversary of Freedom 7's launch. Commander Alan B. Shepard, Jr. became the first American in space. A 15-minute sub-orbital flight, a day for the history books; the entire world was watching. NASA and the world had witnessed many trial runs explode violently on the launch pad. The space program was in its infancy. Unlike today, there were far too many unknowns. This prompted me to pull out one of my favorite books from my office library,  Light This Candle , by Neal Thompson, copyright 2004. Light This Candle is a biography of Alan Shepard, Jr., you won't be able to put down. It's - "Story-telling at its best . . . every page is alive," says David Hartman, U.S Naval Institute. In the opening pages, you read endorsements fr...
Post a Comment
Read more

Ode To Gemology

For over 80 years, students of gemology have struggled with spectrums, bewildered by birefringence, and simply plagued by pleochroism. The following sonnet is guaranteed to bring a smile to your face, a glow to your heart, and a simple reminder that students of life and gemology rediscover nature's gifts every day.  Ode to Gemology , by a GIA on-campus student. Dispersion, fire, adventurescence. Orient, sheen, or iridescence. Refractive index, high or low. The luster should indicate that, you know. Polarization, double or single. What to do now, they intermingle. Pleochroic colors you really should see. Was that only two, or actually three? Birefringence should help you a lot. Use your polarizer and watch the spot. Now, did it jump most on low or high? Sure, you can get it if you really try! Your liquids should be an aid, I think. Does it float, suspend, or slowly sink? Just use your imagination now. (He doesn't see me wiping my brow.) Solid inclusions or only bubbles? Huh, th...
Post a Comment
Read more