Freely Thinking Beings

My Thoughts on the MLB Hall of Fame

The baseball hall of fame functions like all the hall of fames in the four major sports. A potential hall of fame class is announced every year, followed by the whittling down of said class until the you have the finalists who are then voted on by the Baseball Writers Association of America. Here's a more in-depth look at the selection process by the BBWAA courtesy of the all powerful Wikipedia....

Here's the link to the Hall of Fame page

"Players are currently inducted into the Hall of Fame through election by either the Baseball Writers Association of America (or BBWAA), or the Veterans Committee,^[8] which now consists of three subcommittees, each of which considers and votes for candidates from a separate era of baseball. Five years after retirement, any player with 10 years of major league experience who passes a screening committee (which removes from consideration players of clearly lesser qualification) is eligible to be elected by BBWAA members with 10 years' membership or more. From a final ballot typically including 25–40 candidates, each writer may vote for up to 10 players. Any player named on 75% or more of all ballots cast is elected. A player who is named on fewer than 5% of ballots is dropped from future elections. A 2001 change in the election procedures restored the eligibility of these dropped players; while their names will not appear on future BBWAA ballots, they may be considered by the Veterans Committee."

Furthermore selection by the Veterans Committee...

"If a player fails to be elected by the BBWAA within 20 years of his retirement from active play, he may be selected by the Veterans Committee. Following the most recent changes to the election process for that body made in 2010, it is now responsible for electing all otherwise eligible candidates who are not eligible for the BBWAA ballot—both long-retired players and non-playing personnel (managers, umpires, and executives). With these changes, each candidate can now be considered once every three years."

Recently MLB has broken up the Veteran Committee into three sub-committees who vote on different eras of baseball. Who makes up the Veterans Committee I believe is the living hall of fame members.

I state the selection process only to prove that I have an understanding of how the whole thing works.

So here's my arguement (you knew it was coming)...

The Hall of Fame representing any sport is supposed to enshrine the absolute very best of their respective sports, the top %1 of everyone who ever put a uniform on. The arguements rage about what the standards are, and of course, over time the standards change. Impact, titles, stats, etc...every sports fan can always point to some reason encompassed by those three things; Impact, titles, stats, as to why a player should or shouldn't be in the Hall of Fame.

My arguement doesn't lie within these three things, it lies within players who are on the ballot for four, five, six, or even ten plus years without ever getting in and then eventually due to media pressure, vocal advocates, or something that player has done recently which softens their image, they are elected; usually to much fanfare.

Give me a break; how do you expect to be respected when first of all, the Hall of Fame has to elect at least one person every year. Why is that? Is it impossible that players already eligible aren't good enough and new players that have become eligible aren't either. It cheapens the honor when someone HAS to get elected every year. Secondly, a 20 year window to get elected!? This is far too long to actually deserve the honor. If a player waits 19 years before being elected it just might be possible he wasn't good enough and doesn't deserve the honor.  Of course there is always going to be the cascade of other players who are already in or who have no shot at getting in that will publicly proclaim their aghast that so and so hasn't been elected yet, but who cares. Sometimes people don't derseve things, why should they eventually get the reward just because they waited long enough for it.

Dan Patrick on his radio show on ESPN radio was talking about this same issue today and he thinks Burt Blyleven got into the Hall of Fame because of a sympathy vote of having to wait since 1992 and there was no one else to vote in except Roberto Alomar. Ask yourself is that a good reason to receive baseball's highest honor? 

I quote Dan Patrick here "your either a hall of famer or your not." Some writers use this criteria to vote. When you say the players name does Hall of Fame immediately jump into your head. If it does then vote him in and if it doesn't then don't vote him in; simple as that.

No more hemming and hawing for years on end about whether a player deserves the honor or not, 20 years is far too long a window and sometimes players just aren't good enough; what the writers need to realize is that's it's o.k to not vote someone into the hall every year.

Writing Inspiration

John Irving novels make me want to write. I've never considered myself a "writer," although I suppose anyone who writes is a writer, because of language, if nothing else.
I read "Last Night at Twisted River" and loved it. Said book was purchased for me as a Christmas gift last year from my then girlfriend. The main character takes my name for about 350 pages right in the middle of the story due to some unforeseen circumstances. Between the story's weaving and feeling like I was the main character weaving in and out I fell deeply in love with John Irving's writing.
Upon arriving home from Texas at the conclusion of the United League Baseball season and more or less jobless for another off season I hadn't thought much about reading. I had read a few baseball related books while working in Texas, but those mostly fell into a research classification and not truly reading for enjoyment.
I read a paperback book called "The Camel Club" that was o.k. O.k meaning fast paced action combined with skin deep characters led on an amazing chase with a clearly defined hero and villain.
On my way driving from San Luis Obispo to Yuciapa, down the water hugging 101 freeway I stopped at a Borders for both a pee break and a book break. I had finished "The Camel Club" on the Amtrak bus down to San Luis Obispo where I was meeting a friend en route to a wedding.
This annoyed me, not finishing the book, but finishing the book in a position where I could not and would not find another book to read until I was in a position where I could not read anymore.
At this Borders it hit me after walking aimlessly for 20 minutes that I should grab another John Irving novel. After all he has been writing since the 1960's and I only had read his most latest literary installment, why not go backwards though Mr. Irving's literary career.
It was there I found "The World According to Garp," the novel, published in 1980 that apparently put John Irving on the map. It was a no brainer.
Now, 154 pages into the book I am just as enthralled as I was with Twisted River. Simultaneously, I found another John Irving masterpiece and newer, fonder memories to associate with reading Irving novels.

Original Baseball Broadcast Demo

As my second year announcing baseball comes to end here in Laredo, TX it dawned on me I never posted the demo that got me this job in Laredo. The demo is too short but I think the calls are good.  It was recorded during the 2009 baseball season when I worked with the Aberdeen Ironbirds.  Please let me know what you think. I just finished a 92 game season with three playoff games, so I now have a lot more material to go through and when I get through it and select the finalists I will post that demo as well, but for now the original Danny Angel baseball broadcasting demo...

Download Danny's Demo

Jose Canseco, The Laredo Broncos and a once in a lifetime oppurtunity

So I'm sure you have all heard the news by now that Jose Canseco, yes that Jose Canseco signed a contract to play baseball with the Laredo Broncos in the United Baseball League.  Canseco signed a short term two week contract with the Broncos to be a Designated Hitter and bench coach. 

I work for the Laredo Broncos also. I'm the radio broadcaster and media relations director for the Broncos. I have been working for the Laredo Broncos all season and finally at long last the Broncos are above .500 and in a good spot to make the playoffs.

I'm a Giants fan, but as a kid growing up in the Bay Area you couldn't not watch the A's in the late 80's and early 90's.  Canseco, Macgwire, Henderson, Lansford, Stewart, Eckersly, etc.  I used to watch the A's and the bash brothers all the time growing up. Rickey Henderson speaking in first person and breaking the all time stolen base record.  The '89 earthquake, where Candlestick park and my own young baseball heart was broken as a Giants fan for the first time. 

When we first signed Canseco I had to write a bio for him on our website, which by the way is Laredobroncos.com, I was about half way through and had this weird surreal moment. I started reflecting on having grown up watching Canseco in Oakland as a kid with my dad and all that he has gone through as a baseball player and beyond and how it affected me as a baseball fan both positive and negative and now I'm writing a bio for him on our website....

It's ridiculous....ridiculously awesome! It's an opportunity that comes around once in a lifetime considering the national attention that the ULB receives on a regular basis.  Considering I took this job to broadcast Broncos baseball with no thought of ever being able to call a Jose Canseco home run and now I've called four. 

Without Further Adu....

It's my radio call and the video footage was provided by Ray Melendez, check out his site lifeintheminors.com

I had no idea what I was going to say when he hit his first homer, if he hit a homer at all. I decided to let it flow and that's what came out. I like it and hopefully you will too. A once in a lifetime opportunity slapped me in the face...

Laredo, TX...where Motel 6 is home

Courtesy of some good ole fashioned nose to the grind stone unwillingness
to give up I was able to, at the last second, land a job broadcasting baseball for the second year in a row. Last year as I'm sure my readers know, I worked for the Aberdeen IronBirds.

I enjoyed my time in Aberdeen, MD and unfortunately they decided not to invite me or my partner Matt back for the 2010 season.  This left me jobless, well that's not really true, I had a job in San Francisco where I was living, at an awesome TV station with the call letters of KOFY (I have also written about the TV station). 

The negative surrounding this job is that it's part time and did not provide enough hours to earn enough money to pay for all the wonderful things that life has to offer. So I continued my search for a team that needed a relatively new baseball broadcaster. 

After applying for a job with a team in Las Cruces NM, their general manager called me to tell me he didn't have any openings.  He pointed me in the direction of the United League.  I had never heard of the United League.  It's an Independent baseball League that has six teams, all based in Texas. 

I called every team in the league and asked if there were any broadcasting openings; 4 of the 6 teams said no. So I mailed my demo tape and resume to the two teams that were accepting applications and low and behold one had already made their decision.  That left one team, and really this was my last shot. It was already early May and with MLB already in full swing and minor league teams about to start I was scratching the bottom of the barrel.

But luck would be on my side (and in my opinion the teams side as well). The Laredo Broncos decided to hire me. Located in Laredo, Texas they have been members of the United League since 2006 and only have one play-off appearance; back in 2006; their inaugural season. 

So In two weeks time I moved out of my apartment (which is a whole different story) applied for an official leave of absence from KOFY TV, packed for four months in Texas and took off in pursuit of a dream I haven't woken up from yet. 

this brings me to my next point and the point of this post...I now have lived in Laredo, TX for four days.  Part of the perks of this job, other than just being able to talk about baseball all the time, is free room and board. Currently my room is located within the friendly confines of a motel 6 located in Laredo, TX.  Before you all think "oh, it's a motel 6 that sucks." Let me remind you it's free...and I have my own room (I bring this up because the team also stays at this same hotel and they all have to share a room).

So I decided to snap some pictures to show how my broadcasting, lounging life is going right now.

So here goes...

This is my bathroom..or I guess my bathroom sink...I like the towel  holder on the right it's very 70's. Lots of creativity by putting myself in the reflection of the mirror.

This is a lower shot of the counter top. I like they included a towel bar that hangs right underneath the sink. It's very convenient for drying your hands, or in my case wiping anything up since it doubles as my kitchen towel as well.

This is my shower...it's a stand-up with no actual door.  I hate stand-ups. The shower only has a curtain you can pull shut which leads to massive amounts of water all over the ground in the bathroom and forces me to use a towel as a bath mat.

My closet.  Yep that's it. Just a mini bar to the right of the towel holder attached to the wall. The clothes on top were taken right out of my suitcase and put on my shelf. They are folded and organized by type. Though you can tell by this picture.

Where the magic happens. Don't ask why I have double beds, I have no idea. I have no roommate as I mentioned and I don't sleep in two beds.  I end up using it as a big shelf, as you can tell by the back pack lying on top of it. I do wish I only had one bed because I think it would give me more overall space.

This is my mini office. Light switches, phone lines, and power outlets all located right underneath the TV.  You can see where the computer is located allows me actually watch TV while I work. Let's keep in mind when I write while I work, I mean write this and surf the interweb. And now for my favorite part....

Bam! I love these chairs. There's two of them. I think there awesome. They match the towel holder in an earlier picture in that the chairs yell the 70's.  Between the towel holder, the table my computer sits on and the chairs this motel 6 actually has a bit of style to it. It's a far cry from the bland, dirty motel 6's I'm used to.

Well that's it. You can do the whole tour if your standing in the middle of the room so it didn't take that many pictures to show what it looked like.  I'm here until June 2 when we get back from our first road trip at which point the team and I are moving to the dorms at TA&MIU...for those of you that don't know what that means...It's Texas A & M International University...located in Laredo, TX. 

It's not all bad. There's a lot of food located right around my hotel, including a Pancake House right next door open until 12 AM and super cheap. For lunch today I got nachos grande for $8.29..AWESOME!

KJ Boothcast 49 and 50...Download them

Somewhere along the lines I missed the announcement of KJ Boothcast 49.... anyways click on the prior link and wham, you get KJ Boothcast 49. However I am pleased to announce that KJ Boothcast 50 is up and running (hopefully not away) for all to hear across the vast expanse of the internet and ultimately the world.

Oh, remember if you listen to them we appreciate comments...and always check out the 49 prior Boothcasts that we have so lovingly prepared for your ears.

Boothcast

...And the Filters You Rode in On!

Hello again...as always I struggle mightily with writing on a consistent basis but this time around I heard something on what I have to say is my favorite radio station by virtue of it's topics not its hosts, KNBR (mainly 680, but for Tony Bruno and Into The Night I'll dabble at 1050). 

Just so everyone knows what turned me to Tony Bruno, other than his support and defense of Bay Area sports, which I love because he is an East Coast guy and we on the West Coast don't get much love from anything considered East Coast. Is my dislike for Damon Bruce, who until recently aired on KNBR 680 from 7-10 pm.  Sports fans who like a host is always negative and thinks he knows everything (see pompous ass) tune into to Damon on KNBR 1050 from 12-4 I believe.

Anyway I digress...we now head out of the potatoes of this post and into the meat...I was driving home on Wednesday night in the middle of the 9 o'clock hour of the Into The Night with Tony Bruno and he was interviewing Jim Lampley on 3/17, which yes happens to be St. patty's Day.

Briefly, Lampley is a ringside boxing commentator for HBO pay-per-view boxing matches.He first appeared on national TV in 1974, winning a talent hunt to inaugurate a new role titled "College Age Reporter" on ABC's college football telecasts.  He has been broadcasting for 35 years and like most recognizable people has had run ins with the law. His legal matters are not the topic of this post so I will not go further into them.   

Oh, before I forget if you want to download and listen to the segment where Tony Bruno interviews Jim Lampley about the most recent Manny Pacquiao fight go here.... 

What stuck out to me during this specific interview was something Lampley said in response to a Tony Bruno comment.  He said "well, I like you, live behind the mic and sometimes don't have that filter from brain to mouth that people who aren't on the air have." 

What irks me about this little, fairly insignificant statement revolves around what people who are "on the air" think of themselves compared to what they really are.  Tony Bruno and Jim Lampley don't ever say anything particularly racy or edgy.  People, as humans, have filters inherent in their brains...for example Jim Lampley got nailed for cheating on his wife, do you think if there's a boxer who gets caught for the same thing that Lampley is going to go off the deep end and condemn him? I don't think so...that is a filter my friend. 

The second filter on-air hosts/personalities have is quite simply the one imposed on them by the guy who signs the checks.  Don't for one second think that Bruno, Lampley and every other talk show host doesn't know exactly where his/her boundaries are on certain topics.

I'm tired of listening to these sports talk show hosts acting like their the only ones who ever say anything new or exciting, when in truth none of them ever say anything new or exciting.  I like Tony Bruno for his humor, his personality and his honest judgment of sports teams. He doesn't feed the East Coast bias being from Philly and I appreciate that...not to mention he makes Gary Radnich on KNBR 680 from 9-12 tolerable for at least 30 minutes.  

Damon Bruce is also a great example of this.  He said a few weeks ago ..."since I cornered the market on truth already in the Bay Area you might as well hear it from me first.." I think the topic was woman's sports such as the WNBA and the womens NCAA tournament.

What a load of garbage, the only thing Damon Bruce has cornered in the Bay Area is being negative, which should come easy for a guy who isn't from here and probably, in reality, doesn't care at all about our local teams. 

The curse of the microphone has given these guys (Lampley and Bruce) an over inflated picture of the service they provide and the manner in which they do it.  Trust me, if either of you ever said anything truly racy or edgy you'd be looking for a new job behind a much smaller microphone.

KJ Boothcast 48 bitches!

Whew we're pumping this bad boys out at a near record pace right now.  Actually, I'll let you in on a little secret. I was late posting about show 47...which is actually a lot better than the posts I put up about the last few shows before 47....oh you noticed. There weren't any...

Well Boothcast 48 is up and running so relax, grab a nice, ice cold beverage and allow the laughs to come full bore from your belly...

Remember if you spend the entire hour listening to the show take the extra five minutes to comment about the show...it helps, we appreciate it and of course god will love you more. 

kjboothcast

Boothcast 47 Is up and streaming

Alright once again the Boothcast boys have produced an absolutely fantastic 55 minutes of podcasting gold...Eat my shorts Kevin Smith...who we stole the idea from...Well, maybe not stole but adapted.  The Smodcast is Kevin Smith and Scott Mosier's creation and of course the KJ Boothcast is Brent, Vu and I's creation...Personally I think we're funnier but I'll leave that up to you, the listener. So get off your ass and check it out!

Boothcast 47

Deposit Friendly ATM my ass...

Yesterday afternoon, around 1:30 pm I drove down Mission St. to the location of my Chase bank.  It took awhile to find a parking space, as it usually does on Mission in the afternoon; or anytime for that matter.  I did get lucky once I found a spot though; someone had left 23 minutes on the parking meter.  In San Francisco, where parking is at an extreme premium finding a meter with time left on it is like a confirmation that karmic retribution actually exists.  In my opinion, when things like that happen it’s more a proof that god exists than the most common reasons devout’s usually give. 

 Ahh…parking. It always proves to take San Franciscans on a complete tangent off the main line of their conversation….moving along…I parked about 50 yards from the bank and was able to walk there in about 3 minutes.  Thankfully no one was in line for the ATM so I breezed right in.

My local Chase branch located at Mission and Ocean in the San Francisco Mission district had just been finished being remodeled.  I can only assume this was a result of the switch from WAMU to Chase. 

I stroll in and the first thing I notice is the lack of envelopes anywhere near the ATM. I naturally walk to the little table they provide with deposit slips and that sort of thing and to my surprise find no envelopes. 

As I’m gazing at the ATM from about 10 feet away I see a sign on the ATM. It reminded me of a sale sign in Safeway.  It said “Deposit Friendly ATM.” My initial reaction was “o.k, I thought all ATM’s were deposit friendly, isn’t that the point.”  

What I soon realized this was a nod to their new envelope and deposit slip less ATM idea.  Which sounded good enough as I swiped my card and began picking my options.  The screen told me I could deposit up to 50 bills at a time.  I someday wish I have enough money to that…I guess I could use 50 one dollar bills just to do it. 

On this trip I was only depositing a single 100-dollar bill.  The slot opened up and I slipped the bill in to the tune of the screen telling me to please wait…which ended up being famous last words. 

Of course it spit the money back out and said “some of your bills were unacceptable, please go see a checker for assistance.”

The slot opened up again so I tried again to the same result.  It would only allow you to try the deposit three times before automatically canceling your request.  Which is a safety measure I imagine in case someone else is trying to use your card. 

I stood there while people came in and got in line behind me and attempted to put my single bill in the ATM for about 20 minutes.  It continually spit the bill back at me 21 times before I got so frustrated that I at least walked into the bank to see if I could quickly see a cashier. Too add injury to insult my buddy called me in the middle of all theese shenanigans and I told him why I was frsutrated and he said "oh man, thats old news buddy." That pissed me off even more...not because of what he said but because it was old news that ATM's are harder to use now.  New ideas aren't alwasy better. 

Of course there was about 15 people in line and everyone knows banks, similar to the DMV are notoriously slow at serving anything.  I decided to try again at the ATM.  At this point someone had walked in and I had to wait in line for a few minutes. 

As I stepped back up to the ATM with a renewed sense of hope, it was quickly doused when again the ATM spit my 100 back at me six times. 

The whole time I reading the new signs on the ATM….Deposit friendly ATM…and laughing at the corporate world.  Corporate America, to me, encapsulates almost all aspects of backward thinking I have ever seen. 

In my entire life of dealing with ATM’s I have never once had an ATM tell me it couldn’t accept my envelope.  Never once!

I’m sure in part to save money and in part to be part of the “green” revolution this brain child idea seem full proof to some dolt in an office somewhere who has so much money he hasn’t been to an ATM in years because his fucking accountant takes of it all.  But for the guy, like me, on the street it is not convenient. 

 Two reasons why this envelope and deposit slip less ATM idea is a bad one…

1. Most people remember their first experience with things.  Whether that experience is good, bad, o.k makes a huge difference whether people are willing to put themselves back in that same situation.  This was a terrible first experience and I will probably bitch about it for the rest of my life.  As I mentioned earlier I have never had a problem with an ATM taking an envelope full of money.  

2. I was depositing a 100-dollar bill.  My bank is located on Mission st. in San Francisco.  For those who haven’t ever been here it has a reputation for not being the best area at night to hang around.  Now when I go into my bank I just have to hold my cash out while I continuously try to slip into the ATM that for some dumbass reason refuses to take it.  This is like asking to get robbed, especially if the ATM won’t take the money and you have to leave with it.  

To me this idea seems like a no brainer. Remember that old saying; if it’s not broken don’t fix it.  Well that applies here.  The ATM’s take envelopes, where you can hide how much cash your depositing, why would anyone think envelopeless is better?