hiway29

I met one of my childhood hero's, Soupy Sales at some event in LA. He was in pretty bad shape, but I was able to thank him for helping me survive junior high. I hear he's doing better now, and I hope that's true. People that aren't doing well now, but I happened to see shortly before their passing-Don Knotts, Jonathan Harris (Dr Smith), and Buddy Hackett, who I nearly knocked over exiting a door he was entering. My niece actually hit me when I told her the Jonas Brothers were hanging out in the lobby of my workplace. I wish she could have traded places with me. I met both Lois Lanes , Phyllis Coates, and Noel Neill,from the ancient Superman TV show, but not at the same time. When I lived in Burbank, it seemed like Joanne Worley was everywhere-drugstore, supermarket , restaurants. She negotiated a bidding war between me and someone at a charity auction, over a drawing by Peter Falk. I'm still kicking myself for giving in. I worked on an Adam Sandler movie, and saw him often, but really knew his pet bulldog, Meatball, better. Meatball would hang out in the studio, and was known to relieve himself in artist's cubicles.

'Batman'-the Tim Burton version "Some days , you just can't get rid of a bomb"

Sadly, the Original voices of Fred, Wilma, Barney, and Betty ,(Alan Reed, Jean VanderPyl, Mel Blanc, and Bea Benaderet , are all gone. I'm not sure who does them now (mostly for Pebbles cereal ads), but it's not the same. We still have June Foray, who did most every female voice in any Warner Bros, Hanna Barbera, or you name it cartoon. She's around 90, and still in good health. Jerry Mathers outgrew the Beaver while the show was still on. Aging was not kind to his acting talents. Even Barbara Billingsley (Mom Cleaver) says that he lost his 'naturalness' as puberty hit. As did we all.

For a time, I found myself in line with Henry Winkler at the studio commissary/ When I saw him waiting for a plane at the Dallas airport, I almost went over to him, thinking for a second he was someone I 'worked with'. I caught myself in time. I was also intrigued with the way Ted Koppel ate a tuna sandwich at the same commissary. Yvonne Craig (Batgirl) used to visit a show I worked on with her nephew, who wanted to learn about animation, and she was friendly with the director. She could still look great in that Batgirl outfit. I really enjoyed meeting Tommy Bond (Butch from the Little Rascals ). I met Don Adams , and thinking of something to say, asked him why they only used Fang the dog in the first season of 'Get Smart' "That damn dog would pee all over the set", he said. I'm realizing that the encounters that mean the most are those that I enjoyed growing up. I was never that impressed with Jennifer Garner for example, when she was filming 'Alias' here. Like baseball players, celebs seemed more important when I was 12.

I've got a poster in my kitchen of Rockwell Post covers, so I'm looking at young Ed all the time. I can't imagine anyone not being familiar with Rockwell, but there's a lot I'm naive about. What do you mean-looking for stories in art is your profession now ? Maybe I should relate some celeb encounters. I knew I was in a different world after I got into animation. In my first couple of weeks, I saw Stan Freberg in the elevator, Richard Moll(Bull on 'Night Court') at lunch, and I looked up from my drawing board to find myself eye to eye with Dr Ruth (she was standing, I was sitting). She was doing voices for our cartoon, and wanted to meet the artists. As they love to say out here, I knew I wasn't 'in Kansas' anymore.

Technically, it's 'The Doomsday Machine"-and in my book makes the short list for best episodes ever.

Come and Get It-was performed by Badfinger, but written by Lennon-McCartney--I THINK Paul wrote it for them

For some reason, (and I can only blame myself for being brain dead as a youth ) I didn't realize that the purpose of the WOW program was to witness "8 hours a day", until I got to WOW training. I had several people prodding me to go, telling me the program was all about learning how to live the Word, by living with other believers in a new environment. I'd learn how to trust God to find a job, grow by living with others, and having an exciting 'adventure'.I'd 'grow' 10 years in 1, and so on. I don't recall 'witnessing' ever being mentioned, outside of the knowledge that we'd be running twigs and classes. I guess I was naive-but really more brain dead, not to see that none of that would happen unless we told people about it. I adapted to it, and found as many ways to duck door to door, etc as much as a WOW as I did before. That means I was able to make myself scarce sometimes, but too often couldn't avoid it. I hated the whole concept of witnessing. I did enjoy talking with people on real terms, without any agenda, but it eventually led to the pfal sales pitch. What the heck was I thinking.

I thought he was dead, until I recalled that it was the character he played on 'Wonder Years' -Kevin says he died 2 years later on the last episode. Working in a major movie studio, it's common to see 'stars'. I don't care to make a list, but I did feel like I was in the presence of greatness the day Dick Van Dyke was in the building.

Rangers are looking good, and I don't see them fading. I'm in awe of Torii Hunter and the weekend he had in center field at Dodger Stadium. 3 amazing catches on Friday when I was there, and he kept it up all weekend. On Sunday he made another great catch, crashing into the wall and unable to get up for several minutes. His first words were 'I'm playing', and of course, he did.

This years inductees into the Shrine of the Eternals, are Steve Dalkowski, Roger Maris, and Jim Eisenreich. Mstar voted for Dalkowski, and I voted for Maris, so I feel like we contributed. Eisenreich got in, probably due to his overcoming Tourettes to play. The Induction ceremony is on July 19th at the Pasadena Public Library, which I can walk to on a good day, so I'm there. Hopefully Dalkowski, and Eisenreich wil be there to speak. I'm curious who will represent Roger.

I was at the Ravine last night-Dodgers vs Mets-though I would have sworn it was the '62 Mets. I half expected to see Marv Throneberry out there while the Mets made 5 of the more creative errors I've seen in some time. It takes talent to miss third base on a go ahead run in the 9th inning.

why was Lackey so intent on hitting the first batter ? This makes no sense. I haven't been following the story, and don't know if there's 'history' with the players, but why on earth would Lackey come out of the chute throwing at hitters? It sounds to me like he was still 'rusty'-Big difference between warm up and game pitches. no reason Texas can't keep going. It still weirds me out that the AL west has only 4 teams.

Among other things, it was Wierwille's way of saying he doesn't have to listen to anybody, so don't dare criticize him. "Someone' certainly didn't apply to any one 'above 'you in leadership. Those people always were given license to claim revelation-as long as it was for someone beneath them on the way food chain. Everyone had someone lording it over them-except Weirwille who was king of the mountain.

They don't make commissioners like they used to. He doesn't look like he's having any fun with that baseball-which pretty much sums him up.

almost missed your birthday-Happy Birthday

They've got the potato !! That's as good as the Babe Ruth half eaten hot dog in their collection. Oh the Coliseum night-I wouldn't know where to start. Maybe someday I'll write an account about that night .

hey, I sat in the LA Coliseum last year for the tribute game with the Sox. The single most horrifying sports experience of my life. How the Dodgers played there for so long is beyond me. I was almost kissing the ground at Dodger Stadium when I got back there.

I'll look into the potato thrower. I recall the incident, but not his name, so it'll take some work

especially if the dog runs off with the ball-which I'd love to see

Small town americana and wooden grandstand baseball parks are a slice of heaven to me. (Of course I live near Los Angeles and sit in Dodger Stadium- though I have to say that somehow, Dodger Stadium manages to feel comfier than any major league park I've been to). Dodgers are now 1-3 Manny-less, headed east for a tough road trip. We'll see what they're made of soon enough.

Wahconah Park looks good to me. I never met a ballpark I didn't like (well, there's Shea-which is thankfully history ) Odds are I'll be your way before you're this way. I'd enjoy going to a game. I'd love Fenway, but NOT during a Yankees series. I'm trying to lessen stress in my life. One of these days, we'll make it happen.

Mstar-if you ever get out this way, I'll treat you to a game in the loge, 3rd base side-my favorite spot in the Ravine. It really is pretty special.

Good day at Dodger Stadium, even without Manny. Giants shutout, great pitching, timely hitting. I do wonder about Ethier. Hitting around Manny he hits everything hard. On his own, not so much. Struck out twice swinging, hit into dp. Not the first time I've noticed the difference. Local homer announcers irk me.after the game they found 15 different ways to say that the Dodgers 'excorcized their demons', by winning today, and that this is the turnaround game of the season. I know they're paid by the team to promote them, but there's something about patting oneself on the back too hard that gets me. Of course, I'm not talking about Vin, the best baseball announcer of all time, in my biased opinion. Anyway-beautiful day , sunshine, Dodger Dog, good game-I do like living near the Ravine.

Oh yeah Red Sox Nation-and I was the one who brought it up-duh I liked Dom Dimaggio. I could relate to him more than Joe.Maybe it was the glasses-or being the 'underdog' in the family. I know next to nothing about him as a person, but he couldn't have been as surly as Joe. Vin Scully said 'he lived 92 good years, so no tears for a life well lived'-not an exact quote, but as close as I can recall. I'll have to read Halberstam's book-there's someone who left too soon.