hiway29

Here's what I think is an easy one- "The local rock group down the street is trying hard to learn their song"

Maybe Skeeter was there first. She certainly sings better than Peter Noone of the Hermits

"The End of the World"- Herman's Hermits

In the late 70's. early 80's , I filled out those blue forms when I was coordinating twigs. I never saw a statement from hq. I did have a branch coord pull out my forms during a twig leaders meeting and go through them. "How come Joe Smith gave this much this week, and not as much the following week". From that moment on I stopped writing names next to contributions, unless someone wanted it for tax purposes, which was almost never since no one earned enough money to itemize anyway. For all of it's talk about attention to detail, I found most communication with hq shoddy at best. With all the moving around I did, I never sent a change of address to Ohio. It wasn't until I took the advanced class that they had an address for me, and that only lasted until I moved. Interesting in that I was usually a twig coordinator, with no subscription to the way rag, and only getting 'official' letters when they came through the state limb coord.

Thanks for the article on Jeter. I don't see myself as 'moaning' about being a Yankee fan, but I will self examine myself to not come across like that.

Probably not, though strong cases can be made for Tim Raines, Dale Murphy, Tommy John, and really most of the 'holdovers' listed.You could easily pick a personal favorite from the list and who's to say they'd be wrong ? I always thought Don Mattingly would be a shoo-in, but the bad back brought him down too soon.

CC has also said he wants to stay in the NL, although Angels money could change that. That's the main reason I don't think the Yankees will get him. The Dodgers can afford him, though they won't want to pay for him-unless they decide they will. Honestly, the money is so huge I have no idea what will happen.

I think CC wants to stay on the west coast, and am not optimistic about the Yankees getting him. You don't even like Jeter ? I guess there's reasons to dislike anyone if you dig deep enough, but Derek's been nothing but good for the game in my opinion.

That bug thing was weird, and of course great fodder for comments both serious and fanciful. Of late, the Yankees do a good enough job of beating themselves without the aid of hexes, curses, and plagues.

Actually, I agree that you're special-whatever baseball team you love. I grew up on the 'Mason-Dixon line' in Ct between Yankee and Red Sox fans. It's obvious what side of the line I was on, but as I've said often in here, I always liked the Sox too. Rooted for them in the'67, '75' and '86 series, even. Now that I've got some sleep, I'm not so grouchy. It would be nice to hear from the Ranger, Indians, and other fans discuss their teams to balance out the Sox talk once in awhile.

If I hadn't been in CT for the week I would have gotten 'Pinky and the Brain', since I worked on that cartoon for a spell way back when.

Happy Birthday, Rocky. Only a day late.

Of course I'm being somewhat facetious. I happened to be around a lot of red necks last week. This is starting to read like a Sox fan site though, so I'm just pulling your leg a bit. I know you're legion. Yankee fans are legion also-so are Dodger, Cubs, Cardinal fans. I know you love to think you're 'special', though.

I never associated Sox fans with republicans either (at least until this trip where I was among a large group of big Sarah Palin fans -they loved her because she kills moose and is against abortion-and were big Sox fans). Hey, Yankee fans are forever being accused of one thing or another-I 'm only relating the weird week I had. I know mstar and geisha aren't republicans.

Just got back from Ct-no baseball there but an interesting visit to a Hallmark store in Southbury. Big baseball junk displays, equal sized for Yankees, and Red Sox, and a 'by the way' corner for whatever Mets fans might be there. If one were to generalize based on what I saw, it looked like red necks and republicans were Sox fans, and anyone going near NY to work were Yankee fans. That's generalizing way too much . I'm sure I'll be hearing comments, since this is becoming more a Sox fan site than ever, at least some of those laughable trade ideas sound like stuff you read on a fan site. Lowell and some prospect catcher for Russell Martin ? If that catcher is so good YOU keep him. Youkilis for Martin is at least something to talk about, but in hot stove talk, it's always dumping people not needed, and picking up another teams star for them. Guess I'm sounding grumpy. It was a looong flight but a good trip.

Yikes-I don't HAVE a scarf or gloves, and I don't think my coat is made for that weather. Looks like my first stop will be a clothing store. The rental car had best have a good heater. I'm having flashbacks of the 200 dollar heaps I drove while in the way, that never had heaters that worked. Maybe reliving some of the New England winter experience of my youth is good for me. I'm getting spoiled with fires and earthquakes out here.

good grief- you are joking that they want Sabbathia to hit, right ? I don't know what you 'heard'. The Yankees are pretty much done with Giambi, and they obviously need to get pitching. If that's 'replacing', then so be it. I'll reserve my rant on how much I hate that irksome internet abbreviation 'LOL'. I'll be enjoying Thanksgiving in the part of New England that's Yankee centric. Hope it warms up a few degrees before I get there.

When I was a kid, it was a big deal that Mickey Mantle made a hundred thousand. I've had years where I've made in that neighborhood myself-though where it went is beyond me. I think Mantle was making more signing junk in a couple weekends, than he made playing. Somehow, the whole concept of money, value, and worth has gone off into the Twilight Zone. I'm mind boggled by the entire economic realities of today. They just gave 700 BILLION to bail out the country, but noone knows what to do with it, and the market continues to nosedive. Then there's the fatcat ceo's of the auto industry with their hands out. Everyone I know is tightening their belts and wondering if they'll have their jobs and/or homes a year from now. The rich get richer and the rest of us scrape by. Thanks to free agency and Scott Boras, a huge chunk of ball players are as rich as the fatcat ceo's. The 140 million offer is 'crazy', as are dozens of contracts if you want to start looking at them .Another 'star' may have an 80 million contract. Suddenly that looks reasonable compared to the 'crazy' numbers. I don't even try to bring it into reality, because who can even begin to relate to any of it. My personal opinion is that baseball should have set a salary cap long ago. Of course, that will never happen.

I'm safe (at least the fires haven't hit my neighborhood yet). There's supposed to be a first ever marathon in Pasadena this morning. I don't see how that's going to happen , as the smoke from the fires is everywhere. These fires are horrible. So many people, from millionaires, to an entire mobile home park have lost their homes.As if things weren't bad enough with the economy. I don't know what many of these people are going to do. Thanks for the concern.

I hate, really hate, driving anywhere in NYC, and can understand making some wrong turns.I'm flying into Hartford by 2 planes next week, just to avoid driving from NYC to Ct. Could you see both stadiums? They haven't brought out the wrecking ball yet, have they ? Does it 'look' like Yankee Stadium ? I always got 'chills' when I drove by-I wonder if the new joint will evoke that. And I wonder how the new 'Ebbets Field' is coming along. No one is going to miss Shea.

someone can jump in, as I'm so swamped with work, that I can't come up for air.

"Ragtime"- E. L. Doctorow I don't have time to enter a new one right now, though.

I'm awake enough now to realize what I was trying to say before. It's on the 1st and second strike that a caught foul tip is just a strike. If it 'goes over the head' and is judged a foul ball and caught, then it's an out. The complexities that Lifted Up describe are way over my head.

oh right -it is an out. I don't know what I was thinking that early in the morning. As far as the other complexities-let's just say I'd make a lousy umpire.

If the catcher catches a foul tip on the 3rd strike it's not an out. When I was a kid we referred to a tip becoming a ball if the ball was hit 'over the head'. A caught foul ball is an out, a caught 'tip' is not. I can't think of any other differences.