Steve Pastorino: Fodor's In Focus Yellowstone & Grand Teton NP (1st Ed.) (*****)
Please take a minute to see the future of team handball in the USA...www.usateamhandball.org is the product of a lot of work in the past few weeks and the diligent programmers at Infinity Pro Sports. We've launched phase one in an unheard of 6 days - with much, much more to come. How 'bout that Hungary 30-24 win over Sweden in the second match!
Happy Birthday Mrs. 'Hat Rack!
By now, you've probably heard about legendary oilman T. Boone Pickens' maverick plan to convert America to wind power and away from its dependence on oil.
It's always interesting to be on the road and be asked, "where are you from?"
It's 1:18am in New York, 11:18pm here in Salt Lake City... and they're still playing baseball at Yankee Stadium. I guess God is a Yankee fan and doesn't want to turn out the lights on baseball's most mythical stadium without one last memorable moment. About four hours ago, I joked they would play 20 innings, run out of players and some pitcher would get seriously injured - and it would all be on inept baseball commissioner Bud Selig's conscience. I never thought it would come this close. Wow.
The St. Helena Star ran this article about two weeks ago about a career diplomat with the U.S. Foreign Service. I think the lengthy article is a great read about a diplomat's life. Grandma and Grandpa 'Hat Rack immediately chimed in that the quotes weren't entirely accurate, but even so, I think there's nothing to be ashamed about. Here's to 25 unforgettable years of service to the United States. I know I'm proud.
In honor of 70’s night at Toyota Park in Bridgeview, I dip into the nostalgia bank for a few thoughts:
1) That goal Ante Razov just scored against NY Red Bulls was classic “poacher” Ante – but when you’ve scored 111 goals in MLS history, that’s a compliment. The Red Bulls’ left back passed it just as Andrew Boyens put his head down and started running to midfield. The alert Razov pounced on it and slotted it under Jon Conway and in the back of the net before Conway could even get his 6-foot-6 frame to the ground. If you’ve watched much Chad Barrett, Kei Kamara, (insert any RSL striker here), etc., it was great to see a no-hesitation, no-stopping-him finish.
2) Speaking of the Chivas USA game – anyone else catch the bilingual Toy Story Mania halftime “special moment” on tonight’s broadcast? Disney obviously paid a pretty penny to have their green plastic soldiers parade around the field and across the broadcast? Ugh – too much corporate overkill. But since we’re on the topic, did anyone else think one of the soldiers looked like Brian Dunseth?
3) How does Joe Cannon do it? He comes up with big saves – and shutouts – with amazing consistency, especially considering how bad that team is in front of him.
4) Speaking of olden days – what was with the horrendous format (square, with black lines on all four side) of the RSL broadcast on KSL 5.3, aka the local weather channel. The picture looked like 1977. I had to switch to the Wizards broadcast and inject coffee because their two announcers (Williams? And Gansler) were lifeless.
5) So my friend Hannah, of the Orioles’ reference earlier this week, reminds me that it was 20 years ago – twenty – that we sat at center court for the rain-delayed Monday morning final of Wimbledon and watched Stefan Edberg defeat Boris Becker. I was only 19 at the time. It was 20 years ago. Not sure how I feel about that.
6) So, a year ago, I entered the Wasatch Iron Pen writing contest – held in conjunction with the Utah Arts Festival. The topic “honeycomb” stymied me. My submission was horrible. I didn’t win. This year, I was well on my way to a scintillating story about a salt shaker, but I fell asleep last night. Mrs. ‘Hat Rack is away, the kids required my attention, were up early… oh well.
7) I went to my second Arena Football League game today. What did the 1987-ish Washington Commandos game have in common with today’s Utah Blaze game? Two things: Army commandos descending from the rafters and a Northwestern player on the home team (Mike Witteck, way back then, and big Dwayne Missouri on the Blaze today). I left after three quarters. The Blaze lost. The sport hasn’t gotten any more interesting. My boys loved the BMX bikes at halftime – and little else. My daughter slept through most of the game – who knew AFL could be so relaxing?
8) And finally, congrats to John Ellinger, who’s back on an MLS bench with FC Dallas. I haven’t talked to him since the hire, but I’m rooting for him and Schellas.
Nostalgia took center stage at Abravanel Hall on Wednesday night as legendary Dire Straits’ front man Mark Knopfler graced Salt Lake City with his six-man band. By the time he concluded his two-hour performance with “So Far Away” and the instrumental from the movie “Local Hero,” the crowd of 2,000 had swayed, clapped and reminisced their way from the late ‘70’s to today.
Known as one of the world’s premier guitarists, Knopfler and friends were at their finest when three guitars, a drums and two keyboards filled the stuffy hall with a decidedly groovy sound. His trademark combination of London roots with Cajun/folkAmericana riffs and 80’s rock ballad lyrics resonated with the audience in that comfortable way like the night after finals. Returning to a pre-Bush, pre-AIDS, pre-internet era was a sentimental trip for both the band and their audience.
He didn’t take risks, played few surprises and gratefully avoided “Money for Nothing” – the song that decried the out-of-control commercialization of the rock music industry, even though it was a signature song itself during the meteoric rise of MTV. After all, with several members of the band pushing 60 years old, Dire Straits’ biggest hit would have sounded only like a creaky echo. “Romeo and Juliet” and “Brothers in Arms” were safer descents into that bygone era. The audience has moved on from wearing Journey and Asia t-shirts – Harley Davidson duds were far more prevalent among the baby boomer set.
I loved the show’s lighting, updated harmonies and elaborate song intros. The second show on Knopfler’s tour this summer, the set bodes well for forthcoming stops on his tour. As he hits a few summer festivals and a few legitimate arenas, the band will lift off from Salt Lake’s stifling, alcohol-free concert hall setting and deliver true musical spectacles. Last night was pure great music, but also a reminder that the 80’s are “so far away.”
OK, it took me a month to post this article about the Baltimore Orioles, but it really struck a chord with me. After all, there were years when my allegiance to the Birds was stronger than the Giants. (Say it ain’t so!)
I spent five formative years in Washington (6th – 10th grade, ’79—84) when the Orioles made two World Series appearances (I was there in ’83) and missed the playoffs on the last day of the season (I was there, too, in ’82). These were the teams of Palmer, Martinez, Flanagan, McGregor on the mound… Murray, Dauer, Ripken, DeCinces … Lowenstein, Roenicke, Bumbry, Singleton… some of my favorite players of all time.
Prior to that, my first exposure to baseball on a full-season basis was in the early 70’s, when I have fleeting, but important memories of Brooks Robinson, Belanger, Hendricks and Doyle Alexander.
Anyways, the point of this article is that it’s been 25 years since the Orioles won a World Series game, the fans have deserted, businesses that rely on the Camden Yards are suffering and the only thing that everyone agrees upon is that “the Oriole Way” used to mean something – and still could some day.
How times have changed though. I miss the innocence of being a teenage sports fan with a great baseball team to follow.
My turning point with the O’s? Two years managing their Class-A affiliate in High Desert, when player development director Don Buford made the most of a bad situation (from their perspective) and banished every malcontent, retread, drug-addicted trouble maker to the Mojave Desert where they could count out the final days of bygone baseball careers. Plus, during my one visit to Camden Yards – as GM of one of their six minor league affiliates – they stashed my family and me in the last row of the upper deck in right field – in the visiting team player’s family section. Whatever. That whole trip was doomed from the outset – but we don’t need to go there.
Thanks to Hannah Buchdahl for sending the article – she’s quite proud of her 12-year-old nephew who’s quoted in the story – he’s no doubt the smartest guy of the bunch.
How to summarize 29 hours, 5 minutes of running with my wife and 10 (mostly new) friends in a pair of vehicles? Hmmm, here goes.
