Jamie Moyer Philadelphia Phillies (2010) Our ageless lefty pitched a gem last night at the new Yankee Stadium, giving up two runs on three hits in the Phillies6-3 victory over the New York Yankees. The win makes Jamie Moyer the oldest pitcher to earn a victory against the Yankees in the history of their franchise. The game also marks the 48th different MLB ballpark that Moyer has pitched in his career. This moves him past a tie with his 2008 Phillies teammate Rudy Seánez for the all-time record for games played in the most big league ballparks in the history of Major League Baseball.
In so doing, Nava became just the fourth player in the history of Major League Baseball to hit a grand slam in his first plate appearance. The first player to hit a grand slam in his first plate appearance was Phillies pitcher Bill Duggleby back in 1898. It took 107 years for it to happen again when Jeremy Hermida hit a grand slam in his first plate appearance in 2005. Third baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff accomplished the same feat in the following season, and is the only other player besides Nava on this short list to have hit a grand slam in the first pitch that he saw in a MLB game.
One of the greatest rock songs ever recorded is turning 40 years old today. It was highly controversial and progressive for its time, and it probably still would be considered both of those things today.
It has been rumored that the song was inspired by Candy Darling, who was one of the inspirations behind Walk On The Wild Side by Lou Reed, but that isn't the case. There's a few stories about the origins of the song, but the two that are generally accepted is that it's either inspired by a night that The Kinks manager Robert Wace spent with a transgender woman in Paris, or the fact that drummer Mick Avory spent a lot of time at drag clubs and transgender-friendly pubs in West London. Either way, it's one of those songs that tells a story that grabs you from the opening line and keeps you paying attention and bopping your head from beginning to end.
My favorite version of this song is the studio version that appears on the Lola vs Powerman album, but this is the best live version that I was able to find on YouTube. It's a stripped down version with just two instruments; Ray Davies on guitar and vocals and Gordon Edwards on piano. Like many of the recorded versions of the song, it replaces Coca-Cola with cherry cola, but at least it doesn't cut off the end like so many radio stations did.
I met her in a club down in old Soho
Where you drink champagne and it tastes just like Coca-Cola
C-O-L-A Cola
She walked up to me and she asked me to dance
I asked her her name and in a dark brown voice she said "Lola"
L-O-L-A Lola
Lo-Lo-Lo-Lo-Lola
Well, I'm not the world's most physical guy
But when she squeezed me tight, she nearly broke my spine
Oh my Lola
Lo-Lo-Lo-Lo-Lola
Well, I'm not dumb, but I can't understand
Why she walks like a woman and talks like a man
Oh my Lola
Lo-Lo-Lo-Lo-Lola
Lo-Lo-Lo-Lo-Lola
Well we drank champagne and danced all night
Under electric candlelight
She picked me up and sat me on her knee
She said, "Little boy, won't you come home with me?"
Well, I'm not the world's most passionate guy
But when I looked in her eyes, well, I almost fell for my Lola
Griffey was traded to the White Sox at the 2008 deadline where he played alongside another future Hall-of-Famer, Jim Thome. In 41 regular season games, Griffey hit .260 with 3 home runs. He had a rough ALDS, batting .200 and striking out in nearly half of his plate appearances. The White Sox lost to the Tampa Bay Rays, who would go on to be beaten by the Phillies in the 2008 World Series.
Just about every nerdy kid in school had a video game watch in the early 90's, and every teacher hated them. Looking back on it, I can see why it would be annoying to have one of your students staring down at his or her wrist and pressing buttons that make screeching beep noises, but they sure were a welcome distraction.
Sh*t My Dad Says Justin Halpern
Comedy writer Justin Halpern moved back home with his parents and he started a Twitter account to share the things his father says around the house. It is pure gold, and now it's been published as a book.
My favorite:
"I just want silence. Jesus, it doesn't mean I don't like you. It just means right now, I like silence more." (December 3, 2009)
