November 2009
What Kate Hudson Does When There’s No Baseball
It turns out we’re not the only ones who’ve gone back to real life now that the season has ended. Only in Kate Hudson’s case, it’s “reel life.” Opening Christmas Day is “Nine,” the movie musical based on the Tony Award-winning Broadway show. It was directed by Rob Marshall, who also directed “Chicago,” and it stars Daniel Day-Lewis, Nicole Kidman, Penelope Cruz, Judi Dench, Sophia Loren and, yes, Kate, who is said to be terrific in her singing and dancing number.
Today my Santa Barbara Film Festival Cinema Society group sent out invites to the December 12th screening, which will be followed by a Q&A with Marshall and possibly some cast members. Will Kate be coming here? And if so, is there any way on earth I won’t annoy everyone in the audience by asking her about A-Rod instead of the movie? She didn’t seem too pleased to be answering A-Rod questions in this MTV interview.
She was more relaxed fielding softballs from Mary Hart on ET.
I’ll probably have to drag my husband to see the movie (he hates musicals), but I’m looking forward to it. Here’s the trailer. I was amazed when I heard Kate singing. Minka Kelly, eat your heart out.
Will A-Rod be at the premiere, doing the red carpet thing? It could happen.
What’s Your Lasting Image Of Game 6?
By now, everyone has probably seen photographer Robert Caplin’s time-lapse video of over 5,000 stills he took from Game 6 of the World Series. It’s been published, circulated, tweeted about, etc., but each time I watch it a different image catches my eye. (I love the music too.) Sometimes, it’s the fans filing through the turnstiles before the game. Sometimes, it’s the grounds crew preparing the field. Sometimes, it’s the flipping of the hot dogs. And sometimes, it’s the shots of Pedro on the mound. But always, it’s the appearance of Mo and the inevitability of the celebration.
http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=7540666&server=vimeo.com&show_title=0&show_byline=0&show_portrait=0&color=ffffff&fullscreen=1
World Series Time-Lapse by Robert Caplin from Robert Caplin on Vimeo.
Does anyone else have thoughts about this video? Discuss!
Don’t Get My Halladay Hopes Up, Cashman
I just read the latest Hot Stove article on MLB.com and immediately bolted up from my chair and did this.
According to the article, the Yankees spoke to the Jays about the possibility of trading for Roy Halladay, the pitcher I’ve coveted since I first started this blog! Be still my heart!
Who needs Lackey, Ben Sheets or any of the other names being bandied about? Halladay is the best pitcher not currently on the Yankees. (OK, there are a few others, but I’m conveniently overlooking them right now.) Sure, Doc actually lost a few games this season. But he was coming back from a stint on the DL, plus there was the uncertainty of being shipped out at any moment. I say he’s still in his prime and I want him on the Yanks for the following reasons and in no particular order:
* He’d look better in pinstripes than in that girly powder blue.
* He’s best friends with A.J. Burnett. They’d have so much fun hugging and shoving pies in each other’s faces.
* He would probably come packaged with Vernon Wells, which is OK because Vernon would play the outfield if Damon left and his offensive skills would miraculously return.
* How cool would it be to have a pitcher nicknamed after a gunslinger?
* He’s a horse like CC and could give us complete games. OK, he’s a smaller horse than CC but still.
* He throws a cutter, and we all know how successful cutter-throwers can be.
* If we had Halladay in the rotation, it would give Joba and Hughes some room to grow (assuming one of them isn’t part of the trade).
* Adding Halladay to the Yankees would drive the haters crazy and motivate them to come up with even more clever slogans than this gem.
I realize that any discussion Cashman may have had with the Blue Jays is only preliminary. But maybe he’ll make it happen. He’s been known to act disinterested in a player and then all of a sudden…..
P.S. Remember how we were talking about Cooperstown the other day, and some of us said how much we wanted to go? Well, one of our commenters, wirishrose, sent along some pics from her last visit. First, we have the statues of Gehrig, Robinson and Clemente.
Then there’s this one of Joe DiMaggio’s locker.
And finally a sign that’s very appropriate for a blog called “Confessions of a She-Fan.”
What would the sport of baseball do without women fans? I shudder to think!
I’m Mad As Hell And I’m Not Going To Take It Anymore!
Those were the words of Peter Finch’s character in “Network,” of course, but now I’m shouting them, too. Can you hear me? No? Then let me put it another way.
I’M. NOT. HAPPY. RIGHT. NOW.
I’ve worked in book publishing my entire adult life – from a publicist and a marketing executive to a writer of fiction and nonfiction – and I’ve loved every minute of it. But now and then I want to tear my hair out, and today is one of those days.
Months ago, my agent shopped a proposal to publishers for an illustrated book about the Yankees’ 2009 season. More specifically, the book was going to highlight the 50 most memorable moments of the Yankee Stadium Inaugural Season; I was going to write the (hopefully witty and heartwarming) text for each key moment and Andy Friedman, whose wonderful illustrated portraits of famous people regularly appear on national magazine covers, was going to do the drawings. We thought we had a unique, commercial idea. But here’s what publishers said:
“The project is too risky. We don’t know how the Yankees will do. The season might not be memorable after all, and we can’t take that chance.”
They also said:
”The audience for a book about the Yankees is too narrow.”
Yes, I tore my hair out when I heard those comments, especially because the audience for a book about the Yankees isn’t narrow; it’s enormous. But hey. They wanted to wait to see how the team did this season? Fine. We’d wait. Well, surprise surprise. The Yankees won the World Series.
My agent went back to publishers last week and said, “OK, everybody. The season was memorable. Now do you want the book?” Once again, publishers said the audience was too narrow (no, it isn’t). They also said the market would be flooded with keepsake books about the World Series (ours would cover the entire season, not just the Series). And today, one publisher said this:
“The drawings would make the book too cerebral.”
Yes, I tore my hair out again. Too cerebral? Does this guy think Yankee fans (or all baseball fans, for that matter) are Neanderthals?
Seriously. Take a look at Andy’s drawing of Yogi throwing out the first pitch on Opening Day. Does it seem hard to comprehend?
We had planned to include everything from A-Rod’s walk-off against the Red Sox in the 15th inning, to Girardi getting tossed in Atlanta, to A.J. pitching to kids from Camp Sundown at 3 o’clock in the morning during HOPE Week. We had it covered in a way that would be so different from a photographic chronicle. Publishers didn’t think it would sell, and I think they’ve been incredibly shortsighted. Such is life. Andy will go back to drawing movie stars, athletes and members of the Supreme Court, and I’ll go back to the novel I’m writing as well as the script for the She-Fan book. I just hate when good ideas end up in the dumpster, I really do.
Would It Be Wrong To Lose Wang?
Remember the good times?
Chien-Ming came up from our very own farm system – a rookie phenom from Taiwan and a Yankee to the core. So what if he couldn’t speak English and never left his hotel room? The kid could pitch. He had that amazing sinker.
In his quiet way he went about his business, achieved back-to-back 19-win seasons, became the ace of the staff. It was such a pleasure to watch him induce ground ball after ground ball.
There was just one not-so-tiny problem: he was terrible in the 2007 postseason. He had two starts in the ALDS against the Indians and lost both of them, giving up a total of 12 runs over five-plus innings for an ERA of 19.06 (gag). Was that the beginning of Wang’s “lost period” when we’d catch him staring off into space while sitting in the dugout?
Was his postseason funk the result of mechanical problems? Did anybody bother to look under his hood?
He rebounded beautifully in 2008, becoming the first pitcher to win six games that year. But then came the fateful interleague game against the Astros. Since the Yanks were playing in Houston, Wang was running the bases when this happened.
Big trouble. The foot injury ended his season and seemed to have carried over into ’09. He was never “right.” Was it his hip or his head? All I know is his stint on the DL led to Hughes’ stint in the bullpen. While we certainly could have used another 19-game winner in the rotation along with CC, it was a revelation to see Huuuuughes emerge as the bridge to Mo.
Wang struggled when he returned. Then more trouble: season-ending shoulder surgery. According to some reports, he could be back on the mound this spring. But will he have the velocity he used to? Will he be able to throw the sinker and come up with other effective pitches? Will he be any good? Or will the Yankees get him healthy, showcase him, hope there’s interest from other teams and wave goodbye?
I don’t know, but what a boost for him and for the Yankees if he could rediscover his magic and be a reliable starter again. I’d take a healthy Wang over Lackey any day.
And The Award Goes To…. (With a P.S.)
Baseball’s version of the Oscars gets underway Monday while I’ll be on a plane back to California. So in anticipation, I thought I’d add my totally biased, completely Yankees-centric two cents on who should win.
1) AL Rookie of the Year: Alfredo Aceves
I know, I know. The award will probably go to Elvis Andrus. But Aceves was 10-1 this season. That’s a lot of wins for a reliever, even a long reliever. Yes, Dave Robertson had the best strikeout to innings ratio (63 Ks in 43.2 IP), but I don’t think he qualifies until next year. So congrats, Alfredo. In your honor, every Yankee fan should have fettucini alfredo some time this week.
2) AL Cy Young Award: CC Sabathia
Sure, you can talk about Greinke, Verlander and King Felix, but CC won 19 games and threw 230 innings. What’s more, he struck out 197 batters and only walked 67. He was the guy who fronted the staff, plain and simple. He wasn’t just a horse; he was a giant horse.
P.S. Honorable mention goes to Mo. He may be “just” a closer, but his name has to figure into any discussion of the year’s best pitcher.
3) AL Manager of the Year: Joe Girardi
While it’s true that Mike Scoscia pulled his team through adversity, I’m picking the guy we love to bash – and not just because the Yankees won 103 games with him at the helm, impressive as that is. I give him props for slotting Jeter in the leadoff hole, for sending the players off to the pool hall during spring training, for manipulating the rotation after Wang got injured, for leaving Hughes in the pen and for resting CC, AJ and Andy enough that they were good to go the extra mile in the playoffs. Joe, you gave me heartburn on a regular basis, so I’ll celebrate your honor by downing some of this.
#4) AL MVP: Derek Jeter
A case could be made for Joe Mauer, obviously, but I honestly think Jeter could win this one. He had 212 hits, batted .334 and won a Gold Glove. If all that’s not valuable to a team, I don’t know what is. I love Tex as a candidate too. And A-Rod deserves to be mentioned because the Yankees’ season turned around after he came off the DL. But I’m tipping my cap to the Captain.
And now a round of applause for all the winner.
P.S. Since many of the comments dealt with Cooperstown today, I wanted to add the pics Cheshirecat sent me from his recent trip there. The first one is a plaque of The Mick. (Be still my heart.) The second is of Cheshirecat standing next to the Holy Cow cow! Enjoy!
My Near-Miss With Mo
As everyone knows by now, tonight was my date with Mo (well, okay, Mo’s restaurant). My mother, sister, husband and I piled into the car and drove to New Rochelle.
I was anticipating a possible sighting of Mo, of course, but it was exciting enough to walk in and see the hostess wearing this.
“Hi, we have a reservation for 7 o’clock,” I told her. With the no-nonsense approach of the restaurant’s namesake, she quickly turned and led us to a really private corner table in the main dining room. Yes, there were framed photos of Mo himself everywhere I looked, including an amazing shot of him coming in from the bullpen (you can practically hear “Enter Sandman”). Right above my seat at the table was a photo of A-Rod with the inscription: “To the best closer in baseball and an even better friend.” At least that’s how I remember if after drinking a large pour of their delicious Pinot Noir.
We ordered lots of food – steaks, fish, the Yankee Burger, apple pie, side dishes, you name it – and everything was tasty and reasonably priced, relative to restaurants in Manhattan. The atmosphere was festive and everybody seemed to be in a celebratory mood. But by the end of the meal, what I really wanted to know was: WHERE IS MO? I struck up a conversation with Stephanie, the Assistant Manager who was doubling as our waitress. The lighting is dim, but hopefully you can see her pretty smile.
So Mo stops in for dinner on SUNDAYS, NOT SATURDAYS? Bummer. And I missed seeing the entire team signing autographs at Steiner Sports just down the street? Double bummer. It would have been fun to say hi to Joba, too. But all was not lost. Stephanie brought out Gary Fosina, the Executive Chef at Mo’s, to chat with me. It was sweet of him to take time out of his busy Saturday night in the kitchen. “Want to see the back room?” he said. “We’re doing a party there.” It turns out, a Yankee she-fan was giving her husband a 40th birthday bash, complete with a disk jockey and dance floor.
You can hear Lady Gaga in the background as I talked to Gary.
See what interesting things I learned about my favorite Yankee? He likes his water at room temperature. He eats carrot cake. He goes to church every Sunday with his family. And he asks guests how they became Yankee fans. I might just have to ask Mo to marry me and get it over with.
Seriously, I loved Mo’s New York Grill. What’s not to love? Great food, service, atmosphere and photos of Yankees on the wall. I give it 42 stars, my highest possible rating.
Mother Knows Best
I don’t know if anyone else remembers the show “Father Knows Best,” but in my house it was my mother who had all the answers. She’s 92 now and doesn’t remember things as well as she used to, which isn’t a bad thing. For example, she forgot that she caught me smoking when I was in fourth grade.
And she’s a little fuzzy on the time I was suspended from high school, just for taking a spin in my friend Billie’s turquoise blue Riviera.
But she’s as sharp as one of Damon’s splintered bats when it comes to the Yankees, and we spent a little time talking about the boys in pinstripes during my visit today.
My favorite line came when I asked her about Matsui: “I don’t know if you all remember that one homer he made that was so influential.” Yes, Mom. We remember it. He hit more than one, but who’s counting? I have to agree with her on her last sentiment; the Yankees have certainly added to my life, too.
In An Empire State Of Mind
My plane landed at JFK about 8:30 p.m. Eastern Time. I still hate flying and the trip was really bumpy thanks to the storm in the mid-Atlantic, but I survived. What’s more, the first thing I saw when I walked into the terminal was a shop selling Yankees gear. I was so excited. I mean, nobody sells Yankees anything in California. A few minutes later, at baggage claim, I saw tons of people wearing Yankees caps. I really was in New York with other lunatics!
But the best part was when I got to my mother’s house in Westchester. She greeted me at the door wearing this.
Did I mention that my mother is 92? I might just have to get her to model the shirt tomorrow on the She-Fan Cam. I’m sure she’ll have some opinions about the World Series. The question is….Will she weigh in on whether Cashman should re-sign Damon and Matsui or go after Lackey or pursue Curtis Granderson? Stay tuned.
(Sorry for the shorter than normal post, but I’m beat!)
My Dinner With Mo
Well, okay. Not with Mo. I’m exaggerating. But you all know that Mo is my favorite player in the Universe (current). So the first thing I did after I booked my flight to New York for this weekend’s visit with my mother, sister and brother-in-law was to make a reservation for us at Mo’s New York Grill for Saturday night. Since it’s too late to be at any of the playoff games or the ticker-tape parade, I figured the next best thing would be to eat at Mo’s and soak up all the Yankee-ness. Here’s a tour.
I certainly hope they’ve updated their wall art since that video was shot. I want to see a framed photo of this.
When I went on the restaurant’s web site, I noticed that one of the entrees is a “Yankee Burger.” Does that mean it’ll have pinstriped grill marks?
Or that the burger will be world championship size?
But food aside, the real question is whether Mo himself ever shows up at his place. Now that the season is over, he and his sore ribcage could be in Panama enjoying the sun. Or he could be feeling antsy with no games to save and wander into the restaurant for a little adoration. Assuming the latter is remotely possible, I decided to rehearse what I’d say if I met him. Did I leave anything out?
http://www.xtranormal.com/site_media/players/jwplayer.swfhttp://www.xtranormal.com/site_media/players/embedded-xnl-stats.swf
P.S. Speaking of Mo, how cool is this Nike ad? Commenter Mike just sent it to me.
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