Thursday, March 19, 2009

The San Jose A's?

The San Jose A's?
The Oakland A's moving to San Jose?

It's not such a outrageous idea after all.

Tomorrow I will be talking to Chuck Reed, Mayor of San Jose. We'll be discussing the possibility of moving the A's to San Jose. I want this to happen so bad I can taste it! This idea makes sense on every level.

Think of it! The A's in San Jose! What an awesome concept! Consider what this will mean to our city. We'll be a major league city in every sense of the word. It will mean big revenue for San Jose, money for local merchants, and a huge boon to downtown. Green and gold, baby!

I remember as a kid when the Orioles came to Baltimore (they were formerly the old Cleveland Browns.) I was only 5 years old but I remember how everyone was excited to have our very own team in Baltimore. We weren't some second-rate backwater town anymore. After years of living with an inferiority complex from New York, Baltimore was now major league! Civic pride went through the roof. People were so happy. My father took me to Memorial Stadium (only a few blocks from our house on Southway) to see the boys of summer play. When they won the world series a few years later the whole town went nuts. The parade went right down Greenmount Avenue, half a block from my mother's house. I can't tell you how stoked I was. It literally defined my childhood.

Now we have that very same opportunity here in San Jose. The A's have exhausted every avenue in Oakland, and it really seems like Mayor Ron Dellums and the Oakland City Council have turned their backs on the A's. Lack of support would not be a problem in San Jose. We are foaming at the mouth for the A's and we've already proved this is a city that supports its teams. (Unlike Oakland.)

Imagine that first World Series Championship in San Jose! Wow! Is there any question that we could build the most beautiful ballpark in baseball and fill it with people for every game? Hell no! Look at what the Sharks have achieved. Would the victory parade route go down Santa Clara Street? How about Market Street? Could you visualize a fleet of cars carrying our very own world champion A's past the reviewing stands? I can. Maybe I'm getting a little carried away, but I think this is not only possible, but pretty damn probable. Here's how we can achieve our goal:

Oakland is in decline, San Jose is on its way up. In Oakland, businesses are closing, stores are boarded up, and people are afraid to go out at night. In San Jose, business is booming. People are swarming all over downtown. Don't believe me? Just try getting a dinner reservation on a Saturday night. Silicon Valley is the future of business in America, we deserve a major league team here.

I can't wait to have a hot dog at the new ballpark and watch the San Jose Athletics play. We'll be thanking Chuck Reed for generations to come! What an excellent legacy to leave us with! Like when former Mayor McHenry brought the Sharks to San Jose and got the HP Pavilion built. I say let's support current San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed and bring the A's here! This is completely doable! San Jose has the juice to actually get it done. Mayor Reed says the odds are 50-50. Let's see if we can tip those odds upward to 75-25. Let's get the A's into a brand new downtown ballpark and start selling out! We can do this! Keep saying this over and over in your head until it sounds like reality- here come the San Jose A's!

Years from now, I want to bring my grandchildren to see games in San Jose. Don't we owe it to them to try?

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Lord Stanley's Cup

Lord Stanley's Cup
I didn't watch American Idol last night because I watched the San Jose Sharks game instead. God, what a finish! Horrible! With 27 seconds left in regulation and the score tied at 3, Jonathon Cheechoo was sent to the penalty box for 2 minutes for interference. It was a completely bogus call, since Cheechoo was just trying to get out of the way. Anyway, here we go again! Another game decided by the officials! That really frosts me! The Sharks were swarming in that last minute, peppering the Phoenix goaltender with shot after shot, and it was only a matter of time before one dropped (either during regulation or in OT), but the freakin' officials decided to hand the game to Phoenix by sending Cheechoo to the box for no reason! Damn! So, we lost with 27 seconds to play. All this after we battled back from a 3-1 deficit to tie. The Sharks played well once they got back in the game and the fact that they came back from 3-1 meant a lot in terms of winning desire. I really felt like we had momentum on our side at that point and we were going to win. Now my panties are all in a bunch! The good news is that, even though they lost, they clinched a playoff spot, and all they need is one more point to clinch the Pacific Division. __Also I heard from the Sharks that they are all booked up for the remainder of the season as far as singing the National Anthem is concerned. Not the result I was looking for, but that's the way the cookie crumbles... __Don't they realize that I'm a good luck charm? The Sharks record this year is 4-1 in games where I sing the national Anthem. Coach Todd knows it. I hope he calls me when they are in a "must win" situation in the playoffs. I have nothing against other Anthem singers, in fact I know most of them do a much better job then I do, but you can't argue with 4-1! They may sing better but what's more important? A win or a great singer? OK, don't answer that. __I guess I'm just too worked up about the Sharks this year. I still believe that they can and will go all the way! My passion is way over the top. Sorry. All I can say is Stanley Cup here we come! Go Sharks!

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Happy Saint Patrick's day everyone!

Happy Saint Patrick's day everyone! Try not to get too crazy. Since I quit drinking (and smoking) it has been a whole new experience on St. Patty's Day, and I don't miss the drinking at all. In years passed I would get toasted with the guys by early afternoon at a place called Brennan's in Berkeley, Ca. We'd drink green beer and shots of Irish whiskey until our lips got numb and we couldn't play the ocarina anymore, then we'd all eat corned beef and cabbage until we puked. Sounds great, doesn't it? Ah, well, we were young and crazy.

I have a ton of memories of St. Patty's Day, dating back to the 70's when we toured in the Emerald Isle. The late, great Phil Lynott, singer/bassist for the classic Irish rock band THIN LIZZY, had a hollow leg and could drink more liquor than anybody I have ever seen in my entire life! He could literally drink all of my band, plus roadies and management, under the table without breaking a sweat. He was amazing! Plus he was the only black Irish guy I ever met. He once took us to buy bright green African bud from a Chinese woman in Ireland! It was like the united colors of Beneton! As a bunch of homesick Berkeley boys far from home, we really needed a toke at that time. We just couldn't keep up with the Irish guys and their drinking, and I think Phil took pity on us. So, he took us on a journey to find good bud in Ireland, something he insisted was real. We scoffed. After all, we were Californians! We knew all about good bud. Ireland was the land of drinkers, wasn't it? Well, in the end, the bud was crap and we didn't even get a buzz. But we were forever in the debt of Mr. Phil Lynott, and I will never forget him. He was a hell of a singer too!

We ran into him years later in our own area code and returned the favor. I don't think Phil realized how strong Northern California weed could be. Who knows? Maybe we could have gotten him off the sauce and saved his life... Tragically, Phil favored alcohol instead of pot, or maybe we could have saved him. I heard that he got into coke and heroin later. What a shame. Phil died from heart failure and pneumonia in January 1986 following years of alcohol and drug abuse. It broke my heart. He was a major supporter of Manchester United Football Club and he loved to talk about them. I think of him every St. Patty's Day.

Here's a link to his Wikipedia page in case you want to read up on him:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phil_Lynott

And just for the hell of it, here's THIN LIZZY, one of the greatest bands of all time!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FmPhJkdTwU&feature=related