The greatest play of the college baseball season happened after last night’s game

Posted on June 27, 2023 by Austin Gisriel

Last night LSU capped, what for me, was the greatest college baseball season ever as they defeated the Florida Gators 18-4 in the deciding game of the 2023 College World Series. So many great players, great games, and great plays every weekend from March to May, and the Series itself was filled with many great—even historic—moments. But, it was a play that occurred after last night’s game ended that will stay with me always.

***

In the 4th inning of last night’s contest, with LSU leading 9-2, Tiger catcher Alex Milazzo singled. The next batter, Cade Beloso, ran the count full and Milazzo took off with the next pitch. Beloso singled into right center and Milazzo never stopped running, hitting third and heading home to the surprise of Karl Ravetch, the television play-by-play man, as well as the Florida defense. The tardy throw to the plate pulled Florida catcher B. T. Riopelle up the third base line and he dove in a vain attempt to catch it. Milazzo, arriving at almost the same time as the ball, had to leap over the sprawling Riopelle, and he came down somewhat awkwardly but safely on home plate. Milazzo immediately fell to the ground in pain, however. In landing, he had fractured his left shin.

Later in the game, he showed up on the LSU bench, his pants leg cut almost to the knee, revealing a large air cast. A pair of crutches leaned against the bench.

***

It is the custom of College World Series champions to dog pile in the middle of the field upon recording the game’s final out. LSU pitcher Paul Skenes, who was named the CWS player of the tournament and is soon to be the first pick in this year’s draft, made sure his buddy and battery mate wouldn’t miss the celebration. Skenes carried Milazzo on his back out to the celebration.

In the greatest of seasons, that was the greatest play I saw all year.

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Swing Time III: Blame it on the Boogie Now Available

Posted on June 19, 2023 by Austin Gisriel

Looking for a quick (91 pages), entertaining, summer-time read? Look no further than Swing Time III Blame it on the Boogie, now available through Amazon.

The Swing Time series follows two dance instructors, Chance Bryant and Faith Eisen, a couple who have some rather peculiar experiences with Time. They are not time travelers; rather Time happens to them. In this case, the recently retired Emily Wilder seeks out Chance to begin hustle lessons. This is the only dance she desires to learn, as she seeks to reconnect with her youth. Emily’s problem, however, is that she is already so tightly connected to her past that she can’t quite appreciate the present. For whatever reason–certainly Chance and Faith have never discovered why–the Universe has selected them to help Emily learn what to let go and what to savor. It would appear that some people are just “saved” through dance.

Swing Time III Blame it on the Boogie is available for your Kindle ($0.99) and in paperback ($5.00). If you do plan to read it at the beach, I recommend the paperback, which will not fail to function should you splash it with sea water, fill it with sand, or drip sunscreen on it. I can’t say the same for the Kindle version, ALTHOUGH, the Kindle version contains links to every song mentioned in the story. Come to think of it, I’d get both. In fact, if you haven’t read the first two novelas in the series, A Swing Dancing, Time Warping Story and Stardust in the Shenandoah, I’d buy them, as well. If it’s sunny and you get to spend a great deal of time on the beach, you’ll need plenty to read. If it rains and you’re stuck inside, you’ll need plenty to read. And each Kindle is linked to the songs mentioned, so you’ll have a soundtrack of the Time that happens to Chance and Faith.

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Vulcan stands watch over Birmingham. . . . And Moons Homewood

Posted on June 14, 2023 by Austin Gisriel

I had no idea that a bare-butted, cast-iron statue of the Roman god, Vulcan, stood watch over the city of Birmingham, Alabama. But, he does. Standing at 56’ tall (not counting his pedestal) and weighing in at over 100,000 pounds, makes him the largest cast-iron statue in the world. How he got there is an interesting story.

The mighty Vulcan. Modesty forbids me to show a view from the reverse side. Modesty and the fact that I forgot to take a photo featuring that view. Too cheeky.

The statue was commissioned in October, 1903 by Birmingham’s Commercial Club for the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair as a fitting representation of Birmingham’s iron and steel industry. The sculptor, Giuseppe Moretti, began work in November and miraculously had the Armorer of the Gods ready to ship to St. Louis by the end of April, 1904. Ole Vulc’ was a hit, and his creator won a medal. The only problem seemed to be that no one had considered what to do with him once the fair was over. The cities of St. Louis and San Francisco offered to buy the big guy from Birmingham, but the city fathers decided to keep him. So, he was duly shipped home by rail, unloaded, and left by the railroad tracks for 18 months. He finally made it to the Alabama State Fairgrounds where he was improperly assembled, but by 1935, it was decided to properly assemble him atop Red Mountain, a most appropriate spot considering that Red Mountain is essentially a huge pile of iron ore with trees growing on the collected topsoil.

Poor Vulcan suffered the indignity of serving as a giant advertising piece. Originally, he held a spear or arrow in his right hand, but as that was lost on the return trip from St. Louis, he ended up holding ice cream cones, a Coca-Cola bottle, and even a jar of Heinz pickles. The fall from Armorer of the Gods to Mad Man must have been traumatic.

He finally made it to the top of Red Mountain in 1939 setting off a nine-day celebration. Eventually, it was decided he needed some bucking up, but the decision to pour concrete inside the hollow structure proved unwise. Concrete and iron expand and contract at different rates and ultimately his innards began cracking his outtards. He and his surrounding park were remodeled around 1970 in a style that didn’t even last as long as the ’70s. Between 2002 and 2004, the city fathers—and mothers, by this time—tore down the ’70s park and restored the 1939 look. They cleaned up Vulcan and had some kind of statue-orthopedist check out all his joints, and he now stands proudly on his sandstone pedestal beaming down on the Birminghamians below.

The suburb of Homewood, has the reverse view, however. It was apparently the custom of blacksmiths back in the day to wear a leather apron, but to forego pants. One would think that pants would be a given what with all those sparks flying hither and yon, but I am neither a blacksmith nor a Roman god, so I’m in no position to question. I would bet, however, that this would not meet OSHA standards for a safe work environment. In any case, the point is that all over Alabama, the full moon shines down every 28 days except in Homewood, where Vulcan moons Homewoodians 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Fully.

The official Vulcan Park and Museum website provides all the particulars regarding hours, admission, directions, etc, and the museum is well worth the time to visit. The gift shop even offers a Vulcan bobble head, only Vulcan’s head is not the only thing that bobbles. A very gentile Southern lady was only too eager to turn the little guy around to show me that his bare butt bobbles as well. Vulcan’s little park is well-worth the visit and offers a majestic view of Birmingham and environs.

Downtown Birmingham from Vulcan Park on Red Mountain.
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Discovering the Negro Southern League Museum

Posted on June 6, 2023 by Austin Gisriel

Al and I discovered a real treasure in the form of the Negro Southern League Museum (NSLM) on our recent trip to Birmingham for the SEC Baseball Tournament. The museum not only houses the “largest collection of original Negro League baseball artifacts in the country,” it also functions as a research center. The artifacts are from the collection of one man, Dr. Layton Revel, and include an enormous number of autographed balls, uniforms (including a Satchel Paige game-worn uniform), bats, gloves, and even some old stadium seats.

Birmingham was (and still is) the home of the AA Barons of the Southern League, and was also the home of the Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro Southern League. Both teams played at Rickwood Field, which is the oldest ballpark in the country, having been built in 1910. That makes it two years older than either Wrigley or Fenway and three years older than Bosse Field in Evansville, Indiana. You can still visit Rickwood Field and we were fortunate enough to see it being used as there was a U17 game going on at the time. (If you are interested in visiting that ballpark, however, you should go sooner rather than later, because if three fans all sneezed at the same time, it looks as if the whole place would fall over.)

Many major leaguers including three generations of Hairstons (Sam, Jerry, and Jerry, Jr.), former Oriole and Red Lee May, Cleon Jones, and several others hail from Birmingham. The museum also includes exhibits on the industrial leagues that were prevalent in the city with Birmingham’s iron and steel industry contributing their share of teams. The NSLM ably fulfills its stated mission of telling the story of “African-American baseball in America through the eyes of Birmingham, Alabama.”

We were warmly greeted by the Deputy Director of the Museum, Mr. Frank Adams, a very knowledgeable gentleman and also a real baseball guy. I highly recommend a visit to this wonderful museum.

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Prediction results from the SEC Tournament trip

Posted on June 1, 2023 by Austin Gisriel

Al and I are returned from Birmingham and the SEC Baseball Tournament where we attended eight games in four days. If we weren’t at a game, we were watching it on the TV in our hotel room. One night, we watched the replay of the game that we had attended earlier in the day. Hey—it’s how we roll. As for my predictions, they turned out so-so:

It did rain on the first day on and off. By the end of the second game, it was definitely “on” and the tarp was rolled out for a two-hour rain delay. The weather was beautiful the rest of the week, however, with sunshine and low humidity. Our general admission tickets allowed us to move with the shade so we were always comfortable.

We had real nice weather for the most part. Here, LSU is taking on Texas A&M.

Remarkably, there were no lightening delays. Nor was there a Buc-ee’s nearby, so those two predictions did not pan out. Nor did we consume as much barbecue as I thought we would If you took the over in the barbecue places visited, a move that I urged, you were a loser, much like Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Missouri were the first day. Much of our eating schedule was dictated by what time the game started and how close we were to a decent restaurant; therefore, we really didn’t have time to hunt up any good places. For the record, we only made three barbecue joints.

We did not catch any foul balls, nor did we make any attempts. Twice in the same game, a ball was hit to an LSU fan three rows in front of us and twice he dropped it. Neither time did the ball end up in his possession.

We found not one, but two very cool places in Birmingham. One was the Negro Southern League Museum and the other was the largest cast-iron statue in the world. The Roman god, Vulcan, directs his steely gaze (see what I did there?) over the Birmingham skyline from atop a nearby hill. Both spots are fascinating and will be covered in future posts.

As for my last prediction, Florida was eliminated in the semi-finals by Vanderbilt, the eventual tournament champion. My dark horse, Kentucky, was eliminated on the very first day by Alabama. I wouldn’t consult me about any lottery numbers.

The crowds at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium were friendly and enthusiastic. It was truly a family affair from grandparents down to toddlers and we saw plenty of the latter. One young lady appeared to have just been delivered at the hospital before her parents delivered her to the ballpark. Gotta start ‘em young. They had lots to cheer about as the baseball was outstanding.

God, country, and LSU, baby! This little redhead couldn’t stand for the National Anthem, but he did sit up straight.

Finally, we added one more state to our list of places where we have at least played catch, coming across an old ballyard near Montgomery. That list also includes, Georgia, Florida, both Carolinas, Virginia (of course) Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, and the Bahamas. Yes, we took our gloves on a cruise. It’s what we do.

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Predictions for our trip

Posted on May 16, 2023 by Austin Gisriel

As many of you know, my buddy Al and I will be traveling to the South Eastern Conference Baseball Tournament in Hoover, Alabama next week. Actually, I’m flying down to Florida on Friday to meet up with him, and then, we will hit the road come Sunday.

The SEC is the best baseball conference in the country and we had made plans to attend in 2020, when Covid, and the country’s response to it, disrupted everything including our plans. In any case, rather than get all basebally on everyone, I thought I would make a few general predictions about the tournament and the trip:

It will not rain.  . . . Actually that’s more of a prayer than a prediction.

We will, however, have at least one lightning delay. The NCAA has seen fit to install lightning detectors at every ballpark. Very sensitive lightning detectors. Look for Al and me to be sunning ourselves on the left field berm because lightning was detected down in Mobile.

As we will be in Florida for four days coming and going, and in Alabama for six days, I’m setting the over/under at eight meals at some barbecue shack or another. (My advice is to take the over.)

If we’re anywhere near a Buc-ee’s we’ll stop whether we need gas or not.

We will not catch any balls hit into the stands. We might pick one up, but no more barehanded catches of balls hit by 20 year-olds. (We have learned a little something in all these years.) And if I do pick one up, I’m not giving it to any kid. He can wait 66 years as I have and then pick up his own ball. Actually, I have picked up three or four balls in my time, but that was usually at a Hagerstown Suns game late in the season, when the crowds were so sparse that practically everybody in attendance got a ball, so that doesn’t count.

If you have followed our trips before, you know that Al and I will find at least one really cool park or historic site. We just have a knack for coming across that stuff.

Finally, I’m going out on the longest limb here and predict that Florida is going to win the tournament. They’ve got the starting pitching depth and that is crucial in tournament play. Kentucky is my dark-horse candidate for tournament champion.

I promise a full report after we return!

The Florida Gators hosted the LSU Tigers last year at Condron Ballpark. They will be two of the top teams at the SEC Tournament this year (as in most years). That happens to be LSU’s Dylan Crews at the plate. Crews is predicted by many to be the first overall pick in this year’s major league draft.

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And the winner is . . .

Posted on April 25, 2023 by Austin Gisriel

. . . the cover featuring the hand thrusting the disco ball through the curtain!

You will recall that my last blog entry asked for your input regarding four potential covers for Swing Time III: Blame it on the Boogie. All four received support and I was impressed by the fact that many of you included a rationale for your support, and did not merely cast a vote. The editorial staff—i.e. Martha—also liked the disco-ball-through-the-curtain more than any of the other three and frankly, the editorial staff’s vote counted more than anyone else’s. As soon as the editorial staff gets to the copy editing, and the dance instructor reviews a couple of patterns described, the book will be that much closer to publication.

I appreciate everyone who took the time to comment on the covers. Thank you. It’s good to know that there are folks out there who care about what I write.

As for what’s on the inside a small sample appears below. Emily, who came of age in the disco days of the 1970s, is recently retired and has been taking hustle lessons at the Trouble Afoot Dance Studio in the White Rose Shopping Center. It just so happens that the disco where she was a regular was located in what is now the Goodwill, which happens to be next door to Trouble Afoot. Chance, her instructor has been holding off on informing her that the shopping center is about to be torn down. The news shakes Emily to her core.

Almost as soon as they got outside, Emily turned to face Chance in such a way that said, “We’re not going any further until you tell me what’s going on.” He pulled her to the side.

“Some developers have bought this shopping center, Emily. They’re going to tear it down. Our studio. . . . the Goodwill . . . all of it.”

Disbelief, sadness, bitterness swirled about Emily’s face but quickly settled into a vacant, crest-fallen stare.

“So. They’re going to tear down the old White Rose,” she said, evenly. “Nothing lasts forever, but it would be nice if I didn’t have to see all of it go before I do.” She stared at the Goodwill. The mannequin in the window stared back. Chance had never seen anyone cry so much without any tears escaping. He was about to ask if she were okay, but the answer was obvious and he stopped himself.

“Listen,” he began. “I understand what you’re feeling.”

“No, you don’t! You’re still young. You haven’t had your youth pulled out from under you. Yet. I don’t know why I decided to do these stupid dance lessons, anyway! All they did was stir up memories that were best left alone.”

It will be up to Chance and his partner Faith to reconcile Emily’s past with her future, but how they are to do it, neither knows. They’ll discover the answer, however, and you will, too, when you purchase a copy of Swing Time III: Blame it on the Boogie. You know, once the editorial department is finished with it and the author uploads it to Amazon.

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Would like a little help on Swing Time III

Posted on April 4, 2023 by Austin Gisriel

Emily Wilder has decided that she wants to resume the dancing that she did in the halcyon days of her youth. Only this time, she wants to become good; really good—good enough to be invited into the inner circle at the White Rose Disco were it in her power to go back in Time. It is not in her power, of course, but Chance and Faith have made that journey twice before and are being called upon to do it again for Emily. Chance teaches her how to hustle, but it is Faith who must teach Emily what part of her past to leave in the past. The question is, with the old White Rose Disco about to be demolished and the New Year fast approaching, will Faith succeed . . . in time?

Regular readers will recognize Chance and Faith as the main characters in the Swing Time series. In A Swing Dancing, Time Warping Story and in Stardust in the Shenandoah, the two dance instructors came to the respective aide of two World War II vets. This time, however, they become involved with a character who is the age of many of my friends and I. Some of you may share the same desire as Emily; that is to resume an interrupted journey from your youth. In any case, I think all of us who came of age in the ‘70s (or earlier) are amazed by how—weird, I think is the proper word—time has become. Regardless of age, all of my readers will relate to Emily’s struggle with the vagaries of Time.

This third novella, Swing Time III: Blame it on the Boogie, will be available in both paperback and e-book forms sometime around the end of spring. As with the previous two novellas, the e-book versions will contain YouTube links to all the songs mentioned. My dance e-books always contain the accompanying sound track!

You, my readers, can help me out with something during this production phase. Books ARE judged by their covers, especially in this day and age and I am looking for just the right one. Below are four that I think would work well, but I would love to have your input. The one with the flames was so dramatic that it requires a change in the title (and yes, the song, “Disco Inferno” plays a prominent role in the novella.)

What do you think? Please leave your comments in the comment section below, and thank you!

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A second thought might have been helpful

Posted on March 6, 2023 by Austin Gisriel

I try to pay attention to the world around me, but sometimes the world around me gives pause. I’m not talking about the world “out there,” I’m talking about the world right around me, like in the grocery store.

Take the name of this product, for example:

Adding the suffix, ette, means “a small version” of the word in question. If you have a “jumbo” small donut, does that just even out and make it a regular donut? I don’t know what to think.

Nor do I know what to think about those “best used by” dates on perishable foods most of the time. I’m pretty sure this one is in error, however:

I’m pretty sure that the date on this Lipton soup mix is in error, because I don’t think there was any such thing as soup mix in 1820. Maybe the guy in charge of stamping the “best if used by” date was just amusing himself to see if anyone was paying attention.

Maybe, he is a disgruntled employee who is bored at his job. I bet this is his license plate:

Finally, I don’t know what to make of the Stop sign at right. I don’t know why the sign is undersized compared to the standard Stop sign. Maybe, VDOT didn’t want to confuse drivers with a regular sign since it is not meant for traffic. It is meant for pedestrians. Very tall pedestrians. I kind of feel sorry for it, this tiny little sign on top of this incredibly tall pole. It seems to know it is awkward-looking, so you try not to stare at it when you pass by to avoid embarassing it. One day, perhaps, it will grow into a beautiful swan of a sign. This ugly duckling is located in Strasburg, VA at Shopping Center Lane South just south of the Food Lion on Route 11. Shopping Center Lane South runs for about 80 feet before it becomes Shopping Center Lane North. . . . Don’t ask me.

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On the receiving of gifts

Posted on February 7, 2023 by Austin Gisriel

“It is better to give than to receive,” goes the old adage, and that’s true as far as it does go. Yes, there is joy in giving, but giving is a two-way street. It is also important to learn how to receive lest we diminish the giver’s joy and the value of his or her gift.

I’m not talking about physical gifts upon which is affixed a price tag. Yes, it is awkward if I give you a gift from Neiman-Marcus and you give me a gift from the Dollar Store, but that can be rectified fairly easily in the next cycle of gift-giving holidays, and probably will be because most of us keep score. It may be informal and it may have never been discussed, but we do keep score, and this is why the Neiman-Marcus/Dollar Store exchange rarely ever happens anyway.

I am talking about receiving spiritual gifts; gifts of sympathy, understanding, love, especially when those gifts are unconditional. If you try to repay such gifts, you demonstrate that you don’t quite comprehend the significance of the gift. You diminish it. It is natural to want to repay the giver of such a gift. It’s natural to want to show appreciation, to thank the person, to do, something for him or her. It can seem downright shabby to simply say “thank you,” which we often accompany with the sentence, “That’s the least that I can do.” Often, the least you can do is the most you can do. It is often the best reaction.

Maybe, the giver doesn’t need any sympathy, understanding or love. (And mind you, these are simply three examples, albeit, very powerful examples.) Maybe you’re not meant to be the giver of such a gift to that person.

It’s hard not to express one’s gratitude for someone who “saved” you from some love gone wrong or life gone wrong or from yourself. It’s hard not to feel indebted to such givers, but perhaps the old adage has a deeper meaning than we realize. You see, such givers have the gift of sympathy or understanding or love and they must give it for the same reason that they must breathe. Don’t analyze it, don’t try to reciprocate it, and don’t ask, “Why are you spending so much on me?” The answer will always be, “Because you need that much.”

We like to think that we are capable of giving unconditionally, but it is just as important to learn how to receive unconditionally.

Flowers give their gift freely. Learn to appreciate the people who do the same.
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