Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

With Paul Newman's death in late September, Sharon bought a copy of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Sharon, Jack and I watched the movie this weekend.

The American Film Institute rates Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid as one of the ten top westerns films. I enjoyed the movie, but having watched a number of westerns lately, I am not that I would put it in the top ten.

The movie includes the song Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head. Jack spent the rest of the weekend running around singing the song. Given I have some strong memories associated with this song, this was a little surreal. Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head is included in the Soundtrack for my Life.

November Webelos #2 Den Meeting

After a Gunners baseball practice in the morning, I took Jack to the November meeting of his cub scout den. The boys worked on their Readyman Activity badge; this is requirement for the Arrow of Light. Requirements for the badge include: demonstrating the Heimlich maneuver and telling when it is used; showing what to do for serious bleeding, stopped breathing, internal poisoning and heart attack; showing how to treat shock; and showing first aid for cuts and scratches, burns and scalds, choking, blisters on the hand and foot, tick bites, bites and stings of insects, poisonous snakebite, nosebleed, frostbite and sunburn.

Although a couple of boys have dropped out in the last year, we still have six actively participating: Jack, Chad, Cody, Tim, Johnny and Brandon.

2008 Kings versus Timberwolves

Jack and I went to the Sacramento Kings versus Minnesota Timberwolves basketball game. I have been going to Kings games for 23 years. This was the most empty seats I have ever seen. The announced attendance was 10,592, but I would guess that there was less than 9,000 people there. With Arco Arena holding more than 17,000, the stands might have been less than half full.

The Kings never trailed in the game and won by a score of 121 to 109.

Martin lead the Kings with 26 points on 9 for 23 from the field and 6 for 7 from the free throw line. Playing on a sore ankle, he was not his usual efficient self; it seemed like he missed a lot of open shoots. Salmons had 23 points on 9 for 15 from the field and 5 for 5 from the free throw line. Overall, the Kings were 22 of 23 from the free throw line for 96%!

I said before that I would trade Miller and let the kids play. After watching the tonight's game, I am rethinking that statement. Although I am still concerned about the development of the younger players (Thompson only played 11 minutes tonight), Miller seems to provide a stabilizing influence on the team.

2008-2009 Sacramento Kings Season

During the 2008-2009 Sacramento Kings season, the Kings
are 2 and 7 in games which I saw in person, including:

REGULAR SEASON

11/08/2008: Kings-121, Timberwolves-109 [1-0] - Jack

11/15/2008: Suns-97, Kings-95 [1-1] - Jack

11/29/2008: Mavs-101, Kings-78 [1-2] - Jack

12/26/2008: Raptors-107, Kings-101 [1-3] - Jack

01/13/2009: Magic-139, Kings-107 [1-4] - Larkin

02/06/2009: Jazz-111, Kings-107 [1-5] - Sharon and Jack

02/25/2009: Bobcats-98, Kings-91 [1-6] - Jack

03/08/2009: Kings-114, Nuggets-106 [2-6] - Jack

03/13/2009: Cavs-126, Kings-123 OT [2-7] - Jack

2023-2024 Season [3-2]
2022-2023 Season [5-3]
2021-2022 Season [1-5]
2020-2021 Season [1-0]
2019-2020 Season [1-4]
2018-2019 Season [7-4]
2017-2018 Season [5-2]
2016-2107 Season [5-3]
2015-2016 Season [2-2]
2014-2015 Season [1-4]
2013-2014 season [3-2]
2012-2013 Season [1-0]
2011-2012 Season [3-2]
2010-2011 Season [3-6]
2009-2010 Season [4-7]
2008-2009 Season [2-7]
2007-2008 Season [7-7]
2006-2007 Season [5-9]
2005-2006 Season [8-8]
2004-2005 Season [10-4]
2003-2004 season [12-3]

At the Kings versus Timberwolves

Presidental Transition

Sharon made an interesting point last night that I had not really thought about. She pointed out that it has been 16 years since we have gotten an opportunity to watch an extended and orderly transition from one president to another. Clinton served from 1992 to 2000. In 2000, the results of the election were hotly contested into the middle of December. The United States Supreme Court stopped the Florida recount on December 9, 2000 and then issued a decision on Bush v. Gore on December 12.

At the Batting Cages

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At the Batting Cages, originally uploaded by heringermr.

Starbucks iTunes Pick of the Week - Yo-Yo Ma with Alison Krauss - The Wexford Carol

The list of Starbucks iTunes picks of the week is here!

2008 Kings versus Grizzlies

Every year, I try to get tickets for the Kings home opener and the last game of the year. This year when we did our season ticket draw I actually had the first pick in November but choose the Phoenix game next Friday. Jack is a huge Steve Nash fan. Afterwards, I bought a single ticket for tonight's home opener versus Memphis. Unfortunately, it turned out that Sharon was traveling for work. Combined with work, baseball, flag football, cub scouts and homework, I decided it was too much to try and get to the game tonight. I gave the ticket to Larkin. He is sitting in the fourth row center court behind the press row.

Jack and I watched the game. Here is my running diary.

Kings win the tip.
Mikki Moore scores the first two points on a put back.
Martin hits his first jump shoot; Kings 4 - Grizzlies 1
Martin with a steal from Gay; Martin misses the jump shot.
Memphis starts three rookies including O J Mayo.
9:02 in the first quarter and both teams have three turnovers.
Sacramento opens up 2 for 6 from the field.
Gay hits two free throws; Grizzlies 5 - Kings 4
Beno shoots an air ball; 0 for 2 from the field.
Beno 0 for 3.
Majo hits a three; Kings 5 - Grizzlies 8
Salmons hits a three; Grizzlies 8 - Kings 7
Hawes hits a three! Kings 12 - Grizzlies 8

At the first timeout, Kings are shooting 50% from the floor.

Martin turns the ball over.
Block by Hawes, he runs the floor and gets fouled at the other end.
3:09 in the first quarter, Thompson into the game for Moore.
At the second timeout with 2:49 in the first quarter,
Kings lead by 4, 16 to 12.
Bobby Brown two for two; Kings 20 - Grizzlies 14
Martin with a steal and a dunk; Kings 22 - Grizzlies 14
Mayo hits a three; Kings 22 - Grizzlies 17

At the end of the first quarter, the Kings lead 24 to 17. Martin has 6 points and is 3 for 4 from the field. Salmons has 6 points and is 2 for 3 from the field. The Kings are shooting 47.6% from the field, compared to 28.7% for the Grizzlies.

Douby into the game.
Kings turn the ball over for the six time. ugh.
Hawes hit a second three; Kings 29 - Grizzlies 19.
Martin, Williams, Douby, Thompson and Brown on the floor.
Martin hits his second shot in a row and has 10 points; 5 for 6.
Mayo hits his third three of the ball game; he has 11 points;
Time out - Kings 38 - Grizzlies 27.
Lowry hits a three as the clock runs down - Kings 38 - Grizzlies 30.
Time out with 5:44 left in the second quarter.
Thompson throws the ball away.
Kings with 7 turnovers and 10 assists.
Nice dunk by Thompson - Kings 40 - Grizzlies - 32
Airball by Mayo.
fastbreak lay up by Martin - Kings 44 - Grizzlies 34
Mayo hits his fourth three of the game - Kings 44 - Grizzlies 37
Mayo has 14 points.
Beautiful pass by Beno to Moore for a dunk.
End of the first half.

The Kings lead at halftime by the score of 48 to 41. Kevin Martin has 14 points on 6 for 7 from the field and 2 for 2 from the free throw line. O. J. Mayo also 14 points on 5 for 12 from the field; he is 4 from 6 from the three point line. Bobby Brown provided a nice lift off the bench for the Kings scoring 7 points on 3 for 3 from the field. Kings are shooting 54%, compared to 37% for the Grizzlies.

A rock bank, Rev Theory, is playing at halftime. It looks odd; I will have to ask Larkin tomorrow how that worked.

Start of the second half.
On the floor for the Kings are
Hawes, Martin, Salmons, Beno and Moore;
the same as the starting five.
Nice drive by Salmons; Kings 50 - Grizzlies 43
Mayo hits his fifth three; Kings 50 - Grizzlies 46
Mayo picks up his fourth foul guarding Martin.
Kings are the last team to play on their home court this season.
Nice dunk by Hawes on a pass from Moore - Kings 58 - Grizzlies 51
Fast break basket by Martin - Kings 60 - Grizzlies 51.
Time out [putting Jack to bed...]

8:05 left in the third quarter.
Tony Parker had 55 points in the Spurs
2OT win against the wolves tonight.
Martin steal and is fouled on the fast break.
Martin has 22 points on 8 for 9 from the field
and 6 for 8 from the free throw line!
Nice rebound by Hawes to start the fast break; Salmons scores.
Kings 66 - Grizzlies - 58
16 fast break points for the Kings.
Nice drive by Beno for his first basket.
Martin misses a three.
Nice drive by Beno for another basket; Kings 70 - Grizzlies 62
Salmons hits a jumper for this 18th and 19th points.
Time out with 3:20 left in the third quarter.
Kings defense looking effective for the first time in five games.
Both Martin and Salmons are knocking down shoots tonight.

Martin knocks down another jumper;Kings 75 - Grizzlies 62
Bobby Jackson enters the game to a standing ovation.
Nice pass from Moore to Hawes for a dunk.
Kings 77 - Grizzlies - 62
The Kings biggest lead of the game
with 2:24 left in the third quarter.

Jason Thompson with his third basket; Kings 79 - Grizzlies - 64
Kings only 12 for 18 from the line.

At the end of the third quarter, the Kings are leading the Grizzlies by a score of 81 to 68.

Martin hits another jumper; he has 28 points.
Mayo back into the game after not playing much in the third quarter.
Bobby Brown to Jason Thompson for a nice lay up; Kings 85 - Grizzlies 70
Nice drive to the basket by Mayo.
Martin to Hawes for a dunk on the fast break.
Another 24 second violation by the Grizzlies
Bobby Brown hits a three; Kings 90 - Grizzlies 72
Martin hits a 15 foot jumper on the fast break
Mayo with a basket.
Mayo with his sixth three pointer; Kings 92 - Grizzlies 78
time out with 5:48 left in the fourth quarter.
Spencer Hawes fouls out with 5:25 left in the fourth quarter.
Offensive foul on Moore.
A couple of offensive possessions for the Kings with no shot.
Three point for the Grizzlies; Kings 92 - Grizzlies 82
another three pointers for the Grizzlies; Kings 92 - Grizzlies - 85
12 straight points for the Grizzlies!
Beno only 2 for 8 in the game.
Thompson gets a put back and the foul; Thompson has 11 points.
Darko makes one in the lane; Kings 95 - Grizzlies 87
24 second violation for the Kings!
fifth team foul on the Kings with 2:13 left in the game.
A couple of missed Grizzlies free throws.
6 point lead for the Kings.
Mayo loses the ball on the fast break.
Mayo makes two free throws; Kings 95 - Grizzlies 91
time out Kings.
Beno misses a shot, the ball bounces around to Salmons and he dunks.
time out Grizzlies
29.7 seconds; Kings 97 - Grizzlies 91
Salmons ties up Gay for a jump ball.
Ball comes to Martin and he is fouled.
Martin hits two free throws; Kings 99 - Grizzlies 91
time out Grizzlies
22.6 seconds left
Mayo hits a jumper in the paint; Kings 99 - Grizzlies 93
Kevin Martin fouled; He misses the first and hits the second.
time out Grizzlies; Kings 100 - Grizzlies 93

Kings win 100 to 95!

Although he missed some shots in the fourth quarter, Martin ended up with 33 points on 11 for 18 from the field and 10 for 13 from the free throw line. Martin tied coach Reggie Theus' franchise record for points in an opener. Salmons also had a very nice game for the Kings with 21 points on 8 for 13 from the field and 4 for 5 from the free throw line. The Kings got very nice contributions from Hawes and Thompson.

I was very impressed with O J Mayo. He had 28 points on 10 for 19 from the field, including 6 for 10 from three point range. Interestingly, Mayo had 0 assists.

The Grizzlies have won just once at Arco Arena in 26 appearances, losing 20 in a row since the Vancouver Grizzlies' lone victory in Sacramento on April 19, 1998.

Almost four and a half years ago...

As I wrote in this blog entry almost four and a half years ago, when Sharon saw Obama speak at the 2004 Democratic Convention, she said "he is going to be the first black President of the United States."

Spokane Flour Mill

When we were in Spokane for the Gonzaga Fall Family Weekend, we had dinner at Clinkerdaggers in the Old Flour Mill.

Spokane Flour Mill
National Register of Historic Places #1978002778
See this location on Yahoo Maps in Flickr
See this location on Google Maps
This landmark is located 621 West Mallon Avenue, Spokane, Washington. The GPS coordinates for this location are N 47° 39.930 W 117° 25.300.

You can log your visit to this site at waymarking.com.

The Flour Mill is a physical reminder of the centrality of water power in Spokane's history; nearly all of the early development of the city was directly related to the majestic falls of the Spokane River. The Spokane Flour Mill, built in 1895, was one in a series of mills built along the falls prior to 1900. It did not come into operation, however, until 1900 because the property became mired in a complex international lawsuit that was one of the most explosive and long-fought battles in the city's legal history. The mill was adaptively renovated as a shopping center in conjunction with preparations for the World's Fair that Spokane hosted in 1974. Shoppers and diners at the Flour Mill now enjoy a view of Riverfront Park, the legacy of Expo '74 and the centerpiece of the city. The Flour Mill stands as a unique reminder that Spokane's history and wealth began in the power of the falls and endured through the bounty of the surrounding countryside.

Spokane County Washington Historic Places

National Register of Historic Places
Spokane County, Washington
{GPS Coordinates of Site Location}
1978002778 Spokane Flour Mill - [map] - {47.6655,-117.421666}

I Voted

geotagged

C'était un rendez-vous

On an August morning in 1978, French filmmaker Claude Lelouch mounted a gyro-stabilized camera to the bumper of a Ferrari 275 GTB and had a friend, a professional Formula 1 racer, drive at breakneck speed through the heart of Paris.

No streets were closed, for Lelouch was unable to obtain a permit.


This film is mentioned in the current book that I am reading.

Starbucks iTunes Pick of the Week - John Legend - Green Light featuring Andre 3000

The list of Starbucks iTunes picks of the week is here!

NBA Power Ranking 2008-2009 Week 1

Marc Stein has dropped the Kings to 29th in his weekly power rankings. This is down from 28th last week. Only the Clippers are ranked lower than the Kings!

ESPN - NBA Basketball Power Rankings - National Basketball Association

We promised they'd be scrappy, if nothing else, but the Kings haven't even reached those modest heights on their Brad Miller-less road trip. They just got swept on a back-to-back in Miami and Orlando by a combined 44 points.

Personally, at this point, I agree with Bill Bradley's article in today's Sacramento Bee. I think that the Kings would be better off trading Miller and playing Hawes and Thompson.

Leading Off: Hawes, Thompson will suffer from Miller return

If this is a rebuilding year, doesn't Miller hurt the growth of a young team? Where does that leave Miller? His contract is huge ($11.375 million this season and $12.250 million next season), but it's hard to believe a team with title dreams doesn't need a big man with his skills.

The Kings will get marginally better with Miller back. They may get a lot better without him in years to come.

2008 Gunners Baseball Tournament #5 Day 2

With the Gunners seeded first for Sunday's single elimination games, Jack and I showed up in Manteca in the late morning. We watched the end of the game between Hard 90 Pastime and TABU. The Gunners would play the winner. Hard 90 won the game by a score of 2 to 1 in seven innings.

The Gunners lost to Hard 90 Pastime a month ago in a funky game played partially in a driving rain. Nevertheless, I was initially optimistic. Unfortunately, the game turned into a train wreck from the start. I never complain about the umpires, but I was very disappointed in this umpiring team. While most of the umpires are older men, this team was two young boys; they were terrible. The field umpire was consistently out of position and had his back to several plays. The home plate umpire called a very inconsistent strike zone. He would call a pitch a ball and then call the same exact pitch a strike one pitch later. This makes it very difficult on the boys.

The Gunners pitching struggled. The starting pitcher walked five batters in the first three innings; three of these runners scored. Nevertheless, the Gunners only trailed by a score of 3 to 2 at the end of three innings.

The bottom fell out in the fourth. With a couple of hits and walks, Hard 90 scored four runs. The Gunners lost by a final score of 8 to 2. The final running amok of the day was that the umpires stopped the game after 5 innings even though they had only been playing for 1 hour and 40 minutes.

Jack did not play in this game. It looks like he is back towards the end of the bench.

For the weekend, Jack was 1 for 2 with a walk. He scored two runs. For the five tournaments that he has played with the Gunners, Jack is 6 for 19 with five walks and six strike outs.

Jack played 5 of the 12 innings in three games this weekend. Jack has played 55 of the 82 innings in the five tournaments this fall in left field, right field, third base and as DH.

Warming before the game

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Warming before the game, originally uploaded by heringermr.

2008 Gunners Baseball Tournament #5 Day 1

Originally, there was supposed to be a flag football skills competition Saturday morning. It rained steadily most of the night and through the morning. As a result, the skills competition was cancelled. About noon, Sharon, Jack and I took off the the Big League Dreams baseball complex in Manteca. Jack is playing in his fifth tournament. We missed a tournament last weekend when we were in Spokane. The Gunners won a tournament at the Sacramento Baseball Complex.

The Elk Grove Gunners played TABU in the first game at the Polo Grounds. Jack played three innings of a five inning game at third base. It was not his best game in the field. On a runner going from second to home who was thrown out at home, he was called for interference. Jack was standing close to third base and the runner brushed him as he went by. On a grounder hit down the line, Jack handled the ball cleanly, but his throw sailed over the first baseman. I can't remember the last time he overthrew first base; part of the problem may have been the wet conditions.

With runners at first and second with one out and the Gunners trailing by a score of 6 to 5, Jack got up in the fourth inning. In the heaviest rain of the day, he fell behind in the count 0 and 2 and then fouled off a pitch. Jack drove the fourth pitch up the middle for a fielder's choice. The runner was forced at second and Jack was safe at first. The third base coach sent the runner from second home and he was thrown out at the plate ending the inning.

In the fifth inning, the TABU pitcher hit one batter and walked four. The Gunners scored four runs and ended up winning the game by a score of 9 to 8.

The Gunners played CenCal in the second game at the Polo Grounds. The Gunners beat CenCal by a score of 18 to 1 in the Championship game of the first tournament this fall. This game also quickly turned into a rout.

Jack was the designated hitter. In his first at-bat, he walked on five pitches. Jack eventually came around to score as the Gunners scored 11 runs in the first inning. Jack fell behind 0 and 2 in his second plate appearance. Shortening up his swing, he pushed one to the right side of the infield. With Jack charging up the line, the second baseman tried to shove the ball to first and the first baseman did not handle the ball cleanly. Jack was safe at first. In my score book, I am going to give him a hit... He eventually came around to score.

The Gunners beat CenCal by a score of 15 to 0 in two innings. CenCal only ended up sending only 6 players to the plate in the game.

The Gunners finished the day with the first seed of the seven teams in the tournament for Sunday's single elimination round.

At dinner at Chevy's after the baseball games

At dinner at Chevy's after the baseball games, originally uploaded by heringermr.