After spending four weeks at the Wharton Sports Academy at UPenn, Jack is done with the program on Saturday. Sharon and I are going to pick him up and then the three of us are spending a week touring colleges on the east coast.
Sharon and I caught a 7:15 am Southwest flight from Sacramento to Phoenix. We didn't have to change planes; the flight continued on to Philadelphia. After an uneventful trip, we were on the ground at 5:30 pm. We caught a cab into the downtown. The traffic was horrible… I have spent a lot of time lately musing the traffic. We are spending one night at the Residence Inn City Center.
After getting settled in the room, we had a glass of wine and an appetizer at the Vintage Wine Bar. We had a very good dinner at Lolita sharing some plates of grilled octopus tostadas, chicken tacos and squash blossoms.
We walked around Penn Square and city hall before crashing for the night.
Friday, July 31, 2015
ESPN 30 for 30 Vol II Trailer: Angry Sky
The thirtieth film--Angry Sky--in ESPN's 30 for 30 Volume II premiered Thursday, July 30 at 8 pm ET.
Thursday, July 30, 2015
Joe DiMaggio: A Hero's Life
I finished reading Joe DiMaggio: A Hero's Life by Richard Ben Cramer. I bought the book after buying What It Takes: The Way to the White House by the same author; this highly regarded political novel about the 1988 presidential campaign is still sitting on my nightstand… When I bought that book I noticed this book about Joe DiMaggio on Amazon.
I had four general observations about the book. First, I was surprised that DiMaggio was a high school drop-out. Due to his brother, he got a chance to play with the Seals in the Pacific Coast League and his career took off. In his first season at age 19, DiMaggio had a 61 game hitting streak. This streak transformed DiMaggio’s future.
Second, DiMaggio had an amazing MLB career. He was a three-time MVP winner and an All-Star in each of his 13 seasons. During his tenure with the Yankees, the club won ten American League pennants and nine World Series championships. At the major league level, he hit safety in 56 games in 1941. This is a record that stands today.
Third, while I knew that he was married to Marilyn Monroe, I never appreciated the breadth of the relationship. Although he was only married to Marilyn for a less than a year, she played an important part of his life for almost ten years.
Fourth and finally, the book paints DiMaggio as extremely motivated by the dollar. Particularly after he retired, DiMaggio worked every angle.
I enjoyed the book. I just have no idea whether or not it is an accurate portrayal of Joe DiMaggio. The book tells a number of very detailed antecodes and includes a number of very specific quotes from DiMaggio. The book has been criticized for lacking any footnotes or references. A number of people have claimed that without any sources for the stories and quotes the book is more fiction than fact. As result, I am not sure that I can recommend it. I am going to have to eventually read another book about DiMiaggio.
I had four general observations about the book. First, I was surprised that DiMaggio was a high school drop-out. Due to his brother, he got a chance to play with the Seals in the Pacific Coast League and his career took off. In his first season at age 19, DiMaggio had a 61 game hitting streak. This streak transformed DiMaggio’s future.
Second, DiMaggio had an amazing MLB career. He was a three-time MVP winner and an All-Star in each of his 13 seasons. During his tenure with the Yankees, the club won ten American League pennants and nine World Series championships. At the major league level, he hit safety in 56 games in 1941. This is a record that stands today.
Third, while I knew that he was married to Marilyn Monroe, I never appreciated the breadth of the relationship. Although he was only married to Marilyn for a less than a year, she played an important part of his life for almost ten years.
Fourth and finally, the book paints DiMaggio as extremely motivated by the dollar. Particularly after he retired, DiMaggio worked every angle.
I enjoyed the book. I just have no idea whether or not it is an accurate portrayal of Joe DiMaggio. The book tells a number of very detailed antecodes and includes a number of very specific quotes from DiMaggio. The book has been criticized for lacking any footnotes or references. A number of people have claimed that without any sources for the stories and quotes the book is more fiction than fact. As result, I am not sure that I can recommend it. I am going to have to eventually read another book about DiMiaggio.
Wednesday, July 29, 2015
ESPN 30 for 30 Shorts: Brave in the Attempt
Grantland and ESPN Films have released the thirty-sixth film in their 30 for 30 documentary short series.
You can find Brave in the Attempt on the ESPN web site at http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=13312264.
More about the film at: http://espn.go.com/30for30/film?page=braveintheattempt.
30 for 30 Shorts: Brave in the Attempt
The latest latest film, directed by Fritz Mitchell, tells the story of how one woman harnessed the privilege of a wealthy political dynasty to provide opportunities for those who had none.
You can find Brave in the Attempt on the ESPN web site at http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=13312264.
More about the film at: http://espn.go.com/30for30/film?page=braveintheattempt.
Tuesday, July 28, 2015
Oakland Raiders Training Camp
Working out of St. Helena, Clearlake and Vallejo over the last six months, I have been staying a couple of nights a week at the Napa Valley Marriott. When I checked in Monday night, something was definitely up. Part of the parking lot was blocked off and guarded. Walking to my room, one of the halls was blocked and guarded. The Oakland Raiders are here for the next four weeks!?!
The Oakland Raiders report to the team’s Napa Valley Training Complex at the Napa Valley Marriott for the start of Training Camp 2015. The rookies report July 26 and the full squad reports July 30. The team will hit the field for their first practice July 31.
The rookies will have a few extra days to get into their playbooks, work on conditioning and immerse themselves in football learning before the vets arrive. The Raiders break camp Aug. 25 and return to their Alameda, Calif., facility.
Monday, July 27, 2015
California Historical Landmark #814
Working out of St. Helena from January through November of 2015, I have started exploring California Historical Landmarks in Napa, Sonoma and Lake Counties, including: Site of Stone and Kelsey Home [#426], The Battle of Bloody Island [#427], Sulphur Bank Mine [#428], Lower Lake Stone Jail [#429], Stone House [#450], Old Bull Trail Road and St Helena Toll Road [#467], Chiles Grist Mill [#547], Schramsberg [#561], Charles Krug Winery [#563], Site of York's Cabin [#682], Site of Hudson Cabin [#683], Sam Brannan Store [#684], Sam Brannan Cottage [#685], Site of Kelsey House [#686], Beringer Brothers Winery [#814], Old Lake County Courthouse [#897], Petrified Forest [#915] and Litto's Hubcap Ranch [#939]. I visited all seven of the California Historical Landmarks in Lake County and finished visiting all of the Napa landmarks.
Beringer Brothers Winery
California State Historical Landmark #814
See this location on Yahoo Maps in Flickr
See this location on Google Maps
This landmark is located at 2000 Main Street, St. Helena, California. There are 16 other California State Historical Landmarks in Napa County. The GPS coordinates for this location are N 38° 30.630 W 122° 28.856.
You can log your site to this site at waymarking.com
Built by Frederick and Jacob Beringer, natives of Mainz, Germany, this winery has the unique distinction of never having ceased operations since its founding in 1876. Here, in the European tradition, were dug underground wine tunnels hundreds of feet in length. These maintain a constant temperature of 58 degrees, a factor considered necessary in the maturing and aging of fine wines.
California State Historical Landmark #814
See this location on Yahoo Maps in Flickr
See this location on Google Maps
This landmark is located at 2000 Main Street, St. Helena, California. There are 16 other California State Historical Landmarks in Napa County. The GPS coordinates for this location are N 38° 30.630 W 122° 28.856.
You can log your site to this site at waymarking.com
Built by Frederick and Jacob Beringer, natives of Mainz, Germany, this winery has the unique distinction of never having ceased operations since its founding in 1876. Here, in the European tradition, were dug underground wine tunnels hundreds of feet in length. These maintain a constant temperature of 58 degrees, a factor considered necessary in the maturing and aging of fine wines.
Sunday, July 26, 2015
Saturday, July 25, 2015
Dinner with the Gainsleys at Ten22
With the Gainsleys (at @Ten22Oldsac in Sacramento, CA) https://t.co/cr8I49Ciha— Mark Heringer (@heringermr) July 26, 2015
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)