The Hirsute Heads of Baseball

As a decades-old fan of Major League Baseball, I’ve watched the ups and downs of the players’ facial hair.

When professional baseball was in its infancy, mustaches, particularly handle bars, were the norm. Yep, tip-curling handlebars and the like. More than anything other than the game itself, lip hair defined the sport’s image.

Then suddenly, following World War I, they were gone, Speculation is that the nasty monarchs and country leaders who were on the opposite side from the United States all had mustaches. And how could the All-American game endorse something like that?

Most sources I could find cite long-time American League catcher Wally Schang (Philadelphia Athletics, 1914) as the last player to sport facial hair. New rules were set by team owners about grooming; smooth faces were the norm from 1914 into the 1970s.

Then, during the 1971-72 offseason, Oakland Athletics’ all-world outfielder Reggie Jackson decided that he was going to do something different. A’s owner Charlie Finley didn’t like it. He had Athletics manager Dick Williams tell Reggie to shave, but Reggie told Williams where he could shove it.

So Finley engaged in some reverse psychology. He asked A’s pitchers Catfish Hunter, Rollie Fingers, Darold Knowles, and Bob Locker to all grow mustaches.

He even offered a cash incentive—$300—to any player who’d successfully grown a mustache by Father’s Day. The whole team joined in. Even manager Dick Williams grew one. The A’s came to be known as the “Mustache Gang.”

Today, well today, 50 years later, there are too many player beards to count. I’ve especially noticed this since the Covid pandemic started and barbershops were forced to close. But it never crossed my mind to write a blog post about it until I saw a Los Angeles Angels-Los Angeles Dodgers game on TV this summer.

Angels outfielder Brandon Marsh and Colorado Rockies outfielder Charlie Blackmon have the wildest head, face and neck hair of any MLB player I’ve ever seen. And I’ve seen thousands over the years, live and on TV.

I’m thinking of investing in razor blade and electric razor companies, preparing for the day when the trend reverses.

Baseball is Back!

Major League spring training is well under way, and preseason games have begun in the Cactus (Arizona) and Grapefruit (Florida) Leagues.

Fifteen Cactus League teams are re-honing their skills and vying for starting roles in all positions; fifteen are doing the same in the Grapefruit League.

In the Grapefruit League, the National League East Atlanta Braves are still my team of choice for nearly 40 years. They have a plethora of new names on their roster, as well as some familiar ones, and some long-absent ones (e.g., fan favorite Jeff “Frenchy” Francoeur).

Currently playing their spring games at Florida Auto Exchange Stadium in Dunedin, Florida, the Braves are limping along, losing more than they’re winning (so what else is new?), anticipating Opening Day against the Washington Nationals on Monday, April 4.

Their home field is Turner Stadium, their last season there before moving to their new home at Sun Trust Park in the Cumberland Community Improvement District in time for Opening Day 2017.

The Braves’ social media is all a-twitter and we eagerly await the cry of “Play Ball!” on April 4, when all teams have an even record and hope springs eternal … again.

Go Braves!

Fight On! Beat the Irish!

Today marks the 89^th meeting between the University of Southern California Trojans and the Irish of Notre Dame, a football rivalry that began on Dec. 4, 1926.

The story is that the wife of USC Athletic Director Gywnn Wilson and the wife of Notre Dame Coach Knute Rockne were the catalysts for what is now the most celebrated intersectional rivalry in college football.

Marion Wilson and Bonnie Rockne set the foundations in a one-to-one conversation where Mrs. Wilson sold Mrs. Rockne on the virtues of traveling to Southern California to enjoy warm weather apart from the freezing winter temperatures of the Midwest.

As for me, well, my first college game outside of Honolulu came in 1964, after I flunked out of the University of Hawaii and moved to Los Angeles. Flunking out was bad, but there was a good side to it. My Hilo High School classmate was attending USC and invited me to sit in the student section during the game against the undefeated #1 ranked Notre Dame.

I remember emerging from the Los Angeles Coliseum’s tunnel and feeling a bit giddy and unsteady. I swear I almost stumbled and fell. There were 108,000 fans in the stands, the Trojan student section filled with white shirts (me too), and I felt as though I was being sucked into a maelstrom.

 

My heart quickened when the Spirit of Troy, the Trojan band, marched out of the field tunnel in crisp formation, playing "Fight On." And I became a hooked-in fan when USC's white stallion, Traveler, carrying Tommy Trojan on his back, galloped around the stadium to the roars of the crowd.

The Irish, 9-0 near the end of the 1964 season, were favored by 11 points over the unranked Trojans (6-3). And what a great team they had, featuring their star quarterback, Heisman Trophy winner John Huarte and outstanding receiver Jack Snow. USC’s quarterback was Craig Fertig, the principal receiver was Rod Sherman, and the top Trojan running back was Mike Garrett.

USC upset the Irish 20-17, ruining their hopes of a national title (they ended up #3). We had hoped the great victory would have thrust us into the Rose Bowl, but UCLA was given that honor by the committee.

The next year, 1965, the Trojans were undefeated early in the season; the Irish were 3-1. The tables were turned and they beat us 28-7.

This year’s game is unusual. The Trojans are playing their fourth consecutive game against the Irish, with four different coaches – Lane Kiffin, Ed Ogeron (interim after Kiffin was fired), Steve Sarkisian, and Clay Helton, USC’s offensive coordinator who is interim head coach because Sarkisian was fired last week.

It’s sad about Steve Sarkisian. He has alcohol problems and it showed during a game or two, and practice.

So anyway, there is always great drama when USC and Notre Dame clash helmets on the field. This year promises to be no different.

Fight on!

Play Ball!

The day before yesterday, Sunday, April 5, was not only Easter, it was Opening Day for Major League Baseball, with the St. Louis Cardinals blanking the Chicago Cubs 3-0.

The rest of MLB, including the Atlanta Braves, began the 2015 season yesterday, with the Braves edging the Miami Marlins 2-1.

The Braves aren’t expected to have a ball-busting season, and in fact, when I was in Las Vegas about a month ago, the odds at the Luxor Sports Book for them winning the World Series were 75 to 1. That’s pretty bad.

(Damn! I just realized I forgot to place a bet. Now just you watch. They’re going to win the World Series and because I usually make a $50 bet, I’ll miss out on $3,750. Damn.)

Well … so what? Maybe my betting on them to win the series in the past is what caused them to lose.

Anyway, PLAY BALL!

12 Things I Learned Watching Super Bowl XLIX

1. XLIX always brings ExLax to mind. Gotta figure out why this sticks with me.
2. When your grandson calls to FaceTime with you to announce what he wants for his birthday, you put the game on pause even if a touchdown is imminent.
3. The fourth film in the Jurassic Park franchise – Jurassic World – will open in theaters on June 12. I knew this was on the way; there were rumblings about this dino-sequel filming in Hawaii.
4. Local commercials utilizing the "shaka" sign look amateurish and stupid.
5. Seattle running back Marshawn Lynch is tough to bring down. Well, okay, I knew that already, but it sure was fun watching him carry tacklers with him.
6. Pierce Brosnan loves fireworks and gets to keep the car.
7. I wasn't a Katie Perry fan. I really didn't even know who she was until I saw her in the Super Bowl Pepsi halftime show. I'm still not a fan, but the staging was spectacular.
8. Arnold Schwarzenegger will be back as the terminator from the future in Terminator Genisys, opening in theaters on July 1. This makes what ... Number 5?
9. Woodie Guthrie's 1940 song, "This Land is Your Land" turns into a heart song when the tempo is halved and it's sung to a soft acoustic guitar. It makes me want to buy a Jeep Renegade.
10. A blue pill will do wonders for a Fiat X that wants to get ... er, bigger.
11. Vin Diesel joins up with Jason Statham, Dwayne Johnson, Michelle Rodrigues and Paul Walker in Furious 7, opening on April 3. Wait. Didn't Walker die over a year ago?
12. The whole two-week "Deflategate" thing was stupid, stupid, stupid, and the Patriots haters didn't get their wish as it did not affect New England's game in the least. It may have weighed heavily on their minds, but the game didn't suffer in the end.

Funny, isn't it, how most of these involve commercials?

Jose Canseco Juice Box Night

Leave it to minor league baseball to come up with crazy promotions. One that cracked me up is the 2006 “Juice Box Night” poking fun at Jose Canseco.

He’s become the poster child for steroid use, and authored a bio titled “Juiced.”

Of course, the baseball team – The Fullerton Flyers of the six-team Golden Baseball League – had a grand purpose in mind. They wanted to educate their fans about the negative results of drug abuse, which includes steroids.

The first 500 fans through the gates were given a free box of fruit juice.

Why this cracked me up is beyond me. I think it’s because it reminded me of the game where the baseball boinked off of Canseco’s catch when he was running in the outfield to catch a ball hit in his direction.

I love minor league baseball promotions.

It's Here At Last

Yes, indeedy, baseball season has arrived. The spring preseason games are in full swing, players are trying to make their teams' rosters, and the air is filled with the sounds of bats making contact.

Crowds are cheering (albeit smaller crowds in smaller spring training stands), dads are with their kids, and we're getting a good look at the stars, future stars, and wanna-be stars.

My favorite Atlanta Braves will look a little different this year. All-Star pitcher Tim Hudson is gone to the Giants, and All-Star catcher Brian McCann is now with the Yankees. But the good new is that the Braves have signed long-term contracts with their young stars;pitchers Craig Kimbrel and Julio Teheran, first baseman Freddie Freeman, shortstop Andrelton Simmons, and right fielder Jayson Heyward will be around for a few years.

The Upton Brothers (Jason and BJ) are still around, and hopefully BJ will improve over his 2013 season slump. Dan Uggla too.

At any rate, the late winter days seem brighter now that Opening Day of the 2014 Major League Baseball season is just around the corner.

I love baseball.

Mid-Way Olympic Thoughts

We’re just past halfway through the XXII Olympic Winter Games being held in Sochi, Russia; the quadrennial spectacle’s closing ceremony is this coming Sunday. So it’s a good time to reflect on some thoughts I’ve had about the past week or so.

If You Don’t Win, Blame the Equipment

The U.S. speed skating team isn’t doing so well, and has been unable to bring home any medals in their events.

But wait, weren’t they supposed to do well? Weren’t Shani Davis and Heather Richardson supposed to burn up the track and bring home medals?

The team (as of Saturday morning) was a dismal 0 for 7 in medal attempts.

So … they’re changing their racing suits. They’ve been wearing new, state-of-the-art ones designed by Under Armour. They’ve decided to go back to their old ones, sending Under Armour into a frantic updating of the old racing suits.

In sports, when you don’t win, you start blaming the equipment – baseball players look at their gloves when they boot a chance, football players look at their gloves when they miss a pass, tennis players inspect their racket when they miss a return.

Well, what about the obvious? What if the skaters from other countries who won medals were simply better than the Americans? Has anybody thought about that?

Luge Racing Isn’t That Scary

At least, not when you compare it to skeleton racing. In the luge event, the racer lies on his/her back on a teeny little sled and careens feet-first down a long and curvy ice track, reaching speeds in excess of 80 miles per hour. Scary enough, for sure.

But there’s a scarier race – the skeleton, introduced a dozen years ago in the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics. It’s basically the same as the luge, except that the rider is on his/her belly, chin about an inch off the ice, flying head-first down the track.

If you’ve ridden a roller coaster, you know fear is magnified when you can see ahead to what’s coming up. Now just imagine you’re going head first and your face is about to be rubbed off on ice.

Required: A skeleton-specific helmet and a sturdy and strong chin guard.

Skiers Are Crazy

Snowboarders are nuts. Who in their right mind would do what they do?

Twisting and somersaulting high in the air, ending with a controlled fall and expecting to land feet first so they can head up to the other side of the half pipe to do it all over again.

Ski-jumpers are also nuts. Sliding straight down a long slope to an upward-curved ramp that sends them flying high into the air, flying upwards of 600+ feet before landing, hopefully safely and not breaking any bones.

Personally, I like it right here with my feet on the ground.

* * * * *

Finally, I wonder how Bob Costas’ eye is doing?

Happy Day for Braves Fans

Yesterday was a good day to be an Atlanta Braves fan.

Although I don’t usually watch the National Baseball Hall of Fame announcement show when they name the new class elected by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America, I was curious enough this year to tune in.

To the glee of Atlanta Braves fans everywhere, two Braves were elected on their first ballot – right-handed pitcher Gregg Maddux, and right-handed pitcher Tom Glavine. They will be joined on the acceptance podium on July 26 by their manager, Bobby Cox, elected by the Expansion Era Committee last month.

For the record, the three Braves will be joined by new inductees Frank Thomas of the Chicago White Sox, and managers Joe Torre (also once an Atlanta manager), and Tony La Russa.

I remember watching the Braves on an almost daily schedule when they were owned by Ted Turner, who broadcast their games on TBS. They were basically the only baseball game in town (well, along with the Chicago White Sox and New York Mets). If I were home during the game, I’d tune in. Otherwise, I’d videotape (remember videotape) the game and watch it later at night.

One can’t help but become a fan of Dale Murphy and Bob Horner. Murphy, by the way, didn’t make it to the Hall, slowly dropping in the voting until he dropped off after not being elected in the 15^th and final year of eligibility. Too bad. I liked the guy.

I’ve seen Glavine pitch at a Los Angeles Dodgers home game, and I’ve seen Cox manage at least three times. Never did get to see Maddux pitch, however. Shucks. But I did follow his outings season after season.

Next year, the third pitcher in the great triumvirate, John Smoltz, will be on his first Hall of Fame ballot. He should be a shoo-in … like his cohorts, Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine, and his coach, Bobby Cox.

Let's Hear It for The ... Laxative Bowl (?)

 

Today, on the first day of post-season bowl games, my University of Southern California Trojans face off with the Fresno State Bulldogs in the Royal Purple Las Vegas Bowl. At first I was puzzled at the name. Then I remembered when it was simply the Las Vegas Bowl. The bowl has been played since 1992.

USC (9-4), ranked #25 in the BCS poll, is favored by 5.5 to 6 points over #20 Fresno State (11-1). However, the Trojans are playing for their third coach this season.

Coach Lane Kiffin was fired mid-season, interim coach Ed Orgeron resigned after the regular season when he wasn't picked as Kiffin's successor, and new interim coach Clay Helton (offensive coordinator) is trying to get the team motivated for the bowl game.

Problem ... running backs Silas Redd and Tre Madden are not expected to suit up because of lingering injuries.

Personally, I think the game is a toss-up. Still, one just never knows. Fight on!

* * * * *

Royal Purple is the name of the game's sponsor; it manufactures automotive lubricants., Lubricants? As in ... er, laxative? Nah, can't be, of course not. But think about it. Laxatives are lubricants.

I sure hope the Trojans play smoothly in the game with a lot of good movement and slide out with a win.

Bury Me Not on the Lone Prairie-s-e-e-e

 

Somewhere in that mass of humanity known as Auburn University football fans storming the field after an incredible 99-yard runback after a last-second Alabama University field goal fell short of its mark last Saturday ... was someone with a secret mission.

The mission: Drop the cremated remains of a beloved relative, spouse, friend or pet (who apparently wanted his or her or its remains scattered there) on the Iron Bowl field.

The culprit: We probably will never know who did it.

You know what Auburn Prof. Scott McElroy said about that? "It happens a lot more than you think."

Ya think?

I kid you not.

University of Hawaii Football: It's Kind of Pathetic

Honolulu Star-Advertiser Photo

The University of Hawaii football team is rather pathetic this year. But y'know, they finally won a game, their last of the season, when they beat Army 49-42 on Saturday night.

The Rainbow Warriors did the deed in Aloha Stadium, where in times of glory past, very good football teams from powerhouse conferences across the nation have come to bask in the sunshine, party on the beach, and lose to the University of Hawaii.

No more. The team is rather pathetic this year, or should I say was? Coach Norm Chow is probably going to be given a pass this year, but unless he improves on his miserable two-year 4-20 record, he'll likely be history and join an ever-growing list of coaches who couldn't perform even at Hawaii's low level.

And that's what makes the picture above so pathetic ... that winning the last game of the season to avert a total shutout could elicit such happiness and joy.

Pathetic.

Best-Ever Collegiate City Rivalry

 

The University of Southern California (USC) Trojan football team locks horns with the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) Bruins today for the 83rd time today, the 67th to be contested in the Los Angeles Coliseum (the balance played at the Rose Bowl, UCLA's home field).

USC has won 46 of these games; UCLA 29. Seven have ended in ties.

The rivalry game, usually played at the end of the college football season, usually has implications in the Pac-12 conference, and often for the national title. At the very least, the winner has bragging rights as "owner" of Los Angeles for a whole year.

And, the winner holds onto the Victory Bell for a year. The supporting trolley is currently blue, because UCLA won last year.

The annual rivalry is not just a game in Los Angeles, it's week, Banners are up all over the place, with about a 50-50 split between USC and UCLA supporters. Even families are divided ... engaged couples ... brothers ... sisters ... it's incredible.

When I lived in Los Angeles for 10 years, I remember seeing booster signs all over the place. I remember seeing the Tommy Trojan statue sans his sword blade because UCLA pranksters had broken it off. I remember hearing stories about raids on the UCLA campus, and retaliatory raids on the USC campus.

This year, I've got one of those hard-to-find "fucla" tee-shirts that I plan to wear while watching the game from my couch. I'll have on my USC cap as well.

Fight on!

Fired USC Coach Lane Kiffin to Gators?

Okay, this was interesting. In today's College Football Daily program on ESPNU, host Dari Nowkah and analysts Jason Seaborn and Paul Feinbaum were discussing the horrid University of Florida Gator football season and the immediate future of coach Will Muschamp.

Feinbaum was into his analysis about the Gators needing a new offensive coordinator when Seaborn tossed in the name of Lane Kiffin ... y'know, the coach that everybody loves to hate.

And you know what? Feinbaum agreed enthusiastically. Despite his personality, Kiffin does know his stuff (he just doesn't know when to delegate). And, Feinbaum added, Kiffin does have a connection with Florida -- his wife's father or uncle or somebody went there.

Hmmm ... possible? Anything is possible, right?

I kid you not.

Signs, Signs, Everywhere There’s Signs

I watched ESPN’s College GameDay yesterday morning. And before you ask, yes, I recorded it from their regular 3 a.m. Hawaii Time broadcast. People on the East and West coasts of America probably complain about their early-morning broadcast. They have nothing to complain about.

One of the things I like about College GameDay is that they go to different campuses each week – probably the campus of the home team in a big Saturday collegiate game. Yesterday, they were at the University of Southern California; the Trojans were hosting the Stanford Cardinal (aka, the “Trees”), who were ranked fifth in the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) poll.

By now, you know the score of the game and who won (USC in a 20-17 upset of Stanford, yay), so I’d like to talk instead about the student signs. Fervent college fans show up in the hundreds, sometimes thousands, to watch the panel program unfold and listen to the pundits talk about who they think is going to win the games that day.

And a lot of them make signs that they wave in the air behind the panel. Throughout the three-hour program, the cameras turn to the crowds and show us the wit and creativity … and harshness … of the sign-makers.

Yesterday, a few of the signs set their targets on Lane Kiffin, who was fired as head football coach of the Trojans after the team’s dismal performance against the Arizona State Sun Devils on Sept. 28. Here's one that the panel focused on:

 

At least this sign wasn’t harsh and denigrating; all it did was bring Lane Kiffin to front of mind and make us appreciate what Ed Orgeron has done to revitalize the team as its temporary head coach for the rest of the season. He’s why USC was only a 3.5-point underdog boing against the #5 team in the nation.

But my favorite sign had to do with Manti Te’o. Remember him? He was on the Notre Dame team that beat USC in the Los Angeles Coliseum in 2010, the first time since 2001.

I don’t have a picture of the sign because it had just a fleeting appearance and I couldn’t find it afterwards. It evoked memories of what had to be Te’o’s most embarrassing and stupid experience of his football career and personal life – Lenny Kekua, his imaginary girlfriend.

The sign: Even Lenny Kekkua Got Into Stanford.

Oooo-wee! That’s harsh on at least three levels: (1) It dragged a Te’o embarrassment back into the picture, (2) it took a huge swipe at the Stanford stereotype that women go there are smart but ugly, and (3) it showed that the USC student who made the sign doesn’t know how to spell.

Still … I laughed and laughed and laughed. I’m so ashamed of myself.

I Don’t Care for This

Don’t care for what, you ask?

I don’t like it that the University of Southern California still has a chance to make the Pac-12 Conference Championship Game in December, but has to depend on Arizona State to lose a couple of games. Losing one game isn’t going to do it, because they beat USC in September and hold the tie-breaker over USC.

I hate that. It’s better when a team controls its own destiny. We shouldn’t have lost to Arizona State (or Washington State, for that matter), and I blame since-fired head coach Lane Kiffen for that.

Still, today is today, and I guess we have to hope for the team ahead of us to stumble so we can slide in the back door.

I hate that. It’s bad enough that we have to play Stanford this Saturday, then have our crosstown rivalry game against UCLA on the final day of the regular season at the end of the month.

Oh well … Fight On!

NFL Red Zone

I like football. I like college football, I like NFL football. I have a heavy emotional attachment to college football, particularly the University of Southern California Trojans. I used to have an attachment to the Los Angeles Rams because I went to their games on Sunday until I moved out of Los Angeles.

Consequently, I watch all of USC's games on TV. I do not, however, watch any particular NFL team play on TV. When it comes to the pros, I'm satisfied with watching highlights until the end of the season and then playoffs, when I really start paying attention.

For me, the best thing to do on a Sunday is tune in to NFL Red Zone, a "whip-around" program that shows every touchdown scored during the live games, as they happen (well, most of the time, anyway).

In particular, they cover all plays in the "red zone," the area of the field between an opponent's 20-yard and goal lines.

Sure beats flipping channels and sitting through entire games if you don't have an emotional attachment to a team. It's perfect for people like me who just want to see scoring plays.

I get it as part of a cable sports package and the package cost is well-worth the few dollars a month. Check it out, you might like it too.

USC Football is Back

I’ve been waiting eight months for tonight – the first game of the University of Southern California Trojan’s 2013 football season. Last year, the Trojans started the season ranked #1 in the preseason polls, which of course, I knew would not hold up, despite my unwavering support for USC.

Sure enough, my alma mater wound up diving out of the Top 25 following losses to UCLA (unforgivable), Notre Dame (unforgivable), and (good lord) Georgia Tech in the Sun Bowl on New Year’s Eve. It was Coach Lane Kiffin’s worst record (7-5) of his USC head coaching career.

Wittek (l) and Kessler

Worse yet, to start the 2013 season, he can’t make up his mind who this year’s #1 quarterback will be – returning sophomore Max Wittek, who had to fill in for an injured Matt Barkley at the end of the 2012 season, or redshirt sophomore Cody Kessler, a nationally top-ranked quarterback while in high school.

All-American and 2012 Heisman Trophy finalist Marqise Lee, the best receiver in the Pac-12 and possibly the nation, is back after winning the Biletnikoff Award as the nation’s top receiver.

Senior Silas Redd, the outstanding runner who transferred from Penn State last year, is back. Redd, however, did not make the trip to Hawaii because he’s still recuperating from knee surgery in the spring. Neither will junior D.J. Morgan, the Trojans’ starting tailback, because of an undisclosed injury.

Other names of note: The Hawaii offensive line will have to contend with Hayes Pullard and Leonard Williams. Their defensive line and secondary will have to contend with tight ends Xavier Grimble and Randall Telfer.

I hate to use the term, “rebuilding,” but with a new quarterback, whoever he may turn out to be, and a revamped defense, 2013 will be just that.

But then again, in college football, isn’t every season a rebuilding season?

USC over Hawaii by 20. Fight on!

STL Cardinals Take a Raking

The other night, I was watching MLB Network's "Quick Pitch" with its host, Heidi Watney, who gives us the day's round-up of Major League Baseball games and highlights.

Between game reports, she often does some updating of interesting stats. For example, the other night, she talked about how thee St. Louis Cardinal players (Yadier Molina, Allen Craig and Matt Carpenter) were in the Top 4 list of National League batting average leaders.

Interesting stuff.

And then ... my eyes just naturally wandered to the "upcoming" reports agenda listed to the right. There at the top was the headline: "Cardinals Raking." Cardinals Raking? Ohhhh, I think they meant Cardinals "RaNking."

Y'know, sometimes it just bugs me when I can't enjoy relaxing and watching something interesting on TV. Typos, misspellings and wrong-word choices just jump out at me.

It's a curse, I tell ya, a CURSE!

UPDATE (July 28, 2013): I just learned that "raking" is a fairly recent (at least I've never heard it before) baseball term used to describe a player or player who's hitting well. Thanks to Montee Wellman, whose hubby, Phil, is a coach for the Springfield Cardinals, the Texas League AA affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals.

Congratulations to Erik Svetin

Here’s a young man with a promising future. Erik Svetin, the son of one of my former colleagues, is an entering freshman at Molokai High School, and was named Hawaii merit winner in the 2013 Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge.

His science project examined how a baseball would perform if it had an extra row of stitches in it. Check out the video that he made:

I’m not sure Major League Baseball is ready for this super-action alteration to their baseballs, but you have to admire Erik’s curiosity and reporting skills. Plus, as a sports fan, he’s looking at doing more research and development like this – new bat, new helmet, new catcher’s gear.

You go, Erik!