Sports: Baseball Season Interuptus

By Allen Bacon
Editor
Bosco: The Blog

Usually this week is a very happy week for me. This is the week that my baseball season really starts. This is the week that the Cal State Fullerton Titans, the five time national champions, my hometown team, and my alma mater, with their ballpark within "hearing and throwing distance" from my home would usually start the baseball season against our longtime rivals the Stanford Cardinal.

But not this season. The powers that be at the NCAA have decided that the teams in Southern California and Florida have a distinct advantage by being able to start the season at the end of January over schools whose baseball fields are covered in four foot of snow at this time of the year. The NCAA has decided to move the start date for the College baseball season until the end of February.

I can't help it if your school is not smart enough to locate itself in a sunny climate. I can't help it if your school won't build or play in a stadium with a retractrable roof and astroturf. I can't help it if your students and coaches are unwilling to get on a bus and do a Western swing to start the season. You have interrupted the joy of starting the College Baseball Season for me!

To top things off, we were going to have our traditional Alumni Game or the traditional current team kicking the old Titan ballplayer's ass....at least it's a baseball game. But there is a steady downpour here this morning and even if it was to stop raining this second I doubt there would be enough time to get Goodwin Field ready to play today. So in the meantime, I have to get my baseball fix by watching the Venezuelan Baseball Playoffs on ESPN Deportes or my DVD of the Japanese Pro Yakyu 2007 allstar game...or even my DVD of the Angels 2002 World Series victory over the Giants. I love the Spanish announcers on ESPN Deportes. One guy described a strike out this way...Buenas Dias, Buenas Tardes, y Buenas Noches Yes, baseball announcing cliches are universal.

Of course, baseball is a birthright here in Fullerton. Hall of famers Walter Johnson, Arky Vaughan, and Gary Carter all played on Fullerton fields before heading to the Big Show along with Del Crandall, Keith Ginter, Jeff Robinson, Steve Trachsel, Steve Busby, Tim Wallach, Aaron Rowan, Phil Nevin and many other major league greats. Last week, my neighbor Steve Weismann was up early taking his son Steven to tryouts for Pony League baseball...a scene that is repeated every year at this time for decades with hundreds of dads and sons.

My son Felix and I were no exception. Nobody knew it except me, but Felix could have been in the Hall of Fame if he hadn't been called away by the movie business. Felix has the only distinction, I think, of getting a base hit in his last at bat in all levels of baseball that he played. He got a basehit in his last at bat for West Fullerton Little League. He got a basehit in his last at bat for Fullerton Pony in the Western Regional playoffs. And he got a basehit in his last at bat for Fullerton High School.

Felix was a slap hitter, like Ichiro Suzuki, except nobody knew about Ichiro at the time (this was when he was playing Pro Yakyu in Japan before coming to Seattle) He wasn't flashy. He never hit an over the fence homerun in his entire baseball career. But he had a phenomenal on base percentage and batting average. Because I kept score for the teams he played on, I had to bring this to the attention of the coaches who always had a tendency to bat him low in the order because of his lack of flash and power. And he also hustled like Darrin Erstad. In fact, even to this day people will remind me how he used to run full bore out to his position when he took the field and run back just as fast back to the dug out after the inning was completed.

My favorite baseball moment with Felix, and there were lots of them, and the instant that I realized he would not be long for this game was on one Saturday afternoon. Felix was playing for the Angels in a game against the Yankees in the West Little League Major division. There was a great pitchers dual going on between the two pitchers, our guy RJ Hively (who now pitches for Cal State Fullerton) and another guy for the Yankees, Geoff Henderson who would go on to have a great High School career and remain a good friend of Felix. The game went into extra innings. In the top of the eighth RJ was walked by Geoff. Felix was the next batter. RJ stole second base. Felix battled Geoff to a 3-2 count. Geoff didn't throw a bad pitch but his slider was within Felix's reach on the outside corner and as Felix would often do, he lunged and slapped the ball over the Yankee second baseman's head in front of the center fielder, scoring RJ and winning the game. His team mates mugged
Felix for being the hero and the parents were going wild in the stands.

I'll never forget what happened next. Felix went to his bag in the dugout, quietly put away his gear, and said, "Let's go dad." As we were walking back to the car...the baseball hero and the proud dad, side by side, he turns to me and says, "I have this idea for a movie..." I knew he wasn't going to be a ballplayer for long.

An Appreciation: Second Thoughts About Georgia Frontiere and Moving the LA Rams

By Allen Bacon
Editor
Bosco: The Blog


I make no excuses for the fact that I used to hate Georgia Frontiere. You see, Madame Ram, as we used to call her, moved my football team, the Los Angeles Rams, to St. Louis.

I hated Georgia Frontiere when she owned the Los Angeles Rams and I hated her even more when she moved my team away from me. It was like a piece of my childhood, which I always assumed was going to be around forever, was suddenly torn away along with my memories of Roman Gabriel, Merlin Olson, Rosie Greer, Vince Ferragamo, Jack Snow, the Youngbloods, the Fearsome Foursome, Eric Dickerson and George Allen.

I read this week that Georgia Frontiere passed away from breast cancer at the age of 70. I read her obituary and the account of her life in the local paper and the whole episode of moving the Rams suddenly made sense to me.

You see, the Rams were not an original Los Angeles team. They were taken away from the city of Cleveland in 1947. In fact, they were the first major professional team to move to California. So I imagine that the Cleveland fans had the same feeling about the Rams owner at the time that I did for Georgia Frontiere. The St. Louis Cardinals football team was eventually moved to Phoenix, leaving a void for Eastern - Missouri pro football fans.

Georgia Frontiere filled that void. Originally, from St. Louis, she brought her hometown a team that it so desperately wanted. She owned the Rams. She brought the Rams to St. Louis. In fact I think now that the fans of St. Louis appreciated the Rams more than the Los Angeles fans. Imagine my chagrin when the St. Louis Rams won a Super Bowl...something the Los Angeles Rams never did.

I also realized this week that Georgia Frontiere was the essence of what I find compelling in some people and particulary in some women...the type of woman that I would want my daughter to be...strong, confident, independent...living life on her own terms. So maybe she is guilty of taking my football team away.. but one city's loss is another city's gain and Los Angeles didn't make the correct overture to keep the Rams at the time. I saw the pathetic dwindling crowds at the end too. I was one of the few people in the stands at the end. I would look up at the people in the luxury boxes of Anaheim Stadium and see people watching the Raiders or another game on television..not the one on the field. Not too many people cared about the Rams at the end. The people in St. Louis did and Georgia Frontiere was smart enough to follow the money and brave enough to follow her heart. One thing she was not guilty of is being a weak, non-passionate, dependent, and cowardly person.

Bosco Provides A Variety of Creative Services

Bosco is more than this webzine and Blog.

Bosco can create your customized printed company newsletter from writing to layout to production or any phase in between.

Bosco also can create your personal or company webzine blog utilizing the best writing team available along with intelligent design sensibilities.

Bosco can create and produce your personal or company Podcasts.

Bosco has written content available for Newspaper and Magazine articles and columns.

Bosco's team of award winning web designers can create content and design to represent your company or personal projects.

Bosco is a full service printing, graphics, and fullfillment service including books, stationery, posters, large format printing, labels, cartons, and much much more.

Bosco can write and produce videos, short films, and documentaries.

Bosco produces Creative On Hold Telephone Content from writing to music to production.

Find out how your company can start to utilize the services of Bosco today. Contact the Bosco Editor, Allen Bacon boscotheblog@earthlink.net

Stage Review: This Father of the Bride Is Funny and Wedded Bliss

Father of the Bride
Maverick Theatre
Fullerton, CA
Through Feb. 16, 2008
4 teaspoons of Bosco

Review By Allen Bacon
Editor
Bosco: The Blog

I always liked the Father of the Bride series, the movie version, with first Spencer Tracy and then Steve Martin and Diane Keaton. The trials and tribulations of George Banks, the father, is a perfect primer on how "not to act" if and when my 26 year old daughter ever decides to get married.

My main lesson out of all this is just to let my daughter and her mother call all the shots and be quick with the pen and checkbook...and don't even think about it or question it. This is what I learn from George Banks.

So, it was with pleasure that I watched the live version of Father of the Bride which opened on Fri. Jan. 11 at the Maverick Theatre in Fullerton, CA. I needed a break from the esoteric type of plays I had been watching and just sit back and laugh at the simple things in life...like planning for a wedding.

First of all, you are greeted in the lounge area of the Maverick Theatre by a real "Wedding Singer" who is fantastic. This guy belts out wonderful renditions of Sinatra and Crosby and other traditional songs you would hear at a reception.. Once inside the small theatre, where there isn't a bad seat in the house, you are treated to fine performances across the board.

George Banks is played flawlessly and convincingly by Rick Franklin who gives you the sense that he's been through this before. The daughter, Annie, is played well and I think the actress is cuter and acts better than the young lady in the movie. Wonderful comedic timing by the rest of the cast makes for an evening of laughs and fun.

This play runs until Feb. 16. Reservations are highly recommended. www.mavericktheatre.com

Opinion: TV: Dexter Doesn't Belong On CBS

By Allen Bacon
Editor
Bosco: The Blog

The Writer's Strike is causing some interesting things to happen in television programming. One of the by-products of the strike is to air programming originally produced for cable on network television.

On February 17, my current favorite show, Dexter, will make it's debut on CBS networks Sunday night lineup. Dexter for the uninformed is an extremely cutting-edge drama series starring Michael C. Hall (formerly of Six Feet Under). Based on a novel, the main character, is a serial killer who is a vigilante exacting justice on killers that get through the system.

CBS is doing the wrong thing by airing Dexter on broadcast television.

First of all the show obviously has to be heavily edited. In any episode of the show, there is a great deal of graphic violence, nudity, sexual situations, and language. This all contributes to what gives the show it's edge and makes it compelling to watch. Take that away and you have a disjointed show. Look at what happened when they edited the Sopranos and look at what happened to when Sex In the City was edited for regular television. Both shows had their hearts ripped out of them.

And even if Dexter is edited, the themes are not for young impressionable minds who will no doubt be watching when it makes it's CBS network debut.

Here's an idea: Leave Dexter on Showtime where it can be free to be as creative as it wants to be without the restrictions of broadcast television and end the writer's strike so we can start seeing new episodic television shows on their proper channels.

Opinion: Transportation: The Two Amtraks and a Modest Proposal

By Allen Bacon
Editor
Bosco: The Blog

As I was on my latest train excursion...through the Northwest from Southern California to Seattle, I was reminded of what the nation's passenger rail service, Amtrak, is and I thought about what it could be.

First of all, the scenery from Los Angeles to Seattle, as seen from the comfort of the Amtrak observation lounge rivals the best in the country. From the ocean views to the Northern California and Oregon mountains to the lushness of Northern Oregon into Washington and the Puget Sound area near Seattle..it's hard to beat for breathtaking beauty not only in the US but in the world.

The people I met on this journey were incredible. People from Northern California and the Northwest are generally generous, educated, and progressive, and this makes for wonderful and interesting conversation. And since you have to sit with somebody at the dining car you have the opportunity to get into some wonderful discussions with fascinating people.

But, those are all the benefits of taking the train...anywhere. What I want to talk about is what Amtrak is doing right and where they fall short.

I was actually on two trains this trip through the northwest. For those who were not following the trip on this webzine as it was happening, my son Felix and I took the Coast Starlight from Fullerton, CA to San Francisco...stayed two days in San Francisco...got back on the CS and went to Eugene, OR where we stayed with my good friends Mark and Greg. After we left Eugene we switched to the Cascades which is the run from Eugene to Seattle. The two trains were like night and day.

First of all, in all fairness, the train they use for the Coast Starlight is similar to the trains they use on the Southwest Chief (LA to Chicago) or the Zephyr (Chicago to San Francisco). These trains were built in the 70's in an era where there were no cel phones, no laptops, no personal DVD players. So there are very few electrical outlets and the first thing that everybody looks for is an outlet but with an average of one or two per car it's tough going.

The second thing, I noticed was the service is suffering and I had wonderful experiences last year on the Zephyr and Southwest Chief. I think it has to do with teams that they put on the train. All it takes is a couple of disgruntled employees to permeate the group and the experience becomes less than satisfactory. The service from LA to Oakland fell into the less than satisfactory category. But the Emeryville to Eugene ride was much better.

On the LA to Oakland run, the Amtrak employees were rude, obnoxious, and let you know that they were understaffed and overwhelmed. OK that last part is probably true...but it doesn't mean you have to take it out on the customers. We're trying to have a good time and get to where we need to go...lose the attitude and work out whatever differences you have with your employer.

I was particulary disappointed in the service in the dining room. Plastic eating utensils, high prices, paper table cloths, less than satisfactory food and again waiters with bad attitudes. What happened to the golden age of train travel where you had wonderful service, china, cloth table cloths, and beautiful silverware and glasses for your drinks? No wonder people don't like taking the trains anymore.

Then the lounge is not showing movies anymore because the motion picture industry wants a cut for them showing the movies. Give me a break.

Contrast that with what I experienced on the Amtrak Cascades train from Eugene, OR to Seattle, WA. This train service is a cooperative between the states of Oregon, Washington and Amtrak. It's all the things Amtrak does right. First of all the train is always generally on time because they split the ride in two trips. One train starts in Eugene and runs to Portland. Then another train takes you to Seattle. Also, I understand they don't have the freight train right of way issues that are experienced in other parts of the country.

This train was built within the last couple of years and they did it right. An electrical outlet at every seat, tv screens for movies in every car with plugs on the console for headsets to listen to the movie, a wonderful lounge and Bistro, large and beautiful bathrooms, an onboard systems for telling you time, weather, how far ahead or behind the train is on schedule. This is on when the movies are not going. And by the way, with every Amtrak train I've been on...much more leg room than an airline seat. And the crew on this train were happy, neatly dressed, and extremely helpful.

And now comes my modest proposal.

Why can't they run Amtrak like National Public Radio or Public Television? Since it is a government subsidized service, get corporate sponsorships and have fundraisers to create more money. Here's some ideas what you could do with corporate and individual involvement.

Have a major restaurant run the Dining Room. Have Outback Steakhouse, as an example, be responsible for the dining room. They would staff it, they would design the inside of the rolling restaurant, they could have their menu. And they would do a great job, because it would be a great advertisement for their traditional restaurants.

Create free enterprise aboard the train. There could be a mini McDonalds, a Starbucks, some small shops like a mini-mall all on the train. Can you imagine the bidding war companies would get into to get those spots and how much more money it would generate for the railroad?

Yes, have a movie theatre, sponsored by AMC or another chain or at least do what they did in the Northwest with a screen in view near the seats with a plug to listen at your seat.

Get an interior designer to sponsor a redesign of the interiors of the trains. Again, a bidding war would insue and the winning bidder would generate a lot of publicity. And of course, put an electrical plug at every seat and hook up the trains for wi-fi. Because of these innovations, train travel would be fun and sexy again.

There is so much that could be done with the current Train system in America. We have a beautiful country and traveling by train is a wonderful way to meet the people and see the sights of this great land. Europe and other countries are way ahead of the US on this So any investment we put into this venture is going to pay dividends in the economy as more people get out and spend more money in the areas around the country.

Club Review: Slidebar: Come for the Music...Stay for the Food

The Slidebar
Downtown Fullerton. CA (by Train Station)
5 teaspoons of Bosco

By Allen Bacon
Editor
Bosco: The Blog

The thing I forget sometimes about growing up and living in Fullerton, CA is the rich rock n' roll tradition of the city. This dates back to when Leo Fender, a Fullerton High student and his buddy Bob Blackburn (who would go on to be the voice of the Seattle Supersonics) would hook up amplifiers for the Fullerton High School football stadium.

Fender of course would go on to start his guitar company in Fullerton and would build Stratocasters and great acoustic guitars for everybody from Chet Atkins to Eddie Van Halen to yours truly, the Bosco Editor.

So it's only natural for a city who gave us the likes of Jackson Browne, Social Distortion, the Adolescents, Dick Dale, Gwen Stefani and No Doubt and the OC Punk Scene, would have a great Rock and Roll Club. The Slidebar is that club.

The first thing of course is the music. You never know when you are going to be listening to the next Righteous Brothers or No Doubt at the Slidebar and that's part of the big attraction. They also have Karaoke night where you sing with a real band.

One of the things that attracted me was the LP cover style menu. The liner notes got me going because it was talking about Social Distortion and one of the founding members...Rikk Agnew. It was Agnew that took exception to a review that I wrote in the Fullerton High School newspaper, the Pleiades. when we were both seniors about his then band at the time's performance at a show on campus. Fortunately, cooler heads prevailed after he threatened to kick my ass and scrawled an epitaph on the Journalism room's door. Rikk would go on to form Social D with Mike Ness and his brother Frank Agnew and be one of the main influences in the OC Punk Scene in the late 70's and early 80's with the Adolescents and Agent Orange.

Everything is done right at the Slidebar (which was the Hub in another lifetime) from the great food, great bar, wonderful and friendly staff (who I believe all play in rock bands...at least they look like they do). I had a Grilled Breast of Chicken Panini with garlic fries which really hit the spot. They also have wonderful Kobe Beef Burgers, steaks, pasta, salads and breakfasts served all day which comes in handy for the rock n' rollers. I picked up a cool tee shirt (one of the many promotional items)

Bosco Radio: Now Available On The Web

If Bosco ran a News/Information radio station and they had all the resources available to them, it would be a mix of the best audio newsmagazines rotating with in-depth news coverage from around the country and around the world.

"I always wanted to program radio stations and I had this idea for a news/information station", said Bosco Editor Allen Bacon recently.

The result is in the Bosco:the Blog sidebar starting with the Sunday programming. To see what it sounds like click on the show at the appropriate time to hear the program. All times are listed as Pacific Standard time.

"On Sunday the station breaks format and brings the Sunday Morning talk shows in their entirety" Says Bacon. "As we put out the Weekly schedule the format is going to be one half hour of news followed by a half hour newsmagazine or newstalk.

Included on the completed Sunday program schedule are such favorites as 60 Minutes, Face the Nation, Meet the Press, All Things Considered, Weekend Edition, C-Span's Booktalk, and more.

To listen go to the Sidebar under Bosco Radio: Information Channel and click on the show at the appropriate time.

"I think the schedule of shows also serves as a list of shows, that in our opinion, will keep you informed and up to date on the issues..So it serves a dual purpose.", continued Bacon.

We welcome your comments on the Radio News format. Did we leave your favorites out? Let us know by posting to this blog or emailing to: boscotheblog@earthlink.net

NFL Playoffs: Just Another Hairbrain Idea

By Allen Bacon
Editor
Bosco: The Blog

So I'm watching my team the Jacksonville Jaguars in the Wild Card Playoffs last night. Before I go any further, for you that don't know me...you may ask how does a guy that lives in Southern California become a Jacksonville Jaguar fan?

First of all, you might have noticed that we have no NFL team in the Greater Los Angeles/Orange County area. We used to have a team...the Los Angeles Rams. I loved the Rams. Roman Gabriel, the Fearsome Foursome, George Allen, Dick "Nighttrain" Lane, Eric Dickerson, Vince Ferragamo, etc. etc....what's not to like? Then Georgia cuts our hearts out and moves the team from Anaheim to St. Louis. I hate the Rams now. I can't stand the Rams. The other team we had here was just renting the stadium apparently until they expanded the Oakland Coliseum into the wonderful ediface it is today.

I have a hard time becoming a San Diego Charger fan even though they are the closest geographically to me. Or a San Diego anything fan. It would end my long-running friendly feud with my good friend Michael Gronfein who is from San Diego and bleeds Charger Baby Blue and Padre Sand (or whatever that Godawful color they have on their road unis).

So I became a Jaguar fan because my Sister In Law is from Jacksonville and it gave me a team to identify with. Realize my excitement when not to long ago there was some talk of the Jags moving to LA.

Anway, back to the point. So I'm noticing this trend of guys having long dred locks flowing out of the back of their helmets down to their waist almost. And I'm thinking, isn't that dangerous. Hey, I love dredlocks more that the next guy and if I actually had hair, I would have them, but in an NFL game? Isn't it possible that somebody could actually, accidentally, pull on your hair and yank your head off.

Then what really got me upset is that one of my guys with dredlocks makes a great interception, falls close to the sideline and gets up and runs another 20 yards down the field. The whole thing is called back because he was rulled out of bounds because his hair, and only his hair was out of bounds!

This guy, in a tight game, which it ended up being, could have cost us the game. And then he's laughing about it afterwards like it's a joke.

Never mind the fact that the NFL should institute a restriction on this. Why are the coaches not making the players wrap their dredlocks and put underneath their helmet or better off cut them off for the season. After last night, it could have cost the Jags a chance to advance.

Automobile Review: 2008 Ford Mustang: Falling Short of It's Heyday

2008 Ford Mustang
3 Teaspoons of Bosco (Out of 5)

By Allen Bacon
Editor
Bosco: The Blog

I have to admit I'm a little partial to 1965 Ford Mustangs. The '65 Mustang, after all, was my first automobile. I put a lot of blood, sweat and tears to bring my Mustang back to it's original condition. I bought it for $900 with all the money I had in my Savings in 1976 while I was a junior in high school and spent another $2000 of my hard earned money restoring it with my dad. After the birth of my first child, I thought I would do the responsible thing and get rid of it...I kick myself every day now for selling it. What was I thinking? Especially now when I see these old cars being sold for around $30,000

So that's why I resisted getting into the new Mustangs as they unfolded year after year. Until now. There were a couple of reasons for this. Number one, I didn't want to own up to my mistake of getting rid of my dream car. And number two, I didn't really like any of the body styles after 1965 save for the 1968 edition.

This changed about three years ago when Ford went to a retro style for the Mustang. The outside is very reminiscent of the late 1960's version. But I was curious...Did it feel and drive like the 1965 car? I finally got enough nerve to take one out for a test drive.

I actually drove two... one with a V8 engine and one with a 6 cylinder engine. As far as that was concerned they felt no different. The 6 cylinder felt like it just had as much power as the 8 cylinder. The interior was what bothered me the most. As interiors go, it is really nice with it's leather appointments but if you are going to do a retro car...Ford needs to recreate the old look as close as you can. Or at least make it an option. The new version has a wonderful CD, MP3 Player and AM/FM radio. I would have hid it and put it behind an old Philco AM radio. Even I had the sense, as an 18 year old kid, to place my tape deck under the dash where it would slide in and out.

And what about going back to a hand crank window and hand door handle option? I understand there are some things you can't do...Like you must have air bags... but the other things need to go back to the original as close as possible if you are doing a retro car.

While the body is actually more reminiscent of the 1968 version, it is a little more boxier. But even so, it is still without a doubt a Mustang...there is no denying this one... and with cleaner lines than any version in recent memory. I like the fact that they went back to the old grill as well. In the 1965 models you had an option of the fastback or a hatchback. On the 2008 version you don't have the option. Although, I am partial to the hatchback which is what I had on my '65, the fastback looks good here. But still, it would have been nice to have that option.

Long time designer Carroll Shelby is designing a whole line of new Shelby Cobras based on this car. These cars are double the price of the regular car and the dealers don't want you to drive them. They want the Shelby Cobras to have zero miles on them when they go out the door.

Bosco TV: Jimmy Pardo Featured on Comedy Channel; Donald Fagen on Music Channel; Director Sassy Mohen on Indie Film Channel

Each week Bosco and You Tube bring you the best of television, music, and video with Bosco TV.

This month on the Indie Film Channel see highlights of up and coming film director Sassy Mohen's film "Happy Holidays".

On the Comedy Channel see the very funny Jimmy Pardo. On the music channel the focus is on Donald Fagen.

Look for added Bosco TV Channels in the near future.

Click on the links on the right for each channel and the screen will appear larger.