Splint7438

I once had an interesting question asked of me during an interview. The man asked me "What do you see as your biggest leadership weakness"? I said " my brutal honesty". He replied " I don't think honesty is a weakness". I told him "I don't give a flying **** what you think is a weakness". I celebrated 26 years at this job last September.

if he can throw 2008 mph he should be able to get some outs.

Wow! What a great idea for a thread. As a kid I went to school in Anaheim and Nolan Ryan lived in a house on my way to school. We would stop and knock on his door and ask if Nolan Ryan really lived there. His wife Ruth was so patient because she would always answer the door and hand out 8x10 signed pictures of Ryan. Looking back I know she recognized the same kids always coming to the door. The day that the man actually answered the door is the day I knew there would never be another team for me. He was HUGE! And I was speechless. Which says a lot if you have ever met me. He basically held my hand through the handing out of yet another 8x10 pic. He was just so nice and had that texas drawl that seperated him from all the other players. I had been a casual fan before this and I chose to follow the Angels because our brother Paul was a dodger fan. Typical sibling rivalry stuff. The knocking on Ryans door happened in 1972. So hardcore since 1972. Nolan Ryan is my favorite athlete/celebrity of all time from any sport. I am lucky enough to have watched him play at a high level from grade school into my 30's. Not many can say that about their favorite player.
 
My favorite baseball player of all time however is Scott Stradling. Knowing I had a small part in his developement as a player and as a man fills me with great pride.I remember taking Stradling to a lot of games when he was a kid. Including the division clinching game in 86 when all of the fans poured onto the field. We had a great team that year and I think we would have beat the Mets if we had gotten past some other team first. I think that was the year i started my prediction every year that the Angels were going to win the series. Same prediction every year since.
 
The first year I thought we had a chance was the 1978 season. That is the year the "YES WE CAN" chant started. There was an overall sense in the stadium that we were into something special. The fans felt it. Of course we had to wait one more year to finally win the West, but us fans knew the Angels were charging fast. We played a lot of good baseball over the next 10 years or so but had a lot of heartbreak too.
 
I went to my first World Series game in game 2 at angel stadium. I was there for their first WS win. Two Salmon homers. And a Bonds homer that I think went into orbit. The Chinese are going to land on Bonds homer ball and plant their flag. Ok so I may have touched on a few too many threads here. Thank you so much for the forum to share. Fan since 1970. I love you scott more than life itself. Let me know if there was a different story you wanted me to tell.

For those you didn't know, I am Stradlings brother. Our dad absolutely loved baseball.and understood the game better than most people do. When he relocated to ND he started to watch Twins baseball. Thankfully the Twins have played a good brand of baseball for 25 years or so. They don't always win but the play the game right. We recently bought Appletv for hi. So he could watch the Twins before the Angel game came on. As I recall the Guidry story, Reggie had hit three homers and when dad mentioned that Reggie was having a good night, Guidry replied " he only got two off me". LOL what else can you say? I remember dad taking us all to a game in which Mike Witt struck out 17 if memory serves. He always swore that Bob Feller was as good as any he had seen in his 83 years. Even though he had some confusion issues over the last 8-9 months he was crystal clear when he said about Mike Trout "that kid is GOOD"! My dad was a master of the understatement. I mean John Cleese took his tips from my dad. And I only recall three players that he got excited about watching or talking about. Bob Feller, Nolan Ryan and Mike Trout. The last few years his comments about most players were " he used to be on the Twins". "Twins can't afford him". "Miggy kills the Twins". Thank you all for this small indulgence. Baseball is the perfect game loved by the perfect dad.

For those you didn't know, I am Stradlings brother. Our dad absolutely loved baseball.and understood the game better than most people do. When he relocated to ND he started to watch Twins baseball. Thankfully the Twins have played a good brand of baseball for 25 years or so. They don't always win but the play the game right. We recently bought Appletv for hi. So he could watch the Twins before the Angel game came on. As I recall the Guidry story, Reggie had hit three homers and when dad mentioned that Reggie was having a good night, Guidry replied " he only got two off me". LOL what else can you say? I remember dad taking us all to a game in which Mike Witt struck out 17 if memory serves. He always swore that Bob Feller was as good as any he had seen in his 83 years. Even though he had some confusion issues over the last 8-9 months he was crystal clear when he said about Mike Trout "that kid is GOOD"! My dad was a master of the understatement. I mean John Cleese took his tips from my dad. And I only recall three players that he got excited about watching or talking about. Bob Feller, Nolan Ryan and Mike Trout. The last few years his comments about most players were " he used to be on the Twins". "Twins can't afford him". "Miggy kills the Twins". Thank you all for this small indulgence. Baseball is the perfect game loved by the perfect dad.

For those you didn't know, I am Stradlings brother. Our dad absolutely loved baseball.and understood the game better than most people do. When he relocated to ND he started to watch Twins baseball. Thankfully the Twins have played a good brand of baseball for 25 years or so. They don't always win but the play the game right. We recently bought Appletv for hi. So he could watch the Twins before the Angel game came on. As I recall the Guidry story, Reggie had hit three homers and when dad mentioned that Reggie was having a good night, Guidry replied " he only got two off me". LOL what else can you say? I remember dad taking us all to a game in which Mike Witt struck out 17 if memory serves. He always swore that Bob Feller was as good as any he had seen in his 83 years. Even though he had some confusion issues over the last 8-9 months he was crystal clear when he said about Mike Trout "that kid is GOOD"! My dad was a master of the understatement. I mean John Cleese took his tips from my dad. And I only recall three players that he got excited about watching or talking about. Bob Feller, Nolan Ryan and Mike Trout. The last few years his comments about most players were " he used to be on the Twins". "Twins can't afford him". "Miggy kills the Twins". Thank you all for this small indulgence. Baseball is the perfect game loved by the perfect dad.

For those you didn't know, I am Stradlings brother. Our dad absolutely loved baseball.and understood the game better than most people do. When he relocated to ND he started to watch Twins baseball. Thankfully the Twins have played a good brand of baseball for 25 years or so. They don't always win but the play the game right. We recently bought Appletv for hi. So he could watch the Twins before the Angel game came on. As I recall the Guidry story, Reggie had hit three homers and when dad mentioned that Reggie was having a good night, Guidry replied " he only got two off me". LOL what else can you say? I remember dad taking us all to a game in which Mike Witt struck out 17 if memory serves. He always swore that Bob Feller was as good as any he had seen in his 83 years. Even though he had some confusion issues over the last 8-9 months he was crystal clear when he said about Mike Trout "that kid is GOOD"! My dad was a master of the understatement. I mean John Cleese took his tips from my dad. And I only recall three players that he got excited about watching or talking about. Bob Feller, Nolan Ryan and Mike Trout. The last few years his comments about most players were " he used to be on the Twins". "Twins can't afford him". "Miggy kills the Twins". Thank you all for this small indulgence. Baseball is the perfect game loved by the perfect dad.

For those you didn't know, I am Stradlings brother. Our dad absolutely loved baseball.and understood the game better than most people do. When he relocated to ND he started to watch Twins baseball. Thankfully the Twins have played a good brand of baseball for 25 years or so. They don't always win but the play the game right. We recently bought Appletv for hi. So he could watch the Twins before the Angel game came on. As I recall the Guidry story, Reggie had hit three homers and when dad mentioned that Reggie was having a good night, Guidry replied " he only got two off me". LOL what else can you say? I remember dad taking us all to a game in which Mike Witt struck out 17 if memory serves. He always swore that Bob Feller was as good as any he had seen in his 83 years. Even though he had some confusion issues over the last 8-9 months he was crystal clear when he said about Mike Trout "that kid is GOOD"! My dad was a master of the understatement. I mean John Cleese took his tips from my dad. And I only recall three players that he got excited about watching or talking about. Bob Feller, Nolan Ryan and Mike Trout. The last few years his comments about most players were " he used to be on the Twins". "Twins can't afford him". "Miggy kills the Twins". Thank you all for this small indulgence. Baseball is the perfect game loved by the perfect dad.

For those you didn't know, I am Stradlings brother. Our dad absolutely loved baseball.and understood the game better than most people do. When he relocated to ND he started to watch Twins baseball. Thankfully the Twins have played a good brand of baseball for 25 years or so. They don't always win but the play the game right. We recently bought Appletv for hi. So he could watch the Twins before the Angel game came on. As I recall the Guidry story, Reggie had hit three homers and when dad mentioned that Reggie was having a good night, Guidry replied " he only got two off me". LOL what else can you say? I remember dad taking us all to a game in which Mike Witt struck out 17 if memory serves. He always swore that Bob Feller was as good as any he had seen in his 83 years. Even though he had some confusion issues over the last 8-9 months he was crystal clear when he said about Mike Trout "that kid is GOOD"! My dad was a master of the understatement. I mean John Cleese took his tips from my dad. And I only recall three players that he got excited about watching or talking about. Bob Feller, Nolan Ryan and Mike Trout. The last few years his comments about most players were " he used to be on the Twins". "Twins can't afford him". "Miggy kills the Twins". Thank you all for this small indulgence. Baseball is the perfect game loved by the perfect dad.

For those you didn't know, I am Stradlings brother. Our dad absolutely loved baseball.and understood the game better than most people do. When he relocated to ND he started to watch Twins baseball. Thankfully the Twins have played a good brand of baseball for 25 years or so. They don't always win but the play the game right. We recently bought Appletv for hi. So he could watch the Twins before the Angel game came on. As I recall the Guidry story, Reggie had hit three homers and when dad mentioned that Reggie was having a good night, Guidry replied " he only got two off me". LOL what else can you say? I remember dad taking us all to a game in which Mike Witt struck out 17 if memory serves. He always swore that Bob Feller was as good as any he had seen in his 83 years. Even though he had some confusion issues over the last 8-9 months he was crystal clear when he said about Mike Trout "that kid is GOOD"! My dad was a master of the understatement. I mean John Cleese took his tips from my dad. And I only recall three players that he got excited about watching or talking about. Bob Feller, Nolan Ryan and Mike Trout. The last few years his comments about most players were " he used to be on the Twins". "Twins can't afford him". "Miggy kills the Twins". Thank you all for this small indulgence. Baseball is the perfect game loved by the perfect dad.

For those you didn't know, I am Stradlings brother. Our dad absolutely loved baseball.and understood the game better than most people do. When he relocated to ND he started to watch Twins baseball. Thankfully the Twins have played a good brand of baseball for 25 years or so. They don't always win but the play the game right. We recently bought Appletv for hi. So he could watch the Twins before the Angel game came on. As I recall the Guidry story, Reggie had hit three homers and when dad mentioned that Reggie was having a good night, Guidry replied " he only got two off me". LOL what else can you say? I remember dad taking us all to a game in which Mike Witt struck out 17 if memory serves. He always swore that Bob Feller was as good as any he had seen in his 83 years. Even though he had some confusion issues over the last 8-9 months he was crystal clear when he said about Mike Trout "that kid is GOOD"! My dad was a master of the understatement. I mean John Cleese took his tips from my dad. And I only recall three players that he got excited about watching or talking about. Bob Feller, Nolan Ryan and Mike Trout. The last few years his comments about most players were " he used to be on the Twins". "Twins can't afford him". "Miggy kills the Twins". Thank you all for this small indulgence. Baseball is the perfect game loved by the perfect dad.

Wonder if CJ nibbles the corners of that too? Nibble nibble groove! Nibble nibble groove!

It wasn't Hamilton because it wasn't a coke bottle.

It wasn't Hamilton because it wasn't a coke bottle.

It wasn't Hamilton because it wasn't a coke bottle.

It wasn't Hamilton because it wasn't a coke bottle.

It wasn't Hamilton because it wasn't a coke bottle.

It wasn't Hamilton because it wasn't a coke bottle.

It wasn't Hamilton because it wasn't a coke bottle.

Cheap chicken is a little creepy. He has a beak AND a mouth. Bob Starr was a great local announcer. He was good on baseball but he was incredible on Rams broadcast. Truly painted the picture. I think he replaced joe butitta. Was like replacing rusty water with honey.

Hector struggled. Like always he gets left in too long. But he has to let stuff go. And it always seems like every team has a defensive gem against us. Except the Royals. They usually make three stupid great plays every game against us. Homer on that foul popper off Albert is never made. And moose made two great plays for outs at third. One would have been a foul ball but the other would have been a double. Even the first hit of game from Cowgill damn near got caught. By the SS. And he was what 30 feet from the warning track? These guys don't give up on any ball in the field. THATS why they have our number and wins games that other teams don't.

Talked to him quite a bit at the round table last year inspiring training fanfest. He is a REAL nice guy. Some of his translations are a bit hard to follow that's for sure.

Bush 41 fought for our country in WWII as a pilot and was shot down. He swam for three hours until rescued. This shows bravery and perseverance to me.
Bush 41 served as a Congressman from Texas and helped pushed through legislation to allow minorities equal and fair housing. A very unpopular side of the issue in Texas in the 50's and 60's. This shows leadership and a sense of right and wrong.
Bush 41 served as Ambassador to the UN. Among the highest levels for a diplomat in the world.
Bush 41 served as Chairman of the Republican National Commitee. He was recognized for his organizational skills and team building at the state level and tapped for the national Chairmanship.
Bush 41 served as Liaison Officer in China. This was during the times when we had no normalized relationship with China. This was during a very hostile time in our history with China and it is thought that his influence helped with the eventual recognition of China and a normalization of relations. Today this job would be Ambassador.
Bush 41 served as Director of the CIA. His contributions were so well thought of that Bill Clinton dedicated the CIA Headquarters at Langley the George H W Bush Building. This was while Clinton was still in office and before these two became such good friends. Again his team building skills and diplomacy had shown to be of great value.
Bush 41 spent eight years as Vice President to Reagan. He was sent to every hotspot in the world because of his skills at diplomacy and because the leaders of the world trusted him and took him at his word. He also represented our country at every high level state funeral during that time. Reagan sought his counsel on a weekly basis and he helped form policy.
Bush 41 served as President for four years. He built a coalition to go into the Middle East and drive Iraq out of Kuwait. This was a major undertaking as he aligned virtually every Arab country against Iraq and allowed the U.S. to go in and drive them out. Those of us that remember all of this recal Iraq launching dozens of SCUD missiles into Israel daily. Hussein was trying to draw Israel into the conflict which would have destroyed the coalition. No Arab country would take up arms on the same side as Israel. EVER. Bush 41 kept Israel calm and on the sidelines during this whole affair. Thus preserving the coalition.
Bush 41 watched over the collapse of the Soviet Union and the fall of the Berlin wall. And he had the guts not to gloat. He used his diplomatic skills again to encourage Gorby and support him on the world stage. All of this without pissing off all of the Soviet hardliners which could have had dire consequences.
History will show that Bush 41 was on the right side of almost every major issue of the last 60 years. He has treated all of this with great humbleness and zero personal fanfare. President Obama honored Bush41 with the Presidential Medal Of Freedom. Bush 41 deserves a lot of credit for his work for the U.S. he is quick to share any credit with staff and everyone else.
Serving as a one term President does not make you a bad President. We were lucky to have a man and leader of his caliber take up a life of public service. And he really seems like a really nice guy.

I think 81 games would be perfect based on last years play. Of course they would need to be the 81 home games.

I think 81 games would be perfect based on last years play. Of course they would need to be the 81 home games.