A place to follow the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, the Midwest League, Minor League baseball, Major League Baseball, and everything in between in that order.
Anyone who knows me, knows that lucky is not one of the words I use to describe myself. But, I guess that I am.
It's 8am as I wrap this week's column. I am sitting in the press box at Pohlman Field in Beloit and the Sun is shining off the top of the first base dugout in a way that makes this old ballpark seem new.
The birds are chirping and - were it not for the incessant talking of the people at the other end of the pressbox...SHUT UP! SERIOUSLY! BE QUIET! - it is a relaxing feeling here before the 11am game.
This is a feeling that few outside the world of baseball get to experience. The ballpark in the morning is quiet...hold on --SHUT UP! DANG IT! TRYING TO WRITE ABOUT HOW PEACEFUL A BALLPARK IS IN THE MORNING! GEEZ! -- and this is how Henry David Thoreau must have felt when he lived at Walden Pond.
It is a time like this that makes it difficult to explain to people that I actually work for a living. I remember once trying to explain -- PUT A FREAKING SOCK IN IT! FOR COBB'S SAKE!! -- to a high school classmate of mine that there was a lot of work that went into a being a minor league announcer. He stopped me and said, "You watch baseball games for a living. You get to go to a ballpark every day."
"I know, but.."
He cut me off and repeated, "You watch baseball games for a living."
"Fine. You're right. Let me buy you a beer," I said as I conceded that I wasn't going to win that argument.
Sitting here in this pressbox -- GOOD DiMAGGIO! COULD YOU BE LOUDER!??!? TRYING TO ENJOY THE CALM OF THE MORNING AT AN EMPTY BASEBALL STADIUM! -- early on a perfect May morning, I am made aware again how lucky I am to be working in baseball.
Enjoy the day. Enjoy the moments of perfect...ARRRGH! LEAVE ME ALONE! TRYING TO FINISH A COLUMN!!!...tranquility.
The schedule may say that there is nothing going on at Time Warner Cable Field today. But, what does the schedule know?
The front office was there before 9:00am this morning. It was time to pull the tarp off the field from yesterday's rain/wind storm.
The grounds crew got to work right after that because the field needs to be ready when the team gets back from this road trip.
The ticket department started taking orders for the next homestand.
The groups department was making calls.
The corporate department was dealing with their clients.
Players were there to work on their throwing program and may get a workout in because of the weather on Sunday.
Food & Beverage were doing what ever it is that food & beverage does on an off day. (Note: I don't pay any attention to what Food & Beverage does. As long as they bring me my food before the game and refill my Mountain Dew during the game, I really don't want to ask them too many questions.)
Me? I just got my haircut and oil changed. Okay. You caught me. I am not at the stadium. But, is running errands really an offday?
Programming Note: Mehring Monday is going to switch over to Rattler Radio for the season. I will still link it from the main website, but it just makes a little more sense to move it over here until September. At least to me it does.
Programming Note II: This Week In Timber Rattlers Baseball will be back on Friday, April 23. The column ran at SportsBubbler.com last summer through the good graces of Dan Walsh. There was an opportunity to move it to a couple of other websites, but it was decided to keep it here. Like Mehring Monday, TWITRB will run here at Rattler Radio.
Programming Notes III & IV: Flashback Friday and The Interrogation Room will return after the regular season. Probably in October.
To the column!
Every year, the e-mail comes into the inbox about this time of the year. "What is this guys walkup music?" For example, last year it was "What is that song that Sean McCraw has played before he goes to the plate?" The answer was I'm Shipping Up to Boston by Dropkick Murphys.
My idea of walkup music when attending games at Milwaukee County Stadium was when organistFrank Charles would play Bobby Day's Rockin' Robin on his trusty Wurlitzer as Robin Yount headed for home plate.
But, I have moved into the 21st century on this aspect of the game. Kind of. Some my favorite Timber Rattlers walkup music over the years has been Chris Snelling -- with this little Rob Zombie ditty -- and Juan Done with a little Disturbed. Then, there was Marshall Hubbard, who was a real American, brutha!
So, when the question from someone on twitter asked me what the song played for Joey Paciorek, I was ready.
The crack production staff at Time Warner Cable Field sent me a list of everyone's walkup music. And here is that list:
Scooter Gennett - "Play Ball" by Soulja Boy feat. Drake D'Vontrey Richardson - "Do Ya Thang" by PSC feat. TI Pete Fatse - "I Made It" by Kevin Rudolf feat. Lil Wayne Cameron Garfield - "Till I collapse" by Eminem Austin Stockfisch - "Green Onions" by Booker T and the MGs Chris Dennis - "It's My Time" by Fabolous Sean Halton - "Over" by Drake Joey Paciorek - "Young Cardinals" by Alexisonfire Carlos George - "Big Things Poppin'" by TI Michael Marseco - "Escape" by Our Last Night Khris Davis - "Gangsta Rap Made Me Do It" by Ice Cube Franklin Romero - "I Know You Want Me" by Pitbull
Page 15: I wonder if Bob Lloyd went on the road trips to Lincoln, Sioux City, and all other points on the Three-I League compass when there was only one game that was broadcast back home.
Also, if 'Class B Baseball is Clean, Wholesome Recreation for All', does that mean everything else is dirty and sinful?
Page 16: 126 game season? The stitches that give the baseball head its mouth is beyond creepy. Remember Graf's? Man, I lived off their root beer and Jolly Good's orange soda as a kid. And -- as best I can tell, this is what is currently at the Pastytime location on S. Oneida Street.
Page 17: You would think that in the last 50 years "ONE HOUR MARTINIZING" would have made it to about "15 MINUTE MARTINIZING". Which item on the concession list sold the most? Do you think it might have been the cigarettes from the vending machine?
Page 18: JC Penny's used to be downtown on the corner of Superior and College...
Mehring Monday returns after a week hiatus with a quick look at pages 4-6 of the 1959 Fox Cities Foxes program. As always, click the page for a larger image.
Notes on Page Four:
WNAM with a nice ad in the program.
Where do sportsmen meet?!?! The Owl Tavern, of course.
Yankee Stadium dimensions were goofy.
I have been trying to find information on Mayor Bell. No luck
Notes on Page Five:
In the picture of the directors of Appleton Baseball, I count 10 regular ties, 2 no ties, and 1 bow tie.
Typewriter shop? How quaint.
About the Wettengel's Bar ad at the bottom: Was there a rash of non-regulation pool tables in Appleton during the 50's?
Wettengel's Bar is now Jack's Apple Pub.
The lower right hand corner may be the finest clip art use of an umpire ever
K-C Modern Bar with All Sports Events on Radio & TV. If I had a time machine, I would like to go back and see a 1959 Sports Bar. Then, I'd order some buffalo wings, some southwest egg rolls, and a beer other than Schlitz or Pabst Blue Ribbon...and be chased out of the place.
Maybe I should stop at Uncle Jim's Bar to see what the place looks like today, because that is the business at 317 N. Appleton in Appleton.
After swinging by Jack's Apple Pub, I can see the State Street Diner. State Street Diner is the former King Bee Lunch. King Bee? Do they have those?
I will continue the look through the 1959 Program this week in a special edition of The Interrogation Room and on Flashback Friday.
