What Impacts Us

Its funny to think of the people who made an impact on us as we were growing up. When I was in high school I got a chance to go to a National Baseball Hall of Fame camp that included hitting instruction from Johnny Bench, baserunning tips from Lou Brock, and even a dream come true of taking ground balls from Brooks Robinson. Those memories and lessons were something I will not soon forget. With that being said, there was one man who created a lasting impact on my life that day.

John Jordan "Buck" O'Neil was someone I had never heard about until that steamy July afternoon, but someone I will never forget. He was an above-average player, but not good enough to enter the Hall of Fame when the committee made a special election of 17 individuals from the Negro Leagues in 2006. It was widely thought that Buck would be included on this list of people because of the impact he had on the game off of the field, and that he was a shoo-in to be enshrined with the other immortals of America's pasttime.

Buck's Hall of Fame story doesn't end with him being excluded however. When he found out he didn't make it he immediately asked who got in (which is a natural feeling). Then he heard that those 17 individuals from the Negro Leagues had all deceased, and he asked if he could represent them in Cooperstown. Not because he wanted a piece of their glory, but because he wanted those who made it through some of the worst times America to be properly honored. His speech from that day is below, and hearing him speak automatically brings me back to that day all those years ago, listening to Buck talk to us, and singing his favorite song...

The Vacation of a Lifetime - Part One

There are a few ways that you can have the vacation of a lifetime. One would be to go to an exotic place that you've never been (maybe you'd always dreamed of going there) and having an amazing time. Some of my friends have gone to Europe, Hawaii, the Caribbean... you get my point. Another would be to get the family together and go to Disneyworld. Sorry to those out there who don't believe in the magic of Disney, but I do. One of my most memorable vacations to date was going to Disneyworld with my family and seeing my little cousins' eyes light up at each new character, ride, shop, etc. that they would see.

My 2014 vacation, and the one I'm going to spend the next two days writing about (it was THAT amazing!), was neither of these. In fact, if I put my vacation at its core up next to the two I previously mentioned, I'd probably get laughed at. My wife and I spent the better part of June in the great state of Ohio, the Heart of it All!

After spending the first few days at my in-laws, I finally got back to Fort Loramie, my hometown. I could probably spend another blog talking about the impact this little town has had on my life. Most days I'm glad I got out, but only because my career isn't really possible there. It was great to be home, and I was fortunate enough to get together with some of my high school buddies and it was like nothing had changed. I am proud to call Fort Loramie my hometown, and always will.

But the reason this vacation was so amazing was revealed shortly after I got to my parent's house. Included in my birthday card was a pass to the Cleveland Indians' Hall of Fame luncheon the next Saturday. This was amazing for multiple reasons. 1) The 2014 Indians' HOF inductee was Omar Vizquel, my favorite player of all time. 2) The other guests at the luncheon included Kenny Lofton, Sandy Alomar Jr., Carlos Baerga, and Charles Nagy. These men probably had the most influence on my Cleveland fandom other than my dad. 3) My dad and my sister were coming too.
I knew my dad had bought us tickets to the game that day before I came home, but this extra gift was unbelievable. The Tribe Hall of Famers sat and talked about each other, the 90's teams, and just about everything under the sun for nearly two hours, and I could have spent another 10 just listening. The outcome of the game that evening really didn't matter to me after that experience, which is a good thing because the Indians lost in extra innings.

(This was my view for the whole luncheon. Not too shabby.)

This memory alone would have made for an ultimate dream vacation, but it would get a little bit better in an unexpected way soon.

Tony Gwynn

In 2008 my parents took me to Cooperstown, N.Y. to visit the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame. We were in Cooperstown the week before the '08 induction ceremony and I wanted to makes sure that I got my picture taken with the Class of 2007 before the new faces were added. I remember being excited because Cal Ripken Jr. and Tony Gwynn were at the top of my list as my all-time favorite non-Cleveland baseball players. Even though I missed the beginning of both of their careers, I had been alive and remembered some of their biggest milestones. When Gwynn was poised to hit over .400 in the strike-shortened 1994 season (.394 when the strike hit, raising his batting average from .386 on June 16th, he WOULD have done it) he became one of my favorite players. Maybe part of it was his rounded figure, or the fact that I had a Swingaway in my basement that he endorsed, but I started to try and be more like him in my approach every day. No, I would never swing from the left side and pepper the hole between short and third with precision as he did, but I would hit three buckets of balls to the opposite field off the tee before I started hitting. And I'll always remember the words he was known to say and play by when he said, "Remember these two things: Play hard and have fun."

Listening to Gwynn talk about hitting was fascinating. Not just because he was so knowledgable about the his craft or the fact that he was about as scientific about his approach as Ted Williams, but because he had that distinctive voice. I could listen to Tony talk about hitting for hours.

When we left the Hall of Fame that day I made it my mission to find a Tony Gwynn Padres shirt. I'm glad to say that I did. I'm also glad that I was able to spend the first part of my baseball fandom rooting for one of the best men to play the game. Today my heart is with the many Padres fans who mourn the loss of their legend. Like Williams for Red Sox, Gary Carter for the Expos, and Bob Feller for the Indians, Gwynn stood for many things that go far beyond the game of baseball and meant more to San Diego than anyone else.

Thank you Tony Gwynn, for all the memories.

** For your listening pleasure here is Ted Williams and Tony Gwynn talking hitting. I'm hoping that these conversations are continuing in heaven **

Kenny Hogg's ESPN Debut

Over the past two years at Palm Beach Atlantic, I have had the distinct pleasure of watching one of the NCAA's best men's soccer players do what he does best: score goals. 29 goals in 2012, 24 goals in 2013, and hopefully moving on to bigger and better things after PBA. Here's the local TV story on Kenny Hogg, one of the nicest guys and best soccer players I have ever met.

The Amazing Game 7

Let me start my first blog post of 2013 with a rant.

Manu “Mr. Rogain” Ginobli’s comments after Game 6 last night made me sick to my stomach. As a former athlete, and someone who still works in athletics, I was appalled by his remarks stating, “I have no clue how we're gonna be re-engergized. I'm devasted. There's no Game 8. We're gonna have to play our best game." Are you kidding me? I went from being in the, ‘Manu annoys me, but I don’t mind rooting for his male-pattern baldness hanging around,’ camp to the, ‘Holy crap, did he just say that? I can’t stand this guy,’ camp. If you can’t get energized by the Game 7 for the NBA Championship, get out of professional sports. I realize that last night’s game had to be emotionally draining for him; single-handedly giving the game to Miami in overtime will do that. But let’s be serious here.

With tomorrow’s Game Seven looming as one of the biggest NBA Finals games of the 2000’s, I got curious about the Magnificent Game Seven. Everything is riding on the outcome of this one game. The legacy of LeBron James and the Miami Big 3 rests on tomorrow’s outcome. Of course, the conspiracy theorists out there will say that this Game Seven was inevitable from David Stern and the NBA, and this made me curious. If Game Seven is the ultimate money-maker for the league, there should be a lot of them, right? There are three major sports that use a series format to decide their ultimate championship (NBA, NHL, and MLB). As a result of ignorant bar-talk conspiracy theorists, I'll explore the "money-making" Game Sevens of each league.

NBA Playoffs
I'll start with the NBA Playoffs, since it is most relevant to the times. In order to keep this in true games of significance, I will be looking only at the Conference Finals and the NBA Championship. In the last ten years (2004-13), there has been seven Game Sevens. Five of those seven have been Eastern Conference Finals matchups (2005 Detroit over Miami, 2006 Detroit over Cleveland, 2008 Boston over Cleveland, 2012 Miami over Boston, and 2013 Miami over Indiana). The only NBA Finals to go seven games is this seasons (Miami and San Antonio) and 2010's Finals (LA over Boston). Wouldn't there be more Game Sevens of the NBA Finals if a it was such a money maker? Why has there only been seven in the last ten years?

I'd like to hear/see responses to this one. Leave comments below or in the Facebook comments section. What's your opinion on Game Sevens? What do you think of Manu Ginobili's comments? Who will win Thursday night's NBA Finals Game Seven? 

One of my Most Memorable Broadcasts to date

Heading to the park on Wednesday night seemed like just another trip. I couldn't take the highway because my wife's car can't handle it. I was drinking a Diet Dr. Pepper for dinner. And it was extremely overcast and looking like rain. That's when things started to go my way.

As I got to the park I hooked up my recording device for the first time and it worked, making this post (and its subsequent audio) possible.

While I was filling out the lineups, I noticed a #40 Giancarlo Stanton batting third for the home Jupiter Hammerheads.

To top it all off, a decent crowd showed up, which always makes broadcasting a little more enjoyable.

And because I know there were a large number of people (or four) anxiously awaiting their mentions on the broadcast, here is my subtle mentions of some of my buddies from back home in my 6th inning trivia contest.
Here's the second walkoff home run call of my career:

RIP Uncle Guy

Everyone has a certain person who has a lasting impact on his or her life. They may be people God simply gave to us (family) or people we choose (friends), but they are ALL in our lives for a reason. We learn things about life, loss, fear, and hope from these people, and its what takes people from the “acquaintance” level to being “loved ones.” Guy Parrot was one of those people. Early Saturday morning, he lost his battle with cancer, a family lost a loved one, the world lost a great man, and Heaven gained the best homemade ice cream ever.

My Grandpa Ludlow passed away in 1979. That’s nine years before I was born. Even with only one biological grandfather to help teach me lessons the way only grandpas can, I never felt like it was an issue. Why? Because of my Uncle Guy. Uncle Guy traveled to my baseball games, cheering loudly for me and my teammates, though he never actually knew of them. He’d stop over for a birthday party, come watch my sister’s basketball games, and he always loved an opportunity to make some homemade sweets. Uncle Guy loved my sister and I like we were his own grandchildren, and that’s something that I’ll never, ever forget.

Growing up, he always had this uncanny ability to make me laugh when he called our house. Sometimes he’d call to talk to my dad, but end up having a conversation with my sister or me and then completely forget what he was calling for in the first place! He always cared so much for how we were doing, and we were just his great-nephew and niece.

When Kenleigh and I were in high school, Uncle Guy, Aunt Lil and Grandma Ludlow came over on a school night to make all sorts of sweets with us. Uncle Guy had been wanting to come over for years to do it, and we finally got the chance. I never would have imagined that I could have had so much fun! We made hard tack candy, peanut brittle, and of course, the most amazing candy buckeyes that I’ve ever tasted. That night was filled with so much love and even more laughter that I will no doubt remember it for as long as I live.

Of course I have to mention the homemade ice cream in a little more detail. I can’t even specifically recall all the times we had it when we were visiting with him, but boy, do I remember how much better it is than any ice cream ever. No Faulkner family reunion was complete without it. No matter what place we go to as a family (and the Ludlows go to a LOT of ice cream places), no place ever compares to Uncle Guy’s homemade ice cream.

The last time I saw Uncle Guy was at my wedding in June, and I would trade anything to have been able to say a proper goodbye. I consider myself blessed beyond words that God put such an amazing man in my life. My hope is that he knew that too. My other hope is that he has some of his ice cream waiting for me when I get to Heaven one day.

We’ll all miss his stories, jokes, candy, ice cream, and uncanny ability to make us smile. But most of all, we’ll miss him. Rest in peace Uncle Guy. We love you.