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If it’s Thursday, March 29, it’s the earliest Opening Day in MLB history.
It just feels …. Different.
Why?
Maybe we figured it out a little bit when we got a note this week from one our favorite guys, Lou Schiff — the Honorable Louis H. Schiff, to be proper, a Broward County Court judge in Florida. We first connected when we received a 1,000-plus page book he co-authored, “Baseball and the Law: Cases and Materials” that we included in our 2016 30 baseball book review list, including an extensive Q&A with Lou on how this project came together. The book even mentioned a story we did on one of the cases cited — no doubt why it won the 2017 Baseball Research Award by the Society for American Baseball Research.
Judge Schiff  just sent us an email. We thought it was worth passing along as Opening Day is here:

    Today is Opening Day, so it’s time for my annual Opening Day letter.  (Opening Day is a proper noun, like Fourth of July, Thanksgiving, and Mother’s Day, so it gets capitalized.  Opening Day is my favorite day of the year, even better than my birthday, because some years there is no home game on June 3.)
Opening Day ’18 doesn’t seem to have the same magic or excitement as in past years.  Usually I write about how much I feel like a kid again, waking up at 4 am to go to the game.  The excitement of going to the game knowing that baseball is back, and, if only for a day, the Marlins are tied for first place.  Baseball has always brought me a certain joy and comfort.   Each year I write about the family memories of going to Opening Day with my wife, children, Dad, or brother.
Opening Day is the beginning of a new chapter of life.  This year, Opening Day brings an end to a wonderful chapter.  This year I will again write about family memories, but this year, it will be all about Mom.  Mom passed away on the 15th of March, peacefully, at home, as she slept.  Eighty-nine wonderful years, 65 of those years with Dad.
So, this is a different Opening Day.  This is a day of reflection, of giving thanks and remembering, and of feeling and being loved.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the first Opening Day I attended, thanks to Mom.  I was 2 months shy of my 13th birthday and I wanted to go to Opening Day at Shea with a friend.  Dad was against it.  Mom, on the other hand, was willing to listen.
After I showed her the plan, getting to and from the game on the Long Island Rail Road, she convinced my dad that I was responsible for the 50 mile round-trip adventure.  She packed me a lunch and told me to take a few extra dimes to call her if there were any problems.  I ate the lunch, used only 1 dime to call her to pick us up when we got back to the Bellmore railroad station after the game.
Mom always gave me opportunities to experience life, even when she may not have wanted me to do something.  She trusted me like no other person.  She always gave me the opportunity to do something new.  She encouraged me to try different things.
So today is about a celebration.  Today it is not about baseball, today is all about my Mom.  She always allowed me to do things that she may not have wanted me to do.  She gave me confidence to succeed and the love and warmth needed to go on a journey.  Today, I will take her to Opening Day with me in my heart, and an extra dime in my pocket to call her if there are any problems.
Hug your family, especially your mom.
Lou

Thanks to the Clippers for being the first official NBA/pop culture gear provider to “The Drill” — We will display it in full force once we get more wall space and drop a few pounds. It was a nice compliment to the unveiling of a vintage 1970s Lakers “Team Attendant” shirt we dug up from the archives.
For Episode 4, recorded Tuesday morning March 27, we have references here that you may not fully understand, starting with:

* Jon has an imitation we thought sounded more like Jim Gaffigan instead of
Andy Rooney but now we see why.
* A reference to Nobu (good luck getting reservations)
* Dwight Howard didn’t like the love he got in L.A? His loss.

* The 1988 movie “Big” with Tom Hanks, which has the fortune predictor Zoltar as a main character.  Not to be mistaken with Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who signed with the Galaxy. Zlatan’s full-page ad was discussed here at TMZ.com.
* Will Zlatan be as effective in L.A. as Johan Cruyff, George Best or David Beckham?
* Your Lancaster Jethawks start the season soon.
* The Rams sign Ndamukong Suh. Will they also get Odell Beckham Jr.?
* More background on Loyola of Chicago in the Final Four.
* More about the Dana Jacobson/Leonard Hamilton post-game interview situation after the Florida State loss to Michigan.
* What, the Redondo Beach Cafe has changed owners?
* Another reference to illustrator Jim Thompson, (Twitter @JimmySportTtoons) and the new drawing he has fashioned for Beto Duran:

* What would it take Beto Duran to become the official mayor of Carson?
* When we start talking about how get around in L.A., we don’t want to sound like “The Californians.”
* As we spun some tales about the 45th anniversary of the Bill Walton NCAA championship game in 1973 against Memphis, we have this video… Watch and learn kids:

Perhaps we’ll have a “Show and Tell” segment now each show … Or as my son suggests, “Catholic Tom’s Confession Time.” Whatever cleanses the soul.
Thanks for watching. You can also find it at Facebook.com.

Since the launch of this 30-for-30 project in 2008, and with no hopes of it continuing to be “a thing” in 2018, we come flying feet first at somewhat of a crossroads in the annual list of 30 baseball book reviews during the 30 days of April.
The first 10 years of this project was supported by editors at the Southern California News Group, and we were able to expand upon it for some interesting author Q-and-As for the weekly sports media column.
Since cutbacks have unfortunately occurred in the ‘Group – nothing different from other media organizations struggling with survival in a changing technical world – we’re left to our devices and take this on as a solo project, with this new platform, launching this Sunday, hoping enough will be able to find and enjoy it by the time it wraps up.
For some perspective, here’s what we covered in the previous 10 seasons:
= From 2017
= From 2016
= From 2015
= From 2014
= From 2013
= From 2012
= From 2011
= From 2010
= From 2009
= From 2008 : Actually, where ever the original list once existed, we can’t find it.)
There’s also this explanation we once gave to Ron Kaplan as to why we even try this. And thanks again to some guidance from Ron and others. Thanks too to the recent support from Wendy Parker from her SportsBiblio.com, and her recent list of baseball books to look out for, many of which we will cover as well.

Some of us came of age at the Forum in Inglewood, and it wasn’t just earning a few extra bucks scalping tickets to get a whiff of Lakers Showtime some 30-plus years ago.
We knew guys who knew guys who could sneak us into a lot of stuff, some of which we (at least I) will finally admit in Episode 3 of “The Drill.”
And as a way to help you get through some of the references, here are things we believe you should be up to speed on as we talk you through the latest discussion about the NCAA basketball tournament (with games this weekend at Staples Center), things we once broke (in relation to a Justin Turner injury), things we’ve watched (like the new ARod show on CNBC) and why I decided to wear a USC sweatshirt.
(Which, for the record, was a gift to me to me from Fr. Tom Kelly, replacing the one I once gave away and worthy of a story unto itself as I did here. He is also no relation to the late, great USC broadcaster by the same name with whom I wrote a book with years ago and is still available on Amazon.com.)
There’s an mp3 link that you can capture and upload if you’re just interested in the audio, and that will also be on Beto Duran’s “Living The Dream” podcast platform. (He is, by the way, hosting the Lakers’ pre-game show tonight on Spectrum SportsNet).

So let’s dig in:

* Talking about Sister Jean (the one-time principal at St. Brendan School in L.A.) and her Loyola of Chicago run to the Sweet 16, our friend Jim Thompson (https://twitter.com/JimmySportToons), who also created the illustration for “The Drill” that’s posted above, did up this piece (above) that pretty much shows how she has posterized this whole tournament.
Continue reading “The Drill E3: Things we did at the Forum that we can now admit … and then some” →

So, what’s new with you?
Yup, we’ve experienced a few interesting things the last few weeks … but what’s in the past is history. Which is important to know and even more important to learn from.
How about we drill forward. Which is probably more productive than sitting back on all the things you’ve done before and believe they still matter.

Check out this new show that a few journalistic-type friends and I are working. For now, we call it “The Drill,” an L.A.-sports-eccentric production out of the ProAngle Media production studios in Carson. We post at the start of the week to review what just happened and project what’s coming based on our calculations and experiences.
No personal bashing. No “hot takes.” Like being in the press box without staring at our iPhones to make sure we haven’t missed anything happening right in front of our faces.
Have a look at Episode 2 on Facebook and YouTube. And it’s above for those who don’t like clicking hyperlinks.
(Episode 1? OK, it’s here too, but …. curb your enthusiasm … sweet sassy molassy)

Think of it as maybe “PTI” meets NPR. We want to educate and put into context what’s happening based on what’s grabbing our interests. We may lapse into some “old-time story telling,” but we won’t bore you with things unless we think you’ll get something out of it.
The beauty is also that it’s viewer-driven with where we go from here — let us know what you like, want to see more, care to see less.
With Episode 2 posted on Monday, March 12, we’ve also decided that, instead of screen graphics or inserts, here’s a “cheat sheet” reference list of some of the things we’ve discussed in case you’d like to explore more about it.

Such as:

• • We talked about Tom’s trip to Las Vegas for the Pac-12 Tournament, to do a Q&A with Ed O’Bannon about winning his legal battle over the use of name, likeness and image with the NCAA. Here is the link
  • If you’re interested in O’Bannon’s book, written with SI’s Michael McCann, we highly recommend it. It’s available on Amazon here.
  • We talked about how there’s only been one #8 seed to win the tourney. It was Villanova in 1985. Read up. (Tom predicts an 8-12 seed will win it this year).
  • Beto showed his OC knowledge. Here’s the bar he talked about near Cal State Fullerton called “Off Campus.”
  • Diego Rossi has been on fire for LAFC. Here’s his first goal:

• • How good was Julius Randle on Sunday night against Cleveland? He was this good.
  • Someone didn’t recognize Jack Nicholson? Well, it’s not as good as it gets, and some of us can’t handle the truth of how he’s looking these days (compared to Magic Johnson, for sure). The New York Post’s Page Six jumped on that.
  • For anyone who wonders how much Jerry West — and why producer Jon thinks the Clippers have any sort of edge over the Lakers if he indeed plays somewhere outside of Cleveland next year — consider West’s career accomplishments (outside modeling for the logo).
  • Beto had never heard of Black and Decker! As 50 somethings, it has been a hardware staple! (Yeah, sure, Beto hires someone to work for him).
  • Yes, Lowery has jumped into 2018. Here’s his Twitter handle (As for Tom Hoffarth and Beto Duran, you already know where to find us).
  • If you’ve never seen, heard or experienced Sir Howard Cosell… He was an American institution who helped create the entertainment value of “Monday Night Football,” far from what it is today. Check him out:

• • Oscar Valdez broke his jaw in the ring the other night and kept on fighting. Need more?
  • The Tiger effect was huge in golf this weekend as The Masters comes up. Be aware that his name is being thrown around again, but in a positive way this time, as TV networks wish they had more of him going on.
  • In a segment we call “The Business,” Tom gets into how the new NCAA Tourney Selection Show was met with mixed reviews. Like these. And the Lawrence, Kansas Police Department had some fun with the selection show.
  • If you haven’t seen the 2011 movie “Moneyball,” this is what it was about (prepare to be Brad Pitt-ified:

• • We all love us some Santa Anita, it’s a Southern California gem … and my daughter wanted to remind me that I failed to mention that every time I took her out there, she “suggested” bets placed on horses (and jockeys) that were dressed up in pink. It paid off (with ice cream). Tom’s personal favorite moment was Zenyatta’s Breeders’ Cup Classic win in 2009, thanks to Trevor Denman’s call:

• • A great restaurant after a day at the races is in Pico Rivera. We talked about Dalrae.
  • Uh, we unfortunately mentioned Angela Lansbury. Mrs. Potts. “Murder She Wrote.” She has a lot of charm back in her heyday. She’s no Angie Dickinson.
  • There’s a reason why Bruce Springsteen’s “Glory Days” resonates with a lot of us. Hum along if you will (and note the “speedball” reference):

• • • • • • We talked about some of the new rules they’re using in the NIT. Here they are.
          • And then, we had an Arash Markazi reference. He was in Las Vegas for the Pac-12 Tournament. If you don’t know who he is, follow him on Twitter. If you do know, ask him why he digs Club Taco Bell:

        https://twitter.com/ArashMarkazi/status/972789388156350465

    So, let us know what you think at this point. Was this list helpful?