100

"Forget about the curve ball Ricky, give 'em the heater" -Lou Brown

In my youth, the battle of fireballers was headlined by Nolan Ryan and Roger Clemens.  The read from the radar gun was not prominently displayed as it is in today's telecasts.  Unless one of the announcers made reference, pitch speeds were a mystery.  No doubt both men had the ability to hit triple digits.  In modern coverage, more often than not, speeds flash after each pitch.  I'm not sure how long this has gone on but it was never more obvious to me until the emergence of Billy Wagner with Houston early in the new millinium.  In 2002, Wagner hit 100 mph on the radar gun 159 times, Bartolo Colon was second in the majors with 12.  Wagner working no more than 4 or 5 innings a week to tally such numbers.  One day mid-summer 2003, ESPN was playing a bonus day game between the Astros and Giants.  Barry Bonds was in the prime of his tear, two years removed his record breaking 73 home run season.  Today he was on the bench.  The 9th inning rolls around and the Astros are up 3-2, Wagner is called from the pen to close it out.  Two quick outs and a walk, Dusty Baker puts the bat, and the game in the hands of Bonds, pinch hitting.  I was never really mad at Barry, and always respected his bat, especially after the bomb he hit in game 2 of the previous years fall classic.  "That's the furthest ball I've ever seen hit" mused Tim Salmon from the opposing dugout.  So Bonds steps into the box, Wagner on the hill, goosebumps all around.  9 pitches; 100, 100, 99, 101, 100, 100, 99, 101, 100. Lights out Barry. Game Over.  Nasty.

7 years gone.  Late August 2009.  The Boston Red Sox sign Billy Wagner.  Goodbye Brad Penny.  Now don't get confused, I'm not expecting the guy to shatter bats like he did some years back, or for his arm to carry the Sox to the playoffs.  What I am expecting is a fierce competitor to liven things up a bit.  He is 38 years old coming off elbow ligament replacement surgery, but he's also a bad ass.  In between the Astros and Red Sox, Wagner threw for the Phillies then Mets.  Both teams came under the hard throwing lefty's heat at one time or another during his respective tenures.  Both instances lighting a fire under his teammates for apparent lack of heart or effort. In my humble opinion, both instances were warranted, especially the Mets.  His most recent rant came at the tail end of one of the Mets typical end of the season meltdowns.  He was in the clubhouse after another loss, one in which he didn't even appear, reporters all around, cameras and tape recorders in his face.  "Why you all crowded around me?  I didn't even pitch tonight . . why don't you talk to them? (gestures to the rest of the clubhouse, which is empty) oh, surprise, there all gone".  It is worth noting he was wearing a New England Patriots hat during the interview, right when the media was all over the "spy gate" scandal and the Pats undefeated season.  So here we are, the Red Sox fighting for a playoff spot.  A couple of smart moves around the trade deadline; Victor Martinez, the return of Alex Gonzalez, and now Billy Wagner.  As usual, Papelbon had something to say about the addition of a second closer.  Wagner's response to his negative remarks? Cool and collected.  Papelbon might be wise to sit down and learn some valuable lessons from the veteran if he is only mature enough to respect his elders (who have twice as many career saves).  The addition of Wagner makes the Sox pen look even more like an All-Star team.  Manny Delcarmen,  Takashi Saito, Hideki Okajima,Josh Bard (throwing 100 a number of times last night), Johnathan Papelbon, and now Wagner.  That is what you might call stopping power.

I'm sure everyone in New England is ready to jump all over this latest acquisition, compare it to the Eric Gagne pick up around the same time in the season a few years back.  Well, only time will tell . . but remember, Gagne tried his best to sink the Red Sox that post season, and we swept the opposition in the World Series.

THE SMOKE SCREEN

American society is largely based  on entertainment.  Distraction.  I am not equipped to compare our way of life with those of other nations.  Like many of us my scope of the rest of the planet thus far has been limited to second hand accounts along with what is seen on television and in film.  So, for this example I'll stick to speaking on a subject of which I am well informed; American interests. 

I was nine years old when Ben Johnson was stripped of his Olympic gold medal for using an unfair advantage to beat Carl Lewis in the 100M final.  The guy was a physical specimen looking more of an NFL running back than an Olympic sprinter.  This was my, and many others' introduction to performance enhancing drugs.  Of course this was not the first case or even the only obvious case of Steroid use in our society.  In retrospect, Sly Stallone displayed their use just three years prior in his fourth  Rocky film.  On screen, Ivan Drago is shown "doping" with the assistance and encouragement of his trainers.  In reality, by his own admission, Stallone has been a proponent of "responsible" use of Anabolic Steroids as well as the controversial Human Growth Hormone (HGH) for decades.  Now you must bear with me . . I have been, and shall forever be a huge supporter of Sylvester and most of his work.  His impact on cinema at large and specifically my generation is unparalleled.  However, this Rocky IV case serves as an excellent metaphor for the core of this address.  Cheating is okay so long as you don't get caught.  This is not my policy, and I'm sure it's not yours.  However, media history teaches us, recent history more so than ever before, it is the policy of the powers that be.  A recurring theme that will hopefully resonate with us all before long is the inextricable connection between government and mass media.  Stallone, American, long time user behind the scenes.  Drago, Russian, using for all to see in a movie rated PG.  Coincidentally, the same year Balboa KO's the Russian(s), Stallone's Rambo single handily re fights the Vietnam war (and comes out on top).

Now for the featured theme; The Smoke Screen.  Major League Baseball is one of my favorite institutions on the planet.  The grand game is perfect in most respects.  MLB is the highest echelon of the sport.  It is in fact the only top tier American corporation which holds my utmost respect and loyalty.  But, just like all institutions of the capitalist market based on profit, you will find skeletons in their closet.  Of course without transparency of government, you aren't likely to find them demanding it of one of their prized profiteers.  How then, can we take some of our champion corporations misdoings (lemons), and make lemonade?  Following the release of Jose Canseco's book, it was clear that a disorganized mess of information was well on its way to the public.  Far from a historian at the time, there was no way for me to predict just how far they would take it.  I'd always felt there was some kind of "safe list" out there . . a list of people so profitable and good for the American image they had an umbrella protecting them from any harm.  Though I still believe the list exists, I'm not so certain anyone from this era in this sport is on it (except Cal Ripken of course).  So here's how it breaks down as well as I can see it . . When attendance and profits (advertising, endorsements, marketing, etc.) are up, we'll look the other way, ask no questions, administer no drug screenings.  The most obvious example of this is, of course, Sammy Sosa versus Mark McGuire.  Just in case you missed it, in 1998 these two men made a mockery of Roger Maris' long standing single season home run record with physiques that had WWF wrestlers scratching their heads.  Just for good measure check out highlights from the '99 Home Run Derby from Fenway Park.  Dan Duquette, GM of the Sox at the time, said that even the baseballs were juiced by Rawlings.  Take a look at the speed and distance of those blasts and tell me if anything in the equation wasn't juiced!

"Oh wait!, Canseco wrote a tell all book, we have to do something.  I got it, get a slew of these guys to come to Washington in suits!  We'll pack the room with cameras and reporters!  Perfect timing!  They seem to keep asking about Guantanamo, Iraq, and Afghanistan . . we can turn the cameras around except instead of examining our own wrong doings, we can point fingers at these muscle bound morons! And check this out, we'll sick a former senator on the whole league with no parameters, no structure, and no ultimate goal in mind!  That'll teach 'em!"  Neither George Mitchell, or anyone else should have received such an assignment.  Of course at the end of the day you've got a well researched and documented list with the end result; "Okay we've got the list, Roger Clemens will take most of the heat, then we let things die down, talk about the tough testing and punishing needed in today's game, then drop the whole thing".

Flash forward, every body's hero Barry Obama is at the helm.  White Sox fan.  No arm.  Wars continue, economic turmoil, Fed up to their old tricks, climate in crisis, running out of oil . . .

"A-ROD CHEATED TOO!"  The day Alex Rodriguez faced the press to address the accusations, the president was busy sending 30,000 more of our boys to the middle east . . Why are we at war over there again?

"BIG PAPI AND MANNY RAMIREZ CHEATED IN 2003!"  How bout this one?  Testing of countless ball players that year revealed over one hundred failed screens.  All men tested were told the results would be kept confidential, and punishment would be handled accordingly.  Instead, the powers that be (in control of D.C., the media, etc.) have a new magazine of ammo ready to be fired at will on the other side of town when things are getting hot around the real issues of the day.  The greatest smoke screen in modern media.  Drugs are good when they promote spending and profit (check the stats on what the government makes on tobacco and alcohol), and bad when a cultural icon "cheats" and can provide a convenient distraction.  Good when the powers that be can profit in the billions of dollars, bad when a famous actor or athlete gets busted with Marijuana internationally.  Insiders know that in the MLB, for years, if you weren't cheating, you weren't trying.  I often muse on the tobacco use in baseball . . . there is no greater display of drug abuse on television yet not one word is written or spoken of it's danger.  Why?  This steroid fascination looks like it will hold a captive audience for a decade or so to come.  Watch for the hammer to drop on chewing tobacco around 2020.

STATE OF THE UNION

Good evening ladies and gentlemen. I am coming to you live from Chicago at the very start of what I like to call "Chapter 3". As many of you know, I celebrated my 30th birthday the morning I arrived here 8 weeks ago; the end of my journey from Los Angeles. Many contributing factors were involved in my move from the Southland to the Midway. Quality of life, physical surroundings, and a generally grounded mindset just to name a few. Though I hope this message reaches all corners of the galaxy, home base needed a shift. I had to move the eye of the storm. Recorded thought starts here and now for all who are willing to see. I hope everyone out there is in a good place, and taking steps towards reaching a better one.

The time to see things for what they really are is long past due. Conflict lies between substance and appearance alone. Reality versus perception. Truth versus fiction. The true problems of this world are far too big to fit into the petty conflicts of Fox News or CNN. Universal truth is real. No matter how you slice it, no matter how many twists are applied, there is only right versus wrong. We are not born with a clear distinction of the two, but we've evolved to a point where we know what to teach, why and how . . . yet we still fail to do so. Why? Why do we avoid cutting through the distraction, confusion, and disinformation? Why do myths come about and earn truth status after steady repetition? Someone once said "if you repeat a lie enough times, it becomes the truth". Major media prescribes a jaded reality to the citizens of the United States. Selective information revealed, selective omission of fact.

The Smog Chronicles.

The idea was sprung years ago with my introduction to Los Angeles and its mildly toxic desert climate. The city of angels, surrounded by wildfires, infused with excessive levels of carbon monoxide and all sorts of other unexamined emissions. Between the time spent cutting through the heart of the city in a topless jeep to the countless days and nights cruising the coast on two wheels, emergence of The Smog Warrior was imminent. I vowed to one day to record my experience, my philosophy, my perspective.

Out of the Smog. Into the Fog. All systems: Chicago.

Those I've remained in close contact with are well aware of my position on many issues of the day. This effort marks the inception of making those observations tangible. For friends and family I've not been successful enough to keep in close contact with, I hope this tool provides an avenue for greater understanding and relationships. I intend to explore genuine topics ranging from the depths of dishonesty to the bright light found in music, film, sport and so on.

Not long ago I recognized my responsibility. Either remain part of the problem, or become part of the solution. It's been said that one cannot begin to heal until they recognize they have an illness . . understanding a problem is half way to finding its solution. Recognizing the problem comes easy once we are willing to look at the world through new eyes . . from a different angle.

I hope through this, our new connection, we might start something big together . . an awakening, a revolution of consciousness. I will reference those of greatest influence in my life, attach links to relevant sources and stories from all corners of cyberspace, and continue to encourage growth, strength, and peace.