Of Jack Higgins, Thunderball and the Slavic Village
It’s raining in Cleveland and in the English Channel.
Seems like it’s been raining or snowing a lot lately in Cleveland, and it always rains in the English Channel in a Jack Higgins novel, as is the case in A Fine Night for Dying.
The bad guys are trying to smuggle illegal aliens into England and the good guys are trying to stop them, and there are multi-millionaire industrialists and Cinese Communists behind the plot and at least three people are already dead. Hey, for ten bucks at DFW Airport you’re not going to get The Grapes of Wrath.
This one looks like it took Jack about two weeks to write, and no, Sean Dillon and Hannah Bernstein are not in this one. That’s Midnight Runner, Drink with the Devil or the White House Connection. It’s hard to remember which one is which, kind of like a James Bond movie where you can’t remember which one was about Blofeld and which one was about Stromberg.
Thunderball had Luciana Palazzi in it, which makes it completely memorable, but we digress here in Cleveland – monument to the American Industrial Revolution and home of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and the Slavic Village.
The Slavic Village (right) is where the Poles and the Czechs settled in the 1870′s to work in the nearby iron and steel mills, and they still serve stuffed cabbage and potato and cheese pierogies at the Red Chimney Restaurant. Highly recommended, just like Thunderball.
There is also the Pro Football Hall of Fame down the street in Akron, but been there and done that and it can’t even come close to comparing to Cooperstown. Kind of like Jack Higgins can’t compare to Robert Ludlum or any James Bond movie in the last 25 years can’t compare to Thunderball.
So we sit and watch the rain, and wonder how the bad guys will meet their doom on the English Channel and wonder if the Rangers will play today.
Not looking good today, but even worse tomorrow. Figure the Indians will try to do everything they can to get Wednesday’s game since they’ve already had one series with the Mariners snowed out and another moved to Milwaukee so it could be played indoors.
Sammy Sosa needs to have at least one shot at going deep at Jacobs Field and setting a new Major League record for most ballparks where he has hit a home run.
Wouldn’t call this a Fine Night for Playing. Better to be inside reading Jack Higgins or watching the Mavericks play the Golden State Warriors. Think the Cavaliers are playing tonight too, across the street from the Indians, which will no doubt have them all on the edge of their seats in the local watering holes down at the Slavic Village.
Maybe the Rangers will play. Or maybe it will get rained out, in which case we could get lucky.
One of the local channels may be showing Thunderball and that will warm you up on a cold April evening on America’s North Coast.
T.R. Sullivan
Toby
The way the Rangers have been playing, a rainout may be merciful. Going into the season the last thing I expected was to have half of our lineup at, near or below the Mendoza line. I am particularly disappointed with Tex and his .224, 0HR’s and 3 RBI. I really think Daniels made an error in judgement sending Adrian Gonzalez on his way. I just checked the box score this morning to see how he is doing (like I have every day now for about 10 days). His stats are: .329 avg., 6HRs and 20 RBI’s. Sounds appealing, doesn’t it? Especially when you consider we could have hung onto him for quite a bit longer before having to pay big dollars. On another note, could Padilla start earning his new contract sometime soon? Please?
Wspaniale, dzięki!
Great point by mike195000 about Adrian Gonzalez. I’m missing both him and Carlos Lee this year. Somehow, watching Frank Cattalanotto struggle in the 2-hole is depressing when Carlos is down the road launching three taters in one game for the Astros. Please correct me if I’m wrong, but has Frank come up with a CLUTCH hit yet this year? The homers around the time Tampa visited were nice, but we could have used one of those say, against the White Sox or Seattle. As for the weather: with our lineup hitting the way it is, and looking at todays pitching matchup, Padilla (0-3, 6.00 ERA) Vs. Sabithia (3-0, 2-something ERA) I’m not sure I can take another game of watching Padilla getting outpitched, and the Rangers giving him zero support. Especally the way Sabithia has pitched at home this month. So, yes, c’mon rain. I just can’t wait for the summer, when the weather’s hot so I can watch Vicente strike out double-digits again. Sooner or later he will start winning. Right?
Do they speak Latin in the Slavic Village?
The quote for the day by RW, “I’m not concerned by the 19 strikeouts………”.
I am just wondering what is going to make this guy worry some?
Very difficult to win, giving up 4 unearned runs, making errors, a team with a combined low batting average, leaving 14 on base, and a starting pitcher that can not go more than 4 innings. That production equals 8 loses out of the last 12.
We’ll see what happens come the All-Star break. Too bad Mother Nature did not rain this one out…..
Trade Brad Crapperson now!!! 19 strike outs is pitiful. But the Rangers will come out of it. Hey Lone Star, who would you rather have in left, CAT, or Crapperson? I agree that he is struggling, I think Young needs to go back to number 2, Tex. number 3, and put Sosa 4. I know Sosa is not a number 4 hiiter, but it is who they have, maybe Kinsler 4. Put Cat in 9th spot.
I said it along time ago that the San Diego deal is going to haunt us for a long time. The Rangers keep ranting and raving about getting Otsuka, but they take every opportunity to give his closer role to Gagne?????? The question has to be asked, what is Daniels doing over there in Arlington? What is the goal? While i admire him in his attempt to trade to help his club, it just hasn’t happened. Tejeda and Padilla i think are going to be ok. But everything else has been terrible. Soriano would look nice in LF or CF for us. He would have been a building block. LEE as DH would have been nice, another building block. Gonzalez is going to be like the energizer bunny, he is going to keep hurting for ever and ever especially since Teixiera cant hit but eventually “walks” away via free-agency. Hey Daniels, deal Teixiera to the White Sox for Massett and Danks before that deal blows up in your face, oops too late!!!!
Well, well, well. The Rangers are doing so well without the micro-manager, Buck Showalter! The player manager seems to be so enamored with Jerry Hairston Jr. might he be friends with the father? Washington better get on his players, pretty **** quick or it is going to go downhill on him fast. Washington seems to be a likable guy, liked by everyone. My opinion is that he failed to prepare his team during spring training. Does anyone else think this is the case? Show me one time where he went with the set lineup that was going to be playing during the regular season. How many times and games did this “team” play together in the spring? If this is as good as it gets a .40% winning rate and a .60% losing rate then the Rangers are going to lose 97 games this year. While i don’t think they will lose 97 games i just don’t see anything greater than .484 % win rate making their final record 78 wins and 84 losses. Anyone want to challege that??????
While my comments are often on the negative side, i want the Rangers to win. I am just so tired of losing and the excuses that go along with it. I live in the metroplex area and support my local teams, the Cowboys, the Mavericks and the Rangers. I was out at the game the other night and got sick watching McCarthy get lit up. He was gone by the second inning and i think the Rangers lost 16 to something. The Rangers marketing campaign states, “You could use some baseball.” I wonder what and how they define baseball? I define it as a team game where all parts pull for the sucess of the team over the individual. A game where you have to be strong up the middle, with a good defense and pitching. Too many strikeouts while batting. You throw the ball, you hit the ball, you field the ball. Hit and Run, Sacrifice, bunt. Washington said he was influenced by the Manager Billy Martin, well, let’s see some “Billy Ball” Washington.
Eleanor: I have it translated but what don’t you care about?
TR: Both Josh and Tom stripped down on TV last night and put on “Wild thang” glasses…when do you appear? Or does the print media not do such things??
What does Vic Diaz have to do to replace Wilkerson? He’s just hitting a ton!
Actually – that’s a Polish colloquialism for “nice job – thanks”.
I’m from that part of the country, and have eaten at the Red Chimney many times – that reference brought back many happy memories.
I’ve read a lot of posts on these blogs the first three weeks of the season and everybody has their thoughts about what ails the Rangers, but one thought to me stands out — at some point, these players have to begin taking some of the responsibility.
I mean, let’s face it, this team has enough talent to win. When you have a runner on third base with no outs against a guy like Paul Byrd who throws nothing but slop and you have Cat, Young and Tex coming up, you got to score that run. Plain and simple. At some point, these guys have to start stepping up and doing the job.
I just wanted to set the record straight about a couple things I said above yesterday: I did some homework, and would like to correct myself about Frank Catalanotto: he is hitting .300 with runners in scoring position. Sorry, Frank. But one thing (this is for you, Army vet): I NEVER said I’d rather have Wilkerson in left than Frank. Never. I said I was missing Carlos Lee, who is hitting .266 with 5 home runs and 20 RBI’s for Houston right now, playing left feild. Granted, if Carlos were still here, he’d most likely be DHing, but he can play left. I don’t like Brad any better than you do, but if we did trade him, who would take him? And who would we get? The bottom line is, he’s useless. The front office should just cut him loose, and use whatever salary they’re paying him for bigger and better things. Oh, and one more thing, Army: Hooah!
Let me start off by saying that I am passionate about the Rangers. They seem to let me down year after year but this year they have come out of gates backwards. Usually the All-Star break is downward spiral into the abyss. Get rid of Tex and find some pitching that is truly battle tested. Lets deal Tex, Wilk, McCarthy, Feldmen and Cat for some prospects and few proven contributors.
JD and Wash must go. Little John is in over his head and Wash is blinded by his concern on being everyones buddy. Just my 2 cents
Eleanor: Dubsha