Meeting Bernie Kosar

Yesterday was a long and tiring day,but well worth the effort as I was able to meet an all time favorite of mine in former Browns quarterback Bernie Kosar.
The Kosar story follows,but first a word to the seamheads expecting to read about the West Virginia Power.
I have decided due to time constraints to do one or two posts on the series on Monday or Tuesday.
Yesterday's rainout and afternoon start tomorrow,combined with two rare off days and the Pirates All-Star breaks will give me more time to do that and the promised point/counterpoint post on the Pirates contention prospects in the second half.


I came home to grab my stuff for work a bit late as I wanted to get much as I could finished of the Power on Thursday  in anticipation of possible bad weather on Friday (Good move,game rained out) and a quick perusal of the mailbox before I left.
Waiting for me was a link from Battlin' Bob on a Bernie Kosar appearance at Longaberger Baskets in the outlet mall here in town.
I was familiar with the name,but knew little about the baskets and I didn't even know there was a store in town!
When I saw the time (10 am -noon) I knew I was in for a long day.
First,I had to work the rest of the night, then take the lovely Cherie to work so I could keep the car, then hit the outlets and find the store that I did not even know was in existence.
That was not the hard part,it was finding where to get in line for Kosar.

A long line outside elicited some groaning from Rachel,my partner on this day,but as I quickly explained this looked like five people compared to my Delmarva nightmare.
One other man with his daughter walked out the store and said it would be another two hours before they arrived (the bad weather in Ohio would arrive here later in the day cancelling the Suns-Power game).
As we stood in what we thought was the line,a lady asked whether I was a "Consultant" and this was the Consultant line.
I replied that I was not and was waiting for Kosar,who the lady asked Who?
The guy before had referred to the CEO for Longaberger as "Michelle",which I assumed was her name,so I said "The person traveling with "Michelle Longaberger",only be corrected by about ten middle aged women that her name was Tami.
Thanks for the bad intel,bud,like I am supposed to know that!
I took that in stride though,I suppose I would react the same way if some lady said "I am here to see the person traveling with Bob Kosar".
We slide into the heavily trafficked store and found a gentleman with a Longaberger badge and asked where the line was,which he promptly pointed to in the wrong spot.
Not wanted to cut in front of anyone and get pounded by baskets,I went back to this fellow and asked again to be in the right position.
This time,he told me to ask people in the area if this was the "Tami line".
That was successful and we were about 10-15th in line at about 10:00.

This meant listening to loads of Longaberger info and learning more than I ever cared to know about baskets.How sturdy are they? (some can carry 40 pounds),the difference between first and second quality,the most expensive baskets they sell ($1,200) and their pottery line,which I did like a great deal.
I turned to Rachel said they looked similar to FiestaWare (our choice of china) and the consultant in front of us quickly turned around and said "It's better than FiestaWare!!!!"
As I began to wonder whether these people were nuts or not,I remembered Delmarva and what if someone entirely sports/autographs non-educated would have seen that mess and talked to everyone there-they would have had questions too.
Any situation that has tons of people passionate about the same thing in one spot is going to be a bit crazy.
Time wound on and despite being tired of being on my feet,it really was not that bad.
The ladies were really nice and attempted to educate me-(If this remotely interests you, check out the Longaberger site of Roseann Harris,who seems to be the walking encyclopedia of all things Longaberger and gave me her business card-Roseann,this one is for you...)

Finally at 11:15,a little earlier than expected.Ms.Longaberger and Bernie walked in the door (I found later on line,the pair are currently dating,which makes Bernie Kosar at a Maryland Longaberger basket signing make a load more sense now than it did then) and as soon as they entered the store,Kosar sees my jersey and walks over and shakes my hand!
Very cool!
After they get in position and the local politicians get their photo op with Tami Longaberger,Bernie is standing there with nothing to do,so what does he do?
He walks over and talks to me for the next five minutes about the Browns (He expects them to be somewhat improved),the Cleveland Gladiators (the Arena league team that Kosar part-owns),the local fans and who they prefer Ravens or Redskins (neither,I'd say Steelers hold a slight lead) etc.
That ended so the same PR guy that relentlessly shilled for Hagerstown on the PBS program "Our Town-Hagerstown" took the microphone speaking for about five minutes on the local politicians there etc.

Sidebar-I highly recommend Our Town-Hagerstown as the most hilarious piece of unintentional humor that I have seen in years.
It is on either PBS or if you have Antietam Cable,it is available for free using the On Demand service....
You have not lived until you have seen City Councilwoman Ashley Haywood put herself over for "Having lived abroad in New York"(She said this kind of awkwardly and I don't think she meant it to sound the way it did) and dressing for a television appearance like she was prepping for a Women's Lib rally in 1973.
Not to mention two minutes on the Hagerstown Suns,but close to nine (I timed it,I know- get a life) on the culture of downtown Hagerstown and its continuing efforts to become the Paris of North America
If you live locally and enjoy funny things that were not intended to be so funny-I could not recommend this more....-Back to the show

After PR guy was finished recognizing half the county,Tami Longaberger then spoke briefly (PR guy needs to take lessons to how to be concise) and began to start the signing.
A Longaberger person then went through the line and said "Tami was limited to signing one item".
I did not have anything for her of course,although I had I known her name was Tami,I might have brought my DVD of the TAMI Show.
Imagine if Tami accompanied Bernie to a sports signing,I'd be lucky to get one or two things signed!
The lady then said "You are just here for Bernie?I answered in the affirmative and she then took around the line of people right to Bernie,who resumed football talk as he signed two cards,a mini helmet and Cherie's Kosar jersey!
When I had him personalize to Cherie and how excited she would be,he responded "happy to make the husband the good guy tonight"!
We spoke a few more minutes on football,told him how huge a fan my favorite Aunt Becky was of him,took a picture together and then one with Rachel,I then thanked again for such a thrill,shook hands with the legend and turned to walk away.
I got some steps away when I heard him call out "hey,would you like me to sign your jersey too"?
I said of course as Bernie walked over signed the 9 on the back of the jersey with "Go Browns,Bernie Kosar #19".
It took about 5 minutes to leave the store and a long day still remained,but it was well worth some weariness and leg pain to meet an all time favorite.

Thanks to Bernie Kosar for such a great memory,to the Longaberger company for making it possible and to the ladies in line for making what could have been a long day into a pretty pleasant one.

Now,Becky,which Browns game are we hitting this year???

Photo Credit;Rachel Heimberger

Big Mac Mckenry?

I watched the first seven and a half innings of the Pirates games against the visiting Chicago Cubs and when the tape cut off for when I left for work,the Cubs held a 4-3 lead.
After the tape was finished and I flipped to ESPN,I discovered a 7-4 Pirate win off a three run homer by Michael McKenry (1) off Carlos Marmol of all people!
The McKenry homer broke a 4-4 tie and allowed Daniel McCutchen to vulture the win (3-1) after a one out eighth inning appearance.
Joel Hanrahan pitched the ninth for save 26.
Andrew McCutchen homered  (13) earlier for the Pirates.

The series continues tonight with Kevin Correia (11-6 3.74 ERA) against Ryan Dempster for Chicago (5-6 4.99 ERA).

Pirate Hooks

1) I was glad to see the team get James McDonald off the hook for an undeserved loss after Chris Resop allowed his inherited runners to score.
McDonald had some control issues at times,but did not deserve an L for his efforts...

2) On a night that saw both Chris Resop and Jose Veras struggle for the thus far excellent bullpen,it was nice to see the offense step,especially Michael McKenry,who had to feel great about his first homer period,putting aside the situation and who it was off of.

3) The offense is going to need to continue to do these types of things as it is unrealistic to believe that the pitching will get any better and maybe even unlikely to maintain this level of performance.

4) The play of the game besides the game winner?
How about Neil Walker's infield single by hustling up the line to beat Darwin Barney's throw and allow BOTH Alex Presley and Chase D'Arnaud to score on an infield single?
That is a rarity and all from hustle..

5) A Cubs note-I watched the game on the Cubs network to avoid Greg Brown and Bob Brenly was replaced for the night by the surprisingly good Todd Hollinsworth.
The Cubs could do worse than Hollinsworth full time when the inevitable day comes that some stupid team hires Bob Brenly to manage again...

Photo Credit_AP Photo

Bernie Kosar!

Short on time today,but my reason is a good one.
Waited to meet Browns great Bernie Kosar and finally was able to.
I'll write a post on this and on last nights West Virginia Power game soon,but for now,I wanted to get this picture up...

Five in the sixth-pick up sticks....

The Pittsburgh Pirates seemed to be on their way to another win until a disastrous sixth inning saw five Houston Astro runners cross the plate,giving Houston a lead that they would never give up in a 8-2 Houston victory.
Charlie Morton was the loser (7-5) after allowing all five runs in the sixth inning.
Pittsburgh dropped to third place in the division with the loss and takes today off before a weekend series against the Cubs before the four day layoff next week...

Pirate Hooks

1) Charlie Morton was terrific for five innings,but one did not need to be an expert to see the difference in the sixth inning.
Simply put-Morton's ball began to rise in the zone and Houston hammered him.
I cannot say the reason was mechanical or not for sure,but it is becoming apparent that despite Morton's tools that he has a small margin for error.

2) Andrew McCutchen knocked both Pirate runs in,but his sixth inning defensively was the largest part of the Astros big inning.
McCutchen bobbled and then lost the ball on one play that resulted in an Astro run and his misplay on a Carlos Lee hit allowed the lumbering Lee to earn a triple on a play that could have been an out or at maximum a single.

3) Pittsburgh did have a chance to get back in the game in the seventh with two runners on and one out,but Bud Norris retired Xavier Paul on a popout and Alex Presley on a flyball.
Paul and Presley strike me as similar players and on a team closer to full strength,I doubt the Pirates have room for two outfielders that bring a similar toolset....

4) As I am sure you know,I like Bud Norris and despite the loss,it was cool to see Norris get the win for the struggling Astros.Looking at the entire situation from contract status,money,skills etc,there is not one pitcher on the Pirates that I would keep over Norris in a straight up deal...

5) Now that Drayton McLane is selling the Astros,any chance of the new owners going back to the orange colors instead of the red brick that McLane loved so much?
Ryan once told me that Houston wore the "brick" unis all the time because McLane loved them and wanted them to wear them at home as well as the road.
Only difference is the word Houston on the roads and Astros at home.

6) Rachel doesn't watch a ton of baseball,but she watched last night with me (I loved every minute) and the one thing that she said with excitement (besides the Pirate Parrot) was watched one play and exclaiming "Man,that guy is fast!"-the player?Michael Bourn of Houston,who for my money is the fastest player in the game....

7) Look for coverage on the West Virginia Power's only visit to Hagerstown this season.
I have tickets to all four games,.two of which I can see totally and the other two I will stay as much as possible.

Photo by Jared Wickerham/Getty Images

Wood'nt it be nice?

Brandon Wood rapped out three hits including a two run homer (4) on a three RBI day to back winning pitcher Jeff Karstens (7-4) one run stint over seven innings to lead the Pittsburgh Pirates to a 5-1 win over visiting Houston.
The Pirates remain just one game behind first place St.Louis in the NL Central.
The Pirates will attempt the sweep of the series tonight against the Astros with Charlie Morton (7-4 3.63 ERA) versus Houston's Bud Norris (4-6 3.51 ERA) at 7:05.


Pirate Hooks

1) In a season of many surprises,Jeff Karstens continuing to produce is the largest in my opinion.
Karstens has parlayed average stuff at best into an excellent season thus far.
Karstens and his slow and slower pitches have developed into almost a righthanded Jamie Moyer type...

2) Brandon Wood was only playing because the Pirates wanted to take it cautious with Josh Harrison after his issues on Sunday,but it paid off on this day.
Three hits and three RBI to go with the long homer showed the occasional glimpse on why so many were high on Wood as a prospect with the Angels.

3) The Buccos did have some luck against Wandy Rodriguez though as other than Wood's homer,not a lot of balls were struck hard.
Some of the hits were even off broken bats bringing the old phrase to mind,"better to lucky than good".

4) The win was number 45 on the season.
Last year win 45 came on September 3rd-quite a difference...

5) Three hits for Matt Diaz and two for Lyle Overbay.
I have been hard on both of these players,but both have improved recently,
Could this run for both players be enough to keep them in the lineup shuffle that will take place when Jose Tabata,Pedro Alvarez etc return?

6) The Pirates sent Cesar Valdez to Florida for a player to be named later.
Valdez had been pitching at Indianapolis after being obtained for Zack Duke from the Arizona Diamondbacks..

Photo by Jared Wickerham/Getty Images

On the signing front

The signing front returns with a few visits,hits from the mailbox and help from my friends.
The Greenville Drive and Salem Red Sox hit town from the Boston Red Sox organization with prospects.
Greenville prospects included Miles Head,who killed the ball for the first half and now is with Salem,Jose Garcia,Brandon Jacobs (super nice guy),Sean Coyle  and former Texas Longhorn Brandon Workman,who signed his Donruss Elite college card,I always like those.
The biggest addition of a small amount for Salem was 2010 first rounder Kolbrin Vitek.
The biggest disappointment was not getting pitcher Anthony Ranaudo,who was promoted the day Greenville hit Hagerstown and started the day I saw Salem in Frederick.
Hope to add Ranaudo in Salem's next visit...

The Greensboro Grasshoppers were pretty slim in prospects this time around,but I did add first round pick Christian Yelich,who made the SAL All Star team.

The Delmarva Shorebirds made their final trip to the Muni and added some good signings.
Manny Machado still signs one per,but is nice about it and signs as many as he can.
Mychal Givens was there on the first night before being send to Aberdeen to rehab and signed all three cards that I had for him.
Jarret Martin,Brendan Webb and David Walters were also nice additions.

The Hagerstown Suns set came out around this time at their 22 dollar cost.
Still think that they cost themselves money with the decision,but it's over and done with.
I have started work on the team set and added some of the players on this homestand.
Notable prospects included Taylor Jordan,Adrian Sanchez and Blake Kelso as well as nice guys Sean Nicol and Cole Leonida....

Thanks to Tom O'brien for adding his usual excellent help.
On the first batch,Tom was able to get Tom Brunansky,the former MLB outfielder,who Tom reports as a great signer and added a Boog Powell with the Indians uniform,which is always a nice touch.
Tom would send a second batch of help with the Richmond Flying Squirrels.
The Squirrels featured the sometimes tough sign Nick Noonan,pitching prospect Eric Surkamp and infielder Charlie Culbertson.
Tom also helped with Bowie pitching prospect Wynn Pelzer and former big leaguers and current Indy ball managers Von Hayes and Andy Etchebarren

Jason Christensen helped me from Binghampton with some cards that I missed from the Altoona Curve and Harrisburg Senators.
Altoona hits included Brock Holt,Tim Alderson and Bryan Morris,while Harrisburg featured Derek Norris and Steve Lombardozzi (I still hear that awful Suns PA guy screaming that in my head).
Jason also helped with Binghampton manager Wally Backman and prospect Reece Havens.

"The Superfan" Dave Sloan added former Pirate and Rule V pick of the Royals Nathan Adcock for me at Camden Yards.

Kendall Morris took a road trip to Frisco Texas and took a few cards with him for me.
Padre prospects James Darnell and Jaff Decker signed as well as former Boston farmhand Casey Kelly to go with Rangers prospect Martin Perez.

Thanks to all of you for your help!

Mail Successes-These drop this time of year as I do not send as much stuff out.
Most of this stuff sent from prime mailing season
Baseball
Former White Sox and Pirate pitcher Ross Baumgarten
Former Tiger and White Sox pitcher Lerrin LaGrow
Former Padre pitcher Tom Dukes-also included a signed postcard of himself as well
Former Indian pitcher Curt Wardle
Former Giants pitcher Billy O'Dell
Former Rangers shortstop Jeff Kunkel
Former White Sox third baseman Bill Melton
Former Indians and Rangers pitcher Steve Hargan

Football
Browns wide receiver Greg Little-EBAY
Former USFL and Chiefs guard Mark Adickes
Former 49er defensive tackle and current Browns DL coach Dwaine Board
Former Patriots running back Allen Carter
Former Cardinals quarterback Neil Lomax-Included an extra signed card of his own
Former Packers quarterback Anthony Dilweg,who included a super note as well.

Misc
Former Light Heavyweight Champion-Bob Foster-EBAY
Country star Glen Campbell
Actress Cheryl Ladd
Those last two are great pickups for me of stars that I have been a fan of going back to my early childhood.....

Only one game out?

The Pittsburgh Pirates are just one game out of first place in the NL Central after yesterday's 5-3 win over the Houston Astros at sold out PNC Park.
Paul Maholm pitched six solid innings in improving to 5-9 on the season.
The series continues tonight with Jeff Karstens (6-4 2.65 ERA) vs Houston's always tough Wandy Rodriguez (6-4 2.97 ERA) at 7:05

Pirate Hooks

1) I am working on a post over the All-Star break that will feature me arguing against myself on why the Pirates are going to make a run this season at the playoffs and why this is a glimpse of the future,but a mirage of the present.
I think you'll enjoy it.

2) Clint Hurdle was complaining yesterday about Andrew McCutchen not being on the All-Star team,but perhaps Hurdle should blame himself a bit as well.
I seem to remember a few weeks back an interview on the pre-game show where Hurdle said something along the lines of  that he did not plan on talking to NL manager Bruce Bochy about any of his players.
That might not have worked out for the best...

3) With that in mind,Hurdle earned himself points for his pointed barbs on McCutchen not making the team or even the "final vote".
The All-Star game does not mean what it used to,but McCutchen certainly deserved to be on the list of the "final five" at minimum.

4) Three more hits for Alex Presley,who has been a short term spark for the offense,which the team was in desperate need of.
It will be an interesting shakeup on the horizon for Clint Hurdle,IF Presley continues to hit and Jose Tabata returns from the disabled list.

5) My answer to that would be Presley in left,Tabata to right,Garret Jones to first and Lyle Overbay to the bench or even released to open some money for a possible addition to the lineup,if the team still has a chance at the trade deadline....

6) Normally,I am not wild about the gimmick hats for holiday games,but this years version was one that I didn't mind so much.

7) Josh Harrison left the game after a home plate collision in the third inning.
Harrison will be likely be day to day.

Photo Credit:Getty Images