“Sometimes when I reflect back on all the beer I drink I feel ashamed. Then look into the glass and think about the workers in the brewery and all of their hopes and dreams. If I didn’t drink this beer, they might be out of work and their dreams would be shattered. Then I say to myself,

“It is better that I drink this beer and let their dreams come true than selfish and worry about my liver.”- Jack Handy

This quote above reminds me of the conversation that I had with John Randle back in 2007. I was attending the Matt Blair Celebrity Golf Tournament for Special Olympics at Hazeltine, and I got the opportunity to chat with both Randle and Randall McDaniel during the event.

I was their to volunteer for my company (the name sponsor) by assisting with coverage for use in our internal communications. We were video taping the various athletes and celebrities for “on the record” comments about our company, the Olympians, fund raising, and other “yadda, yadda, yadda” type spin.

Off the record conversations were much more fun, and when the camera was off “Big Dog” and I chatted about Vikings football, jersey sales and fans who tailgate in parking lot. I remember telling Randle that I wore his jersey from time to time, that I was big fan, and always enjoyed his funny commercials, and style of play.

He thanked me, but noted that I was dating myself,

“Man, that number #93 belongs to another guy now,” he stated, referring to defensive tackle Kevin Williams. Somehow we got to talking about tailgaters, drinking beer and watching Vikings games. I remember him alluding to how big of a business that had evolved into, with NFL “official” beer sponsorships, commercials, and the corporate money machine.

“Well ya know,” he said, “the beer doesn’t drink itself.”

Then, like Jack Handy himself, I looked at myself in the mirror and reflected on the comment.

Think about it.

“When Neil Armstrong first set foot on the moon, he and all the space scientists were puzzled by an unidentifiable white object. I knew immediately what it was. That was a home run ball hit off me in 1933 by Jimmie Foxx.”

-Lefty Gomez
Today in 1969, Neil Armstrong landed on the moon. I remember, this was a BIG DEAL when I was 4 years old, and is still a big thing today, considering that our country doesn’t seem to care about the space program. (President Obama’s huge cuts to NASA, and encouraging the private sector to take it over is just one example- Gee I miss the Space Shuttle already).

What made this country great was it’s constant urge to surge into the unexplored. Lewis & Clark’s expedition to the Pacific Ocean forged the path for West Coast settlement. Jeb Smith marked trails through the Rocky Mountains, and the Sierra Nevadas that became interstate highways decades later.

The moon landings in the 60′s were supposed to be an extension of this mentality to explore boldly for all mankind. In grade school, I was taught that we would have bases on the moon by now, and taking trips to the moon would be as commonplace as flying from Los Angeles to New York. It seems like that goal has been flushed away.

So today, I propose that every home run hit in a Major League game be dedicated to that first moon landing. If you catch one of the moonshots from today’s games, put it on ebay, and send the funds to NASA.

“Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.”
Benjamin Franklin.

Rumor has it that Ben also proposed a national brewery! I think he would have been a great baseball fan, but would probably have been a Phillies fan, so screw him. I am kidding, of course, but the quote above got me thinking about colonials, this country’s history, and what did they do if they couldn’t play baseball during the American Revolution? Would Benhamin Franklin have been a baseball fan, would he have enjoyed the sport?

I did some research, and typed in “Benjamin Franklin baseball” on some search engines to see if their was any profound quotes or quips from this American statesman that could be linked to the greatest game ever invented. I didn’t find much, but I did find a relevance link (sort of) with those terms, and I found it in the script of one of my favorite baseball movies of all time, The Sandlot.

“There was only one night game a year. On the 4th of July… the whole sky would brighten up with fireworks, giving us just enough light for a game. We played our best then because, I guess, we all felt like the big leaguers… under the lights of some great stadium. Benny felt like that all the time.

We all knew he was gonna go on to bigger and better games, because every time we stopped to watch the sky on those nights like regular kids, he was there to call us back.

You see, for us, baseball was a game. But for Benjamin Franklin Rodriguez, baseball was life.”

The main baseball character’s name, was Benny, who would later play for the Los Angeles Dodgers in the movie and be known as “Benny the Jet,” who preached to his friends when they were kids,

“Man, this is baseball, you gotta stop thinking! Just have fun. If you were having fun , you would have caught that ball!”

But that wasn’t the only connection, I found.  I saw several names of aspiring baseball players from High School to minor leagues who shared some variation of  the name “Benjamin Franklin.”

One, Benjamin Franklin Hunt, a left handed pitcher, played for both the Boston Red Sox and the St. Louis Cardinals for 2 years, posting 2-4 record and 25 strikeouts. (St. Louis is  the home to a big brewery by the way)

The coolest thing I uncovered, depending on your perspective of cool,  was a $100 dollar bill on a baseball. Yup, it’s all about the Benjamin’s on a plastic baseball. I couldn’t believe it when I surfed to it, so now I can tell you that it’s yours if you click on the Franklin Insitute store and order it!

Me? I have too many baseballs already, AND, in the spirit of the quote to start this post, I’d much rather go spend that  $16.95 on a case of cold Grain Belt Premium Beer.

“Fans, don’t fail to miss tomorrow’s game.”
-Dizzy Dean
Don’t worry Dizzy, we won’t take your quote too serious. The Twins were rained out on Friday, and I felt a bit ripped off, not being able to see Francisco Liriano pitch under the lights on TV. It is one of my guilty pleasures; baseball on TV. But even better, I got to out to Outback Steakhouse with the wife and kids, and get home early enough o watch the best show on TV, “Friday Night Lights”.

I just think that TV show is aces. If you haven’t watched, you have to start.

Speaking of start, which game will Liriano pitch tomorrow? Will it be the day game at noon, or the night game make-up?

This means that Saturday, for the first time at Target Field, Twins fans can’t fail to miss either game.

“Women are Angels and when someone breaks our wings we simply continue to fly………on a broomstick… We are flexible like that ….”

-Unknown

This was posted to my Facebook via a message from a very cool tailgating friend with a sense of humor. I do not ENTIRELY believe the women are angels or witches. You have to take the random things I share on this site with a grain of salt. I just think it is a profound quote, and has some value as content on a rubbish blog. Blast away…