Everything Happens to Me
Major League All-Star Break, A's versus Blue Jays, the Big Dumper, A Word About Kingman, Conclusion of Becoming Alicia Madrid, Carlene Carter and An Obscure, But Terrific Song
Happy Tuesday. We’ve got a lot to cover.
It’s the Major League All Star Game break and I have some suggestions. My son and I saw the Sacramento A’s versus the first-place Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday. We have a brief word about the Big Dumper. We have a brief word about Kingman, AZ. We have the conclusion of the tale of becoming Alicia Madrid. We have a brief mention of country-music singer Carlene Carter.
Then, whew, we go out with an obscure, but terrific song from a famous rock and roll band from southern California. You know, the Beach Boys.
MLB All Star Break
We’re now at the MLB All Star Game break so there are no games from Monday through Thursday of this week. There’s the All Star Game itself tonight, but who watches those things anymore. So, I have some thoughts about improving this break time for the benefit of baseball.
First, I should be named the Commissioner of Baseball. I have more integrity than the current Commissioner, Rob Manfred, and, unlike Rob, I like baseball.
Second, I would elevate some things that exist in baseball to a higher profile by doing these things during the break. On Monday, I’d play the Futures Game, the game of future stars between the American League and National League that was played last Saturday. No one knew it was played because it had to compete with the 15 MLB games that were played that day.
I’d then stage the MLB Draft on Thursday, instead of Saturday and Sunday. This would get more eyeballs on the draft.
Third, I’d keep the Home Run Derby, except I’d hold in on Tuesday instead of the All Star Game. Fourth, I’d replace the All-Star game with some type of new fun contest that I haven’t really thought out - maybe a skills competition among players or a celebrity skills event of some sort. We have another year to work this out.
That’s my plan and it’s way better than the current snoozer of a week that Rob Manfred is orchestrating. Now I just need to get myself elected Commissioner of Baseball.
Sacramento A’s 6 - Toronto Blue Jays 3
My son Michael and I saw the Sacramento A’s defeat the AL East first-place Toronto Blue Jays 6-3 on two-run homers from catcher Austin Wynns, outfielder Tyler Soderstrom and rookie first baseman Nick Kurtz. Starting pitcher Jeffrey Springs won his eighth game, going 6 2/3 innings, giving up 3 runs, including two home runs, while striking out five and walking none.
The Blue Jays were hampered by an ineffective outing by starting pitcher Jose Barrios who had no command of his pitches. He went only three innings where he gave up 4 runs and four hits while walking two batters.
Rookie first baseman Nick Kurtz leads all rookies with 17 homers. I’ve seen photos such as the one above of Kurtz but when you see him you discover this guy is a big dude - 6 foot 5 inches and 240 pounds of muscle.
The Big Dumper
Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh won the Home Run Hitting contest last night at Truist Ballpark in Atlanta. He’s also known as the Big Dumper because he has a, well, big dumper. Here’s another big dude, built like the catcher he is and he’s a good catcher too. His victory was of no surprise since he leads MLB in home runs with 38 as of the All Star break.
A Word About Kingman, Arizona
As I stated in my story last week, I had to spend eight long, tortuous days in Kingman as I waited to get my 1975 Ford Pinto repaired after my engine blew out.
I forgot to mention a few things about this tortuous stay. First, I was able to stay sane because the 1979 MLB World Series was broadcast the whole time I was in town so I got to see the Pittsburgh Pirates defeat the Baltimore Orioles 4 games to 3. It was an exciting series as the Pirates overcame a 3 to 1 deficit to win the series. At least my fine room at the Hilltop Motel had a television. It also had a pool which I enjoyed each day.
Second, there was a bar and grill nearby and everyone there was super friendly. As opposed to the proprietor at the Hill Top Motel, who was a bitter ex-baseball player, as well as my car mechanic, Kelly Beets, who was just a jerk.
Finally, Kingman, AZ has an outsized impact on my life and memories. It’s etched in my mind as is another small AZ high desert town, Benson, AZ., that we’ll talk about soon.
Becoming Alicia Madrid - Conclusion
As a brief recap, Alicia Madrid was the default Executive Director for the California Federation of which I was the Director of Economic Development Planning from 1980 through 1982. She was the third choice of the Board of Directors for the position and had no experience in nonprofit business development when she was hired.
I mentioned a California Federation staff retreat that Alicia convened in July 1981 in South Lake Tahoe. In this retreat, we had a facilitator whose name I cannot recall. He asked the staff whom our biggest competitor was and we all agreed it was the Rural Community Assistance Corporation (RCAC). Alicia had a strong relationship with Jaime Bordanave with RCAC but she kept it a closely held relationship. I believe that if she had shared more about that relationship that the Federation would have survived.
Why? Well, RCAC was a regional agency with a lobbyist in Washington, D.C., a guy named Bob Rapoza, that gave the agency access to a wide variety of sources aside from our shared statewide resources which, at that time, consisted primarily of State CETA-O funding. I discovered many years later that Alicia was aware of this situation and that Jaime had volunteered to give us access to these resources but she elected to hire a fundraiser, a guy named Jim, in hopes of him generating funding.
Jim replaced Michael Gabria, the guy Alicia dismissed who then subsequently sued the Federation for wrongful termination because, he claimed, he dismissed her “sexual advances” which, I am here to tell you, was not true. It only landed me, and Alicia, on the front pages of the local papers and television news reports for days on end.
Jim was no better than Michael Gabria, it so turns out. Despite working at the Federation for about 18 months, Jim got zero dollars for the Federation. He was useless.
To wrap this all up, the Federation Board of Directors are holding their monthly Board meeting down in Los Angeles. I remember this meeting because, although I did not attend since I was only a staffer, Alicia and I met a potential funder at this restaurant at LAX. Do you remember this iconic restaurant outside of LAX that is no longer there? It appeared in many television shows in the sixties, seventies and eighties.
I can’t recall the name of the restaurant at that time but I couldn’t believe I was having lunch at this iconic building.
Anyway, I got a call in my hotel room the morning after the Federation Board meeting. It was Alicia:
“Hey Paul, I resigned my position as Executive Director at the Board meeting last night, “ she announced.
“Oh, Alicia, that’s not good,” I replied because, although she was not a good fit, I was surprised to hear the news.
“I’ve recommended, and the Board of Directors has approved, to appoint you as Acting Director,” Alicia said.
So, there I was, at the age of 26, the new Acting Director of the Federation.
Carlene Carter
In my last post we went off on a song by Nick Lowe, his 1979 hit Cruel to be Kind. The music video featured Nick Lowe and his band, Rockpile, as well as his new bride, Carlene Carter. I mentioned that, for a while, Johnny Cash was Nick Lowe’s father-in-law.
While this was technically correct, as Carlene’s mother was June Carter, Johnny’s wife, Carlene was actually June’s daughter from her first husband, Carl Smith. But, more importantly I discovered that one of my subscribers actually knew Carlene Carter.
My subscriber went to summer camp with Carlene Carter when she was in third or fourth grade. She described her as a child as “tiny as an elf.” She also noted that Carlene and Carlene’s best friend were “sassy girls” that told dirty jokes. Carlene was known as extremely outgoing and was always the center of attention.
This fits the description that Carlene gained when she was married to Nick Lowe. She was an outsized personality but, then again, so was Nick Lowe.
Unfortunately, these two outsized personalities later developed some substance abuse problems that both of them overcame. They married in 1979 and divorced in 1990 at which time both were clean and sober.
Going Out with Cool Tune
After the success of their album Pet Sounds in 1966 and their hit single Good Vibrations in 1967, the Beach Boys fell out of favor with the record buying public. Brian Wilson’s mental health was spiraling downward as the other band members, notably Carl and Dennis Wilson, picked up the slack. Still, the hits were few and far between in the 1968-1971 period.
I remained a stalwart fan throughout this period. I bought their albums such as Wild Honey, Friends, and 20/20, but no one else did. By 1969 their contract with Capitol Records was expiring and the Beach Boys were having a problem getting a label to sign them up.
Finally, in 1970, Mo Ostin of Warner Brothers Records signed the group to their Reprise label and allowed them to release their albums on the Beach Boys own label, Brother Records, with distribution from Reprise.
In 1970 the Beach Boys released one of my favorite albums, Sunflower on Brother Records. No one bought it - it reached number 151 in the Billboard Top 200 before falling off the charts after only four weeks.
Despite its poor sales, I went out and bought the album and I loved it, starting with this opening track by Dennis Wilson. It’s a strong opener with great vocals and, geez, those harmonies. Enjoy Slip of Through with Dennis on lead vocals.