Sunday Potpourri No. 28

Canary in the Coal Mine

"Not the way I wanted to start the season."

I don't generally write about my beloved Kansas City Royals the day after a loss, but yesterday's 5-3 defeat at the hands of the Oakland Athletics was a bit more than the usual "you can't win 'em all" kind of game.

RHP Chris Young failed to get through five innings for the second straight start. Chris gave up a three-run home run in the 1st inning, and surrendered eight hits and four walks in just four innings of work.

Chris pitched reasonably well in his first start against the Mets, but overall he is now 0-3 with a 7.90 ERA. In 13 2/3 innings he has given up 20 hits and 7 walks. He has also allowed a home run in each of his three starts.

It is a little early to be too concerned (the Royals are 8-3 overall, tied for the AL Central Division lead and the best record in the league), but we can't afford for Young's starts to become automatic losses.

"Now that is the sort of pessimism I'm used to seeing!"

I'm not a pessimist...I'm just a really crummy optimist...

The Original "Pony" Car

On April 17, 1964
Henry Ford unveiled the original Ford Mustang at the legendary New York World's Fair.

The Mustang created a whole new category of American automobile, the "pony car," a market segment that eventually included the Plymouth Barracuda, the Chevrolet Camaro, the Pontiac Firebird, and the AMC Javelin.

All of those cars were objects of inordinate lust among adolescents during my high school years. Well done, Henry!

"Fess up. You still want one of those, don't you?"

I could throw out my back just thinking about getting in and out of a car like that...

Don't Overthink It, Kid

From the wry comic strip FoxTrot, by Bill Amend, which you should read every Sunday, as I do.

Until Next Time...

On April 17, 1970 the three Apollo 13 astronauts returned to Earth safely after their mission had to be aborted due to a catastrophic explosion that crippled their spacecraft.

Original 1995 "one sheet" poster

In 1995 director Ron Howard dramatized those events in Apollo 13, one of my all-time favorite films.

Perhaps it is because the events portrayed were such a vivid part of my adolescence, but this is one of those movies I never get tired of watching. Howard does a splendid job of creating dramatic tension in a story where we basically already know everything turns out okay.

It helps that the cast features many of my favorite actors, including Ed Harris and Gary Sinise.





The film was nominated for nine Academy Awards, including for Best Picture. The late James Horner was nominated for Best Original Score for the film (his Braveheart score was also nominated that year), and I consider his work on this score to be among his best efforts.

Today's send-off is the film's "End Credits," featuring vocalist Annie Lennox. Enjoy...