R: Ray, Rangers, Respect, Reality, and Radium

#atozchallenge: R: September 1, 1989 I said, "I do" to Ray Faries. What a wild ride since then - all for the good. He's respectable, raucous, a raconteur, has a rapier wit, is responsible, totally steeped in reality, and as far as I know there are no rumors circulating about him. He totally puts up with me - so there you have it. This R post is dedicated to Ray.

We love to vacation - that's what clinched it for me. Before we even knew each other very well, we traveled to Hawaii and had the best time ever. Bingo - we like super casual, we pack minimalist, and he laughs at my crap. Nowadays, he edits with abandon and supports my writing. That's a rainbow, as far as I'm concerned.

He loves our Texas Rangers, and it's more fun now that they have been winning. No, not the World Series, yet, but we've been SO close. Ray's a sportsman - scuba, hunting, baseball, football, hockey - you name it, he loves it. On paper, we are polar opposites. Nonetheless it works - he's my reality show. Rah!!!

Ray picked our poison - radium. He contemplated rattlesnake, but decided that wasn't exciting enough. (However, I think rattlesnakes are scary. I went to his deer lease one time last August. Hotter than hell but I put on my winter boots (no, not snake boots, I'm talking my winter SNOW boots) to avoid a rattlesnake bite. Great fashion statement with shorts. But hey, did not get bit. ) Back to radium - face it, it killed Madame Marie Curie who discovered the darn element. Nausea, etc - radium is deadly, lethal, and will kill you.

F: F*&K, First Base, and Foxglove

F: F*#k. I'm not necessarily a huge fan of unnecessary profanity. However, I think this book is brilliant. I read it in the book store, then asked for my own copy for Christmas. I love it. Just funny as hell. Lovely illustrations. So, for regular fiction, my personal opinion is that the f-word should be used judiciously, not sprayed about on every page. But it serves a purpose, and when used at the right time, I understand the scene, the character's emotions, etc. It should be its own exclamation mark and when read, the reader says, "Okay, this is some serious sh*t right here.


On the other hand, I loved The Sopranos on HBO - I loved every f-ing word spoken, however casual or extreme. It was a barrage of potty mouth and it worked for me.

First base - oh wait, were you expecting a romance move of some sort? Nope - Good Friday this year is the Texas Rangers home opener. I'm talking baseball, peanuts, fried something, and beer. Maybe this is the year for the World Series WIN. It's our field of dreams.........


Aaah - deadly dose today a la the Medicis of Italy - Foxglove was a favorite. All parts of this plant, cultivated in gardens, is poisonous. Flowers are purple and bloom midsummer. The leaves, etc. do not lose their toxicity in cooking. Reaction time is twenty to thirty minutes and the heart just goes berserk.

Louder

Game 5 2011 World Series. Rangers Ballpark in Arlington Texas. Rangers versus Cardinals. Series tied 2-2. This is a huge game, the final one in Arlington. The stadium is a sea of red. The crowd is loud. Palpable energy. To be good, you've gotta have a lot of little boy in you. Roy Campanella.

Good pitching will always stop good hitting and vice-versa. Casey Stengel. St. Louis was up 2-0 and the crowd noise diminished. Then Ranger bats heated up, silly mistakes were corrected, pitching held it together. Talk about ratcheting tension. The plot thickened and Rangers leaped ahead 4 - 2.

Most ball games are lost, not won - Casey Stengel. Have to say, the Rangers held it together, and the Cards made some dubious moves.

Everyone on their feet. Towels waving, hands clapping, cheers and groans. World Series baseball is a whole 'nother beast.

It's the Year of the Napoli. Mike Napoli, Ranger catcher, has done everything right. Big loud home runs, zooming pick-off throws. The stadium's collective chant Napoli, Napoli, Napoli sums it up. The man behind me wore a t-shirt, ...and they lived Napoli ever after ... Let's hope that's true for the Texas Rangers as they head to St.Louis for Game 6 on Wednesday. Up 3 -2 in a best of 7 series. Drama, tension, and characters. Baseball literature is alive.

ALCS: Rangers vs. Tigers

My writing career could be further ahead if I spent time writing instead of watching Texas Ranger baseball. But I'm hooked after last year, and they keep winning. It's stressful, heart attack producing baseball.

They conquered Tampa Bay in the ALDS. Now they face the Detroit Tigers in the ALCS. We attended game one on my birthday. Aaahh - fair weather fans. We enjoyed tailgating in sunshine and blue skies. In the 5th inning we lived through one rain delay, and then left during the second. Came home to watch victory (well, Ray did. I sorta snoozed) at midnight.

It started out glorious. A sea of fans in red. Huge flag on the field. Soaring rendition of the Star Spangled Banner. Then the boys of summer playing in the fall. It's a cast of unique characters, tension filled moments, uneven pacing (hey, it's the Rangers), and the plot can change direction.

Re-live awesome moments and look forward to new heart palpitations.

Rangers as of Monday evening, October 10th, head to Detroit, up two games in a best of seven series. The saga continues in the Motor City - a backdrop of decay, and the largest beers I've ever seen. It could turn noir and gritty.

I'll be watching. Go Rangers!!

Spring Surprises & Filler Until the Next Post

All gardening is landscape painting - Alexander Pope Life, like art, should be the celebration of a vision - Michael Larsen This has been a weekend of projects. With eighty degree weather, it's time to fertilize, trim, rake, and shape the bounty that is our yard. We have plenty of work to do. Thus I'm featuring pictures from the Dallas Arboretum - their hard work is constant year round and it shows. I'll rest on their laurels for this post.

Last weekend, we attended Ranger spring training in Surprise, AZ. I liked this sign outside the stadium.

In between workouts, players are mobbed by fans. Here, pitcher Colby Lewis was nice enough to stop and scrawl his autograph. It has to be a strange life. Everything the players do is scrutinized.

Fame is a bee

It has a song -

It has a sting -

Ah, too, it has a wing

Emily Dickinson

Spring in Surprise

Whoever wants to know the heart and mind of America had better learn baseball - Jacques Barzon. Surprise, AZ - home of the Texas Rangers baseball team spring training camp. They are part of the Cactus League and the 2010 American League champions. Thus, they are drawing huge crowds to pre-season. (10,000 people were in the stands on Saturday 3/19/11).The boys of summer are working on their craft and, from what I observed, doing a lot of fart around. Sports writing heaven - sunshine, blue sky, and sunflower seeds to spit.

You can observe a lot by watchin' - Yogi Berra. Sunday 3/20/11 - seats in the kill zone (i.e. bats can fly), but man you can hear, see, and experience the sheer joy of timeless baseball from these seats. Batter chatter.

Most ball games are lost, not won - Casey Stengel.
Yeah, but until the first pitch of 2011, the Texas Rangers are the American League champions. We reveled in the glory in Surprise, AZ.

Batting practice. Up close and personal with Ian Kinsler. Of course there's a reason why they keep the fans behind fencing. It's a weird career - baseball. Folks think they know how to play. We've all swung a bat at one time or another in our grade school lives. Thus, we are entitled to opinions. We get to go to work with these fellows, watch them practice, analyze their every move, and then deliver a verdict. Winners or losers.

Spring in Surprise proved pleasant - an escape from reality. Baseball is timeless. First Ranger pitch - April 1st 2011. Goal - October and the World Series.

Play ball.

Post Series Blues

October 31st - attended Game 4 of the World Series in Arlington, Texas. (Took tons of pics - hence this bonus blog) Part of history for the Texas Rangers. Two hours before game time, the stadium concourse was packed with people. Throngs of fans in red and blue stood in line for souvenirs, beer, and food. The excitement was palpable, the air electric. I admit I'm a whiner when it's 100 degrees at 9 pm (in July) and sweat trickles behind my knees. Ugh. I believe in the seventh inning stretch and leave at that juncture. However, this was the freakin' World Series. I was prepared to stay until they called up Ray to pitch at 3 am, if necessary.

Somehow the concept of Claws and Antlers became a prevailing theme for the Rangers. They clawed their way into the series, and their speed (i.e. fleet of foot deer) helped at some serious scoring time. Plus it's the American way to transform anything into a hideous t-shirt.

No matter what, Rangers Ballpark in Arlington is a superb sports venue. It's pretty, classic, and very fan friendly (despite Texas summers). Ray and I are halfway through baseball park visits, and the Ballpark is worthy of top five ranking. Its sister is Camden Yards in Baltimore - very cool. Wrigley Field is still beyond description. I loved old Shea Stadium, and Ray had a ton of fun at the old Milwaukee home. We've not been to the holy grail of Fenway. Old Yankees - eh...concrete history.........We weren't mega-impressed.

Big flags - always impressive. I'll give credit to Texas for its distinctive flag. Simple and yet truly memorable.

My grandmother (Julia Crowther) loved her Phillies and Mike Schmidt. We'd visit on a Sunday and she'd be listening to a game - old school. So, I guess baseball is in my blood, especially being married to Ray. The Rangers were very exciting - so many stories, so many ups and downs. When you looked at the crowds - their enthusiasm, their commitment to history - you felt chills and had to root for the home team, eat Cracker Jack, buy some peanuts, and bask in the glow.

P.S. The Giants won and they were worthy contenders. Known as the Misfits, they were wacky characters with great pitching, bats at the right time, and a darn smart coach. As Ron Washington, Ranger's coach sorta said, "So goes baseball."

NaNoWriMo World Series

The Rangers being in the World Series eats up a lot of time. I'm truly thrilled and excited that they are in the Big Show, but I'm actually watching baseball on television. Watching - not browsing a magazine, not potentially writing for NaNoWriMo. No, I'm watching every pitch and holding my breath. I have the vapors!

I don't usually include a lot of personal pics in this blog. My emphasis is on writing and the arts, but we got to attend Game 4 on Halloween - October 31st 2010 (thanks to my most generous boss). Rangers in the World Series. Well, they lost, but it was still thrilling and my first chapter will involve attendance at the ballpark. It might be a throwaway chapter, but it's fresh in my mind - the crowds, the sea of red and blue, the absolute chills during the anthem and seeing two former Presidents - George Sr. and George Jr. throwing the first pitch to Nolan Ryan (our hero owner).

My husband, Ray, has been a Ranger fan before they were Rangers. Here he's a total tourist complete with purchased World Series caps. No coupons involved. Full price, baby. We helped the Arlington economy and that's the true American spirit.

Two hours before first pitch and we watched batting practice. The stands were full, the energy over the top, and it wasn't raining or snowing. Halloween and blue skies.

Folks calling out Go Rangers! or Go Giants! united to shout USA! USA!

God Bless America, God Bless baseball, and Hooray for the Rangers season. It gave me something to write about.

Science Fiction or Fantasy?

Rangers are officially in first place. Yes, it was opening day at the Ballpark in Arlington. A brisk morning temperature of 38 degrees warmed up to mid 50s for the afternoon. Clear blue skies and wacky winds blew balloons everywhere. This blog has not turned into a sports column. Never fear. However, this is one heck of a sports week in Texas, so might as well tune in and enjoy some fresh material. My favorite quote from the crowd - "Hey Coke guy...where's the beer guy?" Surely there's a haiku hiding in my notes.

Perky patriotic music provided by the 4th Infantry Military Band and all of these flag handlers were from an Army unit based in Killeen - back from a 15th month tour in Iraq. Their families basked in a warm welcome and hearty huzzahs from the crowd.

Nothing like a flyover. Yes, huge amounts of tax payer money at work...but it is still damn cool to see. These planes were from Dyess AFB, San Antonio. Former President George W.Bush threw out the first pitch - a strike, and the game was ON.

Forget NASCAR vampires (previous blog entry). How about Aliens Abduct the Texas Rangers and turn them into a winning team?

Final score 9-1. Kevin Millwood was the winning pitcher of note. Guess he didn't get the memo that he's on Ray's fantasy baseball team - the Stray Bats. Truly, that has to be a title of one of my books someday.

Joanne