Just to set the scene…… In the 2002 baseball season, John Schoming had selected White Sox starting pitcher Mark Buehrle in the 8th round of the NPL draft, and Buehrle went on to have a big year in ’02, winning 19 games with 5 CG and 2 Shut-Outs for the Pale Hose and Big D, whose team name in 2002 was “Knuckles.” So with that tidbit of info, here is the reprint of….. “Big Daddy’s Excellent Adventure.”
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April 25, 2002
Apparently the owner of the KNUCKLES had a birthday last week. And it being the first birthday John had with the new bride, well, Heather really did it up big…… While John thought he was getting tickets for the two of them to go to a Pirates game, he opened the ticket envelope to realize that they would be making the trek up the turnpike to Jacobs Field… Mrs. Big Daddy took care of a Town Car for transportation and overnight accommodations in a fine hotel in Cleveland. So Big Daddy had his first in person look at “The Jake” for this past Monday night’s game of the Tribe vs. the White Sox.
And what a night it was……. Coincidentally, John just happens to have 5 players from those two teams. Einar Diaz, Ellis Burks, Kenny Lofton, Keith Foulk and the guy that just happened to be that night’s starting pitcher for the Chi-Sox, Mark Buehrle!!!

How cool is that?? But it gets better….. With it being a cold evening and a smaller crowd on hand, Big Daddy was able to go down to the railing during pre-game….. And get this…. He gets Buehrle’s attention and he comes over to B.D. and they have a conversation and Johnny even gets his picture with him too…. Now think of it. A guy goes out of town to an American League Park, his fantasy ace just happens to be pitching that game, and he gets to talk to him in person before he goes out on the mound!! While Big Daddy may have given Buehrle his version of a pep talk, Buehrle however may have been a bit unnerved from this chance encounter with a beer-guzzling guy from Pittsburgh who owns him in a fantasy league, as the previously almost untouchable lefty went out and got rocked for 4 runs early in taking his first defeat of the season……. I think White Sox manager Jerry Manuel has now issued an “off-limits” warning to Big Daddy in regard to all White Sox players!! But all in all, a great trip for John. Now, what can he come up with to top that for Heather’s birthday?
BASEBALL and D-DAY:
Couple of items........
** The Commissioner cancelled all major league games on that day due to the events in Europe.
** One baseball player of note (that we would know) was born on June 6, 1944. The former Mets shortstop BUD HARRELSON.
YOU TUBE:
Well, in keeping with a D-Day military theme, here is a 1 minute, 20 second video of Corporal Joseph Liebgott translating the German General speech to his troops from the final episode of the HBO mini-series Band of Brothers.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ds85Zko0cT0&feature=related
--DJ