Best of 2005: Part 2

Summertime.
There are a lot more photos on my slide show.
Anyone interested?

Best of 2005: Part 1

From earlier this year.
These tiny creatures in the garden immortalized.

Bons Baisers de Vancouver #02

Walked from Commercial/Broadway Stn.
to Kensington Library Branch on Knight St.
And then, walked from Kingsway through Commercial Drive
and finally back to Trout Lake.
It turned out to be a very nice day.

Bons Baisers de Vancouver #01

Not exactly festive photos. Nonetheless I took them on the 24th crossing the water.

Yours Truly had an excellent evening with a friend's family on the 25th.
Enjoyed fantastic dinner, poetry reading and caroling.

Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas!

Joyeuses Fêtes, Joyeux Noël! Buon Natale, Tanti Auguri!
クリスマスおめでとう, 祝聖誕節！
Give Peace A Chance!

Loitering Without Intent

Saturday afternoon at False Creek. The Two Bumps are visible.

Day Trip by Suburban Bus #01

My First Trip to Crescent Beach. I was fortunate to see an eagle flying.

Thanks for the Memories, Johnny O.

Today, I read that he decided to retire. I was hoping he would not.

John Olerud was my favorite player with the Mariners and Mets.
He somehow always ended up playing with contenders throughout his career.
Tall, slick fielding left-handed first base man who hits doubles with .295 avg.
is my kind of first base man.

But that's not the only reason I liked him.
He was a kind of person I wish I were.

I found out that Olerud signed with Mariners while I was in Perugia, Italy, in 1999,
a month or so, after the play-off between Mets and Braves, which I listened to on a scratchy Armed Forces Radio station
in the room at a convent turned dormitory on Via del Roscetto.
(I liked the '99 Mets because, besides John, Piazza who shares the same birthday with me and Hershiser were playing for them. And because of Masato Yoshii, then with Mets, I could often see the games managed by Bobby Valentine while in Far East.)
Somehow that winter of '99 was the beginning of my liking M's more and more,
with the news of Sasaki's signing following soon.

In 2001, I was happy to see Olerud, and other M's players,
during the All-Star game and regular season games which I attended.

I believe, he was part of the record setting infield twice, with M's in that 116 win season, and with '99 Mets.
Like Dan Wilson, Edgar Martinez and Jamie Moyer,
he was a quiet professional ballplayer whose craftmanship is what fans will miss most.

The 2004 season was disappointment for M's fans,
but his homer off Pedro Martinez, for New York,
in the play-off game, was something I still remember clearly.

In May 2005, I had no idea he had signed with Boston until he showed up on TV.
Platooning with Millar, I think he had a decent enough season.
Most(70% or so) of Redsox fans would want him back for one more year, I believe.

Thanks for years of good memories and enjoy retirement.


Baseball Briefly

*Things change so fast in baseball that fans can't reasonably expect the same team year after year,
even the World Series winner.
In light of what is more serious, such as the Global Climate Change, and other environmental issues,
which should be the primary focus of each single healthy human being, including politicians and economists
(slight exaggeration),
baseball is but a frivolous game that is becoming part of the consumer culture more and more.
I would not deny that it has always been so.
But, look how much those bratty players make playing a children's sport.
That's consumers's money that can be spent on something else more wisely.

Yet somehow, we seek solace in the game that reminds us of the pastoral, innocent past.
The pleasure of baseball is always being able to find a new favorite player to watch on the field.
I wonder if, in 2006, I will ever be able to find one. Yuniesky Betancourt is my best bet.