A Tiger Legend

It was on this day in 1983 that George Kell was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Growing up, George was the broadcast partner of Al Kaline for the Detroit Tigers TV games from 1965-1996. He reminded me a lot of Ernie Harwell in that he always sounded friendly and had plenty of stories. He actually broadcast some radio games with Ernie. He had quite a career as a player, too.

He began his career with the Philadelphia Athletics in 1943. He moved to the Detroit Tigers in 1946 and went on to play for the Chicago White Sox, Boston Red Sox and the Baltimore Orioles. In his career, Kell batted .306, with 78 home runs and 870 RBI’s, 881 runs scored, 2054 hits, 385 doubles, 50 triples, 51 stolen bases, a .414 slugging average, and 621 walks for a .367 on-base percentage. He posted a career .971 fielding percentage. Kell played 1,795 games, but he never played for a team that made the postseason or the World Series.

Other highlights:

10-time All-Star (1947–54, 1956–57)
Eight consecutive .300 seasons (1946–53)
AL batting champion, led the majors in batting average (1949)
Holds record of the fewest strikeouts for a batting champion (13, in 1949)
Twice led the league in hits and doubles (1950–51)
Hit for the cycle (June 2, 1950)
Had 6 hits in a game (September 20, 1946)
Top 10 in AL MVP vote (1947, 1949, 1950)

One of my favorite George Kell quotes is “Never let yourself get fooled by the same pitcher on the same pitch on the same day.”

The other great quote came on this day in 1983. During his Hall of Fame Induction speech he said, “I have suspected for a long time that George Kell has taken more from this great game than he would ever be able to put back. And now today I know that I am more deeply in debt than ever before.”

Kell died at age 86 in his sleep in his hometown of Swifton, Arkansas, on March 24, 2009. His legend lives on here in Michigan. One of the greats!

Hat Tip to the BBB

Forgive me if I have mentioned this before. With all that I’ve had happen over the last week, I honestly cannot recall if I blogged about this.

My wife and I received a bill from the place that my daughter has physical/occupational therapy. The bill was for $2100. My insurance is the primary and my wife’s insurance is secondary. With both of them, all that we should have to pay is a co-pay.

My wife called to find out why we owed so much. Their response was that the primary insurance was out of network. This didn’t make any sense because there was no issue when my son was doing the same therapy there. So they asked for all the insurance info again and said they would rebill. The bills kept coming and we kept calling them. Each time we gave them all the info and were told they would rebill.

I had enough and called them again, but first I called the insurance company. They assured me that they were NOT out of network. They also told me that only visit they had been billed for was in April. The bill lists visits all the way back to November!

The therapist gave me an email for their customer satisfaction department. So I whipped off an e-mail giving all of the information (again) and explaining that my insurance was primary and not out of network. A few days later I got an email back that said “Sorry, you still owe this money!” They again said that my insurance was out of network and that we had to contact the secondary insurance to get the coordination of benefits right.

I responded with a strongly worded e-mail that said that I didn’t accept their decision. I told them that they are billing wrong. I explained that my insurance said they are not out of network and had never received a claim from them for any visits until April. I told them that it was obvious that they never billed them. I went on to explain that I had seen numerous comments about their poor billing department on the internet (Google reviews and such). I told them that I would be reporting them to the Better Business Bureau.

I filed a claim with the BBB and received a message back that my complaint was accepted. The next steps were that they would contact the therapy place and they would see exactly what I had written to them. Once they did that, they would get with me to see if any action was taken. Well, surprise surprise….they called my wife this morning.

“This should have never gotten this far!” “I am so sorry that you were put in this situation” Blah Blah Blah. My wife said that the woman who called couldn’t have been nicer. Naturally. The woman explained that after the first call the issue should have been brought to her department. She went on to say that she can see where the error was made and would be working to correct the problem.

And now for the kicker. The woman had the guts to say, “Now that we are fixing the problem, we would really appreciate it if you could rescind your complaint with the Better Business Bureau.” Seriously?! My wife said that if this issue had been taken care of after the first one or two calls, we wouldn’t have had to file the complaint. “Well, this could affect the way our business looks to others.” Not our issue. “This will lower our rating or standing with them.” Again, not our issue.

My wife firmly told them that we had no intention of rescinding that complaint. She also stated that if the BBB hadn’t reached out to them on our behalf, they would still be asking for $2100. Basically, she told them that it is a shame that they are more concerned with the way they look rather than making sure their clients are taken care of.

They wound up calling back later in the afternoon to tell us of their “progress” and once again asked us to reconsider taking back our complaint. They were once again told “no.”

I have never filed a complaint before. I didn’t even know if I had done it correctly. I am grateful to them for stepping in for us. It is just a shame that it had to go that far. Hopefully, the next bill we receive from them will be for the co-pays only.

Tune Tuesday – Salute to Sparky

Sparky Anderson is the first and only manager in MLB history to win 600 games in both the National and American Leagues. This milestone was achieved on July 29, 1986, when his Detroit Tigers defeated the Milwaukee Brewers 9-5, according to the Baseball Hall of Fame and This Day in Baseball. He had previously won 600+ games with the Cincinnati Reds in the National League. He also holds the distinction of being the first manager to win the World Series in both leagues, having won with the Reds in 1975 and 1976, and with the Tigers in 1984.

On July 29, 1986:

Sparky Anderson wins number 600 in the American League.

As a player, Sparky Anderson wasn’t much. Anderson was signed by the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1953 as a second base prospect. Like most middle infield prospects, he was a pretty good fielder but a poor hitter. In the minors, he hit .263 with a .325 slugging percentage. Finally at age 25, he received his chance in the major leagues, but he didn’t do much. His glove couldn’t make up for a .218 average in over 500 at-bats when there was no pop (o HR, 9 2B). After that 1959 season, he was returned the minor leagues, where he would stay for four more seasons.

Fortunately while with the Toronto Maples Leafs (of the International League not the National Hockey League), Jack Kent Cooke saw Anderson’s leadership qualities and began trying to convince Anderson that his abilities would be best used in a managerial role. In 1964 and following several tough minor league seasons, Anderson relented and became the Leafs manager. Five years later, Anderson returned the major leagues but this time as a coach. He became an Angels coach in the following off-season, but the Cincinnati Reds called with a managerial position a few days later.

Anderson, of course, accepted the position, and the rest is history. In his first season, he won 102 games and an NL pennant. He and the Reds won 2 World Series titles in 1975 and 1976 as part of the Big Red Machine. In 1979, he left for the Detroit Tigers, and he became the first manager to win a World Series in both leagues in 1984. Two years after that and on July 29, 1986, he won his 600th game as a Detroit Tiger. Combined with the fact that he won over 600 in Cincinnati, Anderson became the first manager to win 600 games in each league.

Only five managers (John McGraw, Connie Mack, Tony LaRussa, Bobby Cox, and Joe Torre) have won more games than Anderson’s 2,194.

In honor of Sparky, here is a song that no one outside of Michigan will know. Our 1984 Tigers were magic. “Bless You Boys” became what everyone said that year. Sparky wrote a book with that title, and here is the cheesy song that played locally around ’84-85.

Sources: Wiki, This Day in Baseball, Baseball Hall of Fame

Movie Music Monday – Purple Rain

Last year Rolling Stone magazine listed its 100 Best Movie Soundtracks list. It was interesting to scroll through. There were plenty of movies on the list that I have never seen. Sitting at the top of the list was Prince’s Purple Rain.

The soundtrack was loaded with hits: Let’s Go Crazy. I Would Die 4 U, Purple Rain and today’s featured song. According to Songfacts.com, the film is semi-autobiographical, but how much is based on real life remains a mystery, as Prince rarely gave interviews and didn’t talk about his personal life.

In the movie, When Doves Cry expresses his fear of becoming like his parents. When the doves cry, that’s his musical refuge – the barrage of keyboards in the chorus represents the doves crying. Besides writing and composing the track, Prince played all the instruments on the song.

I never noticed this before, but there is no bass on this song. Prince took out the bass track at the last minute to get a different sound, though he hated to see it go.

“Sometimes your brain kind of splits in two – your ego tells you one thing, and the rest of you says something else. You have to go with what you know is right,” he told Bass Player magazine.

Prince used his trusty LM-1 drum machine (now on display at Paisley Park) on this track to create the unique percussion. It was ntroduced in 1980 by Roger Linn, the LM-1 was the first programmable drum machine that sampled real drums.

To make the sound, Prince used a recording of a cross-stick snare drum, where you hold the tip onto the drum head and slap the stick against the rim of the drum. He then tuned it down an octave to give it more of a knocking sound, and ran it through a guitar processor.

Fun fact: Although there is no bass in the song and the percussion part is played entirely by drum machine, Prince’s drummer and bass player from his band The Revolution still appear in the video “playing” along on their instruments.

Happy 85th Birthday to Billboard

The first Billboard singles chart was published on this day in 1940. It was 85 years ago that Billboard began compiling and publishing the National Best Selling Retail Records chart. It became the first official national music chart. Wiki says: Debuting in the issue dated July 27, it marked the beginning of the magazine’s nationwide tracking of record sales in the United States. Initially titled the “National List of Best Selling Retail Records”, the weekly ten-position chart was tabulated using sales figures received from a selection of merchants across the country. Prior to its introduction, The Billboard had produced lists ranking music by various metrics such as performance in vaudeville venues, jukebox plays, sheet music sales, and regional airplay.

The first number one single was “I’ll Never Smile Again” from the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra. It featured the Pied Pipers and a singer who would go on to be a musical icon – Frank Sinatra. The song topped the chart for twelve consecutive weeks and elevated Sinatra to national popularity.

They performed the song together in the 1941 film Las Vegas Nights.

All these years later, Billboard is still ranking records/singles. Of course, the music from the past is a lot better that what is on the charts today. (My opinion – don’t be hating!)

Book Recommendation – Marble Hall Murders

One author that I truly enjoy is Anthony Horowitz. I’ve read quite a few of his books and they have been very well done. I had been waiting for his latest – Marble Hall Murders.

This book is the third book in his Susan Ryland series. Despite the fact that the three tie in together, it reads as a stand alone, too.

Susan is an editor, so she reads and edits manuscripts. What I love about these books is that there is a book within the book. They both connect with each other. Before I get into my quick thoughts, here is the Goodreads Synopsis:

Murder links past and present once again in this mind-boggling metafictional mystery from Anthony Horowitz—another tribute to the golden age of Agatha Christie featuring detective Atticus Pund and editor Susan Ryland, stars of the New York Times bestsellers Magpie Murders and Moonflower Murders.

Editor Susan Ryeland has left her Greek island, her hotel, and her Greek boyfriend Andreas in search of a new life back in England.

Freelancing for Causton Books, she’s working on the manuscript of a novel, Pund’s Last Case, by a young author named Eliot Crace, a continuation of the popular Alan Conway series. Susan is surprised to learn that Eliot is the grandson of legendary children’s author Marian Crace, who died some fifteen years ago—murdered, Elliot insists, by poison.

As Susan begins to read the manuscript’s opening chapters, the skeptical editor is relieved to find that Pund’s Last Case is actually very good. Set in the South of France, it revolves around the mysterious death of Lady Margaret Chalfont, who, though mortally ill, is poisoned—perhaps by a member of her own family. But who did it? And why?

The deeper Susan reads, the more it becomes clear that the clues leading to the truth of Marian Crace’s death are hidden within this Atticus Pund mystery.

While Eliot’s accusation becomes more plausible, his behavior grows increasingly erratic.. Then he is suddenly killed in a hit-and-run accident, and Susan finds herself under police scrutiny as a suspect in his killing.

Three mysterious deaths. Multiple motives and possible murderers. If Susan doesn’t solve the mystery of Pund’s Last Case, she may well be the next victim.

Horowitz again, does a fantastic job with a great mystery. I love how he intertwines the two stories and how it all comes together in the end.

There were a couple surprises, red herrings, and a few things I did guess. Apparently, some of these books have been adapted for TV, but I’m not sure where to watch them.

I have yet to be disappointed by one of his books. They are worth the read! I think you will enjoy them, especially if you are a mystery lover.

4.5 out of 5 stars

Friday Photo Flashback

I’m guessing today’s photo is from somewhere between 1987-1992. I don’t recall where the photo was taken. I’m going to guess it’s a wedding or some family event.

The picture is of my dad, my Uncle Tom, and me. This is another photo that I am unaware of who took it.

We’re all wearing a coat and tie, which is why I believe it was a family function. It also looks like it was taken in a hall. I say that because the “wall” behind us looks like one of those walls that fold up to make a room bigger or two create a smaller room.

I’m guessing that we knew the picture was being taken, as my dad and uncle are looking at the camera. I also assume that because my uncle looks like he’s making an Italian hand gesture and I’m….well, I don’t know what I’m doing.

It was always a hoot when we got together with my uncle. He’s not a blood uncle, but he was my dad’s friend since they were kids, so he was like an uncle. (He was also my Godfather.) The two of them together always led to memories that still make me laugh.

By the looks of this photo, this is probably the beginning of the event. With a few alcoholic beverages, you can bet the evening would get much more humorous.

My uncle passed away a few years ago. He always had a joke to tell and his laugh could be heard over a crowd of people. I miss him.

Update – Kids and Me

With all that went on with me and my ER visit, I neglected to post about my son. He had his MRI on Monday and I am happy to say that it came back normal.

The children’s hospital was fantastic. The staff was excellent. There was a pinball game in the waiting room. No coins necessary!

They told us it would take about 3 hours. They had it done in just over an hour. It was a long day – 4 hours total on the road. I came home and took a nap!

Ella was invited to a birthday party for a girl she dances with last weekend. It was looking like rain the whole time, but it held off until the end of the party. They had all kinds of things to do.

Each kid got to “adopt a puppy.” They had these little stuffed pups in cardboard doghouses that they could decorate and pipe cleaners and beads to make them a collar.

The hit was bubbles! They had bubble machines, bubble wands of all shapes and sizes. The coolest thing was this wand that you put in the solution and when you squeeze the handle, it splits into five bubble wands. Five times the bubble fun with one dip!

She had such a great time. She also got to meet my new nephew before me. Sam took the kids to see him when I was at work last week.

She loved every minute of it. She kept saying how soft the baby’s skin was. Lol

And me? I’ve been resting. I keep getting up and walking around as I really can’t seem to sit still. Checking my blood pressure every couple hours and trying to follow doctor’s orders.

The Unwanted Vacation

I had planned a very different post for today. Instead, I am finally up and about after a long night.

Last night was a fairly normal night at work. One of our labs needed an oxygen concentrator, so I put one of ours in my car and made the 30 minute drive there. I dropped it off and returned to my lab.

I was sitting at the computer when I got this extremely strong pain in my neck and the back of my head. Anytime I tried to look to the left, it got worse. I turned and asked my coworker if I looked ok. She said I did and asked why. I told her and she began all the “heart attack/stroke” questions.

She asked if I wanted to go to the ER and I said I was fine. I turned around and began to work again. 8 minutes later I experienced a nauseating wave of dizziness. I told my coworker that maybe she should call.

The team all worked like clockwork. One took my blood pressure, one waited for EMS, and the other called 911 and documented everything.

I felt like I was sweating, and my blood pressure was sort of high. When EMS arrived they threw EKG leads on me and said something looked off. My coworker said there was elevation in a couple leads. They thought it might be a slight heart attack or mild stroke.

My coworker used my phone to call my wife. She called her mom to come over and watch the kids and made the house drive to the hospital. On the way she called my dad.

In the ambulance, they did an IV and asked a bunch of questions. I guess there were things I remember and things I didn’t. They got me right into a room at the ER.

I laid in there with occasional waves of pain in my neck and head. They ran blood work and there was no indication of a heart attack. Glucose was a little high but they said that was nothing to worry about.

I wound up getting a CT scan of the brain and neck, which apparently was normal. “We checked your brain and found nothing .. ” LOL

They put a lidocaine patch on my neck and gave me pain pills. They discharged me shortly after. They had run all the tests they could. If anything changes, I’m to call ER or my primary doc, who I have to see in the next couple days.

So, my fun post will have to wait. Meanwhile, the doc has me off work the rest of the week. Not exactly the vacation I hoped for…..

Tune Tuesday

Just last month teen idol Bobby Sherman passed away. He would have turned 82 years old today.

Bobby seemed to be everywhere. He was singing on the radio, as well as acting on television and on the big screen. He was a singer on the show “Shindig,” he had a role on “Here Comes the Brides,” and had guest appearances on Emergency!, The Mod Squad, Murder She Wrote, and even Frasier.

Eventually, he left the public spotlight and became a paramedic. He volunteered with the LAPD, working with paramedics and giving CPR and first aid classes. He became a technical Reserve Police Officer with the LAPD in the 1990s, a position he still held as of 2017. For more than a decade he served as a medical training officer at the Los Angeles Police Academy, instructing thousands of police officers in first aid and CPR. He was named LAPD’s Reserve Officer of the Year in 1999.

In March of this year he was diagnosed with stage 4 kidney cancer. He passed away three months later on June 24th.

He left us plenty of music. He released 107 songs, 23 singles and 10 albums between 1962 and 1976. Seven of those were Top 40 hits. The one that always comes to my mind is Julie Do You Love Me, which reached #5 on the Hot 100 chart.

Happy Heavenly Birthday, Bobby!