Future Old Times at Miller Park

This is one of those pictures I might use in 20 years under a post called "Old Times at Miller Park". This picture is pure baseball to me. Taken before a game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park, the photo features 3 of my favorite players from the 70's and 80's.
At left is Stormin' Gorman Thomas, a feared slugger who played most of his career with the Brewers. Thomas hit 268 HR's over 13 seasons.
In the middle is Larry Bowa, an All-Star shortstop who played mainly for the Philadelphia Phillies. Bowa was gritty and fiery, a real throwback.
On the right is Jimmy Gantner, who played 17 seasons with the Brewers, mostly at 2nd base. Gantner, Paul Molitor and Robin Yount hold the record for most games played as teammates.
Just seeing these 3 together was pretty cool. Even better, I got to talk to Thomas and Gantner shortly after this picture (stay tuned for future interview postings). I had previously interviewed Bowa, along with Mike Easler, a couple years back.
One more thing, as an added bonus, the player to Bowa's right in the background is Brad Ausmus. Ausmus would fit right in with the previously mentioned trio.

Gorman Thomas, Larry Bowa and Jimmy Gantner in Miller Park in Milwaukee-WI-July 2009.

Interviews:2008

Here is the complete listing and linkage for all of my 2008 interviews.

I interviewed Rick Monday right outside the Dodgers' clubhouse at Dodger Stadium in June of 2008. We talked mostly about when he saved the U.S. flag from being burned. I wrote a piece about that for Global Traveler magazine's website. That GT piece was read by David Stein on Sporting News Radio.To hear the Rick Monday interview click hereTo hear David Stein read my piece click here


For another piece on GT's website, I interviewed wrestling personalities Al Snow, Terri Runnels and Scott Taylor separately at Wizard World in Rosemont, IL in August of 2008. We talked about travel, their current life and their future plans.To hear the Al Snow interview click hereTo hear the Terri Runnels interview click hereTo hear the Scott Taylor interview click here


I interviewed Mike Easler and Larry Bowa together during batting practice at Dodger Stadium in June of 2008. Easler talked about his favorite city, while Bowa wasn't quite as decisive about his. I also helped Bowa with fielding practice, although that is not part of the interview.To hear the Easler and Bowa interview click here


I interviewed Hall of Fame broadcaster Peter Gammons of ESPN on the field at Dodger Stadium in June of 2008. It was long before the game started and there were only a handful of people even there. We discussed his favorite cities.To hear the Peter Gammons interview click here


The last interview I got at Dodger Stadium in June of 2008 was with Ryan Dempster. Dempster had an unbelievable season after converting back to a starting pitcher after being a reliever for several years. Dempster was very loose and seemed happy to talk for a bit.
To hear the Ryan Dempster interview click here


I interviewed ESPN broadcaster Jon Miller at Dodger Stadium in June of 2008. Miller gave me over 3 minutes of his time, which is quite a lot for an unscheduled interview. He talked freely about a number of his favorite cities.To hear the Jon Miller interview click here


I interviewed Hall of Famer Joe Morgan right as he headed into the dugout moments before the game at Dodger Stadium in June of 2008. Morgan only had about 30 seconds, but I logged in another Hall of Famer!To hear the Joe Morgan interview click here

Doing some research for another GT website piece, I attended a couple of TNA wrestling events in the Chicago area. At the fanfest, i was able to interview Christy Hemme, Lance Rock and Jimmy Rave (collectively known as the Rock N Roll Infection). We talked about travel and the expansion of TNA.To hear the Christy Hemme, Rock and Rave interview click here


At the Walk for Hope 2008, in Glenview, IL, I interviewed actress Andrea Evans for a GT online piece. Evans discussed her return to tv's One Life to Live, her commitment to Walk for Hope, her partnership with Lather and her future plans.To hear the Andrea Evans interview click here

The Dodger Way

Congratulations to the Los Angeles Dodgers for winning the National League West. It has to be especially sweet for Joe Torre, who is in his first year as Manager of the Dodgers after a long and successful stint with the New York Yankees. The Yankees parted ways with Torre after 2007 and failed to make the playoffs for the first time since 1994, a year before Torre took over the helm.

I had the chance to be part of a pre-game interview with Torre on June 8, 2008. Torre was very relaxed and confident about a playoff run for the Dodgers. His confidence was well founded.

I also helped Coach Larry Bowa with fielding practice. It started out simply enough with me asking him a couple questions. Before I knew it, I retrieved a couple baseballs and tossed them to Bowa to be hit to his infielders. The story sounds better if I just stop at the fact that I did help Bowa with fielding practice!

Larry Bowa and me at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, CA-June 8, 2008.