-
Sorry, I Just Think It’s Weird—House of the Dragon, updates on a new book, a reunion & Italy
Thoughts on House of the Dragon’s Casting Last Sunday night on House of the Dragon, they replaced the two actresses who played Raenyra (Milly Alcock) and Alicent (Emily Carey) with two other actresses as ten years had passed between the previous episode and Sunday night’s. The switch was jarring—they didn’t look or act like the previous characters. I’m sorry, I just think it’s weird in today’s era of movie making that they would choose to do this—films age characters all the time. What’s even stranger is that Matt Smith who plays Daemon, continues in his role, looking no older than before despite the passage of 10 years. As well, Paddy…
-
Do You Google While You Watch? And other thoughts…
I was thinking about the shows that my husband and I tend to watch on television. Most of them require me to Google while I watch, meaning they are typically rooted in some sort of reality or history, and we’re often pausing the television as we search to see how much of it is true. Do you do this, too? The benefit of online access is that we can check dates, facts, people’s names and histories, etc. The problem is, we need to know which credible sources we can turn to in times of our curiosity and which ones are accurate. One of the things I’ve prided myself on all…
-
Baseball Girl Gets a Revamp
There’s still time for a beach read! *** Hi, all! I hope you’re having a good Thursday! I made a little video to offer insight about my novel, Baseball Girl, which may have been the most fun of all my novels to write. I’ve been thinking about this novel a lot lately, and I went back and reread it. It’s chock full of so much “stuff,” so instead of writing about it, I thought I’d just share my thoughts here. The new cover is live on Amazon now. As a funny aside, I have to give special thanks to all the people I met along the way working in the…
-
Sentimentality Run Amok
I can’t help it. It happens every time. Every single time. Even though I live and breathe baseball vicariously through my husband, who works for the ballclub, when I go to Camden Yards, it’s as if I never left. Be forewarned: take me to Camden Yards, and I get sentimental. With the pandemic seeping into every aspect of our lives, I haven’t been to the ballpark in a year and a half. On Friday night, our family enjoyed a lovely outing and got to spend time “at the yard,” as Orioles fans like to say. Luckily for us, the team had a big win Friday night over the Nats and…
-
The Slump: A Short Story in the Absence of Baseball for Fiction Friday
What I’m sharing today, in the absence of Opening Day for Major League Baseball, is a short story I wrote about a ballplayer in a slump. Working in baseball, we saw a lot of slumps, from top-tier players to rookies. I’m not sure when or why this short story popped into my head, but I’m glad it did. I enjoy writing about baseball. It’s the one baseball story that’s included in The Postcard and Other Short Stories & Poetry, and I thought I’d share it during these days of being at home and social distancing due to the coronavirus outbreak. The second book I published, Baseball Girl, is a novel…
-
And Here’s to You, Mr. Robinson
Yesterday, we learned that Orioles great and Hall of Famer Frank Robinson had passed away. He was 83. I was lucky enough to get to know Frank during my time at the Orioles. His humor, willingness to be helpful, and energy was a positive force within the Orioles organization. When you learn someone has passed away, you take a moment to be pensive. To truly understand how quickly life goes by, and that a little appreciation for people, places, and things is important in life. If you’ve read my blog at any point in the past, you know that I write quite sentimentally about my time working in baseball. I…
-
Remembering Earl Weaver
I didn’t know Earl Weaver well, only a little bit. He was at the helm when I started working for the Orioles as a 19-year-old in 1985. He was tough and rugged, spoke his mind, but was always fair. He was nice to those of us who were beginning our careers in sports. When he had to be somewhere and we needed to escort him, he didn’t put up a fuss. Players and managers were not as standoff-ish back then as they became during my later years at the ballclub. Several of us took a road trip to New York one year; Earl and Cal Ripken Sr. were there in…
-
The Way I See Baseball: Waiting to Hear the Crack of the Bat
*** Mother Nature has blessed us with an incredible day. It’s sunny and warm, and now it’s official: I yearn to hear the crack of the baseball bat. I’m ready for Orioles baseball and for Opening Day at Camden Yards in Baltimore. It’s still in my blood. For thirteen years of my life, I bled black and orange. As a front office employee for the Baltimore Orioles many moons ago, I looked forward to the season starting. It was a sign of spring and rebirth. Baseball is America’s pastime. Some say baseball is slow moving, that it can be equated with watching the grass grow. As for me, I can’t…
