Washington Nationals win; I care!

The Washington Senators won the World Series in 1924

Juan Soto
Juan Soto, the baby shark of the Nationals
The Washington Nationals won the 2019 World Series. An old friend of mine, who lives in the DC area, wrote, “I think I’m supposed to care.” It’s weird because I actually did.

This surprised me a bit because I barely followed the regular baseball season this year. I did note that the New York Yankees were going to win the American League East. Meanwhile the Boston Red Sox, who won the Series in 2018, weren’t even going to make the playoffs.

I could tell you who won every WS from 1949 to 1964, and most of the ones from 1965 to 2001. But my awareness this century is rather spotty. I knew when the Yankees won (2009), or when the Red Sox (2004) and Chicago Cubs (2016) ended 86- and 108-year WS victory droughts, respectively. Or the Houston Astros, who were formed in 1962 but had never won until 2017.

The DC history in Major League Baseball is complicated. The Washington Senators played in the National League, off and on, until 1899.

Then the city received an original franchise in the American League in 1901. It was called the Nationals by the new owners “so as not to have them confused with the old Senators. But fans kept calling them the Senators, while the team kept calling itself the Nationals.”

The team won the World Series in 1924, and lost the WS in 1925 and 1933, but generally had a dismal record. The team relocated and was renamed the Minnesota Twins at the start of the 1961 season.

Expansion teams

DC got a new team in the American League that, confusingly, was also called the Washington Senators. The one game I saw in the original Yankee Stadium was on July 21, 1962, when the Bronx Bombers beat the Senators 4-3. Then THAT DC franchise moved and became the Texas Rangers in for the 1972 season.

Meanwhile, the Montreal Expos became an expansion team in the National League in 1969 “and made the playoffs only once in 36 seasons. Montreal’s best team, the 1994 Expos, might have won a World Series, but there was no World Series that year due to a work stoppage.”

When the Expos became the Washington Nationals in 2005, they were nearly insolvent, quite literally owned by Major League Baseball. They never reached the playoffs before 2019. Going into the Memorial Day weekend this season, they were 19-31.

Yet they won the wild card game and three more playoff rounds to hoist the trophy to the only World Series in which the road team won every game. It was truly a Fall Classic.

With more concern over injuries from playing football, I have the romantic notion that fans will rediscover baseball. I will admit having watched every game in the Series on tape delay this year. I zapped through the commercials, usually watching half the game before going to bed, and the rest by getting up early and avoiding the computer.

Composer David Foster turns 70

Betty Boop musical?!

David FosterUsually, I write the 70th birthday thing for people whose work/life I admire greatly. Occasionally, it’s about people I don’t like at all. I’m just fascinated by the frequency of David Foster in the liner notes I’ve read.

His Wikipedia page notes that he has been a record “producer for Chaka Khan, Alice Cooper, Christina Aguilera, Andrea Bocelli, Toni Braxton, Michael Bublé, Chicago, Natalie Cole, Celine Dion, Kenny G, Josh Groban, Brandy Norwood, Whitney Houston, Jennifer Lopez, Kenny Rogers, Seal, Rod Stewart, Jake Zyrus, Donna Summer, Olivia Newton-John, Madonna, Mary J. Blige, Michael Jackson, Peter Cetera, Cheryl Lynn, Blake Shelton, and Barbra Streisand.” Also the Corrs, Kenny Loggins, and a bunch more.

He often wrote or co-wrote songs on the albums he produced. In 1985, Rolling Stone magazine named Foster the “master of … bombastic pop kitsch.” I would not argue that.

David Foster is a Canadian who has been married five times. He married Katharine McPhee of American Idol fame on June 28, 2019. He has five biological daughters, plus a bunch of step-kids.

“I believe that everyone gets three rounds in their life.” He was first “a studio musician, arranger, and recording artist. His second round was becoming one of the most successful songwriters and record producers in history — shepherding albums that have collectively sold in the hundreds of millions.

“This period of his four-decade career also found him creating The David Foster Foundation and volunteering his time and talent to over 400 charities, as well as becoming a household name as a performer throughout Asia where he tours annually.

“For his third round, Foster is gearing up to take on Broadway with several projects. These include writing the music for a new musical about the iconic, animated character Betty Boop, which will be directed by Tony Award-winner Jerry Mitchell.

“He is writing the music for a musical based on the Amy Bloom novel and New York Times bestseller Lucky Us, directed by Tony Award-nominee Sheryl Kaller. Foster is also developing a scripted narrative one-man show based on the story of his career that he will perform himself.” Meanwhile, he’ll be doing a North American tour in 2020.

LISTEN

Wildflower – Skylark
After The Love Has Gone – Earth, Wind & Fire
Talk to Ya Later – The Tubes
She’s A Beauty – The Tubes

Breakdown Dead Ahead – Boz Scaggs
JoJo Boz Scaggs
Look What You’ve Done To Me – Boz Scaggs

Tears Are Not Enough – Northern Lights, a group of Canadian artists such as Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, Bryan Adams, and others in similar fashion to the UK’s “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” and the USA’s “We Are the World”.

Hard to Say I’m Sorry – Chicago
Love Me Tomorrow – Chicago
Stay The Night– Chicago
You’re the Inspiration – Chicago
Glory of Love – Peter Cetera

Love Theme from St. Elmo’s Fire – David Foster
St Elmo’s Fire (Man In Motion) – John Parr
The Price Of Love– Roger Daltrey (“The Secret Of My Success”, 1987)
I Have Nothing – Whitney Houston (The Bodyguard, 1992)

There’s a ton more, but you get the idea. David Foster turns 70 today.

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