You say you want a revolution
Well you know
We all want to change the world

You tell me that it’s evolution
Well you know
We all want to change the world

But when you talk about destruction
Don’t you know you can count me out

Don’t you know it’s gonna be alright
Alright, alright

You say you got a real solution
Well you know
We don’t love to see the plan

You ask me for a contribution
Well you know
We’re doing what we can

But if you want money for people with minds that hate
All I can tell you is brother you have to wait

Don’t you know it’s gonna be alright
Alright, alright, al…

You say you’ll change the constitution
Well you know
We all want to change your head

You tell me it’s the institution
Well you know
You better free your mind instead

But if you go carrying pictures of Chairman Mao
You ain’t going to make it with anyone anyhow

Don’t you know know it’s gonna be alright
Alright, alright

Alright, alright
Alright, alright
Alright, alright
Alright, alright

Big in Japan in New York City. Sell out crowds and T-Shirt sales. Today I think it’s safe to say that Ichiro is familiar with Inoki, and Matsuzaka and Matsui surely pay their respects to Nomo. From Soriano to Shinjo, the influence and marketability of Japanese players has only grown. In fact, even the flops are good business.

Remember Me?
I’m 6 foot 4 inches. I weigh 240lb strong.

My nickname is Japan was Kurage – Japanese for ‘Jellyfish’

In 1997 I signed for 4 years, $12.8 Million to play in MLB

I have something up my sleeve…literally. I request 30 tiny magnets be attached to my right arm while I pitch - for blood circulation of course.

I carry around Nike bags in spring training, despite the $95 Million deal I signed with Adidas before throwing 1 major league pitch.

I sold out every seat in Yankee Stadium in my MLB debut; that’s 51,901 fans. In retrospect, the hype was only comparable to Mickey Mantle’s debut in 1951.

With my first start, I generated about $1M increase in revenue in one night.

My 1st game was broadcast to 35 million homes, 38 outdoor screens in urban areas of Japan.

My name used to be ‘ERA-boo’ in Japan – but it quickly became ‘ir-RAH-boo’ in the states. Typhoon Irabu – as the T-Shirts said.

He is now fondly known in baseball circles as simply ‘The Toad’

 
“We gonna do the do!”

Dock Ellis and the Wide World of Fastballs, Drugs, Racism, and Wins

Dock Ellis

Pittsburgh Pirates Pitcher 1968-1979

World Series Champion

19-game winner

Dock woke up late on June 12, 1970.  He was in California and as far as he knew, the team had an off day.  He was with a lady friend.  Three hits of LSD were in the refrigerator.   Around noon, he and his friend dropped acid.  Dock put on a record, while his friend read the paper. 

 

“Dock, it says here that you’re pitching today!” – said his friend

 

“Whaaaaaa…?” said Dock

 

Pitched a No Hitter High on LSD

May 1, 1974 – ‘We gonna get down. We gonna do the do!” – announced Dock Ellis to his team prior to a game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Cincinnati Big Red Machine. Feeling that his teammates were getting soft and bullied by the Reds, Ellis opened the game by drilling a baseball at all-time hit leader (4,256), 17-time All Star, Pete Rose, square in the ribs.  He then proceeded to hit the next batter, Hall of Fame second baseman, Joe Morgan, in the side.  Then he plunked 22-year old Dan Driessen in the back to load the bases. Tony Perez, the cleanup hitter, ducked and dodged pitches well enough to draw a walk.

Then Dock aimed his next 2 pitches at legendary catcher Johnny Bench’s head. “I tried to deck him twice,” Ellis recalled. “I threw at his jaw, and he moved. I threw at the back of his head, and he moved.”  Ellis was removed by his manager after his 2nd pitch to Bench.

After losing three straight division titles from 1970 to 1972, some say Dock Ellis saved the ’74 season for the Pirates. His team won a division title in 1974, while the ‘NL team of the decade’, the Reds, failed to win their division for the first time in the 70s.

Footnote: In the 1974 World Series, the Oakland A’s beat the LA Dodgers in 5 games. It was the 1^st ever All California World Series. 

In 1973, after his many hairstyles were profiled by Ebony Magazine (August 1973 - Special Issue: The Black Middle Class) - Dock Ellis wore curlers during warm ups.  He was told by commissioner Bowie Kuhn to stop wearing the hair curlers in pregame warmup.  “They didn’t put out any orders about Joe Pepitone when he wore a hairpiece down to his shoulders.” 

The wealth of information at our fingertips is unparalleled in sports.   The amount of analysis done on results of day-to-day job performance can give a headache to a drummer.  The countless hours fanatics spend watching and rewinding highlights, listening to sports talk radio, reading the sports section, youtube interviews and top 10s, researching historic stats and players, managing fantasy teams, and clicking through espn.com is a new phenomena. 

The amount we know about each player’s background, wife, whereabouts, feuds, and, oh yeah, on-field performance statistics, is borderline stalkerish. 

But we need it.  We love the game.  We buy the jerseys and wear them out of town.  The skill levels and physical conditioning is unmatched.   The intensity and passion of the moment is inspiring.  The uncertainty is intriguing.  The pride of our local teams unify our cities, regardless of cultural, economic, and social barriers.   Youthful fans emulate and dream while the veteran fans reflect and contexualize.  Debating the changing of eras, the changing of players, and watching rookies play with, then turn into, old vets.   The circular nature of sports folds the dimension of time and unifies generations.    

The overall marketing value of sports, not only financially, but also holistically in the community, is organically powerful and positive.  For some it’s an outlet - the alternate to slingin crack rock.  For others, like the shy youth, it’s the introduction to communication, teamwork, victory, failure, competition, sweat.  

Still… for some sports is unorganized, unknown, under-appreciated, unavailable.  Some have found out how to toast their bread - but now will see how tasty it is with butter. 

The inaugural season of Sports Toast starts now.