Nostalgia and Dodger Blue

(Pamela Anderson, Jaime and Frank McCourt, Kareem and Billy Crystal)

The retro baseball at the Los Angeles Coliseum on Saturday, March 29, was a blast, although I totally embarrassed myself. I thought, I was a fair to middling Little League pitcher. So, when I was suddenly called upon to throw out the first pitch before the second inning, I thought it would be okay. However, I was wrong and totally tanked it.  I threw an ugly grounder that would had gone into the dugout if there had been one. I had to call upon the "Skyhook" to retrieve some honor and was able to successfully hook one over home plate. Thank heaven for those classic games of Laker Showtime that are still running on the tube. The crowd remembered my signature shot and loved it!

The rest of my time was spent having a wonderful time talking to some of my heroes from  childhood. I got to chat with Duke Snider for a good half hour, and for a few minutes with Carl Erskine and Roger Craig. Billy Crystal, who has been my friend since high school, was my guest. He was still stoked over his recent major league at-bat for the New York Yankees. Billy went to college on a baseball scholarship, and as a former resident of the Bronx is a die-hard Yankees fan. None of us likes to strike out, but striking out in pinstripes was totally okay with Billy. Of course there were distractions, or I should say one major distraction -- Ms. Pamela Anderson. She really is an actual sweetheart. None of her fans get disappointed. The goodwill she exudes and her smile are as genuine as they come.

So, for this Dodger fan it was a great night. Dodging pedestrians on the way out the way the old-time Dodgers fan had to dodge trolleys was even worth it. Go Blue!

Click here for more photos from the event.

For more about this game click here.

(photo credit: Iconomy.com)

Comments

[Gabe]

I was there, and the Sky Hook WAS awesome Kareem, the crowd did love it. Hope you had fun, it was a great night.

[Rashad]

That was by far, the classiest oogling over Pamela Anderson I ever read. And isn't it funny how now, even in retirement, the sky hook is still bailing you out of jams? Forget HGH, Clemens may have a new weapon.

[Jarobie Anderson]

Hey Kareem I know this is off topic but how is bynum doing.

[frank]

The Skyhook is the ONLY way to throw things--clothes into the hamper, pennies into the Coinstar, everything!

[Brent]

Captain: that was a truly great moment. The Skyhook was such a blast, and it made me brim with joy. Thanks for that moment!

[Sherman Dorn]

I didn't know how much you were a Brooklyn Dodgers fan until after the 1985 championship over the Celtics, when you made the comparison to 1955, when the Dodgers finally beat the Yanks. My father grew up on Flatbush Avenue as a die-hard Dodgers fan (after a flirtation with the Red Sox), and there is absolutely no truth to the rumor that the Dodgers followed him to California because he was stationed at George AFB in 1958.

Glad you got the second pitch over the plate in style!

[The D]

Rashad's got it right - that was some seriously classy ogling.

I'm taking notes for the next time I happen I'm seated next to a world-famous beauty. That way, I too can take in the experience without seeming like either a creep or a robot.

[Lila]

I love the photos!!! keep those coming!

[Brandon]

Skyhook rules.

[Alyssa Berlin]

My dad is one of your fans, but not so much a huge fan of baseball, but we both enjoyed you sky hooking, in BASEBALL! :) our favorite moment of the whole game.

[Bonnie Lee]

That's what I'm talkin about!

[Pat]

Great post, Kareem...not sure if you know this, but Duke Snider had a great quote (my favorite): "Swing hard - you never know when someone might throw the ball where you're swinging". Go Dodgers!