18 August 2023
Cosmic baseball: We are approaching the 40th anniversary of a legendary Orioles game at Memorial Stadium: The night relief pitcher Tippy Martinez picked off three runners at first base in the same inning. Longtime Baltimoreans know well the story and have told it to their offspring: On Aug. 24, 1983, in a game against Toronto that went to extra innings, manager Joe Altobelli had to call on utility infielder Lenn Sakata to catch. Sakata had not crouched behind home plate with mask and mitt since Little League. So, Toronto runners figured they could take big leads off first base and easily steal second. That didn’t happen as, one by one, Martinez snapped throws to first baseman Eddie Murray that resulted in all three outs. To top it off, the home team prevailed in extra innings, 7-4, with Sakata, the unlikeliest of heroes, hitting a three-run, game-winning homer. It was cosmic, a grand night on 33rd Street, and by now 1.6 million Baltimore baseball fans have claimed they were there. (Attendance was 25,882.) Of course, the Orioles went on to win the World Series that year. This concludes the unavoidable nostalgia part of today’s column.
Sideshow at Camden Yards: If you sit in the bleachers for an Orioles game, you will likely be entertained by an amusing bonus feature between innings: Four grown men, resplendent in black and orange, loudly beckoning from the stands to the outfielders, demanding that they toss their warm-up balls to some kid the men have chosen from the crowd. “Throw it here!” the guys yell, pointing to the chosen child. “Throw it here! This kid! Throw it to this kid!” The kid stands by, somewhat bewildered, but hoping that the strangers advocating for him will prevail. If they don’t — should the outfielders, especially visiting outfielders, toss the ball elsewhere — the guys get a little grumpy. But they always come back. And should they succeed in getting a ball for a kid, they might advocate for another in the following innings. Where do we find such men? Sections 94 or 96.
Suggested: Have a cup of coffee at Cafe Los Suenos in Remington. … Watch an Orioles away game at the Swallow at the Hollow, York Road and Northern Parkway. … Try the imported mortadella from Trinacria Italian Deli, Paca Street. … My most trusted barroom scout likes Johnny Dee’s, an old-school lounge on Amuskai Road, off Loch Raven Boulevard: “Fine cocktails and a good shrimp salad sandwich in a hip, midcentury modern atmosphere.”
Rails to trails: One day in the not-too-distant future, a person will be able to get on a bicycle and pedal from Georgetown, in the nation’s capital, to the shores of Lake Erie, primarily on trails converted from rails. It’s already possible to bike 184 miles from Washington to Cumberland, in Western Maryland, on the C&O Canal Towpath along the Potomac River. From Cumberland, a cyclist (or ambitious hiker) can get to Pittsburgh on the Great Allegheny Passage, a 150-mile trail converted from a rail line. The next big piece is a 1,500-mile network of bike-hike paths known as the Industrial Heartland Trails, crossing from Pennsylvania into Ohio, connecting Pittsburgh to Cleveland and Lake Erie. The IHT, in various stages of completion, will also run into West Virginia and parts of New York. It’s an impressive project.
Watch this: If you have not seen “A Most Wanted Man,” starring Philip Seymour Hoffman in one of his last film roles, make sure you do. It’s very good. But a warning: Hoffman was at top acting form when his brain and body were ravaged by drug addiction — so much so that his superb performance can become hard to watch. He’s so good, as a disheveled, hard-drinking German intelligence unit chief, you feel a mournful longing as you watch, knowing that he died a few months later, depriving us of years more of his great talent.
An abundance of aubergine: There will be a lot of eggplant showing up in markets this month. If you intend to make eggplant parmigiana the usual way — by first skinning and cutting the aubergine into discs, dipping them in egg batter and breadcrumbs — try cooking them on a baking sheet at 400 degrees instead of frying them in a pan. Works just as well with less mess. After just a few minutes and one flip, the discs get crispy on both sides. Important: Lay the discs out on paper towels and salt them first; after a few minutes, pat them dry. This removes the moisture and reduces bitterness.
Meaty ‘maters, big cukes: If you want a great marinara sauce, grow or buy San Marzano plum tomatoes; meaty pulp, fewer seeds, best flavor. Also, if you’re into gardening and want to give the neighbors something to talk about, plant Armenian striped cucumbers next season. The ones from our garden have been nearly three feet long. They’d make a great dill pickle if I could find a jar big enough.
August is the Sunday night of the year: It always feels like we’re running out of time. Another summer fading away. The little boy and girl who grew up next door have returned to college. Soon it’s back to work, back to reality after a carefree summer, or the illusion of one. The love songs of the August crickets sound like a thousand ticking clocks.
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