Lucky mustaches, powder blue jerseys and real, friggin' grass!

The following is written by David Kamoe, a life-long sports fan whose sister is a close friend. David is an avid A's fan, wen to to high school with Drew Gooden and can't believe that Giants commentator Mike Krukow used to refer to the right-centerfield expanse at Pac Bell Park as "Finley Alley," referring to Steve Finley who remarkably wore a Giants uniform for a season. David will likely be stopping by these parts a few times a month, so treat him right. And no sister jokes.

As we are at the All-Star Break (or were like two days ago), I found myself with a collection of thoughts and not the ability to stretch them out into lengthier posts. Thankfully, however, we are in the moment of the “tweet.” Thus, this is a smorgasbord of thoughts that may or may not be hilarious. Pick what you want, skip what sucks, and mind the sneeze guard.

The St. Louis Cardinals pitching staff: It has come to my attention that the St. Louis Cardinals pitching staff has started growing “lucky mustaches.” I am all for it. Not merely because I hate the fact that the Yankee mandate about no long hair. What is funny and yet all at once obvious is that the Cardinals bench coach is Dave Duncan. For those of you that don’t know, Dave Duncan was the primary catcher of the 1972 Oakland Athletics dubbed by Oakland Tribune writer Ron Bergman: the Mustache Gang. All I ask is that Duncan or his son Chris grows one. Please.

Another thought from the All-Star game festivities: As ESPN scanned the crowd at Busch Stadium, one saw fans in the St. Louis Cardinals mid-80’s jersey in all its powder blue glory. Because I grew up in the 80’s, I have nostalgia for powder blue jerseys such as these and those worn by the Minnesota Twins and Montreal Expos. The best example, however, were the Kansas City Royals who have brought back the jerseys but not the pants. Bring back the powder blue pants of George Brett and Bo Jackson Kansas City!

The Oakland Raiders: This year marks the fifty anniversary of the Oakland Raiders. It has been twenty-six years since the Raiders won the Super Bowl and then they were Los Angeles. Long gone are the days of guys named “Assassin”, “Snake”, “The Ghost”, and “The Mad Bomber.” What is further gone is the rivalry that existed in the 1970’s between the Raiders and the Pittsburgh Steelers. It had everything: great nicknames, great coaches (Madden and Knoll), theme songs (!), and voices (Myra Cope and Bill King). The sad fact is that I’m not sure the swagger of the Raiders and the rugged meanness of the “Steel Curtain” can be recaptured. Phooey.

Grass in Toronto: There used to be Exhibition Stadium in Toronto, Ontario. From 1977-1989, it stood as the home of the Toronto Blue Jays. In 1989, the Jays moved into the then Sky Dome. From 1989-1993, Sky Dome/Rogers Centre was sold out and the Jays made the playoffs several times and one two titles in ’92 and ’93. What bothers me, however, is the fact that it has a retractable roof but artificial turf. This is a quibbling point, but a city like Toronto should have natural grass. Maybe that’ll persuade Doc Halladay to stay. Well, maybe.