Taylor, a Diggers Teammate, put together this terrific slideshow of Mike and his teammates celebrating their championship in 2003.
http://www.taylorumlauf.com/su/suslideshow.html
Monday, February 16, 2009
From Andy, a Diggers Teammate
mike s. - crazy, stingy and filthy in 2007 - one for the ages
by andy l
mike got rocked a bit in his first game back with the diggers in the spring of 2007. we were all amazed and elated that he was back in new york and attending our first spring game. the fact that he actually played and pitched was just totally nuts. we all knew he had very serious treatments going on at the time and figured he knew what he was doing and, of course, he should do whatever he wanted to do. if that meant bat 3rd and play shortstop so be it (i'm sure he would have done a fine job at that too.)
mike did get rocked a bit but, it was understandable. he hadn't pitched in almost 2 years. his stuff looked pretty decent. i was paying close attention, behind him at second base, since i was his relief pitcher. i did relieve mike in the 3rd or 4th and we lost the game. after that, i didn't relieve mike again until september. somehow, between treatments and pain and dizziness and heat and rain and mud and hospital stays and cold wind and darkness, mike pitched the full season. 2007 was an amazing performance by any standards but for mike it was really crazy!
mike usually confused hitters with his stuff. hitting against a lefty is just weird, but mike pitched form so far to the first base side of the pitching rubber that it was just uncomfortable for the hitter. as a righty hitter the ball came right at you. in other words if you didn't hit it (or duck ) it would hit you. modified slow pitch softball isn't about intimidating hitters with pitch speed. the game has a very clear and deliberate set of pitching rules enacted to encourage a 'hitters game' with lots of runs scored and plays in the filed. mike pitched within the letter of these rules but allowed no such 'hitters game', stingy!
i watched mike loop it, wing it, change it up, zip it, lob it low and high, and back spin it.... and that was just for one hitter. at second base, playing up-the-middle against right handed hitters as i do, i had an amazing view of mike's mastery. 2007 was a clinic and a performance and a show and a story and no matter how much i cheered at every opposing hitter's frustrated pop-up and 1,2,3 inning, 5 pitch inning mike responded only with a slow gait to the bench, filthy!
i wonder now whether he knew that without his shut down stuff, game after game, the 2007 diggers would likely have been experiencing a first-ever losing season. considering we were only scoring 2 or 3 runs per game, mike single-(left)handedly built a winning record. did he know what kind of year he was having? maybe in the back of his mind he knew that diggers hitters and relief pitchers being what they were that year, he had to just about pitch a complete game shutout every time out. the numbers bear this out... in this hitters-league the league era is around 8. mike's career era is a cool 5.43. in 2007 however, mike's era was 3.84, a run and a half lower than his already low career era. 2007 was one for the ages.
i don't like to pitch but i do it. i guess i'll be doing a bit more of it now. i only hope one day or one inning or one at bat, to have opposing hitters find my stuff either crazy, stingy or filthy.
here are a few more mike stats to chew on
mike's actual career pitching
starts 42
wins 33
losses 7
ties 2
wining percentage .786
earned run average 5.43 (league era 8.00ish)
mikes projected career pitching - pro rated as a 15 year mlb career
starts 630
wins 495
losses 105
earned run average 2.93 (2008 mlb average era 4.32)
mike's actual career hitting
at bats 214
hits 128
batting average .598
on-base percentage .623
walks 21
slugging percentage .827
total bases 177
mike's projected hitting - pro rated as a mlb season (550 ab)
hits 329
doubles 38
triples 13
home runs 20
runs batted in 213
walks 54
runs scored 272
total bases 455
mike's projected hitting - pro rated as a mlb season (550 ab), 15 year mlb career
hits 4935
doubles 570
triples 195
home runs 300
runs batted in 3195
walks 810
runs scored 4080
total bases 6825
by andy l
mike got rocked a bit in his first game back with the diggers in the spring of 2007. we were all amazed and elated that he was back in new york and attending our first spring game. the fact that he actually played and pitched was just totally nuts. we all knew he had very serious treatments going on at the time and figured he knew what he was doing and, of course, he should do whatever he wanted to do. if that meant bat 3rd and play shortstop so be it (i'm sure he would have done a fine job at that too.)
mike did get rocked a bit but, it was understandable. he hadn't pitched in almost 2 years. his stuff looked pretty decent. i was paying close attention, behind him at second base, since i was his relief pitcher. i did relieve mike in the 3rd or 4th and we lost the game. after that, i didn't relieve mike again until september. somehow, between treatments and pain and dizziness and heat and rain and mud and hospital stays and cold wind and darkness, mike pitched the full season. 2007 was an amazing performance by any standards but for mike it was really crazy!
mike usually confused hitters with his stuff. hitting against a lefty is just weird, but mike pitched form so far to the first base side of the pitching rubber that it was just uncomfortable for the hitter. as a righty hitter the ball came right at you. in other words if you didn't hit it (or duck ) it would hit you. modified slow pitch softball isn't about intimidating hitters with pitch speed. the game has a very clear and deliberate set of pitching rules enacted to encourage a 'hitters game' with lots of runs scored and plays in the filed. mike pitched within the letter of these rules but allowed no such 'hitters game', stingy!
i watched mike loop it, wing it, change it up, zip it, lob it low and high, and back spin it.... and that was just for one hitter. at second base, playing up-the-middle against right handed hitters as i do, i had an amazing view of mike's mastery. 2007 was a clinic and a performance and a show and a story and no matter how much i cheered at every opposing hitter's frustrated pop-up and 1,2,3 inning, 5 pitch inning mike responded only with a slow gait to the bench, filthy!
i wonder now whether he knew that without his shut down stuff, game after game, the 2007 diggers would likely have been experiencing a first-ever losing season. considering we were only scoring 2 or 3 runs per game, mike single-(left)handedly built a winning record. did he know what kind of year he was having? maybe in the back of his mind he knew that diggers hitters and relief pitchers being what they were that year, he had to just about pitch a complete game shutout every time out. the numbers bear this out... in this hitters-league the league era is around 8. mike's career era is a cool 5.43. in 2007 however, mike's era was 3.84, a run and a half lower than his already low career era. 2007 was one for the ages.
i don't like to pitch but i do it. i guess i'll be doing a bit more of it now. i only hope one day or one inning or one at bat, to have opposing hitters find my stuff either crazy, stingy or filthy.
here are a few more mike stats to chew on
mike's actual career pitching
starts 42
wins 33
losses 7
ties 2
wining percentage .786
earned run average 5.43 (league era 8.00ish)
mikes projected career pitching - pro rated as a 15 year mlb career
starts 630
wins 495
losses 105
earned run average 2.93 (2008 mlb average era 4.32)
mike's actual career hitting
at bats 214
hits 128
batting average .598
on-base percentage .623
walks 21
slugging percentage .827
total bases 177
mike's projected hitting - pro rated as a mlb season (550 ab)
hits 329
doubles 38
triples 13
home runs 20
runs batted in 213
walks 54
runs scored 272
total bases 455
mike's projected hitting - pro rated as a mlb season (550 ab), 15 year mlb career
hits 4935
doubles 570
triples 195
home runs 300
runs batted in 3195
walks 810
runs scored 4080
total bases 6825
Friday, February 13, 2009
Mementos
Some of these are cuttings from the plant Michael had in his office. I took them before he left to go to HSBC. More stalks have grown on their own.
This is the toy car that Mike had on his desk at APF. Now I have it on the computer stand.
The two lighter green ones are the newest. They started growing a few days before Michael passed. I definitely feel like he is around all the time! Don't they look happy?!
from Jane
Thursday, February 12, 2009
More from Karl
There are a few things that really stick out when I think about Michael. Not in any particular order
Love of cars – racing autocross, bmws, “the countach”
Sports –fan and athlete
Competitive nature
Music – the 80s/ karaoke
Food – The bachelor pad refrigerator, Mcdonalds, Ollies, La Caridad
Race
I will touch on some of these categories over the next few posts. Some will be shorter, and some longer but hopefully you all will get to know Mike the way I did.
Let’s talk sports:
Mike grew up in southern California which explains the cars and his love for all the LA based teams. One would naturally think that just meant the Lakers and the Dodgers but when Anaheim was in the World Series, Mike tried to convince me that it was okay to be a Dodger fan and an Anaheim Angel fan because that was also the home team for him. I didn’t buy it then and I still don’t but like most people in southern California, they leave in the 7th inning to beat the traffic and hop on any bandwagon that comes along.
As for the Lakers, Mike loved the championship years with Shaq and Kobe and I can’t really fault him for that. He also loved the leaner years with Eddie Jones, Ced Ceballos and Elden Campbell. Of course the man running that show was Nick Van Exel and Mike used to wear his #9 Laker jersey when we went out to the playground to shoot some hoops. I thought that Mike was pretty cool for wearing that jersey but if I remember correctly, he got it for cheap just after they traded him. Still respect him for it though. Like Van Exel, Mike liked to take it to the hole or shoot the three and not much of a mid-range shot in between. To his credit, he could do both and Mike was quick so he was pretty formidable on the court.
I remember a specific time during grad school when we played at the school gym. There were three guys already shooting around and one other guy who was just lacing up. Mike and I went up to the guy and asked him if we want to play 3 on 3 with the other guys. He agreed and plopped himself down to stretch before we got started. He asked us “don’t you guys stretch?” We both looked at him as if he were crazy and Mike said “stretch? we don’t stretch.” From then on, every time we played ball, it started with Mike saying “stretch” and me answering “we don’t stretch.”
We played a lot of basketball throughout the years and Mike certainly was a much flashier basketball player than me. He loved to shoot the three and show off his range but even more so, he loved to drive to the basket and do a behind the back layup. He would’ve dunked it if he could. Defense was often an afterthought and he was of the “a good offense is the best defense” school of thought. If you ever played basketball with Mike, one of the things he liked to do most is quote from the movie white men can’t jump. Mike’s basketball style was Wesley Snipes to my Woody Harrelson. If you haven’t seen it, it’s a great movie as Mike will tell you. When we were teammates, occasionally we would lose and Mike would say to me “but you said we wuz going to sizzler!” - watch the movie –trust me it is funny.
I digress but Mike also loved Steven Seagal movies – I think it was the fact that Mike had a strong sense of justice and fairness and he liked the way Seagal dispensed justice. We were never really ones to exchange gifts but I remember when we were working together one year, it was his birthday and I happened to be in a video store and saw some Seagal movies. I figured he would like them so I bought him – Above the Law and Out for Justice (both three word titles). I think he was pleasantly surprised that I remembered his favorite action hero. While we’re talking movies – Mike also liked Top Gun, the Waterboy, Rush Hour and There’s Something about Mary. He also is one of the only people on the planet to never watch a star wars movie. This may have changed in the past few years but he never had much interest in sci-fi.
Mike loved to play and was passionate about it so much that I was almost shocked to find out that basketball was not his true love. Playing softball was his true passion. So much so that when I told him to move back to LA so we could hang out, he told me that he couldn’t leave his beloved diggers. I think secretly he was waiting to retire from the diggers (maybe in his 50s) before heading back west. I'll let others talk more about softball.
The next post will be about Mike’s competitive nature. Stay tuned.
Love of cars – racing autocross, bmws, “the countach”
Sports –fan and athlete
Competitive nature
Music – the 80s/ karaoke
Food – The bachelor pad refrigerator, Mcdonalds, Ollies, La Caridad
Race
I will touch on some of these categories over the next few posts. Some will be shorter, and some longer but hopefully you all will get to know Mike the way I did.
Let’s talk sports:
Mike grew up in southern California which explains the cars and his love for all the LA based teams. One would naturally think that just meant the Lakers and the Dodgers but when Anaheim was in the World Series, Mike tried to convince me that it was okay to be a Dodger fan and an Anaheim Angel fan because that was also the home team for him. I didn’t buy it then and I still don’t but like most people in southern California, they leave in the 7th inning to beat the traffic and hop on any bandwagon that comes along.
As for the Lakers, Mike loved the championship years with Shaq and Kobe and I can’t really fault him for that. He also loved the leaner years with Eddie Jones, Ced Ceballos and Elden Campbell. Of course the man running that show was Nick Van Exel and Mike used to wear his #9 Laker jersey when we went out to the playground to shoot some hoops. I thought that Mike was pretty cool for wearing that jersey but if I remember correctly, he got it for cheap just after they traded him. Still respect him for it though. Like Van Exel, Mike liked to take it to the hole or shoot the three and not much of a mid-range shot in between. To his credit, he could do both and Mike was quick so he was pretty formidable on the court.
I remember a specific time during grad school when we played at the school gym. There were three guys already shooting around and one other guy who was just lacing up. Mike and I went up to the guy and asked him if we want to play 3 on 3 with the other guys. He agreed and plopped himself down to stretch before we got started. He asked us “don’t you guys stretch?” We both looked at him as if he were crazy and Mike said “stretch? we don’t stretch.” From then on, every time we played ball, it started with Mike saying “stretch” and me answering “we don’t stretch.”
We played a lot of basketball throughout the years and Mike certainly was a much flashier basketball player than me. He loved to shoot the three and show off his range but even more so, he loved to drive to the basket and do a behind the back layup. He would’ve dunked it if he could. Defense was often an afterthought and he was of the “a good offense is the best defense” school of thought. If you ever played basketball with Mike, one of the things he liked to do most is quote from the movie white men can’t jump. Mike’s basketball style was Wesley Snipes to my Woody Harrelson. If you haven’t seen it, it’s a great movie as Mike will tell you. When we were teammates, occasionally we would lose and Mike would say to me “but you said we wuz going to sizzler!” - watch the movie –trust me it is funny.
I digress but Mike also loved Steven Seagal movies – I think it was the fact that Mike had a strong sense of justice and fairness and he liked the way Seagal dispensed justice. We were never really ones to exchange gifts but I remember when we were working together one year, it was his birthday and I happened to be in a video store and saw some Seagal movies. I figured he would like them so I bought him – Above the Law and Out for Justice (both three word titles). I think he was pleasantly surprised that I remembered his favorite action hero. While we’re talking movies – Mike also liked Top Gun, the Waterboy, Rush Hour and There’s Something about Mary. He also is one of the only people on the planet to never watch a star wars movie. This may have changed in the past few years but he never had much interest in sci-fi.
Mike loved to play and was passionate about it so much that I was almost shocked to find out that basketball was not his true love. Playing softball was his true passion. So much so that when I told him to move back to LA so we could hang out, he told me that he couldn’t leave his beloved diggers. I think secretly he was waiting to retire from the diggers (maybe in his 50s) before heading back west. I'll let others talk more about softball.
The next post will be about Mike’s competitive nature. Stay tuned.
Sunday, February 8, 2009
From a College Friend
From Mariana B.
I am very sad to know that Mike has left this planet although I know he leaves behind many very nice memories for those who were lucky enough to get to know him. I met Mike at UC Berkeley in architecture school. I was part of the physics study group with him, Gladys and our friend Avivah.
On the surface, Mike seemed like a shy quiet guy. Once you got to know him and he felt comfortable he would make you laugh so hard you would cry. I remember having many giggle fits with him while staying up all night working in architecture studio and even at our physics study groups which made physics more palatable. I remember how easily he drew designs he invented for cars. He would doodle them in his sketchbook while listening to a lecture (nice how you could buy the notes all typed up at Berkeley for some classes). The sketches he drew came so easily to him and I know this was one of his strongest passions. If there is such a thing as re-incarnation, I have a feeling he is coming back as an award winning car designer.
I always wanted to move to New York and was so happy for Mike when he got into Columbia. I came and visited him once and he was nice enough to put me up on his futon in his tiny apartment and take me site seeing when he got off from work. He was so happy to be living in New York and I could tell he was in his element.
I just moved to New York this past October from Los Angeles and I was planning to look up Mike so we could reconnect. Unfortunately, I came too late and we had lost touch. I have lost touch with so many other friends so this has made me realize how precious this life is and how important it is to stay in touch with everyone somehow. I am glad I was friends with Mike and was able to share some of the happiness of his short life. I will miss him and he will always be in my thoughts.
I am very sad to know that Mike has left this planet although I know he leaves behind many very nice memories for those who were lucky enough to get to know him. I met Mike at UC Berkeley in architecture school. I was part of the physics study group with him, Gladys and our friend Avivah.
On the surface, Mike seemed like a shy quiet guy. Once you got to know him and he felt comfortable he would make you laugh so hard you would cry. I remember having many giggle fits with him while staying up all night working in architecture studio and even at our physics study groups which made physics more palatable. I remember how easily he drew designs he invented for cars. He would doodle them in his sketchbook while listening to a lecture (nice how you could buy the notes all typed up at Berkeley for some classes). The sketches he drew came so easily to him and I know this was one of his strongest passions. If there is such a thing as re-incarnation, I have a feeling he is coming back as an award winning car designer.
I always wanted to move to New York and was so happy for Mike when he got into Columbia. I came and visited him once and he was nice enough to put me up on his futon in his tiny apartment and take me site seeing when he got off from work. He was so happy to be living in New York and I could tell he was in his element.
I just moved to New York this past October from Los Angeles and I was planning to look up Mike so we could reconnect. Unfortunately, I came too late and we had lost touch. I have lost touch with so many other friends so this has made me realize how precious this life is and how important it is to stay in touch with everyone somehow. I am glad I was friends with Mike and was able to share some of the happiness of his short life. I will miss him and he will always be in my thoughts.
Saturday, February 7, 2009
From a Diggers Teammate
From Diggers Teammate Bill M.
I feel honored to have known Mike, and call him a friend. I will miss him. I looked forward to knowing Mike a long time. It¹s difficult to realize he won't be around anymore. Our initial bond was as softball teammates that soon became a friendship. Besides playing on a couple of teams together, we took a few road trips, and played golf occasionally. I found it easy to continue my friendship with Mike no matter where we left off. I always felt at ease with Mike. He was passionate in his interests, and liked to introduce others to them. Mike was a fighter. His intensity and spirit were evident on the softball diamond, and in his fight for life. One year after his transplant he came back to New York, and played a full softball season; that was truly amazing. I found Mike to have a strong sense of who he was. He was open and honest with everyone. So long Mike, you¹ll be missed.
Also, a few memories...
Myrtle Beach Golf Trip, Nov. 2003
Mike booked the rent-a-car. He rented a bright, canary yellow, Mustang convertible. That¹s when I discovered his passion for cars. One night we went to a local bar/restaurant for dinner. Soon after dinner, karaoke started. I thought that would be our signal to leave, but Mike, as I would find out, loved to sing karaoke. I was floored to hear Mike sing (especially Mandy, and I Write the Songs that Make the Young Girls Cry). He was a big hit with the locals at the bar.
Playing golf one July 4th at Dyker Beach
We had the course to ourselves. On one green the hole was at the bottom of a slope that made it nearly impossible to get the ball in the hole. We spent about a half hour trying to hit putts into the hole, missing each time, but we were both determined.
Trip to Little League World Series, August 2004
We went to see the Taiwanese little league team in the Little League World Series, out in western PA. That was a great trip.
I feel honored to have known Mike, and call him a friend. I will miss him. I looked forward to knowing Mike a long time. It¹s difficult to realize he won't be around anymore. Our initial bond was as softball teammates that soon became a friendship. Besides playing on a couple of teams together, we took a few road trips, and played golf occasionally. I found it easy to continue my friendship with Mike no matter where we left off. I always felt at ease with Mike. He was passionate in his interests, and liked to introduce others to them. Mike was a fighter. His intensity and spirit were evident on the softball diamond, and in his fight for life. One year after his transplant he came back to New York, and played a full softball season; that was truly amazing. I found Mike to have a strong sense of who he was. He was open and honest with everyone. So long Mike, you¹ll be missed.
Also, a few memories...
Myrtle Beach Golf Trip, Nov. 2003
Mike booked the rent-a-car. He rented a bright, canary yellow, Mustang convertible. That¹s when I discovered his passion for cars. One night we went to a local bar/restaurant for dinner. Soon after dinner, karaoke started. I thought that would be our signal to leave, but Mike, as I would find out, loved to sing karaoke. I was floored to hear Mike sing (especially Mandy, and I Write the Songs that Make the Young Girls Cry). He was a big hit with the locals at the bar.
Playing golf one July 4th at Dyker Beach
We had the course to ourselves. On one green the hole was at the bottom of a slope that made it nearly impossible to get the ball in the hole. We spent about a half hour trying to hit putts into the hole, missing each time, but we were both determined.
Trip to Little League World Series, August 2004
We went to see the Taiwanese little league team in the Little League World Series, out in western PA. That was a great trip.
From a Diggers Teammate
When I think about Mike, three seemingly contradictory images come to mind. I think about how he would always ask me for news about my brother, Paul, who had moved away to Portland. His face would light up with that big, warm smile of his. The other image that comes to mind is him rubbing dirt into his hands and violently throwing it down to the ground to psych himself up before a big pitch. He had this ferocious intensity while on the mound that was rather frightening. The third image is the sweet and earnest look on his face when he sang, “Mandy.”
When I first met Mike, I thought he was a private man. He didn’t talk much about himself. But over time, I slowly came to realize that, although he was quiet, at every moment, Mike was fully engaged. He always gave of himself completely. It didn’t matter if he was asking about an old friend, pitching with the game on the line, or singing his heart out; Mike was going to show who he was with all his warmth, intensity, and passion. I have always respected and admired him for that; now I will deeply miss him because of it.
--Michael
"Big Delicious"
When I first met Mike, I thought he was a private man. He didn’t talk much about himself. But over time, I slowly came to realize that, although he was quiet, at every moment, Mike was fully engaged. He always gave of himself completely. It didn’t matter if he was asking about an old friend, pitching with the game on the line, or singing his heart out; Mike was going to show who he was with all his warmth, intensity, and passion. I have always respected and admired him for that; now I will deeply miss him because of it.
--Michael
"Big Delicious"
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