I’ve been watching the World Series on television since Roberto Clemente’s Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Orioles in 1971 so I am celebrating 40 seasons as a baseball fan by enjoying a Venezuelan coffee (and scrambled eggs, I presume from Sonoma or somewhere nearer by) at Palo Alto’s uber-popular spot to sip, chat, plan the next billion-dollar IPO and check your social media page, Coupa Cafe on Ramona Street (not to be confused with either of the three Coupas on campus).

I commandeered my girlfriend’s laptop to work remotely from said cafe this a.m., breaking from my typical Luddite stance of doing my computerizing in private or at the public library. I was going to write about Zizek but decided to punt that for Our National Passtime.

I’ve also seen parts of four World Series in person: 1973, A’s vs. Reds in Oakland; 1989, Giants vs. A’s in SF — for the earthquake and then the replay; 1992, Braves vs. Blue Jays in Atlanta; and 2002, Giants vs. Angels in SF. I did not see live any of the 2010 Giants World Series championship games although Tim Harris and I did take his kids to the ballpark exterior that night so we heard some of the excitement, and could sense it.

I also saw Bill Gould speak recently on the labor history of baseball.

I keep promising J.P. Coupal (pictured above) to compile a list of Venezuelans on current MLB rosters, from the Baseball Digest I bought last spring.

J.P. and I, with his lovely companion Maria, who is actually Panamanian, had opportunity to reference, Rod Carew, Rodney Klein (the cab driver who helped Carew’s mother deliver), Omar Vizquel, Danilo Perez (a pianist not a pitcher, who delivered a grand slam of a music seminar for Orlene Chartain’s Music For Minors students, a few years ago), San Jose’s Jessica Johnson the jazz singer, and Mariano Rivera.

I proferred the happy thought that the team, Texas Rangers or St. Louis Cards, who have the most Venezuelans will have the edge in the Fall Classic.

I am referencing Ring Lardner’s “You Know Me, Al” in my spelling of “series” in my title here. The book is about an epistolary relationship with two friends circa 1920, one of whom is a Chicago based baller, and his excitement about a post-season tilt between Cubs and Sox that he calls the “City Serious.”

Last night, prompted partly by on screen graphics researched and posted on TBS, and while watching Paul Giamatti (son of the former MLB commish A.P. Giamatti) playing a hockey-loving Mordecai Richler archetype in “Barney’s Version”, I made this list of baseball greats that represent five eras of great Cardinals champs: Rogers Hornsby, Joe Medwick, Stan Musial, Bob Gibson and Ozzie Smith. It is also true, albeit trivial, that my former client Jack Walrath and I were each born in a year in which the Cardinals won the Serious: 1946 and 1964.

Mainly I am for St. Louis based on my respect for former A’s skipper Tony LaRussa.

Frida likes Ducky Medwick fine but loves PureBite freeze-dried chicken liver snacks.

Frida at Coupa

I am punting Zizek, or pinch-hitting for him, although here as a preview is a thumbnail of my picture of him and his entourage (next to a Henry Moore) on campus Monday:

Zizek et al

Ok, this is a weak segue, more of a spitter than a curve or slurve, but the St. Louis ace and starter tonight is Chris Carpenter while Zizek Monday at Cubberley Auditorium on Stanford campus spoke at length of John Carpenter’s 1988 film “They Live” something about putting on magic goggles to see the world (or The World Serious) as it actually is. Lacking. Or as Lacan would say: pfff! Play ball!

edit to add, a cup of coffee later: Getting back to (one of ) the original premise and conceit of this post, wiki lists 270 Venezuelans who have appeared in Major League Baseball, including more than 150 active players, starting with Alejandro (Alex) Carrasquel, a pitcher for the Senators who debuted in 1939, continuing with his nephew Alphonso “Chico” Carrasquel, who played shortstop for the White Sox in the 1950s, Luis Aparicio, Hall of Fame shortstop for the ChiSox, Dave Concepcion of the Big Red Machine in the 1970s, Ozzie Guillen, another great Chicago shortstop, Vizquel, who debuted in 1989 and is still active, Giants fan favorite Pablo “Panda” Sandoval. It looks like the World Series roster gives Texas the edge in this category: Cards pitcher Eduardo Sanchez matched by Rangers all star shortstop Elvis Andrus and backstops Max Ramirez and Guillermo Quiroz.

1953 Bowman Carrasquel