April 2009
Kim Ng: The Reluctant Trailblazer
I went to a wonderful event today for “Kids In Sports”. The goal of this great organization is to create community led after school sports programs for children and youth in underserved areas of Los Angeles County. In 1996, KIS initiated the Girls In Recreation, Leadership and Sports (GIRLS) Program to recruit and attract young girls to the sports clubs.
At the luncheon, Kim Ng was honored for her excellence in raising awareness for women in sports. For those of my blog readers that may not be Dodgers fans and don’t know, Kim Ng was the youngest person to present a salary arbitration case in the major leagues at age 26. She has three World Series rings from when she was the Yankees assistant GM. She is the first woman to interview for a general manager’s position in Major League Baseball history. Recently, she was picked as one of the most influential people in the game by Baseball America. AND Kim Ng is the Vice President and Assistant General Manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
I have always been an admirer of Ms. Ng. I would imagine that she doesn’t want to be known as a trailblazer. Like any woman who has achieved absolute greatness, she wants to be recognized for her brain and talent, not her gender. But, my God, what an amazing role model she is for women everywhere.
When she accepted the award, she spoke of growing up and what sports meant to her and her sisters (she is the oldest of 5). With humility, she told the crowd how sports gave her self-esteem during those pivotal years of teen development, and taught her of teamwork and commitment. Playing sports as a young girl, gave her the foundation to grow into the smart, successful, business, woman she is today.
The words Kim shared are actually statistically proven. Girls who play sports have higher levels of self-esteem. They have a more positive body image. They have the experience of success, learn of the hard work to achieve goals and how to deal with failure.
Kim Ng is a great spokesperson for the game of baseball and inspired me today.
After Kim accepted her award, she graciously took a picture with me. In that fleeting moment, I thought about asking her what the Dodgers were going to do with the bullpen or if she had any plans to get another set up guy or a starter (that could maybe go more than four innings, maybe? Please?). But somehow, in that moment, baseball didn’t seem relevant. I wasn’t there as a fan of the Dodgers. I was there as a fan of Kim Ng.
Peace,
Love,
AND BASEBALL,
Alyssa
L.A. Times Festival of Books Appearance – April 25
If you are in the Los Angeles area come visit me tomorrow!
I am particularly excited about this appearance/signing. Why am I excited about this one in particular, you ask? My favorite Dodger blogger Jon Weisman will be the one asking the questions! He writes Dodger Thoughts.
And if you are a Dodgers fan, you must also check out his incredibly informative, passionately written book entitled, 100 Things Dodgers Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die.
I’m reading the book now. It is an eloquent look at the Dodgers and a must read for anyone who is a fan of the team.
So… needless to say, I’m excited that I get to talk baseball tomorrow with Jon. I may even turn the interview around on him! You’ve been warned, Jon.
Here is the info if you’re interested in coming to see us:
UCLA CAMPUS – Los Angeles Times Stage
1 p.m.: Interview Session with Jon Weisman
1:30 p.m.: Audience Q & A
1:50 p.m.: Book Signing for one hour
In regards to tickets, the book session is at an outdoor stage so there no tickets are necessary. You can just show up to the UCLA campus and walk over to the Los Angeles Times Stage! There are 400 seats available but plenty of standing room; they have had up to 1,000 people at that stage before with no problem.
I hope to see you there!
Peace,
Love,
AND BASEBALL,
Alyssa
P.S. If you would like to see my behind the scenes video of my Citi Field visit, click here.
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Chris Young: Dodger Killer but I kind of respect the guy
Dave Hollander interviewed Chris Young. The headline of the interview is: “Padres All-Star: Clean Players vs. Dirty Players Class Action Suit, Why Not?” Intrigued? The interview is quite compelling. It is refreshing to hear from one of the guys that didn’t get caught up in steroids. He is honest and frank about the topic. The article can be found here. If you have a moment, give it a read.
Also, if you are in New York, please come visit me at Citi Field on Saturday, where I will be celebrating the TOUCH flagship store ribbon cutting! I will be at the store from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. signing autographs and taking pictures. I’m very proud of the store and appreciative for this opportunity given to me by the Mets so… come join me! I’ll be the girl with misty eyes. (I get a little emotional when it comes to this stuff.)
Peace,
Love,
AND BASEBALL,
Alyssa
Nick Adenhart, 1986-2009
Eric, who has been a loyal follower to my blog and who is my favorite Angels fan, left a comment in my last entry that touched me.
Dear Eric,
Baseball aside, the very human lesson is that we cherish every day as if it were our last. No one is immune to this reality so . . . live well, passionately, with kindness and appreciation. In my subconscious I know this to be true. We ALL know this to be true. It’s just sometimes I need a reminder how fleeting life really is. This tragic news today was that reminder for me, and hopefully many others.
No matter what our teams are, no matter if you watch the game from inside the dugout, press box, on the couch or in the stands, when baseball loses someone, we all mourn together as a community. It’s a community I am proud to be a part of in moments like these.
RIP Nick Adenhart and thank you for the reminder.
Peace,
Love,
AND BASEBALL,
Alyssa
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Opening Day Roster and other Mumblings
Happy Opening Day. Here is our 25-man roster:
- Infielders – Casey Blake, Blake DeWitt, Rafael Furcal, Orlando Hudson, James Loney, Mark Loretta
- Outfielders – Andre Ethier, Matt Kemp, Juan Pierre, Manny Ramirez, Delwyn Young
- Catchers – Brad Ausmus, Russell Martin
- Pitchers – Chad Billingsley, Jonathan Broxton, Clayton Kershaw, Hiroki Kuroda (OPENING DAY STARTER), Hong-Chih Kuo, James McDonald, Guillermo Mota, Ramon Troncoso, Claudio Vargas, Cory Wade, Randy Wolf
Well . . . if the starting rotation stays healthy, we should be okay. If (God forbid) Billingsley or Kuroda spend anytime on the DL, we may be screwed. I wouldn’t be surprised if we end up with another starter before the trade deadline.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch (I actually live on a ranch), I returned home today from NY. I’m exhausted but had a productive time on the book tour. More than 60 interviews in four days! I was so sick of hearing my own voice by the end of it. I would like to thank HarperCollins again for giving me the opportunity to write my love letter to baseball.
I find it quite humorous that the media has tagged my book as a “tell-all”. I guess it would be the logical sensational angle, but just to clear some things up that have been inaccurately reported:
- WHAT WAS REPORTED – The book is a tell-all where I go in depth about the baseball players who I’ve dated.
- FACT – Ummmm. Not even close. It is a retrospective look back on how baseball has been a constant in my life and what the sport has meant to me though the years and how it brought my father and me closer. Considering that there are only four pages out of 253 that focus on my exes, if you are considering buying the book to read me kiss and tell, you will be disappointed.
- WHAT WAS REPORTED – I write that Brad Penny made me wear his jersey to bed.
- FACT – I wrote about wearing BP’s jersey in the batting cage at Dodger Stadium. I never wrote, nor would I ever write, anything about what I sleep in.
- WHAT WAS REPORTED – I “URGED that troubled starlets should give sports a try.”
- FACT – I would never be so bold. I do speak of how sporting events gave me a healthy escape and how baseball found me when I needed it most. I never wrote anything about troubled starlets “giving sports a try.”
Having said all that, I am amazed that journalists don’t have to read the books they write about and that their editors don’t actually fact-check.
If you have read the book, please leave an honest comment or review here on this blog entry so people can base their potential purchase on truthful and accurate information.
Most importantly: Thank you to all who came out to my book signings last week. My only wish is that I had more time to spend with each of you. I appreciate the support and hope no one left disappointed.
Peace,
Light,
AND BASEBALL,
Alyssa
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Alyssa Milano
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