The Writer's Life 6/21 - Hitters

Now it’s more like a U.S. Open -- only eight players are under par going into the final round. Four are tied at -4, including Jason Day, who is battling not only the tough course but vertigo. It is reminiscent of when Ken Venturi fought dehydration in 1964 and Tiger Woods won playing on a bum knee in 2008. The stage is set for high drama -- and it’s in prime time!

In 1938 Johnny Van Der Meer did the impossible, firing consecutive no-hitters for the Cincinnati Reds. In Max Scherzer’s last two starts for the Washington Nationals, he has allowed no runs and only one hit. He pitched a no-hitter yesterday against the Pittsburgh Pirates, coming within one strike of a perfect game. He hit pinch-hitter Jose Tabata with a pitch with two-out in the ninth inning! Curiously, Vander Meer’s feat, measured against his entire career, seems indication of a failure to fulfill promise. He won 119 games and lost 121 in 13 seasons in the bigs. Scherzer, 30, in his eighth season, is 99-55. Should he stay healthy, he has a great shot at the Hall of Fame -- and other no-hitters! I'm using more exclamation points than Elaine Benes did in that famous episode of Seinfeld where it led to her breakup with her writer boyfriend!

For the second straight day passersby threw a no-hitter at the floating book shop. This has not happened in a long time. It's certainly not the selection. I have a nice variety of books in English and Russian, as well as a lot of DVDs in each language. I know people are using less of each due to the growing popularity of electronic alternatives, but I believe there's still a huge market for print and discs. What will tomorrow bring? Unlike golfers, I want to be above par.
Vic's 5th Novel: http://tinyurl.com/okxkwh5

Vic's 4th novel: tinyurl.com/bszwlxh

Vic's 3rd Novel: http://tinyurl.com/7e9jty3

Vic's Short Story on Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/k95k3nx
Vic's Short Story Collection: http://www.tiny.cc/Oycgb
Vic's 2nd Novel: http://tiny.cc/0iHLb Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/kx3d3uf
Vic's 1st Novel: http://tinyurl.com/l84h63j

Vic's Rom-Com Screenplay: http://tinyurl.com/kny5llp

Vic's Horror Screenplay: http://tinyurl.com/cyckn3f

Vic's Blog: http://vicfortezza.blogspot.com/

Vic's Web Site: http://members.tripod.com/vic_fortezza/Literature/