Bucky's 2019 Year in Review

As I write this, there's only a few more hours left in 2019. It was another challenging year, full of ups and downs. I learned a lot, experienced some frustrations and smashed the shit out of some goals. I went new places and tried new things. I also had some great experiences with some great people along the way. Here's a breakdown of some of my favorite moments from this year:

I didn't go to my first concert until February...in Florida! My friends in St. Pete had been asking me to visit them for a while, and I was finally able to during the first week of the month. I flew in on a Monday afternoon, and met my friends. We were happy to finally meet in person, and were anticipating the Sevendust show at Jannus Live the next day!

A bunch of us gathered outside the venue for the pre-show meet and greet. Some of us were lucky enough to catch up with Sevendust lead guitarist Clint Lowery while we were waiting in line. After the meet and greet, we met for dinner at a local restaurant before heading back for the show. We also ran into drummer Morgan Rose before the show. We gathered in a nice suite for the concert, where we were able to converse and enjoy the music of Cane Hill, Lullwater, Kirra, Tremonti and Sevendust. It was an incredible night with great people!

The next day, I joined my friends for a relaxing afternoon at Madeira Beach. I said goodbye to some of my Midwest crew that day, and didn't mind that I got my first-ever February sunburn. I joined my Florida friends for my first NHL game the next day. Even though the host Tampa Bay Lightning lost to the visiting St. Louis Blues 1-0 in overtime, it was still a fun game. I went out again the next day with my friends before heading back to the frozen tundra later that evening.

I didn't get to another show until a friend's birthday bash in the Cities in April, but spring and summer were busy. I drove down to Milwaukee on Mother's Day weekend for my 25th Sevendust "family reunion" at the Rave. I stayed just down the street from the venue and had a great time at the show with friends. I would see the guys again 10 days later in Mankato for another show with In This Moment. This time, I managed to chat with ITM guitarist Randy Weitzel before the show and snagged one of Morgan's drumsticks that he tossed into the crowd after their closing song "Face to Face."

A few days later, I went to Route 47 Pub and Grub in Fridley to catch up with friends and see my friends in Eaon, Cold Kingdom and Emergent perform. This was Emergent's only show of the year, and they only have one more left next year before calling it a day. It was my first time seeing the new group Eaon, and I thought they did well. Cold Kingdom rocked the house with their new lineup, and plenty of fun was had by everyone in attendance. Another great local show on a beautiful spring night in Minnesota!

In early June, I returned to Route 47 to see Otherwise for the first time in a couple of years. I attended the pre-show meet and greet, where I and a few other fans got to hear some new songs from their upcoming album and watch the guys play a few acoustic songs for us. Local group Nuisance kicked off the show, and both bands did a great job! Afterwards, the remaining crowd was invited back to the merch tables to watch Otherwise perform an acoustic version of "The Ballad of Ivan Patrick."

At the end of the month, I drove to Iowa for the first of three trips there this year. This time, I was meeting up with some of my friends to watch John, Morgan and Lajon work on a new Sevendust song at QC Rock Academy in Davenport. The guys had some instrumentals already recorded, and myself and a couple dozen other spectators got to hear them lay down additional guitars, drums and write and add vocals on the spot. It was a unique experience that I'd definitely do again! Afterwards, my friends and I caught up with the guys at nearby Jumers Casino.

I took a little downtime during my birthday month to take in a Twins game (they beat the visiting Texas Rangers 6-4 on July 6th) and enjoy the birthday with family before returning to the concert scene in August. I stayed over at a friend's house in Wisconsin the first weekend in August as we attended Sevendust's headlining show at Route 20 in Sturtevant. My 28th Sevendust show would occur a day later at the Cavalier Theater and Lounge in Lacrosse. Both shows were excellent! I enjoyed Sevendust's headlining sets as well as openers Burden of the Sky and Alborn. It was also great catching up with old friends and making new ones in the process.

The next weekend, I went down the road to see my friends in VIA and Cold Kingdom play the Red Carpet in St. Cloud, just a few miles from my home. While it would have been nice to see more fans in attendance, I still had fun. Another week and a half later, I made my second Iowa road trip, this time to the historic Surf Ballroom and Museum in Clear Lake to see Sevendust and Pop Evil in support of Skillet. There were plenty of references to Buddy Holly, Richie Valens and the Big Bopper in town. Lajon even referenced them during their set, as he stared out at the portraits of each legend hanging up across from the stage. It was another fun show, and I had a great time catching up with friends during Skillet's set, including a chat with Morgan for a bit outside the venue afterwards.

My only local show in September was the Fire Fight CD release concert at the Dog House in Maplewood, MN. It was good to see some familiar faces and the debut peformance of Favor the Fall. The next weekend, I went back to Davenport, Iowa with a friend to attend a Three Years Hollow show. We ran into Jose and Morgan Rose before the show, who had both worked on new music from Alborn, one of the evening's performers. Morgan and Jose joined my friend and I during Alborn's set to talk about the recording sessions and critique the band's performance. All four acts were very impressive, and Three Years Hollow sounded better than ever. Another night that I'll never forget!

I started taking on more responsibilities at work in October, just after I attended the Alter Bridge/Skillet show at the Myth in Maplewood. I got there early for the Alter Bridge meet and greet and caught one of Mark Tremonti's guitar picks after their sound check. My friends and I stayed on the front rail for Dirty Honey and Alter Bridge's performances. A great show on a balmy October Minnesota evening.

My last show of 2019 would come a few weeks later, when I decided to go see Cold at the Fine Line in downtown Minneapolis. It was my first time seeing the band in 15 years, and even though the lineup was quite different, they couldn't have been any nicer. They even brought their friend Sierra Swan, who lives in the area, up onstage for the songs "No One" and "Suffocate."

I worked a lot the last few months of this year. I didn't really get out much, except for a little get-together in early November with some old coworker friends that I used to work with starting when I was still in college. Even though some of us hadn't seen each other in years, we picked up right where we left off. We met at one of our old hangouts in St. Cloud and are planning to get together again in the coming months.

Looking back at these pictures and experiences, it kinda seems like the year has just flown by. Going into the next year, I'm planning on building on my successes and trying not to let the little things in life bother me. I'm also planning on visiting my friends in Florida at least a couple more times in 2020, helping out at my hometown Friends of the Library book sales, attending my 30 year high school class reunion, my 30th Sevendust family reunion (with plenty more to follow, I'm sure) and more shows by bands that I've seen recently and shows by other groups that I haven't seen in years.

No year is perfect, but there's usually plenty of fun, positive experiences in every year. Can't wait to see what this year will bring me! Until next time, Happy New Year, everyone!

The Lost Art of the Stolen Base

There are many reasons why I enjoy watching major league baseball. Diving catches in the field, strong pitching performances and grueling extra inning games are just some of the things that I look forward to every spring and summer. Even though the off season is only a couple of months old, I'm already anticipating watching spring training games. They give me something to distract me from the brutal cold winter temperatures.

My Minnesota Twins set several team records this year. It was fun watching them lead the division for almost  the entire regular season. They even set a major league record in hitting 307 home runs as a team. On the flip side, they also had one of their lowest stolen base totals (28) ever. There were eight players who stole more bases individually than the Twins did as a team. The Twins leading base stealer, Byron Buxton, swiped 14 bases in an injury-plagued season. That total still put him in the top 50 basestealers in the majors.

The stolen base is one of the more exciting plays in baseball. There's just something about watching a runner get a lead off of the pitcher, and advancing on a pitch. It's part of the game's strategy. Unfortunately, it's something that isn't done nearly as often as it used to. Stolen base numbers as whole have been declining in the majors for years.

There are several reasons why we're seeing fewer stolen bases:

1. Chicks dig the long ball. Stolen bases aren't sexy. Towering home runs are impressive, and home run hitters have always been featured during sportscasts. Some home run hitters can steal bases, but most of them either can't or rarely try for fear of injuring themselves. Home run hitters in the American League can also extend their careers as designated hitters, while basestealers' careers have been shortened more and more in recent years.

One of my favorite Twins players to watch was Ben Revere. I'll never forget seeing his somersault triple in a game against the Chicago White Sox at Target Field in person on my birthday a few years ago. He always went all out on defense and on the base paths. He was a considerable stolen base threat, but he hasn't played in the majors in a couple of years. He's in his early 30's and can still be an asset to a team, but he just doesn't seem to be given much of an opportunity. The same has been true for other speedsters. They are sometimes seen as being one-dimensional, even if they play great defense or can hit a few balls out of the park from time to time.

2. Managers play the numbers. Years ago, managers and coaches were much more likely to give base stealers the green light whenever they wanted. There's a lot less of that nowadays. Managers play percentages. They use statistics and video replays to determine whether or not a player can steal off certain pitchers and catchers. This usually leads to fewer stolen bases, especially when one of their power hitters is at bat.

I was listening to a Twins game on the radio a few months ago on my way home from a concert. The play by play announcers were recalling a Twins game in 1968 when the team stole five bases in one inning of a game against the Detroit Tigers that season. Four bases were stolen while their primary power threat Harmon Killebrew was at the plate. This included two steals of home (by Cesar Tovar and Rod Carew, respectively). Carew stole second, third and home during that at bat. An astounding feat that probably won't happen again any time soon.

3. There's more focus on defense. There are a lot more defensive shifts in both the infield and outfield during big league games now than ever before. While pitchers are making fewer pickoff attempts, their catchers are compensating by improving their moves and throws behind the plate. Some of today's catchers have played other positions or more sports, making them more mobile at their position. They aren't the lead-footed dinosaurs that older fans may be used to.

Stolen bases are still part of the game, but to a lesser degree. There's obviously more swipes in the National League which lacks the DH, but a stolen base can still be crucial in a close game. We may see stolen base totals increase eventually, but that probably won't happen until home run totals either level off or decline.

Well, those are my thoughts for today. It's been nice to take a day off and think about baseball on a cold, snowy weekend. Until next time, have a great weekend, everyone!