Pit bulls. Sadly, the dangerous potential outweighs the likely truthful argument that it’s the fault of the owners when a pit bull goes on the attack. Pit bulls have the genetic chops, literally, to clamp down and kill or maim. The recent attack on the horse in Morgan Hill is just the latest example. Children, and many other dogs, have been killed or seriously injured, too. Breed specific local legislation isn’t perfect, but it does make sense. Too many idiotic owners “train” pit bulls to be aggressive and you just can’t know enough about an owner to make a snap judgment about the dog that’s walking toward you and, perhaps, your child. You can say this, however. When a dog breed establishes an aggressive reputation, it often unfortunately attracts a certain personality type as an owner, a person who is not prone to ameliorating any aggressive tendencies in the breed but rather preys upon those tendencies to create a menace to society. I’m a fierce dog lover – have two, a Golden Retriever and an Old Time Farm Shepherd – but sadly I believe pit bulls should be regulated.
Fierce. That’s how Melky Cabrera plays baseball, fierce at the plate, fierce in the outfield. Since we’ll be in the leftfield bleachers Friday night at the first SF Giants Garlic Festival bash at AT&T park, I’ll get a close-up look at “The Milkman.” Have to love those guys dressing up as old-fashioned milkmen at the games, and now there are the milkmaids, too … only in San Francisco. Matt Cain’s perfect game, the first in Giants franchise history, then a three-game shutout sweep of the hated Dodgers, the first time in franchise history the Giants have held the Dodgers scoreless in a three-game series – that’s going back to the 1890s folks – so who knows what’s coming next in this magical season.
Nothing magic about it, I guess, but I got a funny note from an aggie farm friend when I asked about a crop flanked by pegs and twine growing near his orchard. He confirmed those were peppers apopping and said they were trying for “osmotic infusion.” Same thing many of us duffers are shooting for with our short games on the golf course, I guess.
Shooting for a quick and tasty meal on a too-hot-to-cook day? Try the taco truck stand on Monterey Road in San Martin at the Union 76 gas station. It’s A#1 good. Top shelf choice: Brisket tacos.
Top shelf choice next week, if you’re hankering for a patriotic quenching on, say, Tuesday night is the “Old Glory” martini at the Milias Restaurant. Owner Adam Sanchez has invented the latest concoction: marshmallow infused vodka with a Chambord shot in the bottom of the martini glass garnished with an American flag toothpick featuring a rasberry, a blueberry and a wee marshmallow. Sounds a bit odd on paper, but it’s a treat. A perfect happy birthday America salute from Adam.
On that perfect note, did you know that a signed photograph by Morgan Hill resident and former New York Yankee pitcher Don Larsen taken during his perfect game in the World Series against the Dodgers on Oct. 8, 1953, along with a signed baseball to Roy Rogers from Don, sold for $2,500. That sold along with everything else when they closed the Roy Rogers Museum forever in Branson, MO. A Trigger replica – that’s Roy’s famous horse – sold for $266,500 which made me wonder again where the heck is the missing statue of rodeo legend Casey Tibbs that use to adorn the old Hall’s building in downtown Gilroy?
Not that you’d be riding a horse, but the first Discover Morgan Hill Road Rally & Poker Fun Run is a cool idea. Ralliers start at the Morgan Hill Community & Cultural Center on Saturday, July 21 and head out to various South County business locations – you pick from a list of about 40 – and have the chance to win prizes, attend the ending BBQ and take home $500 cash. Motorcycles, bikes and cars welcome. It’s $35 and a benefit for The Morgan Hill Community Foundation. Check it out at www.mhroadrally.com
Not sure what the benefit is to this social media factoid, but it’s funny what you learn sometimes. Gilroy City Councilman Peter Leroe-Muñoz is following “Ro-Ro” on Twitter. Ro-Ro’s profile picture is a panda bear which prompted this response from one Gilroy political insider: “Who the hell is Ro-Ro? A panda with no followers?”
Readers and our Facebook and Twitter Dispatch followers should keep an eye out for our Picnic Basket Winery contest. Goodies and a bottle from a local winery for the winning wordsmiths who tell us their favorite winery to picnic at and why. Just 100 words or less is all we ask. Our esteemed wine columnist Bev Stenehjem will, along with a panel of newspaper judges, select the top 5 winning entries. Deadline is Thursday, July 12. Entries to be**********@gm***.com.
Not sure what the deadline is for electronic retail magnate John Fry to move the Frys.com Open from Cordevalle to his private course surrounded by Michael Bonfante’s trees in the east Morgan Hill foothills. But things are definitely on a ramped-up track. Legendary broadcaster and golfer Ken Venturi is this year’s tournament honoree. The Frys.com Open, in a PGA Tour reconfiguration, will now count for points in the season-long race for the FedEx Cup title worth $10 million or so to the winner. And, while the faltering but still popular Tiger Woods may or may not be back in San Martin town, the tournament is definitely on its own solid ground.
On shaky ground are all the tax increases from a seemingly endless parade of government agencies. The public hands are all out and stampeding to the November ballot. As they stack up, I can only think that there’s an inverse relationship brewing in a mish-mash cauldron: the more tax increases on the ballot, the more likely all of them will go down in one big voter revolt flame-up – sans calamari, for you Garlic Festival afficionados. This fall’s election season is going to be a doozy, so enjoy the summertime …
