Mother Lays Down the Law: No Playing Dirty
Little League season is underway, a time of many behind-the-scenes dramas that never make it onto the sports page or ESPN’s “Sports Center.” Take the mystery of the kid who wouldn’t slide. Coach Glenn Walker of Long Beach couldn’t understand why he refused to leave his feet going into a base on a close play. Finally he asked the lad, who responded: “Mom said not to get my clothes dirty because we just moved and the washing machine’s not working yet.”
Unclear on the concept: A junk mailer from Time Warner Cable says, “Now anything’s possible.”
“Except getting off the mailing list,” adds one frustrated Orange County reader. She called to tell the company she didn’t want any more solicitations, and the next thing she got was another letter -- with an altered address (see accompanying).
Such a deal: Vince Rojas of Granada Hills, meanwhile, received a different junk mailing from Time Warner Cable, this with a special installation offer (see accompanying).
“I don’t have to pay me!” Rojas concluded.
In this company we trust? In Washington, D.C., Raoul Ranoa noticed an overnight delivery firm that has a lot of nerve, for heaven’s sake (see photo).
Rough sailing: I’m sure it was just a momentary oversight that one radio station’s traffic report, which was sponsored by a boat show, failed to mention Friday that a traffic jam on the 405 in the Inglewood area had been caused by a boat that had fallen off a trailer.
Name game: Retired L.A. Police Officer Bob McMeekin of Newhall worked with a Bob Sargeant, who, yes, was at one point Sgt. Sargeant. (Not to be confused with Major Major, the character in the novel “Catch-22.”)
Mondegreen of the Day: “My personal favorite involves the little kid who, when asked to name the father of our country, replied, ‘Richard Stands,’ ” said Jerri Bennett-Van Houten of Anaheim Hills, “because he is the only individual mentioned in the Pledge of Allegiance.” You know how it goes: “I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for Richard Stands ... “
Department of Strange Crime Tips: Laguna Beach’s Coastline Pilot said: “Police received a report that a squirrel might attack children at a playground at the beach in the 31100 block at 11:20 a.m.”
So you think you know L.A.: Some trivia from the “Not For Tourists Guide to Los Angeles”:
* Alumni of Cal State L.A. include Billie Jean King, Joseph Wambaugh, Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. Steve Cooley and the late actor Billy Barty.
* North Hollywood was once the home of aviator Amelia Earhart.
* The Anthony Quinn Library in East L.A. stands on the grounds of the late actor’s childhood home.
* In the 1920s, Inglewood was the Chinchilla Capital of the World.
“Los Angeles boasts more stage theaters (80 plus) and museums (300) than any other city in the U.S. And New Yorkers say we have no culture.”
miscelLAny: As for L.A.’s cultural standing back east, thank goodness Mayor James K. Hahn decided against eliminating the Cultural Affairs Department.
Reach Steve Harvey at (800) LATimes, Ext. 77083; by fax at (213) 237-4712; or e-mail steve.harvey@latimes.com.