Bowling is getting a bit more sophisticated

The Baltimore Sun

There's a time-honored expression: "When one bowling alley closes, another opens." At least, I think that's it. And even if not, I'm using it because it's perfect for the top of today's column: There's a new bowling alley opening in Baltimore. Too many of our cherished, elderly lanes have died off in recent years - Seidel's closed in May at the age of 78 - but Mustang Alleys is due to open in another week or so on the edge of Little Italy, at Bank Street and Central Avenue.

Mustang Alleys will be a sports bar-bistro with a party room on the second floor of a 19th-century tack factory that's been renovated and rigged for upscale bowling.

The owner/developers are the Koch family (pronounced Cook) - Tim and his wife, Mary, and their son, Kyle. They're local. They know about duckpins and its Baltimore connection.

So they've included four ducks out of the 12 lanes they've installed. The duckpin equipment at Mustang Alleys came from one of our bygone bowling lanes and dates to 1936 - a nice touch.

Here's hoping the Kochs name their party room after the legendary Toots Barger.

Coincidence?

Sheila Dixon must think we're dumberer. The mayor told reporters last week that politics played no role in her decision to fire Leonard Hamm.

Of course, she asked for the police commissioner's resignation just a day or so after a Sun poll showed that more than two-thirds of likely Democratic voters consider crime the city's No. 1 issue and give low grades to Hamm's administration. But that must have been mere coincidence.

Then on Friday, after Police Department spokesman Matt Jablow was fired and replaced by a City Hall staffer, the mayor claimed she hadn't been involved in that decision.

"It's a personnel issue," Dixon said. "It's a personnel issue, and we're moving forward and we're trying to put things in place to keep things moving."

Right. Whatever you say, Ms. Mayor.

And Dixon apparently plans to blow right past Fred Bealefeld, the acting commissioner, and conduct one of those fancy nationwide searches for a new police commissioner. Great. Bypass a competent Baltimore career cop for someone who's never been on Mosher Street - that's what we need.

Gotcha, Tommy

In regards to Tommy Bromwell, and all the 'tis-a-shame-what-happened-to-this-great-guy reaction from friends and colleagues in the General Assembly: In my experience, people don't suddenly, near the end of their careers, decide to begin doing sleazy things. Usually, they're just finally getting caught.

Field of dreams

Being a New England native, I'll admit that the 40th anniversary of the Boston Red Sox Impossible Dream season - 1967 American League pennant, loss to the Bob Gibson Cardinals in the seventh game of the World Series - is what got me thinking about the Orioles' 24-year pennant drought (Sunday, July 8 column).

I'm sure my baby boomer peers who were lucky enough to be in Baltimore the season before - 1966 Orioles, four straight over the Dodgers - know the feeling: You want your children or their children to have the same great experience you had with the Orioles, and soon.

That's what we're waiting for here. That's why, despite all the frustrations of the last 10 years - the Orioles haven't appeared in the postseason since 1997, and in 2007 they've lost 20 one-run games - we keep holding out hope and see the flash of the old Magic every time Erik Bedard throws that breaking ball.

The What Sox?

But I'm no Red Sox fan. Sorry. It's all gone. The only thing left is nostalgia. In recent years, I've had my fill of that sneering, arrogant, center-of-the-universe attitude from the Boston crowd. The Red Sox Nation has become what Yankeedom once was - and they don't have a clue about it (and not really all that much to base it on). This season, I'm rooting for a good old-fashioned Bosox choke, and I'll remain seated while others attempt the Heimlich maneuver. Go, Yankees! (Except for when they play the Orioles!)

Springstone still rocks

Here's another anniversary I've just become aware of: 25 years since Bruce Springstone!

That was a Springsteen parody that came out of Baltimore in 1982, the clever creation of musicians/songwriters/artists Tom Chalkley and Craig Hankin. Springstone's single, "Bruce Springstone: Live at Bedrock," was released by Clean Cuts Records. The A-side featured "Bedrock Rap/Meet the Flintstones," a spoof of Springsteen singing the Flintstones theme. The B-side was a Springsteen-esque arrangement of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame." Chalkley did the vocals and, along with Hankin, the other musicians were John Ebersberger (drums), Ron Holloway (saxophone), Tommy Keene (lead guitar), Suzy Shaw (keyboards) and Gabor Lutor (bass).

Says Hankin: "'Live at Bedrock' has been played on hundreds of radio stations in the U.S. and 14 foreign countries. The two tracks have aired on network, cable and syndicated television programs. Both tracks are still in print on Rhino Records: 'Bedrock Rap/Flintstones' on 'Dr. Demento's Greatest Novelty Records of All Time' and 'Ballgame' on 'Baseball's Greatest Hits.'" Hankin believes the Springstone "Ballgame" has been played at nearly every ballpark in the country. Sounds like it's about time for a re-release party. dan.rodricks@baltsun.com

Find Dan Rodricks' column archive at baltimoresun. com/rodricks

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