Mr. October

Together with City Wide Law Group

Ventura County! Thank you for joining us this week. Fall is officially here, although the mid-day highs say otherwise. Southern California doesn’t quite change with the seasons like the rest of the country. I like to say there are two seasons in SoCal; hot or not. This coming week is going to be hot! The Major League Baseball playoffs started this week, so we are choosing to discuss America’s pastime, baseball. Baseball has a long history in our country. It’s origins date back before the American Revolution. Ventura County has produced several MLB players and a handful of All-Stars. In this week’s Wave, we’ll highlight local legends, cover local events, and start our Halloween prep. Without further ado, let’s get to it. 👋 🌊

This week, The Neighborly Wave will cover:

• The Origins of Baseball

• MLB Players from Ventura County

• Local Events

• Sports

• Mr. October

• Weather

The Origins of Baseball ⚾️

Baseball was inspired by a couple of other sports: rounders (an English children’s game) and cricket. Its origin story is murky at best and filled with made-up stories written by prominent business figures of the time. There is a saying that history is written by the victors, and that seems to be the case here. A version of baseball similar to the game we know now was being played in the late 1700’s.

A man named, Abner Doubleday is credited with creating the modern game of baseball in the summer of 1839, in Cooperstown New York. Cooperstown, NY, is now the home of the Baseball Hall of Fame. We’ll touch more on the relevance of this later. Abner Doubleday went on to become a Civil War hero, as baseball’s popularity grew and it became known as America’s pastime, cementing their stories in the history books.

In September of 1845 a group of men in New York 🏙 founded the New York Knickerbocker baseball club. This group changed the rules of baseball and codified it in writing, making it faster-paced and safer. One of the main rule changes was regarding tagging players out. Before the Knickerbocker baseball rules, players would get tagged out by throwing the ball at them. Players now had to get tagged out by the opposing team physically touching them with the ball in hand, or in the glove. In 1846, The Knickerbockers played the first official game of modern American Baseball 🧢 against a team of cricket players, beginning a new American tradition.

Let’s revisit the significance of Cooperstown New York, and the false origin story of Abner Doubleday. In 1907, 16 years after Abner Doubleday’s death, a special commission was created by the sporting goods magnate, AJ Spalding. Spalding was a former baseball player himself, and is credited with founding the National League. Spalding’s special commission used flimsy evidence and hearsay to develop an origin story that fit Spalding’s needs. Spalding’s intent was to prove that baseball was a uniquely American game, and he found the perfect person to help him craft that narrative. A dead Civil War hero. The truth is that Abner Doubleday wasn’t living in Cooperstown in the summer of 1839; he was living in Westpoint. They did not have live fact-checking in 1907, so Spalding’s story was accepted as true.

The local businessmen of Cooperstown NY loved Spalding’s story and quickly helped spread the word. In 1935 the business people of Cooperstown decided they wanted to celebrate the “centennial” baseball ceremony in town. They worked with the commissioner of Major League Baseball to make this dream a reality. The Baseball Hall of Fame Museum hosted it’s first hall of fame induction in June of 1939. There are currently 346 members in the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Pete Rose, one of the best baseball players of all-time has famously been given a lifetime ban from MLB after he was caught gambling on games. This ban prevented Pete from gaining admittance into the baseball hall of fame, despite being a 3 time World Series Champion, and record holder. Mr. Rose died earlier this week on September 30th. He was 83 years old. RIP Pete.

Baseball Players from Ventura County

Ventura County has produced quite a few professional athletes over the years. Each player has left behind their own legacy, folklore, and memories. I personally remember Delmon Young of Camarillo High hitting home runs onto the 101 freeway 😳 He did that while maintaining a batting average above .500. Delmon’s brother Dmitri was a former standout player at Rio Mesa High School. Both brothers had long careers in MLB.

 The Weaver Brothers, Jeff & Jered of Simi Valley were equally impressive as High School pitchers. They also went on to have extensive pitching careers in the pros. Having pitched for both the Angels and Dodgers

Christian Yelich, the young All-Star, had a stand-out career at Oaks Christian and kept that momentum going into the big leagues. Christian has been hurt since July, but we hope to see him back on the field soon.

There are too many players to cover, but I’ll list other notable players below:

Bobby Ayala. A Rio Mesa High grad. Bobby had a 7 year pitching career in MLB.

Scott Radinsky, a stud pitcher from Simi Valley High. Scott was in the league for 11 yrs.

Steve Trachsel. Steve was born in Oxnard, but went to high school in Orange County. Steve makes the list because he had an amazing 15 year career in MLB.

Phil Bickford was born in Newbury Park, and attended Oaks Christian. Most recently, he played for the LA Dodgers. Phil is currently a free agent. I hope to see him back in the league soon.

Local Events This Weekend 🎃

Oxnard

Oxnard PAL is hosting an international boxing tournament 🥊. The Tournament runs through Saturday, October 5h. The address is 350 South K Street. Oxnard CA. http://oxnardpalboxing.com/palboxingwp/

Thursday, October 3rd 5-9 pm. First Thursday Food Truck Event and Art Crawl at Plaza Park in downtown Oxnard. Feel free to bring your lawn chairs and blankets. Pets are also welcome on a leash.

Sunday, October 6th, 12-5pm Cars & Craft @ Casa Agria Specialty Ales. Enjoy a laidback Sunday with car enthusiasts, food trucks, music, and craft beers.

Levity Live has two drag brunches this month. A Taylor Swift-themed Drag Brunch this Sunday, October 6th, and a Hocus Pocus Themed Drag Brunch on Halloween. Thursday October 31st. Tickets can be purchased here: https://levitylive.com/oxnard/calendar/

Camarillo:

Saturday October 5th. 1-4pm. The 10th Annual Wine Walk 🍷. There will be 20+ local businesses participating. Live music + wine & beer tastings will be offered. Tickets can be purchased in advance, or on Saturday. https://www.camarillooldtown.org/10th-annual-wine-walk

Thursday October 10th 5-6pm. The Haunted History of Camarillo @ The Camarillo Library. Guests must register in advance. https://camarillolibrary.libcal.com/event/12981918

Thousand Oaks

Saturday, October 5th. Relay for Life of Conejo Valley. Guests are welcome to register in advance for this non competitive race for a great cause. https://secure.acsevents.org/site/STR?pg=entry&fr_id=108455

Ojai

Boccali Ranch Pumpkin Patch is open 7 days a week from 10 am -7 pm. Bring the family in for a weekend hayride. Admission is FREE. https://boccalipumpkins.com/

Moorpark

Underwood Family Farms 27th Annual Farm Harvest Festival. This themed pumpkin patch operates through the end of October. Weekend tickets must be purchased online. 3370 Sunset Valley Rd. Moorpark CA. https://underwoodfamilyfarms.com/fall-harvest/

Ventura

There are numerous Halloween themed Paint & Sip events this month. For a closer look at options and dates, please check out the link below: https://artispassion.com/events/

Big Wave Dave’s Pumpkin Patch will be operating all month in the Pacific View Mall/Trader Joe’s/ Target parking lot. Admission is FREE

McGrath Brothers Great Pacific Pumpkins will operate all October from 9 am- 6 pm. Admission is $1. 5100 Olivas Park Drive. Ventura

Thursday, October 3rd. 7pm -12am Ventura Blues Night @ Bombay’s. 143 South California St

October 4th-6th. 10 am- 5 pm Harvest Festival at Ventura County Fairgrounds. Children 12 and under are FREE. $5 admission for everyone else. https://venturacountyfair.org/event/harvest-festival/2024-10-04/

Saturday, October 5th. 4-7pm “Pier Under the Stars.” This ticketed event features food, drinks, fun, and dancing under the stars. Tickets can be purchased here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/pier-under-the-stars-tickets-909067644797

Sunday, October 6th. 11-5 pm FREE First Sunday at Museum of Ventura County. 100 East Main St. Ventura CA

Santa Paula

Sunday, October 6th. 12 - 4pm. Free First Sunday at Santa Paula Art Museum. https://www.santapaulaartmuseum.org/event/free-day-october2024

Sports

Playoff baseball ⚾️ is underway, with four Wild Card Series kicking off this week.

The Dodgers have clinched the NL West, and await the Padres. The NLDS will begin on Saturday 10/5 at 5:35 pm. Let’s go Dodgers!

The Dodgers, Shohei Ohtani, finished the season with incredible statistics and is a favorite for the NL MVP award. Shohei finished with a .310 batting average, 54 home runs, 130 RBI’s, and 59 stolen bases. 🙌 

The Detroit Tigers have eliminated the Houston Astros in a best-of-3 series. This loss brings delight to Dodgers fans around the globe and me. 🤗

The Kansas City Royals won their best of 3 series against the Baltimore Orioles.

“Mr. October”

Reggie Jackson is a Hall of Fame player colloquially referred to as Mr. October. He played for four different teams over 21 seasons but is typically remembered for his time with the New York Yankees. It was Reggie’s clutch hitting in the playoffs for both the Athletics and Yankees that earned him the nickname “Mr. October.”

From 1972 to 1974, Reggie helped the Oakland Athletics win five consecutive American League West titles, three straight American League pennants, and three consecutive World Series titles.

Jackson also helped the Yankees win four American League East divisional pennants and three consecutive World Series from 1972-1974. He took the Yankees back to the World Series in 1977 and 1978.

Reggie Jackson finished his career with 5 World Series championships. 14 all star appearances, 2 World Series MVP’s, two Silver Slugger Awards, and one American League MVP award.

Weather

Oxnard

Ventura

Camarillo

Thousand Oaks

Santa Paula

Simi Valley

Thank you for reading The Neighborly Wave. If you’ve never hit a home run, consider sharing this with a few friends. If you have homered, share it with your favorite pitcher.