EVENING AT LAKE ELSINORE
(Meeting Stan Williams Dodge Pitcher)
The Lake Elsinore Storms Versus the The Rancho Cucamonga Quakers
August 14, 2010 by Dennis Ginoza
Four of us were sitting in prime seats, about twelve rows up, right behind home plate. From here you can see every pitch, breaking balls, fast balls, and hear the crack of the bat.
My wife dropped a packet of relish for her hot dog and it fell to the next row. This made for an interesting evening. I tapped the shoulder of a man sitting directly in front of me and asked him if he’d help me pick up the packet. He said, “Well, I’ll just keep it,” jokingly, of course.
As the game started, I saw that man open up a score book. I asked him, “Are an official scorekeeper?” He said, “I’m a Scout.” “For whom?” “Washington,” he replied. “Oh, the Mariners?” I asked. “D.C.” he said.
That’s when I learned I was sitting behind Stan Williams. Who is Stan Williams? He played for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1958-62. Now, Wayne King and Rusty Rursch and I were fascinated by the conversation that followed; we had much to learn. Sylvia sat and observed all this: for us the fascination of walking into history.
Stan says, “I was the starting pitcher for the Dodgers with Johnny Podres, Don Drysdale, and Sandy Kouvax.” “I played with Duke Snider earlier in the minors.” He said, “When I was seven, I wanted to play baseball to beat the Yankees.” “I was not a Dodger fan, I was a Yankee hater.” The last time he visited with Duke Snider was two years ago.
He played in the World Series in 1959. In wanting to beat the Yankess, that didn’t happen because the Dodgers played Chicago White Sox in the World Series. In 1963 when the Dodgers beat the Yankees in the World Series, he was now a pitcher for the Yankees. He played under Steinbrenner. His sense of humor came through. Yes, Stan Williams is a nice friendly guy who gave us his time.
Wayne was a St. Louis Cardinals fan in the earlier years and asked about playing against them. He said, one batter who always gave him trouble was Joe Cunningham. Stan said, “He owned me.” With the Cardinals, this was the era of Stan Musial, Ken Boyer, Red Schoendist.
Stan says he is a scout for various teams including also the Padres and the Dodgers. He will be in Arkansas scouting for the Oakland A’s in a few weeks. He has lived around baseball for some 58 years. He takes notes on players in every aspect of the game-- which means he collects data on hitting, fielding, running, pitching, etc.
I had mentioned to him, in a book by George Will, Men at Work, only one out of four hundred players in the minor league make it to the majors. He said, at one time it was worse. There were only sixteen teams with some fifty two minor league teams. I asked him about the book, Money Ball, about how the Oakland A’s scouts began to look at players by collecting statistics. He said, “That’s what a lot of scouts do.” But then he added, “That doesn’t tell the whole story.”
He met Stephen Strausburg, pitcher for the Washington Nationals who was drafted from San Diego State University. Strausburg has thrown pitches above 100 miles per hour, made the major leagues in one season, at the age of 21, and won the first five games. He recorded fourteen strikeouts. His debut on June 9, 2010 filled the stadium in Washington, D.C. A crowd of 40,315 turned out. In the minor league, when he pitched in Syracuse, he also filled the stadium. Writers say, a phenomenon like Strausburg comes only once in a long time. Stan Williams told me, “I visited with Strausburg. He’s a really nice guy.” For a player who received a bonus of $15 million and is called a nice guy, that’s good news for the game.
Stan Williams impressed us as friendly and approachable. His win-loss record was 109-94, ERA 3.48, strikeouts 1305. His major league debut with the Los Angeles Dodgers was in 1959. The following are the teams he played for.
Los Angeles Dodgers (1958-1962)
New York Yankees (1963-1964)
Cleveland Indians (1965, 1967-1969)
Minnesota Twins (1970)
St. Louis Cardinals (1970)
Boston Red Sox (1972)
Williams was born in Enfield, New Hampshire on September 14, 1936. He batted right, threw right. He was nicknamed “Big Daddy,” and “The Big Hurt.” Many batters around the league feared him as he stood 6 foot 4 inches, weighed 225 pounds, had a blistering fast ball. In 1961 he finished second in strikeouts with 205, behind teammate Sandy Koufax (269) and Don Drysdale finished third that year (82). In 1970 he went 10-1 in relief.
After fourteen years in the major league, he retired. He became the pitching coach for the Red Sox, Yankees, Seattle Mariners, Chicago White Sox, and Cincinnati Reds. He was also an advance scout for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.
From behind the diamond, life in the stands can bring out fascinating aspects of the game of baseball. From a dropped relish package, we walked in time, met a Dodger who had connected the bridge, a story earlier written about Duke Snider. The phrase, “Play ball,” is not only about a game, it’s about life in America.
Monday, September 13, 2010
Visit With Duke Snider
VISIT WITH DUKE SNIDER
August 3, 2010 Fallbrook, California
Duke Snider was at the dining table with his good friend, Cliff Dapper. Cliff played for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1941, as a catcher. Cliff soon after, like a number of major league ball players, joined the military during World War II. He was in that group who believed in defending this nation, such as Ted Williams of the Boston Red Sox. (I learned this in an earlier conversation I had when I met Cliff Dapper at the reception desk at the Fallbrook Regency.)
I greeted Duke at the table, also Cliff, and said to Duke,” I want to show you something.” Lunch was being served so I told Duke I’ll came back in a little bit; I also told him I wanted to take a picture of them. He said, “Fine.”
When I returned, they had finished their lunch, Cliff had returned to his room, but Duke was sitting in a comfortable chair, wearing his cap, relaxing by the window, soft sun rays beaming in.
I greeted him again. He smiled. I showed him the Aged Premium Lager, a drink to honor his entry into the Major League Hall of Game. On the can it noted: “Duke Snider was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame 1980.”
I asked Duke if he recalled this tribute drink in his name. He looked at the can, shook his head, and he said, “No.” I said, “Duke, let me read to you what this says.”
DUKE SNIDER
Centerfield Brooklyn Dodgers
“My greatest thrill was of course, the 1955 World Series
against our cross town rival, the New York Yankees. In
game 5 at Yankee Stadium, I hit 2 of my 4 Series homeruns.
It was a tough Series with
many great plays. Johnny
Podres pitched a 2-0 shut-
out and Gil Hodges
knocked in 2 runs in the 7th
and final game as we won
our first ever World
Championship 4 games to 3.
It was fitting that the final
playoff the Series was made
by our team leader and
captain, Pee Wee Reese.”
Signed: Duke Snider
The drink is entitled: CASEY’S LAGER BEER (Aged Premium Lager)
Note
I came across this can when I was attending a block party on
Porter Way, at the home of Rob Haney and Carol Erickson. I had
lived at this cul de sac for 15 years.
I was having a conversation with Jason Gard, one of the neighbors.
I didn’t know until then, how much of a baseball fan he is. We spent
an hour talking about baseball. He played the game many years, as
a pitcher.
He keeps up with the players from all the teams. I, unlike him,
keep up with some favorite teams, had for years followed the Brooklyn
Dodgers and the LA Dodgers. I followed the Cincinnati Reds in their
great days. Now I follow the Padres who are leading the league by
2 ½ ahead of the San Francisco Giants at this writing.
As we were talking about the Dodgers, Jason said, “I gotta
show you something. “ He ran home, right next door, and showed me
this can. I had told him I was going to visit Duke Snider at the Regency,
who I had met a few years ago and got to know him.
Baseball fans, somehow, discover each other, and this being
true, these conversations enlighten us. Baseball, in so many ways,
is still America’s favorite pastime.
Signing off.
Dennis Ginoza
Fallbrook, California
When the Dodgers beat the Yankees in 1955,
I was in elementary school. Our teacher let
us listen to the game in the classroom. The
game from New York started at 7:00 a.m Hawaii
time. From us Dodgers fans, you heard a cheer:
“They did it!”
The Yankee fans in our classroom had their day,
the next year, 1956. We don’t need to talk about
that for that’s another story.
August 3, 2010 Fallbrook, California
Duke Snider was at the dining table with his good friend, Cliff Dapper. Cliff played for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1941, as a catcher. Cliff soon after, like a number of major league ball players, joined the military during World War II. He was in that group who believed in defending this nation, such as Ted Williams of the Boston Red Sox. (I learned this in an earlier conversation I had when I met Cliff Dapper at the reception desk at the Fallbrook Regency.)
I greeted Duke at the table, also Cliff, and said to Duke,” I want to show you something.” Lunch was being served so I told Duke I’ll came back in a little bit; I also told him I wanted to take a picture of them. He said, “Fine.”
When I returned, they had finished their lunch, Cliff had returned to his room, but Duke was sitting in a comfortable chair, wearing his cap, relaxing by the window, soft sun rays beaming in.
I greeted him again. He smiled. I showed him the Aged Premium Lager, a drink to honor his entry into the Major League Hall of Game. On the can it noted: “Duke Snider was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame 1980.”
I asked Duke if he recalled this tribute drink in his name. He looked at the can, shook his head, and he said, “No.” I said, “Duke, let me read to you what this says.”
DUKE SNIDER
Centerfield Brooklyn Dodgers
“My greatest thrill was of course, the 1955 World Series
against our cross town rival, the New York Yankees. In
game 5 at Yankee Stadium, I hit 2 of my 4 Series homeruns.
It was a tough Series with
many great plays. Johnny
Podres pitched a 2-0 shut-
out and Gil Hodges
knocked in 2 runs in the 7th
and final game as we won
our first ever World
Championship 4 games to 3.
It was fitting that the final
playoff the Series was made
by our team leader and
captain, Pee Wee Reese.”
Signed: Duke Snider
The drink is entitled: CASEY’S LAGER BEER (Aged Premium Lager)
Note
I came across this can when I was attending a block party on
Porter Way, at the home of Rob Haney and Carol Erickson. I had
lived at this cul de sac for 15 years.
I was having a conversation with Jason Gard, one of the neighbors.
I didn’t know until then, how much of a baseball fan he is. We spent
an hour talking about baseball. He played the game many years, as
a pitcher.
He keeps up with the players from all the teams. I, unlike him,
keep up with some favorite teams, had for years followed the Brooklyn
Dodgers and the LA Dodgers. I followed the Cincinnati Reds in their
great days. Now I follow the Padres who are leading the league by
2 ½ ahead of the San Francisco Giants at this writing.
As we were talking about the Dodgers, Jason said, “I gotta
show you something. “ He ran home, right next door, and showed me
this can. I had told him I was going to visit Duke Snider at the Regency,
who I had met a few years ago and got to know him.
Baseball fans, somehow, discover each other, and this being
true, these conversations enlighten us. Baseball, in so many ways,
is still America’s favorite pastime.
Signing off.
Dennis Ginoza
Fallbrook, California
When the Dodgers beat the Yankees in 1955,
I was in elementary school. Our teacher let
us listen to the game in the classroom. The
game from New York started at 7:00 a.m Hawaii
time. From us Dodgers fans, you heard a cheer:
“They did it!”
The Yankee fans in our classroom had their day,
the next year, 1956. We don’t need to talk about
that for that’s another story.
Once An Arafat Man
BOOK REVIEW: “Once An Arafat Man,” by Tass Saada with Dean Merrill
Review by Dr. Dennis Ginoza
August 7, 2010
Every so often, a book lands in my lap and as I turn the pages, it is hard to put down. This is one of those books. It is fascinating. It is adventurous. It is hopeful.
Our world is filled with conflict, hate, war, and killings. We wonder at times, how will things change, is there a way out of the mire of violence, is the human character so flawed, are we heading toward a collision course? Then, comes along a story such as this with a fresh wind blowing upon us.
In that small Palestinian enclave called the Gaza City, in a refugee tent, Tass Saada was born. Many of the young are so entrenched in hate and violence, the only pathway out seemed the same, more violence. Those were the early steps of Tass.
At age 17, Tass left home with his friend to join the cause, the movement of Yassar Arafat. He was a Palestinian who hated Jews, who was out to destroy the Israelis. He joined the Fatah, was trained to be a sniper. He was willing to die for the cause, his Palestinian people. His story in this writing begins with an ambush on the Israeli army. Tass had no difficulty killing; it became for him the greater cause.
His family moved from Gaza, to Saudi Arabia, and eventually to Qatar. HIs father was a mechanic and had business even from King Saud of Saudi Arabia. This unfolding story is about the human character, the shaping of a young man who became the chauffeur of Yassar Arafat, believing in his political views.
Tass Saada was given the name, Jazzar, which means “the butcher,” in Arabic. He quickly learned to use the Ak47, then the Simonov, a weapon used for assassinations. As a young recruit, he became the instructor of young Palestinian boys, ages 9-13, in a six month program. He taught karate, judo, and the use of weapons. He reflects later that he did not understand the psychological damage he was causing those young boys.
The political movement he was in was responsible for killing the eleven Israeli wrestlers at the Olympic Games in Munich, Germany. This day was known as Black September, the year 1972.
This is a story of a life journey. His circumstances took a turn when he was told his mother was very ill and his father wanted him to come home to Qatar. His father confiscated his passport so he couldn’t return to his post. His father wanted him to be educated and become an engineer. He was forced to stay home and study. His father got tired of him and told him, he either would have to study in Egypt or in Great Britain. He chose to come to the United States.
On February 12, 1974, he was on a plane to see his friend in Columbia, Missouri. It was winter and terribly cold. Everything was a shocking white. He had never seen anything like Missouri’s winter snow.
He found Americans friendly, no one was out to kill him, and he wasn’t dodging bullets. His friend told him, if he wanted to remain in America, he should marry an American citizen. He studied English and received his GED. While in Qatar, for six months he studied French, because he was attracted to a French teacher. What he didn’t realize then, his life was being re-shaped.
He went out to a club to find a wife. He didn’t have honest intentions at first. He met a Roman Catholic woman with whom he developed a relationship. It turned into romance and more. On October 4, 1974, before a justice of the peace in Kansas City, they were married.
His Arabic name was “Taysir” but people had trouble pronouncing it so he became known as Tass Saada. He told his family about the marriage and his father said, “No more money. I have cut you from my will.”
HIs friend told him about a job as a dishwasher at a French restaurant called, The Mediterranee. His work pleased the owners of the restaurant. They taught him to wait on tables. Eventually he was trained to be a chef. In 1977 his father came to visit him and was impressed. Tass lived in a nice duplex, owned two cars, and lived in a respectable suburb of Kansas City. His father came again in 1981 and told him, “I’m proud of you.”
His mother became ill so in 1983, he and his wife, with a son and daughter, decided to move to Qatar. With a friend they opened an import-export business. But something was missing. His family was miserable. Women were not allowed to speak out openly and the children stayed close to home. His mother realized how unhappy they were and gave them the blessing to return to America.
They returned to Kansas City and the owners of Le Mediterranee were happy to have him back. Later he was offered a job at a restaurant called, “The Brasserie,” at Kansas City’s Big Western Crown Center. He became the manager and not long after, the restaurant received the Silver Spoon Award. A series of business ventures followed.
Now Tass was in the restaurant business. One of the customers he met at the French restaurant was Charles Sharpe, an insurance man. They had developed a friendship for 19 years. Charles told Tass, he could help him in his business. He had connections.
This was another tipping point in his life. Charles invited him to his home one Sunday. Charles began talking to him about Jesus Christ. Tass was interested for the Muslims held Jesus in high regard as a prophet. When Charles brought out a Bible, Tass stepped back and said, “I must not touch that book!”
Charles began to read, “In the beginning was the Word, the Word was with God, the Word was God.” Tass began to shake. He fell on his knees. Then he began to cry. A light came into his vision and he heard the voice, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” He found he was forgiven of his sins, even all those he killed as a sniper. He felt a rush of peace and joy in his heart.
His life had made a complete change. He told his wife Karen he was now a Christian, and she laughed. She didn’t believe him. The next day he prayed, “Bless Israel. Lead them back to the Promised Land.” In 45 days he read through the entire Bible. He learned that Ishmael, the son of Abraham was blessed just as Abraham blessed Isaac. Ishmael was the father of the Arab people. He read about the beautiful creation at the hand of God in the book of Genesis. See Genesis 15-17 for the story of Abraham’s son Ishmael with Hagar.
One day Karen was in the kitchen cooking. Tass went up to her and said, “I really love you.” She saw such change, she now believed him. On April 18, 1993, they went to the New Life Community Church and together, they committed their lives to Christ.
This incredible story helps us to see the power of Christ’s spirit moving in the hearts even of those that have turned to stone. Tass began to move within the Christian, Jewish, and Arab communities to tell his story. He has traveled across this country and the Middle East to tell about his heart of change and the new way in which to live--not by hate, but love.
In 2006, Tass and Karen returned to the Gaza Strip. Gaza is a small territory, 34 miles long, 5 miles wide, with a population of 1.6 million Palestinians. They decided to teach young childlren about hope. They founded the Hope Kindergarten and the Seeds of Hope Cultural Center for young people. They teach the youth computer skills, English, a course on Democracy, Tolerance, and Peace. One August they baptized 5 new believers in the Mediterranean Sea. They offer Bible classes in their home. He and Karen began to work in Jericho to bring a new understanding of hope between Jews and Palestinians, and amongst all peoples.
In all this, Tass and Karen could feel the nudging of God’s spirit. The Gaza Strip became more and more difficult to move in and out. They decided to open a parallel kindergarten and cultural center in Jericho. This was not far from Al-Karameh where in March, 1968, Tass was involved in the ambush against the Israelis as a sniper. Now he was working to bring out the better life, not destruction.
Tass says, “The truth is, God loves both Arabs and Jews—and wants to bring us both to a higher perspective. He is not “anti” either one of us. He wants the peoples of the Middle East, all of us, to realize that Jesus is our Savior and Reconciler.” In our time, this is a powerful testimony.
This review captures just some of the fascinating episodes, events, and encounters of one who once was an Arafat man. It is worth your reading. It is a human story from the bleakest to the most violent, ending with such grace and hope—one can only have hope for the future. There is a Light that is leading us into our days ahead.
Review by Dr. Dennis Ginoza
August 7, 2010
Every so often, a book lands in my lap and as I turn the pages, it is hard to put down. This is one of those books. It is fascinating. It is adventurous. It is hopeful.
Our world is filled with conflict, hate, war, and killings. We wonder at times, how will things change, is there a way out of the mire of violence, is the human character so flawed, are we heading toward a collision course? Then, comes along a story such as this with a fresh wind blowing upon us.
In that small Palestinian enclave called the Gaza City, in a refugee tent, Tass Saada was born. Many of the young are so entrenched in hate and violence, the only pathway out seemed the same, more violence. Those were the early steps of Tass.
At age 17, Tass left home with his friend to join the cause, the movement of Yassar Arafat. He was a Palestinian who hated Jews, who was out to destroy the Israelis. He joined the Fatah, was trained to be a sniper. He was willing to die for the cause, his Palestinian people. His story in this writing begins with an ambush on the Israeli army. Tass had no difficulty killing; it became for him the greater cause.
His family moved from Gaza, to Saudi Arabia, and eventually to Qatar. HIs father was a mechanic and had business even from King Saud of Saudi Arabia. This unfolding story is about the human character, the shaping of a young man who became the chauffeur of Yassar Arafat, believing in his political views.
Tass Saada was given the name, Jazzar, which means “the butcher,” in Arabic. He quickly learned to use the Ak47, then the Simonov, a weapon used for assassinations. As a young recruit, he became the instructor of young Palestinian boys, ages 9-13, in a six month program. He taught karate, judo, and the use of weapons. He reflects later that he did not understand the psychological damage he was causing those young boys.
The political movement he was in was responsible for killing the eleven Israeli wrestlers at the Olympic Games in Munich, Germany. This day was known as Black September, the year 1972.
This is a story of a life journey. His circumstances took a turn when he was told his mother was very ill and his father wanted him to come home to Qatar. His father confiscated his passport so he couldn’t return to his post. His father wanted him to be educated and become an engineer. He was forced to stay home and study. His father got tired of him and told him, he either would have to study in Egypt or in Great Britain. He chose to come to the United States.
On February 12, 1974, he was on a plane to see his friend in Columbia, Missouri. It was winter and terribly cold. Everything was a shocking white. He had never seen anything like Missouri’s winter snow.
He found Americans friendly, no one was out to kill him, and he wasn’t dodging bullets. His friend told him, if he wanted to remain in America, he should marry an American citizen. He studied English and received his GED. While in Qatar, for six months he studied French, because he was attracted to a French teacher. What he didn’t realize then, his life was being re-shaped.
He went out to a club to find a wife. He didn’t have honest intentions at first. He met a Roman Catholic woman with whom he developed a relationship. It turned into romance and more. On October 4, 1974, before a justice of the peace in Kansas City, they were married.
His Arabic name was “Taysir” but people had trouble pronouncing it so he became known as Tass Saada. He told his family about the marriage and his father said, “No more money. I have cut you from my will.”
HIs friend told him about a job as a dishwasher at a French restaurant called, The Mediterranee. His work pleased the owners of the restaurant. They taught him to wait on tables. Eventually he was trained to be a chef. In 1977 his father came to visit him and was impressed. Tass lived in a nice duplex, owned two cars, and lived in a respectable suburb of Kansas City. His father came again in 1981 and told him, “I’m proud of you.”
His mother became ill so in 1983, he and his wife, with a son and daughter, decided to move to Qatar. With a friend they opened an import-export business. But something was missing. His family was miserable. Women were not allowed to speak out openly and the children stayed close to home. His mother realized how unhappy they were and gave them the blessing to return to America.
They returned to Kansas City and the owners of Le Mediterranee were happy to have him back. Later he was offered a job at a restaurant called, “The Brasserie,” at Kansas City’s Big Western Crown Center. He became the manager and not long after, the restaurant received the Silver Spoon Award. A series of business ventures followed.
Now Tass was in the restaurant business. One of the customers he met at the French restaurant was Charles Sharpe, an insurance man. They had developed a friendship for 19 years. Charles told Tass, he could help him in his business. He had connections.
This was another tipping point in his life. Charles invited him to his home one Sunday. Charles began talking to him about Jesus Christ. Tass was interested for the Muslims held Jesus in high regard as a prophet. When Charles brought out a Bible, Tass stepped back and said, “I must not touch that book!”
Charles began to read, “In the beginning was the Word, the Word was with God, the Word was God.” Tass began to shake. He fell on his knees. Then he began to cry. A light came into his vision and he heard the voice, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” He found he was forgiven of his sins, even all those he killed as a sniper. He felt a rush of peace and joy in his heart.
His life had made a complete change. He told his wife Karen he was now a Christian, and she laughed. She didn’t believe him. The next day he prayed, “Bless Israel. Lead them back to the Promised Land.” In 45 days he read through the entire Bible. He learned that Ishmael, the son of Abraham was blessed just as Abraham blessed Isaac. Ishmael was the father of the Arab people. He read about the beautiful creation at the hand of God in the book of Genesis. See Genesis 15-17 for the story of Abraham’s son Ishmael with Hagar.
One day Karen was in the kitchen cooking. Tass went up to her and said, “I really love you.” She saw such change, she now believed him. On April 18, 1993, they went to the New Life Community Church and together, they committed their lives to Christ.
This incredible story helps us to see the power of Christ’s spirit moving in the hearts even of those that have turned to stone. Tass began to move within the Christian, Jewish, and Arab communities to tell his story. He has traveled across this country and the Middle East to tell about his heart of change and the new way in which to live--not by hate, but love.
In 2006, Tass and Karen returned to the Gaza Strip. Gaza is a small territory, 34 miles long, 5 miles wide, with a population of 1.6 million Palestinians. They decided to teach young childlren about hope. They founded the Hope Kindergarten and the Seeds of Hope Cultural Center for young people. They teach the youth computer skills, English, a course on Democracy, Tolerance, and Peace. One August they baptized 5 new believers in the Mediterranean Sea. They offer Bible classes in their home. He and Karen began to work in Jericho to bring a new understanding of hope between Jews and Palestinians, and amongst all peoples.
In all this, Tass and Karen could feel the nudging of God’s spirit. The Gaza Strip became more and more difficult to move in and out. They decided to open a parallel kindergarten and cultural center in Jericho. This was not far from Al-Karameh where in March, 1968, Tass was involved in the ambush against the Israelis as a sniper. Now he was working to bring out the better life, not destruction.
Tass says, “The truth is, God loves both Arabs and Jews—and wants to bring us both to a higher perspective. He is not “anti” either one of us. He wants the peoples of the Middle East, all of us, to realize that Jesus is our Savior and Reconciler.” In our time, this is a powerful testimony.
This review captures just some of the fascinating episodes, events, and encounters of one who once was an Arafat man. It is worth your reading. It is a human story from the bleakest to the most violent, ending with such grace and hope—one can only have hope for the future. There is a Light that is leading us into our days ahead.
The Earth is Shaking
THE EARTH IS SHAKING
September 10, 2010
For over 25 years, living in California, I have become more and more aware that we live in a region affected by earthquakes. When we were living in Santee, we felt the earth movements from the Whittier Quake, October 1, 1987, 5.9 on the Richter scale. Then again, we were shaken by the Pasadena Quake on December 3, 1988, 4.9. On February 28, 1990, the earth moved again; the Upland Quake, measured at 5.2.
In 1978 Jeffrey Goodman, Ph.D., published his account of earth movements especially around the Pacific coastal regions in his book entitled, “We Are the Earthquake Generation.” In the early 1980’s I was keeping a close watch of the occurrences of earthquakes, but at the same time, we lived our normal lives. We were raising our family, our two boys, serving a local church, and very involved in community activities.
The other day, I decided I would look up, in a more composite way, the occurrence of earth movements in the world. It is, I believe, a time of re-awakening for all of us. The earthquakes are occurring in sequence, like a chain of events, in different parts of the world.
On October 17, 1989, the San Francisco Giants and the Oakland A’s were getting ready to play their third game of the World Series in San Francisco, when at 5:04 p.m., the Loma Prieta Quake occurred. It measured at 6.9 on the Richter scale. Sixty three people were killed, 3,757 were injured, 100,000 buildings were damaged. The epicenter was at the Forest of Nisene Marks State Park in Santa Cruz County. The double tiered Nimitz highway way collapsed and the Oakland Bay Bridge was damaged.
From 1988 to 1993, I had served the First United Methodist Church in Reseda and became very familiar with San Fernando Valley, from Sherman Oaks to Woodland Hills, from Granada Hills to Chatsworth and the cities in between. Our members lived throughout the Valley.
After we left in 1993, on January 17, 1994 at 4:31 a.m. I woke my wife and said, “We just had an earthquake.” I felt the bed shake. We were residing in Chula Vista. We had as our guests on that Martin Luther King holiday, the pastor of the Chatsworth United Methodist Church and his wife. As we listened to the radio, we became more and more aware of the devastating earthquake. The Northridge Quake, its epicenter located in Reseda, was measured at 6.7, there were 72 deaths, and it was the costliest natural disaster in U.S. history--$20 billion.
This quake was more personal than any of the quakes I had experienced. We had friends throughout San Fernando Valley. One father of three children said, “I couldn’t find my glasses and there was broken glass all over the floor.” He also said, “The need for water turned critical.” One family told us, the dishes in the dishwater were not damaged, luckily protected on the racks. A couple we knew well lost their condominium; it was totally damaged. For several nights, with the after shocks, people slept outside on their lawns or at parks close to home. The Reseda Church received major damage as did hundreds of commercial buildings.
The year 2010 has recorded major quakes in various regions of the world. On Tuesday, January 12, the eyes of the world turned to Haiti, a country on the island of Hispaniola. At 4:53 p.m. local time, the 7.0 quake rocked that region. Three million people were affected by the massive disaster, 230,000 were killed, 300,000 injured, 1,000,000 people were left homeless, and there were major damages throughout the area, especially in the capital city of Port-au-Prince. The earth movement was felt in neighboring Cuba, Jamaica, Venezuela, and Puerto Rico.
Chile is a region known for the frequency of quakes. In 1966, while traveling through Peru, I met a Peace Corps volunteer who was on her way home after serving in Chile. She said, “An earthquake occurred when she was in the bathroom and her door jammed.” From then on, she always kept her bathroom door ajar. On February 27, 2010 at 3:34 a.m. local time, an 8.8 quake lasted 90 seconds. A blackout affected 93% of the nation’s population. The quake caused a tsunami which damaged some areas of coastal San Diego and there were damages in the Tokoku region of Japan, reported at $66.7 million. This was the strongest quake since the 1960 Valdivia Earthquake that measured at 9.5.
For three years my church assignment included serving a church in Calexico, a border town of some 10,000 people next to Mexicali in Mexico with about half a million people. On April 5, 2010, at 3:40 p.m. a 7.2 quake rocked Mexico and the surrounding region. The damage was not as extensive as the Northridge Quake, fortunately. The town of Calexico was shut down from the damages, and the quake was felt in San Diego, causing a crack on the floor of the Sheraton Hotel and preventing the front doors from closing. The earth movements are no longer far way, not in time and not in geography or human relationship.
Indonesia is a nation of islands subject to quakes and tsunamis. On August 3, 2010, 26 miles beneath the ocean floor, a 6.3 quake rocked that region. On September 30, 2010 another quake was measured at 6.8, occurring at 8:52 a.m. and 236 people were killed. Many remember that on December 26, 2004, a giant quake caused a tsunami and 230,000 people lost their lives, half lived in the western province of Aceh.
This is just a partial list of quakes that have occurred this year, 2010. I googled earthquakes and found that this year, throughout the world, there have been multiple quakes. I have selected to list those quakes that were measured at 7.0 or higher. It begins from the most recent, September through January.
September 03 South Island of New Zealand 7.0
August 12 Ecuador 7.1
August 10 Vanuatu 7.3
August 4 New Britain Region, Papua New Guinea
July 23 Mindanao, Philippines 7.4
July 23 Moro Gulf, Mindanao, Phillipines 7.6
July 23 Moro Gulf, Mindanao, Phillipines 7.3
July 18 New Britain Region, Papua New Guineau 7.3
June 16 North Coast of Papua 7.0
June 12 Nicobar Islands, India Region 7.5
May 17 Vanuatu 7.1
May 9 Northern Sumatra 7.2
April 6 Northern Sumatra, Indonesia 7.8
April 4 Baja California, Mexico 7.2
February 26 Ryuku Islands, Japan 7.0
January 12 Haiti 7.0
In the 2010 listings, across the United States, there been movements of the earth. These regions include:
July 7 Southern California 5.4
June 15 Southern California 5.7
April 15 Utah 4.9
March 26 Greater Los Angeles Area 4.4
February 10 Illinois 3.8
February 4 Off shore Northern California 5.9
January 15 Oklahoma 4.0
January 10 Off shore Northern California 6.5
I have looked into earthquakes as part of my own edification and understanding. If it can help me to be prepared and aware in the event of major earth movements, then I and others can be helped. There is in this life, a spirit that moves us to awareness and consciousness of our surroundings. We are here to be helpful to others while we also learn to care for ourselves.
The world is a large world, its far reaches may not be known to us, but the field of technology and communication has brought us closer together. We feel the suffering and pain of our neighbors nearby and far away. In the depth of our spirit, God’s moving spirit constantly brings us guidance and stirs us with hunches, persuasions, and encounters.
We have come to see the world as a nexus where our spirituality, physiology, geology, and all forces are all connected. The poet John Dunn writes, “No man is an island.” And further, no one is apart from God. May we continue to awaken our spirits for each coming day.
Dennis Ginoza
Fallbrook, California
September 10, 2010
For over 25 years, living in California, I have become more and more aware that we live in a region affected by earthquakes. When we were living in Santee, we felt the earth movements from the Whittier Quake, October 1, 1987, 5.9 on the Richter scale. Then again, we were shaken by the Pasadena Quake on December 3, 1988, 4.9. On February 28, 1990, the earth moved again; the Upland Quake, measured at 5.2.
In 1978 Jeffrey Goodman, Ph.D., published his account of earth movements especially around the Pacific coastal regions in his book entitled, “We Are the Earthquake Generation.” In the early 1980’s I was keeping a close watch of the occurrences of earthquakes, but at the same time, we lived our normal lives. We were raising our family, our two boys, serving a local church, and very involved in community activities.
The other day, I decided I would look up, in a more composite way, the occurrence of earth movements in the world. It is, I believe, a time of re-awakening for all of us. The earthquakes are occurring in sequence, like a chain of events, in different parts of the world.
On October 17, 1989, the San Francisco Giants and the Oakland A’s were getting ready to play their third game of the World Series in San Francisco, when at 5:04 p.m., the Loma Prieta Quake occurred. It measured at 6.9 on the Richter scale. Sixty three people were killed, 3,757 were injured, 100,000 buildings were damaged. The epicenter was at the Forest of Nisene Marks State Park in Santa Cruz County. The double tiered Nimitz highway way collapsed and the Oakland Bay Bridge was damaged.
From 1988 to 1993, I had served the First United Methodist Church in Reseda and became very familiar with San Fernando Valley, from Sherman Oaks to Woodland Hills, from Granada Hills to Chatsworth and the cities in between. Our members lived throughout the Valley.
After we left in 1993, on January 17, 1994 at 4:31 a.m. I woke my wife and said, “We just had an earthquake.” I felt the bed shake. We were residing in Chula Vista. We had as our guests on that Martin Luther King holiday, the pastor of the Chatsworth United Methodist Church and his wife. As we listened to the radio, we became more and more aware of the devastating earthquake. The Northridge Quake, its epicenter located in Reseda, was measured at 6.7, there were 72 deaths, and it was the costliest natural disaster in U.S. history--$20 billion.
This quake was more personal than any of the quakes I had experienced. We had friends throughout San Fernando Valley. One father of three children said, “I couldn’t find my glasses and there was broken glass all over the floor.” He also said, “The need for water turned critical.” One family told us, the dishes in the dishwater were not damaged, luckily protected on the racks. A couple we knew well lost their condominium; it was totally damaged. For several nights, with the after shocks, people slept outside on their lawns or at parks close to home. The Reseda Church received major damage as did hundreds of commercial buildings.
The year 2010 has recorded major quakes in various regions of the world. On Tuesday, January 12, the eyes of the world turned to Haiti, a country on the island of Hispaniola. At 4:53 p.m. local time, the 7.0 quake rocked that region. Three million people were affected by the massive disaster, 230,000 were killed, 300,000 injured, 1,000,000 people were left homeless, and there were major damages throughout the area, especially in the capital city of Port-au-Prince. The earth movement was felt in neighboring Cuba, Jamaica, Venezuela, and Puerto Rico.
Chile is a region known for the frequency of quakes. In 1966, while traveling through Peru, I met a Peace Corps volunteer who was on her way home after serving in Chile. She said, “An earthquake occurred when she was in the bathroom and her door jammed.” From then on, she always kept her bathroom door ajar. On February 27, 2010 at 3:34 a.m. local time, an 8.8 quake lasted 90 seconds. A blackout affected 93% of the nation’s population. The quake caused a tsunami which damaged some areas of coastal San Diego and there were damages in the Tokoku region of Japan, reported at $66.7 million. This was the strongest quake since the 1960 Valdivia Earthquake that measured at 9.5.
For three years my church assignment included serving a church in Calexico, a border town of some 10,000 people next to Mexicali in Mexico with about half a million people. On April 5, 2010, at 3:40 p.m. a 7.2 quake rocked Mexico and the surrounding region. The damage was not as extensive as the Northridge Quake, fortunately. The town of Calexico was shut down from the damages, and the quake was felt in San Diego, causing a crack on the floor of the Sheraton Hotel and preventing the front doors from closing. The earth movements are no longer far way, not in time and not in geography or human relationship.
Indonesia is a nation of islands subject to quakes and tsunamis. On August 3, 2010, 26 miles beneath the ocean floor, a 6.3 quake rocked that region. On September 30, 2010 another quake was measured at 6.8, occurring at 8:52 a.m. and 236 people were killed. Many remember that on December 26, 2004, a giant quake caused a tsunami and 230,000 people lost their lives, half lived in the western province of Aceh.
This is just a partial list of quakes that have occurred this year, 2010. I googled earthquakes and found that this year, throughout the world, there have been multiple quakes. I have selected to list those quakes that were measured at 7.0 or higher. It begins from the most recent, September through January.
September 03 South Island of New Zealand 7.0
August 12 Ecuador 7.1
August 10 Vanuatu 7.3
August 4 New Britain Region, Papua New Guinea
July 23 Mindanao, Philippines 7.4
July 23 Moro Gulf, Mindanao, Phillipines 7.6
July 23 Moro Gulf, Mindanao, Phillipines 7.3
July 18 New Britain Region, Papua New Guineau 7.3
June 16 North Coast of Papua 7.0
June 12 Nicobar Islands, India Region 7.5
May 17 Vanuatu 7.1
May 9 Northern Sumatra 7.2
April 6 Northern Sumatra, Indonesia 7.8
April 4 Baja California, Mexico 7.2
February 26 Ryuku Islands, Japan 7.0
January 12 Haiti 7.0
In the 2010 listings, across the United States, there been movements of the earth. These regions include:
July 7 Southern California 5.4
June 15 Southern California 5.7
April 15 Utah 4.9
March 26 Greater Los Angeles Area 4.4
February 10 Illinois 3.8
February 4 Off shore Northern California 5.9
January 15 Oklahoma 4.0
January 10 Off shore Northern California 6.5
I have looked into earthquakes as part of my own edification and understanding. If it can help me to be prepared and aware in the event of major earth movements, then I and others can be helped. There is in this life, a spirit that moves us to awareness and consciousness of our surroundings. We are here to be helpful to others while we also learn to care for ourselves.
The world is a large world, its far reaches may not be known to us, but the field of technology and communication has brought us closer together. We feel the suffering and pain of our neighbors nearby and far away. In the depth of our spirit, God’s moving spirit constantly brings us guidance and stirs us with hunches, persuasions, and encounters.
We have come to see the world as a nexus where our spirituality, physiology, geology, and all forces are all connected. The poet John Dunn writes, “No man is an island.” And further, no one is apart from God. May we continue to awaken our spirits for each coming day.
Dennis Ginoza
Fallbrook, California
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