Much Thanks!!

First of all a BIG THANKs to all of our wonderful Clients, hard-working Vendors, and special Friends of San Diego Copy. At this time of year our schedules get filled with many events for family and friends, but we want to express our appreciation to of all of you that have a relationship with San Diego Copy. Jeff Warner said. “We are not put on this earth for ourselves, but are placed here for each other. If you are always there for others, in your time of need, someone will be there for you.”

Our team here at San Diego Copy is always excited to participate in events that make a difference for our community and there were two in the past few weeks.

On October 24, 2009 Juli and I attended the Commissioning of the USS Makin Island (LHD8) stationed at North Island Naval Base. Juli served as a member of the Commissioning Committee that worked on the event for over a year while the ship was under construction in Pascagoula, Mississippi. We heard the General James Conway, Commandant of the Marine Corps speak and his Drum and Bugle Corp play. Captain Robert Kopas gave the command “man the ship” for service. Seeing the Navy and Marine personnel board the ship and standing at attention while the ship was commissioned to into service was an awesome experience. The USS Makin Island is expected to serve our Navy and Marines for the next forty years, but the history of its name goes back to the raid on Makin Island on August 17-18, 1942 by Marine Raider Companies A and B, Second Raider Battalion (Carlson’s Raiders).

On November 2, 2009 PETCO Foundation had their “Sixth Annual Thanks “Fore” Giving” event and we had the opportunity to produce a number of items for the event; Golf Course & Event Signage, Special Drawing & Mulligan Tickets, Donation Cards, Menus It has been wonderful to be a part of this important event to raise money to support animals around the world.

Thank you from our team at San Diego Copy for allowing us to be a part of your team!

Jeff McKinley
President

The Teammates

reviewed by Scott Lightfoote

As a devoted New York Yankees fan, choosing to read a book about the Boston Red Sox brought on a guilt that convinced me I was the modern day Benedict Arnold. Beginning to read The Teammates: A Portrait of a Friendship felt as unnatural to me as snow in San Diego. For the past 24 years, I had been instilled with many “rules to live by” from friends and family. It just so happened, that one of those principal rules was to hate the Boston Red Sox. I adhered to that rule without question. Thanks to David Halberstam and his superbly written book, I now can tolerate the Boston Red Sox and their fans… and that’s saying a lot.

The Teammates was not my first encounter with the writing of David Halberstam. I had recently just finished reading Summer of 49 about the race for the 1949 American League Pennant between the Red Sox and Yankees. Halberstam’s writing style and detailed accounts of the time convinced me that a book solely about the Red Sox was worth reading. The book recalls the unforgettable stories of four of the best players to ever wear the Red Sox uniform, Johnny Pesky, Dom DiMaggio, Bobby Doerr and Ted Williams; each legends in their own right. The novel starts in October of 2001, when Dom DiMaggio and Johnny Pesky, accompanied by their long time friend and Boston sportswriter Dick Flavin, decide to make one last journey to Florida to visit their dying friend and teammate, Ted Williams. The forth member of their group, Bobby Doerr is unable to join them as he must stay in Washington state to take care of his ailing wife. Along the drive from Boston to Florida, they reminisce about their playing days, and life after baseball. Many stories and feelings are shared that allow readers to see inside the hearts of these great men.

Emphasizing the core values that all four applied in baseball and beyond, Halberstam begins in recapping the men’s youth, and the various reasons they were driven to baseball. Although their reasons for playing were very different, all had the same strength of character and perseverance that was needed to succeed at the major league level. They all were also, coincidentally, from the West Coast, and around the same age. That is where the similarities ended. Ted Williams, a native San Diegan, was the dominant personality of the group. He was brash, loud and one of the most argumentative men to ever play the game of baseball. He often overpowered every other personality in the room. As Halberstam puts it “he was quite possibly the most blasphemous player of all time”. Although his personality was an acquired taste, people were naturally drawn to him and he eventually became one of the biggest stars in baseball history. He was the last man to hit over .400 in a major league season.

It was only natural that Williams’s closest friend was a polar opposite in Bobby Doerr. Bobby never cursed, was always on an even keel, and mostly kept to himself. Doerr never lost his temper, in stark contrast to Williams. “Bobby had an uncommon emotional equilibrium that would stay with him throughout his life. He never seemed to get angry, or to get down.” These traits intrigued Williams, and made Bobby Doerr his most trusted friend, the only person in which Williams would confide.

Johnny Pesky was the son of Croatian immigrants. He was hard working, honest and caring. He was affectionately given the nickname “needle nose” by teammate Williams, for his long, pronounced nose. The nickname stuck, and was eventually shortened to “needle”. Pesky is the only one of the four who has stayed in baseball his entire life. He truly has embodied what it means to be a “baseball man”. At the age of 90, he still is involved with the Boston Red Sox organization. He is often referred to now as “Mr. Red Sox”.

Dominic DiMaggio is arguably the most intriguing of the four men. The son of Italian immigrants, Dom grew up in San Francisco in the shadows of his brothers Joe and Vince. Both Joe and Vince played outfield in the major leagues. Joe DiMaggio would go on to be one of the most famous baseball players of all time playing for the New York Yankees. As a child, and throughout his playing career, Dom was constantly forced to prove himself, and work harder than everyone else. He was regularly teased because of his ethnicity, stature and use of eye glasses. He worked harder than most to overcome many obstacles. Dominic was also one of the smartest players to ever wear a major league uniform. He would go on to run a manufacturing company which made upholstery carpets for cars. He became much wealthier in his business ventures than he ever did playing baseball. The son of Italian immigrants truly lived the “American Dream” in every sense of the word.

Although Halberstam gives vivid details and statistics of the “golden age of baseball”, it is the human emotion and character of these men that make the book fascinating. Four men, four completely different personalities, but one common goal; to win. This book illustrates the importance of teamwork and character in whatever you do. The underlying theme of perseverance and hard work is prevalent throughout the novel. On the surface, it is a book about baseball, but upon review, the novel proves to be so much more. This book is truly inspirational, even for a Yankees fan.

Young Readers

The Wide Window

reviewed by Victoria McKinley