Snow

No, "The Hunt For Red October" is NOT the baseball movie I mentioned in yesterday's puzzle clue.

(If you haven't yet looked at the puzzle, scroll down to yesterday's blog and try your luck before returning here for the solution.)

Yes, I do admit that October is a noted baseball month, and that "Mr. October" (aka the guy who tries to assassinate the Queen in "The Naked Gun") looks a bit like the person described by the puzzle, and that the "Reds" are indeed a baseball team, and that the thespian in question does appear in that movie, however -- it is NOT one of the movies to which I referred. But I'll come back to that shortly.

First, let me note my delight with Mother Nature's nighttime handiwork. When I awoke this morning, the world was shiny and crisp, with all the local trees beautifully adorned with fresh fluffy powder. It was one of those snowfalls that never reaches "storm" status, and leaves behind passable roads and lovely scenery. It's a bit cold outside, and my body hasn't quite made the seasonal adjustment yet, but otherwise I'm enjoying the postcard views that line the lanes of Littleton this fine morning.

Every year about this time, it seems I go into a rant about how we've been gypped out of our full Autumn -- because the weather typically goes from Jimmy Buffet swelter to Edmund Hillary meatlocker...pretty much overnight. But this year, we have had an honest-to-goodness recognizable Fall season. It has cooled gradually, the leaves have taken their time in fluttering to the ground, and the humans have had a chance to engage in post-summer outdoor activities in seasonal comfort. It's been utterly grand, and I just wanted to acknowledge that little fact.

Ergo, even though it snowed last night, I shall eschew any criticism of Mother Nature. I'm quite happy with the weather, thank you very much.

I just wish I could swim. Stupid 1970s UV rays.

If I could go back in time, I'd warn myself to cut out all the sunbathing. (And to buy Microsoft and Apple stock, and to ask out Nancy Gartung...but those activities aren't pertinent to our weather discussion.)

Anyway, this picture provides one more clue* to think about before I reveal the answer to the puzzle. Got it now?

The baseball movies from the hint are "The Sandlot" and "Field of Dreams". That should clinch it, right?

Yep. You got it. The answer is James Earl Jones.

Extra, extra credit if you can draw the other connections between "Field of Dreams" and the life of this blog's author. We'll discuss those links shortly. But first, the puzzle.



Frame one contains LeBron James. Frame two is Earl "The Pearl" Monroe. The last group is a collection of Joans. Obviously.

I don't know (or care) anything about basketball, but apparently the first two guys are considered to be fairly talented. (I'm not sure how many little boys grow up wanting to be nicknamed "Pearl", but that's a different question.) As for the ladies, well, they are all people whose work I have enjoyed.

Leftmost among the ladies is Joan Collins, in her role as Edith Keeler from the classic Star Trek episode "City on the Edge of Forever". Written by sci-fi legend Harlan Ellison, this is my favorite episode, artfully combining philosophy, humor, and heart-wrenching drama into one of television's all-time most thought-provoking hours. I still can't even think about Captain Kirk grabbing McCoy in the street without feeling the tears coming to my eyes. Non-Trekkies think I'm joking when I say that, but no. That is one powerful scene.

As for the rest of Joan Collins' career? Meh.

To her right is Joan of Arc, of whose penchant for violence Edith Keeler would definitely not approve. This photo is from "Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure", moments before the intrepid teens show up to snatch the lovely Miss of Arc away to San Dimas. (At some point, I think I'll blog about people whose names include regular words, like Pitt the Elder, William the Conqueror, Refrigerator Perry, etc.)

Joan Cusack is next, shown here in her role as the neckbrace-wearing geek chick from "Sixteen Candles". She's good in most of her roles, including noteworthy performances in "School of Rock" and "In and Out". And finally, we have rocker babe Joan Jett, who is most famous for this song.

Oh, and I almost forgot about the "Field of Dreams" connection to yours truly. Well, it's pretty straightforward: The James Earl Jones character is named Terence, and so am I (even though I spell it correctly and he doesn't.) And the brother-in-law dude is played by Timothy Busfield, who was in "Revenge of the Nerds", which is pretty much a documentary about my college days (well, except for the "revenge" part.)

And that, my friends, is it for today. I hope you can get outside to enjoy the latest meteorologically-provided aesthetics. Have a great day!

*FYI, the fellow in the Darth Vader costume is NOT James Earl Jones. He is David Prowse, the bodybuilder who wore the costume and portrayed the Sith Lord throughout the series. Mr. Jones provided the voice, and I think the world is a better place because of it.