McNamara's Blog

Walter Mails By Joe McNamara Sacramento greets The Duster On a beautiful October afternoon in 1920, Walter Mails, a former attendee of Christian Brothers High School, stepped off of his train and into one of the wildest homecomings Sacramento had ever witnessed. The hero of the 1920 World Series was swept up by a delirious crowd of well-wishers who serenaded and toasted their hero in a parade from the train station to a reception at City Hall. Feted by local politicians, and with his every step filmed by motion picture cameras, Walter Mails was indeed Sacramento’s first celebrity athlete.  Just three months earlier, Mails was pitching for the Sacramento Solons in the Pacific Coast League, but his success captured the attention of the Cleveland Indians, and he was sold for a staggering $50,000. As Cleveland readied  for a pennant drive, Walter calmly and efficiently won seven straight games for the club before pitching 15 and 2/3 scoreless innings in the World...

Corned Beef on La Caja China Although often shrouded in myth and legend, St. Patrick was a real guy and many scholars have documented his life and his travels. Patrick committed himself to converting Ireland to Christianity, a herculean task, leaving little time for anything else. Life in 4th Century Ireland must have been rough, and after a tough day of dealing with Druids, Patrick would certainly have craved something to eat and perhaps a refreshing beverage. I am certain that he would be baffled by the way society celebrates his life today with the block parties full of loud and drunk people dressed in every imaginable shade of green. At times I am baffled by it. Yet, there are still wonderful tributes, parades, and dinners held in his honor every year where that gorgeous Irish trait of hospitality is showcased. I would like to think my house keeps his memory alive every year when I invite 150 of my closest friends over for an afternoon of food, spirits, ...

(From March 2012) Missing The Saw Doctors Back in the days when visits to record stores happened weekly, I came across a compilation CD of Irish Music cleverly titled Irish Hits , or something like that. As I recall, the CD featured some old school artists like the Dubliners, Christy Moore, and the Clancy Brothers as well as more modern acts including Sharon Shannon and a band called the Saw Doctors. The featured track was called Never Mind the Strangers and it got a lot of play in my car as I drove around San Francisco in 1998. Long before ITunes and with an embryonic Amazon, Never Mind the Strangers was my only link to the band. The song is lengthy, with chummy lyrics, and an extended jam session featuring an accordion, tin whistles, and I think a juice harp. The band sounds like they are having a grand time, and although the track wasn’t recorded live, it gives you a sense how of how they might sound in concert. The Saw Doctors By delightful coinc...

King Henry and his Weber. I want there to be no peasant in my kingdom so poor that he cannot have a chicken in his Weber every Sunday. King Henry IV (fabricated slightly) My wife and I throw a lot of dinner parties. Indeed, it is our favorite way to spend an evening. While guest lists, menus, and dinner topics vary, one question seems to consistently find its way into the conversation --- what would your final meal be? Given that I adore just about everything if it is cooked right, my answer sometimes surprises dinner guests. It is simply roast chicken on a grill. No beer cans. No rotisserie. Just a trusty piece of Americana called the Weber Charcoal Barbecue.  A few years ago, I bought my dream barbecue: The Weber Performer. It combines the ease of gas with the results of charcoal. Oh, how I love it. However, you do not need the Performer for this recipe. Any old Weber will do. A Word About Chicken The Weber Performer. Proof there is ...

Jim McNamara Jim McNamara passed away last week at the age of 84. This is the eulogy regarding his baseball career. Every love affair has a beginning, and for the McNamara Family, a love affair with baseball began on July 4 th 1918 just outside the small French town of Cantigny. Europe was into its fourth year of bloodshed and the arrival of the American Army brought hope that the war to end all wars would soon be over. The Americans saw their first action in late May, when they were ordered to take and hold the strategic town of Cantigny. After several weeks of nightmarish casualties brought on by shells filled with shrapnel and mustard gas, the Americans were victorious, and the German Army began a slow, but stubborn retreat back to their homeland. John McNamara, 1918 An exhausted American Army was treated to a special Independence Day party with all of the trappings of home. There was to be a BBQ, followed by a concert, and then the best enterta...