A Little About Me
I am an Illustrator ... and an Ellis Trader
Now mind you, I don't deal exclusively in Dock Ellis or even Ellis Burks. No, I'm actually a fan of the Cardinals, Tigers and Mariners, and so much more likely to trade for a Bob Gibson, Kirk Gibson or Ken Grif's son. However, Mr. Ellis is a vivid character, making him stand out in my mind as I reflect on the "greats" of my youth, and so I have at least one of his commemorative cardboards in my collection. Hey, he once hurled a no-hitter for those great Pirates teams of the 70s! Never mind that it may have been one of the ugliest no-hitters ever pitched, given that he was facing a two-year-old Padres club that finished dead last that year, and he still walked more of them than he struck out (8 BBs to 6 KOs), and just for good measure, he even plunked Ivan Murrell – a career .236 hitter.
Oh, and he was high on LSD at the time.
It's actually a wonder he didn't hit more batters. He would later confess that at times he couldn't even see the catcher's mitt, so he just stared at the batters when he threw. Dock was indeed a tumultuous professional pitcher – an angry tempest on and off the field. Why, he once hit Pete Rose, Joe Morgan and Dan Driessen to lead off a game against the rival Big Red Machine, and then continued his strikeless streak, attempting to hit Tony Perez, who artfully dodged the four fastballs thrown at him. He was mercifully pulled by his manager when the next two pitches were aimed at the head of Johnny Bench.
No, Dock Ellis was far from perfect. When he wasn't abusing opposing batters or battering his wives, he was abusing drugs and alcohol in an attempt to manage his malicious mentality. Yet, even the worst of our actions are capable of being redeemed. Dock eventually went to rehab, coming out sober on the other side and then dedicated himself to counseling other abusers in clinics and prisons. That's not why I remember Dock from my youth, but THAT'S why I admire him as an adult. He never lost hope. He kept “pressing on to win the prize” in life and on the field, hoping for victory — hoping for redemption. And that is what sports is about. “The human drama of athletic competition“ is unscripted and daily creates against-all-odds results that would even make fatalist philosopher, Sam Harris blush. It's the Cinderellas going from rags to riches, and the Davids conquering their giants that makes sports great. It makes mere mortals hope of immortality – of rising to new heights!
Through my graphic design abilities, I strive to take businesses to new heights. Want a bigger market share? Wanting to expand your services demographics? Want to introduce a new product into an existing market? Don’t flounder — hope for victory.
I am a Writer ... and a Rider
No, not a motorcycle rider. Borrowing from Steve Carrell’s character in the “40-year Old Virgin: ” A motorcycle –Yeah, that WOULD be cool. No, I ride a BICYCLE."
I ride to enjoy the fair exchange of speed for burning legs and lungs. I ride to help me stay in some kind of shape (I prefer V-shape, or if not that then I-shape at least, as opposed to O-shape). And I ride because it gives me several moments to clear my mind and spirit, and allow God to have His say. “Recreation is re-creation” as former baseball commissioner, Bart Giamatti was fond of saying. These moments on a bike out in the vastness of the outdoors seems to create a vacuum that extracts many random dots out of my head, and then gives me the time and space to connect them all in some functional fashion.
My thoughts are thus re-created as I recreate, inspiring stories and slogans; designs and descriptions; and pictures and prose that I hope will, in turn, inspire others. All of this is possible when the rubber literally hits the road. As the wheel churns, so does the mind.
The wheel is symbolic of human progress – a simple machine that causes work to be more efficient. I hope you’ll allow me to make your work more efficient. I know you’ve got people, products and services to manage. You’ve got market segments to reach, and patrons to persuade. I can make your job easier by propping up your products and services in a way that more clearly and succinctly persuades action.
If you’ve got a marketing challenge, I’m available for a free consultation.
If you’re curious about me, browse through samples of my past work in my portfolio.
This site is here to express my thoughts through the “Daily Streamer” and “Daily Dreamer” blogs.
I'll be using these pages to keep you up to date on writing and art projects in which I’m involved.
Take me for a spin!