Bowery Boy

I don't and won't put money in the paper cup of the mendicant sitting on a milk crate outside a Dunkin' Donuts in Downtown Crossing. He's not noticeably smelly or particularly rude. However, he's a lot of years too late.

In college days, there was a beggar in front of the Prudential Center who often got my attention and change. He had a simple routine, but it was fine theater, excellently timed. Unlike others, he'd show money. Opening his fist, he pushed coins around his palm, looked imploringly and pointed to the adjacent snack shop. "I need just 55 cents to get a ham sandwich there," he'd say. From his look, I am pretty sure his lunch was from a green bottle, but I had been amused and paid up almost every time.

Then in my early 20s, I fulfilled my high-school promise to myself and moved to Manhattan. I took over an apartment of a friend of a friend who needed to sublet it for a year.

East Third Street had its own set of subcultures. I was directly across the street from the Hell's Angels (a different story...later) and a couple of blocks from the main men's shelter on the Bowery.

So if I headed in one direction, single and paired bums aggressively begged me for spare change, a quarter, a dollar, help. I started out giving the most intense of them money, then fewer, then none. It did not take long to put out a force shield.

Then, I began hearing a peculiar question repeatedly. In a laughably small A&P, in a bodega, in a Russian bakery and in the closest liquor store, a clerk would stop suddenly my transaction to ask, "Do you have a brother around here?"

Finally, I saw him. Five mornings, I left the grit of the Lower East Side for my temp job at the Museum of Modern Art. I was a lackey helping bring the Italian Design Show (another different story...also later) to town. Unlike the chrome hogs sputtering and roaring across the block every night, the objects at MOMA were, well, art. From ashtrays to typewriters to coffee mugs, we used objects that were part of the design collection. There was a delicacy to such indulgence in beauty.

This Monday, I was almost to the subway when I looked down at yet another bum on yet another milk crate. We simultaneously stared at each other. From the blond hair to the long jaw to the reddish moustache, we were identical. We were the same age and size and were twins.

This was my illusory brother.

We remarked on it all. He too had been asked about his brother in the neighborhood. At least we had one other difference; our names were nothing alike.

I gave him money that morning and every time I saw him. In exchange, he began to offer tidbits of a childhood in New Jersey, a middle-class family, an engineering degree from Rutgers, no jobs available in the recession, and a pioneering drive, but East instead of to the Plains, to experience raw life.

We saw each other for months, and then never again. I like to assume that he did not die on the street of violence or acute alcoholism. Rather, I saw him returning to his family, tossing the smelly clothes and starting his straight career.

The lyrics to Phil Ochs' "There But For Fortune have had a particular intensity from the first time I saw my twin.

I Want a Yard Sign

The Virginia politician with our name barely lost his legislative race. For a Republican, he has pretty smart and pretty humane politics. In fact, his real problem in the contest may have been that he and the Democrat had platforms that were too similar.

At least for the present, his site is still available.

Is is complete with pictures. He's a good-looking guy, but then again, he is a Michael Ball.

There's a bio and four position papers and an endorsement in PDF.

While he is more conservative than some of us, he does seem in tune with his state. In his campaign, he promised to:

• Roll back the real estate tax rate and cap property taxes
• Ensure quality teachers by requiring them to pass competency tests in the subjects they teach our children
• Pass a law requiring all future tax increases to be approved by the people in a voter referendum
• Require an independent audit of the state budget to make sure tax dollars are spent efficiently and to cut waste wherever it is found

Bang, Mike

This Michael Ball is never likely to have fans like the singer. I ran across Ballpoint, replete with links to where you can buy his CDs, photo galleries, and a page to record your memories of the day you met HIM (squeal).

As a sample, consider this review of an experience at Chitty Chitty Bang Bang:

WAS I BARKING?!!!
A review by Clive

Well, I thought I had seen it all over the years reporting on the escapades of the folks of London Town, but today I really did have to ask myself the question, Was I Barking?!! Had all these years taken their toll?, or was I really reporting on a 'tail' of a very different kind?!

I could have been forgiven for thinking I'd had one Alco Pup too many the night before, as I found myself confronted with the mysterious sight of those making up the queue at The London Palladium. I admit I arrived a little late, but the view from the rear was still a fascinating 'tail'!

Now I'm used to seeing the ardent fans who queue for their favourite show, and in a few weeks the Ballettes will be queuing outside this very spot eager for any returns, and we all know they flock from afar to hear Michael Ball, but was I really seeing a large group of assorted Dogs (yes Dogs!!) queuing to buy a ticket for the musical that's taking off with a Bang and a Bark in just a few short weeks time! Could this really be the new generation of Michael Ball fans?! They say it takes all sorts, and this was a wonderful assortment, young, old, long haired, short haired, and like a few Michael Ball fans I've seen in my time, they had some of the tell tale signs, tongues hanging out, even a bit of drooling going on but then came a bark, now not since I heard someone once call Michael Ball, Bolton, had I heard a bark like it!!

But just a minute, just who was barking here I asked myself, as I gave the necessary pinch to check I was not in the middle of some strange dream where Dogs had taken over the world. Why did I spot the word 'audition' on the lead sheet I had been handed from my paper, and suddenly have visions of the Bull Terrier stood behind me standing on the stage of The London Palladium dressed in a dinner jacket, cigar in hand, a newspaper under his paw acting out the scene of a lifetime to win his part?!!!

It probably is me who is barking, but they do say never work with animals, or children, and Michael Ball is about to do both, a braver man than me!! I only hope as Michael is in the middle of one his renditions during his nights on the stage of The London Palladium that he doesn't suddenly find himself looking at one of the musicians down in the orchestra pit to see a Bearded Collie looking up at him playing a trumpet, that's when he will ask the question I was asking too!!

Granite Mike?

Where is Mike Ball, the New Hampshire radio talker?

Several emails have asked what happened to him. After he disappeared from WGIR, no one locally seems to know where he went, but many seem to miss him.

Over at Wizbang! we find, in part, the lament:

I wrote before about Charlie Sherman, the failed TV sportscaster who now fancies himself a talk-show host. In order to accomodate Sherm, the local radio show dumped an excellent guy named Mike Ball and let Sherm in to stink up the place.

Sherm knows he stinks. That's probably why they don't take phone calls from listeners. When a talk show doesn't take callers, they're either too egotistical to think that anyone else could contribute anything of value or too frightened that the callers will show them for the chumps they are. In Sherm's case, it's probably both.

If you know where this MB went, pass it along.

Health Care Mike

Out in Irvine, California, Allergan, Inc. has F. Michael Ball as executive vice president and president, pharmaceuticals. His bio on the company site includes:

Born in Canada, Mr. Ball was educated in the U.K. and U.S. before receiving his BSc and M.B.A. from Queen’s University in Canada. He is the former President of Syntex Inc. Canada and Senior Vice President of Syntex Laboratories USA, where he served on Syntex Corporation’s Management Committee. Mr. Ball has over 20 years of international health care experience in the marketing and sales of pharmaceutical products. He joined Allergan in 1995.

Two Too Similar

Michael Ball's last stand seems to have been in Uncle Louie's Restaurant in Norfolk, Virginia. In the race for the Virginia House of Delegates, our guy just barely lost to Paula MIller.

According to the report of the restaurant battle, their debate showed too much similarity. We may never know whether his adversary's recognition as a TV talking head swung the voters.

At Uncle Louie's, he stressed the huge increase in state spending and taxing in the previous decade. His big pitch would be that he would oppose such profligacies. That apparently wasn't enough.

Midget Landing

In Chippenham, U.K. Garston Farm has a tiny airstrip in a farm field. Call Mike Ball "at some stage prior to departure" for permission to land.

The town and Garston Farm are in Wiltshire.

The airstrip is very bucolic, enough to note that the landing is by "Rwy 09 approach through the gap between trees."

When you are ready, call Mike at 01225-891284 or 0790-1755312.

The greeting includes, "All visitors to our airstrip are extended a warm welcome, (provided prior permission received), and the kettle is always on in the caravan!"

Call for Ball...and Pierce

Who knows where radio talker Mike Ball is now?

A comment on the profile of him when he was still on WGIR with Dan Pierce in New Hampshire wonders too.

Our latest search turned up this:

In NEW HAMPSHIRE, there's still no replacement announced for Dan Pierce, who resigned as program director and afternoon host at WGIR (610 Manchester) and its network of simulcasts (WTSL 1400 Lebanon, WGIP 1540 Exeter, WGIN 930 Rochester) on August 27. We're hearing some buzz that Pierce's departure may clear the way for Mike Ball, who was ousted as the morning host last month (a slot fulled by Charlie Sherman.)

That's not much info. It was from September 2004.

Beyond the Repository

Get your PDF here. Mike Ball presents 35 pages of PowerPoint on the future of content management.

He is director and general manager of EMC Documentum. So, there is a bit of beef amongst the high-toned words and high-color graphics. (If nothing else, you can enjoy the information-overloaded executive with his head in his hands.

This one was a presentation at the Enterprise Information Management Conference in Boston, July 2004. He is frequent speaker at such conferences worldwide.

Of course, we assume Documentum may have a solution or two to vend. The teaser for the presentation includes:

Information Lifecycle Management (ILM) is a strategy of pro-active management of information that is business-centric. It needs a unified approach, and is policy-based. ILM aligns service levels with business requirements. Mike considered data protection, which in his world involves backup and replication. In his world, these two are becoming closely enjoined. We have already mentioned that compliance management is a major requirement. Email is becoming a big business risk, so needs to have a business strategy for managing it.

New Twists to London

Our man in economics, Michael Ball, is lead author with David Sutherland of An Economic History of London: 1800-1914. The Business History Review at Harvard Business School starts its comments by saying the authors "set out to move London history in new directions, departing from previous narrative and explanatory accounts and explicitly deploying modern economic theories."

They claim that much of previous views of London development suffers from earlier, misleading views. They find, among other conclusions, that "London was not industrially backward in the nineteenth century, but was growing and diversifying according to the predictions of competitive market theory."

The book is 470 pages. Published by Routledge i 2001, it retailed then for $110. It is available now from Amazon (free shipping) for $115, or as an ebook for $110 from the eBookMall.

Content Management Optimism

At EMC's Legato Software, Director of Product Marketing Mike Ball commented:

aving been in this industry for more than 15 years, I can say that 2004 has the promise of being one of the most exciting years in the content/document management industry. The recent surge of interest in regulatory compliance, corporate governance and legal risk initiatives has legitimized content management as another mandatory infrastructure application required to operate a business-just like ERP, payroll or similar business systems.

The traditional benefits of improved productivity, secure archival and reduced operating costs deliver added multifaceted ROI and business value.

The recent consolidation of vendors and solutions will undoubtedly continue in 2004, giving customers the benefit of selecting from financially strong and secure companies that can deliver mature technology solutions combined with long-term viability and industry commitment.

—KM World. Camden, March 2004.

Our Man in Man

The Channel Islands off England rotate their version of Olympic games. The most recent one to be held on the Isle of Man was in 2001.

Our man in the center of those was Mike Ball, the island's Director of Leisure. In the picture, our man is in the middle flanked by chairman Brian Partington and Gary Jakeman.

The games include competitors from all the islands. They vie in a dozen sports.

Another Ball on the Boards

Another actor Mike Ball is not to be confused with the famous Canadian Michael Ball. This one is from Philadelphia. He is a major star of the Stagecrafters. He has numerous credits with them, some of which you can see here.

Our Man of the Poppies

In Bristol, England, Mike Ball is the treasurer of the branch and club of the Dundry British Royal Legion. The service organization (and bar) has been open since 1949.

Buy a Used House from This Mike?

In Queensland, Australia, Mike Ball sells luxury realty on Bribie Island. The profile for our sales consultant includes:

Mike and his family have lived on Bribie Island for nearly 10 years and would be well known to many Bribie residents. Mike and Lyn have been married 30 years and have twin daughters who are studying Veterinary Science at Queensland University.

A Boilermaker/Welder by trade, Mike has worked his way up from the workshop floor to become State Manager for one of Australia's largest steel companies. He was also empowered with setting up and commissioning a purpose built production centre for this company and his people skills when negotiating and overseeing all aspects of this venture were regularly called upon to smooth many a ruffled feather over the course of time.

Following this, Mike spent 5 years in Sales & Marketing mangement for a Company involved in a specialised engineering field, before setting up his own business, 'Passage Pool Supplies' 5 years ago.

The rest, as they say, is history. This business grew from strength to strength winning two Excellence In Business awards. This success can only be attributed to Mike's hard work, dedication and commitment to his customers, and these traits are carried through to his clients in Real Estate. Mike will always give you 110% and with his honest and straight-forward approach you can be assured your best interests are always paramount.

Mikes integrity, enthusiasm and valuable local knowledge will help ensure his clients receive the best possible outcome with their Real Estate needs.

Ball on Bouncing: 2

Our man Mike Ball in Australia has shown his face.

He is the Umpiring Development Manager Umpiring WA, which is conducted under the auspices of the West Australian Football Commission. It is "at the home of Football, Subiaco Oval.

"There are four full time employees, an Umpiring Development Manager, two Umpiring Administators and a Development Officer.

"Umpiring WA exists to provide clear direction to all affiliates and to further develop the role of the umpire within the game of Australian Football."

Great Plains Aeronaut

We have one us in South Dakota. A commissioner on the South Dakota Department of Trasnsportation Commission is Mike Ball.

His term is for 2005-2006. He is from Huron. You can see him with all the commissioners here.

Un-Bond

We can find no other mention of Michael C. Ball, actor. He is credited was Male Hooker #3 in The Click: Balls of Thunder.

This 2002 made-for-TV movie features Robert Donovan as Rod Steele. The plot summary is mercifully short:

Armed with a remote control device that causes people to become extremely horny, he must battle super-villain Tangerina, who wants to capture the sperm of the world's most powerful men and create an army of sex slaves.

The love interest is apparently the villain, De'Ann Power (right) as Tangerina.

We can't see any images of our man, the hooker. Also, this is the only movie credit he has.

As a hint of why this movie did not have a theatrical release, consider a dialog sample from Rod:"I'd like a vodka martini, shaken not stirred, with a touch of lemon and one green olive on a wooden toothpick, preferably imported from somewhere in the Orient."

Back to the Futurliner

In Michigan, Mike Ball has been an active volunteer in the six-year project to restore and exhibit an automotive anomaly.

Before most of us were around or can remember, General Motors had Parade of Progress shows. Their 12 Futureliners were integral to the traveling expos.

Futurliner #10 came into the hands of Don Mayton and his crew of a couple dozen volunteers. They have restored it from a rusty heap to a shiny hulk. You can see the project from the beginning.

Dig into the photo/caption archives or drill right down to your specialty (like bumpers). You can also click on the work reports by year to see the painstaking operations (and what parts Mike played).

Back to Bama

Our man in Alabama has augmented his published bio on the state legislature site. Representative Mike Ball is also a musician, it turns out.

From vocations to avocations, he now includes:

Mike served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1973 to 1977 and was honorably discharged as a Sergeant. In 1978, he became an Alabama State Trooper, and served 8 years in the Highway Patrol Division. In 1986, he was assigned to serve in the Major Crimes Unit of the Alabama Bureau of Investigation. In addition to his investigative duties, Mike also served as a Hostage Negotiator. He retired from the Alabama Department of Public Safety on January 1, 2003.

A student of several musical instruments, Mike enjoys improvisation with other "shade tree" musicians. He is a member of Asbury Methodist United Methodist Church, the American Legion, the Alabama State Trooper Association, and the Huntsville Traditional Music Association.

Note: Shade-tree musicians tend to be those who play on weekends for their enjoyment. That can include more regular practices and even vanity pressings of their own CDs. I have no evidence the his group has done so, yet.