Former Baseball Bunch Actor Here in LV
Plus: Artist John dough interprets Linda Vista, Spotlight on Tomasa Ruiz, Sign up for UCSD Research Study, and LV News Briefs
Imagine being an 11-year-old kid who loves the sport of baseball, and having a paid job that allows you to routinely meet some of the greatest Major League Baseball stars of the day like Hall of Fame catcher Johnny Bench. And imagine being a young actor who loved performing in front of people, and getting to act alongside such 1980’s popular television luminaries like Michael Landon and Merlin Olson. That’s the situation Linda Vista resident Tom McCabe enjoyed while growing up in Tucson, Arizona. As we recently found out, the former child actor—a graduate of the University of San Diego and a long-time resident of LV’s Fashion Hills neighborhood—was able to rub shoulders with quite a few Hollywood and sports celebrities as he honed his acting skills as an adolescent.
People in Fashion Hills mainly know McCabe as an advertising professional as well as an outstanding citizen of his townhouse development—but we had no idea he was once so involved in show biz! Upon finding out about his interesting former acting career, we thought our readers would also be intrigued by his story, and if they are the right age, might even recall seeing him in at least one of his major roles, especially if they grew up being baseball fans.
Accordingly, we recently sat down with him to ask a few questions. Here is what we found out.
McCabe related how he initially got the acting bug in third grade after taking acting classes and subsequently performing in a school production of Charlotte’s Web, where he played the humorous role of a goose. Beginning with that role, he quickly discovered he enjoyed performing in the front of people and making them laugh. With the encouragement of his mom, he continued to seek out more substantial acting roles, all the while continuing to participate in various sports in the Tucson area. His big break came when he was selected for the cast of the Baseball Bunch—a popular educational children’s television series that ran in the early to mid 80’s. The 30-minute baseball themed show, which was broadcast nationally on Saturday mornings, featured host Johnny Bench, the San Diego Chicken (Ted Giannoulas), Dodger’s manager Tommy Lasorda, and a cast of baseball playing youngsters including McCabe (he played the role of Andy) that provided baseball instructions for kids. Each week a different major league star like Dave Parker, Dan Quisenberry, George Brett, Graig Nettles, or Rollie Fingers would make a guest appearance (You can check out an episode of the show by clicking here).
The series was filmed in the Tucson area due to its ideal spring weather and proximity to MLB spring training sites. The situation was ideal for McCabe, who was an avid baseball fan and a Tucson area resident. The filming allowed him to be out of school for two months each year, though there were tutors on the production site. Needless to say, he enjoyed his five years on the show, getting to perform, earn money that he saved for college, and meet major league baseball players. “It’s a wonderful memory,” he said. ”It was a blessed and unique situation.” He also commented that the San Diego Chicken “couldn’t have been nicer” … and in spite of a certain tobacco spitting incident, he describes Johnny Bench as a great guy who once took the entire cast of kids to Chuck E. Cheese.
In addition to his Baseball Bunch gig, McCabe also spent his adolescent years playing roles on television shows like Little House on the Prairie and Father Murphy, and appeared on commercials for such products as Hubba Bubba Bubble Gum and Buster Brown Shoes. He also acted in local Tucson productions like Oliver and Arsenic and Old Lace.
All the while, McCabe continued to be active in school and sports, even serving as student body president during his senior year. When it came time for college, he chose to come to the University of San Diego to play baseball. He remarked that his acting career began to subside during his college years due to studying, baseball and all the normal distractions of college life.
Although McCabe no longer acts, he highly recommends acting for other people. “It gave me confidence to speak in front of people,” he said. “It’s fun offering people a form of escapism.”
And, of course, he still loves the game of baseball.
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The Linda Vista Update wishes to thank Tom McCabe for taking the time to answer our questions.
Linda Vista as Interpreted by the Mysterious John dough
We recently came across an interesting piece of artwork on a Linda Vista-related Facebook page (see image above). The work is made up of a montage of images pertaining to significant landmarks that comprise the Linda Vista community. We thought the work did a very good job of capturing some essential aspects of our LV setting. It’s the kind of image one might expect to see on a mural, or on a cool T-shirt.
After conducting a little research, we were able to track down the artist. He wasn’t willing to tell us his real name, but he told us he goes by the pseudonym “John dough”. He isn’t a Linda Vista resident, but what we discovered was that he has the ability to effectively express his creative vision of San Diego neighborhoods in his artwork. You can see his interpretations of other SD neighborhoods (Nestor, National City and Barrio Logan) in the images below. As he mentioned to us, he doesn’t limit himself to work related to San Diego neighborhoods, but we think he does a good job at this task.
John dough told us he would like to sell his artwork in the future, but until then what he’s “been doing is showing my art on social media platforms such as Instagram & Facebook. That is where I also post other artwork from other artists & you can find me under the name John dough from San Diego, California on Face Book or @6and1e9o_1904 on Instagram.”
He has ambitions to eventually be a muralist. “I haven’t done any of my own murals or large displays of artwork (yet) but I plan to though.”
As he explained to us, he often includes images of gangs in his work, but he doesn’t “do this to glorify gangs, but to acknowledge them & show them love thru my art.”
We commend the mysterious John dough and his interesting artwork. Here’s hoping he will do some more work using Linda Vista as his subject matter.
LV Spotlight
Tomasa Ruiz Leads Monthly Community Cleanup
As mentioned in the below LV News Briefs section, Bayside Community Center will be conducting its monthly Linda Vista community clean-up on Sunday July 10. Tomasa Ruiz is in charge of the clean-up; she is, in fact, the person responsible for originating this program, which has since become a monthly Linda Vista tradition. As many Linda Vista residents know, Tomasa is a leading community activist who has made a significant impact in terms of helping people in the neighborhood. She is a staff member of the Bayside Community Center. We featured her in an LV Update article in August of last year after she received a commendation from Councilmember Raul Campillo for her work with Bayside’s Urban Farming/Community Garden program.
In light of this Sunday’s special community clean-up, we wanted to give our readers the opportunity to get to know her a little better, and allow her to give us a few more details about this upcoming Sunday activity.
—How long have you lived in Linda Vista?
37 years.
—How long have you been leading the monthly community-clean-up?
Since 2018.
—What motivated you to start the program?
My son began volunteering with people at the Linda Vista Bahai Center. I helped them conduct clean-ups of the neighborhood. I thought it was good community service. Eventually, I came to the Bayside Community Center asking for support. They provided funding for bags, vests, and trash pick up sticks. It then became a monthly event. At first there were only three or four people showing up to volunteer, but then more people started coming.
—What’s the largest group of volunteers you’ve had for one day?
We once had 82 people show up, including volunteers from USD, and Mesa College, and other community members.
—What's so special about this Sunday’s community clean-up?
This cleanup is one of Bayside’s 90th anniversary celebration events. We will have lunch for all volunteers after the cleanup at Bayside. Sponsors for this event include Molina Health Care, Investcal Realty Corporation, Southern Sea Dragon and Lion Dance Association, Walmart-Kearny Mesa, Community Health Improvement Partners, Padres Foundation, and the San Diego Commission for Arts and Culture.
—Which local political office holders have participated in the monthly clean-up?
We’ve had Congresswoman Sara Jacobs, and Councilmember Raul Campillo and his staff show up to help us.
—What other programs are you associated with at the Bayside Community Center?
The Tiny Gardens Program, the Empower Women’s group, the Urban Farming Program, planning for the Community Garden, the Co-Op Garden, and the Food Distribution Program.
—What do you enjoy about working at Bayside?
I’m able to help people.
—What do you enjoy about living in Linda Vista?
I like the diversity. And I think people are more friendly now compared to when I first moved here.
—What positive changes would you like to see in Linda Vista in the next couple years?
I want to see the new Linda Vista Community Garden established at the Linda Vista Recreation and Park Center. And I would like to see more after-school activities for kids at the Rec Center to help keep them off the streets.
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The Linda Vista Update wishes to thank Tomasa for taking the time out of her busy schedule to answer our questions.
I am sure she will he happy to see many of our readers show up this Sunday for the community cleanup.
UCSD Measure Study—Sign up at Farmers Market
We had another interesting Love, Linda Vista Farmers Market last Thursday.
In addition to bringing Linda Vista residents the finest in fresh fruits, veggies, flowers, eggs, wonderful craft products, and a delicious variety of foods, snacks and desserts, the Market’s Board of Directors is happy to announce that it is now expanding into the public health field via a partnership with UCSD Health. I met with Nicole Karongo, MPH RDN, UCSD School of Public Health who is working with Cheryl A. M. Anderson, PhD, MPH, MS (the first black dean of the Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health at UCSD) in a study of the role of salt in the body. And LV Update readers have the opportunity to participate in this interesting study.
In the past, urine specimens were the only way to determine amounts of salt in the body. This research study will use other means, such as blood draws, imaging including MRIs to determine how salt is metabolized into the body of those suffering from hypertension. They are hoping to enlist 50 people for the initial study which will include those 18 or over who have been diagnosed by a doctor with hypertension having blood pressure over 120/80. The study will last 60 days.
A great incentive to enroll in this study, besides doing something to help the world, is that you will be given FREE meals for the duration of this study, valued at over $1700. You will also receive a stipend of $400. During the 60 days you must eat the food provided with the exception of a “wash out’ which is a break after 7 measurements. You will receive meals every 4 days. During the study you may drink water and coffee, but no sodas or other drinks to include sparkling water.
Nicole is very knowledgeable and extremely vested in the research study. She explained the study in a very relatable way. She is a registered dietician as well as a grad student with a goal of a PhD in Public Health.
Nicole will have a table set up at future Love, Linda Vista Farmers’ Markets where you can speak with her about the study and possibly sign up. One of the reasons she chose Linda Vista is that they are looking for a racially diverse sample of adults with high blood pressure and will examine the effects of high and low dietary salt intake on the storge and excretion of sodium to determine whether its distribution in the body affects blood pressure. They hope their findings will be helpful in managing hypertension and related conditions. You can also contact them at their website: Measurestudy.com. The study is funded by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute of the National Institute of Health (NIH).
And, today, yet another vendor will make its debut at the Farmers Market, joining with Nicole. This is the UCSD Health Screening Booth, staffed by Tiffany Dinh. I will cover this venture in more depth in next week’s Update, but stop by the UCSD Health tent for complete information.
LV News Updates
—Farmers Market: The Love, Linda Vista Farmers Market will be held today in the parking lot of the Linda Vista Plaza Shopping Center. The Farmers Market will be open from 2:00 pm to 7:00 pm. Come on out and see what all the vendors have available for purchase. Buy those fresh eggs, fruits and vegetables! You can click here on recent issues of the LV Update and read about Farmers Market vendors like Papa’s Garden Egg Stand, Argos Baking Company, Celtic Kitten, Big Al’s Cookies, Majestik Kulture, Sweet Cravings By Paula,Rollin Roots, and Twisted Trolley Traveling Treats Ice Cream, You can also keep up with Love, Linda Vista Farmers Market news by going to their new web site: https://www.lovelindavista.org.
—Linda Vista Community Cleanup: The Bayside Community Center will hold its monthly community cleanup on Sunday, July 10. Volunteers will meet at the Linda Vista Library at 10:00 am. A light lunch will follow at Bayside at 11:30 am. Come out and help keep Linda Vista clean and free of litter. A great way to get in some community service.
— Looking for LV Recipes: As explained in the June 23rd issue of this newsletter, a project commissioned by the San Diego Commission for Arts and Culture is looking for local recipes that show how food is used to share personal and cultural stories. The project “By Means of Smoke” will focus on a collection of BBQ/picnic recipes compiled from Linda Vista community members. Contributors will be paid $75.00 for their recipe submissions. For complete info on this project, see the official city website by clicking here.
—Park Social Project: As also explained in the June 23rd issue of this newsletter, John Baca Park in Linda Vista will be the site of an exciting Park Social Project on Saturday July 16, from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm. The “Tree Line” event, sponsored by the organization Studio Nectary, will include inclusive activities that connect participants through three different series of line explorations and engagements. They include a free-parts play activity, community weaving reflection activity, and dance activity. Participants will be asked to bring a piece of fabric to the event which will be woven and/or quilted together and incorporated into a final installation. Check out the Studio Nectary website for further details. We hope to see many of our readers at this event.
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The Linda Vista Update publishes informative, interesting and fun news about Linda Vista and its neighboring communities.