born 17 August 1970

Andrus Kivirähk, Tallinn, Soviet Union, Estonian writer

Denis Cviticanin, Zagreb, Yugoslavia, Croatian documentarian

István Kovács, Budapest, Hungary, boxer

Jim Courier, Sanford, Florida, tennis player

Jorge Posada, San Juan, Puerto Rico, major league baseball player

Julian H. Scaff, Stanford, California, artist/exile

Lawrence McGrandles, Jr., birthplace unspecified, Irish actor

Lori Barbieri, state of Texas, production manager

Mike Gasaway, Cleveland, Ohio, animator

Patrick Baker, San Francisco, California, honeywagon driver

Rupert Degas, London, England, actor

Satu Paavola, Nurmo, Finland, actress

Sôsoke Komori, Tokyo, Japan, actor

Tammy Townsend, Los Angeles, California, actress

Tony Rickardsson, Avesta, Sweden, motorcycle racer

Trevor Bajus, Syracuse, New York, artist/musician

Trevor Young, Amersham, England, digital compositor

I’ll always have a soft spot for Jorge Posada. I had my own cheer for him when I used to go to a lot of Yankee games. While waiting for the pitch, I’d begin to say the catcher’s name, holding steady on the first syllable: “Poooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo…” – and then, when the pitch was thrown, I’d complete the name really fast – “…sada!!”

Needless to say, my cheer never caught on.

So Posada’s a winner today, for being a future Hall of Famer (maybe) and all-around decent guy. But his co-winner today is the guy who taught me about a type of vehicle I had never heard of before, one that’s crucial to movie production.