There is a classic knock-knock joke that includes the name Melvin.  In that joke, the exchange goes as de rigueur for a knock-knock joke.

Knock-knock

Who's there? 

At this point the joke takes on a new variation on the often formulaic pattern so familiar to us all.  The knock-knocker responds to the interrogatory "Who's there?" with a rather full description, "Melvin, the Rude Interrupting Cow."

As the putative host of the knock-knocker's greeting begins to respond in the time-honored manner, "Melvin the Rude . . ." the knock-knocker interrupts the question by saying "Moo" and thereby validates his descriptive moniker by being both rude and interrupting. 

Minneapolis Twins fans know Michael Cuddyer as a power-hitter and right-fielder.  But as you would expect in an article written from Quinlan's Inside Magic, he is much more than a mere clean-up batter in the big leagues. 

He is a lover of magic – magic performance, magic practice,  magic tricks, and just plain talking about magic.

Using the convenient Magician Measurement System scale, he comes in at just under a 4.40 (approximately 4.37 to 4.39 depending on his knowledge of magic history).

Sure, he's not a 7.2 like Dai Vernon much less Mark Wilson's 7.55 (a record in the modern-era of magic).  But for a ball-player, a 4.40 is more than respectable.

That is a rhetorical question so we hope you didn't actually answer aloud or try to write an answer on the computer screen.  We were just using it as a clever tease or device, if you will, to introduce a story from this morning's Tri-Valley Herald featuring Frank Thurston.

Mr. Thurston is the person we described in our rhetorical question. 

He has the classic magician name -- "Thurston," not "Frank" – and a real love for our art.

We saw him for the first time at the Magic Castle years ago.

He performed his classic -- an outstanding effect where several members of the audience looked at any card in a deck and Mr. Gillis was able to tell each member the card they glanced at.

It seemed impossible.

We barged our way his way and introduced our date for the evening --we'd reveal her name but we promised to protect her anonymity and she promised to not press charges.  We told him how much we enjoyed his performance.