Stinky in Seattle

I took a glance at my predictions earlier today.
I actually picked the Mariners to win the West. You know, pitching and defense. I completely ignored the fact that they can't hit for beans. I'm guessing they are out of it at 21 1/2 back and riding a 5-game skid.
Sometimes you look back and say, "What the hell was I thinking?"
Answer? I wasn't apparently.

Morneau Still Out

Justin Morneau suffered a concussion sliding into second base on July 7th. OK, a concussion. Not good but he'll be back in a week, right.
Well, he's still not back and when you deal with some one's head, it is scary. I'm hoping that he's back soon but the Twins are obviously not going to rush him. That is not only smart but admirable. I'm sure some teams would be pushing him to get back in the lineup. But you don't mess with a head injury.
Of course, in the NFL, or college, a player gets a concussion and he plays the next week. Or maybe the next series of downs. That is why so many former NFL players are walking around with scrambled brains. Very frightening stuff.

Training Camp vs Spring Training

NFL training camps are opening up around the country. Many people, especially here in Denver are rather excited. Football is looming on the horizen.
Guess what? I don't give a rats behind about training camp.
Is there anything more boring than watching football practice in the hot sun?
Well, I guess watching the Orioles.
When do I get excited for the NFL? Week one, that's when.
I don't get pumped up over the training camps of football, basketball or hockey. Not one bit. I'll get excited when the season starts.
But for baseball, I long for spring training on those long, cold winter days. I look forward to the start of spring training and actually get excited when I see pitchers and catchers report and guys stretching on the grass and running (jogging...barely) on the warning track.
I guess I'm a baseball fan.

Hit It Already

I'm getting tired of hearing and reading every day that "Alex Rodriguez is stuck on 599 home runs."
Hit the damn thing and be done with it.
Interestingly, nobody I know seems remotely interested in A-Rod getting to 600 homers. I wonder why? Oh, wait, it's probably the steroids! Silly me.

Berkman in Pinstripes?

The Astros sent Roy Oswalt on his way and now the rumor is the Yankees are on the verge of acquiring Lance Berkman. Any truth to this? I don't know but Berkman didn't play in the Astros 5-0 win over the Brewers tonight.
Berkman has 13 homers and 49 RBI's but is hitting an uncharacteristic .245. Put him in the Yankees lineup and he hits much better than that.
By the way, Yankees disabled DH Nick Johnson just sprained his neck after shaking his head when he heard of the proposed deal.

Oswalt Lit Up

First of all, I don't know why the Astros traded Roy Oswalt. He's an ace, under contract for two more years and the kind of pitcher every team covets.
The Astros are having a crappy year. So what. Build around a pitcher like Oswalt, don't just give him up.
The Phillies probably wished the Astros would have waited a few days before trading Oswalt.
The Nationals pounded their way to an 8-1 win over Philly. Oswalt gave up 5 runs (4 earned) in 6-innings.

Get Used To It Buck

Former ESPN analyst Buck Showalter is the new Orioles manager. I guess some guys will do anything to get away from John Kruk.
Tonight in KC, the Orioles had a 5-4 lead in the bottom of the 9th. Boom. Alex Gorden goes ya-ya, a 3-run job and the Royals win 7-5.
The beat goes on for the Borioles.

About Time

The Rockies offense exploded tonight. I mean, EXPLODED.
The Rocks scored 12 runs in the 8th inning on their way to a 17-2 pummelling of the hapless Cubs. At one point in the 8th, Colorado had 11 straight hits and 13 consecutive batters reach base.
Watching the 8th inning onslaught I came to the following conclusions.
A) The Cubs bullpen blows.
B) I thought Lou Piniella was going to raise the white flag.
C) The Rockies finally looked like a team that can actually hit as they rapped out 21 hits on the night. Where the hell has this been all year.
Watch, they'll score 2 runs tomorrow night.
During the Rockies 8-game losing streak they scored 18-runs. Now they score 17 in one game. Crazy sport this baseball thing.
Oh yeah, the Padres lost so the Rocks are 8-games back and riding a 2-game winning streak. There are two month's left. This is a Rockies team that likes to do it the hard way. Keep the faith Rockies fans, keep the faith.

Now It Gets Interesting

I don't care when a guy has a 7-game hitting streak. I really don't find it all that intriguing when someone has hit in 12 or 15 straight. But when a player is working on a 20-game hitting streak, I get excited.
Giants rookie catcher Buster Posey has hit in 20-straight and has caught my attention. I don't think Joe D is worried from his grave but maybe Benito Santiago is somewhat concerned. Santiago holds the record for a hitting streak by a catcher at 34-games, done in his rookie season of 1987.
I hope Posey passes Santiago since I'm not a fan of steroid cheats.

Scratched

The Nationals scratched Stephen Strasburg from his start last night in Washington due to shoulder inflammation. He couldn't get loose in the bullpen and the ex-Expos made the correct call in sitting him down.
The crowd in Washington wasn't happy. Many obviously came to see Strasburg pitch but you can't jeopardize his future or the franchises future over one start in a relatively meaningless game. The Nationals aren't going to win the pennant this year.
Miguel Batista made the emergency start and eased some of the pain of the Nationals fans by turning in a Strasburg-like performance, going 5-innings, allowing just 3-hits while striking out 5. The 39-year old Batista picked up his first win of the season as Washington quieted the Braves 3-0.

Joakim Soria

Royals closer Joakim Soria apparently is on the trading block. The All-Star has 27 saves thus far and playing for KC he doesn't get too many opportunities so he has to cash in when he can.
The Yankees are rumored to be interested in trading for Soria. He would be a perfect bridge in the 8th inning to get to Mariano Rivera and, at 26 years old, could be the heir apparent to Rivera should The Sandman ever retire. There's a scary thought for Yankees fans.
Anyway, Soria has a no-trade clause in his contract for six teams, including the Yankees. I would hope that if Kansas City wanted to trade Soria to the Yankees that he would wave his no-trade clause. Of course, there would be sweeteners involved to help convince him to agree to such a deal. If the Royals wanted to trade Soria to the Yanks and he refused to waive his no-trade deal, that tells me he is a loser who doesn't want to win and is comfortable playing in obscurity for the Royals. I hope I'm wrong on that one.

KC Improvement

On Monday, the Twins smacked around the Royals to the tune of 19-1.
Last night, Minnesota only beat Kansas City 11-2.
To me, that signifies improvement on the part of the Royals.
Hey, I like to stress the positive.

Free Fall

The wretched Pirates were 11-38 on the road this season, the worst in baseball, heading into last night's game with the Rockies.
After the game the Bucs were 12-38 away from home following a 4-2 win over Colorado.
The Rockies have lost 7-in a row and are 2-10 in their last 12. When the Rocks fail to reach the playoffs, their post All-Star game lethargy will be looked upon as their death knell.
I don't want to say it's over. The Rocks have shown in the past (2007, 2009) that they can get Marissa Miller hot. But let's face it. Those hot streaks don't come around too often.
So while I won't say it's over, remembering what Yogi said, the Rockies are on life support.
How bad is it? Their closer was hurt during batting practice. Huston Street suffered an abdominal contusion and had to be taken to the hospital after being struck by a ball hit by Ian Stewart. Things don't look too good in Denver right now.

Bobby V Still Looming

Bobby Valentine is itching to manage again. I get that feeling every time I see him on ESPN's baseball tonight.
Why in the world won't some team hire him?
He's better than half the guys managing today.
Do you think Mets fans would want him back? Hell yeah.
Here are teams that should be wining, dining and begging Bobby V to manage for them.
The Orioles, Diamondbacks, Pirates, Blue Jays, Royals, Indians, Mariners, Athletics, Brewers, Astros and Marlins.
The fact that Valentine is not managing tells me an awful lot of owners don't really want to win. Sure they'll give the impression they want to win but face it, winning ballclubs cost money and a lot of owners place profit ahead of winning.

The Mutts

The Rockies aren't the only team coming off a 2-9 road trip. The miserable Mets did the same, a stretch in which they batted .196 as a team.
General Manager Omar Minaya, after hinting some coaches could get fired, decided to keep the staff intact for the remainder of the season.
I'm wondering if Minaya thought about firing himself seeing as he's the one who assembled this team.
How Jerry Manuel, who has never been confused with John McGraw, keeps his job as manager is a mystery.
Looks like the 50-49 Mets are finished. They are 7 1/2 out in the East and like the Rockies, they better get hot in a hurry. I don't think they will. Come the end of the season, the penny-pinching Wilpons better back up the truck and clean house starting with Minaya and Manuel. But they probably won't.

Shutout Averted

Down 19-0 heading into the bottom of the 9th last night in KC, the never say die Royals sacked up and got a run before the rally was snuffed out.
The Twins won the game 19-1 and had to be upset at allowing the Royals to score. I'm sure Kansas City was celebrating the fact that they made the Twins sweat and that "nobody shuts out the Royals."
From the have a night department (good): Joe Mauer went 5-5 with 7 RBI's. Also, Danny Valencia went 4-4 with his first major league homer, a grand slam. He became the first Minnesota player to hit a grand slam on his first career dinger.
From the have a night department (bad): Zack Greinke allowed 8 earned runs in 4-innings to drop to 6-10 on the year with a 4.01 ERA. I don't think he'll repeat as the Cy Young Award winner.
The Royals should give the 19-thousand who showed up a refund. I was thinking about giving them free tickets but that would be a cruel thing to do.

Kershaw

Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw will drop his appeal of his 5-game suspension for throwing at hitters. He'll make his next start Sunday against the Giants, the team he was throwing at.
Suspensions for starting pitchers are a sham. A 5-game ban for a pitcher means he gets pushed back a day or two. If you really want to hammer home the point, suspend him for 20-games. This way he would miss 4 or 5 starts. That is real punishment. To suspend a starting pitcher for 5-games, four of which he wouldn't play in anyway is a farce.

The Next Dave Kingman

When I compare a player to Dave Kingman, that isn't necessarily a good thing. Kingman was a horrible all-around player who, from what I've been told, was a terrible human to boot. I never met the man so I can't say, but most people don't think highly of him. Maybe the fact that he sent a dead rat in a gift box to a female reporter one time helps aid his rep as a bad guy.
Anyway, I don't think Mark Reynolds falls into the "bad guy" category but he certainly can be compared to Kingman baseball-wise.
All Kingman did basically is hit home runs and strike out. All Reynolds seems to do is hit home runs and strike out.
Here are Kingman's numbers in his first 4-full seasons in the majors.
1972: 29 HR's, 140 K's, .225 batting average.
1973: 24/122/.203
1974: 18/125/.223
1975: 36/153/.231
Here are Reynolds stats for his first three full seasons and so far this year.
2007: 17/129/.279
2008: 28/204/.239
2009: 44/223/.260
2010: 23/139/.214
Even Kingman thinks Reynolds strikes out too much.
These horrifyingly high strikeout totals tells me Reynolds has just one plan when he goes to the plate. Hit the ball as far as he can. When you start doing that you get away from the fundamentals, your swing gets jacked up and the only time you make contact is when the ball happens to hit your bat.
Kingman ended up with 442 homers, 1,816 strikeouts and a .236 lifetime average.
I predict Reynolds will surpass Kingman in all three categories when it is said and done.

Triple Crown?

Major League baseball hasn't seen an offensive triple crown since Carl Yastrzemski in 1967. Yaz belted 44 homers and knocked in 121 runs while batting .326 that season.
By the way, hard to believe that Yaz will be 71 next month. I can still see him in the batters box for the Red Sox with his hands raised high and long, looping swing. Seems like only yesterday.
Anyway, this year might we have another triple crown winner in Miguel Cabrera? The Tigers first baseman is leading the American League in RBI's with 88, is second in homers with 24 (Jose Bautista has 28) and second in batting average at .347 (Josh Hamilton is hitting .357). Hamilton is also in the conversation with 74 RBI's and 23 homers.
Which is more rare, a triple crown in baseball or the triple crown in horse racing?
Well, after some research, there have been 16 triple crown winners in baseball. The first one in 1878 by Paul Hines of the Providence Grays. The 5'9, 173 pound outfielder hit .358 with 4 home runs and 50 RBI's. Not too bad considering the Grays played only 62 games that year.
The last National League triple crown was in 1937. Joe Medwick of the Cardinals hit
.374 with 31 jacks and 154 ribs.
Others to have triple crown seasons include Lou Gehrig, Ty Cobb and Mickey Mantle. Ted Williams and Rogers Hornsby the only players to do it twice.
So, how many horses have won the triple crown?
Just 11. The first was Sir Barton in 1919 and the most recent was Affirmed in 1978.
Interestingly, the last two baseball triple crowns came in back to back seasons. Frank Robinson (1966) and Yaz in baseball and in horse racing, Seattle Slew (1977) and Affirmed.
So while a little more common in baseball, the triple crown is certainly one of the greatest and rarest of achievements in either sport.

Garzariffic!

Another no-no in the bigs last night, this time it was Matt Garza of the Rays throwing a gem at the Tigers before 17-thousand plus at Tropicana Field. Yes, those Rays fans show up to support a great team don't they.
Anyway, unlike Edwin Jackson's no-hitter for the Diamondbacks in which he walked 8 guys, Garza's no-no was actually a masterpiece.
He walked one guy and faced the minimum 27 batters. Garza also struck out 6 in his 120-pitch effort.
It was nice for the Rays to be on the winning side of a no-hitter for a change. They've been no-hit three times in the past two seasons including a pair of perfect games thrown at them by Mark Buehrle last year and Dallas Braden this year.
It was the first no-hitter in Rays history leaving the Padres and the Mets as the only teams to never throw no-hitters. The Mets have played over 7,700 games since they were born in 1962.
A bunch of former Mets threw no-hitters in another uniform. Off the top of my head, those players are Nolan Ryan, Tom Seaver, Dwight Gooden, David Cone and Mike Scott. I may have missed a couple but you get my point. The best way for a Mets pitcher to throw a no-hitter is to go to another team.

Happiness

Happiness is seeing the Pirates waiting for you after a long, losing road trip.
The Rockies, who completely messed the bed by going 2-9 on their post-All Star break road swing, will probably be pretty pumped up to see Pittsburgh tonight at Coors Field.
The Rocks have lost 6-in a row and are now 8-games back in the West.
Is it over?
No, but it doesn't look good does it.
As for the Pirates, they are 30-games under .500 with no hope and no plan as usual. It is certainly a crying shame at what the Buccos have become and that is the worst franchise in baseball and maybe all of professional sports. But they'll get no sympathy from the Rockies. Put it this way, the Rockies need to sweep garbage like the Pirates. If they can't start sweeping these bottom feeders they are toast.

The Hawk

When I say "The Hawk" I'm not speaking of Ken Harrelson, the former big leaguer and current homer in the White Sox broadcasting booth. I actually have come to enjoy Harrelson's calls. "He gone" for a strikeout is funny and I no longer cringe on a home run call, "Put it on the boarrrrrrrrd, yeah!"
Anyway, I'm here to talk about Andre Dawson who is going into the Hall of Fame Sunday. I'm at the age where every guy who is going in now from the writers ballot I've seen play. Some of the veteran's committee guys I haven't seen but that will change the longer I live.
Anyway, Dawson certainly deserves the honor although teammate Tim Raines also belongs in Cooperstown in my estimation.
One thing I really like about Dawson going in is that he'll wear the Montreal Expos cap on his plaque. Gary Carter is the only other player who has gone in as an Expo.
I kind of have a soft spot for the Expos for some reason and I'm glad the team will be remembered with Dawson and Carter's plaques.
Too bad Dawson's knees were so bad after playing so many years on the hard Artificial Turf (show plug!) surface at Olympic Stadium. I'm sure he would have added onto his numbers which were pretty impressive anyway, 2,774 hits, 438 homers, 1,591 RBI's and 314 stolen bases. Like Ernie Banks though, Dawson, who also played for the Cubs, never played in the World Series. He can thank Rick Monday for that.
Also going into the Hall will be manager Whitey Herzog and umpire Doug Harvey. Herzog had a memorable nickname but I'm not sure I would want to be called "The White Rat".
Should be a fun Sunday in Cooperstown.

Milestone For Jorge

Jorge Posada knocked in two runs in tonight's easy 7-1 win over the Royals at Yankee Stadium. Posada now has 1,001 RBI's. Not too many catchers have that many so Posada is now in an elite group. Considering he's playing a demanding position, has over 250 homers, a respectable career average of .277 along with 4 World Series rings, the question becomes, is Posada Hall of Fame material?
I say absolutely.
Meanwhile, Alex Rodriguez didn't homer tonight and is sitting on 599 homers. Not too much fanfare around this milestone since the steroid thing has put a damper on his numbers.
Another guy chasing a milestone is Robinson Cano who is two hits shy of 1,000 for his career. Just a hunch but I think he'll get it.

The Philadelphia Athletics

For some reason, I decided to look up the last game the Philadelphia Athletics played in Philly in 1954 before heading to Kansas City for the 1955 season.
Well, the A's final home game on September 19 was played before a whopping 1,715 spectators, or basically 1,001 more fans than Babe Ruth home runs.
In that game, there were 4 future Hall-of-Famers, all with the Yankees. Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra, Phil Rizzuto and Enos Slaughter whose best days were with the Cardinals. The Athletics had no future Hall members play that day. The Yankees won that game at Connie Mack Stadium 4-2, thanks to a 3-run 8th inning homer by Gil McDougald.
The final game in Philadelphia Athletics history was a week later on Sunday September 26, also against the Yankees but this time at Yankee Stadium. The Athletics actually won this game 8-6 before a gathering of 11,670.
The last Philadelphia Athletic to get a hit? Eddie Joost, who singled in the 9th and also was the team's manager. Joost, who is still alive at age 94, was one of the players in Dave Frishberg's classic baseball song "Van Lingle Mungo," which is my favorite baseball song.
The last winning pitcher for the Philly A's? Art Ditmar who later pitched for the Yankees. The last game for the Philadelphia Athletics was also the first career win for Ditmar who ended the season 1-4 and finished with a career record of 72-77. Ditmar is also still kicking at 81 years of age.
The last home run by a Philadelphia Athletic was hit by Lou Limmer the day before on September 25. It was Limmer's 14th home run of the season and the 19th and last of his career. He passed away on April 1st, 2007 at the age of 82. Of note, Limmer was born in the Bronx and that is where he hit his last big league homer.
Anyway, sorry if this post bored you, but I dig this kind of stuff.

So Long Major

Ralph Houk died today at the age of 90. The Major would have been 91 next month.
Houk was the first Yankees manager I remember and was George Steinbrenner's first manager. Houk could only take one season of George and resigned right after the 1973 season.
I remember Houk always leaning on the dugout steps playing with little pebbles all the time.
After managing the Yankees to 944 wins over 11-seasons (including the 1961 and 1962 World Series championships), Houk went to the Tigers (where he managed Mark Fidrych) and finished up with the Red Sox.
He ended his managerial career with a 1619-1531 record.
The thing that was surprising to me about Houk's playing career was that he spent 8-seasons as a backup catcher to Yogi Berra but only played in 91-games. He had just 158 at-bats in those 8-seasons and hit a lifetime .272 with no homers and 20 RBI's. The stunning thing was, the Yankees went to the World Series in 6 of his 8 seasons with the team (47, 49, 50, 51, 52 and 53). Couldn't the Yankees have given Yogi a little more rest and let Houk get some playing time? Still, he pretty much had a pressure free pass to 6 World Series championship rings. Just for the record, he had two World Series at-bats, both against the Dodgers. He had a hit in the 1947 series and another hit in the 1952 series. The Major had a lifetime .500 average in the Fall Classic.
So another Yankee passes away. It was a good run for Ralph, a real good run.

Perfect Vin

Did you catch the blooper pitch that Tim Lincecum threw against the Dodgers last night?
The two-time defending Cy Young winner threw probably the worst pitch in his career and maybe in the history of Major League baseball.
Lincecum threw a pitch to Casey Blake that slipped out of his hand and went straight into the air. Lincecum didn't even know where the pitch went. It landed about halfway between the mound and home plate.
Dodgers announcer Vin Scully had a great call. He said it looked like Lincecum was "trying to throw a wet bar of soap." That was the perfect description. That Scully guy is pretty good.

Strange Home Run

I'm watching the Yankees game and cursing out home plate umpire Paul Emmel for throwing out Brett Gardner in the bottom of the 7th. Gardner took a called strike two, didn't like the call, had a minor beef and then was tossed by the overly sensitive Emmel. Gardner wasn't showing up Emmel and when he was tossed he stretched his arms outward and said, "For what?" That leads me to believe that Gardner didn't curse out the ump. But how dare he question Emmel? I mean, all those people in the stands came to see Emmel umpire, not the players play.
So rookie Colin Curtis takes Gardner's spot and inherits an 0-2 count. Tough spot, right? Sure is. So what does Curtis do? He works the count to 3-2 then hits a rocket line drive off Angels veteran pitcher Scott Shields into the right field seats, a 3-run homer, the first circuit clout of his big league career.
So while a lot of people, including me, are annoyed at the horrible umpiring of Paul Emmel, one guy who is pretty pumped up that Gardner got tossed is Colin Curtis.
Here is also something very strange. Rookie Juan Miranda homered earlier in the 7th inning for New York. It was the first time since 1929 that two rookies homered in the same inning for the Yankees, when Samuel Byrd and Lyn Lary did it. Baseball is a crazy sport, no?

Possible Sign of A Bad Team

You are up by 6 runs and...lose by 7.
Last night at Wrigley, the Astros led the Cubs 6-0 and ended up losing 14-7.
Aramis Ramirez, celebrated word of Lou Piniella's impending retirement, by actually showing up and hitting 3 homers and knocking in 7.
Yep, the Astros are a bad ball club.
What are you laughing at Cubbies?

Is He Really Dead?

Do you remember the Paul is dead rumors regarding Paul McCartney?
Some people say that Jim Morrison of The Doors staged his own death.
What about George Steinbrenner? Is he really gone?
Well, currently on the Yankees website, the "Principal Owner/Chairperson" is listed as George M. Steinbrenner III.
Come on Yanks update the website. If George was still around the person in charge of the website would have been fired by now.

Donnie Baseball's Miscue

Weird game last night in Los Angeles.
Each starting pitcher, Tim Lincecum of the Giants and Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers were ejected for throwing at batters. Nothing weird there.
L-A Manager Joe Torre also got tossed when Kershaw was sent off. That made Don Mattingly the Dodgers acting manager.
In the 9th, L-A closer Jonathan Broxton found himself in a jam, bases loaded, one out, 5-4 Dodger lead. Mattingly came out to talk to Broxton. When finished, Mattingly started off the mound and then, to answer a question from one of his infielders, turned and walked back onto the mound.
Giants melon-headed manager Bruce Bochy came out to argue that Mattingly's about-face constitued a second visit to the mound which meant Broxton would have to exit.
The umpires agreed, Broxton was taken out, George Sherrill came in, Andres Torres doubled and the Giants won a wild one 7-5 while the Dodgers went home with a 6-game losing streak.
As for Mattingly, I'm sure it's a mistake he won't make again when he gets his shot to manage.
By the way, Joe Girardi is a free-agent after this season. If the Yankees don't lock him up, might he go to Chicago to take over the Cubs? Lou Piniella is retiring after the season. Some say that Ryne Sandberg, currently managing in the minors will be the next Cubs manager. But if Girardi is available?
So, let's say Girardi is tired of Hal and Hank and the other morons like Randy Levine and Lonn Trost in the Yankees front office. Suppose he does indeed go to the Cubs and it's not far fetched. He's from Illinois, he graduated from Northwestern, he played for the Cubs and he's already won a World Series (maybe 2 in October) with the Yanks. What if he was the guy to lead the Cubs to a World Series title. Now that is far fetched.
Anyway, if the Yankees need a manager, do they make the call to Donnie Baseball? He would look right at home in his old #23 pinstriped uniform. He doesn't look right wearing Dodger blue. And he won't make a double trip to the mound on the same visit.

Now A Bit of Good News

75-year old Bob Uecker is returning to the Brewers broadcast booth Friday when the Nationals visit Miller Park.
Uecker underwent heart surgery 3-months ago.
Glad that one of the greats in broadcasting is back where he belongs, behind a microphone.

Doubles

Tris Speaker is the all-time leader in doubles with 792. He's followed by Pete Rose, Stan Musial and Ty Cobb.
Do you know who is 5th on the all-time doubles list?
Craig Biggio with 668, the most of any right-handed batter.
Who knew?

Welcome to the 30 Club

Dear Orioles,
Congratulations for reaching the 30-win plateau last night with your dramatic, come-from-behind 11-10, 13-inning victory over the Rays. With the Yankees loss, you are only 28 1/2 games out.
Think about it, 30 wins and it's only July 21st! Wow.
Again, congrats. We knew you could do it.
40 on the other hand? Well, we'll see.
Fondly,
The Pittsburgh Pirates

Somewhat Odd

Baseball is a game of numbers and stats. I know of one guy who really doesn't like to watch much but is a stat hound and loves to read box scores and statistics all the time.
Anyway, Phil Hughes of the Yankees got belted around last night by the Angels who hit a pair of homers off the All Star.
On the season, Hughes has allowed 13 home runs. All of them have been hit at Yankee Stadium.
So, there's your oddball stat of the day. Now pipe down and get back to work.

Cupless in Baltimore?

Rays outfielder Carl Crawford left tonight's game against the Orioles after getting hit in the groin on an errant pick-off throw to first. He rolled around in pain and was tagged out.
I'm guessing Crawford wasn't wearing a cup since he's an outfielder and feels he doesn't need one. I wonder if he is rethinking that strategy now.
It was either this season or last season when third baseman Adrian Beltre got drilled in the meats by a bad hop grounder. He wasn't wearing a cup and missed a few games. Pretty stupid if you ask me not to wear a protective cup when playing third base.
I've always worn a cup playing baseball. It doesn't matter what position I play, I always wear a cup.
One exception. In college, we played a Friday afternoon game at West Virginia Wesleyan. I forgot my cup back in Pittsburgh somehow. During infield practice, I fielded everything to the side. During the game I fielded everything to the side. If I recall correctly, I even batted with a closed stance at the plate although I normally hit with a slightly open stance. Not having a cup was on my mind the entire game.
Following the game, when most of my teammates were going out and about looking for some trim, I searched Buckhannon, West Virgina high and low for a sporting goods store to buy a cup and supporter for the next day's games.
Anyway, I feel bad for Crawford. I also feel bad for Mrs. Crawford.
By the way, when a guy breaks his leg or gets a concussion, people get very quiet and concerned. But when a guy takes a shot to the meats, people laugh like its the funniest thing they've ever seen. Watch some of the stupid "home video" shows or various "blooper highlight" shows. The guy who takes it in the meats gets the biggest laughs. WTF is up with that?

So Long Sweet Lou

When I think of Lou Piniella, my first thoughts don't center around his managing. Well, sometimes I think immediately of some of his snaps. Lou threw temper tantrums with the best of them.
My first thought, usually, takes me back to Game 4 of the 1977 World Series at Yankee Stadium. Lou's RBI baseknock to right-center off Bob Welch in the bottom of the 10th gave the Yanks a 4-3 win over the Dodgers to even the series at 2-games apiece. The Yankees then won the next 2 games and the championship.
As a manager, Lou was pretty good. He did win a title with the Reds in 1990 and won 116 games with the Mariners in 2001 before his old friends, the Yankees wiped him out in the playoffs.
Former Yankees outfielder Paul O'Neill always reminded me of a left-handed version of Piniella. O'Neill had a temper like Lou, complained to umpires like Lou, had a sour puss most of the time like Lou and practiced his swing in the outfield like Lou. He was also a clutch player, a team player and an underrated outfielder like Lou was. Too bad they weren't the same age and could have played in the same outfield together. That would have been something to see. They were on the same team though when Lou managed O'Neill in Cincinnati.
I also remember something shocking about Piniella. I was at a hotel in upstate New York in February of 1980. Lou was the featured speaker and he was sitting at the dais...smoking. I couldn't believe that a Yankee actually smoked.
I hope Lou has kicked his smoking habit. I also wish he had a better team than the Cubs to manage this year. Maybe the Cubs have driven him to retirement.
Sweet Lou Piniella, 66-years old (holy crap!), is calling it quits after this season. Following an 18-year big league playing career and 22 seasons managing, Sweet Lou, one of my favorites, is retiring. Best wishes Lou. And thanks for that winning hit in Game 4 against the Dodgers.

Well Deserved

The Padres have given manager Bud Black a three-year contract extension. Smart move. If the season ended now, is there any doubt that Black would be the NL Manager of the year?
The Padres have the best record in the NL and third best in baseball behind the Yankees and Rays.
We keep waiting for the Padres to fall apart and they keep pulling away from the pack in the NL West slowly. Didn't see that coming did you? Me either.

Rocks Cough One Up

Terrible loss tonight for the Rockies.
It looked like Jonathan Herrera was going to be the hero after being the goat. Herrera let a double play grounder go through his legs that led to a 3-run third for the Marlins. But Herrera hit his first big league homer in the 8th, a 3-run shot to give Colorado an 8-7 lead.
But in the bottom of the 9th, Huston Street issued a 2-out walk to Dan Uggla. By the way, the pitch Uggla walked on looked like a strike. Anyway, the next batter, Donnie Murphy, just up from AAA, homered to right to give the Marlins a dramatic 9-8 win over Colorado. It was just Murphy's 4th at-bat of the season.
Ubaldo Jimenez was lifted in the 6th but didn't get the loss. Small consolation.

Blisterized

Indians pitcher Kerry Wood was placed on the DL for the second time this season. Last trip to the DL was with a back strain. This time it's because of a blister. A blister? Don't they have pickle juice in Cleveland? Maybe Wood should do what former Cubs teammate Moises Alou used to do to toughen his hands and that was whiz on them in the shower.
It's the 14th time in his career that Wood has landed on the disabled list. Mark Prior weighed in and said, "A blister? Man, that guy is soft. Get out there and pitch!"

Great American Ballpark

As I watch the Reds pummel the Rockies, I realize that I'm not a fan of Cincinnati's new ballpark. Great American Ballpark just doesn't look appealing to me. Certainly it is an upgrade on boring Riverfront Stadium. I can't pinpoint what it is but I'm not a fan of this yard. I've never been there so I'm just giving my opinion as a TV observer.
As for calling it a new ballpark, Great American Ballpark is in its eigth Major League season. When do we stop calling it a new ballpark? When a kid is eight years old, do parents still say, "I'd like you to meet my new kid." I don't think so.
Anyway, Great American Ballpark is certainly not among the gems in my mind.
Here are my five favorite current parks, in order.
1: Wrigley Field.
2: Fenway Park
3: Coors Field
4: PNC Park
5: Dodger Stadium
I've been to Wrigley, Fenway and Coors. Still would love to get to PNC Park and Dodger Stadium.
Here are my all-time favorite parks, and yes, I've been to each one.
1: Original Yankee Stadium
2: Renovated Yankee Stadium
3: Wrigley Field
4: Fenway Park
5: Old Comiskey Park
6: Tiger Stadium
7: Coors Field
8: Camden Yards

Wainright Deals Again

Watched the Cardinals stop the Dodgers today, 2-0 in St. Louis. Adam Wainright won his 14th game, going only 6-innings. He got out of a jam with a double play and that was about all L-A could muster off him. His ERA is now just 2.02.
I love the combination of Wainright and Chris Carpenter. Throw in the impressive season by Jaime Garcia and you have three dangerous pitchers come the post-season, if the Cards make it and I think they will.
The thing that scares me about the Cards is the bullpen, specifically closer Ryan Franklin. I just don't have confidence in him and he certainly isn't a feared closer.
He could be the difference in the Cardinals making a post-season run or not.

Dreaded Locks

Edinson Volquez is making his first start of the year for the Reds after Tommy John surgery. He's dealing so far against the Rockies (Cincy 7-1, B5) and if he comes back and pitches like he did two years ago when he won 17 games, that gives the Reds a number one starter without having to trade for one. If I'm a Cardinals fan I'm not please watching Volquez tonight. He's hitting mid 90's on the gun.
Now to the hair. I don't care if a guy wears dreadlocks or not. Some guys it looks good on others, like Manny Ramirez look pretty bad. Not having ever had dreadlocks, it just looks like to me that it would be awfully hot an uncomfortable to have that hairstyle. It seems like it would be similar to having ropes hanging from your head. Anyway, the once conservative Reds don't care how Volquez' do looks if he keeps pitching like he has tonight so far.

A.J. to DL?

A.J. Burnett left today's game in the 3rd inning after giving up 4 runs as the Rays blasted their way to a 10-5 win over the Yanks.
Burnett left with lacerations on his hand. Fox reported that he tripped going up stairs and braced his fall with his hands. I suspect he punched something like a wall. Usually when a player punches a wall, the wall wins.
Anyway, will this mean a trip to the disabled list for the 7-8, 4.99 ERA Burnett? I certainly hope so.

Hernandez Rips Kid!

I wasn't a big fan of Keith Hernandez as a player but I love him as an announcer. He says what's on his mind and throws political correctness out the window.
I'm watching the Mets-Giants game in SF. A kid who brought his glove to the game, probably around 11-years old and wearing a Jose Reyes jersey, caught a foul ball. Made a nice backhanded play. The kid was jubilant, raising his arms in triumph. Probably the highlight of his young life. He kept his arms raised a little too long for Hernandez who said, "Come on, stop hot dogging it." Love it.
Why can he get away with saying anything he wants? Well, he's Keith Hernandez.

Arthur the All Star

On May 11th, I wrote a post about Arthur Rhodes, who is in his 19th Major League season.
I neglected to mention my happiness that the Reds reliever was taking his 1.54 ERA to his first All Star game.
Unfortunately Rhodes didn't get into the game but the fact that he was on the team is a real nice story.

Spaceman

I recently saw a film called "Spaceman: A Cuban Baseball Odyssey" about former Red Sox and Expos pitcher Bill Lee and the senior league team he played for that ventured to Cuba to play 3 ballgames. It is quite an interesting film and I would recommend it.
Bill Lee, 58, can't throw very hard but he never did, did he? Here is a quote from Lee and I can definitely relate to it.
If I can still walk, if I can still move, if I can still see, I will play baseball. Bill Lee
While I never liked Lee as a player, since he played for the Bostons, I have always found him to be a colorful and offbeat character, the kind of guy you would love to hang out with.
The only encounter I've had with Lee was in 2004. I took my sister's kid (I guess that would make him my nephew) to a ballgame at Centennial Field in Vermont, a beautiful old park, unspoiled by progress. I had broadcast many games there in my time in the minor leagues and it was nice to go back as a fan. We sat on the first base side, top row. Since they have concrete bleachers (putting in ass-friendly seats would be good progress) I stood for most of the game. Between innings I was looking over the side of the railing. Below me, walking aimlessly, was Bill Lee. He's hard to miss. I yelled down to him, "Hey Spaceman!". He looked up and with a big smile yelled back, "HEY!"
That was my only encounter with Lee.

Pedro

The Phillies won't sign Pedro Martinez so the 38-year old veteran is available to any team.
If I was the GM of a team with bullpen issues, I would call Pedro's people. The stipulation would be that Martinez would be in the bullpen, not a starter.
Martinez can still be effective, as he showed last year in the post-season with the Phillies. However, he can only be effective for about 5-innings. A lot of mileage on that magical right arm.
I'm surprised no one has made him a closer, like the Athletics and Tony LaRussa did with Dennis Eckersley.
Martinez fits the definition of a closer. He throws strikes. He still has great stuff. His changeup is one of the best ever. He is unflappable on the mound. The pressure of closing out a game wouldn't phase him. He would thrive under those conditions. All he has to do is blow it out for an inning. No pacing. Just fire away. Why hasn't Pedro made the transition to a closer? Maybe he doesn't want to do it. I don't know. But I would certainly make an inquiry to Pedro. It would absolutely extend his career which, right now, is over unless someone signs him.

Rangers Jump on the Bostons

The day after the All Star game is a depressing one. It might be the worst day in all of sports, unless you are a Tour de France fan.
No baseball yesterday unless you watched the AAA All Star game.
Anyway, I'm watching the Rangers-Red Sox game. Texas blasted Tim Wakefield and right now it is 7-1 Rangers in the 5th inning.
Bill Hall is at third base as Adrian Beltre can't play because of his strained hamstring. They why was Beltre playing in the All Star game? Why did Boston allow him to play? By being selfish and playing in Anaheim, Beltre can't play for the team that is in a pennant race and the team that pays him. A lot. Bad move by Beltre for playing in the All Star game.

All Star Fallout

Game One of the World Series will be at Coors Field in Denver.
The starters: CC Sabathia against Ubaldo Jimenez.

Gone Forever

On my recent trip to New York, I went to the Bronx to see the new Yankee Stadium. It looks impressive on the outside. The Yanks were out of town but I was planning on taking the stadium tour. When I got to the park, I decided not to take the tour. I want to see the new stadium when I finally see a game there.
Instead, my attention wandered across the street to where the original stadium stood, the greatest and most historic ballpark ever. For whatever reason, Americans are all too willing to knock down historic landmarks and that was the case with Yankee Stadium. As I stood on a new, nearby football field and track on top of a parking garage, I had a nice high view of the old Yankee Stadium site. From ground level you couldn't see anything since there are plywood walls to keep people out. But the view I had from the football field let me see what was of Yankee Stadium. There was nothing there. Inside the walls, several bulldozers were moving around dirt. A large hauling truck was taking away concrete debris. That is all that is left of Yankee Stadium.
I stood there for about 15-minutes, just looking and staring. I was sad. This glorious ballpark, a place where I had so many great memories, was gone. Completely.
There will be a park to take it's place. They will call it Heritage Park. I guess that is better than erecting apartment buildings like they did at Ebbets Field and the Polo Grounds, or a parking lot like at the site of Old Comiskey.
Some people call it progress. I call it destroying history.
First of all, the new stadium was unnecessary. The new stadium has a Yankees Museum in it. Wouldn't it have been better to make the Old Yankee Stadium a Yankees Museum? Wouldn't it have been neat if the Yankees played one game a year in the old park like they do at historic Rickwood Park in Alabama? How great would it have been if they played college and high school games there? What about some minor league games?
Maybe I'm being Pollyannish. But it just hurt, to see a vacant lot where Yankee Stadium used to be.

Emotional

Tomorrow night at the new Yankee Stadium will be emotional for sure. The Yanks will honor Bob Sheppard and George Steinbrenner before the game.
When I think of Bob Sheppard, I can hear in my mind, his opening remarks every game at Yankee Stadium, simply, "Good afternoon (or evening) ladies and gentlemen and welcome to Yankee Stadium."
He was everything a P.A. announcer should be. The sad fact is he probably wouldn't get hired today by any team. They would say, "He's boring. He doesn't yelling for the home team and he doesn't draw attention to himself."
Too bad he couldn't have made it to October 20th. That would have been his 100th birthday.
As for The Boss, he always clamored for the front and back pages of the newspapers. He didn't care about bad publicity. His feeling was any publicity is good publicity.
I don't know how things will pan out in the future regarding the Yankees ownership. But I do know, things won't be the same. You can say George was a tyrant. You can say he was a winner. You can say he was a philanthropit. You can say you liked and hated him all at the same time. The one thing you cannot say about George Steinbrenner was that he was boring. He even upstaged the All Star game by dying on the morning of the event. Also, he picked a convenient time to die for his family due to the one-year gap in the estate tax. If he died last year or next year, his heirs would have to shell out around a half a billion dollars.
Yes, it will be an emotional night in the Bronx. I remember the most emotional night in the old Yankee Stadium. It was on August 6th, 1979. That morning the Yankees attended the funeral of captain Thurman Munson who died in a plane crash four days earlier. Bobby Murcer read the eulogy. That evening at the Stadium, Murcer drove in all five runs, including a 2-run single in the bottom of the 9th, to give the Yankees a 5-4 come-from-behind win over the Orioles. I can still remember watching that game on TV with my teary eyes and listening to Howard Cosell talk about Murcer's heroics in memory of his deceased friend and teammate. Even now, writing about it on this blog, I'm getting choked up.
So good bye to the "Voice of God" and to "The Boss." It won't be the same without them.

Mets Fans vs Red Sox Fans

I've been reading the online comments relating to George Steinbrenner's death on the New York Post website.
Many of the comments from Mets fans are highly insensitive, vile and repulsive, joking about his death. You have to be a miserable human being to post crap like that. To take glee in his passing, even if you didn't like the guy, is really classless. The guy isn't even cold yet and Mets fans are jubilant.
Meanwhile, several of the posts from Red Sox fans sent along their condolences.
I've never had a problem talking with Red Sox fans. I enjoy the give and take with Boston fans who are knowledgeable and passionate.
Mets fans are simply morons. Always have been and it appears to me, always will be.
Perhaps the behavior of Mets fans is because they wished their team had an owner like Steinbrenner instead of Fred Wilpon, the Brooklyn Dodger loving, do-nothing cheapskate.

All Star Game Tonight

Tonight's All Star game in Anaheim will be overshadowed somewhat by the passing of George Steinbrenner. I'm sure they are working on some type of tribute right now.
But, the game must go on.
I'm really glad that Ubaldo Jimenez is getting the start for the National League. He's such a good guy that you have to feel happy for him. Oh yeah, at 15-1 he also deserves the start.
I like the NL pitching but I think the AL lineup is better. The American League is the better league and that has shown through in recent games.
Hard to believe the last NL win was in 1996 at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia.
The AL has won 12 of 13 (one tie, in 2002 at Miller Park in Milwaukee) and 18 of the last 22 games. I vividly remember that wasn't that case when I was growing up. The National League always won the All Star game and it bothered me. I used to really get into the All Star game and eagerly anticipated it each summer. Then I'd be disappointed in the inevitable AL loss. Now I don't care so much about the game. I pull for the American League but I don't freak out like I did as a kid about the result.
It should be interesting, as usual. It's the best All Star game in sports with the possible exception of the WNBA All Star game. I'll be watching of course but I'm looking forward to the season resuming on Thursday.

R.I.P. George

Stunned. That was my first reaction I had upon learning that George Steinbrenner passing away this morning at the age of 80 from a massive heart attack suffered last evening.
As a Yankees fan, I loved and hated Steinbrenner at the same time. I loved the fact that he wanted to win. Period. He didn't always go about it the right way but I'll take an owner who wants to win as opposed to the owners who only want to turn a profit. Winning ballclubs cost money and Steinbrenner was willing to pay the price unlike many other owners.
I didn't like how he jerked around his managers, particularly the way he fired Dick Howser and Yogi Berra. He could be a blowhard but through it all he wanted what was best for the Yankees.
He bought the Yankees from CBS in 1973 for 10-million dollars. How much are the Yankees worth now? Shoot, they just build a new ballpark that cost 1.5-billion.
So many memories of George are flying through my head right now. I remember when he talked about being a hands-off owner. That lasted about 2-days. He always wanted to grab the front and back page headlines and he usually did. His trademark white turtleneck and navy blue blazer.
While he could be impetuous as an owner, he was very benevolent in his private life. He put a lot of kids through college and he never wanted his charitable endeavors publicized.
I'm not sure I would have said this back when he was suspended from baseball in the early 90's, but I'm glad George was the Yankees owner the past 37-years, although his sons Hal and Hank took over club 3-years ago. Here's a thought for you. Steinbrenner tried to buy the Indians in 1971. How different would things have been for the Indians and Yankees if that sale went through?
I have two personal memories of George Steinbrenner.
When I was in high school I met him at a luncheon (along with Lou Piniella) and he signed a baseball to me that said, "To Bill, A future Yankee, George Steinbrenner."
The other memory was at West Point before an Akron-Army football game. Steinbrenner, who coached football at Purdue and Northwestern, was a friend of then Akron coach Gerry Faust, was strolling the sidelines. I was wandering around on the field before the game and saw him and approach him for an interview. He was very gracious and we used the interview on our Army football pregame show.
These are sad times for the Yankees. The greatest public address announcer ever, Bob Sheppard died Sunday at the age of 99. Now the one of the most iconic, influential and successful owners in professional sports passes two days later.

On Second Thought...

If you took my advice and bet everything you own on Matt Holliday winning the Home Run Derby last night, I have two things to say. First, my bad. Secondly, you're an idiot.
David Ortiz, or as I like to call him Big Poopy, won the glorified batting practice competition over Hanley Ramirez. I wonder if Poopy was juicing before the derby, a legitimate question to ask considering his past.
As for Holliday? He was eliminated in the first round after a measley 5 homers. Thanks for embarrassing me Matt.

Bet Everything You Own On....

...Cardinals outfielder Matt Holliday winning tonight's home run derby during the All Star festivities.
I have never seen a better batting practice home run hitter in person than Holliday.
When Holliday was with the Rockies, he easily and routinely put BP home run shots onto the left field concourse in front of the scoreboard at Coors Field.
Holliday has an effortless swing and I don't see him losing tonight.
David Ortiz of the Red Sox should be banned from the competition. Any player who has been nailed for using steroids shouldn't be in the home run derby.
Also, while I hate aluminum bats, I think it would be cool if they used them in the HR Derby. Why not?
Finally, I cringe when I see all the kids chasing balls in the outfield. The older kids I'm not so worried about but the little kids trying to catch fly balls off the bats of Major Leaguers is a disaster waiting to happen. I hope not but it is inevitable that some 6-year old kid is going to get drilled by a liner or get hurt when a towering fly ball lands squarely on his head. Then we'll see rules put in place to get the kids off the field.
Like mom used to say, "It's all fun and games until the little kid takes a screaming line drive off the face from a big leaguer. Kids aren't so cute with blood pouring out of them." Actually, I don't think that is an exact quote from my mom but you get the point.

Explaining the Inexplicable

The Baltimores, the worst team in baseball, swept a 4-game series in Texas against the first place Rangers.
How did that happen?
I don't know but that's the beauty of baseball. The worst team in baseball can beat the best teams and not just on any given day. They can sweep a series as we just saw. The worst team in baseball usually still wins 60 games. The best team will lose around 60-65 games.
I still try to figure out baseball but it is an impossible task. No one has ever figured the game out but we still give it a shot.
So when inexplicable things happen, like Dallas Braden throwing a perfect game or the hideous Orioles sweeping 4-games from a playoff contender, there is one simple explanation for it. Simply, "that's baseball."
I remember one of the great quotes of all time by former Astros and Cards pitcher Joaquin Andujar. He said you can sum up baseball in one word, "youneverknow."

Bob Sheppard

Damn. Bob Sheppard died this morning.
If you don't recognize the name you certainly know his voice.
Sheppard, simply was the greatest public address announcer ever and no one is even close. He didn't use stupid sound effects. He didn't intrude on the game. He didn't yell or scream or tell the crowd to "get loud." He did his job to perfection.
He was the Yankees P.A. man from 1951 through the 2007 season before retiring due to illness. He also was the P.A. guy for the football Giants.
Derek Jeter has a tape of Sheppard announcing his at-bats and says he will always have that played before his AB's at Yankee Stadium.
I thankfully met Sheppard a couple of times in the Yankee Stadium press box. He took an interest in everybody he spoke too, including me.
Great voice, nice man and heaven today got a wonderful P.A. announcer. The best. Bob Sheppard was 99. It was a good run. No, it was a great run and every person who did Bob Sheppard impressions (Now bat-ting for the Yankees, Num-ber forty-four, Reg-gie, Jack-son, Num-ber forty-four) is a little sadder today.

What Was That Joba?

Rushed home from the airport last night in time to see the Yankees clinging to a 1-0 lead over Felix Hernandez and the Mariners.
Javier Vasquez was dealing for the Yanks and left after 7-innings, allowing just 3-hits.
Joba Chamberlain came in and messed the best. He loaded the bases and then "boom" a grand slam by Jose Lopez and that was that. M's win and Joba falls to 1-4 with an ERA of 5.79. Somebody better take Joba and smack him upside the head a few times. What is wrong with the one time, dominating reliever?

Scorching Hot

Some teams get hot.
Then there is the Rockies. When they get hot, they get really really hot. Like Marissa Miller hot.
Think back to 2007 when they won 21 of 22 to reach the World Series.
Think last year when Jim Tracy took over and they went crazy for four month's to reach the post-season.
Now the Rockies have won 6 in a row and are 8-1 on the current homestand. I can't help but feel other teams are saying, "Crap, the Rockies are hot."
The All Star break is coming at the absolute worst time for Colorado.

Made It

Hi all.
Sorry I haven't posted since Monday but I was on the east coast and didn't have computer access.
Yes, I know, "excuses are like poems, they're for sissies and no one wants to hear 'em."
I'm in a good mood today since I cheated death twice yesterday. Any time you walk off an airplane safely, that's cheating death.
I'll be posting a lot tomorrow. Plenty of baseball on my mind.

The D-Backs

The Diamondbacks fired A.J. Hinch and replaced him with Kirk Gibson. From a laid back manager to a guy who breathes fire.
Baseball is funny this way. If a team has a "players" manager and they are lousy, the front office, media and fans all say the they need a disciplinarian. If a team has a disciplinarian has a manager and they stink, then the call is for a "players" manager.
At least Arizona did something you don't see too often. They fired their general manager too. Josh Byrnes was let go with 5-years left on his contract. If something screams "we don't want you" it's letting a guy walk with that much time on his contract. But it's nice to see a general manager get wacked. Afterall, he's the guy who assembled this train wreck of a team.
We'll see how Gibson does but with the way this team strikes out I don't see how they are going to improve. Then sooner or later the charges will be that Gibson is too tough and they need to make a change to a "players" manager.
What Arizona needs to get is a crafty GM who will build the farm system and devise and stick to a long term plan. Like the Pirates. Ok, bad example there.
Jerry DiPoto, who was named the successor to Byrnes is a savvy baseball guy and a former pitcher. He may very well be the crafty GM I speak of. I met DiPoto a while back, shortly after his career ended. Nice guy with a definite grasp of the game. I think he'll do a fine job in Arizona. But we'll find out, won't we?

Ray and Al

We hear quite a bit about the dwindling numbers of black baseball players and that black kids aren't as interested in the game these days.
People cite the lack of fields in inner cities and the popularity of football and basketball amongst black kids.
Still, black youths not playing baseball is not a recent phenomenon.
I've played baseball for a long time, first in the sandlots and then on my first team when I was 13. I played senior league baseball, high school baseball, college baseball, summer league baseball (through the age of 31) and now the past two years I've played old guys baseball in the Over 35-league.
Here is something that may surprise you. It certainly surprised me when I thought about it the other day.
Of all the teams I've played on, I've only had two black teammates. Two. That's it.
In 1978 while playing JV baseball for Spring Valley High School in New York, I had a black teammate named Ray Fuller. Ray wasn't very good to be honest and he either didn't make the varsity team in 1979 or didn't go out for the team. I can't remember.
In 1979, my first year on the varsity, I was a junior and one of my teammates was Al Parks, a senior who was a black guy who also played football and basketball. Al was a good player and athlete.
It wasn't as if there were no black kids in our school. The football team was more than 50% black and the basketball team was just about all black. The school was mixed. We had a bunch of everything. So I don't know why we didn't have more black kids on the baseball team.
In college at Duquesne University, in four years of baseball, I didn't have a single black teammate.
As I look back, the teams I played against weren't exactly stacked with black ballplayers. Sure I played against black guys but not that many.
I've had plenty of white and hispanic teammates but only Ray Fuller and Al Parks were black. I'm not a sociologist or a racial rabblerouser. I'll let others handle that. I'm just saying that black kids not playing baseball is nothing new and it's too bad. I'd like to see more black athletes playing baseball simply to increase the talent pool and make a great game even better.

Mr. Obscurity

When told Evan Meek made the National League All Star team, she said, "Who?"
It was his mother.
Yes, Pirates pitcher Evan Meek is an All-Star.
Actually he is quite good but he pitches for the sad sack Bucs.
He has a 4-2 record with an ERA of 0.96 with 1 save and allows 5.5 hits per 9-innings.
I'm sure Pirates centerfielder Andrew McCutchen is saying, "What about me?"
Sorry Andy but you play for the Pirates. Even though you are one of the few legit big leaguers on that team, you only get one All-Star selection. And it ain't you this year. Better luck next year.

The Perfecto Club

Since throwing a perfect game in May against Tampa Bay, Athletics pitcher Dallas Braden has lost 5 decisions in a row.
Now he is on the disabled list with elbow stiffness.
No one can take Braden's perfecto away but he, along with Charlie Robertson, have to be the worst pitchers ever to throw a perfect game.
Braden is 18-28 in his career but he still has time to change that. Robertson, who was 49-80 lifetime, might have a tougher time than Braden to turn his career around. He's dead. Robertson's perfecto was in 1922.
Believe it or not, Don Larsen, who pitched the greatest game ever by throwing his perfecto in Game 5 of the 1956 World Series, was also an under .500 pitcher at 81-91.
The best pitchers to throw a perfect game?
I would go with Sandy Koufax, Randy Johnson and Catfish Hunter. I would throw Cy Young in there since he won 511 games although I never saw him pitch.
The point being, every pitcher, no matter how good or bad, can throw a perfect game. It takes a lot of luck but every now and then it can happen. Just ask Dallas Braden who years from now will still be remembered for what he did on May 9th, 2010. Well, that and yelling at A-Rod for running across his precious mound while returning to first base after a foul ball.

Royals Flop

Last week, I wanted to know who the genius was who decided to put the Royals on Sunday night baseball.
I'm guessing ESPN's prime time ratings for the Angels 11-0 win over KC weren't very high.
Perhaps ESPN wanted to throw the Royals a bone. You know, to remind people they are still in the American League.
Bad decision ESPN to put the Royals on, just a bad decision.

Omar Infante An All-Star

I hope Omar Infante has an All-Star clause in his contract because he's going to Anaheim for next week's game.
The Braves utility man is a nice player but an All-Star? No way. He's not even an every day player. He is hitting .309 but has just 1 homer and 22 RBI's in 165 at-bats.
What was manager Charlie Manuel thinking? Answer: He wasn't.
Infante, if he does have that bonus clause, should send a few shekels Manuel's way.
Meanwhile, Joey Votto (.312, 19 homers and 57 RBI's) and Carlos Gonzalez (.295, 14 home runs, 52 RBI's and 12 steals) don't get selected by the Phillies skipper?
Nothing against Infante but this is a ridiculous All-Star pick.

Inside The Park Home Runs

It has to be the most exciting play in baseball, the inside-the-park home run. The roar of the crowd when they realize the third base coach is sending the batter/runner home is as loud as it gets in a ballpark.
Yesterday while watching the Blue Jays-Yankees game, Brett Gardner of the Yanks hit an inside-the-parker when Dwayne Wise lost a fly ball in the sun and had it ricochet off his glove.
Then, while viewing the Giants-Rockies game, San Fran's Andres Torres hit and inside-the-park homer when the ball evaded Ryan Spilborghs in the rigth field corner.
So I saw two run-around-the-bases home runs in two games.
While it was fun watching those home runs, it doesn't compare to a couple of games I attended in which I saw two inside the park home runs in the same game.
In 1977 at Yankee Stadium, Toby Harrah and Bump Wills hit back-to-back inside-the-park home runs. Bump also hit a regular over the fence home run in the Rangers win over the Yanks. Fast forward to 1995. Bump was managing the Hudson Valley Renegades in the New York-Penn League. I asked Bump about the back-to-back inside-the-park homers that day and he had very little recollection. He said something like, "I kind of remember hitting an inside-the-park homer. It was back-to-back with Harrah? Really?" I was a little stunned.
The other great inside-the-park home runs moment occurred at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh. Rick Schultz and me were stopping by after taking in some games at Tiger Stadium in Detroit.
In the top of the 6th, Sammy Sosa hit an inside-the-park home run to right-center field. In the bottom of the inning, Tony Womack hit an inside job to the same spot.
Two inside-the-park home runs in the same inning made it a most memorable game.
I wonder if there is anyone else on the planet who was at the "Harrah-Wills" game in 1977 and the "Sosa-Womanck" game 20-years later other than me.

Hurtin Puppy

Owwwww. That's how my body feels today, not much better than yesterday.
On Friday and Saturday I played in a baseball tournament (baseball, not softball) called the Mile High Classic. We played two games on Friday and two more on Saturday, going 1-3 in the process. It was a fun time, got a lot of at-bats but my body is aching, particularly my right arm. The tendinitis I had a year ago has come back so I'll be heading to the doctor today to get some of the magic pills he gave me last year to fix my arm. Fortunately I don't have to throw until next Sunday.
The point being, next year, when this tournament rolls around, count me out.
Funny, as a kid, I could play all day, every day. But now? Well, I learned my lesson. Maybe.
In the meantime, it was fun playing ball Friday when most people were working.

Oh Oh Cano!

I'm watching the Yankees try to avoid the 3-game sweep at the hands of the Mariners. The Yanks are up 2-0, the second run coming on Robinson Cano's 16th homer. He has 54 ribs and is hitting .354.
Every time he comes up I think to myself, man, he looks like a young Bill Rogan with that sweet lefty swing. Actually, I can only dream of having a swing that nice. Cano has one of the prettiest swings in the game.
Think of guys who have had beautiful swings. My list would have George Brett on it (number one for me) along with Ken Griffey Jr., Willie Stargell, Fred Lynn, Kirk Gibson and Reggie Jackson.
What do these guys have in common?
How about they are all left-handed. I've always felt that lefties have the sweetest swings because when they follow through, they are heading towards first base naturally. A right-hander has to quickly get out of his follow-through to change direction and run towards first. So a left handed swing looks more majestic than a right handed "rip and jerk the body in the other direction" swing. Are you buying this? I am.
Anyway, the Yanks won 4-2. A-Rod a 2-run, 8th inning homer and Mariano the save. Ballgame. Nappy time for BR. Later.

No One Better Than Ezra! (for a while anyway).

I can't remember a lot of things. Not that my memory is slipping yet but it is hard for me to recall things I don't care about. I don't care what I had for dinner last Tuesday. Not important to me, unless I got food poisoning from it which I didn't. I don't remember the phone number I had when I lived in New York. Means nothing. I have a tough time remembering technical things at the radio station because, and I hope my boss Kelly Michaels doesn't read this, I'm just not into it. I give it an honest effort but my heart isn't into meter readings or EAS tests.
However, I can remember stuff about baseball that I should have forgotten years ago. For example, something popped into my head over the weekend that I brought up on our Sunday night show.
I asked the Turf Crew, and it was a small crew since Caseman and Justin apparently had better things to do and didn't show up, Coach Cornell and Brett the Jet, "Who was Ezra Sutton?"
Neither had a clue. Ezra Sutton hit the first home run in Major League history when he went ya-ya for the Cleveland Forest Citys against the Chicago White Stockings in Chicago on May 8, 1871. I didn't remember the date or exact teams but I remember hearing or reading one time in the past that Ezra Sutton hit that first homer. How I can remember that but forget my sister's kids birthday's is probably some kind of character flaw.
Most home runs in those days were inside-the-parkers so there is a good chance that Sutton's clout was of that variety. Plus, he was just 5'8, 153 pounds. Probably not a slugger but likely could scamper pretty well. But I don't know for sure what type of homer it was and it bothers me. I simply want to know if the first big league home run was an over the fence job or an inside-the-park homer. I'm guessing here that most people, if not all the folks at that game are deceased. I also don't think the video us up on YouTube.
The Forest Citys that year went 10-19. As far as Andy Cornell is concerned, baseball seasons should be about 29-games. Al Pratt started 28 of the 29 games and threw 22 complete games before his arm fell off. Meanwhile, Sutton ended up with 3 homers on the season and 25 for his career. For a brief period though he was Babe Ruth or Hank Aaron even those guys weren't even born yet.
Maybe if I start up another blog I'll name it after Ezra Sutton.
For the time being though, Mysterious Walker is still my favorite old-timey baseball player.

Flying South

At the end of May, the Blue Jays had an impressive 33-22 record, good for 3rd in the AL East, just 3 1/2 behind the Rays and the Yankees.
So after being in the conversation the first two months, Toronto proceeded to mess the bed on their way to a 9-17 June. The Jays ended June with a 4-game losing streak including 3-consecutive losses to the crappy Indians and have started July with a 6-1 setback to Cleveland. When the Tribe sweeps a 4-game series, you might as well pack up the equipment and get ready for spring training.
Hey Blue Jays, thanks for stopping by. Enjoy the rest of your typical also-ran season.