A Predictable Conclusion

I'm watching the Red Sox against the White Sox.
Bottom 9, the Bostons hold a 5-3 lead with Jonathan "I Look Like Stanley Ipkiss in 'The Mask'" Papelbon.
Up steps Adam Dunn.
You know and I know the conclusion.
Yes, a strikeout. Of course.
Dunn has a giant hole in his bat. That was his 3rd strikeout of the day and his 134th of the season in just 310 at-bats. The previous 7 seasons, Dunn has hit 38 or more home runs each season. This year I don't think he'll get there. He has just 10 homers. Even Dave Kingman is shaking his head at Dunn.
Papelbon just completed the save, whiffing Alexi Ramirez. The Bosox win and lead the Yanks by 2 in the East. Ugh.

A Lot of L's

Congrats are in order, I think, for the Atlanta Braves.
The Marlins stopped Atlanta 3-1 today, the 10,000th loss in franchise history. Of course a team has to be around for a long time to reach such a dubious milestone and they are an original National League team, dating back to 1876.
The Braves started out in Boston, moved to Milwaukee in 1953 before heading to Atlanta in 1966.
A couple of things here. First off, who counted all these losses. Are they sure their math is correct. What if they lost 10,000 last week? Or they really are at 9,997 losses? Does the math guy figure, "Who cares if I'm off a few losses. Who's gonna check?"
Also, do all the former Braves, who are still living say, "Hey, I'm part of these 10,000 losses. I helped the cause!"

Ticket To Cleveland

Ubaldo Jimenez is gone from the Rockies, traded to the Indians for prospects. While most fans are not in favor of prospects, you really can't judge the trade until you see how those prospects fare.
Jimenez and the Rockies have no one to blame but themselves for their predicament. Jimenez didn't pitch the way the front office thought he would. He was 6-9 for Colorado this season with an ERA of 4.46. Sorry, that's not ace material. It's better to trade him now while he still has value then wait and find out he peaked in the first three month's of last season.
The Rockies got a couple of prize minor league pitchers from the Tribe. LHP Drew Pomeranz who was the 5th pick in last year's draft. RHP Alex White was the 15th pick in the 2009 draft. Also, RHP Joseph Gardner was the 15th pick in the 3rd round of the 2009 draft. Those are three high draft picks that the Rockies picked up for a pitcher with a bloated ERA and a sub-500 record.
The Rocks also got a utility guy, Matt McBride who is in his 6th season in the minors but is versatile and can catch. He's 26 and on the verge of the majors.
Again, Rockies fans are dismayed at losing Ubaldo. Understandable. He was a popular player and even started the All Star game last year. But let's give Rocks GM Dan O'Dowd the benefit of the doubt here. Remember when he dealt Matt Holliday to the Athletics. He got some relative unknown named Carlos Gonzalez in the deal.
Also, how about this long ago trade? The Astros sent veteran relief pitcher Larry Anderson to the Red Sox in 1990 for some minor league bum named...Jeff Bagwell. Anderson pitched in 15 games for Boston. Bagwell played 15 years with Houston.
So calm down everyone. Let's see how this pans out. I think it will end very nicely for Colorado.

Ethier

There was a great headline today on Foxsports.com.
Regarding a possible trade of Dodgers outfielder Andre Ethier the headline read, "Winner With Andre?"
The headline is a play off the movie, "Dinner With Andre." Let me go into movie review mode here...don't waste your time like I did once by watching "Dinner With Andre." Absolutely horrible movie. For some reason I thought a film with two guys having dinner being the entire movie was worth watching. I thought it might be a clever premise for a movie. I was wrong. Never, ever watch "Dinner With Andre."
As for Andre Ethier, if I were a general manager, he would definitely be in my crosshairs. Also, if I ranked the Top 10 prettiest swings in the game right now, Ethier would certainly be on the list.
"Dinner With Andre." Ugh.

Streakin'

The current longest hitting streaks in baseball belong to a guy who not many people have on their radar and former MVP.
Emilio Bonifacio of the Marlins owns a 26-game hitting streak and Dustin Pedroia of the Red Sox has a 25-game streak.
Those are impressive streaks but the amazing thing is they are not even halfway to Joe DiMaggio's 56.
I've always felt that some records, like Cy Young's 511 career wins, are completely out of reach because the game isn't the same as when Young pitched.
But with DiMaggio's streak, I've felt in the past that it is breakable but with every passing year I lose faith in that belief.
Nobody has come close to Joe D's record. When Pete Rose streak ended at 44 he was still 12 games away.
Still, I would love to see someone make a run at 56. How exciting would it be if some guy was at 50 games?
Meanwhile, I mentioned the current streaks on the radio today during the morning sportscasts. The main reason? Not because of the streaks themselves really. The true reason is I enjoy saying the name Emilio Bonifacio. Go ahead say it. Emilio Bonifacio. It's a fun name to say.
Bob Sheppard, the legendary Yankees P.A. man who passed away last year, said that one of his favorite names to pronounce was former Washington Senators infielder Jose Valdivielso. That is a fun name to say. I bet Sheppard would have enjoyed announcing Emilio Bonifacio too.

Irabu

Who knows what Hideki Irabu was thinking, or not thinking, when he killed himself. Just 42 years old, he had some problems following his pitching career. But a lot of guys have trouble adjusting to the real world but they don't commit suicide.
He made a lot of money in his career but he obviously had some disturbing thoughts in his head.
I'll remember Irabu as a pitcher who generated excitement when he came to the Major Leagues from Japan. He was called the Japanese Nolan Ryan. I also remember how mediocre he was with the Yankees, then Expos. I forgot he suited up for the Rangers. He didn't seem like a guy who made baseball his first priority.
Whatever the case is, it is always sad, when someone feels they have to take their own life.

Collision Course

With the trade for Carlos Beltran, I'm penciling in the Giants to reach the NLCS. They needed a bat and got it although it's tough to give up a promising young pitching prospect like Zack Wheeler. But, if one team can afford to give up a young pitcher it's the Giants.
I don't think I'm going out on a limb with my prediction of Giants-Phillies in the NLCS. Of course, anything can happen in the divisional round of five games. But would you bet against the pitching of San Fran and Philly? I wouldn't. And now with Beltran the Giants offense looks a lot better.
My pick if these teams meet up? The Giants.

Due Factor

Well, the due factor raised it's ugly head today at the new Yankee Stadium. For more on the due factor read Monday's post titled, "Uh, Oh, Here Come the M's."
Today Felix Hernandez (future Yankee?) shut down the Yankees as the Mariners snapped a pesky 17-game losing streak 7-2 in the Bronx. That will make the trip back to Seattle more palatable for the M's.
The win by the Mariners proves my long held theory...you can't lose 'em all.
I just wish the due factor would have shown up next game for the Marinades.
Nap time. I'm tired.

Meals Deals The Bucs an L

Worst call ever? Probably not but it will get a mention in the book of horribly blown calls.
Can you imagine being the Pirates and losing a game in the 19th inning because of an inexplicably brutal call?
That's what happened last night when home plate umpire Jerry Meals called Julio Lugo safe on a tag play at home which resulted in the Braves beating the visiting Pirates 4-3.
Now, a bang-bang play at the plate I can understand an ump missing a call. But when the tag is made 4 feet up the line by Mike McKendry and the runner himself thinks he's out, then there is a problem.
I'm not questioning Meals integrity. I'm questioning what in the world could he have possibly seen that would allow him to make such an erroneous call?
It's about time umpires are made accountable for their bad calls. If I were the Commissioner of Baseball I would suspend Meals for a week. Let him ponder his atrocious call. Of course the weak Bud Selig would never do that. I hope I'm wrong on that.
Bottom line...the Buccos got shafted, big time after 6 hours and 39 minutes.

Uh Oh, Here Come the M's

I'm getting ready to watch the Mariners-Yankees game on TV. Seattle has lost 15 straight and I'm worried. Very worried.
Why? The due factor.
Clearly the Yankees are the superior team. But in baseball, any team can win on any given night but when a team has lost 15 straight they are due to win.
I haven't talked to my friend Jimmy in a while but I know he's thinking the exact same thing. He's the guy who taught me about the due factor many years ago. Probably in the mid-70's when the NY Football Giants seemed to lose every week.
With every Mariners loss they get closer to a win. And when you've lost 15 in a row you are really due. Like a woman in her 9 1/2 month of pregnancy.
So, yes I am worried. All it takes is a good pitching performance by Seattle, a couple of timely hits and the Yanks going through the motions and bam, the due factor rears it's ugly head.
Sometimes the due factor is good though. When your team is going through a tough stretch, the due factor can work in your favor. For instance, I'm due to have a good post on this blog soon.
The due factor. It's real and tonight it causes apprehension and trepidation.

Bad Day At The Yard

Yesterday was not one of my finest moments in a baseball uniform.
Our over 35-team, the Orioles, got stomped by the Cardinals, 11-6. I helped the cause...the Cardinals cause. I made two brutal errors at short including one in the first inning when I was looking for the inning ending force out at second and threw the ball into right field. That led to three unearned runs. Our pitcher, Marcus Fisher, deserved a better fate. He usually plays the outfield but our two regular pitchers were out of town. He pitched his heart out and of the 11 runs he allowed, maybe 2 or 3 were earned. I played like an amateur out there which, come to think of it, I am. I don't get paid to go out there and play ball for three hours each Sunday.
Not only did we lose but I got hit with a pitch on the right ankle. Figures one of the few guys who throws pretty hard in our league let one get away and it drilled me directly on the ball part of the ankle. I've been hit by a ton of pitches in my day but this one is one of the worst. Since we only had 9-guys, I had to keep playing on the bum ankle that was throbbing and swelling up quickly. Actually we were down to 8 players when I got hit in the bottom of the 6th inning because one of our players, Tim, acted like an ass-clown and got thrown out of the game arguing a third strike. He drew a line in the opposite batters box where he claimed the ball crossed. The ump warned him and he did it again and got tossed.
I finished the game at first base since I couldn't move. I did get a bases loaded single in the 9th to keep our slim hopes alive. I hobbled down to first. It wasn't exactly a Kirk Gibson moment but it was my Kirk Gibson moment. Steve Brouwer, our catcher and manager told me to just try to slap it to left since I couldn't turn into the ball. So I just tried to poke it the opposite way and luckily hit a line drive over the shortstop's head.
I knocked in 3 runs yesterday but it was pretty hollow and not much of a consolation since we got our teeth kicked in, I played like a bum and my ankle got jacked up. I'm sitting here typing this out with my foot elevated and iced. I might have to actually take Andy Cornell's advice and go get x-rays tomorrow. Plus, Gwyn is in Connecticut this week and she's not home to pamper me. It's just me and Jeets, my cat, and he's not interested in pampering anybody. That's not the way he rolls.
(If you want to keep track of my old guy's team, just go here: http://www.turfsports.net/orioles_baseball.html )

Bert Blyleven and My Grandpa

Congrats to Bert Blyleven and Roberto Alomar for their induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame yesterday in Cooperstown, New York.
I was always a fan of Blyleven for the simple reason that he was my grandpa's favorite player. How did that happen? My grandpa, who wasn't a big baseball fan, was born in Holland and when he found out that Blyleven was born there he followed his career.
Blyleven was born in Zeist, Holland and my grandpappy was born in Rotterdam. There was an age gap though. My grandfather was born in 1901 while Blyleven was hatched in 1951 and came to North America when he was two. First stop Canada then a few years later California.
Off track here but one of my grandpa's sayings, if you said something he really didn't care about, was, "Amsterdam, Rotterdam, I don't give a damn!" It was actually pretty funny when he said it.
I would spend my summers in the Bronx with my grandpa and basically play or watch baseball all day, every day. My schedule was simple. My gramps would wake up around 7o'clock for breakfast then by 8 I out the door, on my bike to play baseball at Van Cortland Park. We would play pickup games that would last until around noon. Then we would break for lunch and have hot dogs or pizza. My grandpa gave me three dollars a day and that seemed like a fortune to eat lunch. Then around 1 or so we would play more baseball. Or, sometimes we would get on the train and go to Yankee Stadium to watch the Yanks or go to Macombs Dam Park in the shadow of Yankee Stadium to play the kids there. That is where the new Yankee Stadium sits so you could say I played on that site well before Jeter did. Then at night, after dinner, we would gather in the school yard of PS 19 to play stickball since they had lights. It was always a fun summer. If I didn't go to the school yard to play stickball it was because the Yankees were on TV, WPIX, Channel 11 with The Scooter, Phil Rizzuto at the mike with Frank Messer.
The only thing I didn't like about my grandpa was that he made me drink buttermilk. God that stuff is awful. It used to give me gag reflex. Just terrible stuff. Gramps would always say, "Drink it, it will put hair on your chest." I was 10 years old. I didn't want hair on my chest. It must have worked because now I have hair on my chest. Not like a furry animal but just enough to drive the ladies wild!
My grandfather died in 1995. I'm sure he would be pleased that a ballplayer from his homeland made it to the Hall of Fame.

Playing for Next Year

There are several teams that might as well look ahead to next year, one of them being the Rockies.
If I'm Colorado GM Dan O'Dowd, my rotation next season is Ubaldo Jimenez (if he's not dealt), Jhoulys Chacin and Juan Nicasio, a promising rookie. If they get Jorge de la Rosa back at some point next season from elbow surgery consider that a bonus.
But there is one thing for certain if I was in charge. There is no way that Aaron Cook and Jason Hammel are on the team. Cook, although pitching a nice game last night, has seen better days and is on the downside. He's too injury prone and unreliable. Hammel is simply awful. Bad pitches in bad spots. He's way too inconsistent. He has good stuff but he just doesn't know how to pitch. He's a thrower not a pitcher. He's gotta go. He's the poor man's A.J. Burnett.
As for the rest of the team, I like Mark Ellis at second but he's a stop gap player at the age of 34. Ian Stewart is not the answer at third and Chris Ianetta is a backup catcher at best.
This team, which I picked to win the division, is hopeless. Something is missing. The Rockies are too talented to wander aimlessly through the season and something needs to be done. Trading some dead wood might get their attention and wake them up.
By the way, one of the worst things you can say about a losing ballclub is that they are boring. The Rockies are boring.

Credit Due

Just finished watching the Red Sox down the Mariners 3-1. Seattle had their chances but couldn't get the big hit. That's what happens when you have now lost 14 in a row.
Props to Boston skipper Terry Francona. Tonight's game was his 1,000th career managerical win, his 715th in a Red Sox uniform.
So while I don't like any of those 715 wins I will say this. Francona is a great manager. Anyone who can win two World Series titles in Boston is a great manager and it's not out of the realm of possibility that one day he'll end up in the Hall of Fame.
Hopefully Francona's 1001st victory will come in about...oh, 9 games?

Brandon Inge

I've always followed the career of Tigers third baseman Brandon Inge since I saw him play in the minors for the Jamestown Jammers of the NY-Penn League. He was a catcher back then. Jammers...sounds like a basketball team. I digress.
Anyway, two years ago, Inge was an All Star. He belted 27 homers and knocked in 84 runs. Never a high average guy, he was always productive and displayed a good glove at third.
The Tigers yesterday Inge was designated for assignment. If no one picks him up in 10- days he said he would go to the minors. Inge was hitting just .177 with 1 homer and 17 RBI's. From All Star to unwanted in two years. Baseball is the most humbling of games.

Vacation Time

Last week in the Coors Field press box I chatted with Tom Helmer of Root Sports. Tom usually does the pre and post game stuff but I complimented him, deservedly so, on his play-by-play skills while filling in for Drew Goodman.
Tom told me he likes doing play-by-play for the 10 games a year that Drew gets off.
Wha, wha, what?
Drew gets 10 games off during the baseball season?
Look, I love Drew. He's as nice a man as you will ever meet, with a sly sense of humor and a very capable broadcaster. But taking days off during the season? I don't get it.
If I had a big league broadcasting job I would never take a day off for a few reasons, the main one being I don't want to miss anything. What if I took a day off and a guy throws a no-hitter? That signature moment, that will go down in baseball history will be forever be heard coming from the backup announcer? That would kill me. There are so many story lines covering a team on a daily basis that I wouldn't want to miss out on anything.
Also, what if the backup guy catches the attention of some higher up? I would hate to take a few days off and in the off-season hear that they are making a move to go with the backup guy for whatever reason. I would hate to be looking over my shoulder.
I wouldn't want to get Wally Pipped.
If I was a Major League announcer, and I should be actually, I would be at all 162 games, plus all spring training games and post-season games. I would live at the ballpark.
Anyhow, Helmer grew up in Michigan as a Tigers fan and of course that meant he loved Ernie Harwell, my vote for greatest baseball announcer ever, just edging out Vin Scully. I said to Tom, "I'm guessing Ernie Harwell didn't 10 games off a season." Tom just smiled and said, "I hear ya."
Again, I think Drew is great and I enjoy his broadcasts immensely. He's also a very good basketball announcer. But I can't understand taking 10 games off a year. Other than a funeral, birth of a child or a wedding of a son or daughter, I don't think an announcer for any team in any sport should take a day off. Maybe that's just me.
Plus, for a baseball announcer, after the grind of a long season they get...oh, four months or so off?

Awesome Kid

Today I saw a video of a highlight of an Arizona Diamondbacks game. It wasn't a highlight of something that took place on the field but occurred in the stands.
After the third out was made, Rickie Weeks of the Brewers flipped a ball to a young boy sitting behind the dugout in the first row. The kid, probably 6, dropped it. The ball was then flipped back up into the crowd and youngster, probably around 10 caught it and was joyous. He bounced back to the fourth row where his seats were, arms raised in triumph.
But then something amazing happened. He saw that the little kid who muffed the ball was distraught and he walked down the aisle, leaned a couple of seats in and gave the ball to the upset little guy.
The Diamondbacks announcers Daron Sutton and Mark Grace caught the scene and they were blown away by the older kids generosity.
Grace said, "What a nice young man. You young man are awesome. That was cool."
Sutton, the son of Hall of Fame pitcher Don Sutton said, "I can't believe I just witnessed that."
The older boy named Ian was brought into the broadcasting booth and got some free stuff from the Diamondbacks, including a signed Justin Upton bat. The younger boy, named Nicolas, also was brought into the booth.
Everybody won in that situation.
It is especially touching since many times people, usually older male fat guys, will plow over anyone and everyone just to get a souvenir baseball.
Nice job by all involved, the Diamondbacks organization, Grace and Sutton in the broadcast booth and of course, Ian, the hero of the day. As for little Nicolas who was the recipient of the ball, I hate to be harsh here, but sack up kid. If you don't get a ball don't be a crybaby. Get used to disappointment. Ian won't be there to make you feel good all the time. The world can be a rough place.

Sinking M's

The Mariners lost to the Blue Jays today, 7-5 at Skydome. Oh excuse me, Rogers Center. Forget that, Skydome.
Anyway, it was the 12th straight loss for Seattle which stuns me because although they are no juggernaut offensively, you would think they have the pitching to avoid long losing streaks.
They were hanging tough for a while but this losing skid has put them 12 1/2 behind the Rangers in the West and out of the picture for a wild card.
In today's loss, Ichiro Suzuki had 3 hits to raise his average to .265. What? .265? For Ichiro? Yes, the greatest Japanese player to ever ply his craft in the Major Leagues is hitting just .265. He's 37 and for the first time in his career he is showing some age. He has 107 hits which puts him on pace for 177 this season. Now in his 11th season the the Mariners, it would snap a string of 10 consecutive 200+ hits in a season.
To top it off the Mariners recently celebrated the 2001 team that won 116 games. That's all well and good except for one thing. They didn't win the World Series. They were knocked out in the playoffs by the Yankees. Seems like it would be a painful memory for Mariners fans. Would you rather win 116 but lose the World Series or win 83 games like the 2006 Cardinals and win the World Series?
Ask the New England Patriots that question. That's a case where 14-6 proved to be better than 18-1. I don't see any celebrations in Boston in the future for that team.
I'm getting off on a tangent. Time to wrap up this post.

Expos and Browns

I think I've mentioned on this blog sometime in the past that I miss the Montreal Expos. For some reason I have a soft spot for them. They produced a lot of great players...who mostly were great for other teams. Larry Walker, Pedro Martinez and Randy Johnson come to mind immediately.
Since the Expos last season in was in 2004, before they became the Washington Nationals, most baseball fans still remember them. But fast forward 10 or 20 more years. How far out of our memories will the Expos be then?
In 1972, 19-years after the St. Louis Browns moved to Baltimore to become the Orioles, a guy named Skip Battin wrote a song called, "Who Were The St. Louis Browns?"
One of the memorable lyrics to the song were, "The St. Louis Browns were a baseball team, and they lost more than the Mets could ever dream..."
I was just wondering, will somebody ever write a song, "Who Were The Montreal Expos?"
If somebody does, it won't be Skip Battin. I looked him up and found out he was a guitarist and songwriter for The Byrds for a while. He passed away from Alzheimer's disease in 2003 at the age of 69. Horrible thing that Alzheimer's, just horrible.

It's July, It's Hot, Shut up.

On Sunday, my old guys baseball team played, and lost 8-3 to the Mudcats. We played alright for a spell but were beaten by a team that simply outplayed us.
But I was a bit peeved at my team.
The temperature at game time (12:30) was in the upper 90's. Yes it was hot and that's the way I like it. But apparently my team doesn't like the hot weather. Most of my teammates were complaining like little school girls about the weather.
OK, it's hot. Very hot. But it's not like the other team is wearing air conditioned uniforms and sitting in a climate controlled dugout. It was hot for both teams. I didn't notice the Mudcats complaining. Maybe that's why they are defending league champs.
The only guy who has a right to complain about the heat is the catcher. Steve Brouwer, our catcher and manager, did complain about the heat and he did get some sympathy. But not from me. I wasn't in the mood for it.
Our next game on Sunday is at 9 am. Maybe it will be cooler for our team. Personally I hope it's over 90 degrees again. But I'm sure whatever the temp is the Over 35 Orioles will complain about it. I wish we would just show up and concentrate on the game for a change.

Gary Roenicke

This past Saturday I met Gary Roenicke, the former Orioles left fielder, in the Coors Field press box. He played 12 seasons in the big leagues, mostly with Baltimore but also with Expos, Yankees and Braves. He had a solid career, banging out 121 homers and collecting 670 hits. He also earned a World Series Championship ring, in 1983, when the O's beat the Phillies.
Gary is now a Major League scout for the Orioles and the thing that struck me immediately was how nice and friendly he was. When I remember him playing, he was a gamer, a tough out and was pretty menacing at the plate with his hands held low and how he crowded the plate.
One of the things I like about meeting former players is asking them about their career. I asked Gary if he remembered his first home run and of course he did.
"It was in San Diego against Alan Foster when I was with the Expos," Gary recalled. I looked it up and of course he was right. That home run was on June 15, 1976. He his second and last home run of the season the next night.
Then I asked him about his last home run and I was a little surprised he remembered that one.
"1988 of Dennis Rasmussen in Cincinnati when I was with the Braves," he correctly said.
The reason I was a bit surprised is because when a guy hits his last home run he doesn't think it will be his last. So eventually he forgets about it, unlike the first home run which will always be his first home run.
Gary hit 4 grand slams in his career, including one off Rasmussen. He did tell me that his first grand slam was against David Clyde, the one time phenom of the Rangers, in 1978. Looked it up and he was right again. The man knows his career!
I also told him I remembered him wearing a half a football face mask on his helmet. That came about after he was hit in the face by a pitch in the second game of the 1979 season.
"It was against Lerrin LaGrow the guy who Campaneris threw the bat at in the 1972 playoffs," Gary said. "The bases were loaded and he threw me a pitch and I lost it. It was hard to see that day in Memorial Stadium. There was a white house in the distance past centerfield and the leaves on the trees hadn't grown in yet. The shadows made it hard to see too. So I lost that pitch but it was right down the middle. I moved closer to the plate and the next pitch I lost again. It hit me above the lip and below my nose. Didn't break any teeth. There was blood everywhere."
That my friends is a hard earned RBI. He missed a week of action but told me, "I didn't go on the disabled list." He was proud of that.
One nice thing about Gary being at the game last Saturday was that his brother Ron is the manager of the Brewers and that's who the Rockies were playing. Gary's son Josh is a big league pitcher with the Blue Jays. The other thing that struck me about Gary Roenicke was simply that the guy loves baseball.

Return From Exile

I'm back Jack...or whatever your name is.
Sorry I haven't posted since last Friday. I didn't realize it was that long. Yes, I've been very busy but I'll get back into the swing of things.
A lot has happened this past week so time to get back to posting on Mysterious Walker.
Speaking of Mysterious Walker, a guy at the radio station asked me about this blog. He said, "Why do you call it Mysterious Walker."
I told him it was to honor an old time ballplayer. He just looked at me with a blank look and said, "Oh."
Some people just don't get it do they? But you do!

Fork It Over Idiots

If you would like an official Major League baseball with a Derek Jeter logo on it to commemorate his 3,000th hit and signed by Jeter himself, all you have to do is order one from Steiner Sports. Oh, and don't forget to include the $699...plus, shipping and handling!
I don't know about you but I'd be embarrassed to buy an autographed baseball for that much.
Just by a ball and try to get Jeter to sign it at the stadium. If you can afford to go to the game.
Paying $699 for a Jeter autographed baseball is very distasteful in my book but a lot of morons will do it. Then they'll wonder how they are going to pay their rent or mortgage this month.
"Mommy, I need a new pair of shoes. These have holes in them."
"Shut up kid. We can't afford new shoes. But take a look at daddy's new autographed Jeter ball!"

Rocket Dodges Bullet

If I'm Roger Clemens I'm breathing a little easier now after the mistrial.
What was the prosecution thinking when they presented evidence to the jury that was previously deemed inadmissible? Such a boneheaded mistake.
The question now is will they spend all the time and resources for another trial? I'm guessing they won't. Meaning, Clemens gets off.
Still, he wasn't guilty but he wasn't innocent of perjury. The ball is in the court of public opinion and I think Clemens has lost there already.

The Day After

Today is one of the worst day's of the year for a baseball fan. The day after the All Star game.
Many people will have minor league baseball going on in their towns. That is great. Unfortunately for me, I live an hour and 15-minutes from the closest minor league team, the Colorado Springs Sky Sox and it is difficult for me to go there on a weekday.
So, I will have to figure out another way to occupy my time today and tonight. I'm looking forward to tomorrow.

Borefestation

The National League will have home field advantage in the World Series after a 5-1 win over the American League.
Personally, I thought it was a rather lackluster game. Perhaps if the American League won the game 5-1 my opinion would be different.
So the NL has won two straight All Star games. Even though it is still an exhibition, I watch it every year. By far it is the best All Star game of all the sports.
Hopefully the AL will win next year. I can't wait. Hold on...yes I can.

Three Rivers Stadium

If you are familiar with my baseball tastes, you know that I love the old time ballparks. Too many have met a grisly demise courtesy of the wrecking ball or implosion. I'm thankful that Wrigley Field and Fenway Park still exist.
Of the old timey parks, my favorites were, of course Yankee Stadium (the original and renovated stadium), Comiskey Park and Tiger Stadium. I was fortunate the have been in each of those parks.
However, the cookie cutter parks, that people seem to hate more and more each passing year, need love too.
Which brings me to Bob Busser's website. Bob has recently posted pictures of Three Rivers Stadium on www.ballparks.phanfare.com which is one of my favorite internet stops.
I have a lot of fond memories of Three Rivers Stadium since I spent four years in Pittsburgh going to college at Duquesne University. I'll share a couple of memories.
I remember one game sitting in the third row behind home plate for an Astros-Pirates game with Nolan Ryan pitching for Houston. The backstop was pretty close to home plate, unlike the Pirates previous home, Forbes Field where the backstop was a mile away from the dish. Ryan threw a gem and I could not believe how hard he was throwing. While his ball looked fast on TV, in person, up close, it was a different story. His curveball looked unhittable too. I can't remember how many strikeouts he had but it was a bunch.
Another great memory was a college football game. Duquesne was playing Carnegie-Mellon in the first game of the season. I was sitting in Steelers owner Art Rooney's box at the 50-yard line. For baseball, his box sat over the left field bullpen. I met Mr. Rooney when I was a freshman and since he also went to Duquesne, many years earlier, he took a liking to me and used to invite me to see baseball and football games with him. During the game a crazy rainstorm hit. People were getting soaked except for me, a couple of friends and Mr. Rooney, since we were protected from the elements. Right below us was a section of Duquesne students, many that I knew. After all, I was big man on campus! They were pointing up and pointing as us. Later, a few people asked me, "What the hell were you doing sitting with Art Rooney in his box?"
Which reminds me of another good Three Rivers Stadium story involving Mr. Rooney. In 1984, I was doing an internship with KQV radio in Pittsburgh. I would go to Pirates games and get sound bite for a sports talk show. This particular day, I went to the ballpark early because I wanted to see the United States Olympic baseball team play against a bunch of players from Pittsburgh. They were touring the country before the Olympics. The game started at 3 o'clock. I went to get my pass at the will call window around 2 o'clock. I banged on the steel, roll-up window. A lady lifted up the window and when I asked for my press credential, she said, in a salty tone, "You can't get your pass until 5." Then she close the window.
So, I banged on the window again. She opened it. "What?" "I need my pass now so I can get into the USA Olympic team game." She was angry and said, "I told you, you can get the pass at 5." She then slammed the metal window down.
I knocked again and again. No answer. Damn.
So, as a broke college student with no money to buy a ticket (a ticket to the Pirates game allowed you in for the USA-Pittsburgh team game) I figured I'd go visit Mr. Rooney to kill some time.
I wandered over to the other side of the stadium, entered the Steeler offices and met with Mary, Mr. Rooney's secretary. She said he wasn't busy and walked me to his office.
"Hey Rogan," Mr. Rooney said. "What are you up to?" He always called me Rogan.
I told him why I was there and that I couldn't get my media credential until 5.
"Let's take a walk," he said.
We were walking in the bowels of the stadium. Everybody who passed us said "Hi" to Mr. Rooney and he would introduce me to him. We made a quick stop in the Chicago Cubs clubhouse. It was there my eyes were scarred forever. Mr. Rooney wanted to see his friend Don Zimmer. We saw Zimmer and it was not a pleasant sight. Zim was wearing a ratty and stretched out grey Cubs t-shirt and that was it. A semi-naked Don Zimmer is not a pretty sight. But Mr. Rooney introduced us and Zimmer was fun to talk to for a few minutes. Then we continued our stroll through Three Rivers Stadium.
Eventually we ended up at an office. We went in and Mr. Rooney called out a woman by name, a name I forget. It was the woman who wouldn't give me my press credential.
The woman came over and suddenly was very nice. Mr Rooney said, "This is my friend Rogan. He has a press pass here I believe." The woman said, "Let me check Mr. Rooney." She walked over to the box where the credentials were, got my pass, came over and handed it to me. She wasn't quite as cranky as she was a half hour earlier.
When we walked out of the office I glanced back and the woman was "mean mugging" me. She wasn't happy.
The first Major League clubhouse I was in was the Pirates locker room at Three Rivers. It was intimidating going in there for the first time. My media career almost ended before it started when I walked in and the first person I saw was a naked Kent Tekulve sucking on a cigarette. I thought Don Zimmer was a nasty sight. He looked like a supermodel compared to Tekulve. Yikes.
Here is another good Three Rivers Story. The Pirates were very gracious in letting guys from Duquesne's baseball team hit in their indoor batting cage in the winter. We didn't have a cage on campus. One day I went down there with my roommate and we threw BP to each other. As we were going to leave I saw a canvas ballbag in a corner. I went over to the bag, figuring I would "borrow" a few baseballs. I reached into the bag and there were balls in there alright. Golf balls with Tony Pena's signature on them.
Being the idiots that we were, we took the bag out on the Three Rivers Stadium field.
It was set up in the football configuration but we went to where the home plate area was covered over by AstroTurf. We then started hitting Tony Pena's golf balls with our aluminum bats into the upper deck of the stadium. There never was any security there and we just had a blast launching home runs into the far reaches of the stadium. I can only imagine when the Steelers played their next game and fans sitting up there discovered a bunch of Tony Pena golf balls.
Speaking of security, in the summer of 84 when I was doing my internship, I would frequently ride my bicycle around Three Rivers Stadium. One day I noticed a gate open, again no security, and I rode my bike inside. I was riding up and down the ramps, all over the stadium. I wanted to ride on the field but figured my luck would run out sooner or later. But it was a lot of fun to ride around a big, empty stadium.
When they imploded the place I felt a tinge of sadness. I had some fun in that cookie cutter ballpark.
Looking at Bob's pictures on his website tonight brought back a lot of memories. It may have been a disrespected cookie cutter...but it was my cookie cutter stadium.

Mr. Annoying

One last thing on the Home Run Derby.
Is there a more annoying and irritating blowhard than ESPN announcer Chris Berman?
I can't take his tired, stale and predictable act anymore.
Speaking of annoying, the Celebrity Softball Game is now on the TV. Time to shut off the set and go to bed.
Good night everybody!

Yo Yo Cano!!!

Wow, what a show by Robinson Cano tonight at the Home Run Derby in Arizona.
I'm normally not a big HR Derby fan but this one was good, real good.
In the finals, the Red Sox Adrian Gonzalez belted 11 homers. Tough act to follow. But Cano, with his dad throwing to him, crushed...and I do mean crushed, 12 home runs to win the title.
New York over Boston...again.
While both Gonzales and Cano were impressive, the most impressive guy was Jose Cano. His Major League career was just 6 games with the Astros in 1989. Jose is 49 and looks like he could pitch in a game today. Throwing batting practice is an art and he was perfect throwing to his son. If I were the Yankees I would hire Jose Cano as a BP pitcher. He stole the show.

Holy Shit!!!

I apologize right off the bat for the title of this post but I can't think of any other way to describe Derek Jeter's 3,000th hit.
Against David Price of the Rays on a 3-2 slider in the 3rd inning, Jeter belted a home run deep to left field at the new Yankee Stadium. The guy always comes through in big spots and sitting on 2,999, after a hit in the first, he wasted no time in becoming the 28th Major Leaguer to reach 3,000 hits and the second one to do it on a home run. The other was former teammate Wade Boggs who did it in a Tampa uni.
People say Jeter can't do this or can't do that. He's lost a step here and he's lost a step there. Screw the critics. Is he the player he was 10 years ago? No. But the guy was, is and always will be a WINNER. He plays his best in big moments and today is a perfect example.
Derek Jeter. The perfect ballplayer. Congratulations to the Yankee Captain. Amazing.
UPDATE: The Yankees won the game 5-4, on a Jeter RBI single in the bottom of the 8th to snap a 4-4 tie. Mariano got the save. Jeter ended the day going 5-5 with 3 singles, a double and the dramatic home run. He scored twice and knocked in a pair of runs. He raised his batting average 13-points to .270.
A nice fellow named Christian Lopez caught hit #3,000 and instead of holding out for big bucks, he just wanted to give Jeter the ball. Lopez, for his generosity and kindness was given a bunch of stuff by the Yankees.
But for Jeter, who stole the show, it was all about the win. It's always about winning for #2.

Thanks For Showing Up

"That will do it for the bottom of the first...and our score after one inning of play here at Fenway Park....The Red Sox 8 Orioles 0. We'll be back after these words..."
What? 8-0 after 1 inning?
My old guy's baseball team is the Orioles. Was my team at Fenway tonight instead of the Baltimore Orioles?
Holy crap Baltimore, show up and play like the Major Leaguers you supposedly are. Damn that is embarrassing. 8-0 after one. Geez. What a horrible team.

With Apologies to Dustin Pedroia

Went to Slammers today to take some batting practice, getting ready for Sunday's old guys game.
Two words about my BP session...LASER SHOW!

Well, Maybe Not

Just got home. I planned my busy day out so I would be home at 4:30 (mountain time) and shower before the Yankee game at 5.
So, I showered, got a big glass of ice water, checked my e-mail, sat down all nice and comfortable and turned on the YES Network, Direct TV channel 631.
I looked forward to tonight's Rays-Yankees game to see Jeter get #3,000. As soon as I turned to the station the announcement came. The game was rained out to be made up in September. Crapballs.
Oh well. They are showing a Yankees classic, the 6th game of the 2009 World Series. So I have a dilemma. Watch the Rockies continue to fall on their faces or the YES Network.
I'm watching Game 6. One nice thing about watching "Yankee Classics" on YES? They never lose. Never.

Tonight's the Night

Derek Jeter is 2 hits short of 3,000. That's 2,998 for those of you lacking in mathematical skills and without a handy calculator. Although I recently discovered that my cell phone has a calculator on there somewhere. Who knew?
Anyway, I think tonight is the night Jeter becomes the first Yankee to collect 3,000 hits. Rookie Jeremy Hellickson will get the start for the Rays.
I'm sure Hellickson hopes that he retires Jeter and that he doesn't get a his milestone hit off him.
But would that be the worst thing to happen to Hellickson? If he gives up the historic hit, he will be a part of history. He'll always be remembered. 50-years from now, when footage is shown of Jeter getting the hit, there will be Jeremy. He'll be 74 then and will say to his grandkids, "There I am. Shoulda thrown a curve there."
Now he won't want to be part of history but if it happens he'll probably grow to appreciate it, don't you think? It's not as if it would be a Ralph Branca moment.
As for Jeter, I think he'd like to get it off Hellickson since this rookie pitcher is likely to have a long and very productive career. He's good. If I'm Jeter, and oh how I would love to be, I'd rather get the hit off a good pitcher then some guy nobody ever heard of or will hear from again. Except when they show the highlight forever.

Sadder Than Sad

Shannon Stone took his son to a ballgame last night to see the Rangers host the Athletics. The 39-year old firefighter never expected to die.
When the Rangers Josh Hamilton grabbed a foul ball that caromed to him in left field, he never expected the ramifications when he tossed the ball into the stands. Who could have?
Stone reached over the railing in left field and, in his exuberance, reached out too far and fell 20-feet to the ground, behind the scoreboard. He died an hour later.
His fellow firefighters will rally around Stone's family. That's what they do. But how Stone died is inconceivable. He died not trying to save someone in a fire but at a baseball game.
Sometimes people do stupid things at ballgames. They drink too much and make a bad decision. At Coors Field earlier this year a young man made a horrible choice when he slid down the railing of a staircase. He fell and hit his head on the cement and died the next day. We've heard stories of people being drunk and doing dangerous things.
Not the case here. Simply a guy reaching for a ball, probably to give to his son, and a horrific accident took place. Heartbreaking beyond belief.
May the Stone family find comfort somehow in this tragedy.
And hopefully Josh Hamilton will not blame himself for an act of kindness that turned terribly wrong.
I'm just really perplexed why and how something like this could happen. Sad, very sad.

Jeet-O-Meter #21

Derek Jeter is now 4 hits away from 3,000 after a 2-hit performance tonight in Cleveland.
Jeter collected an infield single and ripped a liner to the gap in left for a double and 2 RBI's.
The Yankees won easily, 9-2. Jeter needs 4 hits in 5 games to reach 3,000 before the All-Star break. They play in Cleveland tomorrow and then play 4 at home against Tampa Bay.

The Road Trip To Oblivion

I have a feeling, and I mentioned it on the radio show Sunday night, that this 7-game road trip for the Rockies will be a make or break swing. The trip includes 4-games in Atlanta and 3 at Washington, a much improved club.
If they go 4-3 or 3-4 that isn't too bad. But my feeling is anything less than that could mean also ran status in the second half and perhaps some trades by Rockies GM Dan O'Dowd.
Well, so far the Rockies are 0-2 on the trip. They lost last night 4-1 as Freddie Freeman cracked a pair of homers. The Braves won again this evening 5-3 as Freeman homered again. The rookie has 12 homers on the season.
The Rockies are 41-45 and just 19-23 on the road. What started as a promising season in April was shot down in May and could be finished by the All-Star break.

The Grandy Man

If you know me you know that I love hustling ballplayers. Seeing a guy run hard to first on a one-hopper back to the pitcher or diving for a ball in a 7-run game gets me pumped up.
One of those hustling ballplayers is Yankees centerfielder Curtis Granderson. I love watching this guy play and he is fast becoming one of my favorite players.
For example, tonight he belted two home runs in Cleveland, the second being a no-doubter. Both time he sprinted out of the batters box as if he hit the ball in the gap or was trying to beat out an infield single.
Late in the game, rightfielder Nick Swisher was trying to catch a screaming line drive. He missed making a terrific catch and tumbled on the warning track. Who was there to back up the play and make sure the hitter, Lonnie Chisenhall, didn't get more than a double? Granderson.
Finally, what also makes me enjoy watching Granderson play is the fact that he wears his pants correctly. He shows his socks and doesn't have his pants legs around his shoes which is the clown look.
Granderson is everything I like in a player and he's having a great season. And although I've never met him, everything I've heard about him is that he's a class act off the field as well.

A Golf Cart?

Yesterday at Coors Field, Carlos Gonzalez made a spectacular running catch...then slammed into the wall.
He injured his wrist but it looks like it isn't a serious injury, thank goodness.
Since he hurt his right wrist my question is, why did he need to be placed on a golf cart and driven off the field. He couldn't have walked off? His legs weren't hurt. To me the golf cart added unnecessary drama.

All Star Selections

Every year when the All-Star teams are announced, somebody gets snubbed. This year, you could make a strong case for guys like Shane Victorino, CC Sabathia and Andrew McCutcheon being on the team. I'm sure those guys are disappointed since they all probably have healthy bonuses in their contracts for making the All-Star team.
My views on this have changed over the years.
Basically, I don't care anymore who is or who isn't on the All-Star team. It gives me a headache. If one guy makes the team then somebody doesn't.
Don't get me wrong, I still love the All-Star game and always watch it. But I don't get worked up over who makes it and who doesn't.
Speaking of worked up, as a kid the All-Star game really got under my pale white skin because the National League ALWAYS won. Every year I would think, "This is the year the American League wins," and every year I was disappointed.
Now, the AL usually wins the All-Star game, which makes me happy since I still pull for the American League. Of course, the NL won the game last year. Hopefully next Tuesday the AL gets back on top. So while I still allegiance to the American League I don't really care who is playing and who isn't.

The Sizzler

One of my favorite people in baseball is Doug Sisson, the Royals first base coach.
I first met Doug in 1994 when he was the manager of the Hudson Valley Renegades of the NY-Penn League and I was their first year announcer.
Every day we had to do a managers report in the pre-game show and every day Doug busted my chops, in a good humored way. Just a very funny guy with a wit as quick as Usain Bolt.
After that season, Doug left the Texas Rangers organization and joined the Expos organization at Delmarva. I saw him during the 1995 season on a trip to Maryland and that was the last time I saw him...until today.
With the Royals in town to face the Rockies, I arrived at Coors Field and immediately headed to the visitors clubhouse. I went into the coaches room and Doug wasn't there. The other coaches said he "stepped out for a minute." One said, "maybe he's in the crapper." So I sat in the chair in front of his locker.
A few minutes later Doug showed up and immediately recognized me, which is a good thing.
"Bill Rogan! What are you doing here? And get out of my chair!"
It was great seeing him and I think he was glad to see me. We caught up and also talked about the great summer of 1994.
I gave him on of my books, "More Turf Tales," and he said he would read it in the first base coaches box during the game to give me some pub. He actually could have read it since he wasn't very busy. The Rockies manhandled the punchless Royals 9-0.
I asked Doug what he thought about the first book I wrote, "A Renegade Summer," a look at Hudson Valley's first season in 1994. He said he didn't get the book. Damn. I thought I had sent him one. Anyway, I have a few reserve copies and will bring him a book on that '94 season tomorrow.
All in all it was great to see "The Sizzler" again. "The Sizzler" is a nickname I gave Doug because I felt he needed a nickname. Doug Sisson is fine but "The Sizzler" is a great nickname. Or so I thought. It never stuck. But when I called Doug "The Sizzler" today he smiled. He hasn't been called that to my knowledge in 16-years.
So I'll see him tomorrow and I'll take a picture with him. He also said he'd sign a ball for me. That will be a nice momento.
By the way, Doug started his professional coaching career in 1992. It took him 19-years to reach the major leagues. He's enjoying his first season in "The Show" and there is no one that deserves it more. He's paid his dues and he's a first class guy.
I hope this year in the bigs isn't his only year. But the Royals better start winning some games. They looked pretty bad tonight.

Howitzer

One of the great highlights of recent times came not from a player but a fan.
The other day at Wrigley Field, Miguel Tejada of the Giants belted a home run to left field, in the first game of a doubleheader.
A fan in the bleachers made a terrific grab...then showed off his rocket arm by, in Wrigley tradition, throwing the ball back on the field. However, he didn't just fling it harmlessly to the outfield grass. Oh no. He unleashed a bullet, nearly hitting Tejada as he trotted from second base to third. The ball rolled all the way to the on deck circle in front of the Giants first base dugout. Aubrey Huff tapped the ball back with his bat and Cody Ross picked it up and flipped it to Tejada who was heading into the dugout. Tejada put the ball in his back pocket. Overall, very funny and maybe the first time a guy hit a home run and got the ball back after he crossed home plate and before he reached the dugout.
As for the Cubs, they need to find that fan and sign him. What could it hurt? Although after that throw he probably needs Tommy John surgery.