Here is a picture of some fans at the Friday, July 3 game in Cincinnati. The Reds were playing the Cardinals and these six guys were just a small sampling of the Albert Pujols fans in attendance. I have absolutely no problem with people rooting for Pujols. He's the best player in the game today and exhibits nothing but class on and off the field. The problem is, these fans are nothing but frontrunners. 'U' guy (second from left) is wearing a Boston Red Sox hat -- turned around backwards of course. 'L' guy (second from right) is proudly displaying a Phillies hat while simultaneously supporting the Cardinals first baseman.
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Pet Peeves: Frontrunners
Here is a picture of some fans at the Friday, July 3 game in Cincinnati. The Reds were playing the Cardinals and these six guys were just a small sampling of the Albert Pujols fans in attendance. I have absolutely no problem with people rooting for Pujols. He's the best player in the game today and exhibits nothing but class on and off the field. The problem is, these fans are nothing but frontrunners. 'U' guy (second from left) is wearing a Boston Red Sox hat -- turned around backwards of course. 'L' guy (second from right) is proudly displaying a Phillies hat while simultaneously supporting the Cardinals first baseman.
Friday, June 26, 2009
Pet Peeves: Fans that don't come to watch the game
When I go to a baseball game, I'm there to watch the game. I make sure that I'm there early to see batting practice, take in the ambiance of the stadium, and get my scorecard ready. I also like to get any food or beverages that I may want before the game starts just so I don't have to get up. Depending on how many beverages I have, this may or may not happen. Recently, I've had some experiences with annoying fans. Folks that were at the game to do other things besides watch the game. Here are a few examples:
1. The fan who comes to get free stuff to sell on e-Bay: If you attended the June 20 Civil Rights game in Cincinnati and weren't one of the 20,000 people who received a 1964 Frank Robinson throwback jersey, you might have one of these folks to blame. I got to the park early as usual. Behind me waiting in line at the gates was a group of four people. Not one person in the group was dressed in any Reds or White Sox apparel/ colors. Each of the four "fans" had a stack of at least 10 tickets in their hands. I watched these people go in and out of the stadium gates throwing 40+ free jerseys into the tote bags that they brought from home for just this occasion. I gave them some pretty dirty looks and if one of them would have made eye contact with me, I would have told them what I thought. Hey, I'm all for free market economics but there's a point where it just turns to greed. At least 36 more people could have had a jersey if it wasn't for these people and I'm sure a few of those 36 would have been kids. I just checked on e-Bay and thankfully the jerseys aren't going for very much.
2. The fan who comes to dance and play all of the scoreboard games: True story from Toledo, Ohio... A teenage girl (probably about 14 or 15) sits in front of me. During the innings she does nothing but send text messages (I hope she gets carpel tunnel of the thumbs when she grows up) and proclaiming to her mom that this is the "worst day ever" because she's sweating in the 85 degree sun. Between innings she screams at the scoreboard games, "The ball is under hat number 2! It's number 2! Mom, it's under number 2! ... I got it! ... It was under number 2, Mom!" She also stands up and dances to any sort of music that is being played between innings. I saw her churn butter and twirl her lasso. She doesn't dance while the game is being played because that would distract her from her texting. This leads me to a third fan type.
3. The fan who comes to send text messages: I realize that I'm old before my time but people who do this annoy me to no end, no matter what the setting. I've sent maybe 15-20 text messages in my life and most of those have been to one person. That person is a friend who will probably read this post. Even if I did send more, I wouldn't do it at a baseball game because, like I said, I'm there for the game. Another true story... 50-ish soccer mom with trendy glasses sits in front of me with two women who are probably her sisters. The two sisters seem to be out of towners visiting and sit quietly to watch the game. They seem annoyed on several occasions because their "sister" just can't put here phone/keyboard thingy away. She does close it for a few seconds here and there to save precious battery life but usually gets fidgety when the lapse in thumb-typing lasts longer than 30 seconds. "I have to tell [so-and-so] that Michael Jackson died," she says. "Look at the baby pictures that [so-and-so] just sent me," she says. I knew this was going to get off to a good start soon after she arrived and threw a fit because an usher wasn't there to wipe off her seat.
I'm sure that you've had some experience with fans like this. Are there any other fan types that you would like to add to the list?
1. The fan who comes to get free stuff to sell on e-Bay: If you attended the June 20 Civil Rights game in Cincinnati and weren't one of the 20,000 people who received a 1964 Frank Robinson throwback jersey, you might have one of these folks to blame. I got to the park early as usual. Behind me waiting in line at the gates was a group of four people. Not one person in the group was dressed in any Reds or White Sox apparel/ colors. Each of the four "fans" had a stack of at least 10 tickets in their hands. I watched these people go in and out of the stadium gates throwing 40+ free jerseys into the tote bags that they brought from home for just this occasion. I gave them some pretty dirty looks and if one of them would have made eye contact with me, I would have told them what I thought. Hey, I'm all for free market economics but there's a point where it just turns to greed. At least 36 more people could have had a jersey if it wasn't for these people and I'm sure a few of those 36 would have been kids. I just checked on e-Bay and thankfully the jerseys aren't going for very much.
2. The fan who comes to dance and play all of the scoreboard games: True story from Toledo, Ohio... A teenage girl (probably about 14 or 15) sits in front of me. During the innings she does nothing but send text messages (I hope she gets carpel tunnel of the thumbs when she grows up) and proclaiming to her mom that this is the "worst day ever" because she's sweating in the 85 degree sun. Between innings she screams at the scoreboard games, "The ball is under hat number 2! It's number 2! Mom, it's under number 2! ... I got it! ... It was under number 2, Mom!" She also stands up and dances to any sort of music that is being played between innings. I saw her churn butter and twirl her lasso. She doesn't dance while the game is being played because that would distract her from her texting. This leads me to a third fan type.
3. The fan who comes to send text messages: I realize that I'm old before my time but people who do this annoy me to no end, no matter what the setting. I've sent maybe 15-20 text messages in my life and most of those have been to one person. That person is a friend who will probably read this post. Even if I did send more, I wouldn't do it at a baseball game because, like I said, I'm there for the game. Another true story... 50-ish soccer mom with trendy glasses sits in front of me with two women who are probably her sisters. The two sisters seem to be out of towners visiting and sit quietly to watch the game. They seem annoyed on several occasions because their "sister" just can't put here phone/keyboard thingy away. She does close it for a few seconds here and there to save precious battery life but usually gets fidgety when the lapse in thumb-typing lasts longer than 30 seconds. "I have to tell [so-and-so] that Michael Jackson died," she says. "Look at the baby pictures that [so-and-so] just sent me," she says. I knew this was going to get off to a good start soon after she arrived and threw a fit because an usher wasn't there to wipe off her seat.
I'm sure that you've had some experience with fans like this. Are there any other fan types that you would like to add to the list?
Thursday, June 18, 2009
The True Golden Age of Baseball, 1988-1992
I just read this great piece by Bill Simmons in ESPN The Magazine. Simmons challenges prior assumptions about baseball's "Golden Age" arguing that the five-year period, 1988-1992, was the most pure in baseball history.
Simmons' reasoning is before 1959 there were no or too few minority players in the major leagues to constitute any era known as the Golden Age. Baseball between 1960 and 1987 had too much tinkering: lowering the mound, addition of the designated hitter, a "juiced" ball in '87. The years following 1993 will inevitably be known to later generations as the "Steroid Era" - statistically pure, the game was not. I think this is coming to an end but we still don't know about the full effects of HGH on the game.
This leaves 1988-1992. An era that is close to my heart and probably why I like Simmons' article so much. This was the era when I really fell in love with the game. I had watched baseball before, emulated batting stances, collected cards, but really didn't fully understand the game until this time frame. Being a bit of a baseball history nut, I had always thought of the 1950s and 60s as a golden age in the game's past. You know... scenes of Willie, Mickey, and the Duke. Simmons' Golden Age, however, places the scrappy 1990 Reds in the center of the age and credits Sid Bream's slide to win the 1992 NLCS as "the last great, completely untainted I-can't-come-up-with-a-single-way-to-denigrate-this baseball moment." BREAM!!!
Simmons goes into much more detail so be sure to read the full article.
Simmons' reasoning is before 1959 there were no or too few minority players in the major leagues to constitute any era known as the Golden Age. Baseball between 1960 and 1987 had too much tinkering: lowering the mound, addition of the designated hitter, a "juiced" ball in '87. The years following 1993 will inevitably be known to later generations as the "Steroid Era" - statistically pure, the game was not. I think this is coming to an end but we still don't know about the full effects of HGH on the game.
This leaves 1988-1992. An era that is close to my heart and probably why I like Simmons' article so much. This was the era when I really fell in love with the game. I had watched baseball before, emulated batting stances, collected cards, but really didn't fully understand the game until this time frame. Being a bit of a baseball history nut, I had always thought of the 1950s and 60s as a golden age in the game's past. You know... scenes of Willie, Mickey, and the Duke. Simmons' Golden Age, however, places the scrappy 1990 Reds in the center of the age and credits Sid Bream's slide to win the 1992 NLCS as "the last great, completely untainted I-can't-come-up-with-a-single-way-to-denigrate-this baseball moment." BREAM!!!
Simmons goes into much more detail so be sure to read the full article.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Pittsburgh trip filled with bits of history
A view of PNC Park from the Renaissance Hotel. Normally I can't afford this kind of indulgence but I got an awesome deal on Hotwire.com. I thought we'd look and feel a little out of place staying at the hotel but there were A LOT of baseball fans there, although the majority of them were Tigers fans.You can't beat the view of the best ballpark in the majors and the Roberto Clemente bridge. The picture above was taken on Friday, June 12 just before walking over to the ballpark. You can see folks already on the Clemente Bridge. We could also see the Pirates taking BP from our hotel room window which was very cool. Notice the "Let's Go Penguins" sign on the bridge. This was the night of game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals. Following the Pirates game we watched the third period of the final game from the hotel bar. A nice mixture of Pens and Red Wings fans were there.
A picture of me getting Andy Van Slyke's autograph before the game.
The Parrot playing around with Curtis Granderson. I know being an old-school baseball guy I should be appalled by mascots, but I love watching the Parrot. He/She is one heck of an entertainer.
We took a tour of PNC Park on Saturday morning, an excellent experience. Although I've been to the park numerous times, I had never taking the tour. Our tour guide, Jim, was great! He was a retired teacher and very passionate about what he was doing. I was very impressed with how the Pirates have incorporated their history into the facilities. Quotes by Roberto Clemente (above) and a list of past Pirates batting champions in the cages serve to give the players a since of history and pride.
Afterwards we walked across the street to The Pittsburgh Fan and bought Stanley Cup Champions T-shirts.
We went to lunch at Primanti Brothers on Saturday afternoon. The Tigers' Nate Robertson and Adam Everett came in to eat. After eating they signed autographs for some kids and took pictures with a couple of families of Tigers fans in the restaurant. Very cool!
Another tribute to the proud winning history of the Pittsburgh Pirates. Before Saturday night's game the team invited members of the 1960, 1971, and 1979 championship teams to throw out the first pitches. Current Pirates players were catching - a symbolic connection between past and present.
Sunset from the upper deck on Saturday. Just one reason why this is the best ballpark out there.
Sunday afternoon was turn-back-the-clock day at PNC Park. The team was commemorating the 1909 World Series between Honus Wagner's Pirates and Ty Cobb's Tigers. Teams wore replica uniforms from 1909 and the electronic scoreboards were turned off for the game. The jumbotron (below) was made to look like an old hand operated scoreboard. It was a great atmosphere with the PA announcer giving only very basic player introductions and scoring changes. Also notice there was no 'h' at the end of the city's name in 1909.
Fans could meet the players in various places around the ballpark before the game. Here is a young fan getting his picture taken with Andrew McCutchen and Jesse Chavez. It was great to see the players and the throwback uniforms up close. I had my picture taken with my favorite Pirate, Jack Wilson. I guess this just comes with the territory of being a Pirates fan but I kept thinking that Jack would probably be traded before the season is over. I thought the same thing about Freddy Sanchez when the team announced earlier in the series that Sanchez #12 jersey T-shirts were going to be on sale at the gift shops all weekend.
Players warming up before Sunday's game. If the teams were going for complete historical accuracy, the players wouldn't have been wearing numbers on uniforms in 1909 - Raise the Jolly Roger picked up on this too. They also wouldn't have been carrying High School Musical backpacks out to the bullpen (see the player walking next to #29 Nate Robertson).
Also if we were going for complete historical accuracy, guys like Dontrelle Willis and Andrew McCutchen would not have been allowed on the field. On this note, I'll be at the Civil Rights game in Cincinnati this coming weekend.
One more piece of history, Sidney Crosby carrying the Stanley Cup. Here is a video of the Penguins' introductions concluding with Bill Guerin's ceremonial first pitch [hat tip to Mondesi's House]. FYI, the initial first pitch was thrown by the great-granddaughter of Honus Wagner.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Krauss drafted by Diamondbacks
Marc Krauss of Ohio University (my Alma mater) was drafted 64th overall by the Arizona Diamondbacks. Krauss was a semifinalist for the Golden Spikes Award and named the 2009 MAC Player of the Year. He started all 53 games for the Bobcats this season and broke OU's single-season homerun record by crushing 27 roundtrippers. Krauss grew up in Deshler, Ohio.Good luck Marc! I home your career follows the path of another fellow OU baseball alum, Michael Jack Schmidt.
Friday, June 5, 2009
No Way to Die
Tiger Stadium died on September 27, 1999. That’s when she took her last breath as the last game was played on her grounds and paying fans filed out her gates for the final time. She hung on. Her paint peeled and faded. Her seats sold. Tiger Stadium became shadow on the corner of Michigan and Trumbull.
Demolition began last summer. Fans visited to say what they thought were last goodbyes. Then it stopped. The stadium was left with a crumbling facade ranging only from dugout to dugout to tough out the harsh, grey Detroit winter. Today, demolition relaunched. Fans took pictures and said goodbye again. In two hours it was halted.
Baseball stadiums are more than just structures of concrete and steel. They are cathedrals from which fans order their lives. Stadiums are places where we create our national, regional, local, and individual identities.
This is no way for such an important place to be put to rest. Tiger Stadium is one of the most sacred places in baseball. Opened the same year as Fenway Park (1912), Tiger Stadium has not received her due respect. The Corner should have her dignity. Let fans say their goodbyes and let her go quickly. To use one of Roger Angell’s terms, let her live on in our Interior Stadium, our memories and recollections.
Nothing is accomplished by letting her stand this way. We can’t remember Tiger Stadium for what she was because of what she has become.
Demolition began last summer. Fans visited to say what they thought were last goodbyes. Then it stopped. The stadium was left with a crumbling facade ranging only from dugout to dugout to tough out the harsh, grey Detroit winter. Today, demolition relaunched. Fans took pictures and said goodbye again. In two hours it was halted.
Baseball stadiums are more than just structures of concrete and steel. They are cathedrals from which fans order their lives. Stadiums are places where we create our national, regional, local, and individual identities.
This is no way for such an important place to be put to rest. Tiger Stadium is one of the most sacred places in baseball. Opened the same year as Fenway Park (1912), Tiger Stadium has not received her due respect. The Corner should have her dignity. Let fans say their goodbyes and let her go quickly. To use one of Roger Angell’s terms, let her live on in our Interior Stadium, our memories and recollections.
Nothing is accomplished by letting her stand this way. We can’t remember Tiger Stadium for what she was because of what she has become.
"You're not good enough to get guys out"
"You're not good enough to get guys out." That's exactly what Atanta Braves general manager Frank Wren told Tom Glavine. Are you serious!? For one, I guarantee that Tom Glavine is MUCH better than a lot of other lefties out there that somehow get the chance to pitch in the major leagues. Secondly, show this guy a little respect. He has been an icon of your organization. I don't blame Glavine for feeling cheated - he didn't get to take his final victory lap as an Atlanta Brave. I hope a NL team picks him up and Tom channels those emotions into a nice final season.
John Smoltz speaks out in support of his friend.
John Smoltz speaks out in support of his friend.
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Lost Ballparks and Old Landmarks; Team Names; 300 for Johnson
- Jim Caple lists 10 "Lost Ballparks and Old Landmarks" that every fan of the game and its history should make pilgrimage to.
- MLB Homerun reminds us how MLB teams got their names.
- Randy Johnson recorded win number 300 in the baseball history books. For a guy that really didn't start his career until he was age 25 and has had trouble with back injuries, the feat is even more impressive. Johnson will probably end up averaging 14-15 wins a year over the course of a 22+ year career. I rank Johnson right up there with Greg Maddux as one of the best pitchers of a generation.
McCutchen's first AB kicks off big first inning
Andrew McCutchen has been major league ready for a while. The Pirates prospect just needed the right opportunity, and a little bit of luck, to take his rightful position in centerfield at PNC Park. The shocking trade of Nate McLouth to the Braves yesterday provided that opportunity and sprinkle of luck. In his first major league at-bat, McCutchen singled up the middle after falling 0-2 in the count against the Mets Mike Pelfrey. He also got a chance to show his blistering speed on the basepaths, going first to third on a Nyjer Morgan hit. The Pirates eventually tallied 6 hits and 4 runs in McCutchen's first inning in Pittsburgh.
A few thoughts on Nate McLouth -- I really hate to see Nate McLouth go and on top of that going the way of Bream... BREAM!!! Nate wasn't a great player but he was the type of player that you loved to watch and root for. He could do a bit of everything: hit, run, field. He worked himself into a major league starter, All-Star, and Gold Glover. Nate also was a class act, nice guy, and really seemed to be at home in the small-market that is Pittsburgh. McLouth's hair made him look California, but he grew up in a small town in Michigan and acted the part of a humble, low-key, Midwesterner. He also seemed to understand the pain of being a Pirates fan. I heard him say in an off-season interview that he knew the pain of losing, he has been a Detroit Lions fan his whole life. McLouth came up through the Pirates organization and I really thought that he could be around when the Bucs finally achieve a winning season again.
Ramblings on McCutchen-related matters -- McCutchen dawned his #22 Pirates uniform for the first time at PNC Park this afternoon. I like it! That's the number that I always asked to wear while in little league, buddy-league basketball, what have you. Why? Well... when I was 8, 9, 10 years old, Will Clark was my favorite player. I wasn't a San Francisco Giants fan, I just liked Will Clark. Since Will "The Thrill" went to Mississippi State, I even started this weird obsession of following players from there: Jeff Brantley, Rafael Palmeiro, Paul Maholm, Jonathon Papelbon also went there but I couldn't care less about him. When I was looking at grad schools, I came within a hair of going to Mississippi State.
Another thing that I'm thinking about related to McCutchen in Pittsburgh is the speed that he and Nyjer Morgan bring to the top of the lineup. It's really something special. If both or either of those guys get on in the first inning, it can really disrupt the opposing pitcher and result in those much coveted early runs. Although I think M&M would be more effective hitting 1 and 2 in the lineup, I'm wondering when Doumit comes back, if John Russell would consider doing the Tony La Russa thing again and bat the pitcher eighth while moving Morgan to the ninth spot.
As you can imagine there are a lot of thoughts out there about the McLouth trade:
[Bucs Dugout]
[Raise the Jolly Roger]
[WHYGAVS]
[MLB Fanhouse]
[Mondesi's House]
[Hyzdu Headquarters]
[The Green Weenie]
[North Side Notch]
PBC Blog has a nice pic of McLouth's banner coming down.
A few thoughts on Nate McLouth -- I really hate to see Nate McLouth go and on top of that going the way of Bream... BREAM!!! Nate wasn't a great player but he was the type of player that you loved to watch and root for. He could do a bit of everything: hit, run, field. He worked himself into a major league starter, All-Star, and Gold Glover. Nate also was a class act, nice guy, and really seemed to be at home in the small-market that is Pittsburgh. McLouth's hair made him look California, but he grew up in a small town in Michigan and acted the part of a humble, low-key, Midwesterner. He also seemed to understand the pain of being a Pirates fan. I heard him say in an off-season interview that he knew the pain of losing, he has been a Detroit Lions fan his whole life. McLouth came up through the Pirates organization and I really thought that he could be around when the Bucs finally achieve a winning season again.
Ramblings on McCutchen-related matters -- McCutchen dawned his #22 Pirates uniform for the first time at PNC Park this afternoon. I like it! That's the number that I always asked to wear while in little league, buddy-league basketball, what have you. Why? Well... when I was 8, 9, 10 years old, Will Clark was my favorite player. I wasn't a San Francisco Giants fan, I just liked Will Clark. Since Will "The Thrill" went to Mississippi State, I even started this weird obsession of following players from there: Jeff Brantley, Rafael Palmeiro, Paul Maholm, Jonathon Papelbon also went there but I couldn't care less about him. When I was looking at grad schools, I came within a hair of going to Mississippi State.
Another thing that I'm thinking about related to McCutchen in Pittsburgh is the speed that he and Nyjer Morgan bring to the top of the lineup. It's really something special. If both or either of those guys get on in the first inning, it can really disrupt the opposing pitcher and result in those much coveted early runs. Although I think M&M would be more effective hitting 1 and 2 in the lineup, I'm wondering when Doumit comes back, if John Russell would consider doing the Tony La Russa thing again and bat the pitcher eighth while moving Morgan to the ninth spot.
As you can imagine there are a lot of thoughts out there about the McLouth trade:
[Bucs Dugout]
[Raise the Jolly Roger]
[WHYGAVS]
[MLB Fanhouse]
[Mondesi's House]
[Hyzdu Headquarters]
[The Green Weenie]
[North Side Notch]
PBC Blog has a nice pic of McLouth's banner coming down.
Friday, May 29, 2009
The New Attitude in Cincinnati
In case you haven't noticed there's a new attitude in Cincinnati. It's marked by confident, hard-working, young talent bearing the names of Votto, Bruce, Volquez, and Cueto, complemented by quality veteran leadership like Hernandez, Harang, and Arroyo. Don't forget Nix, Rosales, and Owings who have stepped up in clutch situations and are worth every penny on the price of a ticket to watch. There's also Brandon Phillips the reining Gold Glove winner at second and the man who has pounded the ball and basepaths in May. Of course I'm leaving a few names out but you get the point, everyone is contributing. Jay Bruce says that when the Reds come back from their roadtrip to Milwaukee and St. Louis, they plan on being in first place. That's confidence that Reds fans haven't heard in the LONG time!
In my eyes the number one reason for this new attitude is the emergence of young leaders like Bruce and Votto. They're confident in their role as major leaguers and have taken ownership over their team. This wouldn't have happened without the exit of two veteran mainstays (you know who I'm talking about).
Hal McCoy is giving Dusty Baker a lot of the credit. That could be some of it, I suppose. Dusty has always managed veteran teams and it's hard to put your brand on that type of team. Maybe this is what Baker brand baseball in its purist form looks like. Whatever it is, the players are having fun, confident, and playing their butts off.
In my eyes the number one reason for this new attitude is the emergence of young leaders like Bruce and Votto. They're confident in their role as major leaguers and have taken ownership over their team. This wouldn't have happened without the exit of two veteran mainstays (you know who I'm talking about).
Hal McCoy is giving Dusty Baker a lot of the credit. That could be some of it, I suppose. Dusty has always managed veteran teams and it's hard to put your brand on that type of team. Maybe this is what Baker brand baseball in its purist form looks like. Whatever it is, the players are having fun, confident, and playing their butts off.
Weiters Should Be Making Pirates Debut Tonight
The baseball world is on the edge of its seat awaiting tonight's major league debut of Baltimore Orioles prospect Matt Wieters. The guy seems to have it all, "a real life version of The Natural." I just can't help but think that he should be making his debut in a Pirates uniform. No offense to Ryan Doumit but THIS is the type of player that you build a franchise around. You just can't pass up on a player like Wieters due to what who is agent is or what type of money he might command. Heck, Pittsburgh took Pedro Alvarez a year later. Why couldn't they step up to the table a little sooner?
I wish Wieters success and I hope he helps restore a once proud Baltmore Orioles franchise to glory.
I wish Wieters success and I hope he helps restore a once proud Baltmore Orioles franchise to glory.
Friday, May 22, 2009
Tattoo Swap
Thank goodness! The Reds have DFA'd Darnell McDonald. Yeah, that's the guy who starting in centerfield on Opening Day and pictured below with the nifty neck tattoo.
Jonny Gomes has been called up from Triple-A Louisville. Gomes is a big Pete Rose fan and has much better taste in tats.
BCB Links and Thoughts on Interleague Play
Here are a few links that I thought I'd share:
Geography makes for good rivalries only if tradition is involved. St. Louis and Kansas City, that's a good interleague rivalry. Dodgers and Yankees is also a good traditional geographic rivalry.
Interleague play is just something else that Bud Selig has done to ruin baseball and mold it in the image of other sports. I heard someone call into a radio show this morning and say, "I don't see what the problem with interleague play is, football does it, basketball does it." That's right but football and basketball aren't baseball and I don't want to see it made into a spectacle like those two sports.
- Blue Collar Baseball favorite Curtis Granderson blogs about hanging out with M.C. Hammer at Comerica Park. Grandy is a regular guest blogger at Big League Stew.
- Jay Bruce discusses Diamond Hoggers and the Hank Williams Jr. statue in his locker.
- Also from Diamond Hoggers, another fascinating look into the mind of Homer Bailey (who just so happens to be wearing a Hank Jr. t-shirt in the featured picture). I'd like to see Homer sporting around a Hank III shirt or maybe a spiffy Old Crow Medicine Show ensemble... just a couple of my favorites.
- Some poetry about the beauty of baseball up close from the Indianapolis Indians webiste (found via The Jolly Roger).
Geography makes for good rivalries only if tradition is involved. St. Louis and Kansas City, that's a good interleague rivalry. Dodgers and Yankees is also a good traditional geographic rivalry.
Interleague play is just something else that Bud Selig has done to ruin baseball and mold it in the image of other sports. I heard someone call into a radio show this morning and say, "I don't see what the problem with interleague play is, football does it, basketball does it." That's right but football and basketball aren't baseball and I don't want to see it made into a spectacle like those two sports.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Thinking about two great hitters, Helton and Ichiro
I think it's safe to say that Todd Helton is a great hitter. He just tallied his 2,000th hit in his 13th season in the majors. In only two of the previous 12 seasons has his batting average dipped below .300 -- 1997, his first season in the big leagues, when he played in only 35 games and 2008 when he played in only 83 games due to injury. Helton's lifetime batting average is .328. Despite consistently hitting for high average, Helton has collected over 200 hits in a season only twice -- 2000 (216) and 2003 (209).
Ichiro is a hit machine. Baseball hasn't seen anything like him since Pete Rose. He has never finished a season below the .300 mark (.303 in 2005 is his lowest season batting average to date). Similar to Helton, Ichiro's lifetime batting average is .330. Ichiro, however, in his 8 full major league seasons has never finished with less than 206 hits, and has reached the realm of 262 and 242 in 2004 and 2001 respectively. Ichiro currently has 1,851 hits and if his current streak of 200-hit seasons continues he will reach the 2,000 hit mark before the end of the 2009 season. 2,000 hits in 9 seasons, what a feat! He is destined for the Hall of Fame.
Ichiro is a hit machine. Baseball hasn't seen anything like him since Pete Rose. He has never finished a season below the .300 mark (.303 in 2005 is his lowest season batting average to date). Similar to Helton, Ichiro's lifetime batting average is .330. Ichiro, however, in his 8 full major league seasons has never finished with less than 206 hits, and has reached the realm of 262 and 242 in 2004 and 2001 respectively. Ichiro currently has 1,851 hits and if his current streak of 200-hit seasons continues he will reach the 2,000 hit mark before the end of the 2009 season. 2,000 hits in 9 seasons, what a feat! He is destined for the Hall of Fame.
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