Believe it or not, there are a few things that I don't like about baseball. In no particular order...
1. The DH
2. Interleague Play
3. The wave
Saturday, June 30, 2012
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Dan Huggla?
I was so excited when the Braves traded for Dan Uggla after the 2010 season. I had always been a big fan of his and as much as I hated to lose Omar Infante, gaining a player like Dan made it all so worthwhile.
I'm equally as thrilled that Dan has gotten off to such a better start this year. I really felt for him the entire first half of the 2011 season. Seeing how poorly he was hitting and knowing what he was capable of was sheer torture for all of us. More importantly, watching the way handled himself during that drought made me appreciate him all the more. He set a great example for all the other players in the clubhouse. And if you believe in baseball karma, it's all coming full circle. Fingers crossed, Dan will be starting at 2nd base in this year's All-Star Game. He's a great team player and apparantly, a very huggy guy!
Sunday, June 24, 2012
Don't Forget To Vote!
Don't forget to cast your ballot(s) for the 2012 All-Star Game. The game will be played on Tuesday, July 10th at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City.
Voting ends this Thursday, June 28th. You can vote up until 11:59pm, Eastern Time. Remember that you can vote 25 per e-mail address. You don't even want to guess how many times I voted!
I've made it all quick and easy for you. Here's the link to the ballot.
http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/events/all_star/y2012/ballot.jsp?tcid=BN-asgballot-2012-728x90
Voting ends this Thursday, June 28th. You can vote up until 11:59pm, Eastern Time. Remember that you can vote 25 per e-mail address. You don't even want to guess how many times I voted!
I've made it all quick and easy for you. Here's the link to the ballot.
http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/events/all_star/y2012/ballot.jsp?tcid=BN-asgballot-2012-728x90
Friday, June 22, 2012
Fun Fact #2!
At the beginning of the 2012 season there were only two ball parks that Chipper Jones hadn't played in. Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City and the new Yankee Stadium in the Bronx. Now before you get all crazy and hit the comment button to correct me, think about it for a second. Chipper played 27 games in the original Yankee Stadium. He played in the 1996 World Series and in the 1999 World Series. He also played multiple interleague games in the old Yankee Stadium. Since the new Yankee Stadium opened in 2009, the Braves have played the Yankees in interleague play, but not in New York...not until this season.
The Yankees marked Chipper's final regular season visit to their ball park with a pre-game video tribute, which featured the 27 games he played in the Bronx. The team also gave Chipper the 3rd base which was used in the previous night's game. The icing on the cake? The base was presented by Derek Jeter and Andruw Jones. How perfect!
Now only Kauffman Stadium is left. It also happens to be the site of this year's All-Star Game. Chipper says he only wants to be voted in if he truly deserves to go. Maybe he doesn't think this season's numbers make him All-Star worthy. But what about his career numbers? Don't they merit one final trip to the All-Star Game? You decide. You vote.
Here are are couple of links and photos, courtesy of the Braves site, that I think you should check out:
Chipper's tour of the Yankee Museum and his comments about playing in the Bronx and his dad's hero, Mickey Mantle.
http://atlanta.braves.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20120620&content_id=33637362&vkey=news_atl&c_id=atl
Here's a quick clip of the on field presentation
http://atlanta.braves.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=22442281&topic_id=8877494&c_id=atl
The Yankees marked Chipper's final regular season visit to their ball park with a pre-game video tribute, which featured the 27 games he played in the Bronx. The team also gave Chipper the 3rd base which was used in the previous night's game. The icing on the cake? The base was presented by Derek Jeter and Andruw Jones. How perfect!
Now only Kauffman Stadium is left. It also happens to be the site of this year's All-Star Game. Chipper says he only wants to be voted in if he truly deserves to go. Maybe he doesn't think this season's numbers make him All-Star worthy. But what about his career numbers? Don't they merit one final trip to the All-Star Game? You decide. You vote.
Here are are couple of links and photos, courtesy of the Braves site, that I think you should check out:
Chipper's tour of the Yankee Museum and his comments about playing in the Bronx and his dad's hero, Mickey Mantle.
http://atlanta.braves.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20120620&content_id=33637362&vkey=news_atl&c_id=atl
Here's a quick clip of the on field presentation
http://atlanta.braves.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=22442281&topic_id=8877494&c_id=atl
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Fun Fact!
Now that Tim Hudson has pitched at the new Yankee Stadium, he has become the only active pitcher in the majors to have pitched in every ballpark. How cool is that!?!
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Analyze This
So Roger Clemens was found not guilty of perjury and obstruction of justice. Big deal.
Remember, not guilty doesn't mean innocent. It simply means that the federal government did not prove its case. Did anyone even really care about the outcome of this trial? Does it really mean anything? I don't think so.
In the one court that does matter, in the court of public opinion, the majority of people still believe that Roger Clemens used performance-enhancing drugs. And for that he will be forever guilty. Just like Barry Bonds. Just like Sammy Sosa. Just like Mark McGwire.
Did these players think that if they didn't admit the obvious, if they held out and kept pleading their innocence, that we would eventually believe them? Do they think we're that dumb?
What about the one PED user that admitted to his use when his name appeared on the Mitchell Report? What about Andy Pettitte? He seems to have come out of this unscathed. Why? BECAUSE HE TOLD THE TRUTH. He admitted it. He told us he regretted it. He told us he was sorry that he let us down. He apologized. And for that he has earned our respect.
Today's news reports focus on whether this verdict will catapult Clemens back to the status of being a first ballot Hall of Famer. I hope to God not.
When deciding whether a player belongs in Cooperstown, voters not only judge the nominee on his performance on the field, but they also must take into account his character, integrity and sportsmanship. In that case, Clemens doesn't stand a snowball's chance in hell.
Remember, not guilty doesn't mean innocent. It simply means that the federal government did not prove its case. Did anyone even really care about the outcome of this trial? Does it really mean anything? I don't think so.
In the one court that does matter, in the court of public opinion, the majority of people still believe that Roger Clemens used performance-enhancing drugs. And for that he will be forever guilty. Just like Barry Bonds. Just like Sammy Sosa. Just like Mark McGwire.
Did these players think that if they didn't admit the obvious, if they held out and kept pleading their innocence, that we would eventually believe them? Do they think we're that dumb?
What about the one PED user that admitted to his use when his name appeared on the Mitchell Report? What about Andy Pettitte? He seems to have come out of this unscathed. Why? BECAUSE HE TOLD THE TRUTH. He admitted it. He told us he regretted it. He told us he was sorry that he let us down. He apologized. And for that he has earned our respect.
Today's news reports focus on whether this verdict will catapult Clemens back to the status of being a first ballot Hall of Famer. I hope to God not.
When deciding whether a player belongs in Cooperstown, voters not only judge the nominee on his performance on the field, but they also must take into account his character, integrity and sportsmanship. In that case, Clemens doesn't stand a snowball's chance in hell.
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Two No-No's
A big congrats to former Brave and all-around good guy Kevin Millwood who was part of the Seattle Mariners no-hitter on Friday! Kevin pitched six strong innings before being forced to leave the game with a mild groin strain.
Five additional pitchers, Charlie Furbush, Stephen Pryor, Lucas Luetge, Brandon League and Tom Wilhelmsen kept the no-hitter intact. The Mariners ended up beating the Dodgers 1-0. This is the Mariners 3rd no-hitter in team history, the others coming in 1990 and 1993. This game marked only the 10th combined no-hitter in Major League history and it's the first one since the Astros did it in 2003.
This is Kevin's second no-hitter. His first was in 2003 when he pitched for the Phillies.
I guess I should also acknowledge the New York Mets (it's hard for me to use the word congratulate when it comes to them) and their no-hitter a week ago Friday. Believe it or not, it was the first no-hitter in the team's 50 year history. After 8,019 games, they finally joined the club!
When you consider the calibre of pitchers who have worn a Mets uni, it's hard to believe they've never had a no-hitter. Several Mets pitchers, including Tom Seaver, Dwight Gooden, David Cone and Nolan Ryan, have thrown no-hitters while playing for other teams.
It took the Mets Johan Santana 134 pitches to beat the Cardinals 8-0. But, being that it was the Mets, the game had some controversy. In the 6th inning, Cardinals outfielder and former Met Carlos Beltran hit a fastball up the left field line. The ball was called foul, but replays show that it went foul after hitting the bag. Beltran grounded out on the next pitch.
Baseball is a funny game. You never know what you'll see and the human element plays a huge role in the game. Chances are good that Cardinals fans feel that the Mets still don't have a no-hitter. And Tigers fans know that Armando Galarraga did have one.
Ok, Padres. It's your turn now.
Five additional pitchers, Charlie Furbush, Stephen Pryor, Lucas Luetge, Brandon League and Tom Wilhelmsen kept the no-hitter intact. The Mariners ended up beating the Dodgers 1-0. This is the Mariners 3rd no-hitter in team history, the others coming in 1990 and 1993. This game marked only the 10th combined no-hitter in Major League history and it's the first one since the Astros did it in 2003.
This is Kevin's second no-hitter. His first was in 2003 when he pitched for the Phillies.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I guess I should also acknowledge the New York Mets (it's hard for me to use the word congratulate when it comes to them) and their no-hitter a week ago Friday. Believe it or not, it was the first no-hitter in the team's 50 year history. After 8,019 games, they finally joined the club!
When you consider the calibre of pitchers who have worn a Mets uni, it's hard to believe they've never had a no-hitter. Several Mets pitchers, including Tom Seaver, Dwight Gooden, David Cone and Nolan Ryan, have thrown no-hitters while playing for other teams.
It took the Mets Johan Santana 134 pitches to beat the Cardinals 8-0. But, being that it was the Mets, the game had some controversy. In the 6th inning, Cardinals outfielder and former Met Carlos Beltran hit a fastball up the left field line. The ball was called foul, but replays show that it went foul after hitting the bag. Beltran grounded out on the next pitch.
Baseball is a funny game. You never know what you'll see and the human element plays a huge role in the game. Chances are good that Cardinals fans feel that the Mets still don't have a no-hitter. And Tigers fans know that Armando Galarraga did have one.
Ok, Padres. It's your turn now.
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