In another example of how blogging takes over your life, I have been asleep in my living room chair for at least two hours. It must have been a tough week because I sure am sleepy. I finally woke up and staggered toward the kitchen to get a drink and my wife asks me if I'm going to give in and go to bed. I looked at her with a frown and concern and said, "I haven't written my blog yet!"
I bought baseball cards today. I can't remember the last time I did that. It was probably a similar lark a couple of years ago because I know there are some cards in the second drawer of my dresser that I promised my wife I'd go through. A promise long forgotten months ago until just now. Anyway, I was driving around with my little girl looking at old houses (what can I say, it's one of the things we like to do). To reward her for being such a good and patient, I promised her we'd stop at a store she likes to buy a doll or a book or something. While checking out her doll, stuffed animal and book (yes, I am soft), I saw a box of Topps cards on the counter for sale. I remember that the last time I bought some, there were eighteen to a pack and the pack cost $25 or something. Well, maybe not that much but it seemed so. Today, each pack had six cards and cost a little over a dollar. I bought five packs.
A true fan only considers Topps a true baseball card. Topps was the only one for years and the only one that stayed true with all the stats on the back of the card. Fleer rhymed with sneer and Donruss rhymed with truss and who can remember what the other companies were named because they didn't matter. I repeat: a true fan only considers Topps a true baseball card.
Opening a pack of baseball cards is always a sacred thing. The pack is perfect until it is open. An unopened pack still contains hopes and expectations. To open a pack is to break its purity but a necessary step to find out if there was treasure or dross inside. I once bought 20 unopened Topps packs from Ebay that were twenty years old. That was twenty years of purity. I could have kept them that way and preserved their worth, but I was too weak and had to see what was inside.
Most of the time, a pack is pretty disappointing. For every semi-star like Jeff Conine, you have four or five Robert Ficks. A Barry Bonds is just not in the cards (pun accidental but fun) unless its a gimmick card which doesn't have his stats. There is another truism: A true baseball card not only has to be Topps but has to have either statistics on the back or be a checklist. The rest are gimmick cards.
My childhood was filled with baseball and Topps baseball cards were no exception. The packs were about the price of a candy bar back then if I remember right. We would buy a few at a time whenever we could. My brother and I faithfully filled out the checklists for the cards we had. We didn't know the future value of the cards at the time so our cards would be stored in big boxes and loose. Of course we put the cards in our bicycle tires. I was a very good baseball card flipper. Flipping was the game of flipping a card against a wall at the same time as one or more kids. The card that landed closest to the wall picked up all the other cards. It was a cheap way to pick up some good cards.
I have the typical American sad story of going away to college only to have mom throw away my boxes of cards while I'm gone. Why do moms have such brain cramps? Only moms who are true baseball fans (ours was not) would not consider such silly notions. She saved the matchboxes though so at least she didn't totally fail me. When I think of the potential wealth of the cards in the lost box, I cringe. I know without doubt that I had at least a dozen Nolan Ryan/Jerry Koosman rookie cards...worth around $1000 a piece last I looked (although the value has been going down every year and the value might be much less now). I had Willie Mays cards along with most of the cards of the past greats. I never could get a Mickey Mantle card...probably because I wanted one too badly. I can picture in my head cards of Willie Stargell, Willie McCovey, Mike Schmidt, Tom Seaver, Frank Robinson and many, many more. But they are all gone. At least I can replace the entertainment value by finding the stats on ESPN.com.
I bought five packs today. The wrapping said they were "Opening Day - 2003" cards. That was exciting since a wonderful new season is a pregnant pause away. It's time to be excited again! Opening the packs proved to reveal cards that were glossier than packs of old. The colors are exciting and patriotic--red, white and blue. The Topps trademark logo is on the top left corner of the face of the card. The players are in their typical position of hitting, pitching, fielding or just standing in the field. They aren't posed like in the old days. The backs are vintage Topps with Ht., Wt., Throws, Bats, Drafted, Acq., Born and Home information on the top of the card under the player's name. If the player has played less than fifteen years, there are all the stats and then text about some facts concerning the player. The player who has been around for more than fifteen years are the best because the stats take up all the page.
Something was amiss today. Out of thirty possible cards, seventeen were really good cards. There were: Eric Chavez, Jeff Bagwell, Chipper Jones (yuck), Nomar Garciaparra, Kerry Wood, Craid Biggio (who only needs 705 hits for 3000), Eric Gagne, Brian Giles, Larry Walker, Todd Helton, Manny Ramirez, Carlos Delgado, Roger Clemens (bonus!), Ivan Rodriguez Curt Schilling and Alfonso Soriano!
For the first time in my Topps baseball card buying experience, I feel like I forgot to genuflect when I entered the church. Are they playing with me? I think I'll drown out my confusion by going to read all these great stats.
Saturday, March 22, 2003
Friday, March 21, 2003
In one of the great headlines of all time that would make Mickey Spillane proud, ESPN.com crows: "Billionaire Broad confirms interest in buying Dodgers." Broad, of course, is referring to Eli Broad, the Los Angeles dynamo last heard from when he tried to bring an NFL franchise back to LA. I'm not sure that letting a Broad run things is going to restore this franchise to its former glory days of Alston and then Lasorda and the proud Dodger blue.
The last great Dodger headline was a while back when a small article indicated that "Monday will be out Tuesday." Monday was Rick Monday, the centerfielder that played for the Dodgers in the late 70's and early to mid 80's. Another great thing about ESPN.com is that you can look at the statistics of former MLB players. A lot of sites offer that, but ESPN has a really cool feature where under each stat, the player is ranked in that stat all time. For example, you can find out that Rick Monday ranks 160th all time in home runs but only 407th in career RBI. Isn't that cool information?
Okay, let's try a few of my personal favorites: Bobby Murcer hit 252 homers to place him 141st on the list or 19 in front of Rich Monday. But Murcer ended up with 1043 RBI which places him 188th all time and dozens ahead of Monday. The day Murcer was traded to the Giants for Bobby Bonds was one of the most shocking and sad days of my life.
To this day, I can still do Murcer's stance at the plate. I remember going to Yankee Stadium for opening day in 1969--Murcer's first full year. Murcer wore number 2 and a player named Jerry Kenney wore number 1. Since the Yanks were so bad, they needed a gimmick and Kenney (#1) batted first and Murcer (#2) batted second. In this memorable opening game, the visiting team didn't score and Kenney and Murcer hit back to back solo homers. Murcer went on to hit 25 more home runs that year but Kenney hit only one more. A year later, Kenney hit below the Mendoza line (.194) in 404 at bats and was out of baseball a few years later.
Anyway...the day Murcer was traded was terrible. He was a victim of those horrible years when the Yanks had to play at Shea while Yankee Stadium was being rebuilt. At Yankee Stadium, Murcer averaged 27 homers a year. The first year at Shea, his numbers tumbled to 22 and the following year 11. He was then traded to the Giants and hit 34 homers in two years in the cold and wind of Candlestick Park. Murcer played two years for the Cubbies before coming back to the Yankees as a sentimental favorite in their glory years with Munson and Reggie Jackson. Murcer did have a decent career and in one nine year stretch averaged 90 RBI a year.
Hmm...Bobby Bonds...72nd all time in homers with 332 and eighth all time in strikeouts with 1757 (in 14 years!). I bet you didn't know that! His son Barry Bonds has more runs scored in his sixteen years than his dad had strikeouts. In two more seasons, Barry has five hundred less strikeouts than his dad did.
Okay, one more stat peek and I'll stop: Fritz Peterson. Fritz was a pretty good pitcher for the Yankees through their truly awful years of 1966 (two years after their last pennant of the 60's) and 1976 (two years before their first pennant since 1964!). They came in last or next to last for most of those years. Despite that, Fritz ended his career 133 - 131 with a 3.30 ERA. Not bad! Of course, he'll forever be known as one half of the famous Yankee scandal of wife swapping. He and a fellow pitcher named Mike Kekich (39-51 lifetime) decided to switch wives in mid-season. It must have been natural for Peterson's ex-wife to state that Kekich came in out of the bullpen. It was quite the fiasco at the time. I don't believe there was a happily-ever-after. I think the Kedich-Peterson duo worked out but the Peterson-Kekich pairing fizzled out faster than Fernando Valenzuela's fastball.
Well, this column meandered all over the place. That's okay, if you discover ESPN.com's stat collection with the lifetime rankings, it will have been worth it.
The last great Dodger headline was a while back when a small article indicated that "Monday will be out Tuesday." Monday was Rick Monday, the centerfielder that played for the Dodgers in the late 70's and early to mid 80's. Another great thing about ESPN.com is that you can look at the statistics of former MLB players. A lot of sites offer that, but ESPN has a really cool feature where under each stat, the player is ranked in that stat all time. For example, you can find out that Rick Monday ranks 160th all time in home runs but only 407th in career RBI. Isn't that cool information?
Okay, let's try a few of my personal favorites: Bobby Murcer hit 252 homers to place him 141st on the list or 19 in front of Rich Monday. But Murcer ended up with 1043 RBI which places him 188th all time and dozens ahead of Monday. The day Murcer was traded to the Giants for Bobby Bonds was one of the most shocking and sad days of my life.
To this day, I can still do Murcer's stance at the plate. I remember going to Yankee Stadium for opening day in 1969--Murcer's first full year. Murcer wore number 2 and a player named Jerry Kenney wore number 1. Since the Yanks were so bad, they needed a gimmick and Kenney (#1) batted first and Murcer (#2) batted second. In this memorable opening game, the visiting team didn't score and Kenney and Murcer hit back to back solo homers. Murcer went on to hit 25 more home runs that year but Kenney hit only one more. A year later, Kenney hit below the Mendoza line (.194) in 404 at bats and was out of baseball a few years later.
Anyway...the day Murcer was traded was terrible. He was a victim of those horrible years when the Yanks had to play at Shea while Yankee Stadium was being rebuilt. At Yankee Stadium, Murcer averaged 27 homers a year. The first year at Shea, his numbers tumbled to 22 and the following year 11. He was then traded to the Giants and hit 34 homers in two years in the cold and wind of Candlestick Park. Murcer played two years for the Cubbies before coming back to the Yankees as a sentimental favorite in their glory years with Munson and Reggie Jackson. Murcer did have a decent career and in one nine year stretch averaged 90 RBI a year.
Hmm...Bobby Bonds...72nd all time in homers with 332 and eighth all time in strikeouts with 1757 (in 14 years!). I bet you didn't know that! His son Barry Bonds has more runs scored in his sixteen years than his dad had strikeouts. In two more seasons, Barry has five hundred less strikeouts than his dad did.
Okay, one more stat peek and I'll stop: Fritz Peterson. Fritz was a pretty good pitcher for the Yankees through their truly awful years of 1966 (two years after their last pennant of the 60's) and 1976 (two years before their first pennant since 1964!). They came in last or next to last for most of those years. Despite that, Fritz ended his career 133 - 131 with a 3.30 ERA. Not bad! Of course, he'll forever be known as one half of the famous Yankee scandal of wife swapping. He and a fellow pitcher named Mike Kekich (39-51 lifetime) decided to switch wives in mid-season. It must have been natural for Peterson's ex-wife to state that Kekich came in out of the bullpen. It was quite the fiasco at the time. I don't believe there was a happily-ever-after. I think the Kedich-Peterson duo worked out but the Peterson-Kekich pairing fizzled out faster than Fernando Valenzuela's fastball.
Well, this column meandered all over the place. That's okay, if you discover ESPN.com's stat collection with the lifetime rankings, it will have been worth it.
Thursday, March 20, 2003
It must be difficult to decide how many more good years a superstar has left in the tank. The Red Sox vastly underestimated Roger Clemens prime by about eight years. But to be fair to them, sometimes it seems Roger needs a kick in the pants to get going. For example, in last year's debacle of a performance against the Angels, Roger came out with gas and the Angel hitters couldn't catch up. It was like butter for the Yankee pitcher. The next time through the lineup, Clemens started getting cute with splitters and sliders and was lit up. One memorable moment was with Tim Salmon. Salmon did not come close to Clemens fastball. He then came up in a crucial situation with men on base and Clemens got cute and Salmon crushed him. Clemens needed a pitching coach or a catcher to kick him in the kabuckus and told him to throw hard and harder.
Anyway, I'm off the subject. A recent story shows that Arizona just signed Luis Gonzalez to a three year contract extension. The reports are that he had a bad shoulder last year. Be that as it may, Gonzalez was 50% less effective last year than he was the year before. Granted, he had a career year in 2001, but that's the point. He had a career year. Gonzalez is 37 years old. I'm not convinced this was a good idea.
Pudge Rodriguez faced similar questions with Texas. Texas didn't like the odds and cut him loose. Florida took a chance but only a year's worth of a chance which is smart. If they catch lightning in a bottle (one of the weird cliches of our time), then great. If not, well, it was only one year. You have to be careful at this point in a player's career. I remember when Darrell Evans was playing for Detroit. For a few years, he hit a mash of home runs. But it was late in his career, and every year you had to look at him and ask how many years he had left. I seem to remember that the Tigers played it just right and Evan went to the Braves (I think!) and was never the same after. The Tigers of old always seemed to play these cards very well. Trammell and Whitacker played together for a decade and left just as their peak did as did Kirk Gibson.
Larry Anderson of the Red Sox is another example of a player whose best years were behind him. The Red Sox, who as have been mentioned, not only blew it on Clemens but gave up on Wade Boggs exactly two years too soon. The Padres on the other hand let Gwynn hang around too long. But the choice isn't only difficult for the teams, it's difficult for the player.
Willie Mays, Ken Griffey Sr, Rickie Henderson, Tom Seaver and Carlton Fisk are all examples of players who played longer than they should have. Sandy Koufax, Mark McGuire, Don Mattingly and Nolan Ryan are all examples of players who judged it just right. Okay, Ryan was 46 you say. But at 46, he was more effective than most pitchers half his age. Kenny Lofton should hang it up. Tim Raines was smart enough to do so this year. It has to be incredibly difficult to leave a sport that you have played your whole life. But a player's dignity and pride has to balance out that difficulty with reality and call it a game after playing as long as one possibly can in an effective manner.
The Dallas Cowboys showed class and dignity with how they handled what they felt was the end of their franchise player's effectiveness. Major League teams can do the same thing with long time superstars that have hung on just a bit too long. Of course, Emmett Smith might come back and have a couple of great years for another team...and of course, he may not.
By the way, how soon until the NCAA thing gets over so that ESPN can concentrate on baseball?
Anyway, I'm off the subject. A recent story shows that Arizona just signed Luis Gonzalez to a three year contract extension. The reports are that he had a bad shoulder last year. Be that as it may, Gonzalez was 50% less effective last year than he was the year before. Granted, he had a career year in 2001, but that's the point. He had a career year. Gonzalez is 37 years old. I'm not convinced this was a good idea.
Pudge Rodriguez faced similar questions with Texas. Texas didn't like the odds and cut him loose. Florida took a chance but only a year's worth of a chance which is smart. If they catch lightning in a bottle (one of the weird cliches of our time), then great. If not, well, it was only one year. You have to be careful at this point in a player's career. I remember when Darrell Evans was playing for Detroit. For a few years, he hit a mash of home runs. But it was late in his career, and every year you had to look at him and ask how many years he had left. I seem to remember that the Tigers played it just right and Evan went to the Braves (I think!) and was never the same after. The Tigers of old always seemed to play these cards very well. Trammell and Whitacker played together for a decade and left just as their peak did as did Kirk Gibson.
Larry Anderson of the Red Sox is another example of a player whose best years were behind him. The Red Sox, who as have been mentioned, not only blew it on Clemens but gave up on Wade Boggs exactly two years too soon. The Padres on the other hand let Gwynn hang around too long. But the choice isn't only difficult for the teams, it's difficult for the player.
Willie Mays, Ken Griffey Sr, Rickie Henderson, Tom Seaver and Carlton Fisk are all examples of players who played longer than they should have. Sandy Koufax, Mark McGuire, Don Mattingly and Nolan Ryan are all examples of players who judged it just right. Okay, Ryan was 46 you say. But at 46, he was more effective than most pitchers half his age. Kenny Lofton should hang it up. Tim Raines was smart enough to do so this year. It has to be incredibly difficult to leave a sport that you have played your whole life. But a player's dignity and pride has to balance out that difficulty with reality and call it a game after playing as long as one possibly can in an effective manner.
The Dallas Cowboys showed class and dignity with how they handled what they felt was the end of their franchise player's effectiveness. Major League teams can do the same thing with long time superstars that have hung on just a bit too long. Of course, Emmett Smith might come back and have a couple of great years for another team...and of course, he may not.
By the way, how soon until the NCAA thing gets over so that ESPN can concentrate on baseball?
Wednesday, March 19, 2003
I am struggling to write tonight. My goal with this blog from the beginning was to be disciplined and write something at least semi-literate every day about a sport I've loved all my life. In many ways, I expect those thoughts to crossover and have some meaning about life in the greater sense. Tonight the greater sense about life is too overwhelming to ponder about something that seems as trivial as baseball.
I will not launch into a defense or argument against where the world finds itself. But I will comment that the hearts of most humans are for peace. There may be a percentage of humankind that finds these types of days exhilirating. But for most of us, these are days of unrest and quiet fear. All we ask is to have the chance to live our lives and find our purpose and meaning. All others ask is to simply enjoy the trip. Wherever you fall in that spectrum, these days disrupt that quiet hope and wish and give us instead a feeling of dread and uncertainty.
Perhaps you came here tonight to escape our world for a few moments. For most of the history of this blog, I hope that is what you find when you come. But for tonight, it's a time for drawing inward, for soul searching and for a desperate hope for peace.
I will not launch into a defense or argument against where the world finds itself. But I will comment that the hearts of most humans are for peace. There may be a percentage of humankind that finds these types of days exhilirating. But for most of us, these are days of unrest and quiet fear. All we ask is to have the chance to live our lives and find our purpose and meaning. All others ask is to simply enjoy the trip. Wherever you fall in that spectrum, these days disrupt that quiet hope and wish and give us instead a feeling of dread and uncertainty.
Perhaps you came here tonight to escape our world for a few moments. For most of the history of this blog, I hope that is what you find when you come. But for tonight, it's a time for drawing inward, for soul searching and for a desperate hope for peace.
Tuesday, March 18, 2003
The news sounds good concerning Tug McGraw. The reports were that he has an excellent chance of recovery.
I have mixed feelings about the amount of press sports tragedy receives which is the same for all "fame" inducing venues. There are personal tragedies played out all across America and the world. Why should we care about the rich and famous when they at least can afford the best medical care money can buy? I think part of the reason it matters is that stories such as McGraw's personalize a game played by the gods.
These are human beings blessed with a particular talent and granted a measure of luck that made them more fortunate materially than the rest of us. But they are still humans. And at times, their struggles inspire those of us mere mortals. Lou Gehrig's speech immortalized near the end of his illness and during a day in his honor at Yankee Stadium is still one of the most stirring and inspiring series of sentences of the 20th Century. It is a statement of courage, of humility and of humanity. Only two speeches I have watched moved me that much and the other was King's "I Have A Dream" speech.
Lance Armstrong has certainly inspired another generation of victims to fight cancer and to have hope. When a champion triumphs over such a devastating illness, can you measure how many lives are won over by hope as his story is played out? Mike Lowell of the Marlins is another such story.
Yes, it can be sad when a well-known baseball player has a stunning illness or even when a lesser known pitcher for the Baltimore Orioles seemingly dies for no reason. The cynic will state that thousands die every day and nobody writes their stories. That's true. But let me present the other side of that argument. Was Ben Franklin the only genius of his time who was good at settling an argument, writing brilliantly or tinkering with inventions? Surely there were others of his time as talented that didn't ever get even a line of praise for their lifetime of achievement. But that does not minimize Franklin's accomplishments and how his life inspired countless lives through the ages. That's the way "fame" bounces but if you are one of the lucky immortals, your humanity can and does still inspire us and we still root for you and cry with you. All the best to you, Tug.
I was certainly relieved that the trip to Japan was cancelled in light of recent events. Those players and their families did not need to have their lives at risk for the sake of this diplomatic series. Sure it is disappointing to those who put it together and for the officials in Japan and MLB. But you have to protect and not risk our precious commodities especially at this frightening time in our history.
Whenever momentus events in our history occur, the debate always rages of whether the games of sports should go on. On a very personal and honest level, I am frightened to the core of my being by events taking place in the world. In light of these events, are sports important? No, of course not. But boy do I need them to help control and contain my fear. Our spirits need lifting on a continual basis and baseball was healing after September 11 and it's a balm now. Just protect those fans coming to the ballparks. Please.
I have mixed feelings about the amount of press sports tragedy receives which is the same for all "fame" inducing venues. There are personal tragedies played out all across America and the world. Why should we care about the rich and famous when they at least can afford the best medical care money can buy? I think part of the reason it matters is that stories such as McGraw's personalize a game played by the gods.
These are human beings blessed with a particular talent and granted a measure of luck that made them more fortunate materially than the rest of us. But they are still humans. And at times, their struggles inspire those of us mere mortals. Lou Gehrig's speech immortalized near the end of his illness and during a day in his honor at Yankee Stadium is still one of the most stirring and inspiring series of sentences of the 20th Century. It is a statement of courage, of humility and of humanity. Only two speeches I have watched moved me that much and the other was King's "I Have A Dream" speech.
Lance Armstrong has certainly inspired another generation of victims to fight cancer and to have hope. When a champion triumphs over such a devastating illness, can you measure how many lives are won over by hope as his story is played out? Mike Lowell of the Marlins is another such story.
Yes, it can be sad when a well-known baseball player has a stunning illness or even when a lesser known pitcher for the Baltimore Orioles seemingly dies for no reason. The cynic will state that thousands die every day and nobody writes their stories. That's true. But let me present the other side of that argument. Was Ben Franklin the only genius of his time who was good at settling an argument, writing brilliantly or tinkering with inventions? Surely there were others of his time as talented that didn't ever get even a line of praise for their lifetime of achievement. But that does not minimize Franklin's accomplishments and how his life inspired countless lives through the ages. That's the way "fame" bounces but if you are one of the lucky immortals, your humanity can and does still inspire us and we still root for you and cry with you. All the best to you, Tug.
I was certainly relieved that the trip to Japan was cancelled in light of recent events. Those players and their families did not need to have their lives at risk for the sake of this diplomatic series. Sure it is disappointing to those who put it together and for the officials in Japan and MLB. But you have to protect and not risk our precious commodities especially at this frightening time in our history.
Whenever momentus events in our history occur, the debate always rages of whether the games of sports should go on. On a very personal and honest level, I am frightened to the core of my being by events taking place in the world. In light of these events, are sports important? No, of course not. But boy do I need them to help control and contain my fear. Our spirits need lifting on a continual basis and baseball was healing after September 11 and it's a balm now. Just protect those fans coming to the ballparks. Please.
Monday, March 17, 2003
I hope nobody took my tongue-in-cheek rant seriously yesterday. Just because I can't stand the Toronto Blue Jays, it isn't because I'm a stoogish American clown. Do you want to know the real reason I hate the Blue Jays? It's because during their halycon days, they had the most smug (or should that be "smuggest"?) TV announcers in baseball. Our cable has always had Canadian stations and other than constant news and winter hockey, they would throw an occasional Blue Jay game on. The announcers were so bad. It's okay to be a home team rooter (Phil Rizzuto roots for the Yankees but is consistently entertaining) but it's another to do it in such a smug, saccharine manner that it made me want to spit.
Announcers add so much to the game. Jim Kaat, Bob Uecker, Ken Harrelson, Sean McDonough and others around the league make watching their teams a joy and help build team loyalty. A good announcer can make a three hour stay in front of the TV a pleasant experience.
There is much to MLB that makes for a great experience. Groundskeepers present a canvas that the artists can work. Grounds can be an art themselves. I remember the grass in the old Minnesota ball park and how it had the wonderful checkerboard. I even remember the old Washington, D.C park where the Senators used to play. It was beautiful on TV. Yankee Stadium has become beautiful with the monument park. The new stadiums in San Francisco and other cities are gorgeous and far better than the cookie cutter, artificial turf-laden stadiums of the 70's.
Even a stadium's PA announcer can change the way a baseball game is "felt." No matter how crazy the hype is around the Yankees, Bob Sheppard has given every game played at Yankee Stadium a dignity and class found no where else. On the other end of the spectrum, it was always fun to hear the Twins announcer introduce Kirby Puckett.
For the Flagrant Fan, few can add to baseball more than the baseball writer. When I lived in New Hampshire, I would spend $1.50 for the Sunday paper only for the Peter Gammons column. I've been reading baseball since the wonder days of The Sporting News and have read many of the great sportswriters of our time. But none match Gammons. His columns are coffee on the deck on a Sunday morning special. The Internet and ESPN.com with his columns is the stuff of fantasy. Is life great or what?
When don't announcers, players, groundskeepers, and the rest help make baseball great? Spring Training games, that's when. I watched the Red Sox play an exhibition game. It's impossible to have any interest in games when the stats don't count, fifteen pitchers pitch and you can't keep score because the scorecard doesn't have enough lines. Sean McDonough and Jerry Remy were similarly bored and talked about everything but baseball. I'll stick to reading the Springtime gossip from now on.
All of which seems trivial right now as I just finished watching President Bushes' speech. Heaven help us all...
Announcers add so much to the game. Jim Kaat, Bob Uecker, Ken Harrelson, Sean McDonough and others around the league make watching their teams a joy and help build team loyalty. A good announcer can make a three hour stay in front of the TV a pleasant experience.
There is much to MLB that makes for a great experience. Groundskeepers present a canvas that the artists can work. Grounds can be an art themselves. I remember the grass in the old Minnesota ball park and how it had the wonderful checkerboard. I even remember the old Washington, D.C park where the Senators used to play. It was beautiful on TV. Yankee Stadium has become beautiful with the monument park. The new stadiums in San Francisco and other cities are gorgeous and far better than the cookie cutter, artificial turf-laden stadiums of the 70's.
Even a stadium's PA announcer can change the way a baseball game is "felt." No matter how crazy the hype is around the Yankees, Bob Sheppard has given every game played at Yankee Stadium a dignity and class found no where else. On the other end of the spectrum, it was always fun to hear the Twins announcer introduce Kirby Puckett.
For the Flagrant Fan, few can add to baseball more than the baseball writer. When I lived in New Hampshire, I would spend $1.50 for the Sunday paper only for the Peter Gammons column. I've been reading baseball since the wonder days of The Sporting News and have read many of the great sportswriters of our time. But none match Gammons. His columns are coffee on the deck on a Sunday morning special. The Internet and ESPN.com with his columns is the stuff of fantasy. Is life great or what?
When don't announcers, players, groundskeepers, and the rest help make baseball great? Spring Training games, that's when. I watched the Red Sox play an exhibition game. It's impossible to have any interest in games when the stats don't count, fifteen pitchers pitch and you can't keep score because the scorecard doesn't have enough lines. Sean McDonough and Jerry Remy were similarly bored and talked about everything but baseball. I'll stick to reading the Springtime gossip from now on.
All of which seems trivial right now as I just finished watching President Bushes' speech. Heaven help us all...
Sunday, March 16, 2003
I'm not in a good mood tonight but that's okay. The wonder of blogging is that you can be who you are and if you are just starting, no one will read it and if you catch on, it will be because people understand the voice of the writer anyway. So we'll just go with it.
Whose idea was it to put the Expos in Puerto Rico for half the season? I have nothing against Puerto Rico other than my mom and my then step-father honeymooned there. But the Expos are the Montreal Expos until someone buys them and moves them somewhere else. Won't that make Frank Robinson and crew have to play over a hundred away games? Why can't MLB sell the poor lost team and put them somewhere that will help them settle down to one place?
Just to get some comfort in the whole situation, I thought I would look up Puerto Rico's time zone. At first, I was pleased because at least the time zone is the same as Montreal's. But Puerto Rico doesn't follow daylight savings time so right now when we are at 10:20 PM Eastern Daylight Time, it's 11:20 PM there. Now I have to look up Montreal's time zone situation. See how complicated this is? Okay, it's 10:20 in Montreal so now we are going to have a partial season playing games at the wrong time. How can that be right?
Baseball is also going to start its season in Japan. I believe the Cubbies are one of the teams going. Are the Giants the other? I'll have to look it up. Why should loyal Giant and Cub fans suffer over this silly experiment in diplomacy. Besides, if I was a gazillionaire like Bonds and Sosa, would I want to fly to Japan in the midst of war rumblings? As my daughter would say: "Nuh uh."
Do they sell Giant season ticket holder seats at less of a price because some of the home games are in Japan? Or do they sell them at the same price and tell the fans they are welcome to the seats in Tokyo if they want to fly over?
You can't confuse the Flagrant Fan any more than posting box scores ten hours before or after they are expected. Oh man, I am NOT going to look up Japan's time zone. And when will the highlights reach ESPN? If either Bonds or Sosa hit four homers in a game or if the watch for Sosa's 500th home run happens, will it be at three in the morning? Fooey on all of this.
Now a headline on ESPN.com is talking about European games in the near future. Enough already. Most of us who are mindless enough to start bashing the French for their war stance (yes, we all forget LaFayette), have taken a decade to get over the Blue Jays winning two World Series titles--one against the Phillies in the cradle of our democracy on the last pitch! Now we have to endure games in Puerto Rico, Japan and Belgium? Perhaps the royalty of Monaco can buy the Expos. At least the Monaco Expos are still close to the original.
Whose idea was it to put the Expos in Puerto Rico for half the season? I have nothing against Puerto Rico other than my mom and my then step-father honeymooned there. But the Expos are the Montreal Expos until someone buys them and moves them somewhere else. Won't that make Frank Robinson and crew have to play over a hundred away games? Why can't MLB sell the poor lost team and put them somewhere that will help them settle down to one place?
Just to get some comfort in the whole situation, I thought I would look up Puerto Rico's time zone. At first, I was pleased because at least the time zone is the same as Montreal's. But Puerto Rico doesn't follow daylight savings time so right now when we are at 10:20 PM Eastern Daylight Time, it's 11:20 PM there. Now I have to look up Montreal's time zone situation. See how complicated this is? Okay, it's 10:20 in Montreal so now we are going to have a partial season playing games at the wrong time. How can that be right?
Baseball is also going to start its season in Japan. I believe the Cubbies are one of the teams going. Are the Giants the other? I'll have to look it up. Why should loyal Giant and Cub fans suffer over this silly experiment in diplomacy. Besides, if I was a gazillionaire like Bonds and Sosa, would I want to fly to Japan in the midst of war rumblings? As my daughter would say: "Nuh uh."
Do they sell Giant season ticket holder seats at less of a price because some of the home games are in Japan? Or do they sell them at the same price and tell the fans they are welcome to the seats in Tokyo if they want to fly over?
You can't confuse the Flagrant Fan any more than posting box scores ten hours before or after they are expected. Oh man, I am NOT going to look up Japan's time zone. And when will the highlights reach ESPN? If either Bonds or Sosa hit four homers in a game or if the watch for Sosa's 500th home run happens, will it be at three in the morning? Fooey on all of this.
Now a headline on ESPN.com is talking about European games in the near future.
Saturday, March 15, 2003
I received a little boost today. The CEO of the company I work for often has his leadership read books that he thinks are helpful. The current edition was started today and was written by a consultant who started out working with athletes. His job wasn't to work with their swing, dribble or golf swing but rather to work with them on energy management. The main idea so far is that you don't manage time, you manage energy.
That's not the good part yet. The good part was that he mentioned that athletes don't have it nearly as tough as those of us who work year round instead of seasonally and have to handle stress and energy all day instead of a focused few hours. That felt good. Why? Because despite my innate knowledge that these people are human, I haven't been able to help idolizing them for most of my life. No, I'm not the type to chase for autographs, but I will passionately celebrate with the athlete I root for when they reach levels of achievement.
Let's face it, I wish it was me out there taking my hacks against Maddox. I'd show them all how to be patient and just poke it to center field...wait...right field away from Jones. But it isn't me so there is a transference that takes place. Part of me becomes the star and the star represents me. Since I could never do it myself, I put those who could a little higher up than me.
Then this author comes along and says that I have it tougher than Chipper and he knows because he's worked with both. Well alright!
Okay, speaking of tougher, can anyone tell me how Oakland has been to the playoffs three straight years and still not have enough money to sign Tejada? Granted, they won MORE games without Giambi than they did with him, but how long can you consistently dump your best players and stay competitive. I would think that they would keep the core up the middle. The pitching is certainly outstanding and you will need to try to keep those three at least together. But then you keep arguably one of the top three shortstops in the game and a strong catcher and strong center fielder and you have a shot every year. Something stinks and someone should check those books.
And lastly, there is great sadness in learning of Tug McGraw's brain cancer. Remember, I am a Yankee fan so the Mets were lower than Toronto on the map. But Tug was the heart and soul of many of those great Met teams. And he had so much fun doing it. At least Tug never got cheated on the fun scale. And he sure has a pretty daughter-in-law. I'm rooting for you, Tug. I hope you can beat this thing. You gotta believe, kid.
That's not the good part yet. The good part was that he mentioned that athletes don't have it nearly as tough as those of us who work year round instead of seasonally and have to handle stress and energy all day instead of a focused few hours. That felt good. Why? Because despite my innate knowledge that these people are human, I haven't been able to help idolizing them for most of my life. No, I'm not the type to chase for autographs, but I will passionately celebrate with the athlete I root for when they reach levels of achievement.
Let's face it, I wish it was me out there taking my hacks against Maddox. I'd show them all how to be patient and just poke it to center field...wait...right field away from Jones. But it isn't me so there is a transference that takes place. Part of me becomes the star and the star represents me. Since I could never do it myself, I put those who could a little higher up than me.
Then this author comes along and says that I have it tougher than Chipper and he knows because he's worked with both. Well alright!
Okay, speaking of tougher, can anyone tell me how Oakland has been to the playoffs three straight years and still not have enough money to sign Tejada? Granted, they won MORE games without Giambi than they did with him, but how long can you consistently dump your best players and stay competitive. I would think that they would keep the core up the middle. The pitching is certainly outstanding and you will need to try to keep those three at least together. But then you keep arguably one of the top three shortstops in the game and a strong catcher and strong center fielder and you have a shot every year. Something stinks and someone should check those books.
And lastly, there is great sadness in learning of Tug McGraw's brain cancer. Remember, I am a Yankee fan so the Mets were lower than Toronto on the map. But Tug was the heart and soul of many of those great Met teams. And he had so much fun doing it. At least Tug never got cheated on the fun scale. And he sure has a pretty daughter-in-law. I'm rooting for you, Tug. I hope you can beat this thing. You gotta believe, kid.
Friday, March 14, 2003
I hesitated all day to discuss the latest Pete Rose speculation. Rose has probably been discussed more often than Michael Jackson's nose over the years. What more could I possibly add to that discussion? Nothing I'm sure except one more voice of opinion...the voice of one fan.
I must say that I am not unbiased in this discussion. I dearly hated Rose when he was playing. I mildly hated him when managed. And I thought he was a juvenile delinquent in an adult body once he was evicted from the game. I will step back from my bias and give an opinion that I haven't really seen before and it is that we have been discussing whether Rose belongs in the Hall of Fame and in baseball as if that is one issue. But I believe we have two issues here and not one.
Rose was caught dead to rights in his gambling habits. The fact that he never fessed up and never admitted that he had a problem makes him unfit for baseball. I don't believe he belongs in Major League Baseball in any capacity. He deserves no sympathy in that fact at all. Sympathy is usually reserved with those who have attempted to come to grips with their demons and reach out for help. Rose has never reached out for help. All he reaches out for is one last straw to fend off the IRS and sell one more questionable memorabilia item. Why is now any different? I don't see any difference in his demeaner now than I did ten years ago. No, Pete Rose does not belong in baseball.
But, oh, he does belong in the Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame is reserved for the game's greatest performers. Notice that I didn't say the game's greatest talents. Rose wasn't one of those guys. But he scratched and he clawed and he worked to make himself one of the most influential players in history. He ranks right up there with Ty Cobb as a maniac in a baseball uniform. His 44 game hitting streak was probably his finest accomplishment, but the way he helped his teams reach championships and the different positions he played to All-Star level should put him in the Hall of Fame.
A history and a showcase for the game's greatest performers isn't a list of those beatified or a quest for canonization. The Hall of Fame is a history and a showcase for the games greatest performers. I met Bob Feller once. He wasn't a nice man. This isn't a new argument. The Hall of Fame is littered with bad boys from all decades until the present. Rose belongs in the Hall just as the other bad boys do because it was the level of performance that puts him there. Rose didn't destroy the game. He destroyed his interaction with it and his credibility to be able to participate in the game again.
And the brilliant thing about this argument (if I don't say so myself) is that everyone wins. Those who have a Dante-like joy in seeing Rose in the Inferno still win because Rose stays out of the game for the things he did. Those who believe in the true understanding of what the Hall of Fame means get what they want too and put him in there.
And for pity sakes, if Rose belongs in the Hall of Fame, isn't it about time that Shoeless Joe Jackson was brought into the Hall as well? Unlike Rose, Jackson was acquitted for his crimes but is still banned. Even the players who were a part of the scandal knew he wasn't involved. But that's an old argument too.
It's time for Rose to enter the Hall of Fame. It is not time to pardon him in baseball itself.
I must say that I am not unbiased in this discussion. I dearly hated Rose when he was playing. I mildly hated him when managed. And I thought he was a juvenile delinquent in an adult body once he was evicted from the game. I will step back from my bias and give an opinion that I haven't really seen before and it is that we have been discussing whether Rose belongs in the Hall of Fame and in baseball as if that is one issue. But I believe we have two issues here and not one.
Rose was caught dead to rights in his gambling habits. The fact that he never fessed up and never admitted that he had a problem makes him unfit for baseball. I don't believe he belongs in Major League Baseball in any capacity. He deserves no sympathy in that fact at all. Sympathy is usually reserved with those who have attempted to come to grips with their demons and reach out for help. Rose has never reached out for help. All he reaches out for is one last straw to fend off the IRS and sell one more questionable memorabilia item. Why is now any different? I don't see any difference in his demeaner now than I did ten years ago. No, Pete Rose does not belong in baseball.
But, oh, he does belong in the Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame is reserved for the game's greatest performers. Notice that I didn't say the game's greatest talents. Rose wasn't one of those guys. But he scratched and he clawed and he worked to make himself one of the most influential players in history. He ranks right up there with Ty Cobb as a maniac in a baseball uniform. His 44 game hitting streak was probably his finest accomplishment, but the way he helped his teams reach championships and the different positions he played to All-Star level should put him in the Hall of Fame.
A history and a showcase for the game's greatest performers isn't a list of those beatified or a quest for canonization. The Hall of Fame is a history and a showcase for the games greatest performers. I met Bob Feller once. He wasn't a nice man. This isn't a new argument. The Hall of Fame is littered with bad boys from all decades until the present. Rose belongs in the Hall just as the other bad boys do because it was the level of performance that puts him there. Rose didn't destroy the game. He destroyed his interaction with it and his credibility to be able to participate in the game again.
And the brilliant thing about this argument (if I don't say so myself) is that everyone wins. Those who have a Dante-like joy in seeing Rose in the Inferno still win because Rose stays out of the game for the things he did. Those who believe in the true understanding of what the Hall of Fame means get what they want too and put him in there.
And for pity sakes, if Rose belongs in the Hall of Fame, isn't it about time that Shoeless Joe Jackson was brought into the Hall as well? Unlike Rose, Jackson was acquitted for his crimes but is still banned. Even the players who were a part of the scandal knew he wasn't involved. But that's an old argument too.
It's time for Rose to enter the Hall of Fame. It is not time to pardon him in baseball itself.
Thursday, March 13, 2003
I had to change the name of the joint. A simple Web search yesterday showed another site was using the name I formally chose. To be polite, I have changed mine. I will lag one day before I change the URL of the site so that my loyal readers can find me. Tomorrow, the URL will change to http://www.theflagrantfan.blogspot.com.
With that news, I have also decided that Thursday will be my day off. For one thing, it's a good TV night and for another, I don't want this to become a drag to do every day and a day off a week will keep it fresh and fun. I hope you don't mind.
I will take a moment to celebrate with Bob Uecker. A .200 hitter in the Hall of Fame? Sure, why not...especially since he came from "just a little outside" of the norm. Congrats, Mr. Uecker!
With that news, I have also decided that Thursday will be my day off. For one thing, it's a good TV night
I will take a moment to celebrate with Bob Uecker. A .200 hitter in the Hall of Fame? Sure, why not...especially since he came from "just a little outside" of the norm. Congrats, Mr. Uecker!
Wednesday, March 12, 2003
It's impossible these days to link to a sports site and not be confronted by ads for fantasy baseball. To be sure, fantasy baseball has been around for quite a while now and I have been somewhat intrigued. I was scared to try it out because I don't like the feeling of not knowing what I'm doing. For a stat freak, fantasy baseball seemed to be a dream come true.
A coworker helped prod me along into the fantasy world this past Winter with a fantasy football league. Football is my second favorite sport and is another passion, so I let my coworker bring me along. It was a small league of only eight teams so there were enough great players to go around. It was safe as the site didn't get much traffic and I didn't have to feel stupid. To my surprise, I did well and most of my strategy decisions worked out great. I came in second in the league (or maybe third, but first among my coworkers!).
It was true that it was a stat freak's ultimate fun, but fantasy sports has a definite sinister side. Playing the on-line game changed my whole perspective on the real game. My whole purpose for watching and rooting in the game was changed completely. Yes, I wanted the Patriots or the Bills to win, but dang, I hope they win 35 to 33 so that the running back on the other team ran for 200 yards and scored four touchdowns. It totally changed my view of football. It was fun, but it was evil.
My coworker friend recently asked me about joining him again in fantasy baseball. I am hesitant. Football is great and I love it...but baseball is sacred! Seeing how fantasy football changed my perspective on that game, I can understand a little better now how dangerous gambling is for pro players and managers. If Pete Rose did happen to make bets on baseball, wouldn't his strategy and perspective change in a similar way to playing fantasy baseball. Perhaps to the max it would, yes.
Okay, so I sign up for fantasy baseball. The Yanks are playing the Marlins in an interleague game. Clemens is pitching and now has 299 wins. I don't have him on my fantasy team but I've been watching him pitch for eighteen years and desperately want to witness this culminating moment in his career. It's the fifth inning and the Yankees have a 4-1 lead. There are two outs and Clemens is laboring a little and has walked two to load the bases. Ivan Rodriguez is up and I DO have him on my fantasy team. Ivan hits a smash toward third and it smacks viciously into the third baseman's shin. He collapses in a heap and the ball careens into foul territory up the left field line. One run scores and it's 4-2. Two runs score and it's 4-3. Jeter is chasing the ball down and cuts in front of Hidecki. Does he know the Japanese words for "I got it"? Anyway, he gets the ball just as Lowell is rounding third and passes the third base coach. Jeter plants his right leg and fires home and falls backwards in the effort. The ball screams toward home and Posada is poised to receive the ball. Lowell is thinking he might have to crash into Posada...or should he hook slide? The ball arrives the same time as Lowell. I gasp and jump up but now my whole universe is upside down. The fan of the past would be screaming: "TAG HIM! GET HIM!" and I would be praying to preserve the Clemens lead...
But this is the new fantasy baseball reality. My mind is doing flipflops and I'm trying to see if Rodriguez got to second base before Lowell reaches home. After all, a double is more points. Do I root for Lowell to score so that Rodriguez gets three RBI? Now I am rationalizing that Clemens will get another chance to win his 300. It won't be tonight because if Lowell scores and ties the game, Torre's going to come out and yank Roger.
Jeter's throw is perfect. Posada blocks the plate beautifully and Lowell's a dead duck. Roger pumps his fists in the air. He runs over and high fives Jeter. I should be jumping up and down in a delirium but I'm doing a quick calculation instead wondering how many points Rodriguez got for the play. Oh man...this is messed up.
I'm not going to play fantasy baseball. Football is okay...but baseball is...well...baseball.
And now a quick note about the Mesa/Visquel flap: Threatening to kill someone is serious business. Mesa has already plunked Visquel in a game. Was that attempted murder? I don't care whether this is a stupid disagreement or not, you can't take words like that lightly. The last I heard, Criminal Threatening was still a crime in this country. This situation needs some serious intervention and I don't know what the answer is but you can't have a star player in America's game making statements like that. Whoah...
A coworker helped prod me along into the fantasy world this past Winter with a fantasy football league. Football is my second favorite sport and is another passion, so I let my coworker bring me along. It was a small league of only eight teams so there were enough great players to go around. It was safe as the site didn't get much traffic and I didn't have to feel stupid. To my surprise, I did well and most of my strategy decisions worked out great. I came in second in the league (or maybe third, but first among my coworkers!).
It was true that it was a stat freak's ultimate fun, but fantasy sports has a definite sinister side. Playing the on-line game changed my whole perspective on the real game. My whole purpose for watching and rooting in the game was changed completely. Yes, I wanted the Patriots or the Bills to win, but dang, I hope they win 35 to 33 so that the running back on the other team ran for 200 yards and scored four touchdowns. It totally changed my view of football. It was fun, but it was evil.
My coworker friend recently asked me about joining him again in fantasy baseball. I am hesitant. Football is great and I love it...but baseball is sacred! Seeing how fantasy football changed my perspective on that game, I can understand a little better now how dangerous gambling is for pro players and managers. If Pete Rose did happen to make bets on baseball, wouldn't his strategy and perspective change in a similar way to playing fantasy baseball. Perhaps to the max it would, yes.
Okay, so I sign up for fantasy baseball. The Yanks are playing the Marlins in an interleague game. Clemens is pitching and now has 299 wins. I don't have him on my fantasy team but I've been watching him pitch for eighteen years and desperately want to witness this culminating moment in his career. It's the fifth inning and the Yankees have a 4-1 lead. There are two outs and Clemens is laboring a little and has walked two to load the bases. Ivan Rodriguez is up and I DO have him on my fantasy team. Ivan hits a smash toward third and it smacks viciously into the third baseman's shin. He collapses in a heap and the ball careens into foul territory up the left field line. One run scores and it's 4-2. Two runs score and it's 4-3. Jeter is chasing the ball down and cuts in front of Hidecki. Does he know the Japanese words for "I got it"? Anyway, he gets the ball just as Lowell is rounding third and passes the third base coach. Jeter plants his right leg and fires home and falls backwards in the effort. The ball screams toward home and Posada is poised to receive the ball. Lowell is thinking he might have to crash into Posada...or should he hook slide? The ball arrives the same time as Lowell. I gasp and jump up but now my whole universe is upside down. The fan of the past would be screaming: "TAG HIM! GET HIM!" and I would be praying to preserve the Clemens lead...
But this is the new fantasy baseball reality. My mind is doing flipflops and I'm trying to see if Rodriguez got to second base before Lowell reaches home. After all, a double is more points. Do I root for Lowell to score so that Rodriguez gets three RBI? Now I am rationalizing that Clemens will get another chance to win his 300. It won't be tonight because if Lowell scores and ties the game, Torre's going to come out and yank Roger.
Jeter's throw is perfect. Posada blocks the plate beautifully and Lowell's a dead duck. Roger pumps his fists in the air. He runs over and high fives Jeter. I should be jumping up and down in a delirium but I'm doing a quick calculation instead wondering how many points Rodriguez got for the play. Oh man...this is messed up.
I'm not going to play fantasy baseball. Football is okay...but baseball is...well...baseball.
And now a quick note about the Mesa/Visquel flap: Threatening to kill someone is serious business. Mesa has already plunked Visquel in a game. Was that attempted murder? I don't care whether this is a stupid disagreement or not, you can't take words like that lightly. The last I heard, Criminal Threatening was still a crime in this country. This situation needs some serious intervention and I don't know what the answer is but you can't have a star player in America's game making statements like that. Whoah...
Tuesday, March 11, 2003
Another of baseball's fascinating sidelights is the transaction wire. When you've followed the game for decades, the transaction wire is a mini-drama of life, death and injury...yes. But it's also a place where dreams die, dreams come true, potential becomes a bad word and some strong talent never gets a real chance. Like singing in front of Simon on American Idol, it's a tough gig.
Today, Bruce Chen and Dennis Tankersley were released and demoted respectively. Since I read the transactions yesterday and Chen was sent to the minors and today he was released, without seeing a story on the subject, it's a safe bet that he refused the demotion and asked for his release. Wasn't Chen once the great hope of the Atlanta Braves farm system? Did he ever really get a full shot? His first three years, he was 8-2. The last year of those three years, he went 4-0 with a 2.50 ERA. Now four years later, he is released. Yes, the transaction wire can be tragedy.
Dennis Tankersley was sent to the minors today. Once a can't miss prospect, doubt has to enter his mind as he has missed again. Will he make it back this time? Will he fade into obscurity? Time and the transaction wire will tell. For now, he has to look at his stats on mlb.com as a pitcher with a lifetime 8.06 ERA.
In contrast, Josh Hamilton was also sent to the minors today. Hamilton is still considered a top prospect and is still listed among the top ten prospects in all of baseball (http://www.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/mlb/minorleagues/mlb_minorleagues_ba.jsp). How many more Spring Trainings will go by before he is the next Dennis Tankersley or Bruce Chen? But for now, he is "just getting more seasoning." He's "just not ready." Millions are spent drafting and signing these legendary prospects. Why not just let them play? Bruce Chen never pitched more than 84 innings in a season. One of the top prospects in the country can't get 250 innings or 500 at bats? Ryan Anderson of the Seattle Mariners was sent back to the minors three days ago. He's never even made it to a major league game. Three years ago, he was the next Randy Johnson. Well...at least Hamilton is still high on the list. Good luck, Josh.
And then the transaction wire reads: "Albert Pujols - signed" Yeah, Albert! Way to go, young slugger. Good kid. Works hard. Wants to learn. Respects those who came before him. Came out of no where and becomes a star. That's what makes the transaction wire unique and special to baseball. For every Bruce Chen, there's a Mike Piazza: drafted in the last round as a favor to his dad. Now he's one of the greatest hitting catchers of all time.
Oh, and if you want some real transaction wire fun, look at the Blue Jays on March 8. They signed ten players that most of the baseball world doesn't even know. Which one will be the next Albert Pujols? That's party life on the transaction wire. In contrast, Ben Rivera, who was 20-12 in his first two years with the Phillies in 1992 and 1993 was released by the Yankees after trying to make it to the major leagues for the first time since 1994. The transaction wire just said he was released. Ben may never pitch again as the real story shows he was released because he has a: "recurrent tear of his reconstructed ulna collateral ligament in his right elbow (http://sports.yahoo.com/mlbpa/players/4810/news)."
And so goes the roller coaster life on the transaction wire...
Today, Bruce Chen and Dennis Tankersley were released and demoted respectively. Since I read the transactions yesterday and Chen was sent to the minors and today he was released, without seeing a story on the subject, it's a safe bet that he refused the demotion and asked for his release. Wasn't Chen once the great hope of the Atlanta Braves farm system? Did he ever really get a full shot? His first three years, he was 8-2. The last year of those three years, he went 4-0 with a 2.50 ERA. Now four years later, he is released. Yes, the transaction wire can be tragedy.
Dennis Tankersley was sent to the minors today. Once a can't miss prospect, doubt has to enter his mind as he has missed again. Will he make it back this time? Will he fade into obscurity? Time and the transaction wire will tell. For now, he has to look at his stats on mlb.com as a pitcher with a lifetime 8.06 ERA.
In contrast, Josh Hamilton was also sent to the minors today. Hamilton is still considered a top prospect and is still listed among the top ten prospects in all of baseball (http://www.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/mlb/minorleagues/mlb_minorleagues_ba.jsp). How many more Spring Trainings will go by before he is the next Dennis Tankersley or Bruce Chen? But for now, he is "just getting more seasoning." He's "just not ready." Millions are spent drafting and signing these legendary prospects. Why not just let them play? Bruce Chen never pitched more than 84 innings in a season. One of the top prospects in the country can't get 250 innings or 500 at bats? Ryan Anderson of the Seattle Mariners was sent back to the minors three days ago. He's never even made it to a major league game. Three years ago, he was the next Randy Johnson. Well...at least Hamilton is still high on the list. Good luck, Josh.
And then the transaction wire reads: "Albert Pujols - signed" Yeah, Albert! Way to go, young slugger. Good kid. Works hard. Wants to learn. Respects those who came before him. Came out of no where and becomes a star. That's what makes the transaction wire unique and special to baseball. For every Bruce Chen, there's a Mike Piazza: drafted in the last round as a favor to his dad. Now he's one of the greatest hitting catchers of all time.
Oh, and if you want some real transaction wire fun, look at the Blue Jays on March 8. They signed ten players that most of the baseball world doesn't even know. Which one will be the next Albert Pujols? That's party life on the transaction wire. In contrast, Ben Rivera, who was 20-12 in his first two years with the Phillies in 1992 and 1993 was released by the Yankees after trying to make it to the major leagues for the first time since 1994. The transaction wire just said he was released. Ben may never pitch again as the real story shows he was released because he has a: "recurrent tear of his reconstructed ulna collateral ligament in his right elbow (http://sports.yahoo.com/mlbpa/players/4810/news)."
And so goes the roller coaster life on the transaction wire...
Monday, March 10, 2003
Today's biggest headlines include David Wells accepting a $100,000 fine and the toxicology report due soon on the unfortunate Oriole pitcher who passed away. Pretty depressing stuff for Spring Training.
First, the debate over ephedra is overdue. Of course it takes a death to point out the need for the investigation, but at least the response is the correct one. MLB and the players association have a responsibility to its players to give them the best information and protect them from situations that will harm them. But let's take this a little further.
It's okay to ban substances, but what of the hundreds of other legal substances. Each club has a medical staff, conditioning coaches and trainers. Why aren't questions asked about what a player is taking before allowing them to participate in any conditioning activity, whether it be warmups or anything else. Heck, if a player is taking Nyquil, the medical staff should know about it and make adjustments in conditioning activity. A player is not going to admit to taking illegal substances which is why you need random testing, but they should be screened for legal substances. These players are worth millions to the teams. You would think it would take more care with that investment. The unfortunate fact here is that players are always going to look for an edge and have to be protected from themselves and the system.
And what was David Wells' crime? His crime was writing and releasing the book while he was still playing and still playing on the team he wrote about. But if I were him, I'd think a little bit about his first amendment rights and how he can be fined for expressing his thoughts?
And it's amazing that more of these types of books don't come out. We aren't stupid anymore. We know that people aren't perfect. Do we really expect our players to be? Did Jim Bouton's book tarnish my feelings for Mickey Mantle. Not really. All it did was make me wish the Mick took better care of himself so that he could have excelled longer. But wasn't Bouton's book really entertaining? It sure was. So was Sparky Lyle's and Ron Luciano's. More power to you, David.
First, the debate over ephedra is overdue. Of course it takes a death to point out the need for the investigation, but at least the response is the correct one. MLB and the players association have a responsibility to its players to give them the best information and protect them from situations that will harm them. But let's take this a little further.
It's okay to ban substances, but what of the hundreds of other legal substances. Each club has a medical staff, conditioning coaches and trainers. Why aren't questions asked about what a player is taking before allowing them to participate in any conditioning activity, whether it be warmups or anything else. Heck, if a player is taking Nyquil, the medical staff should know about it and make adjustments in conditioning activity. A player is not going to admit to taking illegal substances which is why you need random testing, but they should be screened for legal substances. These players are worth millions to the teams. You would think it would take more care with that investment. The unfortunate fact here is that players are always going to look for an edge and have to be protected from themselves and the system.
And what was David Wells' crime? His crime was writing and releasing the book while he was still playing and still playing on the team he wrote about. But if I were him, I'd think a little bit about his first amendment rights and how he can be fined for expressing his thoughts?
And it's amazing that more of these types of books don't come out. We aren't stupid anymore. We know that people aren't perfect. Do we really expect our players to be? Did Jim Bouton's book tarnish my feelings for Mickey Mantle. Not really. All it did was make me wish the Mick took better care of himself so that he could have excelled longer. But wasn't Bouton's book really entertaining? It sure was. So was Sparky Lyle's and Ron Luciano's. More power to you, David.
Sunday, March 09, 2003
A true baseball fan loves statistics. The depth and history of statistics are truly what separate baseball from other sports. You don't see the thousand page stat perspectives for other sports as you do with baseball. Statistics are also what make games like Stratamatic Baseball so much fun.
The funny thing about stats and those types of games is how you can really mess things up by those enigmatic players who seem to put up great numbers every year but only in small doses.
One of my early favorites in that category was Ron Bloomberg of the Yankees. Besides being a great trivia question (who had the first hit as a designated hitter?), Bloomberg and a couple of great seasons with the Yanks where he only had 300 or less at bats. He was a free swinger from the left side who was never really given a chance to hit lefties. He was also a terrible fielder which is why he was perfect for the DH role. In fact, he once dropped the third out of a triple play attempt as a first baseman because he was so excited about the possibility.
Anyway, Bloomberg was a great Stratamatic player because YOU are the manager in that game and you can run him up there for 600 at bats and he would have 140 RBI for you.
Pitchers can do the same thing. Take a pitcher like Dennis Lamb a few years ago. He had a season where he went 11-0 or something in long relief with an ERA in the low twos. You could pitch him as a starter for 35 starts and he's win 25 games for you.
There have been a lot of players over the years who made you wonder what would happen if they ever got a chance to play full time. Some of those in today's rosters include Bill Mueller (now with the Red Sox), Jeremy Giambi (also with the Red Sox) and Buddy Groom. Ron Coomer used to be in the same category.
It's fun to speculate with Stratamatic players but you have to wonder what would happen if the real managers would ever give these star part-time players a full time chance.
The funny thing about stats and those types of games is how you can really mess things up by those enigmatic players who seem to put up great numbers every year but only in small doses.
One of my early favorites in that category was Ron Bloomberg of the Yankees. Besides being a great trivia question (who had the first hit as a designated hitter?), Bloomberg and a couple of great seasons with the Yanks where he only had 300 or less at bats. He was a free swinger from the left side who was never really given a chance to hit lefties. He was also a terrible fielder which is why he was perfect for the DH role. In fact, he once dropped the third out of a triple play attempt as a first baseman because he was so excited about the possibility.
Anyway, Bloomberg was a great Stratamatic player because YOU are the manager in that game and you can run him up there for 600 at bats and he would have 140 RBI for you.
Pitchers can do the same thing. Take a pitcher like Dennis Lamb a few years ago. He had a season where he went 11-0 or something in long relief with an ERA in the low twos. You could pitch him as a starter for 35 starts and he's win 25 games for you.
There have been a lot of players over the years who made you wonder what would happen if they ever got a chance to play full time. Some of those in today's rosters include Bill Mueller (now with the Red Sox), Jeremy Giambi (also with the Red Sox) and Buddy Groom. Ron Coomer used to be in the same category.
It's fun to speculate with Stratamatic players but you have to wonder what would happen if the real managers would ever give these star part-time players a full time chance.
Saturday, March 08, 2003
I'm not real fond of the current idea of the winning AllStar league becoming the home team of the World Series. The game is an exhibition and think of a couple of the ramifications. Let's look at the following possibility:
Randy Johnson makes the team (naturally), but he's thrown a lot of innings the first half and is fighting a little "dead arm." The Diamondbacks look to be the team to beat in the NL and lead their division by ten games at the break and have the best record in baseball. Johnson really feels that he should take the three days and rest up his arm and in his best judgement, that's what he should do. But he is pressured by his manager, owner or fellow players to pitch at least one inning so that the Diamondbacks have a better shot at home field at the World Series. A stretch? Maybe.
I remember poor Fosse never being the same after getting crunched at home. I remember Harmon Killerbrew stretching and losing most of the second half of the season. It's an exhibition folks, and no team should risk their best players for an exhibition. That's why I agreed with the decision to end the game in a tie this past season. It was the right call.
Here is what I would do to "fix" the AllStar game:
First, limit all pitchers to no more than three outs. Expand the roster to make that happen. Every year there is an uproar over pitchers left off the roster anyway so here is the perfect solution.
Never let a pitcher bat. Ever.
Limit all position players to three innings maximum.
Only follow the rule that a player must be chosen from each team to IF a player is in the top 15 in ERA, Saves, Wins, RBI, HR, Batting Average, OBA or other major statistic. If there isn't a player in that boat, sink the boat.
Limit how many players the manager can pick from his own team. If the fans don't vote them in, then only let the manager pick three or four...tops.
Instruct your base coaches not to push the runners for the extra base. Who needs a torn hammy for an extra exhibition base?
Competition is great, but the fun of the game itself is to see the games greatest stars all together having fun.
Randy Johnson makes the team (naturally), but he's thrown a lot of innings the first half and is fighting a little "dead arm." The Diamondbacks look to be the team to beat in the NL and lead their division by ten games at the break and have the best record in baseball. Johnson really feels that he should take the three days and rest up his arm and in his best judgement, that's what he should do. But he is pressured by his manager, owner or fellow players to pitch at least one inning so that the Diamondbacks have a better shot at home field at the World Series. A stretch? Maybe.
I remember poor Fosse never being the same after getting crunched at home. I remember Harmon Killerbrew stretching and losing most of the second half of the season. It's an exhibition folks, and no team should risk their best players for an exhibition. That's why I agreed with the decision to end the game in a tie this past season. It was the right call.
Here is what I would do to "fix" the AllStar game:
First, limit all pitchers to no more than three outs. Expand the roster to make that happen. Every year there is an uproar over pitchers left off the roster anyway so here is the perfect solution.
Never let a pitcher bat. Ever.
Limit all position players to three innings maximum.
Only follow the rule that a player must be chosen from each team to IF a player is in the top 15 in ERA, Saves, Wins, RBI, HR, Batting Average, OBA or other major statistic. If there isn't a player in that boat, sink the boat.
Limit how many players the manager can pick from his own team. If the fans don't vote them in, then only let the manager pick three or four...tops.
Instruct your base coaches not to push the runners for the extra base. Who needs a torn hammy for an extra exhibition base?
Competition is great, but the fun of the game itself is to see the games greatest stars all together having fun.
Friday, March 07, 2003
Junior Griffey hit three homers today for the Reds and appears (as mentioned yesterday) poised to resume his brilliant career.
Griffey has never been a popular player outside of Seattle. He's not a Sammy Sosa who is loved wherever he goes. But he is like a lot of players who are disliked for most of their careers but earn grudging respect from the true baseball fan. Most of America thought Eddie Murray was a jerk. He wouldn't talk to the media ensuring that he would have either no press or negative press for most of his career. But while he was winding down his career and you looked at his numbers, you have to whistle and say, "Man, that was a great player."
Roger Clemens is another universally-disliked player. Even many Red Sox, Blue Jay and Yankee fans don't feel much of an affinity for him. But if he can manage to win his 300 games and finish this year on a positive note, he was one hell of a pitcher. I saw him for most of his career and he was a mean one. He followed in the footsteps of Gibson, Drysdale and Ryan and others who were great and part of their greatness was a mean streak. To this day, if the Red Sox weren't so poorly managed in the sixth game of the '86 series, and if Clemens was in the ball game, the curse of the Babe would be dead and buried. By the way, Buckner, another little liked player should in no way be the goat of that series. The game goes down as one of the poorest managed games in the history of MLB. But that's another story for another time.
I remember watching a game at Yankee Stadium in the early 80's when Rickie Henderson was so devestating. In the first inning, Henderson walked and then was thrown out by Munson trying to steal. The Stadium erupted for the simple fact that outside of Oakland, the country hated Henderson. His flamboyant style turned people off. He had a reputation over the years as not being a team guy...but man, look at the numbers. The man was simply one of the best players who ever put on a uniform.
As Bonds explodes here at the tail end of his career, he qualifies for this category. Bonds has always been disliked...by the fans, by some of his teammates and by America in general. But as he caps his career, the true fan has to sit back and smile and wonder if we will ever see such a brilliant talent in our lifetime. So hats off to you, Barry!
Here is the top ten most hated players in my lifetime:
10. Carl Yaztremski - It's amazing how many Boston players could make this list! Carl was a curmudgeon, plain and simple.
9. Tie: Wade Boggs and Jim Rice - I don't know what it was about Rice, but he was good at being disliked. He was close to a Hall of Fame Player! Boggs...well...just say, "Margo"
8. Pete Rose - He was either loved or hated but probably hated more than loved. I personally never forgave him for running over that catcher in the allstar game.
7. Dave Kingman - What a brute. Was it a rat he sent that female sportswriter? Yeesh
6. Steve Garvey - His Dodger blue goody-goody life complete with Barbie-like wife turned people off the same way as perhaps the Osmonds.
5. Barry Bonds - He just wasn't good at playing the popularity game. But what a player!
4. Jose Conseco - He seemed like such a brute. Just watching him sniff during an interview was enough to grate you the wrong way.
3. Albert Belle - Bad, bad man. The world cheered everytime he struck out. But another Hall of Famer had not his hip given out on him.
2. Al Hrbowski - I can't remember how to spell his name, but that act before each batter miffed everyone.
1. Roger Clemens - By a wide, wide margin.
Have your own list? E-mail me at wtasker@maine.rr.com
Griffey has never been a popular player outside of Seattle. He's not a Sammy Sosa who is loved wherever he goes. But he is like a lot of players who are disliked for most of their careers but earn grudging respect from the true baseball fan. Most of America thought Eddie Murray was a jerk. He wouldn't talk to the media ensuring that he would have either no press or negative press for most of his career. But while he was winding down his career and you looked at his numbers, you have to whistle and say, "Man, that was a great player."
Roger Clemens is another universally-disliked player. Even many Red Sox, Blue Jay and Yankee fans don't feel much of an affinity for him. But if he can manage to win his 300 games and finish this year on a positive note, he was one hell of a pitcher. I saw him for most of his career and he was a mean one. He followed in the footsteps of Gibson, Drysdale and Ryan and others who were great and part of their greatness was a mean streak. To this day, if the Red Sox weren't so poorly managed in the sixth game of the '86 series, and if Clemens was in the ball game, the curse of the Babe would be dead and buried. By the way, Buckner, another little liked player should in no way be the goat of that series. The game goes down as one of the poorest managed games in the history of MLB. But that's another story for another time.
I remember watching a game at Yankee Stadium in the early 80's when Rickie Henderson was so devestating. In the first inning, Henderson walked and then was thrown out by Munson trying to steal. The Stadium erupted for the simple fact that outside of Oakland, the country hated Henderson. His flamboyant style turned people off. He had a reputation over the years as not being a team guy...but man, look at the numbers. The man was simply one of the best players who ever put on a uniform.
As Bonds explodes here at the tail end of his career, he qualifies for this category. Bonds has always been disliked...by the fans, by some of his teammates and by America in general. But as he caps his career, the true fan has to sit back and smile and wonder if we will ever see such a brilliant talent in our lifetime. So hats off to you, Barry!
Here is the top ten most hated players in my lifetime:
10. Carl Yaztremski - It's amazing how many Boston players could make this list! Carl was a curmudgeon, plain and simple.
9. Tie: Wade Boggs and Jim Rice - I don't know what it was about Rice, but he was good at being disliked. He was close to a Hall of Fame Player! Boggs...well...just say, "Margo"
8. Pete Rose - He was either loved or hated but probably hated more than loved. I personally never forgave him for running over that catcher in the allstar game.
7. Dave Kingman - What a brute. Was it a rat he sent that female sportswriter? Yeesh
6. Steve Garvey - His Dodger blue goody-goody life complete with Barbie-like wife turned people off the same way as perhaps the Osmonds.
5. Barry Bonds - He just wasn't good at playing the popularity game. But what a player!
4. Jose Conseco - He seemed like such a brute. Just watching him sniff during an interview was enough to grate you the wrong way.
3. Albert Belle - Bad, bad man. The world cheered everytime he struck out. But another Hall of Famer had not his hip given out on him.
2. Al Hrbowski
1. Roger Clemens - By a wide, wide margin.
Have your own list? E-mail me at wtasker@maine.rr.com
Thursday, March 06, 2003
Spring Training used to be a little more predictable. You would have a few rookies each season that would push the team to make the squad. You would have a few acquired by trade and there would be some excitement to see how they would perform for their new teams. But the majority of players on each team would simply use Spring Training to get in shape.
Now, with all the free agents and so many players scraping to hang on with minor league deals, there are more players who need to play all out to get a shot at the final roster. The new reality makes it harder to predict what will happen on each team. Here are a few predictions for the coming year. But I have to be honest that they are more my hopes than true predictions:
David Cone makes the Mets squad and goes 10-3 for his last hurrah. He's always been such a class act.
Pat Burrell should hit 45 homers and hit well over .300 with Jim Thome hitting around him.
Rickie Henderson should gracefully call it a career and take all the accolades he deserves five years from now.
Derek Jeter will have a big year. He hasn't been the same since he went over the railing in the playoffs of 2001. But even if he does have a big year, his Boss will give himself credit!
The Angels have another good year with Washburn winning 20 and America continues to marvel at what hard work and determination can do.
The Rangers will contend until the final dog days of the season. A-Rod has another huge year. Blalock will become a star.
Junior Griffey will have a big year and reestablish himself as one of the premier players of this generation.
Bonds will hit 60 more homers and the Giants will again be in the hunt as Snow resurrects his career.
Lou will get the Devil Rays to .500 and win Manager of the Year.
Roger will reach 300 wins before the All-Star break.
Hampton will put up Glavine-like numbers while the snake-bit Mets will see Glavine have Hampton-like numbers. Both Hampton and Maddox will hit over .300.
Randy Johnson will have the best and last great year of his career with another Cy Young award, 23 wins and an ERA under 2.20.
Florida Marlins young pitching finally gel and make the team competitive all year.
The A's will still be a force in the West. Chavez will break out and win the MVP award.
The Cubs will win their division. The Astros will be good, but not good enough.
Cito Gaston will be the first manager hired to replace the first fired manager. And it will be about time.
And finally, the umpires will finally get the ire of all fans around the country and call the strike zone correctly and balls six inches outside will be balls and letter high fastballs will be strikes.
Now, with all the free agents and so many players scraping to hang on with minor league deals, there are more players who need to play all out to get a shot at the final roster. The new reality makes it harder to predict what will happen on each team. Here are a few predictions for the coming year. But I have to be honest that they are more my hopes than true predictions:
David Cone makes the Mets squad and goes 10-3 for his last hurrah. He's always been such a class act.
Pat Burrell should hit 45 homers and hit well over .300 with Jim Thome hitting around him.
Rickie Henderson should gracefully call it a career and take all the accolades he deserves five years from now.
Derek Jeter will have a big year. He hasn't been the same since he went over the railing in the playoffs of 2001. But even if he does have a big year, his Boss will give himself credit!
The Angels have another good year with Washburn winning 20 and America continues to marvel at what hard work and determination can do.
The Rangers will contend until the final dog days of the season. A-Rod has another huge year. Blalock will become a star.
Junior Griffey will have a big year and reestablish himself as one of the premier players of this generation.
Bonds will hit 60 more homers and the Giants will again be in the hunt as Snow resurrects his career.
Lou will get the Devil Rays to .500 and win Manager of the Year.
Roger will reach 300 wins before the All-Star break.
Hampton will put up Glavine-like numbers while the snake-bit Mets will see Glavine have Hampton-like numbers. Both Hampton and Maddox will hit over .300.
Randy Johnson will have the best and last great year of his career with another Cy Young award, 23 wins and an ERA under 2.20.
Florida Marlins young pitching finally gel and make the team competitive all year.
The A's will still be a force in the West. Chavez will break out and win the MVP award.
The Cubs will win their division. The Astros will be good, but not good enough.
Cito Gaston will be the first manager hired to replace the first fired manager. And it will be about time.
And finally, the umpires will finally get the ire of all fans around the country and call the strike zone correctly and balls six inches outside will be balls and letter high fastballs will be strikes.
Wednesday, March 05, 2003
A strange thing happens when you've been a fan of baseball all of your life. As a child, you learn to play and if the passion is there, it became a daily part of who you are. You lived and died by the strikeouts, walks, stolen bases, popups dropped, bunts, and the occasional flash of brilliance that surprised even you. There was Little League and PAL and Babe Ruth and you marched in parades with your uniforms. You played whiffleball and stick ball and the only stick ball you could use was a Spalding. Your glove was a part of your body and it had to feel right. And the passion meant that in the pre-video game era, you played from dawn until dusk and when it rained you played Stratomatic or made up your own dice games and kept stats. And you watched the big boys play on TV or listened to the radio.
I was lucky there. I was a Yankee fan (still am), but before you judge me for that, I became a fan in the days of Horace Clarke (I think he had the biggest back seat in the history of the game) and Jerry Kenny and Roy White. In those days, the Yankees always finished near the bottom. After my dad died, my mom sent us to the stadium on Saturdays because she worked. Four dollars each got my brother and I on the bus, and then the subway and into the bleachers with enough left over to have a hotdog and a coke and get ourselves home again. The poor gal would get arrested for child endangerment if she were to try that today! But it was great for us then and can you imagine that with four dollars each, by the fourth inning (when the ushers quit) we were sitting by the dugout!
Oh yes, back to the lucky part: Watching the Yankees on TV meant Phil Rizzuto. I don't know what he was like in real life, but as a broadcaster, he was our friend and helped us grow that passion because it was obvious that he carried that passion as well. And he was hysterical. We laughed and he even made stuffed shirts like Bill White and Frank Messer laugh. I can't imagine a better listening and watching experience growing up with baseball than doing so with the old Huckleberry. And the weekends were great too with Curt Gowdy and Joe Garagiola.
Those were the days when you developed idols and dreamed of being like them. The Sporting News was at it's peak and each team in baseball had it's own page and feature writer (the last I looked, they were down to less than a column of a page per team--is anything as good as when we were kids? Yes, but we'll get to that). The writing was fantastic and you got to know the players on other teams. My early heroes were Mickey Mantle, Mel Stottlemyre, Bobby Murcer (I had his stance down perfectly) and later Munson and Nettles and Guidry. I wanted to grow up to be them.
And then I did grow up and the dream became displaced by reality. I had to work and had a family and life got complicated and those guys on TV were still my important to me, but now they were what I could have been if I had worked harder or had the tenacity to try if I wasn't so afraid of failure. By then I was in New Hampshire and had to watch the Red Sox (those dreaded rivals) and a funny thing happened: I became the only person in America who was a fan of the Red Sox AND the Yankees. The Red Sox were cool then. With Fisk, Evans, Rice, Tiant and the rest, it was fun to watch. The years the Red Sox came up on top were okay. The years the Yanks edged them out were better. But it was no longer idol worship and the strikes started and I grew restless. I hung in there despite the anger I felt at times.
And now, for the first time in my life, I am older than the players. They are no longer my peers. And so I demand more. I expect more. Baseball is more of a morality play and a reason to root for underdogs and good guys. ESPN is the greatest thing to happen to baseball since the Sunday Boston Globe. Baseball Tonight gives instant gratification. The Web gives us real time box scores. Life is great for this baseball fan of forty plus years.
Baseball is my passion but I can see it with clear eyes. I believe that as a fan, I have worthwhile things to say and look! Blogging gives us that opportunity. So as the season goes by, I'll use this blog site to comment on what I see, what I feel and what I think. And maybe...just maybe...Clemens will get his 300th early and not give me an ulcer worrying about it.
I was lucky there. I was a Yankee fan (still am), but before you judge me for that, I became a fan in the days of Horace Clarke (I think he had the biggest back seat in the history of the game) and Jerry Kenny and Roy White. In those days, the Yankees always finished near the bottom. After my dad died, my mom sent us to the stadium on Saturdays because she worked. Four dollars each got my brother and I on the bus, and then the subway and into the bleachers with enough left over to have a hotdog and a coke and get ourselves home again. The poor gal would get arrested for child endangerment if she were to try that today! But it was great for us then and can you imagine that with four dollars each, by the fourth inning (when the ushers quit) we were sitting by the dugout!
Oh yes, back to the lucky part: Watching the Yankees on TV meant Phil Rizzuto. I don't know what he was like in real life, but as a broadcaster, he was our friend and helped us grow that passion because it was obvious that he carried that passion as well. And he was hysterical. We laughed and he even made stuffed shirts like Bill White and Frank Messer laugh. I can't imagine a better listening and watching experience growing up with baseball than doing so with the old Huckleberry. And the weekends were great too with Curt Gowdy and Joe Garagiola.
Those were the days when you developed idols and dreamed of being like them. The Sporting News was at it's peak and each team in baseball had it's own page and feature writer (the last I looked, they were down to less than a column of a page per team--is anything as good as when we were kids? Yes, but we'll get to that). The writing was fantastic and you got to know the players on other teams. My early heroes were Mickey Mantle, Mel Stottlemyre, Bobby Murcer (I had his stance down perfectly) and later Munson and Nettles and Guidry. I wanted to grow up to be them.
And then I did grow up and the dream became displaced by reality. I had to work and had a family and life got complicated and those guys on TV were still my important to me, but now they were what I could have been if I had worked harder or had the tenacity to try if I wasn't so afraid of failure. By then I was in New Hampshire and had to watch the Red Sox (those dreaded rivals) and a funny thing happened: I became the only person in America who was a fan of the Red Sox AND the Yankees. The Red Sox were cool then. With Fisk, Evans, Rice, Tiant and the rest, it was fun to watch. The years the Red Sox came up on top were okay. The years the Yanks edged them out were better. But it was no longer idol worship and the strikes started and I grew restless. I hung in there despite the anger I felt at times.
And now, for the first time in my life, I am older than the players. They are no longer my peers. And so I demand more. I expect more. Baseball is more of a morality play and a reason to root for underdogs and good guys. ESPN is the greatest thing to happen to baseball since the Sunday Boston Globe. Baseball Tonight gives instant gratification. The Web gives us real time box scores. Life is great for this baseball fan of forty plus years.
Baseball is my passion but I can see it with clear eyes. I believe that as a fan, I have worthwhile things to say and look! Blogging gives us that opportunity. So as the season goes by, I'll use this blog site to comment on what I see, what I feel and what I think. And maybe...just maybe...Clemens will get his 300th early and not give me an ulcer worrying about it.
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