Rainy Days, Injuries, and Baseball Stats
This
is not really a bad day, by any means, just kind of a dreary one. My walk to class this morning was
pleasant; it was sunny and sort of warm.
When I returned to my room four hours later, I was soaked. Drenched. And the rain has not let up since then. But since this is Oregon, that’s not
really news. So, some baseball
news:
Today
became even drearier when I looked at the MLB.com homepage and saw that half of
the news headlines were injury-related.
It’s good to see that Rick Ankiel was released from the hospital; he
lost a battle with the outfield wall at Busch Stadium and it looked so
painful. Also, Roy Oswalt left the
Astros vs. Nationals game today with a bruised finger and Jorge Posada was
placed on the 15-day DL with a hamstring strain. What is going on here?
I hope all of these players have speedy recoveries, but their absences
could make things interesting for their respective teams within the next few
days. How do you all think
injuries could affect your team over the next week?
Also,
a little bit of “the best”:
Jason Bay. I just saw him hit a home run against
the Yankees, and that’s his 7th this year. He’s hitting .329 this season, and has been hitting
especially well against the Yankees.
Sorry, Yankees fans, I know there hasn’t been a lot of great news coming
your way lately (except that A-Rod’s return is nearing), but you can’t deny
that Bay has had a great start.
Nate Silver. Congratulations to Nate Silver for
being one of TIME’s 100 this year.
The magazine ranked him as one of “The World’s Most Influential
People.” Before gaining fame for
predicting 2008 election results with ridiculous accuracy, he invented PECOTA
and worked for Baseball Prospectus.
I also think he used to write those “Modest Proposal” boxes for Sports Illustrated in the baseball
preview issue. For some reason,
the huge variety of baseball stat acronyms fascinates me, so I think this is
kind of cool. Maybe next year an
actual baseball player will be one of the world’s most influential people. Any ideas?
I’m
about to settle in with some homework and some Mexican food (Happy Cinco de
Mayo!), but after that I think I’ll be watching the rest of the Sox/Yanks game
and Phillies/Cardinals.
Oh,
and one last thing: in my last post, I put up a YouTube video of a Baseball Tonight commercial featuring
Peter Gammons. After further
investigation, I have found this one, featuring Buster Olney, to be equally
hilarious:
Garza and Gammons
One
month down, everybody. Lots of
different stories, players, and teams have emerged since Opening Day; the one
that stands out in my mind is still Nick Adenhart’s tragic death, and I hope we
can all continue to honor his memory throughout the season.
However…there are a few more recent stories that I’ve found interesting:
Matt
Garza was amazing last night. Even
though I didn’t have the game on TV, I saw highlights, and was amazed to see
him throw a perfect game through seven innings against Boston. Of course, it won’t show up in the record books because he
didn’t go all nine, but that is still something to be proud of. And even though Garza was incredible, I
was kind of happy to see that Jacoby Ellsbury was the one who ruined it for
him.
The
best baseball-related commercial I have seen so far this season is this one for
Baseball Tonight, which features
Peter Gammons:
Gammons
is obviously a respected baseball journalist and veteran in the field, and this
commercial made me laugh because it made him the baseball equivalent to Chuck
Norris. I don’t get the change to watch Baseball Tonight very often, but when I do, I love his insight. Except for maybe the sweet
parking skills, I would not be surprised if all of this were true. Maybe.
And
on top of all of this, it’s Friday.
This weekend I’ll probably have my eyes on the Twins/Royals series
because Joe Mauer has returned. Also, I’ll be watching the Mariners because I’d like to see if
they can remain in first place longer than one month and they’re playing a
division rival. Granted, it’s the
last-place A’s, but I’m looking forward to it. What weekend game(s) will you be watching?
Some Love for the Native Son
Oregon may not the most populous or most recognized state in the U.S., but it IS the home of home base-stealer extraordinaire, Jacoby Ellsbury.
It was the best play of the
weekend by far: Jacoby Ellsbury
stole home base last night!
I apologize to all
of those Yankee fans. This
historic moment came at your expense, I understand. But this was unreal; he just slid in there,
out of nowhere. He helped lead Oregon State’s baseball team to a national
championship in 2006, and now he’s helping the Red Sox win 10 in a row.
So, Jacoby,
because the Blazers couldn’t pull out a victory last night, you gave Oregon
sports fans a reason to celebrate.
That was a pretty wild game; I was watching the game with a friend who
is a huge Yankee fan, and it led her to declare “there is no justice in the
world.”
While watching the
game, I thoroughly enjoyed several peoples’ humorous criticism of the ESPN announcers. I’ve said before that I think Jon
Miller is great, but Joe Morgan is just okay and have never liked Steve
Phillips. I was laughing pretty
hard listening to some bloggers’ frustrations with Phillips as he continued to
restate the obvious, and it made me wonder: is there anything about baseball
that really irritates you? Aside
from a rival team, is there anything you really dislike about the game of
baseball, or a certain player you just don’t like?
Back when I first
started watching baseball, I remember a game when Omar Vizquel, then playing
for Cleveland, threw a fit because Mariners pitcher Arthur Rhodes refused to
take off an earring that was a little too shiny for Omar’s liking. At age 11, I was unable to understand
why he had to get so mad at Rhodes, and even though I laugh about it now, I
still harbor some dislike towards Vizquel. So, while that is an insignificant example, I have been
wondering…is there anything about baseball that you really don’t like? Any single players? Any front office personnel? Agents? Commissioners?
Announcers? Past or
present, anything goes.
I hope everyone is
gearing up for this great day of baseball matchups! What game(s) do you plan on watching?
P.S.: I had some pictures up, but I have had many bloggers tell me they can’t see them…I’ve spent some time working on it, but I will try and solve the problem fully as soon as I have more time. Sorry you cannot all see the greatness of Oregon and Jacoby Ellsbury.
Trying Out Something New
Oh
boy. It’s been one whole week
since I last posted, and I am ashamed.
I could elaborate on some fairly legitimate excuses: beautiful weather,
research paper, Accounting midterm…but since my life is far less interesting
than baseball, I will get to the real stuff.
First
off: Marlins and Mariners still in
first place! WOW. I’m afraid to be excited about it,
because I’m sure it won’t last long, but for the fans of both of these teams, I
hope they keep doing well.
Probably wouldn’t make for the most exciting World Series in the world,
but I love the idea of being within driving distance of the Fall Classic.
Unfortunately,
I’ve been perusing an Accounting book for the last few days, so I haven’t been
too up-to-date with every MLB happening, but I decided that I might start a
weekly “feature.” Today, while
listening to the Cardinals-Mets game, Albert Pujols had a nice hit, and I
realized that he seems to have a hit every
time I see him play. Pujols is not
only an amazing player, but he is a genuinely great guy. So, while that was probably one of the
most cliché sentences ever, I want to dedicate a little bit of space this week
to Albert Pujols and his greatness. Pujols never compromises; he works hard
for baseball, his family, and his beliefs. He was on the cover of Sports Illustrated last month, and
this quote especially stood out to me:
“There is something more important to me–my relationship
with Jesus Christ and caring about others. More than this baseball. This
baseball is nothing to me.”
It’s incredible to me that Albert
Pujols, arguably the best player in the game, approaches the game with that
attitude; he understands its place in the grand scheme of life. I’d been chewing on that quote, so I thought
I’d give a little attention to it and to Pujols here today. Since athletes seem to get a bad rap a
lot of the time, I want to take some time to acknowledge those players who play
for something greater than themselves.
Any ideas for future players to mention? And also, since I’d like to do something like this every week, any ideas for what I should call it? The only title I could think of was “Baseball’s Good Guys,” but I find that to be sort of on the cheesy side.
That’s
about all I’ve got for now. It’s
good to be back in the baseball world.
Photo credit: http://urbanshocker.files.wordpress.com/2008/10/pujols.jpg
An Extreme Week (2nd try)
(I posted an identical post just minutes ago, but for some reason, after I edited it to include photo credits, the photos decided not to show up. I am not a big fan of the blue box with the question mark which pops up when a picture isn’t recognized, so here is the same post, without the pictures.)
This
week seems to be a week of extremes for a lot of teams. Take the Yankees, for example. They get to celebrate the opening of a
brand-new, state of the art stadium, but then have to find a way to compensate
for the loss of Xavier Nady. Or
the Red Sox. I don’t want to add
fuel to the fire for Sox fans, but they’re having their worst start since
1996. They did win yesterday, and
it’s the beginning of the season, but still; with such a talented team, I
understand the frustration.
There
are also a couple extremes of a different sort. Extreme grief and sadness. Nick Adenhart’s death one week ago and the loss of Phillies
broadcaster Harry Kalas on Monday are still fresh in the minds of fans and
players alike. I’ve only been a
part of MLBlogs for less than a month, but I was amazed to see the huge,
sincere outpouring of support that came from the bloggers. I enjoyed reading the reflective,
heartfelt tributes and responses to the passing of these two members of the
baseball family.
On
a lighter note: extreme shock. The
Mariners are in first place? The
Padres are in first place (even if it’s a tie)? The Marlins are in first place? Wow. I am
especially surprised about the Mariners; in Ichiro’s first game back from the
DL, he launches a grand slam, which is especially rare for him since he’s more
of a single or double hitter. I
know, I know, it’s only the second week of the season, but it might be the only
time this season that some fans can celebrate being atop the standings.
With
that in mind, how are you feeling about your team’s position so far? We’re not too far in, so no teams are
facing must-win games, but I’d be interested to hear the reactions of fans
regarding how their team has performed so far, what their team needs to improve
on, and how they see the rest of the season shaping up.
I
have to solicit this information from the dedicated fans because I am not a
die-hard fan of one team. Portland
doesn’t have a major league club, but we are generally Mariners fans by default
since they’re closest. So, while
this is a baseball blog, I have to take a few lines to show some hometown pride
for the Blazers! They’ve made it
to the NBA playoffs and I will be rooting for them!
And
one final side note…because he will probably be reading this at some point,
happy birthday Dad! I hope it has
been a great day for you.
Happy
almost-Friday, everyone.
An Extreme Week
This
week seems to be a week of extremes for a lot of teams. Take the Yankees, for example. They get to celebrate the well-received opening of a
brand new stadium, but then have to find a way to compensate
for the loss of Xavier Nady. Or
the Red Sox. I don’t want to add
fuel to the fire for Sox fans, but they’re having their worst start since
1996. They did win yesterday, and
it’s the beginning of the season, but still; with such a talented team, I
understand the frustration.
There
are also a couple extremes of a different sort. Extreme grief and sadness. Nick Adenhart’s death one week ago and the loss of Phillies
broadcaster Harry Kalas on Monday are still fresh in the minds of fans and
players alike. I’ve only been a
part of MLBlogs for less than a month, but I was amazed to see the huge,
sincere outpouring of support that came from the bloggers. I enjoyed reading the reflective,
heartfelt tributes and responses to the passing of these two members of the
baseball family.
On
a lighter note: extreme shock. The
Mariners are in first place? The
Padres are in first place (even if it’s a tie)? The Marlins are in first place? Wow. I am
especially surprised about the Mariners; in Ichiro’s first game back from the
DL, he launches a grand slam, which is especially rare for him since he’s more
of a single or double hitter. I
know, I know, it’s only the second week of the season, but it might be the only
time this season that some fans can celebrate being atop the standings.
With
that in mind, how are you feeling about your team’s position so far? We’re not too far in, so no teams are
facing must-win games, but I’d be interested to hear the reactions of fans
regarding how their team has performed so far, what their team needs to improve
on, and how they see the rest of the season shaping up.
I
have to solicit this information from the dedicated fans because I am not a
die-hard fan of one team. Portland
doesn’t have a major league club, but we are generally Mariners fans by default
since they’re closest. So, while
this is a baseball blog, I have to take a few lines to show some hometown pride
for the Blazers! They’ve made it
to the NBA playoffs and I will be rooting for them!
And
one final side note…because he will probably be reading this at some point,
happy birthday Dad! I hope it has
been a great day for you.
Happy
almost-Friday, everyone.
Photo credits:
Nick Adenhart: rowlandsoffice.wordpress.com/ 2009/04/
Harry Kalas: http://blogs.phillynews.com/inquirer/zozone/kalas.jpg
Blazers: http://www.apualumni.com/s/43/images/editor/Chapter%20Events/Oregon/portland_trail_blazers_logo.jpg
42.
This is the first year I’ve really thought about the significance of Jackie Robinson’s debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers, on April 15, 1947. And while it’s almost April 16 for many people, I wanted to write a quick post in order to honor Jackie Robinson and offer up a link to a fantastic story on NYTimes.com. Until yesterday, I had no idea that Jackie Robinson stole home 19 times. 19! This article highlights that achievement, but also the significance of Robinson and the broken color barrier in general. Also, for any Mets fans, it includes some great lines from Jose Reyes.
A Few Unrelated Thoughts
Generally, I am a pretty even-keel
person. When it comes to sports
plays, I used to live with a “seen one, seen ‘em all” mentality. But last night, that Reed Johnson
grand-slam snag in the Cubs’ 8-5 win over the Brewers was AMAZING.
All-caps worthy, as you can see.
It changed my tone concerning spectacular baseball defense. That is the best catch I have seen in a
long time. I was listening to the game on the radio while I was driving, and I could tell by the
announcer’s tone that this was going to be good. I leaned closer to the radio (why do people to that? It’s not like he’s going to say
something different if you lean in closer), and was amazed after just hearing the play. Later, I watched a video clip and was
even more awestruck. Prince
Fielder tipped his hat to Johnson!
That’s when you know it’s a great play; the guy robbed you of your first
career slam and you still have to
congratulate him. I apologize for this single-post Cubs bias, but that was just a great catch.
I was so enthused by the Reed Johnson play
that I wore my Cubs t-shirt to school today. It just has the plain old Cubs logo, but it was purchased
right across from Wrigley so it’s one of my favorites. A random guy on campus yelled out to
me, “GO CUBS!” and I had a swell of baseball pride. It made my day (to give you sense of how exciting my day
was). It was fun to share the greatness
of baseball with another fan, and it was really the first time anyone ever
acknowledged me wearing anything baseball-related. This led me to realize that there are probably a lot of
great stories out there…have you ever had an interesting fan encounter while
wearing baseball gear in public?
Funny? Intimidating?
And last but certainly not least…I am
wondering if anyone has ever read or come across some interesting books about
the Negro Leagues. My research
paper this term centers on the Negro Leagues, so I thought I’d throw it out
there. And, honestly, if you’ve
read any baseball books in general recently, I’d love to know about them! What did you think?
I hope everyone had a fantastic Easter
weekend and is looking forward to some more great baseball.
“Life is a Day that Doesn’t Last for Long”
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”
Matthew 5:4
So many fitting tributes have already been
made to Nick Adenhart today, but I don’t think there is any other news in baseball
today more important than his shocking death. Even though I don’t know much about him and have never seen
him or met him, it struck me that Major League Baseball has lost a player, a
friend, a role model. I don’t have
much to add, but I do wish to send out my prayers to his family, friends, and teammates; I wish the same to those of the others who were killed or injured in the crash. To lose someone so
young so suddenly is something I still can’t fathom. Nick Adenhart’s death is a reminder that we should live for
more than going through the motions of life; we’ve been given the greatest gift
and are responsible for using it to the best of our abilities. We may not become Major League Baseball
players, but Nick Adenhart can be an example for us all.
The title of this post comes from the lyrics of the song “Gone” by Switchfoot.
So Glad to be Back to the Grind!
It’s been too long. After a shamefully long absence, I’ve returned
to celebrate OPENING DAY.
Last night was one of the best starts to a
baseball season I’ve had in a while.
Friends, Sunday Night Baseball, the voice of Jon Miller, and Taco Bell
were all included; fine dining is a very important component of a baseball
game. Now we’re finally back to
the baseball grind!
Seeing as this is Opening Day, I haven’t
watched a whole lot of ball yet.
So, I thought I would ask: with only 161 games remaining for a lot of
teams, what games or series are you most looking forward to in the regular
season? Also, for those of you who
are die-hard fans of one team, what team besides your own favorite are you most
looking forward to watching?
I’m pretty excited to watch the Mets this
year. While I’m still not sure
they deserve that World Series Champ prediction from SI, their lineup is
formidable: Jose Reyes, David Wright, and Carlos Beltran are all excellent
players. Also, I’m looking forward
to watching the Blue Jays’ Travis Snider.
He’s a rookie left-fielder, and as I write this, he’s gone 2-for-3 with
a run scored in the Blue Jays vs. Tigers game still in progress.
Obviously, I haven’t exhausted every source
of every source of information here, so I’d love to know what games and players
you are most looking forward to watching this season.
On that note, I’ve been thinking about how
to keep my blog more in line with my original idea of picking the “Best of
162.” I don’t want to do a straight
recap of everything that happens, but my plan is to note especially great
performances, plays, teams, players, games, etc. And while the focus will definitely be on the game of
baseball, I love hearing great stories that have anything to do with baseball
in general (like a great manager tirade or press conference quote). All this goes to say: I’ll have my eyes peeled, but if you
come across anything, please let me know!
I want to keep dialogue running and hear from everyone about what they
think is the “Best of 162!”
Happy Opening Day!
(Also, thanks to a Chicago White Sox billboard from two years ago; I stole the phrase “Back to the Grind” used in a baseball context from it.)
Paige Landsem
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