Category: Opinion

by AspiDimitrov

A RAT NAMED SUE

A Rat Named Sue

 

He was a painfully shy player in a very public arena.

 

Tall and powerfully built, he hit prodigious home runs.  442 of them, which is 34th all time.  One of them, which was hit in Wrigley Field on April 14, 1976, went over 600 feet, which is the longest ever recorded HR hit there.

 

He also struck out quite a lot.  1,816 times, which is 10th all time.

 

His fielding was atrocious.  Whether he played 3B, 1B, or the outfield, he had a great deal of difficulty catching and throwing the ball.  I seem to remember that he wore a batting helmet while playing in the field, which was probably done for safety reasons.  He was a tailor made DH, but unfortunately spent 13 of the 16 years of his career in the National League.

 

Dave Kingman was an enigma.  He only hit .236, he struck out quite a lot, but when he connected, the ball went a long, long way.  This was probably why he hung on in the big leagues for so long.  Signed out of college by the Giants, he also had stints with the Mets, Padres, Angels, Yankees, Cubs, Mets (again), and Athletics.

 

Everyone saw his massive potential, but no one could harness it.

 

Of all the major league ballplayers, he probably had the worst time of anyone with the press. Nicknamed King Kong, columnist Mike Royko of the Chicago Sun-Times derisively called him “Ding Dong”.  Columnist David Israel staged a sit-in in protest over having to deal with him.  One of his teammates on the Mets said “he had the personality of a tree stump.”

 

During his three year tenure with the Chicago Cubs, the press finally relented and decided to let him write his own column so that they didn’t have to talk to him.  His columns were a literary disaster, so this particular experiment didn’t last very long.  In 1979, still with the Cubs, he had his best season, hitting .288 with 48HRs and 115RBI.

 

Primarily due to the holes in his game, his longest tenure with any one club was three years.  Two years after his career best effort with the Cubs, they traded him to the Mets.

 

Extremely thin skinned and unwilling to accept any type of criticism, his second stint in New York was also short lived, again lasting only three years.

 

He finally reached the AL in 1984 with the Oakland A’s, and became a full-time DH, which was the perfect position for him.  He had three very productive seasons, averaging 33HR’s and 101RBI.  However, the ending was not to be a happy one.  He had a particular problem with Sue Fornoff, who covered the A’s for the Sacramento Bee.  They had a very rocky relationship, and Kingman objected to anything negative that Ms. Fornoff wrote.  It is a matter of conjecture whether the coverage was negative, but that’s the way King Kong perceived it.

 

 

He finally decided to get even.  One game Ms. Fornoff was sitting in the press box at Oakland Alameda stadium, and while covering the game, she received a box.  She opened it, and much to her horror and chagrin, she found a LIVE RAT.

 

The rat had a tag which said “My name is Sue”.

 

Unfortunately for Kingman, this practical joke backfired.  The 1986 MLB Collective Bargaining Agreement did not cover sending live rodents to sportswriters.

 

Kingman was released shortly thereafter, and never played MLB again.

 

He now lives in relative obscurity.

 

Because of King Kong, I’m always very judicious in my criticism of thin skinned ballplayers.

 

I thought I’d share this bit of baseball history to young, aspiring sportswriters.

 

Be careful with any gift wrapped packages from ballplayers, at anytime.

 

Enough said.

 

 

by AspiDimitrov

THE BIGGEST BULLY ON THE BLOCK

The Biggest Bully on the Block

 

Ennui.  That was my state of mind last night.  I was flopped down on the couch, feet up, glass of wine in hand, wondering what to do next.  I then turned on the TV to catch Baseball Tonight on NASN.  I could not believe who was in the studio with Karl Ravech.  None other than Bobby Knight!  Bobby Knight!  I thought I was hallucinating.

 

For those of you who aren’t aware, Bobby Knight is a BASKETBALL coach.  He is the all time winningest college coach in the history of NCAA basketball, but he carries quite a bit of baggage.  He is mercurial, combative, and has a hair trigger temper.  He has gotten away with all of his documented transgressions due to his enormous success, and it has enabled him to spend the majority of his career bullying and intimidating anyone who either didn’t agree with him or crossed him.  His primary targets have been the press.  Amongst other notable achievements, he has a) slapped a Puerto Rican policeman, b) stuffed an opposing fan in a trash can, c) threw a chair at a referee, and d) choked one of his own players.

 

Over the course of his 42 year career, he has kept his most brutal derision and contempt for members of the press.  Among other things, one of his most notable quotes was, “If there is reincarnation, I want to come back as a sportswriter because they have never used their brains”.

 

Well, he may have a point there.  

 

With Bob Knight, there is no in between.  You either love him or hate him.  Despite his shortcomings, he has won, graduated his players, and shown a high level of integrity and veracity.

 

One thing he has never been is a hypocrite.  That’s why I had a difficult time seeing him on the Baseball Tonight studio.  Over the course of his career, I always enjoyed his repartee with the press.  He was extremely clever, and always had the last word.  The press always played the part of the deferential whipping boy, and it made for good copy.  And in many instances, he was correct.  Many members of the press are indolent, ill-prepared, and biased.  Some of those who attempted to stand up to him   faced subsequent professional repercussions. 

 

Even though Knight always had the upper hand, his press battles were always very entertaining.

 

Knight recently retired from coaching after a stellar 42 year career.  I always assumed   he would walk away from the limelight and spend his retirement fishing and hunting, which seemed to be his main passions away from the court. 

 

I didn’t have a problem with him criticizing the press.  However, it did shock me to see him in the studio, in essence a becoming committed press member himself.

 

It was interesting hearing about his love for baseball, and his friendship with Tony LaRusso.  They also showed an interview with the late Ted Williams, who was effervescent in his praise for Knight.  Knight then stated the reason he admired Williams so much was that they both had an adversarial relationship with the press.

 

Am I missing something??  There he was, biting the hand that was feeding him.

 

This whole episode is very reminiscent of John Thompson, another highly successful basketball coach, who, throughout his career, was highly combative with the press.  At 6’ 10” tall, over 300 pounds, with a deep baritone voice, he was indeed very intimidating.  Now that he is retired from coaching, he to has joined the press corps, and has a highly successful radio and TV gig in the Washington DC area.  He’s transformed himself from a sullen, contemptuous curmudgeon who was constantly antagonizing the press to an amiable grandfatherly figure.  The transformation seems genuine.  While coaching, Thompson only allowed the public to access part of his personality

 

I guess if you are successful, you can recreate yourself in a positive manner

 

Knight has always been highly intelligent, and provides keen insight.   At 67, he seems to have mellowed.   His methods were always excessive and controversial.  He was the biggest bully on the block.

 

With age comes wisdom.  Knight has a lot to offer, even in baseball.

 

It’ll be nice to see him share his baseball insights with us on a more regular basis.

 

by AspiDimitrov

THE FINAL SEASON

The Final Season

 

The Polo Grounds.  Ebbets Field.  Comiskey Park.  Tiger Stadium.  Forbes Field.  All of these venerable stadiums are relics from the past.  They are all part of baseball history, where great games have been played, championships have been won, and traditions have been created.

 

All of them are now gone.

 

There are only three left.

 

At the end of the season, the list will dwindle to two.

 

This is the final season that baseball will be played at Yankee Stadium.  Built in 1923, it has hosted 37 World Series.  The Yankees won their first championship during the Stadium’s inaugural season.  Three All-Star games have been played there.  This year, its final season, it will host the All Star game.

 

Ruth. Gehrig.  DiMaggio.  Mantle.  Maris.  Where does it start, and where does it end?

 

I’m definitely in denial, because it still hasn’t hit me that this is the final season.  I’ve been to Yankee Stadium three times, and each time was special.  The first was in August of 1966, when my Father took me and Danny Hollywood, who was my best friend at the time.  We sat behind the first base dugout, and saw the Yankees play the Detroit Tigers.  Al Downing pitched against Earl Wilson, and Mickey Mantle hit a massive home run.  I was 7 years old, and it was the first time I had ever seen a professional baseball game.  There were 14,856 spectators, and the Yankees won 6-5.  This occasion was truly the most special and memorable for me.

 

The 2nd occasion was 10 years later, in 1976.  I sat behind home plate with my Father and cousin, and watched the Yankees beat the Minnesota Twins.  It isn’t as memorable, because I don’t remember who pitched, but I do remember that we had fantastic seats.

 

The third and final occasion was in June of 1982.  I had just graduated from college, and three friends and I drove all the way to New York City from Atlanta, Ga.  We sat in the upper deck in right field and watched the Yankees play the Orioles.  The game went 15 innings and took 4 ½ hours to play.  The Yankees won 4-3. 

 

There are so many baseball fans that have similar memories of Yankee Stadium.    Change is inevitable, but for kids who grew up in New York City, it didn’t get any better than being taken to Yankee Stadium by your Father.

 

I guarantee you that something will be missing in 2009.  They plan on turning Yankee Stadium into a parkland.  I think that it’s a big mistake.  Yankee Stadium is THE CATHEDRAL for baseball.  It should not be torn down, and we will one day regret it.  There is too much history, and centuries from now, historians will only be able to point and say, “That is where the House that Ruth Built stood”.

 

I really hope that Fenway Park and Wrigley Field, the two other remaining baseball relics, continue to stay open and operate long into the future.

 

 

by AspiDimitrov

IS IT A PROMOTION OR A LATERAL MOVE?

Is it a Promotion or a Lateral Move?

 

There is an unwritten rule amongst journalists that you never write about a colleague, but don’t tell that to Peter Vecsey of the New York Post, who is continually baiting Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News.

 

The newsroom of today is much different than the newsroom of yesteryear, which was filled with cigar smoke, old noisy typewriters, and the ubiquitous cantankerous editor, who was constantly screaming at us to get our copy in before the deadline.

 

Now it is much more of a virtual newsroom.  Given the advances of technology, I can write my column from pretty much any location.  That has its inherent advantages and disadvantages.  However, in this new environment we still constantly wonder about our colleagues.

 

I took a quick look at the Falcons home page, and noticed that my good friend and colleague Marty Cullen is no longer listed as a Syndicated Columnist. It now says he is “Voice of the Falcons”.

 

Does that mean that we are no longer colleagues?

 

Did I miss the inner office memo congratulating and offering him our best wishes?

 

Marty, we hardly knew ye!

 

I really enjoyed his column on the DH, and was waiting (and waiting, and waiting) for more, but it never came……

 

Now that he’s moved on from a print to an electronic correspondent, he’s open game.

 

Maybe now that he’s an electronic journalist, he’ll become really arrogant and won’t talk to us print guys!

 

Maybe he went on the DL with writer’s cramp?

 

Maybe I should quit while I’m ahead, because I’m ruining my chances of being his co-host on Falcons PTI!!

 

Was he paid by the column or did he get a flat fee?  If so, I’ve got to find out who his agent is.

 

Was he promoted based on the one column he wrote??  If so, what am I doing wrong??

 

Maybe with his new gig of bench coach, he was way too busy and didn’t have much time to write.

 

By the way, by being a bench coach and voice of the Falcons, isn’t that a conflict of interest??

 

Am I asking too many questions, and will I be unceremoniously beckoned to the Falcons front office, where I will be asked intrusive questions about MY latest column??

 

Ask him who get the biggest laughs at the Awards Night!!

 

I hope he finds this column entertaining!  Maybe he’ll enjoy it more than Profiles in Courage, which I hope someone read!

 

Who’s the Falcons HR director?  I’m thinking about going to a tribunal because my work here has been unappreciated and others are being promoted over yours truly.

 

Memo to Marty.  Congratulations on your promotion!

 

Both of them!

 

And please remember this humble scribe when you’re auditioning for Falcons PTI!

 

Anyway, it’s Bank Holiday Monday!! (I’m a dumb American, did I say that right?).

Enough silliness!  I look forward to Marty’s electronic contributions as Voice of the Falcons, and I hope everyone had a Happy Easter.

 

BD

by AspiDimitrov

THE YEAR OF THE PITCHER

The Year of the Pitcher

 

The baseball establishment has always favoured the hitters over the pitchers.   Over time, the rules have been altered to give the hitters an advantage.  Presuming that the fans would prefer seeing a home run than a strikeout, a major rule change was implemented at the start of the 1969 season that has altered the game significantly. 

 

1968 has been dubbed the year of the pitcher.  Pitchers dominated that season.  Denny McLain of the Detroit Tigers went 31-6.  Five pitchers in the American League had ERAs lower than 2.00, and Bob Gibson won the NL title with an unheard of 1.12 ERA and 13 shutouts.  Juan Marichal of the Giants won 26 games and led the NL with 30 complete games out of 38 starts.   The team batting average in the AL was an anemic .230, and only one player in the league hit over .300 (Carl Yastrzemski, .301).

 

Fearing that a lack of offence would drive away the fans, the Rules committee lowered the mound from 15” to 10” and also graduated the slope of the mound.   The changes altered the game and fundamentally gave the advantage to the hitters.  The AL team ERA rose from 2.98 to 3.62.  It has risen consistently to its 2007 level of 4.50.

 

There has been one other major rules change that has discriminated against the pitchers.  The strike zone has shrunk.  It is supposed to be the armpit to the knee, but most umpires will not call anything above the belt a strike.

 

If those two obstacles weren’t enough, pitchers have other factors working against them.  Batters are now allowed to wear protective armour that enable them to crowd the plate and take away the advantage the pitchers had of throwing on the outside corner.  The balls are also livelier and the ballparks are smaller.  The game of today resembles softball more than baseball.

 

It is a bit specious to presume that fans prefer offence.  In the American League, the attendance in 1968 was the second highest between the years 1961 to 1971. 

 

There is always a buzz in the crowd when a power pitcher is on the mound.  I only saw Nolan Ryan pitch once in person, but I’ll never forget it.  He was 42 years old, and he was pitching for Texas against the Baltimore Orioles on August 5, 1989.  48,776 fans jammed into Memorial Stadium to watch him.  He threw 7 innings, struck out 8, and lost 2-1 to Bob Milacki.  Even though there were only 3 runs scored, the fans were on the edge of their seats the whole game.  I’ll never forget it.

 

Another game I’ll never forget was between the Yankees and the Red Sox on May 28, 2000 at Yankee Stadium.  Pedro Martinez vs. Roger Clemens.  Both pitchers pitched complete games.  Clemens struck out 13 and Martinez struck out 9.  There were only a total of 9 hits between the two teams, and the Red Sox won it in the top of the 9th on a two run HR by Trot Nixon.  The final was 2-0, and the 55,339 fans who attended were treated to a classic.  The millions who watched on ESPN did not soon forget it either.

 

Given the rules alterations, I never really respect the current era batting averages.    Todd Helton’s .372BA in 2000 or George Brett’s .390BA in 1980 were significant accomplishments, but what would they have hit if they had to face a 15” mound and a “normal” strike zone?  We’ll never know, but we can always speculate.

 

by AspiDimitrov

FIRST IN WAR, FIRST IN PEACE, LAST IN THE AL OR NL

First in War, First in Peace, Last in the American or National League

 

On September 30, 1971, the expansion Washington Senators concluded an abysmal 11 year run in the nation’s capital with a loss to the New York Yankees.  They finished the season with a 63-96 record, 38 ½ games out of first place.  During their stint, they finished in last place five times, lost the most games, and had by the far the lowest attendance in the American League.  The franchise was an unmitigated disaster.

 

Like any astute businessman, owner Robert Short assessed the situation, decided to cut his losses, and moved the team to Texas.

 

Despite the fact that this was the second time baseball had failed in the nation’s capital, by committing this transgression, Short was vilified in the press.  How dare he have the audacity to move the national pastime out of the nation’s capital?  Despite being in an untenable position, he then became DC’s persona non grata

 

This wasn’t the first time this had occurred. In 1960, fed up with a losing team and a non-existent fan base, owner Clark Griffith moved the Senators to Minnesota.  Congress intervened and mandated that an expansion team be created.  This time, perhaps preoccupied by the Vietnam War, no such legislation occurred.

 

Over the next 30 odd years, there was hand ringing on a massive scale.  The Washington establishment, led by businessmen, the press, lobbyists, and assorted hangers on made it their personal crusade to bring back baseball to Washington.  There were Congressional hearings, local rallies, mandates, etc.  Every year, Thomas Boswell, the esteemed baseball writer for the Washington Post, would justify his position.  It didn’t matter, he would argue, that baseball had failed twice in the past. The demographics had changed.  DC was the 3rd biggest market, near the top in disposable income, etc. etc.  There was a massive yearning for baseball, and it just had to be accommodated.

 

I didn’t buy any of their arguments, but no one listened to me.

 

In 2005, they got their wish.  The Montreal Expos moved to Washington and became the Nationals.  After a 34 year absence, baseball was back in the Nations Capital.  Hip Hip Hurray!!  There was euphoria and the locals celebrated.  There were still minor issues to be resolved related to public financing would for a new stadium, but, the most important issue was that BASEBALL was back!

 

Now that the team has finished their third season and the euphoria has died down, let’s assess the situation.  Their three year won lost records have been 81-81, 71-91, and 73-89.  They have finished last, last, and next to last in their division.  The most worrying stat has been their attendance.  In three years, out of 30 MLB teams, their attendance has dropped from 11th to 21st to 25th.

 

25th out of 30 is very worrying, particularly for a city that supposedly was yearning for baseball for 34 years.  However, the apologists and justifiers have come back in full force.  The reason, they claim, for the low attendance is RFK Stadium.  It’s a dump, and once the new stadium is ready (2008) the fans will come back in droves!

 

Build it and they will come!

 

I’m not holding my breath.

 

The reality is that Washington DC is a one sport town.  It all revolves around the Redskins, and everything else is second fiddle.  There used to be a famous saying in DC that the second most important job in town was the President of the United States, behind the quarterback of the Washington Redskins.  The city has always had a passion for the team, and has only given lukewarm support to any other sport.

 

Those who don’t study history are doomed to repeat it.  Unfortunately, there are two instances of baseball failing in Washington DC.  Congress intervened the first time, and despite that, the failure occurred again.  I grew up in DC and understood the pulse of the city.  Despite the fact that I was a huge baseball fan, I believed that based on history, Washington did not deserve a team.  This was harsh, but was my humble opinion.

 

Three years in to the third era, it’s not looking good.

 

I hope I’m wrong, but we’ll see if the Nationals succeed, and more importantly, if the city supports them.

 

 

by AspiDimitrov

ACT I

ACT I

 

They’ll play 18 in the regular season, but only once during spring training.  Yesterday’s 8-4 Yankee win over the Red Sox could be inconsequential, or it could be a harbinger for what is to come.

 

Both teams enter the season with question marks, particularly with pitching.  Bartolo Colon, who was offered a non-guaranteed minor league contract, pitched well enough to keep his team hopeful.  He will probably take the place of Curt Schilling, but at 35, with shoulder and elbow problems, who much does he have left?

 

With Josh Beckett nursing an ailing back, and Tim Wakefield’s favourite battery mate (Doug Mirabelli) recently released, the Sox will give the opening day start (in Japan) to Daisuke Matsuzaka.  The team is expecting more from him than 2007, when he went 15-12 with a 4.40 ERA.  John Lester is expected to be the fifth starter, and hopefully he is fully recovered from non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

 

The Yankees also have question marks with their pitching staff.  Is 39 year old Mike Mussina washed up?  He had career lows in wins (11), a very poor .311 BAA and a career worse ERA of 5.15.  If he can’t contribute and Andy Pettitte’s elbow problems flare up, the only proven starter is Chien-Ming Wang.  The other two prospective starters are extremely green.  Phil Hughes is 21 with 13 MLB games under is belt.  Ian Kennedy is 23 and has only pitched 3 times in the big leagues. 

 

The Yankees everyday lineup is relatively intact.  They will score runs, and the only health concern is Hideki Matsui, who has fully recovered from off season knee surgery.  Bobby Abreu reported to camp in great condition, and is one of three Yanks who drove in more than 100 RBI, along with A-Rod and Derek Jeter.  Jorge Posado, Robinson Cano, and Jason Giambi are also expected to contribute.

 

The Red Sox scored 101 fewer runs than the Yankees, and both David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez had major dips in their 2007 offensive production.  Ortiz HR’s dropped from 54 to 35 and Ramirez 20HR and 88RBI were quite ordinary, particularly for a player who was earning $20 million.  Perhaps at the age of 36 Ramirez is on the downward side of his career.  Ortiz was slowed by a bad knee, so we’ll see if the surgery he had in the off-season can alleviate his low production.

 

Many prognosticators are claiming that this is the year that the Blue Jays will overtake one, if not both teams.  It is very evident that the Yanks and Sox do not like each other.  When Julian Taveraz drilled Derek Jeter in the forearm with a fastball, was it retaliation for what occurred last season when Joba Chamberlain threw two 98MPH fastballs over Kevin Youkilis’ head?  Joe Girardi has a take no prisoners approach, and his hitters will definitely be protected.

 

With these two teams, it is always high drama and high theatre.   Now that the curse of the Bambino has been lifted, and the Sox have won two of the last four World Series, they are the team to beat.  The 20th century belonged to the Yankees, and their last World Championship was in 2000.  Maybe the 21st century will belong to the Red Sox.

 

They will play 18 times in 2008.  Both teams should contend, along with the Blue Jays.   The Yanks will score more runs, but the Sox have an edge (on paper) in the starting rotation.  The bullpens are relatively equal.  With Joe Girardi at the helm and Hank Steinbrenner providing a lot of bulletin board quotes, the 2008 AL East campaign should be quite interesting.

 

 

 

 

by AspiDimitrov

DEMOGRAPHIC SHIFT

Demographic Shift

 

Gary Sheffield was recently lamenting the dearth of inner city kids who are playing baseball.  Recognizing the fact that baseball and American football are much more popular to underprivileged kids, Sheffield and Dontrelle Willis both conducted a baseball clinic for kids from an economically deprived area.  Sheffield reminded them of one important fact.  “Remember”, he said, “the colour of money is the same regardless of which sport you play”.

 

The times, they are a changing.  International players now comprise 28% of major league rosters.  The percentage of African American players is down from 29% 25 years ago to a current level of 8%. 

 

Baseball is both growing in popularity across the world while dying a slow death in the inner cities of the States.  In the 2007 All Star game, of the 66 participants, 20 were born outside of the U.S., including the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Canada, and Japan.  Latin America has been a feeding ground for MLB for quite awhile, but now we’re seeing an influx from Asia and South America.  The Dodgers and Padres recently played an exhibition game in Beijing, and MLB officials believe that over 150,000 people currently play baseball in China.  The most recent World Baseball Classic was won by Japan.  The time is soon coming where the United States will be surpassed as the country that produces the best baseball players.

 

I’m reminded of the outrage in the U.S. in 1988 when we did not win the Gold Medal in basketball.  Americans always believed that we were the dominant country in this sport, and it was our birthright to bring home the gold every four years.  We couldn’t quite comprehend the outcome when the team finished a dismal third, and came home with a bronze medal that resulted in some brutal criticism.  The U.S. Olympic Committee then decided to send the NBA “Dream Team” to the 92 Barcelona Olympics so that we could restore our rightful place at the top of the basketball world.  This did occur, but ironically, the move backfired.  The Dream Team was so popular that it started a basketball revolution around the globe.  Now, 20 years later, although the Americans still have the best individual players, we have been surpassed by other countries and can no longer win either the Olympic Gold or any other prominent international tournaments. 

 

As a kid growing up in New York City in the 1960’s, stickball was the most popular game played in the summer.  Because there were so few playing fields, the game was played in the streets, in between parked cars, with tennis balls and broomsticks.  Hitting the ball with a broomstick was a fantastic way to improve your batting eye.  Now, 40 years later, when I venture to the neighbourhood of my youth, not only is stickball no longer played, the youngsters do not even know what it is.

 

I have to admit that baseball is no longer America’s pastime.  It’s not even the second most popular sport in the country.  In many suburban high schools, baseball is not even the most popular spring sport.  Many kids would much rather play lacrosse, which has seen an incredible expansion in the last 25 years.

 

Europe now produces quite a few professional basketball players.  Latin America, Asia, and South America are the most prominent breeding grounds for baseball.  In America, with so many diversions, it will be interesting to see what happens in the next 20 years.  If so few kids are interested in baseball, the result will be a more pronounced demographic shift.  The 2027 All Star Game will undoubtedly have more foreign born players than American players.

 

What will then happen to our National Pastime?

by AspiDimitrov

AN UNEXPECTED CALL UP

I’d already made a fielding error earlier inthe game which had cost us the lead. It’s funny, when you’re a rookie the onlyperson who seems to get particularly annoyed with your mistakes and errors isyourself. That or your team mates probably don’t let on that you’re now theirleast favourite guy on the team. I was pretty down after bobbling that basicground ball to second, though, which is silly since you’re only more likely todo it again if you aren’t focusing completely on the next play. It had been adouble play situation and the runner was bearing down to my left, the ball wasin front of me and took a bad hop at the last second (on the dodgy grass I feelinclined to add)… so we got no outs on the play and the runner scored fromthird. In practice it’s a lot different. You only have to really focus onmaking the play and imagine that there is a runner; the game is totallydifferent though as that runner will try to get in your way or distract you. Laterin the game, though, I drove in the tie breaking RBI, redeeming my errorinstantly clearing me of my guilt- baseball is odd like that. Your mood canchange from inning to inning, pitch to pitch.

I thought it might be nice to start the blogwith that short story. I’m not going to pretend like it was a particularlyimportant RBI since we beat the Sidewinders 12-3, or a particularly good hiteither- but every little helps when you’re developing as a player. Anyway, as Ialready said, this will be a blog- but unlike Bruce’s and Marty’s. It won’tdeal with issues in the sport or really even talk about the mlb, it’s going tofocus on what it’s like to be a rookie in the club. The trials andtribulations, the ups and downs. So, hopefully, any new guys joining the club will be able to relate to this blog and realise that they are not alone in any mistakes they  make.

by AspiDimitrov

CELEBRITY MADNESS

Celebrity Madness

 

 

It’s been a slow sports week.  Not much has been going on, other than Andy Pettitte’s sore elbow, or Orlando Hernandez’ bunion, or Barry Zito’s 17.18 ERA.

 

It’s been so slow that it’s been difficult thinking of interesting things to write about.

 

Billy Crystal saved the day.  In case you haven’t heard, the Yankees have signed him to a one day contract and he will be in uniform today and play against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

 

Memo to Mr. Crystal.  Don’t go away mad, just go away.

 

Jack Nicholson was the original celebrity fan, long before it was in vogue.  Always an ardent LA Lakers fan, he was known and respected by all the players because he was a true fan.  In fact, he was such an ardent fan that he was affectionately nicknamed “The Cuckoo Man” by the NBA players.

 

Nicholson I could respect.  He was a die hard fan, and how could you not respect a guy who “mooned” the Celtics fans in Boston Garden during the NBA finals.

 

After Nicholson started showing up at the LA Forum, the avalanche then began.  Dyan Cannon.  Arsenio Hall.  Soon the Lakers seemingly had more celebrity fans than everyday average Joe fans.  Then it spread elsewhere.  Spike Lee and John McEnroe started going to Knick games at Madison Square Garden.  Jerry Seinfeld was spotted at Met games at Shea stadium.  It seemed like the cameramen spent more time showing the celebrities than showing the game.

 

Perhaps they were all “true” fans, but my cynical side thinks that most of them were more concerned with their Q rating than the outcome of the game.

 

The Yankees have crossed the line with this absurd signing.  Look, I get that Crystal is a huge baseball fan.  City Slickers was a great flick, and I enjoyed “61” and it’s perfectly acceptable if he wants to go to Yankee Stadium and support his favourite team.

 

I just don’t want to see him playing for the Yankees.

 

Can you imagine what the legendary Yankee, Joe DiMaggio, the personification of class, would think?  Just imagine him patrolling center field, and seeing this celebrity “never was” on the same field with him?  It makes a mockery of the sport, and denigrates the tradition of the most successful baseball franchise in history.

 

How about if I make a few other suggestions for stand-in Yankee players?

 

Robert DeNiro.  I guarantee that he’d be Joe Girardi’s kind of guy and there would be no brawls with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.

 

Rudy Giuliani.  Now that he’s out of the Presidential race, he’s probably got a lot of time on his hands.  If they put him at shortstop,  the University of Pennsylvania can no longer claim that Derek Jeter is the worst fielding shortstop in baseball.

 

Hillary Clinton.  Why not?  She now lives in New York.  She’s not doing so well in the race, and would probably love the publicity.  With DeNiro and Mrs. Clinton in the lineup, there is NO Way that anytime would want to start a fight with the club.

 

Elliot Spitzer?  Well, I’ll leave everyone to ponder that one.