Instincts are instincts even when you’re not on the field. He probably saved the reporter a trip to the emergency room, maybe even more. I don’t blame the other players though. It looks like they were doing the interview way too close to the action. (Hat Tip: The Corner.)

James Earl Jones’ great baseball speech still sends chills through me. Play ball!

I’ve been to some Hawks games, and love it when I get a chance to go. I went four times in 2008, but didn’t ge to go last year due to money being tight. I think Memorial Stadium does need to be improved because the parking is not in great shape, and the seating isn’t all that hot.

I think 30th Street in Boise would be a great location for a ballpark. I don’t think Meridian is all that great a choice. Driving into Meridian tends to be the most nerve-racking experience because the city doesn’t seem well-laid out and has really outgrown its infrastructure. Putting another 1,000 or so cars on Meridian roads right before and after the Hawks game seems a good way to make a challenging problem even worse.

But should taxpayers anywhere shell out money for the new ballpark? No.  A baseball stadium should be funded through private dollars or not at all. Wherever the Hawks end up playing, I’ll be happy to pay to get in if I want to see a game. But those who aren’t going to go shouldn’t have to pay.

Was reading ESPN’s coverage of Eri Yoshida training with Tim Wakefield of the Boston Red Sox. Yoshida is a female Japanese pitcher, who is playing with the Arizona Winter league. She got some tutoring on the knuckleball from Tim Wakefield.

When I was young, I read a book about a woman becoming a Major League pitcher. However, few women can throw major league fastball speed, because of a difference in upper body strength.

However the knuckleball is another matter. It doesn’t require near the strength of throwing a fastball. According to Wikipedia, her fastball maxes out at 63 MPH, and knuckleball hits 50 MPH, which is a little lower than the average male knuckleball, but on a knuckleball, you’re really looking for movement.

There’s not really an indication that Yoshida has the stuff to become a major league pitcher. She posted a 6.19 ERA in 19 innings in the Arizona Winter league. However, keep in mind, she’s 18 and it was only 19 innings pitched. In a limited number of innings, Knuckleballers will either be really good or horrendously terrible.

Whether Yoshida will develop a major league knuckleball remains to be seen, but I think the smart bet at this point is that if the Majors ever has a female pitcher, she’ll be a knuckleballer.

ALDS:

Twins v. Yankees:

On one hand, the Twins just came off a dramatic win. On the other hand, they’re facing the best team in the bigs, and a smart manager in Joe Girardi.

My prediction: Yankees in 4.

Red Sox v. Angels

The Angels have been absolutely solid all season long, with the Red Sox far more streaky. The Red Sox still have a rotation that’s so scary, you wouldn’t want to meet it in a dark alley, which makes this a tough one to call. However, two things make me think an Angel victory is in the offing. First of all is the Angels home field advantage. Secondly, is my gut on this series that the Red Sox are not the same team that won it all in 2007.  With great trepidation, I’ll predict this one as follows:

Angels in 5.

Rockies v. Phillies

This is a rematch of the 2007 division series which the Rockies swept on en route to a pennant. I’d like to think the same thing is in the cards, this year, I just can’t buy it. The Phillies have got a world title, and a murderer’s row line-up. You never underestimate the heart of a champion. The Rockies have been the best team in baseball since Jim Tracy took over, however they didn’t have a spectacular September. However, the strength of the Rockies pitching staff (yes, I can hardly believe I wrote that either) can’t be underestimated.

Still, I have to predict Phillies in 4.

Los Angeles v. St. Louis Cardinals:

This series features the managerial match-up of the post-season: Torre v. LaRussa. The Cardinals have got the strongest team in the NL Playoffs and the best player in ALbert Pujols. If he shows up, this will be lights out. Otherwise, expect a closelye played series.

My prediction: Cardinals in Five.

The game led me to think back on the career of Mo. It has been special. His career ERA is 2.29. The past 13 1/2 seasons for Rivera have been stunning. He’s put up a record of 64-48 with a 2.07 ERA and 505 Saves. During the past 14 seasons, his ERA has been above 3.00 only once (back in 2007) and two other times, it was above 2.50 (2000 and 2002), but it has been under 2.00 in seven seasons. He’s got a save percentage of 89%. Is there anyone who has ever been better as a closer? Many would say Trevor Hoffman, who has 574 Saves and counting, and also an 89% save conversion percentage.

However, Hoffman’s career ERA is nearly half a run higher at 2.76.  But that’s not the biggest edge Rivera has. While Hoffman’s playoff appearances have been infrequent and umimpressive, Rivera has played in the playoffs every year (except for 2008), making 76 appearances. Rivera’s record in the playoffs is 8-1 with a 0.77 ERA, and 34 Saves. Taken with his dominating All-Star game record, Rivera is the greatest big game reliever ever to play the game. If my life depended on 1-3 innings of baseball, there’s no doubt who I’d want the pitcher to be: Mariano Rivera in his prime.

1) Rickey Henderson

Is there any doubt? The man has 1406 Stolen Bases or 468 more than the previous record holder. 3055 Hits, a former MVP, and a guy who could hit for power (297 Home Runs and the most lead-off Home Runs of all time.) Henderson played for a lot of teams because contenders wanted this man on their team. He was such a great impact player.

2) Mark McGwire

But steroids!, you may say. Bah, I say. I’ll write more on McGwire either tomorrow or Thursday, but I’m standing on the guy’s career (583 Homers) and what he meant to baseball in 1998, when he Slammin’ Sammy brought baseball fully back.

3) Andre Dawson

Dawson’s membership in the 300/300 steals club is not as good a credential as it once was with the admittance of veteran ”okay” players Reggier Sanders and Steve Finley to the club. Still, 8 Gold Gloves, 8 All-Star Games,  4 Silver Sluggers, and an MVP award make Dawson a deserving pick.

4) Bert Blyleven:

Who is the only pitcher with more than 3000 strikeouts not in or on their way to the Hall of Fame whose not facing steroids allegations? Blyleven has almost twice the career shutouts of Roger Clemens. True, he was never a dominant pitcher but the same could be said of Don Sutton, who went into the Hall of Fame just fine. In fact, on BaseballReference.com’s similarity score, eight of the ten players most similar to Blyleven are in the Hall.

5) Lee Smith

2nd on the all-time saves list with 478. Smith was one of the best and more durable pitchers of his time. He really has not been given credit for his adaptability and longevity as a closer. He pithched 1022 games, he had a 3.03 ERA compared to 3.99 by pitchers in his era. He won 3 Rolaids Relief Awards in 4 years. (1991-94) No pitcher in baseball history has finished more games than Lee Smith. That’s how much he was trusted and relied upon in managers in multiple cities.

6) Dave Parker:

This is a guy nobody ever talks about, but for 10 years he’s been on the ballot, getting at least 5% of the vote, so he can live again to fight another day. He’s remarkably similar to Jim Rice whose a much balleyhooed candidate, except unlike Rice, Parker led his teams to 2 world Championships. Parker won his last Silver Slugger and made his last all-star appearance at 39. A very good player for a very long time.

—-

The toughest picks for me were not including Jim Rice (who will probably go in), but I just don’t see a one-dimensional player like Rice who ended up less than 400 Homers as real Hall of Fame material.

Tim Raines was a tough exclusion too. He is one of the all-time Stolen base kings, but I just don’t think his career quite measures up to what a Hall of Famer should be in terms of overall hitting and the overall package. At this point, I think of Raines more in the league as Brett Butler,  Al Oliver and Vada Pinson : good players who don’t rise to the level of Hall of Famers.

In order for a player to continue on the Hall of Fame ballot, they need 5% of the vote this election. Looking at the non-Rickey Henderson players to be on the ballot for the first time, I think it’s possible they all might be dropped. If I were to pick which players have a chance of getting another look from the Baseball Writers, my most likely to survive list would be as follows:

1) David Cone: slightly under 200 career wins, but more than 2,500 Strikeouts, 5 World Series Wins, and a Cy Young Award.

2) Jesse Orosco: A record-breaking 1,252 appearances and a 3.14 ERA. If there was ever a case for a non-closer reliever to make the hall of fame, Orosco is it.

3) Mark Grace: A fan-favorite, a .303 batting average, and 4 Gold Gloves.

If I had to pick a player I think will be dropped after this year’s all-star ballot, I’ll predict Harold Baines, who just barely made the cut in 2008 with 5.2% of the vote.

And if I were to predict who the writers will pick, I’d say Henderson, Rice, and maybe Dawson.

Maddux wasn’t as exciting as Randy Johnson to watch pitch. He would never blow you away with fastballs, but he would get you out. I’ve seen this guy throw a complete game in less than 90 pitches. This is what made Maddux so durable.

Maddux was special as well in that he worked at the whole game of baseball. He was the best fielding pitcher in baseball history, winning 18 Gold Gloves awards for his fielding prowess, more than any player at any position in the history of the game. While no one would mistake Greg Maddux for Babe Ruth, Maddux never made himself an automatic out at the plate, a rarity for a pitcher.

Johnson, Roger Clemens, and Tom Glavine have their place in baseball history, but Greg Maddux is truly a once-in-a-generation pitcher. It was a pleasure to watch him pitch.

That said, I think this Phillies Line-up is going to be very hard to beat. That, plus I got to root for the ageless wonder, Jamie Moyer. 45 years old in his first World Series. He’s been pitching longer than some of the Rays have been alive.

Jayson Stark at ESPN is hoping for some drama, complaining that the last four series have been snoozer with 3 sweeps and a 5-game series. I don’t think it’s much to complain about, but if we can see Game 6, I think that would be great.

My Prediction: Phillies in 6.

American League:
Chicago beats Tampa Bay 3-1

The Sox truly have the veteran team and the leadership to make it through the post-season.

Boston beats Los Angels of Anaheim 3-2:

My initial thought would be to favor the Angels. However, and this is totally a hunch, the Red Sox find themselves in an impossible position with Game 3 and question marks surrounding Josh Beckett, and a whole host of problems. It’s under these circumstances that champions shine.

National League

Los Angeles Dodgers defeat Chicago Cubs, 3-2

Sorry, David. Take the Dodgers strong second half, the presence of Joe Torre (four World Championship to Lou Pinella’s one), Manny Ramirez, and a strong 1-2 punch in Derrick Lowe and Chad Billingsley coupled with the Cubs’ hard luck in the post-season and I narrowly favor the Dodgers will win their first post-season series since 1988.

Phillies defeat Brewers, 3-1:

Welcome to the playoffs, Milwaukee. It’s great to have you. I’m genuinely thrilled for the folks in Milwaukee and CC Sabathia, whose clutch pitching makes him the best mid-season acquisition since the ’84 Cubbies acquired Rick Sutcliffe. Still, I’d bet on the Phillies who have the last 2 MVPs on the team plus Chase Utley and Pat Burrell, plus ageless wonder Jamie Moyer,

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• The free agent signing period would begin in June of the previous season.
• Teams would jockey for media attention by being the team that has the first game of the season. As a result, Spring Training would begin in November following the conclusion of the previous season’s Fall Classic. The regular season would start on Christmas Day.
•  In order to be fair and democratic, rules are changed so the opposing team’s fans get to pick the starting line-up at each game.
•  Teams would play at a normal pace for a couple months and then have one week where every team in the league is expected to play 28 games, or 7 straight days of Quadruple-headers.
• Of those teams that still had functional ballplayers after that, all teams other than the top team in the American and National League, respectively, would be expected to forfeit the rest of the season and warned sternly that if they didn’t, they’d be hurting their league’s chances in the World Series.
• After a forfeit is obtained from the last remaining “losing” teams in Mid-April, baseball stops except for an occasional exhibition game, while sports pundits speculate on who will be the starting pitcher in game one of the World Series in October. Supporters of the two League Champions are left with months to pointlessly razz each other.
• For a reason that makes no sense to anyone, a couple months before the World Series, each team airs a four day infomercial on national television touting how great their players are and their league as a whole. Nobody knows why and wishes they could watch American Idol instead. Some old guy insists there was a reason for the infomercial a long time ago, but he’s not even quite sure what it was himself.
• The World Series goes the distance to Game 7. A grand slam ends the series in the bottom of the eleventh. The opposing team goes into its clubhouse to decide whether it wants to agree the Home Run was hit. Around noon the next day, the opposing team faces reality. The World Champions have a fantastic parade in honor of their achievement.
• The next day, Spring Training begins. They got to hurry. Opening Day is on Thanksgiving.

Linked by Ol‘ Broad’s ramblings, Blue Collar Muse, and Voice of Liberty Podcast

Congress’ idiotic investigation of Roger Clemens alleged steroid use and Arlen Specter’s one man crusade on the NFL are distracting from the real issues our country needs to address.

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The one great point that seems to be missed by everybody is that in the Mitchell Report, for every big name player identified, there are three players you’ve never heard about or were at best non entities: Manny Alexander, Mike Bell, and Larry Bigbie on the list. This suggests to me that at the very least that steroids aren’t a magic “Superstar pill.” that can take Rafeal Belliard and turn him into Babe Ruth.

What we can say about steroids is that they can help players come back from injuries and give them greater endurance over a 162-game period. So, instead of hitting 73 Homers in 2001, perhaps Barry Bonds would have only hit 63 during the several year period he used steroids.

The Mitchell Report is notable for the name you don’t see on the list: Mr. Mark McGwire. While Senator Mitchell names every Tom, Dick, and Alfonse that he found a solid steroid connection to, Mark McGwire is not accused. However, don’t expect the Baseball Writers to open up Cooperstown’s doors to McGwire. After all he refused to Cooperate with the self-righteous idiotic investigation conducted by pompous Congressmen looking to agrandize themselves. Besides, they tell us, for everyone on this banned substance list, there are several players that are not.

A nice piece of “reasoning” that allows us to make a balnket guilty verdict against all players.

Regarding Roger Clemens, I find Curt Schilling’s suggestion that Roger return his Cy Youngs if he can’t prove himself innocent to be inane. First of all, you can’t prove you didn’t do steroids any more than you can prove you’ve never sped and you’ve never drank. Also as ESPN notes, none of Clemens’ steroid use included 1997 or 2004 (two years Clemens won Cy Young awards in) and the Blue Jays trainer while Clemens was there defended him:

Tommy Craig, the Blue Jays’ former longtime trainer, refuted the report’s claims from Clemens’ Toronto years, during which Craig worked as head trainer.

“Roger never gave me any reason to believe anything like that was going on,” Craig told the Toronto Sun. “He was a hard-working fool, a guy that you’d wish every one of your players would model themselves after as far as fitness and training and, on game day, his focus and all that. But I never saw anything out of the ordinary.

“I mean, Roger didn’t get obviously bigger. He didn’t change, didn’t get a squeaky voice, didn’t have any hair sprouting out. I didn’t have any reason to believe anything was going on.”

Hopefully, it’s proof enough for Curt to let Roger hang on to his 4th and 5th Cy Young Awards.

By the way,  hats off to Derek Jeter for sticking up for Roger and being a voice of sanity in this sea of insanity. Also, Roger Clemens has issued a denial of using steroids and for my part, I believe him.

Perhaps the worst suggestion is that this situation is comparable to the Black Sox Scandal of 1919 and Pete Rose. Rose, who would like to be re-enstated, makes his case:

“I never thought anybody would make me look like an altar boy,” Rose said.

“I’ve been suspended 18 years for betting on my own team to win,” he added. “I was wrong … but these guys today, if the allegations are true, they’re making a mockery of the game.”

“If you’re going to put these guys that supposedly did steroids into the Hall of Fame, I mean I’ve got to get a shot somewhere,” he said.

Thomas Sowell gets in on the action, too, comparing the situation to the 1919 Black Sox scandal:

The law has already spoken in the case of Michael Vick. It is too early to say what the law will do in the case of Barry Bonds and others involved in the steroid controversy.

But it is not too early to point out that what the law does or does not do is separate from what the people in charge of professional sports do.

In a court of law, the accused is presumed to be “innocent until proven guilty” beyond a reasonable doubt. But too many people mindlessly repeat that phrase for things outside of courts.

All the ballplayers accused of throwing the 1919 World Series were acquitted in a court of law — and all were nevertheless banned from baseball for life anyway by the commissioner of baseball.

There is still some lingering hope of sanity in the baseball writers’ refusal to vote Mark McGwire into the Baseball Hall of Fame, despite his tremendous career achievements. Keeping known rule-breakers out of Cooperstown would be a lot more effective deterrent than putting asterisks alongside their records, to be disregarded by those who are “non-judgmental.”

Sowell’s analysis is much sharper than Rose’s self-serving argument, but both seem to miss a point. What rule did players who used steroids violate? They violated the law of the United States and that’s something that Sowell points out is to be addressed by the courts. Unlike Pete Rose who played more games than anyone in History and saw Rule 21(D) more times than anyone in history and chose to bet on baseball, there was no rule against using steroids in Major League baseball. It was only recent banned.

Punishing Major Leaguers for using performance enhancing substances before 2003 is unjust, because there was no rule that was broken. I’ve admitted in the past that I used Ephedra before it was banned. What Sowell’s proposing would be akin to prosecuting me today as an illegal drug user even though the substance I used wasn’t illegal when I used it. It would be blatantly unconstitutional and UnAmerican, yet this is what’s being proposed for baseball.

In addition to this, we do have a punishment system in place for dealing with steroids in Major League Baseball and it is not one strike and you’re out. To say we’d ban Roger Clemens from baseball forever because he took steroids in 1998 would seem absurd, particularly if we catch a player using steroids today, we’ll only give him a 50 game suspension. And he may have used steroids several times before we caught him, but it’s still only 50 games.

I agree with Sowell on the need for following the rules, but we must be following actual written rules that are in place at the time of the offense, not merely deciding after the fact, we’re going to declare it a rule because we feel it’s the way it should be.

In addition, there’s a fine point to be made as Senator Mitchell stated:

“Everyone involved in baseball over the past two decades — commissioners, club officials, the players’ association and players — shares to some extent the responsibility for the Steroids Era,” Mitchell said. “There was a collective failure to recognize the problem as it emerged and to deal with it early on.”

If we’re going to start banning players and punishing them, what about the others? If you really want to compare this to the Black Sox Scandal, remember that Buck Weaver was banned from baseball for life despite the fact he didn’t partake the scandal, he knew about it and failed to report it. If we apply a Buck Weaver standards to everyone who knew about steroids in baseball, how many people would be left? And Cal Thomas extends this even further to Hall of Fame voters:

What will members of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America do when it comes time to elect players to the Baseball Hall of Fame? While some sports journalists were on top of the steroid abuse early — the San Francisco Chronicle, Sports Illustrated and NBC’s Bob Costas were among them — too many others enjoyed the story of superheroes with impossible bodies hitting the home run ball and setting new records. If some of those writers looked the other way, are they fit to judge the qualifications of players about whose alleged steroid abuse they might have known but declined to report?

Indeed. “Let him who is without sin, cast the first stone.”

Sen. Ted Stevens (Republican Pork King-Alaska) is back with a sequel to the bridge to nowhere, the ferry to nowhere. Congress overall has packed $20 billion in pork into Appropriations Bills. (Hat Tip: Reformed Chicks Babbling.) Speaking of pork, 15 Republicans went back on their word and voted to override President Bush’s veto.

Related:

• Congressional leadership’s approval rating is below O.J. Simpson’s approval rating in 1995. (Hat Tip: Don Surber.)

• An unbelievable statement from New York’s budget director. (Hat Tip: Government Bytes.)

• New York goes after Derek Jeter.

• The Greed of States and the absurdity of the Jock Tax. (Hat Tip: Government Bytes.)

• Mayor Bloomberg takes on incompetent teachers in New York City. (Hat Tip: Labor Pains.)

• A very PC Thanksgiving in Seattle.  (Hat Tip: Stop the ACLU.)

• A Michigan man is fed up with the full-time legislature in Lansing.  (Hat Tip: Sam Adams Alliance.)

• A New Solution for Polution presented by the Private Sector.

• Remembering LaFayette.

• The Egotistical ’60s generation.

• Cohabitation increases the risk of divorce. (Hat Tip: Evangelical Outpost.)

• An Illegal Immigrant is demanding to be sent home in Great Britain because he was moved from one rent-free room to another where the kitchen closed at 9 PM, thus “violating his human rights” (Hat Tip: The Corner.)

• Congressman Paul Braun stands up for the unborn.

• Christian Persecution in North Korea and Iran.

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Trackposted to Outside the Beltway, Stop the ACLU, Perri Nelson’s Website, The Virtuous Republic, Rosemary’s Thoughts, Stix Blog, Right Truth, The Populist, Shadowscope, Leaning Straight Up, The Amboy Times, Adeline and Hazel, third world county, Woman Honor Thyself, Pirate’s Cove, The Pink Flamingo, CommonSenseAmerica, Dumb Ox Daily News, Right Voices, Stageleft, Church and State, A Blog For All, Grizzly Groundswell, Big Dog’s Weblog, The Bullwinkle Blog, Cao’s Blog, Conservative Cat, Nuke’s, Diary of the Mad Pigeon, The World According to Carl, Walls of the City, Blue Star Chronicles, Wolf Pangloss, and The Yankee Sailor, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.

On the bright side, with a former mistress, and perjury and obstruction of justice charges, Barry meets the necessary moral and ethical standards to be elected President of the United States as a Democrat. If Barry runs and wins, he’d be the most ethical Democrat elected since 1976.

“It’s OK that you lost,” young Kelsie Saupe said, hoping to get a message to the team.

Like Kelsie and her family, Rockies fans were having none of the defeat in downtown Denver on Sunday night. Though the streets were relatively quiet, diehard fans lingered in the aftermath of the tantalizing taste of the World Series, watching the Red Sox celebrate in Coors Field and wishing they had a chance to salute their Rockies and give them the send-off they deserve.

“The Rockies had a good season,” said eight-year-old Austin Saupe, thinking hard about a sentiment to lift up the team’s spirits.

Austin and Kelsie held up signs to encourage their team throughout the game, charging Colorado to both “Rock” and “Wash the Sox.” The Saupes had already learned a vital lesson that fuels baseball fans to persevere with their team year after year: defeat does not dictate a taste of disappointment.

“I’m broken-hearted,” said Lindy Saupe, Kelsie and Austin’s mother. “I’m a little numb, but how cool is that they brought the World Series to our town? It’s a once in a lifetime thing. Maybe the Rox will do it next year, who knows? They did well.

“They’re good guys, and they’re right in their heart,” Lindy said of the Rockies. “They’re good players. I’m proud of them. They have heart. I’m just proud of the character that they bring to this. They are absolutely righteous men.”

Some Rockies fans are also taking some lessons from Red Sox nation:

The Rockies surely reached a turning point this season, tasting the postseason for the first time in 12 years and dominating the Phillies and Diamondbacks in the first two rounds. They may never be able to shake off the appetite for success again, and after a good look at Red Sox Nation celebrating at Coors Field, Rockies fans may never be satisfied offering anything less than whole-hearted support of the boys of Rocktober.

“I hope what happened this season builds the support across Colorado to create a fan base like the Red Sox have, because they totally deserve it,” said Sara Zoellner, Mike Jr.’s sister.

We can only hope. The Rockies sold out for hundreds of straight games, only to have attendance cut nearly in half as the club’s losing got old. If the Rockies can consistently have 3-3.5 million fans a year that would make a huge difference financially and psychologically for the club. This will also help:

While many Rockies fans interviewed after the game focused on their positive feelings for a team they have loved unconditionally and yearned for a chance to show that love, Mike Zoellner Sr. all but guaranteed fans that opportunity.

“I’m on the Downtown Business Improvement District Board, and we talked about this with the mayor’s office before the World Series,” Zoellner Sr. said. “No matter what happened, we’re going to have a parade. There will be a parade for this team, absolutely.”

Of course, with all this positivity about a team that did so much, there’s bound to be someone who is hateful about it, and surprise, surprise, it’s a liberal blog:

Not so chosen after all. Never mind belief in a supernatural entity keeping tabs on us all, it takes a particular arrogance to think that entity would care about the outcome of any given sporting event let alone backing a particular team. I don’t really care about baseball but when the Rockies made it into the World Series, I wanted Boston in 4.

Never mind that no one suggested God had anointed Colorado world champions or any such nonsense. What the Rockies are is a team of incredible character. Clint Hurdle said in last night’s post-game interview that Colorado’s success showed what could happen when a group of men worked towards a common goal and didn’t care who got the credit. That’s a less that wise men can learn and apply in any area of life. Sadly, it’s lost on some. 

The Colorado Rockies exceeded everyone’s expectations, played an amazing season (particularly the 20 of 21 stretch) and deserve plaudits as well. Getting swept out of the World Series is not fun, but they have no reason to leave this year with their heads hung low. There have been many teams that have been around far longer with no World Series appearance.

Looking ahead, the Rockies have a bright future with a lot of great young talent. If they can hold this team together for a few years, this may be the first of many trips.

Playing GM

That said, If I were the Rockies GM, there are a few areas I would see opportunities for improvement in: Catcher, Second Base, Center Field, and the Starting Rotation. 

There are few good Catchers available on the free agent market and few that would add a whole lot more than Yorvit Torrealba (other than Jorge Posada and let’s be honest that’ll blow the off-season budget), so I’d probably re-sign him for a year or so.

Second Base, I’d try and upgrade over Kaz Matsui with either Mark Loretta or Marcus Giles. Loretta, I like because he brings a veteran presence and is a little more stable on offense than Kaz. Marcus Giles would be a bit more of a gamble. He’s coming off a tough season for the Padres, but 2 years ago the guy got votes for the MVP and he’s only 29. Either of these guys would be an upgrade over Kaz and would be available for about the same money as Kaz will want after this season.

There are two solid Centerfielders out there and this might be where I’d spend some money. Torii Hunter of the Minnesota Twins is available. Hunter, I think would be the perfect addition to the Rockies ball club. First, he is a superb fielder and you need that in Center Field in Colorado, he’s a solid hitter, and a quality individual. With the Rockies’ focus on character, Hunter’s Man of the Year Award may be as important as anything else in what Torii Hunter could bring to the Rockies.

For the starting rotation, I wouldn’t look at the top guys out there, becuase they’ve got a ton of problems. The Rockies don’t need a Bartolo Colon or a Curt Schilling or a Greg Maddux. I’d a Livan Hernandez type pitcher. Somebody who could provide some experience, guidance and stability. Livan hasn’t had less than 30 starts in any season since 1997 and that dependability helps particularly on a rotation that dealt with a lot injuries.

As to the Rockies’ free agents, I’d work to bring back Yorvit, Latroy Hawkins, Jeremy Affeldt, and Matt Herges. I would be open to Fogg provided he was open to a reasonable offer.

UPDATE:

Thanks to the Red Sox’ Jacoby Ellsbury, who stole a base in the 4th, giving the rest of us a free taco.

Another reason for me not to like Rudy Giuliani-he’s backing the Red Sox. It’s not just that I’m a Rockies fan, but Rudy is clearly pandering to the New Hampshire electorate and willing to compromise on a long time loyalty. You can’t be as big of a Yankees fan as Rudy Giuliani has been and root for the Red Sox.

Finally, the New York Times had a great piece on the Rockies’ focus on character in their clubhouse. Reading how Rockies GM Dan O’Dowd has focused on character in hiring players, I have to take back what I said in 2004 about them getting rid of Neagle because he was a lousy overpaid pitcher. Thinking about it, I made a poor comparison between Neagle and Pedro Astacio (who was arrested for domestic violence in 1999 but not punished) as Astacio’s issues occurred before O’Dowd took over as GM.  (Hat Tip: World Magazine Blog.)

Trey Hillman, who has long been considered a possible sleeper candidate within the New York Yankees‘ organization in the event Joe Torre departed, is in serious negotiations to be the next manager of the Kansas City Royals.

So, here’s his choice. On one hand, he can take over the Royals, a team that has one winning season since 1993, hasn’t made the playoffs since the Reagan Adminstration. Their best hitter is a declining 37 year old middle infielder, their top power threat is a Catcher that slugged .429 and hit .222. They’ve got no money to build a contender, they probably never will. Whoever takes over Kansas City will be stuck with a lackluster sadsack team that would struggle against little leaguers until they were unceremoniously dumped.

On the other hand, if Hillman takes a job with the Yankees, he’ll have George Steinbrenner as his boss.

So therefore, he’ll manage the Royals.

“It’s groundbreaking,” Hurdle deadpanned when asked about his strategy.

“The only other option that I mentioned to somebody else that is much smarter than me is we could have lost a couple more games,” Hurdle said. “We could have gotten on a plane, we could’ve made another flight.

“That would have really cut down on this downtime, and maybe put us in a position where we could’ve had four months of downtime.”

So how does one fill the rest of the time? Here’s the schedule, after Wednesday’s workout of batting practice and fielding, with pitchers working bullpen sessions with the option of throwing breaking pitches:

• Thursday — Off.

• Friday — The Rockies will play a simulated game of a minimum of four innings, with the hitters facing pitchers who are throwing at full speed. The coaches will implement situational defense and pitchers will work against the running game.

Pitching coach Bob Apodaca said left-hander Jeff Francis, who has been dominant in the postseason (2-0, 2.13 ERA in two starts) and is likely to start Game 1, is scheduled to pitch on Friday.

• Saturday — They will play a simulated game of at least seven innings. Hitters will actually swing, rather than just look at pitches as they may be asked to Friday, and run out of the batter’s box.

“The more we put into it, the more we get out of it,” Hurdle said.

• Sunday — Bad weather is forecast, but the Rockies are looking at a simulated game of at least 7 1/2 innings. Fielders will make plays, but there will be no baserunning.

• Monday — The club will have its regular batting practice/pregame fielding session, and then fly to the city of the American League champion.

Last year, the Tigers entered the World Series as heavy favorites, but after a six-day layoff, they lost to the Cardinals in five games. Hurdle is aware of that, but he puts it in perspective.

“I’ve already had six or seven people bring to my attention that the Tigers had a long layoff last year and didn’t play very well,” Hurdle said. “And I just kind of shared with them that there have been 10 teams that have had layoffs of five days or more, and seven of them have actually won the World Series.

70%. Not bad odds. Meanwhile, Joe Torre declined a 33% paycut from the Yankees. Understandable. No way to reward 12 years of Great Service than by a slight. That said, it’s about time for Joe to move on anyway. Still, they could have done that without devaluing him.

First playoff series win in team history was 14 years coming. Here’s hoping they’ve got 3 more in them before the year is done.

The Rockies started the playoffs off right with a 4-2 win over the Phillies. Jeff Francis was the man and Mr. MVP (Matt Holliday) added an 8th Inning homer as insurance. Conventional wisdom says that the Phillies win this series because of pitching, but the Rockies and conventional wisdom haven’t gotten along the last three weeks.

This is the first time the Rockies have ever led a playoff series, their first playoff win that wasn’t in extra innings, and their second playoff win ever (the first game in Game 3 of the 1995 Divsion Series against the Braves.)

And to think five days ago, the Rockies were one loss away from playing golf. Way to go boys.

I’m still stunned. You never expect this from Trevor Hoffman or from this game. The Rockies 9-8 win in 13 innings will not be remembered other than as the longest one game playoff in history. It featured in starring roles, pitchers who shouldn’t be pitching and hitters who shouldn’t be hitting.

The Rockies won despite depleting their bullpen, as they had to go to the bullpen in the 5th. They won despite blowing a 6-5 lead in the 8th. The game was not the best played, nor the prettiest I’ve heard tell of. It was a long battle. It was won by the Rockies easily defeating one of the greatest closers history. No one imagines Trevor Hoffman coming in in the ninth and surrendering two straight doubles, followed by a triple, an intentional walk, and a game-ending sack fly, but that’s what happened.

The Rockies have shown incredible tenacity and now they’re back in the playoffs for the first time since 1995. Can they win? How far can they go? I don’t know, but I’ll tell you this. They have the 2nd best record in the National League (1/2 behind the Arizona Diamondbacks.) and they have winning records against during the regular season against 2 of the 3 other playoff teams. No team in this post-season is built like a pennant winner, so anything could happen.

Over the last few years, Volpe has gotten the worst of the deal. The Giants garnered playoff berts in 1997, 2000, 2002, and 2003, with an NL Pennant in 2002. Now at last his new favorite team has made it and has as good of a chance as anybody of representing the NL in the World Series. At last, he’s rooting for a player

They did it, with a 4-3 win over the Diamondbacks, the Rockies have forced a decisive playoff game tomorrow at Coors Field with the San Diego Padres with the winner taking the wild card, and the loser going home. The Rockies will most likely send up Josh Fogg in this game against Padres Ace Jake Peavy.

For Colorado to have even made it this far is a testament to the pure heart and dedication of that team. They were 76-72 on September 15th, 4 1/2 games behind at 80-67. The Padres went 9-6 down the stretch, the Rockies 13-1

Update:

It’ll be a long time (if ever) before Tara Rowe is won to our side on politics, but Mr. Rookie of the Year and Mr. MVP are moving her towards the Rockies.

If next season is similar to this one, I may find myself watching more Rockies baseball (I can hardly believe I just said that) as I have been very impressed with Troy Tulowitski and Matt Holliday.

Woo hoo! Go Rockies!

SAN FRANCISCO — Barry Bonds thinks Marc Ecko, the man who purchased the ball from his 756th home run, is wasting his money, according to a report in the San Francisco Chronicle.

Ecko, a fashion desiginer, purchased the baseball for $750,000 and is taking votes on the Internet on what he should do with it: Give the ball to the Baseball Hall of Fame, brand it with an asterisk or blast it into space.

Bonds says he doesn’t care that the options include an asterisk — implying that the home run record should be viewed with skepticism in light of his alleged use of performance-enhancing drugs. But he questioned why someone would spend $750,000 on a baseball and then propose ways to get rid of it, the Chronicle reported.

“He’s stupid. He’s an idiot,” Bonds said, according to the newspaper. “He spent $750,000 on the ball and that’s what he’s doing with it? What he’s doing is stupid.”

You know, he’s right. This is stupid. To spend $750,000 for a baseball and get rid of it? Say what? This is stupid and I give Barry points for calling it that way. Also, when asked about coming back next year, he said:

“Ask [Giants owner] Peter Magowan. He hasn’t told me anything. I don’t know why you keep asking me. I don’t own the team,” Bonds said, according to the report.

Well, Barry, I think you’ve got a little to say about that. This isn’t slavery. Businesswise and Baseballwise, it does make sense to bring Barry back at the right price. At his age, he’s leading the league in OPS and walks which is pretty impressive if you ask me. However, he faces a high risk of injury + limited playing time, but getting 3000 hits (the last milestone of his career.) should happen which is going to mean people in the seats and that’s very important in that new ballpark.

Yesterday, the season came to an end for the Boise Hawks. Sloppy play in the ninth turned a 2-1 Dust Devils lead inton an 8-1 Dust Devils win.  Of course, such sloppyness is to be expected in short season Class A ball. It’s remarkable to note the number of times that I’ve seen/heard the Hawks give a game away and how many the Hawks have gotten one.  On Tuesday night, Catacher Josh Donaldson’s amazing play of picking a runner off of second came because of sloppy baserunning on Tri City’s behalf. Players are developing and learning and the purpose of Minor League ball is to make sure these type of things happen as little as possible at the big league level.

In the end, Andrea and I enjoyed 3 games of good baseball and it was a fun first season of following minor league baseball. So my final Hawks notes:

• The Hawks actually ended up tied (37-39) with the Tri City Dust Devils but the Dust Devils won the season series 7-5,  so they won the Division crown. Does anyone else think that’s a cheap way to do it. Not to take anything away from the Dust Devils (who came from tied for third to get into first place.) but when a division ends up tied, we should have a playoff for it. This could be facilitated by having an off day before the 5-game division playoffs start. There’s no reason to have the regular season end on Wednesday and the playoffs start on Thursday. There ought to be a travel day, which in a pinch can be used for a division playoff.
• Hawks that will be in the Big Leagues someday #1: Josh Donaldson. We saw his first game and the guy was dynamite. He’s been a great asset all season. His final hitting line (.340-9 HR, 35 RBIs, and 1.075 OPS in 49 games) doesn’t even tell the whole story as to how valuable he’s been. Throw in 6 stolen bases coming from a catcher and he definitely looks like something special. We’re not likely to see him next year. He’s definitely ready for Peoria or Daytona at least.
• Hawks that will be in the Big Leagues some day #2: Tony Thomas looks to be a complete package player. He looks like he can easily develop into a great power-speed guy. In a league where you’re supposed to make mistakes, Thomas didn’t make many on offense. His line (.307-5-33 RBI, a .404 On-Base-Percentage, and .948 OPS) are pretty impressive. Consider the plate discipline he showed to draw the walks. In addition to this Thomas, was also tied for the league lead with 8 triples, which is pretty impressive given that he only played 45 games. He also was second in the league with 28 Stolen Bases (the league leader had 32 in 69 games), but with only 2 caught stealings. Thomas is already so solid even in his first season.
• Hope to see in the big leagues someday: Dustin Sasser. 3-4, 4.59 ERA doesn’t show much promise, but he looked great the times Andrea and I saw him. The guy’s got a ton of potential, particularly at 22, but that can be said of most players in the minors.

Dustin Sasser was perfect through the first three innings and then in the top of the 4th, 17 year old Spokane Lead Off man  Engel Beltre broke up the perfect game with a bunt single and Sasser injured himself trying to field it. Thid was not cool. You don’t break up a no-hitter with a bunt like that. It was a cheap hit and the only one Beltre got in the game.

After Simon Lee came out and couldn’t get anyone out and left with the Hawks trailing 3-1, the rest of bullpen held the Indians close the rest of the day, combining to pitch 6 inning, allowing only four hits, and striking out ten.

The offensive heroes of the day included Tony Thomas, who had 3 hits in the game. While, he was picked off second, he scored the winning run in the bottom of the 7th when he charged home on a Jonathan Wyatt chopper and slid in ahead of the tag.

The start of the game was Boise Hawks Catcher Josh Donaldson. Donaldson showed great hustle. In the second, he turned a ball hit into the sun into a triple. Then in the fourth, in one of the most bizarre plays I’ve seen,  Spokane Indians catcher Jason Brigham threw the ball down the right field line and Donaldson got all the way around the bases to score.

Thus, this is the standing in the Northwest Baseball League’s Eastern Division:

	Tri-City		30	34	.469	-
	Spokane		29	34	.460	0.5
	Boise		29	35	.453	1.0
	Yakima		28	36	.438	2.0

So, 2 games seperate first and last place with 12 left to play. Anything can happen. At this point, all four teams are entering a crucial point in their season, as they only have intra-division games left. Tri-City’s series in Spokane is crucial as the first place Dust Devils visit the Second Place Indians. For the Hawks, their series in Yakima is absolutely crucial. They don’t have to take 2 of 3, but they really can’t afford to be swept at this point in the season either.

Finally, at this point, not only is the entire Eastern Division under .500, so is every team in both divisions other than the Salem-Kaiser Volcanoes.

The Western Division’s Eugene Emeralds as the easiest road to a .500 season, only having to go 7-5 the rest of the way, the Vancouver Canadians  and Tri City dust devils would have to go 8-4, the Spokane Indians, Boise Hawks, and Everett Aqua Sox would have to go 9-3, while the Yakima Bears would have to go 10-2. It’ll be interesting to watch. It’s a safe bet that should any team in the Eastern Division reach the .500 mark, they’ll win the division.

 The Hawks have got five games left in the current road trip. Two more in Vancouver and then over to Yakima for three. Realistically, I think they need at least two wins in the next five games and then in all-world series against Spokane when they come to Boise. If the Hawks manage to hold close to first, I think they’ll be okay. Thye’ve got their last nine at home and have the best Home Record

The Hawks only got two hits and almost blew the game in the ninth, put the winning run on 2nd after walking in a run to make it 5-4. However, a win is a win is a win. The Hawks beat the Vancouver Canadians to stay 1 1/2 back of the Spokane Indians. The Dust Devils stayed 3 games back with  a 3-1 win over Eugene, which officially clinched the Western Division for the Salem Volcanoes who stand at a 48-12 record after their 5-1 win over the Bears who now fall 4 games back. Congrats to the Volcanoes, who as I said have to be odds on favorites for a second straight league Championship, and the San Francisco Giants should enjoy this talent immensely in about 4-5

Well, we’re in to the home stretch of the Northwest League Baseball season. With 17 game left (probably 16 by the time I get it posted), in the Western Division, it’s all over, Salem-Kaiser Volcanoes are headed for their second straight divsion title in the West and back to the Championship Game. The Eastern Divison,  now that’s something else.

The Spokane Indians lead by 1 1/2 games over the Boise, with the Tri-City Dust Devils and Yakima Bears each 3 1/2 games back with 17 games to go.  All teams are under .500 right now, which means whichever team faces Salem in the Championship won’t be favored, but getting there is half the fun.

I’m going to focus on the Hawks. What do they need to do the next 16 + games to win. This series they’re playing with the Vancouver Canadians will be key as will be their series with Yakima following it. They need to keep the division race close. They don’t want to be any more than 2 games out after they’re done with Yakima. The Spokane Indians will come to Boise for a 6 game series from August 28-September 2nd. If the Indians are leading by more than two games than the Hawks really have got to win five of six to stay alive. While, it’s doable, I’d much rather the Hawks cut the Indians lead down to 1 and then win 4 of 6.

Both teams have got to play well from here on out to avoid a run by Yakima or more likely Tri-City.

Looking at the scoreboard as I’m writing the post, Spokane looks to hold onto at least their 1 1/2 game lead as they’re beating Everett, 6-1 in the 7th,  but the Hawks don’t look to give ground with  a 5-3 lead over Vancouver, meanwhile the Yakima Bears are being beat by the Volcanoes 5-1 in the 9th and will fall 4 1/2 games back, and the Dust Devils are tied with the Eugene Emeralds 1-1. Go Hawks!

Commissioner Bud Selig let Giambi off the hook because of his cooperation with former Sen. George Mitchell’s ongoing investigation into the use of drugs in baseball.

“Jason was frank and candid with Senator Mitchell,” Selig said on Thursday in a statement. “That and his impressive charitable endeavors convinced me it was unnecessary to take further action.”

That and he didn’t actually violate the rules of baseball. The writers are going to howl about this, but the fact is that prior to 2003, using steroids wasn’t banned in major league baseball.

Selig does seem to leave the door open to punishing players with steroid activity PRIOR to the steroid’s policy being in effect. I have an idea, if we’re going to go and retroactively start dinging players, why don’t we suspend every owner in the big leagues and the commissioner for a season for not taking steps to insure that steroids weren’t being used. There were whispers of steroids in 1998 and Selig didn’t do a blessed thing. Given that, he should be a man, stand up and say, “As Commissioner, I knew this was going on and I did nothing. I’m responsible for creating the culture that allowed this go on. ” Instead, he’s letting a few players get scapegoated.

The whole stunt with put his hands in his pocket when Bonds hit #755 was classless. You want to protest Barry Bonds’ alleged steroids use, you can start by firing the commissioner who made it possible. If you had so much respect for Henry Aaron’s record, than maybe in 1998, he could have taken the issue seriously. He didn’t.

So, what are we doing? Punishing the players based on evidence that wouldn’t stand up in any court of law in America. The same writers who won’t vote for Mark McGwire for the Hall of Fame because he refused to testify before on Congress on steroids are lining to vote against Sammy Sosa, who denied steroid use, becuase they didn’t believe Sosa.

Some day, we’ll wake up from this madness and realize that every era has its problems and every player has good and bad points. We’ll realize that steroids can’t turn an average hitter into Superman. We’ll realize that we cheated ourselves in not enjoying  Barry Bonds’ amazing run (including 2003 and 2004 when he won MVP Awards after Game of Shadows said he stopped using steroids.) We’ll realize that if hitters used steroids, that makes the pitcher-hitter battle fair with all the pitchers who also used. Sadly, that time is decades away, so we’re left with steroid madness.

So, why is the fact that only 8.4% of MLB baseball players are black a problem? In basketball, as of 2004, only 21% of the league was white and almost half of them were from Europe. So, if anything, the numbers are far more skewed in NBA…

Yet, when Larry Bird said that the NBA needed more white players back in 2004, it was extremely controversial and he was slammed by some people as a bigot.

Double standards aside, who cares whether a particular race of people are playing particular sports? In particular, if blacks are as into baseball, what difference does it really make in the end if MLB attendance is at an “all-time high?” Reaching out to young people of all races to get them to play your sport makes sense, but who cares about racial diversity for diversity’s sake in a professional sport?

I think the difference here is that the decline in African Americans in baseball highlights the game’s ignoring the inner city. Given that baseball is located near large urban centers, these are the people who will attend the game and they’re not being turned onto it by and large. And when we’re talking about the American game, every area should be strong. The future of baseball in the next 20-30 years doesn’t look bright when ads during baseball games are target primarily to guys in their 40s-50s with enlarged prostates, and keeping attendance high will require doing some restoration work.

Are we going to start asterisking the accomplishments of pre-integration era players? Is Bonds little more than a doped up steroids dude and those steroids account for all the homers?

Let’s be honest. We have no way to know the impact of these drugs on Bonds’ performance. Did it account for 100 or 200 homers in the seasons he allegedly used junk (1998-2002)? I doubt it.

In the end, the record’s not about steroids, the records about an amazing player and incredible endurance that’s beyond what I or anyone else could imagine. At the age of 43, Barry Bonds has a major league leading OPS of 1.064, and he’s going to end the year close to 30 homers at his age. And in the era of steroid testing, “Look mom, no steroids.”

As Bonds circled the bases, for the first time in my many years of watching him, he was excited, alive, and thrilled to be playing the game. Had he been this passionate and enjoyed the game more visibly during his long career, it would have made it easier for fans to root for him and enjoy his accomplishments. In the end, it never seemed Barry really enjoyed any of it until last night, so we viewed him with suspicion. He was our favorite baseball super villain. In the end, we’re all poorer for that: Bonds and the fans.

It should be noted that Hank Aaron (whose video was a class act surprise) does still hold the record for Home Runs by a Right Handed Hitter and he holds that by a solid margin over Willie Mays (755-660).

Linked by Huckleberries Online

Mike K argues:

How about Josh Gibson (Negro Leagues) or Saduharu Oh (Japan)? Both hit more dingers than any of these guys.

The problem with Gibson is that the Negro Leagues didn’t keep reliable records and some of his homers included barnstorming teams. The Japanese league also doesn’t have the same quality of record-keeping. I think they’re great hitters, but that doesn’t take anything from Bonds.

Of course, the greater accomplishment this weekend may have occurred with Tom Glavine getting to the 300 win mark.  Many think this mark will never be hit again. I’ve heard all sorts of analysis including how pitchers start less games than they did when Glavine came into the league.

Non-sense. Glavine started 36 games in a season.  Other that pitching above the league average, Glavine did two things right: 1) he was durable and he won plenty of ballgames before 30. (128)  and he also had 5 20-win season. (Think of how remarkable that is these days.)

Who could make it to 300? Randy Johnson if he gets healthy (284), Mike Mussina (246) doesn’t look like he’s got another 54 wins in him. If Pedro Martinez (206) gets healthy, I could see him putting up 94 wins before it’s all said and done.

Beyond that?

Try Tim Hudson (131 wins at age 31). He’s got great stuff and is capable of putting up big win numbers. Beyond that, we’re talking potential. Mark Buerhle’s got 106 wins at age 28, not what I think of as a 300-game winner, but he’s shown some brilliance.  Though C. C. Sabethia is only 26, he’s got 95 wins.  When Tom Glavine was his age, he only had 73.

It can be done, particularly with players lasting later in their career, but it’s gonna be a long road as it was for Glavine, Clemens, and Maddux. Lest we forget, between 1993 (when Nolan Ryan retired) and 2003 (when Roger Clemens won his 300th), we had no 300 game winners active. Now, we have three.

There have been even longer draughts. For example,  from 1930-1962, Baseball had one pitcher hit 300 wins (Lefty Grove) and from 1965-82, there was no 300-win pitcher in the game. We’re fortunate that we have three 300-game win legends pitching (Maddux, Glavine, and Clemens) and we should enjoy them while we can. It could be 2 or 3 decades until we see another.

Said one blogger :

I am so inspired by the Duggar family of Arkansas. This week they welcomed their 17th child, a beautiful little girl named Jennifer. It was a Discocer Channel Special a few years ago about their family that not only put the idea of wanting more children into my heart, but also inspired me to return to my faith in God and to get right in my walk with Him.

Observed another:

The Duggars seem to be good parents, seem to be able to provide for the children they have, seem to be thrilled with each birth. I sure hope all is as it seems, because I know how difficult it was on my Mom just with her eight.

 

God bless you Michelle Duggar with all the love and patience and strength you need.

 

Another is encouraged by the Duggars’ dedication:

I know I’m surprised. Here are seventeen children who will not lapse, without a fight, into decadent hedonism. No one knows what the future holds, and some may fall away, but the seed which the Duggers will plant will never be uprooted, and though some may leave the path, this now convinced Catholic knows that the path will never leave them.

And then there’s this comment from Peter, a father of four sons:

Jennifer and I have a lot of catching up to do.

Ah, the competitive side’s alive and well with that one. j/k. Actually, I think the situation has to be one of admiration. There’s the prodigiousness of the feat itself: 17 healthy children, 15 healthy pregnancies. There’s the admirable provider skills needed to support them. There’s the the parenting skills that’ve stopped their from becoming an unmanagable mess.

While most of us won’t want 17, or 10, or an extremely large number.  With population control and the social pressure for less kids, the public example of the Duggars encourages folks who want more children, but know that once you get past two, people start to whisper behind your back (even in the church,)  God bless them for the encouragement they’re providing.

The Hawks now lead their divsion by 1 1/2 games after a 2-11 start, they’ve gone 18-9 to get a lead over Spokane in the NWL Eastern Division. I think the Hawks have the right stuff to repeat as Division Champs. They’ve got good pitching and some great players in the line-up this year including Marquez Smith, Jonathan Wyatt, and Josh Donaldson. The Hawks pitching is also generally strong. The Hawks have distinguished themselves as the strongest team in a weak division. They’re the only team at .500.

My concern is how they’ll perform in the post-season against the Salem Volcanoes. The Volcanoes are 32-8 at this point, and were the Hawks in the same division as Salem, they’d be in 4th place. Their miserable 8 game losing streak to begin the year, began by being swept by the Volcanoes. The Hawks are going to need to step it up to be on the same level as Salem.

Now onto the Rockies. With their win over LA yesterday, the Rockies pulled within 3 1/2 of First Ploace. It’s great the Rockies have gotten this close, but my gut says this isn’t their year. Why?

My big danger sign is their home (30-21) v. Road (23-30) split. They’re going to go on a six game road series to Florida and Atlanta and they probably come back from that series with a 55-55 record, having lost several games on LA/Arizona. The Rockies simply don’t have the talent, the rest of the division does and there have been no rumors of the Rockies making the type of deadline deal that could help them make the playoffs.  I’m hoping they can get to 80-85 wins for the first time in forever. The only hope for the Rockies is pure heart caring them to the title. So, if they’ve got the heart of a winner, these last 58 games are the time to show it.  

Speaking of that, I could probably do the Truth and Hope Report, but am opting to comfortably rest my jaw:

Some other notes:

• I’ve decided to make an exception from my no TV rule for Major League Baseball games. Certainly, not every week, but every other week sitting and watching the Fox Saturday Baseball Game of the Week featuring the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and the Detroit Tigers.
• I found the tributes to Cal Ripken, Jr. and Tony Gwynn somewhat unsettling. Let’s be clear Cal and Tony are Hall of Famers all the way, but the adulation seemed almost god-like.  Don’t get me wrong, Tony and Cal were great ballplayers and great guys, but the reaction’s been over the top. Perhaps, it’s because of comparison to today’s players and this is all happening in the shadow of Barry Bonds’ assault on history.
• The Detroit-Anaheim game was generally well-played except for starting pitchers that wore out far too early. I had to respect Leyland and Scioscia for not trying to string the guys out. They got into high pitch counts, they got into trouble and they were pulled. Of course, this will take a toll on the bullpen.
• Eric Karros is in his 3rd year as a color commentator, and I’ve got to admit that while he had his good points, he’s perhaps one of the harsher guys I’ve seen on players, managers, etc. and was a little too into the mechanics for my taste.
• This was an exciting game up until the 8th Inning. One thing I loved was the base-running. 4 Stolen Bases and a Caught Stealing. Carlos Guillen of the Tigers stole second and third for his 8th and 9th Stolen Bases of the year.  He got Joe Saunders number.
• The big talk after the game was Garret Anderson’s disputed home run. Yes, the ball was touched by the fan near the Washington Nationals’ place on the out of town scoreboard and you could see that in super slowmo. However, the umpires couldn’t without an instant replay. As Karros pointed out, the correct call would have been a ground rule double. Oh well, without instant replay, the Umpires can’t really make that call. Anyway, it really was a moot point. The situation would have been second and third one out, with the Tigers up 4-3, Jeff Mathis then came up and slammed a double which would have made the score 6-3. Doubtless, some Tigers fans will blame the umps, but this game was lost, because the Tigers  couldn’t hold a 3-1 lead and allowed the Angels to score 9 unanswered runs.
• I was about ready to turn the TV off, when I got lured into NBC nightly news. That was a mistake and a 3 minute waste of my life. In the first few minutes, I learned of the Vice-President’s battery replacement and we spent a good minute learning why this was a relatively minor procedure that shouldn’t be topping any news casts. Then there were a spate of accident reports. No wonder people don’t watch the news. After three minutes, I was pretty well disgusted with depresso-vision. News is of course, unusual by nature. I won’t complain about NBC not spending a lot of time covering all the medical helicopters or small planes that took off fine, but is this really need to know information? Thank goodness for RSS.

Hero of the Game: Kyler Burke went 3-for-4 with a Homer (for the first Hawks run of the day), a double, a single and 2 RBI. Oh and with the Dust Devils threatening in the ninth, he made a spectacular diving catch to end the game.

Ready to go up to AA: Josh Donaldson probably won’t be in Boise long so we should enjoy him while we can. A first round pick, Donaldson boosted his average to .306 with 5 homers in 10 games (he’s hit 2 homers in the 2 games, Andrea and I saw.)

We send hi to Humphrie the Hawk, with a shake of the hand. It was a great game and a nice results.

A-Rod may laugh off the talk now, he’ll almost undoubtedly become the Home Run king one day. This ought to cause a man to examine his life and character, because with a record like that, he will be remembered. The only question is how.

 Linked by Bloggin’ Out Loud.

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic — Jose Jimenez, who threw a no-hitter as a rookie with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1999, was one of two Dominican athletes removed from the Pan American Games on Saturday after they tested positive for banned substances.

Jimenez, who had 41 saves for the Colorado Rockies in 2002, last pitched in the majors for the Cleveland Indians in 2004. He finished his career with 110 saves.

Jimenez, who tested positive for anabolic steroids, turned 34 on Saturday.

Now, we can’t say for sure that Jimenez used steroids (but when did that ever stop Mark McGwire accusers) but the fact is that we have more reason to believe he did than that his former St. Louis teammate did (for the allegations against McGwire we have the word of convicted felon Jose Canseco.)

Even if one concedes the point that steroids can make a player better. (And I’ve not seen evidence for it.) If pitchers were taking it just as much as hitters (which has been the case in the Minor leagues) it would seem to me that any advantage gained is made up by your opponents also using it. If anything, it would seem the steroid situation would cause us to give greater weight to the accomplishment of clean players who’ve not been implicated, such as two time Home Run Champ Fred McGriff, who retired with 491 career homers. Doesn’t he deserve credit for accomplishing that against juiced up pitchers? Even though it’s not quite 500, it would have been had the pitcher not been on steroids.

I helped educate her on baseball. During the first inning when the players were taking their warm ups, Andrea asked, “How are they doing?” I said, “Honey, they’re just warming up.” She said, “Yeah, but how are they doing?” I explained that warm ups didn’t tell us much about how players were going to perform.

I got to spend some time explaining all these baseball things, which made me feel like an expert. Of course, I felt tempted to do what men do when they don’t know about something–make up some random guess. When Andrea asked why there were bleachers instead of seats along the First Base Line at Memorial Stadium (while seats were along the third base line), my mind began to concoct a convoluted reason, and then I realized what I was doing and was man enough to say, “I don’t know.”

Anytime a foul ball was hit out of the stadium, we turned and watched to see if it would hit a car. Andrea had advised me to park far away, so we wouldn’t suffer the fate of another fan who had their windshield broken by a foul the last time we went to the ballgame. Thankfully, all windshields survived, though I suppose some cars might have ended up with scratches.

The game itself had some pretty exciting moments. The triple to lead off the game by Roberto Mena was an awesome display of speed. Andrew Rundle tied it with a Homer, as the Hawks went on to score 11 unanswered runs.

Dustin Sasser was absolutely awesome for the Hawks. After the initial triple, he went on to retire 18 of the 21 batters he faced. A bunt single in the fourth, an error in the 5th, and a single in the sixth gave the Aqua Sox their only runners. His line: 6 IP, 3 H, 5 K, 0 BB. Good job.

A sloppy 4-run 6th sealed the Aqua Sox’s fate.  Catcher Josh Dunbar had a passed ball, relief pitcher Phillip Roy had 2 Wild Pitches, and the Hawks went up 8-1, thus clinching that we, the fans, would get free Frostys at Wendy’s.

The win was only the Hawks’ third of the season and their first at home, and it was great to see it.

Then after the game ended, we were treated to an awesome fireworks show, some of which I’ve captured below (had to do some editing as I had several seconds of black screen.) Happy Independence Day.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bE3jOCIm6QA[/youtube]

 It’s quite sad actually. A-Rod went to a Christian High School in Miami and was at one point listed and one of the few born again players in Major League Baseball. I remember when he was in Seattle, my aunt bragged about what a good person he was. Sadly, much of that has gone down the drain. He’s still one heck of a ballplayer,  but beyond that he’s definitely changed-and for the worse.

Other reactions:

• The Bleacher Creature (a Yankee blog)(corrected per comments) calls Cynthia on the carpet:

I think that the joke/statement Cynthia made was entirely inappropriate and uncalled for. And to top it all off, she wasn’t alone in the stands, she was accompanied by her 2 year old daughter. I mean honestly, is this the kind of example we’re setting for our youth nowadays. There is in fact an apparel conduct rule at the Stadium as Mike pointed out to me this morning. But obviously, the wife of the best thing we have going for us right now is not getting thrown out of the park. Whether this was a shot at the media or her husband, it really doesn’t matter. It was uncalled for and disrespectful to the fans around her.

Agreed.

AEM at Sports for Sports Fan thirds the general opinion and suggests the Yankees need to take action:

And frankly, this is wrong. The security at Yankees Stadium should have stopped her from coming in with that type of shirt, or, if they missed it when she came in, they should have done something when people left and/or complained. I doubt that a normal fan would have gotten away with what Mrs. Rodriguez did, and whether they had or not, it was wrong what she did, plain and simple.

This needs to be addressed by the Yankees, to both parties. If it was just her tantrum, she best let those stay outside of the gates at the Bronx Park, if it is their little tug of war, they need to let it go, at least until ARod opts out and goes elsewhere, then they can do what they want. If this is their way to tell people to mind their business, they can do it in other ways I think. Whichever it was the whole thing was (I am repeating myself) classless

Reaction is pretty much the same across the blogosphere. This was bad conduct, that’s sadly classlesss.