December 2008
Baseball Across America- the great experiment
December 31, 2008. Today is the last day of 2008 and what a year it has been. In this post I will lay down the groundwork for much of my 2009 and an adventure I invite each and every one of you to come along on. In my experiment I hope to expose the America lost in recession, war, political bickering and loss of love for thy neighbor. The America where there is love for one another and kindness and generosity and all through the use of baseball…
“It breaks your heart. It is designed to break your heart. The game begins in the spring, when everything else begins again, and it blossoms in the summer, filling the afternoons and evenings, and then as soon as the chill rains come, it stops and leaves you to face the fall alone.” Bart Giamatti.
Baseball has seen most of the major strife this country has faced and through out, it has taken on one form or another and supported the masses. Whether during the ’30s and depression era ball bringing the first night games to be played or the ’40s with brave women taking over and creating “a league of their own” as brave soldiers fought in WWII. Even recently as 2001, poetically, the Yankees took to the field after 911 versus the Diamondbacks to reassure Americans we would go on. It was an American tale to see the D’backs face the “giant” and win in the World Series but it was the American dream. You could do anything.
The year of 2008 saw the first black president and great strides in tolerance but also the culmination of corruption in American business. Thousands continued to lose their homes and life savings and red and blue were still the colors separating American and American. With great reserve and fear so many Americans will turn to the national pastime this next year on radios, internet, television and if lucky enough, visiting so many of the holy shrines we call stadiums. That’s where I come in.
Part one- background and belief
I will assume majority of people who are reading this don’t know me, so I will give a brief synopsis of where I am coming from and what will drive me there. Roughly six years ago I gave up my passion in writing for fear of student loans and other obligations I couldn’t pay. I took another job that would meet those obligations but I lost my dream along the way. How many people out there have done the same? 2008 gave me the opportunity to once again realize that dream and at what better time to begin to realize the opportunity before me.
Much of it started with prompting from my mother. Gotta love moms. I had gone to the DNC in Denver with a great friend and I wanted to see the spectacle that was American politics. I wanted to see through the eyes of a journalist something that hadn’t been in Denver for a century. What could I learn or be a part of? I marched in an anti-war protest that was the largest of the DNC with over 12,000 people not because I didn’t support the troops or love this country and understand their sacrifice, but because I wanted to highlight the idea of peace and maybe if just given a try we could be a better world. In comes my mother. After hearing of this she reminded me that I used to write and maybe I should write again. So I did and a local southern Colorado paper ran my piece.
Not long after it was attacked in an editorial by a gentleman who I don’t believe meant harm, but called my idea of peace “flowery rhetoric.” I was saddened not because he had disagreed, but because I felt this was probably the feeling of so many Americans in this day and age. I then asked myself what I could do to change this. I firmly believe one person can make a difference in this world with the passion and determination to do so. Along came the idea for Baseball Across America.
Part two- Belief in action
I am currently in the process of becoming homeless. Not because of foreclosure, but because I won’t need a home where I’m going. Majority of my possessions are being sold or will be sold and the rest will go into storage or donated to charity. February 1st , I will officially be without an address of my own for the first time ever.
I am taking the last money I have in savings and putting it all towards living my dream and hopefully making America and the world a better place at the same time. How?
At the beginning of the baseball season I will follow behind my team, the Colorado Rockies, and as best I can go where they go. Not in first class plane trips or by fancy means but in my 2001 Ford Taurus with 140,000 miles on it. I won’t be able to see every game or go to every city and truthfully I don’t know how far I will even get on the money I have. I may take a flight or two if I find I can afford it, however American engineering and the Taurus will have to hold up! But it’s the journey I’m going to write on. The experiment.
The experiment will have me staying with complete strangers and family or friends when available. My goal is to document not only the game of baseball but the great people of this country in each and every city and home I am welcomed into. The humanity of the great people of this country is what I hope to see most. No arguments or divisions or separation by race, income or belief. I love baseball and hope to act as an ambassador of my love for the game.
You the people are welcome to come along but not just passively. I hope that if any post I write inspires you to do good then please by all means. A call to action. If something I said in the back of your mind prompts you to a kind deed then every last penny of my life savings was worth it. We can all do this one deed, one person, one city at a time. We all are in this country and it’s the best one in the world so why not try and make it just a little better for everyone. For a moment look at the We not the I. For those outside America the principle still holds true. Canadian brothers in baseball or Mexican brothers begin the fight.
Most who know me would say I am stubborn and not quick to ask for help. For this journey I have put that stubbornness aside and will ask help of so many people, so many towns to visit and homes to take refuge. Anyone wanting to help and even if in kind words can always email me at baseballacrossamerica@gmail.com or stop in at rockymountainway.mlblogs.com. My internet access after February will depend on coverage where I am but I will do my best to respond to every email I get.
I’m not naïve in the challenges and obstacles I face. I know there will be many who disagree with me and would rather see me fail. I know the money will eventually run out and the car could quit in the middle of nowhere. I could get robbed or in an accident and terrible things “could” happen.
I’ll paraphrase Bob Marley here “the people trying to make the world a worse place aren’t taking a day off, so how can I.” The things I hope to happen are worth far more then the negative that could come about.
Some will say driving and seeing baseball games is not hard but I’ve driven many road trips and it is hard. Writing everyday will be a job and trying to cover America no easy task. A great quote I read recently from a freelance writer said something to the effect of being a freelance writer you are free to starve wherever you want. I hope not to starve but losing some weight would be a good thing!
I won’t say that every post at http://rockymountainway.mlblogs.com will be Pulitzer Prize winning material. Some will be very light hearted and some serious. But my hope through all the bad is to show the good that does not make the daily news. Sure if I find a to die for brat with onions and peppers in Houston or an awesome baseball statue in San Diego you will read about it. If I come across an amazing charity in Chicago or unbelievable youth baseball program in New York I will highlight them.
I understand my blog is a baseball blog and baseball will be this ship carrying me to my destinations. I can’t thank the people at MLBlogs enough for giving the opportunity to ordinary people to write. Thank you Mark and all the others that go into keeping the sight up and running.
Mr. Rodgers said it best “would you be my neighbor.” In 2009 will you be my neighbor in rediscovering the beauty that is America through her people and places and her past time?
Again you are all invited to help and read along in this chapter of my life. January will find me packing and cleaning and maybe even finding a part-time job to pay off some more bills before I go. February will find me franticly trying to pay those bills still! I’ve been invited to stay on a friends couch until I leave and it will also find me gearing up for my journey. March will find me beginning that journey and God only knows the outcome.
I am not perfect and have made too many mistakes in this life to count but it’s what we do now and in the future that determines who we are. Every minute is an opportunity to do the right thing even if it’s the hardest thing. No matter your age or background we all take steps backwards at times but as long as you’re trying to take steps forward it will all work out.
“He’s telling us this and he’s telling us that. Changes it every day. Says it doesn’t matter. Bases are loaded and Casey’s at bat playin it play by play. Time to change the batter. And we don’t need the ladies crying cause the stories sad, uh huh. Rocky mountain way is better then the way we had…” - Joe Walsh
God bless each and every one of yours in 2009 and I hope to meet many of you on the road this year and maybe tell your story!
Tom Walsh- rockymountainway Dec 31, 2008
From gas can to THE man- An ode to Brad Lidge
Wrapping up 2008 I have been recalling many goings on in the year. For this post I would like to pay homage to a pitcher who resurrected his career and proved he could be the man. Even though he’s not a Rockie it’s easy to root for the individual.
Imagine standing on the mound and you are the last defense and three outs away from leading your team to victory. The whole game has come down to you and your ability. Are you good enough? Can you handle the pressure? Can you be the man? We all face those decisions in life even if not on the mound and did you live up to the expectations put on your role?
In 2008 Phillies pitcher Brad Lidge answered those questions with his play on the field and in doing so exorcised the demons of the 2005 season where
his career seemed to have ended.
Many will point to the 2005 NLCS series game five against Albert Pujols and the Cards when Pujols sent a three run home run into history and forced game six which the Astros would win.
Enter the World Series and Lidge again with the opportunity to close the door, when Scott Podsednik would hit his second homerun of the season. A walk off blast that led to the Astros getting swept two games later.
I remember reading a story and Lidge recalling going straight home after the last game, getting his dog and driving all the way to Colorado where he lives. If you have made that drive it’s a long one with plenty of time to think and go over what could have been.
In 2006 Lidge would have a miserable ERA of 5.28 coming from a 2.29 and 1.90 ERA’s the two previous years. It was easy to make the comparison that Lidge was indeed spraying gasoline from his gas can all over the field and throwing matches with every pitch. Blown save after blown save, many thought he would never be able to get over the mental aspect of failure and being able to succeed again. He just wouldn’t re-engage. Talk to me Goose.
The Astros were playing the Rockies in 2007 and Lidge was called to put down the Mile-High surge and I looked over and said “No, no this is good. This guy lost his stuff, he gets lit up.” Then I saw it and if you have ever seen Brad Lidge’s slider up close it is one of the most beautiful pitches you have seen and I thought to myself “Crap, he’s back.”
He had his confidence back and you could see it. The Rockies lost that day and I knew Lidge had something back and I think it was the same confidence he had before Pujols and Podsednik lit him up.
Quietly he exits Houston to sign with Philly and I thought it was a good move because I’m not sure Astro’s fans could ever really get over feeling like he lost the Series for them. I didn’t know what he would bring but it was a new start and a new opportunity to succeed. He took it.
Game five of the 2008 World Series, Lidge gets the ever important strikeout he had not been able to get in 2005 and converts seven saves in post season. Seven saves gave him the perfect season with 41 saves with 41 opportunities.
He faced adversity on the world stage and failed and continued to fail until he was able to find something inside himself to find that confidence again. He not only succeeded he was perfect. Congrats Mr. Lidge and you are an example to follow in everyday life. Best wishes for continued success in ’09.
For Auld Lang Syne “times gone by”
Anyone who reads my blogs can pick up on the fact that I love to write. Pictures are awesome to help make a point or add to the written word, but I love more to have the reader see the words and understand the meaning in them. I give people credit that we are not just 20 second mindless creatures who only stay on something 20 seconds before we must be lulled into staying with flashy pictures and light commentary day in and day out. I realize it works because movie, tv, internet companies do it every day and draw people in.
I realize too that a number of people just clicked off because it went more than 20 seconds and that immediate gratification wasn’t met. Oh well! The rest are hopefully in for a treat.
Today I am going to put way more pictures on my blog than usual and less writing because I want you the reader to take a moment with each and every photo to think of a moment of “times gone by” as we approach the new year. As I am putting things into boxes and going over the year in review, I realize the new relationships formed and some left behind. Some people I knew very well, others I just tremendously respected their craft and could count on a good laugh or maybe a moment of introspection because of them.
So enjoy and “well drink a cup of kindness yet for times gone by.”
Thanks for those “7 words” my man you had the courage to stand up and who could ever forget the “garage sale” bit.
George Carlin
May 13, 1937- June 22, 2008
So many great movies, but even greater and God bless you for all the charity work you did and the lives you helped improve.
Paul Newman
Jan 26, 1925-Sept 26, 2008
“Let my people go…”
“Take your stinking dirty paws off me you damn dirty ape..”
Charlton Heston
Oct 4, 1923- April 5, 2008
Everytime I go out diving I think of you in the back of my head…
“We’re gonna need a bigger boat.”
Roy Scheider
Nov 10, 1932- Feb 10, 2008
As a fellow newsman I always held your work in high regard. You’ll be missed.
Tim Russert
May 7, 1950- June 13, 2008
The Blues got a little sadder when the world lost you my man.
Bo Diddley
Dec 30, 1928- June 2, 2008
You left way too soon Mac. Thanks for all the laughs.
Bernie Mac
Oct 5, 1957- Aug 9, 2008
Musician, actor, humanitarian and nobody could forget you “are one bad mutha.” Thanks for everything. R.I.P
Isaac Hayes
Aug 20, 1942- Aug 10, 2008
You were just getting started…
Heath Ledger
April 4, 1979- Jan 22, 2008
Should old acquaintance be forgot and never brought to mind. This is just a few of the people 2008 saw leave this world. Many more great people whether family, friends or people you barely knew went as well. Take the time to remember their memory. And since this IS a baseball blog and even though he is not dead but gone. Wish you and your family well in your new digs Matty. I’ll never forget that slide.
I’m Back, Part 2. Bring the beer that brought baseball here..
So Christmas morning there I am, pretty much useless to the world, sprawled on mom’s couch. It’s not unusual for pop to come over and take the remote and start fiddling with the tv, even if someone else is watching it! But today he popped in a vhs tape and I knew something was coming on. And there it was…the Colorado Rockies first game April 5, 1993 in Queens NY.
It was like watching a game again for the first time and I was excited seeing all the old faces and even the Mets take the field. Doc Gooden was on the mound and I remembered the ’86 Mets and how I could rattle off anyone from that team. Bobby Bo was in the outfield and I remembered how NY fans would ride in him in the outfield chanting “bobbbby, bobbby.” The old boys were back and they were taking on my new Colorado Rockies.
Strike. Doc’s first pitch and the start of a brand new franchise. Look at how young Don Baylor
looked. There was Alex Cole and I could think of how he reminded me of “Willie Mayes Hayes” from Major League because he was a speedster and tall and skinny. Dante Bichette with his “unkept” look and Charlie Hayes! I had been at a game where Charlie had been hit in the face with a pitch and I wanted to say, “in a future game you need to duck man.” Eric Young looked so young and you could really see where his son, now a top Rockies prospect, took his looks from.
Now I know most reading this are saying, “who?” I know, I know, it’s just the expansion Colorado Rockies in a mid-level communications market who don’t get a lot of national press, but there they were.
I thought how awesome it is to be able to watch the first game of a franchise again with new
eyes, older eyes and remember what it was like to watch it as a kid. You can’t go back in time and put on a tape of the RedSox or Yankees or Cubs first games and they have such long cherished history, but I could take it all in and watch this fledgling team get it’s start.
I wasn’t alive in ’62 when the Mets started but I rooted for them my whole life even in Colorado. Everyone, even if you lived in Colorado your whole life, you had to cheer for some other team in the nation. There are a lot of Cubs fans here because WGN was like this “roach” channel that was everywhere. So of course all you got to see was Cubs games. Of course Yankee fans too because they span the nation. Lots of Dodger fans from the great California invasion to Colorado. That all could stop though. We would all have to call our allegience into question on April 5, 1993.
We now had the Colorado Rockies. They were ours and win or lose we had a team. I’m not sure if you find it in a lot of other stadiums across the nation but I see a good amount of “half-jerseys” at Coors. Half the jersey Rockies the other some other team with a seam sewn right down the middle. There are times when I go to see the Rockies and Mets play and I root root for the ROCKIES and if they don’t win it’s a shame, but I don’t go home terribly mad because if anyone had to beat ‘em it’s better it was the Mets.
It’s been great watching the Rockies grow and being a part of it. I’ll never forget being at the historical play in game or dancing in the stadium as we won our first division series then standing there with camera in hand taking pictures of the first pennant flag being raised. I know we get little press and attention but none of that really matters.
If you are wondering what my title meant it’s from the many many commercials th
at were playing. The ’80s looking beer girl walking out with her big blonde hair bringing cold refreshing Coors out as the jingle kept telling me to “bring the beer that brought baseball here.” Ah advertising. Now if only the beer that brought baseball here could lower their price a bit so I’m not broke by the 5th inning.
But that was part of the pagentry. All of it. The first pitch, strike, out all was part of history that I was glad to see again. Right after the first game at Shea on the tape came the first game at Mile-High because obviously Coors Field was not built yet. There again Eric Young with a lead-off home run and stolen base. Cole stealing, Dante back to the wall, Rockies up 5-0 and I began to think of the upcoming season and I fell asleep. I later woke up to a full day of John Wayne on tv, not a bad way to spend some tube time either!
I’m Back! Baseball the gift that keeps on giving…Part 1
So I’m back in town and I’m officially wishing all of you who actually read this a very belated Merry Christmas and I hope it was a great day! I went out of town and left the computer to visit the parents (like a good son) and wanted to catch up on all the happenings.
No Christmas miracle with Teixeira. I guess he didn’t read my blog and get inspired to make the world a better place. Oh well, I tried. He did win me $20 though. I’ll explain in a bit. My travels began heading into town to watch a Christmas play.
I was invited to church to watch my niece and godson who had parts in a small Christmas play during the mass. Been awhile since I had been to church and when I didn’t burst into flames I felt at ease. My brother had asked if I would mind taking pictures of them because I do some photography, sometimes professional, and I have some really awesome lenses for that less intrusive shot taking. Now, less intrusive or not, it’s still church and I tried to be as respectful as possible in getting the shot I did, and my niece and nephew get their props on my blog. So here they are!
Their acting went off without a hitch and the kids all got free cupcakes after mass. Not a bad deal. Seeing them as old as they are now I couldn’t stop and think how fast life was flying and I commented to my mother and father that my niece is gonna be a handful when she gets into high school because she’s such a pretty girl and how my nephew is on this neverending growth spurt and is already at least six inches taller than his classmates.
Church went well and sitting near the Christmas tree after getting home, I began to talk about life and of course they wanted to know what direction my life was going and I finally let the cat out of the bag. I told them my great plan for the upcoming year and it was a mixed reaction. I am going to put the whole “cat” into an entire blog in the near future and you can all read about it, but for this blog I’ll just say it involves baseball.
Baseball. It went from there and kept going. For hours we talked about baseball. I filled my mom in on the up and comings of the Rockies and she chimed in with her opinion. My mom really took to baseball this last year and is pretty darn knowledgeable. I think I finally realized it when I called her one day this summer and she asked me if I was watching the game and I honestly didn’t even know they were playing that day. She even showed me her own cheat sheet she made to keep up on players on who she wasn’t familiar with. I was impressed.
The hours flew by and the more cocktails I poured the more I was sure about baseball! My mom finally called it a night at around three in the morning Christmas morning. Me and pop kept going to well near six. My father and mother grew up in Brooklyn and it’s fun to listen to old baseball stories about the Dodgers and Giants and the Polo Grounds and Ebbets. Coming from New York I grew up a Mets fan and of course the dreaded Yankees came up.
There it was. Both my father and I never rooted for the Yankees but this team always has to come up even if you are not a fan. We argued I think every point you could. Was Hank really running the show or was Georgie putting in his two cents? Would they ever go back to their farm system for the majority of their talent or just buy big names? On and on and then Manny and Tex came up. Pop swore the Yank’s would sign Manny for the bat and he would take the money to get back at Boston. I said maybe, but it was much more likely they would sign Teixeira and spend another $180 million.
Back and forth, back and forth. Finally he said $20 if they sign Manny and I said Tex. Cha-ching gonna have to cash that one in. : )
So that was my Christmas eve talking baseball, all kinds of baseball. Hearing old stories talking about making new ones. There was a break in the action when a really good childhood friend of mine stopped in and of course he had to referee an argument pop and I got into over microwaves. I know microwaves! We agreed neither of us had enough information on hand to win this debate and my friend Carl just laughed and said it wouldn’t be the Walsh househould if pop and I weren’t debating something. That was the real gift.
Christmas morning I had maybe four hours of sleep before the kids were to come over and lack of sleep and a slight hangover were a rough combination with all their excitement. Gotta love kids. Gifts were exchanged but I just reflected that I was glad I was getting older because I realized the real gift was the night before. I know I won’t have many more decades with my parents and talking to them all night and even heated debates about a team I don’t pull for was the best gift I could have gotten.
I loved hearing moms excitement for young players because it’s a mother thing and you could tell she would invite them over and make them dinner if she could. I enjoyed hearing my dads armchair quarterbacking of managerial decisions and hopes new bench coaches would bring back some discipline. A dad thing I guess.
Someday I’m sure I will have kids of my own.My father told me my grandfather once said to him, “I hope you have a son just like you.” When I’m sitting up one night and my son or daughter is challenging me on baseball at six in the morning I will just laugh and hope they realize the gift in front of them like I did this Christmas. I’m sure I’ll still try to win the debate too…
Tropical Diseases great minor league motivator!!
Wow, now it’s not uncommon to read about the rigors of minor league ball and all that goes into it. Mrs. Lisa over at http://gotmilb.mlblogs.com can tell you about it in her coverage of the minors. You can hear about low wages, second jobs, tough bus rides and such as players try to break into the majors but what I read today topped the cake.
Today I have crossed the knowledge threshold when I caught a story by mlb writer Thomas Harding at Colorado Rockies.com. I would link the story, but I’m not sure how to do it so I’ll just describe the THING that stuck out most to me. Dengue Fever. Recently acquired Rockies minor league prospect, Carlos Gonzalez, playing in the Venezuelan Winter Leauge play is recovering from DENGUE FEVER.
Harding writes:
Gonzalez had been out since Nov. 21 with Dengue fever, which has been something of an epidemic in Maracaibo, where the Zuila Aguilas play. The illness, which includes the sudden onset of headaches and muscle and joint pain, is known in some circles as bone crusher disease.
Bone crusher? Are you freaking kidding me? Dengue Fever?
Ok I have heard of Dengue Fever and I know it was transmitted by mosquitos but didn’t know more much about it so I consulted the folks over at www.webmd.com and read the following:
Dengue fever and dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) are viral diseases transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes, usually Ae. aegy…Dengue, a rapidly expanding disease in most tropical and subtropical areas of the world, has become the most important arboviral disease of humans.pti.
Carlos can you hear me man? That sounds pretty serious bro! You are outside playing ball quite a bit. Let’s see what Webmd say is the best time to contract it:
There are two peak periods of biting activity, in the morning for several hours after daybreak
and in the late afternoon for several hours before dark.
Hey Carlos, we might have a problem here! I’m going to put out a collection for some serious repellent!
So without a doubt I would have to say to get to the confines of Coors Field would motivate any player suffering from Dengue fever. You may suffer from mile-hi lack of air or grass that’s grown higher to slow down balls in the rare air, but not Dengue fever. We have our fair share of mosquitos and even a rare case of West Nile now and again but definetely no outbreaks or anything the occasional spray of deet can’t protect you from.
I can just imagine it now as players might groan in the Pacific Coast League playing for the Sky Sox and long bus rides and scant meals but all they’ll have to do is look over at Carlos and say “well, at least I haven’t gotten the bone crusher disease.”
A baseball christmas miracle!
So here it is a baseball christmas miracle starring one Mark Teixeira.
MLB world stunned by Teixeira singing
(BP) Baltimore- Major League baseball insiders were stunned today upon the news of former Angel’s first baseman Mark Teixeira signing with the Baltimore Orioles.
Teixeira, who was believed to have offers from the Boston RedSox and New York Yankees for around 180 million dollars signed with the Orioles for a reported 100 million. Many were surprised by the signing with the Orioles, but even more stunned by the stipulations in the contract. Teixeira reportedly has a stipulation which demands 40 percent of his salary be donated to local charities over the course of his eight year deal with the Orioles.
I know I’m a good ball player and I know there was a lot of money on the table but I felt it was my duty to give back to the community, Teixeira reportedly said after the signing.
This type of deal is believed to be the first of its kind and completely reverse of large deals major league baseball has become accustomed to. Just recently, former Brewers pitcher C.C. Sabathia signed for over 160 million with the New York Yankees in one of the many big money deals which were believed to come about in the off season.
Power agent Scot Boras , when asked about the signing, stormed out of the press conference only saying, “no comment”.
Local Baltimore charities will begin receiving the money upon applying with the Orioles starting Monday.
Ok ok that was my Orsen Wells moment and the story is BOGUS, but maybe if for just one moment something like this did happen what better place would the world be and how much better would baseball be? It being Christmas time and all, who knows maybe a miracle is in the works?
A few good apples
Ok, I must admit yesterday, I was reading some pro blogs and I came across two which not only impressed me but helped me to put a more positive spin on professional sports figures in my mind. I was happy to see two standup pro ball players who seem to be well rounded people as well, Kevin Slowey and Collin Balester.
Once in my lifetime, I held the sometimes unimportant role of a sports reporter. Many people I
knew always asked how cool was it to be around these sports figures and I often just shrugged my shoulders and said it’s two fold, bad and good. I would tell people that ignorance is bliss and what they didn’t know allowed them to enjoy the game in a way I couldn’t.
Plain and simple, I like so many other sports reporters get to see what most the time the general public does not and sometimes it’s good and sometimes you wish you hadn’t seen it. Just because someone is a pro-sports player doesn’t automatically make them a good person or a bad one. They are all just like everyone else. Imagine your favorite player and how you always root and cheer for this person. Imagine how you want to be like or maybe even have your children emulate. They can do no wrong. Now imagine this player who always seems to be kissing his wife and the perfect family man is actually paying a co-ed fan $100 bucks a week to keep her happy and “be” with him when he’s in town.
Imagine walking out of a press-player function very late and watching as a teammate is keeping look out as another is cheating on his wife in the back of his SUV. You just saw him in a magazine the other day talking about family life and success.
You get to see how a player has no regard for any fans because they are a nuisance and don’t care about that individual no matter the situation or circumstance.
Imagine the leader of your team who is legendary and is a complete *** of a person. He may be hall of fame quality on the field but a jerk when he leaves the stadium.You walked behind him as he and a teammate ridiculed a fan nearby, who minding her own business, was wearing an outfit they thought was funny.
This is not to say there are not good players who are good people. There are. I have seen some of the classiest people who are pro-players. You see them jump up to grab a tray of drinks from a waitress at a team event. You see them stop and chat and maybe give a tip or two to a fan. They are quick to help anyone even if it does slow them up or if they can’t stop. They are as classy as possible in apologizing to the person and any human can understand. They volunteer and give back to the community and never have their agent put out a presser to show what they are doing.
So I was happy to read two blogs of men who seem to fit the classy
profile. http://kevinslowey.mlblogs.com and http://collinbalester.mlblogs.com I have to admit I don’t follow either of their teams in any depth but I genuinely wish them success in their careers. For a major leauger to respond to every question every fan asked or the other blogging on daily life and family and faith says to me they are beyond themselves and most likely good men and teammates.
Many sports writers I have talked to say they do not necessarily root for a certain team as much as they do individuals. I understand, because something inside of you can’t help but cheer for the good guy no matter who he plays for (woman as well).
Now, would I ever report anything I have ever seen off the field? Absolutely not. Those things will stay with me because I was never paid to write or cover those issues. I was paid to cover the athlete and that’s what I did. It’s a well known rule of journalism to never burn your source but it goes beyond that. Writers who covered characters like Babe Ruth kept their stories to the field, and off it, almost never mentioned his indiscretions. Everyone knew he would party the night away doing God knows what, but his national reputation during most of his ball playing years was of a homerun crusher not womanizer.
A guy like Ruth today would never survive the scrutiny of paparazzi and outrageous journalism. Guys like Slowey and Balester I’m sure may miss out on the outrageous press but in the end of their careers you’ll probably be able to give their memoirs to your son or daughter to read with confidence.
The need for speed?
So I keep having this debate on how much speed affects a lineup and whether or not the Rockies are doing the right thing by basically letting Willy Taveras go?
Taveras led the major leagues last year with 68 stolen bases and if you have never seen this man run he is electric. There’s one little problem though..he hit .251 and a measely .308 OBP last season. Here begins the debate…
What good is his speed if he doesn’t get on base?
True. But baseball is a game of failure and does Taveras have a point that his numbers were low because he was not allowed to get into a rhythm and pulled? Yes and no. If I’m the skip how can i justify keeping a guy in the lineup (no matter how fast he is) if he is not getting on base either with hits or walks? Do I let this guy go 1-20 and hope he does get warm? If I’m Taveras how am I justifying helping the team?
But. What about his defense? Yes his speed does help in running down balls and I would make the argument to keep him in the lineup for defensive purposes but… 2008 was his worst year defensively. He had a career high 7 errors and career low fielding percentage .976. He does have the speed to track down a number of balls in the outfield but has he proven it?
Doesn’t his presence in the lineup make opposing defenses more cautious?
Sure watching the Rockies and Taveras was like watching what everybody knew was coming. I can’t count how many times I would listen to announcers comment that everyone knows Taveras is going to steal a base right now and he would.
But if I am an opposing skip and I see this guy is struggling I just tell my pitcher go right at him and take the risk so he doesn’t get on base. He’s batting .200 throw him the heat then a change-up and get the easy out.
Isn’t a lineup better with speed in general?
Yes. The ’07 Rockies had a dynamic duo in Kaz Matsui and Taveras who could steal a base at any time and it was a blast to watch. Small ball never seemed so fun watching these guys run out bunts and steal bases. Taveras also had his best year in the majors batting .320 and .367 OBP. He had those numbers in 97 games though.
No. If Ricky Henderson couldn’t get that lead off hit so many times, would he have been in the lineup or even nominated for the HOF? He had to get on base to steal a base.
In conclusion I think it’s a fun debate to have. Personally I think a team is much better off when you have at least one speedster who the pitcher knows is going to steal but more often than not cannot get out. The key I believe more than anything is OBP for a speedster. They won’t hit the long ball but getting on base is where they are most dangerous. Taveras will be a valuable commodity to any team if he can put his hitting together and get that batters eye. He is only coming into his sixth year in the bigs and batting .283 with .331 OBP.
The difference and maybe why the Rockies are willing to let Taveras go-Henderson in the first five years of his career hit .343 and .395 OBP and those are the numbers you want in your speedster.
Got your glove love
Christmas is only eight days away and I couldn’t help think how many little boys and girls would be getting a shiny new baseball glove under the tree this year. I thought back to my first glove and my second glove that I still have to this day and what it meant to break that puppy in and all the effort that went into it.
I can fondly remember my first glove. I had to share it with my brother and it was a Catfish Hunter glove. I remember asking my dad who Catfish Hunter was and hearing him tell me stories of this guy. Having never seen him, I let my seven year-old imagination wonder on what someone named ”Catfish” would look like. You can only imagine a seven year-olds imagination! We played with that glove for years in sandlots until finally the lacing could not take another beating and there it went.
My second glove I bought myself from money I had earned working during the summer. I remember being in the store and looking at all the gloves and picking out a shiny black Rawlings Ken Griffey Jr. glove. I was so proud of that thing. I went home and asked my dad how to break it in. My first glove had been used and it pretty much fit everyone because it was so old and broken in. Not the Griffey though, with its brand new leather smell. It was tough and shiny and his name was cleary emblazoned in the palm. Yep, had me a sweet glove.
So like millions of fathers over the ages, pop went out and got me some leather balm and showed me how to work it in. Carefully massaging the leather, I made sure this glove was going to fit perfect. Relentless, I kept putting more and more oil into the glove. It didn’t fit my hand at all and I knew if I worked hard enough it would.
Along came pop and he said to slow down on the oil that I didn’t want to put too much in and it was time to seal it up. Seal it up I asked? We grabbed an old baseball and put it right in that basket and got the rope. Had to leave it tied up over night he told me, to make sure the basket would form around the ball. It’s tough being young and watching your shiny new baseball glove have to sit. You want to take it and punch your fist into it and show everyone you are ready for the next game and surely you won’t drop another pop fly because it had to have been your last glove that was the cause of that.
The next morning I grabbed that glove and put it on. It was big for my hand but it felt a lot better. Impatience got the best of me. I should have worked some more oil in and tied it up again but I wanted to play. Can’t have this shiny new glove lying around and not being able to use it.
I played and played and as college came and jobs and busy life took over the glove was relegated to ballpark foul ball duty only. It has stayed in my trunk ready for action with every car I have had. It has seen better days but it still fits my hand perfect. Poor thing once even smelled like beer for quite awhile. I had put a 12 pack of beer in the trunk on top of the glove and went into the house carrying other groceries. Well, in Colorado when the temperature drops below freezing beer in bottles tends to blow up if left in the cold! And blow up it did, leaving my glove smelling like I had been fielding baseballs soaking in beer. Oh well, it survived and I still use it to this day.
This last season, as I was standing near the dugout watching the Rockies AAA affiliate SkySox warm up, I looked down. Standing there was a little boy about 9 and his sister about 6. They were eagerly awaiting Troy Tulowitzki to come out as he was rehabbing in the Springs. The boy had his silver sharpie and ball and was more than willing to talk about baseball. His sister just sat there smiling like her brother was her hero. She would just repeat what he said and act as if the words were her own. “Yeah we have been to eight games this year,” the little girl said. Her brother just looked over rolling his eyes and whispering to me, “it’s nine.” Oh, I said back. Just then I looked at his glove and there it was. Just like mine years ago he had a brand new shiny Ken Griffey Jr. glove.
I said, “that’s a great glove.” He smiled and said “what is your glove” and I laughed as I held mine out flattened like a pancake and showed him it was also a Ken Griffey Jr. I watched and smiled as that industrious little boy and his sister squirmed between all types of people and held that ball out to get autographed. For me I just sat in my seat and put my old trusty glove on and waited for that foul ball to come. It never did but that glove of mine is going to see a lot of baseball this summer and maybe get a chance to show it can still be a best friend. It’s been there and it deserved it’s own blog and picture for everyone to see!
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