Happy Anniversary Kerry!

On May 19th, 2009 the Kansas City Royals scored four runs in the ninth inning off of Cleveland Indians closer Kerry Wood and won 6–5.

Yesterday, May 19th, 2010, the Royals faced Wood again in the ninth inning, down by one run. This year they scored five times, and eventually won the game 8–4.

Don't you just love anniversaries? Is it too early to be looking forward to a six-run ninth next year?

Crazy 2010 Predictions

1. Roy Halladay will win the National League Cy Young award, while winning 26 games for the Phillies.


2. The Kansas City Royals will finish last in their division (again).

Year 1 in Chicago

The past few months of driving around the Chicagoland area has revealed the new Cubs ad campaign "Year 1". Yes, as in the beginning. Like, its only been 1 year since we won the World Series as opposed to the reality of 101 and counting. Wait, its 102 now... I think.

Well, after thinking some ad company should be fired, further contemplation had me nominating them for the Nobel Peace Prize. Their complete disregard for the history may actually be the solution to all the world's psychiatric issues.

Jews and Palastinians (and all the Middle East) just wake up and it's day one of "Year 1". Chechnya might like being a part of Russia, Scotland would call itself Northern England, and Guitmo detainees would be released to grow corn in Billings, MT. No one remembers anything that happend in the last 101 years (or 102, my New Year's Resolution was to stop keeping track). It would be like forgetful forgiveness.

Think about all the seemingly harmless things you do at home like leaving the seat up or belching at the table, even procrastinating doing the dishes and fixing the toaster. Your wife no longer remembers! Hallelujah!

Sigh... Then reality sets in. I'm bound to leave the toilet seat up again in the morning, just like the Cubs are bound to get me all excited before moving my hairline back another 2 inches. Silly slogans can't erase history, it can't erase who you are. Besides, deep down every Cubs fan admits silently that we embrace who we really are...Patient.

Gordon Heyward: A Tale of Two Cities

No. I didn't misspell Heyward. This isn't a post about the NCAA Men's Basketball Championship, the Butler Bulldogs, or their forward Gordon Hayward. This is a story about two people, in similar situations, with very different outcomes.

Yesterday was Opening Day. I was excited to see that ESPN 3 would be offering a few games for my viewing pleasure, and had tuned in to see the Chicago Cubs vs. the Atlanta Braves for my first look at the Braves' rookie sensation, Jason Heyward.

Heyward, just 20 years old, made such an impression in Spring Training that the Braves had no choice but to keep him on the roster and to put him in right field on Opening Day. His first major league at bat came with two on and one out in the first inning. Watching him take the first two offerings from Carlos Zambrano for balls one and two, I began thinking of a very similar at-bat I saw on Opening Day three years ago.

Alex Gordon, like Heyward was a highly touted amateur drafted in the first round. Both were local. Gordon was born in Lincoln, NE where he later starred for the Nebraska Cornhuskers. He was a local kid, playing for the home team, the Kansas City Royals. Heyward was also taken by his home town club, the Braves. Alex Gordon was a 'can't-miss' prospect. The complete package. He could hit for power. Hit for average. Play tremendous defense at third base. Run. Throw. He could do everything. His junior season at Nebraska "he swept the collegiate baseball awards for college player of the year, winning the Golden Spikes Award, the Dick Howser Award, the Brooks Wallace Award and the ABCA Rawlings Player of the Year." Selecting Alex Gordon second overall in the 2005 amateur draft was a no-brainer for the Royals, and by most accounts, any team in their position would have done the same.

In his first professional season, Gordon was named the 2006 Minor League Player of the Year by Baseball America. Jason Heyward was the recipient of the same award in 2009. Gordon was destined for greatness, and Royals fans everywhere could hardly wait for him bring a winning tradition back to Kansas City.

During Spring Training in 2007, no one out-hit or out-played the rising Royals phenom. Hall 0f Fame third-baseman George Brett told reporters that he'd never seen a talent the likes of Alex Gordon, confessing that Gordon was better than he had been. Just like Jason Heyward, Gordon's performance that spring earned him a spot in the Opening Day lineup, and comparisons to Hall of Fame talent. Gordon was going to be the next George Brett, Heyward the next Ken Griffey, Jr.

Before ever taking the field for his Major League debut, Gordon was the face of the franchise. He was the Future, and the Future looked bright. His chance to prove himself came early. Just like Heyward, Gordon's first Major League at-bat came with runners in scoring position in the first inning on Opening Day.

The similarities between these two rookies are too great to ignore. As I was glued to the screen during Heyward's at-bat Monday, I knew exactly what Braves fans were feeling. The home-grown talent, coming to the plate in front of the home crowd, all of them hoping that the rookie would live up to the hype. Three years ago it was Alex Gordon with two outs and the bases loaded in Kansas City. Yesterday it was Jason Heyward, two on and one out in Atlanta.

On the third offering from Zambrano, all of Heyward's potential became pure kinetic energy with one powerful swing sending the pitch screaming over the right field fence for a three-run homerun. The Opening Day crowd roared. Heyward had delivered.

But three years ago the crowd at Kauffman Stadium didn't roar—it groaned. In his first chance to live up to the hype, Gordon struck out. His delivery is still pending.

Welcome back, Big Mac!!

Big Mac comes clean,

Mark McGwire admitted today what we all knew but waited 5 years to hear from Big Red.

"I never knew when, but I always knew this day would come. It's time for me to talk about the past and to confirm what people have suspected. I used steroids during my playing career and I apologize. I remember trying steroids very briefly in the 1989/1990 off season and then after I was injured in 1993, I used steroids again. I used them on occasion throughout the '90s, including during the 1998 season.”

Where do we go from here? It has been several years since Big Mac cranked his last home run and he is coming back to the game to be the hitting coach of the St. Louis Cardinals. Mark will never be looked at the same way, and that is something that he brought upon himself, but he does deserve forgiveness. Should we treat him like a hero? No, admitting that you have done something wrong is an expected behavior in our society. Should we continue to ostracize him? No! Mark, deserves better and should get better from the baseball community.

We just saw the election of Andre Dawson to the baseball hall of fame and I can only hope that the call for big mac will not be far away. Did mac cheat? Yes, he just admitted it. Does the hall of fame admit cheaters? I think they have already and will admit more in the future. The baseball hall of fame is a museum of people who played baseball at the highest level. It is not the integrity HOF, or the good guy HOF or the “I never used PED HOF.” We need to ask ourselves one question, “Does Mark McGwire belong in the HOF?” Any answer that does not end in yes would be an incorrect answer in my opinion. I think he will be in the HOF no earlier than 2011 but no later than 2014. And that is exactly where he belongs!

Disco Night at Rosenblatt

My plan started about a month ago. After being intrigued by Chris "Disco" Hayes' sub-80mph-submarine-stylings on the mound for the Omaha Royals (the AAA Class minor league affiliate of the Kansas City Royals), I decided that I had to try to see him pitch in person.* And, as the Winter Quarters temple is in Omaha, I could easily suggest that we tack on a baseball game to our monthly temple trip. Eventually we determined that we would leave work early Friday, attend a late-afternoon session at the temple, drive to the ballpark for a game, and then drive home to Kansas City. It made for a very long day, but one we won't soon forget.

In order for this story to make sense, you should probably read Disco's post about the day he was promoted from AA to AAA, aptly entitled: Promotions, Payback, and Poop Sticks.

With our trip to Omaha nearing, I started to wonder whether we should buy tickets ahead of time, or if there would be seats left for us to buy on gameday when we arrived at the ballpark. I had an idea to email Disco and ask him what attendance was like and if he thought we'd be okay buying tickets at the gate. But, when I hadn't heard back from him by Wednesday, my paranoia won out and I bought seats online.

Then, Friday morning we received a reply from Mr. Disco himself. I was thrilled that he had taken the time to send a quick note. He said that he hoped we would be able to make it to the game and that he would like us to come down to the dugout to say hi if we were there early enough. He also added, to "avoid a potentially awkward situation," he only signs brand new plungers. Well, that pretty much settled things. Although I was a little taken aback by his stance on active-duty plungers, I made up my mind to find a brand new plunger for him to sign.

When we got to our seats, Mr. Disco was nowhere to be found. We had only managed to arrive 30 minutes early, so I figured that unless we were able to find him after the game, I would be going home with an unsigned plunger. But then, about 10 minutes before the first pitch, I saw him signing some autographs along the third base line, just past their dugout. Brookie and I grabbed our stuff and headed that way. It felt like everyone was staring at us (okay, at me) because of the plunger I was carrying. But before we could make it to where he had been giving his autograph to kids in the stands, he had left and was on his way to the bullpen further down the foul line, where the seats had been sectioned off.

Somewhat undeterred, Brookie and I sat in some seats at the far end of the open sections closest to the bullpen, and I watched for Mr. Disco to look our way. When it looked like he was looking in our general direction, I raised the brand new plunger above my head and waved it. This caught his attention and elicited a big smile, and he heading back down our way while we went down to the first row of seats to say hello.

When he got close enough to be able to talk with us he said, still grinning, "You must be Todd." I acknowledged, said hello, and then he looked at Brookie and said, "And you must be Brooke." I was impressed. Not only did he know my name, but he also took the time to learn and remember my wife's name. I handed him the plunger and the Sharpie and he signed it for me. We even had another fan take our picture as proof.



Maybe you knew some baseball players in high school or college. If so, please accept my apologies, as many of them may be accurately described as 'jerks.' In my playing days I always maintained that I was not a baseball player; I just happened to play baseball. And maybe that's why I admire Disco Hayes. Actually that's only one reason, but it's a big one. He seemed to me to be much more than just a spoiled jerk in a baseball uniform. And after our "Disco Encounter" I'm even more convinced that he's more than just a baseball player.

He was extremely nice. And genuine. And what really impressed me was that he seemed glad to have met us. Even though the game was going to start, a fact I was conscious of, along with the idea that he was at work and we were interrupting, he was the one making conversation. He asked about our trip up to Omaha. He had followed a link in my email signature and come across my makeshift online portfolio and asked about one of the pieces. Then, seeing that Brookie had her scorebook in hand, asked if she would like him to sign it. He was about to sign it big and in the middle of a page, and then thought to ask if she was going to keep score, which she was, so he signed it down in one corner instead. Brookie hoped he had been impressed that she knew how to keep score.

Anyway, I can't really say enough nice things about this decent man following his dreams who happens to pitch for the Omaha Royals. He was a bright spot in what turned out to be a bit of a tough weekend for us (which will have to wait for another post). The home team lost that night. Disco didn't pitch. But we still had a great time.

The list!!

Baseball and the List!

Baseball has a problem. They have a big problem and they need to correct it. Over the past several months, several names of players, who tested positive for performance enhancing drugs, have leaked out from a drug testing that took place in 2003. This was supposed to be a survey testing that was done to see just how many people in that game were juiced and 104 players came back with positive samples. 104? Think about that. They told them that there was a test coming and 104 players still could not pass the test and tested positive. Slowly, those names have started to come out and they are the biggest names in the game. Alex Rodriguez, David Ortiz, Manny Ramirez are the biggest names and we haven’t even seen 5% of the list. Should baseball release the whole list and take their lumps or should they just let the list come out slowly through media outlets as they have to date. Here are the two sides.

Do not release the list! This was never meant to be official testing and was only meant to be done to gather data. The players only agreed to testing after an assurance that something like this would not happen. Because that is the agreement, you can’t go back on your word and change your mind in the face of public pressure.

Release the List! Baseball is dirty and needs to improve its image. The more they try to cover this up, the worse they look and right now, baseball looks really, really bad. First, the owners and the commissioner; I don’t believe for a second that they didn’t know what was happening in the 1990’s when records were being rewritten on a daily basis. I think they were completely aware of what was happening and chose not to do anything because it was making so much money. Ticket sales were up, jersey sales were up and nobody blew the whistle. Steroids haven’t been against the rules but they have been against the LAW!!! What about all the taxpayer dollars that were used to fund the stadiums where these violations occurred. If the senate and congress had any stones, they would have hearings with the owners and ask them, under oath, why they allowed illegal activities to take place in stadiums that were publicly funded. Let’s find out what they know and when they knew it.

The players are culpable as well. The players union for baseball is one of the most despicable organizations in America. For years they have fought to keep this under wraps and they have suppressed any half-hearted attempts by the owners to clean up baseball. They have created a culture where every player is assumed to be guilty until proven innocent and nobody was shocked when papi and many were named as people who were using PED’s. The players need to restore their own credibility but will not do so.

If you can’t already tell by my post, you should know which side I am on. Baseball needs to take their lumps and release the list. If they want to truly distance themselves from the steroid era, they should release the names and hand out suspensions. Also, they should fine the owners of the teams that these players were on. They allowed this to happen and they need to share in the blame for what has become of America’s game.

Number 18

Perfection is rare. Yesterday Mark Buehrle threw history's 18th perfect game when he faced the Tampa Bay Rays. 27 men came to the plate, and all 27 were retired. It truly is an amazing feat. It had been over five years since Major League Baseball's last perfect game, thrown by Randy Johnson, then with the Arizona Diamondbacks.

As luck would have it, yesterday afternoon, while most of the working class was stuck in their cosy, little cubicles, I was working nearby a television that my brother-in-law just happened to be watching. It was him that informed me that he had just seen that Buehrle was working on a perfect game with only six outs to go. He had seen the breaking news scroll by on the ticker at the bottom of the screen of whatever show he was watching at the time.

I told him to find ESPN. I was certain that they would join the game in progress if history was going to be made. They interrupted an NFL-specific program and went live to Chicago where Buehrle was starting the top of the ninth inning, having been perfect through the first eight.

To set the stage, here's what was going through my mind when I assessed the situation: First, Buehrle had been perfect so far. That's obvious. But that means that he had gone the entire game without issuing a walk, only pitching to three batters each inning. Pitch count could definitely be a factor, but I hoped he had enough gas in the tank to finish it out.

Next, since he had retired the Rays' lineup in order for eight straight innings, the 7th, 8th, and 9th batters in their lineup were due up in that inning. They are still major leaguers, but not as tough to retire as the heart of their order would have been.

Also, the game was in Chicago. Everyone at U.S. Cellular Field knew the situation, and I can only imagine the electricity in the air. In the movie, For Love of the Game Billy Chapel throws his perfect game on the road in New York City. The difference for Buehrle here is that the entire crowd was rooting for the perfect game, not hoping someone could walk, or manage a hit to break it up, like it would be if he had been pitching in Tampa instead.

Now remember that not only do the fans realize that history could potentially be made that afternoon, but so do all of the players. I'm sure none of them said anything (in Chicago's dugout, at least), but they all knew. That puts a lot of pressure on the position players to be perfect as well. There were plenty of nerves behind Buehrle as the ninth inning began.

Buehrle works quickly. His rhythm is three or four beats faster than your average pitcher. In fact, before ESPN had time to join the game in progress, the count was already 1-2 on the Rays' number seven hitter, Gabe Gross. As I watched, I thought about how sad it would be if he singled or walked and ruined the perfect game as the first batter in the ninth inning, the first batter after the nation tuned in to witness history.

Then, on a 2-2 count, Gross lifted a pitch to left-center. Dewayne Wise, the defensive replacement that had entered the game in the ninth inning was running hard to the ball. My first thought was it was going to be in the gap. You know a ball is hit well when you see the outfielders react like that. Wise kept running hard, nearly to the fence. This ball had a chance to not only end the perfect game, but the no-hitter, and the shutout as well. Then I saw one of the most amazing plays I have ever seen live. Wise, still running at full speed, leapt and crashed into the wall, extending his glove nearly two feet above the fence and bringing back the would-be homerun. But then, as he came back down, he saw the ball start to slip out of his glove. Falling to the ground after hitting the wall at full-speed, he reached out with his bare hand and secured the ball for the first out of the ninth and the 25th out of the still-perfect game. My wife, my brother-in-law, and I were all speechless when we saw that play. The replays showed the greatness of that catch in slow motion, but seeing it happen live at game speed, thinking one second that the perfect game was over, and the next second not even being able to think at all, was... incredible.

Now with one out, the number eight hitter in the lineup came to the plate. I can only imagine that with each out, each pitch, the pressure is increasing exponentially for everyone, but especially for Buehrle. Michel Hernandez worked the count to 3-1. It was still hard to tell if Buehrle was getting tired because he was still keeping pace with his normal techno-beat rhythm. Get the ball. Get the sign. Pitch. Repeat. I was nervous just watching him as he released that 3-1 fastball. But there was no hesitation in his delivery, and it found the outside half of the plate for strike two. But the count was still full. He could have tightened up and thrown a pitch in the dirt and it would have been ball four, bye-bye perfect game. He threw an outside change-up and Hernandez swung and missed for the second out of the inning and the 26th overall.

The last batter was Jason Bartlett, who is no easy out by any means. Bartlett bounced the 2-1 pitch to the shortstop Alexei Ramirez. I can't be sure, but I think I, along with the 28,036 people at the ballpark that afternoon, held my breath. It was a routine ground ball, but not a routine out. A successful putout would mean a perfect game, only the 18th ever thrown at baseball's highest level. The shortstop fielded the groundball and it looked like his throw was a little stiff. He may have tried to aim the ball to first base. I know I would have.

The throw came in a little high, but the first baseman, Josh Fields, caught it with his foot on the bag, completing a perfect day for his team, their town, their fans, and their pitcher, Mark Buehrle.

Going Deep!!!

We Americans love a good debate! We all have an opinion and we don’t mind sharing that opinion on anything, everything, but usually on nothing. We will sit in chat rooms and debate for hours, with someone we likely haven’t met face to face, on who was the best pitcher, hitter, manager, fielder, team, or owner of all time. We usually don’t arrive at a consensus of any kind and further entrench ourselves in our original opinions and leave with a lower opinion of those with whom we have spent our time.

What does this do with baseball? I think this is precisely the genesis of the all-star game. One day, a long time ago, some baseball higher-ups where talking and got into a debate on what would happen if the best players from the American and National Leagues got together for an Exhibition. The first of which took place in 1933 and has been held ever since with the exception of 1945. One note of interest is that from 1959 – 1962, there were two all-star games held each year about a month apart each time.

Baseball is the only sport that takes its all-star game seriously. Football players recognize it as an end of the season party and their only goal is to spend a week in Hawaii without getting hurt. The NBA has turned their game into a game without defense and makes no attempt, just as the NFL, to stage a serious game. But baseball on the other hand, they give the home field advantage to the winning league for the World Series. When the 2002 All-star game ended in a tie, there was uproar in America. Baseball games don’t end in ties!!! How dare they allow an exhibition to finish without a clear winner! Because of this, and mainly rating, the concept of home field advantage for the winning league was conceived. This idea is one of the great failures of Bud Selig. Exhibition games should not affect the course of a world championship. Basketball does not let a game of HORSE decide who gets to host games 1 & 2 of the Finals nor does any other league demand so much from a game that doesn’t even count in the standings. Baseball should give home field advantage to the team with the best record and leave it at that.

My grievance with the All-star game notwithstanding, there is one event that I look forward to. It is the only all-star event that I would ever consider attending and paying for it with my own money. The home run derby is the greatest event of any of the all-star activities in any sport. It is better than the dunk contest, 3-point contest, and better than whatever the NFL does. Home runs are the ultimate achievement in sports. Few people know what the record is for most 3-pointers, dunks, assists, touchdowns, completions, or blocks but the average sports fan knows the significance of the numbers 61, 70, and 73. The home run chase of 1996 is what saved baseball from the strike of 1994 and will be the poster image for the performance enhancing drug era of baseball.

For one night, everyone is swinging for the fences and several fans are going home with a souvenir. The night belongs to the person who can consistently crush the ball and hit it into the stands, bullpen, river or bay. In a regular season game, home runs of any kind are equally cheered but during the derby, style points count. People want to see the home runs that go 520 feet, and they want to see it time after time. In 2008, Josh Hamilton did not win the contest, but he put on the best show with 28 home runs in the first round. A truly timeless performance which make the home run derby, the best of its kind. If NASCAR could have a night where they only have crashes, this would be the only comparison. The Dunk contest is more miss than hit and the 3-point contest is never anything special. I can hit a 3-pointer, given enough chances, but I can’t hit a ball 475 feet.

So let the debate continue. We may not another performance like Josh Hamilton ‘s, but you will be entertained and you will be in awe as major leaguers go deep, jump ship, and swing for the fences!!

Happy 50th Anniversary, Harvey

May 26, 1959. Harvey Haddix of the Pittsburgh Pirates pitched 12 perfect innings, and then lost the game 1-0 in the bottom of the 13th with an error, an intentional walk to Hank Aaron, and a double. The winning pitcher, Lew Burdette of the Milwaukee Braves, said after the game, "I called Harvey that night in the visiting clubhouse. I told him 'I realize I got what I wanted, a win, but I'd really give it up because you pitched the greatest game that's ever been pitched in the history of baseball. It was a damned shame you had to lose.' "

Haddix retired 36 straight batters before things fell apart in the 13th. I think Burdette had it right: "...the greatest game that's ever been pitched in the history of baseball."

Song about Haddix from MLB.tv

50 Game Suspension

I just heard the Manny Ramirez news.

Meh.

I can't really say that I'm surprised. Let the public ridicule and ostracization begin.

Here's the ESPN.com article:
Manny Faces 50-game Suspension

Is He Hot, or is He Just That Good?

You may have heard this a time or two on ESPN or maybe you have seen the Sports Illustrated cover declaring that Zack Greinke is "The Best Pitcher in Baseball." Monday night he threw his third complete game, two of which have been shutouts (the opponent got him for an unearned run in the other), in a game against the visiting Chicago White Sox.

The next morning when I started up the car, the sports radio guys were talking about how hot Greinke is right now. The first pitcher in the league to record his sixth win. He is currently the owner of a 0.40 ERA. I just checked the stats page on MLB.com and verified that he has also struck out a total of 54 batters so far this year. He's leading the league in all three of those categories. And, he's doing it in the American League, where you don't get an automatic strikeout every ninth batter when the opposing pitcher comes to bat. So, when I heard the statement on the radio that Zack is 'hot' right now, I wondered, "Is he hot, or he is just that good?"

The best answer is probably a little of both. Yes, he is on fire, but you had better believe that he really is that good. And here's one at-bat I saw in his game Monday that shows why:

Alexi Ramirez was at the plate. In light of Zack's second pitch, I did a little research to see if the two had any history. Looks like last year Ramirez was 2-9 off of Zack, but one of the two hits was a homerun. Maybe he showboated when he hit it. Maybe Zack chose Ramirez because he's smaller than other guys on the team like Thome, Konerko, and Pierzynski. Whatever his reasons, after missing on the first pitch with a big curveball, the second pitch was high, tight, and very hard, which put Ramirez into a very uncomfortable-looking yoga position on the ground in the batter's box. For just a split second I thought that the fastball had gotten away from him, slipped out of his hand or something. But then I remembered that this was Zack Greinke. I had seen him pitch earlier in the season and I knew that was no mistake. It was a purpose pitch. I've always had the impression that Zack dislikes the White Sox. Buzzing Alexi Ramirez's tower sent a message. And so did the next three pitches. His third pitch was another big curve ball over the outside corner. Ramirez took it for strike one. The 2-1 pitch was one more curve ball, but this one was on the inside corner and Ramirez's knees buckled as he saw it float by for strike two. The next pitch Zack threw was a nasty slider that ended up way low and way outside, but Ramirez's feeble attempt at the offering was strike three.

I saw that at bat while I was at the gym Monday evening, and just shook my head. This guy is really that good. He is not messing around any more. Early in his career he tried to fool guys, throwing 50mph curve balls and trying to place perfect 90mph fastballs knee-high on the corners. Now, he's dialing up his fastball in the mid- to upper-90s, and making guys look silly throwing his hard slider.

In honor of the fast approaching Zack-Mania about to hit the greater Kansas City area, I've created this cell phone wallpaper. If you'd like one for your phone, let me know which model you have in the comments, leave your email address and I'll send you one that is just the right size. You can click on the picture below for the actual wallpaper.

Spring, Stats, and Seduction

Spring Training is finishing up this week. The 2009 season officially opens Sunday night (check your local listings). If you're like me, you've been keeping an eye on your team, looking for signs that they'll be able to contend for their division, the league, and maybe even a world championship. And as the excitement builds towards Opening Weekend, let this post serve as your reality check.

Spring Training statistics mean absolutely nothing.

Need proof? Guess who leads the league with the most home runs this Spring. It's not the Red Sox. They're in a four-way tie for second place with the Giants, Rangers, and Brewers, all having knocked 44 out of the park. The Yankees? Nope. They're all the way down at #17, with 31 total taters. The current league leaders, with 49 dingers this spring, are the Kansas City Royals. Why is that so remarkable? The Royals finished 2009 fourth-to-last in that category, hitting a grand total of 120, over the 162-game season. For anyone without a calculator on hand, that works out to be three homeruns every four games. But this spring their averaging three homeruns every two games. If they could maintain that pace, they would double last years totals, which would trump the league-leading 235 hit by the White Sox in 2008. I think we can safely say the Royals will not lead the Majors in homeruns in '09 (although, I certainly wouldn't complain if they did).

No one will hit .400 for the season either, although players with more than 30 at-bats this spring with an average that high are easily found. It's safe to say this guy, currently carrying a bloated spring batting average of .460 into Opening Weekend, won't be ending the regular season in the mix for the batting title. Heck, he may not even end the season on a Major League roster.

So if you're pumped that your favorite player is batting .396, slugging .778, and has an on-base-percentage of .543, be prepared for those numbers to drop. Spring stats can be seductive, especially if you're into fantasy baseball and you're looking to snag a cheap sleeper pick in your draft (or if your team hasn't sniffed the playoffs for the past few... decades). But remember, it's a very, very long season. Everything finds a way of averaging out over the long haul. By the end of it, we'll have a better idea of who are the pretenders, and who are the contenders.

Japan Repeats as Classic Champs

Here are some great highlights from the World Baseball Classic championship, courtesy of MLB.com, via YouTube.

Random Thoughts Today

World Baseball Classic
My "coverage" of the World Baseball Classic didn't go so well. I'm a little disappointed that I wasn't able to dedicate more time to it. I missed the miracle of the Netherlands squeaking past the might Dominicans. And I missed it when they did it the second time to eliminate David Ortiz and company. I saw the highlights from the ninth inning of the elimination game between the United States and Puerto Rico lying on a bed in a room at La Quinta in Amarillo. This morning, I watched most of the replay of US vs. Japan, but stopped when I accidentally saw the final score while checking other baseball news. With the championship game to be played tonight between Korea and the defending WBC champions, Japan, I have a few thoughts on the Classic.

I'm truly sick of hearing sports radio hosts and sports writers tear down this event. That said, they make a few good points. First, the timing of the Classic is poor, at best. Perhaps Major League Baseball, if they truly are behind this event, should mandate a three week break in the regular season every four year to allow the best players in the game to join their countrymen and represent their Tierra Madre. There shouldn't be any doubt that more baseball fans would watch the Classic if it was the only show in town. Part of the trouble now is that fans are more concerned about what their team is doing in Spring Training, or how their college basketball bracket is shaping up in their office pool.

Second, and this may be related to the first point, the United States can't win this tournament unless they can consistently get its best players, particularly pitchers, to commit to play on a more regular basis.

Third, understandably, teams and fans worry about their superstar players getting hurt in what, at this point, amounts to little more than an international exhibition in their minds. These players make a lot of money. Teams have made enormous financial investments in the players on United States' roster, and can't afford for them to miss the first few months of the season. As a solution to the anxiety this causes, I wonder how good a team of the best college baseball players in the nation could be?

Just some thoughts.

Curt Schilling Retires
Curtis Montague Schilling announced today that he is calling it quits. The 42-year-old pitcher was a fierce competitor who, over the course of his 20 year career, won three World Series rings, including 2001 as the co-MVP, and the fabled bloody sock championship for the 2004 Red Sox. But, he missed the entire 2008 season because of shoulder trouble. Now he says it's time to hang up the cleats, "with no regrets."

I'm sure the debates will take place soon (or maybe in five years), but is Schilling Hall of Fame worthy? I'll leave that topic to the guys at ESPN and the like, but let me say this: Some of the most dominating, memorable playoff performances I have witnessed were when Schilling took the mound. But, you know, I don't have a vote on the Hall of Fame ballot.

How did you choose your team?

There are few decisions more important in a person’s life than choosing a Major League Baseball team. Marriage, career, and religious beliefs all have their places as the major life decisions. But do you realize that many people change those three much more than they would change their baseball team?

I am told that we have a divorce rate of 50% in this country (the math they use isn’t even close to being right but experts keep using the number) but those same people would never dream of leaving their beloved Dodgers, Red Sox or Cubs.

There was a time where a man got a job out of college and would retire with that same company nearly 40 years later after driving to the same office every day. Today, the average person will change jobs 6 or 7 times before the age of 50. (Citation needed) Would anybody respect a fan that changed teams 6 or 7 times in a 30 year stretch? They would probably celebrate a lot of World Series Championships and have a closet that closely resembled a MLB.com store.

Religious beliefs are something that sports fans can identify with when it comes to their teams. They refer to stadiums as cathedrals and spend more time praying when their team is down 3 runs in the 9th then they do over their food and as a family at night. People will take up and leave a religion because it takes too long yet have no problem going to a doubleheader and watching the highlights on sportscenter that night.

Choosing a baseball team is very, very, very, very important. You will live and die with this team for the rest of your life. They will determine which complete strangers you have a kinship with and which complete strangers you will disdain in a town which neither team has ever played. (see Red Sox vs. Yankees: Salt Lake City). Sadly, choosing your team will likely determine whether you favor a free market system (Yankee fans) or favor a regulated payroll system (both Florida Marlins fans).

So, how did I choose my team? Early on, I watched baseball on TV and didn’t care very much. My friend Tyler played little league baseball and he was on the Mets so I think I liked the Mets. When I discovered that Dale Murphy was a baseball player and a Mormon, I quickly changed my team to the Atlanta Braves. I was 9 or 10 at the time so don’t judge me too harshly. I bought braves hats, and felt a sense of pride each time they won the division and in 1995, they won the World Series. I couldn’t picture myself as anything other than a braves fan. I learned about Hank Aaron and watched the 1996 Olympics intently knowing that would be the Braves new home stadium. I felt a sense of retroactive pride with hammering hank and Smotlz, Glavine, and Maddux. Had I continued, I would have likely had a dog or son named chipper. But when I came back from my mission in 2001, my love for the braves was gone.

Being a braves fan was not as bad as being a cubs or red sox fan at the time but it wasn’t great either. The cubs and sox would be competitive every 5 – 10 years or so but would never threaten in the post season. The braves would steamroll through the division and then get crushed by a lesser team in either the divisional round or the NLCS. It was the equivalent of getting a good night kiss on the cheek each and every time you went on a date. Close to what you wanted but just a little off. It’s still better than the guy at home watching reruns of Mork and Mindy but not quite what you had in mind. Also, the braves had changed (no Dale Murphy) and I felt cheated that I didn’t know as much about baseball when I chose them. How could I be held to a team that I chose when I was 10 years old? I decided to reopen my fandom with the understanding that this would be the last time. Surely a 22 year old would be allowed a mulligan on such an important decision. I had no hometown team and my father and brothers couldn’t care less about baseball at the time. I kept the braves in as a backup but decided that any team was up for grabs.

If I chose it based on proximity, then it would have been the diamondbacks or the rockies. If I chose it based on vacation destination then it would have been the Dodgers, Angels, Marlins or the Mariners. I knew that I didn’t want to be a cubs fan because I hate it when cubs fans whine. I didn’t want to be a fan of a small market team since the chances of them succeeding on the field were remote and unless I lived there, I didn’t want to sign up for the heartache. (A big pat on the back to all Royals fans. True baseball fans indeed.) I didn’t want a team whose NFL fans annoyed me so Philly, Oakland, and Cleveland were out. And I didn’t want a team whose NBA fans annoyed me so the whole states of Texas, California, New York, Chicago (sorry white sox) and New York. Last of all, I had chosen my team before as a front runner. I didn’t want to be part of the problem of fair weather fans (Yankees) who come and go with the fortunes of the team. I was in it for better or worse this time and there was no turning back. Base on the criteria I had set forth, I was a RED SOX fan.

In 2002 when I signed up, the Red Sox were popular but no where near the Yankees. The Yankees were the evil empire and the Red Sox were a team that had good night kisses on the cheek or worse for the last 84 years. They had momentum but no real result so I wasn’t a frontrunner. They were in a big market and did not geographically get eliminated from my search. It was weird to no longer recognize the 1995 championship of the braves but I felt good about my choice. Since then I have purchased hats, shirts, key chains, jackets, golf balls and 3 jerseys. I have seen 2 world championships and gotten several “Go Sox” cheers from complete strangers. I am a Red Sox fan for the long haul and they will be my team. The only way I would ever consider opening up my fandom again is if I move to a city with a team or a major league team comes to Salt Lake City. If a team comes here, then I will be their fan but till then: “GO RED SOX”

WBC: Japan vs. China

Just a few quick thoughts on the opening game of the World Baseball Classic:

Japan started a 22-year-old pitcher named Yu Darvish. In four innings of work, he struck out three, walked one, and held China hitless, earning the eventual win. This kid is totally legit and I believe it is only a matter of time until he is making headlines as a frontline starter here in the United States. Dice-K is good. But Darvish can be better. He may already be better. He throws hard (topping out at about 96-97mph at times), and has a good, tight slider. And his 6'5" frame atop the mound, along with his long arms and legs, give him the look of a prototypical ace.

Overall, Japan did what they should have done, which was to win the game. But they had some trouble scoring. They missed multiple opportunities with men in scoring position to get the big hit. I don't think that they'll repeat as WBC champions, but I'm not counting them out either. They have a tremendous amount of pride, and they know how to play the game. They will definitely be in the mix, and if they don't take the championship, whoever does, will likely have to beat them head to head.

Lastly, I don't know what it was, but I really liked their batting helmets. Nicely shaped, with a matte finish, almost like a hard version of their ball caps. It also looked like the team logo was stitched, a la the Chicago Cubs.

Today I'm going to watch the replay of the game that took place early this morning, and if I have any thoughts, I'll share them.

Simple Explanation of Baseball

My brother sent this to me a while ago, but I just found it again while cleaning out my inbox. It makes perfect sense to me.

Baseball is a game played by two teams, one out, the other in. The one that's in sends players out one at a time, to see if they can get in before they get out. If they get out before they get in, they come in, but it doesn't count. If they get in before they get out it does count.

When the ones out get three outs from the ones in before they get in without being out, the team that's out comes in and the team in goes out to get those going in out before they get in without being out. When both teams have been in and out nine times the game is over. The team with the most in without being out before coming in wins unless the ones in are equal. In which case, the last ones in go out to get the ones in out before they get in without being out. The game will end when each team has the same number of ins out but one team has more in without being out before coming in.

Yeah. What he said. Right, Lou?

Booing Alex at Spring Training

Sitting here listening to the pre-game show for the Royal's opening Spring Training game, I noticed a common question popping up in most of the interviews I'm hearing: "Does Alex Rodriguez belong in the Hall of Fame?"

My answer: Duh.

This shouldn't even be considered a serious question. The guys talent is off the charts. His numbers don't say he's a first-ballot Hall of Famer, they shout it. I looked up "no-brainer" today, and the definition was Alex Rodriguez is a future member of the Baseball Hall of Fame.

The hangup for many people is his recent confession to having used performing enhancing substances from 2001 to 2003, while a member of the Texas Rangers. It is very easy to forget that at that time in Major League Baseball, there was no rule against that practice. According to the rules of the day, he did nothing wrong. How can you punish him for that?

I heard that there was a mixed reaction in the crowd today when he came to bat for the first time. Some cheers, some boos. I suppose that this is to be expected. You can boo if you want. But let's try to keep this whole situation in its proper context.

First Day of Spring Training Games

I have recently noticed a few signs of Spring: the weather has been warming up; the trees in my yard are budding; and birds have begun their migration back to their summer homes (as evident by the increased amounts of white globs streaking down various surfaces of our car). But for me, today marks Spring's most powerful promise: the first day of Spring Training games.

If you have been following your team in the off-season, today is a very big day. Teams have made trades, signed free agents, released and promoted ball players, and today we finally get to see the new version of the Royals, Cubs, Red Sox, Yankees, Angels, or whomever else on display. For my team, the Royals, I'm excited to see if Mark Teahen can actually handle second base. I'm excited to see how the additions of Mike Jacobs and Coco Crisp can bolster the lineup. I'm excited to learn if Alex Gordon and Billy Butler finally break out and become the Major League hitters the experts have always said they will be.

Another exciting aspect of this season's Spring Training is the second installment of the World Baseball Classic (baseball's version of the World Cup). Many stars will soon be leaving their respective training camps to represent their countries in this international baseball tournament. I cannot understand why I hear so many "baseball fans" disparage the WBC. I love the idea, and the drama that played out on the field in 2006 was incredible.

I just saw that all WBC games will be streamed on ESPN360.com, for those of you fortunate enough to have it (having access depends entirely on who your internet provider is; my provider, at&t, does participate, which means I'll be able to watch). Play begins March 5 when Japan and China meet in round one. Team USA's first contest is against our neighbors to the north on March 7, at 2:00pm EST.

So between Spring Training and the World Baseball Classic, it looks like their will be plenty of baseball to keep us occupied.