The CPA says…Enough about the Red Sox fans and how they “travel well”… Bradley had an AJC column on it this am and the ESPN guys hammered it around last night…. I don’t think many of these people traveled from Boston, I think most are transplants or people just jumping on the Red Sox bandwagon (like many do with the Cubs or Yankees)…
Colin Cowherd has made a good point in the past about how warm weather cities don’t have the most fervent fans because 1) they tend to be transit cities with people from the north escaping the cold and 2) in warm weather cities you have so many other options for your recreation time… the other factor down here is that MLB is still # 3 down here to college and pro football – in NY, Boston and Chicago, it is either # 1 or # 2
And I reply…You’d think Bradley could come up with something else to talk about…luckily I missed the ESPN guys talking about it. Braves fans have their pick of 81 games to attend, while any Boston fan living in the Southeast knows for months in advance the three games they’re interested in. Thanks to the old Superstation days there are plenty of Braves fans wherever the Braves go. Sunday night it’ll be different with the Tigers in town. I thought about going, but the 8 pm start and all the commercials will keep me away, and I’m probably not alone.
That lefty sidewinder Boston brought in had good stuff…tough to bunt off him, so I forgive Woodward for bunting into a force at second. Rowland’s Office had earlier complained about the lack of execution/fundamentals, but that could be said for many teams. Thought the ESPN crew just looked at Poronto’s stats and started butchering him unfairly. You don’t bring in you best relievers when you have a huge lead or you’ll wear them out. Then the crew turned it around and was right saying Cox wanted McBride to finish the game so the aces could stay rested.
More from the CPA…Big win last night against Schilling, even if he gave them the game… we have been talking about starting pitching and the need to acquire another starter, with the bullpen they have, all they need is a starter who can give 5-6 innings and keep them in the game until you can get to Moyland, Yates, Soriano and Wickman… I can see JS making a deal soon for a veteran LH reliever – a Mike Stanton type… later in the season, I can see him picking up another Daryl Ward-type for the bench – the bench does not seem to have good balance now – with Escobar on the team, you don’t need Woodward and Orr, but I think they will eventually call Pena back up to give them some flexibility with Salty…
Good series against Cleveland… I would much rather see Carlyse out there now as opposed to Davies…
Schiambi was telling a story the other day about Mazzone’s profanity-laced thoughts on the Quality Start stat…with Perlozzo gone, I am sure their will be some speculation regarding Mazzone’s future – he signed a 3-year contract with the O’s, so he should be there through next year… I can’t see him returning to Atlanta…
Andruw is killing them in the middle of the lineup – I don’t know if he is going to be able to turn things around this year, or not…before the season, we did not think he would re-sign with Atlanta because of budget reasons… after the sale, I got the feeling that would not stand in the way, but now we are seeing how he can kill your team offensively if he goes in a massive slumps… a big financial commitment for 5 years seems like a huge risk at this point… I have to think he will be in a Red Sox uniform next season… he is such an icon in Atlanta, I don’t think you can move him down to 7th or 8th when he slumps like this, but in Boston he would probably not bat higher than 6th even when he is at his best… and don’t believe the bloggers, Willie Harris will not be the CF next year… I would expect someone like Aaron Rowland…that would still give you more budget room for your rotation…
All of Smoltz ¾ deliveries Saturday worried me… I think his shoulder may be worse than everyone lets on…
As a kid going to Falcon games, one of my favorites was QB Bob Berry, who played here from 69 – 73 or so. I was 10 – 14 and was eating up Falcon football. He led them to their first winning season. He certainly wasn’t the greatest, but was usually among the league leaders in completion percentage. Went to the Pro Bowl in 1969, when Van Brocklin coached and took several Falcons. Uni-Watch had a link to photos of the 1971 starting QBs, which included Berry. He always had this double bar face mask that was comically huge in relation to his helmet. In the 1969 photo the mask is large, but in later years he got one even bigger. I searched for more photos with no luck…but did find a link to him…now a real estate agent in Colorado. I plan on writing him a short email, asking for info on his facemask.
Here’s the links from the Uni-Watch Blog…Football historian Mark Bolding, whose excellent web site was spotlighted here two weeks ago, has added a new section to his site, focusing on starting QBs at various points in NFL history. Among the visual highlights: a good look at the Packers’ 1950 jersey; the Rams in canary yellow; the Saints wearing heavily white-outlined uni numbers (and dig all those stripes!); the Eagles’ double sleeve stripes; Joe Namath wearing a knee pad outside his pants; and the Broncos in red pants. The full section is available here. … Well, this sure didn’t take long (you can order your own here).
This last link is a takeoff t-shirt of the D’backs new red-trimmed unis. I also spotted an error from 1971…the Saints photo link lists #14 as Billy Kilmer (who was 17). Instead, Ed Hargett was 14. Readers also deemed the red Bronco pants to be orange…though they did seem more red to me back in the days of Floyd Little.
Last night I researched 2007 schedules for SF and Oakland (and Boston). The SF web site already has the all-star game logo up, which includes a ball splashing into the Cove. The A’s site has info on their new stadium plans, which is similar to SD. On the BoSox site I checked out photos of rookie outfielder David Murphy, who was called up in September and played 20 games for the big club …only 23 ABs…hit one HR, but didn’t hit .240.
CPA says…I usually don’t fall under the same spell every year which generally curses the national media. However, I thought this year was different, I thought their team (at least offensively) resembled the ’96 – ’00 teams. Their top 3 starters should have been good enough to get them to the next round. The Tigers remind me somewhat of the ’91 Braves with Verlander and Bonderman replacing Glavine/Avery/Smoltz and Rogers as a more effective version of Leibrandt… I think the Yankees are making a mistake bringing in Piniella, instead of Girardi…
I won’t even comment on the AL East until after the offseason… both the Yankees and Red Sox have a lot of perceived holes to fill – who knows what their teams will look like next season… I have never been a big Cards fan, but I guess I will have to pull for them in the NLCS (there has to no way the Mets could win a WS with that starting rotation)… the Tigers look to be like the D-Backs, Angels, Marlins and White Sox the last few years – mid market teams putting everything together for 1 season to win a WS…
And my reply…You’d think a more even-tempered Torre type would fare better there than the volatile Piniella, but imagine Girardi not talking to the NYC press! Hate to see Joe go out this way, but that’s still going out close to the top…nine straight division titles, and 11 of the last 13 years…with four World Series crowns. ESPN was running a stat of most consecutive years with 90 or more wins…13 or 14, I think…one more than the Braves and Cox.
You would’ve thought that the Yankee lineup could overcome any pitching shortfalls…similar to the Braves situation this year, except the Yankee lineup was one for the ages. Who goes free agent this year…Sheffield? With all the changes, the Red Sox could take the flag next year. I think pressure had something to do with it as well. Funny how the SI story last week was “Collision Course…is another Subway Series inevitable?” Go Cards!
This postseason is interesting because no one left is really hot, unless it’s the A’s. The Tigers limped home in September, as did the Cards and Mets. So whoever heats up in October can run the table. I won’t even rule out the Mets.
I had forgotten the Piniella – ARod connection. Lou will manage the Yankees over the Marlins? For Atlanta, it makes some sense that old hands Eddie Perez and Brian Snitker are promoted, to keep up the Braves winning tradition, as opposed to bringing in someone from another team. That’s something to lose so much of your coaching staff. I guess the Mets will want to keep Glavine, with Pedro missing so much of next year.
Perhaps now the I’m back to normal I can keep up with the playoffs better…the in-laws were here until Sunday as well…the GT – Clemson game on the 21st will be big, but no way GT wins without Ball. I guess it’s good to win when the team comes out flat…I guess you can’t be up for every game…at my age/experience, I’d know I’d only get to play so many games, and treat each as special…easy to say anyway. Without the two returns UGA really got beat…perhaps they should’ve gone to another QB. Saturday night the in-laws wanted to keep tabs on the South Carolina game, so we were flipping between that, UGA, and baseball.
Busy week…Will has a game and a school project due. Ceil is going out two nights, and Will has practice tomorrow and Thursday and church on Wednesday. I signed up for a golf outing Thursday to hang out with the new boss, and tonight it's Talladega Nights with the guys...look out!
Orioles: I’m a sucker for Ripken’s years of consistency and excellence. I’ll call number two a tie…Frank Robinson was fourth all time on the home run list until this steroid era, and has served the game what, into his seventies? Murray’s 500HR/3000 Hit career puts him in an elite class as well. Neither played their entire career in Baltimore. At four is Brooks, whose great Series against the Reds, his competitive fire, his sawed-off batting helmet bill, and his huge smile as a retired ambassador of the sport rank him high in my book. My son plays Little League with a boy named Brooks. Palmer may still look great in Jockeys (or so my wife tells me), but his was an injury plagued career.
Bosox: Some may argue for some present day stars, but these five are all time greats. Arguably one of the greatest pitchers ever, and one of the greatest hitters. (1) Cy Young’s 511 wins is an unbreakable record. (2) Teddy Ballgame’s .400 batting average and 521 home runs in a career cut short by military service. (3) Yaz had a long career, putting up numbers ranking him high on many all-time lists...including 3514 hits. (4) The Rocket’s late career sustained excellence has overshadowed his powerful early years in Boston. (5) Rice was overshadowed by other stars, but had many monster years.
ChiSox: Last years world champions and this year’s addition of Thome do not a career make, so I’m ok with the exclusions. (1) Thomas had a few season’s for the books back in the early nineties, enough to vault to the top of this unheralded list. (2) Baines’ long career is revered on the south side and could win him this vote. (3) Appling is a HOF SS with a career BA of .310, and (4) 2B Fox is another Hall Of Famer. (5) Beloved Minnie’s claim to fame is just his long career.
Indians: Bob Feller was amazing, but Speaker’s 3514 hits and .345 average are hard to top. Doby places third, if only for becoming the first black in the AL. Nap was no slouch with 3242 hits / .338 BA, placing Averilli fifth. Hard to replace these five Hall of Famers with anyone more recent.
Tigers: (1) The Georgia Peach was one of the greatest ever. (2) Greenberg fought prejudice during his shorter, more productive career, though (3) Kaline put up more homers in his longer career. (4) Second-baseman Gehringer made the Hall with a .320 average, and perhaps (5) Trammell’s managerial stint helped earn him a spot on the list over his running mate Lou Whitaker.
Royals: (1) Hall of Famer Brett stands head and shoulders over these other favored sons. Long time Royals (2) Otis, (3) Sweeney, and (4) White were loved in KC, as was my write in for (5): Bo Jackson, the All-Star game MVP who made quite a splash for several years in left field.
Angels: Here’s a team many may cry for more current choices, but I’m writing in more from the past. (1) Carew’s high average challenged the all-time greats, collecting 3000 hits. (2) Nolan Ryan still hold most of the Halos pitching records, and had four of his no-hitters there. (3) The heroic Baylor spent many years on the other coast. (4) Third-baseman Jim Fregosi was a 6-time all-star and had his number retired…he even managed the Angles. (5) Salmon helped lead them to their only title, placing him ahead of popular pitcher Finely and Olympic hero Abbott.
Twins: The old-school Killebrew was also quite popular back in the day, and he retired at 5th on the HR list…putting him first in my book. The late Puckett wins many popularity contests in the twin cities despite his post career troubles. Had his career not been cut short due to eye trouble, he could’ve piled up several more MVP caliber seasons. Carew’s years with the Twins outshone Oliva. Hrbek doesn’t belong on this list…give me Joe Mauer, Paul Molitor, or centerfielder Tori Hunter.
Yankees: Don’t give me Mattingly or even Mariano, perhaps the greatest closer ever. I love Jeter, Arod, and Posada. Munson and Gossage were mean. Even Whitey Ford was great. But all are overshadowed by the five Hall of Famers listed. (1) The Babe changed baseball as a hitter, and also set records pitching. (2) Gehrig was not only the Iron Man, but his stats rival Ruth’s in many categories; .340 average and behind only Aaron and Ruth in RBI. (3) The popular DiMaggio tops (4) the injury-riddled Mantle, who finished with 536 HRs (was he second on the list at the time?). (5) Loveable Yogi stirred the drink in his day, thought he could be replaced by Whitey or Mariano.
Athletics: Tough call, since these guys all played elsewhere. (1) Reggie gets the nod, since he led the A’s championship teams in the 70’s and was 6th all-time in homers. (2) Eckersley was also an important puzzle piece in the 90’s as the closer. (3) Lefty Grove played in Philadelphia, so ‘hometown hero’ doesn’t fit…though his 300 wins and .680 winning percentage do. (4) The volatile Henderson, the base-stealing king and one of the greatest leadoff hitters. (5) Catfish was popular and a Series hero who took the big bucks from the Yankees.
Mariners: (1) Junior’s years in Seattle were compared to the greats, solidifying a HOF career even with the recent injuries. (2) Ichiro has burst upon the scene compiling all-time numbers himself, a singles hitter in the steroids era. (3) DH Edgar is loved in the Pacific Northwest. (4) Write-In…ARod was worth $250 million when he left Seattle. That trumps Buhner and Moyer to 5.
Devil Rays: How can an expansion team claim end of the line free agents as their greatest player ever? Boggs did provide one of the greatest moments in Rays history with he got his 3000th hit, and the Crime Dog tried to go for his 500th homer. Why not add Jose Canseco? I’d rather Rocko Baldelli get votes. (1) Crawford (2) Huff (3) Boggs (4) Hernandez (5) McGriff.
Rangers: (1) Ivan was a catcher for the ages. Write-Ins…(2) ARod carried Texas while pressured by talk of his salary (was Ryan here much longer than ARod?), and (3) Rafael Palmeiro, he of the 500HR/3000hit club. (4) Ryan was amazing, particularly in his 40’s, but his brilliant career was divided between four teams. (5) Kevin Brown did more damage for Texas than Sundberg and Greer combined. Teixeira, great as is he, is still a baby.
Blue Jays: (1) One last write-in…Fred McGriff. Toronto is where he got his start, he tore up AL pitching for many years, and he was a fan favorite. (2) Alomar was an elite second-baseman, (3) Carter hit the walkoff HR to win the Series, and (4) Stieb and (5) Fernandez were both All-Stars.
Forgot to wear green today.I usually try and participate in St. Patrick’s Day, and at least wear green, but I won’t feel too bad about it. Perhaps tonight I’ll break out my Phillies # 20 green trimmed jersey. Guess Team USA won’t get to wear their green uni set.
Somewhere along the way I got on the mailing list for the Pawtucket Red Sox...I'm sure I entered a contest. I get emails from them, that I sometimes read. Yesterday in the mail I got their 16 page 'magazine'. On the cover is the Sox 2003 # 1 pick...David Murphy. He is on Boston's 40 man roster. A skinny, left-handed outfielder from Texas, a Baylor all-American. In the past I had noticed him when I had Googled my name.
The USA manager Buck Martinez has a losing career record, I am pretty sure. Lang had asked why he was picked. Before this WBC started I asked if it would be good for Francoeur. The bats may be few, but at least they're under pressure situations.
Chris Dimino interviewed Ron Bloomberg yesterday morning while I was in the car. I think Orlando Cepeda was the second DH, who batted for the visiting Red Sox in the second inning, after the Yankees retired the Sox in order in the first inning...thereby allowing Bloomberg to be the first DH.
Notable coaches in the International League...Larry Parrish...Mud Hens manager, Leon Durham...Mud Hens coach, Juan Nieves...Charlotte coach, Ken Oberkfell...Norfolk manager, Howard Johnson...Norfolk coach Hensley Meulens...Indy coach Frank Howard...Columbus coach Dwayne Murphy...Syracuse coach Greg Hibbard...Buffalo coach Rochester's manager and pitching coach are twin brothers, perhaps identical.
Others in the Boston organization...Dave Tomlin...rookie league coach, Luis Alicea...Greenville manager, Mike Cather...Wilmington coach, and U.L. Washington...rookie league coach. Consultants include Dwight Evans, Tony Cloninger, Tommy Harper, and Yaz.
Yesterday at practice, Matthew did something funny.They were on a tiny practice field, pretty much just an infield, working on throwing the ball home to tag out the runner, or run him back to third. This is important because this is the first time players can’t just call time out and expect the runners to stop…base coaches can continue sending runners home.The drill had the ball tossed to the outfield fence.The outfielders ran it down and threw home, with a runner starting at first base.Unless the throw was strong and the catcher caught the ball, most fast runners were scoring the run.About half the runners were scoring.
Matthew has been running faster lately, but the catcher made a nice play and tagged Matthew out.When this happened, Matthew shouted ‘Darn it!’Not a good thing for a seven-year old in a church league, and I tried to contain my laughter.
Since we signed up for the Kroger Plus discount card, we get Kroger mailings and circulars delivered in the mail. Usually we don't thumb through the Kroger quarterly Home Basics magazine, but yesterday Ceil sat down with the mail and gave it a look while resting. Lang's wife Isabel is in an ad for Caress Glowing Touch skin care products!
No relation to Dale! Lifetime Georgia boy...enjoys visiting the rest of the USA. The CPA is my buddy with a finger on the pulse of MLB. I'm a GT grad who also appreciates UGA. Love the Braves & MLB, tolerate the Falcons, Hawks, & Thrashers. A worker bee enjoying Little League & ballet - my excuse for not having hours to write & research. More ramblings can be found at www.sacrifice fly.blogspot. com
