Bonds was wrong about one thing...Costas knows more about baseball than most people...that has always been his love and specialty. Earlier in Costas' career the network he signed with was determined by what network had the baseball package. He keeps a Mickey Mantle baseball card in his wallet, and named his son Kirby after the Twins outfielder...and he had lots of analysis in Ken Burns' PBS Baseball series. I think Costas was on the mic when Marquis Grissom caught the last out in the 95 World Series.
I've always liked Costas, particularly for his love of baseball, as well as references like that Morrison one...he slips them in without being overbearing and obvious like Chris Berman. That late night show of his was just too late for me.
Since the Giants play two series on the road (LA & SD)...six straight before three more home night games...perhaps Barry will sit in two of those six road games. That would mean he'd only play nine games before my game. Sounds like they have the Pac Bell Park all rigged to go off whenever he hits 755 and 756. It would be too much to ask for Bonds to not break the record until we see him? Wednesday is a night game and Thursday is a day game, so he should play the Friday game we have tickets to. Maybe the pressure will keep him from hitting his second HR until then. That would be one HR per series.
Interesting chatter out there on Glavine. The HOF now decides what cap the Honoree wears…it’s not like if the fans boo that he’d go in as a Met. Boggs tried that in Tampa and it didn’t fly. Interesting point by Rowland, that the fans love Julio…who did the same thing Glavine did.
CPA: The Bonds/Costas thing is so ridiculous because Costas was not even the one saying anything about Bonds... Costas used to have a late night (1:30) talk show on NBC I used to watch as I was getting home from work (late 80's)...whenever he talked to a guest and mentioned singer Jim Morrison, he always said "the singer Jim Morrison, not the Atlanta Braves infielder"...
ESPN had some hits and outs last night in the Celebrity All Star Game. The personalities had personality, but many of the former stars did not...
…Jimmy Kimmel made the celebrity game funnier. He charged out and argued a call, throwing his cap and hitting the umpire. He was immediately tossed, and wised up and said “Not really, right?” When ‘win one for the Gipper’ didn’t work, he erased it and drew a puppy. …Kenny Mayne did make a nice catch. …Editing the game to an hour cuts out the lulls, and perhaps this year the editing was smoother than the past. …the young SF mayor did ok. …Erin Andrews seemed more interested in the guy from Desperate Housewives. As cool as she is, sometimes she asks a question then smiles way too big before the question is answered. …Rob Schneider just looked funny, especially when he chased the pigeon.
…Rickey Henderson and Kevin Mitchell didn’t add much, but it’s harder when you’re in the outfield. This weekend Henderson was blasted again by ESPN for catching a foul ball at a MLB game and not giving it to a kid. …Two nice catches of foul pops by catchers, including the younger Giamatti. …Ernie Banks was apparently the third base coach for one team, but he was hardly mentioned. Wonder if the other team also had a Hall of Famer coach. They did show Schneider getting Banks to autograph a ball. …J.T. Snow seemed an odd choice for the game…he must’ve been wearing his Giants number, as opposed to the 84 he switched to last year when his father died. …Jerry Rice was able to mix in some dancing moves, and he also homered. No Montana or Young?
To me, athletes in general seem to come across with different personalities, making some easier to like than others. That’s where Sports Illustrated does such a great job profiling athletes, so you can get to know them better. Frenchy appears competitive and outgoing, a guy that plays hard but is fun to be around. Same with Pete Orr. McCann appears quieter than Francoeur, but a hard worker. Interesting comments today by him regarding teammate Renteria…another seemingly quiet, hardworking guy. I like it that Edgar has figured out how to make contact and line the ball just over the infield for a single. Andruw did this against Maddux, and perhaps should cut down his swing more often…at least with two strikes. Chipper seems like a guys guy…hunter, fisherman, hitter…and Connect Four champ.
It’s interesting that Gary Carter, Fred Lynn, and Wade Boggs have now played in a few celebrity games. They were great players, but they always seemed to like the spotlight a little too much…and that made me like them less. I always like the hard-working/get a lot out of their ability type, but I was never crazy about these guys. Mike Schmidt was a little like them, just with ability. Smoltz is a Brave kind of like this group, but he has more personality, and can pull it off better. Matt Williams seems different…more quiet…he just likes to play. His interview with Andrews didn’t come off well. Rollie Fingers may be like this, but he’s always smiling and more quiet. Goose Gossage in retirement is more quiet, not as menacing as his demeanor when he played.
On the other hand Dave Winfield’s bubbly personality and big smile has already made him a good guy…a player with great ability who always played all out. Ozzie Smith is smooth and pleasant, a good mix. He made a great catch, but didn’t make a big deal about it. He traded gloves with Schneider only when Rob made the move. I could be wrong about all these guys. If I were out there I’d probably come across the same way…I know I need to smile more. I don’t have to like a player for him to be a good contributor, but since sports is also entertainment, I can pick my favorites for my own reasons. I always liked Langerhans for his glove, though he doesn’t smile much. You figure he was buddies with JF, BM, etc.
Derby winner VG is so talented, and for once the announcers had it right when they said he’s more clutch, that he came through when the contest was on the line, as opposed to just cranking out home runs. I was also impressed by Colorado’s Holliday…nice touch that he had his brother pitch to him. The Twin MVP had his manager pitch to him, and wasn’t that Rafael Belliard pitching to someone? The Blue Jay was also impressive…that second-place performance probably lifted his presence on the national scene greatly.
Good move by Bonds to be interviewed by Gammons, but I heard the phrase “3rd party opinions” too many times. The HR derby lasted until 11 pm, and Will wanted to watch the celebrity game, which ran from 12 to 1 am EDT. Flipped to Letterman and Conan during commercials…they had some funny bits Will enjoyed. Will didn’t realize that Dusty Baker was on deck for 715. I pulled out a coffee-table type book, of the history of the Braves in Atlanta, but amazingly he was not pictured.
The Bronx Is Burning was better than I expected, particularly the portrayals of Martin, Munson, even Jackson. It appears Reggie has a lot of backpedaling to do. I’ll have to watch the entire miniseries. Mantle, Whitey Ford, Pinella, Yogi, Mickey Rivers.
CPA: Leftover comments about last weeks Braves road trip:
Neither the Dodger or Padres were that impressive – part of the reason their pitchers have such low ERA’s is they are playing so many games against teams in their division with lousy offenses (Dodgers – Padres – Giants)…
Having the Giles brothers at the top of the Padres order is killing them… the West coast teams blame their ballparks for the poor hitting – I think it is more a factor of loading your lineup with guys who made their reputation in the pre-steroid testing era (M. Giles, B. Giles, Garciapara, Luis Gonzalez, Furcal, Klesko)…
Mike Cameron is batting in the middle of the Padres lineup – next year when he is here, he will probably be batting 8th…
I think Willie Harris is starting to come back down to earth – I saw a lot of weak AB’s from him last week… Do you believe in Buddy Carlyse now?
I ended up watching most every game from the road trip last week… I thought Reyes looked good through 3 innings on Saturday… I was concerned when the Wells ejection happened on Sat. that the long inning would throw him off and apparently it did…
Davies pitched a good game to get the series win…I don’t know what Wickman’s issue is – it seems he has his velocity, but he is leaving too many hittable balls up…
I did not catch the HR contest last night, or the Bronx is Burning movie (I did read the book last year and it was really good)… I like the concept of the HR concept – I think it is very fan-friendly and great PR for the game, but personally it does not interest me to watch BP HR’s…
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.
The CPA on the winter meetings…I think Giles is all but gone – it looks like the Padre deal is the obvious one, however, it seems like JS very rarely makes the deal everyone thinks he will do… Next year’s 2B will probably be some combo of Aybar, Prado or Escobar (who seems to be doing well in the AFL after an unspectacular year at Miss… Everyone complains about how much they missed Furcal last year, and that they need a true leadoff hitter – I don’t see where the numbers back that up…
I do think they need to upgrade LF, if they can, either via trade or maybe Salty or Josh Burris will have a big spring and win a job… I don’t think Juan Pierre is worth the money, but he will be mentioned endlessly… I think A. Jones will have a monster season in the walk year of his contract… hopefully Chipper can play at least 130 games… McCann is already the best catcher in the NL…. LaRoche and Frenchy should continue their improvement… we pick up those AB’s that were wasted last year when Jordan was platooning at 1B, and McCann will probably play more (as he did during the 2nd half), with Pena (or Sammons) wasting fewer AB’s than Pratt did… they should be a good offensive team…
I think Ramirez will be traded if they have confidence in both Hudson and Davies… it sounds like they want Linebrink and another LH for the pen to go along with Wickman, McBride, Yates and some combo of Boyer/Devine/Villareal
My reply…Seems like Schuerholz would really manage things just like he always does. You don’t think he’s any more desperate, or perhaps he and Cox want to go out with a #### next year. We do have lots of middle infielders, so Giles could indeed go. You’d think he’d concentrate on the pen, and perhaps one more big bat, as opposed to relievers. But perhaps he’ll be more willing to open the minor league cupboard this time to better stock the roster. They should keep Salty, but he won’t make the big club out of spring training, after the 2006 he had. But would they trade Horacio?
People say that about needing a “true leadoff hitter” when Furcal more often swung for the fences. He was usually not 100% healthy. They also forget that usually a leadoff hitter only leads off one or two innings a game.
I was tuned in to all the buildup about Cremins' return, but missed the recap yesterday and today. He's been in Sports Illustrated and everything. Probably not worthy of a Lang article yet. Wonder if Lang went to the Hip Hop Awards at the Fox…I hear he was in town.
A shopping center near us sent out an email telling when Santa would arrive. He would be accompanied by “Howie the Hanukah clown”
Greg Maddux won 15 games again...one off the NL lead. Stole a base, his second of the year, and 8th of his career. Got a great jump when the pitcher wasn't paying attention. Do you think Roger Clemens decision to come back has a little to do with Maddux behind him on the all time list? Smoltz won 15, plus how many times did he leave the game with the lead, only to have the bullpen lose it for him...eight or nine. Third in the NL in strikeouts. Last year Clemens won the Cy Young with a comparable year, right? Or is the sentiment to give the award to Trevor Hoffman?
Can the Twins knock off the Yanks? LA could topple the Mets and continue on to the Series. That after the Cards top the Padres. See Adam Wainwright closing out today's game?
Clemson lost to Boston College but beat FSU, Florida Atlantic, UNC, and La Tech. They have yet to play Wake, Temple, Tech, Va Tech on the road, Maryland, NC State, and South Carolina. GT still has Maryland, Clemson, Miami, NC State, UNC, Duke, and UGA. Shall be an interesting season.
Interesting Sagarin ratings this week... 1. USC 2. Ohio State 3. Michigan 4. Florida 5. Texas 6. Oregon 7. Louisville 11. Notre Dame 12. Clemson 14. Boise State 15. West Virginia 16. Tennessee 18. UGA 19. FSU 23. Virginia Tech 28. Boston College 30. Miami 31. Georgia Tech
Will turned his second career unassisted triple play last night, providing a bright spot in an otherwise humdrum loss in Powder Springs. The unassisted triple play is the rarest play in baseball, even more rare than a perfect game...hundreds of times less frequent than a hole in one in golf.
With little John Fulton pitching, the leadoff hitter in the fifth inning reached on an error, and hit the lineup's cleanup hitter, putting Powder Spring’s two best players on base. This brought up third-baseman Danny, who had singled home a run in the third.
On a one ball - one strike pitch, Danny lined the ball up the middle, high and to the left-field side of second base. Will moved to his left and reached high to snag the liner for the first out. Both runners had taken large leads before the pitch, and were well off the bags when Will made the catch...but they weren't stealing on the pitch.
In the dugout, my first thought was which runner should Will pick off base. But Will didn't hesitate...his momentum was taking him toward second base, and he quickly stepped on the bag for the second out. Facing first base, Will had a perfect view of the runner caught halfway between first and second. Later Coach White said Will's eyes were open wide at this point. Will accelerated and easily ran down the runner, tagging him out for the unassisted triple play, quite similar to the triple play turned by the Braves Rafael Furcal a few years ago.
Will then turned right and ran off the field to the third base dugout, tossing the ball on the mound as he passed. It was a cool night, with dew starting to form, so the base umpire instinctively picked up the ball to keep it dry. I walked out and retrieved the ball, to put on Will’s shelf next to his first triple play ball, turned almost six years ago on October 6, 2000.
The rest of the game was forgettable, as the young Longhorns were sloppy at the plate and in the field. Both Bradford and John Fulton pitched admirably...with Bradford only allowing two earned runs in three innings, and JF tossing two shutout innings.
Will caught another line drive playing shortstop, but saw his consecutive at-bats with a hit streak end at eleven straight, and his consecutive plate appearances reaching base streak ended at fourteen.
What a good idea to comment on the MLB choices for each team’s most outstanding player.I have been casting my votes…here they are, along with some comments.I’ll rank all five for each team.First my favorite, the senior circuit…
Arizona:Randy Johnson’s perfect game and Series championship beats out Gonzalez’s steady career.Williams also starred for the Giants, Bell for the Pirates.Why not Greg Counsell or Curt Schilling?
Braves:(1) Aaron, no question. (2) Spahn is the all-time winningest lefty. (3) Niekro won 300 pitching for horrible teams. (4) Tie!Chipper’s run of 100+ RBI seasons and Smoltz’s 150 wins and saves put them at Cooperstown’s doorstep…but how do you pick them over Maddux or Glavine?Dale Murphy’s back to back MVP seasons also take a back seat, because the selectors must’ve wanted young voters to bleed votes away from Aaron.
Cubs:Five fine choices…Ernie, Billy, the underrated Jenkins, Ryno, and Santo.And I wore Sandberg’s 23 at the fantasy camp.Yes, Sammie got the shaft.
Reds:I’ve been voting for Bench instead of the tainted hit king.Robinson had a great career, but it was so split between the Reds and Orioles.Bench, Rose, Robinson, Morgan, Perez.
Rockies: Not much to pick from here, though Larry Walker was a five tool players before being slowed by injuries.Career Rockie Helton tops, Walker, Coor’s Field stud Vinny, El Cate Grande (loved by all Braves fans), and Bichette.
Marlins:With the revolving door swinging after each title, nobody has taken a foothold.Dontrell becomes the Marlins all-time wins leader this year.Then Series hero Beckett, followed by Castillo, Conine, and Nen.
Astros:Tough call…I’ll pick Nolan over Biggio and Bagwell, then the Toy Cannon, and Dierker, who has done everything in the organization.How about Ceasar Cedeno?
Dodgers:Even tougher.Jackie is tops, for all he went through.Koufax’s short, excellent career is second, then Campy, Pee Wee, and Duke. Tough to leave off Drysdale, Orel, and Fernando. A step below are Garvey, Dusty, and Kirk.
Brewers:Yount was great at the plate, at short, and center…beating out Molitor and Fingers, both of whom also starred elsewhere.Then the under-rated Cooper and Gantner.
Mets:As a Braves fan, perhaps I should be voting for Strawberry.Surely Tom Terrific is tops.The other guys pale in comparison.(2) Strawberry tore it up while he was a Met.(3) Franco’s long career tops (4) Series hero Tug and (5) Piazza, whose best days were in Dodger blue.What about Dwight Gooden?
Phillies:I’m taking Lefty over Schmidt, then Roberts, Klein (who I don’t recall), and Ashburn. They outrank Luzinski, Bowa, and that great centerfielder (Elliot Maddox?).
Pirates:Being old school, Honus barely tops the excellent Clemente.Feared power hitter Stargell then beats Series hero Maz and Kiner.Didn’t Pittsburgh have a skinny outfielder win a few MVP’s in the 90’s?
Cardinals:Again the old school Stan the Man beats out the tough as nails Gibson, whom I still dislike for his stint as the Bravos pitching coach…trying to make Rick Mahler a power pitcher!The Wizard’s illustrious career tops Pujols, whom I love…he could be the player of this decade.Brock is no slouch, but brings up the rear of these five.
Padres:Gwynn spent his entire career in San Diego, and boy could he hit for average…most of the time in pain.That beats the amazing Winfield, whom I’m telling my boys about.Winfield spent many years with other teams.Hoffman has been quietly piling up saves for a mostly average team.Jones pitched a no-hitter, and maybe Giles is the current favorite…what about the shortstop Greene?Or Garry Templeton…or Ozzie?
Giants:Say Hey Willie tops this tough five.Perhaps if Bonds wasn’t so tainted and self-absorbed I would pick him.Third is Mel Ott, who hit his 500 homers in a tougher time than Stretch…who stuck around past his prime to pile up homers.Marichal was quite the competitor.
Expos/Nationals:Whether Tim Raines?Wasn’t his number retired?And Ellis Valentine, or even Warren Cromarte?Carter was not my favorite, but he beats le Grande Orange.Write in time!Soriano’s performance for the Nats this year puts him third, then Raines and Valentine.Don’t the Nats have an above average closer?
A little from my side of a "could Andruw outhomer Hank" discussion...
Andruw Jones is the fourth-youngest to reach 300 home runs (wasn't ARod third?), and is actually ahead of Aaron's pace. But I don't think he can pass Aaron.
Aaron played, and was productive, for such a long time. Jones started young and got a fast start, but he sure takes a lot more of a beating in the OF, much more so than Hank. Then Aaron switched to first.
Never thought about how Aaron started at 2B, then RF, then LF, then 1B, then DH. Dale Murphy went from C to 1B to CF (then LF or RF?). Rose went from 2B to 3B to 1B, and OF somewhere along the line. Didn’t Rose set the record for making the All-Star team at the most different positions?
Aaron played for the longest time in right, but I remember sitting in the LF bleachers, behind him, late in his career. Later on in the game they put in Sonny Jackson, and a fan who had come to see Aaron started to really ride Jackson, for no real reason. Then Jackson charged a base hit and threw home, but the throw hit the backstop in the air. The fan didn’t say anything, but as he walked back to his position, Sonny tipped his cap to the stands.
Jackson was mainly an infielder (SS). Now he’s still coaching with Dusty Baker, right?
Two other notable position changes, besides Ruth…Robin Yount (SS to CF) and Craig Biggio (C to 2B…to CF?). I also remember watching Ron Gant come up as a second-baseman.
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
