PLAY BALL! (Finally!)

Opening Day!  Finally!  I feel like I've been waiting for this day since last October!  Only 6 games were on tap for today, (and actually the sixth game just started), but I have watched more baseball today than I have in a long, long time.  The first 2 games were at 1:05, so I tried watching them both simultaneously.  While the Nationals hosted the Braves on one channel, ESPN was showing the Tigers visiting the Yankees.  I must admit that the Yankees/Tigers game was more exciting, even though the Yankees won.  (Boo!).  In that game, Derek Jeter didn't get any hits, but he did walk and scored on Mark Teixeira's 3-run homer in the third inning.  I was bummed that my buddy Justin Verlander had a rough outing, but it was nice to see him striking out Robinson Canó.  The Yankees won that one 6-3.  Boo again!

In the Nationals/Braves game, Liván Hernandez pitched a heck of a game, except for one pitch to Jason Heyward in the second inning, which he hit for a home run.  Chipper Jones proved that his knee is fine by hustling for a nice double to start the game, and I had to laugh at Dan Uggla (who I'm used to seeing as a Marlin) when he struck out on a 62-mile-an-hour curveball.  Heck, I think I can throw faster than that!  But poor Liván got no offensive help, so the Nationals were shut out 2-0.  At least it wasn't as bad as last year's opener, when they lost to the Phillies 11-1.  In defense of the Nationals, home plate umpire Tim Welke is getting too old to be back there, because he made a couple of pretty bad calls in the Braves' favor.  Hopefully the Nats can win the next 2 games and win this series against what looks to be a very good Braves team, even without Bobby Cox.

Another game I watched was the one between the Cardinals and Padres.  That game went into extra innings, with the Padres winning it 5-3.  In my opinion, if a game goes into extra innings, it should end in "sudden death," as soon as either team scores a point.  Why do they need to finish the inning once a team has scored?  That's silly!  Also silly was the fact that Albert Pujols grounded into three double-plays.  I bet this was the worst game of his life.  Still, I don't feel bad for Albert.

In the game between the Reds and Brewers, there were a total of 6 home runs, with each team hitting three.  One of them was hit by last year's National League MVP, Joey Votto.  Every time I say his name, I have to say "How you doin'?"  I don't know why; I guess it's because it's such an Italian-sounding name.  Just like when I order a Georgia Peach-flavored Italian Ice at the local Rita's I have to say it with a Southern accent ("Jawja paych").  The Reds won that one, by the way, 7-6.

A game I did not get to watch because it was not televised here was the one between the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (the stupidest name I've ever heard - pick a city, will ya?) and the Kansas City Royals (who have not had a good team since 1922).  Torii Hunter (yes, mother, it is spelled with two "i"s) went 2 for 5, and even though he's normally a center fielder, he played at  right field today.  I remember when he started out with the Twins, taking over for Kirby Puckett after Puckett had to retire early due to eyesight problems resulting from Glaucoma.

The last game today, which is still going on, is between the Giants and Dodgers.  Tim Lincecum is pitching for the Giants, with last year's National League Rookie of the Year, Buster Posey, as his battery mate.  Let's see how Don Mattingly does in his managerial debut with the Dodgers.

So that is a wrap-up of the first day of the 2011 baseball season.  The Red Sox, Phillies, and Orioles are among the teams that will be starting their seasons tomorrow.  Let's hope for another day of exciting baseball, and may this season be full of good pitching, even better hitting, and continued excitement.

***Update:  (it is now Friday morning)  Just wanted to let you all know that the Giants lost to the Dodgers 2-1 last night (it was 1-0 LA when I went to bed).  It is also worth noting that Puerto Rican Wil Nieves (who just went to the Brewers after spending a few years with the Nationals) went 2 for 4 last night, and New York-born Puerto Rican (we call them Niuyorricans) Mike Avilés went 1 for 5 for the Royals, with that one hit being a home run.

More baseball today!  Yippee!!!

"Whenever you want me, I'll be there!"

I've already discussed in previous posts how the catcher is the most important position player on a baseball team.  I've also mentioned the importance of hitting the cutoff man when catching a ball in the outfield to get someone out, and the importance of the well-executed double play.  Well, another player with an important role in any successful baseball team is the Utility Player.  A "utility" player is someone who can play many positions and can do so very well.  He doesn't play every day, but when needed, he is there to provide consistent offense, and can defensively play wherever they put him.  He is dependable, consistent, and is happy to contribute whenever and wherever.  Many players have lengthened their professional careers by learning to field in new positions, and usually they do so very well.  Two former players who come to mind are Tony Phillips, who played just about every position with the Tigers, and fellow Puerto Rican José Oquendo, who played EVERY position during his professional career - even pitcher.  Because of his success as a utility player, Oquendo is now a well-respected coach for the Cardinals.  Currently, notable utility players include Ryan Theriot of the Dodgers, Mark DeRosa of the Giants, and Brandon Inge of the Tigers.  Not a lot of utility players make it into the Hall of Fame, though some would say that Tony Gwynn could have been considered one since he played in different parts of the outfield.  Alberto Gonzalez of the Nationals has been their best utility player for the past few years, and trade talks involving him make me a little sad, because he's been so consistent both with the bat and on the field (plus I got to meet him last year and even got my picture taken with him).  The A's, Astros and Braves have all shown interest in Gonzalez, and if he does go to one of these teams, he will be greatly missed.  I guess the Nationals figure that now that they have geriatric Matt Stairs, they don't need another utility guy (especially a young one!).  Maybe the trade will fall through...we'll have to wait and see!  One trade that did happen yesterday was when the Nationals sent Nyjer Morgan to the Brewers for some cash and a minor-league prospect.  I KNEW Nyjer would lose his job with the Nats; he had a lousy year last year and an even lousier spring.  That will put Ankiel at center field, which is fine with me.

It is interesting to note that the minor-league prospect that the Nationals obtained for Morgan is Cutter Dykstra, son of former Met and Philly outfielder Lenny Dykstra.  I hope Cutter is not an idiot like his father (not only is he an idiot for naming his son Cutter, but he's done steroids, sexually abused a housekeeper, committed credit card fraud, among other things), and I wish him well with the Nationals.

Speaking of idiots, you know who looks like a total fool?  The Giants' Brian Wilson.  I know he's injured and I know he had like 98 saves last year, but dude, trim that beard!  The ZZ Top look does not look good on a pitcher's mound!  I'm glad to see that he's feeling better and doing some light tossing though; I don't wish injury on anyone.  (Oh, and one more tidbit of useless information:  Iván Rodriguez got married last week, and it wasn't to me!).

So, Spring Training is almost over - some teams like the Giants and A's have already packed up and are preparing for Opening Day, which is only 3 or 4 days away (depending on the team).  Other teams still have one or two games left, and will be rushing to get things ready.  I'll be back on Thursday evening, to give you my perspective on the first day of the 2011 baseball season.  Until then, feel free to check out what's going on in basketball and hockey (go Caps!), and make some paper crafts or air planes with your sure-to-be-inaccurate NCAA brackets (I know mine went out the window after round one!).

"I'm not brave enough to pitch to you!"

My least favorite thing about baseball is the intentional walk.  Whoever invented it was a sissy, and whoever the Commissioner was at the time should have told him so.  For those of you unfamiliar with the intentional walk, here's how it usually goes:  You have one or two men on base, a very good hitter at the plate, and a so-so hitter waiting on deck.  The pitcher walks the good hitter on purpose, because he'd rather fill the bases and face the so-so hitter than actually pitch to the good hitter who is likely to drive in a run or two (or three).  This has always said to me:  "I'm sorry, good batter; but I'm not confident enough in my pitching abilities, therefore I'm going to walk you so you don't hit a home run against me."  What I do like is when the bases are loaded and the so-so hitter ends up with a base hit, therefore scoring at least one runner, which is what the other team wanted to avoid in the first place by walking the good hitter.  (That's when I say "HA-HA!")  I don't think they keep statistics of whether walks are intentional or not, but I bet they work way less often than managers think.  One of the things I don't like about the intentional walk is how it's done.  The batter is in the box, standing at his stance, then the catcher stands up and the pitcher throws 4 pitches to him WAY outside, totally out of any strike zone.  If you don't want to mess with a good hitter, throw him low pitches that you know he's not going to hit; don't make it so obvious by having the catcher stand up and catch your four pitches that can't even be hit with a six-foot bat!  Don't make it so obvious, because that usually results in getting boo-d (and I'm always one of the "boo-ers").

The reason I mention the intentional walk is that I saw the Cardinals use one in yesterday's game against the Nationals.  They preferred to walk veteran Matt Stairs and pitch to Brian Bixler, which loaded the bases.  Bixler hit a sacrifice fly to right field, which scored Alex Cora from third.  HA!  So instead of pitching to Stairs (who could have grounded into a double play), they walked him and gave up a run.  Doesn't make sense, does it?  Plus, who uses the intentional walk during Spring Training?  I know that at this point the managers are running things like if they were playing regular-season games, but for goodness' sake, make your pitchers do their job!  Sigh!

Today I get to watch a game between the Cubs and the Rangers.  I will root for the Cubs, because they need all the help they can get.  I watched a lot of Cubs games as a kid; back when Ryne Sandberg and Andre Dawson played, as well as a guy named Shawon Dunston (I remember him because he wore number 12, which was my favorite number at that time).  I remember Don Zimmer as their manager back then, and Harry Caray trying to do the play-by-play.  I did stand in front of Wrigley Field once, but the Cubs were not in town.  It's one of the ball parks I would love to visit someday, hopefully when they're giving away something free to all the fans in attendance.

Opening day is only 5 days away!  Now if only the weather would get a little warmer...

"I'll trade you my Jeter for your Puckett!"

One of the pre-requisites to being a Baseball Nerd is having an extensive baseball card collection.  I started my collection back in the mid-80s, when the stars were George Brett, Robin Yount, and Don Mattingly.  Though the only TV networks that televised games in Puerto Rico back then were home to the Braves, Mets, and Cubs, I learned all about players from the other teams by reading the back of their baseball cards (plus being in high school, I liked seeing who the cute ones were...Ron Darling...Craig Biggio...mmm!).  I remember having a lot of Willie Randolph cards as well as lots of Kirby Puckett ones.  At the time, I wasn't too sure who Puckett was (other than knowing he was the center fielder for the Minnesota Twins), but since I had so many different Puckett cards and he was such an interesting-looking fellow (I won't call him ugly, out of respect for the deceased), I decided to focus on collecting Puckett cards.  As Kirby became more popular and I realized what a good player he was, I bought Puckett cards exclusively, at card shows and on eBay.  My collection now has over 300 different Kirby Puckett cards, though it is certianly not complete.  The problem is that at one point there were about a dozen different card makers out there (it wasn't just Topps anymore), and each company had "special" cards for the really good players ("Kirby Puckett All-Star," "Kirby Puckett Diamond King," "Kirby Puckett Dream Team...") and it was very hard to keep up with the different kinds.  Now that Kirby has died and was inducted into the Hall of Fame, his baseball cards are worth a little more (though they're not going to pay for my kids' college education, like I once thought).  So I have set my Puckett cards aside, and am now focusing on building my Iván Rodriguez collection.  I have about 250 cards so far, with a long way yet to go.  Luckily, many of the card companies have stopped printing baseball cards, because Major League Baseball decided that the business was getting too carried away, so they now allow only Topps to print baseball cards that are officially licensed.  Fine, except Topps has their regular cards, "Premier" cards, "Heritage" cards, and many other subsets.  I will keep collecting my "Pudge" cards, and will hopefully have most of them by the time HE makes it into the Hall of Fame.

My hobby of collecting Rodriguez cards isn't exclusive though; in my ultimate nerdiness, I subscribed to the "baseball card of the month" club about a year ago.  Each month, I receive 5 or 6 packs of cards in the mail, and today was one of those days.  While I could cheat and just wait for the full sets of all the cards to come out, I prefer the excitement and anticipation of opening every pack and seeing which players I got.  While they no longer contain that nasty, stale piece of gum (thank goodness!), they are still fun to read and look at.  This batch of cards contained way too many Phillies players, but I did get a Yadier Molina and one of my pal Chris Carpenter. 

You can learn a lot from reading the back of a baseball card.  That's where I learned that Chipper's real name is Larry Wayne Jones; I learned that in 1986 (his rookie year), 6'5 Mark McGuire weighed only 215 pounds (before steroids, you think?); and I discovered that Jeff Bagwell played college ball for the University of Hartford in Connecticut.  So if you see a display of baseball cards at Target, WalMart, or at your local pharmacy, pick up a pack (just one, since they're no longer 65 cents each), read the backs so you can learn a thing or two, and then give them to your kids.  And if you get an Iván Rodriguez card, let me know so we can negotiate a trade!

"Can't we all just get along?"

One of the things that definitely makes the highlight videos each time it happens is a bench-clearing brawl during a baseball game.  In football and hockey, they get all violent and bloody, but in baseball, especially since the decline of steroid use, fights between two teams are more psychological than physical.  Many times, pitchers hit batters on purpose, usually in retaliation for something that happened earlier in the game.  Nolan Ryan says it's very common, and if one of your guys is hit, it is your duty as his teammate to make sure that if your catcher calls for an inside pitch, you throw it REALLY inside.  I'm sure there will be a handful of bench-clearing episodes this season, and I will give my expert psychoanalysis of each one (I sharpened my psychoanalysis skills by trying to figure out my ex-husband, but I digress...).

Yesterday, during the Nationals/Cardinals game, Nats' soon-to-be-unemployed center fielder Nyjer Morgan was a little too aggressive running to first base, and ran into Cardinals' first baseman Albert Pujols.  Albert shook his wrist very dramatically, letting everyone know that he was "hurt."  (Whether he was really hurt or not is not known; he did what a lot of players would do and played up the injury.  That is when the psychological game started).  So after that inning was over, the Cardinals' Chris Carpenter (who I've mentioned in prior posts) decides to hit Laynce Nix.  He says it was unintentional, but whatever.  Then in the inning after that, the Nats' Liván Hernandez hits Colby Rasmus.  That probably didn't hurt, because Liván's fastball is about 30 miles per hour, but he hit him nonetheless.  So after that, the Cardinals send reliever (and former Nationial) Miguel Batista to the mound, and HE his a batter (Ian Desmond, who I would probably hit too, so he could stop committing so many errors at shortstop).  That's when both benches cleared, and both managers (Tony LaRussa and Jim Riggleman) had to be separated.  Now, I know it's the manager's job to defend his players, so I'm sure Tony and Jim were just acting, probably discussing where they would go out to dinner that night.  Only Batista was ejected, because even though both benches cleared, no one threw any punches and no one went into a "'roid rage."

As a die-hard baseball fan, I take bench-clearing brawls with a grain of salt.  They happen, and then life goes on.  What annoys me is when the media just won't let the incident go.  After yesterday's game, Tony LaRussa ended his press conference after only 2 minutes, because all anyone wanted to talk about was who hit who and why.  Never mind who won (the Nationals, 7-2), who hit well (Adam LaRoche and Matt Holliday), or who hit a home run (no one); all the talk was about the "brawl" that wasn't.

There's no avoiding scuffles and bench-clearing drama in baseball - that's what some would say makes the game "exciting."  Heck, these two same teams got into it at the last game we went to at Nationals Park last season, and it WAS kind of exciting being there and booing at the umpires!  But when the arguing is over and the guilty players have been ejected, let's sit back and enjoy the rest of the game, because chances are that after that episode, the players will play with such competitiveness and emotion that they will provide their own excitement until the game is over.

The Best Home Run Hitter Ever***

Just a quick note this afternoon to let you all know that Barry Bonds' perjury trial starts today.  Most people don't care (and I really don't either), but I thought I would be a responsible blogger and keep you informed of what goes on off the baseball diamonds.  It's not a trial to determine whether Mr. Bonds took steroids or not while he was breaking Hank Aaron's all-time home run record; it's a trial to determine whether he lied or not when he was asked by a grand jury back in 2007 if he knowingly took the steroids.  Bonds swears that he had no idea that steroids were being given to him by his trainers - just like I had no idea that the Pope is Catholic and that Ricky Martin is gay!  For the past few years, people have been debating whether Barry Bonds should be in the Hall of Fame with an asterisk next to his name, because we don't know how many of those 762 home runs were hit while under the influence of performance-enhancing drugs.  Currently, most lists have Barry on top, with no asterisk and no explanation.  I'm OK with that, because then you'd have to go back and see how many other players on that list (Mark McGuire) may have hit home runs while taking steroids.  A "home run leaders list" - whether in Cooperstown or on the Internet - is only a list; that's not such a big deal to me.  The "big deal" is having a plaque in the actual Hall, where only one or two players a year get inducted into the exclusive club of Hall of Famers.  Just like I don't think Pete Rose should be in the Hall because of his admitted involvement in betting on baseball, I don't think Bonds should be there because of his drug use (plus his arrogant attitude doesn't help him any).  Leave Pete Rose, Barry Bonds, and Mark McGuire on their respective "Leaders" lists, but don't induct them into the Hall of Fame.

I will continue to follow Barry Bonds' trial (which they're saying should only last a couple of weeks), and if there's anything exciting to talk about, I'll let you know.  In the meantime, I'll keep watching the last week of Spring Training games, and continue to count the days until Opening Day (10, in case you're counting!).

5-4-3

Sundays at our house are quiet, yet usually productive.  While my husband works on some sort of home improvement or woodworking project, I get all the week's laundry done, plus whatever housekeeping chore wasn't done during the week.  Plus we have to fit in a run, since we're training for a Fall marathon.  Today, however, I realized that it's hard to be a productive and responsible adult while watching a 3-hour baseball game.  I made it work though, running to the washing machine between innings and getting the vacuuming done while trying to watch the TV.

The only televised game I could find was between the Nationals and the Tigers.  I was fine with that, since I watch a lot of Nationals games, plus I wanted to see good ol' Magglio Ordoñez.  Well, Mags wasn't in today's lineup, but hard-throwing right-hander Justin Verlander was, and he's always a treat to watch ("Pudge" reference of the day:  Iván Rodriguez caught Verlander's no-hitter back when Iván was with the Tigers back in 2007; the second no-hitter he's caught in his career.  The first was for Kenny Rogers of the Texas Rangers, obviously not the same Kenny Rogers who was left by Lucille with four hungry children and a crop in the field.  But I digress...).  Anyway, Verlander did not disappoint, pitching 5 very good innings.  "Resident Drunk" Miguel Cabrera went 0-3 with two strike-outs, and I actually feel bad for him because personal problems aside, he's a very good ball player.  I hope he gets some help for his "issues."  Also nice was seeing the Tigers wearing the name "Sparky" on their uniforms, in honor of the late Sparky Anderson, who managed the Tigers for what seemed like 50 years.

One of the best parts of the Nats/Tigers game was the perfect execution of a 5-4-3 double play.  For those of you who read this just to be nice and aren't familiar with this fundamental yet fun-to-watch play, here's another tidbit for you to learn (I hope you're finding these useful!):  The third baseman (in this case the Nationals' Jerry Hairston who is not their every day third baseman), made a diving catch after the ball was hit, caught the ball, threw the ball to second baseman (and Puerto Rican!) Alex Cora, who then threw the ball to first baseman Adam LaRoche (which I think is Italian for "the big ugly insect").  Since there was a runner going from first base to second, he was out at second because Cora caught the ball before the dude could reach the base.  Then the guy who hit the ball to the third baseman is out at first, because LaRoche caught it before the runner got there.  So there you go - a perfect double play!  The most common double play is the 6-4-3 double play, where the shortstop is the one who makes the initial catch instead of the third baseman.  When a double play is perfectly executed, I go "Nice!", and when the second baseman overthrows and the ball goes over the first baseman's head, I say "Aw, man!" (or any four-letter word that comes to mind).

Two other games of interest today included the Yankees beating the Phillies 8 to 1, and the Cardinals beating the Red Sox 10 to 3.  In the Yankees/Phillies game, both A-Rod and Curtis Granderson went 2 for 3, and CC Sabathia pitched 6 and 2/3 innings (too many innings for a spring training game, if you ask me).  This will hopefully be one of the very few times I mention A-Rod in my blog, because I was taught that if I have nothing nice to say, I shouldn't say anything at all.  For the Phillies, Jimmy Rollins went 3 for 3.  Regarding the game between the Cardinals and Red Sox, Boston's second baseman, Daniel Descalso, went 2 for 4.  "Descalso" means "barefoot" in Spanish, but I'm sure he was wearing shoes today.

So there you have it; my wrap-up for today.  In a few more hours it will officially be the first day of Spring, which means Opening Day is just around the corner!  I can't wait!

Luck 'o the Irish to ya!

Today is St. Patrick's Day, which in baseball means that players will be wearing special green jerseys and ball caps during today's games.  I first thought these get-ups were silly and a waste of money, but then I read that a lot of them are autographed and auctioned off for charity, so I guess that makes it OK.  Fashionably speaking, not many people look good in Primary Green, but I guess after drinking a few green "potent potables," everyone looks good! :-)

Yesterday was a busy day for baseball.  First, Ken Griffey, Jr. decided to finally address the media after his abrupt retirement from baseball last June.  Basically he said that he was becoming a distraction to the Mariners, and that he didn't want to have a "farewell tour" like Tony Gwynn and Cal Ripken, Jr. had in 2001.  He was so close to reaching 3000 hits that I was a little surprised when he retired, but he's a big boy and has a lot of money, so he can do whatever he feels is right.  Now he's been hired by the Mariners as a "consultant" (whatever that means), so we'll see Ken around again.  I feel bad for players like Griffey, a potential hall-of-famer and 13-time All-Star, who play so hard and do so well, yet they never get to go to the World Series.  Kind of like Dan Marino never winning a Super Bowl with the Miami Dolphins.  A lot of players prefer to have a World Series ring than the individual accolades, and Griffey is one of them.

Also yesterday, Dominican pitcher Iván Nova threw six no-hit innings for the Yankees as they shut out the Orioles 10-0.  He struck out four and had only one base runner, but he didn't walk anyone so it must have been on an error or wild pitch or something like that.  Another good Yankee pitcher - sigh!  (By the way, "no va" means "doesn't go" in Spanish, which, is OK for a pitcher but not for a Chevy car).  Yesterday was also the return of Joe Mauer and Chris Carpenter after nursing some injuries, and Brandon Belt of the San Francisco Giants was only a triple away from hitting for the cycle.  Ah, the "cycle;" another one of those rare feats in baseball!  

Opening Day is exactly two weeks away, which means our first visit to Nationals Park is just around the corner!  Our local minor league team has its first game on April 17, so I hope to see some of you at the ballpark!

Don Takes Over for Joe

The Los Angeles Dodgers have had many managers in their long history - most notably Casey Stengel, Leo Durocher, and of course, Tommy Lasorda, who managed the Dodgers for 20 years.  Their manager from last year, Joe Torre, joined the team in 2008 after having won about 58 World Series championships as manager of the Yankees.  I've always liked Joe despite his big nose, and I even read his autobiography, which bled blue pinstripes but was an interesting read.  Well Joe has taken a job as Vice President of Baseball Operations-Something-or-Other and now works directly with Commissioner Bud Selig.  So who better to take over for this former Yankee great than another former Yankee great?  The Dodgers' new skipper is Don Mattingly, who has some coaching experience but has never managed in the Majors before.  I haven't liked the Dodgers since Kirk Gibson hit that fist-pumping home run in 1988 to take the New York Mets out of the playoffs, but I've always liked Mattingly, so I hope he has a decent first season as manager this year (just "decent," not "great!").

Speaking of Dodgers, did you know that Sandy Koufax is still alive?  I had no idea, until I saw him on a PBS special last night about Jewish baseball players.  He's alive and looking great!  I mean, if Willie Mays and Bob Feller are still alive, there's no reason why Koufax wouldn't be; I just always thought he was dead for some reason!  Sorry about that, Sandy!

Regarding Spring Training, I'm glad that Chris Carpenter will be the starting pitcher for the Cardinals in their game against the Tigers this afternoon.  I have followed Carpenter's career since he started with Toronto back in 1997, and he always seemed like a nice, easy-going kind of guy (as most people from New Hampshire are).  Chris was sidelined for a little while with a hamstring injury, but the team trainer says that he's ready to go without any restrictions.  Yeay Chris! 

And yay to the nice weather in Maryland - we're expecting temperatures in the 70s by Friday!

あなたは、日本のことを考え (Thinking of you, Japan!)

Baseball is the most popular team sport played in Japan.  According to Wikipedia (I know, they're not the world's most reliable source, but I'll use them because they showed up first on Google Search), a total of 43 Japanese-born baseball players have played in at least one Major League Baseball game through the end of the 2010 season.  One of the first was pitcher Hideo Nomo, and of course there's the Mariners' Ichiro Suzuki who joined the Majors in 2001, and Hideki Matsui of the A's, who's been playing in the Majors since 2003.  (Part of me finds it hard to believe that Ichiro has been playing for 10 years already, and part of me thinks he's been with the Mariners for EVER!).  Anyway, the Japanese fans are very proud of their baseball, and my prayers go out to everyone who endured the terrible earthquake and tsunami of last week and to those who lost loved ones.

On a lighter note...the highest-scoring game from yesterday's Spring Training action was a 12-8 victory for the Brewers over the Giants.  Brandon Boggs went 2 for 5, and no, he's not related to Wade Boggs.  Also noteworthy is the fact that Phillies closer Brad Lidge has not been pitching because he has tendinitis on his right biceps tendon (which is probably why his velocity has been down this year).  Oh, I am so sad (NOT!)!  A season without Brad Lidge would not be such a bad thing (I know that's mean, but if you read yesterday's post you will understand why I feel the way I do about the Phillies!).  But a sore biceps tendon is not season-ending; he should be able to pitch pretty soon with a little bit of rehab and lots of Advil.  Oh joy!

Oh, Those Phillies!

In the past few years, the Philadelphia Phillies have been the "crown jewel" of the National League East.  Like the Cincinnati Reds of the 1980s and the Atlanta Braves of the 1990s, the Phillies have dominated the 2000s with great hitting, excellent pitching, and a World Series championship in 2008.  Last year's lineup of Rollins, Victorino, Werth, Howard, Polanco, Ibañez, Utley and Ruiz had all-star talent full of power and speed .  Pitchers like Oswalt, Hamels and Halliday provided consistency and sharpness.  Despite Werth going to the Nationals and Utley starting the season with injuries, their lineup remains pretty stable and promises to provide some excitement this year.  I'm a little apprehensive though, because these guys aren't getting any younger and they seem to be plagued with injuries.  If Spring Training is any indication of their up-and-coming talent though, then they should once again have a good season.  In yesterday's game, they beat the Minnesota Twins 6-3, and not one of their stars from last year was in the lineup.  Wilson Valdez and Delwyn Young went 2 for 3, and Josh Barfield and Michael Martinez went 3 for 4.  I wish the Phillies good luck this season; I just wish their fans (and their mascot) weren't so obnoxious!  (I know what you're thinking, Philly fans:  "If your team was any good, you'd be obnoxious too!".  Yes, you're probably right!)

Also yesterday, Mariano Rivera made his 2011 Spring Training debut with the Yankees by pitching one inning and striking out everyone.  Whatever, Mo - you just don't get old, do you?  Why don't you ever suck?

In Nationals news, they sent last year's first-round draft pick, Bryce Harper, to the Minors.  "Tommy," the new morning "radio personality" on KEY103 was like "Wasn't he supposed to be real good or something?  Why'd they send him to the minors?"  Tommy, don't try to sound like a baseball fan, when clearly you are not.  Not many first-round draft picks go straight to the Majors (Jim Abbott comes to mind, but he had college and Olympic experience).  Bryce is 18; let him spend some time in the Minors!  He'll be up soon enough, because they don't want him to become an over-paid minor-leaguer.  We may even go watch him play this season, since he's been assigned to nearby Hagerstown.

Off to a funeral soon, so I must wrap this up.  The days are getting longer, so get out there and enjoy them!

Buh-bye!

One of the things that makes baseball exciting is watching someone hit a home run.  In yesterday's 17 Spring Training games, 32 home runs were hit, including 4 by the Phillies (they have just been so good these past few years!), one by Puerto Rican catcher Jorge Posada, one by the A's Coco Crisp (I just love his name!), and one by Padres' second baseman Orlando Hudson, which was off Cy Young winner Tim Lincecum (another guy that I think I would recognize standing in line at the bank, unless he gets a haircut).  When you're at the ball park, there's nothing more exciting than watching a ball go over the fence, especially if it's in your team's favor.  The crowd goes wild, the drunk fans get wilder, and the whole place just gets electrified with energy.  If you're sitting at home watching a game on TV, you have to count on the play-by-play announcer to put a little excitement into it.  From Phil Rizzuto's "Holy cow!" to Chris Berman's "backbackbackbackback!", we depend on the announcers to give us their trademark home run call.  As a kid I used to watch Ralph Kiner and Tim McCarver doing the commentary for Mets games, and neither one of them was very exciting.  Harry Caray was legendary, but by the time I started watching him, he was very old and didn't seem to know what was going on.  Even my all-time favorite duo of ESPN's John Miller and Joe Morgan didn't have too exciting of a home run call.  Luckily the Nationals' announcer, Bob Carpenter, has a trade mark "SEE...YOU...LATER!" that is exciting enough; hopefully I'll hear it a lot this year.

Well, we are 19 days away from Opening Day, and 22 days away from our first visit to Nationals Park.  There is a televised game today between the Yankees and Nationals, and one on Monday between the Orioles and the Pirates.  Whether it's an "oppo" (opposite-field home run, to us baseball nerds) or a long-ball that lands in the next zip code, I hope I get to use my own trademark home run call:  "Buh bye!"

"Don't You Know Who I AM?"

My cousin José took his family to see the Braves play the Cardinals at a Spring Training game yesterday (no, not all Puerto Ricans have a cousin named José; I just happen to have two of them).  Anyway, José put on his Facebook status that he was sitting near Dale Murphy, Tom Glavine, and Bobby Cox.  I got all excited and told him to show Mr. Cox my blog, especially the post in which I mentioned him.  I don't know if José did or not (he was always the daring one in the family, but now he's in law enforcement so he probably tried to keep a low profile), but it got me thinking:  Would I be able to recognize a current or former baseball player who was just sitting there in street clothes?  Being visually impaired, I'm thinking not.  I mean, there are obvious ones out there I would recognize (like Jeter, "Pudge", McGuire, Clemens, and Bonds); but if Cliff Lee or John Smoltz were in front of me in line at the bank, I don't know that I would be able to recognize them.  I have had several brushes with fame in my lifetime - I was acquainted with Ricky Martin, shared an elevator with Larry Bird, and even had an "incident" with Senator John Kerry when I lived in Massachusetts.  But I think if Joey Votto or Hanley Ramirez were sitting across from me on the Metro, I would have no clue that it was them.

Regarding that Braves/Cardinals game, the Cardinals won 6-1 and Braves' minor league manager Luis Salazar had to be hospitalized after catching a foul ball in the Braves' dugout with his face.  Reports say he's doing fine; thank goodness.

In other Spring Training action, high-scoring games included the Brewers beating the Diamondbacks 11-8; The Royals beating the Cubs 13-4; the Reds beating the Padres 15-5; and the Orioles, who are having a decent Spring, beating the twins 11-2.  Poor Brian Roberts is injured AGAIN, so he won't be playing for a little while.  In Nationals news, they won 8-4 with Jason Marquis pitching 4 good innings.

Finally, I want to take this opportunity to thank my followers and all of you who have been reading my blog since I started it last week.  I appreciate the support, and hope that some of you non-baseball lovers who are reading this just to be nice, can learn a little about the sport and can appreciate my love for the game.  Please feel free to comment - the only one who has done it so far has been my husband - and let me know what you like, don't like, or would like to see.  Have a good day, my friends, and if you live in the Frederick area, stay dry, stay inside tomorrow, and watch some baseball on TV.  :-)

Caught ya Stealin'!

I believe that in baseball, the catcher is the most important player on the field.  Yes, a pitcher has to throw strikes and not allow any runs; yes, a lead-off hitter gets paid to get on base and steal a base or two; and yes, your clean-up hitter is supposed to hit a home-run every time he goes up to bat.  But a pitcher cannot throw a no-hitter if his battery mate doesn't tell him what pitches to throw.  A lead-off hitter can't steal a base if the catcher has a cannon for an arm.  And the power hitter...well, I guess he can hit a home run regardless of what the catcher does!  There have been many great catchers in baseball - Yogi Berra, Johnny Bench, Carlton Fisk, and the latest catcher to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, Gary Carter.  They endure countless injuries to their knees, backs, and shoulders due to the grueling nature of their position - YOU try to squat and hold it for an extended period of time and repeat for nine innings!  When they're not playing, they're studying hitters so they know what pitches to call for each player.  This is why I think catchers go on to make good managers (I think I mentioned that before) - they know the players, they understand the pitchers, and they know all about base running.

Being Puerto Rican, I am well aware of the many players from my island who have had good careers as catchers.  I grew up watching Sandy Alomar, Jr., Benito Santiago (the first catcher whom I noticed could throw somebody out at second without getting up from his squat), and Javy Lopez (and I resented the fact that Greg Maddux did not like Lopez catching for him).  More recently, I have followed the careers of Jorge Posada (even though he's a Yankee!), Yadier and Benji Molina, and of course, my favorite, Iván Rodriguez.  (I challenge you to argue that "Pudge" isn't the best catcher ever!).

Then there's the catcher's biggest nemesis:  The Base Stealer.  Base-stealing has been un-impressive lately, with no one coming close to stealing 100 bases in a season (Juan Pierre of the White Sox led the Majors with 68 bases last year).  I thought Chone Figgins was up there too, but he "only" stole 42 (but I love his name, so I had to find a reason to put it in here.  His teammate, Ichiro Suzuki, stole 42 last year as well).  Is it because runners are slower, they're stealing less, or the catchers are better?  I don't have an answer for that (I haven't bothered to look up how many players were caught stealing last year), but I must admit I love when a catcher snags a guy at second base.  Even if the player is on the team for which I am rooting, a "caught stealing" always brings a smile to my face (although I did enjoy watching Rickey Henderson steal a base or two during his career).

So to all you lead-off hitters out there:  Watch out, because there's a Posey, a Molina (or two), and even a Saltalamacchia (which I think is Italian for "jump over the coffee") who will be looking out for you, trying to catch you stealing.  And I will be smiling every time!

There's no Tie-ing in Baseball!

If today's Spring Training box scores are any indication of the kind of baseball season that will soon be upon us, then hold on to your ball caps, because it's going to be a slug-fest!  Of the games played so far today (there are still a couple to be played tonight), six of them had double-digit scores.  The Nationals beat the Astros 14-9 (it's worth noting that first-round draft pick Bryce Harper had 2 doubles - sorry I wasn't too nice to you in one of my posts last week!); the Cardinals beat the Twins 10-4; the Cubs beat the Angels 14-13 (yeay Cubs!); the Brewers beat the Reds 15-2; one of the White Sox's split squad teams beat the Diamondbacks 12-1; and get this:  The White Sox's other split squad team tied the Cleveland Indians 16-16.  What's up with that?  After nine innings they just figured they'd played enough and left it at a tie?  I kow this just happened, so I don't know the whole story, but ties in baseball are just not right.  If I was the manager of one of those two teams and my guys scored 16 points, I would want that game to keep going to see if we could score more points!  What the heck?  There's got to be more to this story; let's see what the news sources say tonight and tomorrow.

An interesting note from the White Sox is that they have an infielder named Austin Yount who is NOT the son of Robin Yount.  Is Yount a common last name?  I'd never heard it until I heard of Robin.  They also have a third-baseman whose last name is Vizquel - I wonder if he's related to Venezuelan Omar Vizquel, who played for years with the Indians.  Wait a minute!  It's the same guy!  He's 43 and still playing, hoping to get close to 3000 hits by the end of the season.

So Lee and Lincecum and Sabathia beware:  The hitters are getting hot, and you know the only thing that can stop good hitting is even better pitching!

Spring Has Sprung!

Today I got to watch my first baseball game of the season on TV, and while it's still just Spring Training, I was happy as a pig in slop.  Best of all, I got to watch one of my favorite plays in baseball, which, when executed correctly, results in a double play.  Done poorly, and at least one guy will score.  With a man on base, the batter hits a deep fly ball to the outfield (in today's play it was to center field), the outfielder throws to the cut-off man (in this case it was the second baseman), and the cut-off man throws to the catcher to get the runner out at home.  Baseball nerds call it "executing the relay."  It's a basic and fundamental play, but often times the outfielder gets all cocky and full of himself, and thinks that he can throw to the catcher without hitting the cut-off man, which often times results in an overthrow and the ball ends up in some one's dugout.  Yes, players with cannon arms like Roberto Clemente and Kirby Puckett had the ability to throw from the outfield to home plate successfully, but those times are few and far between.  Nowadays, Ichiro Suzuki can get you out at the plate too, but coaches and managers get all nervous when outfielders try to do that, and they prefer that you hit the cut-off man.  If I ever become Commissioner of Baseball and you don't hit the cut-off man resulting in the other team scoring a run, I will fine you a hefty fine for being selfish and stupid.

I was happy to see Chipper Jones looking all healthy and happy today.  He hit a double, which even in his heyday would have still been a double.  It was strange not seeing Bobby Cox in the Braves' dugout; he retired last year after managing the Braves for about 75 years.  I wonder if Cuban-born Fredi Gonzalez will be as animated with the umpires as Bobby was.  Gonzalez was a catcher during his short Major League career, and I have always thought that catchers make the best managers.  Best of luck to Fredi!

In other results from today, the Cincinnati Reds shut out the Chicago Cubs 10-0.  Those poor Cubs!  Then the Yankees beat the Astros 10-8.  Not remarkable, except for the fact that the Yanks had 21 hits and the 'Stros had 17.  That's a LOT of men left on base!  I think even the team mascots each got a hit!  (Wait, do they even have mascots during Spring Training?  I'm thinking not.)

So Opening Day is less than a month away (25 days, to be exact)!  The weather here in Maryland is getting milder, the days are getting longer, and the crack of the bat will be here before you know it.  Have a great week, my friends, and may the baseball players in Florida and Arizona continue to play hard and stay healthy!

A Milestone Year for #2

This time of year, baseball experts and insiders start their predictions for the upcoming season.  Who will win the World Series?  Who will be MVP?  How many times will Manny Ramirez be suspended?  Will Johnny Damon ever be able to express himself in complete sentences?  A lot of these predictions are way off, like the fool from the Washington Post who said a few months ago that the Nationals would trade Iván Rodriguez in the off-season.  Ha!  With one year left in his contract and a young catcher to show the ropes to, I didn't think Mike Rizzo would do that.  And he didn't.  Anyway, I only have 2 predictions this year, one of which will more than likely come true.  The New York Yankees' Derek Jeter - an all-american hottie and humble, charitable and all-around nice guy - is starting the season with 2,926 hits.  This means that, barring a long stint on the Disabled List, Derek should reach the impressive milestone of having 3.000 hits in his professional career (a feat that would be easy to accomplish if you could count his post-season success).  Only 26 other players have ever reached that milestone, from Puerto Rico's own Roberto Clemente with exactly 3000 to Pete Rose with 4,256.  Even us "Yankee haters" are excited for Jeter; he's one of those guys that you just can't hate.  I just hope that he gets to #3000 in a park other than Yankee Stadium, so he can let us proletariat fans who can't afford the luxuries of "The house that Steinbrenner built" bask in the historical moment.  Yankee fans get everything; let the rest of us revel in a special moment for once!

My "probably won't happen but it would be nice if it did" prediction for the 2011 season is that Commissioner Bud Selig will retire and will name George W. Bush as his replacement.  Now, don't go calling me crazy, but don't you think Bush would make a good Commissioner?  Presidential politics aside (please!), he has owned a baseball team before just like Selig, yet he has the charisma and personality that Selig has always lacked.  I've never met Mr. Selig, but he seems to have the personality of Dick Cheney and the sense of humor of Ebenezer Scrooge.  And while Bush sometimes has that smirk that makes me want to slap him, at least he would be entertaining.

So there you have it - Mudville Mom's two predictions for the upcoming season.  I also wish the Nationals would end the season at .500, but some would consider that an unattainable dream.  Have a good weekend, my friends; I'll be back next week!  :-)

How 'bout them Birds?

Let me start off by calming your anxiety and letting you know that I won't be blogging every single day (phew - you thought you'd have a hard time keeping up!).  I only plan on updating my blog a few times a week, but since I'm just starting out, I am eager to get going and have a lot to say.  But knowing how busy I'll be at my "real" job for the next couple of days, I anticipate a short hiatus unless something earth-shattering happens during Spring Training.

So a lot of people ask me, since I live equidistant from Nationals Park and Oriole Park, why don't I root for the Orioles?  Well I have  nothing against the lowly birds, even though they haven't seen much excitement since Cal Ripken broke Lou Gherig's consecutive-game record.  I've just always preferred following National League teams over American League ones.  People say the AL has better hitting, but I like when the pitcher tries to get a hit, when a manager uses the double-switch, and when a lineup is easy to predict.  So no, I have nothing against the Orioles, other than the fact that they're an AL team.  I was happy to see that Brian Roberts went 2 for 3 in the Orioles' 12-6 win over the Tampa Bay Rays yesterday.  He was plagued by injuries last season and even had some neck stiffness last week that forced him to sit out of a few practices.  Let's hope Roberts can stay healthy; he's such a dedicated player and the fans in Baltimore just love him.  Oh, and Markakis went 3 for 3!  How about that?

In other Spring Training results from yesterday, it's noteworthy that the Philadelphia Phillies lost to the Detroit Tigers 6 to 2.  Starter Cliff Lee pitched 2 innings and allowed 2 Earned Runs, and "underrated player from last year," third baseman Placido Polanco went 0 for 2.  Lee just got a hefty contract with the Phillies, which is the main reason why Jayson Werth went to the Nationals.  He knew he wouldn't get the money he thought he deserved, so he preferred to go to a losing team that would pay him a lot rather than making "less" money on a winning team.  Sorry Jayson, I have no pity for you; you're still filthy rich!

So how did the Nationals do yesterday?  Glad you asked!  They beat the Mets again, this time 5-3.  The Mets have a poor guy whose last name is Duda - he went 2 for 4.  How can you not think of "Camptown Races" when you see his name?  The Nationals had another good day from Michael Morse, who went 2 for 2, but their center fielder, Nyjer Morgan, has gone 0 for 6 so far this Spring.  I am so tired of him doing everything half-assed!  That job at center field needs to go to someone else.  Oh, and of course I have to mention that Iván Rodriguez walked in his first at-bat, but then went 2 for 2 including a double.  That old man can still run!

OK, off to do what they pay me to do here at school.  Thanks for reading, and enjoy the nice weather!

"Lo mismo!"

Growing up in Puerto Rico, there used to be a TV commercial for a fast-food chain that featured identical hamburgers moving along a conveyor belt.  Throughout the commercial, they used the phrase "lo mismo," which means "the same old thing."  After studying yesterday's Nationals vs. Mets box score, the first thing that popped into my head was "Lo mismo!  Lo mismo!"  Why?  Because the game was a mirror-image of many of last year's games for the Nationals.  The starting pitching sucked, and the bullpen had to keep the team alive.  In 3 innings, Chad Gaudin allowed 5 hits and 2 earned runs, including a home run to the Mets' Angel Pagán, who is trying to take away the job of fellow Puerto Rican Carlos Beltrán (they're both from my island, so I don't really care who gets to start at center field at this point).  Luckily, the Nationals had plenty of offense, including 2 home runs by Michael Morse and 2 hits each from Ian Desmond, Roger Bernadina, and Wilson Ramos.  I must admit I don't like the fact that Wilson Ramos had a good game, because he's going to be sharing catcher duties with my man, Iván Rodriguez, and I don't want Ramos stealing the spotlight from the future hall-of-famer.  Yes, you're going to see a LOT of Iván in my blogs, because I think he is the best catcher ever (and yes, he's super handsome too!). 

So anyway...what else?  Oh, another game of note yesterday was the one between the Atlanta Braves and the Houston Astros.  The Braves won that one 13-3, thanks in part to multiple hits from Venezuelan shortstop Alex Gonzalez, first baseman Eric Hinske, and third baseman Brandon Hicks.  Could Hicks be the Braves' next Chipper Jones?  Oh, Larry Wayne Jones, Jr; how I will miss thee!  I remember back in 1999, halfway through the season, I predicted that Chipper would be the National League MVP.  And hey, I was right!  (Don't worry, I will also blog about many times in which my baseball predictions were wrong, like thinking the Texas Rangers would win last year's World Series).  But back to Chipper.  First of all, he's only 3 months younger than me, so he's NOT OLD!  Second, I think it's great that he didn't retire after his season-ending injury last year.  He, like Mike Schmidt, wants the fans to remember him as a good player, not as an injured one.  So hopefully he has rehabbed his knee appropriately over the winter and can be back at third base this season, even if at a limited capacity.

One last note from yesterday's action:  The Nationals' first round draft pick, 18-year-old Bryce Harper, had 2 at-bats and struck out both times.  Hah!  Have yourself a piece of humble pie, Bryce, and enjoy your time in the minors.  You're not going to move up in the ranks as fast as Strasburg did.  Wait a minute...Strasburg is still recovering from Tommy John surgery... sheesh!  Those Nationals have a lot of work ahead of them!