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Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Top 10 Things I Would Change if I Was Commissioner of Baseball

If I ever became Commissioner of Baseball, there are a whole lot of things I would do and change.  I have narrowed down my list to 10, and here it is (in no particular order of execution):

1.  I would eliminate the Intentional Walk.  As I've said before, it is "chicken" to walk someone on purpose just to get to the next batter.  You can go ahead and throw 4 straight balls to a batter, but don't make it so obvious, with the catcher standing 50 feet from the plate.  And how often does it even work?  The Intentional Walk, GONE!

2.  I would eliminate the Designated Hitter.  It's only been around for about 40 years, so no one will miss it (except for maybe "Big Papi").  Let the pitchers bat - it's part of the strategy!

3.  Fine a player every time he strikes out looking.  Don't just stand there; swing!  Even if it's an ugly swing and you look like a fool trying to hit a ball that wasn't meant to be hit, you look even more foolish just standing there doing nothing.  Just ask Jayson Werth.

4.  All baseball parks will have to be retro-fitted so they all have the same outfield dimensions.  Why should Yankee Stadium's center field be at 408 feet while Wrigley Field's is at 400?  And don't even mention the funky dimensions of Fenway Park!  I'm all about the Green Monster, but does there really have to be that weird cut-out in left field?  All parks will have to have the same measurements; let the owners worry about how to pay for that!

5.  All uniforms will have to be "uniform."  White  at home and gray on the road.  No special jerseys in bright colors; no "weekend" jersey; and for the love of mankind, everyone's last name must be on the back of their jersey.  Sorry, Yankees and Red Sox - I know you all haven't changed your uniforms since 1885, but some of us like knowing who the players are from behind!

6.  I would eliminate inter-league play.  It's unnecessary, and it takes away from the excitement of the World Series.  Leave the inter-city "rivalries" for Spring Training, when the Yankees can play the Mets, Pirates can play the Phillies, and Nationals can play the Orioles.

7.  All players must look presentable.  There is a difference between the long hair of Rickie Weeks and Tim Lincecum and the long hair of Manny Ramirez.  If you look like you haven't washed in weeks, get a haircut!  And I'm not anti-tattoo, but baseball players should not look like Dennis Rodman.  Oh, and get rid of those stupid rope necklaces; they're distracting and just plain ugly!  And before you start saying that I sound more and more like Marge Schott, I'm OK with facial hair (which Marge was not); just keep it trimmed and looking nice (not like Brian Wilson).

8.  I would revoke the ban on Pete Rose.  Yes, he bet on baseball and even on his own team.  No, he does not belong in the Hall of Fame (he belongs in the record books, but not in the actual Hall where the player plaques are).  But I think the lifetime ban was pretty harsh.  I would not let him manage, but he would be a very good commentator/analyst.  He would be way better than Dennis Eckersley is for TBS Sports.

9.  I would ban the "Tomahawk Chop."  I'm all for fans showing support for their team, but that Chop is just downright annoying.  Why can't people just clap or cheer?  You can hurt yourself making the chopping motions and may even end up with lateral epicondylitis.  Stop it, Braves fans!

10.  I would ban tobacco products from baseball.  Dipping looks ugly and spitting is gross.  And why doesn't anyone ever mention the effects of tobacco on oral health?  No one has mentioned that Tony Gwynn has had numerous cancerous tumors removed from his mouth.  Stick to chewing gum like Adam Jones and Iván Rodriguez - a root canal due to tooth decay is not as bad as losing the roof of your mouth to cancer.

So there you have it - my top 10 list of things I would change if I ever became Commissioner of Baseball.  Now if only Bud Selig would read my blog...

Friday, July 22, 2011

A Big Day for Roberto and Bert

This coming Sunday, Bert Blyleven and Roberto Alomar will be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY.  With this heat wave that we have going on, I feel sorry for them having to stand there while wearing a suit and reading a speech in front of thousands of people outside in the heat.  But if I was being inducted into the Hall, I guess I could deal with the heat for a few minutes.  Alomar becomes the third Puerto Rican (and second one named "Roberto") to go into the Hall, joining Roberto Clemente and Orlando Cepeda.  Blyleven becomes the first player born in the Netherlands to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.  Both players are very deserving, and both have a big presence in my baseball card collection.

Roberto Alomar will be going in as a Blue Jay, though I liked him best when he played for the Cleveland Indians.  He had a career batting average of .300, won 10 Gold Gloves as a second-baseman, and was selected to the All-Star Game 12 times in his 15-year career.  But because he spit at an umpire once, he was not selected in his first year of eligibility.  I know; spitting at an umpire is wrong - but you can't blame the guy for being passionate and dedicated.  There were all kinds of rumors going on for a while in Puerto Rico saying that Alomar was HIV positive and did not disclose this to his girlfriend, but the rumors disappeared and Alomar is now a national hero.  I must say he's been the best second-baseman I've seen in my years as a baseball fan, and I'm very proud of my fellow countryman's induction (the next Puerto Rican elected into the Hall will undoubtedly be "Pudge," and I will surely be in Cooperstown for that one!).

Bert Blyleven threw 242 complete games (including 60 shutouts), a feat that nowadays seems impossible (except for maybe Roy Halliday).  Despite his long and successful career, it took 14 tries for Blyleven to be selected by the baseball writers who vote for the inductees.  Talk about having to wait and wait!  Poor guy!  But I agree that he deserves to be there - I always liked watching him pitch and I enjoyed him as an analyst for the Twins.  (You think my little blog will someday get me a membership into the Baseball Writers Association?  Hey, I would love to be able to select the future Hall-of-Fame-ers!  As you all know, I have my opinions!)

So my family and I are back from our vacation, and it's time to get back into the swing of things.  Let's hope that Alomar and Blyleven have a wonderful day on Sunday, surrounded by friends, family, and other baseball greats.

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Prince Sans the Revolution

Last night's All-Star Game was an interesting one.  From the touching tribute to Christina Green and the other Arizona shooting victims during the pregame ceremonies to the slide into the pitchers' mound from reliever Heath Bell in the eighth inning; it was a fun game to watch (especially since the National League won by a final score of 5-1, thanks in part to a three-run home run by Prince Fielder).  Here are some of my more shallow observations of the evening:

Seattle's Brandon League - I had no idea he was all tatted up.  I'm not anti-tattoo or anything, but not everyone needs to look like Rob Dibble or Prince Fielder (or Dennis Rodman!).  What would Marge Schott think of this fellow's appearance?
Diamondbacks' Manager, Kirk Gibson - Who knew that Gibson was so bald?  (Along with Shane Victorino and Placido Polanco)  When you see these guys always wearing ball caps, it's sometimes surprising to see what is (or isn't) underneath!
The Red Sox's David Ortiz - No matter what your opinion is of "Big Papi," Ortiz has the most infectious smile in the Majors.  His son D'Angelo is quite a ham as well!
Milwaukee's Prince Fielder - Dude, put a little bend in the brim of your cap; you look like Tony Larussa (and that's not a good look!).  Feel free to shave and get a haircut, too!
The Yankees' Robinson Canó - Only in an All-Star game will you ever see Canó batting eighth!
San Francisco's Tim Lincecum - When is he going to stop looking like a sixteen-year-old skateboarder?  Someday he's going to look like a creepy old guy with stringy long hair.  Don't get me wrong; I like the long hair on Lincecum because it looks healthy and he keeps it nice - it's just that when I was 27, I certainly didn't look that young.  I guess I'm just jealous!
American Idol's Jordin Sparks - She sang a very nice rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner."  She looked nice, she sang well, and she didn't forget the words.  Nice job, Jordin!
Joe Buck - Joe continues to be as annoying as ever.  When the Nationals' Tyler Clippard came into the game to pitch to one batter, Buck spent the whole time talking about Adrián Beltre's scout's brother's neighbor or some tangent like that.  Clippard came and went without anyone knowing who he was (since Buck never mentioned him) and ended up being the game's winning pitcher.  Focus, Joe; focus!  And why does his voice sound all different all of a sudden?  It's like he swallowed a frog or something!
Tim McCarver - This guy needs to retire.  He has been doing commentary for baseball games for about 30 years now, and he's starting to stammer and slow down.  Let's hope he doesn't end up like Harry Caray in his later years.

Now for my not-so-shallow note regarding last night's game:  Willie Mays was very critical of Derek Jeter for missing the game so he could rest his ailing calf (which didn't seem to bother him last Saturday when he went 5-5).  Willie was elected to 24 All-Star teams, and he attended all 24 All-Star Games.  He said that Jeter should have shown up, even if he wasn't put in the lineup.  That's what José Reyes of the Mets did - he knew he wasn't going to play because of an injury, but he showed up and partook in all the festivities.  And I bet if you asked Hank Aaron for his opinion on Jeter, he would have said the same thing.  I wonder if Jeter even watched the game...

So now we're ready to start the second half of the season, with the Braves playing well, the Brewers and Cardinals tied for first place in their division, and the Orioles hoping to not lose their eighth game in a row.  Let's hope the second half is just as action-packed as the first, except maybe the Phillies can lose a few more games!

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Jackie Would Have Loved Watching This Robinson!

Last night was the 2011 All-Star Home Run Derby, and to make things interesting this year, organizers decided to name two captains - David Ortiz from the American League and Prince Fielder from the National League - each one responsible for picking three other players from their league to represent their team.  The American League was full of Hispanic players - Adrián Gonzalez, Robinson Canó, José Bautista, and Ortiz.  The National League was represented by Matt Holliday, Rickie Weeks, Matt Kemp, and Fielder.  I wanted to root for the NL (since I'm not an AL fan), and more specifically for Rickie Weeks, but I couldn't let my fellow Hispanics down (especially Robinson Canó), so I decided to root for the AL (don't get used to it people; I will be cheering for the NL in tonight's game!). 

The Derby started with Cal Ripken throwing out the ceremonial first pitch, which was very fitting since Cal had won two previous Derbies in the past.  But then it got down to business.  I won't go into the details of who hit how many home runs in what round - you should have watched it last night to get all that information! - but I will tell you that the two best parts of the night were watching José Canó pitching to his son, and the 472-feet home run that Robinson hit during the first round.  If that airplane-hangar-of-a-park had been an outdoor one, that ball would have ended up in Mexico (of course, I don't know the directional orientation in which that park is facing, so that may not be geographically accurate on my part).  It ultimately came down to a Yankees vs. Red Sox rivalry with Canó and Gonzalez in the finals, and Canó edged Gonzalez 12 home runs to 11 to take the Home Run Derby crown.  I hope Canó is really as nice a guy as he seems to be; maybe Yankee fans can focus less on Jeter and A-Rod and pay attention to their second baseman (I wonder if now that A-Rod is out due to knee surgery, Joe Girardi will move Canó from second in the lineup to fourth.  Oh wait - it's the American League; they do things differently over there!).

So tonight is the All-Star Game, with Roy Halliday starting for the National League and Jered Weaver pitching for the AL.  I know Roy is used to pitching nine full innings, but he'll have to give way to others like Lincecum, Clippard and Wilson.  I will once again hope that the National League wins (the winner gets home-field advantage in the World Series), and maybe, just maybe, this year I won't be disappointed!

Saturday, July 9, 2011

Is Derek Deity, or Diva?

Yes, he finally did it.  Derek Jeter got his 3000th career hit in style today, by hitting a home run in the third inning off the Tampa Bay Rays' David Price.  Jeter is only the 28th player (and first Yankee) to reach the illustrious milestone, and the second player to reach 3000 by hitting a home run (can you guess who the other one was?  He was a former Red Sox player whose name rhymes with Fade Loggs).  It was pretty cool to watch, but I must say that my favorite part of the whole thing was seeing the players in the Rays' dugout clapping for Jeter and giving him a standing ovation.  That's the type of sportsmanship that brings happy tears to my eyes. 

Us Puerto Ricans are happy for Jeter, but it's a bittersweet milestone for us, because our own Roberto Clemente was not able to surpass the 3000-hit mark due to dying in a plane crash while traveling on a humanitarian mission during the off-season of 1972.  Clemente had a little bit of baseball left in him (Jeter definitely does too), and probably would have gone way past 3000 hits had he been given the opportunity.  I hope Derek plays for a few more seasons and continues to move nicely up the list of all-time hitters.

But the Yankees captain is not perfect.  Some people have criticized Derek Jeter for being a lousy shortstop, some think he can't handle the pressure of playing in New York, and others, like Jeter's boss, Hank Steinbrenner, think Jeter was "too busy building a mansion" to focus on baseball.  My only current gripe about Derek Jeter is that he is choosing to skip the All-Star Game because he wants to fully heal from all his injuries.  A-Rod is skipping the game too, but in his defense (and I can't believe I'm defending A-Rod!), he is truly injured and will need surgery to repair the torn meniscus in his knee (the same surgery that Chipper Jones just had today).  But Jeter?  He's getting old and beat up, but it's not excuse to skip the All-Star Game.  And if they don't give him his financial bonus for not going to the game, it probably doesn't even make him bat an eyelash.  How many people out there bought tickets to the game so they could see Derek Jeter?  I think it's inconsiderate and selfish of him.  But Americans tend to forget when prominent people make stupid decisions (remember that lady in Alaska who quit her job because she didn't want to be governor anymore?  I wonder how many have forgotten that?!  But I digress...), and Derek Jeter will forever be baseball's Golden Boy.  And yes, he deserves to be a first-ballot Hall-of-Famer, but after going to Cooperstown to watch Iván Rodriguez get inducted in a few years, I think I'll skip going to see Jeter's entry into the exclusive club.

Congratulations to Derek, but may he not pass Cal Ripken on the all-time hits list!  :-)

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

This Guy is Turning Out to be "Werth-less!"

During this past off-season, the Washington Nationals acquired outfielder Jayson Werth from the Philadelphia Phillies.  This was a much-needed move, because the Nats had lost power hitter Adam Dunn to free agency, and they desperately needed a good bat in their lineup.  So Werth agreed to a multi-year contract worth a bazillion dollars, and Nats fans got excited.  Why?  Because last year, with the Phillies, Werth batted .296, led the National League with 46 doubles, and had 27 hone runs and 85 RBIs.  Who WOULDN'T want this guy on their team?  Aside from his offensive numbers, he can play a mean right field, so surely Werth was going to be worth every penny.  Now fast-forward to today, which is pretty much the halfway point of the 2011 season (give or take a game or two).  Werth is batting .221 with only 10 home runs, 16 doubles, and 30 RBIs.  Granted, he needs to actually have the guys betting in front of him in the lineup getting on base in order to get more RBIs, but overall, Werth has been an offensive disappointment.  In last night's game, for example, Werth alone left 7 men on base!  All kinds of excuses have been given by "experts" as to why Werth is playing so poorly - from the fact that he has no run support to the fact that his good defense and his presence in the clubhouse make up for his lousy year offensively - but honestly, I can't come up with any good excuses anymore.  Even Nationals' manager, Davey Johnson, thinks that Werth needs to relax and not put so much pressure on himself.  Others think that Werth himself has been coming up with lame excuses, saying that he had issues with former manager Jim Riggleman and that he needed a better lead-off man in front of him so he could hit better.  Blah, blah, blah, Mr. Werth!  Even my seven-year-old son rolls his eyes every time you come up to bat now; it's time you live up to that lucrative contract of yours and started doing some serious hitting!  And be happy I'm not the current Commissioner of Baseball, because if it were me, I would fine you a hefty amount for every time you struck out looking!

Speaking of hitting, Nats' prospect Bryce Harper was promoted to AA Harrisburg, totally bypassing single-A Potomac.  He seems to be right at home in the not-so-minor leagues, collecting two hits in his debut with Harrisburg earlier this week.  It's nice to see Harper adjusting so well to life as a professional baseball player - now I feel bad for saying some not-so-nice things about him during Spring Training.  Sorry, Bryce!

And those pesky Phillies...they beat the Marlins 14-2 last night; of course, I could beat the Marlins too, and I'm legally blind!  But Cole Hamels got win #10, and the Phillies continue to reign in the NL East.  And did you see that Albert Pujols is back to playing despite having broken his wrist just 2 weeks ago?  He was supposed to be on the Disabled List for 4-6 weeks but surprised everyone with a speedy recovery.  That's pretty remarkable!  And the Orioles?  They lost AGAIN, this time by a score of 4-2 to the Texas Rangers.  Poor birds!  And finally, the Yankees beat the Indians 9-2, with Derek Jeter hitting #2995 and 2996.  History could be made as early as tonight, with Jeter soon becoming the first New York Yankee to reach 3000 hits.  That still seems so hard to believe - that a team that had Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, Don Mattingly and other greats did not have a previous player who reached 3000 hits!  Go figure!

I guess that's all for now, my friends; let's hope that Jayson Werth gets a hit or two tonight (or at least doesn't strike out!), and may Derek Jeter reach his milestone tonight, before heading back to Yankee Stadium tomorrow night to face the Rays.  Really, wouldn't it be nice for the Cleveland fans to witness history tonight?  They would be nice and would give Jeter a well-deserved standing ovation; let them steal some excitement from Yankee fans for once!  (Unless Yankees manager Joe Girardi pulls Jeter from the game if he gets 3 hits so he can get #3000 at home - sigh!)

Monday, July 4, 2011

I Guess They Don't Know Him From Adam

The baseball players heading to this year's All-Star Game in Phoenix were announced yesterday, and I was mostly happy with the outcome.  Although not all the players I voted for were elected (and I knew they wouldn't be), it was nice to see players who really deserved to be picked, like Curtis Granderson, Ricky Weeks, and José Bautista.  Notably absent, however, is the Orioles' Adam Jones, who is an excellent all-around player and truly deserves to be an all-star.  Fortunately, Major League Baseball is allowing fans to vote for the final player to be included in each league's roster, so please go to http://www.mlb.com/ and vote for Adam Jones as the American League player.  You can vote a ton of times, and while you're there, vote for Michael Morse of the Nationals to represent the National League.  He's not as good a player as Shane Victorino, but if you're a Philly Hater like me, you'll vote for anyone else so Victorino does not get selected.  Thank you!

Another thing I don't like about this year's roster is that Giants' manager, Bruce Bochy, selected like twenty pitchers from his own team.  Yes, the Giants have good pitchers, but there are plenty of other guys out there who deserve to be all-stars.  The rosters are full of Yankees, Red Sox, and Giants players; good thing each team in the Majors has to be represented by at least one player!

I do like the fact that CC Sabathia was not voted in by his teammates or selected by Rangers manager Ron Washington.  Some say it's because he is slated to pitch on the Sunday before the All-Star Game and will not be available to pitch that day; I like to think that people just don't like him. 

Oh, and hey, I actually get to watch the game this year, because Placido Polanco was voted as the starting third-baseman for the National League!  Now I don't have to do like that one year when Nolan Ryan was not selected and I boycotted the game.  I will be rooting for the National League, especially since Puerto Ricans Carlos Beltrán and Yadier Molina will be in the reserves.  Other notable players who will be in this year''s All-Star Game include Robinson Canó, Adrián Gonzalez, Lance Berkman, and two of the three Cabreras I voted for (Asdrubal and Miguel).  The Orioles will be represented by Matt Weiters - please vote so his teammate can join him!  Representing the Nationals will be middle reliever Tyler Clippard, which was somewhat of a surprise (since I thought starting pitcher Jason Marquis would have been selected), but it made me happy because this means I have actually had my picture taken with an all-star!  And I must add that Clippard has some rock-hard biceps! 

Have a wonderful Fourth of July celebration, my friends (we'll be going to watch some fireworks soon), and enjoy your week!

This was me last year with all-star Tyler Clippard.

Sunday, July 3, 2011

?????

The Nationals split a double-header with the Pittsburgh Pirates yesterday, losing the first game 5-3 and winning the second game 3-2.  Iván Rodriguez drove in the go-ahead run in the eighth inning, which made me very happy.  However, our local paper had the headline "I-Rod's RBI single helps Nationals split twinbill."  WHAT???  Don't be calling my man "I-Rod!"  Everyone knows him as "Pudge," so why change his nickname?  Why even give him a nickname that is so similar to the one of that third-baseman who plays for the Yankees that I do NOT like?  His plaque in the baseball Hall of Fame is going to say "Iván 'Pudge' Rodriguez," not "I-Rod!"  So what if it was an Associated Press story; you'd think the local paper would use a better headline!  It has always been obvious that the Frederick News-Post is an Orioles-oriented paper (especially since our minor league team is an O's affiliate and the Nationals have only been in DC since 2005); but c'mon, paper-people - the Nationals also play in our backyard, so it's time you all became a little familiar with their players!  Yet another faux pas for our local fishwrap!