My Current Baseball Crush ("An Ode to Max")

No matter how many baseball games you have watched in your lifetime or how die-hard of a fan you are, occasionally a baseball player comes around who amazes even us extreme baseball nerds.  We know Mike Trout is awesome (especially since he's coming back earlier than expected from thumb surgery), we appreciate Yankees rookie Aaron Judge and all the home runs he's hitting, and we acknowledge that the Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw is part alien because there's no way someone could be that consistently good.  We become accustomed to elite players being exceptional, and we expect perfection every time we watch a game (especially when we remind ourselves of the millions of dollars that these guys make).  But once in a while, a player comes around who takes our breath away, gives us goosebumps, and reminds us why we like the game of baseball so much.

Such is the case for me currently with Washington Nationals' rightie pitcher Max Scherzer.  Now, back in 2015, when Scherzer joined the Nats, I blogged about how the Nationals had some nerve starting Scherzer on Opening Day, especially after Jordan Zimmermann had finished the 2014 season with a no-hitter.  Who were the Nationals to think that a guy who had just joined the team deserved such a prestigious honor?  Well I went to that Opening Day game, and I remember realizing that Scherzer had a no-hitter going into the sixth inning, and my dislike for the guy went away instantly, because really, how many times do you get to witness a no-hitter? (his no-hitter ended shortly after I realized I might actually be present for one, but Scherzer has gone on to pitch two no-nos since.)

For the past two-and-a-half seasons, I have come to really love this guy.  So much so that he is now officially my baseball crush (not because he's cute, like Iván Rodriguez was, but because he's the most badass pitcher I have ever seen).  Let me share some impressive facts about Max with you so you can appreciate how cool this guy is.  A two-time Cy Young Award winner, Scherzer became just the sixth pitcher in Major League history to throw two no-hitters in a single season in 2015.  He has been to the All-Star Game, is the third-fastest pitcher to reach 2.000 strikeouts, and speaking of strikeouts, he punched out 20 batters in one game.

But it's not just Scherzer's numbers that make him fun to watch.  It's his presence on the mound - he is the most visibly competitive athlete I've ever seen, And the longer he stays in a game, the more fierce he gets.  He stomps the pitcher's mound like he's preying for his next meal; he grunts with every pitch; he stares down batters like he's going to annihilate them.  He is fierce, intimidating, and one of his eyes is blue and the other is brown (he has that condition where your irises are two different colors; didn't David Bowie have that too?).  According to Max, "strikeouts are sexy," so People magazine needs to have him on their next "Sexiest Man Alive" cover, because he's always in the top two or three for strikeouts every season (so far he's leading the National League in this category).  

Just recently, Scherzer had one of the most memorable outings for me - it was more intense than watching his two no-hitters and just as stressful.  It was not his best pitching performance at first, since he hit two batters due to lack of control of his inside pitches.  But as the game got going, Max starter getting loose and becoming more dominant.  The Mets' Yoenis Céspedes was up to bat with two outs in the eighth inning, and Scherzer was already at 107 pitches.  He was looking tired, like he had just emptied his tank and was just running on fumes.  But he was determined to get Céspedes out, and it was one of the most epic at-bats in recent memory.  After ten pitches to the Mets' slugger, each looking labored and followed by a grunt of desperation (like Scherzer was thinking that if he grunted, the ball would actually reach the plate), Céspedes struck out swinging.  My husband and I celebrated that strikeout like if it was the seventh game of the World Series, and Scherzer himself gave a fist pump of relief.

I have not been this excited about a pitcher since Nolan Ryan in the 80s and 90s.  And Scherzer doesn't just show up every five days to do his job - in his off days, he has a rigorous workout routine that includes distance running (to improve his endurance and help him make it through the later innings of a game) and sprinting (to help him with his fielding and split-second defensive plays).  He is a workhorse, but luckily his pitching style (throwing sliders to righties and curveballs to lefties) makes him less dependent on the fastball (which hopefully means he can avoid the dreaded "Tommy John" surgery).  Nolan Ryan pitched a boatload of innings in his career and never needed elbow surgery either, so all those haters who say that Max is the next big pitcher to go under the knife can just shut up and enjoy watching him pitch.

So as we approach the halfway point of the regular season (I know; can you believe it?), check out the Nationals games on MASN or MLBTV, because every fifth day, you are sure to get a treat watching badass Max Scherzer putting on a pitching show.  And don't forget to cast your ballot for the All-Star team - if we could vote for pitchers, you know Max Scherzer would be at the top of my ballot.

Millionaire Babies, or Regular Guys?

One thing I pride myself in is being able to be such a huge baseball nerd while still making an attempt at being a feminine woman who wears dresses and matching jewelry.  But being female seems to put me at a disadvantage when it comes to trying to figure out a male baseball player's psyche and how his childish mind works.  Case in point is when a player charges the pitcher's mound after being hit by a pitch.  Is such violence necessary?  According to most men, yes - it is.

Bench-clearing brawls have been a regular part of baseball for as long as the game has been played, and despite not being as popular as they were in the PED-days of the 1990s, they are still part of "America's Pastime."  Several intense ones come to mind - Orioles reliever Armando Benitez hitting Yankee Tino Martinez in 1998; Manny Ramirez trying to go after Roger Clemens in 2003 (Clemens was a punk during his career and was involved in many brawls); and of course, who can forget Robin Ventura and Nolan Ryan going at it in 1993?  That's personally my most memorable one, because I used to think Ryan was a god who could do no wrong, and then I learned that he was one to intentionally hit batters all the time.  Who DOES that?

So I guess there are two separate issues here.  First is the intentional hitting of a batter by a pitcher who seems to have a particular issue with a certain batter or just his team in general.  Then there's the issue of whether said hit batter should charge the mound to go after the pitcher who hit him or not.  According to my husband, who is the nicest, sweetest, and most non-violent person in the universe, intentionally hitting a batter is ok if you have a good reason to do so.  Cole Hamels hitting Bryce Harper on purpose as a "welcome to the big leagues, kid!" in 2012 is not cool (Harper ended up stealing home plate after that).  But if a batter is successful against you and seems to have an attitude about it, it's perfectly OK to plunk that batter whenever he comes up to bat.  But in my husband's defense, he says he would never do that - pitchers do it because they're jerks.  OK then!

This was the case this past Memorial Day, when the Nationals' Bryce Harper went after the Giants' Hunter Strickland after Harper got hit on the buttocks by a 98mph fastball.  Now, if you read my previous blog post, you saw how I said nice things about Harper and how he's all grown up now and has a better temper.  Yeah.  Harper didn't just charge the mound and push Strickland around; he took a few legitimate swings with a right hook akin to the kind Billy Blanks used to teach in Tae Bo classes.  Now, there's history between these two players - in the 2014 NLDS, Harper hit two home runs against Strickland, and after the second one, he glared at Strickland like "In your FACE, dude!"  Now, that was the childish and immature Harper of 2014; I would have assumed that almost three years later, he would have been over it.  But apparently Strickland wasn't over it either, which is what most of Harper's teammates seem to have issue with.  Daniel Murphy, who seems almost as nice and sweet an non-violent as my husband (rumor is he doesn't ever swear, which cannot be said about my former-sailor husband!) and Jayson Werth were both surprised that Strickland had not gotten over what happened almost three years ago, and most Giants players (including manager Bruce Bochy) said that Strickland did what he had to do.  This is where I shake my head in confusion.

What I can't understand is how grown men who make millions of dollars can act like such babies.  My husband agrees that Harper was right in charging the mound - if someone intentionally hits you, what are you supposed to do?  However, he thinks the pitcher was a jerk and should have gotten over what happened almost three years ago.  Hubby also brings up the point that as a teammate, you HAVE to join the melee and at least pretend to shove somebody from the other team, otherwise you're not a team player and you're unofficially black-balled.  I don't get this either - the benches clear, the bullpens empty, and everyone is pushing and shoving.  Oh my gosh, grow up, guys!  And to make it worse, my 13-year-old son thinks this is the coolest thing ever!  Oy!  Violence has consequences, son; wait until Major League Baseball issues fines and suspensions - it won't be cool then!

So yeah - according to my wonderful husband, I just don't get it.  And apparently I never will.  But as long as there's baseball, there will be pitchers intentionally hitting batters and hitters charging at the pitcher without any rhyme or reason.  And since when do Mormons act violently?  As a member of the Church of Latter Day Saints, Harper should have just shown up at Strickland's house and given him a copy of the Book of Mormon while wearing a white shirt and skinny black tie.  I'm sure things will get interesting in August when the Giants visit DC for a series against the Nationals; in the meantime, let's hope everyone can play nicely in the sandbox and no one runs with scissors.

Bryce Harper, Money, and Loving Your Mom

It's been about a month since my last blog post, and there have been a lot of things to write about during that time.  I started a post about Manny Machado sliding into Dustin Pedroia (not on purpose, if you ask me!), but I wasn't able to finish it because I had to go to my daughter's track meet (those kids always get in the way of my writing, I tell ya!).  Then I was going to write about Adam Jones having racial slurs yelled at him by Red Sox fans at Fenway Park, but I have such strong feelings about racism and ignorant people saying ignorant things that I wasn't able to put together a good post in true Mudville Mom style (and I would have mentioned the standing ovation that Jones got from Red Sox fans the day after that incident happened).  Then yesterday, the Washington Nationals announced that they avoided arbitration with Bryce Harper by offering him a $21.6-million contract for 2018 (with a bonus if he is chosen as the MVP that year).  When I heard the news, I knew I couldn't keep my mouth shut.

I have been pretty tough on Bryce over the years - he started out as a nineteen-year-old man-child with a bad temper and no regard for the toll his body would take if he ran full-speed into outfield walls or slid into a base hands-first.  He played hard, but was a bit reckless.  He reminded me of the "Bam Bam" character from "The Flintstones" - a muscular kid who knew nothing but how to hit a baseball really hard. 

Fast-forward five years, and little Bryce has grown up.  He can now formulate full and coherent sentences when interviewed, he has gotten married, and he has realized that injuries suck and it's better to take care of your body than play way too hard ALL the time (but he still hustles to first base faster than Pete Rose, and I appreciate that).  Bryce has made a pretty good name for himself, and here are just a few of his accomplishments so far in his short career:

Four-time National League All-Star
2012 Rookie of the Year 2015 NL Most Valuable Player 2015 ESPN MLB Player of the Year

So is Bryce Harper worth $21-million for one year?  Absolutely not - nobody is.  I don't care if Roberto Clemente is reincarnated or Nolan Ryan suddenly drops 20 years (and 20 pounds) and comes back to pitch seven more no-hitters - no one is worth that kind of money.  How much IS $21-million, anyway?  I know it's a 21 with six zeroes after it, but I, being a reasonably intelligent person, have no concept of how much money that actually is.  I can't even tell you how many pairs of shoes I could buy with that much money!  And what's this extra million for being named as the Most Valuable Player?  If I could vote for that award, I purposefully would not vote for Bryce just so he wouldn't make even more money!  But Bryce thinks he's deserving of that much - so much so that right after he signed the deal, he hit a walk-off home run to lead the Nationals to a come-from-behind victory against the Phillies.  The kid makes it hard for me to resent him.  And have you seen his T-Mobile commercial?  He looks so cute (and "perfectly coiffed!")!  And he always flashes the universal "I love you" sign to his mother when he crosses the plate after hitting a home run, so how can you hate this guy?  Yes, he has a terrible beard, but he truly loves baseball, really appreciates his fans, and genuinely plays hard and wants to win every day.

Still need some convincing that Bryce Harper is a decent guy?  Check out this video where he's reading a letter he wrote to his mom (you may have to cut and paste into your browser):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzFNT5at8Qk

Isn't that the cutest thing?  He even threw in a few big fancy words to prove that he's all grown up!  So on this Mother's Day, let me wish a happy Mother's Day to Bryce Harper's mom, and to my mother as well, who proudly shares my blog with all her Facebook friends, emails me the list of Puerto Rican players in the Majors every spring, and mailed me my own Puerto Rican flag when I was going to meet Iván Rodriguez so he could sign it for me.  Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there who drove their kids to Little League practice, cheered for them at track meets or dance recitals, and drove their kids to countless medical appointments, sleepovers, and dances.  And thanks to my kids for making me love being a mom - without them, I would just be "Mudville," and since it's the name of a fictitious town, that would just be boring.

Pitchers, or Wusses?

Whether you're a casual observer or a die-hard baseball addict like me, surely you've noticed that pitchers today seldom play for an entire 9-inning game.  Gone are the days of Bob Feller throwing 36 complete games in one season (he did that in 1946); Juan Marichal pitching 30 complete games in 1968; and Warren Spahn completing 26 games in 1951 (www.baseball-almanac.com).  Since the year 2000, James Shields of the Tampa Bay Rays has been the only pitcher who has thrown more than 10 complete games (he pitched 11 of them in 2011) in one season.  Why is that?

I pondered this question after last night's Nationals/Mets game, where Nats' starter Gio Gonzalez pitched seven innings of two-hit ball and was replaced for the eighth inning after throwing only 87 pitchers.  Granted, Gio was supposed to bat third in the bottom of the seventh, but why not let him bat with a 5-1 lead and let him continue pitching?  Nationals' manager, Davey Johnson, did not really have a good reason for taking Gio out of the game, especially since he's always saying how he wants to rest his bullpen (plus Davey is so old that he can put anyone to sleep during press conferences with his droning "my voice sounds like this because I no longer have a prostate" tone).  The day before that, Johnson pulled starter Jordan Zimmermann after only six innings, despite Zim's six strikeouts and four hits allowed.  Time for me to ponder...

One of the reasons that the complete-game pitcher is becoming extinct (Justin Verlander of the Tigers is the exception this year, with 5 complete games so far) is the fact that managers are getting hung up on pitch counts and assuming that high pitch counts lead to injuries.  As soon as a pitcher reaches around 100 pitches in a game, regardless of whether he's winning or not, the bullpen becomes active and the starter is soon removed (especially if a batter gets a hit because of a defensive error that is not the fault of the pitcher - I hate when they do that!).  Well let me tell you, a guy named Nolan Ryan (perhaps you've heard of him) pitched 807 games in his 24-year career, and 222 of them were complete games.  Ryan seldom missed a start due to injury, he never had Tommy John surgery, his shoulder never acted up (though his back did, according to his Advil commercials), and his fastball was sharp until his retirement.  Pitching injuries are due more to mechanics than pitch count; overuse injuries are a reality, but these can be minimized with proper conditioning and technique, not by pulling pitchers after they've thrown only 100 pitches (especially if they're pitching well; I agree when a pitcher is pulled early due to a bad outing).

Then there's the role of the bullpen specialists, the middle reliever and the closer.  One theory in baseball is that pitchers lose their effectiveness the second and third times through the lineup.  This is when they turn to the bullpen and put in a reliever for the eighth inning and a closer for the ninth (especially during a save situation).  Sometimes they even put in a guy to pitch to only one batter - the lefty-lefty matchup, for instance, and you can have two or three pitchers throw to two or three batters in one inning.  This brings a baseball game to a grinding halt, and it makes me very impatient.

Some people argue that pitchers are not allowed to pitch complete games because the season is longer than it used to be.  Yes, but starting rotations used to only have 4 pitchers and now they have 5, so I think they're getting adequate rest.  And don't tell me that Liván Hernandez used to pitch so many complete games in the 90s because his fastball was only about 80mph - Verlander's fastball is in the upper 90s and Roy Halladay (who completed many games for the Blue Jays and Phillies) has a 95mph fastball (OK, Halladay stinks this year, but he has had a great career full of complete games).

I have no sympathy for pitchers.  They make a ton of money, and they should be able to pitch a complete game in 120 pitches or so.  When I become Commissioner, I'm going to pay pitchers for each inning pitched, and if they go less than six innings in one game, I'm going to fine them.  They will also have money deducted from their pay for earned runs and intentional walks, but be given bonuses for strikeouts (sorry for you, ground-out pitchers!) as well as for complete games.  What do you think?  Is that a good idea?  Perhaps I should stick to blogging!  :-)

Yeay Josh!

One of the things that people sometimes forget when thinking about professional athletes is that they are actual human beings.  They have tremendous talent, but also have feelings, have families, and make mistakes just like you and me.  So when you hear of a professional athlete besting the odds and doing something great after facing adversity, you tend to be glad for that person.  This is how I feel today - happy for Texas Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton.  In yesterday's game hosted by the Orioles, Josh became only the 16th player in history to hit 4 home runs in one game (I remember watching the Braves' Bob Horner do the same thing when I was a little girl in the 80s, which is when my interest in baseball started).  Not only did Hamilton hit four home runs, but each one was a two-run homer and then he hit a double as well in the Rangers' 10-3 victory (and Orioles fans, the standing ovation you gave Hamilton despite your team losing at home was classy!).  Hamilton now has the American League single-game record for total bases with 18 and had a total of 8 RBIs.

After battling alcohol and drug addiction in the early 2000s and despite a couple of slip-ups in 2009 and February of this year, the 4-time All-Star and 2010 American League MVP is having a stellar year.  The Texas Rangers, under the ownership of Nolan Ryan and the management of Ron Washington (himself a recovered addict) have the best record in baseball.  I'm rooting for the Rangers in the AL Central and hope that Josh Hamilton continues to have an excellent year.  I know I'll be voting for Hamilton in my All-Star ballot!

My Sincerest Apologies, Mr. Werth!

For the past year, I have been very vocal in my displeasure with Washington Nationals’ right fielder, Jayson Werth.  In my other blog, I have referred to him as “Werth-less,” “lousy,” and “just plain awful.”  (You can check out my other blog on http://www.prosportsblogging.com/)  Well, I’m happy to say that Mr. Werth is finally hitting, and in doing so has given himself a batting average of .362 (tenth in the Majors) with a .444 on-base percentage (OBP).

So what has Werth done recently to break out of last year’s funk?  Some say it’s the fact that first baseman Adam LaRoche has been effectively getting on base before Werth (LaRoche has hit in 8 of his last 10 games and has a current .333 batting average); others say Werth is “seeing the ball better” (something that this legally-blind blogger doesn’t quite understand!).  Whatever the reason, Nationals fans are happy that he is hitting and no longer has to be booed by Nats fans.

Jayson Werth is currently third in the Majors with 17 hits, and so far he has had 6 multi-hit games.  He looks pretty solid in right field, and manager Davey Johnson has said that right field is where Werth will stay (there were rumors during the off-season that Werth was going to be moved to center field).  The $126-million-dollar “Boras Boy” will be with the Nationals until 2017, and hopefully will continue producing consistently.

So on another note… Did you notice that the Nationals are 1 ½ games in front of the Mets in first place in the National League East?  Despite their .348 combined slugging percentage, the Nats are on top of their division, due largely in part to their stellar pitching.  The Nationals' starting rotation has combined to post a 1.69 ERA this season, which is by far the best in the league.  Nats starters have also held opposing hitters to just a .179 batting average, which makes Nationals’ sluggers breathe a sigh of relief.  Third-baseman and #3 in the lineup, Ryan Zimmerman, is off to a slow start, as is catcher Wilson Ramos.  In an ideal world, the pitchers would continue to be stellar and the offense could continue to relax.  But since this is not Oz or Disney World or some made-up perfect world, Nationals’ batters need to start doing some more hitting – Ian Desmond and Jayson Werth cannot carry this team by themselves!

In non-Nationals news, did you hear about Jamie Moyer?  He's a pitcher for the Colorado Rockies, and last night he became the oldest pitcher in history to earn a win.  Jamie is 49 and still going strong - I remember him playing when I was in college, and that was a LONG time ago!  Nolan Ryan always comes to mind when thinking of old pitchers, but Moyer has Ryan beat.  I know I've mentioned Jamie before, but I had to give him a shout-out after his first victory this season.  Way to go, old man!

Oh, and the Orioles!  I have to mention them, because they too are in first place in their division, with a 7-4 record.  Adam Jones had hit safely in every game this season until last night, and left fielder Nolan Reimold has homered in 4 consecutive games.  I know it's early, but wouldn't a Nationals/Orioles World Series be something totally exciting?  That's not going to happen, but I had to mention it since the two DC-area teams are in first place (for now).  Let's see how long that lasts...

"Play Ball!"

Today is February 28, and the Washington Nationals will be visiting the New York Mets at their Port St. Lucie facility for the first baseball game of Spring Training.  It has been four months since the San Francisco Giants won the World Series, and this avid baseball fan has been starving for some good old ball to watch on TV.  We also recently bought our tickets for our first visit to Nationals Park this year - a Sunday afternoon game against the Atlanta Braves in April.  Why do I love baseball so much?  It is an easy game to follow - you throw the ball, you hit the ball, you catch the ball.  The fact that it's much slower than, say, football or basketball allows you to see the emotion on the players' faces; you can see when they're deep in thought, when they're upset over an error, when they're pleased with a good at-bat.  You anticipate every pitch, and you react to every swing of the bat, as well as to every missed opportunity.  You celebrate with the winners, and sometimes feel bad for the losers.  Baseball is a microcosm of life; you work hard, you try to get along with your coworkers so you can work together toward a common goal, you do your best, sometimes you win and sometimes you lose, and in the end, you hope that you left a lasting impression and are remembered for your dedication and for the quality of your work (unless you're Barry Bonds or Pete Rose, but I won't go there on my first blog!).

So...why blog about baseball?  Because my kids get tired of me talking about it, and as supportive as my wonderful husband is, I don't want to bore him with my constant baseball-related observations and useless statistics ALL the time!  I have to share my latest instance of baseball nerdiness with you; it happened yesterday.  So a good friend is talking to my husband and me after church, and he tells us that his son's baseball jersey number is #32.  "Can you guess why he picked that number?", asks my friend.  Knowing that his son is a big Derek Jeter fan, I immediately answer "Well, the 3 is for Babe Ruth, and the 2 is for Derek Jeter."  He looks at me in a stunned silence.  I had to follow it with an eye-roll and a "DUH!", just to prove that I am truly a baseball nerd.  His son, too, was impressed.

It's moments like yesterday's Babe-Jeter reference that make me proud of not only being a big baseball fan, but being a FEMALE baseball fan.  Yes, I check out the players' physiques and make a note of who looks best in baseball pants.  But I also know that Nolan Ryan pitched seven no-hitters, I know that the Designated Hitter was adpoted into the American League in 1973, and I can explain the Sherman Antitrust Act and how it relates to baseball.  I can rattle off the starting lineup of the 1988 New York Mets, and I can do so while wearing stillettos and helping my kids with their homework.  I love being a wife, a mom, and a baseball fan.