It's no secret that I am an avid Phillies-hater. I have bashed them many times on this blog, and even though they're a million games out of first place this year and they have a great catcher about whom I've said some nice things (see "Is Carlos the New Iván" on 5/24/12), they're still doing things to piss me off (Can I say that on here? I guess so; it's my blog!).
The Phillies' most recent move that has upset me (as well as many other Washington Nationals fans) has to do with Nationals' outfielder, Michael Morse. For those of you who don't know Michael, let me give you a little bit of a background on him. Morse (known to his teammates as "The Beast") came to the Nationals in 2009 from the Seattle Mariners. Last season, he led the Nats in home runs with 31 and finished the year with a .303 batting average. While normally an outfielder, Morse filled in very nicely at first base for the injured Adam LaRoche during most of last season. This year, he began the season on the Disabled List and returned in June to his familiar spot in left field. Morse is currently batting .301 in the 65 game he's played, with 14 doubles and 11 home runs.
So in late July, Morse started hitting regularly; every day, in fact, and had himself a nice 10-game hitting streak by the time the Nationals were to play the Phillies on August 2nd. Morse got a hit at that game, and in fact has hit safely in his last 22 games! That sounds like a pretty good accomplishment, right? I mean, he's no DiMaggio, but it's still a respectable streak. Well, this 22-game hit streak does not exist, because on August 10 (more than a week after that August 2nd game), the Phillies requested that Major League Baseball review Morse's only hit from that game. The Phillies argued that it was not a hit off their pitcher, Cole Hamels (who already had a "history" with the Nationals, since he had intentionally hit the Nats' Bryce Harper with a pitch in a game earlier this season) and MLB agreed. So Morse's third-inning single was switched to an error by Phillies' shortstop, Jimmy Rollins. How lousy is that?! What the heck were the Phillies trying to accomplish by asking for a review? Are they that bitter about being in last place? Such sore losers, I tell ya! So not only does poor Jimmy Rollins get charged with an error (thanks a LOT, teammates!), but Michael Morse's hitting streak ended at 10 games on August 2nd. Luckily for Morse, he's been hitting ever since, and now has himself an 11-game streak going (which like I said before, would be a 22-game streak if the August 2nd hit hadn't been reversed). Let's hope Morse's current streak ends soon, because if it continues, the controversial reversal of August 2nd will keep looming over Morse and may overshadow the tremendous job that the Nationals have done so far this season.
Showing posts with label cole hamels. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cole hamels. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Is Carlos the New Iván?
If you're a regular reader of this blog (like Tom, Vic, and Harry - yes, these are real people I know!), it's no secret that I have a "thing" for catchers. I've written tirelessly about how a catcher is the most important player on a baseball team; how I love watching a catcher nabbing someone during a stolen base attempt; and of course there's my unending crush on future Hall-of-Famer Iván "Pudge" Rodriguez. Now that Iván has retired, I'm still in search of my new crush - the newest hottie who not only looks good in tight baseball pants, but can hit, field, and be philanthropic and socially aware (sorry, Derek; I can't bring myself to like you in that way!). And no, he doesn't have to be a catcher - but it would be a plus.
Another thing that regular readers of this blog know is that I am an avid Phillies hater. You can't possibly be a Nationals fan and like the Phillies - it's like being a Red Sox fan and thinking the Yankees are OK or being a Montague and inviting the Capulets over for afternoon tea. I don't like Charlie Manuel, I REALLY don't like Cole Hamels, and I don't even really care for the green Philly Phanatic mascot. But one thing I do like is a good baseball player, and the Phillies do have some of those. Last year I voted for Placido Polanco for the All-Star Game at third base (no Phillies on my ballot this year), Shane Victorino is the best Hawaiian-born baseball player I've ever seen, and Hunter Pence has provided a solid presence in the outfield. So there - I said nice things about Phillies players. But don't get used to it! :-)
There is one Phillies player though who has gotten my attention lately, especially after this week's three-game series between the Phillies and the Nationals. Phillies' catcher Carlos Ruiz, who went 3 for 4 in Wednesday's game, is a solid all-around good baseball player. "Chooch," as he's affectionately known to Phillies fans who scream "CHOOOOOCH" when he goes up to bat, was born in Panamá and is supposedly 5'10 and 205 pounds, (I think that was back when he debuted with the Phillies in 2006; I'd say he weighs more like 225). Ruiz is third in batting in the National League, with a batting average of .357, 7 home runs, 9 doubles (which could have been triples if he didn't run so slow!), 29 RBIs, and an on-base-percentage of .407. As a catcher, he has caught 13 runners trying to steal so far this season, which is fourth in the National League, and has 27 assists (third in the NL). One statistic that I found interesting is that Ruiz leads the NL in being hit by a pitch, which has happened 5 times so far this season (perhaps he needs to move away from the plate a little - I don't think they're hitting him on purpose to get to Victorino).
So there you have it - there's a Phillies player out there that I actually like. I even like the fact that he got mouthy with the home plate umpire the other day (too bad it got him ejected from the game!). But there's one problem with Carlos Ruiz: He looks more like a furniture delivery man or a butcher than a baseball player. Good looks are not his forté. So while I continue my quest to find a baseball player who is a "complete package," I will keep rooting for Ruiz, Weiters, Flores, Molina (both of them) and Posey. And maybe, just maybe, a cute catcher will come along next year.
Another thing that regular readers of this blog know is that I am an avid Phillies hater. You can't possibly be a Nationals fan and like the Phillies - it's like being a Red Sox fan and thinking the Yankees are OK or being a Montague and inviting the Capulets over for afternoon tea. I don't like Charlie Manuel, I REALLY don't like Cole Hamels, and I don't even really care for the green Philly Phanatic mascot. But one thing I do like is a good baseball player, and the Phillies do have some of those. Last year I voted for Placido Polanco for the All-Star Game at third base (no Phillies on my ballot this year), Shane Victorino is the best Hawaiian-born baseball player I've ever seen, and Hunter Pence has provided a solid presence in the outfield. So there - I said nice things about Phillies players. But don't get used to it! :-)
There is one Phillies player though who has gotten my attention lately, especially after this week's three-game series between the Phillies and the Nationals. Phillies' catcher Carlos Ruiz, who went 3 for 4 in Wednesday's game, is a solid all-around good baseball player. "Chooch," as he's affectionately known to Phillies fans who scream "CHOOOOOCH" when he goes up to bat, was born in Panamá and is supposedly 5'10 and 205 pounds, (I think that was back when he debuted with the Phillies in 2006; I'd say he weighs more like 225). Ruiz is third in batting in the National League, with a batting average of .357, 7 home runs, 9 doubles (which could have been triples if he didn't run so slow!), 29 RBIs, and an on-base-percentage of .407. As a catcher, he has caught 13 runners trying to steal so far this season, which is fourth in the National League, and has 27 assists (third in the NL). One statistic that I found interesting is that Ruiz leads the NL in being hit by a pitch, which has happened 5 times so far this season (perhaps he needs to move away from the plate a little - I don't think they're hitting him on purpose to get to Victorino).
So there you have it - there's a Phillies player out there that I actually like. I even like the fact that he got mouthy with the home plate umpire the other day (too bad it got him ejected from the game!). But there's one problem with Carlos Ruiz: He looks more like a furniture delivery man or a butcher than a baseball player. Good looks are not his forté. So while I continue my quest to find a baseball player who is a "complete package," I will keep rooting for Ruiz, Weiters, Flores, Molina (both of them) and Posey. And maybe, just maybe, a cute catcher will come along next year.
Monday, May 7, 2012
"O" What a Game!
One of the many things I like about baseball is that for the most part, I know when a game is going to end. If the home team is leading, the game only goes on for 8 1/2 innings. If the visitors are leading, you go to the bottom of the ninth and hope that your team can make a comeback. However, if the home team comes back to tie it, they have to go on to extra innings (not one of my favorite things). At that point, you have no idea whether the game is going to end in the tenth, the thirteenth, or as was the case in yesterday's Orioles-Red Sox game, the seventeenth inning. Yes, the first-place O's beat the struggling Red Sox in a six hour marathon, which my cousin-in-law said that at times it felt like watching a cricket match. And sometimes, when you have these long games, you end up using up all your pitchers and the manager then has to get creative. In yesterday's game, Orioles' manager Buck Showalter told DH and infielder Chris Davis to warm up and go pitch the sixteenth inning. Davis had not pitched since his days in junior college back in 2006, but he surprised everyone with a 91mph fastball and a split-finger pitch that confused Red Sox batters. Davis had gone 0-8 including 5 strikeouts, so why not try pitching, since hitting obviously wasn't going well? The O's ended up winning 6-9, sweeping the Red Sox and winning their last 5 games. I am very happy for the Orioles and their fans - I hope the players got a good night's rest and are ready to take on the 18-10 Texas Rangers at Camden Yards starting tonight. Go O's!
But what about that other team in the DC area? Well the Nationals (also in first place) had an interesting game last night, losing to the Phillies 9-3. The game got testy right from the start, when Phililes' pitcher Cole Hamels deliberately hit Nationals' left fielder Bryce Harper on the back in the bottom of the first inning (Hamels admitted after the game that he did mean to hit Harper as a "welcome to the big leagues" gesture). Harper answered by scoring a run, but not in a traditional fashion. With Hamels distractedly throwing pickoff attempts to first base, Harper stole home and scored the Nationals' first run. I was so excited to see such a seldom-done feat that I called everyone into the living room to watch the replay. When I was a little girl, my father used to tell me how he saw Puerto Rican baseball player Victor Pellot (known in the US as "Vic Power") steal home twice in one game; now my son can tell his kids that he saw Bryce Harper do the same thing. It was pretty cool!
Unfortunately, the game's excitement pretty much ended there for the Nationals (except for Nats' pitcher Jordan Zimmermann hitting Cole Hamels in the top of the third). In the sixth inning, right fielder Jayson Werth broke his left wrist trying to field a ball - the same wrist he had broken before that caused him to miss the entire 2006 season. While Werth's lack of hitting won't be missed, he is an excellent right fielder and will be hard to replace out there. The Nationals lost 9-3, but they won the series and are still in first place. Now they go on to Pittsburgh, where I have a bet going with a co-worker. If the Pirates win the series, he owes me a cookie and vice versa. I can taste the chocolate chips now...
So this whole thing about hitting batters on purpose... what's that all about? Despite being female, I like to think that I know as much about baseball as many men out there; but this hitting batters thing, I think that's a guy thing that I'll never understand. Nolan Ryan was a big bully in his day, hitting batters on purpose or pitching them way inside to make them flinch. Why is that? I find that so immature! And then later in the game, the pitcher from the team whose batter was hit feels obligated to hit a batter too. Then the umpires are obligated to issue a warning and the fans have to boo. Is all this really necessary? At least we don't have bench-clearing brawls anymore, like we did during the "steroid era" - I saw many a fight involving Manny Ramirez, Roger Clemens, and now-in-prison Lenny Dykstra. Those episodes were considered "entertaining," yet one guy spits at an umpire and his Hall of Fame membership gets questioned! Just because you're playing a boy's game doesn't mean you have to act like little boys - grow up and stop hitting each other! That's about as stupid as the intentional walk!
OK, cleansing breath... time to think about more positive things, like the fact that Albert Pujols FINALLY hit a home run and Robinson Canó hit a grand slam yesterday. See how exciting baseball can still be without people hitting each other? Let's just all get along, and everything will be fine.
But what about that other team in the DC area? Well the Nationals (also in first place) had an interesting game last night, losing to the Phillies 9-3. The game got testy right from the start, when Phililes' pitcher Cole Hamels deliberately hit Nationals' left fielder Bryce Harper on the back in the bottom of the first inning (Hamels admitted after the game that he did mean to hit Harper as a "welcome to the big leagues" gesture). Harper answered by scoring a run, but not in a traditional fashion. With Hamels distractedly throwing pickoff attempts to first base, Harper stole home and scored the Nationals' first run. I was so excited to see such a seldom-done feat that I called everyone into the living room to watch the replay. When I was a little girl, my father used to tell me how he saw Puerto Rican baseball player Victor Pellot (known in the US as "Vic Power") steal home twice in one game; now my son can tell his kids that he saw Bryce Harper do the same thing. It was pretty cool!
Unfortunately, the game's excitement pretty much ended there for the Nationals (except for Nats' pitcher Jordan Zimmermann hitting Cole Hamels in the top of the third). In the sixth inning, right fielder Jayson Werth broke his left wrist trying to field a ball - the same wrist he had broken before that caused him to miss the entire 2006 season. While Werth's lack of hitting won't be missed, he is an excellent right fielder and will be hard to replace out there. The Nationals lost 9-3, but they won the series and are still in first place. Now they go on to Pittsburgh, where I have a bet going with a co-worker. If the Pirates win the series, he owes me a cookie and vice versa. I can taste the chocolate chips now...
So this whole thing about hitting batters on purpose... what's that all about? Despite being female, I like to think that I know as much about baseball as many men out there; but this hitting batters thing, I think that's a guy thing that I'll never understand. Nolan Ryan was a big bully in his day, hitting batters on purpose or pitching them way inside to make them flinch. Why is that? I find that so immature! And then later in the game, the pitcher from the team whose batter was hit feels obligated to hit a batter too. Then the umpires are obligated to issue a warning and the fans have to boo. Is all this really necessary? At least we don't have bench-clearing brawls anymore, like we did during the "steroid era" - I saw many a fight involving Manny Ramirez, Roger Clemens, and now-in-prison Lenny Dykstra. Those episodes were considered "entertaining," yet one guy spits at an umpire and his Hall of Fame membership gets questioned! Just because you're playing a boy's game doesn't mean you have to act like little boys - grow up and stop hitting each other! That's about as stupid as the intentional walk!
OK, cleansing breath... time to think about more positive things, like the fact that Albert Pujols FINALLY hit a home run and Robinson Canó hit a grand slam yesterday. See how exciting baseball can still be without people hitting each other? Let's just all get along, and everything will be fine.
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