Four Class Acts

Happy New Year, my friends!  So much has happened since I last blogged - the San Francisco Giants won the World Series (even though I was rooting for the Royals), the Washington Nationals' Denard Span did not win a Gold Glove in center field even though he deserved it way more than the Mets' Juan Lagares, I was not chosen as baseball's next Commissioner (I know; I was shocked as well), and the National Baseball Hall of Fame chose its inductees for the class of 2015.  Whoever said the off-season was uneventful clearly doesn't know that Nick Markakis is no longer an Oriole, Jimmy Rollins is no longer a Philly, and Jayson Werth has to spend 5 days in jail for driving way too fast (110mph on a 65mph highway).  So yeah, there's no baseball being played, but there has certainly been a lot going on.




With regards to the Hall of Fame, I must say I'm happy with this year's selections.  I can't kick and scream and say that my guy was unfairly left out, because frankly, I was never a big Mike Piazza fan.  This is the first time in the "modern voting era" when four players were selected; last year they had three with Tom Glavine, Greg Maddux, and Frank Thomas.  This year's class includes pitchers Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez, and John Smoltz, as well as the Astros' Craig Biggio, who started his career as a catcher and moved to second base after playing some in the outfield.


This year's Hall of Fame class makes me happy because these are the guys I grew up watching.  I remember buying a Craig Biggio rookie card back in the 80s because I thought he was cute.  I followed his career closely (because he was cute) and was ecstatic when he reached the 3,000-hit milestone (because he was cute, and because he joined Roberto Clemente on the hits list).  He still looks like he's in his twenties, and yes, he's still cute.


Randy Johnson, also known as "The Big Unit" was the most intimidating pitcher a batter could face (other than Oakland's Dave Stewart, who looked way meaner than Johnson ever could).  At 6'10, Randy towered over everyone and let his arm speak for him.  He and Diamondbacks teammate Curt Schilling (yes, the "bloody sock" guy - I will reference him again later) were such dominating pitchers that you just had to root for the Diamondbacks during the 2001 World Series.  I almost didn't even mind when Randy went to the Yankees - which turned out to not be such a good fit for him or for the team.


Pedro Ramirez was one of those pitchers you loved to hate.  I couldn't help but love him during the 2004 World Series, when the Red Sox took the nation by storm and all of us clung to every pitch, whether it was thrown by the long-haired, confident/cocky Martinez or by the guy with the bloody sock (yes, Curt Schilling can now say that he was teammates with two members of the 2015 Hall of Fame class).  Pedro Martinez joins Juan Marichal as the only Dominican pitchers in the Hall, and I hope there will be a big and loud representation of Hispanics at the induction ceremonies in July.


As far as John Smoltz goes, they should have made an exception to the five-year retirement rule and inducted him in the Hall with his two teammates last year.  It would have been so sickeningly picture-perfect!  Along with Glavine and Maddux, Smoltz was part of the powerhouse that made the Braves such a dominant force in the 1990s.  Whether as a starter, a closer, or anywhere in between, Smoltz was a class act.


So mow what?  Well, we have 44 days until spring training begins, but the Baltimore Ravens are still alive in the NFL playoffs, and the Washington Wizards are playing some really good basketball (and "How to get Away With Murder" returns to Thursday nights later this month).  So don't fret, baseball fans - until we smell the grass and hear the crack of the bat, we still have plenty to keep us busy.  Think warm thoughts, sign your kid up for another season of Little League (I just did that yesterday), and reconnect with your friends and relatives who are ignored during the baseball season.  Stay warm, my friends, and stay tuned! :-)

What a Long, Strange Month it's Been!

Hello, my friends!  It's been quite a while since I've blogged to you all - it's been a crazy month of March trying to juggle my jobs, my family responsibilities, and my other blogs.  I'm still blogging for http://www.prosportsblogging.com/, but I have also picked up a gig with our local paper, http://www.fredericknewspost.com/ (click on BLOGS and mine is the "Nationals Inquirier").  I am strictly a Washington Nationals blogger for both sites, so I'm glad I still have this space to myself, where I can bash, I mean, write, about anything baseball, not just Nationals-related topics.

So what's been going on in baseball land?  Spring Training is winding down, and some teams are giddy with excitement over their new acquisitions.  The Detroit Tigers are tearing up the Grapefruit League with a 13-3 record, and they like to brag about now having Prince Fielder on their team.  The Los Angeles Angels are happy with their acquisition of Albert Pujols, and the New York Yankees have welcomed pitcher Andy Pettite out of retirement.
And how about players who return to last year's teams?  Matt Holliday has been tearing it up this year, batting .484 with a nice little 10-game hitting streak to his name.  Us Cardinals dis-likers hope that he's peaking too soon.

And what's a Mudville Mom post without a comment about the Phillies?  They're struggling so far this year with injuries and they lost some players during the off-season - it seems like Roy Halliday is the only guy who wants to play this season.  Let's hope they stink this year - I need a reason to trash-talk with Phillies fans!

In all seriousness, the headline that caught my eye this week was Atlanta Braves' third baseman Chipper Jones announcing his retirement at the end of the 2012 season.  I have always liked Larry Wayne Jones - he is the quintessential franchise player who gave his all every day, and when people thought he was done after his 2010 and 2011 injuries, he insisted on not ending his career because of an injury.  He will be in the Hall of Fame someday, along with all those other Braves greats like Dale Murphy, Tom Glavine, John Smoltz, and Greg Maddux.

And in case you're wondering what's up with my dear Iván Rodriguez (what's a blog post without my mention of "Pudge!"), he's still technically a free agent, but no one seems to be interested in signing a 40-year-old catcher.  The Kansas City Royals had shown some interest, but the last thing I read was that he was contemplating retirement.  Poor guy - he just wanted the opportunity to try for 3000 hits, so he could share the honor with fellow Puerto Rican Roberto Clemente, but it doesn't look like it's going to be.  If he doesn't get signed and does end up retiring, I guess we can make our reservations for his 2017 enshrinement in Cooperstown.

So the start of the 2012 season is less than two weeks away, and I'm getting excited.  We have tickets for 4 Nationals games this year, including the home opener against Cincinnati and an inter-league game against the Yankees - I know, I've said before that I don't like inter-league play during the regular season, but who can turn down the opportunity to see Robinson Canó?  Stay tuned for my insight as the season begins, and thank you as always for your support of my blog!  :-)