"It's Just Emotion That's Taken Me Over"

One of the benefits of being a female baseball fan is that because of the estrogen that our ovaries produce, it's OK to get emotional over just about anything.  Bryce Harper hits a walk-off home run in the ninth inning and we start crying?  That's OK.  Buster Posey throws out a runner trying to steal second base and we do a happy dance?  Totally fine.  Eric Hosmer does ANYTHING and our hearts skip a beat?  Completely acceptable.  But man, last Sunday was an emotional high for me, and now that you've started reading this, you're committed to reading until the end, so sit back and follow along as I re-live my reasons for my many emotions on a beautiful and picture-perfect day.

First and foremost, my long-time baseball crush, Iván "Pudge" Rodriguez was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.  You all know how I have endlessly written about Iván and how I threw myself a pity party because I wasn't able to attend the ceremonies in Cooperstown, New York.  But watching him from the comfort of my living room, sitting way up close to the TV and clinging to his every word, I could not have been more proud (and yes - I cried!).  I was very impatient at first, because Jeff Bagwell, one of the other inductees, took FOREVER with his speech.  It was touching, but extremely anecdotal and took way too long.  It seems like he thanked everyone from his Little League coaches to the Astros custodians.  Bud Selig's speech wasn't much shorter - yes, Bud, we all know how much you did for baseball as Commissioner, but you didn't have to go through year by year re-living everything like a "State of the Union" speech.  Milwaukee baseball... labor disputes... the development of the Wild Card...blah blah blah - we could have gotten all this information ourselves from Wikipedia.  Plus I never liked you anyway!  Finally, over two hours later, it was Ivan's turn.

"Pudge" began his speech by thanking the Lord Jesus Christ for his many blessings.  Classy.  (That elicited an "Aw!" from me.) Then he thanked a few people, made a joke, and then addressed the crowd in Spanish.  He thanked all the fans who were present for their loyalty and support, and asked everyone to raise their Puerto Rican flags way high.  Yes, I cried.  Reverting back to English, he thanked more teammates, coaches, and managers, throwing in little anecdotes along the way (For example, Nolan Ryan didn't care that Ivan's English wasn't very good at first; as long as he "put down the right fingers," they could communicate just fine).  Then, in both English and Spanish, he told young people watching to never let anyone tell them they can't fulfill their dreams.  He said to work hard, be dedicated, and always do your best.  It was touching.  But what got me the most emotional was when Iván thanked his parents.  Speaking to them in Spanish so they would understand, he thanked his father for endless hours of batting practice and for convincing him to switch from pitching to catching.  He thanked his mother for always emphasizing hard work and making her sons focus on academics as much as on athletics.  He called both his parents "hall of famers," and that's when I lost it.

In addition to Ivan's Hall of Fame induction, there was Adrián Beltré reaching an important baseball milestone on the same day.  You say you've never heard of Adrián Beltré?  Well it's probably because he's not white (he's Dominican), he plays for a team that doesn't wear pinstripes (the Texas Rangers), and he hasn't been accused of using performance-enhancing drugs or beating up his wife.  Beltré is a workhorse with a career batting average of .286, has appeared in 4 All-Star Games, and led the National League with 48 home runs in 2004 when he played for the Dodgers.  Why is reaching 3000 hits such a big deal in baseball?  Because only 30 other players in history are on the list, and if Beltré's name doesn't ring a bell, how about some of the other guys on the list:  Pete Rose, Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, Cal Ripken Jr., and Roberto Clemente?  The only other current player on that list is Ichiro Suzuki, who is 22nd on the list with 3,060.  For Puerto Ricans, anyone who reaches this important milestone is a special person, because he joins our beloved Clemente.  So yes - I cried when Beltré hit number 3,000 - a double against the Orioles in his home park with his wife and kids running onto the field when he reached second base.  Who wouldn't get teared up after a moment like that? Now I need for either him or Ichiro to pass the 19th guy on the list, who retired with 3,115 hits.  He shall remain nameless, but you all know who it is I can't stand... it's time for a drug-free guy to pass him on the list!

So the season is more than halfway over, the Nationals are 45 games away from clinching the NL East, and Clayton Kershaw is on the Disabled List.  But Kershaw will be back (since he's bionic), the Dodgers just acquired Yu Darvish from the Rangers, and October could potentially feature the Nationals and Dodgers in the NLCS.  This means a lot of cheering, a lot of late nights staying up to watch games, and yes - a lot of tearing up and crying.  Hopefully they will be happy tears!

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.

"See. You. Tater!"

There are certain moments that really resonate in a baseball fan’s life – those “Someday I’m going to tell my grandchildren about this” type of moments.  We don’t just remember being there or seeing it on TV; we remember these moments so vividly that they felt like they were a part of our own lives.

One of the things that makes these moments so vivid in our minds is the call that was made by the broadcaster at the time.  The play-by-play, the color commentary, and the analysis of broadcasters and former players alike.  Ask any die-hard baseball fan who won the 1951 World Series, and we won’t just say it was the Giants – we will yell “The Giants win the pennant!  The Giants win the pennant!”  We are quoting Russ Hodges, who called Bobby Thomson’s “shot heard ‘round the world.”  More than seventy years later, Hodges' call is still one of the most memorable moments in baseball history and certainly one of the most recognizable moments in sports broadcast history.

Whether it was Bobby Thomson’s home run, Roberto Clemente’s 3000^th hit, or Cal Ripken’s 2131^st consecutive game record in 1995, baseball fans have the video and audio of the event ingrained in our minds forever.  So many historic moments – Hank Aaron passing Babe Ruth on the all-time home run list in 1974; Kirk Gibson’s improbable “limp-off” home run; Kirby Puckett’s World Series homer – these are all moments made unforgettable by the people who called the games and gave us our own front-row seat to the action.  Phil Rizzuto (“Holy cow!”), Vin Scully (“Losing feels worse than winning feels good”), Harry Caray (“It could be, it might be… it is!  A home run!”), and Al Michaels (“I tell you what – we’re having an earthquake!”) – their voices are as familiar to us as those of close friends and relatives.

Locally, I couldn’t ask for better radio and TV commentators.  Dave Jageler and Charlie Slowes, who do the Nationals’ games on the radio, are very entertaining.  They love giving us the spelling of uncommon last names, and every time they spell one, someone in the broadcast booth dings a bell.  Corny, but entertaining (plus how else will you know how to spell Adeiny Hechavarría?).  On TV, Bob Carpernter and his man-child sidekick, F.P. Santangelo, love to comment not only on the game, but on which fan at the ballpark is eating what, which fan is having trouble putting on a rain poncho, and who made a major-league catch for a foul ball in the stands.  Bob’s “See…you…LATER!” home run call and F.P.’s “There goes the no-hitter!” calls are daily occurrences that Nationals fans are used to and expect.  In fact, the most recent concession stand to open at Nationals Park, a tater tot and chicken wing bar, is called “See. You. Tater!” inspired by Carpenter’s home run call and Santangelo always referring to home runs as “taters.”   

Then there are the times when you don’t realize how good your local broadcast crew is until you’re watching or listening to another game and that team’s crew is terrible.  My least favorite broadcast crew has to be the Gary Thorne/Jim Palmer combination (sorry, Orioles fans!).  Thorne’s voice makes me want to vomit – it always sounds like he has something stuck in his throat and it just won’t come out or go down.  And Palmer, despite being an excellent pitcher (so good that he’s in the Hall of Fame), is just boring and way too anecdotal.  Jim, we know you pitched in the 1966 World Series; you don’t have to bring it up during every game.  He’s one of those classic “Back when I was pitching…” kind of guys.  Super-nice, but should not be behind a microphone.  Just because you looked good in underwear back in the day doesn’t mean you can do good color commentary. 

So whether it’s Jack Buck (not his son Joe – I don’t like him), Chris Berman (“Backbackbackbackback!”) or “Mister Baseball” himself, Bob Uecker (wait – I don’t like him either!), it is the men and women behind the microphones (ESPN’s Jessica Mendoza is pretty cool and really knows her baseball, though I secretly hate her because she has a job I would love) who bring us memorable moments that become indelible and unforgettable in our baseball-loving minds.

"The Perfect Ballplayer"

I started this blog six years ago out of impulse.  Major League Baseball was seeking volunteers who wanted to spend the entire 2011 baseball season living in a "fan cave" in New York City watching baseball games and blogging about them.  The occasional baseball player would stop by and hang out at "the cave" with the residents and you and your "cave-mates" would be on TV and the Internet talking baseball.  What red-blooded die-hard baseball fan wouldn't love that opportunity?  All you had to do was apply online and submit a writing sample.  Knowing full well that I could not conceivably (and in good conscience) leave my husband, kids, and job for six months, I applied anyway.  But a writing sample?  I hadn't written anything since my graduate thesis on the history of baseball litigation, and even I thought that was too much of a snoozer to submit.  So I created this blog so I would have some baseball stuff to submit, and of course I wasn't chosen (surely not because of the caliber of my writing - probably because it wouldn't look cool for a forty-something-year-old female to live with some twenty-something-year-old men). 

I started out writing almost daily, reporting scores from the previous day's games and piping in my opinions on certain occurrences here and there.  Then life got busy, my job got more demanding, and I blogged less frequently, focusing on baseball in general - the rules, the players, and of course, my opinions on just about anything baseball-related.  Now that I own my own business (a kitchen store in Frederick, Maryland called "The Kitchenette" - stop by and say hello if you're in the area!), I barely have time to cook a decent meal, let alone write a well-thought-out blog post.  But just because I write less frequently doesn't mean my passion for baseball has faded - I still scour the sports pages daily, check the MLB app on my phone constantly, and count the days until the start of the regular season (just seven more to go!).  But if something majorly important, super-exciting, or rather controversial is happening in the Majors, I will certainly find some time to write about it and give you my take.

The most recent blog-worthy event in baseball was the World Baseball Classic, which ended last week with Team USA beating Puerto Rico 8-0 in the final of what was an exciting and much-talked-about series that started out with 12 teams from all over the world - a true "World Series."  Unfortunately, long nights spent watching WBC games and busy days tending to my business and family did not allow me the opportunity to share my excitement with you (good thing, because I was downright obnoxious rooting for "Team PR"), and many news outlets have already reported on the WBC's playoff-like atmosphere, the national pride, and the fact that blond hair color was sold out all over Puerto Rico because all the PR players (and most of the residents of the island) chose to color their hair blond as a sign of team and island unity).  Even The Baltimore Sun's Peter Schmuck, whom I have criticized here in the past, wrote a nice piece about how the WBC games brought so much enthusiasm to fans and players from all over the world.  In media standards, the WBC is old news - why keep talking about it when Gonzaga is going to the NCAA Final Four and the Washington Wizards and Capitals will both be in their respective playoffs?

But today's blog post is not about the WBC - I want to talk a bit about baseball history (please don't yawn!) and what makes "the perfect ballplayer."  When you ask a non-baseball fan to name a famous baseball player from the past, they may come up with Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, or Joe DiMaggio (around these parts, people may mention Cal Ripken, Frank Robinson, or Earl Weaver).  Ask someone who follows the game and they might name Pete Rose, Reggie Jackson, Roger Clemens, or Derek Jeter.  Then of course there's Jackie Robinson, who broke the color barrier and is deservedly one of the most respected athletes of all time.  Ask any Puerto Rican, whether or not they currently live on the island, and he/she will inevitably mention Roberto Clemente.

Now, I've mentioned Roberto Clemente many a time in my blog - in seventeen different posts, to be exact.  But like current Houston Astros outfielder Carlos Beltrán mentioned in a 2016 article he wrote for "The Players Tribune," Roberto Clemente's legacy is something that is taught as part of the history curriculum in all schools in Puerto Rico.  Unfortunately, as baseball continues to evolve and the years pass, more and more people (including baseball players) go through their entire lives without knowing the impact that Clemente had both on and off the baseball field.  As more players reach the 3,000 career hits milestone, Clemente gets pushed lower and lower down the list of all-time hiters, now sitting at 30th with Adrián Beltre surely pushing Clemente to 31st sometime this season.

So why is a guy who has 29 other guys ahead of him on the all-time hits list considered to be "the perfect ballplayer?"  This is not a quote from a regular Puerto Rican person - it was actually said by a former player, an African-American Hall-of-Famer by the name of Willie Mays.  I know Willie is super-old and may not currently have all his faculties, but he said this a while ago, and the fact that he picked Clemente instead of his godson (Barry Bonds) says something.  Sportscaster Bob Costas likes Clemente too, but I don't like Bob Costas, so he's not worth mentioning further.  And if you ever visit Pittsburgh, those fans know their baseball history, and they know the former Pirate like he was one of their own.

Need some numbers to convince yourself that Roberto Clemente was the best baseball player ever?  Here are a few numbers to note: 1966 Most Valuable Player for the National League, NL batting champ (1961, 1964, 1965, 1967), World Series MVP in 1971, eleven-time Gold Glove winner, 12-time All Star, and National League leader in triples in 1969.  Oh, and he has an award named for him - the Roberto Clemente Award, which is given every year to a player with outstanding baseball playing skills who is personally involved in community work.

Oh, this Clemente guy did stuff for charity?  Don't many baseball players do that?  Yes, they do (and they should).  But Clemente went above and beyond to help those in need throughout his career, providing sports equipment to the needy, offering free batting clinics in his native Puerto Rico, and taking relief supplies to Nicaragua after a devastating earthquake on New Year's Eve, 1972.  Well, actually, he and the supplies never made it to Nicaragua, because the plane carrying Clemente was overloaded with too many supplies, had an incompetent flight crew, and crashed into the Atlantic ocean off the coast of Puerto Rico.  So yeah, poor Clemente died without finishing his baseball career - had he played for another year or two, he would probably be between Tony Gwynn and Alex Rodriguez at 19th of all time. 

So was this guy better than Ruth, Rose, or Rodriguez (Iván, not Alex - you all know I truly dislike A-Rod!)?  Yes.  Not only did Clemente have impressive career numbers and was a great humanitarian, but he demanded respect, let his bat and glove do the talking, and made a permanent impact on the game and how to play with intensity, discipline, and dedication.  He's the type of guy who, when mentioned to baseball experts, elicits an instant sigh of admiration not given to current stars.  They use words like "hero," "legend," and "class act" to describe him.  They don't argue that he was the best right fielder ever.  And his legacy needs to be explained to all current baseball players - this is how you play, this is how you behave, this is how you help others (except for the plane crash part). 

Alright, friends; thank you for letting me rant about "the perfect ballplayer."  Some people think I'm too "rah rah Puerto Rico," but this is my blog and I can write about whatever I choose.  But seriously, the 2017 season is getting ready to start, and I'm looking forward to writing about great baseball players - whatever country they're from and whatever team they represent.  Watch out for the Houston Astros, the Boston Red Sox, and yes, the Chicago Cubs (again!).  This promises to be a season of milestones, magic, and lots of home runs (Trout, Stanton, Machado...).  So keep checking in - I will do my best to keep you updated on all things 2017 - including Hall of Fame induction ceremonies in July (gee, did I mention who is being inducted?), Adrián Beltre's chase for 3000 hits, and maybe the coming of a new "Perfect Ballplayer."

Shut Up, Pete Rose!

Earlier this week, the Miami Marlins' Ichiro Suzuki raised his career hits total to 4,257, passing Pete Rose's record Major League Baseball total.  The issue here is that 1,278 of those hits came while Ichiro was playing professional baseball in Japan; therefore, "only" 2,979 of those hits were while playing Major League Baseball here in the US.  No one really seems to care where his hits came from, because we all love Ichiro and we know that professional baseball in Japan is serious business with top-caliber talent - except for Pete Rose.

For those of you unfamiliar with Pete Rose, he was a very very very good baseball player.  He was known for his hustle, his competitiveness, and for betting on baseball.  Now, I actually read Pete Rose's autobiography, where he admits to betting on his team while he managed the Cincinnati Reds (and he also went into great detail over his time spent in prison, including how his wife snuck in a Whopper for him during a visitation), so I consider myself an unofficial authority on Pete Rose and his betting habits (which allegedly still continue, mainly with horse betting).  It was because of this betting on baseball that Rose has been banned from being inducted into the Hall of Fame, even though his name is there several times due to his impressive hitting career (and deservedly so, statistics-wise).  Rose is also kind of an ass, lacking basic decorum and always sounding like a brash redneck (though his comments are sometimes quite humorous).  So it came as no surprise to me when I read an Associated Press article in which Rose was quoted as saying "I'm not trying to take anything away from Ichiro, he's had a Hall of Fame career, but the next thing you know, they'll be counting his high-school hits."  Just shut up, Pete!

So what would have been a better thing for Rose to say?  Gee, let's see, how about something gracious like "I'm not sure if I would count the hits that Ichiro got while playing in Japan, but hey, he's a great baseball player and I'm so glad that he has had such a long and illustrious career," or "Good for Ichiro - I've never met the guy because I was banned from baseball for so long, and I envy the fact that he will someday be in the Hall of Fame, but it's a great accomplishment that I am happy to share with him."  Rose could have even declined to comment on the matter and that still wouldn't have sounded as whiny and sore-loser-ish as what he said.   Let's face it - Pete Rose is an idiot.  

So what's so great about Ichiro that makes him such a likable guy?  The Washington Nationals' first baseman, Ryan Zimmerman, has said that Ichiro has been his favorite player to meet at first base, because he's always friendly and chatty and has nice things to say.  At All-Star games, Ichiro is the player whom other all-stars flock to and want to meet.  For Ichiro, it's always been about his teammates and about his fans.  He is known throughout the world as a model athlete who has transcended demographics and race.  And he's a damn good baseball player.  So don't listen to Pete Rose complaining about Ichiro's Japanese hits counting towards his professional career total.  Personally, instead of worrying about what a washed-out has-been who uses way too much Grecian Formula thinks, I'm going to focus on Ichiro's next 21 hits - the amount he needs in order to tie Roberto Clemente in the all-time Major League Baseball hits list with 3,000.

Who's Bad(ass)?

After watching tennis player Serena Williams win her 17th Grand Slam tournament this weekend, I commented on my personal Facebook page that I thought Serena was a "badass."  My friends at Merriam-Webster define "badass" as "1. ready to cause or get into trouble : <pretending to be a badass gunslinger — L. L. King>2 of formidable strength or skill <such a badass guitar player — N'Gai Croal>"  I was referring to Serena with the second meaning of the word - she is an extraordinary tennis player who can out-play and out-last anyone; someone you just couldn't imagine yourself beating no matter how good you were (like Hussein Bolt on the running track or Lebron James on the basketball court - sheer dominance). 

So that got me thinking...  Which baseball players, past and present, qualify as "badasses?"  Here is my list, divided into three parts:  The past, the present, and the wanna-bees (my top five in no particular order).

BADASSES OF THE PAST:

Roberto Clemente - Hello!  Who showed "formidable strength or skill" more than this guy?  No one dared to try and score from second or third base knowing Clemente was in right field.  He was about as formidable as they get.

Pete Rose - Yes, he made stupid decisions in his personal life, but at the plate, on the bases, and on the field he was quite the man.  They didn't nickname him "Charlie Hustle" for nothing!

Randy Johnson - At 6'10, "The Big Unit" just had to stand on the mound to look intimidating.  His 100-mile-an-hour fastball and hard slider were ridiculous, and he didn't win five Cy Young Awards for being sweet and charming.

Jackie Robinson - Who said badasses had to be flamboyant and arrogant (insert picture of Rickey Henderson here)?  #42 got the job done quietly and professionally, and was the classiest badass ever.

Nolan Ryan - He just exuded "badass-ness."  He had no problem hitting batters on purpose, throwing no-hitters (7 of them) or striking out bazillions (5,714 in his career, with no one even close to that record).  He may look old and haggard now, but he was pretty fearless in his day.

BADASSES OF TODAY:

Ichiro Suzuki - Ichiro is the most badass current player, hands-down (despite being a Yankee).  He can still hit, throw, and run with the best of them, and recently hit his 4.000th hit as a professional (counting his years playing in Japan).  Derek Jeter can't even say that (yet).

David Ortiz - He may seem more like a big teddy bear, but "Big Papi" is definitely badass.  He knows how to get his teammates and fans worked up and excited, and his passion for the game and charitable work off the field make him one cool dude.

José Fernandez - Who?  This guy has such an interesting story that he definitely makes my list.  He unsuccessfully tried defecting from Cuba three separate times and spent time in jail after each attempt.  On the fourth try, his mother fell overboard in turbulent waters and he jumped in to rescue her.  He is my pick for Rookie of the Year, especially since he one-hit the Nationals recently. 

Mike Trout - Last year's Rookie of the Year in the American League, Trout has not suffered from the "Sophomore Slump."  He's currently batting .338 with 23 home runs and 32 stolen bases, and can make a leaping catch in the outfield to steal a home run off anyone.  Seeing him make one of those amazing catches was the highlight of my trip to Camden Yards this season.

Yasiel Puig - Another Cuban defector (though his story isn't nearly as heartwarming as Fernandez's), Puig became the first player in major league history to record at least 34 hits and seven home runs in his first 20 games and set Dodger records for most hits through 20 games.  Some people say he's not very friendly, but since this is not a list of guys I'd like to see become the next Pope, I have to include him.

WANNA-BE BADASSES:

Bryce Harper - Bryce has the potential of being one badass baseball player, but his season has been plagued with injuries, so he didn't make the cut.

Prince Fielder - Yes, he's one big dude, but he just doesn't do it for me.  He also doesn't look very smart.

Derek Jeter - Sorry, Derek; you're too goody-two-shoes to be considered a badass.  I still like you though!

Jayson Werth - Looking like a member of the Duck Dynasty doesn't automatically get you on my list.  He's having a great second-half of the season, but has been to inconsistent in the past couple of years to make the list.

Then there are the guys I had to leave out.  They're pretty awesome but just not badass enough for me:  Justin Verlander (too quiet), Chris Davis (he needs to be this good for a few more seasons), Andrew McCutchen (my favorite current Pirate), and Mariano Rivera (one classy, superhuman guy) - all players I respect and would love to meet, but I had to draw the line somewhere. 

Notice I left out Barry Bonds, Mark McGuire, Roger Clemens, and Lenny Dykstra - all of them linked to steroids or performance-enhancing drugs.  That, in my mind, does not make you a badass.  And Ryan Braun?  Even when we didn't suspect him of taking PEDs, he wasn't all that in my opinion.

So there you have it - my just-for-fun list of badass baseball players.  Feel free to comment (you know who you are!); I would love to see if you agree with me or not.

My Husband and Me at the PNC

Since my husband and I have decided (actually, I have decided - I'm not sure how he feels about it) to try and catch a baseball game in each Major League city, it was time to venture outside of the Nationals Park/Camden Yards radius and visit another ball park (we have been to two games so far this season - one at Nationals Park during opening week and one at Oriole Park in early June).  We decided to go to Pittsburgh for a couple of reasons.  First, it's only 3 hours away and we wouldn't have to kennel the dog for very long.  Also, it is the home of the Pittsburgh Pirates, who not only are in first place in the NL Central, but it is the team where Roberto Clemente played during his illustrious career.  So why not go to Pittsburgh?  We bought some game tickets, booked a hotel, and were on our way.

Pittsburgh is a very interesting city.  It is divided by the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers (which turn into the Ohio River), so you can either go to the North Shore or the South Shore.  We picked a hotel in the North Shore within walking distance to PNC Park, which was VERY convenient.  The park was built in 2001, and for being only 12 years old, it had pretty crappy bathrooms (no pun intended).  I didn't really mean to make that my first observation, but really, a modern-day park should have more than four stalls in each bathroom.  So anyway, the park isn't the most beautiful park I've ever seen, but its façade blends in nicely with the surrounding 70s-style buildings in the area (Heinz Field is about a block away, so Steelers fans take note).  PNC Park has statues of Honus Wagner, Bill Mazeroski and Roberto Clemente on the outside, and is super-easy to get to since it's right next to the Roberto Clemente bridge, one of the many bridges that can get drivers, pedestrians, and bike riders from one shore to the other.

OK, so my husband and I donned our Pirates garb (they were playing the Phillies, so there was no way I was wearing their colors) and walked around a bit before finding our seats.  The park reminded me a bit of Camden Yards - a ball park that was shoehorned into an already-existing spot, so everything is very... let's call it "intimate" or "cozy" so as not to call it cramped or crowded.  I'm so used to Nationals Park, where everything is spread out and there isn't much going on around the park itself, that when I go to well-established ballparks, I can't help but feel a little claustrophobic.  But on a positive note, these parks (and PNC is one of them) have bars and restaurants and plenty of ambiance right outside the park, which is something you won't find in DC (unless you're fascinated by the Department of Transportation building or the Navy Yard).

So we get to our seats, and there is a VERY large man taking up two seats - his and half of mine.  Now, I don't mean to offend any of you readers who may be of large girth, but if you weigh over 300 pounds, you either need to buy the seats on either side of you, or you need to buy a seat at the end of a row so only one person is sitting with your excess spare tire on his or her lap.  Not only did I have "Tubby" spilling onto my seat and taking up my arm rest, but he was helping himself to an entire bucket of chicken wings, which he polished off in no time and then proceeded to lick his fingers loudly and disgustingly.  He was not my favorite person at that point (I won't even tell you how nasty sweaty he was when he got up to refill his 32-ounce soda in the sixth inning - that would be insensitive of me).
 
Also annoying were the people sitting behind us.  Why is it that every time we go to a game, there are three couples sitting behind us who spend way too much time talking and catching up on gossip instead of paying attention to the game?  The one dude's daughter got to march in a parade, the other dude talked about how he likes to scare away the boys that his daughter dates, and the third dude kept talking about his deer hunting adventures.  The last deer he shot at didn't even bleed when the arrow penetrated his side!  Shut up and watch the game, people!  You already said that you were all going to have dinner at the Hofbrauhaus after the game, so do your chit-chatting then - some of us actually want to watch a ball game!

Anyway, the game itself was a good one.  The Pirates allowed too many hits and lost 6-4, but it was nice to see All-Star Andrew McCutchen driving in 2 runs (did you know he hasn't cut his hair in the past 6 years?  I found that fact fascinating!).  The Phillies sent veteran (and Bryce Harper hater) Cole Hamels to the mound, and despite getting the win, he still has a lousy 4-11 record.  The fans were loud and were engaged throughout the whole game, and it was nice to see a team with such a rich history and such loyal fans.  Nationals fans are relatively new, since the team came over from Montreal in 2005, and they are generally polite, well-dressed and reserved government employees (except for the occasional loud Puerto Rican female).  It was neat to see fans - both Phillies and Pirates fans - with swagger and attitude and sheer dedication to their team.

Something else I liked about the fans at PNC Park was the amount of Clemente jerseys and shirts worn by Pittsburgh fans.  While I did see a lot of people sporting McCutchen shirts, the Clemente ones by far outnumbered those of current players.  Not only are Pirates fans passionate about their current team, but they seem to know their team's rich history and seem to embrace those past players who made such a positive impact on baseball.  Clemente's number, 21, was everywhere - on jerseys, around the outfield, and throughout the park.

The view of the Pittsburgh skyline that I got from my seat was also very nice.  It definitely beat the view of the tall parking garage at Nationals Park (you have to sit in the nosebleed seats to get a view of the Capitol) and it's way better than the old factory in the outfield of Oriole Park, which makes me claustrophobic.  It was nice to see some sky, some tall buildings, the Allegheny River, and of course the bright yellow Roberto Clemente bridge. 

Two things that were pretty lame were the racing pierogies and the song choice of Clint Barmes.  Regarding the racing pierogies, they were four people dressed as oversized pierogies who raced around the outfield before the top of the 6th inning.  They just ran around, and it was honestly a little bit boring.  You see, I'm used to the Racing Presidents, who push, shove, trip and do whatever it takes to win.  Abraham Lincoln has been known to push Mr. Taft out of the way, Teddy Roosevelt has tied all the shoelaces of his presidential mates together to make them trip, and George Washington has sent the other presidents running in the other direction so he could cross the finish line first.  At Nats Park it's a contact sport; at PNC Park it's just boring.

Now regarding Clint Barmes... he's the Pirates' shortstop, and the song that they play after he's introduced at every at-bat is "Don't Stop Believing" by Journey.  Now, I enjoy Journey as much as the next child of the 80s, and yes, "don't stop believing" might be an inspirational message, but it's just a lame song to use before an at-bat.  "The smell of wine and cheap perfume?"  Really?  How about some AC/DC or some Ozzie Osbourne or a little bit of Daddy Yankee?  Barmes' song choice is almost as bad as relief pitcher Ryan Matthieus, whose song of choice is "Firework" by Katie Perry.  Not too manly of a song, I must say.

All in all, it was a good experience at PNC Park.  Our next game will be at Nationals Park in a couple of weeks, but in August we get to experience Progressive Field in Cleveland, where I am excited to see the Tribe hosting the Detroit Tigers and hope to check out yet another Major League park for the first time.  But before that, stay tuned for the All-Star Game selections, which will be announced in the next couple of days.  The season may be halfway over, but there's still a lot of baseball to be played, and I'm enjoying every bit of it!

Nerdier Than Thou?

First and foremost, I want to congratulate every Baltimore Ravens fan out there on their team's amazing Super Bowl victory.  I am very happy (and envious) that you were all able to celebrate the perfect culmination to such a good season, instead of dealing with the crushing defeat that 49ers fans are now feeling.  As a baseball fan whose team suffered a heartbreaking, playoff-ending loss last fall, believe me - the off-season will be much more pleasant to deal with when you're floating on cloud nine as opposed to spending your time holding your head in your hands counting the days until the season starts again.

Speaking of being a big fan, as you all know, I pride myself in being a very knowledgeable baseball fan.  I know that Nolan Ryan shares a birthday with Jackie Robinson; I know what "pepper," "can of corn," and "tater" mean in baseball; and I know that the Houston Astros' Craig Biggio hit 51 doubles and stole 50 bases in 1998.  It is because I love baseball so much that I joined the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) last year, and the reason I decided to attend the meeting for the DC/Maryland chapter last week.  I thought, "Hey, I can learn more about the game, spread the word about my blog, and maybe even win a raffle item or two!"

So last Saturday, my wonderful and supportive husband and I set out to the Holiday Inn in Rosslyn, Virginia for the annual SABR Dsy event.  I expected about 100-or-so people to be there - mostly men with calculators and poor social skills.  You see, SABR is the governing body of all things "stats."  If you want to know what Josh Hamilton's batting average is on Tuesdays when there is a full moon out, SABR will tell you.  If you want a list of all players who have hit an extra-inning home run during game 5 of any World Series, SABR will give you that information.  And if you want the starting lineups for the game that was played on May 8, 1931 in Chicago, someone in SABR will let you know.  So of course, I had this preconceived idea that the room was going to be full of nerdy guys with goofy grins and asthma inhalers.  Boy, was I wrong!

Yes, SABR members know a LOT about baseball, and yes, some of them were a bit odd, but most of the 177 people who were at last week's conference were chatty, friendly, and welcoming.  The guest speakers were very engaging, there was never a line to use the ladies' room, and the raffle prizes were great!  I ended up winning a framed picture of Roberto Clemente, an Iván Rodriguez bobblehead, two books, and a pack of baseball cards!

So what did I take away from this conference?  Here are the highlights:

• According to Paul Dixon, author of over 50 books including The Dixon Baseball Dictionary, there is a 131-page FBI file on Jackie Robinson, who was suspected of being a communist.
• There didn't seem to be ANY minorities at the event, except for me and my Puerto Rican self.
• Most of the SABR members present at the conference were AARP-eligible.
• ESPN's Tim Kurkjian believes that the Nationals' Bryce Harper is "breathtaking" to watch, but I lost my respect for him when he said he voted for both Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens in his Hall of Fame ballot this year.
• Former Phillies' outfielder and current analyst for ESPN's "Baseball Tonight," John Kruk, once shot a deer while relaxing in his hot tub.
• Buck Showalter does not like players with blue eyes because he says they can't see the ball as well, and he doesn't like drafting high school players with facial hair because they are done developing and don't have any more growing to do.

So as you can see, it was a very enlightening event.  And even though I can't rattle off Sandy Koufax's career ERA, I don't know the dimensions of old Ebbets Field, nor can I name all the teams in the Negro Leagues, I enjoy learning about baseball, I like impressing people with the facts that I do know, and I am proud of being a SABR member.

Now if only I could wait another week or so for Spring Training to start...

"You Don't LOOK Hispanic!"

One of the many great things about sports is that people of different races, religions, and ethnic backgrounds can play together regardless of their differences.  Gone are the days when Jackie Robinson was spit on by racist fans. Blacks and whites, Hispanics and Canadians, Christians and Jews - they can all play together in unified harmony.  Rivalries exist between cities and their teams - not races and their skin colors.

But despite integration, some ethnic groups still like to single themselves out, and they do so with plenty of pride.  For example, each February during Black History Month, the media floods us with movies, biographies, and stories of great African-American people in history.  In September, which is Hispanic Heritage Month, different cities around the country have "Latino Festivals," baseball teams have "Hispanic Heritage Day" at their ball parks, and newspapers feature stories of Hispanic activists who have made a difference in their communities.  We like blending in with the masses, but we also take pride in who we are and from where we came.

In commemoration of Hispanic Heritage Month, Major League Baseball polled a "series of experts" to put together the "All-Time Latino Team."  Being a proud Puerto Rican, I was very interested to see how many of my fellow islanders had made the list and if I agreed with everyone who was selected.  As I read down the list, I pretty much agreed with the "experts" on the different legendary players chosen.  It wasn't until I got towards the end that my face got red, my eyes bulged out of my head, and I got downright angry.  I was so taken aback by two of the selections that I had to go down to the basement so my kids didn't see how upset and wound up I was (I know; it's only a list, but you know me - I'm pretty passionate about all things baseball).  Here is the All-Time Latino Team - see if you can guess what set me off:

Manager - 1994 Manager of the Year Felipe Alou.  It was probably between him and Ozzie Guillen, so I was OK with Alou.

Right-handed pitcher - Juan Marichal.  With his career ERA of 2.29, he deserves to be there over Pedro Martinez.

Left-handed pitcher - Fernando Valenzuela.  Yeah, I can see that, even though "Lefty" Gomez and Johan Santana could have made it too.

Relief pitcher - Mariano Rivera hands-down.  That guy is some sort of alien or superhuman or something.  I wouldn't be surprised if he came back after his knee injury and pitched game 7 of the World Series this year.

Designated hitter - Edgar Martinez, whose .312 career batting average and .418 on-base percentage make him worthy of being on the list (though some would argue that "Big Papi" David Ortiz is also qualified).

Catcher - 12-time All-Star Iván Rodriguez.  Hello!  No-brainer!  If "Pudge" hadn't been selected, I would have exploded.  Javy Lopez, Yadier Molina, Jorge Posada and Manny Sanguillen would have also been good choices, but Iván deserves it, hands-down (actually, one hand behind your back and the other  framing the next pitch!)..

First base - Three-time National League MVP, Albert Pujols.  I'm OK with this one.  It would have been nice to see Orlando Cepeda or Vic Power, but Albert is a true talent, so he deserves to be there.

Second base - 2011 Hall of Famer Roberto Alomar.  Another no-brainer, though Robinson Canó is turning out to be just as good.

Third base - Alex Rodriguez.  Sigh!  Whatever.  I was still feeling OK at this point despite not being a fan of A-Rod.  Plus, A-Rod is not worth my time, so I refused to stress out about that one.

Shortstop - Nine-time Gold Glover Luis Aparicio.  That's fine, though Omar Vizquel is the best shortstop of my generation.  Still feeling OK with the list so far.

Right field - Roberto Clemente.  Duh!  Again, if he had not been chosen, I would have had such a fit that I would have requited a massive dose of sedation.

OK, now here's where I have a problem with the list.  The other two outfielders selected were Ted Williams and Reggie Jackson!  Who???  What the heck?!?  Since when are THEY considered "Latinos?"  Apparently Ted Williams' mother was "of Mexican descent," and Reggie Jackson's father was half Puerto Rican.  What about current players like José Bautista and Carlos Beltrán?  Or past players like  Minnie Miñoso, Vladimir Guerrero, Rubén Sierra, Bernie Williams or José Cruuuuuuz?  Ted and Reggie... really???  Ted Williams admitted that he didn't speak Spanish or seek to embrace the Hispanic culture in order to prevent prejudice or tension (a valid point back in the day, if you're a coward!).  Reggie Jackson speaks some Spanish and his first wife was Hispanic, but at no point during his time playing winter baseball in Puerto Rico was it publicly acknowledged that he was a Latino.  I thought "If they're considered Hispanic, then I'm the 'reina de Inglaterra' (Queen of England, for those of you who don't "habla español)."  So I went to bed in a tizzy, promising myself to write about it the next day.

So it's now the next day, and I've had some time to ponder.  What makes one person more "Hispanic" than another?  Is it the quantity of "hispanicness" in your genetic makeup, or the quality of your life and the way you were raised?  I am 100% Puerto Rican, with parents whose ancestors date back to the native Taíno Indians who lived on the island before Christopher Columbus arrived or back to the Spanish "conquistadores" who brought African slaves with them and settled on the island.  But it's not so cut-and-dry for other Hispanics.  My kids, for example, have a Puerto Rican mother and a white-as-can-be father.  Are they any less Hispanic than me?  How about the people I knew when I lived in Massachusetts, whose parents were both Puerto Rican but they themselves were born on the mainland and had never been to Puerto Rico - are they less Puerto Rican than Roberto Clemente, who was of African lineage?  They speak the language, eat the food, and listen to the music of their fellow Puerto Ricans, but are they less "boricua" because they've never been to Puerto Rico?  Don't try to tell them that they are - they will run you out of town while furiously waving their one-starred flags!

I guess what bothers me the most is that, while Williams and Jackson were great players in their time, did they embrace their Hispanic heritage?  Were they Latinos first and foremost?  Do they know the National Anthem of their country and proudly fly its flag?  They don't have to be fully bilingual nor do they have to eat re fried beans (which I don't eat myself); they just need (or needed, in Williams' case) to embrace their culture, take pride in their heritage, and represent their ethnicity with dignity.  While some would argue that ethnicity should not matter, It does matter to those of us who take pride in ours, and if you don't want us to single ourselves out, then don't be putting together an all-time greats list that singles out a certain ethnicity.

Stay tuned for my analysis and opinion after Major League Baseball releases its "All-Time Jehovah's Witness Team" and "All-Time Vegetarian List."

"Well I'm Proud to be a Puerto Rican, Where at Least I Know we can Play Baseball!"

The 2012 Major League Baseball Player Draft is upon us, and while it doesn't get the hype that the NLF draft does, it's still an exciting time for sports fans.  This year's draft has been a particularly thrilling one for us Puerto Ricans, since seven Puerto Rican baseball players have been selected so far.

The first overall player to be drafted by anyone went to the Houston Astros (that's the perk you get for finishing dead last and having the worst record in baseball last season).  They drafted seventeen-year-old Carlos Correa, a shortstop who just graduated from the island's Baseball Academy High School and is so young he still has traces of acne on his face.  He hails from the small town of Santa Isabel, where they gave him a hero's welcome yesterday.  He had already signed a commitment letter to play at the University of Miami, but I think the only trips he'll be making  to Florida will be to play for the Gulf Coast League.

Other Puerto Ricans selected in the first round of the draft include the fourteenth player, Nick Travieso (he wasn't born on the island but his grandparents were, so we'll gladly claim him as a "native"), who was picked by the Cincinnati Reds and pitcher José Berríos who was thirty-second and picked by the Minnesota Twins.

In the second round, Jesmuel Valentín was picked 51st by the LA Dodgers (speaking of Dodgers, did you hear that Tommy LaSorda had a mild heart attack yesterday?  He's 84 years old, though to me he's looked old ever since I was a kid); Edwin Díaz was picked 98th by the Seattle Mariners, Avery Romero was selected by the Miami Marlins as the 104th player, and Bryan De la Rosa was the Atlanta Braves' selection at 116th.

This is a very exciting time for us Puerto Ricans, because baseball talent on the island had been dwindling in the past few years.  Major League teams have spent millions of dollars in training facilities in both the Dominican Republic and Venezuela, where labor laws are more lenient and "buscones," or scouts, can easily groom little boys to believe they can make it in the big leagues (though many of them don't).  So while there had been a slight lull in the development of Puerto Rican baseball players in the Majors, hopefully in the next few years we will see a new batch of talent comparable to that of the Alomar and Molina brothers, Benito Santiago, José Oquendo, Iván Rodriguez (you knew I had to fit him in somewhere in this post!), Orlando Cepeda, and who knows - maybe a new Roberto Clemente-like Puerto Rican will emerge in the coming years.  So "play ball, fanáticos" - it's going to be a fun and exciting time to follow Puerto Ricans in baseball!

(Also worth mentioning is the second-round draft pick for the Baltimore Orioles, right-handed pitcher Branden Kline out of the University of Virginia.  Kline was a 2009 graduate of Governor Thomas Johnson High School, which happens to be the school where I work.  Hopefully we will see Branden play for our local Orioles' minor-league affiliate, the Frederick Keys, in the next year or so).

"Harper Hustle"

One player I have been known to criticize often is Washington Nationals’ outfielder and 2010 first-round draft pick, Bryce Harper.  I have been outspoken about his attitude, his arrogance, and his immaturity, based in large part to his behavior off the baseball field since being drafted in 2010.  However, now that Harper has been in the Majors for over a month, I can honestly say that he is a good all-around baseball player.  In the 27 games in which Harper has played so far, he has a batting average of .287 with 29 hits, including 6 doubles, 3 triples, 4 home runs, and 11 RBIs.  He also has 2 stolen bases (including a steal of home plate) and an on-base percentage of .376.  Some other things that are impressive about the 19-year old “phenom” include:

·       Harper is very patient at the plate.  He has 14 walks so far, and batters who are that young often tend to swing at everything (which is probably why he has struck out 19 times so far); so the fact that he has allowed himself to be walked that many times shows that he is disciplined at the plate and selective as to when to swing the bat.

·       Bryce plays the game hard.  His hustle has been compared to that of Pete Rose (my husband agrees with that one), his running style and speed have been compared to those of Roberto Clemente, and his hunger to catch any ball that is hit to the outfield is comparable to that of Torii Hunter (though Harper is far from Gold Glove caliber).  The kid seems to give 100% of his effort all the time, whether at the plate, on the bases, or in the outfield.

·       Harper seems to know the game of baseball.  He’s not just raw talent; you can tell he’s had good coaches throughout his life and it’s obvious that last year’s minor-league experience helped him immensely.  He may be arrogant and cocky, but you can tell that he genuinely likes to play the game and takes it very seriously (now Bryce, honey, if you could only learn to hit the cut-off man when throwing from the outfield to home plate!).

Bryce Harper still has a lot of learning to do, especially since he grew up as a catcher and has been converted into an outfielder.  But if he continues to listen to his coaches (don’t try to stretch a double into a triple if Bo Porter tells you to stop running!) and keeps working this hard, Harper may become one of the game’s most exciting players to watch.