After months of waiting, it's finally Opening Day for Major League Baseball! Yeay! You'd think that I would be over-the-top happy - after all, I would much rather watch baseball on TV than the "Roseanne" revival or the current season of "American Idol." But admittedly, I'm just feeling "eh" about Opening Day, and here are the reasons why.
First of all, my Nationals aren't playing today because it's raining in Cincinnati. So their Opening Day will be tomorrow, and their Nationals Park Opening Day isn't until next week. I know - it can't always be 70 degrees and sunny without a cloud in the sky and Max Scherzer pitching at home with my husband and me sitting in the fifth row behind the Nationals' dugout, but the yucky March weather is giving me Seasonal Affective Disorder, it's cold in New York, it's raining in Detroit, and it's not fair that the Orioles get to open at home but the Nationals don't. Oh, and I just found out yesterday that MASN won't be carrying any Nationals or Orioles games on local CBS stations like they have in the past, so I won't be able to catch any games on TV when I'm at work (because I'm too cheap to have cable in my shop).
"But wait, Mudville Mom," you tell yourself. "Aren't you usually a 'glass half full' optimist?" Why yes I am, my friend; (thanks for noticing!) so here's what I'm actually looking forward to this season (and it's going to be a very good season, I might add). First of all, I'm looking forward to this year's All-Star Game being in my beloved Nationals Park. I'm not dwelling on the fact that I gave up the perfect opportunity to volunteer at this year's "midsummer classic" because of work obligations; instead I'm looking forward to all sorts of tourists contributing to the local economy (and some even coming as far north as Frederick and potentially visiting my shop), a historic Home Run Derby (can anyone hit the parking deck behind left field?), and people around the world finally paying attention to that National League team that is consistently in first place in the NL East but constantly takes a back seat to the Redskins and that fool who lives at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. So yeah - that will definitely be a fun few days in July.
Also worthy of noting this season is the duo of Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge playing together for the Yankees. Now, I don't mind rolling my eyes about those who predict that the Yankees and Nationals will be in the World Series (there are 162 games to play before the post-season, and a LOT can happen before then), but I have to admit that having Stanton and Judge on the same team (especially one where the media is so vocal and has opinions about everything!) is pretty cool. And staying in New York, I'm looking forward to Yoenis Céspedes having a good season for the Mets. I'm a sucker for a man with a nice smile, and anyone who lets a clubhouse attendant drive his Lamborghini to go run an errand is just a nice guy. Plus he has his annual "Céspedes Family BBQ" that has become a legendary tradition (feel free to google it); maybe I'll be invited someday.
I would be remiss if I didn't mention Puerto Ricans Francisco Lindor and Carlos Correa as two guys to watch this season. Lindor is just so freakin' charming and charismatic, and Correa - well, come on, he proposed to his girlfriend on national TV after winning the World Series last year - he's just super cool. When I grow up, I want to be just like him (though I can't help but wonder - if the Astros didn't win the World Series last year, would Correa have still proposed?).
And what's the position to pay attention to this year? Definitely third base (sorry, Manny Machado - you should have stayed there!). Anthony Rendón, Nolan Arenado, and Kris Bryant are badass (or is it "badasses?"), and if they can stay healthy, will be the game-makers who will (hopefully) take their teams to the post-season. Schmidt and Chipper would be very proud of these guys (and they probably are - I'm talking like they're dead!).
So those are some of the players I'm looking forward to seeing this season (as well as a possible visit to a Mets game in New York? This is the first my husband is hearing of this!). Notice I made no mention of Shohei Ohtani, Bryce Harper, or José Altuve - these are guys who don't need me to keep an eye on them because they're just awesome without me telling you they are. I also said nothing about Alex Rodriguez joining the ESPN Sunday night crew, because I want to end this post on a positive note. So try to catch a game or two this weekend - whether on your local station, MLB-TV, or ESPN (as a last resort) - and keep checking in with me regularly, because surely I'll have plenty to say throughout the season.
LET'S PLAY BALL! :-)
Showing posts with label shohei ohtani. Show all posts
Showing posts with label shohei ohtani. Show all posts
Thursday, March 29, 2018
Friday, November 17, 2017
Not Everyone Gets a Trophy
Post-season awards were handed out by the Baseball Writers Association of America (a group I would steal a loaf of marble rye from an old lady to be a part of!), and there weren't any real surprises. For Rookie of the Year, voters unanimously chose Aaron Judge of the Yankees and Cody Bellinger of the Dodgers. This award was a no-brainer, because both guys had great seasons (even though Judge got a bit "cold" after the all-star break). I would have voted for both of them; no surprise there.
For the Cy Young award, the AL winner was the Indians' Corey Kluber (who won his second Cy Young award) and the Nationals' Max Scherzer for the NL. Yes, THAT Max Scherzer - my current baseball crush! It's Scherzer's third Cy Young, and I'm just glad that someone other than Clayton Kershaw won it this year. It was a tough decision, because all of these guys had spent a bit of time on the Disabled List this year, so it wasn't a runaway vote like Rookie of the Year was; but hey, my man beat out Kershaw and fellow teammate Stephen Strasburg, so I'm happy about that.
For MVP, I was a bit nervous. There was speculation that Aaron Judge would get the award for the American League, beating out the Astros' José Altuve. I personally think it's rude to win more than one of these awards in the same year (Fred Lynn and Ichiro Suzuki have been the only ones who have done that), but as the player, you have no control over who these baseball writers are going to vote for (and I love Ichiro, but I would have voted for Roberto Alomar for MVP in 2001 so Ichiro could get one award and Alomar could get the other one). Plus isn't Rookie of the Year a more special award because you can only win it once? I was relieved when Altuve was named as MVP for the American League, because I had told my husband that if Altuve wasn't the winner, I would run around the neighborhood naked. Luckily my neighbors were spared. In the National League, the Miami Marlins' Giancarlo Stanton was the MVP, and I'm OK with that. He hit 59 home runs (I was really rooting for him to reach 60), and he's pretty bad ass. Congratulations to all of this year's winners.
Speaking of Giancarlo Stanton, the Miami Marlins are interested in trading him during the off season. This is a pretty big deal, because not only does it mean that the Marlins realize they're going to suck next year and Stanton is better off playing somewhere else, but it could potentially make Stanton a very very VERY rich man. And with Derek Jeter being part owner of the Marlins, us baseball nerds have seen a lot of video of him lately talking about how, yes, trading Stanton is a definite possibility. The main thing I've gotten out of these videos is the fact that Jeter looks way better in a baseball uniform than he does in "real people" clothes.
Also newsworthy so far this off season are both a death and a retirement. At 40 years old, former Blue Jays and Phillies pitcher and Cy Young award winner, Roy Halladay, died while flying his single-engine plane that crashed off the Gulf of Mexico on November 7. I always liked Halladay when he was with Toronto, but as soon as he joined the Phillies, I automatically disliked him. The eulogy that his wife gave at his memorial service was heart-wrenching and emotional, especially since they were just starting their new lives after Halladay's retirement in 2013. So sad!
And after 20 years in professional baseball, Puerto Rican Carlos Beltrán announced his retirement. Beltrán is one of those classy old-school guys you just can't help but love - he always played hard, was constantly smiling, and was always known as an excellent leader and faithful teammate. I have a soft spot for Carlos because he threw me a baseball during batting practice when he played for the Mets and I acted like a crazy Puerto Rican to get his attention (some would say I wasn't acting). My husband was always bothered with Beltrán being a "mouth breather," but I like him anyway (at least Beltrán probably doesn't snore, because he breathes through his mouth, which is more than I can say about my dear husband who keeps me up at night!). Let's see if Jayson Werth and Ichiro Suzuki follow in Beltrán's footsteps and announce their retirements too - while some of us would like to think that Ichiro could play forever, he's 44 and not as marketable as he once was. He will definitely be missed. And Werth? Yeah - it's time to call it quits, old man!
What else is there to look forward to during this off-season? Let's see... Which team will sign Japanese phenom Shohei Ohtani? Apparently this kid can pitch, hit, run, and solve complex mathematical equations while mastering all levels of Candy Crush. He's being touted as the most perfect free agent ever (which automatically means he's over-hyped) and is being compared to Babe Ruth (!!!), but he won't require a ton of money, so he'll be easy to sign once all the bureaucratic red tape has been taken care of (apparently he's still technically under the ownership of his Japanese team, so there are some "t"s to cross and "I"s to dot before he can be signed by a Major League team. Stay tuned. What else? There are other free agents out there, like Yu Darvish, Wellington Castillo, Jonathan Lucroy, and yes, CC Sabathia (he's still got it at 37 years old).
This off-season promises to be interesting, with the signing of free agents and trading of players like Stanton (and will the Nationals please trade Tanner Roark so he can actually get some playing time and some respect?). I'll be paying attention so you don't have to (unless you really want to), and I'll keep you all updated as events warrant. In the meantime, have a wonderful Thanksgiving, support your local businesses during your holiday shopping, and enjoy your time with family and friends.
For the Cy Young award, the AL winner was the Indians' Corey Kluber (who won his second Cy Young award) and the Nationals' Max Scherzer for the NL. Yes, THAT Max Scherzer - my current baseball crush! It's Scherzer's third Cy Young, and I'm just glad that someone other than Clayton Kershaw won it this year. It was a tough decision, because all of these guys had spent a bit of time on the Disabled List this year, so it wasn't a runaway vote like Rookie of the Year was; but hey, my man beat out Kershaw and fellow teammate Stephen Strasburg, so I'm happy about that.
For MVP, I was a bit nervous. There was speculation that Aaron Judge would get the award for the American League, beating out the Astros' José Altuve. I personally think it's rude to win more than one of these awards in the same year (Fred Lynn and Ichiro Suzuki have been the only ones who have done that), but as the player, you have no control over who these baseball writers are going to vote for (and I love Ichiro, but I would have voted for Roberto Alomar for MVP in 2001 so Ichiro could get one award and Alomar could get the other one). Plus isn't Rookie of the Year a more special award because you can only win it once? I was relieved when Altuve was named as MVP for the American League, because I had told my husband that if Altuve wasn't the winner, I would run around the neighborhood naked. Luckily my neighbors were spared. In the National League, the Miami Marlins' Giancarlo Stanton was the MVP, and I'm OK with that. He hit 59 home runs (I was really rooting for him to reach 60), and he's pretty bad ass. Congratulations to all of this year's winners.
Speaking of Giancarlo Stanton, the Miami Marlins are interested in trading him during the off season. This is a pretty big deal, because not only does it mean that the Marlins realize they're going to suck next year and Stanton is better off playing somewhere else, but it could potentially make Stanton a very very VERY rich man. And with Derek Jeter being part owner of the Marlins, us baseball nerds have seen a lot of video of him lately talking about how, yes, trading Stanton is a definite possibility. The main thing I've gotten out of these videos is the fact that Jeter looks way better in a baseball uniform than he does in "real people" clothes.
Also newsworthy so far this off season are both a death and a retirement. At 40 years old, former Blue Jays and Phillies pitcher and Cy Young award winner, Roy Halladay, died while flying his single-engine plane that crashed off the Gulf of Mexico on November 7. I always liked Halladay when he was with Toronto, but as soon as he joined the Phillies, I automatically disliked him. The eulogy that his wife gave at his memorial service was heart-wrenching and emotional, especially since they were just starting their new lives after Halladay's retirement in 2013. So sad!
And after 20 years in professional baseball, Puerto Rican Carlos Beltrán announced his retirement. Beltrán is one of those classy old-school guys you just can't help but love - he always played hard, was constantly smiling, and was always known as an excellent leader and faithful teammate. I have a soft spot for Carlos because he threw me a baseball during batting practice when he played for the Mets and I acted like a crazy Puerto Rican to get his attention (some would say I wasn't acting). My husband was always bothered with Beltrán being a "mouth breather," but I like him anyway (at least Beltrán probably doesn't snore, because he breathes through his mouth, which is more than I can say about my dear husband who keeps me up at night!). Let's see if Jayson Werth and Ichiro Suzuki follow in Beltrán's footsteps and announce their retirements too - while some of us would like to think that Ichiro could play forever, he's 44 and not as marketable as he once was. He will definitely be missed. And Werth? Yeah - it's time to call it quits, old man!
What else is there to look forward to during this off-season? Let's see... Which team will sign Japanese phenom Shohei Ohtani? Apparently this kid can pitch, hit, run, and solve complex mathematical equations while mastering all levels of Candy Crush. He's being touted as the most perfect free agent ever (which automatically means he's over-hyped) and is being compared to Babe Ruth (!!!), but he won't require a ton of money, so he'll be easy to sign once all the bureaucratic red tape has been taken care of (apparently he's still technically under the ownership of his Japanese team, so there are some "t"s to cross and "I"s to dot before he can be signed by a Major League team. Stay tuned. What else? There are other free agents out there, like Yu Darvish, Wellington Castillo, Jonathan Lucroy, and yes, CC Sabathia (he's still got it at 37 years old).
This off-season promises to be interesting, with the signing of free agents and trading of players like Stanton (and will the Nationals please trade Tanner Roark so he can actually get some playing time and some respect?). I'll be paying attention so you don't have to (unless you really want to), and I'll keep you all updated as events warrant. In the meantime, have a wonderful Thanksgiving, support your local businesses during your holiday shopping, and enjoy your time with family and friends.
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