It's that time of year again, when www.mlb.com gives baseball fans the opportunity to vote online for their All-Star Game picks (do they even HAVE paper ballots anymore?). As always, I take my right to vote very seriously, doing my research and trying not to vote for someone just because he's cute or nice or has a good-sounding name (like Coco Crisp or Rod Barajas). I also try to pick players from different teams, though by looking at my ballot you would think I was a die-hard Tigers or Cardinals fan. Oh, and no Phillies players - imagine that! So here are my choices this year - hopefully you will agree with most of them (and please comment if you do or don't!):
AMERICAN LEAGUE
First base - Paul Konerko of the Chicago White Sox. I could have voted for Fielder or Pujols, but why not vote for the guy with the .356 batting average? He also has more home runs than Fielder and Pujols (7). so he gets my vote.
Second base - Robinson Canó (the only Yankee who ever gets my vote). I voted for Robinson last year, and once again he deserves it, since he's currently batting a respectable .302. Dustin Pedroia of the Red Sox is batting .310, but I like Canó better. Sometimes it's not just about the batting average!
Shortstop - This was a toss-up between Elvis Andrus and Asdrubal Cabrera. I voted for the Indians' Cabrera like I did last year, because he's batting .325 and I have a history of voting for guys whose last name is Cabrera. No Jeters; just Cabreras.
Third base - another Cabrera - Miguel Cabrera of the Tigers. Like HELL was I going to vote for A-Rod; "Miggy" got my vote because he's awesome. Last year I voted for him at first base, and this year he's just as deserving at third. His .311 average doesn't hurt either!
Designated hitter - I wanted to vote for David Ortiz, because everyone likes "Big Papi." But instead, I voted for Andy Dirks of the Tigers. Who? Yes, he's a real person, and he's batting .370. Better than Ortiz, better than Raúl Ibañez of the Yankees, but not likely to get picked because no one knows who he is.
Catcher - Joe Mauer of the Twins easily got my vote. Not only is he batting an OK .275, but he has 2 stolen bases so far this season, which is admirable for a catcher.
Outfield (pick 3) - The Rangers' Josh Hamilton (duh!), Austin Jackson (my third Tiger), and Adam Jones of the Orioles. Hamilton is having a crazy-great season, Jackson is batting .331, and Jones is my token Oriole (and deservedly so).
NATIONAL LEAGUE
First base - Adam LaRoche is the only Nationals player who got my vote. He probably won't get to start (Joey Votto will), but with his .339 batting average, 7 home runs, and 1000 career hits, he deserves a start (even with his lack of personality)
Second base - The Marlins' Omar Infante gets my vote, since he's batting .336 with 6 home runs and has to put up with Ozzie Guillen every day.
Shortstop - Rafael Furcal of the Cardinals is batting .370 - how could I NOT vote for him? He's one of 3 Cardinals I chose.
Third base - I did NOT pick the Nationals' Ryan Zimmerman - just because you've been an All-Star before doesn't mean you automatically get my vote. I had to pick the Mets' David Wright (sorry, Chipper!), because he's batting .402. I'm pretty certain he will get the start.
Catcher - I had to go with the Puerto Rican, the Cardinals' Yadier Molina. Despite looking like a thug with those ugly neck tattoos, Molina is a great catcher who is currently batting .301 with 4 home runs.
Outfield (pick 3) - Carlos Beltrán (another Puerto Rican Cardinal), Andrew McCutchen of the Pirates, and Matt Kemp of the Dodgers. Beltrán is kicking ass this year with 13 home runs, McCutchen got my vote because he's so good against the Nationals, and Kemp - well, he's batting .359 with 12 home runs.
So there you have it, friends! I hope you don't disagree with me too much - let me know what you think, and I will let you know how I did once the starting lineups are announced in late June. In the meantime, make sure to check out some of the games between the Orioles and Nationals this weekend - they like to call it "The Beltway Series," and with both teams in first place in their divisions, they should prove to be exciting!
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Yeay Josh!
One of the things that people sometimes forget when thinking about professional athletes is that they are actual human beings. They have tremendous talent, but also have feelings, have families, and make mistakes just like you and me. So when you hear of a professional athlete besting the odds and doing something great after facing adversity, you tend to be glad for that person. This is how I feel today - happy for Texas Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton. In yesterday's game hosted by the Orioles, Josh became only the 16th player in history to hit 4 home runs in one game (I remember watching the Braves' Bob Horner do the same thing when I was a little girl in the 80s, which is when my interest in baseball started). Not only did Hamilton hit four home runs, but each one was a two-run homer and then he hit a double as well in the Rangers' 10-3 victory (and Orioles fans, the standing ovation you gave Hamilton despite your team losing at home was classy!). Hamilton now has the American League single-game record for total bases with 18 and had a total of 8 RBIs.
After battling alcohol and drug addiction in the early 2000s and despite a couple of slip-ups in 2009 and February of this year, the 4-time All-Star and 2010 American League MVP is having a stellar year. The Texas Rangers, under the ownership of Nolan Ryan and the management of Ron Washington (himself a recovered addict) have the best record in baseball. I'm rooting for the Rangers in the AL Central and hope that Josh Hamilton continues to have an excellent year. I know I'll be voting for Hamilton in my All-Star ballot!
After battling alcohol and drug addiction in the early 2000s and despite a couple of slip-ups in 2009 and February of this year, the 4-time All-Star and 2010 American League MVP is having a stellar year. The Texas Rangers, under the ownership of Nolan Ryan and the management of Ron Washington (himself a recovered addict) have the best record in baseball. I'm rooting for the Rangers in the AL Central and hope that Josh Hamilton continues to have an excellent year. I know I'll be voting for Hamilton in my All-Star ballot!
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.
Friday, May 4, 2012
Ouch! That Had to Hurt!
As a former Athletic Trainer, I'm no stranger to sports injuries. I've seen my share of sprained ankles, shin splints, tendinitis, and even had a gymnast once who showed up in the training room with an index finger that resembled the letter "L." But there are some nauseating injuries that turn the stomachs of even the most seasoned sports medicine professionals. While I don't remember Joe Theismann's broken leg in 1985, I do have three memorable sports injuries that have stayed in my mind despite having happened a long time ago.
In 1989, I remember watching Super Bowl XXIII and seeing this guy from the Cincinnati Bengals get his foot caught in the turf. His ankle and lower leg did a full 180 degree rotation, and both bones in his lower leg were shattered (I had to Google the injury to know that the football player was Tim Krumrie). It was the slow-motion replay that made the injury look so gruesome - everyone in my English class was talking about it the next day.
Also in 1989, San Francisco Giants pitcher Dave Dravecky snapped his upper arm in half after throwing a pitch to the Expos' Tim Raines. Dravecky had just made a heartwarming comeback after a battle with bone cancer, and apparently his bones were still brittle from all the treatments he received. Dravecky eventually had his arm amputated and I think his cancer even came back after that.
Then I remember the horse Barbaro breaking his right hind leg during the 2006 Preakness - that was one of those injuries that had you seething between your teeth going "Ooooh nooooo!" The poor horse ended up undergoing all kinds of surgeries but had to be euthanized in 2007 because even though his right hind leg had completely healed, his other 3 legs had issues. That had to stink!
Despite all these obvious injuries having a lasting impact on me, sometimes it's the injuries that you don't see that make you feel really bad. Last year during the post-season, the Phillies' Ryan Howard ruptured his Achilles tendon while trying to run towards first base. As soon as he fell to the ground, I thought "It's his Achilles, and he's going to be out for a long, long time." Despite being a Philly-hater, I felt bad for Howard; rupturing your Achilles is no walk in the park. Just ask Dan Marino.
And how about Buster Posey's injury early last season after the Marlins' Scott Cousins brutally collided with him at home plate? You didn't see an obvious injury, but from the looks of Posey writhing in pain, you could tell something was majorly wrong. Fortunately for Posey, he's all better and playing quite well this year. And I still think Cousins was a moron for sliding the way he did.
But not all baseball players are lucky enough to make a comeback like Posey. Before yesterday's game between the New York Yankees and the Kansas City Royals, Yankees' closer Mariano Rivera was catching fly balls in the outfield during batting practice - something that relief pitchers commonly do while their teammates are taking BP. Rivera lunged for a ball hit by Jayson Nix near the warning track in left-center field when his knee buckled and he lost his footing. Mariano landed on the dirt and crumpled against the outfield fence, immediately grabbing at his right knee in agony. Again, we didn't see any obvious body parts snapping or popping or turning every-which-way, but you couldn't help but feel bad when you saw the replay on TV. He ended up with an ACL tear and a partial tear of his meniscus - the anterior crusciate ligament helps stabilize the knee and the meniscus helps to cushion the joint - and will likely undergo surgery very soon.
The 42-year-old rightie from Panamá is undoubtedly the greatest closer in baseball history. "Mo" is currently the only player in Major League baseball wearing the number 42, which was Jackie Robinson's number. Even though the number was retired all over the league, Mariano was allowed to keep his number since everyone knew he would be retiring in the next couple of years himself. Unfortunately, that retirement may be coming sooner than expected. Rivera is definitely out for the season, and it is just too soon to predict whether he will ever pitch in the Majors again.
So here's something you won't see from me too often: A tribute to a Yankee. With help from baseball-reference.com, here are some of the highlights of Mariano Rivera's career:
In 1989, I remember watching Super Bowl XXIII and seeing this guy from the Cincinnati Bengals get his foot caught in the turf. His ankle and lower leg did a full 180 degree rotation, and both bones in his lower leg were shattered (I had to Google the injury to know that the football player was Tim Krumrie). It was the slow-motion replay that made the injury look so gruesome - everyone in my English class was talking about it the next day.
Also in 1989, San Francisco Giants pitcher Dave Dravecky snapped his upper arm in half after throwing a pitch to the Expos' Tim Raines. Dravecky had just made a heartwarming comeback after a battle with bone cancer, and apparently his bones were still brittle from all the treatments he received. Dravecky eventually had his arm amputated and I think his cancer even came back after that.
Then I remember the horse Barbaro breaking his right hind leg during the 2006 Preakness - that was one of those injuries that had you seething between your teeth going "Ooooh nooooo!" The poor horse ended up undergoing all kinds of surgeries but had to be euthanized in 2007 because even though his right hind leg had completely healed, his other 3 legs had issues. That had to stink!
Despite all these obvious injuries having a lasting impact on me, sometimes it's the injuries that you don't see that make you feel really bad. Last year during the post-season, the Phillies' Ryan Howard ruptured his Achilles tendon while trying to run towards first base. As soon as he fell to the ground, I thought "It's his Achilles, and he's going to be out for a long, long time." Despite being a Philly-hater, I felt bad for Howard; rupturing your Achilles is no walk in the park. Just ask Dan Marino.
And how about Buster Posey's injury early last season after the Marlins' Scott Cousins brutally collided with him at home plate? You didn't see an obvious injury, but from the looks of Posey writhing in pain, you could tell something was majorly wrong. Fortunately for Posey, he's all better and playing quite well this year. And I still think Cousins was a moron for sliding the way he did.
But not all baseball players are lucky enough to make a comeback like Posey. Before yesterday's game between the New York Yankees and the Kansas City Royals, Yankees' closer Mariano Rivera was catching fly balls in the outfield during batting practice - something that relief pitchers commonly do while their teammates are taking BP. Rivera lunged for a ball hit by Jayson Nix near the warning track in left-center field when his knee buckled and he lost his footing. Mariano landed on the dirt and crumpled against the outfield fence, immediately grabbing at his right knee in agony. Again, we didn't see any obvious body parts snapping or popping or turning every-which-way, but you couldn't help but feel bad when you saw the replay on TV. He ended up with an ACL tear and a partial tear of his meniscus - the anterior crusciate ligament helps stabilize the knee and the meniscus helps to cushion the joint - and will likely undergo surgery very soon.
The 42-year-old rightie from Panamá is undoubtedly the greatest closer in baseball history. "Mo" is currently the only player in Major League baseball wearing the number 42, which was Jackie Robinson's number. Even though the number was retired all over the league, Mariano was allowed to keep his number since everyone knew he would be retiring in the next couple of years himself. Unfortunately, that retirement may be coming sooner than expected. Rivera is definitely out for the season, and it is just too soon to predict whether he will ever pitch in the Majors again.
So here's something you won't see from me too often: A tribute to a Yankee. With help from baseball-reference.com, here are some of the highlights of Mariano Rivera's career:
- played in 12 All-Star Games
- was the 1999 World Series MVP and 2003 ALCS MVP
- has a career record of 76 wins and 58 losses with an ERA of 2.21
- has the most saves ever with 608!
- has a post-season ERA of .70 with 42 saves!
- has a career total of 1119 strikeouts (pretty good for a guy who only plays one or two innings a game!)
- has pitched in 1,051 games, which is #1 for active pitchers and #8 overall
Friday, April 20, 2012
You Don't Look a Day Over 99!
Today is a nostalgic and milestone day for baseball fans, as we celebrate the 100th birthday of Boston's Fenway Park. On April 20, 1912 (just a few days after this one very big ship sank after hitting some sort of large iceberg thing), Fenway Park opened its gates to Boston Red Sox players and fans. With its manually-operated scoreboard and "Green Monster" wall in left field, Fenway Park has been home to many memorable and historic moments in baseball lore. Here is my list of the best Fenway moments, in chronological order:
So as you can see, Fenway Park is full of memories, whether you've been there yourself or are just another baseball fan recalling good times past. If you're ever in Boston, stop by Yawkey Way and wave to the Green Monster. Some people may call it a "dump," but I call it a piece of Americana, a baseball shrine, and a place where history was made.
- On September 28, 1960, Ted Williams hit a home run in his last career at-bat. I wasn't around then, but it must have been very cool to watch. Ted Williams was just awesome.
- On October 22, 1975, Carlton Fisk hit a walk-off home run in the 12th inning of the sixth game of the World Series against the Cincinnati Reds, forcing a game seven (which the Reds won). If you can't picture this in your head, it's that home run where Fisk is shown moving his arms to the side, like he's saying "Come on ball, get out of the park! Come on, move, ball!" while shuffling along the first-base line. You know what I'm talking about - it's one of the most memorable home runs in baseball history. If you still don't know what I'm talking about, Google "Carlton Fisk home run" and you can see it on youtube.
- On April 24, 1986, Roger Clemens struck out a record-high 20 batters. Now, I don't know if this was before, during, or after the steroids, but striking out 20 batters in a nine-inning game is just insane. I was a Mets fan back then, so I certainly remember Clemens and the Red Sox of '86!
- On October 17, 2004, David Ortiz hit a walk-off home run in the 12th inning to help the Red Sox win game 4 of the American League Championship Series against the New York Yankees. (This was also the same Series where Curt Schilling ended up with the famous "bloody sock," but that happened when they were playing in New York, so that game did not make my Fenway list)
- On July 13, 1999, Fenway Park played host to the mid-summer classic, the Major League Baseball All-Star Game. On this night, many of baseball's past greats gathered in the infield to celebrate the game, but the pre-game ceremonies were capped with the appearance of Ted Williams. This turned out to be one of Williams's last public appearances due to his failing health, and despite having to come out on a cart, it was still a very exciting moment. I remember getting goose bumps as they showed Williams shaking hands with Derek Jeter and Ichiro Suzuki - and regretting not getting tickets for that game, since I only lived 90 miles from Fenway Park. Red Sox pitcher Pedro Martinez was the starting pitcher for the American League that evening (and Iván Rodriguez was his starting catcher!), and Pedro ended up striking out the first two batters he faced. That was a very memorable evening for me, right up there with watching Cal Ripken break Lou Gehrigh's consecutive-game record.
So as you can see, Fenway Park is full of memories, whether you've been there yourself or are just another baseball fan recalling good times past. If you're ever in Boston, stop by Yawkey Way and wave to the Green Monster. Some people may call it a "dump," but I call it a piece of Americana, a baseball shrine, and a place where history was made.
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
My Sincerest Apologies, Mr. Werth!
For the past year, I have been very vocal in my displeasure with Washington Nationals’ right fielder, Jayson Werth. In my other blog, I have referred to him as “Werth-less,” “lousy,” and “just plain awful.” (You can check out my other blog on http://www.prosportsblogging.com/) Well, I’m happy to say that Mr. Werth is finally hitting, and in doing so has given himself a batting average of .362 (tenth in the Majors) with a .444 on-base percentage (OBP).
So what has Werth done recently to break out of last year’s funk? Some say it’s the fact that first baseman Adam LaRoche has been effectively getting on base before Werth (LaRoche has hit in 8 of his last 10 games and has a current .333 batting average); others say Werth is “seeing the ball better” (something that this legally-blind blogger doesn’t quite understand!). Whatever the reason, Nationals fans are happy that he is hitting and no longer has to be booed by Nats fans.
Jayson Werth is currently third in the Majors with 17 hits, and so far he has had 6 multi-hit games. He looks pretty solid in right field, and manager Davey Johnson has said that right field is where Werth will stay (there were rumors during the off-season that Werth was going to be moved to center field). The $126-million-dollar “Boras Boy” will be with the Nationals until 2017, and hopefully will continue producing consistently.
So on another note… Did you notice that the Nationals are 1 ½ games in front of the Mets in first place in the National League East? Despite their .348 combined slugging percentage, the Nats are on top of their division, due largely in part to their stellar pitching. The Nationals' starting rotation has combined to post a 1.69 ERA this season, which is by far the best in the league. Nats starters have also held opposing hitters to just a .179 batting average, which makes Nationals’ sluggers breathe a sigh of relief. Third-baseman and #3 in the lineup, Ryan Zimmerman, is off to a slow start, as is catcher Wilson Ramos. In an ideal world, the pitchers would continue to be stellar and the offense could continue to relax. But since this is not Oz or Disney World or some made-up perfect world, Nationals’ batters need to start doing some more hitting – Ian Desmond and Jayson Werth cannot carry this team by themselves!
In non-Nationals news, did you hear about Jamie Moyer? He's a pitcher for the Colorado Rockies, and last night he became the oldest pitcher in history to earn a win. Jamie is 49 and still going strong - I remember him playing when I was in college, and that was a LONG time ago! Nolan Ryan always comes to mind when thinking of old pitchers, but Moyer has Ryan beat. I know I've mentioned Jamie before, but I had to give him a shout-out after his first victory this season. Way to go, old man!
Oh, and the Orioles! I have to mention them, because they too are in first place in their division, with a 7-4 record. Adam Jones had hit safely in every game this season until last night, and left fielder Nolan Reimold has homered in 4 consecutive games. I know it's early, but wouldn't a Nationals/Orioles World Series be something totally exciting? That's not going to happen, but I had to mention it since the two DC-area teams are in first place (for now). Let's see how long that lasts...
Friday, April 13, 2012
Opening Day is Finally Here!
Yesterday was Opening Day at Nationals Park, where the Washington Nationals hosted the Cincinnati Reds. As you’ve probably heard by now, the Nats won that game 3-2 in 10 innings, thanks to a wild pitch thrown by Reds’ reliever Alfredo Simón, allowing Nationals’ third-baseman Ryan Zimmerman to sprint home. While it was a dramatic end to what started out as a pretty ho-hum game, it was still exciting to be there. There’s nothing like being at a ball park during Opening Day, where the atmosphere is electric, the fans are enthusiastic, and the weather can be unpredictable.
Yesterday was a bit chilly (in the mid-50s), with a steady wind that made matters even chillier. But the festive atmosphere was wonderful , from the 12-member drum corps that welcomed fans right outside the center field main entrance, to the moment of silence paid to Gary Carter, to the enormous American flag that was unfurled by dozens of soldiers in the outfield during the pregame ceremonies, to the military plane flyover immediately following the US Marine band’s beautiful rendition of the “Star-Spangled Banner.” It was a great day for baseball, and even for someone like myself who is not very patriotic, it was a great day to be an American.
The best performance of the game was put on by Nationals’ starting pitcher Gio Gonzalez. In his Nationals Park debut, Gonzalez struck out seven, didn’t walk a single batter, and allowed only two hits in seven innings. I felt so bad for him when the Reds tied the game in the ninth inning – poor Gio pitched so well and had nothing to show for it! But those two runs in the top of the ninth were not entirely the fault of closer Brad Lidge; Ryan Zimmerman uncharacteristically bobbled a ball hit by Scott Rolen, which allowed him to reach second base and then be driven home, along with Joey Votto, by left fielder Ryan Ludwick (who was previously 1-10 against Lidge). Ludwick rolled a single down the line, which also went through Zimmerman, to score Votto and Rolen.
I was so stressed out at that point, along with the other 40,000 fans in attendance. The bottom of the ninth and top of the tenth were unproductive, and then in the bottom of the tenth with runners on second and third and two outs, with Roger Bernadina at the plate, Simon threw a wild pitch, scoring Zimmerman, who is no stranger to the walk-off win. Phew! The Nationals had won, they are now 5-2, and half a game ahead of the New York Mets in sole possession of first place!
Two other noteworthy happenings occurred at the game yesterday: Gio Gonzalez got his first big-league hit, since he was with the American League Oakland A’s previously. He hit a blooper off Reds’ starter Matt Latos in the fifth inning, and ended up being tagged out at home plate on a fielder’s choice. He was so excited when he got to first base! I bet if you ask him, he’ll say that getting his first hit was more exciting than pitching a two-hitter and striking out seven!
What else could have been more noteworthy than that yesterday? Well, something set us fans off, and we booed louder than I’ve ever heard a crowd boo anyone. No, it wasn’t because Jayson Werth continued to struggle (he actually went 2 for 5); it wasn’t because the Nationals store was closed for renovations (it is expected to reopen on May 1st); the booing was because “Teddy,” one of the four “Racing Presidents” mascots and fan favorite, lost the presidents’ race again. If you’re not familiar with this middle-of-the-fourth-inning ritual, there are four big-headed mascots of our Founding Fathers – Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and Teddy Roosevelt – who race from a center field gate to a designated spot along the first- or third-base foul line. This has been going on since the opening of Nationals Park in 2008, and poor Teddy has never won. There are t-shirts, websites, and Facebook fan groups dedicated to “let Teddy win,” but that has never happened. Teddy even tied the shoelaces of the other three Presidents together while they were sleeping before the fourth inning, but Teddy still lost (yesterday’s race was won by “Shoeless Tom”). Fans were not happy – many believe that once Teddy wins, it will be an omen that will lead to a World Championship (or at least a playoff berth); but we still have to wait for that to happen, since poor Teddy can’t get a break!
But the game ended on a good note, so Nationals fans are happy. We love our ballpark (it is so easy to get to on the Metro!), we have a much-improved team, and we hope to have a lot less booing and a lot more cheering to do during the 2012 season!
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