Rounding the Bases – The Cubs Haters Edition

One of the things I do often is scour other MLB teams’ message boards. I don’t troll. I just like to see what other fans’ opinions are of their team as well as other teams. Some of the things I come across are so funny, pathetic, or sometimes brilliant that they need to be shared with everyone. I’m hoping to make “Rounding the Bases” a semi-regular feature here at 3 Men and a Blind Guy.

It’s really amazing how many people hate the Cubs. I mean really hate the Cubs. But it’s really funny how that blind hatred can lead to so many dumb and uninformed statements, especially when they are doing well.

A poster at the Cardinals board wanted to help the Cubs come up with a nickname for for the 2008 squad (how nice of them). A poster by the name of “cubsrjoke” came up with this gem:

Biggest waste of money

That’s funny. That “waste of money” is currently sitting atop the Major Leagues with the best record in baseball.

The same poster decided to spout some of his infinite wisdom in a thread about the All-Star voting and how many of the Cubs were near the top.

Oh my God what a joke. De Rosa is a bench player, Theiot is a nobody, Aramiss is a fat, lazy slob, Soriano can’t even catch the ball, Fukudome is as overrated as they come, Soto is a flash in the pan who has put up good numbers for barely 2 months. Wow what deserving players they have. LOL

Now, I’ve already said my peace about the All-Star voting. I don’t agree with a lot of it, but the things this guy is saying are just flat out false. DeRosa may have been a bench player, but he has been one of the better signings by Jim Hendry and has come through for the Cubs on many occasions. Theriot is a nobody, but that nobody has above average numbers in almost all categories except power numbers. Aramis “is a fat, lazy slob”? Where do I even begin with that one? That may have been true in the past, but the last few years, he has been solid both with the glove and at the plate. He has matured as a player and is even running out ground balls now. He’s even on pace to take 100 walks this season – double his career best. Soriano – I’ll give you that he’s a horrible defender. But he has won more games with his bat than he has lost with the glove. I’ll take that anyday. Fukudome could be considered overrated with all the hype he received, but he still has above average numbers. Soto has only put up good numbers the past 2 months? I guess “cubsrjoke” wasn’t watching the last 2 months of last season. He put up spectacular numbers then, and is continuing it now. That’s the furthest thing from “flash in the pan”.

It seems to me that “cubsrjoke” is a little jealous, because he continues on in another post:

It takes more than 2 months of a season to be considered a starting all star. Russell Martin, Yadier Molina and Brian McCann are all better choices. Offense is not everything at catcher. This kid needs to pay his dues for a few years before he is on an all star team. That way everyone will know if he is a flash in the pan or legit. My bet is flash in the pan

Get this guy a MENSA application stat! Yadier frickin’ Molina? And they say Cardinal fans are the smartest in baseball? Soto has better offensive and defensive stats than Molina. WTF?

Soto seems to be getting a lot of press on the Cardinals board. This is from a poster named “fkuchi”

Soto is a fluke. By August he’ll be barely above .200

No. He’ll be running away with the Rookie of the Year Award.

The Cubs hate is rampant at the Cards board. This is from “bottlenect”:

I agree that is a joke that the Cubs might have so many going to the all star game. If history is any indicator, they will find a way to choke at that game too. They might have some good talent this year and be the favorite to win the division and actually look better than us at most positions, but they are still a joke. Even if they do win the season series again. We’ll still come out on top.

I love it! “They have some good talent. And they look better than us at most positions. But they’re still a joke, and we’ll still beat them.” Hell, with logic like that, how can I argue? Once again, smartest fans in baseball?

Looking back, all the entries are from Cardinal fans. The irrational hatred is amazing. Look, I hate the Cardinals, too, but I respect the talent on that team enough that I’m not going to call them a joke, and I know they are going to be a thorn in the Cubs’ side all season long.

Like I said at the top, I want to make these a semi-regular part of the blog. If anyone has any suggestions for themes/ideas for “Rounding the Bases”, please pass them along.

Baseball For Kids

Is there anything more painful than watching 7 year olds play baseball? Well, other than watching the Mets try and play baseball?  I know, I know, “but Moose, they are learning the game! You can’t expect them to be good at it right away!”  I agree with that 100%, I wasn’t talking about the kids though.  I expect them to be bad.

Yesterday afternoon we went to see my nephew play his first baseball game.  I assume all the kids on the team were about his age, right around 7 years old.  It was completely what I expected – most of the kids were lucky to make contact, and very few of them had a clue what they were doing in the field.  But they were having fun, and they were learning, so thats great.  What got on my nerves were the damn parents.  Holy shit, cheer your kid on, but otherwise, shut up.  One parent kept yelling at the kid CHOKE UP!! KEEP YOUR EYE ON THE BALL!! KEEP YOUR FEET APART!!! The kid looked miserable, and not surprisingly, struck out on five pitches (they get five strikes evidently).  I am all for working with your kid, but do it during practice and after the games at home, not in the middle of the game, that just takes the fun out of it for the kids.

You know how there is always one kid who looks completely clueless up there, and you sort of feel bad for him? That feeling is even worse when it is your kid (or in this case, my nephew).  He had two at bats and had a Ryan Howard like 2K’s on 10 pitches and didn’t even come close to making contact.  The frustrating thing is there really isn’t anyone to work with him, I mean I can only do so much because of my eyes, but something has to be done here, he looked worse than Monkey in the 2006 NLCS up there.  Do they make the clear and the cream for kids?

Until next time, the Mets kept Willie, so they deserve what they get.

Your NL All-Star Team?

Well, the first early results of the All-Star voting are in.  The AL looks pretty much as it should.  The NL, however…..what a mess!

1B: Berkman, Pujols, Lee – That looks about right.  All three are having great seasons, but Berkman is just far and away the better first baseman this season.

2B: OK, Chase Utley is the obvious choice and he is running away with the vote, but how in the Hell are Kaz “my anus hurts” Matsui and Mark DeRosa ahead of Dan Uggla?  Look, I love DeRo.  He’s on my team, but there’s no way he, let alone Matsui, deserves to be ahead of Uggla.

3B: Larry, Wright, and ARam – Pretty much how it should be.  Chipper is having a monster season, with Triple Crown implications, and deserves every vote he gets.

SS – The only problem I have with the voting here is Theriot over Jimmy Rollins.  Again, Theriot is on my team, so I would normally support him, but Rollins missed an entire month of the season and still  has Theriot beat in most statistics.  No way should Theriot even be considered for the All-Star team.

C – I loves me some Geovany Soto (but not in the same way Solly loves Mike Piazza).   I think he’s, far and away, your NL Rookie of the Year.  With his current age, I hope he keeps it up and becomes a perennial All-Star for the Cubs in the same way that guys like Banks, Santo, and Sandberg were.

OF – This is where the huge clusterfuck comes in.  Soriano had a horrible April, which doesn’t scream All-Star to me.  Sure, historically, he heats up and has a decent remainder of the season, but an All-Star needs to put up good to great numbers from Day One.  Fukudome, while having a great OBP and Avg. at home, really hasn’t done squat on the road.  Again, an All-Star needs to be able to produce both home and away.  (This is where the Japanese voting skews the totals, but that’s another rant altogether.)  Griffey – he’s getting in on name alone.  Guys like Braun, Frenchy, Mclouth – and how in the world is Chris Young not in the top 15? – all need to be considered over the top guys getting votes now.

The NL All-Star voting is a prime example of the reason the fans should not decide on the teams.

Baseball at the Quarter Mark

Ok we are roughly 1/4 of the way through the baseball season, so let’s take a look at how things are shaping up right now.

American League East

- Boston Red Sox – They lead the division by a game and a half over the Rays (amazing, I know).  It appears that the Sox are probably the cream of the AL, an experienced team that has a good mix of veterans and kids.  And as Lester and Elsbury are proving, those kids can play!

-Tampa Bay Rays – Only a game and a half behind the Red Sox.  Speaking of teams that have kids that can go, the Rays have them in droves.  And they should, they have been horrific for their entire ten year existence.  I am not sure they have the composure to hang with, or pass the Sox, but I think they could certainly be players in the Wild Card.

-Baltimore Orioles – Someone has to be third.  I have no idea what to think of this team.  They trade away Bedard and Tejada and say they are going to rebuild, then refuse to trade Roberts and keep Mora.  Not sure what they are doing.  There is some talent there, and I would imagine they will be better than people thought, but I have a feeling the peak of their season was in April.  Well, unless they could play 162 games against the Yankees

-Toronto Blue Jays – Ugh.  I have finally given up on this team.  I would think it has to be hard as hell being a Blue Jays fan.  They have the talent, but it just never comes together.  Not sure it ever will.  They could finish third in the AL East, but I don’t really think that is saying much right now

- New York Yankees – You know, I have heard all the excuses “we had injured players!” You know what? Good teams overcome injuries.  The Phillies lost Jimmy Rollins and Shane Victorino – obviously not the same caliber as A-Rod and Posada but just as essential to our team – and we didn’t fold and fade to last place.  The Yankees are just not that good.  That rotation is a joke.  The kids are not coming around like they had hoped.  I wonder if Stein is kicking himself for not including Hughes in that Santana deal now? I think the Yankees are good enough to finish ahead of Baltimore, but not good enough to stay ahead of Toronto.  An average team in the AL = no playoffs for the Yankees.

American League Central

Chicago White Sox – Before the season I didn’t think the Sox had the pitching to hang in there.  I am not sure I feel any differently now, but they are proving me wrong.  I can’t say I have seen a whole lot of the Sox, and I am not even sure what there is to like on that team as far as young kids go.  I know Floyd flirted with a no hitter, but I remember him from his days in Philly and I am not sure how good he really is.  They are taking advantage of a division in disarray, which could be good enough to win that division in the end.

Minnesota Twins – No reason to think the Twins will hang around.  I have seen that lineup, bland as hell, and pitching that is being anchored by a 137 year old pitcher.  I was happy to see Liriano get sent down though.  I thought he was a fluke when everyone was saying he was the next great pitcher, at the moment he is proving my point.  Thank you Mr. Liriano

Cleveland Indians – They are the anti-White Sox.  They have pitching up the ass, but can’t hit the ball to save their lives, despite having some great players on that team.  Because the Central is so inconsistent they could certainly hang around, and with that pitching, should the bats wake up, they could easily and quickly put some distance between them and the second place team.

Kansas City Royals – I really want to like this team.  And I really want them to turn it around and be contenders.  And it seems like they are taking steps in the right direction, but I don’t think they are there yet.  I think if they have a chance to pull something similar to what the Tigers did a few years ago.  They will have to overspend to get players to come there, but if they are smart about it, with the young players they have, they could be a legit threat in a few years.  Or, if they were allowed to play the Tigers 162 times, that could be this year.  And, I’ll bet they are pretty happy that Andruw spurned them for the Dodgers aren’t they?

Detroit Tigers – Holy shit what a glorious mess they are.  They have an offense that should MASH and it doesn’t.  They have a pitching staff that should be on the positive side of good, and it isn’t.  Leyland has got to be pulling what hair he has left out of his head at this point, I mean what can they do? I have no idea.  I heard today that when Willis comes back, he is going to be in the pen.  Not sure what I think about that.

American League East

Anaheim Angels – You know, I just don’t like the Angels.  They are turning into the west coast version of the Minnesota Twins of a few years ago for me – a good team, but boring as hell to watch.  I know they are good, and should probably win the division again, but I don’t think they are good enough to win the world series.

Oakland A’s – Team Smoke and Mirrors strikes again! Oakland is another team that I don’t think can hang around for the division, but I think they can hang in the wild card chase for a bit.  Beane got some great players in the Haren trade so I think they can beat some teams.  I thought they would be terrible.  Clearly I was wrong.

Texas Rangers – They are only 5 back, and have no pitching.  At all.  None.  They don’t have a prospect that I am aware of that is in line to come up and be great.  They will hit the ball well, but the pitching will cost them games.  A lot of games

Seattle Mariners – What the hell happened here?  I picked them to win the division and this is how they repay me? Jerks.  I haven’t seen the Mariners play, but something sure as hell isn’t going right, and unlike some people I don’t think signing Bonds is the answer.  Signing Bonds is NEVER the answer.

National League East

Florida Marlins – the Marlins have already exceeded my expectations.  I didn’t think they would be able to do anything with all those kids on the team, but they are playing well right now.  I don’t think it will last this year – but in a few years, when that team matures? Wow.  They won’t be as bad as I thought, but they will fade over the summer

Atlanta Braves – Not sure how long that rotation can hold up.  A rumored trade for Maddux would be interesting.  The Braves are a little better than I thought.  I had them pegged for third in the division behind Philly and New York.  Now, I think they will be right in the race the whole year, both the division and wild card.  And I hate them for that.

Philadelphia Phillies – My team.  I am pleased so far.  It would be great if we had a better record, but considering this time last year we were still digging out of a horrific start I will take this.  The pitching is CLEARLY a big question, Eaton sucks and Moyer is showing his age.  Myers is not what he was, maybe that trip to the pen wasn’t the answer after all.  The offense is fine, and could be great if Howard would stop swinging at EVERYTHING when he is at the plate.  I think they are certainly good enough to contend for the division and wild card all year

New York Mets – You know, when I see the Mets a game over .500 and looking like a dead team playing, it makes me think back to those bold predictions of a rotation that was going to win over 90 games, with Pedro winning 17.  Yes you heard that right, 17 wins for Pedro.  Drugs are bad kids, mmmmmmkay? Willie almost has to be fired, but I am not even sure that would make a difference at this point.  The Mets just don’t seem to care.  Which is fine with me.  82-80 over their last 162 games.  The Mets scare me less than the Braves

Washington Nationals – Not as good as I thought they would be.  I thought they could turn the corner and make some noise.  And to be fair, they are not horrible either.  They will play spoilers all year, beating teams when it matters.  Sort of like last year, only not just in September.  I think they COULD finish better than the Marlins, but I wouldn’t bank on it.

National League Central

Chicago Cubs – Perhaps the best team in the NL? They have a solid, if not spectacular rotation, and a pretty balanced lineup.  The rest of the NL Central isn’t much to worry about, so the Cubs could get themselves a bit of a cushion by the middle of the summer and skate a bit.  This is a team I would worry about in October – unless they are playing the Phillies, then ITS ON!

St. Louis Cardinals – Hard to count out a team with Albert Pujols, but I have my doubts that he can stay healthy all year.  I think the Cards will be better than I thought, but in the NL Central that isn’t saying a whole lot.  Now, if they would just make Ludwick the starting OF, that would make me happy.

Houston Astros – What is it with Texas and pitching? The Rangers have NONE, and the Astros have just barely slightly more.  They have Oswalt.  And thats it.  And I heard he has some pain in his arm.  Thats bad.  They have a lineup that can bash, and Berkman is otherworldly right about now, but I think their pitching is going to hurt them too much over the course of the season.  They will fade after the break

Milwaukee Brewers – See Astros, Houston.  They have a good lineup that can score some runs, Braun and Fielder are beasts, but with Gallardo done for the year, and Sheets one hiccup away from the DL, I just don’t trust this team to be a threat late in the season.  This is not the year the Brewers make the playoffs.  Over .500, yes, in the playoffs, no.

Pittsburgh Pirates – How are they not in last place?  Seriously? There is really only one player I can think of on the Pirates that I would take on my team, and I can’t think of his name.  The outfielder.  And even then, he is a beast now, but he is also a kid.  I wish the Pirates could get it together again, but I just don’t see it being this year

Cincinnati Reds – How ARE they in last place? I am not saying they will contend for a division crown, not yet anyway, but they shouldn’t be sitting in the NL Central basement either.  I am not sure if Volquez it the real deal, but if he is, and Bailey can come back to the majors and do what he is doing in the minors, a rotation of Harang, Bailey, Cueto, Volquez and Arroyo could be LETHAL

National League West

Arizona Diamondbacks – I would say they are the next best team behind the Cubs.  Their pitching is probably better, but I think the Cubs lineup is better top to bottom.  Not sure what the hell happened to the NL West, I picked it to be the toughest division in baseball.  Oops.  If some of the teams don’t step up soon, Arizona is going to clinch the division in June.  As it is now, Arizona should be able to distance themselves from everyone else and walk into the playoffs

Los Angeles Dodgers – Not as easy as you thought it would be huh Torre? I thought the Dodgers would be a whole lot better.  They’re not.  And its not ALL Andruw Jones, but that black hole of suck has to have SOME impact on the rest of the team.  I think they could probably turn it around, but man, what a disappointment so far

Colorado Rockies – So was that run last year a fluke? Or was it all Kaz Matsui? They have some great players, but I think this might have been a case of a team getting insanely hot and playing over their heads at the right time rather than a team turning the corner and establishing a winner.  And Holiday STILL hasn’t touched the plate

San Francisco Giants – Trade Lincecum already.  Preferably to Philly.  And for nothing in particular.  Thank you.  The Giants have already played better than I thought they would, but they are starting to sink back to where I expected them to be.  In fact, if the NL West was worth a shit at all, they would already be comfortably in the basement.  They will get there eventually, it will just take a little longer than I thought

San Diego Padres – wow.  I debated them winning the division.  Yikes.  I don’t even know what is wrong out there.  Peavy hasn’t been himself and it seems like no one else on that team has stepped up pitching wise.  Also, they don’t appear to be much of an offensive threat.  I keep hearing rumors of a fire sale, maybe that would keep the Giants out of last place.  Either way, it is not going to be a fun summer in SD

The Randolph Ramblings

From a recent article in the Bergen Record:

“They don’t like me?” Randolph said. ” ‘We don’t like Willie.’ Wait a minute, why don’t you like me? I don’t get it. Did I do anything to you? If you look at what I’ve done for your club, you should like me a little bit.”

What exactly have you done? You had decent success in 2005, lost a 7 game series to an inferior Cardinals team in 2006, spouted off cliche after cliche during the 2007 collapse, and still don’t have that sense of urgency as your team starts 2008 at a rather unimpressive 22-21.

Randolph isn’t ready to accept the popular notions about his allegedly placid approach to the craft. He believes those notions are hardened by SNY’s selective camerawork.

“They’re the artists, I’m the canvas,” Randolph said. “They paint the picture the way they want to. They want to show me when somebody gives up a home run or somebody makes an error, so they want to see me [using profanity].”

When you discourage Billy Wagner from ripping his teammates in public, you might want to practice what you preach.  Willie, you know who owns SNY, right? The Wilpons… the same duo that pay your check. Keep ripping your bosses in public, Stonewall.  Nothing bad can happen, yes?  Stop complaining about the tv coverage, you sound like a fucking American Idol reject.  Shit man, you’re the manager of a New York professional sports team… you didn’t expect this kind of coverage?

“Is it racial?” Randolph asked. “Huh? It smells a little bit.”

Asked directly if he believes black managers are held to different standards than their white counterparts, Randolph said: “I don’t know how to put my finger on it, but I think there’s something there. Herman Edwards did pretty well here and he won a couple of playoff [games], and they were pretty hard on Herm. Isiah [Thomas] didn’t do a great job, but they beat up Isiah pretty good. … I don’t know if people are used to a certain figurehead. There’s something weird about it.

Huh. I would understand playing the race card if you were WINNING and got criticized but c’mon, look at the situation here. You’re in a results-driven business and you and your team are getting paid a lot of money to produce consistently. The only race this Mets fan cares about is the pennant race.

My night at the Ted…..

Almost every year since my wife, Jennifer, and I started dating, I have received tickets to a Braves game at Turner Field from my father-in-law. Normally, they are to a Cubs/Braves game since I am a huge Cubs fan. This year, however, the Cubs are only playing in Atlanta once and it is during the week. I can’t afford to take any time off to go see them, so I went to see the Braves play the Oakland A’s last night (Saturday).

Jenn’s dad gets these seats from a vendor that he buys from on a regular basis. They are fantastic seats in the first row down the first base line, right behind the scrolling sign on the brick wall. I took a picture of the view looking towards home plate.

Now, that picture was taken with a cell phone camera, but you get the idea. I also got about 45 minutes of video with my mini-DV cam before the game, so once I get that cut down to some manageable clips, I will post them here. I was hoping to get some game footage, but due to MLB copyright policies, I couldn’t.

A few observations from the game:

• The atmosphere at Turner Field before the game is pretty cool. There are bands out on the concourse. There are trivia games with fans that are shown on the jumbotron. There’s even tailgating in the parking lots.
• Notice I said “before the game”? Once the game starts, it’s a completely different story. For a team with as much success as the Braves, you would think the fans would show some support. WRONG! There were so many empty seats, it was pathetic. And they were good seats, too. Sure the upper deck was almost empty, but so were a lot of seats in the lower levels.
• They couldn’t even seem to show much support during a rally. The Braves went into the bottom of the 9th inning, trailing 5-1 with the A’s normally lights out closer, Huston Street, pitching. With patience at the plate and some timely hitting, the Braves battled back to get within one at 5-4. They were down to their last out, and the tying run on second base, but you wouldn’t even know it. Sure, there was cheering and clapping, but not the unbridled, jump up and down, let your team know you want them to win screaming and yelling. It was sad really. I almost feel sorry for Larry and the other guys on the team……almost.
• And people say the Cubs have the most drunk and obnoxious fans? Well, I’m here to tell you that every team has them. There has not been a year that I have attended a game that there wasn’t a drunk fan near us screaming obscenities at the umpires and/or players. Last night, after Braves second baseman, Kelly Johnson, allowed a ball to get through his legs, one “fan” in particular yelled, “I hope you break your fuckin’ legs!” Now, I have been known to swear on occasion….well, OK, I pretty much curse like a sailor, but I keep it in check when there are families and young children around. At least I have that much common sense.

This isn’t Braves related, but I know it’s going to piss off Solly, so I’m posting it anyway. On the way home, we stopped at an outlet mall to look for a few things for the kids. We stopped at one store in particular that was one of those places with the irregular and discontinued clothes. I’m walking through the section with the athletic t-shirts, and I come across this:

Oops! I really hope the players weren’t wearing any of those shirts during the last two and a half weeks of the ‘07 season. They lost sight of the Playoffs quicker than Moose trying to find the citations for his thesis.

This is the year, though, right Solly?

Twenty Questions at the Ballpark

Figured it was about time I posted something here.  As some of you know, I live in Alabama and faithfully follow my local minor league team, the Montgomery Biscuits, doing some volunteer work for their website once we get some things straightened out on that end of things.  This is an example of what I’ll be doing for them…

 

“What’s a southpaw?” – Karin Kinsella, Field of Dreams

 

My five-year-old daughter and I cozied into our seats about 15 minutes before game time.  They weren’t the best seats in the house – not that there’s a bad seat at Riverwalk Stadium – but for the next six or seven minutes, our spots in section 104, row A, seats 15 & 16 were prime viewing territory for watching Jake McGee warm up prior to his start against Tennessee Thursday night.  He was throwing on the near rubber, too, which made it look like we were nearly standing in the batter’s box against the Biscuits’ fireballing lefty, who would later reach 95 on Riverwalk’s “notoriously slow” radar gun.  I sat there in quiet amazement as McGee, who will almost undoubtedly (barring injury) be in the majors no later than next season, mixed in some breaking stuff to go along with the old number one, all of which unfolded no further than six feet from where we were sitting.

 

And that’s when the questions started.  We’ve been to countless games together, but little one had never been so interested in the game as she was Thursday night.  This is practically word for word how the conversation went:

 

“Daddy,” little one said to me, “how’s he throw so big?”

 

“Well, Jake’s big and strong,” I told her.  “This is his job… just like I have a job.  So he practices and exercises and eats right so he can throw fast and strike the other team out.”

 

“Is he gonna try to get them out?” she asked, pointing to Tennessee warming up out in right field.

 

“Yep, Jake’s gonna try to strike out the Smokies.”

 

“What’s that sound?” she then asked me.

 

“That’s the ball going into the catcher’s glove,” I replied.

 

“Why’s it so loud?”

 

“Because that’s how hard Jake’s throwing the ball.  He’s throwing it big.”

 

Pointing to John Jaso, who had flipped his mask off behind the plate, “Is the catcher the one with the helmet on his head?”

 

“Yep,” I said.  “His name is John.”

 

“The pitcher and the catcher,” she said with a smile on her face.

 

“That’s right,” I said.  “The two most important players on a baseball team.”

 

McGee finished warming up and walked down to the dugout with pitching coach Neil Allen, but the questions and commentary kept coming.  “Who’s that?”  “Who’s that?”  “There’s the referee.”  “Hey, look at the kids!”  “Why do the policemen do this [salutes] instead of this [puts hand over heart]?”  “I want a ball.”  “Daddy, can we go get a hot dog?”  “When can I play on the playground?”

 

Her record to date for most innings watched before heading to the playground is three and a half.  We didn’t quite make it that far Thursday.  We grabbed some hot dogs after Montgomery put two on the board against ballyhooed Tennessee starter Jeff Samardzija, then watched the Biscuits get two more from the top of section 103, where we sat to eat our dogs.  As we were finishing up our grub, a towering fly ball went just out of play and landed in section 104, row A, seat 14 – right next to where we had been sitting just minutes prior.  This did not escape little one, “Hey, that’s where we were sitting.”

 

Foul balls are a wonderful thing.  No other sport sees as many game-used objects taken home from the stadium as baseball.  A kid gets a foul ball and he (or she) will be happy the rest of the day.  I love foul balls because getting one makes me feel like I’m 10 years old again.  In my five years or frequenting Riverwalk Stadium in the summer, I’ve only snagged one, a roller along the concourse as I was returning from concessions along the first base side on a slow night.  The ball Coach Allen tossed me on Opening Night last season doesn’t count.

 

I got booed, and rightfully so, two years ago during Jason Cromer’s near no-hitter in August, dropping one that came back off the roof in section 119.  It made some little kid’s night, as he scurried down the aisle and snatched it up about eight rows in front of me.  Earlier this year, I was under one that got hit over the screen in section 108, only to have the ball hit the speaker beneath the suite above me and carom into the seats behind the Biscuits’ dugout.  Thursday night, I had a sure foul ball, only to have abandoned my seats too early.  The fellow who had been sitting about seven seats down from me secured it and gave it to the little boy in the adjacent section, who was thrilled.  My daughter, however, wasn’t, and it was time to go to the playground.

 

We stopped and saw Big Mo on the way over, little one getting a signed picture to go along with her signed Reggy picture – who will be back in town in July.  Always a fun one for the kiddos.  By the time we got settled in at the playground beyond the bullpen seats in the left field corner, Montgomery led the game 5-0, despite a couple of baserunning blunders and stranding about 16 runners in scoring position through only three innings.  These little things would become big things as the game progressed, as the Biscuits’ Achilles’ heels made their usual appearances in the middle innings.

 

McGee got into trouble in the fifth, putting runners on first and second with two down.  Jake got the groundball he needed, but second baseman Pat Cottrell botched the flip to second base to get the inning-ending force play, and the bases wound up loaded for Matt Camp, who tripled just over the diving glove of centerfielder Rashad Eldridge to clear the bases and bring Tennessee right back into the game.  However, the Biscuits immediately answered in the bottom of the inning, Chris Nowak crushing a solo bomb over the train tracks in left, and Sergio Pedroza’s ensuing single ran Samardzija after a disappointing outing for the former Notre Dame receiver.  It’s 6-3, McGee’s been good, the Biscuits are in control, and the kids are having a blast playing tag on the playground, little one making sure to run back to me every so often to check the score of the game.  Somewhere in the middle of all this, a foul ball gets hit to the exact row little one and I ate our hot dogs.  I change seats twice, and a foul ball gets hit to each spot after I leave.  What are the odds?

 

But as we’ve seen with Montgomery this year, no lead is safe.  McGee only got one more out, and Kevin Lynn gave up a two run home run to Jake Fox, the first batter he faced.  Lynn would give up another run in the seventh, leaving us tied as we headed for the eighth.  Little one’s a nonstop ball of energy and is still playing with the other kids on the playground in the top of the eighth when Tennessee’s Steve Clevenger sends a foul ball screaming high out of play down the left field line, making a beeline toward the playground, where not only my daughter but about a half dozen little ones were frolicking.  My momentary panic is relieved, however, as the ball bangs off of the stadium light pole and bounces right to me at the top of 102.  One hop and I’ve got a foul ball.  I immediately turn to the playground to show little one, who is ecstatic.

 

We go to the ninth tied at six, and I still can’t convince little one to come over and watch the end of the game with me.  Steve Andrade came in for Montgomery to pitch the ninth, taking over for Cromer, ironically, who’s back with the team again and stopped the bleeding in the seventh.  Tennessee’s Robinson Chirinos tripled off the top of the Alaga Syrup bottle that extends higher than the rest of the eighteen-foot left field wall – a foot or two left or right, and it’s a home run – his third three-bagger of the night.  He inevitably scored and Montgomery was down heading to the bottom of the ninth.  However, the third Achilles’ heel the Biscuits have dealt with this season – lack of timely hitting – was not a factor in this one.  Double for Jaso, infield single for Nowak, sacrifice for Pedroza has it second and third with one out.  The Smokies intentionally walk Gaby Martinez (his fourth walk of the game) to set up pinch-hitting Erold Andrus, whose only appearance on the field of note this evening had been dancing to some between innings music to the approval of the fans down the third base line.  Andrus ripped the first pitch he saw back up the middle, scoring Jaso to tie the game and Nowak from second to win one of the wildest games I’ve seen at Riverwalk.

 

The capper of the night came as little one and I were walking the concourse while trying to leave.  I had to convince her to come down the slide because the game was over.  While she was oblivious to the end of the game, she seemed happy that the Biscuits had pulled it out.  We were almost to guest services behind home plate when a fellow wearing a green Red Sox hat (still can’t get my head around that) walked up to us, kneeled down and asked little one, “Do you want a foul ball?”  She gladly took it, I told the guy “thanks,” and we headed for home.

 

“Why did that man give me a ball?” she asked me.

 

“Because he knew you’d like it and he was nice,” I told her.  “Do you like it?”

 

“Yeah,” she said.  “I love my baseball.”

 

I do, too, Toots.  I do, too.

Amazing what blue pinstripes can do.

As you may or may not know by now, the Cubs have signed former Angel/Cardinal/Padre, Jim Edmonds, to a one year deal. Seeing as how Edmonds was one of the most hated players by the Cubs’ fan base when he was with St. Louis, it’s amazing to see how much this has divided the current crop of Cub fans. Over at the Cubs’ Official message board, there are “fans” who are calling other fans traitors simply because they have said they will root for him on the Cubs. (Funny how these same “fans” have no problem rooting for Derrek Lee, a key contributor to keeping the team out of the World Series in 2003.)

Here’s my take on the whole situation. As a fan, you root for the name on the front of the jersey, not on the back. Besides, it’s only costing the Cubs a pro-rated league minimum salary. If he doesn’t work out, it costs them virtually nothing. Look at it this way, the Cardinals, the team looking up at the Cubs, are paying Jim Edmonds $2 million to play for us. Personally, I find that rather amusing.

Don’t get me wrong, I hated Edmonds as much as anyone, mainly for the fact that he was a Cub killer. But there are a lot of examples of players with a chip on their shoulders playing lights out for a season. If Edmonds can help the Cubs get to the World Series, I guarantee he will be treated just as much as a hero as everyone else on that team.

It will be interesting to see how the Cubs themselves respond to Edmonds. I could be wrong, but I’m pretty sure he has had some disparaging remarks about the Cubs in the past. I know he has felt that Zambrano has plunked him on purpose on more than one occasion. (And frankly, he’s probably right.) We could very well see a Michael Barret-esque confrontation in the dugout if Zambrano feels that Edmonds didn’t go all out on the field. If nothing else, the remainder of the season is going to be entertaining.

The end is near

Normally I don’t blame manangers when teams lose but last night was all on Willie’s shoulders. I can look past him taking out a surprisingly effective Claudio Vargas in the 7th inning with the score tied at 1. He pitched you into the 7th with a chance to win and that’s all you can ask, but to yank him and bring in Aaron Heilman? The same Heilman who had only stranded TWO of the last 8 runners he inherited? Heilman had two outs, a runner on 2nd, and an 0-2 count against Jesus Flores, not exactly Joe DiMaggio up there. Flores battled back to even the count at 2-2 before he laced a single to left that put the Nats ahead 2-1. Still left in the game with only one more out to get, Heilman proceeded to walk Willie Say Hey Harris (fuck off Mikey), and give up two more hits, making the score 5-1 Nats. Why Heilman was left in there after the first run scored, I have no idea. If anyone needs to be on a short leash, it’s Heilman. Again, I have to question the manager. This is the same guy who was at front and center of a team that should have won in 2006, collapsed in historic fashion in 2007, and started sputtering out of the gate in 2008. The talent is obviously there but the manager can’t put it together. Why is it that my team is losing 5-1 last night and I know the game is over, yet the Phillies were down 8-0 and the Marlins 6-0 but they managed to fight back? Why don’t I feel like the manager or the players have a sense of urgency or a desire to fight like other teams? Yeah it’s May but these are games you need to win. Heading to the Bronx, Atlanta and Colorado with a mediocre record of 20-18, this is definitely Willie’s last stand. If his players care about him, they better start a run now because the clock is ticking.

Tick tock Willie… tick tock.

So’s your Mom

It’s no secret I’m not a fan of Carlos Delgado From his refusing to stand during “God Bless America” to shunning the Mets in favor in the Marlins back in 2005 to admitting he was “bored” during last year’s collapse, he’s not exactly on my Festivus card list. It also makes me wonder who would represent a guy like that. Wonder no more. May I present David Sloane.

http://www.nj.com/mets/index.ssf/2008/05/breaking_news_delgados_agent_i.html

Retard? Short bus? So’s your Mom? Are you kidding me? I thought Boras was bad but I’ll take greed over stupidity any day of the week. Hey Davey, here’s some free advice: if you’re going to get in a pissing match with a New York beat writer, you might want to keep it off the record. Oh and you might want to tell your only client to stay a bit more focused on the field because his glove work is making Ryan Howard look like Keith Hernandez.