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Sunday, June 22, 2008

Tell me Something Good

Let's talk about something fun (which precludes the just completed series in Minnesota).

Josh Robbin's quest to travel across the country by automobile and see games in all 30 major league ballparks in 27 days stopped in Phoenix last week for the Thursday afternoon game against the A's. The game notes on the blog seem to have disappeared. I did notice in reading them that Josh was scheduled to be interviewed after the game by Fox Arizona, but the interview was nixed by Mark Grace, who needed a smoke break instead.

Last Thursday night, one of the most unusual nights in baseball occurred as switch hitter faced switch pitcher in a minor league game. After the batter and pitcher both changed sides 4 times, a timeout was called.

Apparently unsure of how the rules handle such an oddity, the umpires didn’t stop the cat-and-mouse game until Venditte walked toward the plate and said something while pointing at Henriquez. Umpires and both managers then huddled and the umps decided the batter and pitcher can both change sides one time per at-bat, and that the batter must declare first.

The ruling favored the pitcher, since he gets to declare last.

About seven minutes after he first stepped in, Henriquez struck out on four pitches as a righty against a right-handed Venditte and slammed his bat in frustration. Staten Island won, 7-2.

It's now in the hands of MLB who will make an official ruling.


Friday, June 20, 2008

The Baseball Project

The Baseball Project, Vol. 1 : Frozen Ropes and Dying Quails Yep Roc Records Release Date: July 8, 2008

The Baseball Project will be performing on David Letterman tonight, June 20th.

"Frozen Ropes and Dying Quails" features 13 songs about baseball written and performed by baseball fans Steve Wynn (The Dream Syndicate, Miracle 3) and Scott McCaughey (Young Fresh Fellows, Minus 5 and REM). They are joined on the disc by fellow indie artists Linda Pitmon (Miracle 3) and Peter Buck (REM) extolling the feats and defeats of players like Curt Flood, Satchel Paige, Ted Williams, and Black Jack McDowell.

I was fortunate enough to see Steve Wynn and the Miracle 3 play at the SxSW Music Festival in Austin in 2005. Steve's song "Amphetamine" is one of my all time favorites. He and Miracle 3 drummer Pitmon are married.

Listen to a stream of the Baseball Project’s “Volume 1: Frozen Ropes and Dying Quails” here.

1) Past Time
"So long ago, so long/Pastime, are you past your prime?/The DiMaggios, Shoeless Joe, Minnie Minoso, Yo La Tengo". Yo La Tengo is actually a tip of the hat to the inaugural 1962 Mets season where the phrase, Spanish for "I got it!", was used by centerfielder Richie Ashburn to signal to the shortstop Elio Chacon, who didn't speak much English, to back off the play to prevent a collision.

2) Ted Fucking Williams

Steve Wynn: "Well, if you’re a baseball fan of a certain age your mind was certainly blown by Jim Bouton’s “Ball Four”. And one of my favorite parts of Ball Four was the story about him taking batting practice and shouting “My name is Ted Fucking Williams and I’m the greatest hitter in baseball. Jesus H Christ himself couldn’t get me out.” You gotta love that. And he probably was the best hitter to ever play the game. I mean, just imagine if he hadn’t given up all those years to World War II and Korea. He was great. And he knew he was great. And he knew that the press and most of the fans preferred the other outfielders of his day. It must have driven him nuts."

3) Gratitude (For Curt Flood)
Reminds current players the debt they owe Curt Flood, the late St. Louis Cardinals centerfielder who changed sports history and ultimately helped make a lot of guys - like the multi-millioniare ballplayers Wynn names in song (A-Rod, Zito, Posada, Tejada, Johan, Manny, Maddox, Mussina) - really rich, by challenging baseball's reserve clause after the 1969 season. (His motivation? He didn't want to be traded to the Phillies.)

4) Broken Man
Is about Mark McGwire, but according to Wynn it is also about the hypocrisy of the steroid scandal: "Well, Scott wrote that song and he completely nailed the hypocrisy of the steroid scandal. Bud Selig (who truly IS the antichrist-don’t get me started) could have shut down the steroid scandal 3 years ago by granting amnesty to the past and laying down impossibly strict rules for the future. But he was having too much fun enjoying the increased revenue that the steroid-infused home run derbies brought to the game. And by the way, you could make a case that the Rangers of the early 90’s were a kind of petri dish for the steroid era (Palmiero! Canseco! Gonzales!). And who was their owner. George W. Bush. Please. Don’t get me started. As for Bonds, I think the Yankees should sign him immediately."

5) Satchel Paige Said
The highest paid pitcher in the Negro Leagues who became the first black pitcher in the American Leagues at the tender age of 42. Often called the toughest pitcher in baseball by the men who faced him and has been quoted as saying, "Don't look back. Something might be gaining on you."

6) Fernando
Obviously this is about Fernando Valenzuela, and it's in Spanish. I don't speak Spanish.

7) Long Before My Time
Marks the amazing career of Dodgers pitcher Sandy Koufax, who quit at his peak in 1966.

8) Jackie's Lament
Imagines the internal tug towards retaliation that Jackie Robinson felt when he was made the victim of racial hatred as the first African-American baseball player.

9) Sometimes I Dream Of Willie Mays
Steve Wynn’s sad story of Bay Area baseball and Willie Mays. “I dream of Willie Mays/And tell him I was there./I dream of Willie Mays/And the wind dies down and the sun comes out and the fog lifts and he’s there.” Wynn tells us that he loved Mays in ‘65 at Candlestick. “Now it’s 1973/Right across the Bay/Playin’ right field for the Mets/The ball goes through his legs/I cheered the A’s to victory/But that was something I never wanted to see.”


10 )The Death Of Big Ed Delahanty
About the hard-drinking dead-ball era 19th century Phillies first baseman with a lifetime .346 batting average who died when he was swept over Niagra Falls in 1903 after a drunken fall from a train bridge.

11) Harvey Haddix
Tells the story of the beleaguered Pittsburgh pitcher who threw twelve perfect innings only to give up a hit and eventually the win in the 13th inning back in 1959. The song is worth listening to if for no other reason than to hear the duo fit the names of all seventeen perfect-gamers into rhyming refrain

12) The Yankee Flipper
The story of Black Jack McDowell, who gave 50,000 Yankees fans the finger as he left the mound for a rare early exit

13) The Closer
Discusses the life and mental makeup of the closer

Links:
Bugs & Cranks Interview: Steve Wynn of The Baseball Project
Music for people who love baseball. Or baseball for people who love music.

Thursday, June 19, 2008

Paybacks Are A.....

And we should know, eh? That was a nice win last night and a lift I'm sure the players and coaches needed. I liked what Melvin did with the first half of the lineup. Obviously, a win like this is an aberration as was the loss the night before. Games like these are certainly no indication of a team without being able to measure trends. The most we can hope for, and it's what I am going to do, is that this is the first step of a 12 step recovery program.

SHOTGUN!
I saw this gentleman interviewed on Channel 3 this morning. Josh Robbins left California on June 16th for a 27-day automobile trip to visit all 30 major league baseball parks. He'll be at Chase Field today to catch the game. You can follow him on his adventure through his blog at http://www.thirty27.com/.


Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Pretty Damn Low Yet, I'd Guess

The A's just went ahead of the D*Backs 8-0. We have now been outscored 28-7 in the past 4 games, and it's only the 5th inning.

And just in case the game HAD been worth watching I have to say this has been the most annoying baseball broadcast I have ever watched in my life. Fox Sports apparently decided the game tonight would take a backseat to some BS "behind the scenes" infomercial. So far we have seen the radio booth, the video booth, the scoreboard control room and the PA announcer at work. Pardon them while they cut away quickly to show the second pitch. Sorry, you missed the first one. What's next? A play by play in the clubhouse laundry room of how they wash the jock straps? Granted, watching the spin cycle might be much more interesting than what's going on the field tonight, but couldn't this have been done on Diamondbacks Live or something? What a stupid idea and proof that this organization is totally clueless - on the field and off.

How Low Can You Go?

DRIVIN' WITH YOUR EYES CLOSED
Okay, I'm calm. I know it's not even the All Star break. I know there is more than half a season of baseball left to play. But after going 1-2 in a home series against a team that came in with a record 16 games below .500 and being outscored in those 3 games 20-8...well, WTF? That was preceded by fairly lackluster performances against Milwaukee and Pittsburgh and a "I think we've turned the corner" series against the Mets (who just fired their manager today). It certainly won't get any easier this week with games against Oakland, Minnesota and Boston.

When do we hit bottom? When do we stop "scuffling"? When do we stop taking the proverbial one step forward, two steps back? When does this young, streaky team start delivering a string of good solid baseball games featuring a complete package of steady defense, timely hitting, and rock solid pitching from start to finish? Is that too much to freaking ask? How much comfort am I supposed to take in the fact that we cling to the division lead because every other team is playing even lousier ball than we are? How far will that get us against Philly or Chicago in a playoff series?


IT DON'T MEAN A THING (IF YOU AIN'T GOT THAT SWING)
Where is the spark? I'm hoping it's on the DL and will step up to re-ignite this team when it returns with hopefully a good pair of legs because this team and its fans are in danger of being weighed down by the anchor of apathy currently knotted around their necks. When Eric Byrnes comes off the DL Justin Upton should go down to Tucson to get his swing back. While they're at it, maybe they can get the kid an eye test. Is he seeing the ball at all? Because it looks to me like he's just guessing up there at most every pitch.

And then there is this: There is some concern that pitching ace Brandon Webb may be suffering from a "dead arm". That news alone should send every D*Backs fan to the corner drugstore for their Xanax refill.

No, it's too early to panic, but if current trends continue it may soon be too late. This team has not been playing like a championship team for the past several weeks. At some point there will be a critical juncture at which it will be determined if this team's true identity belongs to the Diamondbacks of April (19-8) or the Diamondbacks of May (11-17). Circumstances will require them to step up and prove what they are made of and no one will be able to accuse circumstances of being band wagoners, not filling the stands or not making enough signs.

I'M JUST GETTING STARTED
Please, I know the D*Backs strive to be different with their 6:40 weeknight start times but can we just ditch the 5:10 Saturday home starts? PLEASE??? This is Ari-freaking-zona. Even with the air conditioning the ballpark is noticeably less comfortable. What purpose does it serve other than to get the fans to trek downtown during the hottest part of the day and quench their thirst with $8 beers and $6 sodas? Oh, and while you're at it, might as well eat dinner, too, so grab yourself one of those $7 hamburgers. Seriously, what a blatant piece of marketing crap.

Do they really think we're that stupid? (Someone is gonna answer that, and I think I know what he's going to say.)

Thursday, June 12, 2008

Gonzo Backs McCain


This comes as no surprise. A story by the Miami Herald about what S. Florida athletes think about politics features former D*Backs left fielder Luis Gonzalez who says he will be backing Arizona senator John McCain for President.


Gonzo appeared at rallies with Bush and McCain in Arizona and is politically active overall, but he keeps his views out of the clubhouse unless somebody asks. ''It's a fine line we walk with politics,'' he said. ``As a ballplayer, as soon as you endorse somebody, there's someone there to ridicule you for stepping out. I think that's why guys are more tentative and careful than maybe they used to be.''

``But I'm definitely backing McCain, because I know him personally and he's a man with strong beliefs and values. He's been through the war. Been a POW. He's been in the background for so long, and it's time for him to step to the forefront.''

Gonzalez, who has campaigned for McCain previously, was appointed to the President's Council on Service and Civic Participation in 2003.

Monday, June 9, 2008

Larsen's Perfect Game

Oh my goodness. If I were anywhere near New York City on July 10th I would be SO there.

There will be a screening of the original TV broadcast of Don Larsen's Perfect game at BB King's Blues Club and Grill in NYC on July 10th.

Complete TV broadcasts of baseball games prior to use of video tape in the late 1960s are very rare because the networks didn’t save the films. Many have seen the highlight reel of Larsen striking out Dale Mitchell for the final out and Berra jumping into Larsen’s arms, but only one known copy of the game exists today. While the film has been preserved for over five decades it has been shown on very few occasions.

This will be the first time this historic game will be shown in New York City since the game was played.

http://www.reelsportsfan.com/larsenPerfectGame.aspx

Sunday, June 8, 2008

Chris Snyder Is Da Bomb!

Let's hear it for a late inning win! (crowd roars). Arizona was 0-5 this season in games in which they were tied after the 7th inning until catcher Chris Snyder's 9th inning home run against the Pirates yesterday. Brandon Lyon came in and pitched a scoreless 9th for his 14th save. I can dig it!

Thoughts: What about letting Conor Jackson (third baseman turned outfielder turned first baseman) play some outfield and have Chad Tracy play first while Eric Brynes is on the DL? And/or maybe bringing up Trot Nixon to see if he can help provide a little offense and some veteran leadership on the bench?

Thursday, June 5, 2008

Beautiful Disaster

Every year when our group of ticket holders gather to split up the season tickets the same games are the last to go: the interleague games (unless they are the Yankees or Red Sox) and the two pre-season games at Chase the end of March that the season tickets holders always get stuck with.

Speaking for my own little group of fans, interleague play is not something we get terribly excited about. I'm fairly certain in cities where natural rivalries exist (New York, Chicago and Los Angeles) or places where state pride is on the line (Texas, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Florida, Missouri) there is heightened interest. Major League Baseball schedules interleague play on weekends and during the months of May and June when baseball attendance is alway higher to begin with. In addition, major league clubs lure fans into seats during interleague play with free stuff. Every game during the Detroit series, as well as all three upcoming games against the Royals, have been scheduled as promotional or giveaway nights.

Which brings me to the point I'm finally getting at: I have tickets to the June 14 Royals game. I could have gotten tickets to the Tigers game which was unknowingly followed by a Trace Adkins concert. That would have been bad in this rock music lover's opinion. Such as it is, the Baseball Gods smiled on me because I recently found out that local band Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers will be following up the game. I have been a quasi-Roger Clyne fan since the days his first band, The Refreshments, got their start out of Tempe. Their current style of Southwest Americano tunes sometimes catches my ear, but I have yet to see them perform live.

Here is Roger and the band singing one of my favorite songs, "Beautiful Disaster", which I think describes the D*Backs season so far much better than "The D-Backs Swing".

So who will disappoint me more? The D*Backs or The Peacemakers?


Tuesday, June 3, 2008

Seeking: Anybody. Anytime. Please Apply Within.

Positions available:
3rd Base
Relief Pitcher
Clutch Hitter