Well, well, well.
A second straight baseball post. Does this have anything to do with the Packers 2 game losing streak? You be the judge.
I'm watching the Yankees vs. Rangers in the ALCS tonight. Once again the Rangers have managed to come back on the road vs. the mighty Yankees. This kind of reminds me of the '01 World Series against the Diamondbacks, but obviously not as dramatic. The Rangers have been the better team in every game but lead 2-1 due to one bad inning. It is the 8th now and the Rangers have a 4 run lead, and seem to be in command. Never count out the Yankees though.
Whenever I see Josh Hamilton play I am amazed. He was the 1st overall pick out of high school in 1999 and was expected to be a star. He got into trouble with drugs & alcohol in 2001 and next thing you know he was out of baseball. Now, all sports are hard, and baseball especially takes ability that is learned over time. You cannot just show up one day and be a stud. But in 2007 after he got is life on track he came back to the Big Leagues through the Rule 5 draft (little known draft where players can be taken by another team if they have yet to reach the majors after their rights with their original team have expired... boring stuff blah blah blah). Next thing you know he is a .300 hitter with power who can drive in runs. He gets traded to the Rangers from the Reds for a stud pitcher and is in the All Star game next thing you know. His career stats are .311 BA, 93 HR, and 331 RBI. If he plays at a productive level until he is 40 he is a potential HOFer and could be a .300/400HR/1500 RBI kind of guy which is extremely rare (look it up, it is).
Roy Hobbs was a fictional character in a movie from the 80s (forget about the book where he strikes out at the end...) set in the 30s. But are we seeing the modern day real deal in Josh Hamilton...
THE NATURAL
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Baseball
I just finished watching Ken Burns' part one of the "Tenth Inning" the continuation of his famous 9 Inning "Baseball" documentary that was originally broadcast during the strike in 1994.
The original series is fabulous. Ken Burns considers it a continuation of American History after his "Civil War" documentary. It is true that you can follow American history from the mid 1800s on through baseball. It was interesting for me to watch this episode though because I was alive during the period it covers. I was not a big baseball fan as a child. Football (and the Packers) were the focus in the fall. I also loved basketball for the fall/winter. I shot hoops in the driveway by myself and with friends year round. Golf took over as the sport I really liked to play in the spring and summer. Baseball was just not my thing, but like most people I specifically remember watching 2 things in the mid nineties. Cal Ripken's 2131st straight game and Mark McGwire's 62nd home run.
I have always heard that the strike almost "killed" baseball. But to see everything that went into its development, and the aftermath when the 1995 season opened was something new for me. I never realized that attendance was down 20%, and fans were booing their stars, especially the ones that were MLBPA reps (i.e. Tom Glavine). The Yankees weren't even good yet. The Expos were. Bonds was skinny. And Ripken was the new iron man. And sports fans, as usual have a short memory. Viking fans embrace Brett Favre 1 year after despising him. Everyone hates Tiger now. You're either the greatest, or the worst. Cal Ripken was the greatest, and we loved it. Then Big Mac & Sammy Sosa came along in 98 and blew us all away. As a kid you are not thinking about steroids, and all of that. Especially for me as a big football fan seeing big bodied athletes is not unusual. Steroids were not banned at the time; a lot of times they were even sold over the counter as "supplements."
We all know what happened in the next 5 years. Bonds went on to hit 73, and for some reason that (not the 70 McGwire hit or guys like Clemens pitching well into their 40s) made us really think something was going on.
Unfortunately I'm a spaz and forgot to record the "Bottom of the Tenth" but I see that PBS is replaying it on November 15th. Until then I will not know what happened in baseball from 1998-2010.
The original series is fabulous. Ken Burns considers it a continuation of American History after his "Civil War" documentary. It is true that you can follow American history from the mid 1800s on through baseball. It was interesting for me to watch this episode though because I was alive during the period it covers. I was not a big baseball fan as a child. Football (and the Packers) were the focus in the fall. I also loved basketball for the fall/winter. I shot hoops in the driveway by myself and with friends year round. Golf took over as the sport I really liked to play in the spring and summer. Baseball was just not my thing, but like most people I specifically remember watching 2 things in the mid nineties. Cal Ripken's 2131st straight game and Mark McGwire's 62nd home run.
I have always heard that the strike almost "killed" baseball. But to see everything that went into its development, and the aftermath when the 1995 season opened was something new for me. I never realized that attendance was down 20%, and fans were booing their stars, especially the ones that were MLBPA reps (i.e. Tom Glavine). The Yankees weren't even good yet. The Expos were. Bonds was skinny. And Ripken was the new iron man. And sports fans, as usual have a short memory. Viking fans embrace Brett Favre 1 year after despising him. Everyone hates Tiger now. You're either the greatest, or the worst. Cal Ripken was the greatest, and we loved it. Then Big Mac & Sammy Sosa came along in 98 and blew us all away. As a kid you are not thinking about steroids, and all of that. Especially for me as a big football fan seeing big bodied athletes is not unusual. Steroids were not banned at the time; a lot of times they were even sold over the counter as "supplements."
We all know what happened in the next 5 years. Bonds went on to hit 73, and for some reason that (not the 70 McGwire hit or guys like Clemens pitching well into their 40s) made us really think something was going on.
Unfortunately I'm a spaz and forgot to record the "Bottom of the Tenth" but I see that PBS is replaying it on November 15th. Until then I will not know what happened in baseball from 1998-2010.
Monday, October 11, 2010
Columbus Day
Is today really a Holiday?
Anyways it is Columbus Day (or Thanksgiving for our Canadian friends, eh). We're in the midst of the MLB Playoffs and a month into the NFL season. I guess if I'm going to get going on this sports blog now's the time.
Favre and Moss are together at last in Minnesota. Who would have ever thought that Favre would be the controversy in this game with all the texting allegations, etc? Moss's ramming a parking meter maid with his SUV seems tame right about now.
I don't really care for the SF Giants much, but I realized I should cheer for them to make the World Series so I can go to a game. I'm sure I can work it out with my job. Some kind of business "meeting."
Anyways, this is just an introductory fluffy post, the content of this blog is intended to be opinion on pro football throughout the season, but with the Packers loss yesterday I am not that motivated to analyze that game...
Follow me on Twitter @Boucher1982 or @FBNOW
Anyways it is Columbus Day (or Thanksgiving for our Canadian friends, eh). We're in the midst of the MLB Playoffs and a month into the NFL season. I guess if I'm going to get going on this sports blog now's the time.
Favre and Moss are together at last in Minnesota. Who would have ever thought that Favre would be the controversy in this game with all the texting allegations, etc? Moss's ramming a parking meter maid with his SUV seems tame right about now.
I don't really care for the SF Giants much, but I realized I should cheer for them to make the World Series so I can go to a game. I'm sure I can work it out with my job. Some kind of business "meeting."
Anyways, this is just an introductory fluffy post, the content of this blog is intended to be opinion on pro football throughout the season, but with the Packers loss yesterday I am not that motivated to analyze that game...
Follow me on Twitter @Boucher1982 or @FBNOW
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