Joe Carter, Kirby Puckett, Ozzie Smith, Kirk Gibson...  WoW!!!

I don't know if I could pick my greatest memory...  Can you??? 

Oh wait, that was the first line of a column that I had ready for when the Cubs beat the Dodgers.  Looks like I did my part to keep the jinx alive.  Oh well Cubs fans, there's always next... Century.

(Chad here - Anything you see in parenthesis is me.  By the way Justin - I hate you...)

Since the Yankees decided to not make the playoffs this year (because they suck and they're damned to hell) I am left rooting for any team that the Red Sox are playing.   The fact that Boston is going up against one of the most exciting teams in recent baseball history just adds to my excitement.   The (low-budget, Yankee subsidized) Rays are certainly unproven, but they are a team loaded with talented pitching and great athletes in the field.

Let's break this series down into three parts.

1. The Manny Factor-  You just know there's going to be a moment in this series where the Red Sox wished they had Manny Ramirez over Jason Bay.  It's going to be sometime late in one of the games and Bay is going to swing at a first pitch breaking ball, ground into a double play, and crush the hearts of Boston fans everywhere.  Oh I can't wait for that sweet moment when the Red Sox realize that they traded Manny one year too soon (better too soon than too late).

Speaking of Manny Ramirez, the Sports Guy wrote a fantastic column about a week ago, thoroughly recapping into the events that transpired leading up to the Manny trade.

2.  A Pitchers Duel - Here are your probable match-ups for this series

Dice-K vs. James Shields

Both pitchers exceeded expectations this year, but it's Matsuzaka (a.ka. The Walk-a-thon.  Basically - the Red Sox invested $120 million into some Japanese charity...) who has the advantage when it comes to pitching in high pressure situations.  Of course Dice wasn't all that great last year going 2-1 in four games and boasting an ERA of over five.   Matsuzaka is nothing if not a work horse, he'll get you into the seventh or eight inning of a game (no he won't J - he only pitched seven innings in eight out of 29 starts this year), even if it means he has to throw 130 pitches to do so.  Shields has only pitched one postseason game in his career, a win against the White Sox last week, but he gave up three runs in six innings along the way.  Shields will be pitching at home, where his ERA is two points lower (2.59) than it was on the road (4.82), but he's playing a team that can make even the best pitchers struggle.  To compound the problem for the Rays, Dice has a 2.37 road ERA this year. (I think the Red Sox completely bombed on this playoff rotation.  It should be Beckett #1 - no matter if he's 100% or not.  Lester should be #2 because he's pitching so incredibly.  And they should flat out shoot Daisuke, because "The Pitching Machine That Can't Find The Strikezone" will walk atleast an average of four per ALCS start).

Advantage: Red Sox (Rays)

Josh Beckett vs. Scott Kazmir

Beckett was a monster in last year's playoffs (and every playoffs he's ever pitched in) but a strained oblique has brought him back down to Earth.   Beckett gave up a double to Chone Figgins on his first pitch against the Angels Sunday, and things did not improve much as the Red Sox ended up losing 5-4.   Scott Kazmir can pitch brilliantly at time, but you never know how many innings you are going to get out of him (He's Daisuke South).  If the the Rays can get to Beckett early than Kazmir will have a great chance to pick up a win against one of the best postseason pitchers of this era.

Advantage: Rays (Red Sox)

Jon Lester vs. Matt Garza

Lester is the kind of pitcher that can win your team a championship (especially when he's pitching lights out like he is right now).  He pitched 14 innings against the Angels and gave up zero earned runs and struck out eleven; that's the kind of production that saves your bullpen and takes pressure off your offense.   Garza has been strong for the Rays all year, winning 11 games and having an ERA of 3.70, but he struggled against the White Sox, giving up five earned runs in just six innings.  Garza struggled in his only appearance at Fenway this year, giving up five earned runs in just five innings of work.   Things do not bode well for the Rays in this match-up (agreed).

Advantage: Red Sox (Red Sox)

Tim Wakefield vs. Andy Sonnanstine

This match-up is subject to change if either team finds themselves in a 3-0 hole, but odds are this is going to be the game four duo.  Wakefield definitely has the advantage in post season experience in this one. Wake has pitched in 17 postseason games, started ten games and has won five with an ERA that is over six.  That ERA is a bit high, but the Red Sox will leave Wakefield in as long as it takes [even if he is losing} in order to save their bullpen (not in game four they wont).  Wakefield, at times, is the sacrificial lamb.  Sonnanstine pitched decently against the White Sox, but he is someone who is more likely to give you five innings than seven or eight (if we're going to play the bullpen game, then give me the Rays - who have four of the best releivers in the AL this year).  Wakefield could be the wild card in this series; if his knuckleball is on he's almost impossible to hit, if it's not on than the Rays will crush him.

Advatnage: Draw (Rays)

3. History's Darlings -This will be the point where Chad writes something snarky about the Cubs being the ones that should have been the breakthrough team this year (are you freakin' nuts?), but there's something to be said about a team that has been the cellar dweller in the AL East for years all of a sudden rising up to face their most bitter rival in the ALCS.  Remember that game during the regular season where Coco Crisp got into a fight with James Shields and ended up getting pummeled by the whole Rays team while the Red Sox sat and watched?   Say what you want about the Rays not having the experience, but they are not afraid of the Sox whatsoever.  When I'm trying to predict a close series like this I always take into account what would make the better story, like the Red Sox in 2004 or the Celtics last year... God I hate Boston.   Well the Rays are the best story left in these playoffs, so they have that going for them... which is nice.

4. Wild Card- David Ortiz can pretty much win a series on the strength of his bat alone, and as I've seen in "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia" the wild card is not to be taken lightly (this link is hilarious - check it out).

As much as it pains me to me say, I'm going to pick the Red Sox to win this series (I'll take the Rays, plus the points.  Wait, I'm not getting points here?  What the hell kind of cruel world are we living in?), but be rooting for the Rays to do the improbable.    Let's just move on to the NLCS before I get upset.  The Los Angeles Dodgers will be taking on the Philadelphia Phillies in what should be an interesting series, but I'll be honest, I really have no interest in who wins.  But in the sake of fairness, let's breakdown this series given the criteria I set above.

1. The Manny Factor- For basically the same reason I stated above, Manny Ramirez will be a force in this series.  Ramirez went 5-10 and hit two homers against a very good Cubs team, and history has shown that Ramirez loves the big stage.  I would not be suprised if Manny has at least two extra base hits that define what happens in this series.  Suck on that Boston. (Won't happen.  From what I hear, Manny is going to get the tower buzzed a couple of times to get him riled up.  If it works - he gets psyched out.  If it doesn't, they punt - and pitch to Ethier or Loney behind him).

2. A Pitching... Duel?

Derek Lowe vs. Cole Hamels

Here's yet another example of a crafty veteran facing off against a young fireballer.  Lowe hasn't lost a postseason start since 2003, and this year he won his start against the Cubs, but was only able to pitch six innings.   Hamels is the Phillies ace, and he'll have to pitch like one if Philly wants to keep their home field advantage.  Hamels is the kind of pitcher you like to have in the playoffs, he has nasty stuff (a changeup that could be the filthies pitch in the majors.  See grip ---->) and can pitch deep into a game if need be.  I think this will be a good match-up but in this case I am going to go with youth over experience.

Advantage: Hamels (Hamels)

Chad Billingsley vs. Brett Myers

Billingsley pitched great against the Cubs giving up one run and striking out seven in six and two-thirds innings.  Myers also pitched well in his first start of this postseason, going seven innings and only giving up two runs to the Brewers (tougher offense to face last week = Brewers).  This one is too close to call but I'm going to go with the pitcher who hasn't been convicted of hitting his wife (but if he hit his wife, that means he's unafraid of Manny).

Advantage: Billingsley (Myers)

Hiroki Kuroda vs. Jamie Moyer

This is where you see the biggest difference between the AL and NL.  These two teams are just not that deep at starting pitcher.   Despite being in the MLB for the last 22 years Jamie Moyer has only has six postseason starts, but he does have a 2.67 ERA in those starts.  This will be Kuroda's second postseason start ever, which kind of worries me given the size of the stage he will be pitching on.  It's easier for me to imagine Moyer having a solid game than Kuroda (agreed - Moyer just feels right in this case.  Despite the fact that he's 45).

Advantage: Moyer (Moyer)

? vs. ?

We won't know who is starting game four until we get through the first three games.   Will we see Greg Maddux in game four for the Dodgers, or rookie Clayton Kershaw (Going to be Maddux - 95% sure)?   Who will the Phillies throw out there?  (Joe Blanton) Only time will tell.

Advantage: Draw (Blanton)

3. Histories Darlings -The Dodgers are one of baseball's most storied franchises.   You can't think about baseball without thinking about Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier or Kirk Gibson's magical home run in the 1988 World Series.  Plus, I can't think of a better scenario than Manny Ramirez returning to Fenway Park in Dodger Blue for the World Series (this would be must-see TV!).  Although this would create a nightmare scenario in which I actually have to root for Manny Ramirez.  Oh what a strange world we live in.

4. Wild Card- Jonathon Broxton has gone from being the best set-up man in baseball to one of it's most feared closers.  He'll be the guy shutting the door on the Phillies after Manny does his thing.  I'm telling you, Manny Ramirez is going to carry the Dodgers into the Series.  It's going to happen. (Lies - all lies!!)

Sorry Phillies fans, but the World Series is not going back to Philly (He's right - the Rays are going to win it all)...

1)Old Tiger Stadium or the new one?

2)Kirk Gibson or Magglio Ordonez?

3)Day or night baseball?

Go HERE to read her responses.  Although her writings are not for the faint of heart. Although she is a Tiger forever, she can have the vocabulary of Ozzie Guillen...lol.

When you saw the scan of the cards I purchased you may have been a little puzzled as to why I would purchase such a diverse group of players.  These guys share little in common.  There is no player theme to be found.  There is no team theme to be found.

On the contrary my friends...  First off, all of these guys starred for their teams in the 80's.  But the main thing that these 9 former players have in common is that each of them is affiliated with a MLB team today in some way or another.  Some are hitting coaches, bench managers, broadcasters, or special assistants. 

What I want to do is go back to trying something I was successful with 15+ years ago.  I am going to mail these former stars a letter asking for an autograph.  I'll enclose a self-addressed stamped envelope too so they can just sign the card and return it to me.  Hopefully this works out well and I will update you as soon as the mail starts flowing back in my direction.

Everything will be out in the mail tomorrow.  I did this in kid of a rush as I wanted these to get to these former players before the season was over just in case any of them take their mail home during the off-season.

A special 'Thank You' goes out to Dinged Corners as their blog provides you with almost all of the info you would need to take on something like this.

The parking lot was pretty empty but the store was packed.  It was a little after 4PM and the store was full of young teenage boys gathered around table after table playing with these Japanese Anime cards.  I would estimate that 80% of the merchandise inside was of this same kind of product.   The remainder was supplies and a small assortment of baseball cards. 

Is this a true reflection of what my beloved pastime has transitioned to?  I am all for kids using their imagination, but part of the fun of sports and sports card collecting is trying to emulate what your faorite players do on the field.

Anyway, I went to the store for 2 things.  (1)Storage and (2)to see what kinds of cards they had from the 80's.  All of my previous purchases have been through Ebay to this point so I was eager to see what they had.  The display cases were nice and certainly contained cards that would be recognizable to most collectors.  But, I was not overwhelmed with the selection and will probably use Ebay as my primary source for cards in the future. 

I spent a total of $3.75 on 9 cards.  I'm not going to keep them in business with my purchase, but it doesn't really seem like they are interested in making money selling baseball cards either.  Here's what I picked up:

More on why I selected these cards later...  stay tuned for that post!

At the register, they had some Marlins cards and that's when I saw this Cameron Maybin card so I picked it up too.

I don't know if it was that his hat was perfectly curved to sit just above his eyes.  Maybe it was that when he held his glove in front of his face all he let you see were his eyes.  I don't know for sure, but I can tell you that as a 13-year old kid I was scared.  I had never seen so much focus in all of my life.  To feel all of that emotions while looking into someone's eyes is an emotion from that World Series that I will never forget. 

As a batter facing Stewart, I don't know how you couldn't be intimidated.  I can compare his fierce stare to that of someone playing football and seeing Lawrence Taylor lined up against him.  He is the lion and you are his prey.  All of his attention is on you and he is not going to lose sight of you until you are destroyed.

In what was an unforgettable World Series with baseball's superstars on display, it was the stare and focus of Dave Stewart that remains my greatest memories from 1988's fall classic. 

10: Sarah Conner and the Terminator (Terminator 2: Judgment Day, 1991). In just regular old The Terminator, the Terminator is sent back in time to kill Sarah Conner, mother-to-be of future human freedom-fighter-to-be John Conner. Well, turns out in T2, John Conner from the future steals a Terminator, changes its programing and sends it back in the past (present) to protect his mother and himself when he was a wee teenage shit. Sarah bugs out when she sees the Terminator again, but after it proves itself, she changes her tune. No robo-sex though.

9: Rocky Balboa and Apollo Creed (Rocky III, 1982). Through the first two (of what, seven now?) Rocky movies, Balboa and Creed beat each other up a bunch. Eddie Murphy liked to make jokes about how it made Italians think they could knock out black dudes. However, in Rocky III, when Clubber Lang defeats Rocky for the title and curmudgeonly trainer Mick dies, Rocky is left with no choice but to let his former arch-nemesis, Apollo Creed, train him in advance of another fight with Lang. RD thinks Stallone just made this movie so people would stop call him a racist. See, Rocky's cool. He's got black friends.

8: The Old Man and the Sea (The Old Man and The Sea, Ernest Hemingway). Santiago, a poor, aging fisherman hasn't landed a fish for 84 days. On the 85th day, he snares the largest marlin he's ever caught, and spends the next three days wrestling the lines to keep the fish hooked. And then sharks come and eat the damn thing. Poor guy. However, when he recovers from the ordeal back on land, he is reinvigorated by the hunt and his renewed bond with the sea and his "brother" fish. The old man also functions as a Jesus archetype, which is probably pretty cool.

7: Kirk Gibson and his legs, 1988 World Series, Game 1. Both of Gibson's legs were hosed and he could barely walk. He also had a stomach virus. In the final out of the 9th inning, he was called up to pinch hit against Dennis Eckersley, the best relief pitcher of his era. Gibson worked himself into a full count before muscling a backdoor slider over the wall, driving in the tying run and posting the winning run himself. He famously did the sweet 80s "Yes!" fist pump as he hobbled around the bases.

6: Russia and Alexandr Solzhenitsyn. Solzhenitsyn, who recently passed, was one of the prize literary minds of the Soviet era, most famous for his books A Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, and The Gulag Archipelago, both terrifying real-life-inspired (or just real-life) accounts of life in Soviet labor prisons. Solzhenitsyn himself was imprisoned in such a camp for a decade following WWII. Despite being a decorated front-line soldier, Solzy was arrested for writing not-so-nice things about Joseph Stalin in a letter to a friend. Then in the 1970s, after a decade or so of internal exile, he was deported from the USSR. In 1990, his Russian citizenship was restored and he returned and continued to write, although his writings were very critical of the "new Russia," and nostalgic for the Soviet system. So, no hard feelings, I guess.

5: Holden Caulfield and life (The Catcher In The Rye, J.D. Salinger). Holden Caulfield doesn't like stuff. He's a disaffected youth and jaded beyond his years. He's been kicked out of prep-school, and the 'rents just don't understand him, man. He calls everyone a "phoney." Then he watches his sister on a merry-go-round and almost cries. Author Salinger pretty much invents teenage angst in this book, and all you little wieners should read it and take a lesson from ol' Holden. You just gotta hug it out. With everything.

4: Werner Herzog and Klaus Kinksi (repeatedly, over many years and through several alleged attempted murders). The films they made together are what made them famous, but their relationship was notoriously strained. During the making of the first film in which Herzog directed Kinski, Aguirre: Wrath of God, Herzog would intentionally infuriate Kinski, wait for the enraged crazyperson actor to calm down, and then roll film, all in an attempt to get a smoldering, intense performance. When Kinski threatened to abandon the film, Herzog threatened to shoot him. The pair continued to work together on four other films through the years, with the same bizarre hatred and appreciation. Herzog: "We had mutual respect for each other, even as we both planned each other's murder." At one point, Herzog reportedly drove to Kinski's home intent on fire-bombing it with a Molotov cocktail, but changed his mind at the last minute.

3. Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader (The Return of the Jedi, 1983).

Luke Skywalker: Help, Dad. The evil Emperor is killing me with finger-lightening.

Darth Vader: Kssshhhk. No. Sorry. I'm evil. Ksshhhhk.

LS: I bet you're not so bad.

DV: Maybe. Shhhssthh.

LS: Please? This really hurts.

DV: Ksshhhhk. Hhhhccchhh. Fine. But this is the last time I bail you out. You're too old for this. Ksshhhhk.

Luke then cradles his dying fatherbot. Vader pulls away his life-support mask and reveals that he is not James Earl Jones at all. The end.

2: Rick Blaine and Captain Renault (Casablanca, 1942). The absolute pinnacle of cinematic makin' up. Captain Renault, head of police in formerly-French-currently-German occupied Casablanca has it in for American ex-pat Rick Blaine, suspecting Blaine of getting mixed up with fugitives escaped from a Nazi prison camp. Blaine reluctantly agrees to help the fugitives since, you know, he used to bang one of them back in Paris. Renault haunts him all the way, threatening to uncover his zany plot to get the fugitives on a plane and out of German-controlled territory. In the end, though, Renault has a change of heart and helps Blaine make his own escape from the clutches of those nosy Nazis. Then they wander off together after dumping a bunch of bottled water on the floor of an airplane hangar.

The movie is much better than my version, I promise.

No, for real.

1: Romans and Christians. The single largest hug it out in the history of humankind. Official state-sponsored persecution of Christians at the hands of the Romans began with everybody's favorite emperor, Nero, in 64 AD. He even killed the big guys, like Saints Peter and Paul. This continued until 313 when Emperor Constantine famously legalized the religion before becoming a practitioner himself. From that day forward, Rome has been the political and cultural center of organized Christianity. In the span of less than 200 years, the Romans went from feeding Christians to lions, to housing Popes. In fact, the two got along so well that Christians adopted many of the Romans' favorite persecution techniques, and gladly shared the knowledge with the rest of the world, in hopes of making even more friends.

Honorable mention: Orson Welles and his self-respect; Germans and Europe; the writers of Running Downhill after a fall out over German electronic rock from the late 1970s; Muslims and Jews...oh wait.

What was I thinking?

I watched the Braves accumulate a 9-3 lead after an offensive revival of epic proportions. For the third game in a row our anemic bats were looking very much alive. After an inning that made me feel good to be a Braves fan, and good to be alive, I just knew everything was going our way. We were getting to Hammels, rattling him to the point that an errant throw plated yet another run before Teixeira added on to the pounding with his continued dominance. 

I admit it, I was confident. Maybe overly so. It was in the bag to me. I even said halfway through, "This is the game I've been waiting for all year". All we had to do was put it away. I thought for sure this is our turning point. Even the irony of Hard Luck Hampton on the mound in line to get his first 2008 win seemed suiting to me. We had a chance to kick the Phils while they were down and kick them hard. All we had to do was hold a 6 run lead for 4 1/2 and then jump to within 5.5 games back. 

I guess it was too much to ask. Our turning point got carried out into the street and executed in broad daylight.

I've been teetering for some time on giving up on this season and dashing all my hopes on the Rocks of Suckititude. And then they win 2 of 3 in Miami, destroy the Phils on Friday night and produce a nine run fourth. I begin to believe, maybe naively so, that  "We're back". 

But oh my foolish heart. Why hast thou trusted such a fickle mistress? 

But why? Why do I look more eagerly for opportunities to believe rather than chances to throw in the towel and just hate my team for toying with me so? Because that's baseball and anything can happen. I want to look for turning points. I search for them. And any true fan is anxiously awaiting the moment the miracle happens. That's what makes baseball so beautiful.

I want to be there. I want to be watching when the chips are down, our backs are to the wall, and see firsthand the most unlikely comeback finally pieced together. And I want to believe and I tend to really think that my faith will bring about that miracle. If I  pray the right prayer to the baseball gods they will stoop down and impart their favor upon my Braves bless them with supernatural ability to overcome the hole they've dug. 

I want so desperately to see the next Kirk Gibson homer, another Francisco Cabrera moment, the amazing 21-1 finish. I want to see the reincarnated 1914 Miracle Braves- 11.5 games out of first on July 15th come back and win the World Series. And just when I think the planets align, the timing is right, and I've tuned in at the right moment... it just wasn't right.

It's like falling in love. But perhaps like true love, maybe it will come when I stop looking for it.

Some of us are looking for love around every corner and I guess that's me. I see something as incredible as yesterday's fourth inning and hear wedding bells ring. But alas, it is not so. 

So today's rubber game starts in about an hour and 20 minutes. We send Jorge Campillo, who was brilliant in his last start in Florida- a two hit, seven inning shutout that equaled his fifth win- to face the newly acquired Joe Blanton. The Phreshest Phillie is 5-12 with a 5.08 ERA for 2008.

Yes yesterday was devastating but it's over and today is a chance to get a series win in Citizens Bank Park. Despite the disastrous bullpen performance yesterday, our starting pitching as of late has been a breath of fresh air and the bats have produced 26 runs in three games. Let's see if Campillo can do it again and despite all things, a fourth day in a row of 8+ runs scored would really be exceptional. 

I guess I'm still holding on to glimmers of hope until we're really just truly and completely out of this thing. Because as a much wiser man than me once said "There's one word that says it all in America. And that word is 'you never know'." 

Ain't it the truth. So even if you don't feel like it... 

Keep Choppin

Kirby Puckett famously circled the bases with a fist in the air after hitting a 12^th-inning homer in Game 6 of the 1991 World Series. Puckett's homer helped the Twins stave off elimination and force a Game 7 against the Braves that might be the greatest game ever played.

What about Kirk Gibson's histrionics after launching a walk-off piece off Dennis Eckersley in Game 1 of the 1988 World Series? It was as if Gibson were limping around the bases and pretending to start a phantom lawnmower all at the same time.

And of Reggie Cadillac-ed every home run he ever hit - whether in the World Series or the regular season. Reggie also had that distinctive home run trot in which he usually adjusted his wire-framed glasses with a push of his index finger to settle the frames back onto the bridge of his nose.

Who would have ever thought a guy adjusting his glasses could ever be so cool?

Nevertheless, when we were kids we loved all of these shows. Sure, Reggie was a player fans loved to hate - mostly because he was a Yankee - and Garvey seemed to grate on folks, too. But who didn't like watching ballplayers rise to the occasion? Who didn't like a show?

Better yet, who doesn't like to watch people have fun? Baseball is supposed to be fun, right?

So when Jose Reyes ran the bases with one finger raised following his game-winning, three-run blast off Ryan Madson last night at Shea Stadium, the hand wringing was inevitable. You just knew it was coming. A showboat like Reyes running the bases like he was excited about hitting a homer in a key spot...

For shame!

Reyes is a showboat whose antics irk even his teammates, some blathered. He's unprofessional, others said. Perhaps he should be plunked with a pitch the next time he comes to the plate for "showing up" the Phillies.

Yeah, he was showing up the Phillies by trying to hit a home run. Maybe he should have struck out, gently replaced his bat and helmet in their proper receptacles, poured himself a cool drink from the corporately licensed barrel and found a comfortable seat in the dugout.

After all, Ryan Howard, Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley never do anything showy when they hit home runs. They are the models of professional decorum when they circle the bases...

Come off it!

Then again, the self-righteous blatherings from us media types are part of the show, too. We're all actors in the same game only they jocks like to pretend they are just modest athletes trying to make a living, and the press likes to pretend it is above it all and is merely a conduit to the fans.

Insert sarcastic comment here.

Look, Reyes' act is clownish and a little embarrassing with the array of dance steps, ridiculous handshakes and other juvenile sideshows. But really, who cares? He's a baseball player getting paid a lot of money to play a game. If Reyes had an important job maybe the jitterbug routine would be offensive, but he doesn't. Baseball players are entertainers.

Most people get this. In fact, no one in Philadelphia seems to mind when Ryan Howard and Jimmy Rollins pull off their tributes to Reggie whenever they really get a hold of one. Heck, even Utley's speedy dash around the bases is a type of showboating. After all, sometimes no style is, indeed, style. Truth be told, I'm surprised Rollins doesn't ratchet up the theatrics to an Ozzie Smith-level of hotdogging with the flips and other stuff.

Better yet, maybe Rollins could do a series of cartwheels around the bases after a home run. Why not? I've seen it before. After a particularly meaningful home run in a wiffle ball game at the ol' backyard diamond on Wilson Drive, my friend John performed a cartwheel as he reached each base. The cool thing about this "trot" was that even as a high schooler (as John was at the time) he was still quite a bit bigger than Jimmy Rollins. So to see a young man like John able to pull off these acrobatics was a sight to behold.

Sure, it was a bit over the top, but it was a really big home run. Still, if Rollins doesn't want to do the cartwheels, maybe we can settle for an interpretive dance or something.

Still, the old-school baseball establishment will continue to look down on fun of any kind because it is "disrespectful" to the game and "shows up" the opposition. Never mind that these are the same people that are descendents of baseball's other traditions such as an industry-wide ban on players of specific races... don't get these same folks started up on Sabremetrics.

Yeah, baseball has (and had) bigger problems than whether or not Jose Reyes enjoys hitting home runs. Heaven forbid if someone enjoys their job.

If the year was 1990 I would have been the happiest 10-year old on the planet. First off, I got my Players of the Decade Jose Canseco I was looking for and a Ryne Sandberg from the set to boot. I also got veteran base cards of Hall of Famers George Brett and Ozzie Smith. I pulled a very White Sox Cards-friendly Carlton Fisk and a Kirk Gibson I could have used last night.

I also got two 'Soaring Stars' inserts which I love. That Larry Walker card was probably hot Sh%$ when he was hitting 45 home runs with a .370 avg. in the mid-90's. Today, it probably sells for less than .50 cents. As far as the Scott Coolbaugh and his Mickey Tettleton stance, he is the definition of a Major League bust. Although his M.L.B career ended in 1994 at just 28 years of age, he actually played in the Minors up until 1999 when he finally called it a career at 33 years of age.

Now, does anyone have any clue at the odds of pulling the 'Soaring Stars' inserts? 1:8 maybe?

Full Scan? CLICK HERE!

Until next time....

YAY! WINNER!!!! :)

Logan Kensing and Scott Olsen signing prior to game time

I've never seen Scott looking so pleasant.

KC from "KC and the Sunshine Band" just randomly walking by.

I'm still pretty happy despite everything.

Mike Jacobs "backstage". That is one BIG mofo!

The army of Mermaids!

Benito Santiago and Eric Byrnes.

Benito and I. :)

KC and I. :)

In the Marlins office

Andrew Miller. He is totally the man. Coolest Marlin!

Tom Candiatti and I :)

Micah Owings and I!! :)
Definitely an awesome dude!

Kirk Gibson and I :)
Scary dude, but very cool!

Ricky Nolasco - Waved

The Marlins are separated from Arizona. We only see them when they drive out, while the visiting team parks outside by where the fans wait.

Arizona Diamondbacks

Kirk Gibson - Signed for five minutes, posed for ONE photo

Tom Candiotti - Signed and posed for one photo

Micah Owings - Signed and posed for many photos (est. 10 minutes)

Orlando Hudson - Waved

Dan Haren - M.I.A

Randy Johnson - M.I.A

Stephen Drew - ignored the fans

Last night we went to the Diamondbacks vs. Marlins game (pictures coming soon) with the sole purpose of seeing Mr. World Series hero, Kirk Gibson. After the devastating game in which Andrew Miller got rocked, Dan Uggla left injured, and the Marlins ultimately lost, the night almost came to an abrupt end when idiot autograph hounds pissed off Mr. Gibson.

As usual we were the first to arrive to the back of the stadium by the team buses, followed by a group of teenagers none older than 18. When the game ended a mob of autograph seekers showed up, close to 50 of them and since we had the prime spots taken, they ended up behind us.

Micah Owens, Tom Candiotti, and many Diamondbacks players signed (photos coming soon) BUT when Gibson showed up in his Porn Mustache all hell broke loose. Tatiana, myself, and the group of kids were being hit left and right by clipboards, people were shoving and pushing, and Tatiana's feet were getting trampled which caused me to push people off her. The night was a disaster.

After about 5 minutes of signing Tom Candiotti left upset and Kirk Gibson gave three warnings to the crowd to stop pushing until he finally turned around and headed for his bus, missing the photo-op with the Infamous Tatiana. Thankfully, our angel and best friend at Dolphin Stadium, "Mitch" saved our asses when he walked over to Gibson and whispered a few words to him.

The next thing I remember is Kirk walking up to us and posing with Tatiana. You will get to see all those photos in a couple of hours.

"Tiger Woods is an idiot. A mesmerizing, peerless, incandescent idiot.  If he'd used his head at all, he would never have entered the U.S. Open last week ...."

The only idiot in this piece is Gwen Knapp, whose prose is neither mesmerizing nor incandescent, though she is peerless in her lack of understanding of what makes a great athlete.  Tiger's victory in this Open was an inspirational example of courage in the face of adversity, a concept Miss Knapp is obviously incapable of comprehending.

With this performance, Tiger joined a small group of extraordinary athletes, exemplified by San Diego Charger Kellen Winslow against the Dolphins in the 1981 NFL playoffs ... LA Dodger Kirk Gibson in the 1989 World Series ... Mary Lou Retton in the 1984 Olympics ... New York Knick Willis Reed against the Lakers in the 1970 NBA Championship game ... and the Boston Red Sox' Curt Schilling against the Yankees in game 6 of the 2004 ALCS.

The stuff of legend.  If Tiger never takes another swing, this exceptional win will be the exclamation mark at the end of his amazing career.

Knapp's entire column can be viewed on the SFGate.com website at:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/06/19/MNBG11B9JP.DTL

For another view of Tiger's win ... in a Chronicle of another persuasion (the Houston variety), see:

http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl?id=2008_4586818

In this column, a sportwriter ... Jerome Solomon ... who understands and appreciates the significance of Tiger's accomplishment, offers his perspective, which starts with the question ... "How special was Tiger Woods' victory at the U.S. Open on an injured knee and bum leg?"

Solomon answers his own question ... "With all he had going on - at the most difficult tournament of the year, on the longest course in major-tournament history - Woods was like a one-legged-man in a you-know-what kicking contest. And he still kicked everybody's you know what."

And concludes:  "... if you're really curious about how special Tiger's performance was - tear your ACL, then continually twist your body around with the force that comes to a locked left knee on a golf swing that generates more than 130-mph clubhead speed.  Or forget the ligament. Just have someone hit you in the shin with a bat every so often - for five days.  Actually, save yourself the pain and accept that this ranks among the great "injured athlete" performances of all time. "

Yes, Mr. Solomon ... and Miss Knapp ... it surely does.

Having just started watching baseball seriously, Tatiana has never had the opportuinity to see Jose Canseco during his prime: a beautiful yet deadly, muscle-bound moster with a swing so powerful that if it connected, could drive the ball 600-feet.

I begged Tatiana to watch simply for the Canseco footage but when the end of the show neared I could see she was addicted to every second of the show, for she did not know the outcome unlike the rest of us. By the end, when Gibson hit hit home run and wobbled around the bases I turned to Tatiana who was now in tears. She fell in love with Gibson, his story, and his amazing performance that night.

Since then she has been dying to meet him and hopefully take a photo with him after a Marlins game. Gibson is now long-retired from playing baseball but is a coach on the Arizona Diamondbacks. The first time they rolled into town we were not able to attend but they will be back next weekend and you can rest assured that I will do my best to get Mr. Gibson to take 2 minutes out of his schedule to take a photo that will make my wife the happiest sports fan in the world.

I can only hope Kirk is in a good mood that night. If anything, I don't even mind the Marlins losing this one game, just as long as Andrew Miller is not pitching.

While many fans will be rushing to the stadium during the next three days to see players like Randy Johnson, Brandon Webb, and Justin Upton, my grand wish would have been to make it down to Dolphin Stadium simply to catch a glimpse of the man that greatly contributed to the 1988 World Series win, Kirk Gibson. After watching a special on HBO, and learning about Gibson's story, not only did I cry like a baby, but I became inspired. This man could barely walk due to a severe injury in both legs, and still he wanted to play for his team in the World Series. I've never seen such dedication.
In the first game of the series, Gibson waddled up to bat in the 9th inning. Facing then future Hall-of-Famer, Dennis Eckersley, Gibson braced himself for the pitch. Two men on the bags, two outs, and a full count. The pressure was on. With an awkward swing, Gibson smacked that ball over the right field fence, scoring a 3-run homer! Gibson wobbled around the bases as his team mates jumped with glee! With all odds stack high against them that year, the Dodgers won the series.
Sadly, due to severe monetary issues, I will not be able to travel to Dolphin Stadium to catch a glimpse of a living legend. Luckily, however, the Diamondbacks return in the end of June. Perhaps then I will get to watch as my Florida Marlins go up against a team coached by a hero.

"Loyalty to any one sports team is pretty hard to justify.  Because the players are always changing, the team can move to another city, you're actually rooting for the clothes when you get right down to it.  You know what I mean, you are standing and cheering and yelling for your clothes to beat the clothes from another city.  Fans will be so in love with a player but if he goes to another team, they boo him.  This is the same human being in a different shirt, they hate him now.  Boo!  Different shirt!  Boo!" - Jerry Seinfeld, The Label Maker

This little routine by Jerry Seinfeld has always stood out in my mind. It's true because for my whole life I've been a fan of the Detroit Tigers. It doesn't matter who wears the Old English D, if the player is a Tiger I root for them. Kenny Rogers was not a popular player when he was on the Texas Rangers. Most thought negatively when his name was mentioned, however when he game to the Tigers, he instantly became a hero to the city, (especially after his magical post season in 2006).

It also brings up the question, is it okay to boo your players or team? If your loyalty belongs to the team and not the player, is it okay to boo an individual athlete when they screw up? I think so, because they are disgracing the uniform of your team. Jason Grilli comes to mind; a horrible player, I knew for sure he would give up a lead whenever the brought him in to pitch, so when the fans booed him, he got what he deserved. I personally never boo (except extreme cases), because I always have an optimistic view the team can pull out of whatever funk they are in. 

My Tigers Resume

I got a nasty comment sometime back about how I was fake johnny-come-lately Detroit Tigers fan. He asked me to post where I was in 2003 (the year we lost 119 games). He also wanted to know my Tigers Resume, whatever that means. I've never thought about putting a "tigers resume" together, but I'll bite on his stupid comment and give you my resume. 

I have been a Tigers fan since as long I could remember. Baseball has always been the sport of my heart and the Tigers have always been very personal to me. I've been a season ticket holder many times over, including 1999, 2000, 2001, and 2003. I was one of the first fans ever to enter the gates of Comerica Park, we got there on opening day ay 7am and were the first in line! 

Favorite Players

1. Alan Trammell
2. Kirk Gibson 
3. Mickey Tettleton
4. C.J. Nitkowski
5. Travis Fryman
6. Bobby Higginson 
7. Gabe Kapler
8. Robert Fick
9. Brad Ausmus
10. Jose Macias
11. Gregg Jefferies
12. Dean Palmer
13. Todd Jones
14. Jeff Weaver
15. Roger Cedeno
16. Brandon Inge
17. Justin Verlander
18. Ivan Rodriguez
19. Curtis Granderson
20. Kenny Rogers
21. Magglio Ordonez
22. Placido Polanco

After reading this USA Today article on Ken Griffey Jr., it appears Junior is open to a return to Seattle.

I've been saying for more than a year that I wish the Reds would deal Griffey back to the Mariners. Junior needs the DH and the Reds need better pitching in return.

Besides, for Griffey, it's all about winning a championship ring. Unfortunately, Junior's chances of winning a ring in Seattle are only slightly better than his chance to do so in Cincy. However, the timing for a Griffey trade has never been better.

Outside a return to Seattle, the only A.L. options left for the 38-year-old slugger are the Angels, Red Soxs, Tigers and the White Soxs; all of which are well equipped in the DH role: Vlad, Papi, Ordonez and Thome.

The Mariners, who are currently batting youngster Jeff Clement's .176 average in the DH spot, appears to be the best fit.

In all, Clement has less than 50 major league at bats and two career home runs. Obviously, Junior would be a serious upgrade to the line-up.

Baker and the Reds may push Jr. out of Cincy before July

Perhaps, it would be a better story if the Reds traded Griffey to Seattle before he knocks career home run 600 out of the ballpark, but I still like the idea of Junior reaching 600 as a Cincinnati Red.

If anything, Junior's milestone moment would serve as a final farewell in the Queen City.

My prediction: Junior is dealt in early July to a contender - probably not Seattle - and signs with the M's in the off-season.

• Oddly, another player I wish could have gone out on top was Bo Jackson, who, along with Griffey, is still one of my all-time favorite athletes.

I can't say that I ever wished Jackson would have concentrated solely on his baseball career, after all, he's the only player ever to appeared in both the NFL's Pro Bowl and MLB's All Star game.

Still, I often wonder, like with Junior's injuries, what might have been had Jackson focused entirely on baseball.

Could Jackson have hit 500 home runs (he hit 141 in eight years)? Would he have set the all-time strike out record (Bo whiffed 841 times)? And, would Bo have also returned closer to his childhood home and played for the Braves, or perhaps made a return to the Royals? Obviously, we'll never know.

 
My first Bo Jackson baseball card

Bullpen Note: Jackson averaged 33 home runs per year over eight seasons. At this rate, Bo would have amassed 405 home runs having played another eight seasons in the bigs (2002).

I can still picture Jackson's first home run after hip replacement surgery - the result of a football injury while playing for the Raiders in a 1991 playoff game against the Cincinnati Bengals - Soxs Park, April 9, 1993, a blast to right field. Bo knows comebacks.

• One ballplayer I couldn't be happier for is Sean Casey, now playing in Boston. Sure, he's nowhere near the talent level of a Griffey or Bo Jackson, but Casey is equal to both with his off-the-field contributions to the game of baseball.

That being said, I take nothing away from the Mayor's career .302 average, 130 home runs and 726 RBIs.

Casey is batting .346 with a .424 OBP and .462 SLG for Boston

Plus, the thing about Sean is it's easy to relate to his passion for the game when you watch him play, his feverous pacing around the first base bag and his lengthy batting box stretches. Casey often appears so excited to play that he'll pee his pants any second.

Of course, it was a sad moment for me when Casey was traded by Cincinnati to lowly Pittsburgh, of all teams. And so what if Casey said he enjoyed playing for his hometown Buccos, he deserved better in his career, specifically, the good guy deserved a chance to win a ring too.

So when Sean finally wound up playing for a contended, the 2006 Tigers, it seemed the left-handed batter would get his championship ring. Then, the Cardinals nixed that deal in five games.

Sure, I was disappointed in the World Series outcome, although, I was mainly watching to see how Casey would fare. Thankfully, he rose to the occasion batting .529 with two home runs and five RBIs during the series.

Still, it's just awesome that Sean found a home in Boston to finish his career. Just like Casey, Beantown is all about baseball, and the dedicated Soxs’ fans will love him in no time.

• Also, it looks as if the San. Fran. Giants are seeing things my way, at least when it comes to Barry Zito returning to the rotation.

• Here's the secret to the Rays' early success this season. And, if its bullpen stays the course - and avoids being tased - so will Tampa Bay. That would be pretty cool too.

• What’s not cool is the latest news on Rays’ outfielder Rocco Baldelli. For years the Rays expected Baldelli – the sixth overall pick in the 2000 Draft - to blossom into the star many scouts predicted he would be. Unfortunately, the kid could never stay healthy.

Through five major league seasons Rocco has roughly missed playing in 391 games while averaging a meek 83 games played per season. Truly, unbelievable.

Now, both Baldelli and the Rays have an idea why the centerfielder physically breaks down so often, and it it's far worse than just playing on Astroturf.

• Ozzie Guillen wears on my nerves for a multitude of reasons. And, not only is "Ozzie Ball" a bunch of bologna, but so is the manager's hard-ass attitude.

Bullpen Note: No, I do not hate the White Sox.

Still, Guillen has pushed the limits on profanity laced rants about his poor White Sox players and fans.

There's nothing hard-ass about shooting your mouth off every time the club hits a rough patch. It's called whining, plain and simple.

• Speaking of Windy City hissy fits, why hasn’t Moises Alou spoken out about the Bartman incident until now?

Ya'll may find Alou's recent comments funny; however, I think he's an ass for waiting around to help clear Steve Bartman’s name of any wrong doing during the 2003 NLCS.

Seriously Moises, five years, are you kidding me. Plus, you can’t convince me Alou didn’t understand the magnitude in which that particular play changed the life of Steve Bartman, forever.

There’s no excuse for Alou to withhold his feelings this long about the Bartman Game. Besides, what a copout by Alou; his team blows a chance at the World Series and then he contributes in blaming the losses on a 26-year-old kid by not saying anything at all.

Gee, what a nice guy.

• Fox's Ken Rosenthal weighs in on Alfonso Soriano batting lead-off, and the Cubs recent struggles scoring runs.

• Yahoo columnist Jeff Passan hits a home run with this article on the Washington Nationals.

I'll add that the outrageously priced seats behind home plate at the new park are utterly ridiculous considering the team's losing history: since relocating to the Capital in 2005 the Nats are collectively 36 games below .500.

Not to mention, because these particular seats are never sold out (and by sold out I mean actual butts sitting in the seats) it always appears on television that no one is at the game watching. That's never good for business.

• Okay, you asked for it, so here's some more Erin Andrews.

• What a fun job, photographing players for baseball cards.

Check out this rendition of Kirk Gibson's World Series home run told through baseball cards.

If Jimmy Kimmel's show was this funny every night, I would probably watch more often.

If you have not seen ESPN's E:60 interview with Miguel Tejada click here first.

The best NBA add for this year's post season. Kobe vs. Shaq

It's time for some Super Mario Brothers.

TheBaseballStarsNote: We will look at the players that have been disappointments on our respective teams. Obviously Newspaperman has no disappointments because he is the Michael Jordan of baseball. We start off with PoiDog and find out the event that made him the miserable Fukudome that he is. Enjoy.

The Jon was talking about karma recently and I guess I shouldn't be surprised to get mine. As an A's fan, it's in my DNA to hate the Dodgers. Not just because they are from SoCal, but because of the worst highlight in the history of baseball, that old gimp limping around the bases at Dodgers Stadium after going yard while a bunch of front-running fans wet themselves and danced around like little girls. Suffice to say that it scarred me for life about as much as the infamous Roger Craig fumble against the New York Giants that prevented The 3-Peat but that is a subject for another blog.

But in fantasy sports, you have to take the guy who is going to produce even if you hate him or his team, unless it's Barry Bonds, and this year I had to make an executive decision. I drafted Russell Martin.

Martin looked to be the second or third best catcher and going nowhere but up. While that could still happen, he has thus far been my biggest disappointment. Currently, he is 3 for 29 on the season (that's a .103 batting average) with 4 runs, no homers, 3 RBI and one measly steal at the end of two weeks.

Full disclosure here, I still think it was a good value pick for where I got him. He came to me in the 8th round (round three but we had 5 keepers) in a draft where I had strong pitching and no first round pick. I took him instead of the crop of second and third tier outfielder that were available. Better off rolling with Martin and catcher and taking the chance that Shane Victorino, Carlos Gomez, Justin Upton, Nick Swisher and Ken Griffey Jr. can hold down my outfield than to nut up for someone like Jeff "Freedom" Francoeur and have to look at Bengie Molina or AJ Pierzynski in my catcher spot all year.

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