Results tagged ‘ Dodgers ’
Three Cheers For The West Coast!
Yesterday the Dodgers wrapped up their series against the Cardinals. They swept the Division Series in three games and will now move on to the League Championship against either the Colorado Rockies or the Philadelphia Phillies. Of course we all know the winner of the National League Championship moves on to play the American League winner in the 2009 World Series.
Today the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (geez it’s dumb having to say that!), wrapped up their Division Series against the Boston Red Sox. They also swept their series in three games. They will move on to play the New York Yankees (who swept the Minnesota Twins in a three game series) in the American League Championship.
Both the Angels and the Dodgers are based in Southern California in the Los Angeles area, and in Anaheim. These two teams could conceivably end up playing each other in the World Series. As a Southern California native now living in Arizona, I think it would be great to have a west coast World Series.
Three cheers for the west coast! Take that you east coast baseball snobs!
Detroit Tigers Sentimental Favorites?
At this point in time, the Detroit Tigers are losing to the Chicago White Sox and the Minnesota Twins are winning. If this is how the evening plays out Detroit will then be one game ahead of Minnesota with two games remaining in the season. Therefore by Sunday October 4, Detroit’s playoff bid could have evaporated, ended in a tie, or simply come down to the last game of the season.
I don’t know about other baseball fans, but I can’t help seeing the Detroit Tigers as sentimental favorites to make the playoffs and hopefully advance to the World Series. It seems as if it would be a tremendous morale boost to the citizens of the economically beleagured City of Detroit. Unemployment there is nearly twice the national average, and entire city blocks are nearly abandoned in some parts of the city. The Tigers organization has done many things to aid the city and the fans, and the fans have shown as much support as they can. I have family in Michigan, though I’ve only ever passed through Detroit; and though the Tigers are not my favorite team, with things like they are now I want to root for them.
With my Arizona Diamondbacks long out of the playoff picture for 2009, my preference from the National League is the Saint Louis Cardinals or the Los Angeles Dodgers. I’ve always liked the Cardinals, and frankly there are few finer players and good, decent men in baseball than Albert Pujols. I grew up in Los Angeles as a Dodger fan and I still like them; however I wouldn’t be too unhappy to see the Cardinals get there instead. Normally looking at the playoff picture at this point in time from the American League I would pick the Anaheim Angels (is having to say Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim the dumbest thing ever??), or frankly anyone other than the New York Yankees (LOL!); however this season I’m rooting for the Detroit Tigers for sentimental reasons.
GO TIGERS!!!!
Maple Bats Must Go
For quite some time now our Diamondbacks announcer, Mark Grace, has been crusading against maple bats. Certainly he makes a lot of valid points: they break too easily and too often, the pieces fly out on to the field and into the stands, and someone is going to get hurt. He also has expressed the opinion that it appeared it would take a serious injury to a fan, umpire, or player, or God forbid, even a death, for Major League Baseball to do something about maple bats. Grace has mentioned how much better he personally feels ash bats would be for professional baseball.
I am here to say I agree with him. I’ve seen a number of games where no bats seemed to break; but I’ve seen many where multiple bats were broken. I’ve seen bats fly out on to the field and hit players, and I’ve seen multiple pitchers dodge pieces of bats when the pieces flew out of the batter’s hand and headed toward the pticher on the mound. This past Tuesday, June 23rd, a bat broke at Chase Field and a piece of it flew into the stands and hit a fan. She had to be escorted from her seat and examined. It turned out not to be a serious injury, but it so easily could have been. What if a piece of a broken bat hits a child in the stands and seriously injures them? What if the bat hits someone in the head? What if the broken end of the bat hits a player, coach or umpire in the throat? An incident like that could result in a serious injury or even a death if the bat hit a jugular vein or something.
The biggest reason catchers and umpires have the masks they have now that cover part of their neck is because a number of years ago catcher Steve Yeager of the Los Angeles Dodgers was hit in the neck by a piece of a broken bat. I also remember him being knocked cold by a runner sliding into home but that’s another story… In any case, after the neck incident Yeager started experimenting with various ways of protecting his and other catchers necks and that helped lead to the masks we see today. (added July 11, 2009)
What’s it going to take for Major League Baseball to see the light and get rid of these maple bats?
Selective Excuses
As a Diamondbacks fan I am getting a little tired of the excuses that are being made for other teams regarding illness, injury and the players being tired. Certainly I understand these guys get tired, I would be myself. And I am definitely not making light of players’ injuries or illness.
I feel bad for the teams that have several players that are on the DL or are ill. However, people seem to forget that the Diamondbacks also have a number of players in the same situation. The Diamondbacks currently have at least six players, including our ace Cy Young Award winning pitcher Brandon Webb, on the DL. In addition we have another player out with a combination of Valley Fever and pneumonia; not to mention pitcher Scott Schoeneweis who is out on bereavement leave after the sudden and tragic death of his wife of ten years. In addition we have at least two or three more players, including our closing pitcher, out on shorter term injuries or illnesses that are not officially on the DL.
Since I originally posted this blog Scott Schoeneweis and Tony Clark have returned, but Eric Byrnes has gone on the DL with a broken wrist since being hit by a pitch during an at bat a couple of weeks ago. Though he is now well and back, after a stint on the DL outfielder Chris Young was forced to sit out several games due to a groin injury during a game. When he did come back he was at first slower and obviously nursing his injury. This was all when he was just starting to become hot again offensively. (Posted July 11, 2009)
So why are people talking about the injury and health issues of all these other teams, but not about the Diamondbacks?
And another ‘Selective Excuse’ that frustrates me:
During the game today (June 1, 2009) against the Los Angeles Dodgers, we heard several times (and then again later in post game interviews) about how the Dodgers were tired because they had played a series in Chicago against the Cubs and had to fly across the country to Los Angeles and play a game the next day against the Diamondbacks. Well, in light of what the Diamondbacks have had to put up with I say, ’So What’? The Arizona Diamondbacks were scheduled to play FORTY GAMES IN FORTY ONE DAYS. We had a rain out in Atlanta, so yippee the team got an extra day off! The team then got to play a double header, and an extra inning game, and ended with an evening game in Miami, Florida after which they hopped on a plane, flew clear across the country to San Francisco arriving at around five am local time. They played a game against the Oakland A’s the same day.
The Diamondbacks have logged thousands of miles in just a few days, criss crossing the country more than once. More than one commentator stated they had never seen anything like it.
In light of this why do some fans and commentators insist on making excuses for some teams but not others?
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