STEEEEERRRRIIIKE!
The last several weeks -- those not consumed by travel and work and the general vicissitudes of ordinary life -- have been interesting for a baseball fan of my ilk.
WHY THE OLD WORLD IS BETTER
Craig Biggio, now in his 19th year with the Astros, attained hits 2,998, 2,999, 3,000, 3,001, and 3,002 in last night's dramatic and incredibly emotional game against Colorado. The game came to a complete standstill when he hit 3,000, and I'll admit that I wept openly.
Biggio seems like a nice guy: eloquent, sincere, the type of man who looks into the camera when he's addressing the fans. I'm happy to see him hit this ultra-rare milestone.
I sometimes wonder whether baseball players like Biggio -- the older guys who have maturity and grace in their column -- will become oddities as baseball moves, however slowly, into the corporate age and into an age where fluent English and camera-friendliness are no longer important, or even essential, to the allure of baseball heroes.
ON PITCHING AND HITTING AND THEIR UNHAPPY CONFLUENCE
One thing I've noticed in all the games I watch (and I watch many) is the lack of run support for otherwise stupendous pitchers. Matt Cain of the Giants -- their young phenom -- is unquestionably one of the best pitchers in the game. But his record of 2-9 -- an embarrassment by any standard -- points its gnarled finger only at the pathetic performance of Giants offense. Cain has pitched games in which he gave up no more than 3 runs and still lost because of shameful support from his teammates.
I've watched more Cubs, Nationals, Braves, and Giants games where literally nothing happens offensively -- as if the batters are bewitched by some fetid torpor -- while terrific pitchers hack away at each other's teams, hoping apparently against hope that somebody will rack up hits and runs. It appears to be a National League problem, but more on that later.
HERE COMES THE NEW WORLD
I'm fascinated by the resurgence of Milwaukee as a contender of note. Rookies. Farm systems. Multi-year development strategies. That seems to be what the Brewers have behind them. Which makes the pathetic performance of the Washington Nationals so cerebrally intriguing. Both teams are internally cultivating talent. The brewers are about three years ahead of the Nationals in this regard. The Nationals may have Ryan Zimmerman, but the Brewers have Prince Fielder.
Homer Bailey in Cincinnati, Cole Hamels in Philadelphia, Tim Lincecum in San Francisco, Hunter Pence in Houston -- these are the dewy newbies we pay attention to. And still Jeff Francoeur in Atlanta, Zimmerman in D.C., and the Cubbie club of exciting new talents (DeRosa, Fontenot, Pie, and Cedeno down in the minors) all shine when they can.
LOVE THE OLD WORLD -- HATE IT ALL IN ONE ROOM
The Giants simply suck. In many regards, they are the embarrassment of a management team that has been trying to fill seats based on celebrity appeal rather than contention appeal. After this year, when Barry Bonds' involvement will be a non-issue, the Giants will be left with nothing -- veterans with no offensive steam and annoyingly average players like Ryan Klesko (boo!), Todd Sweeney, Kevin Frandsen, Pedro Feliz, and Randy Winn. No line-up power, no notable clutch hitting. Ah, there's always Dave Roberts, bless his energetic soul. He may have been the darling of Boston just a few short years ago, but he can't save San Francisco from its own terrible front office.
I'm skeptical that a team in an expensive market like this will ever take the Marlins/Brewers/Nationals pill and start from scratch, but God almighty, that's what this Ben Gay club needs.
By the way? I'm not impressed with Felipe Alou's replacement, Bruce Bochy. Yawn.
REAL NAMES RULE
There's this deplorable habit running rampant through the commentator booths of major league baseball. Its epicenter is Atlanta, but the problem has leaked into other markets like Arizona and even San Francisco.
The problem? Giving baseball players grammar-school nicknames. In Atlanta, the commentators call John Smoltz, Chipper Jones, Jarrod Saltalamacchia, and Jeff Franceour -- respectively -- "Smoltzie," "Jonesie," "Salty," and "Frenchie." Arizona commentators call Eric Byrnes "Byrnsie." Worst is Giants commentator Duane Kuiper, who calls Pedro Feliz, a native of the Dominican Republic, "Pete."
Huh?
HOW ABOUT THOSE CUBBIES?
I'm having a grand old time following the Cubs. Before their recent 7-game win streak, I was starting to see the team gel under Lou Piniella's leadership. Lou does a nice mix of old and new talent, and is riding high on the late June productivity of Derek Lee, Aramis Ramirez, Mark DeRosa, Alex Pie, solid pitching, and, most importantly, Alfonso Soriano, whom the Nationals still miss.
In good Cubs tradition, I refuse to get excited about anything related to their #2 spot behind Milwaukee. In good Cubs tradition, I should actually look at this winning streak as a harbinger of the end of the team's success this season.
But I'm a patient man. We're only half way through the season. There's plenty of time to fail.
WHY THE OLD WORLD IS BETTER
Craig Biggio, now in his 19th year with the Astros, attained hits 2,998, 2,999, 3,000, 3,001, and 3,002 in last night's dramatic and incredibly emotional game against Colorado. The game came to a complete standstill when he hit 3,000, and I'll admit that I wept openly.
Biggio seems like a nice guy: eloquent, sincere, the type of man who looks into the camera when he's addressing the fans. I'm happy to see him hit this ultra-rare milestone.
I sometimes wonder whether baseball players like Biggio -- the older guys who have maturity and grace in their column -- will become oddities as baseball moves, however slowly, into the corporate age and into an age where fluent English and camera-friendliness are no longer important, or even essential, to the allure of baseball heroes.
ON PITCHING AND HITTING AND THEIR UNHAPPY CONFLUENCE
One thing I've noticed in all the games I watch (and I watch many) is the lack of run support for otherwise stupendous pitchers. Matt Cain of the Giants -- their young phenom -- is unquestionably one of the best pitchers in the game. But his record of 2-9 -- an embarrassment by any standard -- points its gnarled finger only at the pathetic performance of Giants offense. Cain has pitched games in which he gave up no more than 3 runs and still lost because of shameful support from his teammates.
I've watched more Cubs, Nationals, Braves, and Giants games where literally nothing happens offensively -- as if the batters are bewitched by some fetid torpor -- while terrific pitchers hack away at each other's teams, hoping apparently against hope that somebody will rack up hits and runs. It appears to be a National League problem, but more on that later.
HERE COMES THE NEW WORLD
I'm fascinated by the resurgence of Milwaukee as a contender of note. Rookies. Farm systems. Multi-year development strategies. That seems to be what the Brewers have behind them. Which makes the pathetic performance of the Washington Nationals so cerebrally intriguing. Both teams are internally cultivating talent. The brewers are about three years ahead of the Nationals in this regard. The Nationals may have Ryan Zimmerman, but the Brewers have Prince Fielder.
Homer Bailey in Cincinnati, Cole Hamels in Philadelphia, Tim Lincecum in San Francisco, Hunter Pence in Houston -- these are the dewy newbies we pay attention to. And still Jeff Francoeur in Atlanta, Zimmerman in D.C., and the Cubbie club of exciting new talents (DeRosa, Fontenot, Pie, and Cedeno down in the minors) all shine when they can.
LOVE THE OLD WORLD -- HATE IT ALL IN ONE ROOM
The Giants simply suck. In many regards, they are the embarrassment of a management team that has been trying to fill seats based on celebrity appeal rather than contention appeal. After this year, when Barry Bonds' involvement will be a non-issue, the Giants will be left with nothing -- veterans with no offensive steam and annoyingly average players like Ryan Klesko (boo!), Todd Sweeney, Kevin Frandsen, Pedro Feliz, and Randy Winn. No line-up power, no notable clutch hitting. Ah, there's always Dave Roberts, bless his energetic soul. He may have been the darling of Boston just a few short years ago, but he can't save San Francisco from its own terrible front office.
I'm skeptical that a team in an expensive market like this will ever take the Marlins/Brewers/Nationals pill and start from scratch, but God almighty, that's what this Ben Gay club needs.
By the way? I'm not impressed with Felipe Alou's replacement, Bruce Bochy. Yawn.
REAL NAMES RULE
There's this deplorable habit running rampant through the commentator booths of major league baseball. Its epicenter is Atlanta, but the problem has leaked into other markets like Arizona and even San Francisco.
The problem? Giving baseball players grammar-school nicknames. In Atlanta, the commentators call John Smoltz, Chipper Jones, Jarrod Saltalamacchia, and Jeff Franceour -- respectively -- "Smoltzie," "Jonesie," "Salty," and "Frenchie." Arizona commentators call Eric Byrnes "Byrnsie." Worst is Giants commentator Duane Kuiper, who calls Pedro Feliz, a native of the Dominican Republic, "Pete."
Huh?
HOW ABOUT THOSE CUBBIES?
I'm having a grand old time following the Cubs. Before their recent 7-game win streak, I was starting to see the team gel under Lou Piniella's leadership. Lou does a nice mix of old and new talent, and is riding high on the late June productivity of Derek Lee, Aramis Ramirez, Mark DeRosa, Alex Pie, solid pitching, and, most importantly, Alfonso Soriano, whom the Nationals still miss.
In good Cubs tradition, I refuse to get excited about anything related to their #2 spot behind Milwaukee. In good Cubs tradition, I should actually look at this winning streak as a harbinger of the end of the team's success this season.
But I'm a patient man. We're only half way through the season. There's plenty of time to fail.
posted by Andrew at
9:10 PM
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