BASEBALL BEHAVIOR
Yesterday morning I got up at 5:00. Why? To watch the first baseball game of the season, the Red Sox and A's live from Japan. Yes, it's earlier than I normally get up...a lot earlier. And yes, we left on our vacation yesterday. But I can't resist the first game of the season, no matter who is playing. Now I didn't see every pitch - I had left the dishes unwashed the night before and I had to shower and make sure I had my stuff packed - but I watched as much as I could. The only downside was that when I had to leave for work (I did a short lifeguarding shift before we left town) the game was tied at 4 going into the 10th. I got up at 5 AM and couldn't see the end of the game? Ah well, it was worth it.
A short while ago I finished this year's baseball book, Is This a Great Game, or What? by Tim Kurkjian. Kurkjian has been one of my favorite baseball writers and Baseball Tonight personalities because he so obviously loves the game and has so many facts and figures in his head. His book takes a look at all the aspects of the game and is filled with story after story, many of which are hilarious. He also asks questions, such as why 3 centerfielders get voted to receive a Gold Glove and no corner outfielders. I've always wondered that myself. If you love the game, it's a great book to read. It was a great way to get me excited for another season in which anything can happen (the Cubs could win it all for the the first time in 100 years...could).
You know what? I'll be watching Sunday night's game too. I love baseball. Go White Sox!
Showing posts with label Baseball. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Baseball. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Monday, October 29, 2007
A SERIES OF SOX
Last night the Boston Red Sox won their second World Series in the last four years, sweeping the Colorado Rockies 4 games to none. I'm on record that baseball is my favorite sport and I always try to watch as much of the playoffs as I can...really, as much baseball as I can period. This past season has been a little different for me, in that I've been busier with open mics and social activities and, most recently, more hours at work. So, I haven't watched as much baseball, including the playoffs. I did see Game 1 of the Series on Wednesday and parts of Games 2 and 3, before watching the entire game last night. That's a good Red Sox team.
Long-term readers know that my favorite team is the Chicago White Sox and that I've always been very happy to root for the Chicago Cubs as well. My father is a Red Sox fan from way back so we were always aware of how they were doing and felt the heartbreak of the 1986 World Series. So, when the Red Sox game back from a 3-0 deficit against the Yankess in the ALCS back in 2004 and went on to sweep the Cardinals, I was very happy.
2005, of course, brought even more happiness, as my White Sox finally got to and swept the World Series against the Houston Astros. The fact that their playoff wins came during the period of time when I lost both my grnadmothers made it bittersweet as well (I still have a hard time watching highlights from those games without feeling the loss).
And now, here are the Red Sox again. Some kind of Sox have won the Series three of the last four years. It's been good days for this fan of baseball.
Last night the Boston Red Sox won their second World Series in the last four years, sweeping the Colorado Rockies 4 games to none. I'm on record that baseball is my favorite sport and I always try to watch as much of the playoffs as I can...really, as much baseball as I can period. This past season has been a little different for me, in that I've been busier with open mics and social activities and, most recently, more hours at work. So, I haven't watched as much baseball, including the playoffs. I did see Game 1 of the Series on Wednesday and parts of Games 2 and 3, before watching the entire game last night. That's a good Red Sox team.
Long-term readers know that my favorite team is the Chicago White Sox and that I've always been very happy to root for the Chicago Cubs as well. My father is a Red Sox fan from way back so we were always aware of how they were doing and felt the heartbreak of the 1986 World Series. So, when the Red Sox game back from a 3-0 deficit against the Yankess in the ALCS back in 2004 and went on to sweep the Cardinals, I was very happy.
2005, of course, brought even more happiness, as my White Sox finally got to and swept the World Series against the Houston Astros. The fact that their playoff wins came during the period of time when I lost both my grnadmothers made it bittersweet as well (I still have a hard time watching highlights from those games without feeling the loss).
And now, here are the Red Sox again. Some kind of Sox have won the Series three of the last four years. It's been good days for this fan of baseball.
Monday, July 09, 2007
ALL-STAR BREAK
Yes, the 2007 baseball season has hit the All-Star break. I am a huge baseball fan but it's been harder to keep track of things this year - getting out and playing music means I don't see as many games and episodes of "Baseball Tonight." I also used to pore through the box scores from around both leagues but these days I usually just hit the White Sox, Cubs, and Red Sox lines. I still love the game, though, and watch when I can.
My White Sox have not had a very good year, though they've played much better as of late (especially if you take Friday's doubleheader loss against the Twins out of the equation - giving up 32 runs in a day? Come on!). However, they are still 8 games under . 500 (at 39-47) and 13 1/2 games out of first place in the division. The starting pitching hasn't been the problem for the most part - Mark Buehrle, Jon Garland, and Javier Vazquez have all been pretty solid and even the rookie John Danks has held his own (Jose Contreras, what has happened to you?). The bullpen, on the other hand, has been awful outside of Bobby Jenks (our lone All-Star). The offense has been missing as well, with a horrible average and home run numbers that are far below the usual Sox output. Now it would have helped if everyone had been healthy and in the lineup - there have been very few times when the lineup has been Podsednik, Erstad, Thome, Konerko, Dye, Iguchi, Pierszynski, Crede, and Uribe. Heck, three of the guys are on the DL right now! The playoffs are probably out of the realm of the possible for this season but I'd like to see them get on a good run and at least get over .500 for the year. Not only did they go into the break winning 2 games in a row but they also resigned Buehrle to a 4 year contract extension; I can't believe they would have traded one of the best left-handed pitchers in the game, who is not only the heart of the club (along with Paul Konerko) but who threw a no-hitter earlier this year! Finally, something that went right.
The Cubs had some stretches of bad baseball as well, though they have played very well recently to pull themselves back over .500 (at 44-43). The starting pitching has been solid with surprising contributions from Rich Hill and Shawn Marshall. They had some bullpen problems but that seems to be under better control. After the big Carlos Zambrano/Michael Barrett dugout fight (with Barrett's subsequent trade), the team has come back to life. Getting Aramis Ramirez back of the DL has helped matters too, though the team still hasn't hit for a ton of power - Alfonso Soriano and Derek Lee have great averages but not a lot of homers (Lee especially). Luckily, they are in a division where everything is up for grabs and they are only 4 1/2 games behind the upstart Brewers. The North Side will be where the playoff race is in the second half of the season.
I enjoy the All-Star festivities. I plan on watching the Home Run Derby tonight and I will skip performing to watch the All-Star Game tomorrow night. Looking forward to both.
Yes, the 2007 baseball season has hit the All-Star break. I am a huge baseball fan but it's been harder to keep track of things this year - getting out and playing music means I don't see as many games and episodes of "Baseball Tonight." I also used to pore through the box scores from around both leagues but these days I usually just hit the White Sox, Cubs, and Red Sox lines. I still love the game, though, and watch when I can.
My White Sox have not had a very good year, though they've played much better as of late (especially if you take Friday's doubleheader loss against the Twins out of the equation - giving up 32 runs in a day? Come on!). However, they are still 8 games under . 500 (at 39-47) and 13 1/2 games out of first place in the division. The starting pitching hasn't been the problem for the most part - Mark Buehrle, Jon Garland, and Javier Vazquez have all been pretty solid and even the rookie John Danks has held his own (Jose Contreras, what has happened to you?). The bullpen, on the other hand, has been awful outside of Bobby Jenks (our lone All-Star). The offense has been missing as well, with a horrible average and home run numbers that are far below the usual Sox output. Now it would have helped if everyone had been healthy and in the lineup - there have been very few times when the lineup has been Podsednik, Erstad, Thome, Konerko, Dye, Iguchi, Pierszynski, Crede, and Uribe. Heck, three of the guys are on the DL right now! The playoffs are probably out of the realm of the possible for this season but I'd like to see them get on a good run and at least get over .500 for the year. Not only did they go into the break winning 2 games in a row but they also resigned Buehrle to a 4 year contract extension; I can't believe they would have traded one of the best left-handed pitchers in the game, who is not only the heart of the club (along with Paul Konerko) but who threw a no-hitter earlier this year! Finally, something that went right.
The Cubs had some stretches of bad baseball as well, though they have played very well recently to pull themselves back over .500 (at 44-43). The starting pitching has been solid with surprising contributions from Rich Hill and Shawn Marshall. They had some bullpen problems but that seems to be under better control. After the big Carlos Zambrano/Michael Barrett dugout fight (with Barrett's subsequent trade), the team has come back to life. Getting Aramis Ramirez back of the DL has helped matters too, though the team still hasn't hit for a ton of power - Alfonso Soriano and Derek Lee have great averages but not a lot of homers (Lee especially). Luckily, they are in a division where everything is up for grabs and they are only 4 1/2 games behind the upstart Brewers. The North Side will be where the playoff race is in the second half of the season.
I enjoy the All-Star festivities. I plan on watching the Home Run Derby tonight and I will skip performing to watch the All-Star Game tomorrow night. Looking forward to both.
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
MIDWEEK REPORT
I've been reading the sixth Harry Potter book for a few days, after staying up late on Sunday night to finish the fifth book. I hope to be done with this one by Saturday at the latest; I have around 400 pages left to go.
I finished a new song over the weekend, which is the second song I've written this month. Last night I played "In the Dark" for the first time and "Could Have Been" for the third (and the first at Anneliesje's). I also tried a cover of Springsteen's "Atlantic City" and it went pretty well.
I spent an hour in the pool on Monday; 4 hours yesterday; and I will spend 3 and-a-half tomorrow. The good news is that I was completely off today and will be on Friday. Friday will be dedicated to seeing "Ratatouille." I'd also like to see the new "Die Hard" movie too.
I went and bought Led Zeppelin III today; Jill and Graham are thinking about doing a joint cover (Graham on guitar; Jill on percussive tap dance) of "Bron-Y-Aur Stomp" and since the album has two of my favorite Zep songs that I don't have on the two-disc Remasters ("Gallows Pole" and "Tangerine"), I figured I might as well pick it up.
The new White Stripes album is fantastic, by the way.
Speaking of fantastic, you should all head over to Merge Records and listen to the stream of the new Spoon album, Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga. It comes out on July 10 (as does Jason Isbell's solo record!).
The White Sox have managed to win three in a row after getting swept by the Cubs over the weekend; meanwhile, the Cubs turned around and just swept the Rockies.
Guess that's about it.
I've been reading the sixth Harry Potter book for a few days, after staying up late on Sunday night to finish the fifth book. I hope to be done with this one by Saturday at the latest; I have around 400 pages left to go.
I finished a new song over the weekend, which is the second song I've written this month. Last night I played "In the Dark" for the first time and "Could Have Been" for the third (and the first at Anneliesje's). I also tried a cover of Springsteen's "Atlantic City" and it went pretty well.
I spent an hour in the pool on Monday; 4 hours yesterday; and I will spend 3 and-a-half tomorrow. The good news is that I was completely off today and will be on Friday. Friday will be dedicated to seeing "Ratatouille." I'd also like to see the new "Die Hard" movie too.
I went and bought Led Zeppelin III today; Jill and Graham are thinking about doing a joint cover (Graham on guitar; Jill on percussive tap dance) of "Bron-Y-Aur Stomp" and since the album has two of my favorite Zep songs that I don't have on the two-disc Remasters ("Gallows Pole" and "Tangerine"), I figured I might as well pick it up.
The new White Stripes album is fantastic, by the way.
Speaking of fantastic, you should all head over to Merge Records and listen to the stream of the new Spoon album, Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga. It comes out on July 10 (as does Jason Isbell's solo record!).
The White Sox have managed to win three in a row after getting swept by the Cubs over the weekend; meanwhile, the Cubs turned around and just swept the Rockies.
Guess that's about it.
Sunday, April 01, 2007
BASEBALL ON THE BRAIN
Yes, it's that time of year again. The 2007 baseball season starts tonight with a game between last year's NLCS teams, the Mets and Cardinals. Tomorrow brings the openers for the White Sox and Cubs and a bunch of other teams and by Tuesday, every team will be in on the action. There is an episode of "Baseball Tonight" on at 11:30 and again tonight at 6:00. I will probably DVR "The Amazing Race: All-Stars" (and guilty pleasure "Girls Next Door") so I can watch the game tonight. Obviously, I love baseball.
Every year I try to read a baseball-related book before the season starts to help get me in the mood. Last week I read Fantasyland by Sam Walker. It's an account of the author, a sports columnist for The Wall Street Journal, playing in the country's most preeminent fantasy baseball league, Tout Wars. The competitors are in the business of "touting" players and publish books or run websites about baseball that many fnatasy players consult to try and get a leg up in their own leagues. Walker brings in two people to help him and his season becomes a dichotomy between looking at baseball by the numbers and from the heart. It's a very different look at a baseball season and is highly entertaining.
I've only played fantasy baseball once, back in 2005. I found I wasn't able to devote the time to keeping up with it. I also don't need it to carry me through games that don't feature my favorite teams; I love the game enough and know the players well enough from all teams to find enjoyment in watching any baseball game. I will say that reading this book made me think about trying fantasy baseball again this year but with everything I have going on, there's not much point. And there's always next year, right?
Turning from fantasy to reality, what is this season going to bring? I read the baseball preview issue of Sports Illustrated and I also have the same from ESPN The Magazine on hand, though I haven't yet read it. How do they compare and where do they place the White Sox and Cubs?
SI predicts...
AL East: Yankees
AL Central: Indians
AL West: Angels
AL Wild Card: Red Sox
ALCS: Angels over Yankees
NL East: Mets
NL Central: Cardinals
NL West: Dodgers
NL Wild Card: Braves
NLCS: Dodgers over Mets
World Series: Angels over Dodgers
White Sox - 3rd in AL Central
Cubs - 2nd in NL Central
EPSN The Magazine predicts...
AL East: Red Sox
AL Central: Tigers
AL West: Angels
AL Wild Card: Indians
NL East: Mets
NL Central: Cardinals
NL West: Dodgers
NL Wild Card: Phillies
World Series: Tigers over Mets
White Sox - 4th in AL Central
Cubs - 3rd in NL Central
Lots of similarities and more than a few differences. Neither magazine has the Chicago teams making the playoffs. It will be an interesting summer for the Sox and Cubs. Both appear to have offenses that will get the job done but both have questionable pitching staffs. We'll see. I'll be watching as much as I can but as always, the White Sox will be my priority. I'm ready for the season to start...
Yes, it's that time of year again. The 2007 baseball season starts tonight with a game between last year's NLCS teams, the Mets and Cardinals. Tomorrow brings the openers for the White Sox and Cubs and a bunch of other teams and by Tuesday, every team will be in on the action. There is an episode of "Baseball Tonight" on at 11:30 and again tonight at 6:00. I will probably DVR "The Amazing Race: All-Stars" (and guilty pleasure "Girls Next Door") so I can watch the game tonight. Obviously, I love baseball.
Every year I try to read a baseball-related book before the season starts to help get me in the mood. Last week I read Fantasyland by Sam Walker. It's an account of the author, a sports columnist for The Wall Street Journal, playing in the country's most preeminent fantasy baseball league, Tout Wars. The competitors are in the business of "touting" players and publish books or run websites about baseball that many fnatasy players consult to try and get a leg up in their own leagues. Walker brings in two people to help him and his season becomes a dichotomy between looking at baseball by the numbers and from the heart. It's a very different look at a baseball season and is highly entertaining.
I've only played fantasy baseball once, back in 2005. I found I wasn't able to devote the time to keeping up with it. I also don't need it to carry me through games that don't feature my favorite teams; I love the game enough and know the players well enough from all teams to find enjoyment in watching any baseball game. I will say that reading this book made me think about trying fantasy baseball again this year but with everything I have going on, there's not much point. And there's always next year, right?
Turning from fantasy to reality, what is this season going to bring? I read the baseball preview issue of Sports Illustrated and I also have the same from ESPN The Magazine on hand, though I haven't yet read it. How do they compare and where do they place the White Sox and Cubs?
SI predicts...
AL East: Yankees
AL Central: Indians
AL West: Angels
AL Wild Card: Red Sox
ALCS: Angels over Yankees
NL East: Mets
NL Central: Cardinals
NL West: Dodgers
NL Wild Card: Braves
NLCS: Dodgers over Mets
World Series: Angels over Dodgers
White Sox - 3rd in AL Central
Cubs - 2nd in NL Central
EPSN The Magazine predicts...
AL East: Red Sox
AL Central: Tigers
AL West: Angels
AL Wild Card: Indians
NL East: Mets
NL Central: Cardinals
NL West: Dodgers
NL Wild Card: Phillies
World Series: Tigers over Mets
White Sox - 4th in AL Central
Cubs - 3rd in NL Central
Lots of similarities and more than a few differences. Neither magazine has the Chicago teams making the playoffs. It will be an interesting summer for the Sox and Cubs. Both appear to have offenses that will get the job done but both have questionable pitching staffs. We'll see. I'll be watching as much as I can but as always, the White Sox will be my priority. I'm ready for the season to start...
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