Six years ago, my love for the Oakland Athletics was rekindled. I even wrote about my love for the 2012 team. Things have certainly changed since then. I became a father, bought a house, turned 40 and watched the A's go from World Series contender to yet another rebuilding franchise. With no new stadium in sight (still) and the Astros looking to be contenders for a decade, it appeared that I was headed for another long summer tracking my favorite baseball team from the east coast. Joyous times in the East Bay seemed like they would not happen.
But.....
The 2018 version of the green and gold has done it again. This team started to gel late in the 2017 season with the emergence of Matt Olson, Matt Chapman and Sean Manaea. Starting in May of 2016, the A's went 10 straight months without a winning record. They finished last in AL West in 2015, 2016 and would do so following the 2017 season. In September of 2017, though, the young team scraped together a 17-12 finish (one game in October) to give fans hope for a better 2018.
Like in 2012 the front office made moves to keep the team young and cheap. Sonny Gray was exiled to New York for prospects. Ryan Madson and fan favorite Sean Doolittle, were sent to DC for Blake Treinen, who had already been in Oakland once before going to DC in one of their 700+ trades together. Both Yonder Alonso and Ryon Healy (47 combined HRs) were passed along to Seattle in separate deals. Both the offense and the pitching would be a bunch of youngsters and Vegas did not give the 2018 much hope of making the playoffs. After 75 victories in 2017, Vegas set the win over/under line for the 2018 A's at 74. So much for the youth movement working.
The starting rotation was going to look something like this:
Kendall Graveman (seven starts, a near 8 ERA and then lost for the season)
Jharel Cotton (injured in Spring Training, out for the year)
Sean Manaea (27 starts before being lost for the season and most of 2019)
Andrew Triggs (nine starts with a 5+ ERA before being lost for the season)
Daniel Mengden (17 starts, some relief appearances, a two month DL stint)
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AJ Puk was going to come up and help, but he was injured and lost for the season
Paul Blackburn chipped in with six starts before being injured for the season
Chris Bassitt provided seven decent starts
Daniel Gossett even gave them five starts before being injured and lost for the season
All in all the 2018 Oakland Athletics used 15 pitchers to start a game. And they damn near won 100 games. Unbelievable.
The offense stayed healthy, the bullpen became dominant. Magical things happened late into the night and I once again fell head over heels with the A's. They did not win the division on the last day of the season like in 2012, but will instead get another shot at the AL Wild Card game. I will not speak of the previous one they participated in. Still too soon.
This year they will head to New York and face the hated Yankees. If they win that, they get to face the greatest Red Sox team in their storied history. If they get by them, the last two AL teams to reach the World Series will be waiting, including the defending champs, the Houston Astros. Easy peasy, lemon squeezy path, right?
Before the drama of October happens, let me recap the 97 reasons why I love the 2018 Oakland Athletics:
1) Sean Manaea threw a no-hitter
2) Khris Davis became the best know version of that name in MLB
3) Matt Chapman has a rocket launcher for an arm
4) Je-doubles Lowrie became Je-homers Lowrie while still hitting 37 doubles
5) Daniel Mengden's moustache
6) Blake Treinen evolving into The Witch (h/t @PitchingNinja)
7) Lou Trivino throwing 99 out of nowhere
8) Marcus Semien fixing his defensive issues
9) Matt Olson making all the IFs look like gold glove winners
10) Gretchen Piscotty - Rest in Peace
11) Stephen Piscotty hitting a HR in his first AB following the loss of his mother
12) Stephen Piscotty's post All-Star break dominance
13) Ramon Laureano's arm
14) That throw - you know which one
15) Ramon Laureano's first hit being a walk-off
16) Matt Olson hitting a walk-off HR against the Astros to tie them in the standings
17) That comeback versus the Rangers
18) Scoring 21 against the Angels
19) Passing by the Mariners and never looking back
20) Liam Hendriks becoming an 'opener'
21) Trading for everyone's best bullpen arm
22) Fernando Rodney's change-up and hat
23) Jeurys Familia getting wins in his first two appearances with Oakland
24) Nick Martini getting on base - all the time
25) Khris Davis leading the majors in HRs
26) Jonathan Lucroy just caught you stealing
27) Bat Flipping Season - Mark Canha beats the Giants - not sorry
28) Mike Fiers' curveball
29) Edwin Jackson joining his 13th team
30) Brett Anderson coming back to Oakland
31) Trevor Cahill coming back to Oakland
32) Matt Joyce fighting through injuries and not making waves
33) Franklin Barreto with a 2 HR, 6 RBI game
34) June 16th
35) Blake Treinein has a near 100 MPH fastball, sinker and about 3 other pitches you can't hit
36) Bob Melvin
37) The platoon players - Pinder/Martini/Canha/Laureano/Fowler
38) Ryan Buchter getting lefties out
39) Yusmeirio Petit doing it all
40) Opening Day Walk-off
41) All the Home Runs
42) Shawn Kelley proving the Nationals wrong
43) Sweeping the season series from Toronto
44) Sweeping the season series from Detroit
45) Not having a losing month
46) When you try to bunt on Matt Chapman
47) When you try to run on Ramon Laureano
48) When you try to steal on Jonathan Lucroy
49) When you try to sneak a fastball by Khris Davis up and away
50) When you try to hit Blake Treinen
51) Going nearly perfect when leading after 7 innings
52) Daniel Mengden's wind-up
53) J.B. Wendelken becoming...good?
54) Frankie Montas with huge starts when he was needed most
55) Trevor Cahill with 7 IP, 1 H vs Houston on August 18th
56) Mike Fiers with 7 IP, 1 H vs Texas on August 20th
57) Brett Anderson with 7 IP, 1 H vs Texas on August 21st
58) Scoring runs in the 8th inning
59) #MolsonBombs - dropping a shot of a shot of half Creme de menthe, half Goldschlager (green and gold) into a Molson. Chug before he touches home plate.
60) Khris Davis with a walk-off HR on my 40th birthday
61) Khris Davis hitting .247 - again
62) Matt Chapman becoming a good hitter
63) Bringing the 'opener' to Oakland
64) The bullpen - I can't say this enough
65) The bullpen - I really can't say this enough
66) Hey look - Josh Lucas started a game
67) Making the national media think about a Moneyball 2
68) Bob Melvin getting tossed for all the right reasons
69) 31-14 in one run games
70) 13-6 in extra inning games
71) 14 shutouts
72) Not rushing Jesus Luzardo to the bigs
73) Chapman with the walk-off grounder vs San Francisco
74) Treinen for Cy Young
75) Chapman for MVP
76) Laureano for ROY
77) and other things I never thought I would consider
78) A 0.78 ERA?!?!!?!?
79) Bob Melvin once again Manager of the Year
80) Road HRs - isn't the WC game on the road?
81) Knocking Luis Severino out after 2.2
82) Lucroy doesn't hit too many HRs, but a Grand Slam off Hamels was awesome
83) Making sure Chris Hatcher does not pitch in any important innings
84) Same for Danny Coulombe
85) And for Santiago Castillo
86) First time in Oakland history the entire infield started 128+ games each
87) Edwin Jackson and his cutter
88) Brett Anderson coming back after each injury
89) 99 RBI for Jed
90) 100 Runs Scored for Chapman
91) Five guys with 23+ HRs
92) Treinen/Trivino/Familia/Rodney/Buchter/Petit/Pagan/Kelley went a combined 39-12.
93) Fiers/Anderson/Jackson/Cahill/Mengden and Manaea went a combined 41-29
94) I have no idea who will pitch the Wild Card game
95) I wouldn't have it any other way
96) The home record was 50-31
97) The road record was 47-34. A 48th would be very sweet.
Showing posts with label baseball. Show all posts
Showing posts with label baseball. Show all posts
Sunday, September 30, 2018
Friday, July 20, 2012
Pocket Pair 7/20/12
It's that time of the week again. Your handy dandy viewing guide for all that is sports (and more!). I was able to get out to two Washington Nationals games this week which was fun and I highly suggest getting out to see your favorite team this summer. There is nothing better than sitting back and relaxing at the old ball game.
Things are just beginning to ramp up in the sports world. There aren't too many slow weekends left so make sure you get that honey-do list done, hit up the craft fairs, take the kids to the amusement park go visit the relatives and whatever else will buy you an uninterrupted fall and winter in the man cave.
Here's what I suggest you watch this weekend:
10: The Dark Knight Rises
Yes I realize this isn't technically a sport. There's a scene of a stadium blowing up though I believe. I just watched The Dark Knight last night to prepare myself and even though I may not make it to see the new one this weekend I will certainly get out there as soon as possible. Christopher Nolan has taken the campy, often over the top Batman series to a much seedier, darker world and I for one thoroughly enjoy the change of pace. Heath Ledger one upped Jack Nicholson as The Joker and Christian Bale has been excellent save for his way too deep voice. I am all set to block out a 3 hour time frame to wrap up this trilogy.
9: San Francisco Giants at Philadelphia Phillies
The Phillies have one foot in the grave for the season. At 10 games out from the wild card, it is imperative that they string together some wins over the next ten days...like 9 of 10 at worst. The Giants on the other hand are playing solid, yet unspectacular baseball and find themselves on top in the N.L. West. Friday's starter Tim Lincecum is not the reason why. Outside of two good starts against the AAAA caliber Houston Astros and the then injury riddled LA Dodgers he has been downright horrid. Saturday features a spectacular battle between Matt Cain and Cole Hamels while Sunday is a turn back the clock day for Athletics fans as Barry Zito and Joe Blanton lock horns.
8: Miami Marlins at Pittsburgh Pirates
Two words: Andrew McCutchen. If you had McCutchen as the NL MVP front runner on July 20th, pat yourself on the back. He is flat out carrying the Pirates and worth the price of admission alone. Not to mention PNC Park is gorgeous. If you can go there live, do it. If you have to settle for watching it in stunning, crystal clear HD on television, that is okay too. If that doesn't do it, just watch to see what foolish thing Ozzie Guillen will do this weekend.
7: New York Yankees at Oakland Athletics
If you read this you are well aware of two things: I love the Oakland Athletics and hate, despise, loathe, resent and abhor the New York Yankees. Right now both teams are playing very well. Even so, the Athletics need 3 wins out of the four games to keep their momentum going and convince themselves (and management) that something special might be happening in the Bay Area (no I'm not talking about you Giants fans). The Yankees are virtual locks for the playoffs as they are already counting their magic number in the A.L. East. Let the Athletics have some fun this weekend Yankees, you can just beat them in the playoffs.
6. USA Men's Basketball vs Argentina
This might be the stiffest test for the USA leading up the the Olympics. Of course it may mean that they only win by 20 or 25 rather than 30+. The only real talk about this version of the 'Dream Team' is whether they are good enough to take on the 1992 team in a virtual match up. It would certainly be interesting especially if you add components like Derrick Rose, Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh and Dwight Howard. That debate is for another day, but sit back and enjoy LeBron James, Kobe Bryant and Kevin Durant do work this weekend.
5. Los Angeles Dodgers at New York Mets
The Dodgers are getting healthy just in time and the Mets are falling apart at just the wrong time. Even though New York salvaged the finale on Thursday against Washington, it doesn't erase the six game losing streak that the win snapped. Matt Kemp homered, Clayton Kershaw pitched well and Los Angeles might just be turning a corner just as San Francisco was starting to build a cushion out west. Along with the return of Andre Either and rumors of the impending acquisition of Ryan Dempster from Chicago this weekend could be the beginning of another hot stretch for the Dodgers. Without a series win this weekend, the Mets could turn into sellers just as fast as they were considered buyers.
4. Chicago White Sox at Detroit Tigers
There are three divisional series this weekend with the first place team taking on the second place team. This one is the only one where I feel the second place team is the heavy favorite. Not only are they at home, the hotter of the two teams right now, but I think they are the better of the two teams as well. The Tigers have their ace, Justin Verlander, going on Friday. The White Sox counter with their ace, Chris Sale, on Saturday. Sunday there should be 1000 runs or so scored. This division is only separated by 1.5 games and my guess is it will be closer on Monday.
3. Atlanta Braves at Washington Nationals
4 games in 3 days. A 3.5 game spread between the 1st place Nationals and 2nd place Braves. Stephen Strasburg on Friday. A doubleheader on Saturday. What more do you want?? I can't think of much more fun way to spend a weekend in the nations capital. To think that its possible although highly unlikely that the Nationals could be sitting with a 7.5 game lead in late July is unfathomable. Of course they could also be out of first place by the time you go back to work on Monday and fans will probably shift their focus to RGIII and the Redskins real quick.
2. Texas Rangers at Los Angeles Angels
The last of the 1 vs 2 divisional match ups might have the largest gap between the two teams, but it is the one I think will be the most heated. The Angels have Weaver, Santana and Haren lined up as they try to inch closer to the Rangers for the division crown. The Rangers will counter with Holland, Darvish and Harrison and this should make for a great weekend of pitching against two of the best offenses in the league. The two teams have finished first each of the last five years and this year should be no different. They also get the Sunday night nationally televised game on ESPN and the world will get to watch Trout and Trumbo up close and personal.
1. The British Open
My stance on Majors in golf is no secret. I'm a sucker for tough courses making the worlds best golfers look like amateurs. The British Open (of The Open if you will) is different because of the added element of the weather. You never know what the conditions will be like from hour to hour, much less day to day. The Americans are looking to win their 4th consecutive major and overall there have been 15 consecutive different winners of Majors. Oh and Tiger Woods is tied for 6th after the first round. It should be fun and if I'm not playing baseball on Sunday, I'll be glued to the final 18 holes.
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Yesterday I finally got to see Gio Gonzalez pitch live and in person. I never saw him for the Athletics (shame on me) but finally saw him here in DC. It didn't go so well. It was about 400 degrees in Washington and the early start (12:30) always sucks for a pitcher. It was obvious that Gonzalez struggled with his command as when he missed out of the zone he walked a batter and when he missed in the zone he gave up home runs. It was his shortest outing of the year and that coupled with another strong outing by Mets starter R.A. Dickey, it made for a long, sweaty day for Nationals fans.
While I haven't been to too many of the new ballparks I do see plenty of them on television and from what I see my rankings for top five parks are:
1: Camden Yards (Baltimore)
2: PNC Park (Pittsburgh)
3: AT&T Park (San Francisco)
4: Wrigley Field (Chicago)
5. Nationals Park (Washington)
Honorable mention to Great American Ball Park and Busch Stadium
Nowhere on my list will you ever see the O.co or the Oakland Coliseum or whatever it will be named next season. I've been there once, and it's ugly. Not to mention how staying in that stadium has cost the A's from retaining their young talent over the last decade as well. Please move to San Jose...soon.
Things are just beginning to ramp up in the sports world. There aren't too many slow weekends left so make sure you get that honey-do list done, hit up the craft fairs, take the kids to the amusement park go visit the relatives and whatever else will buy you an uninterrupted fall and winter in the man cave.
Here's what I suggest you watch this weekend:
10: The Dark Knight Rises
Yes I realize this isn't technically a sport. There's a scene of a stadium blowing up though I believe. I just watched The Dark Knight last night to prepare myself and even though I may not make it to see the new one this weekend I will certainly get out there as soon as possible. Christopher Nolan has taken the campy, often over the top Batman series to a much seedier, darker world and I for one thoroughly enjoy the change of pace. Heath Ledger one upped Jack Nicholson as The Joker and Christian Bale has been excellent save for his way too deep voice. I am all set to block out a 3 hour time frame to wrap up this trilogy.
9: San Francisco Giants at Philadelphia Phillies
The Phillies have one foot in the grave for the season. At 10 games out from the wild card, it is imperative that they string together some wins over the next ten days...like 9 of 10 at worst. The Giants on the other hand are playing solid, yet unspectacular baseball and find themselves on top in the N.L. West. Friday's starter Tim Lincecum is not the reason why. Outside of two good starts against the AAAA caliber Houston Astros and the then injury riddled LA Dodgers he has been downright horrid. Saturday features a spectacular battle between Matt Cain and Cole Hamels while Sunday is a turn back the clock day for Athletics fans as Barry Zito and Joe Blanton lock horns.
8: Miami Marlins at Pittsburgh Pirates
Two words: Andrew McCutchen. If you had McCutchen as the NL MVP front runner on July 20th, pat yourself on the back. He is flat out carrying the Pirates and worth the price of admission alone. Not to mention PNC Park is gorgeous. If you can go there live, do it. If you have to settle for watching it in stunning, crystal clear HD on television, that is okay too. If that doesn't do it, just watch to see what foolish thing Ozzie Guillen will do this weekend.
7: New York Yankees at Oakland Athletics
If you read this you are well aware of two things: I love the Oakland Athletics and hate, despise, loathe, resent and abhor the New York Yankees. Right now both teams are playing very well. Even so, the Athletics need 3 wins out of the four games to keep their momentum going and convince themselves (and management) that something special might be happening in the Bay Area (no I'm not talking about you Giants fans). The Yankees are virtual locks for the playoffs as they are already counting their magic number in the A.L. East. Let the Athletics have some fun this weekend Yankees, you can just beat them in the playoffs.
6. USA Men's Basketball vs Argentina
This might be the stiffest test for the USA leading up the the Olympics. Of course it may mean that they only win by 20 or 25 rather than 30+. The only real talk about this version of the 'Dream Team' is whether they are good enough to take on the 1992 team in a virtual match up. It would certainly be interesting especially if you add components like Derrick Rose, Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh and Dwight Howard. That debate is for another day, but sit back and enjoy LeBron James, Kobe Bryant and Kevin Durant do work this weekend.
5. Los Angeles Dodgers at New York Mets
The Dodgers are getting healthy just in time and the Mets are falling apart at just the wrong time. Even though New York salvaged the finale on Thursday against Washington, it doesn't erase the six game losing streak that the win snapped. Matt Kemp homered, Clayton Kershaw pitched well and Los Angeles might just be turning a corner just as San Francisco was starting to build a cushion out west. Along with the return of Andre Either and rumors of the impending acquisition of Ryan Dempster from Chicago this weekend could be the beginning of another hot stretch for the Dodgers. Without a series win this weekend, the Mets could turn into sellers just as fast as they were considered buyers.
4. Chicago White Sox at Detroit Tigers
There are three divisional series this weekend with the first place team taking on the second place team. This one is the only one where I feel the second place team is the heavy favorite. Not only are they at home, the hotter of the two teams right now, but I think they are the better of the two teams as well. The Tigers have their ace, Justin Verlander, going on Friday. The White Sox counter with their ace, Chris Sale, on Saturday. Sunday there should be 1000 runs or so scored. This division is only separated by 1.5 games and my guess is it will be closer on Monday.
3. Atlanta Braves at Washington Nationals
4 games in 3 days. A 3.5 game spread between the 1st place Nationals and 2nd place Braves. Stephen Strasburg on Friday. A doubleheader on Saturday. What more do you want?? I can't think of much more fun way to spend a weekend in the nations capital. To think that its possible although highly unlikely that the Nationals could be sitting with a 7.5 game lead in late July is unfathomable. Of course they could also be out of first place by the time you go back to work on Monday and fans will probably shift their focus to RGIII and the Redskins real quick.
2. Texas Rangers at Los Angeles Angels
The last of the 1 vs 2 divisional match ups might have the largest gap between the two teams, but it is the one I think will be the most heated. The Angels have Weaver, Santana and Haren lined up as they try to inch closer to the Rangers for the division crown. The Rangers will counter with Holland, Darvish and Harrison and this should make for a great weekend of pitching against two of the best offenses in the league. The two teams have finished first each of the last five years and this year should be no different. They also get the Sunday night nationally televised game on ESPN and the world will get to watch Trout and Trumbo up close and personal.
1. The British Open
My stance on Majors in golf is no secret. I'm a sucker for tough courses making the worlds best golfers look like amateurs. The British Open (of The Open if you will) is different because of the added element of the weather. You never know what the conditions will be like from hour to hour, much less day to day. The Americans are looking to win their 4th consecutive major and overall there have been 15 consecutive different winners of Majors. Oh and Tiger Woods is tied for 6th after the first round. It should be fun and if I'm not playing baseball on Sunday, I'll be glued to the final 18 holes.
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Yesterday I finally got to see Gio Gonzalez pitch live and in person. I never saw him for the Athletics (shame on me) but finally saw him here in DC. It didn't go so well. It was about 400 degrees in Washington and the early start (12:30) always sucks for a pitcher. It was obvious that Gonzalez struggled with his command as when he missed out of the zone he walked a batter and when he missed in the zone he gave up home runs. It was his shortest outing of the year and that coupled with another strong outing by Mets starter R.A. Dickey, it made for a long, sweaty day for Nationals fans.
While I haven't been to too many of the new ballparks I do see plenty of them on television and from what I see my rankings for top five parks are:
1: Camden Yards (Baltimore)
2: PNC Park (Pittsburgh)
3: AT&T Park (San Francisco)
4: Wrigley Field (Chicago)
5. Nationals Park (Washington)
Honorable mention to Great American Ball Park and Busch Stadium
Nowhere on my list will you ever see the O.co or the Oakland Coliseum or whatever it will be named next season. I've been there once, and it's ugly. Not to mention how staying in that stadium has cost the A's from retaining their young talent over the last decade as well. Please move to San Jose...soon.
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Pocket Pair 7/18/12
Yesterday was my brush with fame. Well relatively speaking. In all my years going to baseball games I have never caught a foul ball much less a home run ball. Last night I was a foot away from changing all of that. Look I'm a simple man with simple pleasures in life and catching a home run ball would be quite exciting. I took my mom to the Nationals/Mets game last night and we got front row seats above the scoreboard in right center. Not only did I get to snuggle up to rookie Bryce Harper and Harpers' Homeboys that were one section over in full eye black, but I was in prime position for a ball.
Through 7 innings the Nationals were ahead 1-0 and the game was barely two hours young. I had said to my mom in passing that a game like this usually sees the game get tied up in the 9th and ends up going 15 innings. We had hopes of getting home by 10pm as Met after Met were being set down by Nationals starter Ross Detwiler. When the Nationals tacked on an insurance run in the 8th inning and Tyler Clippard warming up, the game felt all but over. It hadn't been an exciting game by any stretch of the imagination, the temperature was hovering in the low 90's, but a night at the ballpark is still better than a normal night.
Then along game the 9th inning. Everything was about to change and I got this close to crossing off a bucket list item. Let me set the stage. Two on, one out and Jordany Valdespin stepping to the plate as a pinch hitter. He hit one far, he hit one deep...he hit one...RIGHT AT ME!!
*Inner monologue time* Okay Jason, don't screw this us...dammit I should have brought my glove. Don't drop it, you're on television.
This was the scene:
But, alas, the ball drifted just to the right of me and bounced off the finger of some dude who was asking when did the Mets sign Miguel Tejada earlier in the game after seeing Ruben Tejada at the plate. He was having fun. I must say that my beard comes though well on television though.
The Mets now led 3-2 and it was up to the scrappy Nationals to even it up in the 9th. With two outs in the ninth, Danny Espinosa laced a base hit to bring home Ian Desmond and to extra innings we went. I had a shot at that 15 inning game!
The score did not remain deadlocked very long as Josh 'T-HOLE' (as Mets fans were chanting) split the outfield with a go ahead double. Nats fans were bummed, Mets fans were...well you know. In the bottom of the frame, Nationals backup catcher Jhonatan Solano started it off with a hit. Steve Lombardozzi bunted him to second and that brought up Bryce Harper.
My mom had said that Harper hadn't done much tonight, but not after his next swing. He absolutely blistered a ball over the right fielders' head and off the wall for a triple and the game was once again knotted up...this time at 4! THE HARPER!!!!
After two intentional walks and a force out at the plate, the Nationals had the bases loaded and two out when Mets reliever Pedro Beato uncorked a wild pitch allowing Ryan Zimmerman to scamper home with the winning run. It was rather exciting for a July game, but its games like this that will make the games in September and potentially October enthralling.
It was very refreshing to see the team pick up Tyler Clippard who blew only his second save of the season and had been pretty much lights out for them all year.
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Tonight I have a baseball game. 30,000 fans will not be showing up. We should have about 8 fans. I play with the Falls Church News Hounds in the DC Wood 18+ Wooden Bat League. We are the two time defending champs and tonight is our first playoff game in the best of three first round series. We'll be playing the team that we beat in the Finals last year.
That series was close and very intense. This year neither team was nearly as good as both teams lost some key players, but I am expecting some quality baseball this week. Our starting pitcher, Dave Acosta, is a hard throwing (low to mid 80's with ease) lefty. He should be playing in a better league, but I won't complain.
Hopefully this season ends with another one of these:
Through 7 innings the Nationals were ahead 1-0 and the game was barely two hours young. I had said to my mom in passing that a game like this usually sees the game get tied up in the 9th and ends up going 15 innings. We had hopes of getting home by 10pm as Met after Met were being set down by Nationals starter Ross Detwiler. When the Nationals tacked on an insurance run in the 8th inning and Tyler Clippard warming up, the game felt all but over. It hadn't been an exciting game by any stretch of the imagination, the temperature was hovering in the low 90's, but a night at the ballpark is still better than a normal night.
Then along game the 9th inning. Everything was about to change and I got this close to crossing off a bucket list item. Let me set the stage. Two on, one out and Jordany Valdespin stepping to the plate as a pinch hitter. He hit one far, he hit one deep...he hit one...RIGHT AT ME!!
*Inner monologue time* Okay Jason, don't screw this us...dammit I should have brought my glove. Don't drop it, you're on television.
This was the scene:
But, alas, the ball drifted just to the right of me and bounced off the finger of some dude who was asking when did the Mets sign Miguel Tejada earlier in the game after seeing Ruben Tejada at the plate. He was having fun. I must say that my beard comes though well on television though.
The Mets now led 3-2 and it was up to the scrappy Nationals to even it up in the 9th. With two outs in the ninth, Danny Espinosa laced a base hit to bring home Ian Desmond and to extra innings we went. I had a shot at that 15 inning game!
The score did not remain deadlocked very long as Josh 'T-HOLE' (as Mets fans were chanting) split the outfield with a go ahead double. Nats fans were bummed, Mets fans were...well you know. In the bottom of the frame, Nationals backup catcher Jhonatan Solano started it off with a hit. Steve Lombardozzi bunted him to second and that brought up Bryce Harper.
My mom had said that Harper hadn't done much tonight, but not after his next swing. He absolutely blistered a ball over the right fielders' head and off the wall for a triple and the game was once again knotted up...this time at 4! THE HARPER!!!!
After two intentional walks and a force out at the plate, the Nationals had the bases loaded and two out when Mets reliever Pedro Beato uncorked a wild pitch allowing Ryan Zimmerman to scamper home with the winning run. It was rather exciting for a July game, but its games like this that will make the games in September and potentially October enthralling.
It was very refreshing to see the team pick up Tyler Clippard who blew only his second save of the season and had been pretty much lights out for them all year.
--------------------------------------------------------
Tonight I have a baseball game. 30,000 fans will not be showing up. We should have about 8 fans. I play with the Falls Church News Hounds in the DC Wood 18+ Wooden Bat League. We are the two time defending champs and tonight is our first playoff game in the best of three first round series. We'll be playing the team that we beat in the Finals last year.
That series was close and very intense. This year neither team was nearly as good as both teams lost some key players, but I am expecting some quality baseball this week. Our starting pitcher, Dave Acosta, is a hard throwing (low to mid 80's with ease) lefty. He should be playing in a better league, but I won't complain.
Hopefully this season ends with another one of these:
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Pocket Pair 7/11/12
Running Diary of the Major League Baseball All-Star Game from my brain:
I skipped Fox's intro for the most part. I caught Erin Andrews saying goodbye to Chipper Jones and hello to Mike Trout. I've never been a fan of the Atlanta Braves, but I wear #10 and I'm getting close to calling it a career in baseball and seeing Chipper get all teary eyed got me all...moving on, nothing to see here.
Kansas City, home of the Monarchs from the Negro League. I'm happy they paid homage...good job.
I can't believe Jonathan Papelbon is an All-Star from a last place team and A.J. Burnett who has carried the first place Pirates after a disastrous start is at home. Outside of that 12 run game, Burnett has a 2.60 ERA over his other 14 starts and is 10-1 in those games. Papelbon is a douche on a crappy team who has his second highest ERA in any season so far this year.
Hello Bryce, Stephan and Gio...I hope to see you every year for the next 10 years.
Oakland Athletics sighting!!! My guess is Ryan Cook doesn't play tonight.
I don't know who you are anthem singer...be gone with you.
Still hate Tim McCarver although he's resembling Harry Caray in his later years more and more.
Ice cream break!!!
I don't think I'll ever get over the loss of Carlos Gonzalez from having a career in the green and gold. I will forever loathe Matt Holliday because of it.
That didn't take long as Ryan Braun smokes a ball to the fence. Somebody test his urine. Maybe Verlander should stick to the curve ball, because it is beyond filthy.
Yikes! Verlander imploding before my eyes. This is...unexpected. It has to be because of that inspiring, rah-rah speech by Chipper. I was ready to run through a brick wall for him.
Something tells me if that Josh Hamilton hit had left the yard, we'd be in for a really good game. Now I'm not so sure this isn't a big time blowout.
Joey Gloves!
Matt Cain is a very good pitcher, not flashy, just very consistent who will forever have his place in history with World Series championship, perfect game and All-Star game start.
Gio time! Please take Brandon McCarthy Nationals. I want the A's and Nats to be trading partners for life. Just keep it fair guys.
I repeat...if you think having a BBQ is going to Burger King...you are not my friend.
WHERE WERE THOSE STATS WHEN YOU WERE IN OAKLAND MATT??? (Sorry for that kids)
Looks like the Cardinals are still haunting the Rangers...hahahahaha
3 triples by the NL and its only the 4th inning? Wow.
Oooooh Strasburg vs. Cano, Hamilton and Baustista...me likey!!
I think that curve fooled the umpire. Shocker!
Washington Nationals overload...Bryce Harper time!! Don't be scared Weaver...throw a strike you long haired surfer boy!
Oh Bryce! Booooooo. Bringing back the Natinals with that gaffe.
Way to go Chipper! Sail off into the sunset with that one.
Well Mike Trout just welcomed R.A. Dickey quite rudely. Dickey would be out of baseball if it weren't for the National League...just saying.
Bryce Harper vs. Ryan Cook, my worlds are colliding. It'll be fun to watch Cook pitch for the Yankees in a couple of years.
Well that's about it for my interest in the game.
Kellie Pickler? Really? She's still relevant? Oh how horrible.
The words 'Taco Bell' and 'gourmet' should not be used in the same sentence
Tony LaRussa is going to drag the rest of this game out with bullpen changes. Of course going from Kimbrel to Chapman is not fair.
Last licks for the American League...8 run rally caps on everybody.
Final Score: National League 8 American League 0...See you in DC for Game 1 of the World Series.
-----------------------------------------------------
This morning the wife and I went to find out whether we are having a boy or girl....it's a BOY!!! I really hadn't set my mind to wanting one or the other, just one that was healthy. Either way my kid was going to be well versed in the rules of baseball longer before his peers.
This brings us to the debate about the names...Jessica has thrown out names that I have no interest in and she has already shot down Nicklas Alexander after my two favorite Washington Capitals. I have come up with an idea that she has agreed to that we are going to do this like a jury selection.
We will both submit 10 names and each person will quickly eliminate five names from the others list without objection. We will then take our new list of 10 names and put them through a strenuous question and answer session to make sure they are not hiding any secrets that will come back to bite us in the ass. The main reason Jessica eliminated Nicklas is she didn't want her baby boy to be called 'Dickless Nicklas' at school. How petty!
Feel free to submit any ideas of names you may have...I am an open book at this point. I have always thought about naming him Jason Alan Wippich Jr. so that I could be Jason Alan Wippich Sr. or JAWS!! That would be sweet. I could hear my nephews/nieces say 'Hi Uncle Jaws!!' That makes me smile because I'm silly like that.
I skipped Fox's intro for the most part. I caught Erin Andrews saying goodbye to Chipper Jones and hello to Mike Trout. I've never been a fan of the Atlanta Braves, but I wear #10 and I'm getting close to calling it a career in baseball and seeing Chipper get all teary eyed got me all...moving on, nothing to see here.
Kansas City, home of the Monarchs from the Negro League. I'm happy they paid homage...good job.
I can't believe Jonathan Papelbon is an All-Star from a last place team and A.J. Burnett who has carried the first place Pirates after a disastrous start is at home. Outside of that 12 run game, Burnett has a 2.60 ERA over his other 14 starts and is 10-1 in those games. Papelbon is a douche on a crappy team who has his second highest ERA in any season so far this year.
Hello Bryce, Stephan and Gio...I hope to see you every year for the next 10 years.
Oakland Athletics sighting!!! My guess is Ryan Cook doesn't play tonight.
I don't know who you are anthem singer...be gone with you.
Still hate Tim McCarver although he's resembling Harry Caray in his later years more and more.
Ice cream break!!!
I don't think I'll ever get over the loss of Carlos Gonzalez from having a career in the green and gold. I will forever loathe Matt Holliday because of it.
That didn't take long as Ryan Braun smokes a ball to the fence. Somebody test his urine. Maybe Verlander should stick to the curve ball, because it is beyond filthy.
Yikes! Verlander imploding before my eyes. This is...unexpected. It has to be because of that inspiring, rah-rah speech by Chipper. I was ready to run through a brick wall for him.
Something tells me if that Josh Hamilton hit had left the yard, we'd be in for a really good game. Now I'm not so sure this isn't a big time blowout.
Joey Gloves!
Matt Cain is a very good pitcher, not flashy, just very consistent who will forever have his place in history with World Series championship, perfect game and All-Star game start.
Gio time! Please take Brandon McCarthy Nationals. I want the A's and Nats to be trading partners for life. Just keep it fair guys.
I repeat...if you think having a BBQ is going to Burger King...you are not my friend.
WHERE WERE THOSE STATS WHEN YOU WERE IN OAKLAND MATT??? (Sorry for that kids)
Looks like the Cardinals are still haunting the Rangers...hahahahaha
3 triples by the NL and its only the 4th inning? Wow.
Oooooh Strasburg vs. Cano, Hamilton and Baustista...me likey!!
I think that curve fooled the umpire. Shocker!
Washington Nationals overload...Bryce Harper time!! Don't be scared Weaver...throw a strike you long haired surfer boy!
Oh Bryce! Booooooo. Bringing back the Natinals with that gaffe.
Way to go Chipper! Sail off into the sunset with that one.
Well Mike Trout just welcomed R.A. Dickey quite rudely. Dickey would be out of baseball if it weren't for the National League...just saying.
Bryce Harper vs. Ryan Cook, my worlds are colliding. It'll be fun to watch Cook pitch for the Yankees in a couple of years.
Well that's about it for my interest in the game.
Kellie Pickler? Really? She's still relevant? Oh how horrible.
The words 'Taco Bell' and 'gourmet' should not be used in the same sentence
Tony LaRussa is going to drag the rest of this game out with bullpen changes. Of course going from Kimbrel to Chapman is not fair.
Last licks for the American League...8 run rally caps on everybody.
Final Score: National League 8 American League 0...See you in DC for Game 1 of the World Series.
-----------------------------------------------------
This morning the wife and I went to find out whether we are having a boy or girl....it's a BOY!!! I really hadn't set my mind to wanting one or the other, just one that was healthy. Either way my kid was going to be well versed in the rules of baseball longer before his peers.
This brings us to the debate about the names...Jessica has thrown out names that I have no interest in and she has already shot down Nicklas Alexander after my two favorite Washington Capitals. I have come up with an idea that she has agreed to that we are going to do this like a jury selection.
We will both submit 10 names and each person will quickly eliminate five names from the others list without objection. We will then take our new list of 10 names and put them through a strenuous question and answer session to make sure they are not hiding any secrets that will come back to bite us in the ass. The main reason Jessica eliminated Nicklas is she didn't want her baby boy to be called 'Dickless Nicklas' at school. How petty!
Feel free to submit any ideas of names you may have...I am an open book at this point. I have always thought about naming him Jason Alan Wippich Jr. so that I could be Jason Alan Wippich Sr. or JAWS!! That would be sweet. I could hear my nephews/nieces say 'Hi Uncle Jaws!!' That makes me smile because I'm silly like that.
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Pocket Pair 7/10/12
I love baseball. I'm going to put that out there right now. I've been playing since I was five years old and no matter how fervent I feel towards other sports, there's nothing that gets me going more than baseball. As an Oakland Athletics fan, the past 20 years have been filled with disappointment and heartbreak with flashes of brilliance. The peaks have been as pronounced as the valleys. Now that Washington D.C. has a team I have somewhat split my allegiance between both the A's and the Nationals. Basically I have a reason to cheer on a team from 7-10pm and 10pm-1am each night. I can watch the Nationals on TV and then fall asleep to the A's on my iPad later in the night. My addiction to the sport is as deep as ever.
That being said, I was bored as hell during last nights Home Run Derby. Each year is the same as the last. The first round is fun watching the newest phenom/power hitter/great story get his shot at glory, but with a 3+ hour running time, it gets old fast. From Mark McGwire in his prime to Barry Bonds when he was a God to the great story of Josh Hamilton and the accelerated emergence of Mark Trumbo, there always seems to be a story for viewers to get attached to. But what do you do with the last 2 hours of the broadcast?
Obviously viewers hate Chris Berman and they're sick of his shtick. ESPN produces the Derby in the same style every year. Berman yelling, player reactions and that's it. Sure they try and build drama up as if the Derby means anything and it was good to have a true villain in Robinson Cano last night, but for the most part its a complete waste of time.
I'm here to present some new events to 1) keep viewers and bring in a new batch 2) highlight the skill sets of non pure power hitters 3) allow ball players to showcase their personalities to a broader audience 4) get more players involved.
First, how to fix the Home Run Derby:
Change it to 5 hitters with only 2 rounds. Take two of the best power hitters from each league and then invite the best power hitter from the host city whether he is an All-Star or not. You now have invested fans in the crowd to go along with the normal corporate big wigs who could care less about what is going on. The two rounds shorten the event to a manageable time frame and opens up time for other events.
What other events you ask?
I want to get the pitchers involved, but in a way that they won't fear injuring their arm. What i suggest is carnival games to test the pitchers accuracy. This will allow them to get mic'd up and still showcase some skill. Let's line up some milk bottles and have the pitchers throw at them to win prizes for charity or children. I got my inspiration from a Seattle Mariners commercial starring Felix Hernandez.
Another event that I think would be great and help raise money for charity would be a dunk tank. What fun event is a better way to showcase personality and accuracy than a dunk tank? Fans can pay money (all to charity) to go up against a rival teams pitcher. As a Nationals fan I would love to sit there while hated rival Cole Hamels tries to dunk me. I could lightly heckle him and then hopefully you get an autograph from your favorite player for your troubles.
Next up for the speeders would be a fastest around the bases contest. I remember watching Darryl Green and Willie Gault face off in a sprint contest for the NFL's fastest player contest and thought it was great. Line up players like Michael Bourn, Elvis Andrus and even future speedster Billy Hamilton from the Futures game at home plate and time them going around the bases. To this day people still talk about watching Deion Sanders running the base paths because of how fast he was and I want to bring that aspect of the game back into the light.
When players are talked about being a 'five tool player' it means they can hit for power, average, run well, play good defense and throw well. I want to showcase outfield throwing ability. Lets run the Tom Emanski video skill contest. Line up a trash can on its side at the plate and have the best arms in baseball throw a ball into it from center field. Any baseball player remembers Fred McGriff endorsing these videos:
Just like in hockey when there are breakable targets in the shooting accuracy challenge, baseball can build targets to aim at as Bryce Harper launches a laser from right field to third base. It would be a joy to watch.
The last event I'd like to see is a six inning rookie versus sophomore game. The NBA has it and it is a great way for viewers to learn some new names from around the league. Make it shorter than the real game to keep the roster size smaller, but allow the future of MLB to go to an All-Star week to get some valued exposure and experience.
----------------------------------------------------
While in Texas I went and saw the movie 'Ted'. It was rather funny even if most of the best jokes were shown in the extended cut trailer. Just like in Family Guy, Seth MacFarlane hearkens back to his youth with references from the 80's and early 90's. He is five years older than I am, but the gap isn't large enough where I don't get the jokes. Sure I don't know all of the references, but the ones I know of are great.
There was a spoof of the the spoof movie Airplane which, judging by the audiences reaction, not many people got. I saw the movie in Austin which is a younger city and the crowd looked to be littered with college kids and younger (a family of five with the children no older than 11...awful parenting there). I can tell you that some of the jokes probably went way over their heads and even though they laughed at the jokes, they missed out on the connection.
*Spoiler Alert*
The bulk of the second half of the movie involves the lead character from the 1980 movie Flash Gordon, which I can say I've never seen. That was a bit of a letdown because I had no connection to the film nor the main character Sam Jones so I couldn't relate to the obsession that Mark Wahlberg and Ted had. It was still funny, but not to the extent that I'm sure Seth MacFarlane and fans of the cult hit felt.
That being said, I was bored as hell during last nights Home Run Derby. Each year is the same as the last. The first round is fun watching the newest phenom/power hitter/great story get his shot at glory, but with a 3+ hour running time, it gets old fast. From Mark McGwire in his prime to Barry Bonds when he was a God to the great story of Josh Hamilton and the accelerated emergence of Mark Trumbo, there always seems to be a story for viewers to get attached to. But what do you do with the last 2 hours of the broadcast?
Obviously viewers hate Chris Berman and they're sick of his shtick. ESPN produces the Derby in the same style every year. Berman yelling, player reactions and that's it. Sure they try and build drama up as if the Derby means anything and it was good to have a true villain in Robinson Cano last night, but for the most part its a complete waste of time.
I'm here to present some new events to 1) keep viewers and bring in a new batch 2) highlight the skill sets of non pure power hitters 3) allow ball players to showcase their personalities to a broader audience 4) get more players involved.
First, how to fix the Home Run Derby:
Change it to 5 hitters with only 2 rounds. Take two of the best power hitters from each league and then invite the best power hitter from the host city whether he is an All-Star or not. You now have invested fans in the crowd to go along with the normal corporate big wigs who could care less about what is going on. The two rounds shorten the event to a manageable time frame and opens up time for other events.
What other events you ask?
I want to get the pitchers involved, but in a way that they won't fear injuring their arm. What i suggest is carnival games to test the pitchers accuracy. This will allow them to get mic'd up and still showcase some skill. Let's line up some milk bottles and have the pitchers throw at them to win prizes for charity or children. I got my inspiration from a Seattle Mariners commercial starring Felix Hernandez.
Another event that I think would be great and help raise money for charity would be a dunk tank. What fun event is a better way to showcase personality and accuracy than a dunk tank? Fans can pay money (all to charity) to go up against a rival teams pitcher. As a Nationals fan I would love to sit there while hated rival Cole Hamels tries to dunk me. I could lightly heckle him and then hopefully you get an autograph from your favorite player for your troubles.
Next up for the speeders would be a fastest around the bases contest. I remember watching Darryl Green and Willie Gault face off in a sprint contest for the NFL's fastest player contest and thought it was great. Line up players like Michael Bourn, Elvis Andrus and even future speedster Billy Hamilton from the Futures game at home plate and time them going around the bases. To this day people still talk about watching Deion Sanders running the base paths because of how fast he was and I want to bring that aspect of the game back into the light.
When players are talked about being a 'five tool player' it means they can hit for power, average, run well, play good defense and throw well. I want to showcase outfield throwing ability. Lets run the Tom Emanski video skill contest. Line up a trash can on its side at the plate and have the best arms in baseball throw a ball into it from center field. Any baseball player remembers Fred McGriff endorsing these videos:
Just like in hockey when there are breakable targets in the shooting accuracy challenge, baseball can build targets to aim at as Bryce Harper launches a laser from right field to third base. It would be a joy to watch.
The last event I'd like to see is a six inning rookie versus sophomore game. The NBA has it and it is a great way for viewers to learn some new names from around the league. Make it shorter than the real game to keep the roster size smaller, but allow the future of MLB to go to an All-Star week to get some valued exposure and experience.
----------------------------------------------------
While in Texas I went and saw the movie 'Ted'. It was rather funny even if most of the best jokes were shown in the extended cut trailer. Just like in Family Guy, Seth MacFarlane hearkens back to his youth with references from the 80's and early 90's. He is five years older than I am, but the gap isn't large enough where I don't get the jokes. Sure I don't know all of the references, but the ones I know of are great.
There was a spoof of the the spoof movie Airplane which, judging by the audiences reaction, not many people got. I saw the movie in Austin which is a younger city and the crowd looked to be littered with college kids and younger (a family of five with the children no older than 11...awful parenting there). I can tell you that some of the jokes probably went way over their heads and even though they laughed at the jokes, they missed out on the connection.
*Spoiler Alert*
The bulk of the second half of the movie involves the lead character from the 1980 movie Flash Gordon, which I can say I've never seen. That was a bit of a letdown because I had no connection to the film nor the main character Sam Jones so I couldn't relate to the obsession that Mark Wahlberg and Ted had. It was still funny, but not to the extent that I'm sure Seth MacFarlane and fans of the cult hit felt.
Monday, July 9, 2012
Pocket Pair 7/9/12
Hello again folks! I hope you didn't miss me too much while I was basking in the non-humid heat of the Texas sun. If you follow me on Twitter then you are well aware of my stops down there. If I wasn't being a tourist, I was eating and if it wasn't Mexican food, it was burgers. The best thing I ate in Texas was at the #1 rated burger joint in Austin, Hopdoddy (@hopdoddy). Their Terlingua burger consists of Angus Beef, Chili con Carne, Corn Fritos, Tillamook Cheddar and Sassy Sauce. I can't say that I've ever had or ever heard of Tillamook cheddar cheese, nor will I be able to go into depths about the flavor profile because my palate isn't suited for that. I couldn't decipher the ingredients of the Sassy sauce, nor did I ask someone about it. I'm not a food blog, but I love eating. I can tell you that the chili was awesome and the burger was cooked well which made for a very good overall taste.
Outside of stuffing my gullet, I did what other tourists do...looked at famous and not so famous sites. My wife and I started in Dallas and went to the spot where JFK was assassinated. We went to San Antonio to check out the Alamo and the River Walk. We stayed in Austin and went to the University of Texas where my wife was enamored with the turtle pond.
We also saw some weird things along the way including a swarm of 1.5 million bats that live under a bridge in Austin and come out to feed at nighttime. We went to the underwhelming Museum of the Weird (save your money tourists), saw a 23 foot high spider and a now closed arcade that was built in the shape of a Star Trek ship.
On our way home, back in Dallas (well Arlington, Texas to be exact), I saw another space ship that I am told holds an overrated NFL team.
I was half expecting that behemoth of a monstrosity to start hovering and eventually take off back to the planet from where it came.
BREAKING NEWS: IT HAS BEEN SPOTTED IN SAN FRANCISCO!!! Adios Cowboys!!!
Thank you Flight of the Navigator for helping me out with my humor.
-------------------------------------------------------
I missed a lot of sports last week because my wife and her sister were too caught up watching HGTV and Investigation Discovery. I tried streaming baseball games on my iPad, but the AT&T U-Verse sucked down there and couldn't hold a signal at times.
I can tell you that it is the All-Star break in baseball and my two teams are doing better than expected. The Oakland Athletics sit at .500 with a 43-43 record thanks to their league leading 8th walk off win of the season. They can't hit (save for home runs), but they can pitch. It doesn't seem to matter who they run out to the mound, but they usually turn in a quality effort keeping the offense in the game. I can easily see both Bartolo Colon and Brandon McCarthy being shipped away at the deadline to more serious contenders. The Athletics have both Brett Anderson and Dallas Braden coming back from injury in or around August and if Oakland has any shot at adding another young hitter they need to jump at it. Even though the Athletics sit only 2.5 games out of a playoff spot they are still one or two (or three) good hitters away from a serious playoff push. Josh Reddick has played out of his mind, but I can't expect another 20 home runs in the second half.
Even with dropping two of three to the lowly Colorado Rockies this weekend, my local favorite team, the Washington Nationals still hold the best record in the National League. They could be in line to take either of the Athletics starters named above because of the supposed innings limit restriction on All-Star Stephen Strasburg. Outside of that storm that is forming in the Caribbean the Nationals don't have too many holes to fill. Even though SS Ian Desmond has played far better than anyone projected, I don't think anybody else on the offense will regress. Both Michael Morse and Ryan Zimmerman have been either injured or inconsistent all 1st half so a full second half of both of them will be more than enough to offset any drop off by Desmond. The pitching has been excellent and with the addition of Drew Storen to the back end and probably a veteran arm to take the spot of Strasburg it should continue to be the strength of a well balanced team. The wild card will be rookie Bryce Harper. Will he continue to get better or hit the rookie wall that most rookies run into in late August. He's never played this many meaningful games in a single season and being only 19, the toll that it will take is immeasurable. He sparked the team with his gung-ho attitude, but has quietly taken a back seat with the return of Zimmerman and Morse. As long as those two produce along with crafty veteran Adam LaRoche, even an extended cold streak by Harper can be negated.
Outside of stuffing my gullet, I did what other tourists do...looked at famous and not so famous sites. My wife and I started in Dallas and went to the spot where JFK was assassinated. We went to San Antonio to check out the Alamo and the River Walk. We stayed in Austin and went to the University of Texas where my wife was enamored with the turtle pond.
On our way home, back in Dallas (well Arlington, Texas to be exact), I saw another space ship that I am told holds an overrated NFL team.
I was half expecting that behemoth of a monstrosity to start hovering and eventually take off back to the planet from where it came.
BREAKING NEWS: IT HAS BEEN SPOTTED IN SAN FRANCISCO!!! Adios Cowboys!!!
Thank you Flight of the Navigator for helping me out with my humor.
-------------------------------------------------------
I missed a lot of sports last week because my wife and her sister were too caught up watching HGTV and Investigation Discovery. I tried streaming baseball games on my iPad, but the AT&T U-Verse sucked down there and couldn't hold a signal at times.
I can tell you that it is the All-Star break in baseball and my two teams are doing better than expected. The Oakland Athletics sit at .500 with a 43-43 record thanks to their league leading 8th walk off win of the season. They can't hit (save for home runs), but they can pitch. It doesn't seem to matter who they run out to the mound, but they usually turn in a quality effort keeping the offense in the game. I can easily see both Bartolo Colon and Brandon McCarthy being shipped away at the deadline to more serious contenders. The Athletics have both Brett Anderson and Dallas Braden coming back from injury in or around August and if Oakland has any shot at adding another young hitter they need to jump at it. Even though the Athletics sit only 2.5 games out of a playoff spot they are still one or two (or three) good hitters away from a serious playoff push. Josh Reddick has played out of his mind, but I can't expect another 20 home runs in the second half.
Even with dropping two of three to the lowly Colorado Rockies this weekend, my local favorite team, the Washington Nationals still hold the best record in the National League. They could be in line to take either of the Athletics starters named above because of the supposed innings limit restriction on All-Star Stephen Strasburg. Outside of that storm that is forming in the Caribbean the Nationals don't have too many holes to fill. Even though SS Ian Desmond has played far better than anyone projected, I don't think anybody else on the offense will regress. Both Michael Morse and Ryan Zimmerman have been either injured or inconsistent all 1st half so a full second half of both of them will be more than enough to offset any drop off by Desmond. The pitching has been excellent and with the addition of Drew Storen to the back end and probably a veteran arm to take the spot of Strasburg it should continue to be the strength of a well balanced team. The wild card will be rookie Bryce Harper. Will he continue to get better or hit the rookie wall that most rookies run into in late August. He's never played this many meaningful games in a single season and being only 19, the toll that it will take is immeasurable. He sparked the team with his gung-ho attitude, but has quietly taken a back seat with the return of Zimmerman and Morse. As long as those two produce along with crafty veteran Adam LaRoche, even an extended cold streak by Harper can be negated.
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