RAUL is COOL

If you haven't heard, Raul Ibanez came up in the clutch for the Yankees in the 9th and 12th inning.  With one swing of the bat each, he tied and then won the game for the Pinstripes.

This is a much bigger deal than normal because Raul Ibanez was asked to pinch hit for Alex Rodriguez who is 1 for 12 with 7 strikeouts in the ALDS.

Joe Giradi went with his gut and not with his binder.  The difference between good and great is pulling the trigger on tough decisions. I tip my hat to Joe for sitting a struggling superstar for his best option on his bench. Not an easy call, he was playing with fire and did not get burned this time.


Also, if this doesn't give you chills then well I don't think you truly bleed Pinstripes!

Today is another day of 4 playoff games. Wait...let me rethink that, today is offering 4 ELIMINATION games.

Giants vs. Reds in Game 5 at 1:07pm EST
---> My Prediction:  Reds squeak by and Dusty Baker is back in the NLCS, again.

Cardinals vs. Nationals in Game 4 (STL 2-1) 4:07pm EST
---> My Prediction: Nationals tie up the series and the city of Washington will be ROCKING.

Yankees vs. Orioles in Game 4 (NYY 2-1) 7:37pm EST
---> My Prediction: It depends on which Phil Hughes shows up. Bats need to awake too. Yankees win.

Tigers vs. Athletics in Game 5  9:37pm EST
---> My Prediction:  Athletics have the momentum and the Tigers have Verlander. I say the A's make it their first ALCS in a long time.


Only bad thing about the postseason is that sinking feeling that Baseball is almost over for the year.

Big Time Bats in the Playoffs - NL

Joey Votto, Cincinnati Reds

Buster Posey, SF Giants

Martin Prado, Atlanta Braves

Jayson Werth, Washington Nationals

Carlos Beltran, St. Louis Cardinals

3 Up, 3 Down

An interesting week in sports thus far and plenty more to come.  Here's my best and worst of the week that currently is.

3 Up

1. Wimbledon – Not sure why I’ve been so enthralled with a sport I have no past with, but I can’t stop watching.  In the men’s draw, Federer, Nadal, Djokovic, Murray, Tsonga, the top five seeds, are all still alive after straight set wins in Round 1.  As for the women’s draw, Venus Williams has bowed out, further accentuating her fall from grace.  Sharapova, Radwanska, Serena Williams, Kvitova, and Azarenka are all still alive as well.  My favorite part is watching the people along the surface on the back row dodge 100mph serves and returns.
2. New York Yankees – So far June has been a great time to wear pinstripes.  The Yankees are 18-5 this month and have no signs of slowing down.  They enter today percentage points ahead of the Rangers for best record in the MLB.
3. Yu Darvish – He wasn’t great last night against the Tigers, but he was good enough to earn his 10th win of the season on the heels of a 10 strikeout performance.  One of the most anticipated stories leading into the 2012 MLB season has had very few hiccups thus far.

3 Down

1. Aroldis Chapman’s Somersaults – Sure, the Reds fireballer had blown two saves in a row (a two-run go-ahead HR in the 9th by the Twins’ Josh Willingham and a walk-off two-run HR by Asdrubal Cabrera of the Indians), but after fanning the side to earn a save last night, he proceeded to do two somersaults off the mound.  Act the part big fella, please.
2. Dwayne Wise’s “Catch” – On Derek Jeter’s 38th birthday, Dwayne Wise went into the stands to try to make a catch.  Problem was, he never made it, and umpire Mike DiMuro refused to ask to see the ball.  I think that’s protocol when a player winds up in the crowd.  Wise deserves an Oscar.
3. BCS < 4-Team Playoff – College football announced it is moving to a 4-team playoff format beginning in 2015.  Sounds like progress is being made, but they still have a lot of kinks to iron out, namely who is on the decision committee.  I like where their heads are at, but there will be some controversy moving forward.

Cool Names - Sports Edition

There are a lot of weird names out there in the world. 

Navaeh seems to be popular because it's "heaven" backwards.  God Shammgod is a guard from Providence by way of NYC.

Here's a collection of some unique names from the sports world, in no particular order.  I'm aiming for active players only.

1. Kila Ka'aihue - first baseman for the Oakland A's, not surprisingly from Hawaii
2. Captain Munnerlyn - cornerback for the Carolina Panthers, but he is not the captain
3. Dirk Nowitzki - forward for the Dallas Mavericks, it's just fun to say .. Dirk Dirk Dirk
4. Placido Polanco - utility player for the Phillies, talking about fun to say
5. Richie Incognito - guard for the Miami Dolphins, but he's undercover
6. Bronson Arroyo - pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds, long hair don't care and he's with the band
7. Jon Jay and Lance Lynn - outfielder and pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals, because everyone loves saying names that begin with the same letter
8. Kaka - soccer player from Brazil, just because it makes you laugh
9. R.A. Dickey - pitcher for the New York Mets, just because it makes you laugh
10. Metta World Peace - forward for the Los Angeles Lakers, who is serving a suspension for elbowing James Harden in the head, ironic

That's good for now.  

Day Games

Because I'm a stay at home dad, there are some perks, namely getting to spend all day every day with Nolan.  There is also baseball.

Surprisingly, baseball on television captures Nolan's attention for periods of time.  He'll look at the TV and then back at me as if to say, "What's going on here?" - and it's kind of funny.

Early in the season, there have been plenty of day games for me us to watch.

We watched the Reds walk off on the Cardinals the other day.
The Nationals walked off on the Mets yesterday.

Today I'm flipping between the Angels/Yankees game and the Rays/Red Sox game.  My loyalty to the Yankees runs deep however, and coupled with the fact that I can only take listening to the Red Sox announcers for 60 seconds at most, the Yankees game has remained on 99% of the time - even for commercials.  The Red Sox guys call the players by their first name like they are best buddies.  And their accents I haven't quite warmed up to yet.

I wish MLB Network would put on the Tigers/White Sox game on - through four innings Max Scherzer has 8 K's and through 5 Jake Peavy has 7 K's.  Three hits, 1 HBP, and one caught stealing combined.

Instagram Feature; MLB Opening Weekend

Instagram Feature
If you've been thinking to yourself, "there sure are a lot of pictures on the top of this page" when you check out WRT, you're right, there are.  My Instagram feed is fed right to the blog.

Thanks to the people at Instagram for bringing their platform over to Android.  I can finally snap and shoot photos with my phone and share them with the world.  There's plenty of filter options to make it look like I'm a really good photographer.  I promise not to take pictures of the sky - those are severely played out and have become boring to look at - unless it's a kick ass shot.  And I am not a hipster.

MLB Opening Weekend Storylines
Baseball season is here and so are the premature headlines that are shaping the baseball world.

Here's some shocking stories and some that aren't so shocking.

• SHOCKER - The New York Mets and Baltimore Orioles are both 3-0.  They swept the Braves at Citi Field, holding them to just seven runs while scoring twelve of their own.  Johan Santana was the only starter not to get a W (Niese and Dickey both got W's).  Lucas Duda has two homeruns and David Wright is hitting .667.  For the O's, the pitching has been the story - 5 runs allowed in their three-game sweep in Minnesota.
• NO SHOCK - The World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals are picking up right where they left off and are 3-1.  They beat the Marlins in the first game stateside and then took 2 of 3 from the Prince-less Brewers.  They did all this on the road.  Carlos Beltran looks rejuvenated and Lance Lynn threw an absolute gem, striking out eight Brewers in 6.2 innings on Easter Sunday.
• SHOCKER - Yankees and Red Sox are both 0-3.  The good news for the Bombers is that the last time they started 0-3, they won 114 games and the World Series in 1998.  They got dominated by the Rays, who many experts believe will win the AL East.  Bobby Valentine was hoping to have a better start, but his Red Sox were swept by the Tigers.  They coughed up a ninth-inning lead and an eleventh-inning lead yesterday - you think they miss Papelbon?
• NO SHOCK - The Twins lack of offense.  Justin Morneau, Denard Span, and Josh Willingham are the only three with more than one hit.  Joe Mauer is hitting .100.  Mauer and Morneau are really the only two Twins who can do some damage.  It's going to be a long season in Minnesota.

Some "By The Numbers" stuff.

•  4 - Players with 3 HR's - Yoenis Cespedes, Jay Bruce, Miguel Cabrera, and Corey Hart
• 10 - # of hits for Rafael Furcal, the only player in the majors with double digit hits
• 1 - Duane Below of the Tigers is the only pitcher with 2 wins - both in relief.
• 3 - Saves (2) + Wins (1) for Rays reliever Fernando Rodney, in 1.2 innings pitched
• 2 - Losses by Red Sox reliever Mark Melancon in his 1 inning pitched this season
• .500 - Fielding percentage of Angels 3B Mark Trumbo (3 errors in 6 total chances, in 2 games)
• #8 - Kurt Suzuki has thrown out 3 of 8 runners - the 5 SBA in four games is alarming for the pitchers
• 5 - # of teams sitting at 3-0 as well as teams stuck at 0-3

Let's remember, it's only three games (four for some).  I am not hitting the panic button with the Yankees nor am I anointing the Orioles the favorite in the AL East.  It is what it is, one weekend.  There are still 158/159 games to - buckle up.

Shocking Demotion; Birthday Shout Outs

Shocking Demotion
Talk about a fall from grace minutes before the MLB season kicks off.  Washington Nationals pitcher John Lannan, of Siena College fame, and the opening day starter in 2009 and 2010 for the Nationals, was demoted.  He's scheduled to make $5 million this season too.

Sure, Gio Gonzalez and Edwin Jackson made him a little less of a priority, but he was a staple in their rotation for the past four seasons.

Don't take anything for granted.  Well, except the $5 million he's due to make.

Birthday Shout Outs

• Muddy Waters, the legendary blues musician.  This was actually one of the first artists Nolan listened to when he was only a few weeks old.  He loves the blues.  McKinley Morganfield died in 1983.
• Scott "Rockin'" Rolen turns 37 today.  He's got 8 Gold Glove awards, he's been in 7 All-Star games, and was a member of the 2006 World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals.

Numbers Game - #10

Now on to double digits.  It starts with the single greatest number on earth, according to my lovely wife - 10.  Here's a few #10's for the record books - some stats are included for your reading pleasure.

SU Field Hockey great Lindsay Darcy (my wife).  I couldn't dig up any stats, but I know she scored the game-winner against Ohio State.  I saw the video.  She's still competitive as a mo-fo.

This former Reds and Tigers manager led Reds to two World Series titles and the Tigers to one.  He amassed over 2,190 wins as a manager and was inducted into the HOF in 2000.  His #10 is retired by the Cincinnati Reds, Sparky Anderson.  (Photo courtesy of AP)

"The Scooter" Phil Rizzuto, born in Brooklyn, helped lead the Yankees to seven World Series titles in his 13 seasons in pinstripes.  He was then a staple on the idiot box, calling Yankees games for many years, throwing around his signature, "Holy Cow!".  (Photo courtesy of NYTimes)

Playoff Baseball is Here!!!

  As an appetizer, an ex-Phillie dominated the Tampa Bay Rays in St. Pete.  For an intermezzo, Doc Halladay no-hit the Reds.  NO-HIT.  Understand something - it's only been done once in MLB Playoff history - by NYY great Don Larson.  The Yankees trail the Twins 2-0 in the third inning now, after a leadoff hit by pitch was followed by a 2-R bomb to center field.  Leadoff freebies always come back to bite you in the ass - ask CC.

  A-Rod is still not great.  Clutch he is not.  Yanks get the first two guys on - BB and 1B - and proceed to hit two fly balls and a K from Mr. Rodriguez.  That was the chance to get right back in it, get some of the momentum back.  Instead, a goose egg.  Swisher had the right idea bunting - he gets it down and the next fly ball scores a run.

  Good thing they told him not to bunt - SIKE!

  C.C. needs to settle in here and act like the big donkey he is - be a horse and get some 0's up there to give them a chance.  They've been playing like crap coming down the stretch, and it cost them the division. 

  I am home with Nathan watching the ballgame, missing the Mrs.

  Time to get ready to take Nathan for a stroll in the park - may make a night-time trip to the dog park out back.  Dog loves it over there.

  Sofa, chair-and-a-half, and ottoman are scheduled for delivery tomorrow - it only took Bob's over two weeks to do what I asked them to do.  Never order from them, and if you do, pick it up yourself.  Maybe it's just their customer service department that blows.  You walk in there and get bombarded by 40 sales people looking for a sale - it's like a feeding frenzy.  I'm just happy it's finally going to get delivered, start making this place look like something.  It gets old sitting on the damn floor.

  Time for October baseball.  Let's make it a game Yanks.  Joe Mauer is a good hitter.  A pro.  Damn the Twins are a scrappy team.  Good play Teixeira made, but Hudson's a sneaky little bastard.

  Big AB.  Posada sucks defensively.  I'm out.

  A split on the road is good for me.  Then they gotta continue their domination of the Twins.

Iron Crap-tus

Headed over to the Iron Cactus for dinner.  Third floor seating, outside, nice views.  Fixing to be a good dinner.  Food was good, service sucked.

Maybe it was his first night.  I highly doubt it.  Either way, he was brutal.

AB 1:  Sat down for over 10 minutes before he came over to the table.  No silverware, no napkins, no menu, no drink menu.  "Can I get you a drink?"  I peered over to the bar, 45' away.  Lucky for him, I got pretty good eyes.  Lindsay got a water, I got a Negra Modelo and a Diet Pepsi.  Order taken, waiter gone to get it.  (Lindsay went to get a drink menu at the bar)  Comes back with a water and "What did you want to drink again?"  Told him the order plus a Bud Light Lime for the lady and five minutes later the drinks came.  0-1

AB 2:  Drinks were there, chips and salsa came out, still no menus.  Eventually (5 or 6 minutes) the doofus brought us out some menus.  Took a peek at it, and within the blink of an eye he was there to take an order.  We got the Gulf Coast Crab Cakes - probably not the best choice given the whole BP situation.  He left.  0-1 with a BB

AB 3:  Came back to us after a few minutes, and we told him our meal orders (Yucatan Fish Tacos for me, Spinach Artichoke and Grilled Portobello Enchiladas for Linds), assuming that's why he was back.  It wasn't.  He wanted to see if the chips and salsa were OK.  The drinks were empty, but he wasn't all that concerned with this.  Had he knows that I've been sucking them back pretty quickly lately, he woulda brought me out a bucket.  We had to tell him we wanted another round, even though it was blatently evident based on the two empty bottles on the table.  0-2, BB

AB 4:  He came back and asked us our orders again, after not having written them down to begin with.  Then he brought out the appetizer.  The jícama slaw was pretty damn good though (even though it was spelled "jicima" on the menu).  0-3, BB

AB 5:  Again with the drinks.  Saw empties, didn't collect them.  I thought we were able to turn them in for a cash refund applied directly to the principal of our bill.  This wasn't the case.  Food came out, it was good, a little too close to the appetizer, but at least it came out.  Then he asked if we wanted another drink after staring at our empties on the table.  Duh!  0-4, BB

AB 6:  He got benched.  We got the check and left him a 14% tip because he sucked.  He wished us a great evening, and we were out.  Man I hope that guy gets fired, he sucked.  But given what the manager looked like, his job is safe.  It was like the town of Dorkville up there. 

Post Game:  Back at the hotel, meeting an old colleague at Draft for a quick drink.

In MLB news, the Cardinals are taking it to the M's.  Seattle put up 2 in the top of the first, but St. Louis answered with three of their own, and added six more en route to a 9-3 win.  Luke French and Ian Snell both pitched like crap.  Adam Wainright settled in after a rocky start, and the Cardinals are now 1 game back of the Reds in the NL Central.  For once, it isn't a one-team race in that division.

Draft time.

Wednesday - big day at the ballpark

Got home around 9:15 last night and put in the new A/C, sucker works pretty good, cranking out cold air all night.  Lindsay is still in there sleeping, I was up at the butt-crack taking Nathan out and figured I'd post up.  Lot of stuff happened yesterday all around sports, I'll cover the ones I want.  I'm the boss here.  Flyers got a huge win in OT to cut the series to 2-1.  OK, hot topics:

1. Jim Joyce blew it!  Tigers RHP Armando Galarraga got screwed out of his perfect game, and even Indians SS Jason Donald knew it - as soon as he crossed the bag and was called safe, he put his hands on top of his head, almost signifying, "Holy shit, this umpire blew this kid a perfect game."  He wasn't going to call himself out, but umpires need to make that call and get it right.  There is no excuse.  They get paid huge amounts of money to maintain the integrity of the game.  In all fairness to Jim Joyce, he is human, and although he's been around for 22 years, his latest gaff is further proof that instant replay needs to be adopted at the MLB level.  Not for ball and strikes, but for plays like this, for homeruns that may or may not have been, to determine fair or foul (even though 80% of the time a batter doesn't bust it out of the box).  I'm just saying, these umpires are clearly not cutting it.  There's the play - Galarraga  had the ball and his foot hit the bag a step before Donald go there.  I still am shocked he missed it.  I appreciate the work they do and the fact that the human error still plays a part, but to take history away from this guy isn't right.  And for Galarraga not to have said anything to Joyce is amazing in itself, I would have flown off the handle - but I got a short fuse.  Nice guy, considering he had a perfect game snatched away on the last out of the game.  Instant Replay!!

2. Griffey Jr. hangs 'em  up.  Let's be realistic here, Ken Griffey Jr. was one of the best ever to roam center field, hands down.  There really is no debate that in his prime, he was a freaking beast.  He made more catches over the fence than I can remember.  His Upper Deck rookie card was rare air in the baseball card collecting industry - it was worth upwards of like $150 back in the day at the card shows.  Griffey is a sure fire first ballot hall of famer, and for good reason.  Coming up with the Mariners organization in the early 1990's, there was no other player more synonomous with Seattle than his.  Edgar Martinez, Randy Johnson, Mark Langston, Jay Buhner, Omar Vizquel.  Nobody's compared to Junior.  And to think, he made only $68,000 his first year in the big leagues.  I mean 630 HR's later, he's hanging them up, and at a good time too.  He can't perform like the guy who hit 56 HR in back-to-back season in '97 and '98.  He can't get to double-digit SB's anymore like he did in 1999.  He's a clubhouse guy now, and as much as a team needs guys like that, Griffey has too much pride to go out like a sucker (.184, 7 RBI).  He's a superstar that was never in the steroids debate.  He came in before they were being talked about and dominated as a 19- and 20-year-old.  Thanks Junior, the game needs more guys like you.  Sweetest swing in the game they said, and who am I to argue with that.

3. Robinson Canó en fuego!  If you think otherwise, you better take a good, hard look in the mirror.  Actually, saying he's on fire isn't even enough.  Right now, he's the best hitter in baseball.  He's got a 17-game hitting streak (which will now more than likey end today), has his average up to an MLB-best .373 (.001 higher than Justin Morneau), 78 hits (4 more than Ichiro) - I mean cool him off.  Let's just take a look at his last 8 games - all multi-hit games (3 3-hit games, 5 2-hit games).  During that span, his average has gone from .335 to .373.  He has 9 R, 3 2B, 3 HR, and 15 RBI.  I mean those numbers are staggering.  Here's Yahoo!, clearly confused, telling us who is the hottest player over the last 14 days.  Here's Canó's numbers:  12 R.  5 2B.  3 HR.  14 RBI.  .472 BA.  You tell me Chipper, Cairo, and Ryan have better numbers, you're off your rocker.  Someone at the Yahoo! research department is sleeping on the job.  Stay hot Canó.

OK, that's good for now, it's pretty lengthy and I'm getting hungry, even though I'll probably get an egg sandwich at Han's.  I'll be back!

Montana

1964:  The territory of Montana was formed.  Better known as "Big Sky Country," Montana ranks 44th in state population, with an estimated 967,440 people calling it home.  The capital is Helena, with the largest city being Billings.

Montana is home to four minor league baseball teams:  Billings Mustangs (Pioneer League Rookie affiliate of Cincinnati Reds); Great Falls Voyagers (Pioneer League Rookie affiliate of Chicago White Sox); Helena Brewers (Pioneer League Rookie affiliate of Milwaukee Brewers); Missoula Osprey (Pioneer League Rookie affiliate of Arizona D'Backs).  These four teams make up the North division of the Pioneer League.  Because I love logo's, here they are (MiLB):

Blah Blah Blah

Mr. Softie just stopped by - well, we stopped him, he was parked down the block.  Lindsay got herself a vanilla cone dipped in chocolate.  I didn't get anything, times are tough here in the Bronx, I had $4 in my wallet.  Pathetic, I know.  Gotta provide for the wife and kid (or in our case, Nathan).   She ate the ice cream coated in the chocolate and fired the rest in the garbage.  Oh well, next time I'll ask Mr. Softie if he can coat the ice cream in layers.

Just started reading a new book, my favorite author, Chuck Klosterman.  The book, Downtown Owl, is a novel about the small town of Owl, ND.  He's written for The NYT Magazine and The Washington Post and his previous books have covered topics ranging from the relationship of rock music, mortality, and love (Killing Yourself to Live:  85% of a True Story) to the history of glam metal (Fargo Rock City:  A Heavy Metal Odyssey in Rural Nörth Daköta) to previously published columns and articles on pop culture (Chuck Klosterman IV).  I just like his writing style, give him a shot.  You'll probably chuckle to yourself like I do.  Nathan's been trying to learn to read Downtown Owl:

Yankees vs. Mets - not looking too good for the Yankees so far.  Bay kills the Yankees.  Stupid throw by Russo out in LF - C.C. needs to get out of this jam - I hate José Reyes, stupid hair, nonchalant actions - just stay on the DL foo!  Damn, 2-0 Mets.  Alex Cora, seriously?  See, there goes Bay, HR to deep left-center.  Crap!  I'm going to switch topics, this game isn't going how I had anticipated.

Today's Birthdays:

Cleveland Rocks, Cleveland Rocks!! Happy Birthday to comedian Drew Carey, who's 52 today.  I think he's still the host of the new The Price is Right.  When I'm home weekdays (which is never), I'd watch it.

Author, sports-columnist, radio-personality Mitch Albom, who's books my mother loves, is also 52 today.  I hate his hair, it's always covering his ears and just looks stupid, but he's great on "The Sports Reporters" on ESPN.  Keep up the good work Mitch, and cut the hair over your ears.  But Happy Birthday nonetheless.




Game's on - C.C. singles, Jeter singles, Gardner is so fast but hits into the 4-6-3 DP.  Will someone please step up and get some hits off Santana?  Teixeira blows!  Game's off - channel surfing instead. 

Back to work tomorrow.  Graduation was a success, everyone walked across the stage for the first time ever.  It was about 100° in the gym, but they had 8 fans that cooled off the faculty.  Parents, family, and friends suffered in the sweltering humid gym.

Flipped it back on and back off - Joe Morgan is a moron.  I was hoping his new job as special advisor for the Reds would help ease him off the SNB set, but no such luck.  Him and Jon Miller - match made in heaven for a black and white silent film.

I'm done with this game for good - Food Network is going on, even if it means I have to watch "Down Home with the Neely's". 

Monday tomorrow - time for some zzzz's.

1st Place ... Reds?

The Cincinnati Reds are sitting pretty in 1st place in the NL Central - they're actually only up by 1 game on the Cardinals, but they deserve the spotlight.  Today they rallied for three runs in B9 off Brewers closer and future HOF'er Trevor Hoffman, who has been nothing short of terrible this year, to beat the Brewers 5-4.

Five blown saves?  ERA over 11.00?  I know the Brewers are struggling this year, but still - this is a guy with a career 2.83 ERA and 596 career saves. 

The inning was a nightmare - single by Janish, HR by Rolen, 2B by Heisey, BB to Phillips, 1B to Joey Votto.  Votto hit a solo HR in the 8th to cut the Brewers lead to 4-2.  It is only the third time in 1055 IP where he hasn't recorded an out and his first since July 19, 2006 against the Phillies.

May 18, 2010 vs. CIN:  0.0 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 1 HR, (L, BS #5)
July 19, 2006 vs. PHI:  0.0 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 1 BB, (BS #3)
April 28, 1999 vs. NYM:  0.0 IP, 2 H, 2 R, (L)

Not a great week for big name closers.  Sunday--Mariano Rivera blew a game vs. the Twins, Monday--Papelbon blew a game vs. the Yankees, Tuesday--Hoffman blew a game vs. Cincinnati.

ABC!  Always Be Closing!

Ryan Freel Retires

Former MLB'er Ryan Freel has decided to call it quits.  He spent the past few weeks in the Atlantic League with the Somerset Patriots.  In nine games, he hit .265 with 3 R and 4 RBI.  He will best be remembered for his three-year stretch with the Cincinnati Reds - 2004-2006 - where he had his most success.  He was a .268 career hitter, 100 doubles, and 143 stolen bases.  A modest career, but for three of his eight years, he was as feared a baserunner as you could think of.

During those three seasons in Cincy, he hit .273, scored 210 runs, 60 doubles, and 110 stolen bases.  I never heard of the guy but I knew he could run like the wind, and I always saw his names at the top of the category leaders in SB's.  My brother Jesse had the good fortune to play with him in Somerset this season, and said he was one of the most down to earth guys he'd ever played with.  He was with the Rays for three seasons - first in Hudson Valley (SS), then in Columbus, GA (A), then in Port Charlotte, FL (A+).  He shared a clubhouse with Pat Burrell, Jason Bartlett, Scott Kazmir - Freel was the most real.

He did have one blemish, a drunk driving charge after an opening night win over the Mets in 2005, but we're all human.

Happy Trails Ryan Freel.  Thanks for the hustle!

By the way - Dice-K still can't figure it out!  The Yanks are up 6-2, T5, Dice-K's line not looking so fine:  4 IP, 7 H, 6 R, 3 BB, 3 K, 1 WP.  He's thrown 90 pitches (53S/37B) in four innings.  Let's hope the Yankees can keep this lead and get another game up on the Red Sox.  Nathan is sleeping on the couch, taking up a lot of real estate.  Lindsay is reading, accusing me of ignorance.

Time to search for birthday gifts - I'm almost 30 - actually only 29 on June 1.  Later you old farts!

Kyle Farnsworth

Skin strapped on steel.  ESPN recently took a poll from various major leaguers on topics ranging from owning a gun (44% do) to the most overrated stat in baseball (BA followed by ERA).  The best topic covered was the one that got the longest story - "Who's the last guy you'd want to run into during a bench-clearing brawl?"  23% of respondents say Kyle Farnsworth.  Here's a guy who form-tackled Jeremy Affeldt after a HBP that he didn't even have anything to do with; a man who speared Cincinnati Reds pitcher Paul Wilson after he muttered something to him for throwing an inside fastball on a bunt attempt.

He probably could play linebacker in the NFL - he's a pretty imposing figure:  6'4" tall, 233 lbs., legs like telephone polls and he's all inked up.  He's got a mean streak, but you must have some set of cojones to test him out.  Ask Affeldt and Wilson.  If you never saw either fight, here it is:



He's a guy who has some pent up aggression, I mean he's started his playing career calling Wrigley Field his home for 6 years - he also has suited up for the Tigers, Braves, Yankees, Tigers, and now the Royals.  He played for Bartman's Cubs.  A perennial loser.  The Royals are garbage.  The Yankees didn't win a thing when he was there.  The Braves have been impotent in the postseason. 

He's from Witchita, which also happened to be home to the infamous BTK strangler Dennis Rader.  Read a book on the BTK - scary dude, I tell you what.  I'm not implying that everyone from Witchita is a stranger, but Kyle Farnsworth is a bad mother trucker. 

Statistically for his career, he has over a K/IP - 784.1 IP and 790 K.  I mean the guy gets the job done in the middle innings - he throws in the mid- to upper-90's - and again, he's got that mean streak.  I've seen let up some bolts, some dribblers, some solid singles, but there aren't too many guys who are going to approach him after a purpose pitch.  I suggest you read the article - it's a great piece of writing by ESPN Senior Writer and Colorado Buffalo Luke Cyphers.

Watching the highlights - Yankees won today, the Pirates (voted the worst franchise in the MLB in the aforementioned poll) beat the Cubs too.

Steel