I was scorekeeping at a school baseball tournament today. Felt so good to be back on a diamond, close to some real baseball action. And it felt amazing to hear the cracks of the bat every time the batter made contact. The weather was BEAUTIFUL too. Absolutely GORGEOUS day for baseball!!
The roof was open for last night's Jays game for the first time!! The Blue Jays performance this season has been up and down, much like the weather here in TO these past few weeks. This hasn't come as a surprise to me. They got good players, but are very scrappy. Really, I didn't have much expectations for them coming into this season so I'm just enjoying whatever they do. That 13-12 game against the Red Sox was freakin' fantastic!! I am, however, itching to get down to a game this season!
How 'bout the Padres eh? Every pundit in the country said they would be dead last in the NL West and would be one of the worst teams in the NL. Low and behold, they are first in their division. But hey, the Jays got off to a 27-13 start last year too...
Tonight, two MLB stars return to their line ups from injury. Cliff Lee will make his much anticipated debut with Seattle and second baseman Ian Kinsler is slated to return to the Texas batting order. I like both guys a lot, especially Kinsler. So I'll be excited to see what they got this season!
All those changes to the All-Star Game, they're alright. I don't like the ineligible-if-pitched-on-Sunday rule though.
-D
Friday, 30 April 2010
Sunday, 18 April 2010
Wild Night in Baseball
First there was Ubaldo Jimenez, hurling the first no hitter in Rockies history, despite a plethora of walks and a couple of close plays. Then there was the 6 hour 53 minute duel between the New York Mets and the St. Louis Cardinals.
The two rare feats made for a great night in the MLB. Ubaldo Jimenez, the Rockies ace who came into the season with ample expectations jumped in celebration as the game finished with a ground out to second. He was throwing heat all night long, with his fastball still blazing at 97 miles per hour in the 8th inning. There have been quite a few flirts with no-no's this season by various pitchers. CC Sabathia carried one with 4 outs to go. Ricky Romero set 21 down before giving up a home run to Alex Rios last Tuesday. And on Opening Day, Shaun Marcum kept the Rangers hitless until 1 out in the 7th.
Later in the night, a friend of mine instant messaged me and told me to tune into the Mets-Cardinals match up. It was the bottom of the 19th inning, with the score tied at 1. Amazingly enough, neither team had scored until the Mets struck first in the top of the 19th inning. All in all, the Mets used 24 of their 25 players, while the Cardinals used 22 of 25. The Cards also used 2 position players on the mound, and put starting pitcher Kyle Lohse out in left field to finish the game. In the end, the Mets won 2-1 in 20, almost 7 hours after the first pitch! Amazing!
-D
The two rare feats made for a great night in the MLB. Ubaldo Jimenez, the Rockies ace who came into the season with ample expectations jumped in celebration as the game finished with a ground out to second. He was throwing heat all night long, with his fastball still blazing at 97 miles per hour in the 8th inning. There have been quite a few flirts with no-no's this season by various pitchers. CC Sabathia carried one with 4 outs to go. Ricky Romero set 21 down before giving up a home run to Alex Rios last Tuesday. And on Opening Day, Shaun Marcum kept the Rangers hitless until 1 out in the 7th.
Later in the night, a friend of mine instant messaged me and told me to tune into the Mets-Cardinals match up. It was the bottom of the 19th inning, with the score tied at 1. Amazingly enough, neither team had scored until the Mets struck first in the top of the 19th inning. All in all, the Mets used 24 of their 25 players, while the Cardinals used 22 of 25. The Cards also used 2 position players on the mound, and put starting pitcher Kyle Lohse out in left field to finish the game. In the end, the Mets won 2-1 in 20, almost 7 hours after the first pitch! Amazing!
-D
Sunday, 11 April 2010
Jays Rollin' Along
4-1.
First in the AL East.
Bet none of the pundits expected that!
Vernon Wells has been hot-4 home runs in the first three games. Adam Lind has been smokin', lining singles and doubles left right and centre. Edwin Encarnacion has been on a streak. The starting pitching has been wonderful-fifth starter Dana Eveland hurled 7 and 2/3 innings of shutout ball.
The hitting has been there too. Yea, they only scored 3 runs tonight but look at the two 9th inning rallies! Tomorrow Shaun Marcum gets back on the mound as the Jays attempt to sweep the O's at Camden Yards. His fabulous outing on Opening Day got lost amidst the hoopla over Frasor's blown save. The man took a no-hitter into the 7th inning for God's sake! That doesn't happen everyday, surely not on Opening Day, and even rarer for a pitcher who was making his first start after Tommy John surgery.
Keep the hits coming boys!! Can't wait for the home opener Monday!!
-D
First in the AL East.
Bet none of the pundits expected that!
Vernon Wells has been hot-4 home runs in the first three games. Adam Lind has been smokin', lining singles and doubles left right and centre. Edwin Encarnacion has been on a streak. The starting pitching has been wonderful-fifth starter Dana Eveland hurled 7 and 2/3 innings of shutout ball.
The hitting has been there too. Yea, they only scored 3 runs tonight but look at the two 9th inning rallies! Tomorrow Shaun Marcum gets back on the mound as the Jays attempt to sweep the O's at Camden Yards. His fabulous outing on Opening Day got lost amidst the hoopla over Frasor's blown save. The man took a no-hitter into the 7th inning for God's sake! That doesn't happen everyday, surely not on Opening Day, and even rarer for a pitcher who was making his first start after Tommy John surgery.
Keep the hits coming boys!! Can't wait for the home opener Monday!!
-D
Monday, 5 April 2010
Opening Day
Well, for 28 teams in the MLB at least, it is OPENING DAY!
Last night, the oldest rivalry in baseball, the defending World Champs New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox, opened the 99th season at Fenway Park, the first opener played at night. The Yankees opened up a quick 5-1 lead before the Red Sox stormed back to win the opener 9-7.
Today in Washington DC, President Obama trotted out to the mound to throw the traditional presidential first pitch on Opening Day. Though he wore a bright red Nationals jacket, Obama still had that ubiquitous White Sox hat. The pitch was apparently high and wide.
Down in Arlington, Texas, the Toronto Blue Jays just wrapped up their season opener against the Texas Rangers. Our big hitters produced just like we expected they would. Wells hit a two run bomb in the 1st inning. Lind followed it up with another homer in the 3rd and Wells drove in the go ahead in the 8th with the bases loaded. It's also worthy of noting that Shaun Marcum took a no hitter into the 7th inning before Vladimir Guerrero singled and Nelson Cruz homered. HOWEVER, our newly appointed closer Jason Frasor could not hold the line in the 9th, squandering a 4-3 lead, giving up 4 straight hits. It was obviously not how the team wanted to start the season, but there were a lot of positives out of this game.
Can't wait to see Rich Harden on Wednesday.
-D
Last night, the oldest rivalry in baseball, the defending World Champs New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox, opened the 99th season at Fenway Park, the first opener played at night. The Yankees opened up a quick 5-1 lead before the Red Sox stormed back to win the opener 9-7.
Today in Washington DC, President Obama trotted out to the mound to throw the traditional presidential first pitch on Opening Day. Though he wore a bright red Nationals jacket, Obama still had that ubiquitous White Sox hat. The pitch was apparently high and wide.
Down in Arlington, Texas, the Toronto Blue Jays just wrapped up their season opener against the Texas Rangers. Our big hitters produced just like we expected they would. Wells hit a two run bomb in the 1st inning. Lind followed it up with another homer in the 3rd and Wells drove in the go ahead in the 8th with the bases loaded. It's also worthy of noting that Shaun Marcum took a no hitter into the 7th inning before Vladimir Guerrero singled and Nelson Cruz homered. HOWEVER, our newly appointed closer Jason Frasor could not hold the line in the 9th, squandering a 4-3 lead, giving up 4 straight hits. It was obviously not how the team wanted to start the season, but there were a lot of positives out of this game.
Can't wait to see Rich Harden on Wednesday.
-D
Saturday, 3 April 2010
Gorgeous Weather
It is the 2nd of April and here in Toronto, the thermometer hit a gorgeous 23 degrees today. Tomorrow, the forecast high is 24!! You know what I have on my mind when days like these come by? SANDLOT BASEBALL!!
Went out with a few friends today and hacked at a few balls. Also pitched a little and did a little fielding. It felt so good to get some outdoor exercise after the winter, especially with the sun not too hot and a warm breeze. Can't wait for more days like these during the summer!
I recently became a subscriber of Sports Illustrated magazine. The latest issue, featuring the magazine's prediction for the 2010 baseball season, had Roy Halladay on the cover page. Inside, there was an absolutely fantastic feature on Doc, talking about his worth ethic and his journey as a Blue Jays ace. I definitely recommend all Jays fans give it a read-and Phillies fans too-I really want to go see his return to the Rogers Centre on June 20. But that's also the day that the G20 summit opens in Toronto, just steps away from the stadium. Security will be HELL, so we'll see.
NCAA Final Four matches tomorrow. Duke v. WV and Bulter v. MSU. Who are you cheering for?
-D
Went out with a few friends today and hacked at a few balls. Also pitched a little and did a little fielding. It felt so good to get some outdoor exercise after the winter, especially with the sun not too hot and a warm breeze. Can't wait for more days like these during the summer!
I recently became a subscriber of Sports Illustrated magazine. The latest issue, featuring the magazine's prediction for the 2010 baseball season, had Roy Halladay on the cover page. Inside, there was an absolutely fantastic feature on Doc, talking about his worth ethic and his journey as a Blue Jays ace. I definitely recommend all Jays fans give it a read-and Phillies fans too-I really want to go see his return to the Rogers Centre on June 20. But that's also the day that the G20 summit opens in Toronto, just steps away from the stadium. Security will be HELL, so we'll see.
NCAA Final Four matches tomorrow. Duke v. WV and Bulter v. MSU. Who are you cheering for?
-D
Friday, 26 March 2010
Baseball Season
Just a fortnight to go before America's Pastime gets underway once again!
Joe Mauer recently signed an 8 year-$184 million extension with the Minnesota Twins. That is yet another example of how moneycentric baseball has become in the last decade or so. While I have every respect for Joe Mauer and I think he is an absolutely amazing player and that if anyone deserves that kind of money, it's him, I just don't like the idea of paying players-who provide an entertainment-with 9 digit cheques. I'm still not sure whether a salary cap would solve the problem, but without one, this incessantly inflation will be impossible to stop.
The Jays chose Shaun Marcum as their Opening Day pitcher this week. I very much like the move. Marcum hasn't pitched in the majors for a long time because of his injury He's still young, got a lot of potential. It's great he can get to show everyone what he's got.
Can't wait to head out to the ballpark this season-I kind of want to see Roy Halladay's return to TO in June.
-D
Joe Mauer recently signed an 8 year-$184 million extension with the Minnesota Twins. That is yet another example of how moneycentric baseball has become in the last decade or so. While I have every respect for Joe Mauer and I think he is an absolutely amazing player and that if anyone deserves that kind of money, it's him, I just don't like the idea of paying players-who provide an entertainment-with 9 digit cheques. I'm still not sure whether a salary cap would solve the problem, but without one, this incessantly inflation will be impossible to stop.
The Jays chose Shaun Marcum as their Opening Day pitcher this week. I very much like the move. Marcum hasn't pitched in the majors for a long time because of his injury He's still young, got a lot of potential. It's great he can get to show everyone what he's got.
Can't wait to head out to the ballpark this season-I kind of want to see Roy Halladay's return to TO in June.
-D
Sunday, 21 March 2010
"...the wreck of his bracket..."
With the health care drama playing out up Pennsylvania Avenue, President Obama is reportedly spending part of this historic political day "examining the wreck of his brackets..."
Of course, Obama had, like EVERYONE else, picked the Kansas Jayhawks to win the national championship, before that team was stunned last night by the Northern Iowa Panthers in a second round upsset, 69-67. That was just tremendous news coming out of the tournament last night.
Earlier in second round play, St. Mary's upset No. 2 seed Villanova as well, knocking out another one of the contenders. Of course, on the opening day of the tournament, 3rd seed Georgetown had been blown out by University of Ohio, for the first major upset of bracket play. So now, the field is wide open. Who are you picking to win it all? Kentucky? Syracuse? West Virginia? Ohio State?
-D
Of course, Obama had, like EVERYONE else, picked the Kansas Jayhawks to win the national championship, before that team was stunned last night by the Northern Iowa Panthers in a second round upsset, 69-67. That was just tremendous news coming out of the tournament last night.
Earlier in second round play, St. Mary's upset No. 2 seed Villanova as well, knocking out another one of the contenders. Of course, on the opening day of the tournament, 3rd seed Georgetown had been blown out by University of Ohio, for the first major upset of bracket play. So now, the field is wide open. Who are you picking to win it all? Kentucky? Syracuse? West Virginia? Ohio State?
-D
Wednesday, 17 March 2010
NCAA/Spring Training
So it's that time of the year again.
MARCH MADNESS is here. First round play in the perennial favourite college basketball tournament will begin tomorrow!! This year, Coach Bill Self and his Kansas team is slated to make another run for the national championship. Standing in their way are competent teams like Villanova, Duke, Kentucky, Syracuse, Georgetown, just to name a few.
If you are interested in President Barack Obama's bracket (remember he picked UNC last year?), here it is: http://games.espn.go.com/tcmen/en/entry?entryID=1042011.
I don't usually watch college basketball, but with all the hype around March Madness, I'll be sure to check back in a few times on this tournament.
What I am more interested in is MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL!! My gosh-another baseball season is slated to start in just three weeks or so. I am SO excited! Not so much for my beloved Toronto Blue Jays to do something spectacular like play baseball in October, but just in general, the fact that baseball is back is VERY exciting for me.
Since the Jays are in somewhat of a rebuilding year, expectations are not very high for them. I do hope they fare well though. I'd like to see Vernon Wells live up to that 9 figure check we wrote him a few years back. Something will be amiss without Halladay as our opening day pitcher, but this gives the chance for the young guns to show what they've got.
-D
PS. Going to play baseball for the first time this year tomorrow!! Such GORGEOUS weather this week up here in TO.
MARCH MADNESS is here. First round play in the perennial favourite college basketball tournament will begin tomorrow!! This year, Coach Bill Self and his Kansas team is slated to make another run for the national championship. Standing in their way are competent teams like Villanova, Duke, Kentucky, Syracuse, Georgetown, just to name a few.
If you are interested in President Barack Obama's bracket (remember he picked UNC last year?), here it is: http://games.espn.go.com/tcmen/en/entry?entryID=1042011.
I don't usually watch college basketball, but with all the hype around March Madness, I'll be sure to check back in a few times on this tournament.
What I am more interested in is MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL!! My gosh-another baseball season is slated to start in just three weeks or so. I am SO excited! Not so much for my beloved Toronto Blue Jays to do something spectacular like play baseball in October, but just in general, the fact that baseball is back is VERY exciting for me.
Since the Jays are in somewhat of a rebuilding year, expectations are not very high for them. I do hope they fare well though. I'd like to see Vernon Wells live up to that 9 figure check we wrote him a few years back. Something will be amiss without Halladay as our opening day pitcher, but this gives the chance for the young guns to show what they've got.
-D
PS. Going to play baseball for the first time this year tomorrow!! Such GORGEOUS weather this week up here in TO.
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