May 16, 2012
Coming into the 2012 MLB season, the Texas Rangers came up on the short end of back-to-back trips to the World Series. As the cliché goes, the third time is the charm and the Rangers sure do look like they’re planning on making it a reality.
Josh Hamilton and the Texas Rangers have started the MLB season on fire.
Given, it’s only six weeks into the MLB season, but the Rangers look to be the cream of the crop. Currently sitting at 23-12, the team from Texas simply looks better than every other team in baseball. Most impressively, they are currently 13-6 on the road. Every team knows that to be considered successful they must win on the road and the Rangers are doing just that.
This Rangers team is a well-rounded blend of stellar pitching and a deadly offense. Joining the club this season is Japanese sensation, right-handed pitcher Yu Darvish. The Rangers paid a hefty price (around $111 million) when they acquired Darvish from his former team, the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters but so far, he’s been worth every penny. He has posted a 5-1 record with a 2.84 ERA. Darvish has a nasty variety of six pitches and he’s proven that by striking out 51 batters thus far. The most amazing thing about him, he said in an interview that he can throw all six pitches with his off-hand, inclusing a left-handed fastball that can hit 82 mph on the radar gun.
As for the offensive side of the Rangers, the team is led by All-World outfielder Josh Hamilton, who is on a torrid pace this season. He already has hit 18 home runs and knocked in 45 RBI while batting .402. At this rate he’s on track to knock in over 200 RBI, which has never been done in the history of baseball. The current record is 191 held by Hack Wilson in 1930. While it’s a bit too early to start thinking that Hamilton is going to plate 200-plus RBI, it’s certainly something that brings wonderment to the imagination. If Hamilton can stay healthy, he’s on his way to having a historic MVP season.
The Rangers organization, led by Hall of Fame hurler Nolan Ryan has set the standard for all MLB teams. They have set the pedestal very high but carry themselves very well as they’ve become the precedent of baseball. By continuing their winning ways they’ll find themselves with a ring at season’s end.
May 14, 2012
Who doesn’t love a night at the ballpark? Even if baseball doesn’t happen to be your favorite sport, attending a live game is still a good time. So when Stephen Strasburg and the Washington Nationals came to town to play the Pittsburgh Pirates, I couldn’t think of a better way to spend the evening. And the fact that I found seats about ten rows off the field behind the visitors’ dugout for half-price through an online vendor made it even more of a slam dunk.
PNC Park is a great place to go and catch a game.
The on-field action, though, wasn’t the only part of the night. Here’s a brief recap of the evening:
6:40 – Arrive at PNC Park (seriously, if you’ve never been there, you’re missing out) and promptly head into souvenir shop with time to kill. After browsing the hat section, I find a minor league prospect paperback book that caught my attention … until I noticed the $24.00 price tag. Quickly head out, opting for the $7.00 yearbook instead.
7:05 – Settle into my seat just in time for the opening pitch. Seated next to me are a father and son, each with the largest bucket of wings available. My only thoughts are, ‘Good luck finishing those, guys.’
Bottom of 2nd Inning – Strasburg strikes out the side. Eh, not so impressive.
Top of the 3rd Inning – Strasburg gets hit by a pitch and is jeered relentlessly when he asks for a jacket at first base. A female Pirates fan in front of me asks her companion, “Who is this Strasburg guy,” pronouncing it “Strays-burg.” I can’t help but think this is going to be a long night.
Bottom of the 3rd inning – Strasburg strikes out the side. Again.
Top of the 4th Inning – When Ryan Zimmerman comes to the plate, a somewhat drunk fan behind me tells his friend how great he is, repeatedly calling him ‘Ray.’ This all happens despite the fact that we happen to be facing the scoreboard with his name on it in gigantic letters.
Middle of the 4th Inning – The Pirates host their own version of the Price is Right’s Hi Lo game. The team provides a statistic and a selected fan has to determine whether a certain Pirates player had a higher or lower amount of that statistic than the previous player shown. The category in question is the amount of career walks.
Honus Wagner comes up as one of the players and the previously-referenced fan is at it again saying, “Honus Wagner couldn’t have walked a lot since he swung at everything.” I’m not sure which was more amusing – the certainty with which he said it or the fact that he appears to have studied Wagner’s prowess in actual game footage from nearly 100 years ago. At any rate, a somewhat confused contestant reaches the final question and after giving what is clearly the wrong answer, an exasperated host asks her if she wants to reconsider her choice. After a brief pause, she says no and loses. Fun, fun, fun.
Top of the 5th Inning – Strasburg smashes a double at the plate. Is there anything this guy can’t do? By the end of the night, he’s hitting .308 on the season. Forget the pitching, I’m thinking he’d look pretty good in the middle of the Pirates’ anemic batting order.
Middle of the 5th Inning – The Pittsburgh Pierogi mascot race also features the Washington Nationals’ President mascots. The mascots run around the park, much to the fans’ delight. Well, at least the ones under the age of 12.
Top of the 6th Inning – Zimmerman again comes to bat and the now clearly drunk fan behind me calls him Ray yet again. After his friend politely corrects him by saying, “I think his name’s Ryan,” there’s an eerie silence followed by an “Oh.” Said fan then ceases to talk for the rest of the inning, which quickly becomes the highlight of the night.
Middle of the 6th Inning – Father and son duo next to me not only finish off both buckets of wings relatively easy, but leave and return with a jumbo-sized portion of nachos. Yeah, I got that one wrong.
Top of the 7th Inning – Steve Lombardozzi comes to bat as a pinch-hitter as Strasburg exits the game. Despite a close contest, many fans follow suit, heading for the turnstiles after watching him toss 13 strikeouts in only six innings.
Middle of the 7th Inning– Another fan loses an inning break game. This time, a guy misses out on a jacket and then a hat, selecting a mystery box, which included an assortment of beef jerky instead. The irony that the fans are losing seemingly as much as the Pirates do isn’t lost on me.
Top of the 8th Inning – Harper comes up for his final at bat. After striking out, more than half of the remaining crowd files out.
9:43 – Game ends as Pirates lose, 4-2. All in all, well worth the $21.00 ticket price. I’d traveled to Altoona to witness Strasburg’s debut in AA two years ago and though he’s lost some velocity either because of his surgery last year or through his own choice (he topped 100 miles per hour then and touched the upper 90s only a few times last week), he’s still one of the most dominant pitchers in all of baseball.
May 3, 2012
Bryce Harper of the Washington Nationals was anointed MLB’s next phenom when he left high school to play college baseball at the age of 16. At 17, he proved that was a worthy decision when he batted .443 with 31 homers and 98 RBI as a freshman at the College of Southern Nevada. His numbers were so impressive that he won baseball’s most prestigious award for a college player, the Golden Spikes Award. Even better, a month before he won the award, he was selected No. 1 in the 2010 MLB draft.
Now just 19 years old, Harper is present in the Washington Nationals lineup and is here to stay. In his first game on April 28, Harper took Hollywood by storm as the Nationals took to the road to face the Los Angeles Dodgers. The game was special as it featured the games’ best player, Matt Kemp, and the games’ most talked about 19-year-old.
Bryce Harper made his debut against the Dodgers earlier this season.
Harper looked his age early-on in that game as he took in the sights and sounds of the game with eyes as big as baseballs. He didn’t disappoint either, smacking a double off the center field wall and later brought home an RBI with a sacrifice fly. In the end it was Kemp who let Harper know who is top dog as he belted a walk-off homer in the tenth. Regardless, Harper had a most impressive MLB debut.
Considering the times, Harper has more hype surrounding him than any other player in history. This goes for all four major American sports. The MLB, NBA, NFL, and NHL have never had a kid create this much buzz. To be under such an intense spotlight, Harper is handling himself quite well. After all, he’s only 19. While most 19 year olds are trying to discover themselves in their transition to adulthood, Harper is thriving in a dog-eat-dog world.
When the Nationals announced that Harper would be making his MLB debut, there were plenty of skeptics saying he’s not ready, only hitting .250 at International League’s Syracuse and too young. The organization didn’t care as they threw Harper in to see if he could swim. So far he looks like Michael Phelps on an MLB diamond.
In just four games Harper is hitting .385(5-for-13) with two runs scored and two RBI. The thing that stands out the most is not his bat, but his arm as Harper has made a couple of dazzling throws from the outfield. Fans should find a way to watch this budding Hall of Famer play ball. Yes, he’s only 19 and that’s a very bold statement considering he’s played four games in the big leagues, but this kid is downright spectacular. Just wait until the day when his body matures. Only then will we begin to see what Harper can truly accomplish.
So far, his life is reading like a story book as every diehard MLB fan is drooling at this kid’s raw talent. If he’s within a tank of gas from your town, take the time to be awestruck.
April 18, 2012
Los Angeles Dodgers center fielder Matt Kemp is set to have an explosive season in 2012. The 27-year-old propelled his career into the stratosphere by batting .324 with 39 homers and 126 RBI in 2011.
Dodgers fans will have a lot to look forward to this season.
His numbers last season were good enough to finish No. 2 in NL MVP voting behind Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Ryan Braun. This year, Kemp’s the odds-on favorite to take home the prized award. He’s not off to a bad start either—hitting .465 with six homers and 16 RBI in just 11 games this season. Most importantly, the Dodgers are 9-2 at the moment.
Kemp is now the quintessential five-tool MLB player. He can hit for average and power and also possesses stellar fielding skills and a lethal throwing arm. Last but not least, Kemp has staggering speed as he proved it with 40 steals last season. Needless to say, Kemp is now the poster child for the dream MLB player.
Although the Dodgers underachieved in 2011, finishing with an 82-79 record, they won because of Kemp and reigning NL Cy Young award winner Clayton Kershaw. Now that the Dodgers have new owners including Hall of Fame Los Angeles Laker Magic Johnson, there’s nowhere but up for this talented team.
Because of his breakout season, Kemp’s expectations are tall this season but he’s proven he’s up to the challenge with his strong start. The challenge now is to become the first player to ever reach the 50-50 plateau, which means 50 homers and 50 steals.
Last season, Kemp was only one home run short of becoming only the fifth man in MLB history to accomplish the feat of 40 homers and 40 steals. This season, the ante has been upped as MLB fans will be captivated by the budding superstar all season long.
Anytime you get a chance to view Kemp this season, do yourself a favor and watch him unleash on opposing pitching during his soon to be historic season.
April 5, 2012
2012 MLB Opening Day is finally here and baseball junkies can rest at ease. The beginning of a new baseball season is always a time where fans can turn a new page, reset their internal clocks, and go outside and enjoy America’s game.
On Opening Day, every fan can dream that this will be their team's year to win it all.
It’s a breath of fresh air after a dreary winter, a time where things begin to look hopeful again. Whether your hometown team has a legitimate shot at the World Series or not, it doesn’t matter today—you’re just happy that this wonderful game has infiltrated your soul and the passion of all things baseball oozes out of your pores.
Opening Day is not just another baseball game—it’s a celebration of America’s favorite pastime. It’s a time where millions of fans ditch work to watch their favorite team. Opening Day is the first time of the year that the smell of hot dogs will be in the air, peanut shells will cover the ground and the delightful sound of a baseball hitting a bat fills our ears.
It’s funny—people who don’t even like baseball love Opening Day. In Detroit, people come out of the woodwork to fill Woodward Avenue. The entire city will be painted blue and orange as a gentle roar of excitement can be heard everywhere. It’s a spectacle to say the least.
Detroit is just one of 30 such cities who will undergo this blissful transformation over the next week or so. On Opening Day, optimism fills all places with the hope of better things to come—no matter how bad things are perceived to be. Once a year this day rolls around and suddenly everything is right in the world again. Even if it’s only for three hours or so, Opening Day makes us forget about our problems.
For baseball fans, Opening Day is better than your favorite holiday—it’s the best gift of all.
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