Category Archives: Baseball
Best start of a football game ever!
Those who know me know I became a hard-core baseball fan four years ago this June. Those who’ve known me a long time found that mildly surprising; for most of my life I had little or no interest in sports of any kind. But as I’ve explained before, baseball got under my skin at a time when I deeply needed something totally new in my life. And in getting to know it, I came to really love it.
The year or so prior, I’d gotten a bit into football. To some extent that was echos from the marriage; both my ex- and stepson were into football. Of course, like any kid who grew up here, I played sandlot football and baseball. Both sports were familiar, but I was never really a fan until my “baseball awakening” in 2010.
But while football didn’t “take” with me, I often do watch the Super Bowl.
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Leave a comment | tags: football, Seattle, Seattle Mariners, Seattle Seahawks, Super Bowl | posted in Baseball, Life
Congratulations to the Boston Red Sox, winners of the 2013 World Series! It couldn’t have happened at a better time for the city of Boston, to win the World Series at home in historic Fenway park. This is the first time the Sox have won a World Series at home since 1918 — only six years after the park opened in 1912.
(Trivia fact: the 1912 World Series was played in Boston that first year, and the Red Sox beat the New York Giants four games to three.)
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5 Comments | tags: American League, baseball post-season, Boston, Boston Red Sox, Boston Strong, city of Boston, Major League baseball, MLB, Red Sox, St. Louis Cardinals, World Series, World Series 2013 | posted in Baseball
And so it begins (again)…
Here we go, another MLB playoff season! (click to embiginate)
October is here, bringing with it shorter days, autumn leaves and bulk candy sales.
And the Major League Baseball Playoffs leading up to the World Series!
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8 Comments | tags: ALCS, ALDS, Mariano Rivera, Minnesota Twins, MLB, NLCS, NLDS, Pittsburgh Pirates, Roberto Clemente, World Series | posted in Baseball
Today is the last day of the All-Star break. Monday was the Home Run Derby, and Tuesday was the All-Star Game itself. Wednesday and Thursday are days off for everyone in Major League baseball. In fact, yesterday and today are the only two days during the entire season that there are no baseball games played.
Tomorrow the season resumes, and all 30 teams begin working their way towards winning their division and getting the pennant. At this point in the season, just past the halfway mark, no one is out of the race, but for some teams winning requires a major change in team performance. And some teams already stand out as the presumptive winner.
It’s the season’s “weekend,” so let’s talk about baseball stories!
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2 Comments | tags: 9, Bull Durham, Casey at the Bat, Field of Dreams, George Carlin, Major League, Moneyball, The Natural | posted in Baseball, Movies
The baseball joy in July continues! Last night, the American League won the Midsummer Classic, the MLB All-Star Game. In fact, it really wasn’t even a close game. The AL shut out the NL, 3-0, which ended a three-year losing streak! Prior to that streak, the AL pretty much owned the NL back to 1988, winning 18 of 22 (with one tie in ’02).
You are perhaps wondering why the American League is “us” and “we.” It’s simple. I’m a Minnesota Twins fan, and they’re in the AL (Central Division). And why the Twins? I lived here from 1960-1967 (my “Wonder Bread years”) and from 1984-present, so I’ve been a “Minnesnowtan” for 62% of my life. That’s reason enough.
What follows is a write up of notes I took during the game last night:
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2 Comments | tags: 42, Harmon Killebrew, Jackie Robinson, Mariano Rivera, Michael Cuddyer, MLB, MLB All-Star Game, Prince Fielder | posted in Baseball
Imagine taking one of the most exciting parts of baseball — something not only dedicated baseball fans love, but something everyone agrees is exciting. Imagine creating something that distills a baseball game down to this one thing, this essence of baseball excitement. What is this universal crowd-pleaser? It is, of course, the ultimate crack of the bat, the best of the “three true outcomes.” It is the home run!
Imagine watching eight of baseball’s best sluggers vying to see who can hit the most home runs. The only thing at stake: simply hitting the most homers and winning the trophy. This isn’t like the All-Star Game this evening where the winner determines home field advantage for the World Series in October. It is like the All-Star Game in being one of three events that pits the American League against the National League (the World Series, of course, is the third and most important).
For sheer unalloyed baseball fun, it’s hard to beat the Home Run Derby!
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2 Comments | tags: American League, Bryce Harper, Home Run Derby, Michael Cuddyer, MLB, National League, Oakland Athletics, Yoenis Céspedes | posted in Baseball
It started in the summer of 2010. June, I believe. The previous decade had been a bad one. If the first ten years were an indicator, the 21st century was really going to suck. I’d gotten married in ’98 and discovered almost immediately I’d made a mistake. In the middle of a turbulent marriage, 9/11 happened. I was born in NYC; my mind rang with grief echos for about a year afterwards.
I was divorced by ’03, and I’d moved twice — once to a rental and then to the condo I bought. In ’04, double barrels: I had 60 days to find another position after they closed my department (which I did on day 58), and then my beloved dog died. For the next five years I threw myself into my work.
Which brought me, stressed and depressed, to 2010. And baseball.
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1 Comment | tags: first base, home run, Justin Morneau, Minnesota Twins, Pablo Sandoval, Softball, strike out | posted in Baseball
After Saturn-Day comes Sun-Day, a day named after our local star. (To clarify: I’m referring to the nearby ball of hot, flaming gas, not a regional celebrity.) ((To clarify the clarification: I’m also not referring to any politician, but to the astronomical object.)) [And by ‘astronomical’ I mean ‘in space’ not ‘really, really big’ (although in this case both apply). And by ‘space’ I mean ‘outer,’ not the stuff in your attic.]
I trust things are perfectly clear now. It’s Sunday, so we worship the sun. Or in many cases, the Son. It may be a sacred day — a Sabbath day — or it may be just a day off from (normal) work. [For some parts of the world, it’s just a regular workday.]
A very common view is that Sunday afternoon is just for fun.
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2 Comments | tags: Angie Harmon, Gibbs, Minnesota Twins, MLB, MLB All-Star Game, MLB Home Run Derby, NCIS, picnic, Saturday, Sunday | posted in Baseball, TV
Thursday and Friday of this past week were days 10 and 9 in [big booming voice] The Countdown to Retirement. I’m taking Mondays off in June (no more Monday mornings!), so I have two four-day weeks remaining in my 33-year career at The Company.
And it’s a good thing I decided to stay through June. The project I’ve been working on since last September still hasn’t hit production (through, I stress, absolutely no fault of mine).
This week we finally got to the point of end-to-end testing in the QA environment, and I’m anticipating we’ll start testing in production next week. Talk about taking it down to the wire!
As you might imagine, rather than lazily basking in the last remaining weeks of my career, I’m instead working my ass off!
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18 Comments | tags: Bruce Willis, Looper, Mariano Rivera, Minnesota Twins, retirement, work | posted in Baseball, From My Collection, Life, Movies
Sisyphus practicing as a child.
Speaking of catching up and baseball, here’s an article I started last March. I got about halfway through it before I bogged down and filed it in drafts to resume later. Unfortunately, March was very busy at work, plus my focus has been pulled away from here for several months. I never did resume the article.
Starting this coming week, some of the work drain should start to decrease. As we near completion, the giant boulder I’m been pushing uphill gets smaller. I’m reaching a point where work isn’t sucking up every inch of life I’ve got. That leaves a little left over for fun. And old posts.
The start of the new season has me thinking baseball, and this post from March turns out to fit nicely with the recent one.
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4 Comments | tags: Hall of Fame, HOF, Minnesota Twins, PED, steroid use, WBC, World Baseball Classic | posted in Baseball
Logos con carne 