April 2009 Archives

When was the first time two first-overall draft picks faced off in a World Series at-bat?

The Pirates still can't beat the Brewers.
Oh yeah, we have more A-Rod juicing stories. We're so unbelievably excited.
And are the Nats about to draft a cornerstone prospect.

Blogger's note: Inside the Box is a view of life in the Press Boxes of Major League Baseball. We hope to bring it to you on a semi-regular basis. Today's guest is York Daily Record sports writer Steve Navaroli.
Steve covered the Baltimore Orioles home opener earlier this year. He was gracious enough to give us a peek inside the press box. We appoligize to Steve for taking so long to get this interview up on the site.

It's just a game. And Jayson Stark seems to have never forgotten that.
The ESPN.com scribe writes his columns and stories with the enthusiasm that ordinarily only comes through the eyes of a 7-year-old who's seeing his first Big League game at a Big League park. Along with that joy, Stark brings the wisdom of a 65-year-old sage who's seen so many Spring Trainings he knows the kid with the golden arm needs more seasoning and that the veteran shortstop is just a step slower. A crucial step.
Stark combines the heart of a fan with the head of a general manager.
That's why Stark will one day be in the baseball's Hall of Fame.
It's also why you should pick up his new book, "Worth the Wait: Tales of the 2008 Phillies"

Manny Ramirez smacked three doubles Tuesday.

Alright everybody, give the Yankees a round of applause. The Bronx Bombers finally caught on that there's this little problem of a supply and demand. They slashed ticket prices.
Oh yeah, the big, fat toad is returning.

Here are the 10 best baseball songs.

With April coming to a close, the Philadelphia Phillies and Baltimore Orioles' major off-season moves are looking pretty sharp.
Raul Ibanez is lighting up the National League.
And Koji Uehara is pitching very well.

Raul Ibanez parks the Phillies' second of two grand slams Monday night. The World Champs have won four straight. Boston, however, has 11 consecutive wins.
Adrian Gonzalez, Carlos Pena and Albert Pujols are doing something that hasn't been accomplished since Babe Ruth patrolled the outfield in the first Yankee Stadium.
Oh and, the Phillies had a grand night.

As of right now, who has the best record in baseball?

It's a tough task to scout Randy Johnson.
The Mid-Atlantic sweeps.
Carlos Zambrano takes some short hops at third.
And in the "Today in history" section we notice a trend. No-hitters. There have been five of them on this date.

What's the difference between a sports fan and a Trekie? Not much when you think about it. Especially when it comes to sports dorks' biggest event of the year - the all-holy NFL Draft.
That's an event that has become more sacred to football fans than Ash Wednesday is to Catholics. Just ask a Ravens fan if they've ever missed the first round. Now find a Catholic and see if they've ever forgotten about getting ashes.
Oh sure, you laugh at the guys who dress up like Frodo and wait in line to go see "The Return of the King." But haven't you ever painted your face blue and white and tailgated outside Beaver Stadium?
And sure, you think it's sad when some comic book geek can tell you what happened to Batman in issue 56, and why Gotham is more realistic then Metropolis.
But NFL draftnicks can tell you about some kid out East Tennessee Bible College Sycamore State's time in the 40. How he's got tremendous upside and that he really stretches the field.
But we call the draft guy a guru and the comic book guy a geek.
Wait a minute. There's a big difference.
Like what?

Since Dizzy Dean won 30 games in 1934, five National League pitchers have won 27 games in a season.
Only one had 28 wins. Who was he?

Bud Selig might be about to do something that makes sense. Of course that's news. Of course you want to read what's inside.
And how Selig's comments have anything do with a naked Hal Steinbrenner and Fred Wilpon?
That, my friends, is a tease.

Cole Hames throws a pitch in the first inning Thursday against the Milwaukee Brewers. The Phillies ace was injured later in the game when a pitch Prince Fielder crushed struck Hamels in his left shoulder.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Phillies pitcher Cole Hamels left Thursday's series finale against the Milwaukee Brewers after being struck in the shoulder by a line drive.
One pitch after giving up a two-run homer to Ryan Braun in the fourth inning, Prince Fielder laced an infield single that hit Hamels in the front of his left shoulder.
Trainers immediately tended to Hamels, who left the game with what the team called a left shoulder contusion. He was replaced by J.A. Happ.
Hamels was the MVP of the 2008 NL Championship Series and World Series, but is off to a rough start this season. He had an 11.17 ERA through his first two starts.
He had cruised through the first three innings Thursday, striking out six of the nine batters he faced.

A day after the Mid-Atlantic's clubs won all of their games, they going 1-3.
What's up with all the walk-offs?
Remember when Colin Cowherd used to brag about Lenny Dykstra's ability to make money? Well, like all things Cowherd, he appears to be wrong.

ESPN's Jerry Crasnick has his weekly Starting 9 up.
This week it's nine players who don't have a job.
It's still amazing that Pedro Martinez hasn't signed with somebody. Sure, he's more fragile than a graham cracker, but when he's healthy he's still an effective 5-inning pitcher. Couldn't the Orioles use him? Or the Nationals?

So why are Little Leaguers breaking their piggy banks for Nats' supposed hothead Elijah Dukes?
The Mid-Atlantic is heating up.
And why is Dontrelle Willis so important?

"Meat!" The Cincinnati Reds' Jerry Hairston Jr. is tagged out by Ivan Rodriguez.
As REM sang, "Everybody hurts." It would seem all the time.
Also, Cole Hamels blames himself.
And how's the attendance been?

Hanover is famous for its many pretzel and chip manufacturers, but a new book shows it's ties to Cooperstown are just as plentiful.
John G. Coulson has written a thoroughly well-researched tome, "Hanover Raiders Minor League Baseball in Hanover, Pennsylvania," about the borough's history as a minor league town.
A very interesting note is that one former player was Clyde Sukeforth, who played in 486 games. Sukeforth was far-from the team's most famous alumnus as far as what he went on to do on the playing field goes. What Sukeforth is best remembered for is that he signed Jackie Robinson to play for the Brooklyn Dodgers.

Thanks to sports editor Chris Otto's alertness, we have this link to AccuWeather that shows the correlation between home runs and wind at the new ballpark in The Bronx.

We left early. We left early. Will we ever forgive ourselves.
Raul Ibanez blasted a come-from-behind, walk-off home run to cap a 4-run rally.
But we didn't see it. We left early from the Phillies 5-4 win over the Padres. And for what? Pizza and a Cheesesteak at the other end of town.
Well, we had a good time anyway. We did see Jimmy Rollins' pinch hit home run. And we also saw Ryan Howard play some spectacular defense.

With the rest of the first pitch, we revamp our daily updates.

This question is brought to you by Night Metro Editor Matt Eyer. Only two players in history have gotten hits before the age of 20 and after the age of 40. Who are they? Hint: They're names rhyme.

Gary Sheffield, the oft-disgruntled, steroid-tainted slugger, blasted his 500th home run Friday night.

Sheffield has long been one of the most-feared right-handed sluggers of his era, but his Hall of Fame credentials are up for debate. It will be interesting to see if he gets in.

Another right-handed basher is also in the news.
The immensely talented and consistently dominant Vladimir Guerrero is going on the disabled list for at least a month.

This is what you get when you have a bunch of T-1000s playing baseball and have close plays decided in duels to the death.

I don't know how, but at some point in time, someone in my family - or quite possibly a close friend - bought Basewars for me.
It was one of those video games that designers came up with just before a case of the munchies hit them. The premise of Basewars was basically Transformer-like robots playing baseball.
Now, those of you who know us here at The Southpaw know baseball and Transformers are our two favorite pasttimes. So you would think this game was made for us.

From The Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) -- Hideki Matsui's surgically repaired left knee has filled with fluid, causing the banged-up New York Yankees to recall first baseman Juan Miranda from Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
Yankees manager Joe Girardi said Friday that Matsui would be limited to pinch-hitting, possibly for a few more days. Right fielder Xavier Nady already is on the disabled list, and first baseman Mark Teixeira was in the starting lineup despite a sore left wrist that required a cortisone shot a day earlier.

This is what batters feel like when they face Roy Halladay.
The Yankees opened the new Yankee Stadium Thursday with a bang. Two actually. Mystique and Aura just imploded.
Plus, what's wrong with Brad Lidge?

Normally, I try to avoid Colin Cowherd, ESPN Radio's nasally voiced, asinine radio host. But today he was on the radio while I drove to lunch. Before I could turn the channel I was hooked. It was like watching a friend put a fork in the microwave. I needed to see what happened.
First, let me get this out of the way: Trying to get a knowledgeable thought out of Cowherd is like attempting to get your daily nutritional needs fulfilled with Juicy Fruit.
Two years ago, I decided to listen to Sporting News Radio during the time Cowherd is on the air.

The Orioles had a rough day in Arlington. It was a banner day in Seattle. And congrats are in order to Johan Santana. He and his wife had their third baby, Johan Jr.
And there's this little thing about a new stadium in The Bronx.

In honor of the 62nd anniversary of Major League Baseball's proudest moment, we take a look at the career of Jackie Robinson.
Several years ago someone made the comment that had Jackie Robinson not been the player who broke the color line he'd barely be remembered and wouldn't have had a shot at the Hall of Fame.
After careful consideration - and the possibility that the speaker was on heavy doses of medication and we were not aware of it - we are keeping that speaker anonymous.
However, to consider Robinson's career and not include his racial accomplishments would be ludicrous. That's the way it happened. It would be like considering Babe Ruth's career had he never hit a home run.
That said, even if you were to take away Robinson's courageous moment he would still be a baseball immortal.

Which of these pitchers had more post-season starts for the Baltimore Orioles?

A. Mike Flanagan
B. Dennis Martinez
C. Scott Erickson

Don't forget to test your baseball knowledge with previous trivia questions.

Our sister blog, The Lineup Card has a touching tribute to Harry Kalas that was written by sports editor Chris Otto.

Adam Jones is king for a day. Is the honeymoon over between the Nats and their fans? For that matter, when was the marriage?

David Murphy has a quick note on his blog about the Phillies' planned tribute for beloved broadcaster Harry Kalas.

Lastings Milledge has been sent down to the minors.
Milledge, who came to the Nats as a hot New York Mets prospect, was 4-for-24 and had played lackluster defense.
He had bothered the team with some off-field actions.
In 138 games during the 2008 season, Milledge batted .258 with 14 home runs, 24 doubles and 24 runs batted in. His on-base percentage was .330 and he collected 98 strikeouts.
Milledge, 24, is probably too young and talented to stay in the minors for long.

Josh Beckett has been suspended for his role in Sunday's Anaheim Angels-Boston Red Sox brawl.
Beckett, of course, has a chance to appeal.
It's interesting that Bobby Abreu was not suspended or fined.

The day after The City of Brotherly Love cried itself to sleep, there's a lot to talk about Harry Kalas.
We have many links to stories about the late Harry Kalas, some recaps of good action on Monday and few other interesting notes.

Tell us your favorite story about Harry the K.
We here at The Southpaw have two.
The first came the summer before I fell in love with the game. It was at a time when baseball was something in the background of my life. Something that I mostly ignored. But, for whatever reason, I've always remembered this moment. It was a moment, involving a father and a son, as many baseball moments should be. We'd gone to Memorial Stadium in Scranton, our hometown, to see Scranton High play football.

When we left the game, my father and I climbed into his ancient, blue Volkswagon Beetle, and it was the first time I heard Harry Kalas say the name "Mickey Morandini." He stretched the two words out like Saran Wrap over a big bowl. It sounded so distinct, I couldn't help but listen to a game for the first time.
I've always remembered that night. That my father had the windows down despite the early autumn chill. The sound of the football game's crowd that we were leaving. The way the AM radioband crackled.
But most of all I remember that voice.

Mark "The Bird" Fidrych, who captured the imagination of baseball with a standout rookie season in 1976, was found dead today.
The eccentric right-hander was famous for talking to the ball before hurling it and finished the 1976 season with a 19-9 record and a 2.34 ERA. He never regained the magic, going just 10-10 the rest of his career.

Harry Kalas calls the final strike of the 2008 World Series.
Harry Kalas, the Hall-of-Fame voice of the Philadelphia Phillies, has died.
For those who followed the Philadelphia Phillies, Kalas was the best part of being a fan. Sure, you admired Mike Schmidt and Steve Carlton; you watched Darren Daulton and John Kruk, hoping they would come through in the clutch; awaited Scott Rolen's next great play at third or Bobby Abreu gunning a runner out at second.
But, more often than not, they let you down. After all, they were parts of the first franchise that lost 10,000 times.
But their biggest win wasn't when Tug McGraw struck out Willie Wilson in 1980, when Richie Ashburn gunned down Cal Abrams at the plate in 1950 or when Brad Lidge whiffed Erik Hinske last year.
The franchise's biggest victory was in the offseason of 1971, when they signed the Naperville, Ill., native to be a part of their broadcast team.
Thanks to that move, the Phillies radio booth featured Kalas and his best friend, Richie Ashburn.
The duo's affection for each other and the game was magical. You grew up on them, even if you were an adult the first time you heard them together.

Harry Kalas, the hall of fame voice of the Philadelphia Phillies, has been taken to the hospital.

Here's the Associated Press story so far:
WASHINGTON -- Philadelphia Phillies broadcaster Harry Kalas was taken to a hospital Monday after passing out in the broadcast booth before Monday's game against the Washington Nationals, team president David Montgomery said.
"I think it's serious," Montgomery said. "Our thoughts and prayers are obviously with Harry."
The 73-year-old Kalas, known for his distinctive "Outta here!" call on home runs, was found by the Phillies director of broadcasting at about 12:30 p.m., Montgomery said.
Kalas joined the Phillies in 1971. Before that, he was an original member of the Houston Astros' broadcast team from 1965-70.
In 2002, he received the Baseball Hall of Fame's Ford C. Frick Award for his contributions to the game.

Philly.com has a gallery of Harry the K.

The Angels and Red Sox have some recent history. Of course, Bobby Abreu brings his own Bronx-tinged past into the equation. It all added up to some fun shoving in Disneyland.
After the first week, we now know several things.
The Washington Nationals still haven't won a game. The Braves and Marlins are tied for the best record in baseball with 5-1 marks. The Toronto Blue Jays, San Diego Padres and and St. Louis Cardinals are 5-2. Last year's World Series participants are both 3-3.
And individually, Evan Longoria has five big flies, Ryan Theroit is batting .550, Adam Lind has 12 RBI, Johan Santana has struck out 20 batters.
And Joba Chamberlain raided Marcel Marceau's wardrobe.

Last season, Ryan Howard lead the National League in home runs and won a World Series.
Who was the last player to win the home run crown and get a ring in the same season?

The Los Angeles Times' Bill Shaikin has a very touching piece on how Nick Adenhart's father is coping with a horrible tragedy. His death is felt beyond the team's city, writes Lisa Dillman. Rob Neyer looks at how often death has touched the Angels.

Mike Lupica says Joba Chamberlian has something to learn from Adenhart's death.

It's hard to talk about what went on in major league baseball after reading about Adenhart, but some pretty interesting things happened Thursday in the Big Leagues, including a great game in the south side of Chicago. And what's wrong with Obama?

Thanks to an alert Comcast employee, we have an update on today's Phillies game.

Vida Blue was a man of his times: the 1970s.
Just like the decade he had his fare share of brilliance (three twenty seasons, three World Series rings) and confusion (four seasons of 13 losses or more). Think about movies in the decade. You have some of the best of all time (the two Godfather films, "Jaws," "The Sting," Network," "Chinatown," Star Wars, "The Exorcist") yet you had some clunkers that were inexplicable. (Andy Worhol's "Dracula," "Night of the Lupus" - yes a movie about killer rabbits. Only Monty Python can pull that off, whoever made Lupus was an idiot.)
And of course, since it was the 70s, drugs were involved.
So, to look at Vida Blue's career, you have to realize he's more 70s than the BeeGees.

There's a trivia question out there that has confounded us here at The Southpaw since we first fell in love with the game in 1883, watching Wilbur Wright's teams.
It's a simple one too. How did a strike out ever become known as a "K?"
And today, in the mail, we got our answer.
Thanks to a birthday present sent from The Southpaw's oldest sister, who was not around in 1883.
Anyway, the answer leads us to our first book review.

Which of these players never led the league in runs driven in?
a. Willie Mays
b. Willie McCovey
c. Dave Winfield
d. Preston Wilson

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Los Angeles Angels rookie pitcher Nick Adenhart and two other people were killed Thursday when a minivan ran a red light and struck their sports car.
Adenhart, 22, died after undergoing surgery, University of California, Irvine Medical Center spokesman John Murray said.

The Orioles torched the Yankees for a second straight game. The Phillies proved they're still World Champs and what favor is the Nationals' president asking from Phillies fans.

Sports writer Steve Navaroli has some interesting tidbits from covering Opening Day at Camden Yards.

Check them out here.

Houston Astros' Jeff Keppinger gets a broken-bat, game-winning single as the Astros beat the Chicago Cubs 3-2 in 10 innings in a baseball game Tuesday.

Jim Thome homered and the Red Sox won. Of course, that's happened a lot this decade.
No booze in Toronto.
Happy anniversary, Hank.
Oh, and we have some words from Joba the Drunk.

NEW YORK (AP) -- Like a runner trapped between bases, the release date for a potentially scandalous Alex Rodriguez book keeps edging back and forth.
Selena Roberts' unauthorized "A-Rod" was originally planned for May, then was moved up to mid-April after Roberts, a Sports Illustrated reporter, broke the news that the Yankees slugger had tested positive for steroids back in 2003.
But with Roberts needing more time for the book -- which has been completed and was sent to the printer this week -- publication was pushed back to late April and now is planned for May 12, according to publisher HarperCollins
"That's the on-sale date," publicist Leslie Cohen said Tuesday.

Cesar Izturis rocked Camden Yards Monday when his eighth inning blast broke open the game.
Monday's slate of games brought a great pitching match-up, a rare home run trot and big wins for the participants of the 1979 World Series.
Our very own Mike Argento writes about local fans braving the weather in Baltimore.
Oh, and who's the idiot in the league office that scheduled openers in Chicago and Boston?

Which of these franchises have winning records since coming into existence: Pirates, Indians, Dodgers, Cubs, Braves, White Sox, Tigers and Red Sox?

I just have to pass along this story.
Molly and I were in the clubhouse store at Citizens Bank Park during the opening game. Molly saw a pink shirt she thought was cute and wanted to buy. But she told me it was $75. We both agree. Seventy-five bucks for anything made of a polyester and cotton mix that cannot keep you warm in 55-degree weather is way too steep an asking price.
Later, we walked by and she pointed it out. It was basically a T-shirt - we'd already bought two at $28 apiece - and I couldn't help but think, "No way is that shirt more than 30 bucks." In fact, at that price I thought it would be grossly overvalued.

Despite a 4-1 loss, it was a fun party in Philadelphia on Sunday.
We here at The Southpaw hope you have a great day. Catch a game on TV. Hope - also known as the smell of hot dogs cooking on the grill - is in the air. Baseball's back.

Well, this wouldn't be a reputable baseball site if we here at The Southpaw didn't have some preseason predictions.
So here goes:

Who has the highest single-season home run total without having driven in 100 runs.

There's a new rivalry in the Wild, Wild West.

Check out George Will's column at Newsweek.com.
He has 50 baseball trivia questions. They're very hard.

Get this: A Phillies fan was at Citi Field for the first "game." They didn't like his jacket. So they asked him to leave. Sounds like a move the Red Sox-Yanks rivalry could be proud of.

Inside, you'll also find out if Hayden Penn's trade is the end of an error. Er era.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) -- The Baltimore Orioles have acquired infielder Roberto Andino from the Florida Marlins for pitcher Hayden Penn.
The Orioles announced the trade Wednesday.
Penn was 3-6 with a 9.31 ERA in 14 major league starts for the Orioles in 2005-06. The right-hander had 10 minor league starts in 2007 and spent 2008 at Triple-A Norfolk because of bone chips in his right elbow. He was 6-7 with a 4.79 ERA in 21 starts with Norfolk.
Andino has a .201 average (29-for-144) with two home runs and 12 RBIs in 79 games with the Marlins over four seasons. In 2008, Andino batted .206 (13-for-63) with two homers and nine RBIs.

Gettysburg is a town that lives on the dead, their legends, speeches and actions.
Most restaurants, gift shops and museums have themes that deal with the borough's famous battlefield and presidential history.
Restaurant owner Bill Wills, however, has found a different niche in Gettysburg's history: Eddie Plank, a legendary baseball player who was born and lived in the town.

Gary Sheffield got cut, Chipper signed, and Mike Gallego, yes Mike Gallego, is looking for his glove.

Oh an, how long before the boos rain in Philadelphia?

"We could be down there. There isn't that much separating me from Bo Jackson or George Brett. I could be there. I could do that. You have the illusion. Baseball fosters illusions. Baseball fosters hopes. Baseball inflates us. Baseball lies to us seductively. And we know we're being seduced and we don't complain."

Let's not kid ourselves. Baseball is not, nor has it ever been, perfect. Sure, Ken Griffey Jr.'s swing is as beautiful as the Mona Lisa, Fenway Park is as much an institution as the White House and the sound of the crowd during a triple is as harmonious as a symphony. But the game is always clouded in controversy, be it the Black Sox scandal, astronomical salaries, racism, steroids, or any of it's many other foibles, follies and faults.
Why is it that we come back? Why do we follow it so religiously when our favorite hitters fail seven times out of 10; when the chance of our team winning the World Series is just one in 30; when the all-time leaders in hits, home runs and batting average have the stains of drugs, gambling and racism; when a ticket, parking, a hot dog and a beverage could cost more than a week's worth of groceries; and when it constantly reminds us of how fragile, nonathletic and unintelligent we are?
We love this game because it is more seductive than anything any man or god could conceive.