Time to give some thoughts on the game

My friend Ash says that time does not exist. He's British of Indian decent who grew up with a religious father well-versed in Eastern philosophy. We met at the best dive bar in the world that happens to be in Beirut owned and operated by a Lebanese guy who is as equally in touch with his spiritual side and has become a dear friend of mine.

What Ash means by that is that time is a concept that measures the movement of celestial bodies that we use to gauge the aging process. He doesn't put it that way, that's my own simplified explanation, but he's right. Time is a product of our minds, nothing more. Of course, most people can't wrap their heads around that notion because it is so ingrained and let's face it, most people don't spend much time reflecting on abstract concepts as they go through the motions of their daily lives. It's a shame, really, because there is so much more to existence than birth, childhood, schooling, marriage, death. Few people question the notions that are part of their perceptions of "reality."

Take, for example, the idea of space. Not Star Wars space, but physical space, like distance (which is part of the time/rate equation.) I am physically sitting in a room in Washington DC. I am trying my best to be mentally here, but I lack focus and discipline and my thoughts seem to be stuck somewhere across the ocean. It is quite possible that our minds and spirits are separate entities from our bodies. There's a reason people use the term "whole" to describe various states of happiness. If someone is physically, mentally, and spiritually all in the same place at the same time, he is most likely to be happy.

In the past, I experienced baseball with my full being, but this year has been a little different. I felt distant from the game. I thought I lost my faith in the great religion of baseball. But there was a moment last night as I watched the Phillies-Giants game when I was fully into it, physically, mentally, and spiritually. Nothing in particular had happened in the game at that moment, but I felt the excitement surge through me, like I had been transported back to days past.

It reminded me of how the notion of time is an inherent part of baseball. Nostalgia is as much a part of the game as what is actually going on on the field. In no other sport do we speak with revelry about players who died a hundred years ago. In no other sport do we argue with such passion about the criteria for entering a Hall of Fame. For many of us, we are raised on baseball, so as adults the game is inseparable from our childhood memories, and indeed, as parents we try to instill the love of the game in our children and dream that they, too, will do the same for our grandchildren.

In baseball, there is no separation between the past, present, and future. The game cannot exist in one phase of time without the other two, so there really is no time in baseball. Just look at how it is measured - in 9 innings, not with a clock (although we'd love to see fewer commercials and shorter games.) These games will go down in history books and talked about fondly (or for fans of the losers, with heartache) just like all the other post season games.

I'm sure there was a point to all this rambling when I started it. Oh well, bring on the game! Go [insert team playing Bankee$]!

Twitter Playoff Notes

This is the first baseball playoffs on Twitter for me. Last year, I had an account but didn’t really use it during the playoffs. It has allowed me to connect with baseball fans across America in a way that I never have, and I’m seeing some interesting things.

1. Most people find the Rangers-Bankee$ series dull. Most of us are rooting against the Bankee$, not for the Rangers. God, has this series been dull.

2. Last night’s Giants-Phillies game was amazing. Many folks were commenting about how exciting it was, and it really was, although I wouldn’t go so far as MLB on Fox did and say it was one of the most exciting NLCS games in baseball history. It was pretty great, though, especially since Roy O took the loss.

3. Bankee$ fatigue is real. While Fox and TBS and MLB executives salivate at the thought of a New York-Philly World Series, in the real world, the only folks that would care about that series are in New York and Philly. Fans of other teams are sick of the Bankee$.

4. Lots of Reds fans aren’t watching the rest of the post-season. I’ve never understood how you could be a fan of one team, but not of the sport. Next year at this time I hope to be hearing The National play the National Anthem in Cincy.

5. When football is on, baseball does not exist for many people. Sad that people would watch a game versus two teams they are not fans of over the playoffs of the “National Pastime.” (We all know that bird flew a long time ago. Still, you’d think with all this faux patriotic nonsense that floats around America these days, baseball would be more popular.)

6. Many folks are not of the sieg heil mentality and despise the playing of God Bless America as I do. Hallelujah.

7. There are as many commercials as there is baseball, and we can’t help but comment on all of it. Geico “Stanley” bestiality ad is disturbing. I wish there’d be a requiem for that DirecTV commercial. It’s generally acknowledged that the Conan commercials are retarded. And please, UPS, please stop making Dean Martin roll in his grave.

Ballpark Bio

I'm sitting outside at a cafe wondering if I should subscribe to MLB Gameday Mobile so I can listen to Sunday games (as I don't spend free summer afternoons indoors) and I started thinking about the ballparks I've been to. I was shocked to think about how I've seen as many Nationals games at home as I've seen Reds games in my life.

I'm really just estimating, as there's no way of knowing how many Reds games I've actually been to (although I have nearly every ticket stub stored in Ohio.) I'm 33 years old, didn't move to Ohio until I was 5, and missed a couple of seasons due to hurt after the strike. As a kid we probably averaged about three games a season - the straight A tickets, my grandfather's friend's season tickets in the blue seats, and another game sometime at Riverfront. In high school it was a bit more - I remember feeling triumphant at having attended one game in every month of the season and vowing to do that for the rest of my life, having no idea of what real life is like. In my days at Miami U in the late nineties I went to maybe five games - none in 1998 or 1999. It took the signing of Ken Griffey, Jr. to return to fulltime Reds fandom. Then it was Army time. I squeezed a couple of games in June before heading off to Basic for the rest of the season and spent two years in Monterey, though I still managed to get back to Cincinnati to catch a couple of games.

I ended up in Washington, where I've mostly been since 2003, aside from 2008 in Ohio, 3 months iin Bulgaria, and 4 months in Beirut. But my time in Washington has been as an adult with an adult salary, so I've managed to get back to Cincinnati for three games every year, though I'm not going to get back there for this season unless it's for October baseball on account of saving up for a September trip to Paris and Beirut.

So that brings me to how many times I've seen the Reds at home. I'd estimate that I saw 50 games at Riverfront and 20 games at Great American Ball(p)ark for a total of 70 games in Cincinnati over the course of my life.

The Nationals came to DC in 2005. I went to 50 games at RFK over 3 years, missed 2008 because I was in Ohio, went to 10 games last year and have been to 4 games so far this year for a total of 64, but given that I'm sure to go to 4-5 more this year, that puts me about even with games in Cincinnati and RFK about a tie with Riverfront.

Because the Nationals weren't here when I first moved to DC, I got my baseball fix at Camden Yards for two seasons and have been back for one or two games a year since. I'd say I've been there 10 or 11 times. Next up is Giants ballpark, where I saw 8 or 9 games when I lived in Monterey, including a World Series game. It is followed by Jacob's Field, Citizen's Bank, and Wrigley Field at 4 games, though I saw a game at Municipal Stadium back in the day so Cleveland has the edge. Jack Murphy Stadium is next at 2 games, including my first Reds game ever at age 1, and Shea and PNC come in at 2 games as well. Old Yankee Stadium, Fenway Park, and Oakland are all 1 game a piece.

So that's my ballpark bio, typed on Blackberry. Is there any other game on the planet that could inspire such useless but ultimately nostalgically fun thoughts? I think not.

Reverse voodoo?

Do you think if all Reds fans went and bought one of these banners that the Reds would win the World Series, immediately putting the banner out of date? You know, how you think about something and then it doesn't happen? Or you think something won't happen, then it does? Like when you bring an umbrella somewhere because you know if you don't bring one, it will rain? So we buy these because we know the Reds won't win the World Series so we'll be able to enjoy our not-outdated banner, then they do win? Am I making sense here?

We have to try everything, don't we? :)

The War on Errors: A Lesson in Language

The English word "Church" comes from the Greek word kuriakon, which was used to mean a place of worship. Many European languages use some derivative of this word - kirche in German, църква (crkva) in Bulgarian, kerk in Dutch, and kyrka in Swedish.

In the New Testament, the word "church" is the translation of the Greek word ecclesia, meaning "assembly." You might recognize it if you know any of the Latin languages - iglesia in Spanish, église in French, igreja in Portuguese, chiesa in Italian. εκκλησία is still used in Greek. Persian, too, uses a derivative of the Greek: (kilisa) کلیسا Turks use the same word, kilise. I imagine the Arabic (kinisa) الكنيسةis some bastardization of the Farsi or the Turkish, but I don't have direct knowledge of that.

The word "baseball" was directly given to human beings by the Baseball Gods but underwent babelian transformations as it slowly spread across the globe, from its humble beginnings in England to its perfection in America to its becoming the national pastime in Japan to its drafty abuse of Latin American children. Various forms of the game are beisbol in Spanish, honkbal in Dutch, bejzbol in Croatian, among a few others. For the most part, the word baseball has remained in its pure state - even the French, who are obsessed with having their own word for everything (see this WSJ article on their agony over how to translate cloud computing), use the word baseball.

In Arabic it is... كرة القاعدة (korat al-qaeda)! AHHH...baseball has been invaded by terrorists! It's the Crusades! We must arm ourselves against the hordes of leatherpants-clad warriors who hate us for our beautiful game! We must fight against the baseball extremists - Al-lenselig, Don Aldfehr, Al-Bert Poojols, Al-lCubsfans, Al-Exrod Riguez, Scott Al-Boras...

Ok, enough sarcastic hysterics. This is what happens in the off season. April 5th seems so far away...

MTV Cribs: Sister Daedalus

Ok, so this is a first, sitting outside at a pool using the internet. I'm not even stealing someone else's internet - the signal is coming from my own apartment. It's not as nice as it sounds. In fact, I think I might hate it. Especially now that a group of unsupervised children have come in.

It started with the apartment people arranging the chairs on the deck at 6am. On a Saturday morning. Then there were all of the people trekking by my window at 11am to get to the pool, and when I say by my window, I mean the metal stairway that leads to the pool is attached to the building and they can see everything through the window. Then there's the other window that looks out at the pool - I am currently staring straight into my bedroom from a mere ten feet away. I moved in a month ago, and I still don't have furniture (it's not high on my list of priorities right now. I should probably make a trip to Ikea one of these days.) Two bookshelves were there when I moved in. I sleep on an air mattress covered with a fleece Reds blanket and a promotional Nats blanket. Other than that, I'm using a cardboard box for a desk and a blowup seat in the shape of a baseball glove. I covered the "desk" with a Cincinnati Reds blanket that my mother got for signing up for a credit card when we went to Johnny Cueto's MLB debut last freezing, drizzling April. The piles of clothes on the floor (it's laundry day and I'm sorting) are full of t-shirts and sweatshirts that say "Reds" or "Nationals" on them. You can see five baseball hats on a top shelf - one Reds, one Orioles, and three Nationals. Edwin hangs on my wall denoting the month of May, and a Reds jersey cooly stands on the windowsill. I feel like Jimmy Fallon's character in Fever Pitch.

Oh, and I realized my coffee mug I am now drinking from is a baseball one, and the keychain for my house keys is a red baseball glove.

What's funny about using a laptop at a pool is that you can watch people without looking at them because of the reflection in the screen. A farmer-tanned guy with a Red Sox cap sits immediately behind me. (Why would you lay out in the sun and wear a baseball cap that covers your forehead? Can we say awkward tan lines tomorrow?) There sure are a lot of glowing white people on deck for a sunburn.

I'm sure I'll enjoy the pool many times this summer. I'm just not sure what people will think when they stare into my shrine to the game, and I'm not willing to give up open windows and sunlight in the room for some privacy.

The schedule for May is stupid

After an off day on the last day of April, the Reds played three in Pittsburgh. Then they fly to Miami for two days before coming home for a tiny five game homestand - two against the Sausages and a battle for first place with the Deadbirds. Then they play three in Thomland, have a day off, play three in San Diego, and have another day off before they play a nine game homestand. Then they have another day off.

In June, they play Monday, June 1 and don't play on another Monday for the entire month.
___

In the bell jar

I've been in the bell jar for awhile. I've started posts, worked on them some more, and just didn't complete them because I just can't seem to get the words out. I enjoy watching the Reds and the team definitely seems different this year, but the central part of my days so far hasn't been baseball but actual work. I'm working with a Lebanese development organization and will be tasked with grantwriting, among other things. This morning I thought this was going to be a good day because I got to go to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs hearing in which Secretary of State Clinton was speaking, and though I got there at 8:15 for a 9:30 hearing, there were so many linejumpers and protest groups that by the time I approached the door, the hearing was full. I was third in the new, dejected line. I had been so excited to get to do something for work that I would have done in my free time that at one point I almost felt like crying, I was so bummed about not getting to go in. Still very cool to see members of Congress roaming the hall.

But to baseball, that lovely game with the little white sphere. I was supposed to go to the Nationals game tonight. Then I thought I mixed up the dates so I canceled, and when I found out I had been right the first time, I decided I was too drained to go to the game tonight. And for me not to go to a baseball game...(To be honest, if the Reds were playing, I'd go.) But, you know, it's too cold to go see a team that's only won three games. There are 150 more games - I'll get to that new park sometime soon.

All that and still I've said nothing. I wanted to write about how I have this feeling that baseball really is growing in popularity because all week long I've overheard people talk about baseball and so many people seem to be wearing baseball caps with actual baseball teams on them, and teams other than the one with the big red B on them, although there have been plenty of those as well. I know it's the beginning of the season and there is always more interest in the game at this time of year, but something feels different about the levels of enthusiasm I'm seeing. And that's why I maintain that I'm still in the bell jar, because I just can't find the words to explain that feeling properly.

And now I have work to do that I didn't finish today. It's soooo nice to have work to do.

Some more random, underdeveloped, sci-fi-ish thoughts from the realm of imagination

Articles like this make me excited about the 2009 Cincinnati Reds. So true, so true. The one thing that really irritates me about many of today's statheads is they are quick to dismiss things like team chemistry and enthusiasm and leadership, all things they say with contempt, like they are talking about a piece of rotten fish that is smelling up the whole kitchen from its place in the bottom of the garbage can. They'll point to a few exceptions, teams who hated each other but won it all, as "proof" that chemistry doesn't matter. Often these are the words of people who've never played competitive ball - it seems like the most vocal anti-team chemistry statheads admit they were no good as players. There's nothing wrong with that. Just don't dismiss with such virulence things you don't understand, that's all I'm saying.

I'm not anti-sabermetrics at all. Au contraire, mes amis. But I also know there is more to baseball than just numbers. However, I am inclined to agree with some statheads that everything in this world is quantifiable. We just haven't figured a way to quantify intangibles yet. Human knowledge is not yet that advanced. Just imagine the exciting possibilities! Someday we could have a TCPF (Team Chemistry Performance Factor = amount of certain chemicals like pheromones that are able to mix rather than causing aggressive reactions and yadda yadda) and an LVA (Leadership Value Added) and a bunch of stats that have to do with human chemicals and biology and physiology and all that stuff that I find so fascinating but never got around to studying. It was only 30 years ago that the first human pheromones were discovered. Things these days may seem to fly by, but 30 years is nothing in the science field. When science finally discovers that there are other chemicals like pheromones that dictate who we have as friends and enemies and the like, and when we can measure those chemicals and the reactions between people, then we may be able to quantify team chemistry. I wonder where that will fit on the back of a baseball card?

Very interesting and fun to think about. I remember reading somewhere about how parents were electing to put their high school kids under the knife to have Tommy John surgery they didn't need just to put a few MPH on their fastballs to increase their chances of getting to the Majors. While that is an outrage (and should be thought of along the lines of steroids, but no, surgery is not DRUGS! so it's not morally wrong, right?), I started thinking about the possibility of other things one could do to a body to increase competitiveness. What if science develops an artificial leg that gives a human being the capability of running 20 MPH or a fake arm that throws 120 MPH? I don't watch a lot of science fiction, but it is kind of fun to imagine a sort of half robot half human player. It'd be like the Ultra League of the Nintendo game Baseball Simulator 1000 where you could throw pitches that disappeared halfway to the plate and do a rocket jump to catch a ball twenty feet in the air. I'd hate for that to happen - it'd take the beauty of the game.

I better stop. My imagination kind of takes over and I could just go on forever... ;)
___

Time out for a personal plug.

The year was 2005. The city was Philadelphia. I bought tickets to see U2 play at the Wachovia Center and wanted to make it a weekend in Philly, so naturally I checked to see if the Phillies were at home that weekend. I’d drive up from DC on Saturday morning and see the show that evening then go to a Phillies game on Sunday afternoon if there was one.

Oh, there was one.

In some sort of cosmic doing, the Reds were scheduled to make their only trip into Philly on that weekend.

I thought maybe I was in Heaven when we parked. See the Philly sports buildings are all in the same complex. The Wachovia Center is next to Citizen’s Bank Park. And that parking lot was a mix of cars with U2 blaring from their stereos and tailgaters waiting for the ballgame to start, many of them with Reds caps on. What were the chances of the Reds playing on that weekend? What were the chances? Yet it happened.

Another time, Chicago in 1997, I caught a Saturday afternoon game at Wrigley and watched U2 at Soldier Field that night. The Chub$ played the Asstros that day, but it was baseball and U2. And it was good.

On March 3, No Line on the Horizon, U2’s best album since Achtung Baby, comes out. The U2 haters will hate it, of course. I've listened to it at least 25 times and love every song on it, not like the last two where I ended up skipping half the songs. You have to listen to it a few times and think about what they're trying to do before passing judgment. Fez - Being Born may be one of the best songs they've ever recorded.

Anyway, I just wanted to say that. We're at a lull point right now until the games start on Wednesday. I mean, aside from Leatherpants possibly getting in trouble, there's not much news, is there?

Let me in the sound

Early evening, April 4, shot rings out in the Memphis sky...

Mark Sheldon asks us a couple of questions today and the resounding answer is no.

Can anyone remember an offseason in which the Reds weren't feverishly trying to make acquisitions and improvements to their rotation?

How about a Spring Training where at least two rotation spots weren't up for grabs in open competition?

No and no.

Free at last, they took his life. They could not take his pride.

My very favorite non-U2 band, The National, are Reds fans, and I found this piece of information about the first band of two of the brothers in the band amusing:

At the outset, the duo was informally named Big Red Machine in a nod to the Dessners' Cincinnati hometown, but the brothers are now just going by their own names. "We think the Reds would get pissed off," Dessner says with a laugh. "They have the trademark."

Speaking of U2, their new single Get On Your Boots was released today. (Hear it here.) Good stuff. [begin rant]Of course, the U2 haters are trying their best to find things "wrong" with it. It sounds like Pump It Up. It sounds like Subterranean Homesick Blues. It sounds like Wild West. Did anyone ever complain that Elvis Costello ripped Pump It Up off Bob Dylan? No. You only hear the complaints now because it's U2 - it's "cool" to hate U2. Caring about the world is pompous and arrogant. (The haters are usually tone deaf people who claim to have superior tastes in music and have never picked up an instrument in their lives aside from the recorder in fourth grade and that Guitar Hero device.) I swear, music is the only field where you are demonized for being successful.[/end rant]

One man caught on a barbed wire fence, one man he resists, one man washed on an empty beach, one man betrayed with a kiss.

And speaking of guys who have been around awhile, this guy thinks the Reds should sign Omar Vizquel. Uh, no. The Reds have been there, done that as far as signing the ancients goes. But finding the post led me to the Cincinnati Reds Social Networking Site. Never heard of it, could be interesting. Will explore some more.

Remember, Johnny Bench and Joe Morgan are on Ellen today. I think the whole getting Clooney on the show thing is pretty funny, and so is this. (Don't click without muting your sound first.)

Don't forget to send some of your thoughts today to MLK and all of the great civil and human rights leaders in the world throughout history. We've come a heck of a long way, but we still have a heck of a long way to go.

Everyone loves lists

I could talk about my favorite baseball players all day long. There are some I like because they are good players – like Adam Dunn. Others, like David Weathers, I like because of personal encounters. Some, like Brandon Phillips, are a result of both. My top ten favorite current players are (in no particular order) Brandon Phillips (who is number 1), Joey Votto (number 2), Jay Bruce, Ryan Zimmerman, David Wright, Derek Jeter (yes, Derek Jeter), Josh Hamilton, Sean Casey, Jose Reyes, Jimmy Rollins, Miguel Tejada (despite playing for the Asstros). Well, that’s eleven.

Barry Bonds would be on the list at number one if he were playing. If more people had had the opportunity to watch him play in San Francisco in the early part of this decade, the Barry hatred would be minimal. I’ve never seen anything like him, and I doubt I ever will again.

But my favorite players are not the topic of this post. No, this post is about the players I hate. It is inspired by Rickey Henderson’s election to the Hall of Fame. I hated him in his day, and I really don't know why. But you don't have to have a reason for someone to rub you the wrong way, right? Many on this list will join Rickey in the Hall someday.

1. Jeff Kent – I don’t know if he is going to play this year, but the uncertainty still qualifies him for this list. Jerk Kent has been my least favorite player since the early aughts (is that what this decade is called? That’s what the 1900s were called.) It wasn’t just that he whined because Bonds got all of the attention. It wasn’t just that he got into a fist fight with Bonds in the dugout. It was mostly because he broke his arm before the 2002 season started while being an idiot on a motorcycle (wheelies) and lied to the team, saying he fell off the top of his truck while washing it. I know he’ll probably get into the Hall of Fame based on his numbers, but if I were a baseball writer, I wouldn’t vote for him based on the way he conducted himself as a player and a teammate.

2. Albert Pujols – What’s to like about him if you are not a Deadbirds fan? I wonder why he didn’t reject his 2008 MVP award. After all, when Ryan Howard beat him out a couple of years ago, he whined that players on non-contending teams didn’t deserve the award. He’s also a Reds killer, though the Reds are not his only victim. Plus he points to the sky every time he hits a homerun, one of my pet peeves.

3. Curt Schilling – Bloody sock aside, this self-righteous crackhead can’t keep his mouth shut. I do hope that when he runs for office in Massachusetts after he retires from baseball, Massholes can look past Game 6 and remember what he stands for – a virtual theocracy, where his version of morality is legislated. Schilling is a borderline fascist, and there is a reason he has not been well-liked by teammates in Philly, Arizona, and Boston.

4. David Eckstein – I don’t have a problem with any of the personal aspects of Eckstein. As far as I know, he has never said anything to warrant personal animosity. Yet he is one of those pests that can do anything to mess up your team’s chances of winning. He is annoying. He can’t hold his bat still. And he’s not good enough to be a starting shortstop but people keep giving him that chance. I am afraid Jocketty might sign him to be on the Reds.

5. Manny Ramirez – Manny being Manny is annoying. His hair is annoying. His loafing is annoying. Manny would be fired from any regular job us common folk hold, where you have to look and act professional. He is unprofessional, and I am glad the Dodgers made him put his hair up. That being said, I would be ecstatic if the Reds were to sign him. He’d still annoy me, but I’d be able to put up with it if the Reds were winning.

6. Alex Rodriguez – Tabloid trash, A-Rod has fallen far from my favor since he came up with the Mariners all those years ago. A former poster-on-my-wall boy, I now keep this photo of him near to me. My list of grievances includes being a slum lord, cheating on his wife, breaking up Madonna’s marriage, switching from Team USA to Team Dominicana, getting out of the richest contract in MLB history only to sign for even more money, and all of the garbage he said about Griffey when Junior left Seattle. I’m sure there are more. Despite that, I look forward to him breaking Bonds’ HR record, if only to shut up the Bonds haters.

7. Chipper Jones – Larry Wayne Jones, Jr. is good, very good, no doubt a future Hall of Famer. He had the misfortune of playing for the Braves all of these years, a team I hate more than any team but the Deadbirds, Bankee$, Codgers, and Asstros. He also strikes me as just plain dumb. If he hadn’t been blessed with baseball talent, no doubt he’d be working in a Super America truckstop somewhere. But I sure do like to watch him play.

8. Lance Berkman – Not only is he a Reds killer, but he plays for the Asstros, and he’s one of those that thinks Jesus is up there on a cloud making him hit homeruns. He’s just one of those players that has something about him that rubs me the wrong way. I can’t really think of anything specific.

9. Jose Guillen – I’ve had the misfortune of having to watch this guy on the Reds and the Nationals. What a big baby. Remember how he whined about not getting to play above Ken Griffey, Jr., the Ken Griffey, Jr. who had yet to be plagued by injuries, the Ken Griffey, Jr. who had just been named to the All-Century team, the Ken Griffey, Jr. who was on pace to break Hank Aaron’s 755? There is not a bigger pouter in all of baseball.

10. Corey Patterson – Poor guy. I’d feel sorry for him if he would just realize he needs to switch careers. He should have faked an injury in 2008 to take one for the team, because he singlehandedly wrecked the team on numerous occasions. His playing time was largely Dusty Baker’s fault, though Walt Jocketty should take some of the blame for sitting on his butt and letting Patterson stink up the roster.

Least favorite manager: Ozzie $#@! Guillen. That guy just needs to STFU.
___

It's Friday Night! The Reds still stink! And other observations

I spent some of today watching the MLB Network and marveling at Roy Hobbs' performance in the Home Run Derby at Yankee Stadium last year. (I miss Hobbs, but I'd rather have Voltron on the mound since decent pitching is tough to come by.) I thought Chris Berman was a little annoying, but he wasn't Tim McCarver, so there's that. I didn't watch the Derby when it actually happened - these types of capitalist exhibitions can sometimes be nauseating - but because Hobbs, er, I mean Hamilton, was exceptional, I allowed myself to turn some attention towards the show.

I am somewhat disappointed that the MLB Network has had limited programming in its first couple of weeks - one would think that in the 140 years since the Cincinnati Red Stockings became the first professional baseball club, the network could show some old games and not have to repeat airings of the 2008 Home Run Derby. I'd love to watch some random game in which Willie Mays played, being not born when he played and all, or maybe Mantle or Snyder or Bench, Morgan, Perez, and Pete. I don't want to watch the 2008 World Series or the 1996 World Series or anything recent, because I've seen those. I want the old stuff, the legendary stuff, the stuff we've come to glorify and forget that the game "back then" wasn't perfect. To us right now in 2009, the likes of Willie, Mick, and the Duke are gods. I want to see the gods come to life.

But I'm not complaining. I'm not a television watcher, yet I've managed to watch about 16 hours of MLB Network since its birth so far - maybe more, maybe less, I'm not really counting.

So, John Smoltz in a non-Braves uniform and Trevor Hoffman in a non-Padres uniform? Tragic. Makes me respect Barry Larkin's retirement even more. Though we tend to forget that guys like Mays and Ruth ended their careers with other teams, it's still tough to see the few guys who've managed to stick around for 15 or 20 years wear another uniform. It's part of the game, I know. But why does it have to be?

In three hours I turn 32, Tom Browning's number. I think that means a Reds pitcher is going to throw a no hitter this year. Cueto's my bet. He took a few no-nos into the second half of games last year, but nothing was as spectacular as his MLB debut. I don't think I'd ever in person seen a game as well-pitched as that one. We were at that point when our eyes kept stealing glances at the zeroes on the scoreboard, and though we never mentioned it, we all acknowledged that the possibility was in the air with a nod or a smile. All 12K or so of us who were there, that is.

Anyway, some random thoughts for a rather mundane week on the hot stove.
___

Just a thought...

I was away from any media for the last few days and just found out about the Citi bailout. I've always called it ShitiBank for no real reason except it sounded funny and juvenile, but now I have a big one.

I keep thinking about that brand new ballpark in New York I was prepared to call ShitiField (though the term should have gone to the last hunk of junk they played in). How much did the ShitiGroup pay for those naming rights?

If we are truly to establish a New Economic Order, I hope we see the end of the changing of stadium names every few years. Truthfully, I'd like to see us go back to naming things after individuals (like Shea or RFK) if we're not going to stick with team names like Yankee Stadium or Nationals Park.

UPDATE: Apparently, I'm not the only one thinking about this.

Another thought

As things stand now, here's who I want to win the divisions:

Padres
Sausages
Mets
WC: Philly

Boston
Cleveland
Disney Angels of a suburb of Los Angeles, California (I don't like them, but they're 9.5 up with a magic number of 10. Seattle fans should hate Mike Hargrove for quitting on them.)
WC: Detroit

NLCS: Sausages vs. Mets
ALCS: Cleveland vs. Detroit

WS: Sausages vs. Cleveland, with Cleveland as the winner.

Go Tribe!