The Redleg Junkie

Rangers.Ballpark.in.Arlington

2011-04-25T14:52:00.001-04:00

"People ask me what I do in winter when there's no baseball. I'll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring." ~Rogers Hornsby

The first pitch, just as opening day, has come an gone. We are now roughly three weeks into this young season, but that doesn't mean that there hasn't been any time for ballpark chasing. It maybe early but, but we (ballpark chasers) are an ambitious group. I can safely say I have already attended 3 baseball games, at 3 different stadiums, in 2 different states. Oh, and two of the three games where the home teams opener. On our most recent trip we had a few stowaways as we continued our journey through baseball's cathedrals. I must say, nothing goes better with peanuts and a cold beer than good friends to share it with.

The newest 'notch in the belt' brought us to Arlington, Texas to The Rangers Ballpark. Opening in 1994, it replaced what was Arlington Stadium and gave the Texas Rangers a 'baseball only' facility. The Ballpark holds roughly 50,000 fans, but its capacity was tested last fall when the Rangers made a deep playoff run to their first ever World Series. 52,419 fans cheered their Rangers on to a 4-2 victory in Game 3 between the Rangers and Giants. Rangers Ballpark may have most recently played host to a World Series, but it has also hosted the 1995 MLB All-Star game, and the first ever regular season inter-league game (6/12/97). If you look close you will also notice that scenes from Disney's - The Rookie were shot there.

As for my thoughts on the stadium... I must say 'everything is bigger in Texas'. If you don't believe me wait until you see baked potato at our next ballpark. Rangers Ballpark is located between Dallas and Fortworth in the city of Arlington. And if Arlington has nothing else, (no public transit, no local watering holes for pregame festivities) it has plenty of space for stadiums. The stadium occupies 1.4 million square feet and the outer walls are 114 feet high. From the outer concourse of Rangers Stadium you can get great view of its closest neighbor, Cowboy's Stadium. If you haven't seen Jerry Jones latest creation, I urge you to get yourself to Arlington as soon as possible. The group of us decided that aliens must have placed it here just to show us how powerful they really are. Honestly, Cowboy Stadium is huuuge, but that is another discussion, for another day.

For me Rangers Ballpark ranks roughly 21st out of 30, when compared to other ballparks. Coming in just behind Progressive and Target Field, but just before Chase and US Cellular Field. Don't get me wrong it is a beautiful ballpark with lots of character. Although, a major detractor for me is the fact that most of its character is borrowed. There was no one single caveat that screams 'Rangers Stadium' to me. One of the most distinct features of Rangers ballpark is its arched windows that of which are reminiscent of old Cominskey Park. My personal favorite piece of architecture in the ballpark is the roof over the right field seats. It is a nod to historic Tigers Stadium. I feel it's a feature that you typically do not see. Most ballparks leave fans in the outfield exposed to mother nature's elements. Not in Rangers Ballpark. If you have seat in right field you will enjoy shade and shelter from any would be precipitation (although I get the feeling there isn't much in Texas). When paired with the white steel arches in the outfield and upper decks (think Yankee Stadium) it really dresses the place up. Until recently there was also a manually operated scoreboard embedded in the left field wall (Fenway style), it was replaced in 2009 with a more updated electronic scoreboard. The newest upgrade (2010 off-season) includes a 42 ft by 120 ft HD scoreboard atop of the right field roof I spoke of earlier. It replaced the existing scoreboard with the current one that is nearly 6 times larger.

Oh did I mention in Texas, Nolan Ryan is god? No, seriously. His presence is felt at both Rangers Ballpark and Minute Maid Park in Houston. You literally drive down Nolan Ryan Expressway to get to Rangers Stadium. I mean, honestly, who are we to argue. He did spend 13 major league seasons between the two clubs (1980-88 with Astros, 1989-93 with Rangers). During his time in Texas he recorded strikeout number 3,000; 4,000 and 5,000. He threw his 5th, 6th, and 7th no-hitter. He surpassed Walter Johnson to become All-Time MLB strikeout leader, with 5,714 strikeouts. Oh, and who can forget, in his final season, when Robin Ventura charged the mound. The then 46 year old Ryan put the young lad (20 years younger than Nolan) into a head lock and began delivering blows to his head. Shortly there after injury ended his 27 year career where it began, in Texas. Number 34 is now retired in both Houston and Rangers Ballpark. In 1999 he was induced into the baseball HOF. He is now the Part-owner, CEO and president of the Texas Rangers. Can you believe he never won a Cy Young?!?!?!

Game day itself was beautiful. It was sunny, not too hot, not too cold, with a light breeze. Perfect baseball weather. There were no issues with parking as we took a cab to and from the game. Staying in downtown Dallas, gave us about a 25 minute cab ride. Although, it did look like parking was plentiful if you were to drive.We were early to the game, giving us plenty of time to check out the stadium and maybe throw back a cold one at one of the local bars. To our surprise, there was not one local watering hole. Heck, there wasn't even a McDonald's. Looks like we had no choice but to head straight to the game. Before the first pitch we did a quick loop on the outer concourse. It was lined with baseball shaped lights and provided an amazing view of Cowboy Stadium. If they ever do decide to develop the area surrounding the stadium, I hope they do not obstruct that view. It's really something to see. We purchased our tickets for this game months in advance and boy did we reap the reward. Only 15 rows from the field, between home plate and first base....it just really does not get much better than that. We had a terrific view of all the action. The Rangers were playing the Seattle Mariners that day. It was a good day for the home team. They ended up winning 7-3. Lucky enough, we did get to see Josh Hamilton play. Just one week later, sliding into home he fractured his humerus bone and is expected to be out for 6-8 weeks. The game we attended was only the 6th game of the season for the Rangers, but since it was a Wednesday, midday (1:05pm) game, there were still some empty seats. My guess, there were about 27,000 fans there that day. I can imagine being defending AL champions that early in the season they typically draw a good crowd. In the 8th inning we decided it was time to take another loop of the stadium. This time we took the inner concourse. Most of the action is in the outfield in Ranger Stadium. They have a large area set up to entertain the kids just below the 4 story office building that incloses the center field of the stadium. The ground floor of the office building in center field is home to the Rangers Baseball Museum. A 17,000 sq ft museum dedicated to the history of the Texas Rangers baseball team. On that particular day most of the museum was closed, but it looked to be very nice. After a quick peek at the museum we decided it was time to head back to the hotel room for a dip in the pool. Yes! Swimming in April...it would never happen in Ohio. God Bless Texas.

Cold.Winter.Nights

2011-02-23T09:16:00.000-05:00


"Workin on my hands 2 be da Pitchers Best Friend"

It's a balmy 34 degrees here in south-west Ohio. I like most people am suffering from a chronic case of cabin fever and unlike the Bieber, a side swooping haircut and a catchy song are not the cure. I need some freeking baseball!

Yeah, yeah...Carmelo got traded to the Knicks. Yes, The Lakers and Heat are primed for a deep playoff run. The NFL is threatening to give us less games...even though they really want to give us more. I say to you...who cares! Its now officially baseball season. Pitchers and catchers have already had time to be reacquainted. Team photos have been taken. Brandon Phillips has fired up his twitter account(@DatDudeBP). Now it's time to get out there and shag some balls. I now utter the two most exciting words to any male frustrated by the long confines of winter.... Spring Training.

After an almost 5 month hiatus , The Redleg Junkie returns. It's been a long winter. I've finally had time to digest that Game 1 NLDS no-hitter tossed by 'Doc' Halladay. And the return of Spring Training only brings hope to us all. That special kind of hope that whispers, 'this is our season'. A lot has happened while we were enjoying that fireside hot chocolate. The Reds have resigned Arroyo, Bruce, Burton, Cueto, Volquez, and that Votto guy. Just yesterday it was announced that Volquez will dawn the mound as our opening day ace. And somewhere in between, I finally bribed my fantasy league commissioner to convert to an auction style draft. (Thank you little baby jesus!)

So dust of that score book, oil up the glove. The Redleg Junkie is back and so is baseball. I'm no statistician. I don't have a locker room press pass. And I sure as hell can't spell or even begin to put words in any sort of grammatical order, but none of that matters. I write what I think, when i think it. I typically write about things related to baseball, the Cincinnati Reds, random crap (literally) and on occasion will slip in a cheap shot at that team up north.

Reds 91-7
Tribe 69-93 ....and still waiting on that Adam Dunn homer to land.

Until next time. Go Redlegs!

Dead.Red

2010-10-12T09:46:00.000-04:00

So the 24 hour morning period is over. I wouldn’t say I’m over it, but at least the depression had faded. I have come to terms that any type of playoff run just wasn’t realistic. It is tough when you root for your home town team. I am a pretty level headed guy when it comes to baseball and sports, but I’m not going to lie, I got caught up in the ‘what if?’.

Over the course of the last few days the baseball fan in me has helped bring the Reds fan back to earth, rationalizing and justifying the end of the season. The best way for me to look at it was from my original view point on April 4^th (the Day before the Season/Home Opener of 2010 season).

Here were the facts we had to work with on April 4^th …

-in the 2009 season the Reds didn’t even finish .500, they finished the season with a 78-84 record.

-hell, they haven’t finished above .500 since the 2000 season (9 years)

-It had been 15 years since we have even sniffed the playoffs, that’s when they ran into probably one of my favorite and most dominant playoff teams ever, the Atlanta Braves. Remember those guys named Smoltz, Glavine, Maddux? Oh yeah, they also had David Justice, Steve Avery, Fred McGriff, and a young Chipper Jones (only in his second season). Phew…what a team. They went on to win the World Series and Maddux was awarded his fourth consecutive Cy Young Award.

I hate to swerve of topic but I can’t help but to think back on the memories of that Atlanta Braves team. This was probably about the time I fell in love with baseball. The Reds were just recently removed from their 1990 World Series. I remember going to games with my dad about that time frame. For some reason it sticks in my head that he bought me one of those card decks that has the entire team. I remember telling him “Dad, look Jose Rijo! And Barry Larkin!” as if I had just found a Ted Williams baseball card. If you remember the Reds had the ‘Nasty Boys’ before the Braves we even a glint in the baseball history book (Rob Dibble, Norm Charlton and Randy Myers).

It was a magical run, wire-to-wire and World Series champs, shortly followed by the dismemberment of everything good that the Reds had going for them. The 90’s were rough on the Reds and my Dad and I had no one to root for….In step the Atlanta Braves.

They didn’t replace the Reds, it was more like rooting for the Chicago Bulls. You knew you were watching something special. You knew MJ was a once in a lifetime type of player doing things gravity just did not permit. Smoltz, Maddux, Glavine, what a rotation. Between the three of them they piled up six National League Cy Young awards over the course of 8 seasons. The Braves as a team racked up five NL pennants during the course of the 90’s, but only one World Series to show for it. Good memories. I remember sitting in front of a TV at 4481 Otis doing the Tomahawk Chop, cheering on David Justice to take one deep. (that’s when a 32 inch TV was a big deal, and it took up half the room)

Back to my point, the Reds have been, well… terrible. Before the season started most Reds fans would have been happy to finish with a .500 record. In a division dominated by the Cardinals I can safely say nobody figured we would be taking home a division title and making out first playoff appearance in 15 years.

One of the most coined phases in baseball…’next year is our year’. Well… maybe, maybe not. I always say a good year in sports doesn’t necessarily correlate into a better year the next. That said, the Reds have been making all the right moves in my opinion, and these thing don’t happen overnight.

-2003 we opened a new ballpark, Great American

-2006 marks the beginning of the Roert Castellini era (Reds Owner)

-2007 Jerry Narron fired (finally!), ultimately replaced by Dusty Baker

-2008 GM Wayne Krivsky is fired and replaced by Walt Jocketty

-From 2007-2010 the Reds have improved their record each year

-2010 Reds win the NL Central Division and a playoff birth

Slow and steady improvements are the REDS MO including removing large salary players such as Griffey Jr., Adam Dunn, and more recently Aaron Harang for a more team oriented club. We have developed a group of good young pitchers. Aroldis “The Cuban Missle” Chapman is making his rise to the top. Jay Bruce and how can we forget possible MVP Joey Votto are coming into their own. There is much hope to be had in Cincinnati. Yeah, we got no-hit by Roy Halladay. Yeah, Cole Hamels threw a complete game shutout against us. And yes, we got swept right out of the playoffs this year. No worries though cause…

We have next year.

Thanks for a great season Redlegs!

2010 NL Central Division Champs!

Woot!

2010-07-23T09:13:00.000-04:00

Many of you have heard me talk about Woot, Woot-offs, Screaming Monkeys, BOCs, etc. Well, I have been lurking in the darkness at Woot.com since sometime in 2005 (Thanks Kev). I finally decided to create an account and become an official member in November of 2008.

Woot.com

"Woot is an American Internet retailer based in the Dallas suburb of Carrollton,TX. It was founded by electronics wholesaler Matt Rutledge and debuted on July 12, 2004.Woot's main website generally offers only one discounted product each day, often a piece of computer hardware or an electronic gadget."
-Wikipedia

Woot's slogan is "One Day, One Deal", which is exactly what it says. Everyday they have one product for sale, yes, only one item. Most of the time the item is competitively priced, but rarely have I bought anything. My draw to Woot is the Woot-offs. Every now and again Woot will stray from the beaten path and offer multiple items during the course of a day. These days are called Woot-offs. A Woot-off begins at 1am eastern time, or midnight central time (remember, Woot is based in Texas). A Woot off will typically last 24 to 72 hours always ending at midnight central time. During that time period Woot will list an item, once it sells out, another item will go up, and so on and so on. The fun behind a Woot-off lies in the mystery. No one knows when a Woot-off is going to occur and no one knows what the next item that may be listed is going to be. A Woot-off is signified by the little flashing orange Woot lights flagging you into for a safe landing.

Which leads me to my next point...the infamous Bag of Crap or what us Woot faithful like to call BOC, Bowl of Cerel, Bandoleer of Carrots, Banjo of Consternation, or any other combination of BOC you can concoct to confuse a Woot newbie.

typical forum post
newbie: What is a BOC?

woot member 1: Oh you mean the Bandoleer of Carrots.
woot member 2: no, no, he is talking about the Berries of Constipation
woot member 3: You are all wrong, we were discussing the Bulgarian Olympic Committee

Well...you get the point. We like to have fun with out new, less informed members. The BOC is a very illusive beast. Many will try but few will succeed at capturing a BOC. Up until recently I have been less than foturnate when it comes to the BOC. It is not out of the ordinary to feel the earth shaking, the tide rise, and see the full moon wink when a BOC comes up on Woot...that is just the IT guys trying to reboot the servers. See the BOC is so popular that it typically sells out in under one minute, bringing the world of Woot to a screeching stand still as the servers try to catch up. The popularity of the BOC came from its orgins in early Woot-offs. Back in early days of Woot (circa 2005/2006) there were stories of people gettting such items as a Rumba, Ipod or even a Flat Panel TV in their bag o' crap. All items at Woot.com are shipped at a flat $5 rate and the BOC typically sells at $3. $8 for a BOC that contains a $200 plus Rumba is a good deal in anyone's mind. Hence the popularity, the chance that you may be so lucky. Now, don't get confused, most bags of crap are just that. In the glory of my first BOC (6/24/10) the contents included such items as a used hard drive (mfg date 2004), Energizer rechargeable batteries, an Invisio (never heard of them) blue tooth earpiece, a GE wireless phone station with 2 extra handsets, and a collapsible lunch box. All this came to much more than the $8 I paid...but still crap.

There are other items that are traditional for a Woot-off. Many items have made long tenured appearance such as Rumba Vacuums , Leak Frogs, or even the most current Todd's Dirt Seasoning. The is no doubt these items can't hold the spotlight like the the BOC except of course, the final item in every Woot-off.

I introduce to you, the protector of all things woot, he can fly higher than superman himself, his scream strikes fear in all opponents, the Woot Screaming Monkey. The final item in every Woot-off. When you see the monkey come up its a sign that the Woot-off will be coming to an end shortly. It's sad I know, but don't fret, it won't be long until those flashing lights are in motion again.

Other Woot 'Sister' Sites
-http://kids.woot.com/
-http://shirt.woot.com/
-http://wine.woot.com/
-http://deals.woot.com/sellout

[Wiki] [BagoCrap] [Woot]

Sweet..Lou

2010-07-21T08:27:00.000-04:00

He'll most likely be remembered for his tantrums at the mound or the ceremonial 'tossing of the bag', but this for this Reds fan three words come to mind when muttering the words Lou Piniella...'Wire-to-Wire'.

After 40 years in baseball 67 year old Lou Piniella is hanging up the spikes. No only was 'Sweet Lou' exciting to watch, he won. From 1993-2002 Lou was behind the helm in Seattle, leading the Mariners to 4 American League Division Series and winning 3. In 2001 his Mariners won 116 games (116-46), tying the major league record for most wins/best regular season record.

Currently the manager of the Chicago Cubs, he has had winning seasons in each of his four seasons except the current. In 2007 and 2008 he led the Cubs to NL Central titles. This year though, is a different story...at 43-52 the Cubs are currently 10.5 games out in a division dominated by the St. Louis Cardinals and one of his former teams the Cincinnati Reds.

And, who can forget his time in Cincinnati...Wire-to-Wire. Sweet Lou and his 'Nasty Boys' started in first and ended in first. Capping off a historic season with a World Series win over the defending champion Oakland Athletics. The Reds swept the Athletics in 4 games bringing the only hardware that really matters back to the Queen city for the first time since 1976.

1969 - AL Rookie of the Year
1972 - AL All-Star
1995 - AL Manager of the Year with the Seattle Mariners
2001 - AL Manager of the Year with the Seattle Mariners
2008 - NL Manager of the Year with the Chicago Cubs
14th all-time on the list of Managerial Wins

We'll miss you Lou!

[Wiki] [BaseballAlmanac] [YouTube]

The.Boss

2010-07-13T11:55:00.000-04:00

I have received some melancholy new this morning that George Steinbrenner has died at the young age of 80.

At roughly 6:30 this morning news out of Tampa, Fl confirmed that the baseball world has lost one of its iconic figures. Love him or hate him, he was still 'The Boss".

During his 37 year tenure at the helm of the New York Yankees, Steinbrenner brought 11 pennants and 7 World Series rings to the big apple. Born on July 4th, 1930, George had just celebrated his 80th birthday. Steinbrenner was born in Rocky River, Oh. He attended Williams College in Massachusetts in 1952, and promptly joined the United States Air Force shortly thereafter. What many may not know is, after leaving the Air Force, George attended graduate school for The Ohio State University and was a G.A. to local legend Woody Hayes (They went undefeated that year and won the Rose Bowl).

George really got his start up due to a family business that his dad owned, Great Lakes shipping (a Cleveland based company) where he served as a chairman. The money he made there helped him purchase his first sports franchise, The Cleveland Pipers, an ABL professional basketball team. In 1971 Steinbrenner failed to purchase the Cleveland Indians, but just a year later would become a part of a group of investors that would purchase a then struggling New York Yankees. On January 3, 1973 the Steinbrenner reign would begin for the purchase price of just over $8 million dollars. The rest as they say 'was history'. The baseball world truly lost one of its legends today.

He was known as a 'hands on' owner and would find his way into the media spotlight on many occasions. It is very hard to argue against his success though.

-11 AL pennants
-7 World Series Titles (77,78,96,98,99,00 and 2009)
-Founded YES Network (Yankees)
-Grew a Yankee franchise from $10 million to being worth at least 1.2 billion
-help in the ground breaking of 'new' Yankee Stadium

Yanks.Are.Coming

2010-06-25T11:22:00.001-04:00

USA! USA! USA!
No, I am not chanting because the nightclub lost power or my unnamed buddy walked in the room sporting a 1980’s duffel bag. I am out of my seat, yelling at the TV, hugging the dog excited, because not only has Team USA advanced to the next round of play in the World Cup, but they have won Group C in the first round of the 2010 World Cup.

Football , as referred to by every country in the world but us, crowns its champion once every four years in a tournament called the FIFA World Cup. FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association) is the global governing body for all things football. In the three years prior to the World Cup there are qualifying matches held that cut the competition down to the final 32 nations that will compete for Football’s ultimate prize.
We are currently wrapping up the first stage of the World Cup called ‘Group Play’. In Group Play, the teams are split into 8 groups with 4 teams in each group. Each group plays a round-robin style tournament in which the top 2 teams advance on to the next round of play. The following rounds of the World Cup are single-elimination knockout. This is where Team USA has advanced to.

The Americans have had less than a historic reputation when it comes to World Cup play. We just don’t measure up. It’s as simple as that. It does make sense tough, as soccer (The term soccer originated in England, abbreviation of the word ‘association’), is neither our nations pastime nor one of our top sports. Soccer as the Americans like to call it comes second if not worse to sports like Football (American Style), Baseball, Basketball, and even Hockey. With our efforts focused elsewhere we just do not develop the talent that other countries, where Football (Soccer) is their main sport, if not the only sport. To be honest in most of the world Football (no, not Americanized) is the most popular sport, followed by Rugby. That is why the World Cup is the world’s most widely view sporting event.
The United States has been involved in World Cup action since 1930, the inaugural year, but have had little success. We participated in the 1930, 1934 and 1950 World Cup, but between 1950 and 1990 we did not even make the cut to be a World Cup qualifying team. In 1998, we did qualify, but finished 32nd out of 32 teams, not exactly the things dreams are made of.
Although, the 1990’s really has marked a turning point in our nation’s history as it relates to soccer. It more or less built the foundation for where we are headed today. 1990 was the first time the men’s team had qualified for the World Cup in 40 years. In 1991, FIFA introduced a women’s World Cup tournament and our women’s team finished in first that year. Major League Soccer (MLS) celebrated its birth in 1993. 1994 saw the USA host its first World Cup. The US women struck gold again in 1999 and continue to be a dominate power in women’s soccer worldwide. 2002 marks the most successful year for our men’s team as they advanced to the Quarterfinals. They have not returned since. We did not even make it out of group play in 2006.

Enter 2010, we had finally shown the world in 2002 that we were worthy of the stage, but we still did not have the personnel to compete with the likes of Brazil (5 Time Champs), Italy (4), Germany (3) and other such soccer power houses. We were ranked 19th in the world heading into this World Cup. Sounds good…but when you playing 32 teams that puts nearly 2/3rds of the competition ahead of the US.
As group play began…so did the drama. In our 3 matches we have had 2 goals disallowed, both of which were later determined bad calls. We tied world power house England 1 to 1 in our opening match. Many called it lucky…and it hard to disagree. With our toughest opponent behind us, many thought we had a good chance, but luck was not on our side versus Slovenia. The highly publicized ‘no goal’ left us with another draw (2-2). Going into our third and final match, it was a must win. We had not been defeated, but we had not won either. Group C was up for grabs. Win and we move on, lose and we head home. It took all of regulation and some stoppage time, but the US finally broke through and scored in the 91st minute to take the lead 1 to 0 over Algeria. That win not only solidified our spot to move onto the round of 16, but captured the lead in Group C.

Game Winning Goal 6/23/10

Team USA’s next game, Saturday June 26th 2pm on ESPN vs. Ghana.
Ghana sent Team USA home last World Cup

We have a little secret brewing over here …
Hey world! We care!

RED.HOT!

2010-05-20T16:17:00.000-04:00

If you hadn't already noticed...your Cincinnati Redlegs have been on quite the roll lately. I kept thinking I should post about their recent success, but I took the 'no-hitter' stance. When a pitcher has a 'no-no' going everyone in the dugout does everything in their power to ignore the pitcher. As for he must be in a zone and you don't want to be the one to bring him back to earth. I applied the same attitude with the recent success of the Reds. You better believe I was the first one jumping from the couch and high-fiving on Sunday night when the Reds took a 4-3 lead and TOOK 1st place in the NL Central. Nothing was given the Reds reached out and grabbed first place the the St. Louis powerhouse. They have won 11 of 17 thusfar in the month of May (ssshhhh...they are leading 9-3, bottom of the 9th, as we speak).

I decided since they finally (don't take it as I was glad to see it happen) lost a game since rising to the top of the NL, I better get it all out there. I mean come on...the Reds haven't been atop the NL central since June 8th of 2006. That was 4 loooong years ago. We got to give DAP where DAP is due. This gives hope to the possibility of the first winning season in almost a decade. This is good new for a team and its fans for a team that hasn't made the playoffs since 1995. It is early, i know...we are roughly 25% of the way through a 162 game season.

The Redlegs have been riding their pitching and superb defense to the top. They have won the last 9 of 11 (not including the pending result of today's game). Thier pitching staff has posted a 4 -2 with a combine 3.52 ERA over the past 7 days. They have had 3 complete game, 9 inning outings so far in the month of May.

Sigh....While writing the Atlanta Braves scored 7 runs in the bottom of the ninth to beat our Redlegs 10-9. They went into the ninth leading 9 to 3. There is my theroy of the 'no-no'. Time for me to close my yapper so the Reds can keep on rollin.

Well, this is the Redleg Junkie over and out!
If you don't hear from me, well...that because I'm riding the victory train to 100 Joe Nuxhall Way.

Get your butts to the ballpark!
Cincinnati Reds

Stub Hub

Without a Ring for Comfort

2010-05-14T09:58:00.000-04:00

Normally I write about the Cincinnati Reds, life around baseball or just plain baseball. Today is different. The complexity of the word 'different' in the previous sentence can not be explained to anyone living outside the borders of Ohio.

For today is May 14th, a day that may go down in history. As today might be the first day of many to that we see our King lacing up his shoes in a different town. Today is a day that Ohio weeps. Our team and our championship hopes have been washed away like a tear running down our cheek.

Living in Dayton I am 4 hours removed from the goings-on in Cleveland. Today I turn my blog over to to a friend as he, born in Cleveland, living in Cleveland can give a better perspective of why today is so 'different'...

Without a Ring for Comfort
"In 2003 LeBron James is drafted by the Cleveland Cavs. In a not so ironic move the team also debuts new uniforms, colors and theme, calling back to the 1970s motif. No longer is the logo of the down and out Cleveland team simply a ball falling into a hoop. The newly created logo boldly presents a sword struck in a confident ‘C’. They are not the Cavs anymore, they are the Cavaliers. A new hope was not asked for, it was created. And at the tip of this dagger was LeBron James himself, the poised savior of all that was ClevelandCleveland natives were finally on the other side of the coin. They were no longer an underdog, or the small-market team. LeBron James and his larger than life persona made sure that no one thought otherwise. It was not until they ran into a frustrating wall that was the Orlando Magic, a series that made fans crazy with questions and what-ifs. It ended in James leaving Orlando’s court without comment and without humility. The taste of revenge took over as the battle cry for next season. Shaquille O’Neal signs on for the ride. His attitude is simple and poignant to the fans. Witness Protection. A ring for the king. Dan Gilbert’s train had its itinerary. The fans were simply asked to jump aboard. basketball. The next few years represented a roller coaster of events for fans of the “All for one and one for all” theme that was projected by the powers that be in what is now Quicken Loans arena. Fans and sportscasters alike joined in the collective term of the “Cleveland LeBrons”. In the 2008-2009 season, the Cavaliers put together the best record in the NBA. Home court advantage and the best supporting cast that James had in his professional career went through the first two series without a loss.

As the post-season starts in the 2009-2010 season, the Jumbotron at Quicken Loans arena reminds the crowd of James’s ominous warning to the rest of the NBA, “I’ve been thinking about this moment since Orlando.”

Dismissing the Chicago series as a pre-game ritual may be understating it for Joakim Noah’s tastes, but Cleveland was instructed that this train only had one stop and there was nothing in between. That was true except for a very specific left-handed foul-shot. The Boston Celtic series was given more attention because of the ‘Soul of the team’ matchup between James and Pierce. In Game One of the series the Cavaliers win, over the Celtics, and Cleveland believes things are right on schedule. But while the train is still moving in the right direction, the scenery began to change. In Game Two the Cavaliers looked lost. A 25 point negative decision at home was akin to a Steelers fan parading around in a Roethlisberger jersey in Browns stadium. It was blasphemy. The series was now tied. To steal a line from the movie 300, the Celtics made a god king bleed. Fans called into radio stations scared and angry. We no longer had home-court advantage. And the aforementioned ‘left-handed free throw’ was now being mentioned again. “The Elbow” as many were prescribing, was LeBron’s right-armed nemesis. What James downplayed before the series was now being evaluated and critiqued by all those that could not understand what was happening to their beloved Cavaliers. Though the doubts of many, sought comfort in the sentence, “What did you think, they would sweep?”

LeBron James may have heard the whispers and doubts sprinkled throughout Ohio that night. In Game 3, he answered them. Another uncharacteristic blow-out of the home team ensued in Boston, only this time the Cavaliers were on the offensive. LeBron responded and Cleveland hung their satisfied heads for ever doubting their savior. The Cavalier train was now leading the series 2 to 1.

Game Four was not overly different from Game One, only reversed. The Cavs did not play as everyone had hoped but did not look like the deflated team from the previous game in Cleveland. The series was now tied at two games a piece and the hope of winning the series at home was a refreshing one for the Clevelandreal LeBron James at home. Game five was anything but a reunion. faithful. LeBron had a way of leading his devoted on and subsequently triumphing in the fourth quarter. Many believed he was doing the same, possibly even acting the part from his elbow to enshrine his already bright future, with another proverbial trophy. At the time no one could foresee how this series would end. Most hoped for a win and a reunion of the

The feeling after game five was of uncertainty. No one knew what happened. A small population lashed out in anger. But most were just utterly confused. Again sports experts and Cleveland fans felt a commonality and it was a question, one that was straightforward yet surprising complex. What’s wrong with LeBron? Fans and experts threw out ideas, theories and unanswerable questions. Some thought his elbow was giving him more trouble than he was willing to admit. Maybe a pain medication he was taking took him down a notch on the intensity scale. Still others believed that James’s lackadaisical behavior on the court during Game Five was a precursor to the inevitable. That he had checked out of the Cleveland Hotel and was merely sticking around to make sure his luggage was packed accordingly. The prick of blood that had been shown after Game Two of the series had officially encircled Cleveland and its hopefuls. No one could put a finger on what needed to happen. Though it didn’t really matter what was needed, just that, whatever it was, it needed to happen.

A Game 6 was no longer a ‘if necessary’ situation. Boston now lead the series 3-2 and everyone’s pick to come out of the Eastern Conference was facing the possibility of elimination.

It would be impossible to figure out the number of heads that were slumped in Cleveland sports fan’s hands on the evening of May 13th. While some fans were justifiably mad and disgusted, seemingly no one was heartbroken. To be heartbroken you must understand the consequences, the fallout of the situation and what led up to the disappointing end. “The Shot”, “The Fumble” and Edgar Renteria’s line-drive past Charles Nagy in Game Seven of the 1997 World Series (an event that never got a catchy phrase) were heartbreaking conclusions. All of those games had tension and the possibility of reward, the unfortunate ingredients to heartbreak. Going into Game Five of the Semi-Conference finals, Cleveland was distraught. Perplexed. We knew what was supposed to happen but it just didn’t. The train was supposed to keep going but stopped short. Everyone knew the train was slowing to a halt but neglected to argue. Maybe we are so used to being let down that we have developed a callus to such a situation. Nothing seemed right about it. As we collectively watched the Cavaliers stand by as Paul Pierce dribbled out the final moments of the game I wanted to look at the invisible, faux-director and ask why they were ending the film in this way. It just didn’t make any sense.

Before the game people were making predictions. On one side, they believed that Game Six was going to be the one that set LeBron James apart. The correction of the mistake by the lake. Or?... the end of era in Cleveland? Since 2006, when James signed his latest contract with the Cavaliers, speculations have been running without abandon. The simplest thought was, if the Cavs could support him and get him a ring, he would stay to build a dynasty forgoing Jay-Z and the bright lights of another stage.

At the end of Game Six, Kevin Garnett was asked what he said to James after the game. He stood up briefly from his hunched-over listening position, “I told him to make the best decision based on him and his family.” And now Cleveland holds it’s breath in the Summer of LeBron, only now without a ring for comfort."

-A special thanks to Polarbear (aka Joe) for today's post

Game 6 is over, the series is over, and all dreams of an NBA a championship are shattered. The last time a major sports team has brought Cleveland a championship was in 1964 when the Cleveland Browns won the NFL Championship (pre-Super Bowl). That was 46 years ago. The Indians have failed to bring home the World Series since 1948. The Cavaliers have yet to bring home the major hardware. Since their founding in 1970... this was it. This was the year. The entire nation was going to be jealous. We would be the NBA champions, we would have the hardware, we would be celebrating in the streets, 46 years of torture would finally be over, and most of all the King would be ours. The glory of a championship would be the final blow in convincing him to stay. Convincing him that this is home. This was it. The dynasty was going to start now.

Now we all sit and wait…and wonder…will the pre-game caulk be thrown again…Sure.

But will it be in a Cavaliers jersey?

Metrodome

2010-05-07T11:06:00.000-04:00

Target Field's beauty can only be more exemplified by its predecessor…The Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome. Before leaving Minnesota I thought I should at least attempt to see it from the inside, even more so since we had pasted by it a half a dozen times while riding the light rail (Hiawatha Line). Yeah…it's old. Yeah…the Twins no longer play there, but hey, why not? As always, I fired up the laptop to see how we could get in the gates. Ironically, the Minnesota Golden Gophers had a home game that night.

A little background… the Metrodome opening 1982 and at the time was the new home to the Vikings (NFL), Twins (MLB) and the Minnesota Golden Gophers baseball/football team. The trademark fiberglass fabric roof makes it a hard building to overlook. I won't even try to begin explaining how the roof works. Here is what Wikipedia has to say…

"The Metrodome's roof is made of two layers of Teflon coated fiberglass fabric, and is an air-supported structure supported by positive air pressure. It requires 250,000 ft³/min (120 m³/s) of air to keep it inflated. It is reputed to be the largest application of Teflon on Earth.

To maintain the differential air pressure, spectators usually enter and leave the seating and concourse areas through revolving doors, since the use of regular doors without an airlock would cause significant loss of air pressure. The double-walled construction allows warmed air to circulate beneath the top of the dome, melting accumulated snow. A sophisticated environmental control center in the lower part of the stadium is manned to monitor weather and make adjustments in air distribution to maintain the roof.
Three times in the stadium's history, heavy snows have caused a small puncture in the roof and caused it to deflate. Varying air pressure due to a severe storm once contributed to a dramatic deflation during a regular season baseball game. On November 19, 1981, a rapid accumulation of over a foot of snow caused the roof to collapse, requiring it to be re-inflated. It also deflated on December 30, 1982 because of a tear caused by heavy snow. Four days before the Vikings played the Dallas Cowboys in the last regular season game of the 1982 NFL season. April 14, 1983 Metrodome roof deflated because of a tear caused by heavy snow and the scheduled Twins' game with the California Angels was postponed. It was the only postponement in Metrodome history until 2007. April 26, 1986, Metrodome roof suffered slight tear because of high winds, causing a nine-minute delay in the bottom of the seventh inning vs the Angels.
Because it is unusually low to the playing field, the air-inflated dome occasionally figured into game action. Major League Baseball had specific ground rules for the Metrodome. Any ball which struck the Dome roof, or objects hanging from it, remained in play; if it landed in foul territory it became a foul ball, if it landed in fair territory it became a fair ball. Any ball which became caught in the roof over fair ground was a ground rule double. That has only happened twice in its history - Dave Kingman for the Oakland Athletics on May 4, 1984,[12] and Corey Koskie in 2004. The speakers, being closer to the playing surface, were hit more frequently, especially the speakers in foul ground near the infield, which were typically hit several times a season, which posed an extra challenge to infielders trying to catch them. However, beginning with the 2005 season, the ground rules for Twins games were changed such that any batted ball that struck a speaker in foul territory would automatically be called a foul ball, regardless of whether or not it was caught. The roof is high enough that it has never been a concern for events other than baseball."

Read more about the Metrodome's and its history at Wikipedia.com
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metrodome

P.S. If you didn't know, Dave Winfield is a Minnesota Golden Gopher alumni. His jersey number is retired and hung on a banner at every game.

Target.Field

2010-04-28T21:22:00.079-04:00

It was 2:20pm EST, 40 minutes passed our scheduled departing time. The captain told use he wasn't sure what was wrong but it wouldn't take long....that always makes you feel warm and fuzzy before propelling yourself miles above the earth's surface. As uneasy as we may have been about the journey ahead, our flight landed in beautiful Minneapolis, Minnesota later that afternoon and we were excited about what this city had to offer. Our tickets were for the noon game Thursday vs. the Cleveland Indians so we had Wednesday night to get settled in and check out some of the local watering holes that the Twin Cities had to offer. We ate dinner at Hell's Kitchen (no affiliation with the TV show). I had a Reuben and washed it down with an ice cold Fat Tire. My wife had their rendition of Fish n' chips (sweet potato fries). MMMmmm....delicious. We made a quick trip to check out the Mall of America (if there is such a thing as a quick trip there). Then we settled in with anticipation of going back to the nations largest mall and seeing one of the nations newest ball fields.

The morning started early Thursday as the first pitch was at 12:05 and I typically like to get to a the ball park a few hours early to explore all the caveats of the place. This was our first time seeing a game at Target Field...heck, it was probably the first time for most of the people attending that game. It was only the 9th game ever played at target field, as it had just opened a week prior on March 12th, 2010. Just like any stadium, it took many years in the making, but was well worth the wait. The Minnesota Twins finally had a place to not only call home, but theirs. No more sharing. No more dual purpose venues. Target Field was their stadium built for the Twins and only the Twins. This also marked the first time since 1981 the Minnesota professional baseball has been played outdoors. A significant change from the confines of the Metrodome.

There is nothing better than riding the light rail to the ballpark. Public transit is fun, environmentally friendly and gives me the feel of nostalgia (after riding it to Wrigley, I have always thought it added to the experience). Minneapolis light rail built a new station that drops you off just feet from Target Field. It was free on this day though...it was Earth Day and all Twins ticket holders were encouraged to ride free to the game. The fist thing you notice about this beautiful building is the Minnesota limestone. It gives it an edgy feel that many ball parks just don't have. Target is the main sponsor and has their name planted all over...but has done it in a way as to not take away from the beauty or experience at Target Field. Typically before entering a ball park for the first time I walk all the way around the perimeter, today was no different. Although, the light rail is convenient, it does not drop you off at the main entrance of the stadium and if not careful you could miss many landmarks that surround the stadium. The station drops you off near the right field corner of the stadium. Between home plate and right field there is not much to see on the exterior of the stadium besides the large Target Field sign. Instead I suggest walking the outfield wall toward left field. You will be greeted by pictures of players in Twins baseball history and championship banners hanging from side of the building. Once you round the left field corner and head for home (no pun intended) , you will reach the main entrance near home plate. This is where all the actions is pre-game. Many hot dog and beverage carts are strategically place around the elements of the ball park that attempt to cover you in Twins baseball history. There is a glass monument with etchings of each major ball park in Twins history along with years, dates, and historic moments at each. I stumbled upon 3 bronze statues just outside the main gate. Kirby Puckett, Rod Carew and Harmon Killebrew. The slightly oversize statues mimic the days of these great ball players, so much so you can all most fell the joy exploding from that of Kirby Puckett. One of the more unique statues includes an over sized golden glove to remind us of those Twins players who have won defensive award year after year.

Once in the stadium you are the walkways are very wide, making it easier for the larger crowds to maneuver. That day there were over 38,000 in attendance...aka a sellout, on a Thursday mid-day game. I guess that is whats to be expected when you open up a new venue. The 'edgy' look continues on the interior of the stadium. There are many vendors selling the ball park traditional hot dogs, hamburgers, soda, etc. My hot dog (Twin Dog) was delicious. Their trademark item is Walleye on a Spike. Basically Walleye on a stick which is then deep fried. The $11.00 price tag was a bit rich for my blood, so the Twin Dog and a beer was what I settled on.

It just so happened the Cleveland Indians were in town. I'm from Ohio, not a Tribe fan. My heart belongs to the Cincinnati Redlegs. Regardless, its nice to watch the Tribe. I root for them when they aren't playing my Reds. Us Ohio teams have to stick together. Mauer and J.J. Hardy were not in the lineup that day for the Twins. It was disappointing that I would not get to see the richest contract (Ryan Howard had not signed his new contract yet) on the ball field. I understand though. As a catcher, probably one of the most physically demanding positions in sports, you can't be in the line up every day. It's just not possible. The Tribe ended up routing the Twins 8-1. It was never really a close game. Indians took the lead early and never looked back. I must say the weather could not have been anymore perfect that day. Crystal clear, not a cloud in the sky. Sunny and about 65 degrees with a light breeze. A perfect day for a ball game.

Other unique features you will see at this ball park include the flag pole and the artistic wind veil. The flag pole that now stands just beyond the right field way is the same flag pole from the twins Metropolitan Stadium from 1956 to 1981. When "The Met" was destroyed the flag pole was moved to the American Legion in Richfield, MN. The pole was then donated back to the Twins organization for the opening of their new stadium, Target Field. In that same corner, you may over look it if you are not paying attention is one of Minnesota's largest pieces of art. On a building adjacent to the right field wall hangs a massive "wind vein". It is made up of 51,000 small pieces of metal. They move with the wind and reflect sunlight. It almost looks like water when the wind hits it and creates a wave from one end of the building to the other. We can't forget the Budweiser fan deck located in the corner of left field. Go to the top floor to get a refreshment and a birds eye view of the diamond. Just below hang the retired numbers of Twins players. Standing tall in dead center field is another blast from the past. Minnie and Paul shaking hands. One of the original Twins logo lights up after every Twins home run.
A great new addition for major league baseball. The stadium is beautiful, clean, and environmentally friendly. The Twins organization and their players must be ecstatic at the new place they call home. For a team that has been around since 1961...it has taken some time to get a a true home worth keeping all to themselves. Fans for years to come should enjoy many games within the confines of these limestone walls and if you haven't seen it yet, I suggest you do.

Hoya Destroyas!

2010-03-19T16:25:00.005-04:00

Yes, its been some time since my last post. Hey, it's been a long winter. And yes, I did steal my headline from CBSsports.com....come on, how better to lead into this post.

fluke (plural flukes) noun
-A lucky or improbable occurrence, with the implication that the occurrence could not be repeated.

I only define this word to help further expand on a story leading up to recent events. We must first lay the back story. It all begins in Athens, Ohio...the home of the Bobcats. The men's basketball team began the season 0 and 4 in its first four conference games. Eventually ending the regular season 7-9 in the Mid-American Conference and earning a #9 seed in the MAC tourney held in Cleveland, Ohio.

Every year since March of 2004 I have attended the MAC tourney. I knew not of the MAC or the Ohio Bobcats until I fell in love with Athens,Ohio in the summer of 2002 just before I began attending college there. I was quickly introduced to Bobcat basketball. At the time Brandon Hunter (later becoming a Boston Celtic) roamed the low post. I will never forget the first time I saw him bring down the house in the Convocation Center with one of his patented monster dunks. From then on out I was hooked. The following year I became an O-zone member and was granted rights to heckle all opposing our beloved Bobcats. I began to learn of our rich past including Gary Trent (Ohio's highest NBA draft pick ever, 11th overall in 1995), Paul "Snoopy" Graham, Dave Jamerson, Walter Luckett and many more of the Bobcat beloved. The days of Patrick Flomo, Brandon Hunter and Steve Esterkamp were fading. Many had questions as to where the then coach Tim O'Shea was headed with the program. The following year also marked the passing of one of Ohio's first and finest Dan Lowe, better know as D-Lo, the driving force behind everything O-zone.

The 2004-2005 season was magical to say the least. Ohio won 13 of their final 17 games lead by such players as Jeremy Fears and Leon Williams. My personal favorite was always Minnesota native Jeff Halbert. Similar to the current Bobcats, the season began with many doubters but the ending was something the no one will forget. The Bobcats marched through the MAC tourney facing University of Buffalo in the championship game. If my memory serves me correctly we were down by 19 points at one point in that game. All hope was lost and our NCAA tourney dreams had all but been crushed. That scrappy team fought all the way back forcing the game into overtime. With next to no time left on the clock Jeremy Fear drove down the lane, threw up a lay up that rimmed out, but was tipped in by tournament MVP Leon Williams. The court was rushed and the Bobcats were dancing. We finished the season with a tough loss to the Florida Gators in the first round of the NCAA tourney. The Bobcats gave the Gators all the could handle but were eventually edged out.

What a magical ride that season was. I have since graduated, got married, own a house and live in what many call 'the real world'. I still follow my Bobcats closely and am some what of an informant for my friends (also Ohio Alum). They are from Cleveland and many of them now have jobs there. I have continued to travel up north every March for the MAC tourney. Its always a fun weekend and it gives me an excuse to see and catch up with my college buddies. I was as always scheduled to land in CLE sometime on Friday. The idea was thrown around about attending the MAC tourney, but everyone was hesitant due to the lack Bobcat faith. As stated before, we didn't exactly blow the doors off to begin the season. Honestly if you would have told me last Friday that the Bobcats were going to win the MAC and go on the beat Georgetown in the First round of the NCAA tournament....I'm not real sure I would have believed you.

Thursday March 7th
Ohio beats #8 seed Ball State 77 to 85 in overtime.
My initial thoughts...Ok good win. Ball State, not the best team, but not the worst either.
Kent State next...ouch.

Thursday March 11th
Ohio faces #1 seed Kent State who finished the season a dominating 13-3 in the MAC and 24-9 overall.
I tune in pleasently surprised that Dish network is carrying this game. Hoping that we could just hang with the overpowering Kent team.The Bobcats end up keeping it close. The Bobcats begin to pull away. Oh my god, we may pull this off. Bobcats win! Bobcats win!!!!

I shoot a text off to one of my CLE buddies. "So what now?, We going to the game?" I promptly get a response back.

"fluke win"

Now...bobcatattackers if you're reading please go easy on this guy. I'm pretty sure he was half joking, even though I spent many years in the trenches with him at OU he is just receiving his masters from Kent and has word that he was accepted into their PHD program. (I'm not real sure if I should congratulate him or boo him.)

It was then decided in the coming hours that we would attend the game. I arrived in Lakewood roughly 5pm on Friday at which point my friend smiles at me and reminds me of the "fluke" comment. I lecture him about being a real Bobcat fan and how I was going to revoke his O-zone t-shirt.

Friday March 12th
To our excitement, the Bobcats kept the magic carpet ride going. Although the game was brutal to watch, they did put our long time rival Miami Red Chickens(#4 seed) to rest 54-42.

Saturday March 13th
Now came the real test...could I convince the even larger group of friends we were meeting (13 total) to attend Saturday nights MAC championship game?? Truth be known, I had already decided that if I had to drive to the Q all by myself, I would be there. Thankfully, with help from the Ohio Lottery (bring any non-winner Ohio lottery ticket to the game tonight and get a free admittance) I got all 13 of us into Quicken Loans area and seated just before tip-off, for a game we will not forget quickly. It was a back and forth game for all 40 minutes. Ohio led for the majority of the game, but could not pull away. Akron fought tough but could not over come the hot hand of the Ohio Bobcats. The game was tense, nerve racking, but it was all worth it in the end. 2010 MAC Tournament Champions!

At which point I turn and yell . "Fluke! What Fluke! He** Yeah! MAC CHAMPS!!"
Amazing simply amazing. It capped off a great weekend. I may now need to refer my friend to the top of the page. Please re-read the definition for future reference. ;)

We then waited to see who we would draw in the upcoming tournament. There was speculation of a possible Ohio vs. Villinova match up, which never came to be. Villinova had lost their last 5 of 7 games, Bobcat fans where foaming at the mouth. We drew Big East power house Georgetown. They were 10-8 in what was considered the toughest conference in the nation. They had a big man Greg Monroe that struck fear into any guard who dared enter the paint. This was not the match up we had dreamed of.

I'd say it was the night we have all dreamed of though. Bobcats around the nation rejoiced as they watched their team straight handle the #3 seed Georgetown Hoyas. From #9 seed in the MAC to Hoya Destroyas!! Even Matt Lauer (OU alumni) had to celebrate this historical run with a chest bump to fellow Bobcat on the Today Show. My cell phone rang off the hook all night , calls and texts pouring in from fellow Bobcats. Their was word that Court Street in Athens had been closed down due to celebration. OUr Bobcats were on top of the world.

Congratulations to Bobcats everywhere! OU! Oh Yeah!

Complete Ohio Basketball History
CBS Sports article

Monday Morning. Hot Stove

2010-02-01T19:36:00.000-05:00

After all the new that has hit the Hot Stove today, we must stop and observe some of today's transactions.
It might be a cool 24 degree here in Ohio but don't let the weather fool you. Signing the 35 year old Orlando Cabrera, who hit .284 with nine home runs, 77 RBIs, 13 steals and a .313 on-base percentage last season at face value seems to add strength to the top of the Cincinnati lineup. In my opinion Cabrera may be in the opening day lineup but the 27 year old Paul Janish may just edge him out for the SS position by the end of the year. Cabrera holds the edge at the plate but Janish showed much improvement toward the end of the 2009 season and could continue to improve, not to mention he comes with a much cheaper price tag at the $400,000 league minimum.

http://cincinnati.reds.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20100131&content_id=8001704&vkey=news_cin&fext=.jsp&c_id=cin

http://cincinnati.reds.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20100201&content_id=8004482&vkey=news_cin&fext=.jsp&c_id=cin

The club also traded center fielder Willy Taveras and infielder Adam Rosales today to the Oakland A's for Aaron Miles and a player to be named later. Taveras was due to make $4 million while Miles will make $2.7 million, the savings should help pay for Cabrera, that is if you believe that these players are here to stay. Some are speculating that these moves are just setting up for a larger move that may involve moving gold glove second baseman Brandon Phillips. Rumors or just straight up conspiricy theory... it's good to see Walt Jocketty and the Reds management trying to get something done. The off season is typically pretty dismal here in the Queen city.This news all comes only a few weeks after the blockbuster signing of Cuban phenom Aroldis Chapman for 6 years and 30 million dollars. There are reports of him pitching at 100+ mph. The raw talent is there, now the Reds pitching staff just needs to mold it into a solid 9 innings.

http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20100111/SPT04/301110061/Cincinnati-Reds-introduce-Cuban-phenom-Aroldis-Chapman

I know it's hard to believe but Spring Training is only three short weeks away.

Moonlight.Graham

2010-01-10T22:19:00.002-05:00

“My wish is to stare down a big league pitcher just as he is going into his windup, and give him a little wink, make him think you know something he doesn’t know. I wish for a chance to look at a sky so blue that it hurts your eyes to look at it, to feel the tingle in your arms as you connect with the ball, to run the bases, to stretch a double into a triple, and to flop face first into third and wrap your arms around the bag. That’s my wish.” — Archie “Moonlight” Graham, Field of Dreams

In the 1989 movie 'The Field of Dreams' a charater Archibald "Moonlight" Graham finally has his lifelong dream fulfilled at Ray Kinsella's baseball field in Iowa. Coincidentally I have caught this movie on TV multiple times over the last few weeks. It got me thinking...does the "Moonlight" Graham story hold factual backing?

The answer is yes, well, kinda.
Fortunately one of my favorite sites, Wikipedia, has cleared the fog on this subject.

"Archibald Wright "Moonlight" Graham (November 10 1879 – August 25 1965) was an American Baseball right fielder in a single major league game for the New York Giants on June 29, 1905. His story was popularized by Shoeless Joe, a novel by W.P. Kinsella, and the subsequent 1989 film player who appeared as a Field of Drams, starring Kevin Costner, and featuring Burt Lancaster and Frank Whaley as older and younger incarnations of Graham."

96 Days of Winter

2009-12-29T10:26:00.002-05:00

Although the holidays have come and gone, winter is surely here to stay.There are roughly 80 days left in the winter solstice (Winter officially began Dec. 21st. I know seems like we have been freezing our butts off for months.) Winter will officially be over on March 20, but we still have 96 days until the baseball season starts. Yeah, you have those nice spring training games, but lets be serious... who goes to those. I mean unless your lucky enough live in Florida or Arizona it is hard to make it to see your favorite team before April 5th.

These long winter days do bring us the NFL playoffs, Bowl games and March Madness, all of which are usually riveting sports, but they do not replace the void that baseball fills. While trapped in our homes this winter, it does give us plenty of time to plan that next road trip. The next destination on my journey is marked with a bulls-eye, Target Field, that is. Having visited 7 of the 30 MLB cathedrals, each one special in their own way. Each trip has its own memories and each city has its own unique attractions and personality.

Target Field will have an extra special niche to it. It will mark the stadium's inaugural year. 2009 brought us Citi Field (Mets) and the 'new' Yankee Stadium. This year the Minnesota Twins christen a new home. They have called the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome home for 28 years, but they have also had to share that home with the Vikings. Target field will be the first baseball only stadium in the franchises 50 year history. It will also be the first time since 1981 that Minnesota baseball has been played outdoors. The approved design did not include a retractable roof, nor provisions for one in the future, though it was considered initially. They settled for the largest full roof canopy in baseball followed by heated restrooms and restaurants. With average temperatures only rising above 70 degrees between May and September, the Metrodome has kept the Twins quite cozy in early and late season games. An opening day game or a playoff run in Target Field will most likely force fans to break out the parka, if not bring snow into the forecast. All things aside, baseball is suppose to be played outdoors and many people are excited about the nostalgia of an outdoor stadium in Minneapolis.

The first pitch at Target Field will be on April 12, 2010 just 104 days from now and after almost 3 years of building (they broke ground August 30, 2007).The Twins have also announce that the new stadium will also be welcomed with a new look. They unveiled their new 'throwback' style jerseys that the Twins will wear this season. The front office has also just recently moved into the finished areas of the administration building and is ready to begin the season. Now all that is left is to fill the 42,000 seats with fans and memories.

more information on Target Field
http://minnesota.twins.mlb.com/min/ballpark/index.jsp
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Target_Field
http://www.ballparksofbaseball.com/future/TargetField.htm

more information on jerseys
http://www.startribune.com/local/70201392.html
http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20091116&content_id=7672860&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb

Sent.Packing

2009-10-08T10:25:00.001-04:00

In a developing story on Wednesday Braylon Edwards , WR for the Cleveland Browns, was traded to the New York Jets for receiver Chansi Stuckey and special teamer Jason Trusnik. That now makes 10 ex-Jets on the Cleveland roster. Makes you wonder what 'Man-genius' is thinking. He's probably hoping for a Quinn/Farve trade at this point. Starting the season with a smelly 0-4 start. Honestly I'm surprized with Cleveland's recent track record he wasn't traded for the infamous APTBNL... A Player to Be Named Later.

The underlying story here is not the trade of arguably the Browns' best player. It's the timing. Coincidentally early this week (Monday) Edwards had a run in with the only king that hails from Cleveland. Apparently Edwards was involved in an altercation outside a local night club. It just so happened to involve a 5ft 7inch man, weighing in at a whopping 135lbs, Edwards 6ft 3 and 215lbs went all Mike Tyson on the young fella. Edward Givens, a promoter who was working outside the club just happens to be good friends with the one, the only, The Chosen One.

One can only hope Lebron flexes this type of muscle this spring in the playoffs.

Fall.Farewell

2009-10-06T16:16:00.000-04:00

Its that time of year where we bid the summer classic a somber farewell. 162 games are in the books. The fall classic is about to begin and even if our team is not in it we will be watching. The cool autumn air brings sorrow in, knowing that it just wasn't our year, but it is short lived as the magic of the playoffs swirls about. We all may not make the playoffs, but we all still get to experience game 6 and game 7. Will it be the Yanks' or will the evil empire be thorted once again by Red Sox nation? Can Pujols and the Cardinals smash their way to a title? Or will the Phillie's repeat? Answers will begin to emerge in just 1 day. But first we must bid a few of our friends a farewell.

Sunday may have marked the end of a magical ride. Ken Griffey Jr. answered his curtain call after he singled in the 9th inning. Fans and players alike unsure whether "The Kid" will return for another season said goodbye the only way the knew how...chanting "One more year!". As Griffey left the field on the shoulders of his fellow teammates, emotions erupted from the fans and Griffey himself. 21 incredible years may have just come to an end.

630 Home Runs, 1829 Runs Batted In, and .285 career batting average

Those are only a few numbers attached to a career that many wonder "what could have been?". It is commonly felt that we as fans were robbed of history as injury plagued the end of his career. We don't wonder because of "what could have been". We wonder because of "what was". His numbers were phenomenal every time he stepped on the field. It wasn't just about the numbers, it was about the player. The 10 gold gloves send memories flooding back of that home run he snatched 4ft above the wall. The diving catch when he stretched clear out to keep the tieng run from coming in. The missile he sent from center field to throw your player out at home. That beautiful sweet smooth swing. We all have memories because he was always impacting the game. Just as the 'The Mick' or 'The Babe'...some day we will be able to tell our grandkids about the speed, the power, 'The Kid'.

And you thought the season was over. Ha! I see your 162 games and raise you! Game 163 will be played tonight between the Minnesota Twins (86-76) and the Detroit Tigers (86-76). The Twins mounted a late run to tie the Tigers for the final playoff spot and they will duel it out tonight in the Metrodome. What many people don't know about tonight though, is that historical significance. What they don't know is that this may be the last game we see from the Metrodome. The only stadium to host a Super Bowl, a Final Four, a All-Star game, and a World Series. That's right people, for 28 years the Metrodome has been home to the Minnesota Twins and if they don't win tonight it will be the last.

Next season the Twins will open a new stadium. Target field. Not only will it be new, but it will be different. How? You ask. Well, lets begin with the fact that it will no long be a dome. That right, no dome, no retractable roof, no roof period. Baseball outdoors, like it should be. And you weenies will have to stay home in April...cause it's gonna be cooooold. Oh, and don't forget to bring your snow shovel if the Twinkies every make a postseason run.

God I love baseball!

Read more about the Metrodome
http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/story/12148420

Before I forget I must bid a farewell to my hometown team, the Cincinnati Reds.

Cincinnati Reds 78-84
Team Up North 65-97

Madden.Curse

2009-09-11T07:35:00.005-04:00

Where to start? Well I guess at the beginning. In 1989 John Madden, a former player, coach, and more recently broadcaster, featured his very own football game. Originally released on the Apple II computers, the Madden franchise has grown and expanded to all platforms. It now has versions on the Xbox, PlayStation, and PC. Since its installment John Madden was featured on the cover. In 1999, Madden made a change to feature star NFL player Garrison Hearst. Hearst paired his appearance on the cover with an outstanding regular season. He finished 3rd in rushing....shortly followed by a severely broken ankle in the divisional playoffs...requiring him to miss two full seasons!

Every season since there has been a player featured on the cover and every year since then that player has suffered an injury or massive decline in production. Now many people believe that this is just due to the physical nature of the sport. Others though, have dubbed this eerie series of events "The Madden Curse". It is hard to argue against some type of a curse.

1999
Garrison Hearst breaks ankle in divisional playoffs, misses two full seasons

2000
Barry Sanders abruptly retires in July before the start of the season.

2001
Eddie George fails to rush for 1000 yards and Titans miss playoffs

2002
Daunte Culpepper missed 4 games due to injury and Viking finish with worse record since 1984

2003
Marshall Faulk has his worse statistical season since 1996

2004
Michael Vick misses 11 games due to injury

2005
Ray Lewis did not record an interception for the first time in his career

2006
Donovan Mcnabb injured in week 9 and out for the season. Eagles finished in dead last

2007
Shaun Alexander missed 6 games with a broken foot

2008
Vince Young finished the season with 9 TDs and 17 interceptions, oh and the suicide attempt or what ever that was

2009
Brett Favre injured his arm halfway through the season requiring off season surgery

2010
Troy Polamalu injured MCL in the first half of the first game this season

It is said that in 2008 LaDainian Tomlinson was suppose to be featured on the next cover. San Diego fans caught wind of this and feared for their beloved player. A website was started to voice their opposition SaveLTfromMadden.com. Tomlinson eventually declined his picture appearing on the cover, sighting contract issues....riiiiight. This year is the first year that two players have made an appearance on Madden. Troy Polamalu and Larry Fitzgerald. Last night just before half time a player from the Pittsburgh Steelers fell on Palamlu's left knee. It is now expected that he will miss at least 4-6 games. You could make a case that most of these event are just incidental. Then again your picture is not on the cover of Madden is it?

Maybe we should ask Larry Fitzgerald how he feels about this topic? :)

Ocho.Cinco

2009-08-21T09:09:00.005-04:00

Are you serious? Sigh...

Let get this straight first. I am not a Bengals fan. I was raised in a Browns household and you don't get those two things confused.

Now back to Ochoidiot. Why, oh why, is Chad Johnson (the Bengals #1 receiver) kicking field goals? In a preseason game at that! Chad, last year you had a total of 540 yards and 4 TD. That is 1/3 the yards and 1/2 the number of TDs from the prior year. I do believe you have more to be worried about other than putting the pigskin between the uprights.
Don't even get me started on the injury aspect of this idiocy. One of Cincinnati's highest played players (who is not a kicker) trots out on the field, attempts a field goal, gets hit by a defensive player and pulls a hammie...what then? Oh boy, I am sure glad my fantasy draft is not until next week. I would be HOT if I drafted him and he is out fooling around instead of focusing on the next TD run. Which brings me to my next point. How is it that Marvin Lewis allowed this to happen? Did he not get an earful from management after the game? Did Mike Brown (owner) not shat in his pants when he saw his star player trotting out to attempt a meaningless field goal in a meaningless game? Oh I would be HOT!

Jordan.Rules

2009-08-20T16:04:00.008-04:00

I don't know why, but every now and again I will stumble across a Michael Jordan highlight or commercial and end up wasting away half the day. Jordan has been out of the limelight for some time now, but it's hard to forget the greatness. In my mind he is the greatest of all time. There are plenty of lobbyist, especially here in Ohio, that think 'King James' is or will be the greatest basketball player of all-time. Well, my friends lets hold off just a while. Lebron has some catching up to do. Now don't get me wrong. I root for the Caves. I root for Lebron. Actually, I do believe if Lebron stays on his current course there could be a good argument at by the of his career. Until then....lets remember who the real king is.

Just to remind you...

6 NBA Championships
5 NBA MVPs
14 All-Star Games
6 NBA Finals MVP
1 Defensive Player of the Year
2 NBA Slam Dunk Contest Winner ( Ummm....yeah the free throw line)
2 Olympic Gold Medals
1 NCAA Championship
10 NBA Scoring Titles
NBA Rookie of the Year
The development of something called "The Jordan Rules"
Most total points in playoff history 5,987
3rd in all time NBA scoring 32,292 points

Lets not forget what he did with NIKE and Gatoraid. The tennis shoe was no longer just a tennis shoe once the "Jordan's" hit the market. Enjoy some of my favorite commercials below. If you have a commercial or highlight that you think should be added, leave the link in the comments.

Enjoy!

"The Story"

"What is Love?"

"The Showdown"

"23 vs. 39"

"Maybe"

"They Said"

"Frozen Moment"

"Be Like Mike"

The.Catch

2009-08-14T15:35:00.025-04:00

For those of you that haven't been living under a rock for the past few months you might have heard that something special happened this baseball season. On July 23rd, 2009 Mark Buehrle threw a perfect game. This is only the eighteenth time someone has accomplished this goal in the history of major league baseball. If you watched the game it is something that you probably will never forget. DeWayne Wise's catch in the 9th is another vivid picture that has probably not left you mind.
Here we have a pitcher trying to achieve something that only seventeen other men in the entire history of baseball have done. Eight full innings of perfect baseball have been pitched. Top of the ninth, up walks Tampa Bay's Gabe Kapler. On a 2-2 pitch, the ball is hit to deep left-center field.
The stadium noise drops dead silent. With one swing of the bat history is about to be erased. Moments before leaving the confines of U.S. Cellular field, the ball is ripped from the air as center fielder, DeWayne Wise, snags the ball from home run heaven. The stadium erupts as if the World Series had just been won. Mark Buehrle's perfect game still lives and now only two outs remain. Buehrle went on to finish that perfect game but the heroic effort put forth by Wise was duelly noted in this historic moment.

You must watch for yourself if you have not seen it...

It is games like this, plays like this, that remind us all... why we love baseball. To commemorate that catch, that so fittingly went along with the perfect game, the Chicago White Sox captured the moment like only baseball can. From now on at U.S. Cellular the words "The Catch" will be forever implanted in the left-center field wall.

Other things that should be noted...

DeWayne Wise did not play the majority of the game. He was a defensive replacement in the 9th inning. "The catch" was the first time he had touched the ball since leaving the bench.
Mark Buehrle followed up his perfect game with another 5 2/3 innings of shutout baseball, setting the record at 45 consecutive batters reitred.
This was not Buehrle's first no-hitter, on April 18, 2007 against the Texas Rangers was his first.
Weird enough, Eric Cooper was the home plate umpire in that game too.

Watch all 27 outs...
http://mlb.mlb.com/media/video.jsp?content_id=5699295

GreatAmerican.Ballpark

2009-08-06T09:48:00.016-04:00

Great American Ball Park opened in 2003. It was a much needed upgrade to its predecessor Cinergy/Riverfront Stadium. Riverfront stadium was built in 1970 to replace old Crosley field. It was later renamed Cinergy field when the Cinergy Corportation bought the naming rights (1996). After 32 years the multipurpose stadium was retired and replaced by the current GABP. A baseball only stadium that sought to bring you back to the times of Crosley field.

It's funny how you take something for granted. You overlook things that have always been there. It happened with me when it came to Great American Ball Park. Here I am touring all the major ballparks in the MLB and I fail to even mention GABP. Home of the Cincinnati Reds and only about 50 mins from my house make it a frequent weekend, and lately weekday, event. I can remember as a young boy, games at Cinergy with my dad and mom. Born in 1983 I saw my share of games there. Although The Big Red Machine (1975 &1976) was long gone , the Reds did put together a few runs in the early 90's that began my real love affair with baseball. In 1990 under the management of Lou Piniella the Reds took the MLB by storm going wire-to-wire ending in a 5th World Series title. Barry Larkin, Eric Davis, Paul O'Neill, Billy Hatcher followed up by "The Nasty Boys" Rob Dibble, Norm Charlton and Randy Myers. It was the last 'real' team we have had. Since then the Reds have won their division twice, well technically once since the strike ended the season in 1994.Although GABP has not seen a World Series or a division title, it has seen 'The Kid' return home. GABP opened its inaugural season with Ken Griffey Jr., one of Cincinnati's own return to play for the Reds. Fittingly he has the first hit in GABP. He also surpassed home run number 500 and 600 while in a resident of GABP.

With a new stadium came a new look. The old 'bowl' style stadium was replaced with a smaller 'vintage' ballpark just as many of the other MLB team had been converting to. Its goal was to provide a stadium with the feel of old Crosley and all the commodities of modern day. Never seeing a game at Crosley, I couldn't tell you if it succeeded in that manner, but it is definitely a vast improvement over Riverfront. Since 2000 I would guess I have been to 30+ games, sitting in seats in a variety of sections. Not one of them a bad seat. I have sat in the last row of the last section...still a great view. Actually, the higher you sit the better the view in my opinion. Yeah, you sacrifice distance from the field, but you gain the view of the river and skyline.

As you approach the main gate at GABP you will see a few of the nice features of this ball park. Directly in front of the main gate is Crosley Terrace. They call it a monument but it is really more than that. There are 3 large grass strips with base lines and bronze statues of famous Reds players. They are in action poses as to reinact the action from the time at Crosely field. It has the feel of a park more than a monument. It features Reds greats Joe Nuxall, Ernie Lombardi, Ted Kluszewski and Frank Robinson. The imaginary pitchers mound is actually known to have the same slope as the pitchers mound in Crosley. This area also features a large team shop and the Reds Hall of Fame, both which are must sees. The team shop is one of the largest team shops I have seen, not to mention it blends in with the stadium beautifully. If you have time, the Reds HOF is a great way to spend a day. It's open early on game days and only costs about $15. This is one of the most extensive HOF i have seen at a stadium. Most ball parks have plaques and statues...the Reds have a whole building dedicated to their history, as they should being the first ever major league baseball team. The HOF will take you clear back to memories begining in 1869 to present day.

The tradition does not stop there. Once entering the ball park lies a large granite "Established in 1869" implanted in the floor, while two large murals of the Reds first team and The Big Red Machine paint the background. As you walk the concourse you will see large newspapers displaying headlines from the Reds success over the years. In red writing their are also famous quotes from many of greats like Pete Rose and Johnney Bench. Along the first base line you can gain access to "The Machine Room Grille", a restraunt/bar dedicated to the Reds most famous team. Speaking of food....GABP doesn't disappoint. How could you when Skyline Chile is batting lead off then with Penn Station, LaRosa's Pizza and Montgomery Inn Ribs in the cleanup spot. MMMM...Skyline. There is nothing like Cincinnati's own Skyline dog.

Once you reach you seat you will see the large scoreboard and riverboat in the outfield. The scoreboard is the third largest in all of MLB, capped of with a clock replicating that of the one that stood at Crosley field. Just to the right stands a large party deck fashioned to look like a river boat along with the 'power stacks'. The power stacks are two large river boat smoke stacks that shoot fireworks and smoke during various parts of the game. Up until this last year a HR counter also resided there, keeping track of Jr.'s current career home run total. The river boat deck is a fun area. It has its own bar and TV's. It also has water misters that hang from the power stacks and during hot days a fan can cool off here.

The only thing left to mention is the 4192 mural. I did not realize until just recently what I was seeing. This monsterous mural is tucked away on the backside of the scoreboard between GABP and US Bank Arena. It is a huge picture of a bat laying in the dirt next to home plate. The picture was taken the night Pete Rose broke the all time hits record and commemorates all that he has meant to Cincinnati. Although Rose was later banned from baseball, he still remains a large part of not only Cincinnati history but baseball history too. Now realizing what I'm looking at...I always stop and take a long look.

My overall feeling of Great American has always been a good one. I have spent many games there and many good times. GABP offers all kinds of delicious food. They have an enormous Hall of Fame and team shop. Crosley Terrace is truely a one of kind monument that integrates in the ballpark beautifully. How can you not enjoy a ballpark that sits right on the river and is decked out in Big Red Machine fashion?

Comerica.Park

2009-07-18T15:39:00.023-04:00

Day 4 of our vacation we headed to Sandusky,OH to meet up with my wife's family to celebrate her brothers 21st birthday. It is about a 5 1/2 hour trip from Chicago to Sandusky. We hated to see Chicago go. We really enjoyed our time there and saw some great baseball. Courtney was sleeping in the passenger seat, when I heard the voice from the movie Field of Dreams...

"Go the distance."

Like I said we were nearly to Sandusky. We were just getting ready to pass interstate 75 headed east on I-80, when I wondered to myself....how far away is Detriot? You have to remember I had been in the car for 4+ hours and Courtney had been sleeping for at least 2...so I was running out of things to entertain myself. You also have to remember, when I put my mind to something I usually see it through , sooner than later.... like seeing all 30 baseball parks. I punch the address into Garmin, it calculates and says a little over an hour to Detroit. Right on cue Courtney wakes up (the british lady's voice from Garmin probably didn't help). I told her about Detroit. She looked up to see if the Tigers were even at home and come to find out they were playing the Cleveland Indians at home. To my amazement She was all for it. It was decided then, we would make an unscheduled stop in Detroit on Friday before we headed home. It worked out perfectly. Detroit is only 3 1/2 hours from Xenia and we had plenty of time on Friday to make it there.

"Go the distance."

Alright already...We are!

Fast forward to Friday (day 6 of our trip). We actually ended up making a stop at Cabella's to kill some time before heading to the staduim. That place is huge. Chris had decided to go along. He is an avid Indians fan and with it being his birthday, what better present than to see your club play and experience a new ballpark. We arrived in downtown Detroit about 6pm. We parked in the garage right across from the stadium and it was less than a block to the stadium. As you approach the stadium you can tell it is a special place with much thought put into the design. Comerica Park probably has the coolest main entrance in baseball. At the main gate you are greeted by a 15 ft concrete tiger, fiercely looming over you, surrounded by other tigers that seem to be circling on the surrounding rooftops. Its quite the spectacle and I loved it. There are tiger heads lining the outside of the stadium and the baseballs in their mouth light the sidewalk when night falls. Even though Comerica was built in 2000, it has the feel of a stadium that has been their for some time. I really fell in love with it. I have now been to 7 of 30 stadiums, disregarding the history and landmark that Wrigley is...Comerica is now at the top of my list.
Once inside the stadium you are greeted with more Tiger history. The main concourse is scattered with memorabilia from each team of Tiger history, highlighting the teams from each decade.
Some very unique aspects to this park include the ferris wheel and merry go round. The merry go round is located off the main concourse between home plate and first base. It is the centerpeice for one of the main food courts. Its a full size merry go round decked out in Detroit Tiger colors and from what I could tell was free to ride. Surrounding it is all the best offerings from Comerica Park's concession services. The variety ranges from the more traditional nachos, hot dogs or beer to Chinese, sushi, or tacos. Just a section or two closer to first base lies the ferris wheel. I don't know if I would call it full size, but it is not small by any means. All the seats are in the shape of baseballs. Again, free to ride. An added addition to this area are the numerous picnic tables and seating to allow you to enjoy your food as you soak up this beautiful ballpark. Once again you are surrounded by tiger emblems embedded in the architecture above. The whole park is really scenic and picturesque. Surprising when you consider its located in downtown Detroit.
Off to our seats. The view from your seat will not disappoint either. The entire stadium is trimmed in green paint which adds to the feel of an 'old' ballpark. The monsterous scoreboard, also trimmed in green, is protected by two more Tigers. Later in the game we find out that their eyes light up every time the home team scores. Directly in center field lies a ivy covered concourse/batters eye (which you can actually walk behind). This originally was sponsored by GM and and had their vehicles prominently displayed. Following the market crash of 2008/09 the fountain now shares sponsorship with Chrysler and Ford. It would be hard to imagine a baseball field in Detroit, Michigan without any major automobile sponsorships. If you are standing anywhere near home plate the outfield actually features the Detroit skyline, just so happens the famous GM tower sits right smack in the middle. Again in the situation that the home team scores the fountain shoots water works high in the air in celebration. What now seems common place in most ball parks, Detroit followed suit... 6 bronze statues stand near left-center field. Below the statues on the wall are the names and numbers (except Ty Cobb, who didn't have a number) of the retired Tigers Al Kaline, Charlie Gehringer, Hal Newhouser, Willie Horton, Hand Greenberg, and Ty Cobb. Our seats that night were in Kaline's Corner, a section also dedicated to Al Kaline. It is located just behind the right field foul poll and next to the Pepsi Porch. One of the the last things I noticed about the field was its unique dirt strip stretching from home plate to the pitchers mound. Upon further investigation, this was actually a typical feature in most older ball parks, but now Comerica and Chase Field (Arizona) are the only two fields in the majors displaying this traditional ballpark look. Pretty cool if you ask me.

All in all, Comerica stole my heart. Although Detroit is a drab city the Tigers stadium is a diamond in the rough. They really captured the essence of an old ball park feel with all the commodities of a new ball park. The design and architecture of the stadium is just as breathtaking as the heroic sized Tiger that dares you to enter the stadium. Comerica Park is a must see if you are in the Detroit area.

U.S.Cellular Field

2009-07-12T21:31:00.000-04:00

Our second stop in Chicago...U.S. Cellular Field, home of the Chicago Whitesox. Another short trip on the "Red Line" toward Dan Ryan Expressway, from there it's about 2 city blocks away. The stadium is visible from the metro as you pull into the station. U.S. Cellular is opposite that of Wrigley. It is situated just off the highway with easy access and plenty of parking. Built in 1991 and formerly Comiskey Park II until 2003 when U.S. Cellular bought the naming rights.

We arrived about an hour early, as usual. The first sight you see once you get close are the street lamps all decked out in Whitesox logos with a rustic look to them. Just across the street you approach the main entrance where not only are their World Series titles displayed (1906,1917, and 2005), but they have a large tribute to the most recent,2005 team.The White Sox Championship plaza contains not only a large bronze and granite sculpture celebrating the Sox 2005 run, but also fan inscribe bricks that make up a diamond shaped surrounding. The statue chronicles key points in the World Series run and the franchise history. Also surrounding the plaza are short pillars with the White Sox logo and retired numbers of White Sox all time greats. If you continue around the stadium you will find and even cooler piece of history. On the first base side, just off the the walkway, in the parking lot you will find a tribute to old Comiskey Park. They have embedded a granite home plate and stone batters box and foul lines. These are in the exact location where Comisky (1910-1990) use to stand. It was demolished after the new park was built and they needed room for parking. This was one of my favorite things about this park.

The stadium was a buzz upon entering. We cruised up a couple ramps to the first level. We were greeted by sign that still shocks me. Here is the one major complaint I have about Sox stadium. The sign reads "100 level seating only". Upon reaching our seats (500 level), there was another sign, "500 level seats can not access other levels". What?!?... I still can not believe that this is normal practice and view this as a major ding against the Sox organization. One of my favorite things to do when visiting a park is to walk every nook and cranny of a stadium. Mad and confused we decided to walk back down to the 100 level entrance. Greeted by 2 guards, one checked our tickets and I explained that I drove clear from Ohio and have never been to a Sox game. The guy was nice enough to give us access to the rest of the park. At first we were just going to walk around see what we could and go back to our seats. Well, that never happened. We stayed in the lower deck for the remainder of the game. I still can not believe they segregate ticket holders in this manner. Once accessing the lower deck (which is the majority of the park), everything was a little bit nicer. Not only do they have more food option but if you were not allowed access to this area you would never get to see the bronze statues of famous Sox players or the old Comisky shower. Anyway, I find it to be a poor way to run an organization, by denying access to the rest of the park just because you sit in the cheap seats.

Back to the park. U.S. Cellular offers a wide range of food. That night I had a hot dog (Ballpark) and nachos. Both were delicious and above average. One thing I have never seen before and could not keep my eyes off of was the margarita guy. A few of the vendors had large margarita machines strapped to their back with a hose that dispensed the mix into your cup. What a great idea. Who doesn't want access to a frozen margarita without leaving their seat?

Some other attractions once inside the park include the Chicagoland Plumbing Council Shower, the statues in center field, and a custom Majestic t-shirt shop. The Chicagoland Shower is a shower stall that they brought over from old Comiskey Park. It is located behind center field and is open to any fan to cool off during a hot summer game. There is also a staircase next to the shower that leads up to the Comcast Fundamentals Deck this is more or less a family oriented piece of the park. Only kids are allowed in this section and their parents. Although I did not access this portion of the stadium it was describe as teaching young kids the fundamentals of baseball.Just across the walkway are six bronze statues of Sox legends Charles Comiskey, Harold Baines, Billy Pierce, Nellie Fox, Luis Aparicio, Minnie Minoso, and Carlton Fisk. Each statue has a quick rundown on the respected players Sox career. There are many team shops scattered about the stadium but by far the coolest is a Majestic t-shirt shop located behind home plate. Here you can have a custom name printed on the back of a wide variety of Sox related t-shirts. Surprisingly the cost was only $18 a t-shirt and they guaranteed to have it ready for you by the 7th inning stretch. It's also hard not to notice the large "exploding" scoreboard. This is suppose to be reminiscent of old Comiskey fields original "exploding" scoreboard. Every time the Sox score (the night I was there Cleveland got rung up for 10 runs) the scoreboard lights up and fireworks shoot from the top of it. Another unique feel to the park is the unbroken seats/wall. The stadium is almost that of a bowl as opposed to most new ballparks that have a open or "broken" section that you can see out of. I kind of like the look of it. Only thing was theyhave massive advertisements that totally take away from this. You notice in some of the picture that many of the advertisements are almost as large as the scoreboard.

All in all I found U.S. Cellular Field to be a good experience. The fans really love their team and kept cheering them on. There was about 36,000 fans there on a Tuesday night and the Sox ended up winning 10-6 over the Indians much due to the the fact that Paul Konerko had 3 home runs. The only disappointing things I saw at this field was the fact that they limited fan access from the 500 level seat to the rest of the park, as mentioned before, and the fact that the only reference to "Shoeless" Joe Jackson and Black Sox scandle was a single small concession stand called Shoeless Joe's All-Star Stand. I know that the Black Sox scandal is not best piece of history for the Sox to try to remember, but it is a major part of their history. Jackson still holds 3rd place for best career batting average all time. And, in 1911 Jackson hit for a .408 average. That average is still the sixth highest single-season total since 1901. Which by the way, at the time broke Babe Ruth's single season record.

"Say it ain't so, Joe!"

TheFriendly.Confines

2009-07-09T16:01:00.000-04:00

It was a 312 mile trek from Xenia, OH to Chicago, IL, but well worth it. Monday morning we awoke in our Chicago hotel with excitement and anticipation of what was in store for the day. We not only had tickets to see the Cubs play later that night, but were scheduled to go on a tour of "The Friendly Confines" that morning.
We caught the first "Red Line" from Monroe to Addison. A 15 minute train ride and we had arrived. There it was...Wrigley Field. Built in 1914 it is the second oldest ballpark in the major league. It's a beautiful monument of a field dropped down in the middle of pleasant Lakeview (better know as Wrigleyville). Local bars and restaurants surround the gem of a stadium. A short walk to the main gate to get our tour tickets stopped us dead in our tracks, just around the corner the famous Wrigley Field marquee revealed itself. After a few photos we got our tickets and were escorted to a small restaurant under the right field bleachers. A quick video showing the major highlights of the 95 years Wrigley has been witness to, kicked off the tour. Our first stop was the right field bleachers. Coming out of the tunnel you just take it all in....the ivy (planted 1937), the scoreboard, the Chicago skyline. You pan the the field and can feel the history. You know you are somewhere special. It's almost as though time has stopped and every thing good about baseball has remained trapped within these walls.

The walk from the bleachers to the broadcast booth was amazing. You could see the structure of the stadium that just does not exist in other stadiums. Wrigley lacks corporate avertisements, a huge electronic scoreboard, they don't even accept other payment options other than cash....but totally makes up for it in look, feel, and history. Arriving at the broadcast booth, the same booth that Harry Caray sang "Take Me Out T0 The Ball Game" over the years. The booth also houses the organ played during the games . Our tour guide points out nuances within the stadium. To the side of the scoreboard is a flagpole where the grounds crew raises a "W" or "L" flag informing any passers the outcome of the days game. Just out side the right field wall Miller Brewing Company changes a billboard each series with a message geared toward the visiting team. Just to the left of the Miller billboard an owner of one of the rooftop seats displays a sign "EAMUS CATULI", translated to "Year of the Cub". Just beneath he displays the years since a world series, years since a division win and days since a win. On the left foul pole Ernie Banks (14), Ron Santo (10), and Ferguson Jenkins (31) numbers hang in retirement, just as Billy Williams (26), Ryne Sandberg (23) and Greg Maddux (31) hang on the right.
We finished the tour in the dugout and on the field. What could cap off a more amazing experience than walking on the same field that players of likes of Ruth, Stan Musial, Ernie Banks and other greats. Although many people describe Wrigley as a beatiful 'dump'. From the stands or from the dugout I can say it is beautiful and breathtaking all at once.

The tour was amazing and so was the game later that night. It is an impressive site to see a sell out crowd of 41,00 embark to Wrigley on a Monday night. In a packed house the Cubs beat the Atlanta Braves 4-2. The fans here really embrace every move their beloved players make. They even sang their war cry at the end of the game, "Go Cubs Go" or Steve Goodman.

Ironically on this same day news that the Tribune Company has come to terms with the Ricketts family to sell the Cubs surfaced. We can only hope that the Ricketts continue all the many traditions that come with the Cubs and Wrigley Field.
-Cubs/Wrigley Sale-

Diet.Update

2009-07-01T16:17:00.000-04:00

Well the diet from hell has come and passed. Weigh in was Friday, June 26th. At approximately 5:45pm (due to Joe being late) it was officially put out of its own misery. So here are the results...
In an astonishing weight loss of 21lbs B-hammer lays the smack down. Tied for second Joe and myself loose 15lbs and our pride. All of this was promptly followed up with our first beer in a month and a barrage of food. After we consumed some late night pizza rolls and drank more than the Cuyahoga can hold, we reweighed. Brandon had gained 11lbs, Joe 9, and 7lbs myself. All this in 24hrs. Ouch!

Oh well, we now continue our journey. The next goal is -5lbs from our Friday weigh in. Good luck gentlemen. See you in Putt-In-Bay.

Bronze.Bombers

2009-07-01T15:22:00.000-04:00

You may wonder what the bronze baseball inscribed with “Ken Griffey Jr.” is (Main pic at top of screen). This is a picture of a small bronze baseball implanted in the rock wall of the B&0 warehouse outside of Baltimore’s Camden Yards. They place these makers for the players who have hit home runs out of the park and onto Eutaw Street between the stadium and the B&O warehouse. On July 12^th, 1993 Ken Griffey Jr. hit a 445ft blast, during the 1993 All-Star Game HR Derby, that is still to this date the only player to hit the B&O warehouse.

Full list of Bronze Bombers

http://roarfrom34.blogspot.com/2009/03/eutaw-street-chronicles-all-time-bronze.html

Pictures through 2007

http://www.flickr.com/photos/35512932@N05/

Diet.FromHell

2009-06-16T14:15:00.000-04:00

We are now 16 days deep into this hell we call a diet. All participants are still plugging away. Imagine a life with no pizza, no ice cream, and for god sakes no beer!! track my progress at dailyburn.com search for humansnail.

On July 26th we will ending our lock out against junk food. Come celebrate with us in Cleveland. Bring case of beer(liquor is good too!) and a large spicy Italian pizza to get in the door. All haters will be bounced. Fight the hunger!!

Kayak.MadRiver

2009-06-15T13:28:00.000-04:00

This last weekend my dad and I did a 10.5 mile trip down the Mad River in Clark County. Check out this map. We paddled from US 36(mile 39.1) to Eagle City Rd. bridge (mile 29.7). We stopped once and had lunch, but trip took approximately 3hrs and 5mins. The river has a good pace. It's not quite white water...but lets just say, there is very little paddling needed.

http://www4.wittenberg.edu/academics/hfs/tmartin/MadRiver/MadRiver20.jpg

Sizemore could return 7-10 days

2009-06-15T06:03:00.000-04:00

This is good new for fantasy owners (myself) and Tribe fans alike. An MRI exam Monday on the All-Star center fielder's ailing left elbow revealed much of the inflammation that's hampered him since spring training has subsided. Arthroscopic surgery was an option.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=4261515