It’s Baseball Season
I love baseball. I love the pace, the strategy. But, I don't get involved--fully--until hockey season is over. I've been spoiled the past couple of years, because the Rangers have been in the playoffs. They've had some intense series. Even when they've been eliminated, I'm still watching. Combine that with the NBA playoffs, and baseball takes a back seat.
This season feels different. The Rangers aren't that good. They may make the playoffs, but even if they do, they aren't going to go very far. I haven't been invested at all in the NBA this year. I'll watch the conference finals and league finals, but other than that, the NBA hasn't really been on my radar.
So, as I deal with the reality that is the Rangers, my mind wanders towards baseball. A couple months earlier. Which is great. In my spare time, I start thinking about Yankee lineups. Matchups. Yankee competitors. How will the bullpen be constructed? What should the lineup be?
Normally, this mental exercise happens this time of year, but it's never at this depth. I think about it, of course. I'm a Yankee fan. But, it's more casual. My mind is more focused on Ranger line combinations. And while I still think about that, my mind is shifting towards baseball. It's a nice change.
The weather here in New York is starting to get nicer, the snow is melting, the sun is shining. You turn on the TV and there's spring training baseball. You turn on the radio and there's baseball. It's here. In a few weeks, it will all start for real. Until then, we can enjoy thinking about baseball, dreaming about it. It's here.
Thanks for returning to The Blog of Champions!
McGwire Admits To Steroid Use
In a very unsurprising revelation, Mark McGwire admitted to steroid use. Here's his statement:
"Now that I have become the hitting coach for the St. Louis Cardinals, I have the chance to do something that I wish I was able to do five years ago.
"I never knew when, but I always knew this day would come. It's time for me to talk about the past and to confirm what people have suspected. I used steroids during my playing career and I apologize. I remember trying steroids very briefly in the 1989/1990 off season and then after I was injured in 1993, I used steroids again. I used them on occasion throughout the '90s, including during the 1998 season.
"I wish I had never touched steroids. It was foolish and it was a mistake. I truly apologize. Looking back, I wish I had never played during the steroid era.
"During the mid-'90s, I went on the DL seven times and missed 228 games over five years. I experienced a lot of injuries, including a ribcage strain, a torn left heel muscle, a stress fracture of the left heel, and a torn right heel muscle. It was definitely a miserable bunch of years and I told myself that steroids could help me recover faster. I thought they would help me heal and prevent injuries, too.
"I'm sure people will wonder if I could have hit all those home runs had I never taken steroids. I had good years when I didn't take any and I had bad years when I didn't take any. I had good years when I took steroids and I had bad years when I took steroids. But no matter what, I shouldn't have done it and for that I'm truly sorry.
"Baseball is really different now -- it's been cleaned up. The commissioner and the players' association implemented testing and they cracked down, and I'm glad they did.
"I'm grateful to the Cardinals for bringing me back to baseball. I want to say thank you to Cardinals owner Mr. DeWitt, to my GM, John Mozeliak, and to my manager, Tony La Russa. I can't wait to put the uniform on again and to be back on the field in front of the great fans in Saint Louis. I've always appreciated their support and I intend to earn it again, this time as hitting coach. I'm going to pour myself into this job and do everything I can to help the Cardinals hitters become the best players for years to come.
"After all this time, I want to come clean. I was not in a position to do that five years ago in my congressional testimony, but now I feel an obligation to discuss this and to answer questions about it. I'll do that, and then I just want to help my team."
We all knew this day was coming. We all knew that Big Mac used steroids. It was just a question of him admitting it. While the timing is a bit odd, I'm glad he did admit it. The monkey is off his back, and he can resume his life. Will it result in a Hall of Fame nomination? I don't know. I do think he will get in. He saved baseball, with his home run chase in 1998. It may take some time. But he will get in
The Chosen One: Bryce Harper
570 feet. 570 feet. Let me repeat that once more. 570 feet. For most baseball players, hitting a circular ball with red seams 570 feet is nothing more than a pipe dream. For most baseball players, hitting a circular ball with red seams 500 feet is nothing more than a pipe dream. The great power hitter Dave Kingman once hit a 530 foot home run. But not 570. The great Mickey Mantle once hit a 510 foot home run. But not 570. No, 570 is unthinkable, unreachable. No one can reach 570. Unless you're Bryce Harper.
Bryce Harper isn't some mythical character. He isn't some figment of someone's imagination. He's a baseball player. He's also 16. While most 16 year olds are still figuring out adulthood, Bryce Harper is throwing a 95 mile an hour fastball. While most 16 year olds are starting to chase girls with alarming regularity, Bryce Harper is hitting the longest home run in Tropicana Field history. Bryce Harper isn't most 16 year olds. Most 16 year olds are not prodigies. Bryce Harper is.
When the history books write the chapter on sports prodigies, they'll write glowingly of LeBron James, of Tiger Woods, of Alex Rodriguez. What they don't have, is space for Bryce Harper--yet. You see, Bryce Harper has not made a name of himself on the big stage. He has not made a name for himself on a small stage. High school players, especially high school baseball players, don't get national recognition. So when Bryce Harper was portrayed in Sports Illustrated, it caught many by surprise. The title of the article? The Chosen One
"If Bryce were in the draft this year," says one American League scouting director in the SI article, "he'd go in the top five picks."
"Wrong," says a National League amateur scouting director. "He'd go higher than that."
The Chosen One, in addition to being physically gifted, is also academically gifted. A 3.5 GPA. He volunteers. He has a sense of self. He's not your average 16 year old. An average 16 year old has not a clue what the future holds. Harper has a great idea: "Be in the Hall of Fame, definitely. Play in Yankee Stadium. Play in the pinstripes. Be considered the greatest baseball player who ever lived. I can't wait." Harper has, what us regular folks consider, unattainable goals. These are attainable for Harper. The Chosen One has the skills.
"What do I like about him?" says the NL scouting director (who predicted Harper would go higher than the top five). "Everything. He's got a great body. The perfect frame for baseball. A big-time arm behind the plate, but a good enough athlete to do anything you want. His bat speed is ridiculous. I've never seen anything like it. And since last year he's calmed down his approach a little bit. He used to want to go out and get everything. Now it's more under control."
There's something different about sports prodigies. Besides great talent, there's a personality difference. Many teenagers are defiant, disrespectful. Not Bryce Harper. Harper is driven. He is determined. As his father Ron says, "
"Bryce has a saying," "Whenever people say how good he is, he likes to say, 'I'm not done yet. I still have work to do.' He's going to get a lot better, and I say that because of how hard he works. I don't think he'll ever rest on his laurels."
Harper has the unique chance to change the way we view baseball. A catcher who is as fast as a leadoff hitter. Catchers aren't supposed to be fast. Harper is. A catcher isn't supposed to throw a 95 mile hour strike to second base from their knees. Harper can. Baseball plays aren't supposed to his 500 foot home runs with regularity. Harper does. Harper will be the new model for star baseball players: Fast, strong, powerful. Not many players have that combination. Harper does. And, unless Harper is the only one of its kind, we'll start seeing more and more. We'll see evaluators place more emphasis on strong, fast bodies, who can hit the ball a mile. No longer will evaluators care about baseball smarts. They'll care about physical greatness.
"I love the way people talk crap," Harper says. "I hear it all the time. Overrated. You suck. I'll just do something to shut them up, like, I'll show you. It's like in regular pregame work. I like to show off my arm. Just so it's like, There you go. Don't even think about trying to run."
Bryce isn't done yet. Not by a long shot. After passing his GED, he will be playing for College of Southern Nevada in the spring, with the hopes of entering the 2011 draft. When 2011 comes around, teams will be clamoring for the number one pick, for a chance at his services. Of course, there's a chance he won't live up to the expectations. There's a chance he'll fall flat on his face, and The Chosen One will become Just Another One who didn't make it, who didn't live up to the hype. Yet, something about him allows us to believe that The Chosen One will become The Chosen One. Maybe it's the grounded nature of his personality. Maybe it's the success in academics. Maybe it's his strong family. Whatever it is, Harper has the tools to become The Chosen One, to live up to the hype, to become the greatest baseball player of his generation, to change the game. Harper is the future of baseball. The future of baseball, on the shoulders of a 16 year old kid. That's a lot of pressure on those shoulders. The game is in good hands. Those shoulders can hit a baseball 570 feet.
Lincecum Repeats As NL Cy Young Winner
Tim Lincecum has repeated as NL Cy Young award. "The Freak" was 15-7 with a 2.48 ERA, 261 strikeouts, and a minuscule 1.05 WHIP. Lincecum has a very peculiar motion, but it sure works for him:
Lincecum is under some fire, because he is facing misdemeanor marijuana charges. While this is a scar on his record, this award takes his on-field accomplishments into consideration. It's a well deserved award.
Greinke Wins AL Cy Young Award
Zack Greinke has won the American League Cy Young award. He is beyond deserving. Greinke wen 16-8 with a 2.16 ERA. Second place finisher Felix Hernandez had a 19-5 record and a 2.49 ERA.
"I thought it was going to be real close between the two of us," Greinke said.
Besides his unbelievable season, Greinke winning the Cy Young is hard to fathom. Greinke quit baseball in 2006 after he was diagnosed with social anxiety disorder. That didn't stop him. When he returned full time in 2007, he went 7-7. The year after that, 13-10. This year, a Cy Young. It is a well deserved award to someone who has overcome a lot. Congratulations, Zack. The NL award is being announced on Thursday.
Greatest. Ad. Ever
Nike does some great advertisements. This might be the best. Granted, as a Yankee fan, I may be biased. But, you still got to appreciate it.
The Yankees Are World Champions
Unless you live under a rock (or are just not into sports), you know that the Yankees have won their 27th World Championship. Obviously, as a Yankee fan, it was unbelievable. Yeah, Yankee fans are spoiled. But, a championship is a championship. It was still amazing. The flow of texts between friends and family was too much to handle (and hopefully, AT&T will realize this, and not jack up my phone bill for this month). The couple of primal screams had to wake the neighbors. But, I don't care. A championship is like no other. Excitement. Unbridled joy. What else could you want?
This championship was a bit different. You see, I had a few more friends to enjoy the ride with. When I joined Twitter, I wasn't expecting much. Maybe I would update a couple times a week. Nothing major. But, once baseball started, it became something much larger. A place for fans to congregate. A little family. There's Rebecca, or Optimist Prime, the one who kept our heads above water, the one who made sure we didn't go overboard. There's Meg, whose rally bra had to account for at least 20 wins. There's Donna, the family mom. There's Andrew, who constantly second guessed Girardi, hated Posada, but his love for the team trumps all. There's Mark Feinsand, Daily News beat writer, whose odds were for entertainment purposes only. There's Marc Carig, who started the Roll Call. There's Bryan Hoch, of MLB.com, who has never seen The Godfather. There's Tyler KepnerSweeny Murti. And there's Ross, our stadium insider.
I know I'm forgetting people. And I'm sorry for that. The weird thing is, I've never met these people. I probably never will. But, we are united under a common love, a love for baseball, a love for the Yankees. I shared this season with these guys. I shared the ups, I shared the downs. I shared a World Championship.
Baseball's over. We'll have to wait until April to see it again. But, this title will be one I'll always cherish. Not because of the win. But because of the people I shared it with.
I'll be heading to the parade tomorrow, celebrating the team. I'll take pictures, videos. Be sure to check back to see those
John Sterling and Bruce Springsteen Make Beautiful Music
John Sterling is synonymous with Yankee fans. He is the radio voice of the Yankees, known for his exuberance, missed calls, and "The Yankees win! Theeee Yankees win!" scream. So, maybe only Yankee fans can appreciate this. But here is a clip of Bruce Springsteen and Sterling making beautiful music. Enjoy
Cliff Lee Keeps It Casual
So yeah, Cliff Lee is dealing tonight against the Yanks. He's making it look easy. Really easy. Take a look:
Guess that pressure of the World Series isn't getting to him, huh?
Yankees Are Back In World Series
I didn't write this post immediately after the Yankees won, because I wanted it to sink in. The Yankees are back in the World Series. For most fans, you could care less. Of course the Yanks are back in the World Series, they bought it, you might say. They were there in 2003, my team hasn't been there since Lord knows when, you might retort. As a Yankee fan, it's been a long time coming. When you're accustomed to winning, that's what you expect, for better or for worse. So when they make the World Series, you're happy. You hug random strangers. You stay up all night, too excited to go to sleep. You become a little kid again.
Tomorrow night, I'll wait around the TV anxiously for first pitch. I'll live and die with every pitch. I'll cheer when the Yanks score. I'll pout when the Phillies score. But, in a larger sense, it doesn't matter. All that matters is that the Yankees are back where they belong. I'm just along for the ride.
Note: I'm not going to give a prediction for this series, because frankly, as a Yankee fan, I cannot be objective.
