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Baseball (the talkin' sport)


Tom Strange
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Its early---I have heard rumblings all winter that the Sox will make a play for Prince Fielder or Adrian Gonzalez as the big bat at the deadline if Papi gets off to a slow start again...but as always --who knows...

also nice to see 'Tek off the bench with two the other day.

Im looking forward to seeing the new place in Minnesota--anythings gotta be better than those fly balls lost in the roof and the 'baggie" in the outfield-----well unless it snows!

Next if they can only get rid of the catwalks in Tampa I wont be reminded of street whiffleball (if you hit that streetlight over there its a double)everytime they play down there..

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Next if they can only get rid of the catwalks in Tampa I wont be reminded of street whiffleball (if you hit that streetlight over there its a double)everytime they play down there..

Wow that was weird timing---Right on cue--thats odd

LINK

Tropicana Field usually plays host to Tampa Bay Rays baseball games, but there's always a chance one of the goofiest features in the league can change any contest into a pinball run.

Such was the case during Sunday's Rays-Yankee game when a pop fly from Tampa Bay third baseman Evan Longoria(notes) sailed toward the top of the dome and hit ... the catwalk?

Yeah, the catwalk.

As you might know, the domed Trop is made possible because of four reachable rings of catwalks that keep the stadium's roof aloft. Their presence calls for a special set of ground rules and they gained wider notoriety during the 2008 ALCS when B.J. Upton(notes) was awarded a home run after hitting one of the lower two rings with a blast.

Longoria's fly, however, hit one of the higher rings that are ruled in play so long as the ball strikes it in fair territory. Mark Teixeira(notes) initially camped under the ball near the pitcher's mound for what would have been an easy third out, but Longoria was left with one of the more freakish singles of his career when it deflected off a speaker and landed near second base...

... Jorge Posada(notes): "It's not a baseball stadium. You can't have balls going all over the place. Really. That's sad."

Teixeira: "I know in (Cowboys) Stadium, the punters were screwing around in preseason hitting the scoreboard, but they said it was a dead ball and you re-punt it. It seems to me if a guy skies a ball and it ricochets (off the catwalk) ... I mean, what if that's the seventh game of the World Series? Really, that ball is an out 999 out of 1,000 times."

HERE is the video of whiffleball rules MLB

Edited by mstar1
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OK you baseball fans... hang tight because Andreas is now signed up for T-ball and the season begins in one week...

0507091853.jpg

Yup... the baby is now gonna be in the game - and he's raring to go... (but hasn't figured out if he throws right handed or left handed yet...)

Any way to figure out which hand is the best one?

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:eusa_clap::biglaugh::eusa_clap:

Great Photo!

I dont know how the left/right thing works--My friends son is 5 and he does the same thing--sometimes throwing lefty--sometimes righty...I really dont know if there is a born in dominant hand or if there is one that you just eventually choose to develop and work with more than the other.

I posted a video of some guy here a year or two ago who is a college pitcher who never made that decision and now pitches with both hands---and then there are people who switch in midstream--Mickey Lolich a pitcher for the Tigers in the 60's was 'righthanded' until acertain age, then switched after an accident and became a very good lefthanded pitcher.

Soooo--I dunno Ma--maybe he needs two gloves!

My buddy Oscar starts T-Ball next week too.

Its gonna be a good season!

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The Yankees have a guy in their system who throws with both hands. He has a glove that can be worn on both hands, and he switches depending on the right or left handed batter.

I think if you leave a kid alone, he'll figure out what he is. Otherwise, it may be like the way they used to make you write right handed in school. I'm left handed, I write, eat, and am a professional artist left handed, but I do most sports (or used to ) right handed. I throw, bat, bowl, golf, right handed. I've wondered if it's because that's how I was shown to do it, and would have been better left handed. I know I would have screwed up all the pick up ball games I played with only 2 OF positions.Whenever a rare lefty batted everyone groaned as they shifted to a right fielder to accomadate him.

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Heres the ambidextrous pitcher Pat Venditte, now in the Yankees system

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I do everything righthanded except for playing hockey where I shoot left---(well ....some would say politics but Im mostly amidextrous there :wink2: )--I dont really know why unless I happened to line up on left wing once upon a time

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NY Yankees 9-3 after beating TX today. If SF loses to LA, we will begin the week tomorrow with the best record in baseball.

Yeah, I know it's early...but we're not even running running on all cylinders yet.

You're all gonna hate me by the time the All-Star break comes around.

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NY Yankees 9-3 after beating TX today.

The Red Sox are 0 for me watching them.

It looks something like baseball just not exactly baseball that they are playing so far.

So far, the new "run production" defense isnt really working---at all. The new guys look a little skittish and lost to me... I watched supposed gold glove 3B Adrian Beltre lose a groundballin the lights the other night....a groundball :biglaugh: --never seen that one before!

Last week he was complaining about 'snakes in the grass' :biglaugh:

Im not sure but this just may be the year where sunny days, warm nights, hotdogs, and good friends will be the totality of the years highlights

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I can tell you all about Adrian Beltre going back to his Dodger days. If nothing else, he was always stellar defensively, but mostly a huge talent who never reached his potential. He hit 50 home runs one year, and everyone wonders why he never did it again. I'm no hitting coach or expert, but even from the loge, I was crediting a brace he wore on his leg that year. Every other year he tended to lunge , and dance in the box, but for that one year seemed really disciplined . It was also a contract year, and he made big bucks before the Dodgers let him go to Seattle, where he's only been so so.

I have no idea if steroids played into his 50 homer season, but given the time frame, I'm not going to say no.

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i'll give him a chance to settle in, and get to know him a little but right now he just looks ...skittish...to me out there...

I know he is one of those 'potential' guys so you never really know for sure.

Lackey gave up 8 runs in 5 innings today and they got swept by the Rays.

Like I said its sorta like baseball-- there ARE 9 guys with matching hats---thats pretty close! I spose I can be thankful for that :)

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What's with the 11 am start time?

It's Patriots Day in Massschusetts--a state holiday -and also the day they always run the Boston Marathon.

They start the game at 11, so you can walk down the street a few blocks and see the end of the Boston Marathon after the game...

Its a Sox tradition that has been going every year since as long as I can remember..Its usually the only morning game scheduled in MLB all year.

Ive been a few times--Its a little odd watching a game right after breakfast but fun

Edited by mstar1
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It's Patriots Day in Massschusetts--a holiday -and also the day they always run the Boston Marathon

They start the game at 11, so you can walk down the street a few blocks and see the end of the Boston Marathon after the game...Its a Sox tradition that has been going every year since as long as I can remember..Its usually the only morning game scheduled in MLB all year

I kinda knew that. Thanks.

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Im likin MacDonald myself!

2 walkoffs in a row is enough to get me stirred up

His throw to the plate from center was exciting last night...someone had to light the fuse---glad it was him....

...as far as the stolen bases...Im wondering if having no catcher at all and letting the ball bounce off of the backstop toward second might be more efficient at holding runners--it couldnt be any worse

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...as far as the stolen bases...Im wondering if having no catcher at all and letting the ball bounce off of the backstop toward second might be more efficient at holding runners--it couldnt be any worse

Oh man, THAT made me laugh. :)

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  • 2 weeks later...

How and why did the Red Sox co-opt the song "Sweet Caroline", which is by Brooklyn, NY-born Neil Diamond? I never got that.

Aren't there more important questions to ask in life? :drink:

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Aren't there more important questions to ask in life? :drink:

LOL...not really, not for me, anyway.

Just seeing how I like the song and everything, and it is sung by a New York guy anyway. I think most NYers are unaware of this practice at Fenway Park -- I only found only recently during my one and only visit to there a couple of years ago.

And, BTW, it's a great place, I must say. And Boston fans are great and Boston is great.

But when that 7th inning stretch came around and everybody started singing SW, I turned to my buddy and asked, "wtf"? He didn't have an answer. Not even his dad, who happens to be a BoSox fan and was born in Brooklyn and is very good at trivia.

Anyway, I digress...

I don't mind that you guys use our song :) It's just that, of all songs, why that one?

I do admit that it's better than what we get treated to during 7th inning stretch at Yankee Stadium: Kate Smith singing "God Bless America". :yawn1:

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I dont remember it ever being played when I was young--back in those days it was always John Kiley at the organ.

I think it started in the late 90's sometime, originally to honor some RedSox employee who had a new born daughter named Caroline, or so Ive heard...It was played intermittently for several years usually during winning streaks until '02 when the new owners came --- It has been played at every home game since then in the 8th. Its a staple now, as much as part of a game at Fenway as hotdogs and beer....

Most every night most of the crowd is into it--They usually play a few minutes and it starts to fade out as the inning starts but I have been at games on some exuberent nights where the start of the inning has been delayed because the crowd does not stop until THEY are done.. :)

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It can be fun but I prefer hearing "Dirty Water" which is played at the moment of the last out in win.

When you hear you know that you're leaving the park in good mood.

Its been playing after wins since at least the mid 90's

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Its become part of the lingo around here..if a friend missed a game and asks , most of the time all I have to say is 'water' and they'll know it was a win.

An exciting hardfought, well earned win is 'dirty $%#^%$ water'

Thats all thats necessary to get the point across :biglaugh:

I love that dirty water

Edited by mstar1
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