Let’s go, Blue Jays
[ 2 Comments ] Posted on 07.10.06 in baseball, complaints
The other night, I went to enjoy a game of Single A Minor League baseball in Clearwater between the Dunedin Blue Jays and the hometown Threshers. Now, because of my rich and lucrative history with the Dunedin ball club, I sported my $18.00 Dunedin Jays cap and my glove, on the off chance that I might be able to snag an errant ball. No such luck.
But as I watched the game, I did all of the standard baseball spectator-type things: I would argue balls and strikes (a pastime that got the manager of Clearwater ejected for his billionth game this season), I would congratulate players on having a “good eye” when it came to watching balls sail by outside of the strike zone, I would cheer for my team.
However, the man sitting four rows up in the section adjacent to me did not appreciate that. I would say something innocent and innocuous and he would spout back words of annoyance. And I thought it was only because I was rooting for the Blue Jays, until a man sitting in the section on the other side of mine began expressing his love for the Threshers. At this point, my little angry friend became so irked that he bellowed a hearty “Shut up!” that was probably audible throughout the stadium. Remember: it’s a single A team. Sounds travel quickly throughout a small stadium, especially when the home team can’t ever win a game.
But I digress. Has this man ever been to a baseball game? Does he not realize that fan interaction, especially at the lower levels of the sport, plays an integral role in the mental development of the players? If we can’t prepare these boys today for the screaming and obnoxious fans of tomorrow’s major league level, what service have we done? We haven’t done anything.
So, take it from me, Mr. Zippy McShutup: maybe golf is a better spectator sport for you.
I’m President of the Fan Club
[ 15 Comments ] Posted on 05.14.06 in Rays, baseball
If you’ve been around me for the past couple of months, you already know this. But if you’ve been living under a rock and you aren’t aware of the simple fact that Travis Lee is the best baseball player to ever play the game, this is your heads up.
Lee’s fielding percentage is .997, which is the highest active percentage in the league among first basemen. He is as tall as the Empire State Building; he is as mighty as a lion; he is as nimble as a kitten; he is as powerful as a locomotive.
Notice that locomotives do not have opposable thumbs. Hence, they cannot hold baseball bats. And because they cannot hold baseball bats, their batting averages are not very high.
But did Jesus ever rub pine tar on a Louisville Slugger? Did Mohammed have a good batting average? Could Moses crank a ball over the centerfield wall? Collective answer? No. Collective moral? You can go ahead and disregard Travis Lee’s batting average. Pay attention to the obvious: he is easily the greatest first baseman in the league and he is possibly the greatest human being to walk the earth in 2000 years.
Well, they don’t offer Baseball 101
[ 1 Comment ] Posted on 12.14.05 in baseball, college, holidays
Like most of the rest of my graduating class, I got accepted into the University of Florida. So, I had to get a bunch of scholarship things taken care of yesterday as to facilitate my ability to attend.
I had to call the office of Chuck Murphy (president of the Florida State Baseball League) yesterday to see what I needed to do to get my scholarship check from the mascot gig this summer, and I got the information from his secretary.
I said goodbye, but this lady would just not stop talking. I don’t know if she felt that she had to make conversation with me to be nice or what, but this lady talked to me about everything there is to be talked about. Baseball, college, my career path, everything.
And I think that she was genuinely offended when I told her that my major is probably going to be political science.
“That doesn’t have anything to do with baseball!”
Listen lady: I’m a 5’6″, 140 pound IB student with absolutely no physical prowess. Plus, I’m a football man. And heck, there’s no money in baseball anyway.
About 10 minutes later, I was finally able to coerce her into hanging up the phone, but not until after I had spilled my life story to this complete stranger.
The holidays do some crazy things to people.