Thursday, July 03, 2008
Rays awesomeness watch (still a regular feature)
After sweeping the Red Sox, the Rays are in first place in the AL East by 3-1/2 games and have the best record in baseball (52-32).
However, I'm assuming no Rays have been chosen as All-Star Game starters, but I guess we'll find out when they announce the lineups Sunday.
However, I'm assuming no Rays have been chosen as All-Star Game starters, but I guess we'll find out when they announce the lineups Sunday.
Labels: all-star game, devil rays
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Wielding a hot bat
Hmm, let's keep an eye on American Legion baseball in the Minneapolis suburbs. There's a player for the North St. Paul Post 39 team who I feel I have some kinship with.
Labels: american legion, minneapolis, pat ellwanger
Sunday, June 22, 2008
It's always Friday at Dodger Stadium
Even when it's Topps Tuesday. A portion of an ad from today's L.A. Times...
Labels: advertising, dodgers
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Steve Trachsel
Last week the Orioles designated former Cub Steve Trachsel for assignment, which means that they have ten days to work out a trade or release him.
However, since it's Trachsel, they're going to take fifteen days.
Thank you, folks, thank you. I'll be here all week . . . and if I were Steve Trachsel, I'd be here two!
However, since it's Trachsel, they're going to take fifteen days.
Thank you, folks, thank you. I'll be here all week . . . and if I were Steve Trachsel, I'd be here two!
Labels: Steve Trachsel, The fact that I wasted thousands of hours of my life in the mid-90s waiting for Steve Trachsel to throw a goddam pitch
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Hit by pitch with the bases loaded: the most exciting play in baseball
And it's even more exciting when it happens in the bottom of the 11th inning, thus becoming a walk-off hit by pitch, as it did in today's Braves-Cubs game.
I watched this game because Levi e-mailed me this morning to tell me that WGN was doing a "retro" telecast to commemorate their 60th anniversary of broadcasting Cubs games, in time for me to use DirecTV's web site to schedule my DVR to record it.
As it turned out, it was much less elaborate than when Fox gave the "retro" treatment to a Cubs-Dodgers game circa 2000. For the first two innings, WGN presented the game in black and white, with only a couple of camera angles; they also had their character generator on the simplest possible setting (white text only, but with a modern-day drop shadow), which continued through the entire game. And they used a cool "WGN 9 TV" logo that I hadn't seen before -- at least, I didn't recognize it from any of the old Chicago TV Guides I have in my collection.
Also, this was the AT&T poll (which should have been the "Bell System" poll, but I know it can be hard getting sponsors to go along with such things):
"Bikini" won in a landslide.
I watched this game because Levi e-mailed me this morning to tell me that WGN was doing a "retro" telecast to commemorate their 60th anniversary of broadcasting Cubs games, in time for me to use DirecTV's web site to schedule my DVR to record it.
As it turned out, it was much less elaborate than when Fox gave the "retro" treatment to a Cubs-Dodgers game circa 2000. For the first two innings, WGN presented the game in black and white, with only a couple of camera angles; they also had their character generator on the simplest possible setting (white text only, but with a modern-day drop shadow), which continued through the entire game. And they used a cool "WGN 9 TV" logo that I hadn't seen before -- at least, I didn't recognize it from any of the old Chicago TV Guides I have in my collection.
Also, this was the AT&T poll (which should have been the "Bell System" poll, but I know it can be hard getting sponsors to go along with such things):
Which of these new things are you enjoying the most?
A. Velcro
B. Vinyl 33-1/3 LP
C. Bikini
D. Scrabble
E. NASCAR
"Bikini" won in a landslide.
Labels: braves, cubs, directv, tv
Thursday, May 29, 2008
The Angels made me sick!
Levi was in town on business, and so were the Angels, which meant it was time for the first official Baseball-Related Program Activities event since the 2004 road trip. The hangers-on were Jason, and Levi's co-worker Carrie.
When Edison International dropped their sponsorship of the stadium in Anaheim, their logos on the end of the seats were covered over -- but you can't stop people from scratching paint off, I guess.
Jim Leyland showed up himself to exchange lineup cards, but Mike Scoscia sent a lackey...
It had been announced earlier in the day that Anaheim would be hosting the 2010 All-Star Game...
My new camera is noticeably faster to actually take the picture once you press the shutter button than my old one was -- making it easier to get shots like this...
Early mound meeting, since Angels pitcher Joe Saunders had given up three runs in the first inning...
They kept having to reset this video display in order to fix this problem...
The Amtrak noise meter, because nothing is as noisy as a train...
The rally monkey was invoked a little late, and so the Angels lost 6-2...
The final line (not quite final at this point, but I was anticipating)...
And finally, a picture to replace the one that's been at the top of this blog since 2004, which I was sick of looking at...
No, the Angels didn't literally make me sick. There was a stomach bug involved. For you fans of Jim Ellwanger illnesses that coincide with baseball games, I also had a stomach bug right around the time I traveled to Chicago and attended Opening Day 1997 at Wrigley Field -- I spent an entire day lying on the floor of the dorm room of Levi's future wife.
When Edison International dropped their sponsorship of the stadium in Anaheim, their logos on the end of the seats were covered over -- but you can't stop people from scratching paint off, I guess.
Jim Leyland showed up himself to exchange lineup cards, but Mike Scoscia sent a lackey...
It had been announced earlier in the day that Anaheim would be hosting the 2010 All-Star Game...
My new camera is noticeably faster to actually take the picture once you press the shutter button than my old one was -- making it easier to get shots like this...
Early mound meeting, since Angels pitcher Joe Saunders had given up three runs in the first inning...
They kept having to reset this video display in order to fix this problem...
The Amtrak noise meter, because nothing is as noisy as a train...
The rally monkey was invoked a little late, and so the Angels lost 6-2...
The final line (not quite final at this point, but I was anticipating)...
And finally, a picture to replace the one that's been at the top of this blog since 2004, which I was sick of looking at...
No, the Angels didn't literally make me sick. There was a stomach bug involved. For you fans of Jim Ellwanger illnesses that coincide with baseball games, I also had a stomach bug right around the time I traveled to Chicago and attended Opening Day 1997 at Wrigley Field -- I spent an entire day lying on the floor of the dorm room of Levi's future wife.
Labels: angels, brpa, carrie adams, game report, jason kaifesh, tigers
Monday, May 26, 2008
Rays awesomeness update
After a series sweep of the Orioles, the Rays are again alone in first place in the AL East. Their .600 winning percentage (30-20) is the best in the American League, and is tied with the Diamondbacks for best in baseball.
Labels: devil rays, diamondbacks, orioles
