Category Archives: A1 Baseball, General

Veterans Day and Every Day ….. Thank You!

Posted on November 11, 2014 | Leave a comment

Note: This is a re-post of my 2014 Veteran’s Day Blog.

Arlington National Cemetery

“But the mainstay of the big leagues was the reservoir of 4-Fs – males of draft age who had been rejected on physical grounds by the Armed Forces. Not since harem attendants had gone out of style were men’s physical deficiencies so highly prized. Ulcers, hearing defects, and torn cartilages were coveted by team owners.” – Frank Graham, Jr. in Farewell to Heroes (1981)

This and the following list of Hall of Fame Members Courtesy of Baseball Almanac.

Baseball Hall of Fame Members who Served in the Armed Forces.


The Civil War
Morgan Bulkeley	United States Army
World War I
Grover Alexander	United States Army
Happy Chandler	United States Army Continue reading →

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Posted in A1 Baseball, General, Arizona Diamondbacks, Atlanta Braves, Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Cincinnati Reds, Cleveland Indians, Colorado Rockies, Detroit Tigers, Florida Marlins, Houston Astros, Kansas City Royals, Los Angeles Angels, Los Angeles Dodgers, Milwaukee Brewers, Minnesota Twins, New York Mets, New York Yankees, Oakland Athletics, Philadelphia Phillies, Pittsburgh Pirates, San Diego Padres, San Francisco Giants, Seattle Mariners, St. Louis Cardinals, Tampa Bay Rays, Texas Rangers, Toronto Blue Jays, Washington Nationals

Tagged Arlington National Cemetery, MLB Veterans, United States, United States Army, United States Navy, Veteran, Veterans Day, Veterans in Baseball

Giants vs Nats Game 2…..If only!

Posted on October 5, 2014 | Leave a comment

Baseball Surprises!

Take a look at Matthew Pouliot’s Hardball Talk take on the 18 inning playoff game between the Nats and the Giants yesterday. Matt’s saying, basically, the Nats would have won if they’d left Zimmerman in the game in the 9th.

Well, this is the most ridiculous post I’ve ever read on Hardball or pretty much anywhere. If only. If only…..woulda, coulda, shoulda. Poor dears. Are you nuts? If only Sandoval had gotten a two run homer in the 3rd. If only Zimmerman had another 3 strikeouts, if only Hudson had pitched a no-hitter. If only Posey had been safe at the plate, ……. yada, yada, yada.

This is baseball and “if only’s” don’t count. The Giants won because they outlasted the Nats. Pretty simple really. Someone had to win.

Now on to Game 3 at AT&T Park and may the best team win. Oh, and by the way, congratulations to the SF Giants for their Game 2 win over the Washington Nats because it’s baseball and someone had to win. In my humble opinion, of course!

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Posted in A1 Baseball, General, San Francisco Giants, Washington Nationals

Tagged AT&T Park, Game 2 Playoffs, Hardball Talk, Matthew Pouliot, National League, Nationals baseball, Pablo Sandoval, sf giants, Tim Hudson, Washington Nats, Zimmerman

Name Origins of all 30 Major League Baseball Teams

Posted on September 22, 2014 | Leave a comment

Cincinnati Red Stockings. 1st Professional Baseball Team

Cincinnati Red Stockings Photo Courtesy “www.todayifoundout.com” Daven Hiskey.

I “Stumbled” on this great post that lists the origins of all 30 Major League Baseball Teams. It appears the Boston Red Sox hold the oldest named team dating back to the 1860’s, popularized by the Cincinnati Red Stockings from 1867-1870 and used by Boston’s National League franchise from 1871-1876.

But the actual team name origin that’s with the same team is the San Francisco Giants, formerly the New York Giants, that dates back to 1885.

Read the original Post Stumbleupon.com, written by Scott Allen.

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Posted in A1 Baseball, A1 Baseball, General, Arizona Diamondbacks, Atlanta Braves, Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Cincinnati Reds, Cleveland Indians, Colorado Rockies, Detroit Tigers, Florida Marlins, General, Houston Astros, Kansas City Royals, Los Angeles Angels, Los Angeles Dodgers, Milwaukee Brewers, Minnesota Twins, New York Mets, New York Yankees, Oakland Athletics, Philadelphia Phillies, Pittsburgh Pirates, San Diego Padres, San Francisco Giants, Seattle Mariners, St. Louis Cardinals, Tampa Bay Rays, Texas Rangers, Toronto Blue Jays, Washington Nationals

Tagged arizona diamondbacks, Atlanta Braves, BALTIMORE ORIOLES, baseball name origins, Baseball origins, boston red sox, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, cincinnati red stockings, Cincinnati Reds, cleveland indians, Colorado Rockies, DETROIT TIGERS, florida marlins, Houston Astros, kansas city royals, los angeles angels, Los Angeles Dodgers, Milwaukee Brewers, minnesota twins, New York Giants, new york mets, new york yankees, Oakland Athletics, philadelphia phillies, pittsburgh pirates, San Diego Padres, San Francisco Giants, Scott Allen, seattle mariners, St Louis Cardinals, Stumble, Stumbleupon, tampa bay rays, Texas Rangers, toronto blue jays, washington nationals

Baseball is dying, you guys

Posted on September 18, 2014 | 2 comments

SF Giants Fan Fest 2013.
Good Grief!

A few weeks ago my grandson said this exact same thing. I took into account his passion was basketball and surmised he watched only a few baseball games each year, if he had to. Jake lives in Oregon and, granted, there’s not a lot to get excited about in Oregon except maybe Oregon Duck football and OSU Beavers during baseball season, and maybe once in a while the Trailblazers.

Juan Marichal. Just your Basic Pitching Form

But having grown up in a baseball family I just don’t get it. I don’t get that others don’t get the athleticism of baseball players, the finesse of a perfectly thrown ball, the artistry of a catch that was so impossible to make, even the opponents keep playing it over and over in the clubhouse the next day. Once-in-a-lifetime stuff. So when I read this comment on Hardball Talks,one of my favorite blogs, I had to ponder again what Jake said, and meant, about baseball not making it more than 5 or 10 years. And to Scott Conray who posted this little ditty, I have to tell you we have not seen baseball’s most famous player yet.

LA Dodger Yasiel Puig on an ordinary day.

One example, and there are many, is the rookies coming up from the farm teams. These kids are exciting to watch. And they’re winning games. And they’ll continue doing this. If you have any doubt about the fans love for the game read “Casey at the Bat”, again and you’ll get it. The poem was written over 100 years ago with the same passion and fervor that baseball fans still experience every time they watch a great play, a fantastic pitch, an out of the park home run or a rookie walking to the plate making the sign of the cross and blasting it out of the park. And I don’t care which sport you’re passionate about, it just doesn’t get any better than that. In my humble opinion, of course ……

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Posted in A1 Baseball, A1 Baseball, General

Tagged BASEBALL, baseball alive and well, baseball dying, baseball rookies, CASEY AT THE BAT, Hardball Talk, juan marichal, Oregon Ducks, OSU Beavers, Scott Conray, Trailblazeers, Yasiel Puig

Keith Hernandez mocked Alex Torres for wearing the padded cap

Posted on June 27, 2014 | Leave a comment

Ronni’s Comment: Hernandez made this comment regarding the cap “If you’re scared, get a dog.” The same logic could be applied to any player who feels the need to wear a protective cup ~ probably because they feel they have something worth protecting. It’s called common sense and scared has nothing to do with it. Get your smarts in order old-timer. Balls aren’t always round leather with little red stitches around them.

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Posted in A1 Baseball, General

Tagged Baseball cap, keith hernandez, macho man, padded cap, pitchers new cap, protective cup

Fly Fishing and Baseball ….. The Commonality

Posted on March 9, 2014 | 1 comment

A Facebook friend from high school recently posted a picture of a box of fishing flies that looked more like the real thing, the flies I mean, than the real thing. Really. I was interested in this because my husband is a fly-tyer and recently he’s been producing some real beauties.

My husband is a man of many talents, a jack-of-all trades. He’s a retired surveyor and worked on the San Francisco and the San Jose International Airports before he retired. He’s always been interested in gemology and has an eye for unique stones, having cut and polished many over the years. There’s very few wrist watches and antique clocks he hasn’t been able to repair and the older cars were made to be tinkered with, as he puts it. So when I casually mentioned wanting a pair of black and orange earrings to wear to the SF Giants games he sprung into action and one week later presented me with my very own handmade dangles.

SF Giants Feather Dangles

It took him one week to make them because they were made of Maribou turkey feathers that had to be special ordered. These are the same feathers he uses to make rather exotic flys to catch rather exotic fish, or not, depending on the situation. He also uses pheasant, duck, hackle, goose, and peacock feathers to design his favorite flys. But my favorite are the Maribou.

For avid baseball fans who like to show up in team colors they can be made in any color, for any team, and for any sport. If you’re not inclined to make your own, take a look at his Etsy website and see if there’s something you might like.

This didn’t start out to be an advertisement, but so be it. Really, what’s the worst that can happen? If you loose faith in your team, simply remove the silver, add a hook, and go fishing.

I mean it’s always fishing season somewhere and, for sure, we’re right in the middle of spring training. Baseball season’s on the horizon, spring beckons and life is good. Don’t you just love it?

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Posted in A1 Baseball, General

Tagged baseball gifts, baseball jewelry, duck feather earrings, etsy, etsy jewelry, feather earrings, fly earrings, fly fishing, goose feather earrings, maribou feather earrings, peacock feather earrings, pheasant feather earrings, sf giants jewelry, veronique of santa cruz

Seduced by that Pesky Cell Phone

Posted on March 2, 2014 | 2 comments

I’m remembering a game I went to this past season. During the entire game a fan sitting in front of me had his cell phone in hand, either as an extension of his ear or taking pictures with it. When it was attached to his ear he was talking, loudly at times, and listening the rest of the time. It seemed odd since the game was at AT&T Park and it can get really loud and I kept wondering how he was able to hear anything on the little contraption.

I’m not a huge cell phone fan. I don’t even know my number. My husband bought me one as a nice gesture, but against my objections, and I think I’ve used it maybe five or six times in the past seven years. His idea was I could use it for roadside emergencies or keeping in touch, just in case. You know, the usual stuff.

AT&T Park. Cameraman and his Cell Phone.

But I’m looking around the ballpark and cell phones were everywhere. Lots of picture-taking and flashes going off, mostly just fans walking around, or in their seats, didn’t matter, attached to their trusty cell phones. You see the same scenario everywhere, it’s epidemic. The phone companies must be making millions. You see them at the grocery stores, hospitals, theaters, schools, churches, airports, on the bus, at the restaurants. And they’re at my office.

This used to irritate the heck out of me. But this year has been an eye-opening experience and I’ll never look at cell phones the same way again. You see, I’m a tax preparer and I have 100 days to get those pesky taxes worked up, prepared, completed and out the door until next year when it starts all over again. In the past, the number one thing clients would forget when they showed up for their appointment was their W2. It’s the truth. But not anymore. Just last week a client took out his cell phone, called his employer, and the W2 almost instantly appeared via fax.

And it’s been happening a lot lately. Need Grandma’s social security number? No problem. Forgot the interest from the bank, car tags, tuition and/or scholarships received? No problem. Just dial it up on the handy-dandy little thing.

But here’s the really great part. Last week a woman came in with her little two-year old who was acting like two-year old’s are supposed to act; I mean all over the place, up and down like a yo-yo, until…….until mom put her cell phone in the little boys hand. It was like magic! It worked better than Prozac or a tranquilizer or binky or something. The little fellow poked his app (I think that’s what they’re called) and was tuned in for the rest of the interview.

I’m not saying that sedating a kid with a cell phone is necessarily a good thing, but if you’re a tax preparer in the middle of tax season and you’re trying like the devil to get through an interview, it is truly a miraculous thing.

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Posted in A1 Baseball, General, A4 Uncategorized, San Francisco Giants

Tagged AT&T park and cell phones, BASEBALL, cell phones, cell phones as sedation, cell phones at the ballpark, kids and cell phones, tax preparers and cell phones, tax season and cell phones, taxes and cell phones

Liar, Liar Liar……What Difference Does it Make?

Posted on January 12, 2014 | Leave a comment

This blog has been a really fun thing for me. I enjoy sitting down with a cup of coffee and newspaper at my trusty little PC and jotting down random thoughts, usually of current events, but sometimes just things that inspire me or tick me off. It’s rather a form of cheap therapy I suppose. But nevertheless, after a two month hiatus, it’s taken Alex Rodriguez to get me back in the saddle.

I’ve never been a fan of A-Rod. Oh, he had the talent for sure and was drop dead gorgeous to boot, but from the beginning he always seemed a little high-hat and impressed with himself, more than the average athlete. I’ve been following this suspension saga from the beginning and, to tell you the truth, I’ve had it up to here with the onslaught of lying athletes and the boring routine of it all. First, the allegations and then the denials and finally the admissions of guilt. And that’s even before Rodriguez got involved.

More recently and most visible were the Lance Armstrong and Ryan Braun fiasco’s. I was so convinced that Braun was telling the truth after listening to his beautiful and elegant speech denying all charges of drug usage that I wrote a blog on it, shaming MLB and others who gave him a good thrashing without knowing the truth. So when Braun came forward with his pathetic apology, admitting his guilt, I figured, that’s it. No more. Who can you believe? I mean, according to some reports, over 85% of professional baseball players in the 1990’s used performance enhancing drugs so, really, what difference does it make?

So now we hear that the Alex Rodriguez fiasco is over and Major League Baseball has suspended him for 162 games (the entire 2014 season). MLB’s case is that A-Rod used performance enhancing drugs. He says he’s never tested positive and that it’s all a vendetta against him and that he’ll have his day in court. And I have no idea if he did or if he didn’t. To be honest, I’m really just tired of it all. Not just A-Rod, but all of it.

Just once ~ just one time I wish the little guy* would win. I wish when the powers-that-be set out to squash some one, to set an example or make a scapegoat of someone, I wish one time they’d be wrong and the squashee would win.

C’mon Alex. Show ’em what you’ve got, surprise us, take it to the big boys. Is that too much to ask? It’s not just about you, you know. It’s the principle of the thing and God knows this country’s ready for some sort of principle of some thing, of some one, from somewhere. I’m crossing my fingers and toes you’re telling the truth. But I’m not putting a lot of faith in it. I’m not going to jump on a bandwagon and write a blog about your innocence and whine that you’ve been had, even though it would be really great to be able to believe in something again. If you could just say it isn’t so and mean it…..

And so begins my venture back into the blogosphere.

*Little guy is used lightly here ….. just meaning the underdog I guess.

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Posted in A1 Baseball, General

Tagged A-Rod, Alex Rodriguez, Lance Armstrong, liar, Major League Baseball, MLB, powers that be, Ryan Braun, squashee, suspension

Applying government shutdown logic to the baseball playoffs

Posted on October 10, 2013 | Leave a comment

GFBB Comment:

Here’s the response courtesy of Fox Sports.com by Sam Gardner. It reads:

“Dear Mr. Kaplan,

Thank you very much for your letter regarding the potential demise of baseball. Some have suggested it was a rhetorical squeeze play or a hit and run since the letter was posted online before it was actually mailed to me. Of course, it could be languishing in the post office. Sometimes, it’s hard to know when the mail service is open or closed.

I agree with you that Republicans and the Braves have much in common. You could say that the Republicans “Bravely” take on tough issues such as defunding Obamacare and trying to curtail runaway spending. And we don’t mind clearing the dugout for a good brawl. We also agree that Dodgers is a fitting name for the Democrats as they often “Dodge” serious issues such as balancing the budget or cutting spending.

Where we disagree is the game itself. If Uribe had decent bunting skills, he would have simply tied the score. Thus, the game would have continued. In such a situation, neither the Dodgers nor the Braves would have walked off the field crying “I will not ‘negotiate’ or, in this case, bat.” No, they would have stayed engaged and slugged it out. But, alas, Uribe can’t bunt — so game over.

On the bright side, winning the pennant doesn’t guarantee world peace. In fact, there are other glimmers of hope in the universe. Did you see the UGA-Tennessee game? Obviously, there is a God in Heaven. Or as we say in Athens: How ‘bout them Dawgs?

Sincerely,

Jack Kingston
Member of Congress“

Congressman responds to fan letter applying government shutdown logic to the Braves-Dodgers game (hardballtalk.nbcsports.com)
Seems some poor fan had a frustrating last night, as his Atlanta… (shortformblog.com)

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Posted in A1 Baseball, General, Atlanta Braves, Los Angeles Dodgers

Tagged Atlanta Braves, baseball and politics, Braves, Congressmen, craig calcaterra, Dodge, Dodger, Foxsports.com, Jack Kingston, Juan Uribe, Los Angeles Dodgers, Sam Gardner, Tennessee

This Blogger’s Choice ~ BBA 2013 Post Season Awards.

Posted on October 5, 2013 | 1 comment

Voicing an Opinion!

It’s time, once again, for the annual Baseball Blogger’s Awards, sponsored by the Baseball Blogger’s Alliance. I usually manage to vote for a few in sync with my fellow bloggers and this year will be no exception, I’m sure.

For no particular reason other than these are guys that I like and have pretty good stats to boot, and probably because they’ve had the most game-day exposure on network television, I submit the following National League (because I’m supposed to) choices:

1. CONNIE MACK AWARD (Top Manager). For the life of me I still can’t figure out why Bruce Bochy hasn’t won this award or really even been nominated for 2010 or 2012 when he so ably brought his team to the World Championship both years. I mean he by-passed GO and lead those Giants straight to the top. Oops, sorry, got carried away because now it’s 2013, and my choice for Top Manager is Mike Matheny, St. Louis Cardinals.

2. WILLIE MAYS AWARD (Top Rookie). Yasiel Puig. And not just for his amazing stats, especially that first week, but I have to consider his entertainment value. He was benched a few times due to his behavior on the field, but you have to attribute most of his training, or lack thereof, to being raised on Cuba baseball. When I watch him play I’m not sure what training he’s had because he appears to just have incredible raw talent that needs to be cultivated and refined. I’m sure it will come. In the meantime, he’s just a lot of fun to watch.

3. GOOSE GOSSAGE AWARD (Top Reliever). I had to look over everyone’s stats for comparison and it looks like there is none, or, at least, very little. It will be interesting to see if Brian Wilson contributes as a Reliever next year or makes the cut as a starter, but, in the meantime, Craig Kimbrel for those reasons just listed.

4. WALTER JOHNSON AWARD (Top Pitcher). And the winner is, has been and probably will be again in the future, Clayton Kershaw. I love watching this guy pitch and he rarely disappoints. My favorite pitcher is Madison Bumgarner because of his calm, cool and collected demeanor, (at least on the mound!) much the same as Kershaw. My guess is he’ll end up third to Kershaw’s 1st place in the Cy Young vote.

5. STAN MUSIAL AWARD (Top Player). And the winner is ……once again, Clayton Kershaw. I love this guy! Based my vote on gut feeling and sentiment and lots of stats.

I know, not a lot of depth, statistics and comparisons here folks. Much like my blogs. Strictly from a fan’s viewpoint with the usual prejudices and sentiments.

My Baseball Bloggers Alliance awards ballot (randombaseballstuff.com)
Big names and big games for Clayton Kershaw (latimes.com)
MLB Awards Season: The Cy Young Race (waiverwireblog.com)
Everything breaks right for Kershaw (espn.go.com)
Where the Start of Clayton Kershaw’s Career Ranks Among Best of Past 50 Years (bleacherreport.com)

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Posted in A1 Baseball, General

Tagged BBA. Baseball Bloggers Alliance, Bruce Bochy, Clayton Kershaw, CONNIE MACK, Craig Kimbrel, Kershaw, Madison Bumgarner, Mike Matheny, Yasiel Puig

The New Substitute for Smokeless Tobacco …..Really!

Posted on October 3, 2013 | Leave a comment

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Well, okay, not really. But haven’t you noticed that ever since MLB “recommended” limiting use of tobacco on the field and in the dugout there’s been ever so slight a change? Some day they’re going to ban tobacco in any form much the same as they’ve banned those nasty PED’s, and that’s a good thing.

But, in the meantime, here’s a few guys that have decided to do something about it and it looks like they’re thoroughly enjoying themselves in the process, setting an example for the youngsters to boot. It must feel pretty good to sit without having that can of crud sticking you in the behind and following you everywhere you go. And imagine having to walk through that nasty dugout with spit and chew and spit sticking to your cleats, not to mention the smell. Have at it boys ~ it’s bubblicious all the way! And that’s a good thing.

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Posted in A1 Baseball, General

Tagged Advocacy, BASEBALL, baseball and tobacco, bubblegum and baseball, Cigarette, Health, India, smokeless chew and baseball, Smokeless tobacco, snuff and baseball, Tobacco, Tobacco products, Tobacco smoking

So Who’s Your Favorite Team Now?

Posted on September 27, 2013 | 4 comments

Okay, so Division play is winding down and most of the Playoff teams have been decided . If your team isn’t one of them who you gonna cheer for? I mean, what’s a girl to do? Personally, I’m going to be hollering for the Los Angeles Dodgers. I know, I know, I’m a Giants fan and I said I wouldn’t. Go figure. But hear me out because there’s some logic to it.

If your team is beaten by another team and that team makes the Playoff’s, what happens if they’re knocked out early? It probably means that your team “really” sucked. If, what if, on the other hand, the team that beat the socks out of you for the Division, goes on to win the Pennant? It means that you were probably beaten by a really good team, a team that’s better than 14 other teams. So now your team isn’t looking so bad.

And what if, by some miracle of a chance, that team goes on to win the World Series. Then you can stand up really proud and say you were beaten by the best team in baseball this year. And really, there’s some honor in that don’t you think?

Yasiel Puig

But, if the Dodgers get whacked out of post season early we can always blame it on that little pipsqueak, Yasiel Puig, and not on the fact they’re a better team than we are. I know Puig’s good, well, really good, but he IS just a rookie and a bit of a smart aleck at that. And if they don’t do well, maybe we could also attribute it to Brian Wilson’s whining (think Larry Baer). Or to another 19-3 thrashing. I mean think of the options available if the Dodgers don’t produce in post-season. Just saying …..any way you look at it the Giants still come out smelling like a rose!

And you’ve got to hand it to the kids. They managed to stay out of the cellar (depending on the final three games to be determined) and at the end of a grueling, injury-filled season they’re wearing their last year’s World Series rings with smiles on their faces realizing the irony of it all. Baseball. You gotta love it.