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5/27/2008
Billy-Ball Daily
Bill Chuck (Billy-Ball his own self)
Billy-Ball - From the diamond to your desktop…
By baseball newstalgist, Bill Chuck
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The only spin here is on my screwball
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Top of the 1st
WHAT ARE THEY THINKING?
The New York Times first reported last week that Yankees had voiced their dismay to Major League Baseball about a promotion in which “Big Papi”, David Ortiz, the Red Sox great, will try to hit a home run to a designated spot at Yankee Stadium during the home run derby on July 14, the eve of the All-Star Game. The spot will be chosen in an on-line contest sponsored by State Farm. Of course, to say the event is sponsored when I already stated that the event was in cooperation with MLB seems redundant. It seems as if there is a sponsor an event or activity will be found.
Having Ortiz replicate Ruth’s supposed called shot off of Charlie Root in the 1932 World Series in Wrigley Field has met with mixed emotion. There are those who insist the Yankees, who are indignant, are being childish and overly sensitive and then there are others who feel that this is clearly an insult to the Yankees to bring their biggest rival in their ballpark and imitate a feat attributed to their great landmark hero.
I cannot help but fall into the latter category and cannot help but think that those who feel otherwise are not putting themselves in the shoes of the Yankees and their followers. Let’s not forget that the reason Yankee Stadium is hosting the All-Star Game this year is because it is to pay homage to the Stadium in its final season. Let me present a hypothetical example: in 2012, the Red Sox will be celebrating the centennial of their beautiful Fenway Park. So here we are in Fenway in 2012 and MLB decides to stage an event to honor Ted Williams’ final at-bat homer and to do that, up steps the locally hated Alex Rodriguez of the regionally hated New York Yankees. Don’t tell me that Red Sox Nation wouldn’t have their panties in a bunch.
Why doesn’t MLB have Kyle Farnsworth pitch with a bloody sock?
Hey Cardinal fans, what if MLB ever got around to saluting Stan Musial and had Alfonso Soriano stand in for him?
My complaint is not with fans taking swipes at the Yankees, that’s what partisans do, but how could MLB think that they could send up Ortiz in Yankee Stadium and not expect booing from now until the event takes place? Is this what an All-Star event should be?
As Richard Sandomir in his New York Times article points out, “Baseball could use a clause in the contest’s rules to find a rationale to pinch-hit for Ortiz.
The fine print — which was probably inserted to account for an injury to Ortiz — reads: “Actual athlete to participate in Call Your Shot event to be designated by sponsor and may not be athlete mentioned.”
The fine print should add, “The actual athlete to participate may be changed when MLB actually comes to its senses.”
Top of the 2nd
HERE THEY COME AGAIN
I keep getting asked if the Rays are for real, well the ury is still out on that, but they certainly are proving to be relentless. Last night, Scott Kazmir won his fourth straight start, striking out 10 in seven innings to lead the AL East leaders over the Texas Rangers, 7-3. Eric Hinske hit a three-run homer for the Rays, who have won 16 of their last 17 home games and at 31-20 have the best record in the major leagues. Tampa Bay is just the second team -- joining the 1903 New York Giants -- to have the best mark on Memorial Day after finishing with the worst record in the big leagues the previous season (66-96).
Top of the 3rd
EXTRA, EXTRA, READ ALL ABOUT IT
Detroit's Bobby Seay walked Garret Anderson on four pitches with the bases loaded and one out in the 12th inning to force home the winning run last night in the Los Angeles Angels' 1-0 victory against the Tigers. The Angels and Tigers each went 0-for-12 with runners in scoring position. Detroit was shut out for a major league-high eighth time this season
Prince Fielder scored the go-ahead run in the 11th inning on pinch-hitter Gabe Kapler's single, and the Brewers defeated the Washington Nationals, 4-3. The Nationals are now1-9 in extra inning games dating to July 27 last year.
Alexei Ramirez hit a key single, setting up Orlando Cabrera's fourth hit that drove in the go-ahead run in the 12th inning and the White Sox beat Cleveland 6-3, handing the Indians their ninth loss in 10 games. The White Sox won for the 10th time in 12 games and moved 5˝ games ahead of the third-place Indians in the AL Central. White Sox outfielder Carlos Quentin went 2-for-6 and is batting .353 (24-for-68) with six home runs and 20 RBI in his past 18 games.
Top of the 4th
THEY MAY NOT BE GOOD, BUT YOU GET YOUR MONEY’S WORTH
The Padres, losers in a 22-inning gam with the Rockies at Petco, were winners Sunday against the Reds and became the first team since the 1989 Dodgers to play a game of at least 22 innings and another of a mere 18. In the game, the Reds used three starting pitchers. Manager Dusty Baker used 24 of his 25 players. Padres manager Bud Black saved one reliever, two starters and bench man Justin Huber. Black said Huber likely would have pitched in the 21st
Adrian Gonzalez's three-run home run won the game with two outs in the 18th inning. But a move by Black in the 17th loomed large. Black had reliever Josh Banks issue consecutive walks to Ken Griffey Jr. and Brandon Phillips to load the bases for pinch-hitter Paul Bako, and Banks struck out Bako to keep the score at 9-9.
580 Pitches thrown.
5:57 Time of game.
45 Players used.
Top of the 5th
I THINK I’M TURING JAPANESE
Yomiuri Giants infielder Luis Gonzalez has been suspended for one year for violating Nippon Professional Baseball's drug policy, the league announced Monday. In light of the suspension the Giants have reportedly released Gonzalez. Acting NPB commissioner Yasuchika Negoro has said the team will not be punished. Gonzalez is in his second year in Japan after batting .247 with three home runs and 12 RBIs for the Giants last season. The former Colorado Rockies player was batting .307 with two home runs and 17 RBIs in 32 games.
Gonzalez allegedly tested positive for three types of stimulants following an April 30 game against the Hiroshima Carp at Tokyo Dome: toro, saba, and unagi.
Meanwhile, the KC Royals have a pitcher named Yasuhiko Yabuta, pronounced Yah-BOOT-ah. Teammates call him “Shake.”
Top of the 6th
BILLY-BALL-SITE-OF-THE-DAY
Top of the 7th
PROBABLE PITCHERS
AL
Yankees (Ian Kennedy) at Orioles (Brian Burres), 7:05
White Sox (Mark Buehrle) at Indians (Aaron Laffey), 7:05
Rangers (Vicente Padilla) at Rays (Andy Sonnanstine), 7:10
Twins (Nick Blackburn) at Royals (Brian Bannister), 8:10
Tigers (Jeremy Bonderman) at Angels (Ervin Santana), 10:05
Blue Jays (A.J. Burnett) at A's (Greg Smith), 10:05
Red Sox (Daisuke Matsuzaka) at Mariners (Miguel Batista), 10:10
NL
Dodgers (Hiroki Kuroda) at Cubs (Sean Gallagher), 7:05
Rockies (Ubaldo Jimenez) at Phillies (Kyle Kendrick), 7:05
Pirates (Ian Snell) at Reds (Johnny Cueto), 7:10
Marlins (Andrew Miller) at Mets (Johan Santana), 7:10
Braves (Tim Hudson) at Brewers (David Bush), 8:05
Astros (Shawn Chacon) at Cardinals (Braden Looper), 8:15
Giants (Tim Lincecum) at Diamondbacks (Dan Haren), 9:40
Nationals (Shawn Hill) at Padres (Randy Wolf), 10:05
Top of the 8th
DID YOU KNOW?
At 25-26, the Yankees are the only AL East team under .500.
Top of the 9th
PHILLIES PHANTASTIC
Chase Utley drove in a career-best six runs, as the Phillies scored their most runs in nearly a decade in a 20-5 thumping of the Colorado Rockies. Utley hit a three-run homer to tie Lance Berkman and Dan Uggla for the major league lead with 16.
Philadelphia scored its most runs since a 21-8 victory against the Chicago Cubs on July 3, 1999, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. The Phillies batted around three times and had season-highs in hits (19) and runs a day after beating Houston 15-6.
The 20 runs were the most the Rockies have ever surrendered on the road. They previously gave up 17 runs twice -- at Arizona in 2002 and at San Francisco in 1993. The Rockies hadn't given up 20 runs since a 20-10 loss to the New York Yankees on June 19, 2002. The Phillies scored 20 runs for the 10th time in franchise history.
Bottom of the 9th
THERE’S ONLY 20 DAYS UNTIL FATHER’S DAY
Show Dad where his memories rank among the greatest baseball moments of all time
Walkoffs, Last Licks, and Final Outs: Baseball's Grand (and not-so-grand) Finales
By Bill Chuck and Jim Kaplan, Foreword by Jon Miller
This Father's Day, relive some of the most memorable finales in baseball history with dear 'ol Dad by flipping through the pages of Walkoffs, Last Licks, and Final Outs. This book is the definitive collection of baseball's grand—and not-so-grand—final acts, including:
The greatest postseason finishes of all-time
The last moments of the most distinguished old stadiums
Heroic (and not-so-heroic) endings to Hall of Fame careers
Boxscores and linescores for some of the greatest games ever played
A slew of career statistics, ballpark data, and photographs
$14.95, 213 pages, paperback.
Plus, buy just one copy and receive The Bill James Daily Match-ups for your favorite team delivered FREE to your email inbox every day between now and the All-Star break—a $30 value!
To take advantage of this optional special offer, mention the "Father's Day Special" when calling (800) 397-2282 or enter the name of your favorite team under "Additional Comments" when checking out online. One team per book.
http://www.actasports.com/detail.html?&id=3427
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Information provided in Billy-Ball has been gathered from A.P. reports, espn.com, sportsline.com, mlb.com and numerous other e-sources. Opinions expressed in Billy-Ball are obviously solely the opinions of the author of Billy-Ball and do not reflect those of source material no matter how off the wall they may be.
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