Meantime, In Between Time

So the Phillies, with a little help from their newfound friends (the umpires) defeated the surprising Tampa Bay D'Rays in the 2008 World Series. A laurel and hearty applause goes out to former Giant, Pedro Feliz.

Now it's on to the signings and trades. All the shuffling and uniform changing may be why only Sports Weekly provides the number of the player and most other publications choose not to be bothered with the erasable, hardly indelible, number.

But before we get to that let me throw out some fun facts about the Chicago Cubs and Chicago White Sox from ESPN magazine.

(Thanks to ESPN mag for the fun facts about the two major league teams representing the city of Chicago, that toddling town.)

Betcha Didn't Know...

When they joined the National League as a charter member in 1876, the Cubs were known as the White Stockings. They had more than a dozen other nicknames before becoming the Cubs in 1902, because of their young roster.

The basket protruding from the outfield wall at Wrigley Field was installed in 1970 in an attempt to keep objects from coming onto the field, including bleacher bums!

It was legendary White Sox owner Bill Veeck who, while working for the Cubs' front office in 1937, suggested planting ivy on the outfield wall at Wrigley Field.

The tradition of flying the W or L flag from the Wrigley Field scoreboard after each game started in 1938, to inform El riders of what the Cubs had done that day.

The only ball ever to hit the Wrigley scoreboard was a golf ball struck by Sam Snead on April 17, 1951, before the Cubs' season opener, Slammin' Sammy used a 4-iron from home plate.

In 1973, South Side pitcher Steve Stone was traded for North Side icon Ron Santo. Stone is now a broadcaster for the Sox (after doing Cub games with Harry Caray, remember he was the one not hoisting a Bud every innning!) and Santo lives and dies as the Cub announcer.

Dick Allen, who drove in 113 runs in 1972, is the only White Sox player ever to lead the league in RBIs.

What's up with that Captain Morgan dance Nick Swisher does after he hits a homer? "Orlando Cabrera is the one who can dance. He came up with the handshakes, and I brought the Capt. Morgan pose from Oakland. Now, at home games, there's a fan dressed as the Capt. Morgan character. It's classic," says Swish.

When Nick Swisher was asked who was in charge, of the 2008 White Sox he responded, "Jim Thome is our clubhouse cop. When he talks, everyone listens. Then we go back to being knuckleheads."

Johnny Kling, star catcher for the 1908 World Champion Cubs, sat out the following season and won the world pocket-billiards championship. Kling returned to the team in 1910. (Just a note for all you heartbroken Cub fans. When you look at Johnny Kling's history in the major leagues, you realize that the Cubs kicked major league butt. Kling was on the Cubs in 1906, when they faced the Chicago White Sox in the World Series and lost to their crosstown rivals. Then in 1907, the Cubs again made it into the World Series against the Detroit Tigers and beat them for the title. In 1908, the Cubs defeated the Tigers once more for the World Series title. Then in 1910, the Cubs faced the Philadelphia A's and the A's won it. Not a bad run, eh?

(Kling played catcher, first-base, shortstop, and outfield. In 1903 he belted 13-triples. He stole 123 bases back in a time when caught stealing wasn't something that was kept track of, sort of reminds me of my softball team. They don't keep track of the errors they make, so history kept repeating itself, sort of. Although, this year with just the right combination/infusion of new blood, it didn't cost them as dearly as in years past.)

A group of Cubs fans have restarted the West Side Rooters Social Club, which was disbanded by team president Charles Murphy after the 1908 season. Club members claim that's the real reason the Cubs haven't won in 100 years. Ernie Banks serves as chairman and the secretary is Ryne Sandberg.

The last forfeit in the American League was by the White Sox. Between games of a July 12, 1979, doubleheader against the Detroit Tigers at Comiskey Park, the Sox held a Disco Demolition promotion, in which a local DJ blew up dance records. Thousands of fans stormed the field, lit fires and tore up the diamond.

Three-Finger Brown, the early 20th-century ace, who had only 3 fingers and a thumb on his pitching hand, holds modern-era Cubs records for ERA (1.80), complete games (206), shutouts (48), and winning percentage (.686). Six-fingered Antonio Alfonseca, who has an extra little finger on each hand, was the Cubs' closer in 2002 and holds no records.

Wrigley Field was built in 1914 on land once occupied by a seminary.

In the 1918 World Series, the Cubs played their home games at Comiskey Park because it held about 8,000 more fans. Red Sox pitcher, Babe Ruth went 2-0 with a 1.06 ERA. As a hitter in the 1932 World Series, the Babe allegedly called his shot at Wrigley. Ruth is the only man to play Fall Classics at both Chicago ballparks.

North Siders: The Cubs wore major league baseaball's first zippered jerseys in 1937, vests in 1940, and powder-blue road unis in 1941. They also sported the first- and, thankfully, only- pleated pants in 1940.

South Siders: Chisox innovations: player names on jerseys (1960), batting practice jerseys (1972), Untucked pajama jerseys with stupid-wide disco collars (1976) and the first throwback unis (1990).

Late-great (Bud man and a Bud fan) Cubs broadcaster, Harry Caray, started singing Take Me Out to the Ballgame in 1976-while announcing for the White Sox.

The Wrigley anthem "Go, Cubs, Go," played after every home WIN, was written by composer Steve Goodman.

The White Sox anthem, "Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye" was recorded by studio musicians as a B-side in 1969. When the label released it as an A-side, the sriters created the fictitious band Stream to avoid listing their names on the single. The one-hit wonder shot up the charts, knocking "Come Together" by the Beatles out of the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 in December 1969.

And finally, in an October Sporting News issue, was a picture of a Dodger fan (he was wearing an LA hat so I don't think he was rooting for the Cubs) holding up a sign that read:

1. Death
2. Taxes
3. Cubs choking in the playoffs.

(thanks to ESPN magazine and The Sporting News)

Kevin Marquez

I've Been Accused of Being Harsh on Umpires/Refs

Hey, I know I've been all over the men in blue who call balls and strikes and miss safe and out calls, most of the time. But the league has seen the ineptitude of these attitudes-in-need-of-adjustment and decided it was a good thing to go to the replay for fair/foul calls and balls that are hit for home runs but not easily distinguished by those arbiters in blue. Between ball and yellow line, foul pole, fan-leaning-over-fence, or whatever it may have been (some stadiums don't make the site line as easy to recognize as others) sometimes they need a little help and the powers that be have decided to provide them with a tool to use for this difficult decision (on some occasions).

In this 2008 Major League World Series of the Philadelphia Phillies versus the Tampa Bay DevilRays we have all seen that replay may not be limited to foul calls and home run determinations.

I have shuffled through some ideas gathered either from other sports or trial and error of baseball's past and here are a couple of those examples I'd like to share. I hope I don't stray too far from the beaten path.

In the ESPN magazine dated September 8, 2008 was a Page 2 piece on Norm Chryst, a 24-year chair umpire for tennis who says: "Instant Replay works. Best innovation since the tiebreak. It makes the game fairer and helps us get close ones right. Everyone-chair umps, line judges, players-makes mistakes. It's made some chair umps more conservative about overruling calls, and some players more willing to admit they don't always see the ball correctly. No one is perfect."

Maybe my memory doesn't serve me well, in that I was around 5 years of age when I began following major league baseball. I would read books and get as much information as I could whenever the chance became available. In other words, when I went to the library and wasn't doing a homework assignment for school I was reading something about baseball. And when the baseball books were all finished it was on to football books.

Because I was young I have memories as fresh as if they just occurred. And this was back in the day before ESPN or when games were televised as frequently as they are now. This was when fans remembered a player's jersey number because chances are his name wasn't on the back of that jersey.

My hometown Giants only showed away games versus the Los Angeles Dodgers. Then they branched out to one game at Wrigley Field (Cubs), one at Forbes Field (Pirates), and one at either Shea (Mets) or Crosley Field (Reds). But there were always at least 6 games vs. the Dodgers. If it was a 12-game schedule, they'd jostle the teams they would show. Maybe even Connie Mack Stadium (Phillies) or Busch (Cardinals) would be shown.

And my recollection of the umpires wasn't that they were these obnoxious individuals whose strike zones varied from one ump to the next. I recall it being rather consistent, with an ump, like any human being, having an occasional off day. But they all followed the rule book definition of what a strike was and you knew if you were watching an American League game, because of the pillowy chest protectors that league's home plate umpires wore, they would tend to call higher strikes than those umpires in the National League, who wore the inside protector.

Nowadays, you see a Cole Hamels and you wonder if he's getting the favorable strike zone, the way the Atlanta Braves did when they had Greg Maddux, John Smoltz and Tom Glavine, or if he's really that good. Then you see the opposing pitcher and you notice he isn't getting the same strike zone.

Or it could be that way for a hitter as well. I cannot help but remember the Houston Astros when they had Jeff Bagwell and Craig Biggio (in the days of the killer B's) when they got the favorable strike zone until the playoffs began and then once the season reached the post-season it was goodbye favorable strike zone and the Astros would flame out in the first round, every time!

Some umpires make it so a pitcher has to throw the ball over the plate. The umpire won't give the pitcher any corners and this favors the hitters, especially those with home run hitting potential. Whenever Kirk Rueter was on the mound and he had to deal with an umpire of this sort, we as fans knew it was going to be tough for Woody to get the win on that particular day/evening.

The strike zone over the years has really taken on a life of its own, because of the way each and every individual umpire has taken it upon himself to devise his own personal interpretation of what he believes the strike zone to be. Leaving people to their own interpretations of something rather than following it by the book can make for a lot of discrepancies.

So if I come off as harsh when speaking of umpires or referees I just hope you allow me the opportunity to plead my case.

(thanks to ESPN mag for the chair umpire knowledge)

Kevin Marquez

Giving the Phillies some Brotherly Love, Sort of

I may have said that the Phillies were the first team to lose a World Series to a Canadian team (Toronto Blue Jays) in 1993, but in fact, the Blue Jays had beaten the Atlanta Braves in 1992. Making the Joe Carter homer off of Mitch "Wild Thing" Williams the second year in a row that the Blue Jays took the World Series championship.

In Sports Weekly there was a piece that was labeled, Phillies have one shining moment. And that happened in 1980, when the Mike Schmidt led Phillies defeated the Kansas City Royals for the World Series championship.

In 1950, the Phillies, known as the Whiz Kids, lost to the Yankees in four straight. By scores of 1-0, 2-1, 3-2 and 5-2. Only two homers were hit in that World Series...one by Joltin' Joe Di Maggio (Game 2) and the other by Yogi Berra (Game 4).

The article goes on to list the times this losingest franchise in major league history has made it into the postseason.

1976- 101W 61L (Won NL East) Lost to Cincinnati 3-0 in NLCS.
1977- 101W 61L (Won NL East) Lost to Los Angeles Dodgers 3-1 in NLCS.
1978- 90W 72L (Won NL East) Lost to L.A. Dodgers 3-1 in NLCS.
1980- 91W 71L (Won NL East) Beat KC Royals in World Series, 4-2.
1981- 59W 48L (Won NL East's 1st half) Lost to Montreal Expos 3-2 in divisional series.
(this may have been the first time a Canadian team had advanced as far in the major league playoff system.)
1983- 90W 72L (Won NL East) Lost to the Rick Dempsey-led (Series MVP) Baltimore Orioles, 4-1.
1993- 97W 65L (Won NL East) Lost to Toronto Blue Jays 4-2 in World Series.
2007- 89W 73L (Won NL East) Lost to Colorado Rockies 3-0 in divisional series.
2008- 92W 70L (Won NL East) Beat Los Angeles Dodgers in NLCS 4-1.
Facing Tampa Bay D'Rays.

How many former Giants players are on the Philadelphia Phillies roster? Let's see, there's Pedro Feliz at third base. And Scott Eyre in the bullpen. Geoff Jenkins, after spending his entire career with the Milwaukee Brewers adds depth to the bench as does 40-year old, former Oakland Athletic, Matt Stairs.

On the Tampa Bay DevilRays roster are no former San Francisco Giants.

I'd be more worried about the ex-Giant factor than the Cub factor, these days. Cliff Floyd, DH with the Rays, played with the Cubs last year as did Scott Eyre, now with the Phillies.

The question for Giants' fans is, will Pedro Feliz get a ring before the San Francisco Giants?
Ya gotta like his chances and root hard for the Tampa Bay D'Rays.

(thanks to Sports Weekly and Baseball Reference)

Kevin Marquez

Rick Reilly Contributes

In the ESPN magazine dated September 8, 2008, Rick Reilly's column Life of Reilly has an article entitled "A Lot of Guys in the Minors Got Hosed by Steroids. They Should Sue."

Reilly's a character who spends lots of his time working on the "funny bone" of the reader. And this piece has a funny concept, although not to those who "got hosed", and someone in Hollywood should be keeping all of his/her resources open to anything. IF so, this should be something in consideration.

How about, A Harold Ramis production with Rick Moranis as one of his star players who "got hosed?"

Reilly speaks of a player, Mitch Jones who has nearly 200 home runs and in nine (9) years and he doesn't even have an at-bat. Why didn't he make it? Reilly offers: Because he was dumb enough to start his career at the exact wrong time in baseball history: during the Pharmacy Era, when old guys got young with syringes and injured guys got well with shipments from Mexico.

Reilly goes on to say: Stanford labor law professor emeritus William Gould IV says the idea "is very interesting" but that they'd need to prove three (3) things to win:
(1) A correlation between steroid use and better performance. (Please.)
(2) That baseball turned a blind eye to steroid use. (Exhibit A: baseball's own Mitchell Report. It blames Bud Selig and players association COO Gene Orza for allowing steroids to spread like crabgrass. Mitchell said there was a "code of silence" in baseball. You think? Oriole David Segui (Diego's kid) told his GM that he wanted to go to Florida to pick up juice, and the GM never reported it. A Twins visiting clubhouse attendant found a used syringe and told manager Tom Kelly, who never reported it. The thing has more conspiracies than an Oliver Stone movie.)
(3) "Nonstatutory labor exemption considerations." Gould IV says. That's just so complicated it makes our head ache, but a good shark would gobble it right up.

Mitch Jones played in the Yankees farm system from 2000 to 2006 as a corner outfielder and first baseman. He hit 39-HR in a season and nobody even blinked. That's because the Yankees had Jason Giambi at first and Gary Sheffield in right. And guess who were both cited in the Mitchell Report? Giambi and Sheffield.

(thanks to Rick Reilly of ESPN magazine and his Life of Reilly column dated 9/8/08.)

Kevin Marquez

2008 World Series: Philadelphia Phillies vs. Tampa Bay Rays

I got much needed information from Wikipedia in the history of baseball team nicknames. The American League team that represented Philadelphia, has since gone on to Kansas City, not because as the song Kansas City mentions 'they got a lot of pretty women and I'm gonna get me one,' but because the American League owners approved the sale of the Philadelphia A's, in 1954, to Arnold Johnson, who moved the A's to Kansas City for the 1955 season.

On December 19, 1960, Charles Oscar Finley purchased a controlling interest in the Kansas City Athletics from Johnson's estate (Johnson having died in March of that year); he then bought out minority owners a year later.

Finley refused to make deals with the New York Yankees and baseball's Good Ole Boy owners frowned at that. Those of you who were following baseball, during this time, know that the Yankees treated Kansas City as their major league farm system. (They re-acquired Billy Martin, and various pitchers they'd let go and then when they saw the pitchers had regained some of their form the Yanks' brass would quickly pluck them from the ready, willing and oh-so-able KC team. Roger Maris also came from Kansas City. It cost the Yankees very little to deal with Kansas City. No risk, whatsoever, was involved in any of these transactions!)

Finley made significant investments in the farm system for the first time in Athletic franchise history.
And then moved the team from Kansas City after the 1967 season to Oakland, California.

When Mickey Mantle first saw the Oakland A's green and gold uniforms, with white shoes he said, "They should have come out of the dugout on tippy-toes, holding hands and singing."

The National League team has always been the Phillies.
The losingest franchise in major league history.

The Tampa Bay Devil Rays... They are superstitiously going away from the Devil Ray name, simply going with Rays. And saying, albeit not the original design, the "ray" on their uniform goes nicely with the fact that Florida is the sunshine state.

A couple of quotes kind of tie this series together. One being a remark made by San Francisco Giant announcer (at the time of the quote) Hank Greenwald. About Bruce Sutter, a relief specialist recently elected into the major league baseball Hall of Fame, "Three more saves, and he ties John the Baptist."

This quote is in reference to Brad Lidge. The Phillie's savior of a closer who has not yet blown a save. It'll be up to the Rays to find a way to change this remarkable feat.

Both teams have to believe it's their year. If not for a bad call, funny bounce (not to the fielder's team, though), bad break or any number of things that could happen unexpectedly I leave you with some Vince Lombardi gems.

Some of us will do our jobs well
and some will not
but we will be judged by only one thing- the result.

The harder you work, the harder it is to surrender.

The measure of who we are
is what we do
with what we have.

Let's review:
If the umpire is giving one pitcher a particular strike zone and the opposing pitcher a peculiar strike zone it behooves the benefactor of the umpire's generosity to take full advantage of what he's getting. Because as the game wears on, the favorability may change sides.

(thanks to Wikipedia, ESPN magazine and Green Bay Packers online)

Kevin Marquez

Last Minute Thoughts about Red Sox at Devil Rays, 10/19/08 (Rays Won 3-1)

(I've got to say, the Sporting News has a magazine that is as enjoyable to read as when I was a youngster trying to learn about the players and their game. Kudos to the staff of the Sporting News, your changes have made the magazine top notch in entertainment and information.)

In the September 29th, 2008, issue of the Sporting News, there's an article entitled Bang for the Buck. It compares what the Rays paid for their players and the Yankees paid for theirs.

I'm going over the figures- which mean absolutely nothing to me because they aren't: runs batted in (RBI) or home runs (HR) or runs (R) scored- and I'm thinking, yeh, the Rays got over but the Yankees have the "no gag" factor.

Then I remembered, hey, these were the first guys to blow a lead in the post-season to the Boston Red Sox. And they were up 3-0! The Rays were down 1-0, and could have easily been down 2-0, if not for the gutty win in Game 2. And yet, the Rays did go up 3-1. And there was the Indians last year.

So the numbers of bucks paid really doesn't matter if those players (in the words of Al Davis) 'Just win, baby!.'

I have no idea what to expect other than the Rays will have the test of their baseball lives.
Can they muster up enough confidence to not let what some fans might think is the end of a good run and just get down to the business of finishing what they started when they won 3-in-a-row?

This is a fantastic series and it just proves how streaky things can be. Both teams will have won 3 in a row if the Red Sox continue their remarkable surge onto the World Series.

(final: Tampa Bay-3 Boston-1.. WP-Matt Garza LP-Jon Lester)

(thanks Sporting News)

Kevin Marquez

Can of Corn

When I think of San Francisco Giant outfielders, I think of Barry Bonds in left field, Willie Mays in center field and Bobby Bonds in right field.

Each of the aforementioned made just about every fly ball appear like a Can of Corn. And when you factor in their offensive output, this was the greatest outfield of all-time in San Francisco Giant history.

Barry: His arm may not have been the best but his throws were accurate. He got to the ball and got it in to the cut-off man quickly enough to keep the runner from getting an extra base, more times than not.

His offensive numbers:
AB-9847 R-2227 H-2935 2B-601 3B-77 HR-762 RBI-1996 SB 514 CS-141 AVG. .298

If you don't think major league baseball is a good ole boy league then ask yourself why nobody gave this man an opportunity to play when he said he could. After all he has accomplished and the fact that he honored every contract he ever got he should be at least allowed the chance to go out on his own terms. IF NOT FOR THE FACT THAT MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL IS A GOOD OLE BOY LEAGUE, STILL!

Bobby: His arm was a cannon and he was known to strikeout too much. But when you factor in his ability to steal bases and the power he possessed in an age when batters weren't really looking to have the good walks-to-strikeout ratio, I'll take Barry's dad in a heartbeat.

His offensive numbers:
AB-7043 R-1258 H-1886 2B-302 3B-66 HR-332 RBI-1024 AVG. .268 SB-461 CS-169

Willie Howard Mays Jr. It's been said he was the greatest ever. Well the old man was pretty good in his day and was compared to Oscar Charleston, a great Negro League player. Willie Jr. was called "Kitty Kat" in his days of the Negro League because of his baserunning and fielding prowess.

Willie was my favorite ballplayer while I was growing up and that was at a time he was on the downside of his prime. I first recollected Willie Mays patrolling centerfield at the gusty Candlestick Park, where the flags were always flapping as if attached to a speedboat racing in the nearby bay. When the stadium was not enclosed and they had the phony high school type bleachers. The year was 1965. That year Willie belted 52 homers on his way to an MVP season. But it was also his 14th year in major league baseball and he was 34 years of age. At this time of his career he was probably past his prime but because the man was so great on the baseball diamond his skills allowed him to continue playing without losing a beat.

Finely tuned athletes, of limitless abilities, often go beyond reasonable expectations.

Willie's Stats: AB-10,881 R-2062 H-3283 2B-523 3B-140 HR-660 RBI-1903 AVG. .302
SB-338 CS-103

Of course, the current Giants' roster of outfielders pales in comparison. But then so does every roster when you pit the greatest versus the current. The current bunch still has time to put some numbers together, although it isn't likely any of the current roster will accumulate the stats of Barry Bonds, Bobby Bonds or Willie Mays.

But the Giants did have a few surprises out in the spacious grounds of AT&T park that may provide Giants' fans with plenty of reason to cheer. For how long, who knows?

Freddie Lewis, Nate Schierholtz, and John Bowker are worthy of a second look next season to see if they can continue to improve. Randy Winn has hit .300 two years in-a-row and is solid afield. Dave Roberts brings a quality that I feel is worth having. He's as clutch a hitter as the Giants have but is even better in the clubhouse. And when your roster is filled with inexperienced players, its those steadying sorts who can still do it on the field, who are a necessity. Much like that of a player-coach.

This also looks to be the area where a trade or signing will be used to help out the team.

Last year they signed Aaron Rowand and he adds to the team but the way he finished the season really has me thinking the guy might be better served as trade bait. Because to get something you have to give something up and he just may have put himself in the mix with his strikeout-filled finish.

He fanned 126 times and received 44 bases-on-balls. The 126 was the most in his career and led the Giants (Fred Lewis whiffed 124 in 468 at-bats, Rowand had 549 ab's.)

Note: If you look at Aaron's career numbers these numbers are consistent with the numbers he's been putting up throughout his career.) So his chances of being traded are only speculation by yours truly.

(thanks to Baseball-Reference)

Kevin Marquez