My cousin was right…

It has been awhile since I have posted anything to smithbaseball.com. My sincerest apologies to you and my cousin. I am a busy man. I have a job that requires me to wake at 5am and I arrive home around 5pm. I have a son who is almost 3 years old. As you can imagine, I am tired. No excuses. Given the fact that my page had flowers with a pink background I am now compelled to at least give you one posting every 2 weeks or so. I’ll see what I can do. I like cheese.

Canseco, Steroids and the state of America’s pastime.

In 2007, 10 Major League Baseball teams saw more than 3 million fans click through the gates. The New York Yankees led attendance with more than 4 million for the year while 9 other clubs were well over the 3 million mark. The approximate overall attendance throughout Major League Baseball was 79 million people in 2007. I attended many games last year here in Seattle. I am not the biggest Mariner fan, I am just a baseball fan. I would attend any game, in any city.

Last year in September, The Washington Times reported that attendance has risen for four consecutive years. Meaning that despite the constant bombardment of steroid discussion and the use of performance enhancing drugs becoming a hot topic around the league, fans love this game and will continue to attend the games and support their teams. That is how I see it. This steroid business, from a fan standpoint, is just a fact about the game that is in the back of their minds. What I mean by that is, the people that pay money to attend the games, watch the games on television or buy merchandise that supports Major League Baseball are doing those things because they love the game. They understand that performance enhancing drugs have become an issue with the game however, most of the true fans don’t pay too much attention to it. They see it, accept it, and hope something is done to correct it- all while they are watching the game with a tasty beverage and a smile.

The Mitchell report. A 409-page report that identified 86 different players being linked to steroid use in baseball. The identification of the players came in all different degrees of involvement. George Mitchell released this report after months of behind-the-scenes investigation in December of 2007. Many of the names used in the Mitchell report are household names and future hall-of-famers.

Do you think the release of the Mitchell report will have any effect on the state of Major League Baseball as a whole? Attendance, TV ratings, merchandise sales, etc? I subscribe to many MLB blogs through RSS Feeds, and this topic seems to be on people’s minds. Let me point this out to you: We are one week into the 2008 baseball season. 19 of the 30 teams are averaging over 30,000 tickets sold per game so far this season. The NY Mets are averaging over 50,000 when they play at home. It seems to me that regardless of what Jose Canseco, The Mitchell Report or any of the National Media say or do that seem to put the game under the radar, the fans will continue to attend the games.

I would like to state that “The Mitchell Report” may seem to have put a dent in the reputation of many players however, I know that this report will have a positive impact for the future of the game and it’s players.

Jose Canseco, former Major League Baseball player and the face of steroid use in baseball, released a book in 2005 titled “Juice”. The book is autobiographical, focusing on his days as a Major League ballplayer, his family life and many off-the-field incidents. The heart and soul of the book deals with anabolic steroids and his personal experiences. In the book, he takes the credit for introducing steroids to baseball.

Recently, in his newest book “Vindicated”, which was released on opening day this year, Canseco spoke about Alex Rodriguez. Canseco said he educated Rodriguez about steroids and even introduced him to a known steroid pusher in the late 1990’s.

There is alot of speculation in all aspects of this steroid-era. One thing is perfectly clear though. Baseball is a great game. Baseball has great fans. Despite all that is happening outside of the game itself, the fans love this game and will continue to support it and continue to purchase peanuts and cracker jacks. That is America’s Pastime. Play Ball!

What’s wrong in Detroit?

The Detroit Tigers. 0-5. The only club in baseball that has yet to record a win. Entering the season, this team had high expectations. Let’s crunch some numbers from the 2007 season to put this in perspective:

Curtis Granderson- Became the 3rd player in MLB history to record at least 20 doubles, 20 triples, 20 stolen bases and 20 home runs in one season. Also finished the season with a .302 batting average. Granderson is on the DL to begin this ‘08 campaign.

Placido Polanco- 200 hits and finished the season 3rd in the AL in batting average with .341

Ivan Rodriguez- 141 hits in 129 games played. .281 batting average

Magglio Ordonez- AL Batting champion. .363 batting average, 216 hits and 139 RBIs.

Carlos Guillen- .296 batting average with 134 hits.

Gary Sheffield- .265 batting average with 131 hits

These were the Tigers big contributors last year. I know that there are 157 games left to be played this year but I also know that nobody on this team looks like they even realize that it is not spring training anymore. Brandon Inge, Carlos Guillen and Clete Thomas being exceptions. The funny thing about the previous three names I have mentioned is that if injuries were not a factor, two of those guys would be on the bench for this club. Brandon Inge recorded all of Detroit’s RBIs today with a run-scoring double and a two-run homer.

Again, I know it’s early and I know that these losing streaks happen but if these guys don’t get it together soon, they are going to dig themselves in a very deep hole that may be too steep to climb out of.

I would like to point out a play that caught my eye this afternoon while watching this game between the White Sox and Tigers. Edgar Renteria was on first. Keep in mind that the Tigers are the only team in Major League Baseball that has yet to record a win. The score is 4-3 (white Sox in front). A long fly ball is hit to left and caught. Renteria begins his retreat back to first, completely unaware that the left fielder has just thrown a missile to the first baseman. Renteria is jogging back to first and gets thrown out. This is exactly what I am talking about when I say that these guys look as if they are still playing cactus league ball. Sprint back to first! Your team is 0-4 for Pete’s sake! I don’t care if there isn’t even a throw to first on that play. Get your ass back to the bag!

So, here we are 0-5. Worst start since 2003. I don’t even want to talk about what happened that year. If you are a Tigers fan, you know what happened and I guarantee you don’t want to read about it either. I’m not saying this year will be anything close to that but the beginning of this season sure brings back that 6 month long heartburn I had that year.

I remain optimistic. The Tigers have bullpen issues. If I see Leyland come out of the dugout between the 5th and 8th inning and touch either of his arms on the way out, I cringe. What does that tell you?

Let’s just give them some time. They know what’s wrong and Jim Leyland sure as hell knows what is wrong. Leyland is one of the greatest coaches of our time. Let’s wait this out for a few weeks and see where we are. Restore the roar.

Baseball glory

There was always a game to be played, regardless of the weather. Snowing? Let’s play football. Raining? Let’s play football. Sunny? Go get your glove.

In the house where I was raised, I had the privilege of having two brothers. I was the middle child. It was always all about baseball. We had one of those very large, black satellite dishes in our backyard that would actually move to pick up signals. One day we stumbled across a channel that was nothing but baseball stats. We called it the “blue channel” because the background of the channel layout was blue. My brothers and I would sit in front of that TV for hours just to see who had the most doubles in the American league as opposed to the National league. Who was currently leading the National league in stolen base attempts. We were in Michigan so were all about the American league however, when National league stats began to roll, we did not turn our heads by any means. I mean come on, we gotta see what Willie McGee and Vince Coleman are doing.

Given the way I was raised, baseball became a common ground for everyone in the house. There was always a topic of discussion, especially in the summer months. We played outside everyday. We played on organized teams that were sponsored by area businesses. When I was in the 8th grade, I was playing in a league that was called “The Babe Ruth league.” This is the league where we finally got to move to the medium sized field across the street. There was actually a home run fence! It was 230 feet to dead center. The little league field’s fence was about 1250 feet dead center because it was in a field far off in the distance down the hill on a farm. Anyways, this was exciting for me to get to play on a more manicured field with a fence and dugouts. Also, this was the year that 2 players from each team (7 teams) at the end of the year would be chosen to represent their town in the All-Star Tournament. As you might guess, I was chosen.

I played 3rd base. I also pitched a few games for my team but there was better pitchers once I was grouped with the All-Star squad. During our first tournament game, I started the game at 3rd. It was a fairly quiet first 3 innings for me down at the hot corner. Nothing too hot so far. Then it happened. The moment that is sketched in my head as the highlight of my youth baseball career.

It is the 4th inning. Runners on 1st and 2nd with 1 out. There is a lefty at the plate. To this point, this is their biggest threat to score any runs thus far in the game. The game is tied 0-0. On the very first pitch to this guy, he lays down a perfect bunt down the 3rd base line. I mean, this ball is horizontal with the chalk of the base-path all the way down the line. I was playing in the grass so I got a good jump on the ball. Just before I got to the ball, I glanced up at the runner heading to 1st and realized I gotta bare-hand this ball. I reached down with my right hand, scooped it up off the line as I am still running and side-armed that ball with every ounce of strength I could muster; given the awkward throwing position I was in and gunned him down at 1st in a bang-bang play. Now, this play is only half over. The runner who was at 1st is rounding 2nd at this point and the runner who was at 2nd is rounding third. The catcher ran off to back up the first baseman after the bunt was layed out. I was in a virtual dead heat with the base-runner to get to home plate. Luckily, I was already running towards home due to the bunt. The first baseman threw the ball towards home plate just hoping I could get to it in time. I caught the ball at home and tagged out the runner just as he slid across the plate, I got him on his helmet. 3 outs and the crowd cheered. Yay! I was congratulated by my teammates back in the dugout. I sat down on the bench and looked out onto the field and just thought to myself “damn, that was amazing.”

Opening day ‘08

What an eventful day. It was like seeing all my friends for the first time in 4 months. It was like waking from hibernation and saying “Hey, look, Magglio Ordonez has long hair again!” So many big-time trades happened this off season it seemed that every game I watched there was a “wow, weird” moment. Cabrera with the Tigers, Bedard with the Mariners, Sweeney with the A’s, Santana with the Mets- Those are just a few that pop into my head. Obviously there are many more.

Opening day, in my opinion, should be a national holiday. I know that many offices all over the country shut down and all the office personnel attend the game. I think that is a great idea, not just for the people but for the game. IM WRITING MY CONGRESSMAN!……No, not really. That is my solution for everything- funny thing is, I never do it. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed opening day as well. Only downfall is that Detroit lost in extra innings. It’s OK, 161 games left.

Opening day eve

Well, we have arrived - almost. At the time of this post, we are 23 hours away from the “real” first pitch. Boston and Oakland have already played 2 regular season games but to be honest, they didn’t even feel like regular season games. They were played on a different continent for Pete’s sake! That may seem a little ridiculous to some - what can I say, that’s how I feel. Either way, tomorrow is opening day - I just bought some stuff cause I was so damn excited. Speaking of that, I just bought some very cool stuff a few days ago.
 

There is 1 game tomorrow. Atlanta will be Washington. I gotta tell ya, MLB sure does know how to GRADUALLY creep into the new season don’t they? I mean come on, you start the new season in Japan for two games, have those two teams come back state-side and play 3 more exhibition games. Then on opening night, you only have 1 game and 3 other games that are still in the exhibition mode? Please. Let’s get this thing on the road already. First of all, I think spring training is too long in the first place. Now, I understand that guys need to chip away at the rust caused from the off-season and coaches and management need time to evaluate all aspects of their team before the season starts. 5 weeks though! Is it me or does it seem like spring training gets longer every year? I am sure that Peoria and Lakeland and all the other cities that host spring camp are not complaining. I suppose I just needed to vent. One more day. Play ball!

In honor of opening day, I am going to give my predictions in a special opening day post tomorrow.

Life and the game.

As I sit here at my desk and type these words into my blog, I can’t help but wonder - Where does this all come from? The consistent ideas, the never-ending words that come to my mind. When I sat down, I did not know every single word that I was going to write. It just flows through you like an energy source.

Do you ever get writer’s block? I have never experienced it. I have heard people talk about it and I have seen books published about it. So, let’s think about this. If what I said in the first paragraph has even a small chunk of truth to it, that writing comes from an energy source, then what causes a writer to get a block? Could it be lack of inspiration? What is inspiration? Let’s take a look at the word “Inspiration”. Looks fairly similiar to the words “In-spirit”.

To quote the great Patanjali: “When you are inspired by some great purpose, some extraordinary project, all your thoughts break their bonds: Your mind transcends limitations, your consciousness expands in every direction, and you find yourself in a new, great, and wonderful world. Dormant forces, faculties and talents become alive, and your discover yourself to be a greater person by far than you ever dreamed yourself to be.”

How powerful is that? So, what Patanjali is saying, I believe, is that when we are in-spirit, (inspired) that is when the creative juices flow. When we go beyond our ego-driven limitations.

You are probably wondering “how does this fit into a site dedicated to baseball?” Well, it doesn’t. I just felt like writing about inspiration because it has been a big factor in my life lately. I figured it was time to give a little back. When you feel inspired, pay attention to your thoughts. When you feel inspired, write. When you feel inspired, you are getting a gift.

You can always ask yourself this question: “How do I feel right now?” When you do that, you not only bring your mind into “the now” but you also generally get a reaction from your body. Your body tells you how you are feeling by your emotions which are stemmed from your thoughts.

Thoughts are powerful. If you have negative feelings or hurtful thoughts towards another person, in reality, the only person you are effecting is yourself. When you hold hate in your heart, the only person that gets hurt is you. I do realize that it is seemingly impossible to journey through life without having some negative thoughts or reactions to things. That is human nature. I am talking about taking that to an extreme. Where needing to feel in control or defining yourself on your possessions becomes your reality. Seeking out occassions to become offended. Whether it be someone’s jewerly or their clothes you don’t approve of or their tattoos…whatever it may be. Passing all those judgements only puts a label on you and it only hurts you. If you call someone a “dumb-ass”, that does not make them a dumb-ass. 

Honestly, I do not know where I was going with this, I sorta just went into a tangent there. Just felt like doing that. 1:18am….bedtime.

I love this game

Everything you need to get ready for summer.

As you get closer you begin to feel the energy. The crowd gradually starts to get thicker. You begin to smell the aromas. Roasted peanuts, popcorn, garlic fries and caramel corn. You hand your ticket to the ticket agent and click through the gates. You are in. You walk towards your assigned seat and you see the most beautiful grass you have ever seen. That moment will stay with you for the rest of your life. I know it did for me.

This was my summarized first experience going to a Detroit Tigers game when I was 9. I will never forget that day. I demanded that we go see the Oakland A’s in Detroit because Ricky Henderson was my favorite player at the time. I even requested left field seats. Unfortunately, Rickey went 0-4 that day so I didn’t even get to see him attempt to steal a bag. All of those stolen bases and I didn’t witness any of them. Bah!

Getting back to seeing the grass for the first time. That moment in time just seemed to stand still for about 10 seconds. My eyes lit up and that was the moment that I knew that I was in love with a game. Baseball. A game of silent strategy and patience. A game that does not lie. A game you can’t fake. You can either hit a fastball or you can’t. The game requires quickness, both mentally and physically. The game requires timing and preparation.

I’ve had a certain conversation with quite a few people over the years. The conversation goes like this:

ME:”I love baseball”

THEM:”I like to play but I can’t stand watching it on TV, it’s so slow and boring.”

I’m sure alot of people have had this conversation at least a few times. The thing is, I can understand why some people think this way. I, of course, have never thought baseball to be boring by any means, however I can understand why some do.

Baseball, like I mentioned before, is a game of silent action. There are so many different scenarios at any given time during the course of a game. For instance, if the count is 3-2 and there is a runner on first, there are things to be done. First of all, if there are 2 outs the runner will be running on the pitch, so if he hits a grounder, the force at 2nd is out of the question. Go for the sure out at first. Second, depending on the batter, the first baseman should play off the bag to make the hole between 1st and 2nd smaller, thus avoiding the possibility of a base hit.

Those are just two very simple things that are happening out in the field before the pitch is even thrown. Every position has their respected responsibilities.

One other thing I have always loved to watch during a game is the pitcher-catcher relationships. How many times the pitcher will shake off a pitch or if he trusts his catcher and throws whatever the catcher calls. I find it very entertaining to pay very close attention to this. It adds a whole new element to watching a game of baseball on TV.

I’ve had a love for this game since I’ve been able to walk. I am sure I will be watching baseball in the retirement home, if I am lucky enough to get into a home with a TV.

Things to watch for in ‘08.

1. The roar is louder than ever in mo-town:

The Tigers should attract plenty of attention around the league this year. With Dave Dombrowski making some very key moves this offseason with the addition of Miguel Cabrera, Edgar Rentaria and Jacque Jones to an already potent line-up that finished third in runs scored last year. This team has to be considered a serious threat anytime they take the field. Dombrowski didn’t stop there either; he added Dontrelle Willis to a very talented piching rotation including their ace Justin Verlander, Jeremy Bonderman, Nate Robertson and veteran Kenny Rogers. I think there would be little room for argument when I say look out for the Tigers in ‘08 to win their second AL pennant in 3 years

  2. The NL New Yorkers are on a mission:

With the addition of all-star Johan Santana, the NY Mets will be expected to win. They have to win to get the sour taste of 2007 out of their mouths. With guys like Carlos Beltran and Jose Reyes and David Wright, there should be no doubt that these guys will come out on a mission as soon as the first pitch on opening day is thrown. The pitching staff doesn’t look too shabby either. Santana and Martinez, arguably, have to be the most lethal 1-2 punch in any rotation in the league. Watch out for the Metropolitans to take over the NL East.

3. NL West is up for grabs:

Let’s be honest, the Rockies surprised everyone last year with that amazing run towards the end of the regular season. The winning streak was unmatched and dominated all story lines in September. Making it to the big show only to be overmatched by the Boston Red Sox. The Colorado Rockies will be looking to take the NL west with Matt Holliday and Willy Tavaras. Tavaras has five stolen bases in the last three games. He participated in some offseason training which has him in great shape for the upcoming season. If things go as planned for the Rockies, their offense production will once again be atop the NL. That being said, it will not be an easy task by any means. They will be contending against a very young and talented Arizona squad with all-star pitching and a highly respected offensive threat. Behind them, we have the new look Dodgers with former Yankee skipper Joe Torre on the high seat in L.A. Should be a fun summer in the NL West but my pick goes to the defending NL champs Rockies.


4. Probable Milstones

Ken Griffey Jr. is just seven home runs shy of 600 for his career. I am banking he will get that this year. Anyone want to place a bet on that? Boston Red Sox’s Manny Ramirez and Detroit’s Gary Sheffield should reach 500 home runs each for their respected careers. Ramirez needs 11 to hit the milestone and Sheffield needs 21 long balls to join the 500 club. Best of luck guys.

Red Sox & A’s @3am

         That’s right, I was up late last night working and I just happened to catch the game being broadcast live from Tokyo. Just enough time to see that Rich Harden seems to be in regular season form, completely shutting down the powerful Boston offense. Harden allowed one run on three hits and recording nine strikeouts in six innings in a 5-1 Oakland victory in front of 44,735 fans.

The only highpoint for the defending champs came when Manny Ramirez took a pitch deep to left with a solo shot in the sixth inning however, that is the only offense that Boston could find against the A’s pitching staff.

Jon Lester picthing four innings giving up four runs on five hits with three walks and four strikeouts.

The two teams are now done with their appearance in Tokyo, Japan and will be coming home to finish out the series in Oakland with the next game taking place on the first of April.