Bonds lets his hair down

This CBS photo gave me a chuckle.  Barry Bonds was having some fun portraying American Idol judge Paula Abdul in a spoof of the show.  That’s Jeff Fassero on the left pretending to be Simon Cowell and Ray Durham on the right imitating Randy Jackson. No tags for this post.

This CBS photo gave me a chuckle.  Barry Bonds was having some fun portraying American Idol judge Paula Abdul in a spoof of the show. 

That’s Jeff Fassero on the left pretending to be Simon Cowell and Ray Durham on the right imitating Randy Jackson.

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Olympic BMX Racing and Baseball

  BMX Racing will be a new sport in the 2008 Summer Olympics but on the other hand, Baseball and Softball will be taken off the docket as of 2012. Am I missing something?   No tags for this post.

 

BMX Racing will be a new sport in the 2008 Summer Olympics but on the other hand, Baseball and Softball will be taken off the docket as of 2012.

Am I missing something?

 

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Sweden’s victory and national anthems

Yeah, it’s not about baseball not directly at least. I just wanted to give mad props to the Swedish hockey team for pulling out a victory against the Finnish team to get the gold.  You see, I’m of Swedish descent and my family never let me forget it.  So when I see a Swedish team/athlete … Continue reading “Sweden’s victory and national anthems”

Yeah, it’s not about baseball not directly at least.

I just wanted to give mad props to the Swedish hockey team for pulling out a victory against the Finnish team to get the gold.  You see, I’m of Swedish descent and my family never let me forget it.  So when I see a Swedish team/athlete in the Olympics, I’m always pulling for ’em.

Today, their hockey team certainly didn’t disappoint with a come from behind win to win it all.

One thing I noticed during the medal ceremonies (which I admit, get me a tad emotional) was how every Swedish player was singing the Swedish national anthem.  I don’t mean moving their lips and hoping someone doesn’t notice that they’re faking it.  They were actually singing it.

Why don’t the American athletes do that?  For that matter, why do the majority of American citizens in general avoid singing the Star Spangled Banner in favor of letting the performer sing it for them?

Those who know me are probably a bit surprised to read this.  But yes, despite how I feel about the current state of the U.S government, I love the Star Spangled Banner.  If more people would sing the words to the song (and more importantly, understand the context that they were written), they would have a greater appreciation for the freedoms we still have.

Two years ago at a baseball game, (see, here comes the baseball part), I was incredibly proud of my then 7 year old son who (with no prompting from me) stood up for our national anthem and took off his hat.  Part of me wanted to run around get the attention of the annoying yuppies in our section still talking on their cell phones and point to my son and say, “THERE!  That is what you should be doing now!”.  Of course, I didn’t.

I’ll get off my soapbox now.

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Illini Drop First 3 of the Season

The Stetson Invitational is over and the UI baseball team is already 0-3 for the season.  It just seemed like a case of missed opportunities and bad timing.  On Saturday, they held South Florida to 4 runs but were only able to score 2.   On the other hand, the bats came alive on Sunday and … Continue reading “Illini Drop First 3 of the Season”

The Stetson Invitational is over and the UI baseball team is already 0-3 for the season.  It just seemed like a case of missed opportunities and bad timing.  On Saturday, they held South Florida to 4 runs but were only able to score 2.  

On the other hand, the bats came alive on Sunday and they exploded for 13 runs.  Sure enough, opponent West Carolina managed to score 14.   Those runs were mostly due to the Illini pitchers’ control problems.  All told, they gave up seven walks and six (yes, six) hit batsmen. 

Trying to look on the bright side, Lars Davis who was playing for the Illini for the first time, went 4-5 for the weekend with 4 ribbies.  This is surely a good sign as he has very big shoes to fill.  Chris Robinson was the Illini catcher who graduated last year and is currently in the Detroit Tigers’ farm system (fantasy leaguers, keep an eye on him… he’s good!).  If he can begin to fill the huge gap left by Robbie, that can only be a good thing.

For the weekend, Coach Hartleb said:

“Defensively, we have a lot of guys playing new positions, and they’re going to have to settle in as we go,” Hartleb said. “As far as the pitching goes, we have to limit the number of guys we put on base. It’s disappointing that we gave so many free passes with the big lead we had.”

 

That’s true to the point of stating the obvious.  I’m sure he had more pointed observations to make in the locker room. 

Chin up, guys!  There’s a whole season ahead of you.

 

  

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Illini Fall in Season Opener

The University of Illinois baseball team took the field for the first time last night against the Stetson Hatters at the Stetson Invitational in Deland, Florida.  Unfortunately, the good guys took it on the chin losing 6-3 due to sloppy play in the field and wasted opportunities. “It was our first time outside under the … Continue reading “Illini Fall in Season Opener”

The University of Illinois baseball team took the field for the first time last night against the Stetson Hatters at the Stetson Invitational in Deland, Florida.  Unfortunately, the good guys took it on the chin losing 6-3 due to sloppy play in the field and wasted opportunities.

“It was our first time outside under the lights, but we should be able to catch routine fly balls,” Illinois coach Dan Hartleb said. “But still, I saw a lot of positives. We played very hard and we were very aggressive on the bases.”

The Hatters took advantage of consecutive errors to put together a 4-run inning which spelled defeat for the Illini. 

For those curious what the lineup of the Illini will look like this year, this is what they used last night:

  1. Joe Bonadonna cf
  2. Ryan Hastings 2b
  3. Mike Rohde 3b
  4. Chase Kliment dh
  5. Dave Schultz 1b
  6. Shawn Roof ss
  7. Trevor Huisinga
  8. Ryan Snowden lf
  9. Aaron Ifft c

Baseball Weekly polls have put the Illini finishing seventh in the Big Ten this year.  That seems a bit harsh since they were the 2005 conference champions.  But consider that the majority of their starters from their championship team have moved on.  Only Rohde, Roof, and Huisinga remain.  They have lost a few of their quality starters, too.

In addition, Itch Jones has retired and rookie coach Dan Hartleb has taken over.  There has to be some transition period.

Good luck to the Illini this season!  Looking forward to seeing some home games at Illinois Field when the weather warms up (first home game is March 31 against Purdue).

 
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GRAPEFRUIT BASEBALL, HERE I COME

It’s below zero here in Chicago, but tomorrow I’ll be on my way to the Sunshine State to watch preseason baseball. My yearly pilgrimage will be as always to the Tahitian Resort in Holiday, Florida. The Tahitian is at best a fixer upper with the traditional painting of pink & turquoise cementing its exterior somewhere … Continue reading “GRAPEFRUIT BASEBALL, HERE I COME”

It’s below zero here in Chicago, but tomorrow I’ll be on my way to the Sunshine State to watch preseason baseball. My yearly pilgrimage will be as always to the Tahitian Resort in Holiday, Florida. The Tahitian is at best a fixer upper with the traditional painting of pink & turquoise cementing its exterior somewhere in the 60s. Just down the road from the Tahitian is the best Greek food to be found in Tarpon Springs. Tarpon Springs got on the map when sponge divers came over from the Greek Islands in search of sponges. Although the sponge divers still do their thing today, Tarpon Springs is better known for its tourist shops and delicious Greek cuisine, my personal favorite is Costa’s Restaurant. As you travel further down Highway 19 you’ll come upon Clearwater, where the Phillies train. It’s strange to see the Phillie faithful in a sunshine backdrop. New Jerseyese is widely spoken with alot of deese, does, & dem. Somehow the sunshine even brings out optimism out of the people from the City of Brotherly Love. A couple of years ago I watched as Jim Thome launched a couple of bombs over the fence and out onto the highway. I’ll have to check out new hope Ryan Howard and also checkin on Jimmy JRoll Rollins as he prepares to go after the most sacred record in baseball Joe DiMaggio’s 56 game hitting streak. The only game I’ll be able to see before heading back to the frigid north of the Windy City will be on March 2nd when the Tampa Bay Devil Rays take on the Toronto Blue Jays in Dunedin, FL. Dunedin is a Scottish town with the quantist shops you’ll ever see, but the highlight of Dunedin has to be Casa Del Tina’s. Tina’s has the freshest & tastiest Mexican food you’re ever gonna experience, and the Margaritas! I’m eager to see young Rays Delmon Young & BJ Upton. Other teams that train in the area are the Devil Rays who train in St. Pete and the Yankees who own Tampa. My talk of my trip to Florida wouldn’t be complete if I didn’t mention the German Restaurant. I’m German and this place makes my mouth water just thinking about eating there. Germans are usually stoic and serious, but nothing could be further from the truth when dining there as owners Uwe & Dagmar Kasper always make me feel at home when I come to visit. Hey, was this an article about baseball or food?

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Baseball for the Ears

For the old-time baseball fans, this will take you back.  The Deadball Era’s Audio Vault is an archive of audio files from baseball history.  Just a few of the examples you can listen to include an announcer calling one of Babe Ruth’s homeruns, an interview with Carl Hubbell talking about his All-Star performance, The Shot … Continue reading “Baseball for the Ears”

For the old-time baseball fans, this will take you back. 

The Deadball Era’s Audio Vault is an archive of audio files from baseball history. 

Just a few of the examples you can listen to include an announcer calling one of Babe Ruth’s homeruns, an interview with Carl Hubbell talking about his All-Star performance, The Shot Heard ‘Round the World, and one of my favorite comedy routines, Abbott and Costello’s Who’s on First?.

Turn up the speakers and take a listen.

 

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Sosa Retiring?

Sosa, after rejecting the Nationals $500,000 offer,  is apparently retiring.  Nothing is for sure, of course with players retiring and un-retiring these days but it seems like the writing is on the on the wall. Cubs Manager Dusty Baker had some gracious words: “I’ve seen some greats leave the game, and you never want to see them … Continue reading “Sosa Retiring?”

Sosa, after rejecting the Nationals $500,000 offer,  is apparently retiring.  Nothing is for sure, of course with players retiring and un-retiring these days but it seems like the writing is on the on the wall.

Cubs Manager Dusty Baker had some gracious words:

“I’ve seen some greats leave the game, and you never want to see them leave, and you’d rather see them leave on their terms and on top,” Cubs manager Dusty Baker said Thursday. “Sammy’s been one of the great players in the game for a long time and a guy who meant a lot to Chicago and a lot to the game. He and Mark McGwire did a lot after the ’94 strike to bring the game back…”

But he concluded his comments with:

“…I just hope he does get a job soon.”

That one made me giggle just a little.   

 

Flyin’ Dutchman’s Bed and Breakfast

For those with a penchant for baseball history, there may be a chance for you to bed down in the house that Honus Wagner built.  Pittsburgh area entrepreneur Stanley Klos is planning to turn Wagner’s house into a bed and breakfast.  The plan is to get it done before the this year’s All-Star game in … Continue reading “Flyin’ Dutchman’s Bed and Breakfast”

For those with a penchant for baseball history, there may be a chance for you to bed down in the house that Honus Wagner built. 

Pittsburgh area entrepreneur Stanley Klos is planning to turn Wagner’s house into a bed and breakfast.  The plan is to get it done before the this year’s All-Star game in Pittsburgh. 

“It’s not often you get an opportunity to stay in the home of a baseball great like Honus Wagner,” said Klos, 52, one of three partners in Wagner Carnegie Inc., which bought the house in October. “You’ve got a house he dreamed about.”

Don’t make your reservations yet.  It hasn’t been cleared with the Carnegie zoning board yet.

(Hat Tip to Baseball Musings for the link) 

 

 

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Fan Interest in the WBC

Ken Davidoff, sports columnist for Newsday has an interesting column entitled Fear of injuries is main interest of American fans.  The headline is a bit misleading since there’s more to it than that.  It essentially looks at American baseball fans’ reluctance to embrace the WBC for a variety of reasons.      No tags for … Continue reading “Fan Interest in the WBC”

Ken Davidoff, sports columnist for Newsday has an interesting column entitled Fear of injuries is main interest of American fans.  The headline is a bit misleading since there’s more to it than that.  It essentially looks at American baseball fans’ reluctance to embrace the WBC for a variety of reasons. 

 

 

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