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Tom Strange
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..and the Red Sox are in last, and the Yankees next to last (which Im sure some people in the country are relishing)..

The Red Sox are finally having their Home Opener after 20 days and 20,000 miles on the road...The ring ceremony and the pennant raising was great to watch, a lot of hoopla and drama, celebrity athletes from Boston, the symphony playing etc. but the highlight for me was the first pitch. They could have had anybody in the world but they gave the honor to Bill Buckner. he appeared to be wiping away tears as he walked in slowly from left field and got a long standing ovation...

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That's great about Buckner. Would they have been so forgiving without a championship or two under their belt ? Still, it's nice.

The Boston pr guy now in LA has made his first major blunder. Ever since Dodger Stadium opened, fans(mostly kids) would line up in the stands, near the dugouts while the players signed balls and stuff before the game. Fans this season are being stopped and told they're not allowed in the expensive box seat area near the dugouts. The only fans getting signed balls now are the rich fat cats and their kids.

This was apparently the Boston pr guy's doing. At least he's taking 'credit' for it. His answer is that they have a new area in center field open before the game so fans can stand and hope for batting practice ball hit to them. Pr guy says that's the new area for autograph signing, though a Dodger player has yet to bother with it. Pr guy says his answer was 'Solomon like'.

The Orioles are 5-1. Wonder if they're printing playoff tickets in Baltimore yet.

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Magic number for the O's is about 157 -maybe they could at least start to design those playoff tickets!

That sounds like a jacka$$ move by "The Dentist", it wont be his last. Some of his ideas were good (Faters and Sons could play catch on the field on Fathers Day, others were ridiculous..It probably wont be long beofre they are advertising The official Celebrity Rehab Center of The Los Angeles Dodgers between innings...Even though he can be an a$$ hopefully he'll do something with the history of the team that is of interest,, but kicking kids out of box seats is pretty bad....

Its hard to believe that the Tigers with the lineup that they have are where they are --- they're down 5-0 in the 7th

It was good to see Bill Buckner again, he had Hall of Fame numbers during a great career, but in a lot of circles is remembered for one play that has been replayed about 700million times over the last 22 years.... He deserved better, Im glad that they recognized him today...it was a good thing to do....

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The Dodgers have been doing father and son catch on the field for years, so it's not the pr guy's innovation.

I noticed last year that they made fathers and sons catch with basically nerf balls. No comment.

The Tigers will turn it around at some point, but clearly they're pressing and in one of those nightmare zones that even the best teams get into.

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Im sure they will--Still with a lineup like theirs its strange to see them all slumping at once...

I know there are bigger and more exciting things happening, and there already has been some memorable things happen this year

and I have already said it--but so far this is my favorite moment of the year

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...maybe next year they'll bring back Grady Little to throw out the first pitch....

nah..doubt it..

I gotta applaud Placido Polanco, he's made errors in the last two consecutive games but before that it had been something ridiculous (a year and a half or something) of errorless second base for the Tigers...When you think of all the things second basemen do...outfield relays, double plays with runners bearing down on them, throws from up the middle , diving into the hole, covering first on bunts , covering for stealing runners etc...its a pretty amazing streak...I love watching a good glove guy....

anyway the Tigers finally won last night...thats not surprising

I AM surprised nobody has posted a UnObama article yet over in the other section....that'll probably be next...

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UnObama-!

Don't give them any ideas !

That particular brand of thought over there reminds me of many of the way corps I knew. I'm so glad I don't have to listen to it, or pretend to be okay with it.

I don't seriously look at how teams are doing until a month or two goes by. It's a looong season, and a team can get hot or cold in April as easily as in July.

And where the heck is Tom Strange anyhow ?

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Looks like our old friend Eric Gagne is up to his old tricks but their sticking by him in Milwaukee

Brewers manager Ned Yost disagreed with the notion that closer Eric Gagne has less margin for error than earlier in his career, when he threw his fastball in the high 90s. Now topping out at 94 mph, Gagne has blown two of three save opportunities by surrendering tying homers in the ninth, including one by Cincinnati's Corey Patterson on Tuesday. "He used to throw very, very hard. Now he throws very hard," said Yost. "His stuff is still closer stuff. "Yeah, he used to throw 97, 98 (mph). His fastball is 94 (mph) now. He's got a nice breaking ball and a nice changeup. It has nothing to do with his stuff." -- Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

I could be wrong (well I probably am...) but I still think he is either tipping his pitches or his fastball just has no movement anymore

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Whats happenin baseball world?

Im startin to have fun over here, two ninth inning wins in a row on HR's, some lights out closing, a nice 4 game winning streak, already a few exciting moments---spring on the way...Im likin it

Am I reading the box scores wrong or are some National League teams batting pitchers 8th? Im trying --but can someone explain the logic of that to me?

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The only team batting pitchers 8th is the Cardinals. Tony LaRussa has done it before, and is trying it again. I'm not a mind reader, but his logic may be that having a real hitter up ninth sets up the lead off man , who usually only bats lead off once, but should be great at moving runners over.

Enjoy the late inning homers. Those are the fun times, and make up for the inevitable down times. Baseball just ain't built for success all the time.

And still no Tom Strange. Hope you're ok wherever you are.

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TOM! COME JOIN US!!!!

as far as Larussa goes----I guess i see it..I suppose you get more men for your 2/3/4 guys to knock in but why not just put them at 3/4/5?....

I just get the feeling that you're going to have 2 runs in, 2 outs, and the bases loaded in the first inning, and instead of a decent shot at a 3 or 4 run inning, your pitcher is coming up and there it goes out the window.

I heard someone once come up with the idea of a National League team on the road annoucing their last night's starting pitcher as batting 9th, and pitching. That way, if you had a rally going in the top of the 1st, you could get a good pinch hitter up to hit for a guy who wasn't going to bat anyway, and if you didn't get a rally, you substitute with the guy who everyone knew was the pitcher that day.

I'm not sure if you can pinch hit in the top of the 1st for someone who hasn't taken the field yet or if that might be an illegal substitution, but it might come in to play a few times a season and make a difference, with no real downside..

...just musing...

....

yea Im liking the ninth inning HR's---I know there are ups and downs but this is part is a lot of fun and very hopeful time--Jed Lowrie played in his first Major League game and had 3 RBI's --anmother one coming up....

I keep thinking of Manny playing short, which you mentioned seeing him at the Coliseum and it brings me into fits of laughter

...gotta love the guy

This new thing Manny does when he just holds the bat out with alittle grin before assuming his stance iis a moment when all good things seem suddenly possible, that woman is gonna call, a job will fall from the sky, I'll feel 20 again...

mancleve-718952.jpg

In his own words all he wants to do is come, play the game and go home,

Sometimes all I want to do iis Go to the game, watch him hit and go home

4-4, 2outs in the ninth, Manny at the plate grinning--

Really, life doesn't need to be any more complex or profound than that

...........................

TOM --MOM BACK!

Edited by mstar1
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HMMM Still no Tom-Im joinin you hoping that all is well.

his StRangers show up tonight for three games.

Manny is in the zone --2 more last night--although part of it is that Mussina isnt the old Mussina anymore..

Hows Joe T looking in Dodgerworld?

Ive seen Joe G. 5 times so far and-- Im not being snitty about it --but so far I have to say that Im less than impressed..its still early and it could all change in a heartbeat but even Yank fans are complainin to me about him....

The NYPost seems to be daily calling for Randolphs head (Its the second week of April!!) ..tough crowd..

...If you have 10 or 15 THIS is apiece of really good writing--change the names , change the teams it could be about anyone...

Edited by mstar1
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That was a nice piece. It reminds me of growing up listening to Yankee games (a team the writer almost goes out of his way not to mention).

I'm not close enough to the day to day to have an opinion on Joe G yet. I know when you win you look good, and when you lose you look bad.

Torre is still feeling his way out here, and would be the first to tell you that.

I'm on the road for a week, so good luck hunting down Tom Strange.

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Actually, that book excerpt is intriguing, and I think I'll be buying it when it comes out. I have to admit I'm a little burned out on every book coming from a Yankee or Red Sox fan. Growing up in Connecticut it really did seem like baseball didn't matter west of Philadelphia, and even here in LA the bulk of the baseball books are Yankee-Sox centric. Enough already. What's it like growing up with the Twins and Harmon Killebrew ?

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Im sure its just as interesting and intriguing --maybe even more so --with a different backdrop...Id read it--if anyone would write it.

Hell --I used to dream about the Twins myself--Tony Oliva, Zoilo Versailles, Bob Allison, Cesar Tovar....and I can still see Killebrew --rounded over at the shoulders and the way he extended his arms behind him as the pitcher went into his windup...they were giants to me --and I may as well have been a million miles away--but I knew when they all were coming to town and what they could do.

It would be interesting to hear a midwestern perspective ....I spose if I hunted something could be found from the Cardinals or Reds perspective..

Now you have me wondering about growing up in Minnesota--in some vast space-listening to the radio at night :biglaugh:

anyway--happy travels (anything good?)

I'll keep an eye out for our lost brethren

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hey guys!

do not fret... all is well... (though not with the stRangers)...

I hope you survived watching those games starman... it's been an incredible season so far for the stRangers... with Ron Washington we were supposed to see them excel in fundamentals and focus! ...at least once a game you'll see them doing something that not even a little leaguer would do!

there's rumblings that he may be gone as soon as the end of this series with Detroit if things don't change... and that might include the boy wonder as well (Jon Daniels)...

what we really, really want is a new owner... but at least it's baseball and we have access to good seats on the fourth row near the third base batting circle and this is the only time of year that it's comfortable to watch them... of course, I did break down and turn on the AC today since the thermostat said 86 in the house and it never got below 79 inside last night...

but it is baseball... (of a sort)

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Welcome back bro--Good to see you!

I noticed what you were saying during the last series, and was thinking of you when the Sox swept....

Sox are on a rampage winning 10 of the last 11--with kids--that are all good and exciting (Beckett, Lowell, Schilling, Varitek are all DL'ed) I think Ellsbury may be the fastedt human I have ever seen. He stole on a pitchout a few days ago and yesterday stole, slid and was standing back up before the throw got there.. last night after homering twice, dragbunted in a tied game in the eight (no play) --then scored from first on a hit to left...Aye Carumba.

Pedroia (all 5'5" of him) had three doubles last night and is up around.370 somewhere

10 come from behinds already--which makes every game exciting.

Glad you have some good seats.

I was at last nights at Fenway against the Angels and they looked great--

as a little aside earlier I posted the pic of me and the World Series Trophies

yeaterday totally by accident (long story) I had a World Series ring on my finger

I didnt have my damn camera with me tho :asdf::asdf:

stay a while Tom

Edited by mstar1
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Congratulations to the Chicago Cubs on winning their 10,000th game, a ten inning affair against Hap's Colorado Rockies...Of course, the winning pitcher in this milestone game was none other than Kerry Wood---who earned the victory by coming in to pitch in the 9th, blowing the save, then being lifted for a pinch-hitter in the tenth, who ended up scoring the winning run...

Meanwhile, Greg Maddux pitches seven innings of 4-hit shutout ball, issuing no walks in a 75 pitch thing of beauty, and is denied his 350th victory when Trevor Hoffman blows the save in the 9th...

Only in baseball....

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Congratulations to the Chicago Cubs on winning their 10,000th game,

I checked to see when they started., since they didn't use to play so many games ... it seems they started as the White Stockings and beat the Cardinals (the Browns then) 47-1 in their first game in 1870. They became the Cubs in the early 1900's, winning the world series in 1907 and 1908, the last time they won. So maybe they are due, after 100 years. They started a little slow, but have been gangbusters since ...

The print media used the nickname Colts and then the Orphans for brief periods before ultimately being dubbed the Cubs in the early 1900s.
[
citation needed
]
The name
Chicago White Stockings
was adopted in 1900 by another Chicago team, which was to be part of the newly formed
American League
.

GO CUBBIES
(except against the Cardinals)

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They became the Cubs in the early 1900's, winning the world series in 1907 and 1908,

Ive said a few times this past winter that the hundred year rebuilding program looks like its falling right into place...

Im all set for the Cubbies ...to come to Fenway...in October.

I'll be lookin forward to it!

I had a World Series ring on this week.I wannna see the face on Simon when he gets to try one on...

There is nothin quite like it

Good to see youse guys

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Im in mild shock

I have a close friend who amongst other things is a very good DJ, who just scored a gig to DJ one of big MLB Celebrity Bashes on ALLStar weekend in NYC...

He just called to invite me to the party, and also with the gig has scored tickets to the All Star game at Yankee Stadium to which he also invited me...

Bash and game

my price $0.00

It feels like christmas morning all of a sudden....

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yea Im still stunned- in between running around with everyday stuff it still hasnt sunk in yet

welcome back btw..

I have 3 games this week at Fenway but its raining and cold and is supposed to be that way all week <_<

I suppose a few rainouts wouldn't be bad for the sox to regroup having just been swept by The Rays (who are for real this year) and are on a 5 game losing streak..

any teams out that way had the flu yet? It went through the RS like the plague.

..... all star game..

the last allstar game at Yankee Stadium...

it still doesnt seem real

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The Angels are hit with the flu. Maybe they caught it from the Sox.

I'm sick and optimistic about Yankee Stadium at the same time. I grew up with Yankee Stadium, loving it and it's history. I hated the 70's renovation. They managed to remove much of it's charm, in my opinion. Still, it was Yankee Stadium.

From what I've seen of the new park, they've learned by their mistakes. Unless I'm mistaken, the field is configured the same, down to the same direction, only across the street. Other features look more like Yankee Stadium than the existing one.

It will still be a sad day come the last game-which I hope is deep into the post season.

At least they're not moving to the Meadowlands, as George used to threaten. THAT would have been criminal.

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