Sunday, Random Sunday: Home of the Free, Land of the Brave...
by jeffro on Sep 5, 2010 9:42 AM PDT
Email
PrintVoting. It is what makes the US of A a stupendous place to live.
Some random thoughts below the fold
Walking around the Coliseum yesterday, my wife remarked, "I know this place is a dump, but it isn't going to be the same when it is gone."
Despite evidence to the contrary, (she married me for instance) my wife is a sage woman. Yesterday was a great day to meander about the Coliseum and chat with friends, ushers, random concessionaires... Even if the place wasn't electric, it was comfortable. Like my old pair of Doc Martens that made it through the grunge years with me.
Now two random thoughts that aren't as comfortable:
- I'll take a guy like Nyjer Morgan, who plays hard, over a lot of other MLB players. I watched highlight after highlight of the incidents leading up to the brawl in Florida last week. Most of what the Marlins players were mad about was overblown. He ran over the catcher. Isn't that what you do when he is standing in front of the plate and you are trying to score? I love that after they plunked him, he swiped second. I loved even more that he took third. Don't want him to steal? Don't plunk him.
- Jeff Larish, my new favorite player. I hope he makes the mullet fashionable again.
I love that it's a Sunday in September, the Angels are in town, and the brooms are out. See you at game time.
44 comments
|
0 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
Vote King
It looks like Tom Cheek is going to get the most votes. At least that is better than Jon Miller winning the award last year.
I agree that the Morgan FLA incident was overblown. They hit him, its over. SO what if he steals bases? DOn;t want him to, don;t put him on. Further his team was down by 9 runs, he should be trying to get in scoring position.
"The ego, the super-ego, and the Ed" - dannycakes
seriously people?
King has 35 votes, 4 are mine. Lets get in the game
"The ego, the super-ego, and the Ed" - dannycakes
His numbers have been higher on other days
I wonder if they only show the day’s results.
"And Julio Franco is batting right-handed!" -- Wayne Hagin, A's radio play-by-play, mid-80s
Vote Totals
They change Daily on purpose. The HoF is counting them daily and keeping track. Here is an email I exchanged with them:
Jeffrey:
Thank you so much for your note and your kind words!
Yes, the poll is reset every day. Vote totals will not be announced until after the poll closes on Sept. 30.
If we can be of any future assistance, please do not hesitate to ask.
Sincerely,
Craig Muder
Director of Communications
National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum

From: Jeffrey August
Sent: Thu 9/2/2010 7:25 PM
To: Baseball Hall of Fame
Subject: Facebook polling?
Hi,
I voted for Bill King yesterday, and at the time he had 400 votes (or thereabouts). I came back today and it shows he has less than 200. Is the poll reset daily?
PS- I visited your fine building for the first time last year, to witness Rickey Henderson’s induction. I can’t wait to come back.
Thanks,
Jeffrey August
Thanks for following up on that, jeffro
That makes me feel better about the numbers, but I really want to start to see Bill winning a few days in a row.
"And Julio Franco is batting right-handed!" -- Wayne Hagin, A's radio play-by-play, mid-80s
the Canadians are way too organized this year
Cheek is up to 160 today. BIll has 57
"The ego, the super-ego, and the Ed" - dannycakes
Thanks! That makes a lot more sense.
I’m still shocked that there are so few votes for Bill each day.
Ms. Jesa
Your apathy will only let down us Bill King voters
If you don’t want to give away your information, then make a throwaway account with the name like Hugh Jass.
Step 2: ????
Step 3: profit!
"Whether they find life there or not, I think Jupiter should be called an enemy planet." - Jack Handey
by bluthbanana20 on Sep 5, 2010 11:12 AM PDT up reply actions
True story:
At UCLA, as with most colleges, the buildings are named after people and are referred to by the person’s name. Except the University Research Library, known as URL. There is a plaque inside the library noting the man that does give it a name. Hugh E. Dick.
"The ego, the super-ego, and the Ed" - dannycakes
At Mount Holyoke, one of the Seven Sisters women's colleges
you can attend a lecture in Clapp Hall, which is located in Hooker Auditorium.
"And Julio Franco is batting right-handed!" -- Wayne Hagin, A's radio play-by-play, mid-80s
I just don't like the way Morgan's emotions get in the way of his play
AN: Where you will be an A's fan or Dallas Braden will show you the repercussions of your actions.
Morgan broke a lot of "unwritten rules" when over the last week.
If you were on Braden’s side in the A-Rod fiasco, then you shouldn’t support Morgan’s antics because Morgan actually broke some that people had heard of.
You don’t run over a catcher unless the only way to score is to knock the ball out of his hand. In the play where he actually knocked the catcher over, if he had slid, he would have been safe. The catcher had just caught the ball near his head and was in the process of bringing it down when Morgan plowed him. There’s also the other case, in the Cardinals game, where Morgan went out of his way to make contact with a catcher that didn’t have the ball and was walking away from the plate. In doing so, he missed the plate and was called out because another Nat grabbed him and pushed him back towards it.
He also (allegedly) threw a ball into a group of fans that were heckling him. Morgan said he tossed it into the crowd when he was done with it and the fan wasn’t paying attention. Regardless, MLB issued a seven game suspension and the rest of the BS above happened during his appeal. Not that Washington’s games are really important anymore this season, but he’s costing his team because of his antics.
I don’t want a player that puts personal vendettas in front of the team. I also don’t want a player that has some sort of blood grudge against the other team––that puts other players in harm’s way. I also don’t want a player that alienates fans, whether home or away, by doing anything other than playing baseball as well as Alex Rodriguez. I also don’t want a player with a freaking .287 wOBA.
I agree with all the catcher stuff
ANd I don’t really want him, but the Marlins incident(s) in a vacuum were overblown
"The ego, the super-ego, and the Ed" - dannycakes
I hate it when my vacuum overblows
I hate Bob Geren and his peanut brain so much -- lenscrafters
by WaddellCanseco on Sep 5, 2010 11:08 AM PDT up reply actions
in harm's way?
bring him to Oakland. The A’s can’t get hurt any MORE with him than they already do without him. right?
This is not little league. The kid who strikes out the most is not the worst player on the team.
by eastcoasta'sfan on Sep 5, 2010 10:46 AM PDT up reply actions
Right..
I liked the Braden thing, not because of a broken unwritten rule, but because A Rod has been a douche on multiple occasionas and someone needed to stand up to him.
As a dude who played catcher, I can tell you, if the ball is coming in and someone is coming down the line… you are going to get whacked. It isn’t “only in the event you can score no other way.” It is pretty ridiculous to even assert that a runner can know that on his way to the plate.
"It is pretty ridiculous to even assert that a runner can know that on his way to the plate."
yes.
i feel like its only with replay and the subsequent knowledge of hayes’s injury that we can say morgan made a mistake. was it probably unnecessary? sure. wouldn’t be the first time a guy bowled over a catcher he didn’t have to. this one just happened to get hurt. it sucks, but dirty feels too strong.
by mk on Sep 5, 2010 11:13 AM PDT up reply actions
When the option is slide and score
or attempt to injure a man (and possibly yourself) and score, the choice to slide should be pretty obvious. Watch the replay. The catcher is standing on top of the plate, not two feet in front of it, squared up with Morgan trying to block the plate. And after the incident with the Cardinals catcher, where Morgan went so far out of his way to try to hit the catcher that he missed the plate, it’s pretty obvious that Morgan isn’t about to start sliding.
Look. I’m all for players busting ass on every play. There is a line, though, and Morgan crossed it several times over the past week. You play hard until your style of play causes somebody injury when it’s quite easily avoidable. Morgan isn’t just playing hard anymore, he’s taking it to an extreme that you shouldn’t want on your team.
misdirected
Seems like Morgan really wants to be a football player. Also, does not play well with others.
"It's better to live rich than die rich" -- The Fat Lady
Orlando Cabrera
has made the playoffs in 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, and now likely 2010. With 5 different teams.
"The ego, the super-ego, and the Ed" - dannycakes
Lonnie Smith won the World Series with the Phillies, Cardinals and Royals. His baserunning
might have cost the Braves the 1991 World Series. Why are we talking about this?
I hate Bob Geren and his peanut brain so much -- lenscrafters
by WaddellCanseco on Sep 5, 2010 11:07 AM PDT up reply actions
I saw the headline on the sidebar about the reds having an 8 game
lead. I think its cool that Cabrera has been to the playoffs with so many teams in such a short time.
"The ego, the super-ego, and the Ed" - dannycakes
Ah
I hate Bob Geren and his peanut brain so much -- lenscrafters
by WaddellCanseco on Sep 5, 2010 11:13 AM PDT up reply actions
Speaking of random, the Braves just scored two runs on a sacrifice fly.
Cameron Maybin made a leaping grab to save a grand slam.
"You're all like big fat failure turtles." - Edge
by Rated-R Superstar on Sep 5, 2010 11:33 AM PDT reply actions
And that part of whatever-the-ballpark-in-Miami-is-called-now is like 430 ft deep
"Rollins helps them with the small ball when he's not in the lineup." - Joe Morgan
the take away lesson is
don’t be a hero, don’t throw behind the runner
"The ego, the super-ego, and the Ed" - dannycakes
A's currently 18th best record in baseball
Go mets, go tigers
"The ego, the super-ego, and the Ed" - dannycakes
I like how CT keeps saying
Breast cancer effects us all because we all have a mother, sister, girlfriend, wife.
Um Chris, some of your listeners are women.
"The ego, the super-ego, and the Ed" - dannycakes
and Men can get it as well
I had an uncle who died from breast cancer…..I continue to not really understand the appeal of CT.
But seriously,folks....
Honestly,
The only time I thought Morgan was really out of line was when he was cheering to the crowd after the brawl.
Going through the catcher is a dirty play? Not to me, he could’ve slid, but didn’t. BFD. But since things aren’t in a vacuum, Morgan definitely did a lot in a short amount of time to piss a lot of people off. Guys could do worse things to get suspended. Nijer earned his though.
"I thought it was going in," Warriors center Chris Hunter said. "It looked like the invisible man tipped it away at the last second."
I'd concede
That he needs to learn to shut his mouth, too. His reaction to the suspension was a bit classless. I am just saying the plays he made in the game against Florida were completely okay by me.
Intentionally running into a player should be an instant ejection and suspension, as it is in the NCAAs
Baseball is not a contact sport.
Of course, throwing at a player should be an instant ejection and suspension too, so it cuts both ways.
"We don't want our people to be preoccupied with seminude, crazy men jumping up and down who are chasing an inflated object," said Sheik Mohamed Osman Arus, head of operations for the Hizbul Islam insurgent group.
They should clean up the rule (or at least its enforcement) on the catcher blocking the plate, then, too
As far as I know, umps still let the catcher set up 5 feet up the 3B line, fully armored, straddling the baseline. Sticking a foot in front of the plate is probably okay, but the full “none shall pass!” thing definitely contributes to making the game dangerous, and is appropriate only if baseball is conceived of as a contact sport.
"And Julio Franco is batting right-handed!" -- Wayne Hagin, A's radio play-by-play, mid-80s
I'd be in favor of a rule that says that any part of a defender's foot which is touching the base/plate
is considered to be part of the base for all tag plays— as long as the runner does as he is supposed to and slides directly at the base.
As for straddling the baseline, I mean, that’s just plain ol’ obstruction. You don’t even need a new rule for that— just enforce the existing rule.
"We don't want our people to be preoccupied with seminude, crazy men jumping up and down who are chasing an inflated object," said Sheik Mohamed Osman Arus, head of operations for the Hizbul Islam insurgent group.
If the fielder has the ball (or is in the act of fielding it), he has the right to block a runner's basepath
The rules define “obstruction” as, “the act of a fielder who, while not in possession of the ball and not in the act of fielding the ball, impedes the progress of any runner.”
"And Julio Franco is batting right-handed!" -- Wayne Hagin, A's radio play-by-play, mid-80s
This rule has always pissed me off
Especially when one Eric Byrnes slides into one Jason Varitek who doesn’t have the ball and didn’t catch it.
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Recommended FanPosts
Recent FanPosts
Baseball Nation Recent Stories
In Association With
Big League Stew - MLB - Yahoo! Sports
- Photo: Padres fan regrets letting mother capture moment with Trevor Hoffman
- Marlins agree to unretire No. 5 for Logan Morrison, who will honor his father’s favorite player
- Weatherman Derek Holland does Dallas TV
- Ask Alex: Will Julio Teheran or Matt Moore win rookie of the year?
- Ku Klux Klan, umpires and bowling: Why the minor leagues tossed out Jim Evans academy
Certain photos copyright © 2012 by Associated Press or Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Associated Press and Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
