Blogs are poor excuses for street corners.
I’m always being reminded of that in my neighborhood.
“Baseball blogging doesn’t take any courage,” my friend Javier was telling the guys gathered outside the bodega near the corner of Gerard Avenue and East 157th Street. “Ballplayers have the courage to put it on the line every day in front of a million people. If you don’t have the guts to toss your opinions around on the street and risk getting a fist in the face then you shouldn’t write them on a blog.”
“Agreed,” I said.
“I wasn’t asking some sissy blogger,” Javier snapped.
Nobody ever asks me, but…
I love grown men who spit sunflower seeds, chew bubblegum and answer to: Jete, Mo, A-Rod, Josey, Domo, Mattie, Melk, CC, A.J., Swish, Brew, X-Man and The Wanger.
If Joba Chamberlain was a banker, they would call him Justin Chamberlain instead of Joba the Hutt.
I know most people doubt Orlando Hernandez these days. He is old and hasn’t been healthy enough to pitch in a long time. But I still believe El Duque can do anything.
The best part of the World Baseball Classic is getting to see the Cubans play.
It seems like there are more Americans backing out of the World Baseball Classic every day. The players’ concerns need to be addressed if this tournament is ever going to be what it should be.
Jason Whitlock of The Kansas City Star is one of the best sports columnists in the country. I just wish he covered more baseball.
Joe Posnanski covers a lot of baseball for The Kansas City Star. He also does fine work for Sports Illustrated and on his blog.
The Kansas City Star deserves the best writers since that’s where Ernest Hemingway got his start.
There used to be a great sportswriter in New York named Mike Lupica. Whatever happened to that guy?
Josh Hamilton made year-end lists in GQ and Esquire. He also has a new book out called “Beyond Belief: Finding the Strength to Come Back.” He had a fabulous season and deserves everything that comes his way.
Milton Bradley had a pretty good season, too.
According to some baseball writers, Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens and Sammy Sosa and Rafael Palmeiro may be locked out of the Hall of Fame just like Mark McGwire.
Will there be any reason to still call it the Hall of Fame if all that talent joins Pete Rose on the outside looking in?
I say the Yankees are the team to beat.
The Crown Diner on East 161st Street has the best chocolate donuts in the world.
Two of my favorite places to watch baseball are Falcon Park in Auburn and Dunn Field in Elmira. And I will always love the long-gone MacArthur Stadium in Syracuse and the soon-to-be-gone Yankee Stadium in the Bronx. But the best place to see a ballgame is wherever you’re watching one that day.
I think Mark Teixeira is a great talent, but Manny Ramirez has ripped my heart out so many times that I wouldn’t mind having him on my side for a change. Part of it is that he grew up just across the Harlem River in Washington Heights and the rest of it is the big bat he swings. I’ll carry any baggage as long as he carries that lumber.
Tony Pena will bring a lot more to this team as the bench coach. And I’m not just saying that because I like the Tony Pena codfish-salad special at El Nuevo Caridad in Washington Heights.
My best friend Michael Allen recently gave me a copy of “Nobody Asked Me, But… The World of Jimmy Cannon.” I’ve never owned the book, but have checked it out of the library about a million times. That gift will save me a pile of money in late fees.
Blogs will always be poor excuses for street corners, but I told Javier that it would be warmer in front of my computer than on the corner of Gerard Avenue and East 157th Street.
“You online guys are real sissies,” Javier said. “But since no one punched your lights out I guess it’s okay to blog it.”
These nobody asked me posts are cool, easy reading. Nobody asked me, but – Keep them coming.
Todd is the best. His takes are a real breath of fresh air.
By the way what is KROD going to say about you saying the Yanks at the team to beat?
I have to agree, watching the Cuban team is my favorite part of the WBC as well. Aside from watching players we don't see very often, it's the rituals and superstitions (hat shaking, water throwing, etc) to go along with it that I enjoy.
Impacto Deportivo is reporting that the Yankees have agreed to a 3-year, $75MM contract with Manny. While I'm rather skeptical of the accuracy, here's the link anyway:
http://www.impactodeportivo.com.do/?op=displaystory&story_id=4836&format=html
We got poor excuses for street corners on my block, but nearby there are the ritual and superstitious booty-shaking and fist-throwing, etc...>;)
Josh Hamilton made year-end lists in GQ and Esquire. He also has a new book out called “Beyond Belief: Finding the Strength to Come Back.” He had a fabulous season and deserves everything that comes his way.
Milton Bradley had a pretty good season, too.
HA!
[1] yeah, to keep in tune with today's layout: nobody asked me, but one of my very favorite things to do is read Todd Drew's Shadow Games at the new Bronx Banter on a daily basis! : )
[6] yep, caught that too, poifect!
[7] Yahmon!
Diane might expound on this in the morning, but looks like there just might be some market correction on Tex coming along after all... now all we have to do is wait and hope that there isn't that One Dumb Owner this time around. Would anyone be interested in Tex for ten years if it was for under 100 mil? Maybe a high front end with opt-out after four years is back in discussion?
you must mean under 200? :)
I think Angelos might swop in and go for the local boy..I can live with Tex on the O's and not the Sox.
thelarmis said it better than I could, but I want to make sure I echo/2nd that post.
TD, my maternal family's all from KC,Ks area & the Internet's allowing me to read Whitlock helps compensate for its downsides (your neighbors ribbing you w/sissy being one); I was telling someone about him just Friday nite...
[10] Nope, I mean under 100 mil. Reports have stated that the Ded Sox offered around $168M/8yrs and the Angels and perhaps even the Nats! came in around $160M/8, and so far the Sox and Angels have declared they're withdrawing their offers. The Yanks have been sitting on the fence and who knows how serious the Orioles and Nats! are, but if they wait out Boras, who knows? But I like the second idea (high front end and opt-out after four) better.
Check it out:
http://tinyurl.com/6whhtr
Manny's getting a 3-year deal in the Bronx for $75 million. According to Impacto Deportivo. What a scoop if it's true...
Besides having the purest heart, Todd is certainly the best around here. Alex got that right.
But, Todd, you got it wrong when you said I'm your best friend. You are my best friend.
It seems like there are more Americans backing out of the World Baseball Classic every day. The players’ concerns need to be addressed if this tournament is ever going to be what it should be.
The players concerns or the Americans concerns? Because the other teams seem to be coming along fine
Todd, you bring the street corner to the web. Tell Javier that for me.
lv
larry
[14]
Raf,
I think the concerns are with all big-leaguers and especially pitchers. Pitchers just aren’t usually ready to go “all out” that early in Spring Training. And if they get ready to go “all out” that early in the year, will they have anything left in September and October? Plenty of countries will be missing some of their best pitchers when the tournament starts.
[16]
In the terms of the Caribbean teams, they're coming off the Serie del Caribe, so they're ready to go. It didn't appear they were holding back last time, nor did it appear that Japan or Korea were holding back. It appears that the only squad that had a problem were the US team (well there were others, but their problem had more to do with roster construction; Team Italy, for example).
IIRC, pitchers had pitch limits by rounds, so that shouldn't be a problem either. I don't think it was, actually.
WRT having anything left in Sept & October, I don't think the stats would bear that out, but it seems like a bit of a small sample size to me.
[17]
Raf,
I don’t think players or their Major League teams make decisions on the WBC based on pitch counts or what the stats may or may not bear out. They see this as an exhibition tournament. And why take a chance in an exhibition?