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At the Intersection of Sports and Culture

Photo Credit for Header: Alex Foucre-Stimes

Monday Morning Musings: Day Old Coffee Edition

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I’m not proud to admit it, but I ran out of coffee Sunday morning and of all the days of the week, Sunday is the last possible day I can afford for this to happen. I have no problem reusing day old coffee on a Thursday or for some sort of iced beverage but Sunday is a totally different story. If I don’t get a fresh cup of hot coffee on Sunday morning then I can’t possibly be expected to complete the New York Times crossword puzzle. And if I can’t complete the New York Times crossword puzzle I certainly shouldn’t be expected to execute any of the assigned chores for the day which usually includes cooking, cleaning, mowing, and just being an all around helpful husband/father. Needless to say, yesterday was not a very productive day.

A Quick Trip Around the Bases

1B – Arizona keeps chugging right along, even after being swept by the Atlanta Braves over the weekend they still remain 1.5 game in front of reigning World Series champions the San Francisco Giants. Many are crediting the turnaround in the desert to the coaching staff full of ex major leaguers led by manager Kirk Gibson. And while I’m sure the “been-there-done-that” mentality from the coaching staff has helped, the real reason the D’Backs are contending this season is because of players like RF Justin Upton and P Ian Kennedy. How many of Kennedy’s 15 wins are you going to chalk up to pitching coach Charles Nagy? How many home runs has Matt Wiliams hit for Upton? Coaches matter but players matter more and it’s about time we gave this group of relative no names the attention they deserve.

2B – Now onto something not so surprising, how historically bad are my Baltimore Orioles? With all the elbow and shoulder issues the team has had to deal with, club orthopedist Dr. Lewis Yocum is about to become as synonymous with the city of Baltimore as Johnny Unitas and Detective McNulty.

At this point, general manager Andy MacPhail should consider hiring famous actors who have previously played baseball players on the big screen to come to Camden Yards and reprise their roles for the Orioles. Because I’m pretty sure there are plenty of Baltimore fans who would rather see Nuke Laloosh on the mound than the Class-AAAA slop they have been wheeling out there these last few months.

3B – Can we take a quick pulse of the current AL MVP race? Leading my list are four players: Adrian Gonzalez, Jacoby Ellsbury, Curtis Granderson, and Justin Verlander. Verlander is the clear leader for the AL Cy Young award but there are plenty of people now rumbling for his name to be included on the short list of MVP candidates as well.

How in the world do you put Jose Bautista as your AL MVP favorite, especially when you also openly acknowledge that he, along with the rest of the Toronto lineup, has been the beneficiary of a phantom sign stealer sitting alone in the Rogers Centre Hotel. I’ll give you that Bautista does hit a lot of home runs, but if this is our only piece of criteria for determining an MVP award, why not give the NL MVP to Dan Uggla?

Me, I’m going to go with Granderson who has more than made up for the fading power of ARod and the substandard average of Mark Teixiera. Of course, if the voting were to be determined by the female population of Revere, MA, Jacoby Ellsbury wins in a landslide.

HR – After weeks, if not years of speculation, the Chicago Cubs finally fired GM Jim Hendry. Now all anyone can talk about is who is line to become the next GM of the Cubbies. And according to the Courier-News, one of the primary qualifications to even be considered for this position is if you were either born in Chicago and/or remain a loyal Cubs fan. What is this, fantasy baseball? If we applied this same logic to say.. flying an airplane, we’d all be stuck with some sort of John Travolta type as our pilot and that wouldn’t be good for anyone. Last night on the Cubs/Cardinals SNB broadcast, Cubs owner Tom Ricketts said that he is looking for three main qualities in his next general manager: player development, analytical approach, and tradition of winning. Ricketts went on to add that all interested candidates should submit cover letters and resumes to: The Chicago Cubs, Wrigley Field, Chicago, IL 60613.

view from Turner Field courtesy of @GABuckeye311 

Miller Park in Milwaukee: Home of the Friendliest Parking Lot Bar in America

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Our dispatches from the field courtesy of intrepid VMS adventurer Steve continue with a close examination of a parking lot in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. That’s right. The very first thing he mentioned about his trip to Miller Park was that there is a fully functioning bar and sausage haus in the parking lot. Leave it to the fine folks of Wisconsin to do it right. If you’re not going to build a ballpark directly downtown, where it can be surrounding by existing bars and restaurants, then you might as create the sort of infrastructure that encourages tailgating in the parking lot.

And why can’t all of baseball be more like football in this regard? Football fans, what with their cast iron smokers and brick oven pizzas, have created an entire culture around the pregame tailgate. Does this not happen before MLB baseball games because, unlike football where they play only once a week, baseball teams average 3-4 home games over a similar stretch? Probably also has something to do with people coming to ballgames directly from work. Unfortunately, with the national unemployment rate rising to the near cataclysmic level of 9.2%, perhaps some fans are going to have a bit more time to explore leisurely activities.

Getting back to Steve, here are a few highlights from inside Miller Park.

– Brewers fans are unfailingly generous people. After Steve’s girlfriend “accidentally” dumped a beer on his lap a Brewers fan was quick to offer a few baby wipes to help contain the spill. After hearing about this incident I will now pack baby wipes before attending my next baseball game.

– Bratwurst winning the sausage race. My only question, how does the Bratwurst not win the sausage race every single time? It’s the closest thing Milwaukee has to an indigenous encased meat.

– Bernie Brewer = consimate professional mascot. If Milwaukee really wanted to expand their revenue stream they should auction off turns down Bernie’s slide after every Brewer homerun.

 

Even Baseball Players Perspire

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We’re having a heat wave. I’m mean it’s hot, dang hot. The kind of heat where it doesn’t cool off even after the sun goes down. Last night, I sat on the couch to watch a few minutes of the Bruins/Canucks and was seated for a total of five minutes before sticking to the fabric. Not pleasant. I had to spend the rest of the evening pacing back and forth in front of the television.

Later, I was able to catch a few innings of the Red Sox/Yankees game from the steamy Bronx and I noticed that Alfredo Aceves was having a difficult time “managing” his perspiration. The YES Network cameras were able to pick up a considerable amount of sweat dripping from his saturated cap. It looked liked he was having a tough time picking up the signs from Jason Varitek. I’m not even sure how he was even able to hold onto the ball. Didn’t seem to affect his performance however as Aceves was able to get Derek Jeter to ground into a crucial double play in the 6th.

Heading West on I-80, Andrew McCutchen’s walkoff propelled the red hot Pirates past the visiting Diamondbacks by a final score of 3-2. Pittsburgh is at .500 in June for the first time since the days of Bonds, Bonilla, and Van Slyke.* I really want to like this Bucs team and could be persuaded to purchase a McCutchen #22 tshirt jersey. He’s seems like an absolute star in the making and I don’t know when his contract is up but can only hope that Pittsburgh is able to lock him up long term.

*I made this last part up but it really does feel like a long time since the Pirates had their heads above water this late in the season.

view from PNC Park courtesy of @MalloryCowell

 

Memorial Day Musings

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I left the BBQ behind for a a few moments Sunday night to watch the lead segment on 60 Minutes about the heroic story of Medal of Honor recipient Sgt. Sal Giunta. At one point, he calls himself a “mediocre soldier” and Lara Logan reminds him that the Medal of Honor is quite an honor for just a “mediocre soldier”. His response: “think how good the great soldiers are”.

His story, and that of his squadron in Afghanistan, provided an entirely deeper context to the meaning of teamwork, courage, humility, and sacrifice. We use these words everyday to describe the accomplishments of our sports stars but in light of this Memorial Day weekend, it’s important for all of us to recognize and honor our true American heroes.

A Quick Trip Around the Bases

1B – “Finkle is Einhorn. Einhorn is Finkle. Finkle is a man!”

Apparently Jon Heyman has had his fill of Ace Ventura references but come on, sometimes life just tees one up for you. So now the former Miami Dolphins kicker owns a 30% stake in the Mets and immediately skeptics wondered if this was a good investment. My feeling is that you don’t make billions betting against the likes of Wall Street badies Lehman Brothers and Bear Stearns without having some sort of financial acumen. Einhorn must be in line for a majority stake, that is unless he too is eventually linked to a Madoff type ponzi scheme. “Laces out!!!”

2B – Time for a little game I like to call “Dead, Alive, or current Diamondback”. First contestant: Luis Gonzalez. Incorrect! Luis Gonzalez is not a current Diamondback. Next: Curt Shilling. No soup for you! Shilling is not dead and is in fact currently working for ESPN. Last one: Melvin Mora. I’m sorry, wrong again!!! Mora is both alive and a member of the 2011 Arizona Diamondbacks.

Maybe it’s time we all started to get to know a few of the folks who currently reside in Phoenix. Heading into Monday night the Diamond Dogs had won 6 in a row, 9 of 10, propelling them to a half game lead in the NL West. Not bad for a bunch of guys not named Shilling, Gonzalez, Johnson, Grace, or Williams.

3B – Yes Mr Francesa I understand one of the the only reasons we care is because Buster Posey is a “bonafide staaa” but even still, why can’t home plate be like every other base? Slide to avoid. It’s how all ballplayers are taught to play nowadays. The NFL has outlawed helmet to helmet collisions why can’t MLB and the players association agree on a rule change to protect catchers? Relax, old school/part of the game people, the sanctity of the game will survive.

HR – The Boston Red Sox keep on winning in part because Carl Crawford finally decided it time to earn some of that money. Too Good to Fail, that’s what I’m going to start calling this 2011 Boston team. Speaking of Wall Street, finally sat down to watch the documentary Inside Job about the financial collapse of 2008. Interesting stuff, assigns blame to every entity imaginable. Bankers? Greedy. Regulators? Stooges. Government? Well since they use to be the bankers and the regulators they’re greedy stooges. Bottom line: filmmaker may have had a small political agenda but there is enough evidence presented to make even the most bipartisan American angry, skeptical of our financial system today.

view from Minute Maid Park courtesy of @mr_randerson