Alternate Field

Just in case...
This is a map to the alternate field.
The RED STAR is where we play if the NUS field is closed/occupied by monkeys/rained out...

The Cheah Family

Nigey, Jenny and Lil Ryan

23 June 2007 - Faith

Before I start the post, I'd like to say that this week was another week that I thought that we would be cursed by low numbers. Why? Because quite a few regulars had left for overseas trips. Rugburn to Aussieland, NewJohn/Wild Thing to FreedomLand, H to Thailand, Knees/Maglite to SomeotherLand, Rickey/Gunz/Rube to FluLand. Leaving us with the grand total of about 4-6. We did get 11 to start, and we laid the diamond for Indiana Rules, adding Prof Zen rules for scoring. But somehow, we managed to get 17 bodies on the field. That was just incredible. To top it all off, the weather was fantastic and the field was in perfect condition. What a lovely day.

ONEs: 1st DT/Cheetah/Clement, 2nd Diana, 3rd DT/Sandman, SS Weixiong/Clement/Gil, OF Clement, Gil, Weixiong, Jason, Sandman, Horfun

TWOs: 1st Rickey/Uboat, 2nd Geok, 3rd Indiana, SS The Mick, OF Superdad, Gunz, The Finnish Girl, NigeyPooh

Game 1: ONEs 19 : TWOs 15
Game 2: ONEs 9 : TWOs 8

If you're thinking the lineup looks skewed, well, it was counted off as Singaporeans vs the rest before more of the rest showed up.

2 interesting facts of the day. The Singaporeans, due to some technical difficulties, lost 6 at bats. Weixiong and Gil only had 1 at bat in the first inning, and their next at bat was in the 7th inning. The score would have been completely different if they had managed to step into the batters box. Not sure how it happened, but it did, and by the time it was noticed, it was almosts too late. Nevertheless, they managed to help the ONEs go from mercy to a decent score. (The ONEs were 18-9 by the 7th).

The second interesting fact, was that the man who did not like to run, ran the furthest. Uboat, who barely gets out of the batter's box on a normal day, not only batted in the most RBIs, he also set the record for the most extra-base hits in a game, and put himself on the SAS HOF for hitting for the cycle. Ironically, it was only his last at-bat that he managed to hit a single. Strangely enough, it wasn't his batting that got him extra bases, but his extremely aggressive running. He reached second on singles, third on doubles and all the way home on triples. It was amazing to see his display of speed on the base paths, and we honestly hope to see it again.

It was good to see some of the 'oldies' reappear, and we welcome back Rickey from his *coughvacationcough* sabbatical. Although, Rickey was up to his old self again, sitting on the bench, leaving after the first game..etc. It was good to see Jason and Diana again. We haven't seen them since they got married. It seems marriage is a curse for SASers. Look at DY, Nigeypooh and Sandman. They've become especially irregular after getting married. Rube managed to stave off the curse somehow, and DT wisely sidestepped the entire situation.


MBP: Uboat
Biggest Bat: Uboat
Gold Glove: Cheetah
DY: Gunz and Rickey for showing up even though they were sick.

القرآن الكريم

16 June 2007 - Rained Out

It rained the whole day, only slowing (and nearly stopping) at about 2pm, which tempted everyone to come out of their caves and go to the field. But no sooner had we arrived at the carpark that the skies opened up again. We adjourned to Joes for beer and pool, but the emptiness that gnaws at our insides when we don't play ball just kept getting worse and worse. We wait the whole week just to play softball on saturday and when we don't, the horrible feeling of being disjointed from the world is just awful. When the rain subsided at about 4pm, we just had to play. Though not everyone wanted to get wet and dirty, there were enough of the stalwarts to get in some batting/fielding/diving/sliding practice.

WetandWildsters - NewJohn, Wild Thing, Knees, Gunz, The Mick, Rube, H, DT

DrinkingatJoes - Horfun, Uboat, Rickey

CameToPlaybutLeftBeforeRainStopped - DY

Overall, it was quite a good day. Even with the rain, we managed 12 without trying. Rugburn was out of town, Superdad probably had to protect his daughters from the thunder and Sandman is just whipped. If not for the rain, we would probably have had 13-15.

We did get in a good 2 hours of batting practice, with everyone taking 20-30 hits. The only rule in the field was every play had to be a dive, and that made it hella fun. Everyone was soaking wet after the session, but it made it worth the while as it was incredible fun. The Mick showed his Glen impression in the infield. He has a better arm than Glen (mostly displaying knoblochitis), but the holes were the same. Wild Thing was showing some power at bat, hitting the ball into the outfield easily and consistantly. We'll definitely have to show some respect when defending against her. Gunz was showing off his arm by bypassing the cutoff man and going straight for home. DT hurt his hand catching one of Gunz's throws. Knees was in his element in the wet. He caught practically everything while sliding on the ground. Not only that but he was showing some power with his bat, hitting deep into left field over the outfielders head. We discovered Rube's weakness at the plate. He just can't throw the ball from home to 3rd. So runners take note, if you're on second and Rube is catching, go ahead and steal 3rd. More likely than not, you'll end up safe at home. DT was competing with The Mick for the best Glen impression in the infield. The Mick won in the end. NewJohn showed some good range in the outfield. We might want to move him out there if The Mick and DT want to continue pursuing the Glen award.

9 June 2007 - So Close

ONEs: 1st Rube/Gunz, 2nd Maglite, 3rd Rube, SS DT, LF Superdad, CF Knees, RF Cool Papa
TWOs: 1st Rube/Uboat, 2nd Wild Thing, 3rd Mick, SS NewJohn, LF Rugburn, CF Mick/Sandman, RF WeiXiong, RRF Johannes

ONEs 23: TWOs 22 (10 innings)

It was another game with extra innings. SAS is getting so damned competitive (it's a good thing). If Coach were to show up, he'd be damned proud. Even 7 runs down, the losing team would not give up and tried their darnest to bring the score back.
The standard of SAS is another great improvement. There used to be a time when there were a wider spectrum of player standards, ranging from the godawful to the great. But now, there are lesser players at the lower end, and even the weaker players know their jobs in the field, and they can still hit. Cut-off men are getting the ball from the outfield, rundowns are executed with textbook precision. It's definitely become a lot more competitive than when I first joined, but the improvement in standard doesn't detract from the fun. There are less bonehead plays which result in less heckling, less 'haha' funny plays and more 'woah' good plays.

Updates will be late

DT is in camp doing his two weeks reservist, protecting the beloved foreign talent, so he's unable to update the blog this week.
It will be updated when he finally gets out this weekend.

Sent by Blackberry

2 June 2007 - Extra Innings

ONEs: 1st Rube, 2nd Maglite, 3rd H, SS DT, LF Superdad, CF Knees, RF Cool Papa
TWOs: 1st Uboat, 2nd Horfun, 3rd DT, SS Newjohn, LF Mick, CF Sandman, RF Rugburn

Game 1: ONEs 25: TWOs 28 (11 innings.

Tied at 8 in 5
Tied at 14 in 8
Tied at 17 in 9
Tied at 21 in 10
TWOs scored 7 runs top of 11
ONEs scored 4.

The field was green and soft and beautiful and there was no sun. It was a tough game. I don't remember most of it because I was exhausted by the end, but it was a tough game.

By the time we got to the 9th inning, it got so competitive that both sides stopped talking to each other. The field took on an eerie silence as everyone was focusing on their roles. Fielders were trying not to make mistakes and batters just wanted to get on base. I haven't seen the teams have so much dedication to ensure a win in a long time.

The opposite team were no longer friends. They were foes to be destroyed, and one could tell that both teams were serious about it by the grimaces on their faces. Even with Superdad leaving in the 9th, the ONEs weren't going to give up the goat. The TWOs magnimously supplied a temporary fielder for the ONEs to continue the game.

Maglite proved her mettle in the end, coming up with 3 fantastic, extra base clutch hits to keep the ONEs alive in the 9th, 10th and 11th. Cool Papa made the longest hit of 2007, way, way, way over Rugburn's head. Knees pulled one as well, deep past the left field wall. It was a career distance for him.

We welcome the Mick back from his long 'work trip' back to the US. We also welcome a pretty, well dressed and articulate Singaporean Chinese girl who came to watch our game from the sidelines in the 9th inning. Turns out that she was The Mick's 'friend'. As her father said 'Appearances are Important', or as Kitty's mother-in-law said 'He's so ugly, I can't look at him'


GoldGlove: Knees
Biggest Bat: Knees/Cool Papa - Tie
MBP: Everyone

Guy that Looks like Rickey goes crazy

Fair or Foul?

Fair or Foul?
The runner yelling 'mine' to distract the fielder from catching a popup?
An infielder dropping a line-drive to get a force doubleplay?
A fake throw to first to tag an advancing runner?
Swatting the ball from the fielder's glove?

Read the article below.
Link

Rodriguez Keeps Straddling Baseball’s Foul Line
Left, Julie Jacobson/Associated Press; right, Adrian Wyld/Associated Press

It was clever or childish, cunning gamesmanship or borderline cheating, or maybe something in between. But when Alex Rodriguez of the Yankees shouted something to a Toronto Blue Jays infielder Wednesday night, helping cause a pop-up to drop and leading to three runs, the debate began.

The only certainty is that the play further blurred the line between what is fair or foul in the unwritten code of baseball — and solidified Rodriguez’s reputation as a player willing to test boundaries. Players, coaches and baseball observers interviewed yesterday routinely struggled to articulate what was permissible and what was not, and why.

“If I could explain it clearly, there would be no fine line,” said the Fox baseball broadcaster Tim McCarver, a former major league catcher. “You just have to be there. That’s how fine the line is.”

Deception in baseball has long been alternately applauded and cursed. Games are filled with attempts to trick the opponent, like children in the outfield imploring the batter-batter-batter to swing and fielders applying a tag without a ball or trying to steal signs.

Baseball lore is filled with memorable examples of bamboozlement, from a minor league catcher carving a potato to look like a baseball to infielders serving as decoys to help win the World Series.

On Wednesday, with the Yankees leading, 7-5, in the top of the ninth inning, Jorge Posada hit a two-out high pop that third baseman Howie Clark settled under. But as Rodriguez casually ran behind him toward third, he shouted something — “Ha!” according to Rodriguez; “Mine!” according to Clark.

Clark scooted away. The ball dropped.

It was ruled a hit for Posada, not an error on Clark. Hideki Matsui scored and Rodriguez was safe at third. Jason Giambi singled to drive in Rodriguez and Posada, and the Yankees went on to win, 10-5.

The play infuriated the Blue Jays. As Clark watched sheepishly, shortstop John McDonald had to be restrained from going after Rodriguez. Toronto Manager John Gibbons argued with the umpires. He later called the play “bush league.”

Their complaints had little to do with the rules and everything to do with an unwritten code of sportsmanship. According to Rule 7.08(b), a base runner is out if he “hinders a fielder attempting to make a play on a batted ball.” But the rule equates interference with contact. That leaves a void, open to interpretation. Can players shout anything? What if Rodriguez had moved closer, or shouted it louder?

“That’s what makes baseball so great,” McDonald said yesterday before the Blue Jays played the Chicago White Sox. “There’s the rule book, and there are other things that are passed down from older players when I was first starting my career. So it's something I may take offense to, but other people may not.”

Apparently, the code permits some words or noises but not others. It may also depend on where the play occurs. It is telling that there is some discrepancy over what Rodriguez said. He denied saying “mine,” though Clark repeated that accusation yesterday.

“Maybe that’s a little bit out of line,” Rodriguez said.

Others agreed.

“It’s not like he said, ‘I got it,’ ” Yankees Manager Joe Torre said after the game, suggesting that such a claim would be inappropriate. “He just made a noise.”

Players and coaches differed widely on how common the practice was. San Francisco Giants shortstop Omar Vizquel, in his 19th season, said that he had never had an opponent try to distract him from catching a pop-up, and was not sure it was legal. But White Sox Manager Ozzie Guillén, a former shortstop, said that it happened all the time. “It’s the first time it worked at the big-league level,” he said.

“Why not do it?” he said. “We all do everything to win games.”

Torre, Rodriguez and others said that such attempts to break the concentration of fielders, if not fool them completely, were common, at least in foul territory.

“When a catcher comes over to the opposing dugout, everybody yells, ‘I got it. I got it,’ ” Torre said.

There is little doubt that the play has been scrutinized because it involved Rodriguez, always a magnet for controversy who has been accused of schoolyard antics before.

“I think it’s more because it’s A-Rod than anything else,” said Fernando Viña, who spent 12 years mostly as a second baseman and is now a baseball analyst for ESPN. He said he did not think that Wednesday’s play was a dirty one.

Last week, as Rodriguez slid into second base to try to break up a double play, he gave a forearm to Boston second baseman Dustin Pedroia, who called the action “a little cheap.”

In Game 6 of the 2004 American League Championship Series against the Red Sox, Rodriguez swatted the ball loose from the glove of pitcher Bronson Arroyo, who was trying to apply a tag. Rodriguez was called out for interference and was lambasted by the Red Sox for his tactics.

But shouting at fielders as he runs?

“From what I’m hearing from other guys, he does it all the time,” said Ryan Klesko of the Giants, in his 16th season. In the minor leagues, he said, he once ran past a third baseman preparing to throw out a runner, and the throw was wild. Klesko was struck in the back by a pitch his next time at the plate, he said. He, too, called shouting at fielders bush league.

It is not clear how such codes are kept straight in the minds of baseball players. It is O.K. to steal signs by the catcher from second base, but not to look back at the catcher while hitting, for example. It is fine to bowl over the catcher when trying to score at home plate, but not if the catcher has left room to one side to try to slide safely. A middle infielder who pretends to catch a ball from the catcher on a steal attempt when the ball actually flew into the outfield is simply playing smart.

In the eighth inning of a scoreless Game 7 of the 1991 World Series, Lonnie Smith of the Atlanta Braves was on first base, and he ran toward second as the pitch was thrown. He saw Minnesota Twins second baseman Chuck Knoblauch crouch to field the batted ball and fake a throw. He did not immediately see that Terry Pendleton had hit the ball toward the wall between two outfielders. Smith should have scored on the hit, but he stopped at second momentarily before scurrying to third.

Smith was stranded there, and the Twins won, 1-0, in 10 innings. Smith was widely criticized, and Knoblauch’s play was complimented. McCarver worked the game as a broadcaster, and he still considers it a great play by Knoblauch.

Why? “Because that’s a decoy,” he said, explaining that it was Smith’s fault for losing track of the ball’s flight and having to rely on the fielders for an indication of where it went.

Jerry Manuel, a coach for the Mets, differentiated between a decoy and other attempts at deception, although the difference is difficult to delineate. “Decoy is part of the game,” he said. “When you scream or yell, that is not a decoy.”

A true decoy was used by a minor league catcher named Dave Bresnahan. In 1987, with the Williamsport (Pa.) Bills, he carved a potato to look like a baseball. With a runner on third base, Bresnahan threw the potato into the outfield in an apparent pickoff attempt. The runner raced home, and Bresnahan tagged him out with the real ball.

After some confusion, the runner was declared safe, and Bresnahan — whose number was later retired by the minor league team — was cut the next day by the Cleveland Indians organization.

Rodriguez will not face the same fate. But he again finds himself where he spends most of his time — in the heart of the controversy, at the center of the debate, alternately applauded and cursed.

26 May 2007 - Us Against Them

Locals Vs Expats
Singaporeans Vs Americans
Chinese Vs Caucasians
Fu Man Chu Vs Sherlock Holmes
Charlie Chan Vs Charles Manson
Bruce Lee Vs Chuck Norris
Green Hornet Vs Green Lantern
Jin Vs Vanilla Ice
John Woo Vs Martin Scorsese
Infernal Affairs Vs The Departed
Us Vs Them
Home Vs Away

Hometeam: DT, DY, H, Clement, Gil
Visitors: Rube, Indiana, Uboat, Knees, Maglite

Game 1: Home 17: Visitors 8 (7 innings)

The field was beautiful and practically virgin since it hadn't been touched for 3 weeks. The weather was perfect with the sun behind the clouds and a nice breeze blowing in from the west. Sadly we didn't have enough numbers as too many people had 'other' more 'important' things to do. We ended up with 10 guys, and coincidentally had 5 Singaporeans and 5 Americans.

It was quite strange when DT proposed it to Rube, Rube said, 'we're gonna lose', and when DT told the teams to DY, DY said 'we're gonna lose'. Confidence isn't a strong suit on both sides. The Americans feared the speed and range of the Singaporeans, and the Singaporeans feared the power of the Americans.

It was the Americans who struck first. With Knees, Rube and Indiana leading the charge, taking the visitors to a 4-0 lead with their first at-bat. They were 8-3 ahead by the 3rd inning, and it looked like they were going to power their way to victory. The hometeam were playing a rotational defence, with everyone moving clockwise one position every time they took the field. The visitors on the other hand played a static defence, with Indiana at short, Uboat at 1st, Rube at LF, Knees in CF and Rebecca at RF.

One would think that the hometeam would have tried to pick on Maglite in right field, but strangely, they only started hitting opposite field when they started falling way behind in the score.

The 4th inning saw both teams stuck with their scores. It was only in the bottom of the 5th inning when DY hit a 2 RBI HR over Rubes head that it all went south for the visitors. That brought down the clouds and we had a slight delay of game due to rain. It was a 15minute shower, and that seemed to have brought new vigor to the home team. They managed to string together a few hits and slipped past the visitors for a 9-8 lead.

The bottom of the 6th and 7th saw DY hitting two 3RBI HRs, and another 2RBI HR. He single-handedly batted in 10 runs to take the home team to victory. It was short game and the Americans wisely and uncharacterisically pulled out before more damage was done (Also, Knees and Maglite had to leave).

DY award: DT's glove. H hit a foul tip way behind DT at the plate. He tried to miss the catch by looking away, but somehow the ball dropped into his glove and H was caught out.
Biggest Bat: DY
Gold Glove: Indiana
MBP: DY

19 May 2007 - Numbers

ONEs: Pitcher Ironman/Cool Papa, Catcher Joe, 1st Uboat, 2nd Wild Thing, 3rd Gil, SS NewJohn, OF Superdad, Cool Papa/Ironman, Sandman, Rube

TWOs: Pitcher Horfun/Cheetah, Catcher Gunz, 1st Indiana, 2nd Maglite, 3rd Clement, SS DT, OF Rugburn, H, Knees, Cheetah, Andy
(Game 2, TWOs did a infield-outfield switch. Pitcher Knees, Catcher Andy, 1st H, 2nd Horfun, 3rd Rugburn, SS Indiana, OF DT, Cheetah, Horfun, Clement, Gunz)

Game 1: ONEs 21: TWOs 8 (5 innings Mercy)
Game 2: ONEs 14: TWOs 13 (7 innings)

It was a beautiful day and we had beautiful numbers. 21 people showed up. Making a long forgotten appearance was such legendary names as Cool Papa and The Cheetah, who've not graced our pages for quite some time. As our primary field was still closed, we made our way to the alternate field.

The field was relatively dry, but there were some swampy bits in the outfield that sucked the spirit of the players, and sucked the life out of the ball. The moment the ball landed in any bits of the swamp, it would just stick. It didn't roll or travel. Many a fielder was fooled when the ball just stopped instead of rolling towards him. Many batters attained extra bases, getting doubles on singles, or triples on doubles when the fielder could not pluck the ball from the mud's grasp. The infield was lovely though. Nice and dry and relatively even.

The ONEs took the most advantage of the swamp thing. Facing the ONEs heavy batters, the TWOs OF wisely played deep, but the ONEs decided not to hit long, but hit smart. They fired their projectiles with pinpoint accuracy into the swamp thing, and kept the scoring alive with singles and doubles. The TWOs had no answer. If they played shallow, they go burned, if they played deep, they got burned. The ONEs were simply too dominatant in the first game, taking the win with a 13 run-mercy lead by the 5th.

No changes were made to the teams for the second game. But the TWOs tried a new tactic. The infield-outfield switch. And it almost worked too. The TWOs also picked a leaf from the ONEs book and took advantage of the swamp thing. Letting the swamp thing work for them instead of against them. They managed to string together a nice series of hits and the managed to hold the lead in the game for 5 1/2 innings. It was in the bottom of the 6th when it all fell apart. The ONEs managed to score 4 go ahead runs to go into the 9th, and in the top of the 9th, the TWOs only managed to get 3 runs. It was heartbreak for them, but a clean sweep for the ONEs.

Gold Glove: Swamp Thing (The mud. He held on to every ball refusing to give them up once they landed)
Biggest Bat: Rube
MBP: Swamp Thing (He turned singles into doubles and doubles in triples)

PS. Sandman pointed out to me last weekend that I had neglected to nominate one of the greatest over-40 players in the list I published. Well, it's not too late, as he's still over-40 this week.

Presenting... John 'Indiana' Miksec. The oldest-quadruple-bypassed youngster to grace the Saturday Afternoon Softball Diamond. One of the original founders of the game way way back when he was a young lad of 50. He's probably the only one left on the field who would remember the days of yore when Canadians played Swedes on the field (according to rumour), when games actually started at 2pm (This is an urban legend) and Coach actually yelled at people for fucking up plays (It could be true). He's seen the bar change owners, he's eaten pizza hut (another urban myth), Canadian 2for1 and Rockies. He's had chicken burger but he prefers yam rings, and he's seen Lloyd as a young NUS undergraduate (many have heard this to be true). At 61 years of age, he's still quicker than most of us, has better range and bigger bat. He can play multiple positions, excelling at 1st and short, he's even been known to venture into the outfield. He can still hit homeruns (without steroids) and actually make it home on his own steam. If only he'll retire, he'll be a shoe-in for the hall of fame.

Update will be late this week

Hi Folks,

Apologies, the update will be late this week as DT is under sedation.

Meanwhile, we'd like to wish Rugburn, Rube and The Cheetah many happy returns, as they celebrated their birthdays last week.

DT.

oh mama!

Ouch! That's gotta hurt

Life Begins at 40???

LINK


extract
Whatever the reasons, here is my tops of the 40s list -- the best players who are 40 or older this calendar year:

1. Barry Bonds (43 in July). is an asshole

2. Roger Clemens (45 in August). He isn't getting older, he's getting richer. For two thirds of a season and practically no clubhouse face time, he'll receive about $19 million, which is more than any other pitcher in baseball. Though unlike Bonds, he hasn't improved in his 40s, it just seems that way. His ERA was 3.10 entering the year he turned 40, and it's 3.12 since. So we can't really say there's been a dropoff, either.

3. Curt Schilling (41 in November). He doesn't throw 97 mph anymore, but he still can dominate on any given night.

4. John Smoltz (turned 40 on Tuesday). Great in any role, and maybe the best competitor of his generation. He suffered a dislocated pinky on Monday night, but apparently he won't miss even one start.

5. Tom Glavine (turned 41 in March). When he struggled for the first time a couple years ago, he reinvented himself by throwing inside more often and rediscovering his curve. But considering he never threw especially hard and never had a superb breaking ball, nobody's gotten more out of his talent than Glavine, who's still an ace for the best team in the NL in what's likely his last year.

6. Trevor Hoffman (40 in October). He has had a couple bad games, but his WHIP is 0.878, lowest of his career. With his style, this could go on awhile.

7. Jamie Moyer (45 in November). His repertoire of finesse pitches has lent itself to longevity. Since he never had any velocity to lose, he's actually gotten better with age and experience (4.22 ERA before he turned 40, 4.02 since).

8. Greg Maddux (turned 41 in April). He's not what he was, but he'll still win his 15, as always, and help several on his staff (see Jake Peavy).

9. Moises Alou (41 in July). One of the most consistent hitters over the past couple decades, he was hitting .301 entering the year he turned 40, and has hit .305 since. His only drawback is he gets hurt even more now.

10. Tim Wakefield (41 in August). His current 1.79 ERA is less than half his career mark (4.25). The knuckleballer has no known expiration date.

11. Randy Johnson (44 in September). He's lost some velocity and the slider doesn't dive like it used to. About the only constants are height, back pain and the scowl. Yet he won 17 last year and can still dominate at times.

12. Orlando Hernandez (42 in October). The Mets are listing him at 37, and if this makes them feel better, who's it going to hurt? The man has a complete bag o' tricks, apparently including a fake birth certificate.

13. Luis Gonzalez (40 in September). Funny career, with an odd home run spike in his prime years. He is still being counted on as one of main Dodger power suppliers, though he isn't what he was. His .413 slugging percentage is his lowest since '97.

14. Mike Stanton (40 in June). The former Braves and Yankees stalwart has made a big comeback after he seemed to have lost it. He became the Giants' unlikely closer late last year, saving eight games (his highest total since '93), and the Reds liked enough of what they saw to give him a two-year deal. So far he isn't duplicating what he did as a Giant (7.50 ERA).

15. Omar Vizquel (turned 40 in April). He's the only middle infielder on the list. Not quite Ozzie Smith, even in his prime, but not that far behind.

Other fortysomethings (or soon to be 40s) still hangin' in there: Woody Williams (40), Craig Biggio (41), Roberto Hernandez (42), Julio Franco (48), David Wells (43), Doug Brocail (turns 40 today), Tom Gordon (turns 40 in November), Kenny Lofton (40 later this month), Mike Timlin (41), Jeff Conine (40), Steve Finley (42), Reggie Sanders (40 in December), Jose Mesa (40).

Best News Headline EVER

Royals To Get A Taste Of Angels' Colon

LINK

A Blink of an Eye

All it takes is a small accident, a momentary lapse and entire futures could be changed. If not for a wild throw, maybe the headline would be 'Melendez sets shortstop double-play mark', and we'd call the Generalissimo, Dr Vizquel...


Link

Vizquel sets shortstop double-play mark
Giants Gold Glover passes Smith for all-time record

DENVER -- Omar Vizquel of the San Francisco Giants was offered a base -- yes, an actual base, square and white with a small post meant for sticking in the ground -- to commemorate his latest achievement.

Said Vizquel, sounding extremely practical, "What am I going to do with a base?"

However, Vizquel was perfectly happy to accept the Major League record of most double plays participated in by a shortstop. The 11-time Gold Glove winner turned the 1,591st of his career, breaking a tie with Hall of Famer Ozzie Smith, in the seventh inning of the Giants' 15-2 victory over the Colorado Rockies.

Vizquel, whose 11 Gold Glove Awards rank second to Smith's 13 among shortstops, paid tribute to the former Padres and Cardinals star.

"It's an honor to me to be above him in double plays because everybody knows how great he was," said Vizquel, 40.

Vizquel jokingly added, "I can finally say that I have quicker hands than him."

The tiebreaking play came with Omar Quintanilla on first base and one out in the seventh. Pinch-hitter Steve Finley smacked a grounder to second baseman Kevin Frandsen, who fed Vizquel to start the double play.

Vizquel also contributed to the Giants' offense, going 3-for-6 and scoring two runs.

12 May 2007 - Double or Nothing

ONEs: 1st Indiana, 2nd Maglite, SS NewJohn, LF Superdad, CF Sandman, RF Knees
TWOs: 1st Uboat, 2nd Rube, SS DT, LF Rugburn, CF DY, RF H

Game 1: ONEs 13: TWOs 12

It was good news bad news. Good news, they were tearing up the cricket bowling green. Bad news, they were tearing up the cricket bowling green, so the field was closed. We moved to the alternate field. As it was extremely sunny, the ground was nice and dry, except for some patches of swampland in the outfield. Unfortunately, the person scouting the field doesn't play in the outfield, so when he found a nice dry turf to lay the infield diamond, he was satisfied.

DT did not make the traditional 1-2 count off as he's more familiar with 1s and 0s. Instead, he tried to spilt the teams evenly without going the random 1-2 route. The teams looked pretty even with the ONEs looking stronger offensively and the TWOs looking better defensively.

As it was, the ONEs led all the way with their bigger bats.. Leading 3-0 in the first, 6-1 in the second and 7-2 in the third. The TWOs tried to claw their way back, and they only managed to tie the game at 11 runs in the 8th, and take a slim 1 run lead going into the middle of the ninth. It was not to be for the TWOs, as the ONEs laid the smackdown on them with 2 outs and 2 runners on base. It was Maglite, the MBP who won the game for the ONEs with a double right up the middle and right through DY's legs. She had been denied a double in the previous inning when she overran the base and was tagged out, but she was not to be denied this time.

It was a game of double plays, and not because of Prof Zen rules. There was only 2 base to home DPs, but plently of infield DPs. Rube made the most DPs, with a couple of 4-4-3s and even a unassisted DP.

Maglite has finally got her eye on the ball. Her strikeout waiver is now revoked. She's always had a hard swing, but could never make good contact with the ball. She hit two doubles today, one in the 8th and 1 in the 9th for the win. She burned DY both times.

Indiana was hustling so much, we might have to change the DY award to the Indiana award. He was relentless even when pitching and catching for his own team. He ran down all the fouls tips, and was only a hair away from making the catches.

The big bats were stifled by the swamplands in the OF. Every deep fly ball that went into the outfield was stopped by the ground. It didn't even bounce. The infield was nice and dry, but the outfield was terrible. Even the outfielders decided to play shallow and let the ball go over their head, knowing that the ball would not take off after hitting the ground.

Rube was awesome at 2nd base, but he suffered from a spat of injuries for no apparent reason. He was like the carl pavano of the TWOs, but with a lot more heart and a lot more hustle. He pulled his groin, his hamstring and possibly his back, just walking around the field. He even sprained his ankle while taking off his boots. It was not a good day for the Rube.

We welcome back DY after a 9 month hiatus. He was not his old self. The 9 months on Paternity leave totally took its toll. He has certainly lost a step or two, and his bat has lost quite a bit of pop. Its good to see him back though, and he promised to come out every other week.

Gold Glove: Rube (3 DPs)
Biggest Bat: Rugburn
MBP: Maglite (2 down, bases loaded, Maglite hits a double up the middle for the win)
DY: Indiana

Great Compilation