Monthly Archives: May 2013

Major League Baseball

The Hit Heard Round the League

The other night Toronto Blue Jays pitcher J.A. Happ endured one of the most viscous hits I have ever witnessed a player take.

No, the hit was not from a batter charging the mound. This hit to the left ear came from a baseball hit with enough force as to still travel nearly the length of the field after impacting Happ’s skull. The impact of ball on skull was also so violent that the sound could be heard all the way up into the press box at Tropicana Field.

Former Astro turned Blue Jay J.A. Happ was hospitalized overnight after he was hit in the head with a baseball. Photo R Anderson
Former Astro turned Blue Jay J.A. Happ was hospitalized overnight after he was hit in the head with a baseball.
Photo R Anderson

Granted one could argue that sound travels further in a dome but still picture the type of force required for the sound to be heard that far away.

During my years covering high school and college football I witnessed many violent hits. On a few occasions I even heard bones break and tendons snap so I know the sound of agony when a player goes down. I just don’t expect that sound to occur in a Ballpark at the rate that they seem to be occurring lately.

Thankfully after an overnight hospital stay J.A. Happ was released and the 11 minute delay in the game that had thousands of fans silenced and players on both sides looking on with concern and disbelief will become just another footnote in the saga of near misuses and one of those viral videos that is passed along. The video may even make one of those compilation shows that ranks the top hits in sports, etc.

Sadly, unless something is done the next pitcher to get hit in the head with a baseball off the end of a bat may not be as lucky.

To its credit Major League Baseball is looking into ways to make the pitcher safer out on the mound. Cap inserts made out of Kevlar, the same material that bullet proof vests are made of, are being looked at as a potential way to protect a pitcher.

Pitchers like J.A. Happ are often sitting ducks for well hit balls back up the middle. Sometimes they are caught and and other times injuries result. Photo R Anderson
Pitchers like J.A. Happ are often sitting ducks for well hit balls back up the middle. Sometimes they are caught and and other times injuries result.
Photo R Anderson

Unfortunately a Kevlar insert would not have protected J.A. Happ from injury nor would it have likely prevented an injury last season that led to a pitcher for the Oakland Athletics undergoing emergency brain surgery to deal with a fractured skull and a life threatening hemorrhage since both of those impacts occurred below where the Kevlar would be placed.

Since we at the Triple B Gigaplex are in the problem solving business here are some ideas for Major League Baseball to consider to protect the defenseless pitcher on the mound.

With the understanding that the solution needs to protect the pitcher’s entire head while still allowing full range of motion to perform pitching duties like throws to the plate and pick off attempts, a catcher’s mask and goalie style mask are ruled out as options.

While they would meet the criteria of protecting the pitcher, I an picturing a lot more stolen bases coming as the pitchers would lose most, if not all, of their peripheral vision and base runners would have a field day stealing on them.

Okay, so the goalie mask style is ruled out which leads us to the perfect solution, bullet proof glass aquarium heads. I mean if the Miami Marlins can install aquariums behind home plate that can withstand the force of balls being hurled against them surely the same technology in smaller scale can protect the pitchers.

Breathing holes will of course need to be drilled into the aquarium bowl helmets to ensure that pitchers can breathe and also not fog up the glass but it certainly answers the visibility issue and would prevent the rise in stolen bases that the other solutions would lead to.

An early design concept for a protective pitcher fishbowl. Photo R Anderson
An early design concept for a protective pitcher fishbowl.
Photo R Anderson

All kidding aside, I am of course not seriously thinking that the solution to protect pitchers is a fish bowl helmet. And it may turn out that there is no solution that will protect 100 percent of the possible injuries.

There always has been and always will be risk of injury related to sports. And as some athletes have famously said is why they are paid the big bucks.

Take the NFL and NASCAR for example. Both sports have spent millions of dollars on driver and player safety. Does that mean that athletes in those sports will no longer need to fear injury? Of course not. But it does mean that the sports are safer than they were say 50 years ago or so.

The same is true with baseball. Experts will put their heads together and conduct trials to determine what if anything can be done to protect players on the field from injury.

Regarding injury to pitchers whatever solution is found will need to be started at the Little League level to ensure that players are used to the protective equipment before reaching the majors.

To think that a solution can be found this year and rolled out to all pitchers in the Major Leagues is just not going to happen. Even if the technology is available pitchers will still be able to choose whether or not they want to wear the equipment and in many cases the answer will be no since it will fundamentally change how they pitch and will add an unknown variable to the equation.

J.A. Happ was lucky and evading serious injury and will likely pitch again. Time will tell if the next pitcher knocked down on the mound is as lucky. Photo R Anderson
J.A. Happ was lucky and evaded serious injury and will likely pitch again. Time will tell if the next pitcher knocked down on the mound is as lucky.
Photo R Anderson

Incidents like J.A. Happ’s injury will unfortunately continue to be part of the game for the foreseeable future and most pitchers accept that risk and try to keep the fear of getting hit out of their thoughts.

A few more viral videos of pitchers taking balls to the head though very well could change the culture sooner than perhaps anyone is ready for. And heaven forbid a player is killed on the field from injuries received.

A few years back a minor league first base coach was struck in the head by a ball and died from his injuries. Following his death first and third base coaches were required to wear batting helmets out on the field in all Minor and Major League Baseball games. Of course no one is wanting that to be what finally ushers in the move to pitcher safety.

So while there is no magic solution to prevent all injuries it is nice to see that the issue is being looked at in terms of a solution.

Now if you’ll excuse me I am off to patent pitcher fish bowl helmets before someone beats me to it.

Copyright 2013 R Anderson

Minor League Baseball, Sugar Land Skeeters

Skeeter Experience as Sweet as Sugar

No mater the level of competition, from Little League to Major League, the passion for the game of baseball remains the same for those players who truly love the game.

The other night I saw that passion displayed in an Atlantic League game between the Lancaster Barnstormers and the Sugar Land Skeeters at Constellation Field in Sugar Land, TX.

The Skeeters are in their second season of play and ever since it was announced that they were coming to town I have wanted to catch a game. Sadly, something always seemed to come up last year whenever I planned to head that direction so my goal of seeing a game during the inaugural season did not come to pass.

Ballparks just look better under the lights. Photo R. Anderson
Ballparks just look better under the lights.
Photo R. Anderson

All of the elements finally aligned this past weekend to allow me to make my first trip to the Ballpark. And even some tricky Google map directions, and poor ballpark signage that sent me to the unlabeled parking lot A instead of the equally unlabeled parking lot B, couldn’t dampen the spirits of adding another Ballpark to my list of places that I have seen games.

The night featured many firsts for me as it was my first Atlantic League game which meant it was my first time seeing both the Barnstormers and Skeeters as well as my first trip to Constellation Field.

Constellation Field in Sugar Land, TX is the home ballpark of the Sugar Land Skeeters. Photo R. Anderson
Constellation Field in Sugar Land, TX is the home ballpark of the Sugar Land Skeeters.
Photo R. Anderson

But of course every trip to the Ballpark, especially a first trip to the Ballpark involves a bit of a learning curve.

While I had a seat two rows from the field on the third base side I zigged when I should have zagged when it came to the food choices.

I ended up with a loaded hot dog which included chilli, cheese, onions, sauerkraut, and probably some other things that I missed under the cheese blanket. While the hot dog was good, and the Dr. Pepper was cold, it was not until I took another lap around the concourse that I saw the real food choices that the ballpark had to offer. There was a pizza booth which as I have mentioned before is one of my favorite ballpark staples. There were also booths selling barbecue, gourmet popcorn, Tex Mex, and Philly cheese steaks.

Lest one forget what state they are watching the game in there is a Texas shaped scoreboard to guide them. Photo R. Anderson
Lest one forget what state they are watching the game in there is a Texas shaped scoreboard to guide them.
Photo R. Anderson

So, the lesson learned is no matter how hungry I am entering a Ballpark the trick is to walk the full concourse before selecting a food item.

The food remorse passed quickly and it was time to get immersed in the feel of the in game between inning entertainment which included dizzy bat, tricycle races and boxing.

The game itself was good as well as the home team remained undefeated at home for the season. Of course, the other professional baseball team in the Houston area cannot say the same thing but more on that later.

Despite the Ballpark I am in when I am watching a game, one constant always seems to find me. No matter where I sit it never fails that within earshot and visible range there will be at least one overly intoxicated fan who feels the need to make their presence known through, a) berating players or umpires or b) telling a story (or two, or three) that is way too loud to ignore and takes away from the ballpark experience. Another constant with these loud mouths is the presence of small children with them.

Former Boston Red Sox player Aaron Bates up to bat for the Sugar Land Skeeters. Photo R. Anderson
Former Boston Red Sox player Aaron Bates up to bat for the Sugar Land Skeeters.
Photo R. Anderson

All of those factors came into play one section over from me with the extra loud drunk fan there with friends as well as small children providing a totally unnecessary running commentary.

The only break from his commentary was the two innings he spent in the concession line which of course he had to retell in great detail upon his return.

Now, before I get comments saying that I am trying to take away people’s right to drink at the ballpark let me say that is not the case.

Personally for me the hardest drink I need at the ballpark is an ice cold Dr. Pepper. But, for those who want something with alcohol in it I can totally support that desire and their right to do that.

Both teams kept the base paths busy but it was a couple of long balls that proved to be the deciding factor. Photo R. Anderson
Both teams kept the base paths busy but it was a couple of long balls that proved to be the deciding factor.
Photo R. Anderson

What I refuse to support is the fan who downs a six pack or more during the pregame and then proceeds to get drunk and annoying during the course of the game. And this goes across all sports not just baseball. Every sporting event I have ever attended where I was not covering it from the press box has included at least one fan who is way too loud and way too drunk.

I am not sure how Ballparks and stadiums can address this but it is also one of the reasons that I rarely stay for an entire game. I like to have a two inning head start before the drunks hit the road.

So, drunk annoying fan aside there was a lot to enjoy at the Skeeters game. The food is reasonably priced. The sight lines from the seats are good. And the quality of play is top notch and allows fans to catch glimpses of former and future Major Leaguers in action at a fraction of big league prices.

And speaking of that other professional baseball team in Houston. As I was driving past Minute Maid Park on the way home I happened to turn on the radio to see how the Astros were doing.

Sunsets look best on the beach and at the Ballpark. Photo R. Anderson
Sunsets look best on the beach and at the Ballpark.
Photo R. Anderson

I want to say I was surprised when I heard that they were losing by a score of 13-1 to the Detroit Tigers but in reality my only thought was how did they manage to score the one run.

The Astros ended up losing by a score of 17-2 when all was said and done. Conversely the Skeeters defeated the Barnstormers 5-4 in a game that saw the lead traded back and forth several times.

So, while it is a little further for me to drive to Sugar Land to see the Skeeters as opposed to driving to see the Astros, I believe that I will be spending more of my baseball viewing time with the Skeeters for the foreseeable future.

Of course when the Rays, Orioles and Rangers are in town I will probably make the trek to Minute Maid Park.

That is not to say that I won’t still catch the Astros on TV or that I am no longer a fan but if I am spending money on something I want to feel that the team is committed to winning. Quite frankly I do not get that impression these days from Houston management.

Now if you’ll excuse me I need to figure out what the next new Ballpark to visit will be. Perhaps I will see some of you there.

Copyright 2013 R. Anderson

Minor League Baseball

Angels in the Outfield and Wookies in the Batter’s Box

For years, Minor League Baseball teams have looked to wacky promotions and giveaways to help attract crowds and give the fans a little something extra besides a seat at a ballgame.

There are the Ballpark standards of hat and seat cushion giveaways.

However, what I am talking about are the really outside the box promotions that make you both say, “I can’t believe no one ever thought of that before,” while also saying, “I can’t believe someone thought of that.”

In terms of the memorable crazy promotions, there have been promotions of every shape and size.

Teams have had Harry Potter themed nights. Teams have had speed dating nights. There was even a team that thought the biblical figure Noah, of the Ark building fame, needed his own bobble head figure. The list goes on and on regarding both good and bad promotions in the Ballpark.

One of the more predictable baseball promotions is the timeless tradition of teams giving fans a foam finger.
Photo R. Anderson

With all of that past pedigree of promotions, and with tomorrow marking a holiday of sorts for fans of a certain science fiction franchise, it marks a perfect opportunity for yet another creative ballpark promotion.

For those who may not be aware, May 4th is known as Star Wars Day due to a pun surrounding a popular phrase found in the films.

That phrase of course is “May the force be with you,” which can easily translate to “May the fourth be with you.”

For years, teams have celebrated May 4th in the ballpark. Realistically though, how many times can you really dust off that storm trooper costume to throw out the first pitch before it gets a feeling of been there done that?

With teams looking for creative and new ways to celebrate Star Wars Day, it was only a matter of time then until May the fourth was celebrated on a Minor League Baseball diamond in the form of players wearing Wookie jerseys.

That’s right boys and girls I said Wookie Jerseys.

The Detroit Tigers’ Triple-A Affiliate the Toledo Mud Hens are going to celebrate both May the fourth and May the fifth wearing jerseys that look like a Wookie complete with utility belt.

Thankfully, the team opted away from the faux hair version of the jersey and will instead go with a more diamond appropriate version where the fur is implied.

Across this galaxy as well as in a galaxy far, far away May the fourth is Star Wars Day.
Photo R. Anderson

This is probably a very wise decision. No player wants to have an error assigned to them because they lost a ball in their Wookie hair.

I am also thinking it would be hard for the pitcher to read the signs from the catcher with all of that hair getting in the way.

So far, there has been no word on whether the special Wookie jerseys will be available for sale to the general public. But as Darrell Hammond impersonating Sean Connery said to Will Ferrell who was impersonating Alex Trebek on Saturday Night Live’s parody of Celebrity Jeopardy, “You’re sitting on a gold mine, Trebek.”

I expect in the coming days that Wookie jerseys will be available in the Mud Hens team store. After all, who wouldn’t want a Wookie jersey?

Yadier Molina of the St. Louis Cardinals becomes the evil emperor during Star Wars Night at Minute Maid Park.
Photo R. Anderson

While this is most likely the first-time players have dressed up as a Wookie, it is not the first time that a Wookie, or at least an actor who played a Wookie, has been at a Minor League Ballpark.

During a May 1, 2010 game between the Oklahoma City Red Hawks and the New Orleans Zephers, Peter Mayhew, the actor who played Wookie extraordinaire Chewbacca, threw out the first pitch as part of the 30th Anniversary celebration of the original Star Wars film.

As mentioned before, there have been numerous other teams who have honored Star Wars in various ways on both the Major and Minor League levels by encouraging fans to wear their favorite Star Wars Cosplay outfits.

While I have never dressed up as Boba Fett, I have attended games where ushers were dressed like Princess Leia. I have also been at games where the opposing players were made to look like Darth Vader and other villains on the Jumbo Tron.

Lance Berkman gets the visiting villian treatment during a past Star Wars Night at Minute Maid Park.
Photo R. Anderson

It is all done in good fun and is kind of cool to see the worlds of film and baseball combine in such an entertaining way.

How will I be spending Star Wars Day this year? At a ballpark of course.

And while there will not be any Wookie jerseys on the field, rumor has it that there will be a Star Wars themed fireworks show to fill the night sky.

Baseball, hot dogs, and pyrotechnics, it doesn’t get much better than that.

And in the spirit of full disclosure, I am a much bigger fan of Star Trek than Star Wars but “Beam me up” Day and “Make it So Number One” Day just don’t seem to roll off the tongue as easily when it comes to a ballpark promotion.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go see if I can still make the Kessel Run in less than twelve parsecs. And May the fourth be with you.

Copyright 2023 R Anderson

Major League Baseball

Where Getting it Wrong has no Consequences

There are few professions where one can be consistently wrong and still keep their jobs.

An accountant who messes up the numbers time and time again will soon find that their employer is none too pleased.

A chef that consistently under cooks food and makes his diners sick will soon find that no one wants to eat his food offerings.

The list goes on and on regarding professions where failure really is not an option for keeping their jobs.

Of course, as is the case with every rule, there are exceptions.

Two examples of professions where routine failures and miscalculations do not usually lead to job loss are weather forecasting professionals and sports prognosticators.

History is full of examples where both meteorologists and prognosticators have missed the mark on their “forecasts.” This failure is usually attributed to the fluid nature of what they are trying to predict.

It is true that weather and sports teams do not always follow the forecast models and predicted paths so as the 2013 Major League Baseball season ends its first month it is a good time to look at what preseason predictions were spot on and which ones clearly missed the mark altogether.

Big spending in the offseason as not worked out the way the Toronto Blue Jays hoped as they are dead last in the American League East standings. Photo R. Anderson
Big spending in the off-season has not worked out the way the Toronto Blue Jays hoped as they are dead last in the American League East standings.
Photo R. Anderson

Let’s start with the American League East standings. As mentioned before, it is the division that I have spent most of my life rooting for so it is both familiar and near and dear to my heart. It is also considered one of the toughest divisions in baseball year in and year out.

As of April 30, the Boston Red Sox were leading the division with the Toronto Blue Jays six games back in last place. The Tampa Bay Rays were in second to last place 2.5 games out of first.

Many preseason predictions showed the Toronto Blue Jays, who spent heavily on free agents in the off-season, running the table and battling the Rays for the Division title. In reality R.A. Dickey, the National League CY Young Award winner last year with the Mets, has failed to capture that same form this year with the Blue Jays. And other off-season acquisitions have also failed to show the sparks of greatness they were brought in for.

With the other four teams in the division within 2.5 games of each other a six-game hole does seem like a tough mountain to climb for the Jays’ new manager and let’s make a deal roster.

History has shown time and time again that the approach of “buying titles” by making big splashy off-season acquisitions rarely works. The Miami Marlins won two World Series titles using that formula when they were still called the Florida Marlins but the success was fleeting and each title was followed by a fire sale where all of the talent was sent packing in a payroll dumping measure.

The Marlins tried that approach again last year and sent most of their talent to the Blue Jays before the start of this season when their attempt to buy the series last year failed.

But despite this cautionary tale the Blue Jays will not be the last team to try the free agent quick fix route to a World Championship.

So with the American League East returning to a more familiar formula of the Red Sox and Yankees battling at the top with the Rays and Orioles trying to crash the party let us turn our sights to the newest kid on the American League block.

The Houston Astros face an uphill climb in their first season in the American League. I think everyone can agree on that fact. What people cannot seem to agree on is just how bad, or how good they will be this year.

Former Nationals turned Astros Bo Porter and Rick Ankiel hope to bring some of the winning ways from Washington with them to Houston. Photo R. Anderson
Former Nationals turned Astros Bo Porter and Rick Ankiel hope to bring some of the winning ways from Washington with them to Houston.
Photo R. Anderson

Before the season many sports prediction experts tapped the Astros as being the worst team in baseball for the third straight year with at best 50 wins over the course of the 161 game season.

Of course a funny thing happened during the first month of the season with the Astros winning 8 games or roughly 10 percent of the total number of wins most people thought they would have all year.

And yes, there have been some really one sided games and pitching issues in the first inning that have led to insurmountable leads for the opponents and really ugly losses for the Astros.

There have also been some quality wins over some tough opponents in the Rangers, Yankees and Angels. As well as four wins over their American League West division foe Seattle Mariners. And one more thing, The Miami Marlins have a worse record than the Astros and several teams have only one more win than Houston.

Does this mean that the Astros will go on a tear and win 60 or 70 games this year? Not necessarily. But, it does show that at this point in the season the team everybody wrote off in Spring Training has shown they have a little more fight and spirit than they were given credit for.

While things in the American League seem to be bucking many of the preseason trends, things in the National League are going a little more to plan at the completion of the first month of the season.

Just kidding, the National League is equally as crazy as the American league at this point in the season.

Currently trailing the Atlanta Braves the Washington Nationals are hoping to take manager Davey Johnson to the World Series in his last season at the helm. Photo R. Anderson
Currently trailing the Atlanta Braves the Washington Nationals are hoping to take manager Davey Johnson to the World Series in his last season at the helm.
Photo R. Anderson

I mean did anyone really expect that the Colorado Rockies would be leading the National League West and be two games ahead of the World Champion San Francisco Giants?

And back east did anyone expect the Atlanta Braves to be 3.5 games ahead of the Washington Nationals who had the best record in the regular season last year?

While there is still time for the forecasts to turn more in favor of the preseason numbers after the first month of the season there are certainly trends to support that many people just missed the mark on their predictions.

Personally I like when the predictions don’t go as planned since that shows that the game is unpredictable and anyone can win on any given day.

If all of the outcomes were known in advance it would make for a very boring season. So I salute the men and women whose preseason predictions missed the mark and say “let’s play ball for the next five months or so.”

Now if you’ll excuse me it is time to watch the weather forecast to see if I do or do not need an umbrella. Of course, they have a 50/50 chance of being both right and wrong.

Copyright 2013 R Anderson