Monthly Archives: July 2013

Baseball Movies, Major League Baseball, Minor League Baseball

Baseball on the Silver Screen Offers Something for Everyone

Tomorrow, marks the DVD release of the movie 42 about Jackie Robinson breaking baseball’s color barrier and all of the issues that he faced as a result of that.

I have previously written about the movie and Jackie Robinson and will be adding the movie to my collection of baseball movies sometime this week.

The pending addition of another movie into my growing collection of films about baseball got me thinking about just how many films there are about baseball.

My baseball film collection is modest by most standards I would think but I am also highly particular about which movies get added to it. I am the same way about my collection of books about baseball believing firmly in the quality of quantity approach.

While I doubt that any one person could collect every single movie about baseball, nor do I think they should try, there are definitely movies that capture each element of the game and should be part of any collection of baseball movies.

Hundreds if not thousands of movies have been made about the game of baseball through the years. Photo R. Anderson
Hundreds if not thousands of movies have been made about the game of baseball through the years.
Photo R. Anderson

Just taking into account the Kevin Costner Baseball trilogy one is exposed to the humor that comes from Bull Durham, the emotional Field of Dreams, and the tale of a pitcher holding on for one more perfect moment in For Love of the Game.

Personally I would love to see Kevin Costner take on another baseball role as a manager or some other area where a former player struggles with life once the fans stop cheering their name. But it appears that wish will need to wait as Costner seems content with playing the earthly dad to Superman.

So moving away from the Kevin Costner movies about baseball there are the films with a certain fantasy element to them. For these movies one can usually look at the Walt Disney vault for films like Angels in the Outfield.

Of course making a movie about a team that they owned was sheer marketing genius by the Mouse House. But, then again you don’t get to become as big as the Walt Disney Company without being good at business.

While I never really bought into the fantasy elements of Angels in the Outfield, there was one Disney baseball movie deemed worthy to join my collection and that movie was the Rookie. For those who may not be aware of that particular film it follows the real-life story of a Texas high school baseball coach turned relief pitcher for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.

The real life story of a Texas teacher turned Major League pitcher portrayed in the Rookie is one of the feel good movies about baseball. Photo R. Anderson
The real life story of a Texas teacher turned Major League pitcher portrayed in the Rookie is one of the feel good movies about baseball.
Photo R. Anderson

As a fan of the Devil Rays turned just plain Rays, I try to soak up as much of the team’s history as possible. Granted there are only about 15 years of history so far but I have lived each one of those years with the team and can remember covering the announcement of their birth into the league so I guess you could say they hold an extra special place in my heart.

For those looking for more on the real life stories of baseball one can really do no wrong by curling up on the coach and watching Ken Burns’ documentary Baseball and his followup Baseball: The 10th Inning which covered changes made in the time since the first documentary was released.

Burns is arguably one of the leading documentations of this era and his take on the history of baseball is definitely one for the ages.

Jackie Robinson is not the only player to get the big screen biography treatment. Baseball fans can catch movies with Tommy Lee Jones as Ty Cobb and John Goodman as Babe Ruth among others.

Of course not everything about baseball movies should be about dry stats and real life achievements and player biographies.

For a pure historical telling of baseball, warts and all, one should not miss the Ken Burns take on the subject. Photo R. Anderson
For a pure historical telling of baseball, warts and all, one should not miss the Ken Burns take on the subject.
Photo R. Anderson

Sometimes a baseball movie should just be about pure unadulterated humor. For the strict humor baseball movies I tend to go towards the Major League films. Add to the equation that Charlie “Tiger Blood” Sheen did all of his own pitching in the film and you have the makings of a cinematic classic.

For more Sheen on the diamond one can catch Eight Men Out, a very well done look at the Chicago Black Sox scandal.

Of course there is also the whole sub genre of baseball films turned into romantic comedies. While I tend to steer clear of most “chick flicks” there have been times when the baseball elements of a romcom have caused me to go to the theater and see the movies. Fever Pitch was one such movie as was Summer Catch. But as a rule I prefer that the only sap in my baseball movies comes from the pine tar on the bats.

So there is a look at baseball through the cinematic lens. There are bound to be films that I have left out and I am sure each individual looks for something different in terms of what makes a good baseball film to them. So that is likely one of the reasons there are so many films about baseball to begin with.

Of course nothing quite captures baseball like an actual seat at the ballpark whether it be at the Little League level or all the way up to the major Leagues. Baseball is simply better live. But during those 5-6 months of the year when there isn’t any live baseball to go see movies about baseball can certainly help scratch the itch between the crowning of the World Series champion and the time players report to Spring Training.

Now if you’ll excuse me I need to make some room on my shelf for another baseball movie.

Copyright 2013 R. Anderson

Houston Astros, Major League Baseball, Texas Rangers

Knowing When to Call it a Career Doesn’t Always Come with a Singing Fat Lady For Guidance

History is full of stories of athletes riding off into the sunset at the top of their game and as Champions.

Football has given us the image of Ray Lewis, Michael Strahan and John Elway hoisting the Lombardi Trophy as Super Bowl Champions before calling it a career and head into life after football.

In baseball Tony LaRussa managed the St. Louis Cardinals to a World Series title in his final game as a full-time manager.

In opera it was always known that the end of the performance was coming when the “fat lady” would come out and sing. This of course led to the expression, “It ain’t over til the fat lady sings.” Unfortunately sports careers do not always come with the benefit of a singing fat lady.

For every moment of ending on a great note there are many more of players who just don’t know when to call it a career and continue to play well past their primes.

Some of these instances are motivated by a fear of what to do in post playing days while others are driven by the urge to continue to make the kind of money that pro ballplayers make.

Two recent stories regarding players hanging on too long recently grabbed the attention of us at Triple B. So, let us study the cases of Roy Oswalt and Manny Ramirez.

Once upon a time Roy Oswalt was a dominating pitcher. Recent events have shown that time is likely passed. Photo R. Anderson
Once upon a time Roy Oswalt was a dominating pitcher. Recent events have shown that time has likely passed.
Photo R. Anderson

Roy Oswalt was once among the most dominating pitchers in baseball, and paired with Roger Clemens, he helped lead the Houston Astros to the 2005 World Series. The years since that first World Series appearance in Astros’ franchise history have not been kind to either the Astros or Oswalt.

Oswalt was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies and managed a couple of successful years before spending part of last year with the Texas Rangers.

Oswalt’s time with the Rangers could be called traumatic at best with the “Wizard of Os” getting demoted to the bullpen at one point based on his record of 4-3 with a 5.80 ERA in 17 games.

That brings us to this year. With starting pitching at some a premium and with teams competing to find the best arms available there are often risks taken by teams on former star pitchers to see if there is anything left in the tank.

This year the Colorado Rockies were the team willing to pay for Oswalt’s services. Much like the start of his Rangers tenure last year Oswalt spent a few games in the Minor Leagues after signing his contract. He dazzled in the Minors and was given a chance to get promoted to the Rockies and joined the starting rotation.

It has been déjà vu all over again though as the results have just not been there at the Major League level. Oswalt is 0-4 with a 7.64 ERA in four starts with the Rockies since signing a $2.3 million, one-year contract on May 2.

The news got even worse yesterday when it was announced that the Rockies placed him on the 15-day disabled list with a strained left hamstring.

Time will tell if Oswalt will bounce back from this injury and return to form as a quality starting pitcher or if this latest injury is the fat lady quietly singing him into retirement.

It is not like he has not been one before as he was a three-time All-Star with the Astros and the 2005 NL championship series MVP. Oswalt was also a 20-game winner in 2004 and 2005.

But at age 35 it is very clear that his best days are behind him. Baseball is a young man’s game and there are plenty of young arms gunning for Oswalt’s roster spot if he can’t get the job done for the Rockies.

The road back to Major League Baseball has run through the Round Rock Express for both Roy Oswalt and Manny Ramirezz as each have hoped a stop at the Rangers' Triple-A affliate will lead them back to greatness. Photo R. Anderson
The road back to Major League Baseball has run through the Round Rock Express for both Roy Oswalt and Manny Ramirez as each have hoped a stop at the Rangers’ Triple-A affiliate will lead them back to greatness.
Photo R. Anderson

The other player vying for a comeback is Manny Ramirez, 41-year-old slugger attempting a comeback with the Texas Rangers after a two-year absence from the Majors.

The Rangers signed Ramirez to a Minor League deal July 3 and he is currently on their Triple-A Round Rock Express roster.

Ramirez hasn’t played in the Majors since 2011 with Tampa Bay. After going 1-for-17 for the Rays, Ramirez announced his retirement in lieu of serving a 100-game suspension for failing a drug test.

The suspension was reduced to 50 games last season and Manny spent some time in the Oakland A’s Minor League system.

After leaving Oakland’s Sacramento affiliate, Ramirez tried his hand with the EDA Rhinos of the Chinese Professional Baseball League hitting .352 (64-for-182) with eight homers and 43 RBIs in 49 games.

Ranked No. 14 all-time with 555 career homers the Rangers are betting that there is a little left in Manny’s tank and he can be a productive hitter for them down the stretch.

While it is probably easier for older hitters to keep playing, and the designated hitter position has been filled by sluggers still going strong in their 40’s before there are certainly no guarantees that past success will lead to future success.

So Roy Oswalt and Manny Ramirez will try to go to the well as long as there is still water in it. But at some point the well will run dry and people will be left with more memories of them as broken down players as opposed to players who went out on top.

The very drive and determination that makes the elite athletes excel can also be the Achilles heel that doesn’t let them walk away when everyone except for them can clearly see that the time to heed the growing volume of the music has come.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to feed my tank some dinner.

Copyright 2013 R. Anderson

Houston Astros, Major League Baseball

Castro the Astro Named All-Star Cuz Someone Had to Be

Saturday night Major League Baseball announced the starters and reserves for this year’s All-Star Game.

With the exception of a final fan’s choice vote for each league, and some players to be named later by the managers, the rosters are pretty much set.

For the most part the rosters seem sound and despite the ill conceived notion of fan voting, the bulk of the players seem to have gotten on the team through merit.

Of course since the introduction of the “all teams have to be represented by at least one player rule” some of the reserve players would not be on the team were it not required for someone from their team to be there.

Jason Castro was named to his first All-Star game Saturday. Photo R. Anderson
Jason Castro was named to his first All-Star game Saturday.
Photo R. Anderson

This brings us to Jason Castro, catcher for the Houston Astros. Castro was named to the All-Star game as the sole representative of the Astros.

To think that his level of play reaches the level of an All-Star leads one to have to make a quantum leap of reasoning.

Even given the notion that someone from the Astros has to be selected as an All-Star, Castro does not even lead any offensive categories on the team. Which means that he is not even the best of the worst team in baseball.

Castro ranks second in batting average behind Jose Altuve (last year’s Astros All-Star representative) and also ranks second on the team in runs scored and home runs.

Granted Castro had a “see I belong in the game” moment Saturday night when he hit a three-run home run against the Rangers as part of a shocking upset in Arlington but the case remains puzzling as to why he is heading to the All-Star game as a reserve catcher.

To be fair I have nothing against Jason Castro despite the Astros seeming to have a man crush on him since drafting him with the 10th pick of the 2008 draft and repeatedly shoving him down the throats of the fans despite the presence of better catchers on the roster.

While there have been some catchers through the years that have swung the bat well those are usually few and far between. And in the case of former Astros catcher turned second baseman Craig Biggio catchers that can hit are usually moved to other positions to prolong their careers. Had Craig Biggio remained a catcher it is very probable that he would not have had the long career that allowed him to obtain over 3,000 hits.

So to me the job of catcher first and foremost is that of a defensive player that works well with the pitchers and can throw runners out at second base. Through the years prior to Jason Castro arriving at the Astros there were a string of such players who while not known for consistently driving in runs they definitely minimized opposing teams scoring through their work behind the plate.

Future Hall of Famer Ivan "Pudge" Rodriquez spent only part of a season with the Astros before being traded to the Rangers. Photo R. Anderson
Future Hall of Famer Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez spent only part of a season with the Astros before being traded to the Rangers.
Photo R. Anderson

To me the best catcher to ever wear an Astros uniform was Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez. With a young team and a future Hall of Famer behind the plate, it seemed like a no brainer to keep Pudge in the Astro pinstripes for as long as possible to allow him to mentor the pitching staff and provide veteran leadership in the clubhouse.

Sadly the Astros traded Rodriguez to the Rangers midway though the 2009 season. But during his time there he was definitely fun to watch and showed Astros players and fans what a real catcher looks like.

J.R. Towles was another catcher who called a good game but fell short at the plate. Towles and Castro were both competing for the starting job at the same time. Towles beat out the injury prone Castro twice in spring training for the job and received high praise from many of the Astros pitchers for his presense behind the plate.

For my money former Astro J.R. Towles was twice the player Jason Castro is where it counts most, defensively. Unfortunately for Towles the Astros disagreed and kept sticking with the error prone Jason Castro behind the plate. Photo R. Anderson
For my money former Astro J.R. Towles was twice the player Jason Castro is where it counts most, defensively. Unfortunately for Towles the Astros disagreed and kept sticking with the error prone Jason Castro behind the plate.
Photo R. Anderson

Unfortunately Towles struggled mightily at the plate generating far more outs than hits. After a few seasons of battling between the Majors and Minors, and with Castro still the anointed catcher of the future, Towles was finally let go paving the way for the Jason Castro era to begin.

Still even after Castro was anointed the starter he still faced injury issues and actually missed the entire 2011 season with a knee injury received during Spring Training.

It seems that he is finally showing the offensive spark that they had hoped was there but there are still glaring defensive issues visible in his game in the amount of passed balls that get by him. His ability to call games and be in sync with his battery mates is also an area that is still in work.

I certainly hope that I am wrong and Jason Castro can become a successful every day catcher for years to come and help the team with both his bat and his glove. I just have not seen enough evidence of that to date to give me confidence in his ability to be that player down the road.

Granted, as a reserve there is no guarantee that Castro will take the field at any point in the game. The rules say a member from every team has to make the roster but it does not say that the managers are forced to use every player like some Little League pay to play situation.

I truly hope that both fan voting and guarantee representation from all teams are removed from the All-Star Game landscape in the coming years to return the game to its roots where the best players, regardless of team affiliation, are battling each other for bragging rights and home field World Series advantage.

Until that day comes the All-Star Game will carry a virtual asterisk next to it meaning that the accomplishments made within it should not be judged the same way as the the pre fan vote era.

Now if you’ll excuse me I need to start planning my All-Star Game menu.

Copyright 2013 R. Anderson

Houston Astros, Major League Baseball

Celebrating a Trio of All-American Traditions

Yesterday was the Fourth of July. Which aside from meaning that today is the fifth of July, means that yesterday was a day set aside to celebrate America’s independence from the occupying British forces.

That independence from British rule established principles regarding life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

As part of my pursuit of happiness this year I took part in a trio of All-American festivities. At the time I woke up I was only planning to partake in one American tradition but as the day wore on I soon added a pair more to my original plan.

For nearly a century people have been eating Nathan's Hot Dogs on the Fourth of July. Of course some people end up eating way more than others. Photo R. Anderson
For nearly a century people have been eating Nathan’s Hot Dogs on the Fourth of July. Of course some people end up eating way more than others.
Photo R. Anderson

The first tradition I took part in was eating a Nathan’s hot dog on the fourth of July.

For about a century now Coney Island, New York has hosted the Nathan’s Famous July Fourth International Hot Dog Eating Championship.

And while competitors come from nations all over the world the item remains All-American in that it occurs on July 4th.

This year, Joey “Jaws” Chestnut ate 69 hot dogs in 10 minutes to win another title.

To honor this achievement of man concurring frankfurter I decide to stage my own hot dog eating on the Fourth of July.

While I did not eat anywhere near 69 hot dogs I did venture to my local Sam’s Club to get an authentic Nathan’s hot dog. In hindsight I should have worn my Nathan’s hot dog contest shirt to the Sam’s Club but that would have required a wardrobe change before adding to the next item on my list of All-American activities.

Nathan’s was one of the brands I grew up with on the east coast and they are hard to find here in Texas. Don’t get me wrong there are some very nice hot dog choices here but to me a hot dog on July 4th has to be a Nathan’s hot dog. I am sure there are people that feel the same way about whichever hot dog they grew up with as well.

With my hot dog properly washed down with a Cherry Coke it was time to move onto what would become the second side of my freedom celebrating pursuit of happiness triangle.

The second side of the triangle was of course an afternoon baseball game between the Houston Astros and the Tampa Bay Rays.

It does not get much better than being in a ballpark on July 4th. Photo R. Anderson
It does not get much better than being in a ballpark on July 4th.
Photo R. Anderson

I had attended the Wednesday night game but considering the Rays do not visit Houston often I felt it was justified to see them two days in a row. Plus, there is just something special about watching a game on July Fourth as part of the American tradition.

The Astros typically honor soldiers at each home game and yesterday was no different. But getting to show support for soldiers on the day that we honor America had a little extra significance.

Getting to see an extra inning marathon game was just an added bonus.

As mentioned before I typically root for both the Astros and the Rays. Since I have followed the Rays longer than the Astros I proudly wore my Rays gear and cheered them on to victory yesterday.

During Wednesday’s game the Astros won so in a way one of my teams won both nights.

After coming home from the game I had every intention of staying home the rest of the night and watching the celebration and fireworks from the Nation’s Capitol. If you have never caught the broadcast on the local PBS station I highly recommended it.

The third leg of the All-American triangle included fireworks, lots and lots of fireworks. Photo R. Anderson
The third leg of the All-American triangle included fireworks, lots and lots of fireworks.
Photo R. Anderson

Broadcasting from the steps of the Capitol the Capitol Fourth show features music and fireworks. This year’s performers included Neil Diamond, Barry Manilow and John Williams.

Each is an American icon in their own right and seeing them in the same 90 minute broadcast was certainly a treat.

But a funny thing happened as I was watching the televised fireworks from Washington D.C. About midway through it occurred to me that fireworks would be going off about three miles from my house in about an hour.

Now there had been signs on the road for weeks warning people to stay away from the area where the fireworks would be held due to the crazy amount of traffic that was expected.

But I figured I knew a back way to get there and could avoid the traffic while still catching the live fireworks that Neil Diamond and Barry Manilow’s patriotic numbers inspired me to want to see.

More fireworks. Photo R. Anderson
More fireworks.
Photo R. Anderson

I think on any other day I would have lost serious street cred by uttering the phrase, “Neil Diamond and Barry Manilow inspired me do it.”

But, someone on the Fourth of July there is no shame in the men behind Sweet Caroline and Mandy providing a patriotic bit of encouragement to get off the couch and go see some fireworks.

So hyped up on feelings of patriotism I piled into my car and made the three mile trek to a Walmart parking lot that would allow me to see the show and in theory quickly escape the traffic in the same way upon the completion of the show.

There were no issues getting there but the escape from the Walmart took a little longer than I anticipated.

And you guessed it, more fireworks. Photo R. Anderson
And you guessed it, more fireworks.
Photo R. Anderson

With my July Fourth triangle of All-American activities was completed it was time to go home.

I suppose I could have gone inside the Walmart and purchased an apple pie to turn the All-American triangle into an All-American square but I went home and had a V8 and some carrots instead.

Perhaps next year I will add a pastry component to the celebration or maybe even add a second hot dog.

Who knows what the celebration will entail. After all I have an entire year to plan it.

I do know that it will likely include a baseball game if at all possible. While the day game this year did not allow for post-game fireworks the on field action was certainly explosive.

Now if you’ll excuse me I have a strange urge to listen to Copacabana for some reason.

Copyright 2013 R. Anderson

Baltimore Orioles, Houston Astros, Major League Baseball, Tampa Bay Rays, Texas Rangers

Tampa Bay Rays Join My Triple Double Club

Tonight around 7:30 or so I will be at Minute Maid Park watching the Tampa Bay Rays play the Houston Astros in the third game of a four game series.

While the night will include postgame fireworks to celebrate the Fourth of July, it occurs to me that it will mark another milestone as well.

While it did not occur to me at the time when I purchased my ticket, tonight’s game will mark the second time that I have seen the Rays play in Houston. Add that to two games at Tropicana Field and two games at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington and the Rays become the first member of my Triple Double Club.

Fresh off their first World Series appearance in 2008 I visited the Tampa Bay Rays in 2009 for a long overdue trip to Tropicana Field. Photo R. Anderson
Fresh off their first World Series appearance in 2008 I visited the Tampa Bay Rays in 2009 for a long overdue trip to Tropicana Field.
Photo R. Anderson

There have been numerous teams that I have watched come and go through Minute Maid Park through the years.

But with the exception of seeing a few of them for Spring Training games, there have not been many that I have seen in multiple Ballparks so the Rays induction in the Triple Double Club is sort of a big deal.

The fact that the event will be met with post game fireworks is sort of a happy coincidence.

Okay so the Triple Double Club may be something that only matters to me but I thought that it was pretty cool. Considering that I have only made it to four of the 30 Major League Ballparks so far the fact that I saw the same team twice at three of those ballparks is nothing to sneeze at.

I have seen the Baltimore Orioles play at three stadiums during the regular season but only once at each ballpark so they are in the Triple Single Club. Of course seeing them play in two different Ballparks over a four day period gives them bonus points. And I have seen them play in three ballparks over the years during Spring Training.

A second ballpark viewing of the Rays was added in Arlington when I saw them take on the Texas Rangers. Photo R. Anderson
A second ballpark viewing of the Rays was added in Arlington when I saw them take on the Texas Rangers.
Photo R. Anderson

The Texas Rangers are in the Double Double Club as I have watched them at both their home Ballpark and Minute Maid Park. It stands to reason that they would be a strong candidate to join the Triple Double Club as all it would take was a trip to an additional ballpark when they were in town to get them there.

The Toronto Blue Jays make it into the Double Single Club as I have seen them play at both Tropicana Field and Minute Maid Park.

The Houston Astros are the team I have watched the most due to the close proximity between my house and the Minute Maid Park. I have probably seen close to 100 games at Minute Maid Park over the past decade but ironically I have never seen them play a regular season game at any other Ballpark.

I’ve made numerous trips to Florida to see the Astros play in Spring Training games but during the regular season it seems that the desire to see them play far from home just doesn’t exist. In that way the Astros closeness is both a blessing and a curse.

Minute Maid Park became the third ballpark to watch the Rays in when I saw them take on the Houston Astros in 2011. Photo R. Anderson
Minute Maid Park became the third ballpark to watch the Rays in when I saw them take on the Houston Astros in 2011.
Photo R. Anderson

There have been years where I thought about making the four hour drive to see them play the Texas Rangers in Arlington but those thoughts were usually quashed quickly at the thought that I could just wait until the Rangers came to Houston.

But there are certainly worse places to watch games than Minute Maid Park.

With the Astros move to the American League this year the odds of me completing the Single Thirty Club of seeing all 30 teams at Minute Maid Park is pretty high.

I do not have the number in front of me but it seems highly likely that I am less than five teams away from reaching that goal of seeing all 30 teams from the air-conditioned comfort of Minute Maid Park.

Off of the top of my head I know I have yet to see the New York Yankees play there but the other teams that I am missing escape me at the moment. The Oakland Athletics seem like another team that I have yet to see play but with them sharing a division with the Astros that is an easy team to cross off of the list.

Tonight will mark the sixth Tampa Bay Rays regular season game that I have attended and the second at Minute Maid Park earning an inaugural induction into the Triple Double Club as I have seen a pair of games at Tropicana Field, Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, and Minute Maid Park. Photo R. Anderson
Tonight will mark the sixth Tampa Bay Rays regular season game that I have attended and the second at Minute Maid Park earning an inaugural induction into the Triple Double Club as I have seen a pair of games at Tropicana Field, Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, and Minute Maid Park.
Photo R. Anderson

I suppose it is entirely possible that the Yankees and Athletics are the only missing teams but I will definitely have to look into that.

I do know that the National League, and in particular the National League Central, is well represented in my list of teams that I have seen multiple times there.

While the focus tonight will be placed firmly on enjoying the Rays and the induction of the first member of the Triple Double Club the festivities will be short lived.

Tomorrow afternoon I will start my way towards the Triple Triple Club as I will be catching a matinee game between the Rays and the Astros.

I guess that means I need to plan road trips back to Arlington and St. Petersburg to complete the Triple Triple Club for the Rays. I don’t think my arm will be twisted to hard to make that happen.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to decide which Rays shirt to wear to tomorrow’s game.

Copyright 2013 R. Anderson