Baseball Mecca

As dedicated readers may know, I recently went on my honeymoon which was a trip along the coast of Maine. It was terrific, a wonderful time was had. Our first stop was in New York and our first morning in New York was spent in Cooperstown, NY the home of the Baseball Hall of Fame. Most people were amazed that I could "convince" my wife to stop here, it really didn't take much talking into and I don't think she was even that bored. This post will include some links and some pictures for the real blog experience. Enjoy!

The first thing I noticed was the area surrounding the Baseball Hall of Fame, it's in the middle of nowhere in a very small town. I visited here when I was 10 but obviously do not recall that about the visit, Cooperstown is touristy and I'm guessing doesn't have much for permanent residents. The small town atmosphere really added to the experience for me, it made me feel like everyone there had to travel and go out of their way to get there, it was cool. Unfortunately, 40-50% of the visitors that day appeared to be Yankee fans, you just can't get away from them. They really are everywhere.

Our first stop was Doubleday Field (left). Doubleday Field was built in 1920 and is named after Abner Doubleday, the man who claims to have invented baseball. When we were there, there was an old man's league playing there, we hung out there for a minute while Katie finished her coffee. I have to admit, seeing field with now big lights, modest stands, and a backdrop of small townhouses was pretty cool.

Next we entered the Baseball Hall of Fame. Tickets were modestly priced, around $15 each. Our first stop was a video that we thought was going to be about the 1927 Yankees widely considered the greatest team in the history of sports. However, it was just a sappy video about how great baseball is, more geared towards kids. Down, but not out, I found out that there was a tour being led about the 1927 Yankees. I attempted to get in on that action, but a herd of Yankee fans were already following the guide, completely blocking the Babe Ruth section of the Hall. Sorry, Babe, I gotta move on. We stepped into the area dedicated to minorities who were not allowed to play in the Majors until the late 1940's. We are all given the Jackie Robinson story in elementary school, but there is obviously much more to that era than Jackie. The most impressive part of this section was the amounts of memorabilia that remain from this era. The Hall of Fame has done a great job of electing players who may have spent their entire careers in the Negro Leagues.

Next it was onto the baseball greats area. There were "lockers" set up that contained items from some of the greatest players ever complete with plaques stating their greatness. There was an area for the great Tigers of the 1940s, but what caught my interest was Lou Gehrig's locker. They had an actual jersey from the Iron Horse! I told Rob while we were in Detroit that Gehrig is my all time favorite Yankee, what's not to like? This is the man who slugged nearly 500 home runs in the 1920s and 1930s when no one was hitting them other than Babe Ruth. This is the man who averaged 149 RBI per season for his career, six players have had more than that in a single season since 1964 and most of them were probably on steroids. This is also a man who played baseball every day he could until he died. I've got nothing but respect for Lou Gehrig.

After wiping off my tears from the Gehrig locker I moved on to the Tiger stuff. They had Gabe Kapler's jersey from the final game at Tiger Stadium in 1999. Why does this matter? He wore a replica of Ty Cobb's jersey, thus, it had no number on it. They also had the second base from that final game that Lou Whitaker and Alan Trammell played together. Most impressive was the section dedicated to the 1984 Tigers who are holding up pretty well historically. The team is best known for their record setting 35-5 start, a start that no team has come close to matching since then. They also had Jack Morris' hat that he wore when he threw a no-hitter in April of 1984.

In addition to the noting of great team and individual accomplishments there was also a very impressive baseball card collection. People who knew me when I was ten know that this is a huge deal. They had baseball cards from all eras here, something for every person who ever collected baseball cards. Baseball cards were my gateway into baseball, I'm pretty sure I loved baseball cards before I loved baseball. I loved organizing them and looking up their prices, and making trades with my friends. In addition to piles and piles of cards they had a separate display about Honus Wagner's baseball card (right) which the Hall dubbed, "The Holy Grail". This card pops up in newspapers about once every couple years or so when one is sold or one is found. I've heard of the card selling for one million dollars. The Hall of course has their own copy of the card and it appears to be in excellent condition.

Our final stop was the the actual "Hall". The hall is where all of the plaques are up and you can stroll through and find all of your favorites. I opted to walk through chronologically. The plaques are not up in order of when guys played, but when the were inducted. When entering the hall they have a guide of everyone's name and when the were inducted. One special thing they did was put an extra small indicator by the plaques of players who served in one of our nations many wars. I didn't think much of this, but noticed one plaque with a unique indicator by it. The indicator by Morgan G. Bulkeley was different from the others, it indicated that he served in the Civil War. I knew baseball was old, but I didn't think it reached that far back. Mr. Bulkeley was the first Commissioner of the National League, the Governor of Connecticut, a Senator, and as a Private in the Union Army. Impressive. I also made special notice of all of the plaques with Tigers on them and of course, Lou Gehrig's. However, the two most impressive plaque's were of two members of the Hall of Fame's first class, Babe Ruth and Ty Cobb. As far as baseball history goes, these two are the biggest of the big. They both held records that were thought to be unbreakable, but have since been broken. However, how many people consider Barry Bonds bigger and better than "the Babe" or consider Pete Rose a better hitter than Ty Cobb? It was really impressive to see those plaques.

All in all it was a terrific time. I could have included much more, but this will do for now. I'll end on a humorous note. Most baseball fans know that the Houston Astros play their games in Minute Made Park (charming name). I don't know how many people remember the parks original name. This picture will provide the answer for those that do not remember:

Good times! I really would suggest this trip to anyone who is heading out east for any reason. If you even semi-enjoy baseball or did at one point, you will really get something out of this trip.

Right on the chin...

What a game.

Some of you may know, others may not, but Blake and I attended Tigers batting practice off Mike Mussina...I mean, the Tigers v. Yankees game last night in Detroit. It is well documented on this blog that i am the resident Yankees fan and it was very difficult for me to watch THE WORST ROAD LOSS IN YANKEE HISTORY. Of course, we will all hear that little stat a million times on SportsCenter.

Let me just say that I give it up to the Tigers, they took the game to the Yankees. To be honest, the game was over at 7-0 in the 4th inning. Mussina had 6 ER thru 3 and then Ramirez gave 1 up. When they brought in Sean Henn, the Yanks had no intention of any heroics. They have bigger fish to fry with the Red S0x coming to town.

All in all, the game was a great time. Blake and I both had some time off work. We made great time to and from the game. I threw a pitch 64 mphs which was a good feeling. It also made me feel like I could have got in there and thrown an inning or two for the good ol' pinstripes. We enjoyed Hockeytown for some refreshments as well as nachos at the park that were delicious. You can never be mad about going to a baseball game in which your favorite team is playing. You just can't.

So there it is. The Tigers take their first series win in 5 weeks. Good for them. Even a blind squirrel finds a nut sometimes. Please feel free to use this post as a place to heap it on!

Tigers Vs. Yankees Game One

If I had gone to the game last night when it was scheduled to start and left when it was over I would have been at Comerica Park for 8.5 hours and would have gotten back to Lansing around 5am. I didn't go, but I did watch the entire game, I stayed up until 3:30 just hoping they would win that game.

A loss under last nights circumstances would have been killer for the Tigers and their fans. They had a couple of leads that disappeared, then their bullpen actually held the Yankees scoreless for 6 innings, an extra inning loss at 3am would have been a true punch in the stomach. Apparently 20,000 fans stayed in the park to see the entire a game, truly impressive.

Carlos Guillen's homerun in the bottom of the 11th may have saved their season.

Why I root for The Pinstripes...

At this point in my life, I love virtually any sport that I can wrap my head around. Competition at the highest level is something that enjoy. It has not always been that way. I'd like to incorporate Blake into my journey in becoming a Yankees fan.

When we were young I remember Blake loving the Tigers. I can attest to the fact that he would look over the box scores while we were camping at Holland State Park like he talks about in those overly sappy stories. However, I did not. Why? I didn't understand. Here is what I knew about the Tigers: Travis Fryman had a sweet name, and Alan Trammell seemed like the most boring name in all of history. I didn't understand baseball, let alone root for any one team. So, I didn't. I never rooted for the Tigers growing up, so why would I now?

Blake touched on this, but I will open it up. I have never understood nor has someone ever been able to explain to me, why I have to like the team that is in your state or that you are near. You grew up in the state your parents choose to live. It is along the same lines of logic as voting the same as your parents just because that is what was choose for you. I'd imagine that the gentleman that posted previously is a republican because his parents are. I digress... But to get back on track, there seems to be this fantasy that I MUST like the Tigers because I live in Michigan. As I stated at the beginning, there is no reasoning behind this.

But that is about why I don't root for the Tigers. There are three reasons I root for the Yankees:

1. I choose the to root for the Yankees because I love the expectations. There is NO other team in the 4 major sports that have the expectations the Yankees do. Sure, there are teams that go into season wanting to win it all, others are even favored to go all the way. Without fail, the Yankees are expected to win the World Series. When they don't, it is a disappointment. The Tigers had an outstanding season last year and if the Yankees would have done the same thing, it would have been a disappointment. I enjoy that.

2. I am truly a Yankee fan. Rewind to the 2001 World Series, where I stood in a room of people rooting against the DBacks and then had my heart wrenched out after Luis Gonzales slapped a single for the game winning run. I went from bandwagon fan to the real deal when that happened. I knew then, that it was pinstripes...win, lose or draw. So for anyone that thinks I started rooting for the Yankees because they win can swallow that argument because it was there demise that turned me into a Bronx Bomber backer.

3. I am more New York than Detroit. I remember during the playoff series last year there were comparison drawn between the Tigers and the Yankees and I can't put it better than that. The Yankees were the consummate professionals and the Tigers had the blue collar work ethic. This is not a slam on the Tigers, nor does this make one better than the other but the Yankees image is something that enjoying watching more than the Tigers.

So there it is. Bring on your comments because I have been a Yankees fan for 6 years now and I have heard it all.

More Tigers...

I think it goes without saying, but this next week can make or break the Tigers season. With the next 7 games at home against the Indians and Yankees the Tigers need to bring it, for their own sake. I think they could go 2-5 in the next 7 and still make the playoffs, but they need the confidence that comes with big wins.

Their struggles of late have been well documented, since obtaining the best record in baseball they have gone 10-21, heading in the wrong direction. Over that time they have sustained injury after injury* and have seen many faces come and go. This is a team in the middle of big changes at a big point in the season. Luckily for the Tigers the Indians haven't been much better. The Indians are only up 1.5 games after the Tigers plummet from the top when they could easily be 7 or 8games up, not a confidence builder for them either. Did you know Travis Hafner is hitting only .253 this season? Unreal. The bottom line, as the Cardinals realized last year, is that all you need to do is get in. Tiger fans remember getting swept by the Royals to end the regular season last year when they need wins to avoid the Yanks in the playoffs. The playoffs are just as much about luck as skill. That's why baseball is great.

So here we go, this marathon week. To cap it all off, I'll be at the last game of the seven with Rob, we should have some good stuff in the upcoming week about that game and what it means to us and to the teams. Enjoy.



*The injury argument is bogus. Sure, it can make you feel better about why your team is playing poorly, but, EVERY team suffers injuries, every team in baseball, that's just the way it is. So I don't blame the Kenny Rogers injury or Zumaya's or Sheffield's injury situations for why they are struggling. That' why you make sure you have a deep roster with solid backups.*

Tigers Gut Check

Jim Leyland recently downplayed the next few games because of how much baseball is left to be played.

I disagree with this a great deal.

I don't remember who said, but it was during the NBA playoffs when a media reporter used the phrase "must-win game". The coach blew up on the reporter saying that there isn't a game that should be a game they can lose ever, let along one that will prolong or end their season depending on the outcome. Over the next 13 games (7 H, 5 R), Detroit has a chance to control their own destiny. These games come in the form of 5 against the Cleveland Indians, a team that they are now tied with for the AL Central. I posted at the half way point that Detroit needs to "clean up" their 4-6 record versus the Indians. This is still true and they have 5 games to do it.

The other 8 games are against the hottest team in the MLB right, the New York Yankees. This would be the team they would need to get past for the Wild Card. This also comes at a time when Detroit's pitching is reeling. Verlander has been sick. Rogers and Miller are both hurt. Bondermen is 1-4 in his last 5 decisions. Durbin is back in the starting rotation along with Jurrijens. This is a point of concern for Detroit.

2 games out of the wild card and tied for their division. Can the Tigers do it?

Gone Again...

Well the Tigers have hit a low point. Down 8-1 to the A's tonight they scored 8 runs in a row to go up 9-8 only to give it right back up and lose 16-10. They are awful all around right now. So, now is as good a time as any to head out on vacation. I will be gone until next Saturday in Maine. Along the way I am stopping at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY, I will give a full report.

Hopefully Rob has a post or two in him while I'm gone.

Empire On Track

So much to post about, so little time...

If you look back at my "Happy Halfway, AL..." post, it gave a run down of where everyone was in the standings and of course I had to make sure my Yankees got a little press in there. I noted that they need to go 20-8 over their first 28 games after the all star break to be in contention. At that point, it would give them the opportunity to compete for the Wild Card and possibly their division.

As of today, they have gone 20-8. They are 1/2 game back from the Tigers and M's, who are tied for the Wild Card spot as of right now. They are also 6 games back of Boston. That number is down from 14.5 at one point in the season. The Yankees have 8 games left against Detroit, 6 games left against Boston, and 3 games left with Seattle. While NYY lost last night, they are looking down the barrel of three with Cleveland (Yes, Detroit fans, you all need to be rooting for us this week) and at the heart of what will make or break them this year.

Speaking of NYY v. Det....

Some of you may be aware that Blake and I will be attending the final game of that 8 game series between the red-hot Yankees and the slumping Tigers. It is certainly shaping up to have implications on the playoff race and we are going to be in the heat of it. Of course, we won't be able to have a laptop to chronicle each pitch, we do need a idea on how to go about recording this great event. Blake, could we also consider a friendly wager (not money of course, that's illegal!). This could be something else for the people out there to give feedback on.

That's what I got for now. Thoughts?

Letter From the NFL

Why I am Boycotting the NFL

As most loyal readers know, I am boycotting the NFL this year. A quick run down of what the includes:

1. I will not watch a single minute of a NFL game this year, that includes the Super Bowl.
2. No reading about the NFL (websites, papers, magazines).
3. When a NFL story comes up on the television I will change the channel.
4. No fantasy football.
5. No playing Madden.

So those are the rules for now. Now for the story.

At the end of April this past spring the story broke that Vick could be involved in dog fighting. There was no concrete evidence at this point. It made me feel sick. I initially thought that he could just be one bad apple and I can't judge the NFL based on one bad apple (even though they have many). The following day, Vick started to take some heat so the media asked other players what they thought of his situation. A couple of players on the Washington Redskins stuck right up for Vick. Their argument was that the dogs were Vick's property and he could do what he pleased with his property. Property. Property. He could do what he wanted with his property. The word property there is what really set me off.

Not to go all animal rights on everyone here but have you ever had a pet? A dog, a cat? Would you consider that pet your property or would you consider it your friend, companion, or family member? Within a couple of hours of multiple players sticking up for Vick (fellow All Pro RB Clinton Portis was one that stuck up for Vick) the NFL had to make a statement saying it did not condone dog fighting or cruelty to animals. I don't think your league is quite up to snuff when you have to make a formal statement about not supporting cruelty to animals. In my estimation the NFL was in some pretty serious trouble.

It was around this time pictures started to surface of the home owned by Vick where the suspected dog fighting was taking place. Notice the black windowless buildings back behind the house surrounded by the black fence. In the evening, from the road, it was appear as though there was nothing on that land other than the huge white house. It was in these houses that authorities found dog fighting pits, blood, teeth, and other evidence suggesting dog fighting. Just look at the amount of work that went into putting this all together.

Once I saw this pictures and heard the support of fellow NFL players is when I made my decision to boycott the NFL. I wrote Commissioner Goodell letting him know that because of the way NFL players were sticking up for dog fighting that I would be boycotting his league for the entire 2007 NFL season. I couldn't figure out how to post the letter on here without messing up the rest of the post, so just see the post above this one for a copy of the letter I got from the NFL.

Now the Vick thing is blowing up and it's all over the news. The guy is in major trouble. I understand that not everyone is as outraged about this as I am, I'm comfortable with that. It's just when I read about this and what happened to some of those dogs it gets me right in the pit of my stomach and makes me feel just awful. I hope the NFL/World can grasp the seriousness of this issues and how cruel it really is.

So much happening!!!

I don't know if Blake is doing relief work in the South or scouting LSU for our upcoming College Football preview. Hopefully, he is doing both.

How does he leave during the first week in the summer that there is all kinds of action in the sports world?!?!

Garnett Trade....Texiera and Gagne on the move...Glavine at 299, Bonds at 754, Arod at 499...

Where to start?!

I will only hammer on the Garnett trade because that is huge right now. Also, my prediction that it would bring Bill Simmons out from behind his book writing was correct within hours of posting. He must be reading our blog.

Boston has shifted into the favorite to win the East. Argue with me. I dare you.

From a contending stand point, they have the next 4 years to put together Championship teams. It will probably take them a season to get used to each other, but they are still the favorite in the East. Cleveland doesn't have enough to stop them. Detroit is slowing down and they somehow think that by not making changes and signing ineffective postseason pointguards to max deals will help them...not sure what Joe D. is thinking on that front. Miami is good but every year Shaq slows down more and Dwayne's shoulder will not be able to carry the whole team. All these teams have 1 or 2 stars. Boston now has 3 major players that can take over a game at any point.

The other great part about this is that once these guys finish up their contracts, it will free up scads of salary cap room. Allen is at 14 million, Pierce is at 15 million, and Garnett is at 17 million. They will probably all wrap things up within a year or two after winning 3 or 4 conference titles and a pair of championships. Since they have no cap room they will sign guys that are going to playing for peanuts (in terms of NBA salaries) that are going to get a free ride. These free riders will realize that they will look so good if they just play hard and smart. Since they will all be guys trying to prove themselves (this is proven via the minuscule salary they command), it adds yet another incentive to play hard.

The one issue with all of this is that they will still have to win a 7 game series against a Western Conference team. It may take a warm up year but they will hammer out the kinks.

Should be fun to watch.