the baseball diaries

Welcome Back Kendrys!!

More-Alice went deep yesterday against Chokeland for the first time in almost two years!. Finally, after suffering a serverly broken ankle (from celebrating a walk-off grand slam) on May 29, 2010 and up until this spring not being fully recovered, the Angels have their big bat back. Kendrys crushed one in the 1st inning, a three run shot(!) and added a rbi later in the game. Alllll-Bert went 2-4, but still has yet to homer. Then they left it to Weaver who went 6 2/3 with 1 BB and 6 K's, passing the 1000 K mark for his career!! Angels win 6-0!

As great as it was to see this, the Angels have been struggling lately. They managed only one win in the Bronx over the weekend (8-1) but got pounded in their two losses. Their pitching looked silly and amateurish. The hitting, though adequate, lacked the timing and rally setting that we're accustomed to. But you can see it. They stand poised and ready, a breakout is brewing, and we're gonna see some great baseball, I can feel it! It started last night, hope it will continue tonight with Dirty Dan taking the hill vs. Tyson Chicken.

One bothersome thing about last night's game: Errors! 3 of them. Basics boys, basics...

Over the past few nights I've been engrossed in watching "Baseball" by Ken Burns. It's an older documentary series but features a complete (as far as I can tell) history of baseball. It has great old pictures, some really old film footage, awesome almost ghostly quotes from old ballplayers and sports writers alike. They have commentaries by Bob Costas, Mario Cuomo, Billy Crystal, and my favorite; George Will! It tells how distinctly "American" a game it is even though it has roots in Rounders and Cricket, both English bat and ball games. It has American rules (not laws, as in England). It has American pace, no time for lunch or tea. It's played by men, boys, girls, women, lawyers, doctors, factory men, white, black, brown, and yellow. Even if that wasn't always the case. Plus, the cool names of those old clubs are far superior to most now like the Gothams, Excelsiors, Tip-Tops, Pithians, and Trolley Dodgers, to name a few.

"If 2000 years from now someone will research the United States to find something distinctly "American" they will find these three: The Constitution, Jazz Music, and Baseball!" -- Gerald Early

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