I Hate The Phillies, But…

This is awesome. Great job by this dad.

Rickey Henderson’s HOF Speech

It took me a while to get around to posting this, but I thought this was very interesting. Rickey Henderson was inducted into the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame on Sunday, and his speech was one of the most anticipated in the history of these ceremonies. Rickey is well-known for his “Rickey-isms,” which usually include a reference to himself in the 3rd person combined with cocky, arrogant, albeit usually fairly accurate claims of his own greatness.

That’s why I was pretty surprised from the clips I saw of his speech. I was expecting something like this (from Dan Abramson of the Huffington Post):

Rickey would like to thank the Hall of Fame for making a bronze statue of Rickey. Rickey looks dapper in bronze. Rickey looks even better in a uniform and neon-green Mizuno batting gloves. Would anybody like to hire Rickey?

Rickey can run. Not could run. Can run. Rickey keeps himself in “Rickey Shape” by lifting bases over Rickey’s head and chanting “Rickey’s The Greatest Of All Time.”

When Rickey played for the A’s, Rickey’s teammates used performance enhancing drugs that made them almost as good as Rickey. If Rickey took those drugs, you’d get “Super-Rickey.” “Super-Rickey” is too good and it wouldn’t be fair for everyone who’s not Rickey.

Rickey was a great a teammate. Just ask that guy who played second base when Rickey was in Oakland. He wasn’t as good as Rickey, but Rickey got paid a lot more, so Rickey didn’t mind. Rickey doesn’t remember his name.

Instead, Rickey was genuine, humorous, fairly humbled (sort of), and mostly sincere. This story from the Onion captures the essence of all this:

COOPERSTOWN, NY—Baseball fans across the nation admitted to feeling “cheated” and “let down” by Rickey Henderson Sunday as the all-time stolen-base leader, known for his brash statements and bizarre turns of phrase, gave a humble and coherent Hall of Fame induction speech with overtones of humor and pathos. “He spoke pretty much like a normal human being,” Oakland resident Darryl Kleinman said. “That’s not why I traveled across the country. I wanted him to get up there and, I don’t know, scream that he was the greatest athlete to ever grace God’s green earth, or announce that he was going to come back and play for the Nationals, or address the crowd in second person. Nobody wants to hear about how much he loves baseball.”

You can read clips from the speech here, and here are some clips of it:

Happy Trails, Tom

Tom Glavine was released by the Atlanta Braves yesterday. The 43-year-old lefty was just ready to come back from injury after making his last rehab start, only to be shocked by his release. I concur with Chipper Jones who said, “Sentimentally, [the day] stunk. But if you look at it in terms of this organization going forward, you have to hope it’s a step in the right direction.”

We’ll miss you, Tom.

In his honor, I wanted to bring back something from his glory days, the immortal Nike commercial with him and Greg Maddux, “Chicks Dig The Long Ball.”

This is still hysterical.

A-Rod’s Interview with Peter Gammons

So he’s admitted it…at least part of it. Sounding much more like Andy Pettite than Roger Clemens, Alex Rodriguez said that he used performance enhancing drugs from 2001-2003 when he was in Texas. This was a very interesting interview to watch. You can almost see the battle going on inside him.

He has moments where his enormous pride shows through (saying he’s “proud of himself” for coming clean is a little ridiculous since he has no choice really at this point). He also has moments of true humility, though. Gammons gave him an opportunity to be bitter at the Union for not keeping the “anonymous” tests anonymous. Rodriguez quickly pointed out that there was no one to blame but him.

I’ve never been an A-Rod fan. His ego was just too huge for me. I’m not sure he told the complete truth yesterday, and his pride is still overly inflated, but he seems to actually be trying to fight that. He said more than once that “the truth will set you free.”

I couldn’t help but think as I watched this, what would have happened had he made these admissions without being caught first? What kind of example would that have been to kids that “confessing” something doesn’t mean you fess up once you’re cornered? You put things out there because it’s the right thing to do, regardless of consequences. I would have really been impressed had he done that.

A-Rod’s Interview with Peter Gammons

So he’s admitted it…at least part of it. Sounding much more like Andy Pettite than Roger Clemens, Alex Rodriguez said that he used performance enhancing drugs from 2001-2003 when he was in Texas. This was a very interesting interview to watch. You can almost see the battle going on inside him.

He has moments where his enormous pride shows through (saying he’s “proud of himself” for coming clean is a little ridiculous since he has no choice really at this point). He also has moments of true humility, though. Gammons gave him an opportunity to be bitter at the Union for not keeping the “anonymous” tests anonymous. Rodriguez quickly pointed out that there was no one to blame but him.

I’ve never been an A-Rod fan. His ego was just too huge for me. I’m not sure he told the complete truth yesterday, and his pride is still overly inflated, but he seems to actually be trying to fight that. He said more than once that “the truth will set you free.”

I couldn’t help but think as I watched this, what would have happened had he made these admissions without being caught first? What kind of example would that have been to kids that “confessing” something doesn’t mean you fess up once you’re cornered? You put things out there because it’s the right thing to do, regardless of consequences. I would have really been impressed had he done that.

Braves (and Baseball) Lose a Legend

Skip Caray, the legendary announcer for the Atlanta Braves for so many years, passed away on Sunday in his sleep. Growing up a Braves fan watching TBS, I’ll never forget Skip’s ability to be harshly sarcastic, while being lovable and hysterical at the same time. My favorite Skip-ism is when there was a foul ball into the stands. “And a fan from (obscure town), GA goes home with a souvenir,” Skip would quip.

He was also about the most honest announcer in history. He was known to give viewers permission to turn off the game when the Braves were stinking it up. He had a blunt mouth and a big heart. I’ve listened to him call games for my favorite team pretty much my whole life, and he will be greatly missed.

From the Atlanta Journal Constitution:

“It’s a sad day,” John Smoltz said. “There are no words. Sad doesn’t do it justice. I will always remember Skip for his humor and his ability to go about life the way he did. I gained so much respect for what he did and how long he did and how he did.”

“I figured Skip Caray is as much a part of Atlanta Braves baseball as any of us,” said Jones, who will rejoin the team in Arizona later this week. “We all grew up listening to Skip, whether it be on TV or radio. Any time the guys on ESPN imitate [you] calling the highlights, you’re pretty much a legend. From a fan’s standpoint, he’s going to be a huge loss for them because he relayed the games to fans for so long.”

…Said manager Bobby Cox: “This was completely unexpected and is a complete loss. I had just spoken with Skip this week when we did the radio show and I didn’t know he wasn’t feeling well. He seemed in his normal good spirits. We’ve all lost a very good friend. For me, he was a good buddy — at the park and away from the park. We always had a lot of great laughs. He will be very sorely missed.”

From Dave O’Brien at AJC:

Skip was in the pantheon of great baseball broadcasters, in my book. That he didn’t get selected to the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown while alive is a shame. If he doesn’t get elected soon it’ll be a complete injustice. Yes, he was that good, that impactful, that important. No doubt…

When the Braves looked awful, Skip would say it — he’d spare no words in his brutal assessment of the team to others of us who covered it, and on the air he’d make his point with acerbic humor, rather than express some phony, rose-colored lens view that no one would’ve bought anyway…

And he wasn’t phony. Nothing about him was.

You knew where you stood with him, and you knew how he felt about the team, about baseball and about the corporations and networks that have pumped so much money into the game and hijacked it, for all intents and purposes. They arrogantly believe they can make whatever changes, subtle or otherwise, they see fit to make to further their own interests. They believe that because they can.

Skip hated a lot of that stuff. But he loved the game. Man, how he loved it….

We’re gonna miss Skip. We’re gonna miss him something fierce.

The venerable broadcaster, who lived life to the absolute fullest, died Sunday in his sleep.

Rest in peace.

Here’s a few other stories:

Chipper, Cox, other Braves mourn Caray (AJC)
Skip Caray did it his way (AJC)
Braves grieve after losing great friend (MLB.com)
Farewell to Skip Caray (ESPN.com)

We’ll miss you Skip. Thanks for all the great memories.

Braves (and Baseball) Lose a Legend

Skip Caray, the legendary announcer for the Atlanta Braves for so many years, passed away on Sunday in his sleep. Growing up a Braves fan watching TBS, I’ll never forget Skip’s ability to be harshly sarcastic, while being lovable and hysterical at the same time. My favorite Skip-ism is when there was a foul ball into the stands. “And a fan from (obscure town), GA goes home with a souvenir,” Skip would quip.

He was also about the most honest announcer in history. He was known to give viewers permission to turn off the game when the Braves were stinking it up. He had a blunt mouth and a big heart. I’ve listened to him call games for my favorite team pretty much my whole life, and he will be greatly missed.

From the Atlanta Journal Constitution:

“It’s a sad day,” John Smoltz said. “There are no words. Sad doesn’t do it justice. I will always remember Skip for his humor and his ability to go about life the way he did. I gained so much respect for what he did and how long he did and how he did.”

“I figured Skip Caray is as much a part of Atlanta Braves baseball as any of us,” said Jones, who will rejoin the team in Arizona later this week. “We all grew up listening to Skip, whether it be on TV or radio. Any time the guys on ESPN imitate [you] calling the highlights, you’re pretty much a legend. From a fan’s standpoint, he’s going to be a huge loss for them because he relayed the games to fans for so long.”

…Said manager Bobby Cox: “This was completely unexpected and is a complete loss. I had just spoken with Skip this week when we did the radio show and I didn’t know he wasn’t feeling well. He seemed in his normal good spirits. We’ve all lost a very good friend. For me, he was a good buddy — at the park and away from the park. We always had a lot of great laughs. He will be very sorely missed.”

From Dave O’Brien at AJC:

Skip was in the pantheon of great baseball broadcasters, in my book. That he didn’t get selected to the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown while alive is a shame. If he doesn’t get elected soon it’ll be a complete injustice. Yes, he was that good, that impactful, that important. No doubt…

When the Braves looked awful, Skip would say it — he’d spare no words in his brutal assessment of the team to others of us who covered it, and on the air he’d make his point with acerbic humor, rather than express some phony, rose-colored lens view that no one would’ve bought anyway…

And he wasn’t phony. Nothing about him was.

You knew where you stood with him, and you knew how he felt about the team, about baseball and about the corporations and networks that have pumped so much money into the game and hijacked it, for all intents and purposes. They arrogantly believe they can make whatever changes, subtle or otherwise, they see fit to make to further their own interests. They believe that because they can.

Skip hated a lot of that stuff. But he loved the game. Man, how he loved it….

We’re gonna miss Skip. We’re gonna miss him something fierce.

The venerable broadcaster, who lived life to the absolute fullest, died Sunday in his sleep.

Rest in peace.

Here’s a few other stories:

Chipper, Cox, other Braves mourn Caray (AJC)
Skip Caray did it his way (AJC)
Braves grieve after losing great friend (MLB.com)
Farewell to Skip Caray (ESPN.com)

We’ll miss you Skip. Thanks for all the great memories.

Great Story of Redemption

Amazing story out of Yankee Stadium last night. Josh Hamilton, a once-can’t-miss #1 draft pick who has battled drug addictions only to make his way back to majors the past couple of years, put on a display at the Home Run Derby that will be talked about for years.

He hit 28 home runs…in the first round.

Yeah, he hit 28 home runs before he hit 10 outs (any swing that’s not a home run). He hit 13 straight swings out at one point.

This great story is even better when you learn how Hamilton beat drugs and addiction. He became a Christian a few years ago, and the Lord has decided to use him in a great way. There’s no way he should be where he is now, but the Lord wanted him there last night…showing the world his story of redemption…and never failing to acknowledge that he’s only there because of how the Lord transformed his life.

Jason Stark from ESPN:

And then, the next thing you know, there he is on this stage, doing this beneath the eyeballs of America, in a ballpark that represents a living, breathing home-run museum. Accompanied by his own 71-year-old personal pitcher named Claybon Counsil, summoned from North Carolina for this occasion, as Josh Hamilton’s reward for all those BP fastballs Counsil has been serving up to anyone interested for the last three decades.

Friends, you can’t make this stuff up.

But hold on. There’s more. There’s also Josh Hamilton’s Dream. It’s a famous dream now, a dream he had back in the winter of 2006. But it was a dream that made no sense at the time, because he had it at a time when he was still suspended from baseball for drug abuse, back when he was, therefore, about as far away from this place as a bunch of aliens from Neptune. He’d dreamed that night that he was taking part in a Home Run Derby — in Yankee Stadium.

Of course. It was a dream that couldn’t possibly come true. And then it did. Whoah. Did it ever.

In the dream, though, he never saw himself actually swinging the bat. He remembers only being interviewed afterward on ESPN, and describing how he’d gotten to this miraculous point, through the power and the grace of God.

But now, here he was, 2½ long years later, and he got to find out how it all turned out. How beautiful was that?

Great Story of Redemption

Amazing story out of Yankee Stadium last night. Josh Hamilton, a once-can’t-miss #1 draft pick who has battled drug addictions only to make his way back to majors the past couple of years, put on a display at the Home Run Derby that will be talked about for years.

He hit 28 home runs…in the first round.

Yeah, he hit 28 home runs before he hit 10 outs (any swing that’s not a home run). He hit 13 straight swings out at one point.

This great story is even better when you learn how Hamilton beat drugs and addiction. He became a Christian a few years ago, and the Lord has decided to use him in a great way. There’s no way he should be where he is now, but the Lord wanted him there last night…showing the world his story of redemption…and never failing to acknowledge that he’s only there because of how the Lord transformed his life.

Jason Stark from ESPN:

And then, the next thing you know, there he is on this stage, doing this beneath the eyeballs of America, in a ballpark that represents a living, breathing home-run museum. Accompanied by his own 71-year-old personal pitcher named Claybon Counsil, summoned from North Carolina for this occasion, as Josh Hamilton’s reward for all those BP fastballs Counsil has been serving up to anyone interested for the last three decades.

Friends, you can’t make this stuff up.

But hold on. There’s more. There’s also Josh Hamilton’s Dream. It’s a famous dream now, a dream he had back in the winter of 2006. But it was a dream that made no sense at the time, because he had it at a time when he was still suspended from baseball for drug abuse, back when he was, therefore, about as far away from this place as a bunch of aliens from Neptune. He’d dreamed that night that he was taking part in a Home Run Derby — in Yankee Stadium.

Of course. It was a dream that couldn’t possibly come true. And then it did. Whoah. Did it ever.

In the dream, though, he never saw himself actually swinging the bat. He remembers only being interviewed afterward on ESPN, and describing how he’d gotten to this miraculous point, through the power and the grace of God.

But now, here he was, 2½ long years later, and he got to find out how it all turned out. How beautiful was that?

Jay Bruce Almighty

The only reason left for the Reds to have hope this season. (You may need to turn up the volume in the actual player.)

Jay Bruce Almighty

The only reason left for the Reds to have hope this season. (You may need to turn up the volume in the actual player.)

Smoltzie’s Done

The aching shoulder was just too much to take, even for the ultimate competitor. John Smoltz announced he’s having season-ending shoulder surgery, ending his 2008 campaign and possibly his Hall-of-Fame career. It’s a sad day for us Braves fans who have appreciated his grit and determination to compete at the highest level for this long regardless of his circumstances. Whether that meant moving to new roles (closer), old roles (back to starter 3 1/2 years later), new arm angles, etc., the man was willing to do whatever he had to to help his team compete.

There’s still a chance he could come back next year, but the way he’s talking, I doubt it. He wants to be able to lift his arm well enough to play with his kids, play golf, have a life once baseball’s done. Can’t blame a 41-year-old for that. If he decides he can come back, I will be ecstatic to get to see him a few more times, but, regardless, he’s a legend in my book.

Some teammates’ reactions:

Jeff Francouer:

“To be honest with you, I’m happy for him in the fact that he can have some closure this season. He wanted to get back worse than anybody, but his arm wouldn’t allow him to do it.

People said he’d never be able to start again, he came out and started again. He’s pretty much been able to do whatever he wants. And so in here we’ll lose a leader and a guy everybody looked up to, but baseball will just lose a guy that really is one of the top three or four guys that when you talk about major league baseball, he’s the face of it.”

Brian McCann:

“All year long, he goes out there and gives us everything he’s got when he’s hurting. It just shows you what kind of guy he is. I look up to him. He’s a great teammate and a great friend.”

Bobby Cox:

“He’s been such a special guy in this clubhouse and a special guy on this club and has meant so much to everything that has been accomplished here.”

Tom Glavine:

“He has demonstrated time and again the ability to come back from an injury or adjust the way he pitches or adjust his role. He’s a great athlete. He’s got a great work ethic in terms of what he expects out of himself. It’s that desire to keep pushing and keep going that’s proven he can come back.”

…and Smoltz:

“This spring, where my frustration came in was I was looking forward to this year more than any year I’ve ever played, with Tommy [Glavine] coming back, with the possibility of this team being as good as I thought it could be. I did what I thought was best – and I almost pulled it off. It almost worked. The irony is the first four games is probably the best I’ve ever thrown…There’s not one bitter, remorseful sad bone in my body.”

Click here for a timeline of Smoltzie’s career.

Smoltzie’s Done

The aching shoulder was just too much to take, even for the ultimate competitor. John Smoltz announced he’s having season-ending shoulder surgery, ending his 2008 campaign and possibly his Hall-of-Fame career. It’s a sad day for us Braves fans who have appreciated his grit and determination to compete at the highest level for this long regardless of his circumstances. Whether that meant moving to new roles (closer), old roles (back to starter 3 1/2 years later), new arm angles, etc., the man was willing to do whatever he had to to help his team compete.

There’s still a chance he could come back next year, but the way he’s talking, I doubt it. He wants to be able to lift his arm well enough to play with his kids, play golf, have a life once baseball’s done. Can’t blame a 41-year-old for that. If he decides he can come back, I will be ecstatic to get to see him a few more times, but, regardless, he’s a legend in my book.

Some teammates’ reactions:

Jeff Francouer:

“To be honest with you, I’m happy for him in the fact that he can have some closure this season. He wanted to get back worse than anybody, but his arm wouldn’t allow him to do it.

People said he’d never be able to start again, he came out and started again. He’s pretty much been able to do whatever he wants. And so in here we’ll lose a leader and a guy everybody looked up to, but baseball will just lose a guy that really is one of the top three or four guys that when you talk about major league baseball, he’s the face of it.”

Brian McCann:

“All year long, he goes out there and gives us everything he’s got when he’s hurting. It just shows you what kind of guy he is. I look up to him. He’s a great teammate and a great friend.”

Bobby Cox:

“He’s been such a special guy in this clubhouse and a special guy on this club and has meant so much to everything that has been accomplished here.”

Tom Glavine:

“He has demonstrated time and again the ability to come back from an injury or adjust the way he pitches or adjust his role. He’s a great athlete. He’s got a great work ethic in terms of what he expects out of himself. It’s that desire to keep pushing and keep going that’s proven he can come back.”

…and Smoltz:

“This spring, where my frustration came in was I was looking forward to this year more than any year I’ve ever played, with Tommy [Glavine] coming back, with the possibility of this team being as good as I thought it could be. I did what I thought was best – and I almost pulled it off. It almost worked. The irony is the first four games is probably the best I’ve ever thrown…There’s not one bitter, remorseful sad bone in my body.”

Click here for a timeline of Smoltzie’s career.

Can We Win a Game on the Road, Please?

Why it’s frustrating to be a Braves fan: simultaneously the best home team while also the worst road team. Not to mention they’re 1-11 in 1-run games. Yeah, 1-11. And they’re only 3.5 games back. Imagine if they could do anything in the clutch. I’d almost rather lose by 5 or 6 runs than 1 run every game.

East	W	L	Pct	GB	Home		Road	East	Cent	West	Streak	L10
Florida Marlins	23	16	.590	–	12-9		11-7	12-5	9-7	2-4	Lost 2	7-3
Philadelphia Phillies	22	18	.550	1.5	11-8		11-10	4-6	9-6	9-6	Won 1	5-5
New York Mets	20	17	.541	2.0	12-7		8-10	13-8	4-6	3-3	Won 1	5-5
Atlanta Braves	19	19	.500	3.5	14-4		5-15	8-11	5-5	6-3	Lost 1	6-4
Washington Nationals	16	24	.400	7.5	10-11		6-13	10-17	6-7	0-0	Lost 1	4-6

Can We Win a Game on the Road, Please?

Why it’s frustrating to be a Braves fan: simultaneously the best home team while also the worst road team. Not to mention they’re 1-11 in 1-run games. Yeah, 1-11. And they’re only 3.5 games back. Imagine if they could do anything in the clutch. I’d almost rather lose by 5 or 6 runs than 1 run every game.

East	W	L	Pct	GB	Home		Road	East	Cent	West	Streak	L10
Florida Marlins	23	16	.590	–	12-9		11-7	12-5	9-7	2-4	Lost 2	7-3
Philadelphia Phillies	22	18	.550	1.5	11-8		11-10	4-6	9-6	9-6	Won 1	5-5
New York Mets	20	17	.541	2.0	12-7		8-10	13-8	4-6	3-3	Won 1	5-5
Atlanta Braves	19	19	.500	3.5	14-4		5-15	8-11	5-5	6-3	Lost 1	6-4
Washington Nationals	16	24	.400	7.5	10-11		6-13	10-17	6-7	0-0	Lost 1	4-6