Monthly Archives: August 2015

Aug31

Is this the year of the No Hitter?

Posted on by
Standard

//platform.twitter.com/widgets.jsWell, congrats to Jake  Arrieta for the no-hitter and for being the NL Player of the Week. That makes six no-hitters this season.

//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

It makes me curious about how many no-hitters there have been in a single season. We go to baseball-reference.com and find that there have been 12 by the old rules. But by the modern rules of a no-hitter, (which is simple: no hits, but walks, hit batters and errors still will qualify a pitcher for a no-hitter), the record is eight. There were seven in the years 1990, 1991 and 2012. The E4 that happened during yesterday’s no-hitter still counts. The Cubs have a unique distinction this year of being on both ends of no-hitters.

This year, we have had six pitchers throw no-hitters this year:

2015 MLB No-Hitters
DATE PITCHER TEAM OPPONENT SCORE LEAGUE NOTES
8/30/2015 Jake Arrieta CHC LAD 2-0 NL
8/21/2015 Mike Fiers HOU LAD 3-0 AL
8/12/2015 Hisashi Iwakuma SEA BAL 3-0 AL
7/25/2015 Cole Hamels PHI CHC 5-0 NL
6/20/2015 Max Scherzer WSH PIT 6-0 NL
6/9/2015 Chris Heston SF NYM 5-0 NL

Could there be another one? While there is only a month left in the regular season, there is plenty of time, and there are some pitchers who have been injured who could make a comeback. I am going to share my predictions:

Speaking of injured players, Derek Holland of the Texas Rangers made his case to management that he was ready, and boy howdy, was he right. He is looking  amazing, and in his last outing, on Sunday, he  struck out 11 in a nine-inning shutout. A no-hitter, that would be a great  comeback story.

The Royals have a great pitching staff, and they could very easily do this. I couldn’t even choose who would do it. If I had to choose, it would be Cueto, but I think anyone of the Royals starters could pull it off.

The Mets have an easy schedule the rest of the season, and there could really be a great no-hitter opportunity.

What is a pitcher to do after a no-hitter? He does what we all do after a long, hard day: Get into pajamas and relax. Except Arrieta got his whole team to join in, and at Dodger Stadium and on the plane ride home, the Cubs had a pj party.

//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Aug28

Fun Fact Friday: Houston Astros Orbit Best Mascot EVER!

Posted on by
Standard

Well it has been a hard busy week and we could all use a laugh so here are some of the best clip of the Astros Mascot Orbit. Who even though I am a Ranger fan I just love Orbit he makes me laugh so have a laugh and smile the weekend is here.

//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

Aug27

Is that a strike?

Posted on by
Standard

I don’t know if it just seems this way, but the strike zone is getting out of hand. There seems to be more managers and players getting tossed for arguing with the umpires about called strikes. Case in point: Tori Hunter got so mad at a strike call in June that he started to strip off his clothing.

Rob Neyer wrote a wonderful article about how umpires are doing. Are they perfect? No, but they are set to very high standards — so high that they may be out of a job. With modern technology, there is really no need for the umpire. Computer models can show where the balls and strikes are called, and they are perfect.

Perfect is a dangerous notion in a game where not being perfect is what makes the game great. A bunt can turn into a hit and win the game. A diving catch might be a way to make up for a mistake (not seeing the ball in time, getting a slow jump on the ball). These imperfections make the game of baseball so great.

I am not saying umpires need a free pass. They need to be held accountable. There are tools out there to show how an umpire is doing.

Here is a graphic of the pitches being called the day Tori Hunter got thrown out. Reds are strikes, and greens are balls. Squares are the Twins, and triangles are the Royals. You can find a further explanation here.

Now, I don’t claim I understand all this.  It looks to me that the majority of pitches being called strikes are strikes and the majority of pitches being called balls are balls. This is what the pitches were like for left-handed batters. Now let’s look at the right-handed batters.

Now here are some issues with the outside part of the strike zone. But again, for the most part, most of the pitches were called what they were supposed to be called.

The next time there is a bad call, let’s remember all the good calls. And let’s keep our shirts on.

 

Aug24

MLB Fan Safety

Posted on by
Standard

I saw this tweet today and thought, why are we talking about this again?  In my post I want the nets! I talked about how as a fan I welcome more protection. Last week, a couple of fans were hit by foul balls. Now the Baseball Tonight guys are talking about how more is needed to be done. However, I disagree. The time for change is not now, it was yesterday, two weeks ago, two years ago, a decade ago. My point is that the media coverage of fans being hurt gets everyone riled up and wanting to create change. Changes needed to have been put into place already.

I went to a Corpus Christi Hooks game this year and sat behind home plate because I forgot my glove on my vacation. I thought I would be safe from foul balls, but I was not. Even sitting behind home plate, I was still subject to foul balls coming in. And worse, they would hit the press box and bounce right into the rows behind me. One fan two rows behind me caught a ball with his tummy. While funny, it kept me on high alert for incoming foul balls.

Batting practice is OK, right? Nope, not there either. During my time with the Texas Rangers, I was damn near killed by a Michael Young erant throw while he was playing catch with Alex Rodriguez. I know it sounds dramatic, but that’s what happened. When ballplayers play catch, they are warming up their bodies, and they throw hard. I had my glove, but it was in my hand, not on it. Then I heard everyone scream “Look out!” and scatter, and I had no choice but to hit the dirt or, in this case, the hot concrete stairs. I still remember the sound of the ball hitting the back of the seat, and it sounded like it broke. The sound rang in my ears. Alex — I always hated the name A-Rod — came up to see if the fans were OK. And thankfully, no one was hurt. I, being a smart ass, had to say, “Hey, can you wait till I get my glove on?” His response was, “You should have had it on.”

He’s right! I still believe that more netting would help fans. Until owners do that, it is up to us fans to help ourselves out.

If sitting up close, bring a glove and stay sober.

Watch all the pitches.

Small children don’t need to be so close.

Be safe!

//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

Aug21

Fun Fact Friday: Designated for Assignment

Posted on by
Standard

Do me a favor. Go to MLB.com, and in the search box, type in “designated for assignment.” I was hoping for a simple definition I could copy to share with you. But there is nothing but articles and no clear definition.

What is designated for assignment?

Baseball has a very nasty habit of not stating all the rules. You have to read about baseball and listen to games to get the inside track. The problem with this is the classic telephone game. You start off with saying 3 strikes and you’re out, and it  becomes Mike has 3 strikeouts.

Ask a baseball fan what designated for assignment is and you will get a variety of answers, from the kiss of death, which is being released from a team, to just being sent to the minors. Both are true, by the way. Confused? Well, don’t worry. I am going to clear it up for you.

When a player is designated for assignment, or DFA, he is taken off the 40-man roster. This usually happens to make room for a new player who has been acquired in a trade.

The team has several options, but it has 10 days to do something.

In this time frame:

  • A player can be traded;
  • A player can be sent to the minors, but he has the option to refuse assignment and ask for free agency;
  • A player can be put on waivers (a whole other can of worms I am not going to get into right now), and if he clears waivers, can be picked up by another team;
  • A player can  be released.
  • You can see the results of being designated for assignment on the transaction wire on the MLB.com site.

 

 

 

Aug19

Stop thinking and just play

Posted on by
Standard

Confession time: I am an overthinker. When a problem comes up, I like to work out three solutions and think of worse-case scenarios. I have been like this my whole life, and it messes up my life. The same can be true for a baseball player — a slump at the plate, unable to find the strike zone, the ball just can’t find your glove. Some would say a solution is more practice, but sometimes a different solution may be in order: Just stop thinking and just play.

Today, I read a wonderful article about how Texas Rangers outfielder Shin-Soo Choo’s wife helped him to stop overthinking. Shin-Soo Choo is very special to me. I watched him for a season as a San Antonio Mission.  Before the All-Star break this year, Choo was not having a good season. He was even taken out of the line up. And then after the All-Star break, his numbers are a .333 batting average, .441 OBP, .607 slugging percentage and a 1.048 OPS.

Choo’s wife used a building metaphor to describe his game. Buildings with a solid foundation can take whatever is shaking them. More importantly is the outcome of this advice. He stopped thinking and started playing and having fun.

“It really helped clear my mind,” Choo said. “I’m not thinking about one game or one week. I’m just seeing what is right in front of me and doing what I do. I’m not thinking about a big picture.”

Baseball is a kid’s game. It should be fun. Sometimes, we need to not see what is going to happen next. Remember, the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.   Best thing you can do for your game: Stop thinking and just play.

Aug18

Bryan Mitchell on the DL

Posted on by
Standard

Last night, Bryan Mitchell while pitching in the 2nd inning of last night Twins vs Yankees, Eduardo Nunez shot a line drive right at Mitchell’s head. There was nothing Mitchell could do; While still coming out of his pitchers motion the ball get him right in the face. The ball seemed to whip off the bat and had a direct path to Mitchell’s face.

 

IMG_20150818_042007

the exact moment the ball hit Mitchell.

 

Mitchell was on the ground with blood coming out of his face, he then puts a towel on his face and with minor assistance from a Yankee trained is able to walk to the dugout. Fortunately the outcome is good. Mitchell went to the hospital and has some small nasal fractures . This makes it sound not so bad but any fractures on the face are not good and Mitchell was placed on the 7 day DL for a possible concussion. For all head and facial injuries I think this should be mandatory.

While injuries are a part of baseball, these type of event take my breath away. While some wonder if Mitchell could have gotten out of the way. This is one of those unfortunate events, there was no way for Mitchell to get out of the way in time. I wish him a speedy and full recovery and glad the injury was not more serious.

Aug14

Funny Friday: Dodgers Minions vs Giants Full House

Posted on by
Standard

Today, I was on Twitter when the Giants did a parody of the Full House opening credits. It is too funny.

//platform.twitter.com/widgets.jsIs it the funniest? Well I still think this Dodger Minion parody is funnier but you decide. Leave you thoughts in the comment section here or follow me on Twitter @hollieham0 or on Facebook 

Should of been a producer great camara man lol

A video posted by Yasmani Grandal (@yazmaniandvl) on Jun 21, 2015 at 10:25pm PDT

//platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js

Aug10

Miss Baseball’s Fan Etiquette Guide

Posted on by
Standard

Today I was reading an article in the New York Post and I am very upset with how the fans behaved at the game. Being a lifelong Texas Ranger fan, I don’t even like the Yankees but poor Brett Gardner is hit by his own Yankee fan, throwing back a Blue Jay home run. Then Mark Teixeira is run over by a fan trying to get a foul ball that he missed. I mean come on did you not see the giant baseball player. I am shocked at these New York fans, I thought you knew better. Great! I am now defending Yankees, even the thought is making my skin crawl but even the evil empire needs people to behave. I think a top five rules to help out what I am hoping are just clueless fans.

Rule 1: Don’t ever hit one of your own players with a ball. Baseball is very hard and it hurts.
https://vine.co/v/ew0JY9HV5JH/embed/simple?audio=1

Rule 2: Don’t run over your own player to get a foul ball.

//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

Rule 3: There are rules in MLB about autographs. Players can’t give autographs during the game. So don’t ask.

Rule 4: Be NICE! I can’t tell you how many times, people thought it was ok to say. “Oh you are in a slump right now. Maybe it’s time you learn to hit the ball.” I have seen grown men shove kids in the autograph area. Don’t do it. Be nice.

Rule 5: Be Positive. No booing your own players or team. When you see them, smile and tell them how you are cheering for them. Give them positive energy and that will turn into positive energy in the field.

Follow these rules and you can have happy ballplayers and happy fans; even if they are Yankees.

Aug6

Q and A with Miss Baseball.

Posted on by
Standard

Right now I am glad I write and don’t do a video log. I normally have a high Minnie Mouse voice and now I sound like a old lady that smoked for 20 yrs. As I am too tired and sick to give you all a real post I thought I would answer questions that people at random ask me.

10421488_1534661360154673_7218859518163714089_n

 

Q: I thought you were a Royals fan; Why do you have a Ranger wreath on  your door?

I was a Royals fan because my favorite player last year played for them. If it came down in the playoff between the Royals and the Rangers I would hope the Rangers would beat down the Royals.

Q: You don’t have cable how can you watch all the baseball games?

The MLB app is wonderful, I buy for spring training and I can watch every game during the season other than the Rangers and Astros live.  I have to wait 90 mins after a game as ended to watch them because I am in their blackout zone.

Q: You post a bunch of stuff about the Dodgers, what’s up with that?

Thanks to being a part of the Kaplifestyle family, I started watching the Dodgers because of that. Now I watch the Dodgers because I am a fan.

Q: You write a blog about baseball! Why?

Why? Why not, I hope to be a place where women, chicks,
, whatever we call ourselves to talk about the game. There is so much sports news geared towards men, but women like baseball too. In my experience, I know more women who know more about the game than most men.  the exception to the rule is unless you played at a professional level.

Q: Do you talk to baseball players? I couldn’t do that I would be too scared.

Sure! on Twitter mostly. They are not scary, they are people. Some are really nice, some are jerks. Treat them like a person and they will treat you like one too.