The All Star Game

It’s that time of year again….the All Star Game is tonight!  I love the All Star Game.  It is so much fun to see the best of the best play together; to see rivals play side by side.  Unlike most other sports, the MLB All Star Game has significant meaning.  Since 2003 the All Star Game has determined which league gets home-field advantage for the World Series.  Do I agree with this policy?  No.  It makes no sense.  Here is the perfect example of why: In 2010, top of the seventh, Brian McCann, a Brave, hit a bases clearing double, scoring Matt Holliday, a Cardinal, Scott Rolen, a Red and Marlon Byrd, a Cub.  Phil Hughes, a Yankee, allowed two singles (accounting for two base runners) and then Matt Thornton, a White Sox, walked Marlon Byrd and allowed the hit by Brian McCann.  The National League won 3-1 and because of that the Giants had home-field advantage over the Rangers in the World Series.  It would be more logical if the team with the better record got home-field advantage.  But Mr. Selig does not consult me on such matters, so the All Star game is very important.  That year the Giants had the better record, so my example is really a moot point, but still.  I do not agree with it, but that’s the way it is and it does make the All Star Game quite interesting.

            2010 was especially special because it broke the National League’s fourteen year losing streak.  I was so proud of the National League that night.  Having a Brave knock in the winning runs was just icing on the cake.  I truly think the NL is superior and it was so great to see them finally rise above and show it.  The NL has now won three All Star Games and three World Series in a row; hopefully this trend will go on for a long time. 

I voted early this year and do not honestly remember who all I voted for.  I know I voted for mostly Braves with some Dodgers and Cardinals thrown in; oh, and Martin Prado.  When it came to the American League I was somewhat lost, since I do not follow it as closely.  The All Star Game presents a great way to learn about the players from teams that you may not follow; just another reason to love it.  The Braves got three in and the Dodgers, only one.  The Cardinals are well represented.  I’m disappointed that Freddie Freeman will not be able to play, but I am so glad that he won the final fan vote.  Yasiel Puig is very impressive and I would have definitely voted for him had a Brave not been in the running…but, well, Freddie.   He has been great offensively and defensively for years now and he deserved to go.  I’m excited that Brian McCann was chosen to be Freddie’s injury replacement.  As we learned in 2010, Brian McCann can make things happen.

A lot of people prefer the Home Run Derby (I have noticed that these are usually the same people who think baseball is boring).  Not me.  I think the Home Run Derby gets boring after a while.  It’s batting practice.  I will however say that it is special and touching when the player’s dad is throwing to them.  That is pretty awesome.  At least nothing is riding on the Home Run Derby, like home-field advantage for something really important.  I like small ball better and I think it would be so much fun if there were skills competitions much like the NHL does.  For example, they could test the faster guys to see who can steal a base fastest; the outfielders to see who can jump the highest to steal home runs; the pitchers to see who can pick off runners better; maybe even infield players to see who can turn the quickest double play; things like that.  Baseball is very situational, so it might be difficult to artificially create those scenarios, but at least it would be different. 

By the way, if you aren’t rushing home to watch the game, go out and pick up a copy of 42: The Jackie Robinson Story.  It comes out on Blu-Ray/DVD today.  I saw it in the theater.  It is an amazing movie.  I’m almost as excited about getting my copy as I am the game tonight!

Chicago: Part Two

Part two…..the part that actually qualifies this trip for a baseball blog:

The hand operated score board with the "W" flag after the game.

            Sunday we went to Wrigley Field and saw the Cubs take on the Astros.  Wrigley Field is definitely a place every baseball fan should visit.  Entering Wrigley Field was like stepping back in time.  There are not a lot of the frills you would find in other parks.  There is no jumbotron to watch replays or to show fans dancing and acting silly between innings; just a massive, majestic hand-operated scoreboard.  The ratio of organ music to stereo music is a lot higher than most other parks.  There are no shenanigans between innings; no costumed characters racing, no contests involving the fans.  There is just baseball.  The vibe is a lot more serious and business-like.  It’s refreshing.  The big team store is across the street, because in 1914 when Wrigley Field was built, I would imagine the need for a team store was much less.  Actually there are a lot of good size stores selling Cubs gear outside of the stadium.  The concourse areas are much narrower and the concessions areas are much smaller.  There are no areas to sit and eat or just hang out in the concourse area.  You are expected to take care of your business and go to your seats.  This park was built for baseball, not commercialism.  There is a possibility that a lot of renovations and updates may take place at the park after this season, including but not limited to a jumbotron.  I am so glad I was able to visit Wrigley before any of these major updates take place.



The view from our seats



                 I have to say our experience was good, but not ideal…because it was so hot that day.  As southerners from the southeast we sometimes have blinders on and feel like we have a monopoly on heat.  It gets so hot here and with the humidity it is miserable, and there is no way anywhere else can compare.  Everywhere else has a “dry heat” right?  And it’s just not the same.  Well, the heat that day at Wrigley Field rivaled any day I’ve spent at Turner Field.  We had great seats; right behind home plate, section 123.  We were on the first row of that section.  At most parks you would have a bar in front of you and a small drop off.  Not here; here we had nothing in front of us and all the leg room you could ask for.  If someone on our row needed to get up, it did not affect us one bit.  The only downside was that the vendors were walking around in front of us for most of the game.  I am embarrassed to say that we went to the wrong seats at first.  We had seats 101 and 102, and when I spotted seats 1 and 2 for some reason I thought that was close enough.  I’ve done that at Turner Field before; I don’t know why I do that.  We did not go to our seats until right before the game started because of the heat and the seats were in the sun.  During the second inning some people informed us that we were in their seats, so we moved to our actual seats.  Those seats were literally too hot to sit in.  We tried for about a minute and then decided we had to do something else; anything else.  We walked around the concourse area for about two innings. That is when this conversation took place:

Mom:  How long are we going to walk around out here?

Me:  I don’t know, but we cannot go back out there to those seats.  We’ll have third degree burns on our backsides.

Mom:  I don’t want to miss “Take Me Out to the Ballgame.”

Me: You mean the seventh inning stretch?

Mom: Yeah

Me:  Well, it’s the third inning now, so I think we’ll make it.

            We went back to our seats during the fourth inning.  By that time our seats were in the shade and everything was bearable.  We knew we would eventually be in the shade because of how the sun was moving, but we simply could not wait it out.  The seats immediately behind home plate and along the first base line were never in the shade.  I do not know how those people stood it.  All in all we had a great time!  The Cubs won 14-6 so we got to see them raise the white W flag and hear the crowd sing “Go Cubs Go”.  I recommend a trip to Wrigley Field to any baseball fan.  It is such an institution.  And I recommend a trip to Chicago to anyone.  It is a great city with lots to do and see!         



Greg Maddux's number on display.  It is retired by the Cubs (as well as the Braves).



Chicago: Part One




Chicago skyline as seen from Lake Michigan

          



Skydeck ledges on 103rd floor of the Willis Tower



            A couple of weeks ago my mom and I visited Chicago.  It was a great trip.  We arrived in Chicago at eight o’clock Friday morning, which means we left Birmingham at six o’clock.  It was soooo early; but it turned out to be a good thing because apparently over two hundred flights were canceled that day due to a computer glitch and the earliest ones were not affected.  We went straight to the hotel expecting to just check our bags since it was so early, but they had a room ready so we were able to go up and get settled.  After that we headed out for some Chicago style pizza.  Some friends of mine recommended that we go get pizza for lunch instead of dinner to avoid a long wait.  We went to Gino’s East.  It was quite tasty.   Next we caught the tour bus.  We had tickets to a double-decker bus tour of the city.  It was a hop on-hop off tour, with tickets good for three days, so we got on at the closest stop.  The next stop was at the Willis Tower (formerly known as the Sears Tower).  We went up to the SkyDeck on the 103^rd floor and went out on one of the ledges.  It was rainy Friday afternoon so the view was not as good as usual, but it was still really impressive.  After that we headed back to catch the double-decker tour bus.  It was delayed due to traffic so we got to wait on it in the rain.  Once we got on the bus we had to sit inside in the lower level because of the rain.  We were only a few stops from Navy Pier, so we got off there.  I had told myself while planning the trip that I didn’t want to go to any chain restaurants that I had been to before.  We were going to do all new, Chicago-y things.  But after getting up so early, and spending a good bit of the day in the rain, I wanted to go to Margaritaville.  My mom agreed, so that’s where we went.  This was not the first time we’ve gone to Margaritaville after a bad weather day during a vacation.  Last Spring during our frigid trip to Niagara Falls we also visited Margaritaville.  After dinner we went back to the hotel go to bed.  We were beat!  And had a lot to pack into the next two days.

Tour boat from architectural tour

            The next morning we went back to Navy Pier to catch an architectural boat tour.  We really enjoyed this tour.  It went a piece down Lake Michigan and then up the Chicago River; pointing out all of the historical buildings.  After the boat tour we rode the ferris wheel at Navy Pier then headed to lunch.  For lunch we went to the original Billy Goat Tavern.  Yes, that Billy goat.  See, the guy that opened the Billy Goat Tavern in 1934 is the same guy that tried to take his Billy goat to Wrigley Field in 1945 which is where the curse of the Billy goat comes from.  I will not rehash that story here, but it’s pretty interesting if you’re looking for something to read about, after reading this blog.  After lunch we got back on the double-decker bus tour, but this time to actually take the tour and not just for transportation.  That tour was great too.  This time we got to sit up top and actually see the tour.  We got off at Millennium Park and saw the bean.  Then we got back on and rode the bus to the John Hancock Observatory.  After that stop we had seen the entire double-decker bus tour.  We were going to eat in the restaurant at the John Hancock Observatory, but there was quite a wait.  So we ended up at The Grill in The Westin across the street.  It was really good and I had a War Eagle moment.  We overheard one of the men at the table next to us talking about SEC football, and then we heard him say that he had gone to Auburn and was there at the same time as Pat Sullivan.  So I went over to say “hello” and “War Eagle!”  After dinner it was almost time for the fireworks at Navy Pier so we went back there. 

 

Ferris wheel at Navy Pier

Cloud Gate aka The Bean at Millennium Park

            One of the most exciting things I noticed from the boat tour and the bus tour was that Chicago was ready for the Stanley Cup Finals!  Game five was that night in Chicago.  Chicago and Boston were tied 2-2 in the series.  We saw well wishes for the Blackhawks all over the city.  The lions outside of the Art Institute had on Blackhawks helmets, the brachiosaurus outside of the Field Museum had on a Blackhawks jersey and there were several signs, banners and flags.  The Blackhawks won 3-1 that night and went on to score two late goals Monday night in Boston to win 3-2 and to win the Stanley Cup.

One of the lions outside of the Art Institute

 

            I am doing my post about this trip in two parts, since it is somewhat lengthy.  Check back soon for our trip to Wrigley Field!

You want my first born in exchange for tickets...okay, that seems reasonable...

            It's here.  Dodgers week.  The week leading up to the Braves/Dodgers series in Atlanta.  I have gone to at least one game in the series for the past three years.  This year will be no different.  I love going to these games, although it is conflicting to see two of my favorite teams play each other.  I usually wear my Dodgers shirt (where else am I going to wear it?) and I've been using my Dodgers Tervis Tumbler all week, so Saturday come game time I will be a Dodgers fan.  The series is usually in August, so usually by then you can tell who needs a win more.  Unfortunately it's only May and that is already evident.  Both teams have had some hard times recently, but the Dodgers definitely need some wins.  I don't know why the series moved to May but I am not complaining.  It is HOT in Atlanta in August.  I bought my parking pass for the game several weeks ago; still paranoid from Opening Day.  I bought tickets yesterday and I'm hoping someone can shed some light on what is going on with ticket prices.

            I started looking a few weeks ago.  For the Dodger games I try to sit behind the visiting dugout.  That is where fans of the visiting team tend to sit so I do not feel quite so out of place in my Dodgers shirt.  I usually buy tickets off Stub Hub.  The tickets for these sections are listed for $100+.  I do not know the average prices at other parks, but based on my experiences this is high for Turner Field.  So I waited it out for weeks.  By Monday I was getting concerned.  I know I paid more for Opening Day tickets, but I rationalized it because it was Opening Day.  I never imagined the price of everyday tickets would go up that much too.  I started to think maybe it was me, maybe I'm just cheap and I've convinced myself that I never really spent that much on tickets; so I looked up my previous orders on Stub Hub.  It turns out I'm not crazy.  Last year I bought two tickets for the Saturday Dodgers game in section 118, row 9 for $59 per ticket.  Currently there are two tickets in section 118, row 9 for $117.  If you're keeping score at home, that's double.  DOUBLE!  Is this the new norm?  What is going on?  Did the price of tickets go up so much from the primary seller that the secondary sellers are asking that much more?

            I ended up buying tickets yesterday.  I checked Stub Hub and there was a pair in section 212 for $37.  Tickets in the 200 sections were going for $60+, so I decided I'd better snatch those up.  After I did the remaining tickets in that section were $79.  That's a huge difference.  It's not the area I really wanted to sit in, but for a $70 (give or take) price swing it will be okay.  A small part of me is wondering why those tickets were for sale for such a "discount".  I have sat in that section before so I know the view is fine.  I know I am just being paranoid, but I am a little concerned that I am going to get there Saturday and the backs are going to be missing off of the seats or something like that.

            I'll try not to think about that.  I'm sure they will be fine.  For now I will just get ready for Saturday.  I have my Dodgers cup and my baseball playlist going.  I am so excited! 

            But seriously, does anyone know what is going on with ticket prices?

I was afraid of this...

            Before the season started there was a lot of talk about the Braves having one of the (if not the) most powerful lineups in the league; especially after signing BJ Upton and trading for Justin Upton.  It was the hot topic of the off season.  There were lots of articles written, MLBN talked about it constantly and my twitter timeline was full of excitement about this team.  The Braves have what has become known as "The Outfield".  There is no limit to what they can do with the two Uptons and Jason Heyward.  And then in the infield there is Freddie Freeman, Dan Uggla and Brian McCann who can also be very powerful hitters.  I was excited too (still am)!  Well, about 90% excited and 10% concerned.  With power hitters like we have also comes strikeouts and streaks (good and bad).  During the American League Championship Series last year, when the Tigers swept the Yankees, the announcers talked about how the Yankees couldn’t make things happen because everyone was trying to hit a homerun.  Everyone wanted to be the hero and no one was content with just getting on base.  I am still learning about the game, so I love when announcers go into analyzing and explaining mode.  This reasoning made sense to me (I will not pretend that the movie Moneyball had nothing to do with it) and now I try to look for things like this.  So when the talk about the Braves’ power hitters started I couldn’t help but worry that at some point they too will have cold streaks because everyone wants a homerun and will not settle for less.

            The Braves started off hot!  They went 12-2 during the first five series, including a ten game winning streak.  And then they cooled off; going 3-7 during the next three series.  As of Sunday the Braves lead the league in homeruns with 36, and they are second in the league in strikeouts with 224.  I know they will come back around, but when?  And then how long before another cold streak?  Another concern is injuries.  Brian McCann has not played a game this season, Freddie Freeman has missed time and Jason Heyward is currently out.

 They just took the first game in a four game series against the Nationals.  Chip Caray just said during the post game show, “It’s great to see the Braves manufacture runs.”  I agree!  This game was the first game they have won that a homerun was not hit.  Jordan Schafer, who got on base four times and stole two bases in the game, scored on a single by Justin Upton in the first.  (What?  Justin Upton hits singles too?!?!)  Freddie Freeman scored on a single by Gerald Laird in the fourth and Laird scored on a sacrifice fly by Andrelton Simmons in the seventh.  It was fun and exciting to see the boys play small ball to get the job done.  If there is a series perfect for turning things back around it is against the Nationals.  They are expected to be the Braves’ main competition in the NL East.  Plus after being swept by the Braves a few weeks ago a few of the Nationals players said during interviews that they still believed they were the better team.  So beating them is just fun.        

Trades and Their Emotional Tolls

Every year, in one sport or another, there is a trade or a free agent signing that breaks my heart.  This year, there have been a few.  One was the Jordan Staal trade to the Carolina Hurricanes.  I understand the need to trade him because he was going to be a free agent and the Penguins were probably going to lose him all together in just a year.  It is still strange to see him playing somewhere else.  Another was David Ross signing with the Red Sox.  Don’t get me wrong, I am very excited for him.  He got a two year, 6.2 million dollar deal.  The Braves are going to miss him greatly.  He did a great job backing up Brian McCann; which unfortunately he had to do a lot.  I am concerned about McCann's health and our need for a great back up catcher.  When was the last time McCann went a full season with injury?  Yeah I can’t remember either.  Not to take anything away from Evan Gattis or Gerald Laird.  I am sure they are great too.  In fact, Gattis has been very impressive offensively right out of the gate.  David Ross was just proven to be invaluable.  He seemed to always come up with a hit when needed.  He was also Tim Hudson’s catcher.  He caught for him when they played together at Auburn (just another reason to love both of them) and they have great chemistry.  When Ross was doing more and more catching toward the end of last year, the rotation got mixed up and he didn’t always catch for Huddy.  It may just be my imagination, I do not have any numbers to back it up, but those games did not seem to go as well as when the two were paired together.  I just know we are going to miss David Ross, but I wish him the best and I look forward to continue following his career.

Another guy that will be greatly missed is Martin Prado.  He was pretty much my favorite Brave.  I understand the business side of things and why he was traded.  With just one year left on his contract, the negotiations were not getting done and we were more than likely going to lose him next year to free agency.  I am excited about acquiring Justin Upton, who has also been very (VERY!) impressive thus far; I just wish it had not been at the expense of Martin Prado.  Martin Prado can do anything.  He seemingly can play any infield position.  He regularly started at third base on Chipper’s off days last year and has also played first base and second base.  Last year he regularly played left field, but he is expected to start at third base for the Arizona Diamondbacks this year.  Prado is also a very reliable batter.  He has a career batting average of .295.  His yearly batting average has been over 300 four of his seven years in MLB and he has a career on base percentage of .345.  He also appeared to have great chemistry with all of the guys and was fun to watch.   

I have read that women traditionally do not fair well in fantasy sports because they get too emotionally connected and are not as good at making trades or sitting out players who are slumping.  I have never played fantasy baseball, but I know this would definitely apply to me.  First of all, if at all possible, my team would be made up of my favorite players; with little or no regard to their actual ability.  You know those people who just know their team is going to do great and truly believe that anything in baseball is possible?  I am one of them.  I would pick my guys because I just know they are going to do well and if they got in a slump I know I would stick with them because I would just know that any minute they are going to break out of it.  But that is part of what makes baseball so great; the believing and the faith.

Can anyone relate?  Any trades that broke your heart?  Or fantasy baseball stories?

Opening Day

           

Pregame Ceremony

 Joe DiMaggio once said, “You always get a special kick on opening day, no matter how many you go through.  You look forward to it like a birthday party when you’re a kid.  You think something wonderful is going to happen.”  And boy did it ever.  I went to my first Opening Day game this year, in Atlanta.  Opening Day has such great lore about it.  There is a sense of renewal, starting over with a clean slate.  The Braves did great last year, but after that wildcard play-in game it was nice to finally start a new year.  Braves legends Dale Murphy served as honorary team captain and presented the opening lineup, Chipper Jones threw out the first pitch and Phil Niekro declared, “Play ball!” before the game started.  Oh, and they gave us foam tomahawks at the gate.  It was a great day and the game hadn’t even started yet. 

            

The 2013 Atlanta Braves



 The Braves beat the Phillies 7-5.  It was a really good game.  Freddie Freeman, Dan Uggla and Justin Upton hit homeruns, all off of Cole Hamels.  Cole Hamels is not my favorite because of his attempt at being “old school” and beaming Bryce Harper last year, so those homeruns were especially fun to watch.  Don’t get me wrong, I love the romanticism of the unwritten rules and all, but you can’t just beam a guy because he’s good and call it “old school”.  There were a couple of times that the Phillies got a little too close for comfort, but the guys got the job done.  Tim Hudson did not have an ideal start, only going 4 1/3 innings and allowing three runs.  This is not typical Huddy and I know he will get better.  The crowd was great and stayed in it the whole game.  It was such a fun game overall. 

            I learned a couple of things from Opening Day.  Number one, if you want to get a prepaid parking pass (which I like to do) for an event like Opening Day, you need to get it really early.  I attempted to buy one about three weeks out and they were sold out.  We rode MARTA to the game.  It was really easy and a great alternative, just not my first choice.  Number two, if the somewhat loud guy behind you finds out the girl sitting in front of him knows more about baseball than he does he tends to not be quite as loud.  The families behind me were discussing Tim Hudson and his time with the A’s.  They were talking about the other guys he pitch with there and could not come up with Barry Zito, so I helped them.  The guy then said to me, “Do you mind me asking how you know that?”  I’m pretty sure he was only asking because I am a girl, so I did mind; not that I told him.  Whatever. 

The only thing that would have made the day even better, if I could have seen the Dodger game too.  Clayton Kershaw pitched a complete game shutout and hit a homerun?!?!  Wow!