February 2009
You know the saying about a bad apple…
Here is the bad apple (thanks to Victor Perez and ESPN.com for the photo)
Anyway, it is being reported that he has been a trainer for various other Dominican ballplayers besides Juan Gone and A-Rod. Some of his other clients have been Miguel Tejada, the Dominican WBC Team, and many other Domincan players including……….
Let’s hope this is where any stories end and there was no wrong doing that will put a tarnish on the 2004 and 2007 accomplishments. However, it seems like this is something that could cast a bad light over all Dominican players. It’s a shame, that it has come to everybody being guilty until proven innocent because of how the Owners, Players Association Leaders, and Players had handled this whole issue.
Lost and Found: Voyeurism Returns
On of the cool things about MLBlogs is checking out the other blogs. The way I usually do that is through the Recent Activity links on the front page. I’ve discovered some great blogs that way, and some terrible ones too.
Anyway back in January, I found a blog that had the name Crab in its title. It ended up being a blog about a minor league affiliate of some major league team. The post I read was about their new stadium they had built and included a camera with a live feed that you could watch through and control (pan left or right, zoom in and out). It was very cool. However, something happened, I left the computer and my browser window was closed, thus a cool site was lost.
I tried to do a search for Crab via MLBlogs search tool. However, that search tool only searches the tags, so alas I could not get any hits that way. I thought the only way I’d get back there is if the blog was updated, but I had not been able to find it in the Recent Activity links since.
Today, I got the bright idea to take a look in the browser history. Luckily for me, there is a menu option that says “History”. I clicked there and found the option “Show All History.” There was a search function, so I typed Crab. Funny, all of my searches I did on MLBlogs came up in the history, but so did “Life as a Crab.” That’s gotta be it, I thought. And presto, there was the lost blog entry I was looking for. However, when I went to the live web cam feed, that wasn’t working. Bummer. However (I seem to use this word a lot), here is how it looked on that day in January when I first discovered it.
This is the new ballpark of the Charlotte Stone Crabs, a minor league affiliate of the Tampa Rays.
Looks like a few construction workers were on break as a couple of tourists came in to look around the park. I don’t know if you could hear sound, because I had my sound off. But that camera is in the RF corner and when I pan right you could see the whole baseball field.
This would be a wonderful feature for major league clubs to have on their website of their spring training facilities. It wouldn’t even have to be at the major league camp. How cool would it be, to just peek in now and then at a spring training work out? Exactly.
Some quick tidbits around Red Sox spring training:
- Red Sox owners John Henry and Tom Werner brought up a possible salary cap for baseball. Me? I’m not too keen on the idea. If a salary cap bring lower ticket prices / concession prices / parking prices then I am all for it. Otherwise, I don’t see the need.
- Apparently, Julio Lugo has already won the shortstop gig for the Sox. However, if Lugo is puts up the same performance as last year, before he got hurt, I don’t see how he will keep that starting gig. Jed Lowrie isn’t going anywhere.
- Yesterday, was the first day of live batting practice, or I guess we should call it pitching practice. According to Steve Buckley’s article, pitchers facing live batters is not something the batters look forward to.
- Number 24 is back in action in Red Sox camp. No, Manny Ramirez has not re-signed with the team. Takashi Saito is now sporting the number. Apparently, he got Manny’s “permission” to wear the number.
That’s all I got for now. GO SOX!!
Book Day ~ Books on my list & Facebook
I have to say that I am not a big reader. In fact, I’ve probably read no more than 10 books in the past 15 years or longer. I’m not sure the reason. I like to read the newspaper, sports articles, and blogs, but when it comes to books…well I just don’t know. Maybe it can be traced back to high school English class when you are forced to read things like The Canterbury Tales, The Scarlett Letter, The Great Gatsby, or works of Shakespeare. Maybe that is what soured me on reading.
However, if I had to start the Red Sox Rambler’s Book Club (believe me, it is no Oprah’s Book Club) here are some of the books that would make my list:
There are a few more on the that I’ve read in this time frame. All the books of The Chronicles of Narnia, the other two books (Digital Fortress and Deception Point) of Dan Brown, and The Last Templar are all that I can think of at the moment. Interestingly, thought, I don’t seem to recall a baseball book that I’ve read recently. Hmmmm, my brain must not be working correctly, as I could have sworn I’ve read a Red Sox book in the past few years. Definitely not that stupid “curse” book. Oh well.
EDIT: How could I forget about Moneyball. That was a great book indeed.
Anyway, here are the books on “To Read” list:
Of course, we will start it off with a baseball (actually, most of them will be) book. In this week’s SI (you know the one with THAT player on the cover with an article written by THAT “tabloid” reporter, plus this may be the only blog not about THAT player today), there is an excerpt from the book. I couldn’t put down the magazine until I finished the excerpt. Quite the insight into not only just the life of a minor leaguer, not just the life of a low round minor leaguer, but the life of a low round, Ivy league graduating minor leaguer. I’m looking forward to this one.
The book that movie Field of Dreams was based on. This book has actually been one I have wanted for a long time, but keep forgetting to put it on my Christmas wish list. I’ll have to remember to do that this year for sure. Or, if someone from my family is reading. All of these are quite the gift ideas.
Actually, this is not the book I do want. I am very much anticipating Dan Brown’s next book The Solomon Key. Nobody know when it is being released, supposedly it should be fairly soon. Hopefully, before or close to the end of the year. Anyway, since the book has not been released yet, there is no book cover, so this picture will have to do.
Finally, the last book on my list, and a book that needs no introduction…………..
Even though I am a Red Sox fan, this should be a very enjoyable and fun read. If it has any of the style of her blogs, I know I will enjoy it.
Finally, there seems to be quite a few bloggers who also frequent Facebook, including myself. I came accross this humerous video on Youtube that anybody who is an addictive Facebooker will find quite funny as well.
GO SOX!!!
Groundhog Day 2: The Sequel
Starring………………..
Shocking, I know, but position players aren’t even due to report to spring training, but J.D. Drew is already injured. I don’t understand how somebody can be so fragile, it is mind boggling. Rocco Baldelli and Mark Kotsay (edit: since Kotsay had back surgery, insert Brad Wilkerson) better get ready for a lot of at bats and time out in RF this season.
Ironic, Hypocritical, Despicable?
Of course, I am talking (better late than never) about the current steroid scandal being talked about from dawn to dawn on the radio, in the newspapers, and on the web. However, I am not even referring to Alex Rodriguez, but to the “reporter” who broke this story, Selena Roberts.
We’ll get to her in a moment, though.
First off, this will be the first and last time I discuss this black mark on baseball. It is disgraceful that Alex Rodriguez took steroids for AT LEAST three years, although he is only admitting the three years. If he has been clean since 2003, like he says, then it is obvious he never need to take the stuff. Why he ever would want to take this stuff with all of the risks, physically and otherwise, associated with this stuff is mind-boggling. I can understand why somebody who is on the verge of being cut or struggling to make a roster would want to take that risk, but I can’t fathom why A-Rod would want to, despite his reasons given to Peter Gammons the other day.
Anyway, this is news that SHOULD NOT have even been reported. These tests results were supposed to be anonymous and confidential. Whoever, released this information to Selena Roberts should be fired and prosecuted.
However, the Ironic and Hypocritical part of this story I am talking about is Selena Roberts. She has no qualms about accepting this information knowing that these results were ANONYMOUS AND CONFIDENTIAL, yet when asked about her source for this story on MLB Network she cites that she can’t compromise the confidentiality of her source. See the irony there?
Here is the link to her interview with Bob Costas: http://mlb.mlb.com/media/video.jsp?mid=200902073807806
At 1:18 into the video, Costas asks about her sources and she replies:
“I think out of respect to them and respect for the process they spoke to us on the condition of anonymity. So I don’t think it is fair to me to say what agency or there players or anything else going on.”
Seems pretty hypocritical to me. I’m sure when the players that season took the drug tests, that those players were told the tests were confidential. I know when I just interviewed for a job with a company, they require random drug tests, and you sign a form that lets you know all results are confidential and other legal jargon there. I would be willing to guess something similar happened here with the players. I guess when you have an unauthorized biography of A-Rod being published and released soon, that makes it okay. Obviously, personal gain supersedes any ethical standards.
Hey, I’m no reporter or anything. Who knows, would I do the same thing? It’s possible, because MLB fans “need” and “deserve” to know about this, right? I don’t know. I just know I don’t agree with this from my current vantage.
Finally, our esteemed commissioner Bud Selig is contemplating a suspension for A-Rod? I am no fan of A-Rod or the Yankees, but if Selig does go ahead with this, it is just lunacy. I haven’t been very critical of Selig as commissioner. Overall, I think he has done a fairly good job with what he stepped into and think a lot of the criticism he has taken during his tenure has been a bit steep. However, going through with a suspension of anybody who tested positive back in 2003 is absolutely ABSURD.
Now, let us turn away from this black hole of baseball that is steroids and rejoice in the fact that spring training has arrived.
http://services.brightcove.com/services/viewer/federated_f8/1519799050
GO SOX!
A Day At the Ballpark
Well, the “truck” is on it’s way down to Florida, signaling that spring training is almost ready to begin. With Jon Lester already reporting to spring training, it got me jonesing a bit for baseball.
So, Wednesday, I decided to stop by the old ball park, and here are a few photo’s I snapped. Sorry for the poor quality, they were taken with a crummy camera phone.
Anyway, here is Fenway Park like you normally do not see it:
Go Sox!
GremEQ
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