Category Archives: Baseball

This year’s spring training caps are hideous

Posted on March 14, 2013 | Leave a comment

Let me repeat that headline: This year’s spring training baseball caps are hideous.

As my long blogging layoff will attest, I’ve paid little heed to the Grapefruit and Cactus leagues these past few weeks. So what I saw on a television set in a neighborhood shop a short while ago hit me harder than it might have otherwise. On the tube was a Tigers-Mets game. When I saw the Mets’ caps, I blanched.

From a distance, they look like something for a beer league softball team. On closer inspection, there’s Mr. Met running the bases — in the wrong direction. (Yeah, it’s the Mets, so why should I be surprised?)

I was vaguely aware of the unveiling of these new cap models when they were announced a couple of months back but I didn’t pay attention. After doing a Google search for images of the new caps, I wish I’d skipped the spring altogether.

The white-billed Yankees’ caps may be the worst of the lot. Or maybe it’s the egg-splatter Tampa Bay Rays model. All in all, these caps look like they belong on sale by street vendors in the seedier sections of any number of Rust Belt cities.

I started this blog based on my love of baseball caps, but I have standards. Most of these spring training caps are devoid of artistic merit and devalue the brands of the teams they represent. The teams see this merchandising as a profit center, which is why there’s a continuous stream of new models.

Sorry, MLB. I ain’t buying.

 

 

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Lesson's Learned: Sleep With One Eye Open

Posted on January 12, 2013 | 1 Comment

Reblogged from The On Deck Circle:

Honestly, I was not going to comment on yesterday's Hall of Fame voting results.

Too many keyboards have suffered enough over that topic the past couple of days.  But I read a comment by a member of the BBWAA today that I have to admit irked me a great deal  (I won't name him; there's no reason to give him greater exposure.)

Read more… 702 more words

Here's a great take on the Hall of Fame washout from one of my favorite bloggers.

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A season without a seat in the stands

Posted on December 31, 2012 | 6 Comments

I’m looking back on the 2012 season and realizing that this is one of those rare years in which I didn’t see a major league baseball game in person.

Having switched jobs and coasts in May, I left California before having a chance to see the Giants or Athletics play at home. My two cross-country drives to get our cars out east were too hurried to route by way of a big-league stadium. And once I got east for good, I never found the time to run down to Philadelphia or head up to New York to catch the Phillies, Yankees or Mets.

I managed to catch plenty of games on TV, radio and especially on the MLB app on my iPhone. I did get to see one minor league game on each coast, the Nuts in Modesto and the Thunder in Trenton. Thank goodness for that.

Also on the plus side, we finally got ourselves high-definition TV this summer, and it’s been great to see those major league parks come alive on the screen in our family room.

But as for seeing a game live and in person, I’ll have to invoke the eternal cry of Cubs fans: Wait ’til next year!

[Note: This post was composed during the baseball playoffs but I never posted it until now.]

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Hits and misses: The new MLB batting practice caps

Posted on December 28, 2012 | 4 Comments

The fabulous Uni Watch blog has a great rundown on the new batting practice caps that major league teams will be wearing this year. The design comments by Paul Lukas are excellent, and I give him a tip of the cap for noting the unbalanced use of serifs in the “P” on the Pirates’ cap.

You’d think a guy running the Ball Caps Blog would be an enthusiast for these alternate caps, but I’m not. I see most of the designs as second-rate and cheap, designed primarily to extract even more dollars out of the fans’ pockets.

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And a happy Baseball Solstice to us, every one!

Posted on December 24, 2012 | 2 Comments

We’ve gotten past the Mayan apocalypse, so now we can move on and celebrate the Baseball Solstice. That’s the mid-point between the end of the World Series and the first exhibition game pitch of spring training, which we will celebrate this year in concert with Christmas.

Unlike the winter solstice at Stonehenge, there is no precise hour at which the sun peers through the pocket on the big glove at San Francisco’s AT&T Park or glints off the Citgo sign at Fenway Park.  As I noted several days ago, Countdown to Spring Training and the Ball Caps Blog have divined that, this year, we should celebrate from sunset Christmas Eve through sundown Christmas Day.

As the solstice is concurrent with a sacred Christian holiday, we urge all baseball fans to participate in a respectful way. Wrap a glove and donate it to Toys for Tots, or playfully announce “beer here!” when serving beverages to guests at holiday gatherings.

To all my readers, a happy solstice and a merry Christmas!

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Bad dream for a Giants fan: Tim Lincecum in Cardinals red

Posted on December 23, 2012 | 4 Comments
My Giants' knit hat, on a holiday background.

My Giants’ knit hat, on a holiday background.

What so troubled my sleep last night that I had a vivid dream in which Tim Lincecum was a member of the St. Louis Cardinals?

Tim was standing just a few feet from me, wearing a red Cardinals cap as well as a red jacket. It was Timmy all right: The soul patch, the long dark locks down to his shoulders. But he was on the Cardinals.

I guess the dream is merely an indicator of how day after day, baseball is on my brain. The trigger yesterday may have been that I found my black Giants’ knit cap and wore it on an errand yesterday afternoon. Lincecum often wears one of those “beanies” and I probably had him in mind when I slipped mine on.

 

 

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Great Baseball Books: ‘How to Star in Baseball’ by Herman L. Masin

Posted on December 9, 2012 | Leave a comment

How to Star.jpbAn avid reader and aspiring ballplayer as a kid, I had one book in my hands more than any other: “How to Star in Baseball” by Herman L. Masin. That book was the Bible of Baseball to me. I studied its pages for hours and hours, reading up and memorizing the fine points of how to scoop up a grounder or turn the double play.

I still have my copy, and it’s one of the few things that I’d try to grab before running out of the house should it catch fire. The book is in a box in the attic, so I can’t verify the publication date at the moment. But it’s the late-1960s version with the cover showing Mickey Mantle finishing off what appears to be a home run swing. I bought the book through Scholastic Book Clubs, a mail-order service that sold and delivered books through my school.

Over and over I checked out Masin’s copious notes on hitting, fielding and throwing, poring over the pictures and studying the diagrams to get the mechanics down. Masin espoused the full windup for pitchers: step onto the rubber, rock back with both arms and bring them overhead, leading to a powerful turn and thrust toward the plate. And don’t forget the follow-through into fielding position, undoubtedly the best from-a-book advice I received in my brief stint as a schoolboy hurler. I even taught myself the hook slide from Masin’s book.

I never learned who the players depicted on the inside pages were, but from the few clues in the photos, I’m guessing they were of the St. John’s University team.

I knew nothing of Masin (in fact, I’d forgotten his name) until today, when a Google search quickly turned up his obituary. Surprisingly, he died recently, in 2010 at age 96. I had known Scholastic had also produced “How to Star in Basketball” and “How to Star in Football,” but I didn’t realize Masin was the man behind those and so many other publications.

“How to Star in Baseball” can be found on eBay and other websites, and you can probably come across a battered copy of the paperback in a flea market or used book store. It won’t be mine. It’s not for sale.

When I see a major-league player cavalierly catch the ball with one hand or half-ass it down the first base line while running out a grounder, I know that goes against the fundamentals Masin drilled into me. Next to my father, no one gave me as much valuable advice on how to play the game.

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O Holy Cow: The Baseball Solstice coincides with Christmas

Posted on December 8, 2012 | 5 Comments

The high priests have looked to the sky and determined that the Baseball Solstice will coincide with Christmas this winter, to be celebrated from sundown on Christmas Eve to sundown Christmas Day.

The Baseball Solstice, noted in this blog a year ago, marks the midpoint of the long layoff in play between the final out of the World Series and the first exhibition game of Spring Training.

Sergio Romo struck out A.L. MVP Miguel Cabrera in the bottom of the 10th inning of Game 4 of the series on Oct. 28 to complete a San Francisco sweep of the Detroit Tigers.

The next games between major league opponents begin Feb. 22 in Arizona and Florida.

As fate would have it, that makes the midpoint Dec. 25, the second most holy day in Christendom. (The first is Easter, which coincidentally marks the point at which fans of the Chicago Cubs traditionally abandon hope for the new season.)

It is a bit awkward for baseball’s midwinter ritual to come at Christmas, and we baseball fans mean no disrespect on such a sacred day that many of us will be observing. (We’re also a bit leery that fans in Philadelphia will boo Santa Claus.)

But there’s apt symbolism for the pairing: We baseball fans cherish the sport as one of the greatest gifts we have.

You can mark the days to the start of Cactus and Grapefruit league play on the terrific Countdown to Spring Training site on Facebook.

As for marking the solstice, we encourage all baseball fans to do so in a meaningful, fun way: break out the baseball cards and find your favorite players, get in touch with fellow baseball fans by phone or email or social networking or (and this may sound crazy in this era) around the dining room table. We encourage you to visit the nearest ballpark and look eagerly forward to warm, sunny days on the field or in the stands come spring (or July, if you’re a Brewers fan).

As a Giants fan, I’ll be savoring the memories of the 2012 season. As an Indians fan, I’ll be lighting a few candles. And as a baseball fan overall, I’ll be glad to know that the first cry of “Play Ball” is drawing nigh.

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Who’s the more aggrieved Bay Area athlete – Alex Smith or Brian Wilson?

Posted on December 2, 2012 | 1 Comment

There’s nothing “tender” in the dispensing of major league contracts to baseball players. San Francisco last week declined to offer a contract to Brian Wilson, the fierce and funky closer who in 2010 helped the Giants win their first World Series since the franchise bolted New York for the West Coast.

Wilson has been rehabbing from Tommy John surgery.  He was grounded for the season after two early appearances in 2012, a year in which the Giants would again be champions. Although he wasn’t on the mound after April, he remained a spirited force in the dugout and clubhouse the entire season. His full bearded, goofy antics — playing organ on a teammate’s cap – were an integral part of the Giants’ personality for several seasons.

In the end, that meant bupkis.

Wilson reportedly is angry and ready to sign with another team, and who can blame him?

But is Wilson the most aggrieved athlete in the Bay Area? Consider Alex Smith, the 49ers quarterback who’s been benched after sustaining a concussion and having to watch Colin Kaepernick step in and lead the team to consecutive victories.

Wilson’s arm injury was serious and a second go-round, keeping him out of play essentially for a full season while Sergio Romo eventually took over as closer, was tested for weeks during the season and playoffs and was nearly flawless as the Giants swept the Detroit Tigers in the World Series.

Not to diminish the impact of his injury, but Smith suffered a concussion and wasn’t able to play for just two games.

Kaepernick, in his second season, stepped in. He took the snaps in a game when the Rams and 49ers tied, then performed phenomenally as the 49ers stomped the Bears on Monday Night Football. He did well again last weekend against the Saints.

It’s Coach Jim Harbaugh’s call to make, but I think he owes Smith better treatment.

Under Harbaugh’s direction, Smith emerged as an excellent quarterback in the 2011 season, taking the team to the NFC championship game. The game was lost in overtime when an inexperienced 49ers player botched a punt return in overtime; the Giants got the ball and kicked the winning field goal.

The 49ers have treated Smith shabbily over the years, and demoting him is just another kick in the pants. I actually think he’s getting a rawer deal than Wilson is. Wilson’s situation evolved; Smith’s changed suddenly.

Either way, I wish both players nothing but success in 2013, when they’ll both be wearing new uniforms.

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Time to get back onto the field!

Posted on November 28, 2012 | 5 Comments

It’s hard to believe that a San Francisco fan like me has failed to post anything since the Giants swept their way to the World Series title, but so be it. This morning I resolve to shower off all that celebratory champagne spray and head back out onto the blogging field with a few general observations:

  •  The World Series: I’m not complaining about the Giants blitzing the Tigers, but I always feel just a bit let down when the series only goes four games. There’s no question the Giants were the superior team, but the Tigers were no slouches. I expected a tighter, more nerve-wracking set of games than what we got.
  • Baseball is a funny game: Tim Lincecum is a prime example. During the regular season he went from being one of the most feared pitchers in the game to, at one point, the starter with the worst ERA. During the playoffs and the series, he emerged as a mid-game stopper out of the bullpen. Go figure.
  • Baseball is a funny game II: Barry Zito confounded hitters and more than a few Giants’ fans with his unexpected turnaround over the course of the season. That he emerged as savior and star during the playoffs was even more unexpected, especially when contrasted with the 2010 championship season, when he was left off the playoff and World Series rosters.
  • Substance abuse: I woke up this morning to news that Carlos Ruiz of the Phillies has been suspended for 25 games for taking banned medication. This comes on the heels of the long Melky Cabrera suspension in a season when he fell from grace shortly after becoming the MVP of the All-Star game. I’m glad baseball, which turned a blind eye during the home-run-happy steroids era, is cracking down. And I continue to be disappointed by players who think they can beat the system.
  • Evan Longoria: It was great to read that Longoria wanted to stick with the Rays for the remainder of his career and signed a long-term deal. We have too few single-franchise players these days. I’m glad to see Longoria buck the trend.

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