Picking nits on spelling
I know I probably have tons of typos on this site but I don’t have a budget in the millions.
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Happy Fourth of July!
For everyone in the USA out there, I hope you’re having a happy 4th of July!
Remember the old adage about freedom….
Rights, use ‘em or lose ‘em.
Anyway, have a good one!
MLB’s Bulletin D-12 and Replays
In light of the baseball instant replay issue, Kevin Murphy from the Kansas City Star has an interesting article on MLB’s new policy called Bulletin D-12.
Apparently, Chris DeRuyscher who is director of game entertainment for the Royals passed on to him the policy for what plays are acceptable (and unacceptable) to be replayed up on the scoreboard.
The big issue here? Not to “show up” the umpire. Here is a snippet:
“Clubs must continue to use good judgment not to ‘show up’ the umpires, incite the crowd or distract players, but this admonition does not preclude showing close plays.”
According to Murphy, “any calls on balls or strikes, brushback pitches and any case where the umpire has clearly made an incorrect call” cannot be shown.
Non-compliance to the policy results in a fine according to DeRuyscher.
I’d be curious to know what the real reason is behind this. The umpire’s union? Crowd control? Just simply MLB’s over-reaching desire to control everything that fans see?
Rich Hill update: It don’t look good from here
After successive starts at AAA Iowa where he obviously lacked control and confidence, the Cubs’ Rich Hill was sent all the way to Mesa in the Rookie League to work on the fundamentals and maybe get his head together.
Please tell me if I’m saying the obvious here but I have to wonder if Hill is just done. In his first start at Mesa yesterday, he didn’t even get past the first inning. Pitching 1/3 of an inning, he gave up five runs, three earned including 3 walks.
The Cubs organization is considering giving Hill a break altogether to see that might work. I don’t see what other option they have.
hehe… The Cubs Brickyard have heard some other “news” about his future plans.
Chris Snyder
One word… Ouch.
Bonadonna gets second chance with Madison Mallards
Illini secondbaseman Joe Bonadonna’s summer has been quite tumultuous up north. The weekend after the amateur draft, Joe signed his release waiver from the Duluth Huskies where he’s been a fan favorite for years. Huskies management turned in the waiver and despite that Bonadonna had expressed regrets, there was nothing the team could do according to Northwoods League rules.
Now, Joe Bonadonna has found a second life in the Northwoods League. Though league rules prevented Bonadonna from going back to the Huskies, there was nothing preventing another NWL team from picking the talented secondbaseman. And that’s exactly what the Madison Mallards have done.
Bonadonna has been with Madison for three games now and is off to a decent start. So far, he’s 3 for 10 with 3 walks in those three games. The Mallards are batting Bonadonna second in the lineup.
Bonadonna has quite a legacy at Duluth and unfortunately, his departure from the Huskies has evoked some bitter feelings among a few of the fans who feel he left them high and dry. Madison’s two game series in Duluth next week should be interesting for Bonadonna.
Big Series at Tropicana
One series I’m keeping my eye on is the Red Sox-Rays matchup in Tampa. With Tampa on top of the AL East, that’s gotta be one a lot of people are keeping their eyes on.
I can’t help but quietly root for the Rays this year. Aside from the fact that any others in their division who have a shot (NY, Boston) have already seen their fair share of post season action (and all else equal, I tend to root for the underdog), it’s the Rays’ time to shine. For the last 5-10 years, I’ve alays felt Tampa had plenty of young talent. But for whatever reason, they couldn’t put it together. Either it was lack of experience or lack of leadership from their management or both.
Last night, Tampa held off a Sox rally in the ninth to squeak by 5-4.
Roger Mooney writes an illuminating article in the Bradenton Herald detailing the history of bad blood between the Red Sox and the Rays. According to him, 27 players have been ejected in games between the two teams since 2000.
The AL East is up for grabs. I guess only time will tell if the Rays are for real.
Loading …MLB Advanced Media seeing cloud in Silverlight?
With the new rollout of Firefox 3, those at MLB Advanced Media may be a bit frustrated.
You see, those who use Firefox 3 and want to see MLB’s videos using Microsoft Silverlight which they went to last year, may be experiencing problems. The new release of Firefox 3 does not support the current version of Silverlight.
Word has it, though, that the second version of Silverlight will work with Firefox 3. Unfortunately, it is still in beta at this point. Unfortunate for MLB and unfortunate for the fans who use FF3 and don’t wish to trust a beta release yet.
Firefox has a browser share of anywhere around 15-25 percent (maybe higher for MLB’s target audience. then again, maybe not). Mozilla hasn’t pushed Firefox 3 out yet opting to let browsers download the new version voluntarily. But it will only be a matter of time when FF 3 will be the standard.
As for me, I like Firefox 3 and I’m going to either going to find a way to make it work or find a different way to watch my content.
U of I 2008 draftees beginning to make their mark
Hudson off to a good start with the Aberdeen Ironbirds
The 2008 Illini draftees have made a good impression so far in the minors. If the first couple weeks are any indication, they are in the pros for a while.
Former Illini and All-Big Ten centerfielder Kyle Hudson is at the Orioles’ A farm team in Aberdeen. He’s already off to hot start. He’s hitting .280 (7 for 33) with 5 rbis with 7 walks. As he did with Illinois, Kyle is playing centerfield.
Scott Shaw, who was drafted by the Mets, is spending time with the Brooklyn Cyclones. In two starts and one relief, he’s allowed two just runs in 14 innings. In those 14 innings, Shaw’s KOed 18 batters.
Interestingly, one appearance (the relief in which Shaw got the win) was against Hudson’s team, the Aberdeen Ironbirds, but Shaw didn’t have the pleasure of facing off against his old teammate.
Finally, for those who remember the Illini from before this year, Tanner Roark was a All-Big Ten second team starting pitcher in 2007. Thanks to Tanner, we won the first game in the 2007 Big Ten Tournament against Iowa. Well, Roark was declared ineligible in 2008 because of his academics.
That didn’t stop the Texas Rangers from taking a flier on Tanner in this year’s draft. And so far, he’s looking pretty good in the Rangers’ team in the Rookie League in the Arizona League. Roark has been put in the role as reliever in three games. While three games and five innings is a small sample size, he hasn’t allowed a run yet and has struck out six batters while walking no one.
Good luck to all!
Ballgirl video hoists viral marketing campaign
A few people have sent me a link to a video of the ballgirl who caught the foul ball in left field to the supposed amazement of the leftfielder. It does look pretty amazing. Unfortunately, it’s a hoax.
It’s part of a viral marketing campaign by a sports drink company. The ballgirl in question is stuntwoman Phoenix Brown and the video was apparently shot during and after a game by the Fresno Grizzlies and Tacoma Rainiers.
Brown was attached to wires in order to make the big jump.
The viral marketing campaign has been effective. On YouTube alone, the video has been viewed over a half million times and each time a bottle of the sports drink is prominently displayed at the end of video. In addition, any talk of the viral campaign brings them more advertising.
Come on guys, did you really think a ballplayer was going to let a girl show him up like that?
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