Blackjack’s a rocker

A friend and colleague of mine sent this link to a CD.  He found out about my interest in baseball and thought I might get a kick out of it. 

smallmytable

You see, my friend was in a band back in the day and one of his bands’ songs made it onto a CD compilation along with none other than former MLB pitcher Jack McDowell.  McDowell at the time was playing with a band called Stickfigure.  His song is called “Hey Man”. 

The CD is called Small, My Table and some proceeds are going towards Riley’s Hospital of Indianapolis. 

It brought back memories of back in the late 80’s (during the off-season), McDowell came down to play at the campus town club (the now defunct Mabel’s for C-U townies).  His band if memory serves, was called “Thrash”.  I wasn’t heavy into the music scene or anything like that but he had an ok sound. 

Music obviously has a pretty important part of Blackjack’s life if 15 years later, he was still playing (and putting out CDs). 

Bradley being Mr Nice Guy

Not only did Milton Bradley show up to camp two days early (something I always like to see) but he had some good things to say about us Cub fans:

He called the Cubs Convention a “nice fest,” and added: “It helps the transition for me when you’re dealing with people that are nice and appreciative and always in your corner. It hasn’t always been that way for me.”

Is this a turn for the mean ol’ Milton Bradley?  He went on about why he was so happy joining the Chicago Cubs:

“It’s the Cubs,” he said. “Who wouldn’t want to play for the Cubs? Wrigley Field, already have a great team in place. … I’ll come in and just try to add something to that mix.

Who IS this guy?  Give me the old MB back.  I want the Milton Bradley with an edge to him.  The aggressive one.  The MEAN one.  Ok, maybe take that last one back.  Maybe.

I’m sure the Milton Bradley we all know and love will return.  Give him time.

By the way, it wasn’t so much that I was against the Cubs getting Milton Bradley this off-season but that I felt the media was portraying Bradley as this savior that was going to lead our Cubbies to the promised land ala the World Series.  There’s no doubt Bradley is talented but there’s no excuse for exaggerating reality. 

Heads up, Illini baseball fans! Illinois Baseball Report is online!

It’s hard to believe that you can see actual live baseball in less than a week.  And most of us can’t… unless you’re lucky to enough to live in the the south.  But true enough, the college baseball season does start this Friday.

And to correspond with that, I’ve decided to create a new blog focused on the University of Illinois Baseball team.  I’ve imported all the Illini Baseball content from The Baseball Zealot to the new site which is called Illinois Baseball Report.  I spent some time tagging the posts so they’re good and indexed.

I’m looking forward to the new season and beyond.  Illini fans, stop by and hi (and don’t forget to bookmark the site).

Illinois Baseball Report

BTH reviews Illinois Baseball

Zealot friend Brian D from Big Ten Hardball does his annual review of Big Ten baseball team and predicts Illinois to at least make the tournament in 2009. 

Brian’s bottom line??

Illinois will go as far as their pitching lets them. This team, like many of the recent Illini squads, should swing the bats well enough, steal a few bases and play tough day-in and day-out. The question will be how their arms, especially the unproven ones, hold up.

The thought here is that the Illini should secure another top six Big Ten finish and a trip to Huntington Park and the conference tournament

His review of Illinois is pretty spot on.  You can read it at his blog, Big Ten Hardball.

White Sox Trivia

white_sox_77_1080 One June 19, 1977 this White Sox firstbaseman sang the pre-game National Anthem then went out and went 4-7 with a pair of home runs, playing error-less ball in the field, in a doubleheader sweep versus Oakland. Who was this multi-talented Alabamian?

I remember this day 30+ years ago like it was yesterday, but don’t ask me what I had for breakfast.

AROD, AROID???

alex-rodriguez-picture-5 FINALLY!!! A BIG FISH, AROD has been caught in baseball’s roid dragnet. I’ve been complaining about this for a long time, the only players being caught have been minor league Hispanics of marginal talent. Now it comes out Alex Rodriguez tested positive in 2003, but this story comes from a Sports Illustrated’s article, written by David Epstein & Selena Roberts, rather than MLB.

Four independent sources have told SI that Alex tested positive for two anabolic steroids. In 2003, when he won the American League home run title and the AL Most Valuable Player award as a shortstop for the Texas Rangers. Rodriguez’s name appears on a list of 104 players who tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs in Major League Baseball’s ’03 survey testing, SI’s sources say.

When approached by an SI reporter on Thursday at a gym in Miami, Rodriguez declined to discuss his 2003 test results. “You’ll have to talk to the union,” said Rodriguez, the Yankees’ third baseman since his trade to New York in February 2004. When asked if there was an explanation for his positive test, he said, “I’m not saying anything.”

Baseball’s drug policy prohibited the use of steroids without a valid prescription since 1991, but there were no penalties for a positive test in 2003.

As part of an agreement with the players’ union, the testing in 2003 was conducted to determine if it was necessary to impose mandatory random drug testing across the major leagues in 2004.

The results of the testing of 1,198 players were meant to be anonymous under the agreement between the commissioner’s office and the union. SI reported that Rodriguez’s testing information was found after federal agents, with search warrants, seized the 2003 results from Comprehensive Drug Testing, Inc., in Long Beach, Calif.

Now the question has got to be, does MLB FINALLY get it? This steroid problem needs to be taken seriously. It wasn’t just a few players then, it isn’t a few minor league Hispanic players today, this problem is rampant, it needs to be taken seriously, and it needs to be addressed now!

Not much hope for improving blackout policies

For those hoping that MLB will be improving their blackout policy in regards to broadcasting games, well… don’t get your hopes up. 

Maury Brown of The Biz of Baseball has the scoop:

The chances of any movement on the blackout policy becomes ever more remote as the season approaches, and owners deal with a case of tunnel vision regarding economic factors…

Word is that MLB hopes to have a proposal to address the arcane blackout policy formulated by opening day. With owners grasping onto every thin dime, odds seem exceptionally long that restructuring the television territories will take place by the time the first pitch arrives on the 2009 season.

Here’s a link to the MLB blackout map. 

I live three hours south of Chicago which is enough to black out the Sox, Cubs and the Cardinals.  But you may as well not be a baseball fan in the state of Iowa (or do as my friend DonS does and follow an out-of-market team.  The entire state of Iowa blacks out games of the Sox, Cubs, Cardinals, Twins, Brewers, and the Royals. 

Thank god for the Iowa Cubs, I guess.

Caribbean Series: Wake Me When It’s Over

White Sox Devil Rays Baseball I was very excited when I saw the Caribbean World Series was being shown live on the MLB Network. I remember watching winter league baseball on a Spanish TV station, channel 44, way back in 1983. Tom Candiotti was matched up against Chris Codiroli. Milwaukee Brewers Candiotti was perfecting his knuckleball, while Codiroli was an up & coming pitcher with the Oakland A’s. It was interesting trying to figure out who was whom, what kind of numbers the players were putting up, and what the announcers were saying. I somehow figured out Candiotti was learning the knuckler, besides actually seeing his pitches float up to homeplate, it seemed like he was pitching on TV almost every night. Besides the language barrier, there was also the snowy picture, UHF still had some bugs back then.

So last night, watching the Caribbean World Series on the MLB Network in English, even if it was over Slingbox, the Ramada room TV doesn’t get the MLB Network, was an exciting prospect. Live baseball in February, can’t beat it, packed stadiums, fans chanting. Then I started watching the game between Puerto Rico & Mexico. Once shooting star lefty Bill Pulsipher was on the hill for Puerto Rico, he went six & one third innings, and allowed only one run, which was impressive until you stopped & realized that there was probably only one legitimate major leaguer in both lineups, Adrian Gonzalez a lefthand hitting star for Mexico, but he can’t hit lefties to save his life. The number three hitter for Puerto Rico was Andy Gonzalez. Andy was with the White Sox in 2007, batting .185 in 189 futile at bats, he was really bad. When this game was still knotted at one after nine innings it was time to say goodnight.

Sheets out for the year?

What a conundrum! 

“We’re working our way through all of the details and we don’t know the answer yet,” (Brewers’ Assistant GM Gord) Ash said. “Major League Baseball has regulations related to workers’ comp and there are procedures and protocols that have to be respected. We’re working our way through those so I can’t give you much insight other than that.”

 

I don’t why but this song popped into my head when I read about this.  Just replace “Maria” with “Ben Sheets”.

 

Does Bud Selig deserve his raise?

So Bud Selig has gotten his extension and raise and a lot of detractors out there are already questioning the decision.  I’m not really a Selig fan but let’s face it, from a business standpoint, it’s not surprising that he was given his contract extension and salary boost. 

Yes, there are some high profile problems (steroids) and bonehead decisions (2002 All-Star Game) that remain a sore point with the fans.  But when it comes to the important matters (money), at least when it comes to the owners and the business of Major League Baseball, Bud Selig is turning the trick. 

Do you all remember when baseball was in its doldrums?  Before Cal Ripken’s streak?  Before McGwire and Sammy Sosa’s home run race?  Even before that when NBA was king of sports?  Not any longer.  Baseball is now breaking attendance and revenue records. 

Not only that, Major League Baseball has made strides in the online realm with one of the best pro sports web presence.  Now I’m sure Selig didn’t have a whole lot to do with the day-to-day operations of MLB Advanced Media but it certainly happened under his watch.

Finally and this may be a stretch but can Selig take a little credit for some semblance of parity in the MLB?  Is it possible that in the past few years, we’ve teams in smaller markets establish some success?  Or is that just coincidence? 

The point of all this is that MLB is a business and as of now, business is booming.  Selig probably deserves what’s coming to him.  The big question is how he’ll handle 2009 and what the economic downturn will deal the baseball industry. 

Selig’s new contract takes him into 2012 when he’s said that he will retire.  Selig haters, don’t hold your breath.  He’s said this before.