Goodbye, David Cone
David Cone announced his retirement this week. During the late 80's, Cone was
one of my favorite players. He was the unheralded ace of the Mets, who were my
favorite team at the time. Cone was a phenomenal pitcher who will likely be
forgotten. Look at these career highlights: In his first full season with the
Mets (1988) he went 20-3 with 2.22 ERA and 213 K's . . . Lead his league in
strike outs twice ('90 - 233, '91 - 241) . . . Struck out 19 Phillies in a game
10/06/91 . . . Helped the Toronto Blue Jays win their second World Series in
1992 . . . Played on 5 World Series winning teams (Jays '92, Yankees 1996, '98,
'99, '00) . . . Won the Cy Young Award in the strike-shortened 1994 season
(16-5, 2.94 ERA, 132 K's in 23 starts) . . . Went 20-7 as a Yankee in 1997 . . .
Became the 15th pitcher to throw a perfect game when he did so as a Yankee
07/18/99 . . . Five time All-Star ('88, '92, '94, '97, '99) . . . 4-time Top 5
finisher in Cy Young voting (3rd in '88, 1st in '94, 4th in '95, 4th in '98) . .
. 4-time Top 5 finisher in in ERA, 4-time Top 5 finisher in Wins . . . 10-time
Top 5 finisher in in Strike Outs . . . 8-3 in Postseason play . . . 194 career
wins, 3.46 career ERA, 2,668 career strike outs (17th All-Time). Above all,
David Cone was a one of the most dominant and consistent pitchers of the 90's
and truly a classy guy. The baseball world will miss him.
Dad sent me this link to the dullest blog in the world.
My Dad gave us a digital camera because he knows how bad we are about never
developing pictures. My grandfather was always a madman with the camera. I
remember getting up on several Christmas mornings excited about the day but
still groggy and being asked to smile and stare directly into a set of four
lights on a pole and each light was brighter than the sun. Dad takes pictures
but he's normal about it, and Rachel is a photography major, so there hasen't
been much need for us to develop those pictures from the past. But it's good to
have the camera and now we don't have an excuse. It's way better than the way we
used to do it. Amy and I would sit down by the fire and pull out that box of
undeveloped rolls and say, "Remember this roll of film? Those were some great
times."
We're Home
Amy and Sophie came home from the hospital Friday afternoon. We're both elated
to be home and to have another person sharing our house. Now that she's here,
that makes Deacon Blues the next father-to-be in our little blogging world. Remy
is in the hole.
Mariner Report
We went a disappointing 3/3 this week. We probably would have swept the Royals
except Freddy Garcia pitched against them and the Twins were just too much. One
interesting thing about the Twins series was the matchup between the two best
defensive teams in the game, especially the competition between Mike Cameron and
Twins standout Torii Hunter. Both guys made Baseball Tonight's Web Gems during
the series, robbing home runs from each other. We face the Royals and Twins
again this week as we embark on a 12 game road trip that includes our first
interleague matchups against Philadelphia and the Mets. Edgar Martinez seems to
be in a bit of a slump, but he's still good enough to be #15 in AL batting
average (.311). Ichiro is #12 (.317), and the big surprise is Carlos Guillen at
#11 (.318). Ichiro is also 6th in hits (63) and stolen bases (9), Edgar is 5th
in RBI's (37) and 9th in slugging (.568), and Bret Boone is 4th in home runs
(12) and 8th in slugging (.569). As for the pitchers, Jamie Moyer is 2nd in wins
(7), and 7th in strikeouts, and Gil Meche is 3rd in wins (6) and 9th in ERA
(2.86). As a team, we're pretty average in hitting but 3rd in ERA (3.87).
Mariner of the Week: Carlos Guillen is a no-brainer this week. So far he's a
great answer for the #2 slot in the order between Ichiro and Boone. Last week he
went 9 for 20 (.450) with 5 runs scored.
MLB Update
The Dodgers have been on fire winning 10 in a row, highlighted by closer Eric
Gagne who saved 6 straight striking out 12 consectutive batters in 4
appearances. Meanwhile, the Yankees have been terrible having lost 9 of their
last 11. Roger Clemens won #299 against the Red Sox in Fenway Park, but failed
to notch #300 in Yankee Stadium - also against the Red Sox. He'll get his next
shot when interleague play begins and the Yankees travel to Chicago and play in
Wrigley Field. The Yankess have not played their since they swept the Cubs in
the 1938 World Series. Roger Clemens has never pitched there at all. The only
other interesting matchups in the first week of interleague play are the Angels
against the surprising Montreal Expos in San Juan the Cardinals and Orioles
square off (Duane cares). Fred McGriff is sneaking up on 500 home runs - he hit
#486 this week. Pedro Martinez, Bernie Williams, Troy Percival, and Eric Hinske
all went on the diasabled list; Percivals hip injury is career threatening.
I realized after posting that announcement that I did not include her name:
Sophie Adelaide Booth. Thanks to everyone for their thoughts, prayers, and
congratulations. Here's another picture.
Here She Is
She was born at 4:55 PM Wednesday the 21st. She weighed 7 lb. 2 oz. and measured
20.25 inches. Mother and Baby are doing very well.
Mariner Report
The M's had good week at 5-1. I'm sure you'll all be surprised that the one loss
was thanks to Freddy Garcia, who seems to be the only Mariner not pulling his
weight. I don't hate the guy or anything, but he's supposed to be the ace and
he's been far from that. The A's and Yankees helped us look good this week. The
A's went 3-3 and left the M's with a 2-game lead in the division, and the
Yankees went a miserable 1-5 leaving the M's with the best record in the AL.
Kazuhiro Sasaki has looked very good since coming off the DL - in four
appearances he hasn't allowed a run and he picked up the save on Friday and
Saturday. It's hard to say hop difficult the schedule will be for the next two
weeks. Next week we have the Royals and Twins at home then the same two teams on
the road the following week. These are the best two teams in the AL Central, but
I'm just not convinced they'll be able to handle the M's or the other AL West
teams. I'll be satisfied is they go 8-4 over the course of the 12 games. I've
got conflicting reports about the M's starter for the first game against the
Royals. The M's website says Ryan Franklin, but USA Today says it's Garcia.
Regardless we'll be facing Royals rookie ace Runelvys Hernandez. Regarding last
weeks discusion about the M's #2 hitter: maybe Carlos Guillen is the answer.
He's batting .297 and hit a homer out of the 2-hole today.
Mariner of the Week: There are a lot of contenders this week - Joel Pineiro won
2 games, Edgar had 3 homers in 3 consecutive games, Bret Boone had 4 homers and
9 RBI's, but I have to go with Ichiro. As ESPN's Dan Patrick would say, Ichiro
has been nothing short of en fuego. Over the last two weeks, he's raised his
average from .260 to .318. His line for this week: 17 for 32 (.531), 5 runs
scored, 1 homer, 2 stolen bases.
Odd Thoughts on MLB Week 7
I have a little more time and a few more thoughts this week, so the update will
be a bit longer. Let's start with Roger Clemens, who started the season just 7
wins short of 300, started out 4-0, but has gone 0-2 in his last four starts.
He'll be shooting for Win # 299 against the Red Sox on Wednesday. If he wins,
he'll get the chance for # 300 on May 26th, also against Boston. I know Roger
would like to already have that big win behind him, but I think it would be
fitting for him to become the 19th pitcher in MLB history to notch 300 Wins
against the team that thought he was washed up after the 1996 season. I hope the
Yankees drop 4 of 6 to the Red Sox in those two series, but I'll wear my
proverbial Yankees hat for Roger Clemens. In other Yankee news, the Yanks got
swept by the Texas Rangers in Yankee Stadium for the first time ever - more on
this later.
Earlier in the week New York Mets' managment informed the media they wanted
All-Star catcher Mike Piazza to begin a shift to first base. Piazza has strongly
resisted such a move whenever it's been mentioned in the past. Piazza then
responded with a torrid week at the plate with 10 hits in 19 at bats (.526)
including 3 home runs and 7 RBIs. He followed that by tearing his groin and
going on the disabled list. He's expected to miss at least a month and could
miss two. Piazza hits the DL just 3 homers short of passing Carlton Fisk for the
most homers as a catcher.
Montreal Expos pitcher Zach Day was ejected from Friday's game against the
Rockies for having a foreign substance (glue) on his pitching hand. Day was
using the glue to cover a blister - not to cheat. Nevertheless, he was found to
be in violation of MLB rules and tossed from the game. In other odd news, Red
Sox outfielder Trot Nixon caught an outfield fly ball and tossed it into the
stands thinking it was the third out rather than the second. The Walt Disney
Company sold the defending champion Anaheim Angels to Arturo Moreno for $184
million. That seems to be a low price for a World Series Championship team.
Moreno is the first Latino MLB owner, and that fact seems to be very important
to the media. But the last time I checked, I haven't seen many Latinos or other
minorities throwing $200 million dollars around. I assure you that when another
team comes up for sale, if there's a non-white person slinging that kind of cash
the MLB Commisioner's office would quickly approve the sale. It's not like the
owners are trying to stay all white. Nobody's prejudice against the color green.
Now let's take a look at the standings and finish up with our first installment
of "If the Playoffs Started Today." Over in the NL West The Giants have a 4 game
lead on the Dodgers and that's the largest gap between any first and second
place team in any division. The Chicago Cubs are still clinging to the #1 spot
in the NL Central, but the Astros (2 out) and Cardinals (3 out) are sneaking up
on them. The Cubs have maintained their position despite being without slugger
Sammy Sosa. Over in the NL East The Braves are up 3 on Montreal and 6 on
Philadelphia. At 30-13, the Braves have the best record in baseball. In the AL
Central, The Royals - as predicted - have lost their spot at the top to the
Twins. This is the first day all year the Royals have not been in first. The
Boston Red Sox moved into a tie for first with the Yankees. The Yankees started
their season 16-3 against the Blue Jays, Devil Rays, and Twins. Their 24 games
against the AL West didn't go as well. They went 11-13, leaving them 27-16
overall - good for the second best record in the American League. The best team
in the AL is your Seattle Mariners (28-15). The M's have opened a 2-game lead
over the A's. If the playoffs started today, the NL would have the Braves facing
the Cubs and the Giants against the wild-card Expos. The AL would be the Yankees
vs. the Twins and the Mariners against the wild-card Red Sox.
Survivor
Jenna won; what a scam. Those of us who are Survivor fans now know that Survivor
7 will be played in Panama, and USA Today printed this short note about Survivor
8:
'Survivor' alum converge for all-star show
The eighth edition of CBS' Survivor, airing in February, will have an all-star
cast featuring contestants from previous installments of the hit reality show.
Players are expected to include Jerri Manthey, Richard Hatch, Susan Hawk, Tina
Wesson, Ethan Zohn and Rudy Bosch. Producers will raise the prize money to $2
million. The location has not been determined. - (USA Today 5/15/03)
Vitamins
What's the deal with vitamin names anyway? We've got A through E, and then we
skip to K. What happened to F through J? And do we really need 12 B vitamins? If
we had just one vitamin B and gave 2 through 12 to other letters we could be all
the way down to Vitamin Q. I have at least some idea what most of the vitamins
do and where they come from except the B vitamins. Maybe it would be easier to
remember vitamin F.
Mariner Report
Well we went a sub-par 3 and 3 this week. Again we dropped 2 of 3 to the Yankees
and without a sweep against them later this year, we'll lose the season series
to them for the first time in at least three years. Oh well, we're done with
them until August or September and we're headed to Cleveland and Detroit. Joel
Pineiro opens the series with Cleveland against veteran lefty Brian Anderson. We
really need to make this our first 6 and 0 week; we definitely have a favorable
schedule to do so. We're still hanging on to first place in the West, but we're
sharing it with the A's. It's too bad they didn't have a tougher time with the
Yankees. The Mariner's batting order is beginning to trouble me a bit. I would
like for Bob Melvin to come up with a line up and stick with it, specifically in
the #2 hole between Ichiro and Boone. We've had Randy Winn in there, Willie
Bloomquist and Mark McLemore. Last year I thought Cirillo would be the answer.
McLemore is better suited to coming off the bench and batting 9th when he does
get the start. Ideally Cirillo or Winn can step up and hit .290 to .315 and stay
in that spot to give Ichiro protection and another baserunner for the middle of
the order. Kazuhiro Sasaki returned from the DL and pitched two scoreless
innings in two non-save situations. He appears to be healthy for the long haul.
Freddy Garcia is the player of the week . . . for the Yankees.
Mariner of the Week: This is a tough call. Edgar had 3 homers, Ichiro had 10
hits, but I think I have to go with Jamie Moyer. This is Moyer's second MOW
(Mariner of the Week) this year. Moyer's stats this week: 2 Wins, 12 Innings, 8
K's, 3.00 ERA.
Odd Thoughts on MLB Week 6
Rafael Palmeiro became the 19th major league player to reach 500 home runs
Sunday night. The shot was a three-run blast off Cleveland pitcher Dave Elder.
The Rangers won that game 17 to 10. Yankees' ace Mike Mussina won his 7th game
in his 7th start. No Yankees starter has done that since 1958. The Yankees also
expect a boost this week when Derek Jeter returns Tuesday. Curt Schilling came
off the disabled list and made an impressive start Friday: complete game shut
out, 10 Ks no walks. In other injury news, Sammy Sosa went on the 15 day DL with
an infected toe nail. He should return at the end of the 15 days. The first
managerial firing of the year happened this week as the Florida Marlins sent
Jeff Torborg packing and replaced him with 400 year old Jack McKeon. I doubt the
Marlins will play any better for Jack. In last weeks report I encouraged you
All-Star voters out there to not vote for Yankees. While most of the folks who
read this report hate the Yankees, there is one Yankee fan who reads this and he
asked why we should not vote for them, so I'll give you my answer with a bit of
background. I used to be an All-Star voting purist. I voted strictly for the
best players at each position regardless of any team loyalty only to find myself
frustrated when the game roled around and it was filled with names rather than
the most deserving players. Then I decided that rather than be frustrated, I
should vote for the guys I want to see in the game. I don't vote exclusively for
Seattle players, but I do tend to give them the benefit of the doubt. This year,
there are two Yankees who definitely deserve to be elected to the AL squad
(Alfonso Soriano and Jorge Posada) and one other who probably deserves it
(Bernie Williams). But Jason Giambi, who has played terribly so far this year,
will probably win the election too because he's got a big name and he's a
Yankee. Palmeiro, Kansas City's Mike Sweeney, and Seattle's John Olerud are all
more deserving than Giambi, but that probably won't change the outcome of the
vote. So if you want to see your guys in the game, you've got to vote for them
and vote for them often. And since most of the folks who read this hate the
Yankees, they should refrain from voting for them. (Truth be told, it's not
necessary to tell them - I just wanted to annoy Greydanus).
The due date is almost past, and the baby has not come yet. I went to the docter
with Amy today and we got to see the baby again.
In case this picture looks like nothing more than a black and white blob to you
- that small black circle in the top-center is her right eye.
Mother's Poem
With Mother's Day approaching, I thought I'd share another Garrison Keillor
poem.
Some mornings I get up at five.
With four to mother, one to wive,
I find the hours from light to dark
Are not enough to matriarch
With goals for matriarchy high
Among the apples of my eye.
This little girl with golden braid
Expects her toast a certain shade;
Her scrambled eggs must meet the test
Of excellence and gently rest
Upon the toast and not beside.
The little boy wants his eggs fried
Yet not be greasy on his lips,
Accompanied by bacon strips
Fried till they resemble bark.
The older boy takes his toast dark
And if his golden eggs should not
Be poached and served up steaming hot,
Two slightly liquid yellow bumps
Of yolk in solid white, he slumps
Down in his chair and has a mood.
The oldest girl eats rabbit food,
Berries, nuts, sunflower seeds,
Leaves and stems, and as she feeds,
She is displeased. It's all my fault.
I bought her seeds containing salt.
And worse - some juice containing sugar.
She glares as if I were a crook or,
Worse, a mother short on sense
And guilty of child negligence.
Negligence in the name of love
Is just what we should have more of.
Don't mother birds after some weeks
Of looking at those upturned beaks
Deliberately the food delay,
Hoping to hear their goslings say,
"What are these feathered floppy things
Attached to us? You think they're wings?"
This helpful trusty friendly Frau
Is starting her neglect right now.
The clothes you counted on the leap
Up while you were fast asleep
And wash themselves for you to wear
Have let you down. They just sat there.
The bicycle you thought would pick
It self up when the rain got thick,
The homework you forgot to do,
Assuming I would tell you to -
My child, you have been betrayed.
The world you thought was neatly made,
Its corners tucked in like a sheet,
Is uncomposed and incomplete.
For years I carried on a hoax.
I made you think that scrambled yolks
Or poached or boiled, fried or shirred,
Are how they come out of the bird.
I made you think that big dustballs
Tiptoe softly down the halls
Out to the trash, that your wool skirt
(The one with emblems of dessert)
Took a cab down to the cleaner,
In answer to a court subpoena.
No matter what you have been told,
The rainbow holds no pot of gold,
Babies aren't found under rocks
Or in Sears Roebuck catalogues,
Those coins weren't put there by an elf -
The Tooth Fairy is me myself,
The Easter Bunny's make-believe,
Cows don't talk on Christmas Eve,
The moon is not made of green cheese,
And eggs don't come the way you please,
Served by hens on silver trays,
And neither does much else these days.
Duane posted a creedal list of affirmations and denials. While I agree with a
lot of it, I certainly have some objections or at least questions (we all know
about his odd dislike of soup), but I can allow love to cover most of them. I
must, however, stand up for styrofoam. As a disposable beverage container,
styrofoam is second to none. Ice lasts ten times longer in styrofoam vs. paper
or plastic. And for coffee, well, when you have styrofoam you don't need one of
those dumb little cardboard sweaters to keep from burning your hand. Remember
years ago when Century 21 had an ad where about 20 agents in gold jackets picked
up a two-story house? Do you know what that house was made of? Styrofoam.
Stella Awards
The Stella Awards are given by an independent group that recognizes successful
lawsuits that are beyond frivolous. Stella was the name of the woman who sued
McDonald's when she spilled hot coffee and burned herself. Here are a few from
2002 that I thought were worth sharing:
Jerry Williams of Little Rock, Arkansas, was awarded $14,500 and medical
expenses after being bitten on the buttocks by his next-door neighbor's beagle.
The beagle was on a chain in its owner's fenced yard. The award was less than
sought because the jury felt the dog might have been just a little provoked at
the time by Mr. Williams who was shooting it repeatedly with a pellet gun.
A Philadelphia restaurant was ordered to pay Amber Carson of Lancaster,
Pennsylvania, $113,500 after she slipped on a soft drink spill and broke her
tailbone. The beverage was on the floor because Ms. Carson had thrown it at her
boyfriend 30 seconds earlier during an argument.
A jury of her peers awarded Kathleen Robertson of Austin, Texas, $780,000 after
breaking her ankle by tripping over a toddler who was running inside a furniture
store. The owners of the store were understandably surprised at the verdict,
considering the misbehaving little toddler was Ms. Robertson's son.
Pregnancy Update - Week 40
We all very excited now that we're in the "final" week of the pregnancy. The due
date is Wednesday. Amy has had a few contractions and has complained of general
discomfort in the last few days. She is scheduled to see the doctor Wednesday
and we'll have another ultra-sound if the baby has not been born. I guess if we
don't have a baby by then, we'll just wait longer.
Mariner Report
A 4 and 2 week is not a disappointment considering the schedule. We did lose the
series to the Yankees 2-1 but we played well overall and Joel Pineiro proved he
could be a big-game pitcher giving up only two runs and dueling with Mike
Mussina. I'm still waiting for Ichiro to heat up. I know he hit a homer tonight,
but the only other highlight from this week for him was being mentioned by Chris
Schlect in Credenda/Agenda. We have the same schedule this week except it will
be at Safeco rather than on the road. Another 4 and 2 would be acceptable
especially since we get a break the following week with Cleveland and Detroit.
The pitching matchups in the series with the Yanks will be Jamie Moyer vs. Andy
Pettitte, Joel Pineiro vs. Mike Mussina, and Ryan Franklin vs. Jeff Weaver.
Edgar Martinez collected his 2000th career hit this on Saturday. He is currently
3rd in the AL with a .363 average. Kazuhiro Sasaki, on the disabled list since
April 23 with a strained muscle in his lower back, will pitch on a rehab
assignment Tuesday for Class A Inland Empire (San Bernardino, Calf.). Sasaki
will be re-evaluated Wednesday, then could rejoin the Mariners on Thursday.
"We'll see how his health is, how his arm is, re-evaluate and go from there,"
manager Bob Melvin said.
Mariner of the Week: Deacon Blues lobbied for Mike Cameron who went 8 for 18
with 2 homers and 9 RBIs, but I have to go with Gil Meche. Meche went 2 and 0
including 7.2 scoreless innings against the Yankees. His totals for the week: 2
wins, 7 Ks, 0.71 ERA in 12.2 innings.
Odd Thoughts on MLB Week 5
MLB started taking on-line votes for this years All-Star game at US Cellular
Field (New Comisky) in Chicago. If you want to vote, click here. Please do not
vote for any Yankees. I do encourage you to vote, but four and half weeks of
baseball doesn't seem to be enough to make a good decision on the All-Stars. The
Players Association also approved a measure to award home-field advantage in the
World Series to the league that wins the All-Star game. I like that they are
trying to make the game mean something, but I think that there are some other
issues that make this a bad idea. For instance, will the AL pitchers throw good
pitches to Barry Bonds now that the game means something? They say this will be
on a trial basis only (like the DH was), so we'll have to see how it turns out.
The suspensions for hit batsmen have gotten out of hand. Pitchers should be able
to throw inside and retaliate on intentional beanings. I just don't think the
Kansas City Royals are for real. They're still leading the AL Central, but I
think they're in for a big surprise when they face the Yankees and the AL West.
Milestone Watch: Roger Clemens - stuck at 297 Wins after two losses this week.
Rafael Palmeiro - 498 Home Runs.
Grover Cleveland Alexander is the only Major League Baseball player to be named
after an American president and to be portrayed by a future American president
in a movie (played by Ronald Reagan in The Winning Team, 1952).