Thought's from a Regular Guy

SCOUTING REPORT: Felix Hernandez

2005-08-05T09:43:00.000-04:00

To all you baseball fans, as a public service announcement I give you the following first hand scouting report of the Seattle Mariners teenage sensation, Felix Hernandez. I was at the Tiger game yesterday afternoon and was able to see the first teenager since Todd Van Poppel in 1991 to start for a Major League team.

In summary, Hernandez pitched five innings, allowing two runs (one earned) on three hits while striking out four. Oh yeah, the Tiger won, 3-1.

I saw much of the first 4 innings and most interesting to me was the 1st inning, how he got out of a bases loaded jam with nobody out and only allowed 1 run. From the beginning, Hernandez was throwing mainly fastballs in the 94-97 mph range (according to the sign in left field). And it did not seem the Tigers had too much trouble at first. I think in the first inning, all of his offspeed pitches were thrown for balls. It appeared he had a lot of confidence in his heater but not much (initially) with his other stuff. He issued 2 walks in the first inning but his second walk to Chris "Red Pop" Shelton came on a borderline pitch just on the outside. Well he got out of the jam by getting Dmitri Yopung to ground out into a tough 3-2-3 double play. {Man is Dmitri slow!} The ball was hit pretty hard, close to the first base line and with Richie Sexson playing in, he whipped the ball home and then scampered back to 1B to catch the ball from Wiki Gonzalez to complete the DP.

After this, Hernandez settled down quite nicely and right before the DP ball he got a visit from the Mariners pitching coach. I really think the coach told him to trust his off-speed pitches and throw them with confidence. Major League hitters can hit any straight fastball, no matter how fast it is (just ask Matt Anderson). Just like real estate, it's location, location, location (and movement, too). The 1st inning ended with Pudge Rodriguez called out on an attempted check swing, strike three called on an appeal to the 1B umpire. Pudge was none too happy and yelled out to the umpire if he really thought that was the right call (or words to that affect!). I kept watching Pudge as he walked into the dugout and saw a few balls flying in there but none out in the field like he did during a game last week. Also, it seemed to me that he took an extra long time getting his catching gear on and slowly walking back to his position to start the 2nd inning. I don't know if he was still fuming at the umpire but no further incident ensued.

Overall, it was a pretty good job by Hernandez considering his youth and all. But what a better way to start your career. No pressure, away game, against a mediocre club. BTW, Sean Douglass pitched a great game going 8 innings and giving up only 1 run. This was significant since he was coming off his worst start as a Tiger. It's always good to see a young pitcher bounce back like that and give the home team something to cheer for. It's funny, you hear all about Bonderman, Justin Verlander, and Joel Zumaya (#10 on the Baseball America Prospect Hot Sheet) but never anything about Douglass. Hmmm, we'll see.

Here are some more pictures from the game:

Mags caught it! Palonco HBP again!

Nice Try, Craig

Red Pop Shelton takes one Slow man, Dmitri

Cool Bible Passage

2005-08-02T10:18:00.000-04:00

Just thought I'd share these two verses I came across this morning (1 Timothy 6:20-21 from The Message version):

Avoid the talk-show religion and the practiced confusion of the so-called experts. People caught up in a lot of talk can miss the whole point of faith.

Isn't that so true!?!

Musings

2005-08-02T10:00:00.000-04:00

Kinda depressed about the Tigers right now. It seems like just a few short days ago I was typing that they were only 4 games out of the Wildcard. Now they are 8 games out. Problem is, they ran into the buzz saw that is the Oakland A's. You know when they win a game 2-1 vs Johan Santana, in the Metrodome, that their season is special. It's so amazing since back on May 29th they were 16-32, 12 1/2 games behind the Angles. Since then they have gone--wow!--43-14, a .754 clip which would equate to a 122-40 record for a full season. Just think, the A's record in August over the past 4 years is 86-28 at the same .754 rate so they will probably keep this up. Simply amazing!

Raffy on Steroids

Another shocking revelation came out yesterday that Rafael Palmeiro has been suspended by MLB for violating the steroids policy. This just does not make sense to me. Why would a player who has vehemently denied using steroids at a Congressional hearing, has just become the 4th player ever to have 3000 hits and 500 Home Runs in a career (others: Aaron, Mays, and Eddie Murray), and probably would be voted into baseball's Hall of Fame jeopardize EVERYTHING by taking something that is under such scrutiny that he KNEW he would get caught?? I really think he is telling the truth that he unknowingly took steroids. Now, I'm not saying he is completely faultless in this whole thing. He did take something to make the test come up positive. Why would he ingest anything into his body without knowing what it was? Sounds like he was stupid, that's all, and by accepting the suspension, that's what he is basically saying.

Now, does this mean he will not make the Hall of Fame? I truly believe he will be voted in, but not on the first ballot--it will take at least 3 or 4 votes before he gets in. That's just one regular guy's opinion.

Farnsworth Traded???!!!

2005-07-31T23:59:00.000-04:00

Wow, that was a shocker. No one I read even mentioned Farnsworth was on the block. Don't know too much about what the Tigers received in return, I'll have to check that out tomorrow when I have time (at work!!!) and am not so sleepy.

I'll write more tomorrow...

Late Night (at least for me!)

2005-07-30T23:56:00.000-04:00

Had a date tonight with a great woman...my wife. Ah, how nice to get out of the house, have the grandparents watch the kids and go out just to talk with no interruptions. Simply a great time!

Still up now to check all the trade rumors in MLB. It kinda stinks that Randy Winn was traded to the Giants for Foppert and Torrealba. The reason it stinks is that Winn is on my fantasy team (my beloved Tweezers). First, Trot Nixon goes down with an oblique injury, Jeremy Reed gets a concussion running into the OF wall, and now this trade. I tell you one thing, I better get some good NL player to make up for these losses!

Oh, I did pick up Gabe Kapler!

Random Thoughts

2005-07-29T23:05:00.000-04:00

Well, it's Friday night and my wife is out with a girlfriend so I can spend some time on the 'puter. Everything came out well with Miles at the neurologist--the doctor said he showed classic signs of Autism. Although I wonder...I know doctors are very good at what they do but they can really give a quick diagnosis like that for such a complex thing as autism? Like I said in an earlier post, Miles' teacher's seem to think he is not autistic and they spend almost every weekday with him during the school year. Ummm, some things to ponder.

Baseball News

Just looking at some baseball news, it seems that Texas and San Diego have pulled off a trade. Texas send Chan Ho Park (of CHoP as the folks over at the Newberg Report like to call him) for Phil Nevin. Nevin had vetoed a trade earlier in the week to Baltimore but Texas was not on his no-trade list so he'll be packing his bags.

One Nevin note to pass along. He was originally drafted #1 overall in 1992 by the Houston Astros but he didn't really pan out so he was traded to the Tigers for Mike Henneman (that brings back some memories!). From what I remember, he came up as a 3B but when he was traded to the Tigers, they made him a catcher. Anyway, one time I was on a business trip to Jacksonville, Florida and the Tigers old AA club, the Suns were in town and playing that night. I believe Brian Mohler was on the mound and Nevin was doing the catching.

My worker friend and I had seats in the front row, just to the left of home plate for the game. During the game while the Suns were out in the field, a player hit a high foul fly behind, and just to the left of home plate. The ball drifted even more to the left of us and there was a very high chain-link fence separating the stands from the field of play. As he attempted to catch the ball, Nevin crashed into the fence and the fence then slammed right into a middle-aged woman who was sitting in the front row. It looked pretty nasty from where I sat and she had a good blood gusher coming from her nose. Well, Phil felt pretty terrible about the whole thing and actually came over to the lady to check on her and apologize for crashing into her like that.

Oh well, Nevin was traded to the Angels and then went on to star with the Padres, receiving a couple MVP votes for his 2001 season (shoulda finished higher than 21st that year, but alas, that was the year Barry Bonds hit 73!). I just wish the Tigers would have held on to Nevin instead of getting Nick Skuse (!) for him.

Autism

2005-07-28T06:48:00.000-04:00

Today we take my 4 year old son, Miles, to the neurologist. You see, about 3 months ago Miles was diagnosed with Autism, specifically, Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Since Miles was our 4th child, we knew from the time he was about 4 months old that something was not right. Whenever you hear "Autism" you immediately think of a kid sitting in the corner of the room, rocking back and forth, staring into space, and not saying a word. This is not true of all autistic children. Miles has very good language and speaks really well when you interact with him. However, while you talk with him, you can tell he isn't your normal 4 year old. Miles has a fascination with ceiling fans, air vents, smoke alarms, and various other items that may stick out of the wall or ceiling. He often repeats things over an over during conversations: "Daddy, remember when we went through the car wash and the noodles were cleaning our car!" He'll say this many times even though the last time we went through a car wash was 6 months ago.

Also, Miles can memorize stuff really good. For Christmas, we bought him a kind of electronic map with puzzle pieces of each state. When you put the state in its place on the puzzle, the game says, "Florida, the Sunshine State, State Capital, Tallahassee." Miles would play this game over and over and eventually, he had most, if not all of the sayings memorized. Today if you would point to any state on any kind of map and say, "Miles what state is this?" he would repeat exactly, word-for-word what his electronic map would say. Problem is, if you would ask him what state he lived in or what does a map show, he wouldn't be able to answer you. The comprehension part is just not there for him.

Right away, we wanted to get Miles some help and he was tested (not for autism, per se, but for Developmental Delay) and he qualified for services. So, twice a week during the school year, my wife would take him to a school to get occupational therapy and physical therapy to help him with things like, gross motor skills, small motor skills, drinking with a straw, and eating things the right way. Along with his autism, Miles has oral issues as well. He has always been sensitive to what kinds of food he eats, and what is put in his mouth. He still has trouble drinking through a straw and mostly uses a sippy cup. He also will only eat certain kinds of foods unless we force it on him and we don't like to do that.

As I said, he was diagnosed with ASD by the good doctors at Beaumont Hospital, Center for Human Development back in May 2005. It's interesting to note that the educational program he is in now is very good and we like it very much but they are not yet convinced that Miles has Autism. Yes, they agree he shows signs of Autism but in other areas, he doesn't. His teachers are sometimes baffled by this, but the spectrum is so wide and long, it sometimes is really hard to tell if he is autistic or is just showing signs of developmental delay. Today, the neurologist will be looking for some kind of physiological problems with his brain just to rule that part out. It's just another step in this process with our sweet little 4 year old. He really is a sweet little guy, we love him so much and we know there is a reason why he was born like this. God knows, and we trust Him with that.

Baseball, Christian Music, and the Runaway Bride

2005-07-27T07:45:00.000-04:00

I'm going to try and keep this going as consistently as I can even though I think there has been only 1 other person to view this since yesterday. I put the "Sitetracker" button on my page to see who has been visiting and so far it's only been me and one other person who was here for 0:00 according to the meter. Oh well, keep on plugging along!

I guess I can start out with baseball again since that's been on my mind this morning. The Tigers are out in Seattle for three games and game two was last night. When I went ot bed at 11:30 EDT, the Tigers were up 3-2 in the 6th inning. So, I woke up this morning and heard on the radio that they ended up winning 8-5 on a 3-run HR from Dmitri Young. Cool! The Tigers radio station around here (AM 1270) had their Tigers Report on at 6:45am and they played snippets from the broadcast last night. I think it's cool how they do that; I actually get chills when I hear Dan Dickerson say: "It's a looong drive to left field! He hit it a long way! Gone! A 3-run home run by Dmitri Young and the Tigers take the lead!" So now the Tiges are only 4 out of the Wild Card race in the AL. Do I think they will actually win the WC? Uh, no. But, at least there is some excitement around here when it comes to baseball. The Tigers have not had a winning season since 1993. That's longer than my son has been alive! Sheesh, it's about time!

Different Subject

I listen mostly to Christian music, pretty much exclusively, although I can get caught up in some 80's music (remember The Thompson Twins, Twisted Sister, and Kenny Loggins?). Now when I say I listen to Christian music many people may think that it's all slow hymns with harps playing in the background. Oh no, it's much more diverse than that. Just like the mainstream there are all kinds of genres from folk to Christian contemporary to country to hard rock to urban and hip hop. The one magazine that follows it all is CCM Magazine and they do a pretty good job. One thing the editor of the magazine really focuses on is the impact of Christian music in the real world. I see it more and more everyday with music from MercyMe on the radio ("I Can Only Imagine") to the popularity of Amy Grant in the Christian world as well as the secular (I hate that word--it sounds like Christian-talk).

One thing I wonder about all these Christian artists is how do they keep their faith going especially those performers who have been doing their craft for 10, even 20 years? First, I don't know how you could impact the world everyday for Christ like that if you do not have a close walk with Him. I know I couldn't do it.

My wife was talking with a friend of her's whose sister was part of a pretty successful Christian music group. Now this sister has an awesome voice and has used it for God over the years. As you may imagine being in the spotlight (especially the Christian spotlight) there are a lot of pressures, temptations, and stresses that a performer has to deal with on a daily basis. You always have to be on your guard because everyone is watching you, to see how you react in any situation.

(As an aside, doesn't it seem like the public is just waiting to pounce on people who make very public mistakes? The runaway bride comes to mind right away. I know she made a huge mistake and lead many people astray, used stereotypes in her lying to authorities, but come on, quit piling on her saying she has to pay huge sums of money and go to jail, etc, etc. She made a big mistake and the public humiliation is enough punishment in my opinion)

So anyway, this all brings me to one of my favorite Christian artists--Steven Curtis Chapman. Last week, My wife, oldest son, and I saw him in concert here in Michigan. This was the third time my wife and I have seen him and the first for my son. Wow, what a concert! Steven is a man that has God on his mind all the time. I mean, how can he not when he writes lyrics like this:

Man of courage with your message of peace

What is that look in your eyes?
Why have you come to this faraway place?

What is this story you would lay down your life to tell?

What kind of love can this be?

There is no greater love than this

There is no greater gift that can ever be given

To be willing to die so another might live

There is no greater love than this

Broken hearted from all you have lost

How can you sing through your tears?

What is this music that can bear such a cost?

What is this fire that grows stronger against the wind?

What kind of flame can this be?

This is the love that God showed the world
When He gave us His Son

So we could know His love forever

Beyond the gates of splendor

I want to think about God more. I want to get to know him better. I don't pretend to be this awesome Christian who knows everything and has all the answers. Truth is, I don't have many answers at all. God works in mysterious ways, we will never know what He is thinking, but we can see what He is doing. I ignore that too much. I'm afraid I've ignored it for so long that I don't even recognize it anymore. Lord, help me to see where You are working and don't let me be afraid to join You there.

Okay, sorry to get all spiritual on you, but I needed to get that out. See ya next time!

Love of Sports

2005-07-26T12:07:00.000-04:00

I don't know about you, but I am really into sports. And since I've lived my entire life in SE Michigan, I root for the home team. My favorites in order are: Tigers, Pistons, Lions, and Red Wings. You may find it surprising that I am from Hockeytown, USA and the Red Wings are my least favorite team, well, 'least favorite' may sound negative since I keep up with them and enjoy watching them play. Many, many people in these parts have missed Hockey this past year and are very glad to have it back. Anyway, it's suffice to say that I love sports--especially baseball, my first love (in sports terms at least).

Baseball--they say--is America's Pastime. To a certain extent, I believe that. Although it's been shown through polls and other survey's that more people consider Football as their favorite sport. I've even seen it where kids today like Basketball the most. I can understand where they are coming from--kids like the constant action and scoring--genuine excitement. So many times I've heard parents say about their kids playing baseball: "Tommy gets bored out there just standing around." While this is true, there are so many things going on at a baseball game to keep your mind occupied that you could never get bored. But today's society is so much into lots of action, lots of noise, and lots of entertainment. That's what sports like Basketball bring to the table for fans: fast players, loud music during warm ups and breaks, and scantily clad "cheerleaders" at half-time. Yes, keep me entertained and I will spend money--get me bored and I'll walk away...

Well enough of that, lets get back to baseball... I was never really a good player as a youth in Little League. But looking back now, I think I started too late and really didn't get good instruction. I have an 11-year old right now and he started playing t-ball when he was 5. I didn't start playing organized baseball until I was 10 (at the earliest). What really got me interested in baseball, especially Major League Baseball, was collecting and trading baseball cards. I remember my first purchase of cards was back in 1975, I believe. A neighbor down the street was selling their baseball cards at a garage sale for probably something like 50 cents for a whole grocery bag full (the brown paper bag kind--not the plastic kind they use today). What a deal! So here I was with about 500 cards from the Topps 1974 season and I was immediately drawn to all those cool stats on the back of the card. Over the next few years I kept collecting more, and more cards. I can still remember that Dave Cash had an amazing 699 At Bats in the 1975 season with the Phillies and that Dave Kingman played for 4 different clubs in 1977 alone (Mets, Padres, Angels, and Yankees) while hitting a total of 26 home runs. Whenever I hear of a player from the 70's and 80's, I immediately think of their picture on their card, especially on ones that I had doubles on. The 1978 Jamie Easterly card stands out in my mind. Just a simple shot of him after he has delivered his pitch, with his hair whisping out the back of his baseball cap, wearing his warmup jacket (what pitcher actually wears their warmup jacket while warming up???). I must've had 10 of that card alone!

I followed baseball very closely in my youth, through the college years (I was away in New York going to school when the Tigers won the World Series in 1984--no one there to share my joy--wah!), and still follow it very closely today. What has helped is playing Rotisserie or Fantasy Baseball since 1987. I love seeing how my "team" did last night and just knowing that I 'own' Jeremy Bonderman for only $1!

Another two big influences in my baseball life are Bill James and his contemporary, Rob Neyer. Since I loved the numbers on the backs of baseball cards, you can imagine how I felt that there was this guy (Bill) who wrote books (Baseball Abstract, The Baseball Book) that explained what the numbers meant, which ones were important and which ones were not, and even invented a few new numbers to help explain the game better. All the while, Bill wrote with such a sense of humor and plain English, that once I started reading his books, I couldn't put them down! Also, with his books, you didn't have to read it from cover-to-cover; you could open it up in the middle, read something about the Milwaukee Brewers and would really get some new insight on baseball that you never thought of before (even on the Brewers!). Just like they say that when you go the a baseball game you could see something you've never seen before, you could read a Bill James book and learn something you've never heard of before. What great stuff!

Well, I think that's all for an opening article. I've got a lot more to write about but I'll save that for later. Some other subjects I'll be discussing in the future are: my family, autism, my faith, the world we live in, and--oh yeah--baseball too. Hope to see you back here again!