08.25.2011: Back To School...Kinda

So I decided to give the guys a Montana State Quiz to see how well they truly knew the state they were living in. Take a look and see how they did...

#37 Chris Devenski



#11 Michael Earley vs. #34 Blair Walters



#45 Jamaal Hollis



#20 Jimmy Jacquot



#21 Kevan Smith



Strength & Conditioning Coach, Tim Rodmaker



#5 Manager, Ryan Newman

08.22.2011: Home At Last

At long last, the road trip comes to an end. Twelve days is a long time but I think it's good that everyone experienced this because trips like this are likely to occur every year as the players continue with their careers. The trip got off to a slow start, losing three in a row to Billings before squeaking out the finale. It was nice to finish the trip with a 6-5 record and a share of first place in North. Exciting baseball is coming up but the Voyagers need to take advantage of the upcoming homestand of seven games.

Too much occurred throughout the trip but here are some highlights...

-On the bus, we watched a total of ten different movies, while finishing nine of them
-On my own, I watched an extra four movies and watched the entire final season of Friday Night Lights.
-I listened to over 20 hours of audio, whether it was listening back to my own games or listening to recordings or live broadcasts.
-I, along with everyone else (I hope) had their bed made and room cleaned every day...definitely missing this
-As far as I know (knock on wood) I did not lose anything

-The trip included the first no-hitter in the Pioneer League in almost a year as Scott Snodgress (6ip), Blake Drake (1ip), and Joe Dvorsky (2ip) turned the trick against the Casper Ghosts in the finale
-Mark Haddow doubled seven times in the final seven games of the road trip
-Kyle Eveland homered twice
-The Voyagers set a season high with 15 runs and set a season high with 19 hits in a game against Casper, only to tie the hit mark in the final game against Idaho Falls
-In the first game in Casper, the Voyagers participated in a game that featured winds as strong as 45 mph
-Kevan Smith came to life, collecting ten hits in the final four games

Final numbers over the course of the 11-game road trip and how they compare to season numbers...

BA: .284 (+.010)
R/G: 7.8 (+2.2)
OBP: .364 (+.008)
BB/G: 4.5 (+.8)

ERA: 5.26 (+0.60ish...in a bad way)
K/G: 10.5 (+2ish)

Final numbers over the course of the 7-games against South division opponents and how they compare to season numbers

BA: .320 (+.045...wow)
R/G: 7.3 (+1.7)
OBP: .396 (+.040)
BB/G: 4.8 (+1.1)

ERA: 4.65 (same)
K/G: 8.7 (around the same)
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This is a funny video of Joe Maddon...One of my favorite managers

http://tampabay.rays.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=18297313&c_id=tb

Pretty funny argument


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Ok so I haven't used the blog this summer to voice my own sports opinions nearly as much as I did last summer...

While we were away, there were a few noteworthy occurrences in the sporting world...

Let's start with Carlos Zambrano walking out on his team and threatening to retire. Through all of his antics, I still somehow have a soft spot for "Big Z." Regardless, what he did was inexcusable. I don't care about his own personal agenda or why he decided to walk out, whether it was an argument with a coach, an individual player, an umpire, or maybe even a combination of the above. Whatever the case, in the time he woke up that day to the time he decided to pack up and leave in the middle of the game, I can promise you that not all of his teammates and coaches wronged him. I can promise you that not every front office member wronged him. I can promise you that not every person who is employed by the Cubs, be it as an usher, a beer salesman, or a janitor, wronged him. And I can definitely promise you that not every fan--the same people who stuck with Zambrano through his outbursts and inconsistencies, wronged him. By walking out like he did, regardless of who he intended to prove a point to, Zambrano walked out on all of those people, among others. They didn't deserve that.

I don't like to voice strong opinions regarding players and contract situations because I feel like their money is their business, and while I might think a player is being ridiculous at times, or a GM is being stingy for not paying a deserving athlete, I tend to keep quiet on those issues. But a player walking out on a team? Yeah, I've never been a professional athlete, but that is wrong.

Let's just focus on the 24 other players that wear the Cubs uniform every night. What does that tell your teammates? When the going get's tough, quit? Why is he so special that he can do that?

I will continue to pull for Carlos Zambrano to turn his life around, but I would never want Carlos Zambrano on my team...and I wonder how many baseball players now share that same sentiment.
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I am a proud USC Trojan. They recently suffered some pretty harsh penalties for actions of those not connected to the University. Am I oblivious? No. I am sure those who represent the University broke a rule or two or three or more than I care to know over the years. So does every school. Whatever. USC punishment's were more extreme than they should have been, especially since other programs, namely Ohio State, have merely gotten a slap on the wrist for infractions since.

The University of Miami, however, stands to face even harsher punishment for the various infractions involving their athletic programs that have recently come to light. Two things that come to mind on this issue for me...

First, comments made by former Miami AD, Paul Dee, are really disturbing. The same guy who was on the board that oversaw USC's case suggested that the Trojans should be responsible for the dealings of their own players without people outside of the University. He said that USC should have been aware of what each on of its athletes was doing or with whom they were interacting. Weird, but now that Miami has been implicated, the man who was running the ship during the years most of these illegalities took place, is now defending Miami saying that, "How were we supposed to know what our players were doing?"...

Talk about hypocrisy.

Second, and more importantly, is that the term "Death Penalty" has been thrown around for potential punishment. I am all for punishing Miami but I feel the death penalty does way more bad than it does good. Think of something incredibly jaw-dropping and extreme and maybe the death penalty is appropriate. And by extreme, I am talking about lives or well-beings being put in danger.

I grew up in Dallas, Texas and I often forget that I lived down the street from a D1 Athletics Program at SMU. Ya, most of their programs were in good shape but the program that puts you on the map, football, was abysmal and never talked about. The death penalty set SMU back a couple of decades. I think the Miami brand might prevent such a lengthy setback, but it will cause major long term damage. I feel like the death penalty effects an umbrella of people and that umbrella includes too many people that do not deserve to be punished.

Whether right or wrong, Miami got caught doing something or taking part in something that several other universities do. I would like to think that the NCAA knows this stuff goes on. Make an example of Miami? If it makes you sleep better at night, then do it. But don't do it to such an extreme degree that they are effected for a larger span of time than which the infractions occurred.

08.19.2011: Making History

Earlier today I got Scott Snodgress, Blake Drake, Joe Dvorsky, and Kevan Smith to join me for a "No-Hitter Roundtable."

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(This was written while on the bus driving to Idaho Falls from Casper)

Wow. That was special. A no-hitter of any kind is a unique moment in a player's career, even more so for those on the field making plays behind the pitcher, and most of all, for those on the mound and the man behind the plate calling pitches.

Congratulations to the Voyagers, the seven men behind the mound in the field, catcher, Kevan Smith, whose role should not be overlooked, and of course, the three pitchers: Scott Snodgress, Blake Drake, and Joe Dvorsky.

Here is the final call

That moment--or, the collection of moments--is about those men. We are currently on the bus en route to Idaho Falls as a write this (but not when this gets posted). When we arrive, it will be early morning and everyone will want to sleep. As soon as I get the opportunity, content from the players, specifically those mentioned above, will be on here as I will give them an opportunity to tell their story because that is what it is about. For now, as I have everything fresh on my mind, all I can provide is my account of what took place.

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As a broadcaster, I will point out on air as most broadcasters will, when the first base runner reaches for each team and when the first hit is collected for each team. As a broadcaster, no matter how early or how late these events take place, it is relevant information to convey and typically it is without substantial gravity due to how soon into a game these events typically occur. However, as a baseball fan I always recognize a team's first base runner as the inability for the opposition to throw a perfect game and, if it occurs separately, a team's first hit as the opposition's inability to throw a no-hitter. When both occur for each team, I recognize it as another night in which I will not witness a no-hitter or a perfect game, two of the most unique and special accomplishments in sports. Even if the first batter of the first inning gets a

hit, the first thing that crosses my mind is, Well, no no-hitter or perfect game for that team.

Last summer I broadcasted two seven inning no-hitters in the Northwoods League. Both of them were accomplished against the team I broadcasted for, however, it was still special ad exciting nonetheless. As a matter of fact, in the second of the two, the team I broadcasted for actually won the game in which they were no-hit. Tonight, being a part of the broadcast for the team that accompished the feat, being that it was nine innings, and being that it was a professional baseball game, was incredibly special.

I genuinely mean this:

Scott, Blake, Joe, Kevan, those in the field, and everyone else a part of the team: Thank You So Much for providing me this special opportunity.

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As the manager of the USC baseball team, I was very in tune with the college baseball scene, specifically the scene existing within the then Pac-10.

Scott Snodgress was a freshman at Stanford when I was a sophomore at USC. I remember hearing his name being mentioned among the top recruits in the coutnry when he signed with Stanford. I remember hearing USC players talk about him, especially those that had faced him before college. While his numbers were never jaw-dropping, I remember hearing players, coaches, and scouts alike douse Snodgress with compliments--whether it was his "stuff," or his "ceiling" or his "work ethic."

I have always been and still am very intrigued with how scouts "project" certain players, especially those whose numbers did not match the praise they received. Obviously college is a different game. Different bats, you got to focus on school (epecially at Stanford), and you receive different coaching (not saying it is better or worse, each case is different). Those are just some of the factors that may explain why a player's numbers underwhelm based on praise or where they are drafted or how large their bonus is etc.

Not a knock on Scott, but his numbers were not that of a 5th-Round pick. I have talked to Scott about his time at Stanford and there is good reason why his numbers were what they were. His performance was obviously a part of it, but there were other factors. I don't know that it is my place to divulge, but, from someone who hates excuses, Scott's explanation of his time at Stanford was very interesting (Note: His story came up in a conversation simply about playing at Stanford, not me prodding about his numbers or him trying to make excuses at all.)

When I saw that the White Sox drafted Snodgress I was very excited and hopeful that he'd come to Great Falls. I was intrigued by him. I was intrigued by his potential and I was intrigued by the hype. I was intrigued by a guy who played at Stanford, one of the most successful programs of all-time, much like USC, but also in the present, something USC is not at this time (however, will be soon under the direction of Frank Cruz).

I picked Scott up the airport late in the wee hours of the morning when he arrived and have enjoyed every minute spent with him since.

I always look forward to watching him pitch. Not only have his improvements been noticeable start after start, but, with him, his talent, and his work ethic, I know something unique can happen each time out. Whether it's him making a subtle improvement, or the flashes of dominance we had seen from Scott for a couple of innings this season, it's fun to watch.

As usual, I was looking forward to Scott's start. Little did i know...

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Even through the first inning, I did not expect a pitcher's duel. While Jefri Hernandez retired the side on 5 pitches, the final two outs were hard hit balls within range of the pursuing outfielders.

Scott, on his end, struck out two but threw 18 pitches and it wasn't one of those He's got something special tonight feelings. At least, that's what I observed, not sure how he felt.

It was in Scott's second inning, when he struck out the side, and Hernandez's third, where I figured runs were not going to be aplenty tonight.

However, with that being said, a few times this season Scott will dominate through two or three innings and then all of a sudden look much different thereafter. So, in the back of my head, I was wondering if tonight would be different.

So, while I expected a strong performance from Scott after he flawlessly struck out the side in the second inning, I didn't start taking his perfect game seriously until after the fourth and then, really, not wholeheartedly until after the fifth when he got through the middle of the Ghosts lineup for the second time.

As a baseball fan, I am well aware of what is considered a jinx to a perfect game or a no-hitter. As a broadcaster, it is my responsibility to tell the story. I didn't want to overreact and marvel over perfection through five innings because, let's be real, that's just over halfway. However, I was sure to consistently point out that Scott had faced the minimum or that no one had reached.

When Scott exited after six, I threw out the word perfect for the first time, recognizing his outing as six perfect innings. At that point, I felt like it was okay to throw around the word cautiously. Blake Drake walked the second man he faced but i was quick to point out that the no-hitter was still in tact. At that point, jinx aside, it is my responsibility to identify the potential feat of greatness. However, rest assured, each time i mentioned it, before each upcoming pitch, I sub-consciously prayed it didn't get broken up right then and there with a direct link to my mention. Thankfully, it didn't.

When Drake got through the seventh and Dvorsky came on to throw--one of our best relievers and certainly someone who had demonstrated dominance--I was very excited at the possibility of this all coming full-circle.

The first batter Joe faced, DIllon Thomas, hit a sharp ground ball to the middle. TIMEOUT--without trying to throw anyone under the bus, the Casper playing surface was not smooth at all and created a lot of bad hops. Bad hops are often times ruled hits and for as many ground balls as we fielded, it was awesome that not won trampolined over the head of an infielder or anything else that could result in a hit and not an error--TIME IN. The minute Jeffer Patino had to slide to make a backhanded pickup on the ground ball by Thomas, that opened the door for a hit to be awarded had something from his pickup to the throw gone awry--be it a bad hop, a bobble, a bad throw, or whatever. When a player has to get dirty to make a play, very rarely is an error charged. Sure enough, "The Bossman" made the play and that right there is the proverbial "Gem" each no-hitter seems to include.

Honestly, for the sake for Dvorsky and for just my own giddiness, I wanted nothing unusual about the top of the ninth. I didn't want us to hit around or have a lengthy inning. I was comfortable with the 4run lead and wanted to see Joe get to work.

In between the top and bottom of the ninth, there was a slight case of chaos. Being getaway day, I got to packup all of my equipment on top of my usual post-game responsibilities I need to fulfill before I get to the hotel. There are certain things I can do after I leave the booth when I get back to the hotel, but others need to get done. The lengthiest task is the post-game write up. Frequently, throughout the night as the story unfolds, I will add a paragraph here or a paragraph there. However, tonight, not wanting to jinx anything, I left the slate clean from start until finish. I was worrying about getting everything done, on top of the extra responsibilities that might arise with the potential completion of the no-hitter (which, inevitably, did pop up). Additionally, I was scrambling to find no-hitter information which, with the Pioneer League website backdated to 2005, is not readily available. And, I spent a good five seconds thinking what the no-hitter call might be. I didn't even make any kind of progress towards that and was going to wing it. Oh, and my heart was start to beat faster and faster and faster.

The task was not an easy one. Having to face 9-1-2 is means that Joe had to face Rivera, a sub-.200 hitter which was fine, but also Kandilas, the man with the league's tenth best batting average, and Trevor Story, the eighteen year old taken in the sandwich round and a very unique talent.

Dvorsky struck out Rivera but as the ball got away from Smith, while the no-hitter was still in tact, that meant it was very likely that Joe was going to have to face the .300 hitter in Rossell Herrera, a switch hitter who was much better off of righties. Joe is a righty. For one, Joe is a fly ball pitcher and, secondly, trying not to give up a dribbler through the right side, Jimmy Jacquot was playing off of the base conceding second to Rivera, which he would ultimately take.

Anyway, Joe got Kandilas and Story on routine fly outs and then got ahead of Herrera 1-2.

During this whole thing, I am not providing too much color because at this point in time, if it wasn't no-hitter related, it really wasn't necessary. Some tidbits were included but it was mainly score, count, and the pitch.

Sure enough, in a full-count battle, Joe gets the groundout and the no-hitter is completed.

The call? I don't know how good it was but I didn't botch it.

My heart continued to pound. The moment was pretty special.

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I am so happy for the team that they got to experience this. I am so happy for Scott, especially, getting his first professional win in a very memorable ballgame. And hey, the fact is, its another win for a team chasing a playoff spot.

So, here I sit, typing this out on a long bus trip to Idaho Falls. We are watching Forrest Gump. Everything seems normal. But its not.

The staff in front of me and the gentlemen behind me, specifically Scott, Blake, Joe, and Kevan, just part in one of baseball special and unique accomplishments...a moment they will remember forever.

Quick Update

Kevin Vance, Tim Rodmaker

Quick update on a few members of the "Stache Crew"

Very long bus trip ahead. I can't sleep on buses so probably belt something out

08.17.2011: Unplugged

That sixth inning was pretty ridiculous as ten straight batters reached base to begin the innings? After almost two weeks of offensive ineptitude, it was nice to see the Voyagers break out the bats and do so with a lineup that, with all due respect to everyone involved, was by no means their strongest. Or at least, it was completed with some degree of uncertainty.

The 6-7-8 spots in the lineup, on paper--I repeat...on paper--appeared to be a bit of a black hole. Jeffer Patino was hitting just above .200 and Michael Schwartz and Sean O'Connell were hitting under .200 at Bristol. To Patino's defense, he has consistently provided the team with solid at-bats, just hasn't gotten the results. While I would love to come to the defense of Schwartz and O'Connell, I haven't seen them play enough to do so.

With everyone contributing, it's tough to say that the 6-7-8 spots came together as the most productive trio but they all were very helpful in the attack. Patino walked once and collected two hits, Schwartz walked three times with a hit, and O'Connell drove home a pair of runs on three hits and a sacrifice fly.

Things I loved about last night:

-The consistent offensive attack from start to finish

-The aggressiveness of the hitters when they came up with men on base, specifically in scoring position

-The fact that the team, through two games versus Casper, has walked 11 times. Coming into the series, Casper had issued (and still has) the fewest walks in the league at just under 2.5 per game. There is a reason why, despite the league's second worst average coming into last night, the Voyagers had reached base at the third highest rate in the league. Love the patience.

I will say this...I have to think that the team's lack of power is a negative. I am not saying that they need to be Bronx Bombers reincarnated, but it is somewhat disconcerting that they slug at such a low rate and hit home runs at an ever lower rate. A home run is instant offense and, maybe even more importantly, serves as a huge momentum boost. I think for this team to qualify for the playoffs, we will have to see a bit of a spike in power down the stretch. Makes coming back slightly easier, among other things...

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I am trying something new for the blog called "Unplugged." I will sit down with an athlete and just talk to them. A conversation. Pretty simple, huh? The first guinea pig? Kevin Rath. We spend most of the time talking about movies while enjoying some Qdoba. Enjoy:

08.13.2011

Hopefully we are seeing the low-point of the second half. Just one game back of first and 14 games upcoming against Casper and Idaho Falls puts us in a good spot to make a run at this thing.

Everyone's spirits are still high. A win tonight and we are back in first place, tied with at least Billings. On top of that, we gain a game in the overall standings on Billings which will be huge down the stretch as far as tiebreakers are concerned.

Prediction: Kevan Smith is going to start hitting and the team is going to take off.

ANYWAY...

Yesterday I was supposed to conduct a new feature for this blog with Kevin Rath. It is called "Unplugged" in which the recorder starts and a conversation--not an interview--ensues. When I met Kevin, he informed me that plans had changed. After discussing it with his roommate, Jamaal Hollis, Rath decided the tables were gonna be turned and he was going to be interviewing me. I told him no one cares what I have to say, but he insisted. In fairness, I ask them answer my questions all of the time, so I thought it was only fair...

The "Unplugged" segment will take place and be posted in the next few days, for the record.

Before I post this, I want to say a few things about Kevin. A lot of people have the idea that Minor League baseball is filled with guys that only care about themselves and put the team's success secondary. Is that a total lie? No. Is it understandable? Yeah. These guys have goals of making it to the Major Leagues so you can't hold it against someone who feels that way. But Kevin, who has the same goals, is an absolute competitor and has made it clear how badly he wants to win at this level. The man behind the "Second Half Push," Rath is always rallying guys together in the clubhouse. Every team needs a guy like Rath. I am excited for the "Unplugged" because I think people will get to see how genuine Kevin is.

Without further ado...

So there you go. Enough of me. More of the Men of Summer. Time to turn the ship around. It starts tonight.

08.11.2011: How Well Do You Know Your Teammates?

Still in first place, holding on by a game. A win tonight would be huge as it would bring us within a game of Billings in overall record, which may be a huge factor in deciding this final playoff spot as a tiebreaker.

We got some fun stuff upcoming on the blog. Below is something new. I pulled a handful of Voyagers aside and grilled them on their teammates to see how well they actually knew each other. Once again, we have average video editing but I feel like I make up for it with the instrumentals in the background...just saying. Anyway, here is how they fared...

08.08.2011: Working Out With Sam Phippen...

Ok so 6 days ago I took on the challenge of doing Sam Phippen's post-start, day 1 workout--the toughest between-start workout for a pitcher.

This all came about when, while walking through the hall while the pitchers were doing some medicine ball exercises a few weeks back, I picked up a medicine ball and joined in for two minutes. I wasn't trying to mock them or anything and they knew that but, remember...me, ADD...it looked fun. So Tim Rodmaker quickly brought up the challenge and without hesitation, I agreed. We decided it would be best to do it at home and so that's why we waited until earlier last week because we needed the team to be at home following a start of his.

Anyway, below is a video of the experience filmed by Tim Rodmaker and unprofessionally edited by me. The video does not fully capture everything. I did not want the filming to get in the way of the workout at all, so, while conducting interviews and doing interactive stuff between exercises was an option, by my own preference, I did not want to hold up either Sam or Tim and instead, wanted the workout to proceed as normally as possible. Before you watch, read through the below information which I feel is somewhat pertinent...I don't know, maybe it isn't

Why Sam? Being fully immersed in the organization's workout program as a returner, he carries out the workout to the most extreme degree. the younger guys, in most cases, do similar exercises but do not do as many reps or sets. Regardless of my performance, doing it with Sam would allow people a full idea of what goes on. Additionally, players and coaches alike recognize Sam as, if not the hardest, one of the hardest workers not only on the Voyagers but in the organization.

What did the workout consist of? Lasting around two hours, we started with a run close to 3 miles. We then did various lower body exercises composing a leg circuit. Afterwards were a series of rotation and twist exercises with a medicine ball. Following that were shoulders and back, which composed of weight-room exercises. Finally, we did a series of ankle/hip exercises before finishing with more rotation and twist exercises and abs. The idea is that you break as little as you need to between sets/circuits.

My expectations? I still think of myself as an athlete and a hard worker. I was not/am not in the best shape, but I was only mildly concerned for my life.

My goal? To finish the workout. I did not expect to keep up with Sam on the run (he is 6'9" and runs like a gazelle...he finished a good five minutes before both myself and Tim Rodmaker, who ran with me, otherwise would have likely finished a minute or so ahead.) But, I am a competitor and was determined to get through the workout.

How Did I Do? I got through the workout but I did not do the same amount of sets/reps as Sam in some exercises. Tim said that it is unrealistic to expect me to get through the a "Sam workout" without being a part of the program for at least a summer. Several of the players, particularly those fresh out of college, do not come close to executing the workout to the same degree as Sam. For instance, the first thing we did after the run were leg circuits. Sam completes three circuits while wearing a 50-pound vest. Some of the college guys just recently advanced past one circuit and are now expected to do two without any kind of a weighted vest. For the leg circuits, I did two without a vest.

The Aftermath? Sam and I went to grab some lunch and hung out. After sitting down for thirty minutes I was so sore getting up. I felt some kind of soreness for the next three days. The day of the workout, it was incredibly difficult going up and down the press box stairs. I have some weird thing that prevents me from walking up stairs--nothing medical, just me being weird. For whatever reason I always have to jog up and down stairs--don't know why. Anyway, the stairs were brutal.

What You Should Take From It? Pitchers do way more than just throw and relax for a few days. While most people like to point out an identify a guy like David Wells who looks like he sits on his couch and drinks beers in between starts, pitchers, Wells included, are in great shape (and have to be to be successful). They all stick to a dedicated workout program and it is very taxing. Every organization has different philosophies about the best way to keep a pitcher healthy and in shape, but all of these exercises are geared towards maintaining, strengthening, and recovering a pitcher's arm and their level of conditioning.

I want to thank Tim and Sam for agreeing to take part in this.

Without further ado...

08.04.2011: Inside the Dugout: Mark Haddow

Mark Haddow leads the Voyagers in home runs (6) and has arguably been the most clutch hitter on the team this year. His two-run home run late in the game against Helena was right in the middle of the team's 5-run comeback. His double in Ogden to begin the top of the 9th inning began a rally in which the Voyagers, down 7-2 to begin the inning, took a 9-7 lead heading to the bottom of the ninth. And recently, on Sunday, July 31, Haddow hit the team's first walk-off home run of the season for the Voyagers, a part of the Great Falls' 4-3 victory to begin the second half.

Defensively, Mark has demonstrated a rocket arm and made a sensational catch in yesterday's 5-2 win over Helena. Ranging into foul territory from his position in right field, Haddow reached over a railing, flipped head-over-heels into the Voyagers bullpen, while holding onto the ball completing a highlight-reel catch.

On top of all that he provides the team on the field, Mark is, plain and simple, a great kid. Speaking to those he left behind at UC-Santa Barbara, they were all excited that I had the opportunity to get to know Mark, voicing an array of incredibly positive opinions about the former Gaucho. In just two months, I have been able to spend ample time with Mark and he truly is a great person. He is very humble and a genuinely nice young man. And, for a first-year professional, Mark carries himself like he's been around the block for a long time.

Without further ado, here is Mark Haddow...

08.01.2011: Off on the Right Foot

How's it? It is nice to be writing after such an exciting game yesterday. And, for the record, I plan on updating the blog with either posts or videos on a more regular basis in the coming half.

The second half got underway with some fireworks. Mark Haddow's opposite field home run was the first walk-off blast of the season for the Voyagers. The squad now has two walk-off victories, both on Sundays versus Missoula (June 26th, Martin Medina collected a walk-off single).

After being around Pac-10 baseball for four years and now half a season of Rookie Ball, Mark Haddow has some of the best, smoothest, opposite power I've seen. Yes, I watch Major League Baseball and I am not trying to compare Mark with the game's best active opposite field home run hitter, Ryan Howard, or Roberto Clemente, who hit over 50% of his career home runs to the opposite field. But Mark, who showed in the first game of the season he has no problem pulling balls deep out of the yard, is so tough to pitch to because he can beat you on both sides of the plate.

Let's hope yesterday's ballgame, which included a great start from Jarrett Casey, a great outing from Joe Dvorsky out of the pen, and a great performance by Jimmy Jacquot behind the dish, is a harbinger of what's to come in the second half.

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OK, so I made mention of this a few weeks ago but tomorrow (Tuesday) I will join Sam Phippen in his Day 1-post start workout. All players are on a unique and rigorous workout schedule to strengthen, maintain, and recover. Starting pitchers follow a routine of workouts in the days between starts. The workout the day after a start is the most tiring and taxing and, between my desire to stay in shape and a bit of challenge from S&C Coach, Tim Rodmaker, I have agreed to join Sam, who is regarded by his coaches and teammates as one of the organization's hardest workers. The workout will last around two hours and will include cardio, core, and other exercises. Tim has agreed to document the workout for you all to not only see me struggle, but to get an idea of what pitchers do in between starts. I am excited for it to be posted later in the week.

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I thought this video was pretty funny...

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I think I am going to start featuring a song in each post. It will be G-Rated and, if I keep up with the reasoning behind choosing today's song, I am not going to choose Top 10 hits and, if I do, they will be from year's ago. As I have noted, I am ADD. Not sure if there is a connection, but I love ALL types of music from slow pop stuff to hardcore rap to classic rock to country and more. Today's song, to me, is very calming. When it doesn't randomly play during my shuffle, I will listen to it when I am doing work or in a very pensive mood. Anyway, it's "Collide" by Howie Day.

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The transaction frenzy that has been the sports world for the last week has been awesome. I have been glued to twitter, hearing all the rumors--5% of which actually make the transition from rumor to actuality--in both the football and baseball worlds.

A few HSO's (Hot Sports Opinions)...

-I think Nnamdi Asomugha is a very good cornerback, but I think he is a tad bit overrated. Maybe I am wrong, I am not guaranteeing anything at all. But just because you do not get attacked by opposing quarterbacks does not always mean YOU are the reason why, when, in some instances, it just might mean that the cornerback opposite you, or the rest of the team's coverage, is just that weak. Football has some Sabermetric-like stats for players and among those for cornerbacks, Asomugha does not necessarily rank atop the league.

Below is a little blurb written up by ESPN NFL Insider, Aaron Schatz:

"Here's the biggest question about Asomugha: Just how much stock do you put in the fact that opponents don't throw in his direction?

Asomugha's advanced charting stats aren't as impressive as you might think. He really struggled in 2009: 69th in adjusted success rate and 62nd in adjusted yards per pass, according to Football Outsiders charting. He was better last season: ninth in adjusted success rate, 25th in adjusted yards per pass. But still, that's not performing at a Darrelle Revis level.

On the other hand, while quarterbacks have been surprisingly willing to throw to receivers covered by Revis, they have completely avoided throwing to receivers covered by Asomugha. We have Asomugha with 31 targets in 14 games last season. No other cornerback who started at least 12 games had fewer than 54 targets.

The gap between Asomugha and other starting cornerbacks has been that big for at least three seasons."

-I have always liked Carson Palmer, even before I knew I was going to USC. And I am not going to get into holdouts because I am not, nor have I ever been a professional athlete put in that situation, but it bugs me that he is threatening to "retire" if he does not get traded. No, no you are not going to "retire." Why not just tell it like it is and say, I am going to sit out and not partake in any team activities and then when I get the opportunity, I am going to go elsewhere. Saying you are going to retire is soooo Brett Favre and too dramatic.

-Michael Vick has made the Eagles a hotspot destination. From the time he was at Virginia Tech, Michael Vick has been this sports phenomenon admired by, not only fans, but his peers. People want to be a part of it. I love dogs a ton, but I was excited to Vick thrive last year. I believe people deserve second chances. He made a mistake. He learned. So far, he has delivered on the gridiron, but more importantly, he has delivered off of the field as well...

-...And I am happy that Plaxico Burress has found a home. As dumb as it was on his part, the guy was put in jail for basically having a gun and being an idiot about it. I do not know his intention with the weapon beyond self-defense, but I do know that people commit far more severe crimes. Hopefully he can turn things around, as well.