Ugly Hedgehog - Photography Forum
Home Active Topics Newest Pictures Search Login Register
General Chit-Chat (non-photography talk)
The Joy of the Sport
Page 1 of 2 next>
Sep 14, 2021 08:38:50   #
Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington
 
Following the theme of Mark's topic on pro tennis:

I started following the Toronto Blue Jays (Major League Baseball team) in 2019 when three young players - all with fathers who had been MLB stars - came up together from AAA. As of yesterday evening they were tied with Red Sox, 1 game ahead of Yankees and 3 games ahead of Mariners for the American League Wild Card spots. 

What is most enjoyable, besides their current success, is that the camera is always showing the youngsters goofing off in the dugout, hugging, cheering, totally engaged in their love of the sport. Even their rookie pitcher, Alek Manoah, instead of sitting stone-faced while awaiting his return to the mound, is at the rail cheering his teammates. Yesterday he held the Tampa Bay Rays to a single hit (Rays are leading that division in wins) while smiling all the way

The sweet innocence of youth! 

Reply
Sep 14, 2021 14:38:56   #
rockdog Loc: Berkeley, Ca.
 
Linda From Maine wrote:
Following the theme of Mark's topic on pro tennis:

I started following the Toronto Blue Jays (Major League Baseball team) in 2019 when three young players - all with fathers who had been MLB stars - came up together from AAA. As of yesterday evening they were tied with Red Sox, 1 game ahead of Yankees and 3 games ahead of Mariners for the American League Wild Card spots. 

What is most enjoyable, besides their current success, is that the camera is always showing the youngsters goofing off in the dugout, hugging, cheering, totally engaged in their love of the sport. Even their rookie pitcher, Alek Manoah, instead of sitting stone-faced while awaiting his return to the mound, is at the rail cheering his teammates. Yesterday he held the Tampa Bay Rays to a single hit (Rays are leading that division in wins) while smiling all the way

The sweet innocence of youth! 
Following the theme of Mark's topic on pro tennis:... (show quote)


Just one more reason why you are my friend! We are going to have some very entertaining Fall baseball.

Reply
Sep 14, 2021 15:23:06   #
Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington
 
rockdog wrote:
Just one more reason why you are my friend! We are going to have some very entertaining Fall baseball.
Ain't it grand?

Reply
 
 
Sep 15, 2021 08:21:58   #
jaymatt Loc: Alexandria, Indiana
 
The Blue Jays? Seriously?

Reply
Sep 15, 2021 08:52:31   #
Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington
 
jaymatt wrote:
The Blue Jays? Seriously?
The Blue Jays? Seriously? img src="https://static... (show quote)
What can I say, I'm a sucker for cute young men with magnetic smiles

Reply
Sep 15, 2021 10:58:57   #
SteveR Loc: Michigan
 
As a boy I used to read the sports pages pretty thoroughly. I distinctly remember an article about how Tigers players took a loss badly and took it home with them. I remember when affable Al Kaline got so mad at himself for striking out, I believe it was, that he slammed his bat into the bat holder and injured his hand, putting him out of commission for several weeks. Baseball CAN be amazingly fun when you're on a team that's winning and in the hunt. I remember those summers. I can also be amazingly frustrating when you lose. Losing has it's value, though. It makes winning so much sweeter. I know. I've experienced both!!

Reply
Sep 15, 2021 11:18:42   #
Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington
 
We do appreciate the good times more when we've experienced adversity. Glad to hear you've had a few "sweet wins."

Of course, someone who injures himself in that way is hurting a lot more than just himself. Didn't someone punch the wall of the dugout and break a bone in his hand? On tv I saw the incident where Brett Gardiner threw his batting helmet down and it popped back up and cut the bridge of his nose, along with blackening both eyes. I don't think he missed any games, though
SteveR wrote:
As a boy I used to read the sports pages pretty thoroughly. I distinctly remember an article about how Tigers players took a loss badly and took it home with them. I remember when affable Al Kaline got so mad at himself for striking out, I believe it was, that he slammed his bat into the bat holder and injured his hand, putting him out of commission for several weeks. Baseball CAN be amazingly fun when you're on a team that's winning and in the hunt. I remember those summers. I can also be amazingly frustrating when you lose. Losing has it's value, though. It makes winning so much sweeter. I know. I've experienced both!!
As a boy I used to read the sports pages pretty th... (show quote)

Reply
 
 
Sep 15, 2021 11:39:15   #
JFCoupe Loc: Kent, Washington
 
Baseball is still a fun game to enjoy. The Mariners are still in the midst of the wild card race which is a nice surprise for a team initially forecast to only win about 70 games this year.

A big game today against Boston...Go Mariners!

Reply
Sep 15, 2021 11:50:38   #
Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington
 
JFCoupe wrote:
Baseball is still a fun game to enjoy. The Mariners are still in the midst of the wild card race which is a nice surprise for a team initially forecast to only win about 70 games this year.

A big game today against Boston...Go Mariners!


I was at Safeco to see them beat the Red Sox about 8 years ago. Amazingly, the game was only two hours long

Thanks for sharing your joy!

Reply
Sep 15, 2021 13:48:35   #
srg
 
Linda From Maine wrote:
Following the theme of Mark's topic on pro tennis:

I started following the Toronto Blue Jays (Major League Baseball team) in 2019 when three young players - all with fathers who had been MLB stars - came up together from AAA. As of yesterday evening they were tied with Red Sox, 1 game ahead of Yankees and 3 games ahead of Mariners for the American League Wild Card spots. 

What is most enjoyable, besides their current success, is that the camera is always showing the youngsters goofing off in the dugout, hugging, cheering, totally engaged in their love of the sport. Even their rookie pitcher, Alek Manoah, instead of sitting stone-faced while awaiting his return to the mound, is at the rail cheering his teammates. Yesterday he held the Tampa Bay Rays to a single hit (Rays are leading that division in wins) while smiling all the way

The sweet innocence of youth! 
Following the theme of Mark's topic on pro tennis:... (show quote)


I was outside, watching the grass grow. Got bored with that. Went in and turned on baseball. Went back quickly to watch the grass again. Thank God for football. Basketball soon again!

Reply
Sep 15, 2021 15:32:59   #
Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington
 
srg wrote:
I was outside, watching the grass grow. Got bored with that. Went in and turned on baseball. Went back quickly to watch the grass again. Thank God for football. Basketball soon again!
LOL, I understand. I didn't get interested in baseball until 2004. Since then I have come to appreciate how complex this simple sport is, the strategy involved, and how extremely hard it is to hit a small ball coming at you at 95 mph while using a round stick It helps to listen to knowledgeable and articulate tv analysts.

The son of a UHH buddy of mine played pro baseball for several years, so I always have at least one person in my life who loves it as much as I do.

P.S. I also love college basketball.

Reply
 
 
Sep 15, 2021 20:26:09   #
SteveR Loc: Michigan
 
Linda From Maine wrote:
We do appreciate the good times more when we've experienced adversity. Glad to hear you've had a few "sweet wins."

Of course, someone who injures himself in that way is hurting a lot more than just himself. Didn't someone punch the wall of the dugout and break a bone in his hand? On tv I saw the incident where Brett Gardiner threw his batting helmet down and it popped back up and cut the bridge of his nose, along with blackening both eyes. I don't think he missed any games, though
We do appreciate the good times more when we've ex... (show quote)


Besides a couple of very special summers, one memory that has stuck with me was playing against Ted Simmons in the county wide end of the year tournament. I caught, so I was in a great position to see his swing. Our strategy was to pitch him low and away, so if the caught hold of anything it wouldn't go over the fence. Wouldn't you know it, on the very first pitch, pitcher threw a high (and I mean just above the shoulders), inside fastball. Simmons pulled his bat straight up and then hard and level right through the ball for a line drive double down the line. Best swing I've ever swing, and ofc, he was in the majors the next year. On another at bat, he fouled two balls off down the third base line and we had a 1-2 count on him. I talk with my pitcher and decided to shoot the corner. My pitcher could not have missed the corner by more than 1/16th of an inch on the next three pitches, but Simmons took all of them and walked. I swear, if we'd had a major league ump he'd have been called out on strikes. Instead, we had a really good high school ump. Not only could Simmons hit but he had a great sense of the strike zone. He was just elected to the Hall of Fame last year, finally!!!! It does not surprise me, from the experience I just shared, that when Simmons retired in 1988 he held the record for both hits and doubles by a catcher.

Reply
Sep 16, 2021 07:52:32   #
Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington
 
What a great memory; thanks for sharing it!
SteveR wrote:
Besides a couple of very special summers, one memory that has stuck with me was playing against Ted Simmons in the county wide end of the year tournament. I caught, so I was in a great position to see his swing. Our strategy was to pitch him low and away, so if the caught hold of anything it wouldn't go over the fence. Wouldn't you know it, on the very first pitch, pitcher threw a high (and I mean just above the shoulders), inside fastball. Simmons pulled his bat straight up and then hard and level right through the ball for a line drive double down the line. Best swing I've ever swing, and ofc, he was in the majors the next year. On another at bat, he fouled two balls off down the third base line and we had a 1-2 count on him. I talk with my pitcher and decided to shoot the corner. My pitcher could not have missed the corner by more than 1/16th of an inch on the next three pitches, but Simmons took all of them and walked. I swear, if we'd had a major league ump he'd have been called out on strikes. Instead, we had a really good high school ump. Not only could Simmons hit but he had a great sense of the strike zone. He was just elected to the Hall of Fame last year, finally!!!! It does not surprise me, from the experience I just shared, that when Simmons retired in 1988 he held the record for both hits and doubles by a catcher.
Besides a couple of very special summers, one memo... (show quote)

Reply
Sep 16, 2021 16:33:07   #
SteveR Loc: Michigan
 
Linda From Maine wrote:
What a great memory; thanks for sharing it!


Thanks, Linda. It was. There is a group on fb called "Growing up in Pontiac." Some time ago somebody put up the question, "what was the best thing about growing up in Pontiac?" Quite a few guys posted, "the youth baseball program."

Reply
Sep 16, 2021 17:20:52   #
Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington
 
SteveR wrote:
Thanks, Linda. It was. There is a group on fb called "Growing up in Pontiac." Some time ago somebody put up the question, "what was the best thing about growing up in Pontiac?" Quite a few guys posted, "the youth baseball program."
How wonderful. Does the program still exist?

Reply
Page 1 of 2 next>
If you want to reply, then register here. Registration is free and your account is created instantly, so you can post right away.
General Chit-Chat (non-photography talk)
UglyHedgehog.com - Forum
Copyright 2011-2024 Ugly Hedgehog, Inc.