Meanwhile, Nero, errrr, Fred Wilpon is apparently fiddling while Rome burns. So to speak. He's becoming the biggest joke in baseball.
And a note to the Wilpon clan...while you dismantle the team and but spare parts to play MLB, you should cool the whole "let's take a helicopter down to Miami to see the basketball game" stuff. Pisses off the paying suckers. Like me.
Going into today we were 0-11. Lost a couple of heart-breakers. Mostly lost. Played final game of regular season today. Down by 10 points at half. Lots of really bad shots and turnovers were part of problem. Then we emerged from our season-long slumber to outscore our opponent and win by 2. So we end up 1-11. The boys looked like they won the WC.
Maybe we are ready to make a push?
It has also undoubtedly saved many municipalities major dough as well with no snow removal and OT required.
The only downer has been the news of gas prices. This AM I heard one of the cheerful people on TV tell me that a gallon of the unleaded will cost around $5 by Memorial Day. Awesome. I guess the oil companies posting record profits in the BILLIONS (with a B) doesn't equate to some type of fix.
I may have to bike to work this summer!. Not a bad idea a couple of days a week.
In youth baseball news, my 13U team is prepping for first season on big field. For some it will be easy, others will struggle. Trying to get them out as much as possible early on so when April 1 (Opening Day) comes we are somewhat prepared. The 11U team will play 50/70 this year. First time we've ever done that. That is a talented group, so we'll see how they fare.
As for as the SoSS (Sons of SoulSlam) - they've been working. Hit some semi-local cages the other day and OSSS was raking right-handed in the 75-83mph cage, and hitting pretty well left-handed in the 60mph cage. I may actually let him hit from the other side this season if the game is out of hand either way. YSSS is now in the 45-50mph cages and doing well. Great hand-eye coordination on him, need to adjust some mechanics and then it's all hit, all the time.
New thinking y'all.
Mrs. SoulSlam had tears in her eyes.
To quote:
"I was our last hope," he wrote, "and as I took my place and looked out at Schiraldi, all sounds shrank back, and I felt a presence in me, or perhaps besides me, a calming certainty that I wasn't alone. I was not alone, and I was not, so help me, going to make the last out of the World Series. I felt certain of that."
Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/writers/tom_verducci/02/16/gary.carter.obit/index.html#ixzz1mf9Yu3FO
I'll never forget it. RIP.
Watched The Franchise. Check. No new DVDs to view, so I begin to investigate.
Hey! How about the Six Million Dollar Man!? What an awesome idea.
Except the value of this exceptional 70's show is way too high. Time/Life owns the rights and apparently thinks I will shell out $299.00 for the complete series. I will not. Demand not there. So bring it down to $40 and we have a deal, monolithic media empire!
So what's next? Looking for a really good deal on The Equalizer!!!
While I'm sure all the pigskin fans in the GMA (greater metropolitan area) will say football rules, the plain and simple fact is that 'round these parts, BASEBALL RULES!!!
1. Thank the gods of baseball for the MLB Network. My oasis in a sea of Giants hysteria.
2. Excitment is a bit tempered with the ineffectual off-season that the NY Mets had. I know, let's pony up some coin to get Roy Oswalt, who would instantly become our best pitcher. He wants one -year. NAH.
3. Watch this below, very funny.
CHEDDAR!
Good for Eli. Good for Coughlin. Both have been killed by their own fans time and time again.
I am not a fan. Watched the SB with interest, but had no rooting interest for either team.
So we endure 2-3 days of mass hysteria in the Greater Metropolitan area. Then we can get back to BASEBALL!!!!
And speaking of baseball, our program (at least 3/4 of it) practiced outdoors yesterday. 11U had an early AM session to get loose and take some swings. Only 2 players missing/ falling behind. The 13U and 14U teams had a practice scrimmage vs. each other with some modified rules for this early (no stealing, pitchers limited to one inning or 30 pitches, etc.) - everybody looked terrific for the most part. Puts a big spring in my step...
Here we go...
Due to a conflict and my 13U team having the night off last night, Coach SoulSlam got to oversee some of our new 9U players last night. About 1/2 the team was there. Small group, so my attention was heightened. And one of the things most younger players do is throw a ball incorrectly. For you artsy-fartsy types, check it here.
So one of these little fellas told me while I tried to correct him "my other coach, who's a pro, showed me this way and he said I'm doing great!". Uhhh, no, sorry, Skywalker. Your other coach, who is a dubious pro apparently is just taking your parents money. Because if your a "pro coach" and showing a kid that curling his hand up by his ear is correct, then you are wrong. And why in the world anyone is paying for lessons with an 8-9 YO is beyond me.
Fast-forward to the tees...and his form is 100% wrong, too big a stride, like a softball player. But the pro knows best (I guess because somebody is paying). What do I know. I could only hit everything, and my two sons are the better hitters on their respective teams. My advice is free. And I have no agenda like getting you to keep paying me. So while I may not tell you what you want to hear, I will tell you the truth.
OSSS decided to apply for the Academy of Law and Public Safety, which is situated in another public HS (not the one in our area). He tested in November. Interviewed a couple of weeks ago, and was told today that he was accepted. I could not be more proud.
