42 is for Jackie/Sleepy in Seattle?
I'm not sure what they call it, but it was Jackie Robinson day across the major leagues yesterday. I was listening to either a Bill Simmons or Adam Carolla podcast, so I had the sound off on the TV when SportsCenter came on.
Don't get me wrong. Jackie Robinson deserves whatever praise, tribute, or holiday we decide to have. On the other hand, it gets pretty confusing following the highlights when EVERYBODY is wearing number 42. Now I know how the government felt in V for Vendetta.
I had to pause the podcast and turn the sound up, because somebody on the Tigers was shown throwing a couple of strikes in a row. I had to see if they'd found the next Mark Fydrich*, or God willing, the next Justin Verlander.**
In fact, I think the reason I thought the Tigers might have a new stud pitcher was because he was wearing number 42, so I didn't recognize him. Probably by the time I had the sound on I realized the entire league has retired the number 42, so this is the only time you will ever see anybody from any MLB team wearing that number, unless they are hosing off their Ferrari while wearing their Jackie throwback. I know some of them have them. Hey, I do. As oon as I get home I'll throw it on and wash my Impala.
I wouldn't have one if I hadn't spent four years in the Land of the Bootleg Throwback (South Korea), not to be mistaken for the Land of the Rising Sun (Japan). In Korea baseball throwbacks went for $15, until the dollar weakened, and the price went up to $18. In the US these things could go for $2-300, or more. Unfortunately, these prices, along with my long stay in the Land of the Bootleg Jersey, led to about 63.5% of my wardrobe consisting of throwbacks and other jerseys.
It's almost amazing that I left home for a year without any Boston Red Sox paraphanalia. The Sox aren't my favorite team (Tigers), or even my second favorite (Mets). I guess they're my third, though if their bandwagon gets any more full I may have to hop off.
The truth is, the main reason I have nothing of the Sox with me is that most of my Boston gear consists of winter hats and jackets, and sweatshirts. I never bought their jerseys in Korea, because their home shirts, which are by far their best looking ones, aren't supposed to have names on the back. Many times I almost picked up a Schilling or Ramirez jersey, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it.*** Yes, this was right after the whole bloody sock thing. If I was in Siberia for a year, some of that stuff would be with me.
The other reason is that they traded Manny Ramirez, a move which, I consider to be suicidal. David Ortiz will not get pitches he can hit without Manny behind him, unless he remains injured/ineffective to the point that nobody fears pitching to him. While I doubt they will remain in last place, they are right now, so I figured I'd bring it up. Maybe their bandwagon will even empty a bit....
Probably not, but their pitching might have to carry them this year.
They did beat Oakland last night however. I enjoyed the highlights, not because they won, but because Tim Wakefield was pitching, and he was easy for me to identify, because of his knuckle-ball delivery, which is flat footed with no wind-up. I need to actually watch V for Vendetta to see if anybody gives themself away in the movie, somebody with a limp, for instance. Then I could say, "Tim Wakefield is to Jackie Robinson day as ___________ is to V for Vendetta." I can hardly wait.
Oh yeah. The other reason I didn't bring any Red Sox gear was because I need to color-coordinate, which led me to bring Dodgers gear (Brooklyn, not LA) so I could match Chelsea FC, which just beat Liverpool 7-5 aggregate to advance to the Champions League Semi-Finals, again. They will play Barcelona next, while in the other bracket Manchester United will take on Arsenal, making this the 3rd year in a row that three of the final four Champions League teams are English. Go Dodgers! Go Blues! Dodger Blue is almost the same shade as Chelsea Blue as well. Chelsea Blue is just a little bit brighter, though nowhere near as bright as Honolulu Blue, I swear.****
*This would be ironic, because he passed away within the last week. Apparantly his death was not a suicide, which warmed my heart, since Hunter S. Thompson and David Foster Wallace both killed themselves in the last few years, not that the Bird had much in common with them. It's sad when that's the first thing you think of when somebody dies.
**Both were rookies of the year, in 1976 and 2006; I would prefer another Verlander, since he seems to be less of a flash in the pan.
***This flaw has nothing to do with whether or not they are bootlegs. If you check ebay you will be hard pressed to find one without a name there as well.
****I probably just jinxed them. I guess there's still at least two weeks before they play Barca. I'll try not to mention Chelsea in the same breath as the Lions before then. Forget I brought it up.*****
*****Speaking of superstition, I just found a book called The Blind Side by Michael Lewis, about left tackles, and how valuable they've become in the couple of decades since Lawrence Taylor ended Joe Theisman's career. In a recent SportsNation poll, the entire country thought the Lions should take Matt Stafford, except for Michigan (and me), who thought they should take a left tackle instead, the one from 'Bama or Oklahoma, I believe....COINCIDENCE?!?!?!? I feel like I need to finish this book before the draft, or I'm just not doing my part.
In case you've forgotten my disdain for SportsNation their current question at the bottom of ESPN's home page is "Where will the Mariners finish in the AL this season. Without looking at the map, I predict Washington will say first, Texas and California will say 3rd or 4th, and most of the country will say 2nd (I've answered the question (4th) so I know 1st got 22%, 2nd won with 37%, 3rd got 29%, and 4th got 12%.......................................and...........................................wow, this computer's slow.......................Hmmm, Oregon and Idaho also went for 1st, (with Washington) and Texas was joined by New Mexico, Minnesota, Illinois, Connecticut, and Massachusets, picking them 3rd. Everyone else said 2nd. I guess California is my biggest surprise, since they said 2nd. I didn't think the Angels and A's fans would concede this much....Though from what I've heard, only about 12,000 fans showed up in one of the games where Boston visited Oakland, and apparantly those were 3/4 Red Sox fans. Maybe the A's should move to Oklahoma City. (I sorta liked this poll, in the end...bad example.)
So starting out 7-2 is enough to get them penciled in in 2nd place. I'm not convinced, but keep in mind, I'm still looking for pennant sleepers, and Seattle might be the sleepiest sleeper of them all....
Seattle was 30-1 for the pennant when I did my last column. They're already down to 25-1. Not too sleepy--I probably got those odds a month in on the '06 Tigers....Check my archives--I'm outta here.
Don't get me wrong. Jackie Robinson deserves whatever praise, tribute, or holiday we decide to have. On the other hand, it gets pretty confusing following the highlights when EVERYBODY is wearing number 42. Now I know how the government felt in V for Vendetta.
I had to pause the podcast and turn the sound up, because somebody on the Tigers was shown throwing a couple of strikes in a row. I had to see if they'd found the next Mark Fydrich*, or God willing, the next Justin Verlander.**
In fact, I think the reason I thought the Tigers might have a new stud pitcher was because he was wearing number 42, so I didn't recognize him. Probably by the time I had the sound on I realized the entire league has retired the number 42, so this is the only time you will ever see anybody from any MLB team wearing that number, unless they are hosing off their Ferrari while wearing their Jackie throwback. I know some of them have them. Hey, I do. As oon as I get home I'll throw it on and wash my Impala.
I wouldn't have one if I hadn't spent four years in the Land of the Bootleg Throwback (South Korea), not to be mistaken for the Land of the Rising Sun (Japan). In Korea baseball throwbacks went for $15, until the dollar weakened, and the price went up to $18. In the US these things could go for $2-300, or more. Unfortunately, these prices, along with my long stay in the Land of the Bootleg Jersey, led to about 63.5% of my wardrobe consisting of throwbacks and other jerseys.
It's almost amazing that I left home for a year without any Boston Red Sox paraphanalia. The Sox aren't my favorite team (Tigers), or even my second favorite (Mets). I guess they're my third, though if their bandwagon gets any more full I may have to hop off.
The truth is, the main reason I have nothing of the Sox with me is that most of my Boston gear consists of winter hats and jackets, and sweatshirts. I never bought their jerseys in Korea, because their home shirts, which are by far their best looking ones, aren't supposed to have names on the back. Many times I almost picked up a Schilling or Ramirez jersey, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it.*** Yes, this was right after the whole bloody sock thing. If I was in Siberia for a year, some of that stuff would be with me.
The other reason is that they traded Manny Ramirez, a move which, I consider to be suicidal. David Ortiz will not get pitches he can hit without Manny behind him, unless he remains injured/ineffective to the point that nobody fears pitching to him. While I doubt they will remain in last place, they are right now, so I figured I'd bring it up. Maybe their bandwagon will even empty a bit....
Probably not, but their pitching might have to carry them this year.
They did beat Oakland last night however. I enjoyed the highlights, not because they won, but because Tim Wakefield was pitching, and he was easy for me to identify, because of his knuckle-ball delivery, which is flat footed with no wind-up. I need to actually watch V for Vendetta to see if anybody gives themself away in the movie, somebody with a limp, for instance. Then I could say, "Tim Wakefield is to Jackie Robinson day as ___________ is to V for Vendetta." I can hardly wait.
Oh yeah. The other reason I didn't bring any Red Sox gear was because I need to color-coordinate, which led me to bring Dodgers gear (Brooklyn, not LA) so I could match Chelsea FC, which just beat Liverpool 7-5 aggregate to advance to the Champions League Semi-Finals, again. They will play Barcelona next, while in the other bracket Manchester United will take on Arsenal, making this the 3rd year in a row that three of the final four Champions League teams are English. Go Dodgers! Go Blues! Dodger Blue is almost the same shade as Chelsea Blue as well. Chelsea Blue is just a little bit brighter, though nowhere near as bright as Honolulu Blue, I swear.****
*This would be ironic, because he passed away within the last week. Apparantly his death was not a suicide, which warmed my heart, since Hunter S. Thompson and David Foster Wallace both killed themselves in the last few years, not that the Bird had much in common with them. It's sad when that's the first thing you think of when somebody dies.
**Both were rookies of the year, in 1976 and 2006; I would prefer another Verlander, since he seems to be less of a flash in the pan.
***This flaw has nothing to do with whether or not they are bootlegs. If you check ebay you will be hard pressed to find one without a name there as well.
****I probably just jinxed them. I guess there's still at least two weeks before they play Barca. I'll try not to mention Chelsea in the same breath as the Lions before then. Forget I brought it up.*****
*****Speaking of superstition, I just found a book called The Blind Side by Michael Lewis, about left tackles, and how valuable they've become in the couple of decades since Lawrence Taylor ended Joe Theisman's career. In a recent SportsNation poll, the entire country thought the Lions should take Matt Stafford, except for Michigan (and me), who thought they should take a left tackle instead, the one from 'Bama or Oklahoma, I believe....COINCIDENCE?!?!?!? I feel like I need to finish this book before the draft, or I'm just not doing my part.
In case you've forgotten my disdain for SportsNation their current question at the bottom of ESPN's home page is "Where will the Mariners finish in the AL this season. Without looking at the map, I predict Washington will say first, Texas and California will say 3rd or 4th, and most of the country will say 2nd (I've answered the question (4th) so I know 1st got 22%, 2nd won with 37%, 3rd got 29%, and 4th got 12%.......................................and...........................................wow, this computer's slow.......................Hmmm, Oregon and Idaho also went for 1st, (with Washington) and Texas was joined by New Mexico, Minnesota, Illinois, Connecticut, and Massachusets, picking them 3rd. Everyone else said 2nd. I guess California is my biggest surprise, since they said 2nd. I didn't think the Angels and A's fans would concede this much....Though from what I've heard, only about 12,000 fans showed up in one of the games where Boston visited Oakland, and apparantly those were 3/4 Red Sox fans. Maybe the A's should move to Oklahoma City. (I sorta liked this poll, in the end...bad example.)
So starting out 7-2 is enough to get them penciled in in 2nd place. I'm not convinced, but keep in mind, I'm still looking for pennant sleepers, and Seattle might be the sleepiest sleeper of them all....
Seattle was 30-1 for the pennant when I did my last column. They're already down to 25-1. Not too sleepy--I probably got those odds a month in on the '06 Tigers....Check my archives--I'm outta here.
posted by roQQ | 9:16 AM
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