Welcome back, everyone! Today, I will be going through news that has happened in the baseball world this past week. Boy has this been a crazy week!
As the baseball season is dwindling down, the playoff hunt is heating up. In baseball there are two leagues, the American League and the National League. Each league is divided into three divisions: The East, The Central and The West. Only one team in each division is guaranteed a playoff spot, and that is the one who has the best record. The other teams in the divisions have a chance of getting into the playoffs by something called a "Wild Card." The wild card is used in football as well, but baseball is different. You see, in football the wild card lets 2 teams who did not win their division to play in the playoffs. In baseball its different; only one team can come out of the wild card.
Major League Baseball adjusted to this wild card rule right before the season started in March. The wild card will consist of every team who does not win their respective divisions. The two top teams in the wild card will play in a one-game playoff to see who goes on to the "real" playoffs. This rule gives more teams, like the Baltimore Orioles the opportunity to shine. I bring up the Orioles because the Orioles have always been a good team, but they are always in the shadows of the New York Yankees. With this extra team wild card, the Baltimore Orioles have a legit chance of making the playoffs. They have been playing very well this year with a very young team.
Teams like the Orioles, the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Washington Nationals have opened every one's eyes, well not mine. I knew before this season started that these three teams were going to be the dark horses in the league. Each team is filled with so much talent, that other teams envy. Unlike the Yankees, the Red Sox or the Dodgers; the Orioles, the Pirates and the Nationals spend very little money on their players. It has been proven that just because a team spends the most amount of money, doesn't mean that they will win the ultimate prize: The World Series.
Now onto something that is very surprising and sort of thoughtless that happened this past week in baseball. Yunel Escobar of the Toronto Blue Jays has been suspended 3 games for a slur that was written on his eye black. Normally players have their teams logos on the eye black, but Escobar did not. Escobar had a saying that was disrespectful to members of the gay community. Escobar felt bad that this happened, but admitted that he has done this before, but was never caught. As a result of this slur on the eye black, Escobar was fined $92,000 and given a 3 game suspension. I think the ruling was fair because it was his first time getting caught, but I believe the league needs to take more notice of anyone who wears eye black. I believe that if a player wants to wear eye black there should be no writing on it.
There are other ways to honor something that is important to you. For example, if someone who is close to you passes away, a player can wear arm bands saying their initials. If an owner or broadcaster passes away, teams put stickers on the helmets of players in football. The teams also put pins or engravings of the late person on a players uniform. In reality, there is really no use of wearing eye black. People use eye black to make the avoid the sun from going in their eyes. But I don't get it, if you play at night, why would you wear eye black? Some players wear eye black at night, but most of the time they wear it during day games only. Plus, baseball players in particular, wear sunglasses when they are out on the field, so in reality, there is no need for eye black. I have been playing softball for the majority of my life, and I have never put eye black on in any of my games. Who has the time to put it on as a pro, instead of doing that, they should be preparing for the upcoming game.
A blast from the past! Roger Clemens is back at it again. At the ripe old age of 50, Roger Clemens pitched for a baseball team. No, it was not in the major leagues, but he pitched to some ex-major league batters. The funny thing is, his son caught him. Clemens has had a bumpy road ever since leaving the majors in 2007. He was accused by his former trainer, Brian McNamee, of taking performance-enhancing drugs during his playing career. Of course Clemens denied ever taking steroids, in hopes to be elected into the Hall of Fame one day. The trial went back and forth for a while, until Clemens was found not guilty of lying to Congress. The verdict came on June 18, 2012. (SportsIllustrated)
Many people in baseball, believe that Clemens is trying to come back to the majors after clearing his name. When Clemens was asked if he considered coming back he said that he would only pitch if it was against "a contender" (KRIV, Houston). A "contender" is someone who is trying to get into the playoffs. The only team that would EVER consider bring Clemens back would probably be the Houston Astros. Why you might ask? It's because they have nothing to lose or gain if they sign Clemens. Currently, the Astros are an awful 48-102, yes you are reading that right, they have only won 48 games out of 150. That's a .320 winning percentage, that means they have only won 32% of the games they have played this year. The remaining schedule for the Astros looks like this against contenders: 3 games against the Pirates and 3 games against the St. Louis Cardinals (ESPN). So, if the Astros want Clemens and to make him happy, they better do it fast. These games against the Pirates and Cardinals start tomorrow (September 21st) and finish September 26th.
I do not see Clemens pitching in the majors this year, it's too late. Honestly, I don't see him pitching for a major league team ever again. Yes, there have been pitchers who have pitched in their 50s, but it is rare. The last pitcher to pitch in their fifties was John Picus "Jack" Quinn, who did it last in 1933. The last oldest player to pitch in the majors, but not at age 50, is Jamie Moyer, who is 49. It can be done, but there is a great chance that a pitcher won't be as effective at that age. Your stamina is less than before, and your arm speed drops dramatically.
One last piece of news that I have been following on is the story about Oakland A's pitcher Brandon McCarthy. McCarthy is another pitcher who recently was hit in the skull after delivering a pitch in a game. Here is the link to see the hit: http://mlb.mlb.com/media/video.jsp?content_id=24520241 The video came from Major League Baseball's site.
As you can see, it is hard to watch. McCarthy suffered a fractured skull from this and had to have surgery. Thankfully, he is recovering well and actually made a surprise visit to his teammates one day. Its nice to see that he is okay, but like any other head injury, you do not know how he will be later down the road. I have had concussions playing a catcher in softball and I know what it is like to feel lost. I have never fractured my skull, knock on wood, and am praying that McCarthy will be fine years from now. As a fan and fellow player, all you can do is pray for him and hope that he will recover with no problems. Its scary to see this happen, and wonder what if he put his glove up sooner, or what if the mound was farther from home plate. People do not realize that the distance between the pitchers mound and home plate is 60' 6", that's all. Pitchers have been hit before in the head, but this one you could hear the thud and feel it. Its amazing how players can get up from being hit like that and show no signs of injury.
Major League Baseball might have to make pitchers wear helmets when pitching to help them if they do get hit. On a warm summer day, July 22 in 2007 to be exact, Tino Sanchez of the Tulsa Drillers hit a line drive foul to the first base line. The ball went foul and before it hit the ground, it hit first base coach Mike Coolbaugh in the neck. Coolbaugh fell to the ground and was immediately seen by team doctors and taken to a nearby hospital. Before the ambulance got to the hospital, Coolbaugh passed away. As a result of this incident, all first base and third base coaches are required to wear helmets while on the field. Sometimes, its hard to react to a ball that is coming right at you so fast. Coaches have been hit in the past, most famous one was when then third base coach of the Los Angeles Dodgers Tommy Lasorda was hit by a shattered bat in foul territory. Once the ball is thrown it is a weapon, just like a baseball bat. Bats and balls can be hit anywhere, and people need to watch out for them or they can be severely injured.
So that is what has happened in the baseball world this week. Lets have a recap, you have potentially Cinderella stories with 3 teams, a Latino player who has been suspended for something written on his eye black, a 50 year-old trying to make a comeback and a pitcher who was hit in the head by a line drive. Wonder what next week will be? Stay tuned because there is always something that goes crazy in sports everyday.
Next blog will be focused on the NHL seasons status. Will there be a season? Time will tell.
Until then!
Sporty Nikki aka Nicole Nocera
