MLB thoughts
Tonight I watched the 2006 All Star Baseball Game, and I'm sad to say it was the most boring All Star game I've ever witnessed. Correction: it was the most boring BASEBALL game I've ever seen...altogether. Perhaps it wasn't so boring as it was disappointing. I was disappointed that instead of using the All Star game as an opportunity to feature a wide array of the leagues' greatest players, White Sox head coach Ozzie Guillen used this game as a chance to highlight seven, yes, seven of his own players, (compared to the average 2-3 players from every other team). I also feel he used it to gain the World Series home-field-advantage. The home-field-advantage element completely killed the whole game for me.
When I was a youngin' I used to looove watching baseball. And it seemed to me, in the greenness of my childhood , that players played simply because they loved the game. When the baseball strikes started, it pretty much shattered that illusion and I stopped watching major league baseball for quite a while.
And while I know now as an adult that all professional sports have their flaws, within the last two years I've found a renewed love of the sport. I suspect this newfound appreciation comes simply from the overall integrity of the current Minnesota Twins. It seems to me, relative to teams past and present, that this current group of guys genuinely enjoy the game, eachother, and their fans. I must sound like the biggest girl saying this, but I can't truely root for a sports team unless I respect the players as people. Yep, silly and girlish, but that's me.
The first five innings of tonights All Star game went as follows: Derek Jeter, A-Rod, and about four White Sox players got spanked by some decent National League pitching. Brad Penny pitched about twenty 99 mph fastballs in a row since he didn't have to pace himself, and watching this gentle giant take down a couple of American League big-shots was pretty amusing. (On a side note, Jeter and Rodriguez: does anyone really want these guys around anymore? Find me ten sane people who find these two clowns endearing and I'd die of shock. I do, however, like Ortiz and Suzuki, who also got spanked.) And the fielding was just painful to watch because these players don't play as a team, but rather fielded as individual players... Individual players tripping on their huge heads.
Starting at Nationals 2, American 1; The last half wasn't as bad, we got to see a lot of the younger players who truely appreciated being there. And the last inning got about half-way to entertaining when the American League made a quick comeback to win the game. All in all, not much to see.
At the end of the game, a reporter interviewed the Twin's great Harmon Killebrew. At one point Killebrew stated something along the lines of, "Joe Mauer is an example of how more Major League players should act." And I'd have to say I agree. If anything I can use this game as an opportunity to confirm my respect for my hometeam:)
When I was a youngin' I used to looove watching baseball. And it seemed to me, in the greenness of my childhood , that players played simply because they loved the game. When the baseball strikes started, it pretty much shattered that illusion and I stopped watching major league baseball for quite a while.
And while I know now as an adult that all professional sports have their flaws, within the last two years I've found a renewed love of the sport. I suspect this newfound appreciation comes simply from the overall integrity of the current Minnesota Twins. It seems to me, relative to teams past and present, that this current group of guys genuinely enjoy the game, eachother, and their fans. I must sound like the biggest girl saying this, but I can't truely root for a sports team unless I respect the players as people. Yep, silly and girlish, but that's me.
The first five innings of tonights All Star game went as follows: Derek Jeter, A-Rod, and about four White Sox players got spanked by some decent National League pitching. Brad Penny pitched about twenty 99 mph fastballs in a row since he didn't have to pace himself, and watching this gentle giant take down a couple of American League big-shots was pretty amusing. (On a side note, Jeter and Rodriguez: does anyone really want these guys around anymore? Find me ten sane people who find these two clowns endearing and I'd die of shock. I do, however, like Ortiz and Suzuki, who also got spanked.) And the fielding was just painful to watch because these players don't play as a team, but rather fielded as individual players... Individual players tripping on their huge heads.
Starting at Nationals 2, American 1; The last half wasn't as bad, we got to see a lot of the younger players who truely appreciated being there. And the last inning got about half-way to entertaining when the American League made a quick comeback to win the game. All in all, not much to see.
At the end of the game, a reporter interviewed the Twin's great Harmon Killebrew. At one point Killebrew stated something along the lines of, "Joe Mauer is an example of how more Major League players should act." And I'd have to say I agree. If anything I can use this game as an opportunity to confirm my respect for my hometeam:)
posted by Missy @ 8:34 PM
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