I think it would be safe to say that 25-year-old Cleveland Indians center fielder Michael Brantley will never be a household name as a baseball player like Joe DiMaggio is. But in as little as 34 games from now, he might just be mentioned in the same breath as the legendary Yankees outfielder for many baseball years to come.
There are many numbers in baseball that we all recognize immediately and know what they mean. 2,141, 715, 755, 762, 61*, 70, 1947, 1908, 4,256, 511, 42 and last but not least, 56
56 is Joe DiMaggio's hit streak number, and Brantley is the player who has come closest to reaching that number this season. You may say "C'mon, Brad, Brantley's current hit streak is only at 22 games, you can't possibly think he'd break that record at this point." Lots of guys get to 22 game streaks, and no one has come close to 56 in a row in many years.
The point I'm trying to make here is not that I think Brantley will break the record, but I want to know how you would feel if he actually did? Wouldn't that kind of be a bummer? Wouldn't that just feel weird? A mediocre player on a mediocre team breaks the long-cherished record of one of the games all-time greats? I mean, i think its completely possible. Just go out and get a hit. It's one of those records that doesn't take an entire, spectacular career to achieve. It just takes being spectacular for two months.
It makes me understand how people felt about Rodger Maris breaking Babe Ruth's record of 60 homers in a season. The Babe was a legend, and to have his record fall to this guy, not even the star player on his own team at the time, I can see where the derision came from.
Will Michael Brantley break the record? I highly doubt it, and if he did, I think we'd all feel kind of weird about it. The last person to seriously challenge the record was Pete Rose, when he it safely in 44 straight. He was the Hit King. If he would have broken it, that would have made sense. So not to knock on Michael Brantley, but...HIM? Say it ain't so.
I suppose if he did break it, that maybe he would become a household name among baseball fans. Maybe he would become huge star? It's hard to say would become of Michael Brantley if he did it. Perhaps in 20 years, it would make sense that he broke the record? Only time will tell.
Saturday, June 16, 2012
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Matt Cain's Perfect Game
Well whattaya know? The day I start a blog devoted to baseball, Matt Cain of the Giants throws a perfect game. Coincidence? I think not.
I'm actually watching the replay of the game right now on MLB.tv, because I've never watched a no-hitter or perfect game before. It's just funny watching these early innings, the announcers just sort of talking about the game, talking about the games each team will have into the weekend, not knowing what they are watching, which is history.
Twenty-two. That's how many perfect games have been thrown in major league baseball history. 20 in the modern era, and the modern era is what matters to me. To me, everything that happened in baseball history before the year 1900 is irrelevant to me. Just knowing how much the game was in a state of flux before 1900, to me, makes all the crazy weird stats that happened before then should be noted as such. The fact that it was a time when, at one point, you could run to first no matter which direction the ball was hit, because there was no such thing as a foul ball. Anyway, that number of perfect games, I think it gets a little lost on people, since there have been a number of perfect games that have been thrown in the past couple years. Five have been thrown in the past three calendar years. But when you think of the number of baseball games that have been thrown in the history of the game, 120 years or whatever, just throwing out a number, multiple games played every day for six months, every team playing every day, and just how many chances there have been to have a perfect game. To think that this is only the 22nd time that it has happened is just incredible.
The reason I think this gets lost on some people, I've witnessed it. I remember when Armando Galarraga was one out away from having his Perfecto, and it was taken away on a bad call, one of my facebook friends took to facebook to say that it wasn't a big deal that he didn't get his perfect game. It was a big deal, and Matt Cain's perfect game is a big deal, too.
Matt Cain, to me, has always been one of my favorite pitchers in the game. I like probably like Lincecum better, because of his awesome delivery motion, but Cain has always impressed me with his control and his command of his pitches. When I read this morning when I woke up that Matt Cain had pitched a perfect game, I was surprised to see someone had thrown another one, I wasn't too shocked that it was him. I mean, not as surprised to wake up to find out Phillip Freaking Humber had thrown one. The sad thing about watching this game is that it's the 3rd inning, and it's 7-0, and the bases are loaded. I'm sure there were a lot of fans that didn't bother to watch the rest of the game because they figured it's a blowout, and they don't need to watch. Also, people like me would be scrolling through the active games on MLB.tv and saw it was a blowout and didn't even bother to turn it on in the first place. So I wonder how many people missed this and are kicking themselves this morning? I think we all need a no-hitter alert system. Anyone know of a good one? This has to exist, right?
Anyway, I'm going to continue to watch the game, and enjoy it more and more as it gets to the later innings, because I know what happens. Also, thankfully, this game is being called by Duane Kuiper and Jon Miller, who is probably my favorite baseball broadcaster of all time (no offense to Vin Scully and Ernie Harwell and their fans. I just really like Jon Miller, okay?)
(As I'm watching this game, I just watched Jordan Schaffer hit a ball down the first base line that was called foul, and it was really, really close. As it happened, the play was called as "huh, close play." But knowing how this game ends, I'm like "WOW THAT WAS CLOSE HOLY CRAP.")
I'm actually watching the replay of the game right now on MLB.tv, because I've never watched a no-hitter or perfect game before. It's just funny watching these early innings, the announcers just sort of talking about the game, talking about the games each team will have into the weekend, not knowing what they are watching, which is history.
Twenty-two. That's how many perfect games have been thrown in major league baseball history. 20 in the modern era, and the modern era is what matters to me. To me, everything that happened in baseball history before the year 1900 is irrelevant to me. Just knowing how much the game was in a state of flux before 1900, to me, makes all the crazy weird stats that happened before then should be noted as such. The fact that it was a time when, at one point, you could run to first no matter which direction the ball was hit, because there was no such thing as a foul ball. Anyway, that number of perfect games, I think it gets a little lost on people, since there have been a number of perfect games that have been thrown in the past couple years. Five have been thrown in the past three calendar years. But when you think of the number of baseball games that have been thrown in the history of the game, 120 years or whatever, just throwing out a number, multiple games played every day for six months, every team playing every day, and just how many chances there have been to have a perfect game. To think that this is only the 22nd time that it has happened is just incredible.
The reason I think this gets lost on some people, I've witnessed it. I remember when Armando Galarraga was one out away from having his Perfecto, and it was taken away on a bad call, one of my facebook friends took to facebook to say that it wasn't a big deal that he didn't get his perfect game. It was a big deal, and Matt Cain's perfect game is a big deal, too.
Matt Cain, to me, has always been one of my favorite pitchers in the game. I like probably like Lincecum better, because of his awesome delivery motion, but Cain has always impressed me with his control and his command of his pitches. When I read this morning when I woke up that Matt Cain had pitched a perfect game, I was surprised to see someone had thrown another one, I wasn't too shocked that it was him. I mean, not as surprised to wake up to find out Phillip Freaking Humber had thrown one. The sad thing about watching this game is that it's the 3rd inning, and it's 7-0, and the bases are loaded. I'm sure there were a lot of fans that didn't bother to watch the rest of the game because they figured it's a blowout, and they don't need to watch. Also, people like me would be scrolling through the active games on MLB.tv and saw it was a blowout and didn't even bother to turn it on in the first place. So I wonder how many people missed this and are kicking themselves this morning? I think we all need a no-hitter alert system. Anyone know of a good one? This has to exist, right?
Anyway, I'm going to continue to watch the game, and enjoy it more and more as it gets to the later innings, because I know what happens. Also, thankfully, this game is being called by Duane Kuiper and Jon Miller, who is probably my favorite baseball broadcaster of all time (no offense to Vin Scully and Ernie Harwell and their fans. I just really like Jon Miller, okay?)
(As I'm watching this game, I just watched Jordan Schaffer hit a ball down the first base line that was called foul, and it was really, really close. As it happened, the play was called as "huh, close play." But knowing how this game ends, I'm like "WOW THAT WAS CLOSE HOLY CRAP.")
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Introduction to Safety Squeeze
Well, here it is, a new blog, from the dude that brought you www.bloggerated.com. Yes, I've wanted to create a blog dedicated to sports for a while, but I was sort of in the camp of, "there's already a million different blogs about sports, why should I even bother jumping in to that?" but now, I've given in, after thinking about it far too much.
Now, if this gets updated as much as Bloggerated gets updated, this will be pretty useless. I've tried to build something over there, and quite frankly, it's not working. I'll keep doing it because I enjoy the attention it brings, but here is where I can write about what I really love, and that's baseball.
What you'll find on this site is nothing but baseball talk. I don't have interest in being funny, or being to witty. I guess if that happens, it happens, but mostly, I just want to put my thoughts about the goings on past and present in this wonderful game that I love so much.
Baseball, for me, was my first sports love. I've fallen in and out of love with the game over the years, with other sports and activities taking my attention away from it, but it always comes back. Recently, I had one of those moments where i fell out of love with the game. It happened at the end of the 2011 season. It should be noted that I am a pretty huge Braves fan, but I don't want that to deter any Mets fans or Phillies fans from reading this blog. I tend see things as they really are, but I can also be a pretty big homer sometimes.
With all that said, I mentioned above that I had fallen out of love with the game of baseball for a while there. Acutally, I can say that most of the 2011 season, I was less than enthusiasic about baseball. I was in serious hockey mode, then serious football mode, as my beloved 49ers got pretty good last year. Living in Nashville, we have a hockey team here, the Predators, that I my number one love as far as sports teams go. At the end of last season, my Braves lost on the last day of the season and were knocked out of the playoffs. This burned me so hard, I barely watched any of the post season. I didn't care. My baseball soul was crushed.
This season started and I barely noticed. The NHL playoffs were getting started and that was all I cared about. But once the Preds were eliminated, and I hate to say that was the catalyst to me finding the game of baseball again, but it's true, I started watching the wonderful Ken Burns baseball documentary.
Watching that, it reminded me just why I love the game. Ball players, playing ball. It gets no better than that.
So I stared watching a lot of baseball, borderline obsession, just like it was 2005 again. That's when I watched the most baseball. And I'm back, as a huge fan once again.
So I have all these thoughts about baseball rattling around my head, why don't I have a place to write them down, eh? So here it is, the Safety Squeeze, I care not about stories like "the Barves" or other meme-type stories around baseball. I care about Stephen Strasburg. I care about Martin Prado. I care about the Red Sox in last place, the latest into the season they've been in last in the East since 1997.
I'm not a good writer. I'm not a huge wealth of stats, though I am sort of a stat head. I'm not a fantasy baseball guy, so I don't care about fantasy baseball. I just care about baseball, as a game. Here is where I'll write about things in baseball I think about.
Now, if this gets updated as much as Bloggerated gets updated, this will be pretty useless. I've tried to build something over there, and quite frankly, it's not working. I'll keep doing it because I enjoy the attention it brings, but here is where I can write about what I really love, and that's baseball.
What you'll find on this site is nothing but baseball talk. I don't have interest in being funny, or being to witty. I guess if that happens, it happens, but mostly, I just want to put my thoughts about the goings on past and present in this wonderful game that I love so much.
Baseball, for me, was my first sports love. I've fallen in and out of love with the game over the years, with other sports and activities taking my attention away from it, but it always comes back. Recently, I had one of those moments where i fell out of love with the game. It happened at the end of the 2011 season. It should be noted that I am a pretty huge Braves fan, but I don't want that to deter any Mets fans or Phillies fans from reading this blog. I tend see things as they really are, but I can also be a pretty big homer sometimes.
With all that said, I mentioned above that I had fallen out of love with the game of baseball for a while there. Acutally, I can say that most of the 2011 season, I was less than enthusiasic about baseball. I was in serious hockey mode, then serious football mode, as my beloved 49ers got pretty good last year. Living in Nashville, we have a hockey team here, the Predators, that I my number one love as far as sports teams go. At the end of last season, my Braves lost on the last day of the season and were knocked out of the playoffs. This burned me so hard, I barely watched any of the post season. I didn't care. My baseball soul was crushed.
This season started and I barely noticed. The NHL playoffs were getting started and that was all I cared about. But once the Preds were eliminated, and I hate to say that was the catalyst to me finding the game of baseball again, but it's true, I started watching the wonderful Ken Burns baseball documentary.
Watching that, it reminded me just why I love the game. Ball players, playing ball. It gets no better than that.
So I stared watching a lot of baseball, borderline obsession, just like it was 2005 again. That's when I watched the most baseball. And I'm back, as a huge fan once again.
So I have all these thoughts about baseball rattling around my head, why don't I have a place to write them down, eh? So here it is, the Safety Squeeze, I care not about stories like "the Barves" or other meme-type stories around baseball. I care about Stephen Strasburg. I care about Martin Prado. I care about the Red Sox in last place, the latest into the season they've been in last in the East since 1997.
I'm not a good writer. I'm not a huge wealth of stats, though I am sort of a stat head. I'm not a fantasy baseball guy, so I don't care about fantasy baseball. I just care about baseball, as a game. Here is where I'll write about things in baseball I think about.
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