Porking out at the Ballpark on Mother’s Day!

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 Some of the above pictures courtesy of  Fox Sports MLB’s Best Food List.

I just found out I’m going to the Oakland A’s – Detroit Tigers game on Mother’s Day so I went online to find out what’s for dinner!  My search found this great website  with such tantalizing food pictures I think I’ll conjure up some ballpark food for dinner tonight!

One of my favorite ballpark foods is the Primanti Brothers Sandwich at PNC Park in Pittsburgh.  When I was there the fans were lined up around the block for this one.  The special sandwich (pictured above) includes not only the roast beef, but also the salad and french fries  stacked high and part of the sandwich.

And someday I’m going to try those Rocky Mountain Oysters at Coors Stadium.  Or maybe I’ll watch someone else try them but it’ll still be an experience.

And for dessert it’s a toss-up between those yummy looking cupcakes at Safeco Field in Seattle and the  funnel cakes at AT&T Park in San Francisco.

If you don’t have plans for your mom, your kid’s mom or someone else that’s really special on Mother’s Day why not consider taking her to dinner at the Ballpark!  You’ll get to enjoy the camaraderie of some the greatest fans in all of sports, hopefully a great game and some really terrific food.

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• Mother’s Day For Everyone – Or For No-one (herbadmother.com)
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• Make Dinner Sunday For Your Mom (jovinacooksitalian.com)
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“TOP BASEBALL PLAYERS OF PAST 60 YEARS!” A Mathematical Study.

This is the third year we’ve published this study by Dr. Don Davis.  It’s one of our most popular blogs and we’re happy to be able to share it again with you.  Be sure to link to his website  for additional information, changes and criteria he used in compiling his study.

“2011 Baseball Players Mathematical Study, written by Don Davis, Department of Mathematics, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA., and printed here with his permission.”

Pos’n	First team	Second team	Third team	Fourth team	Fifth team
P,1	Roger Clemens, 266.0	Tom Seaver, 181.1	Bob Gibson, 140.4	Juan Marichal, 107.9	Curt Schilling, 85.1
P,2	Randy Johnson, 202.1	Warren Spahn, 167.5	Sandy Koufax, 137.8	Gaylord Perry, 102.8	Phil Niekro, 84.9
P,3	Greg Maddux, 197.5	Bob Feller, 157.6	Robin Roberts, 136.5	Roy Halladay, 102.1	Johan Santana, 84.6
P,4	Pedro Martinez, 187.5	Steve Carlton, 143.5	Jim Palmer, 133.2	Fergie Jenkins, 87.2	Nolan Ryan, 83.7
C	Johnny Bench, 111.2	Yogi Berra, 92.9	Gary Carter, 75.6	Mike Piazza, 74.8	Ivan Rodriguez, 71.0

Veterans Day and Every Day ….. Thank You!

Arlington National Cemetery

“But the mainstay of the big leagues was the reservoir of 4-Fs – males of draft age who had been rejected on physical grounds by the Armed Forces. Not since harem attendants had gone out of style were men’s physical deficiencies so highly prized. Ulcers, hearing defects, and torn cartilages were coveted by team owners.” – Frank Graham, Jr. in Farewell to Heroes (1981)

This and the following list of Hall of Fame Members Courtesy of  Baseball Almanac.

Baseball Hall of Fame Members  who Served in the Armed Forces.

The Civil War
Morgan Bulkeley	United States Army
World War I
Grover Alexander	United States Army
Happy Chandler	United States Army

Game 7. Those Wild ‘WILD CARD” Cards!

Best Fans and Best Team in Baseball

It’s true!  What better gift to the fans of the St. Louis Cardinals than the title “World Champions”!    This picture is my favorite of all the thousands because if shows the team and the fans in unison like they’re in it together and they did it together, which of course they did.   Last year the St. Louis Cardinal fans were selected number one best fans in baseball based on knowledge of the game, loyalty and sportsmanship.  San Francisco Giants fans were voted second.

Game 6. Oh What A Night! Cardinals Force Game 7!

Tonight the St. Louis Cardinals took it to the Texas Rangers in good old-fashioned Missouri “show me” style as the Cardinals won in 11 innings by a score of 10-9.  And “show me” they did.

Here’s a sampling from last night’s game.  Click here to see the entire story by Jeff Sullivan, Editor,  SB Nation: 

David Freese on Defense Game 6

“Oct 28, 2011 - You have to understand my situation, here. I started writing this recap when the Cardinals were trailing the Rangers 7-4 in the seventh inning, and it looked like the Rangers were going to win their

Raining in St. Louis? Fiddley Diddley Dee.

I thought you might enjoy this little filler video while the rains come down in St. Louis,  postponing tonight’s game.  This one’s courtesy of Sooze over at Babes Love Baseball.  I especially got a little chuckle out of her last comment.   Oh to be young again with so much energy …..

“In case you somehow missed this video of an absolutely adorable member of the Rangers Ballpark grounds crew randomly busting a move between the sixth and seventh innings of Game 4… please do enjoy.  Ian Kinsler was not impressed, but we totally are.  (Call me when you turn 18!)

Update: We were just informed that this guy is 28. He just became like a billion times more attractive.”

As only Sooze can say it!

Related articles

• Rain in St. Louis: A Gift for the Cards (blogs.wsj.com)
• World Series Game 6 postponed; schedule pushed back (timesunion.com)

Game 5. Rangers Texas 2-Stepping all the way to Missouri!

The Texas Rangers are flying high all the way back to Missouri, and without an airplane, so I’m told.   They beat the Cardinals 4-2  and are one game away from winning it all!

Here are some excerpts from a  pretty good ditty on the game  in case you haven’t seen one of the hundreds out there.  This one’s from the Huffington Post ;

“ARLINGTON,Texas— Mike Napoli was dialed in, no matter who he was going to face.

A charmed season for Napoli and the Texas Rangers got even better Monday night, thanks to a most unlikely twist – a bullpen telephone mix-up.

After a dropped ball and a dropped call, of sorts, loaded the bases in the eighth inning, Napoli delivered a tie breaking two-run double that beat the St. Louis Cardinals 4-2 and gave Texas a 3-2 edge in the World Series.

Game 4. Mr. Holland’s Opus ….. Derek that is.

Texas Rangers Derek Holland

If revenge were anywhere in Derek Holland’s vocabulary I’d say he sure got his tonight!  I’m remembering Game 2 of the 2010 World Series.  Young Holland was brought in during the eighth inning where he proceeded to allow three walks and three runs before they took him out.  I felt bad for the kid and said so in my blog, ” Day 2. Texas Cain-Saw Massacre” .  Well there’s no feeling sorry for him tonight.  He’s quite the hero and rightly so!  Here’s Craig Calcaterra”s take on it from his Hardball blog:

“Craig Calcaterra  Oct 23, 2011, 11:25 PM EDT

We have a Classic on Our Hands!

“When do you know that a classic World Series is afoot? We certainly know it when it’s over. But at what point as it’s happening can one safely say that, yes, we’re seeing something special? The kind of series that only comes along once or twice a decade? Something memorable?

Game 3. Prince Albert at Home on the Range!

Albert Pujols "The Dude"!

Please bear with me as I’m in a major battle with the awful yucky flu and even though I’m able to watch the games,  surrounded by mounds of tissues and left-over tea bags, I don’t have my wits about me enough to write.  Also, I was so focused on Prince Albert I’m sure my blog would have been more about  gushing and oohhing over him and not really being very  objective.    Hardball Talk to the rescue!   Here’s a great little clip from “Drew Silva” that gives us another slant on the complicated Mr. Pujols and pretty much says it all:

“Drew Silva  Oct 23, 2011, 12:53 AM EDT   Reuters

Albert Pujols rounding bases during one of three home runs!

Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols drew heavy amounts of criticism for leaving the Busch Stadium clubhouse before talking to the media following Thursday’s Game 2 loss. A few national baseball writers even questioned his leadership, given that younger players like Jason Motte, Jon Jay and Allen Craig were left to handle all of the heat.

Let’s go ahead and toss that narrative aside. It never really made much sense in the first place.

Pujols put together one of the greatest single-game performances in World Series history during Saturday night’s 16-7 Game 3 trouncing of the Rangers, finishing 5-for-6 with three home runs, six RBI and four runs scored. He tallied 14 total bases, breaking a longstanding Fall Classic record and vaulting himself into the elite rung of postseason performers.

Babe Ruth. Reggie Jackson. Albert Pujols.

Those are the only three men in the history of baseball to launch three home runs in a World Series game.

Leadership — true leadership — is something that has to be built and then cultivated through consistent, physical examples. It’s never been established through words alone, nor has it ever been betrayed by a single, rare mistake. What Pujols did Thursday night in St.  Louis was wrong.  Answering questions is part of being a professional. But to suggest that the other players in the Cardinals’ dugout somehow lost faith or respect in baseball’s greatest right-handed slugger was a stretch from the start. A failed assumption.

Pujols left no doubt on Saturday night in Arlington,Texas, with those scribes who questioned him looking on in awe. He answered the call and then some. And now his Cardinals hold an improbable 2-1 lead in the seven-game Fall Classic. Have we mentioned, already, that this series has the feel of an instant classic?”

Related articles

• Danny Groner: Albert Pujols’ Game 3 Performance Was One for the Ages (huffingtonpost.com)
• Albert Pujols’ Three Home Runs Do the Talking (bleacherreport.com)

Game 2. Texas Rangers Pluck Some Feathers Tonight!

Texas Rangers celebrate Game 2 win over Cardinals

The Texas Rangers are leaving town with the Cardinals singing the blues …. St. Louis Blues that is after staging  a ninth inning rally that  won the game for them.  Final score:  Rangers 3 – Cardinals 2.   Well for sure I can’t use the 2010 Game 2 as a blog opener this year.  Last year the Giants shut out the Rangers 9-0 in Game 2.   Entirely different game this year.   For one thing I just couldn’t get enough of the Elvis & Ian dynamic. Elvis Andrus and Ian Kinsler may be the best all-around double-play combo in the game.   At least tonight they were.   Pretty impressive stuff coming from the Texas Rangers.  I have to admit we have ourselves a real World Series folks.

Elvin Andrus & Ian Kinsler Double Play Magic!

Highlight of this game?  In the 5th inning all eyes were on the Texas Rangers as Elvis Andrus  flipped the ball off the tip of his fingers to Ian Kinsler, forcing out Jaime Garcia on his way to 2nd, on a hit by the Card’s Rafael Furcal.  This is one of those plays that needs to be seen on a video and was the highlight of the game for me.   There were several antics like this during the game, but the Rangers waited until the ninth inning to score adding to the anticipation this world series is going to seven!   I love this stuff!

Since we’re leaving St. Louis and heading to Arlington, Texas for Saturday’s game, I wanted to share this picture with you.  For some reason I never really associated the Budweiser Clydesdales  with St. Louis.  But here they are in grand fashion posing for ooh’s and aah’s.

The Budweiser Clydesdales enjoying the game!

Next Game Saturday, October 22, at Ranger Stadium.  Game time 5:05pm.

Related articles

• Rangers Save Best For Last, Solve Cardinals’ Pen In 9th To Even Series (newyork.cbslocal.com)
• Rangers beat Cardinals to tie World Series 1-1 (reuters.com)
• Gut Check: Rangers 2, Cardinals 1 (40yearrangerfan.mlblogs.com)

Game 1. Texas Can’t Hold ‘Em!

“Who would have thought it?  Cardinals 3, Rangers 2.   I had almost as much fun watching the sports pundits after the game as I did watching the game itself.  Well, almost.”

What better quote than using the exact opener I used on last year’s Game 1 blog replacing, of course, the Giants with Cardinals.    I watched the media before the game throughout the day and the odds were 80% in favor of Texas “going all the way”.  And, of course they may, but at least the odds are right now, today, just a little in favor of the St. Louis Cardinals.  Winners of Game one go on to win it all  in 60% of the World Series played to date.

One of the memorable quotes from the game, “It’s a five letter word S- T- R- I- K- E ” as only Tim McCarver could utter at the end of the 6th inning.

For those who like to know about the key moments, here are two, courtesy of NPR’s Tom Goldman’s report for Morning Edition:

Chris Carpenter on a "Defensive" slide into 1st Base.

“— The coolest play came in the first inning. Cards pitcher Chris Carpenter covered the bag at first base, and had to dive to the ground to get the ball tossed his way by first baseman Albert Pujols. “Carpenter dove for the ball and as his long frame hit the ground he tagged the base with his glove hand, at the same time pulling his pitching hand away to protect it from the batter’s oncoming cleats,” Tom says. “How cool to see a pitcher getting dirty.”

The play, Tom added, “served notice that the game, perhaps the Series, is going to be a diving for every out, clawing for every run affair.”

Allen Craig's "off the bench" hit to score the winning run.

— The biggest play came in the sixth inning when Cardinals manager Tony LaRussa sent pinch hitter Allen Craig to the plate in place of Carpenter. Craig’s hit to right field was dropped by Ranger outfielder Nelson Cruz. That drove in the winning run. LaRussa’s savvy use of his bench and bullpen came through again.”

Game 2 – Tonight at Busch Stadium, St. Louis at 5:05 pm televised on Fox.

Related articles

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• Craig’s single leads Cardinals past Rangers in Game 1 (tsn.ca)
• 2011 World Series Information (socyberty.com)
• Red-hot Cardinals take 1-0 lead in World Series with 3-2 victory over Rangers (denverpost.com)

Texas Rangers Cruz to the Pennant Sans Lee!

Texas Rangers ~ 2011 ALCS Champions

Congratulations to the American League Pennant winner, the Texas Rangers and their MVP Nelson Cruz!

The Texas Rangers, 2010 American League Champions, have done it again, this time on Cruz control! The Detroit Tigers fell like dominoes tonight, one after another, until there was nothing left.   The Rangers scored twelve runs tonight showing no mercy, stealing a base with a 9 run lead, grabbing high fly balls off the back wall like fly swatters and bowling the Tigers over like Tony was standing around hovering over a bowl of frosted flakes.   Triumphant if you were a Rangers fan; not so much for the Tigers.   For the second year in a row the Texas Rangers plowed through the New York Yankees to get to this point and I think it’s about time to admit this team’s for real!

Nelson Cruz, 2011 ALCS MVP

MVP for the ALCS was Nelson Cruz who homered six times and had 13 RBIs, a Major League record for the series.   Cruz was an easy choice for series MVP.  He went 8 for 22 (.364), with every hit going for extra bases and his two non-homers were doubles. Consider these feats by the 2011 ALCS  MVP:

• He hit the first game-ending grand slam in postseason history.
• He became the first player with extra-inning homers in two games of one series.
•  He became the franchise’s career postseason home run king.

Cliff Lee ~ 2010 World Series Press Conference

And one more thing……I just have to say this … they did it this time without Cliff Lee.   Remember Lee?  He’s the one who left the Texas Rangers after last year’s World Series play to find a team who could win the World Series.  He by-passed the Yankees and settled in with the Phillies for the 2011 season.   The Texas Rangers begged him to stay but to no avail and now the Texas Rangers are going to the World Series and Cliff Lee is not.  C’est La Vie.

Detroit Manager Jim Leyland & Miguel Cabrera

Note:  Did anyone else notice the little swat on the bum Detroit Manager Jim Leyland gave Miguel Cabrera as he dejectedly walked back from the strike-out pounding he’d just received from pitcher Olexi Ogando?  I’m pretty sure Leyland knew he was witnessing the demise of the Tigers in the series at that point.  It was an endearing moment, just a manager and one of his kids hanging on ’til that very last out in the game.

Related articles

• Texas Wins ALCS, Advances To World Series (newyork.cbslocal.com)
• Rangers’ Nelson Cruz sets playoff home run, RBI records (theglobeandmail.com)
• Rangers earn 2nd consecutive World Series berth (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
• Rangers Slugger Nelson Cruz Wins ALCS MVP (abcnews.go.com)