A part of history took place on Thursday night in the Bronx as a Baseball Legend ended his reign at the only ballpark he's ever called Home on a game-winning base hit. Derek Jeter has been one of the game's most iconic players, and there was no other way his last game in Yankee Stadium could end without him making another magical hit, like he's done countless times in his 20-year career while donning pinstripes. On Saturday night, another legend of the game will say farewell to his longtime ballclub. Chicago White Sox slugger Paul Konerko will be honored throughout the evening on the South Side as he plays his last game of his storied career.
Now, as big of a Sox fan as I am, I know that Jeter's farewell is much larger than Paulie's. However, these are two great ballplayers who deserve all of the accolades and praise that will come from these farewell engagements. Many people can tell you where they were when they saw many of Derek Jeter's classic moments. His Homer in the 2001 World Series at the stroke of Midnight, crowning him as "Mr. November", or his epic leap into the stands against his rival Boston in 2007, or his record-breaking hit to make him the Yankees' all-time hit leader (which took place against my Pale Hose a few years ago). However, only a few can tell you about Paulie's great moments. The countless outs he recorded playing at First Base, which didn't end up on SportsCenter reels night after night. Or his majestic bombs out to the left field Bullpen, usually part of piecing together a comeback rally in a Mid-Summer evening affair as opposed to an October night. Oh, but Konerko saved his biggest moment for the Fall, as his iconic Grand Slam in Game 2 of the 2005 World Series will forever be lamented in White Sox lore as the seat in which the ball landed is still the same small blue seat it was during that Championship year.
The numbers are incredible for both competitors, but the reason why we are talking about these moments over and over. The reason why Jeter received gifts in Baltimore and Texas and why Konerko received gifts in Cleveland and Detroit, aren't just because of how well they played against those cities' ballclubs. It's because in the time and era in which they played, through the era clouded by Steroids, Contract disputes, Mega-Trades and a general decline in times for the game of Baseball, these two gentlemen played the right way, gave their all every single play in the field, every single at-bat, and every single second they put on their uniform. And in a time where Sports has been given a bad name by countless individuals who take for granted the opportunities they have, Sir Derek Jeter and Sir Paulie Konerko respected the game and did so with the utmost amount of love and humility.
No player will ever wear #2 in the Bronx again, and I'm fairly certain no player will ever don #14 on the South Side after Sunday's season comes to a close. And it's all with good reason. These two Legends gave us all so many great memories, those numbers will forever be synonymous with their club, their era, and the great game of Baseball.
I think, Derek's nephew Jalen says it best for all of us fans.
Farewell.
Showing posts with label Baseball. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Baseball. Show all posts
September 26, 2014
September 27, 2013
A Bunch of Awesome Videos from This Week
There have been way too many good videos online this week to not share with everyone on the Blog, so here they are:
Here's a Pole Dancer practicing her craft to the awesome Lacuna Coil song "Angel's Punishment" and their Lead Vocalist Cristina Scabbia liked it enough to post it on her Facebook page. It's KSFW (Kinda Safe For Work) Spoiler Alert: She keeps her clothes on.
A clip of a guy pranking his wife into answering the door when the Jehovah's Witness came knocking
This Video of Samuel L. Jackson catching shit on the street about his movie roles from lazy parents
or This Emotional Sports Moment of Yankees Legendary Closer Mariano Riviera's farewell from his last appearance at Yankee Stadium.
Check out this old clip of UFC Fighter Diego Sanchez getting gashed open by a BJ Penn kick to the dome. Pretty sick.
and Last, but not least. This couple driving down the expressway in Chicago while fucking. Yes, you read that correctly.
April 11, 2012
Grab Bag #6: Ozzie Guillen & Future Blog Attractions
- former White Sox and new Miami Marlins manager Ozzie Guillen is in hot water with the fans and media over his comments about Cuban dictator Fidel Castro. He said that he respects Castro because he's still in office despite the millions of people who want him dead. I understand how the cuban populus of Miami is upset by that statement but at the same time, he wasn't condoning what Castro has done, he was just admiring how people dislike him and his beliefs and yet he still does his job, just how Guillen was constantly criticized in Chicago, even though he brought us a World Series title and 2 Division Titles. Case in Point: Free Speech = Leave Ozzie the fuck alone.
- I got some Bar & Restaraunt Reviews coming up in the next few weeks. Fujiya, Wild Tymes and Kelly's Depot in St. Paul will be covered.
- Had some delicious pancakes from Mickey's late this evening / early morning.
- So with summertime on it's way, it's time to move out the heavy dark liquor and bring in some crisp, refreshing light drinks to sip on. I'm working on my Top 5 summer drinks list and will reveal it this week.
- Check out my Brother, Chuck West, he has a music blog on this same network called Audible Reflections. Go to audiblereflections.blogspot.com and inform yourself even more :)
Be great, talk to y'all later.
- I got some Bar & Restaraunt Reviews coming up in the next few weeks. Fujiya, Wild Tymes and Kelly's Depot in St. Paul will be covered.
- Had some delicious pancakes from Mickey's late this evening / early morning.
- So with summertime on it's way, it's time to move out the heavy dark liquor and bring in some crisp, refreshing light drinks to sip on. I'm working on my Top 5 summer drinks list and will reveal it this week.
- Check out my Brother, Chuck West, he has a music blog on this same network called Audible Reflections. Go to audiblereflections.blogspot.com and inform yourself even more :)
Be great, talk to y'all later.
February 27, 2012
when you wear a jersey...
I love sports, and one of the things I love about sports is the uniforms. Hockey and Baseball, by far, have the coolest jerseys in sports, with Football taking 3rd (basketball jerseys are only cool to wear if you play basketball or are under the age of 12)
Growing up in a sports fanatic household, I was dressed in everything Bears, Bulls and White Sox for the first 10 years of life.(Hawks stuff came a bit later) over time I amassed a large collection of sportswear, and to this day, still own over 100 sports jerseys of all different sports teams.
Wearing Chicago sports wear in a different city is a challenge I wouldn't advise fairweather fans to take. There's a lot of responsibility in representing a city, especially if your in a rival area like Minnesota, Wisconsin or Michigan.
Sometimes it can be unsafe to wear a jersey in some places (ex: Cubs jersey to a Sox game when it's not Sox vs Cubs. You are asking to get into a fight which myself and 500 other Sox faithful would gladly accept on any given night at The Cell)
Sometimes it sparks a conversation that you don't want to have (ex: wearing my jersey at the airport, "oh, you a fan of Insert Team Here? Cool, I went to see them... How do they look this season... My son once had.... ") I don't care that you saw the Hawks in the Met in the 80's or that your son had a Frank Thomas signed ball growing up. I'm fine with this chatter at a bar (sometimes) but not okay with it when I'm about to deal with the bullshit of flying)
Sometimes it can create some interesting situations (ex: I wore a rare vintage Hawks jersey out to the bars back home this past holiday, a really cute girl complimented me about it and we started talking sports. She drank the same cider as me (Magner's cider... so good) and eventually kept talking until she casually slipped in the "oh yeah, me and my husband..." Too good to be true, but I digress)
I am prepared to be a walking conversation piece when I throw a jersey on and leave the house. I am used to the compliments/insults/chatter that comes with it, but sometimes, it just gets to be too much.
*-sidenote: Ladies, there seriously isn't anything sexier than a woman wearing a jersey. You increase your chances of getting hit on by 670% by wearing a jersey. It adds +2 to your 1-10 ranking. And wearing your man's jersey to bed might result in the best sex of your life as well. Food for thought.
Growing up in a sports fanatic household, I was dressed in everything Bears, Bulls and White Sox for the first 10 years of life.(Hawks stuff came a bit later) over time I amassed a large collection of sportswear, and to this day, still own over 100 sports jerseys of all different sports teams.
Wearing Chicago sports wear in a different city is a challenge I wouldn't advise fairweather fans to take. There's a lot of responsibility in representing a city, especially if your in a rival area like Minnesota, Wisconsin or Michigan.
Sometimes it can be unsafe to wear a jersey in some places (ex: Cubs jersey to a Sox game when it's not Sox vs Cubs. You are asking to get into a fight which myself and 500 other Sox faithful would gladly accept on any given night at The Cell)
Sometimes it sparks a conversation that you don't want to have (ex: wearing my jersey at the airport, "oh, you a fan of Insert Team Here? Cool, I went to see them... How do they look this season... My son once had.... ") I don't care that you saw the Hawks in the Met in the 80's or that your son had a Frank Thomas signed ball growing up. I'm fine with this chatter at a bar (sometimes) but not okay with it when I'm about to deal with the bullshit of flying)
Sometimes it can create some interesting situations (ex: I wore a rare vintage Hawks jersey out to the bars back home this past holiday, a really cute girl complimented me about it and we started talking sports. She drank the same cider as me (Magner's cider... so good) and eventually kept talking until she casually slipped in the "oh yeah, me and my husband..." Too good to be true, but I digress)
I am prepared to be a walking conversation piece when I throw a jersey on and leave the house. I am used to the compliments/insults/chatter that comes with it, but sometimes, it just gets to be too much.
*-sidenote: Ladies, there seriously isn't anything sexier than a woman wearing a jersey. You increase your chances of getting hit on by 670% by wearing a jersey. It adds +2 to your 1-10 ranking. And wearing your man's jersey to bed might result in the best sex of your life as well. Food for thought.
February 24, 2012
Grab Bag #2
* So, as many of you who follow my Facebook (www.facebook.com/axsmith) know, I am a huge hockey fan, and a collector of Hockey Fight DVD's. I just purchased 68 DVD's online! So excited, they should be here next weekend.
* Next week, I am doing a full report on "The Target Theory" and why does it seem like all the hot women shop and/or work at Target (at least here in Minnesota, the home hub of the store)
* Try 2 Gingers Whiskey. It's tastey and better than Jameson!
www.2gingers.com (they didn't pay me to say that, but I wish they would give me a free case for saying it ;)
* Roadhouse.
* Looks like Ryan Braun may have replaced Derek Jeter as the new "Herpetic Hammer" in Baseball.
http://www.thebaseballpage.com/community/articles/real-crime-leak-braun's-test-results
For those that don't know, allegedly Derek Jeter has herpes thanks to Jessica Alba.
Have a good weekend and keep your genitals safe, chicks and dudes.
* Next week, I am doing a full report on "The Target Theory" and why does it seem like all the hot women shop and/or work at Target (at least here in Minnesota, the home hub of the store)
* Try 2 Gingers Whiskey. It's tastey and better than Jameson!
www.2gingers.com (they didn't pay me to say that, but I wish they would give me a free case for saying it ;)
* Roadhouse.
* Looks like Ryan Braun may have replaced Derek Jeter as the new "Herpetic Hammer" in Baseball.
http://www.thebaseballpage.com/community/articles/real-crime-leak-braun's-test-results
For those that don't know, allegedly Derek Jeter has herpes thanks to Jessica Alba.
Have a good weekend and keep your genitals safe, chicks and dudes.
February 20, 2012
great rain delay theatre video
Well it's 2012, it's baseball season (see last post)
That also means Rain Delay Theatre is back
Florida International gets down with the cha-cha slide
That also means Rain Delay Theatre is back
Florida International gets down with the cha-cha slide
it's Baseball season!!!
Ok, so I am awake right now on 4 hours of sleep. At about 10pm last night, it hit me randomly, like it does every year. The switch in my brain went off and the lights turned on.
It's mid-February. It's fucking Baseball season!
At that moment, this feeling of joy and happiness came out. I turned to MLB Network and started listening to the news stories from the offseason (granted, I do follow all the moves made in the winter, but it just feels more grand to listen to it all at once)
One friend joked on Facebook, "Great, football's finally over, and now I have to read 400 baseball posts everyday." I simply replied, "Sorry, but it's baseball.". It's that optimism and feel of a new beginning that doesn't come with any other sport or job or hobby around. It's like dating the girl of your dreams, only to take some time apart for 3-4 months, only to come back with a passion strong enough to bond forever.
I love baseball. I was raised on it as a small child. It helped me through my darkest days in high school. I missed junior and senior prom for a 6:05 match-up of my White Sox versus the KC Royals. It bonded me and my mom even closer, going to countless games in our season ticket seats out in right field. The ritual of entering the ballpark the same way depending on who I was their with. The countless, 2 Hot Dogs, Grilled Onions and Ketchup and a Pop.
I never got to fully play the game due to injuries, but I took my free time and studied the game harder than any school subject I had. It was peaceful and fun, and even as I reach age 23, there's nothing I enjoy more than 2 dogs in the outfield seats, with the fresh-cut grass, the slap of a glove catching a 95-mph Fastball, and the crack of a bat, scorching a ball 400 feet into the blue skies.
So, let's Play Ball!
...And Go Sox! :)
It's mid-February. It's fucking Baseball season!
At that moment, this feeling of joy and happiness came out. I turned to MLB Network and started listening to the news stories from the offseason (granted, I do follow all the moves made in the winter, but it just feels more grand to listen to it all at once)
One friend joked on Facebook, "Great, football's finally over, and now I have to read 400 baseball posts everyday." I simply replied, "Sorry, but it's baseball.". It's that optimism and feel of a new beginning that doesn't come with any other sport or job or hobby around. It's like dating the girl of your dreams, only to take some time apart for 3-4 months, only to come back with a passion strong enough to bond forever.
I love baseball. I was raised on it as a small child. It helped me through my darkest days in high school. I missed junior and senior prom for a 6:05 match-up of my White Sox versus the KC Royals. It bonded me and my mom even closer, going to countless games in our season ticket seats out in right field. The ritual of entering the ballpark the same way depending on who I was their with. The countless, 2 Hot Dogs, Grilled Onions and Ketchup and a Pop.
I never got to fully play the game due to injuries, but I took my free time and studied the game harder than any school subject I had. It was peaceful and fun, and even as I reach age 23, there's nothing I enjoy more than 2 dogs in the outfield seats, with the fresh-cut grass, the slap of a glove catching a 95-mph Fastball, and the crack of a bat, scorching a ball 400 feet into the blue skies.
So, let's Play Ball!
...And Go Sox! :)
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