Life and Indians Baseball through the Eyes of a Clemson Girltag:clemsongirlbaseball.mlblogs.com,2008-03-29:/588812009-09-18T19:42:48ZClemson Girls best in the world!
Music Playlist at MixPod.comMovable Type Pro 4.25Breathetag:clemsongirlbaseball.mlblogs.com,2009://58881.12351412009-09-18T18:58:14Z2009-09-18T19:42:48ZI thought today I would try to explain my feelings about the Victor Martinez trade. As I mentioned before I am mostly over the disappointment but it still makes me very sad sometimes. Victor really was the heart and soul...Lissiclemsongirlbaseball.mlbblogs.com
I thought today I would try to explain my feelings about the Victor Martinez trade. As I mentioned before I am mostly over the disappointment but it still makes me very sad sometimes. Victor really was the heart and soul of this team. He was the type of player who would have accepted a paycut to stay with the Indians forever. And his dedication showed in how he played. Earlier this season he did somethings that I did now agree with but I forgave him and by the time the Trade (as I call it) happened I had pretty much forgotten. The surprising about this trade for me was that Victor was not even one of my top three favorite players on the Indians but I was devastated when they traded him. I mean devastated. I cried as hard as I cry at the end of Finding Neverland. I made a Victor playlist on iTunes. I figured when I could get through the playlist without tearing up I would be mostly over it. That took until about the middle of August and I still can't watch the interview Victor gave the day he left. And his son's hopeful question the morning of the Trade still chokes me up: "Daddy are we still Indians?" One song on that playlist in particular describes my feelings pretty well.
Breathe- Taylor Swift (by the way, Kanye is a jerk, okay moving on)
I see your face in my mind as I drive away
Cause none of us thought it was gonna end that way
People are people and sometimes we change our minds
But it's killing me to see you go after all this time
I don't think anyone could have told you that Victor would be traded this year when the year started. But as the season got worse and it became clearer and clearer that the Indians were not going to the playoffs this year the Front Office realized that this was probably the best time to trade their aging catcher and get something really good for him. Especially with Carlos Santana in the minors Victor did not really have a place with this team in the future for what he deserved to be paid.
Music starts playing lie the end of a sad movie
It's the kind of ending you don't really want to see
Cause it's tragedy and it'll only bring you down
Now I don't what to be without you around.
At first it was very hard to imagine what the team would be without Victor. He embodied this team, it took a long time for me to accept that he was gone and not coming back.
And we know it's never simple, never easy
Never a clean break, no one here to save me
You're the only thing I know like the back of my hand
I do not think the Front Office would tell you it was easy for them to make this trade and I do not think that would a PR lie either. Victor meant a lot to the organization as a whole and trading him was probably ne of the hardest moves Shapiro has had to make.
And I can't breathe without you
But I have to
Breathe without you but I have to
Never wanted this never want to see you hurt
Every little bump in the road I tried to swerve
But people are people and sometimes it doesn't work out
Nothing we say is going to save us from the fallout
Victor's interview upon leaving was very sad and emotional. I have not watched it but I know he was very upset about leaving, so upset he was fighting back tears. Unfortunately he could not stay in Cleveland.
And we know it's never simple, never easy
Never a clean break, no one here to save me
You're the only thing I know like the back of my hand
It's two AM feeling like I just lost a friend
I hope you know it's not easy, easy for me.
It's two AM feeling like I just lost a friend
I hope you know it's not easy, easy for me.
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Changestag:clemsongirlbaseball.mlblogs.com,2009://58881.12269612009-09-14T03:26:09Z2009-09-14T03:39:38ZSo I lied last time. I did not stay back. I have been awfully busy and it has been hard to get back into the habit of writing entries. I promise I will try to do better.Since I've been gone...Lissiclemsongirlbaseball.mlbblogs.com
Since I've been gone Grady has had two surgeries that will keep him out for the rest of the season. Personally I think this should have happened a long time ago because I don't know what good it was doing to have him keep playing. I know it was not hurtung but it was not necessarily helping. Ocassionally it may have helped the Indians win a game or two but I do not think anyone thought that the Indians had a chance at the playoffs even in July.
Which brings us to July and the month of trades. The Cliff Lee trade was tough and I was sad but the Victor Martinez was awful. I was in a baseball depression for probably about a month. Sometimes I still have relapses and seeing him in a Red Sox uniform is still tough. I think the last series between the Red Sox and Indians will be very difficult for me to watch. I would not rule out tears. However I love Justin Masterson. He may not have been very impressive in a few of his starts but I have seen some real potential and he is a great guy off the field.
New in my life: I have decided to stay an Early Childhood Education major. I know some of you were excited about hearing college students shout "Melissa" at college football games but I went to what I thought would be my last ever education class and remembered why I loved Early Childhoos so much. So I am back on track to be a kindergarten/first grade teacher in the inner city. Right now I would like that city to be Cleveland but I would not mind back home in St. Louis or maybe Boston. But even though I don't like the cold I have decided that I could not live in the south, I think I fit in more in the north. I still love the south though, I just think I will be ready for all four seasons again when I graduate.
Here's a video for everyone's enjoyment about my second favorite team and secodn favorite player:
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I'm back with #25!tag:clemsongirlbaseball.mlblogs.com,2009://58881.11670412009-08-17T03:19:53Z2009-08-17T03:36:47ZSo I'm back now. Hopefully for awhile. I find it hard to write when i don't have an everyday routine so now that I'm back at Clemson and school is about to start hopefully I can get a routine going...Lissiclemsongirlbaseball.mlbblogs.com
I've had a fairly uneventful summer. I worked, watched baseball, did homework, and just relaxed. I had a lot of fun though and the past two weeks have been eventful enough to fill a whole summer.
I'm an RA this year so I got to Clemosn early for RA Training. I met all of my fellow RA's in Manning Hall and we are like a big family now. I feel like I have known these girls for years. Training was a lot of fun but very tiring. It was filled with late nights and early mornings and full days with no naps. I am now a very big fan of sleep.
Apparently even though I haven't been writing I still made it on the latest leaders list so I will be doing a tribute entry today to get back into the swing of things.
I was number 25 on the Latest Leaders the last time it came out. So today I will be doing a tribute to:
Andy Marte!
I refuse to do a tribute to Mark McGwire for obvious reasons.
Andy Marte was signed by the Atlanta Braves in 2000. He was traded to the Boston red Sox in 2005 for Edgar Rentaria. Then in the same off season the Red Sox traded Marte and Shoppach and Randy Newsom to the Indians for Coco Crisp, Josh Bard, and David Riske. Marte looked to be a rising star but in 2008 when he was with the Indians he had a very mediocre season. Some say he was mismanaged by Eric Wedge and others say he is not a very good major league baseball player. That remains to be seen as Marte is back with the Indians in 2009 after being given a second chance due to a phenomenal start in Triple-A this year. I have high hopes for Marte but I am unsure of whether or not his future will be with the Indians. I would think that with the players available to the Indians in the next few years either Marte or Peralta will be traded this offseason. We will see what happens.
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#15!tag:clemsongirlbaseball.mlblogs.com,2009://58881.10463612009-07-06T02:23:18Z2009-07-06T04:02:35ZOkay everyone so I have not been writing much lately due to an insane amount of homework that I, as usual, put off until the last minute. It was very interesting though. I will try to explain it later.#15- Jim...Lissiclemsongirlbaseball.mlbblogs.com
#15- Jim Edmonds
In the tradition of MLBlogs my dedication entry today will be about Jim Edmonds. Jim Edmonds was the Cardinals center fielder known for his exciting plays in the outfield. He played for the Cardinals from 2000- 2007. Jim Edmonds began his career with the California Angels (before the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim of California of the United States of the World of the Solar System of the Milky Way of the Universe). He was drafted out of high school and debuted in the major leagues in 1993 with the Angels. In his rookie season many did not think he had the makings of a Major League ballplayer because of his easygoing and laid back attitude. After seven years with the Angels, Jim was traded to the Cardinals after butting heads with the new manager. The Cardinals quickly signed him to a contract extension and he stayed there until 2007. He was part of the World Series Championship team in 2006. He was known for spectacular catches and good slugging.
Homework
My homework was all about female sports journalists. I learned a lot including there are not many and men are jerks (just kidding). I learned about all of the horrible things many female sports journalists went through and sometimes still go through. I learned it is a tough job but that most women are still very satisfied with their jobs despite in many cases a lack of ability to advance in the profession. I also learned that the situation has been improving in recent years but that boys are still boys and often sources and colleagues are still very rude and sometimes downright nasty. I will not describe some of the horrors some of these women have endured because children read this and they are truly terrible and inappropriate. This information has not deterred me from goals however. maybe because I am naive or I have too much faith in the world to be a better place but I am not going to give up my dream because some people cannot accept that women can be just as knowledgeable about sports as men.
Picture:
http://www.cobrabrigade.com/images/edmondsisgay.jpg (I had nothing to do with the original title of the picture- Cubs fans...)
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There's a red moon rising on the Cuyahoga River...tag:clemsongirlbaseball.mlblogs.com,2009://58881.10093512009-06-22T19:47:33Z2009-06-22T20:17:10ZI have been taking a small break from blogging recently as you could all probably tell. With work and class and the Indians being uninspiring I have not had much to say and not much time to say it.Since my...Lissiclemsongirlbaseball.mlbblogs.com
Since my last entry I have found a new favorite ballpark... Progressive (Jacobs) Field in Cleveland! I finally got to go to Cleveland and see an Indians home game. Two actually. They won two of three against the Cardinals and that was the end of any salvageable season as we know it. I have said before I do not give up on teams easily but I really do think it is over for the Indians this year. My new goal is to finish above Kansas City in the standings.
Grady should be back tomorrow according to him and A-Cab is on his way to what will probably be a short rehab assignment in Columbus so things are looking up in that department. However, the bullpen and starting rotation is just too bad to have any hope for a division winning team this year. Cliff Lee has been looking like his Cy Young self but the bullpen still manages to blow seven run leads when he's pitching which will not get him any more wins. Pavano apparently was suffering from some soreness so they gave him a little rest after two rough starts and we will see how he is on Wednesday. David Huff has been passable, Jeremy Sowers is fine until the fifth inning usually, and Tomo Ohka has been surprisingly good. But the bullpen cannot hold any leads their starters may give them. They manage to find new ways to lose every day and they are incredibly frustrating to watch. I am hoping that the returns of Grady and A-Cab make this team a little more bearable to watch.
So after that downer of a paragraph here are the pictures of my trip to Cleveland!
The famous LeBron billboard. I'm not really a huge LeBron fan but this is kind of a landmark.
Sorry this is sideways. This is me in front of the Bob Feller statue.
That's my favorite Cardinal Colby Rasmus stretching with Ryan Ludwick in the foreground.
Tony! We saw Tony eating in Cleveland's historic Little Italy too. That was fun.
This is the beginning of Major League which I saw about an hour of an the screen at the Jake.
The famous Cleveland seagulls in the upper deck stands behind home plate. The fireworks after every half inning seem to be working in warding off the gulls.
This is me in my new A-Cab shirt in front of the Grady picture at the Jake.
It was a good trip and I clearly chose a good time to see them before they completely fell apart against the Brewers.
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It may be raining, but there's a rainbow above you...tag:clemsongirlbaseball.mlblogs.com,2009://58881.9713712009-06-09T15:16:17Z2009-06-09T19:37:44ZSo it's been awhile. I apologize. I've been pretty busy with work and the online class I'm taking this summer.The Indians have been taking me on an emotional roller coaster again. They lost the series in Minnesota and then won...Lissiclemsongirlbaseball.mlbblogs.com
The Indians have been taking me on an emotional roller coaster again. They lost the series in Minnesota and then won the series in Chicago complete with a three-hit complete game shutout from Carl Pavano. Pavano has been amazing recently and I love it.
Fausto Carmona, however, has not been amazing unless you mean amazingly bad. He has been sent to rookie ball in Arizona after the Minnesota series to work things out down there. I really hope he figures it out and makes it back up sometime. I do not think we will be seeing him in the near future, or even this season, however.
Another starter who has been getting better and better every start is David Huff who is up in the Majors for the first time in his career and just got his first Major League victory on Sunday.
The bullpen is still concerning me. They have managed to get out of bad situations with minimal damage recently but for the most part they have put themselves in those situations. It is so bad that when we are leading 8-4 and Kerry Wood walks someone with two outs I assume that the other team just won the game.
Next up the Indians have the Royals who are in the midst of a bit of a free fall. The Royals have lost nine of their last ten and are now only a half game ahead of the Indians in the standings. Whoever loses this series is in last place in the AL Central. This is a key series for the Tribe. I am to the point where if they lose this series I may say the season's over for them. They need to beat the struggling Royals. A sweep would be great but I'll take two out of three. The pitching matchup for tonight is Bannister and Lee. If Cliff can pitch like he has been recently and the offense can score runs for him like last time we should win this game. However the offense seems to not care that much when Cliff pitches and decide that he can win even if they do not score. They have been scoring a little more recently so hopefully they can keep that up. Wednesday's matchup is Meche versus Pavano. As I said Carl has been pitching very well recently and he leads the team in wins with six. Again we should probably win this game on paper but as everyone knows things do not always turn out that way especially for the Indians. Thursday is when Carmona's spot in the rotation would come up normally but because of the offday mlb.com is saying that Sowers is the likely pitcher for Thursday night's game against Grienke. Grienke was far from impressive his last outing but maybe that was just a fluke. If it was the Indians need to do their best to work Grienke hard. Sowers has been much better recently and hopefully he can continue that. He does not have an easy opponent to try to continue that with though. Overall this series is very interesting and very important for both teams.
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Every word you say, say something sweet...tag:clemsongirlbaseball.mlblogs.com,2009://58881.9592312009-06-04T15:36:16Z2009-06-04T16:36:19ZThe Indians stomped the Twins last night. Amazingly the Indians scored runs behind Cliff Lee. Not just some runs though: ten runs. TEN RUNS. They only needed two. Then Kerry Wood would have gotten a rare save opportunity but, hey,...Lissiclemsongirlbaseball.mlbblogs.com
Also Cliff Lee and Carlos Gomez got into it again. Early in the game Carlos Gomez bunted with two strikes and it went foul so he was out. This was a stupid move on his part and he looked a little bit like a fool and a bit cocky too. Cliff Lee did not like this move so later when Gomez flew out he said something to him. Rick Manning and Jim Rosenhaus (filling in for Matt Underwood, more on that later) thought he said something like "Should have bunted." Carlos Gomez did not like that so he charged the mound when Cliff Lee's back was turned (low) and Victor martinez, being awesome as usual, ran interference. The benches semi-cleared shortly and it seemed over.
The next inning Ryan Garko was hit by a pitch in the first at bat. I do not think this was intentional. Then one batter later Kelly Shoppach gets hit. Still not intentional in my opinion. The umpire agreed with me and did not issue any warnings or anything. Later Kelly Shoppach was hit again. I still do not think this was intentional I just like the fact that we have something we are good at. We are now leading the Majors in hit by pitches at 39. Kelly Shoppach leads the league with ten. We call him the Ball Magnet.
Matt Underwood, the Indians play-by-play announcer is back in Cleveland with his mom who is very ill. So please keep him and his family in your thoughts and prayers.
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My Baby is Hurttag:clemsongirlbaseball.mlblogs.com,2009://58881.9489212009-06-01T00:34:12Z2009-06-01T00:54:40Z That's right everyone Grady is officially too hurt to play at all. He was placed on the fifteen day DL this morning. I am very sad but I hope he gets better soon. The Indians say that the MRI...Lissiclemsongirlbaseball.mlbblogs.com
That's right everyone Grady is officially too hurt to play at all. He was placed on the fifteen day DL this morning. I am very sad but I hope he gets better soon. The Indians say that the MRI they did revealed no structural damage so that is good but with their track record on injuries and what they reveal I can only be so hopeful. This news kind of killed my day. The poor Indians cannot catch a break this year. Please get better Grady. I will be waiting.
Carl Pavano
Carl Pavano has been absolutely amazing recently. He leads the team with five wins and would have had number six today if the Indians' bullpen had not reverted back to its old ways. Today for example he pitched 7 1/3 innings walking no one and striking out four. He gave up seven hits and three runs. That is less than a hit per inning pitched. He did not give anyone a free trip on base and when Wedge took him out he was not happy about it. I love how he is pitching and competing right now. The other night STO did an interview with him and it was probably one of the best interviews STO has ever done. I am really liking him more and more as the season goes on. I love it even more when he dominates the Yankees.
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Between the Linestag:clemsongirlbaseball.mlblogs.com,2009://58881.9457212009-05-30T15:34:08Z2009-05-30T20:07:29ZLast night's game is not really worth recapping. It was probably one of the most boring games I have ever seen. Usually the Indians winning or losing has no bearing on whether or not I find he game entertaining so...Lissiclemsongirlbaseball.mlbblogs.com
This is the pose Grady uses when he is disappointed or sad. So like all this year.
Time to tell me the truth, to burden your mouth for what you say
No pieces of paper in the way...
My memory is cruel, the queen of attention to details
Defending intentions if he fails, until now.
He told me her name, it sounded familiar in a way
And I could have sworn I heard him say it
Ten thousand times, Oh if only I had been listening
Leave unsaid unspoken, Eyes wide shut unopened
You and me, always between the lines.
-Sara Bareilles
What I am really concerned about is Grady's "sore" elbow. Apparently it has been bothering him all year and only when he throws. All year? Really. They could have put him on the DL so much earlier and he maybe would have been back and all better by now. Instead we have hurt Grady who is now hitting better but apparently cannot throw and Travis is coming back meaning Grady has to play the outfield or nothing at all. I wish I just knew the truth about what was happening right now. I have no idea how bad the elbow is. Grady says he hopes it does not become a DL situation but Grady even mentioning the DL makes it seem pretty serious. The sad part is since he is starting to hit better if he goes on the DL I am afraid he will come back rusty and all of this progress he has made recently will mean nothing. I said from the beginning that something seemed off with him and apparently I was right. I just hope they can fix it without sending him to the DL. I would be really sad if he was not playing when I go to the Jake in June.
There you have the American League All Star Voting so far. I will give you my thoughts on each position.
First Base: I have been voting for Justin Morneau. I still have over 100 votes to go so they will make very little difference. That being said Youkiis is not a bad choice. But it should be between him and Morneau in my opinion.
Second Base: I love Dustin Pedroia but I love Ian Kinsler more so I am very pleased with this position. Kinsler has been having a great year and definitely deserves to be at the game if not starting.
Third Base: Evan Longoria is definitely the best choice here. I do not think there is much more I can say about this position it seems pretty cut and dry to me.
Shortstop: DEREK JETER????? Have you seen him play defense? Jhonny Peralta is a better option. Overrated. There is my rant. I can not say I am surprised but I am disappointed. I have been voting for either Jason Bartlett, who is now hurt. This year shortstop is not a very strong position though so it is pretty much over there I think.
Catcher: Joe Mauer and Victor Martinez my two favorite catchers in the AL are leading this position. It has been so hard for me to pick between the two of these players. When I was mad at Victor I voted for Mauer and at other times I have just been splitting votes. Both deserve to be there and both deserve to start but obviously only one of them will so I will be happy with whoever it is.
Outfield: Despite his slow start Grady is still eighth in outfielders. Good job Indian fans and me. The top three are not bad but obviously I think Grady should be there every year. Objectively though, I think the outfield is pretty close to right except for Nelson Cruz seems really high and Curtis Granderson (as much as this pains me) seems pretty low. Johnny Damon is too high but I do not really expect him to drop any being a Yankee and all. I am happy with Ellsbury's position too. he has had a great year and deserves to be right up there with everyone else.
There you have it. My thoughts on All Star Voting so far.
Here is my vote for the starting lineup:
First: Justin Morneau, Twins
Second: Ian Kinsler, Rangers
Third: Evan Longoria, Rays
Shortstop: Jason Bartlett, Rays
Catcher: Joe Mauer, Twins/Victor Martinez, Indians
Outfield: Josh Hamilton, Rangers Nick Markakis, Orioles Grady Sizemore, Indians (Incredibly biased pick there, leave me alone)
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THEY WON THEY WON THEY WON THEY WON THEY WON!!!!!!!tag:clemsongirlbaseball.mlblogs.com,2009://58881.9345012009-05-26T15:00:15Z2009-05-26T15:24:24ZThat was my reaction while jumping up and down at the verge of tears last night when Victor hit his game winning single to center last night. I probably looked insane but I really do not care. I watched that...Lissiclemsongirlbaseball.mlbblogs.com
In case you missed it here is what happened. The inning began with a walk to Grady. Victor popped out. Jhonny singled. and moved Grady to second. Choo hits a tailor made double play ball that should have ended the game but Rays shortstop Reid Brignac threw it over the second baseman's head and Grady scores while everyone else moves up one base. Mark DeRosa absolutely crushes a line drive but right at Evan Longoria. Two outs and Ryan Garko is up. Ryan Garko hits a three run home run. A-Cab walks. The Rays bring in Isringhausen. At this point I think we may have a chance. Francisco walks. Jamey carroll walks. Bases loaded, two outs and Grady is at the plate. What does Izzy do? Walks Grady and walks in a run. It is now a one-run game. Victor comes up and is currently 0-18. Make that 1-19 as he hits a single into center and two runs come around to score and the INDIANS WIN! Amazing and unbelievable. Anyone still watching the game was in shock I am sure. That was the happiest I have been all season. Yes I was even happier than when Grady hit the first grand slam in the New Yankee Stadium's history. And even happier than when two days later we beat the Yankees 22-4. It was amazing.
Here's the problem. Anthony Reyes is probably out for the year. Aaron Laffey is out for four-six weeks. We currently do not have a pitcher for Wednesday's game or Thursday's game. So something miraculous will have to happen to keep us in this. Something miraculous happened last night though so maybe the Indians have a few more miracles up their sleeves. I hope so.
Other notes from last night's game: 1) Jhonny really wants to play shortstop and he showed that last night with his defense. 2) Victor=clutch. 3) Grady should wear high socks more often. They are clearly the reason we won and he looked good.
Adorable. The power of high socks Grady.
Picture: The Cleveland Plain Dealer
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Should I give up?tag:clemsongirlbaseball.mlblogs.com,2009://58881.9304512009-05-24T22:56:31Z2009-05-24T22:57:36ZShould I give up or should I just keep chasing pavements even if it leads nowhere?"- ADELEThe Indians lost their series against the Reds this weekend in the 11th today. Was it disappointing? Very. Can I accept it? Surprisingly, yes....Lissiclemsongirlbaseball.mlbblogs.com
The Indians lost their series against the Reds this weekend in the 11th today. Was it disappointing? Very. Can I accept it? Surprisingly, yes. The Indians were trailing 3-1 in the top of the seventh when with two outs Grady hit a RBI triple down the right field line and then scored on a controversial interference call by the third base umpire. I did not see any interference but here is why it is okay that the umpire mad the call: 1) the Reds catcher did
not tag Grady at the plate. It was close but he did not tag him so he was safe despite what the home plate umpire called. 2) The Indians have had way too many questionable calls go against them this season that they deserve one (well more than that but this is a start) to go in their favor. Then in the bottom of the eleventh Vizcaino comes in and give up a lead-off single, a sac bunt, and then a walk-off base hit to end the game.
So why am I okay with the bullpen losing us another game? Because they threw ten scoreless innings before that. Because for the second day in a row the Indians came back from behind two days in a row. Because Grady and the Indians refuse to give up. Because Grady may be back as the leader of this team. He made a daring play to tie the game that maybe people would call stupid with Victor coming up next and a real possibility of getting thrown out at the plate but he refused to give up on this team's ability. He showed today why he has been called the leader of this team and everyone I think he is back. I hope he is back. If he is really back the Indians still have a shot at this division. Detroit's lost two in a row, Kansas City has been struggling, Chicago has been REALLY struggling. The Twins are the only team in the Central right now that look good. Which is exactly how I want it. Indians and Twins battling it out for the Central in September. That is my wish. Today the Indians showed they have the heart and the fight to help make it come true for them. So the answer to the question in the title... NO! Absolutely not. If Grady is not giving up, then I am not either. I do not care if this season goes nowhere in the end, I refuse to give up.
Next up the Rays. After a controversial end to last weekend's series this looks like it could be pretty interesting. Personally I hope both teams just forget last weekend and play like grown men but as we all know baseball players sometimes do not behave like the mature adults and model citizens they should be so I guess we will see how they pitch to Victor and the other Indians tomorrow night and how the Indians behave tomorrow night.
Picture: Cleveland Plain Dealer
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Maybe this time I can follow through tag:clemsongirlbaseball.mlblogs.com,2009://58881.9244812009-05-22T15:43:04Z2009-05-22T16:56:48Z#10!!!!Thanks everyone for visiting and reading. Thanks to you I am now #10 in the Latest leaders. My first visit to the Top 10!In honor of my ranking this time this entry is dedicated to Kelly Shoppach.Kelly is the Indians'...Lissiclemsongirlbaseball.mlbblogs.com#10!!!!
Thanks everyone for visiting and reading. Thanks to you I am now #10 in the Latest leaders. My first visit to the Top 10!
In honor of my ranking this time this entry is dedicated to Kelly Shoppach.
Kelly is the Indians' current slightly more than a backup catcher. Kelly was drafted by the Red Sox in 2001 after receiving the Johnny Bench Award for best collegiate catcher and being named the Big 12 Player of the Year at Baylor. He is one of few catchers in the Majors right now who has actually been a catcher his entire baseball career. He made his Major League debut in 2005 with the Red Sox after entering the season as the Red Sox top catching prospect. He only appeared in 9 games for the Red Sox in 2005. In 2006 Shoppach was sent to the Indians and spent most of his time that year as the backup catcher and some time in AAA Buffalo. Later in the season he saw some more playing time when Victor Martinez played first occasionally. 2008 saw Kelly break out of his role as backup catcher for the Indians and really shine. Due to an injury to Victor Martinez Kelly was called on to catch every day and he made the most of it. He led all American League catchers in home runs. This year because of his success last year he has been promised more playing time than an average backup catcher and is guaranteed to catch every day Cliff Lee pitches and so far has caught most of Pavano's starts as well. He is sort of an all-or-nothing hitter and seems to always be swinging for the fences but he always plays hard and is a great all-around guy. He is from Fort Worth, Texas, and is married with three daughters.
Yesterday my mom and I drove across the state to watch the Indians take on the Royals in the Royals newly renovated stadium. We got to see Zach Greinke and Carl Pavano. Both pitchers were very evenly matched with Greinke giving up one less run and Pavano giving up two less hits. Both pitched for six innings and then it was up to the bullpens. The Royals' bullpen wasted no time giving up Greinke's one-run lead while the Indians bullpen showed flashes of the incompetency Indians fans are so accustomed to but managed to give up no more runs while the offense scored six runs in two innings to win the game 8-3. It was a very good game to go to for me. I saw great starting pitching from both sides and the Indians' offense finally came to life at the same time all of the pitching decided to work. Plus I got to see Grady from about twenty feet away and he is about ten times cuter in person. Also he got a hit, walked twice, and sac bunted twice. Good game for the Gradester. He is supposed to back in center for the series this weekend against the Reds.
Now to the stadium. It is very nice. You can walk around the whole stadium and they have a lot of new amenities for their fans. On a hot day like yesterday sitting in the new seats underneath the fountains would be very nice. I have always like the K and it is now even better. Great job on the renovations.
Royals' fans have all of a sudden become very obnoxious and cocky. A little bit of success and they suddenly act like the rule the world. It probably does not help they all tailgate before the game and get drunk before they start drinking more at the game so that by the third inning or so they are completely gone. Unfortunately since most Royals fans have not been to many baseball game sin the past ten years or so they are not very aware of fan etiquette. For example do not stand up for like ten minutes waving your arm around while talking on your cell phone. Also do not go to your seats in the middle of a play. And beach balls? Seriously? As my mom said, "This isn't a rock concert." And when the screens tell you to get loud do not stop being loud as soon as they turn off. If the Royals keep playing well maybe they will learn. However I am happy to see that the Royals are drawing crowds and the crowds do get into close games and they do cheer very loudly when something good happens for them.
My Pictures
Behind the fountains
Jhonny and Valbuena warming up
Ben Francisco stretches while Grady and Jamey Carroll talk to the trainer
Pavano warming up
Jamey carroll apparently knew this guy because he talked to him for like ten minutes
Grady stretching. Grady turned around every time I tried to take his picture. Annoying.
Grady batting.
Zach Greinke pitching
New scoreboard looking the best it will look all season ;)
Shout out to the Cardinals: Sweeping the Cubs right out of St. Louis. That's how we roll. haha
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Is your muffin buttered?tag:clemsongirlbaseball.mlblogs.com,2009://58881.9181812009-05-20T03:58:25Z2009-05-20T16:30:47ZAre you ready for this? I don't think you are. I am about to go into full rant mode. This means you will have to really try to find sense in the next paragraph or so. Here we go. (To...Lissiclemsongirlbaseball.mlbblogs.com
What the heck Indians? You call yourselves a baseball team? What baseball teams have you been watching? The Nationals? Even they are better than us (the records may not show that but who would argue?). Seriously Cliff gives you another phenomenal start and again you blow it. What does the poor guy have to do to get a win? Let me tell you what real baseball teams do not do. 1) They do not condone giving up when you are down nine runs. 2) They do not tackle catchers, we are not playing football. Please Luis, do not channel Chris Duncan, that is not okay. 3) They do not give up three run leads in the bottom of the ninth by giving up two consecutive home runs and then an RBI triple and then a sac fly. That is NOT how you win baseball games.
Next, Grady. What is wrong with you? Something is wrong with you. Believe me I know. I watch you and analyze you much more than anyone else ever. You are not right. You are broken and someone needs to fix you. You better not be hurt. The more I see this season the more I think you are. You better not be lying to me. I would not be able to take it. Because I am fairly sure that would mean you have been lying to me for like two months. Not cool. Reasons Grady may be hurt: 1) He is failing. 2) The Indians suspiciously gave him essentially three days off by making him the DH. Since when has Grady needed three days off? He never used to need ANY days off. What is wrong? DO NOT LIE TO ME INDIANS! I CANNOT TAKE IT IF YOU LIE TO ME! YOU ALREADY KILL ME EVERY NIGHT DO NOT BE LYING TO ME TOO! 3) Oh yeah, he is failing.
Please, please, please, please fix this Indians Your fans are begging you and I would hope you are begging yourselves.
I hope that was not too incredibly irrational and that you got something out of that. Just that I am very frustrated.
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Epic Failtag:clemsongirlbaseball.mlblogs.com,2009://58881.9166112009-05-19T19:44:13Z2009-05-19T20:49:53ZKen from How About Dem O's Hun AND Jews on First guessed correctly that the title of my entry two entries ago was from 10 Things I Hate About You and the title of my last entry is from School...Lissiclemsongirlbaseball.mlbblogs.com
Ken from How About Dem O's Hun AND Jews on First guessed correctly that the title of my entry two entries ago was from 10 Things I Hate About You and the title of my last entry is from School of Rock. Today's title is not form a movie so do not try to guess. And since he has two blogs mentioning both totally counts as his two shout outs.
Someone please explain to me why the Indians fail at baseball. This is getting ridiculous. I seriously want to cry; curl up in a ball and cry. What have I done to deserve this from them. I watch every night that I can, I defend them even when I am pretty sure they are wrong, and I am going to their games this summer. And what do they do, every night? Break my heart. Just when things start looking up they manage to find another way to epic fail. EPIC FAIL. Like blow a 7-0 lead epic fail. Or apparently just not show up at all epic fail. Or scream profanities at the other team's manager epic fail. Now yesterday I am placing the blame almost solely on the umpires but I am very upset with Victor. I will forgive him eventually but if he could come out with some sort of explanation that would help. For example please explain to me why it is wrong to steal bases when you are losing. I do not understand this position. I want to know that if Grady had stolen 2nd and 3rd when the Indians were losing 9-0 Victor would have had problems with Grady for doing that. (Which by the way he totally would because honestly are you trying to tell me that the Indians just give up when they are losing by a lot? That would explain a lot actually so maybe they do.)
They need to win this series against the Royals. A sweep would be fabulous but I feel like that will nit be happening since we are facing Grienke on Thursday. I am also going on Thursday so while I am excited to see Grienke I am not excited at the fat that it means the Indians will probably get their butts kicked especially since Cliff Lee is not pitching that day either. So while all of you are watching teams that are not EPIC failures (except for the Nationals, I am so sorry, I feel terrible, or according to my father the Cardinals and judging from last night that applies too) this week I will be here (or in Kansas City) watching the Indians. Probably throwing many things and yelling. Hopefully not, but probably.
Facebook Quiz
On Facebook you can make a quiz about yourself and have people take it. Since not all of you have Facebook I thought I would put it on here and you can see how well you know me.
