My favorite team is the Baltimore Orioles. Since I
arrived from Cuba as a teenager at 17 to live
with my aunt in Miami I adopted the Orioles.
One of my first jobs was as a ball boy at the old
Miami Stadium in NW 23rd St in Miami where the
Orioles used to have their Spring Training home.
Last week I saw my favorite team and a compatriot
carving his name in history. I was ‘up close and
personal with guys like John (Boog) Powell,
Jim Gentile, Brooks Robinson, Chuck Estrada,
Gus Triandos and others.

By Amaury Pi-González [Read more →]

The A’s are back in the playoff picture.

What’s most encouraging about the team’s return to respectability is that A’s are doing it their way. Strong pitching, clutch hitting, and solid defense.

For the past five seasons, as June turned into July, Oakland made its move on the leaders.

As the weather gets warmer A’s fans sit back and watch the team run off four and five game winning streaks in a routine fashion.

Why does it happen like clockwork each year?

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Marty; One half of the season has been played. It has been an unhappy, miserable experience for the Giants. They are playing in what is probably the worst division in baseball, are nine losing games out of first and have three clubs in front of them, Looking forward to a significantly better second half might be an exercise in futility.

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Prior to the game on July 22 at SBC
Park between the Florida Marlins
and the San Francisco Giants,
executives for the Giants will
present officers of The Hispanic
Heritage Baseball Museum
a check for $25,000

Amaury Pi-González [Read more →]

The Yankee clubhouse is known as the Bronx Zoo.

The Red Sox aren’t very far behind.

Terry Francona is losing his grip on the world champions.

First, Francona has his team mad at him for naming Anaheim’s Bartolo Colon to the all star team instead of his own pitcher Matt Clement. The slight costing Clement his $250,000 all star bonus. [Read more →]

Marty; The Giants once had a pitcher named Juan Marichal. He ended his career with more complete games than victories—and he had well over two hundred victories before he suffered an arm injury. There was an occasion when Alvin Dark was his manager. Juan was in the midst of one of his rare series of outings where nothing he threw seemed capable of getting batters out. As a result, Dark had to pull him before he pitched into his customary late innings. On this occasion, as Marichal was warming up on the mound Dark walked out and told him to look at the bullpen in deep right field. The bullpen was empty. Dark said to him, “You’re going nine innings today. I don’t care how many runs they get off you.” Marichal pitched a complete winning game.

Tempus fugit!

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The Rumor Mill

Don’t be fooled into thinking that the Red Sox feel they’ve solved their bullpen problems by moving Curt Schilling into the uncharted territory of late-inning relief. They’re still holding out hope that Schilling can move back into the rotation by August or September, and even if he can’t, they still believe they need to acquire at least one quality reliever through the trade market. Their most desired commodity is Tampa Bay’s Danys Baez, but they’re hoping that the Devil Rays back off on their exorbitant trade demands of three prospects for the talented but inconsistent closer… The Red Sox are also one of several teams that have shown interest in Bret Boone, recently thrown into the wasteland known as the designated-for-assignment list. The Sox’ interest stems from their concern over the shaky defensive play of Mark Bellhorn, whose hands have become a sore spot in 2005. Like the other teams that have expressed a desire for Boone—principally the Yankees and the Padres—the Red Sox will have decide whether to give up a small amount of value in a trade that will guarantee them the services of Boone, or wait until he becomes a free agent and hope that he chooses them over other contenders… The Red Sox do have an advantage over other teams in that they can offer Boone a regular playing job for the rest of the season. In contrast, the Yankees can only promise a platoon opportunity with impressive rookie Robinson Cano, while the Padres can only offer playing time until Mark Loretta returns from the disabled list…

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Marty; There is no joy or pleasure in writing about the Giants these days. They may be on the way to a 100 loss season or very close to it. There undoubtedly are teams looking for one or two more starters to enable them to get back into the chase now that we are approaching the season’s mid-point. There are no teams looking for four or, possibly, five starters to accomplish this.

With the exception of Schmidt, who may have something left in his right arm, although recent outings raise a reasonable doubt concerning his health, the remaining starters do not belong in a rotation on a team which intends to be a factor in the race. The Giants, it daily becomes clearer, have no such intention.

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There was a time not long ago when
Spanish radio stations would buy the
rights to carry Major League Baseball
games. Today the trend is for the
teams to run their own spanish
radio broadcast.

Amaury Pi-González [Read more →]

Batter Up July 3rd, 2005

As the 2005 season reaches its half way point this weekend let’s take a look at the division races.

The Angels are safely in command in the AL West. Vladimir Guerrero is heading towards a second consecutive MVP award. Bartolo Colon has been the horse of the Angels starting rotation. However, you can’t overlook the emergence of John Lackey who has stepped up big time for the Halos after righty Kelvim Escobar went on the shelf with elbow miseries.

Give Mike Scoscia one more veteran arm in his pen that he trusts late in the game and the Angels are the team to beat in the AL.

The A’s will continue to put pressure on Anaheim.

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