Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Huckleberries
It was two weeks ago tonight that I made my last post on this site. It is a continuing irony that the months of August and September (the white-hot center of any given baseball season) have seen the fewest posts since this site launched four years ago.
Blame it on loss of energy, other diversions, the start of the fall schedule . . . take your pick.
Maybe I’ll make a point to reverse to that trend this year. And maybe it will work.
The Indians just tacked on a run at the Jake in the 8th and now lead 5-2 against the Tigers. A win tonight pulls Cleveland dead-even with Detroit at 66-54.
The two teams have six games left with each other after tonight. August 21-23 in Detroit and September 17-19 at Cleveland. With the way both teams have been playing of late, it seems likely like that September series will be huge, with little separation between the two in a month’s time.
Other games tonight:
Toronto just closed out the Angels, 2-1 to move three games over .500. I have no love for the Blue Jays, but they’ve done a fairly remarkable job staying in this thing, given their spate of injuries through the course of the year. They’re probably going to fall short as is their wont over the last decade, but they’re a manageable six behind in the loss column for the Wild Card. If they continue to play well as they have been, they could, at the very least, cause fits to teams like Boston, New York, Seattle and Los Angeles down the stretch.
The Pirates are putting a little charge on against the Mets. Down 10-4 entering the bottom of the 9th, they’ve been able to plate three to make it 10-7. But it looks like it’s about to fall short . . .
The Braves will stay 3 ½ behind the Mets; the Phillies fall to 4 back with a loss to Washington.
The Cardinals continue to make an improbable run at the N.L. Central. They’re whacking the Brewers again, 8-1 right now. A win pulls them within two in the loss column of Milwaukee and Chicago. As the Cards are still several games under .500, it appears to be more of a case of the Brewers and Cubs unable to sustain much success than St. Louis being a legitimately good team. A month ago, the Cards were six games under .500; so they’re only playing three over .500 since July 15. Not exactly burning down the house, but it’s been good enough to get back into the Central’s race.
The only interesting match-up of the late slate of games is Colorado (61-57) taking on San Diego (64-54).
Although I don’t think the Padres/Rockies/Dodgers/Diamondbacks quartet is anything special, the N.L. West race is probably the most intriguing of the division races right now. The Dodgers in under-achieving mode of late. The Padres with their spectacular pitching. The Diamondbacks with their infusion of youth and new faces making contributions. And the Rockies putting on a surprising 2nd half charge.
The only team out of that bunch that I think has a legitimate shot to win the NL is the Padres because of their starting rotation, but I still think it’s an interesting race.
My memory bank has been rattled this year when it comes to my recollections of watching Yankee games as a kid.
The first year I watched baseball every day, collecting box scores and the like, was 1986. At that time most televised Yankee games were on WPIX Channel 11 out of New York City.
I distinctly remember Friday nights at my first home in 1986 and 1987 watching the Yankee games on Channel 11, which would lead into the 11:00 news, and subsequently lead into The Honeymooners.
There is something distinct about the first memories of watching, appreciating and truly enjoying baseball games. It was like discovering a new country or universe. That initial buzz and excitement never leaves you.
One of the voices in this new realm for me was Phil Rizzuto who, as you know, passed away at the age of 89 yesterday. Rizzuto, along with Bill White, were the two prominent broadcasters on WPIX at the time.
I’ve heard several commentators wax poetic about how Rizzuto was practically a member of their family as his voice permeated their household for several generations. I won’t and can’t go that far, but certainly he was one of the more recognizable and memorable figures I’ve known since I began following sports 20 years ago.
My Scooter memory that I haven’t seen printed anywhere yet: he had a fascination with Yankee shortstops no matter how bad they were. He loved Alvaro Espinoza, who is among the worst Yankee regulars to ever play for an extended period of time, and he would rave about Andy Stankiewicz. It was in a funny way though, so you never wanted to give him too much grief about it.
He got it right with Jeter though.
There is also a quality about Rizzuto’s last seasons as a regular broadcaster that don’t seem that warm with the glow of nostalgia. Memories of broadcasts at an empty Yankee Stadium with Rizzuto’s goofiness the only element of brevity in an otherwise dreary and cavernous stadium aren’t that fun to look back on. These were the Yankees that I grew up with. By the time they returned to the playoffs in the first year of the Wild Card, I was in college and Rizzuto was on the verge of retiring. He would return in 1996 for one last hurrah in the booth, working an abbreviated schedule.
But those Friday nights, when the team was still respectable in the late 80s, still fighting for a division title, ring true. The sports guy on Channel 11 in those days was Jerry Girard, who was known for his dry delivery and biting wit. It seemed appropriate that his sports segments would lead into reruns of The Honeymooners. Over the course of those few summers, I probably watched every episode of that series in that time slot.
Girard died earlier this year at the age of 74 without the fanfare of a legend like Phil Rizzuto. But for long-time New York sports fans, I’m sure it struck a chord, as it brought back memories of those long-ago nights on Channel 11.
And now the Scooter is gone. And the weight of 20 years seems much heavier now. And much longer ago. The memories remain fresh.
It was two weeks ago tonight that I made my last post on this site. It is a continuing irony that the months of August and September (the white-hot center of any given baseball season) have seen the fewest posts since this site launched four years ago.
Blame it on loss of energy, other diversions, the start of the fall schedule . . . take your pick.
Maybe I’ll make a point to reverse to that trend this year. And maybe it will work.
The Indians just tacked on a run at the Jake in the 8th and now lead 5-2 against the Tigers. A win tonight pulls Cleveland dead-even with Detroit at 66-54.
The two teams have six games left with each other after tonight. August 21-23 in Detroit and September 17-19 at Cleveland. With the way both teams have been playing of late, it seems likely like that September series will be huge, with little separation between the two in a month’s time.
Other games tonight:
Toronto just closed out the Angels, 2-1 to move three games over .500. I have no love for the Blue Jays, but they’ve done a fairly remarkable job staying in this thing, given their spate of injuries through the course of the year. They’re probably going to fall short as is their wont over the last decade, but they’re a manageable six behind in the loss column for the Wild Card. If they continue to play well as they have been, they could, at the very least, cause fits to teams like Boston, New York, Seattle and Los Angeles down the stretch.
The Pirates are putting a little charge on against the Mets. Down 10-4 entering the bottom of the 9th, they’ve been able to plate three to make it 10-7. But it looks like it’s about to fall short . . .
The Braves will stay 3 ½ behind the Mets; the Phillies fall to 4 back with a loss to Washington.
The Cardinals continue to make an improbable run at the N.L. Central. They’re whacking the Brewers again, 8-1 right now. A win pulls them within two in the loss column of Milwaukee and Chicago. As the Cards are still several games under .500, it appears to be more of a case of the Brewers and Cubs unable to sustain much success than St. Louis being a legitimately good team. A month ago, the Cards were six games under .500; so they’re only playing three over .500 since July 15. Not exactly burning down the house, but it’s been good enough to get back into the Central’s race.
The only interesting match-up of the late slate of games is Colorado (61-57) taking on San Diego (64-54).
Although I don’t think the Padres/Rockies/Dodgers/Diamondbacks quartet is anything special, the N.L. West race is probably the most intriguing of the division races right now. The Dodgers in under-achieving mode of late. The Padres with their spectacular pitching. The Diamondbacks with their infusion of youth and new faces making contributions. And the Rockies putting on a surprising 2nd half charge.
The only team out of that bunch that I think has a legitimate shot to win the NL is the Padres because of their starting rotation, but I still think it’s an interesting race.
My memory bank has been rattled this year when it comes to my recollections of watching Yankee games as a kid.
The first year I watched baseball every day, collecting box scores and the like, was 1986. At that time most televised Yankee games were on WPIX Channel 11 out of New York City.
I distinctly remember Friday nights at my first home in 1986 and 1987 watching the Yankee games on Channel 11, which would lead into the 11:00 news, and subsequently lead into The Honeymooners.
There is something distinct about the first memories of watching, appreciating and truly enjoying baseball games. It was like discovering a new country or universe. That initial buzz and excitement never leaves you.
One of the voices in this new realm for me was Phil Rizzuto who, as you know, passed away at the age of 89 yesterday. Rizzuto, along with Bill White, were the two prominent broadcasters on WPIX at the time.
I’ve heard several commentators wax poetic about how Rizzuto was practically a member of their family as his voice permeated their household for several generations. I won’t and can’t go that far, but certainly he was one of the more recognizable and memorable figures I’ve known since I began following sports 20 years ago.
My Scooter memory that I haven’t seen printed anywhere yet: he had a fascination with Yankee shortstops no matter how bad they were. He loved Alvaro Espinoza, who is among the worst Yankee regulars to ever play for an extended period of time, and he would rave about Andy Stankiewicz. It was in a funny way though, so you never wanted to give him too much grief about it.
He got it right with Jeter though.
There is also a quality about Rizzuto’s last seasons as a regular broadcaster that don’t seem that warm with the glow of nostalgia. Memories of broadcasts at an empty Yankee Stadium with Rizzuto’s goofiness the only element of brevity in an otherwise dreary and cavernous stadium aren’t that fun to look back on. These were the Yankees that I grew up with. By the time they returned to the playoffs in the first year of the Wild Card, I was in college and Rizzuto was on the verge of retiring. He would return in 1996 for one last hurrah in the booth, working an abbreviated schedule.
But those Friday nights, when the team was still respectable in the late 80s, still fighting for a division title, ring true. The sports guy on Channel 11 in those days was Jerry Girard, who was known for his dry delivery and biting wit. It seemed appropriate that his sports segments would lead into reruns of The Honeymooners. Over the course of those few summers, I probably watched every episode of that series in that time slot.
Girard died earlier this year at the age of 74 without the fanfare of a legend like Phil Rizzuto. But for long-time New York sports fans, I’m sure it struck a chord, as it brought back memories of those long-ago nights on Channel 11.
And now the Scooter is gone. And the weight of 20 years seems much heavier now. And much longer ago. The memories remain fresh.
