Tekulve.
(Source: mitchell-ness)
Quotes from Jackie Robinson.
“If I had to choose between baseball’s Hall of Fame and first class citizenship for all of my people. I would say first-class citizenship.”
“The most luxurious possession, the richest treasure anybody has, is his personal dignity.”
“At the beginning of the World Series of 1947, I experienced a completely new emotion when the National Anthem was played. This time, I thought, it is being played for me, as much as for anyone else.”
“We ask for nothing special. We ask only to be permitted to live as you live, and as our nation’s constitution provides.”
“Money is America’s god and businesspeople can dig black power if it coincides with green power.”
“How much more effective our demands for a piece of the action would be if we were negotiating from the strength or our own self-reliance rather than stating our case in the role of beggar or someone crying out for charity.”
“Next time I go to a movie and see a picture of a little ordinary girl become a great star… I’ll believe it. And whenever I hear my wife read fairy tales to my little boy, I’ll listen. I know now that dreams do come true.”
“I remember even as a small boy, having a lot of pride in my mother. I thought she must have had some kid of magic to be able to do all the things she did, to work so hard and never complain and to make us all feel happy. We had our family squabbles and spats, but we were a well-knit unit.”
“It hadn’t been easy. Some of my own teammates refused to accept me because I was black. I had been forced to live with snubs and rebuffs and rejections.”
“[On Branch Rickey] In a way I feel I was the son he had lost and he was the father I had lost.”
“I don’t owe any living person my soul, my integrity, my freedom of thought and speech.”
“I’m not buying anti-white attitudes. Too many people who are not black have proven to me that being real isn’t qualified by skin color but by character.”
What to Watch - April 8, 2013
Week two of the MLB season opens up with 11 games. Here is how one person sees them from best to worst:
1) Reds at Cardinals, 3:15 CDT - The two most likely contenders for the NL Central crown face off in the St. Louis home opener. Includes a tribute to the late, great Stan Musial.
2) Rockies at Giants, 7:15 PDT - The Rockies are off to a surprising 5-1 start. They face the defending champs in their first test of the season. Last time out Madison Bumgarner shut out the Dodgers for 8 innings on just two hits.
3) Orioles at Red Sox, 2:05 EDT - It’s the 101st season at Fenway Park and the Sox will host the Orioles. Chris Davis hopes to get back on track since he’s now only on pace to hit 108 home runs, falling off his 162-homer pace of a few days ago.
4) Rays at Rangers, 7:05 CDT - Has the potential to be a great early season series but the Rays have looked mediocre to start April.
5) TIE
Brewers at Cubs, 1:20 CDT - If you aren’t paying attention to the NL Central this rivalry has become interesting over the last several years. It’s the Cubs 99th home opener in Wrigley Field. Oh, and Carlos Marmol is out as Chicago’s closer. Brewers fans look at John Axford and hope for the same.
Mets at Phillies, 7:05 EDT - “Throw out the records” game.
7) Yankees at Indians, 4:05 EDT - If only it were 1997 again. Terry Francona faces the Yankees for the first time as Indians’ manager. The Yankees are 26th in pitching.
8) Twins at Royals, 3:10 CDT - Not enough people will watch or listen to this game. But the Twins are 4-2, the Royals are 3-3, and the game is in beautiful Kauffman Stadium. C’mon, give it a try.
9) TIE
Braves at Marlins, 7:10 EDT - 5-1 Braves take on the 1-5 Marlins.
Pirates at D’Backs, 6:40 PDT - 5-1 Diamondbacks take on the 1-5 Pirates.
11) Astros at Mariners, 7:10 PDT - This game features another 1-5 franchise - the Houston Astros - who have struck out 10 or more times in all but one game. The Mariners are 3-4 bumping this game to the bottom of today’s WTW.
What to Watch - April 6, 2013
Saturday baseball. The only thing better is Sunday baseball. Here are today’s full slate in the order of most compelling to “I’m in a hotel in the local market without WiFi”:
1) Angels at Rangers, 3:05 CDT - This series owns the weekend. The Rangers came back late yesterday to win 3-2. Josh Hamilton went 0-4.
2) Nationals at Reds, 1:10 EDT - Before yesterday’s game the Nats had 0.33 team ERA. After the game? 4.00.
3) Cardinals at Giants, 1:05 PDT - The Cards and Giants played an outstanding 1-0 contest on Friday afternoon. The NLCS replay will hopefully deliver again. Shelby Miller makes his first 2nd ever start for the Cards.
4) Mariners at White Sox, 12:10 CDT - If Felix Hernandez wins and strikes out five White Sox he will become the fourth player in MLB history to win 100 and strikeout 1500 before his 27th birthday. Here are the other three: Walter Johnson, Bert Blyleven, and Dwight Gooden
5) Yankees at Tigers, 3:05 CDT - John Sterling’s new home run call is “It’s a nuke!….from Youk [Kevin Youkilis].” I’m a Yankees fan and I hope they keep losing to punish him for this.
6) Twins at Orioles, 7:05 - Chris Davis hit a grand slam to give him 16 RBI in four game. ‘Nuf sed.
7) Pirates at Dodgers, 6:10 PDT - Clayton Kershaw is pitching. That is a good enough reason to watch.
8) Red Sox at Blue Jays, 1:07 EDT - Sox are 3-1, Jays are 1-3. It’s early but somehow in baseball this seems to mean something.
9) Indians at Rays, 7:10 EDT - Seems like it should be in the top ten, so here it is.
10) Cubs at Braves, 7:10 EDT - The Cubs are batting .133 as a team. The Braves have a 2.50 ERA. This bodes poorly for the Cubs.
11) A’s at Astros, 6:10 CDT - The Astros struck out 13 more times last night for a total of 56 in 4 games (14 Ks/game). (Someone should start howmanyKsdotheastroshave.tumblr.com.) Bartolo Colon returns and he’s excited.
12) Padres at Rockies, 6:10 MDT - Colorado leads the league with a .327 average. The Padres are third worst - .180.
13) D’backs at Brewers, 6:10 CDT - This is the MLB free game of the day on MLB.tv. That speaks volumes.
14) Royals at Phillies, 7:05 EDT - The Phillies were up 4-0 in the 3rd inning - and never had another hit. They also have an MLB worst 7.68 ERA.
15) Marlins at Mets, 1:10 EDT - Yes the Marlins won last night, but they’re still a AAA team at best.
What to Watch - April 5, 2013
The first full weekend of MLB action…and there are some great games. (And balanced with every team having at least one loss. The Marlins get to brag about having three.) Here is what’s on from best to worst:
1) Angels at Rangers, 1:05 CDT - Easily the best match-up of the weekend. Josh Hamilton returns to the Ballpark at Arlington as an Angel. There will be boos.
2) Nationals at Reds, 7:10 CDT - With both of these teams predicted to win their respective divisions this could be an extremely early playoff preview.
3) Cardinals at Giants, 1:35 PDT - A re-match of the 2012 NLCS. But with less pressure, excitement, and stars from Fox television shows.
4) Yankees at Detroit, 12:08 CDT - The ALCS was a four-game sweep of the Yankees by the Tigers. By Monday, the Tigers could have a seven-game winning streak versus the Yanks.
5) Red Sox at Blue Jays, 7:07 EDT - Josh Johnson, formerly of the Marlins, had such a bad 2012 that he’s now the 4th starter on the Jays. AL East games are usually long, very long interesting and seeing if Johnson can be back to form adds a little more.
6) Mariners at White Sox, 7:10 CDT - The anticipated re-match of the 2000 ALDS.
7) Indians at Rays, 7:10 EDT - Interesting series. The Indians looked good in their first three vs. the Jays while the Rays, not-so-much against the O’s. Rays fans are still waiting for the Yankees games and playoffs to really care. (They had 17,491 on Thursday.)
8) Twins at Orioles, 3:05 EDT - Chris Davis has 11 RBI in the first three games - more than 16 MLB teams. He is also the first player since Frank Robinson to homer in the first three games of the season. So yes, watch this game for Chris Davis.
9) Cubs at Braves, 7:30 EDT - The only franchises still in existence from the NL’s first year in 1876 (the Braves did move twice), so there’s that. Plus if the Cubs are winning in the 9th, wait for Carlos Marmol, it’ll get much more interesting.
10) Pirates at Dodgers, 7:10 PDT - Over the past 130 seasons the Pirates are 422.5 games back of the Dodgers. Let the catching up begin. Zach Greinke gets his first start in L.A.
11) D’Backs at Brewers, 7:10 CDT - Kyle “The Wanderer” Lohse gets his first start for the Brew Crew even though he only signed last week. Last year’s 2nd place finisher in the NL Rookie of the Year race, Wade Miley, pitches for the Diamondbacks.
12) TIE
Padres at Rockies, 2:10 MDT - NL West game. The Rockies scored 19 runs in three games in Milwaukee…but it is 643 ft. above sea level. The Padres scored 8 in 3 games against the Mets.
A’s at Astros, 7:10 CDT - The Astros have struck out 43 times in 93 at-bats. That’s a .462 strikeout average. I think believe the A’s starters are planning time in the octagon to see who gets to pitch this weekend.
14) Royals at Phillies, 3:05 CDT - Philadelphia transplants in Kansas City are very excited for this series.
15) Marlins at Mets, 7:10 EDT - Bad news: The Marlins are the only team without a win. Good news: The Mets are thrilled to welcome them to CitiField.
MLB Clubs on Tumblr
Some post more than others. Only the Orioles and Rockies aren’t on tumblr. (Thanks to Brooklyn Mutt for finding the O’s and Rockies’ tumblrs - he should share them with MLB)
Source: The MLB Tumblr
The “bleacher creatures” doing a roll call that includes Kevin Youkilis as one of their own?? CAN’T WAIT!
And to celebrate March 1 (or because I just found it), Carl Yastrzemski robbing Curt Flood in Game 1 of the 1967 World Series…..
Yaz!
@Buster_ESPN: Felix Hernandez moved to tears by a tribute from Seattle staffers today.
via Seattle Times
It’s the first day of spring training and Jose Iglesias is already stuck in some netting after crashing into a screen. Not a great omen for the 2013 Red Sox season.
R.I.P., fake-throw-to-third throw-to-first pickoff move. I only ever saw you work against Barry Bonds this one time, and you’ve wasted hours of my life. See you at the cross roads, you and the catcher who carved a potato to look like a baseball and threw it into left field to trick the baserunner.
