John Olerud is my favorite baseball player.  I was always drawn to him because of both his ability and the way he played the game.  I remember when he became a Red Sox and actually rooted for a team that I normally detest just because he was playing for them.

Awhile ago I was delighted to learn that he was Christian.  And recently I read in this article about how his faith had helped him cope with his eldest daughter’s illness.  I think all fathers can relate in some way to what John Olerud is experiencing, though obviously not on the same level.

It’s nearly impossible to know her potential, or how her defects will affect her as she ages. Deeply religious, the Oleruds contend with the uncertainty the only way they can — faith.

”We believe God has control of all things,” Olerud said. ”I don’t think Jordan’s a mistake by any means. We really don’t know what it’s going to be for her. Because she doesn’t fit into those syndromes where they can say most kids are usually at this point, it’s kind of in the Lord’s hands.”

Boston Red Sox – Growing family – The Boston Globe

Tags: blue jays
Categories: Baseball
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Yesterday was Dylan’s first Little League practice.  Unfortunately it was not as fun as Dylan and I hoped.

I think in general baseball is just not as fun as soccer, especially for little kids.  There’s just a lot of standing around.  If it wasn’t for the tradition of baseball in this country I might not have signed him up for it.

The first drill the boys did (there are no girls on this year’s team which surprised me a little bit) was learning how to throw.  Dylan is like me, he does not understand well instructions for how to do things physically.  For example the guys have been trying to teach me how to hit a golf ball but I am still horrible.  On the other hand I had a friend who would just watch a sport on TV and then go outside and do exactly what he saw.  The instructors were asking the boys to start in a throwing stance with the two arms out horizontally, the gloved arm out forward, the gloved hand pointing down, the throwing hand holding the ball up.  Dylan kept getting confused and at one point he was bending forward with both arms twisted, elbows on top, hands pointed up.  The whole thing amused me as I thought “That’s my boy.”

The second drill was learning to field grounders.  The coaches told the boys to act like alligators gobbling up grounders and stamped their throwing hands w/ an alligator stamp as added incentive.  Then they tossed the grounders to the boys.  At this point since there were only two coaches and nine boys the boys started getting bored as they waited for their grounders.  Three boys started making a little sand castle with the infield dirt.  Dylan started his own pile of dirt.  After practice I asked the coach if I could help w/ drills since it was obvious that another instructor could have helped in terms of keeping their interest.

The third drill was learning to run to first base.  This was the only drill Dylan actually enjoyed because running is fun.  The first time all the boys ran to first base and stopped.  The coach then told them they’re supposed to run past first base.  By the third time the boys wouldn’t stop running and ran into the outfield.  If the coaches hadn’t said anything I think they would have kept going.

For the parents, watching practice wasn’t too fun.  I amused myself by taking photos but I felt a little shy so I didn’t talk to anyone until one parent, a very nice mother, initiated conversation with me.  She actually had met Ji Seon earlier because they both had gone to the store to buy something for Little League and the other mother had taken the last one.

Two more practices, opening day, twenty games, two team parties, and closing ceremonies still to go.  Let’s hope it’s fun.

Tags: Dylan
Categories: Baseball, Dylan
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MLB

• Pat Gillick proves he’s a winner by leading the Philadelphia Phillies to the World Series title.  And just like with the Blue Jays he leaves and already the Phillies are making bad moves, like signing Raul Ibanez for too much money in an over-crowded outfield market.
• I predicted the Tampa Bay Rays would win the World Series and was quite wrong as their bullpen continued to implode.   I think they should have used Shields for Game 5 part 2.  He is their best pitcher and then they could have used Garza in Game 6.  Maddon definitely should have pinch hit for Howell.
• The Yankees once again made it difficult to be a Blue Jays fan as they signed the top three free agents.  I don’t think I have ever seen an offseason so dominated by one team.  For the Yankees they were good signings because they print money but for any other team they would be bad ones.  C.C., A.J. and Teix are just not that good.
• Last season if the Blue Jays had been in another division they would have made the playoffs.  Now with Burnett gone, Marcum and McGowan hurt and the Yankees stocked things look grim.  The Blue Jays should trade Halladay and Wells to the Yankees for a package of prospects.  I would do it for a package that included Joba and Hughes.  They definitely should trade Halladay because he deserves to win a championship.

Olympics

• I had mixed feelings about the Beijing Olympics before they started.  In the end I enjoyed these Olympics probably more than any other except the 1976 Montreal Olympics because I actually attended those with my family.  (It was at those Olympics we learned I needed glasses because I needed to use the binoculars to see the scoreboard).  And it is too bad that I and so many others enjoyed them since it accomplished one of China’s goals, to obscure China’s abominable human rights record.
• I watched seven out of eight of Michael Phelp’s gold medal races.  I am normally not like this.
• I was surprised by how much I enjoyed NBC’s coverage (except for the tape delay).  Maybe it was because for the first time I had cable during the Olympics so I could also watch MSNBC, CNBC and other stations.  Still NBC was lambasted for its coverage and CBC was applauded.
• I was annoyed with watching “live coverage” that was actually delayed by three hours because I am on the west coast.
• Beijing’s opening ceremonies were stunning but part of me couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable about the fact that China spent billions, far more than any other nation ever will, yet many parts of their country are still burdened with oppressive poverty.  It would be like going to someone’s house, being presented a lavish dinner and then noticing the kids are gaunt and eating week old cabbage soup.

NFL

• I am still upset the Patriots lost.  And I am not even a Patriots fan.
• I would become a 49er’s fan but their new uniforms are unattractive to say the least.  What happened to tradition?
• It’s impossible to become an Oakland Raiders fan with Al Davis as the owner.

NBA

• I am not a Celtics fan but I hate the Lakers.  Therefore I thoroughly enjoyed the finals.  In general though I found the 2008 playoffs the most interesting I have ever watched.  Maybe again it was because I had cable and was actually able to see some of the games, like the Hawks repeatedly beating a shocked Celtics team in Atlanta.
• The Raptors are struggling and Chris Bosh will leave in 2010.  It’s sad when our greatest hope is Bargnani.  I think I will become a Golden State Warriors fan even though the team is poorly coached, the front office is horrible, and they seem to wear a different uniform every night.  But at least they are entertaining, all offense, no defense.
• I am enjoying winning my fantasy basketball leagues.

NHL

• In the one sport where my team, the Toronto Maple Leafs, would actually have an overwhelming revenue advantage there is a salary cap.
• I heard the San Jose Sharks are good.  Maybe it’s time to switch.

Some are saying 2008 was one of the best years in sports.  I am not so sure about that but I thoroughly enjoyed it even if all my teams sucked.

Tags: blue jays,raptors
Categories: Baseball, Basketball, Football, Sports
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I was stunned when the Red Sox came back to win Game 5 and was thinking that maybe both my predictions would be wrong. Watching Game 7 I thought the Red Sox were coming to come back again. I was begging Maddon to bring in Kazmir or Jackson or Price. When Price got the final out I was elated.

The Phillies destroyed the Dodgers and were impressive. However I am still going to predict Tampa Bay in six, with the Phillies winning the games that Hamels starts. Tampa Bay’s pitching is deeper and I always pick the AL team.  Tampa Bay in 6.

By the way, remember when the Phillies lost to the Blue Jays in the 1993 World Series. Remember seeing Curt Schilling with the towel on his head? Remember Game 4 which the Jays won 15 – 14?  And of course Joe Carter winning it with his home run.  And Pat Gillick was the GM of that Blue Jays team.

Tags: blue jays,red sox
Categories: Baseball
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I got three out of four right in my Divisional Playoff predictions, let’s see how I do in the LCS.

Dodgers over Phillies in 5 games

In my opinion, the NL LCS is easier to predict.  LA seems much better than Philadelphia for several reason.

1. LA’s rotation is much better.
2. LA’s offense looks to be as potent as Philadelphia’s.  And Utley is not playing well, it seems he is playing hurt.
3. LA’s bullpen is better.

The key for the Phillies is for Hamels to win two games, Myers to win at least one and someone else to win at least one.

Here is how I see the series breaking down.

1. Dodgers win.  Lowe beats Hamels though this could go the other way.  This should be a close, low scoring game.
2. Dodgers win.  Billingsley beats Myers.  This could also go the other way, you never know which Myers you will get.
3. Dodgers win.  Kuroda beats Moyer.
4. Dodgers win.  Kershaw beats Blanton.  If it’s Maddux, then maybe Blanton beats Kershaw.
5. If necessary, Lowe vs. Hamels will be another close game.

I am going to predict Dodgers in 5.

Rays overs Red Sox in 6 games

In many ways you have to favor the Red Sox.  They have much more experience, they have the better bullpen, the better offense, and they just play like a team that thinks it is supposed to win.

I do see though these things that favor the Rays.

1. The Rays beat the Red Sox in the season series.
2. The Rays beat them in consecutive series in September.
3. The Red Sox are hurting.  Mike Lowell won’t play, Drew’s back hurts and we have no idea which Beckett we’ll get.
4. The Rays have home field advantage and are excellent at home.

Here is how I see the series breaking down.

1. Rays win.  Shields beats Dice-K in a low scoring game.
2. Red Sox win.  Beckett pitches better than expected and beats Kazmir.
3. Red Sox win.  Lester continues his postseason dominance.
4. Rays win.  Rays beat up on Wakefield, Sonnastine does enough to win.
5. Rays win.  Shields beats Dice-K again.
6. Rays win.  Becketts runs out of gas, Kazmir rises to the challenge.
7. Lester sits wondering why he didn’t pitch earlier.

This could easily go the other way.  It really depends on how healthy Beckett is.  If the Red Sox were healthy I think they’d beat the Rays.

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Phillies beat Brewers

Game 1 – The Brewers pitching was better than expected and Gallardo might not have given up any runs if the Brewers fielding had not failed him.  I thought the Phillies made a mistake bringing in Lidge when Hamels had not even thrown 100 pitches.  Maybe they wanted Lidge to gain some confidence with an easy save which it proved not to be.

Game 2 – CC Sabathia continues to struggle in the postseason.  Maybe he finally ran out of gas.  And Myers continues to be an enigma, amazingly talented but you never know which Myers you will get.  On this day it was the good myers.

Game 3 – Wow, go Dave Bush.  Didn’t expect anyone else besides CC to beat the Phillies.

Game 4 – Wow, go Joe Blanton.  Didn’t see that one coming.

Dodgers beat Cubs

Game 1 – Dempster struggles as I expected but to be fair, the umpire seemed to be squeezing the strike zone and Dempster had trouble adjusting to that.  Lowe proved he’s still a big time pitcher.  Manny is Manny, hits a home run.

Game 2 – Zambrano pitched better than I expected but Billingsley was amazing.  Manny is Manny, hits another home run.  And the Dodger lineup continues to score lots of run, I expected them to do well but not this well.  And I did not expect the Cubs to field and hit so poorly.

Game 3- Kuroda shuts out the best offense in the NL.  Was he that good or did the Cubs really choke?

Red Sox beat Angels

Game 1 – Lester was great but it seems like the Angels are choking.  They couldn’t hit, Vlad runs through a stop sign and gets thrown out at 3rd while running like his legs are broken.

Game 2 – Angels continue to choke.  Nice to see J.D. Drew hit the home run.  Papelbon is nuts.  K-Rod proves again he is overrated.  Some not too bright team is going to pay K-Rod too much money this offseason.

Game 3 – Finally the Angels win!  Nice to see Jered Weaver get the win.

Game 4 – I never liked the sacrifice bunt.  But it worked for the Angels in Game 3.  Too bad it along with the suicide squeeze failed so spectacularly in Game 4.  If the suicide squeeze had worked then the Angels probably would have won this game because they wouldn’t have needed to keep Scot Shields pitching.  By the way, doesn’t Lackey seem like such a jerk, glowering, yelling at his teammates, etc?  Reminds me of Dave Stieb.

Rays beat White Sox

Game 1 – I was shocked when I saw the White Sox jump to a three run lead on the unexpected home run.  But the Rays came back and beat them quite handily.  Evan Longoria is going to be an MVP one day.  And I enjoyed the yelling match between Balfour and Cabrera. Grant Balfour is amazing, I’m not sure why he’s not the closer.

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Bill Simmons, my favorite sports columnist, wrote this 9000 word column, Manny Being Manipulated.  Instead of doing things like spending time with my children I read the whole thing and loved it. Bill’s theory is that Manny is not a bad guy and that he was manipulated by his evil agent, Scott Boras, to dump on the Red Sox and stop playing. But while Vince Carter is evil for quitting on his team, Manny isn’t because of other evidence

I think Bill is right and I want to believe him.  I am finding myself rooting for Manny and I rarely felt that way for Vince (okay maybe a few times but he looks so bad in his Nets uniform while Manny looks fantastic in his Dodgers uniform).  Manny is hitting like Ted Williams, his new teammates seem to love him and he has that playful exuberance that I last saw in a young Roberto Alomar.  On the other hand Vince Carter still plays like it is such a chore playing basketball for a living.  Obviously I’m not over Vince Carter, I gave him my heart and he left me and went to New Jersey.

Anyway I found the following quote from Bill Simmons rang true with me.

You love sports most when you’re 16, then you love it a little bit less every year. And it happens because of things like this.

ESPN – Manny Being Manipulated

I hope Manny resigns with the Dodgers.  But I agree with Bill Simmons that he will lead the Dodgers to the World Series and then sign with The Former Evil Empire, the Yankees.

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With only two weeks left in the season I could still only get 5 out of 8 right in my predictions.  In fact my predictions at the All-Star break were better, I got 7 out of 8 right.

Anyway here are my predictions for the MLB Divisonal Playoffs.

Tampa Bay Rays over Chicago White Sox in 3 games (maybe 5)

The Rays had the better record in a much tougher division and have a strong home record.

Shields and Kazmir are much stronger than Vazquez and Buehrle.  I am assuming Garza goes in Game 3 which could be close against Floyd.  And Danks could beat the Rays number four pitcher.  But in Game 5, if it goes that far, I don’t see Vazquez beating Shields in Tampa Bay.

I am cheering for the Rays to win it all.

Philadelphia Phillies over Milwaukee Brewers in 4 games (or Brewers in 5)

If we assume CC Sabathia will win Game 2 and Hamels will win Games 1 and 4 against Gallardo and Bush then the pivotal game is Game 3, Suppan vs. Moyer.  Moyer has been the better pitcher this season so Phillies in 4.  Plus the Phillies have a better bullpen and a better lineup.  But if somehow the Brewers win one either Games 1, 3, or 4 then they will probably win Game 5 and take the series.

I will be rooting for the Brewers.  Philadelphia fans are mean, they don’t deserve a winner.  Well so are Boston fans but they’ve won a lot recently so I guess karma doesn’t count.

Los Angeles Dodgers over Chicago Cubs in 4 games

This is really a long shot but I think the Dodgers have a shot.

1. Manny Ramirez is amazing.  He’s hitting almost .400 for the Dodgers.
2. The rest of the Dodgers lineup is better than people expect.  I am a fan of Derek Loney and Matt Kemp.
3. Derek Lowe has been the best pitcher in the NL in the second half and is a terrific postseason pitcher.
4. The Cubs starters are not appearing that healthy.  Zambrano, except for his no hitter, has an over 9 ERA and Harden is throwing 85 MPH.  I also don’t believe that much in Dempster.
5. I see this breakdown for the games.
   • Game 1 – Derek Lowe winning against Dempster in a close game.
   • Game 2 – Chad Billingsley beating an imploding Carlos Zambrano.
   • Game 3 – Kuroda possibly losing to Harden not because Harden pitches well but because the Cubs offense, best in the league, catches fire this game.
   • Game 4 – Derek Lowe, pitching on three days rest, beats Lilly in Game 4. Chicago Cubs fans cry again for the 100th straight year.

Of course if Zambrano and Harden are healthy then it’s no contest, Dodgers are dead.

I will be cheering for the Dodgers just to see more of Manny going crazy.  And isn’t Chan Ho Park on the Dodgers?

Los Angeles Angels over Boston Red Sox in 5 games

This was the toughest to predict.  Right now the Boston Red Sox look a little banged up and Beckett is not pitching until game 3 which means he only pitches once in this series.

On the other hand Lackey has not been pitching well lately and always seems to do poorly against the Red Sox.

However this is not your past Angels, this is the best Angels team I have ever seen.  And this is not your past Red Sox, this is not as formidable of a team.  The Angels beat the Red Sox eight out of nine times this season and they acquired Mark Teixeira while the Red Sox had to give up Manny.

It could really go either way.  I am going to say whoever wins Game 1 wins the series.

My fervent desire for the playoffs is “Anyone but the Red Sox.”

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I came up with these predictions after the All-Star break but I did not write them down until now.

AL East – Tampa Bay Rays
AL Central – Chicago White Sox
AL West – LA Angels
AL Wild Card – Boston Red Sox

NL East – Philadelphia Phillies
NL Central – Chicago Cubs
NL West – Arizona Diamondbacks
NL Wild Card – Milwaukee Brewers

Compared to my previous predictions, they have not changed too much.  The AL Central is the one I really got wrong and I was wrong about the Rockies.  I am kind of proud how I predicted the Rays could win the wild card.

With less than two weeks left in the season it looks like this will be the final outcome.  ESPN’s Hunt for October seems to agree with this prediction.

AL East - Boston Red Sox
AL Central – Chicago White Sox
AL West – LA Angels
AL Wild Card - Tampa Bay Rays

NL East – Philadelphia Phillies
NL Central – Chicago Cubs
NL West – Los Angeles Dodger
NL Wild Card – New York Mets

The only question is who will win the NL East and who will win the wild card.  It is sad that the Milwaukee Brewers won’t make it, especially since they will lose their two best pitchers in the offseason, Sabathia and Sheets.  But in the end, it’s just hard for small market teams to compete.

AL division playoffs:

Anaheim beats Tampa Bay
Boston beats Chicago

ALCS:

Boston beats Anaheim (could go the other way, depends on Boston’s health)

NL division playoffs:

LA beats Philadelphia (not sure about this)
Chicago beats New York

NLCS:

Chicago beats LA

World Series:

Boston beats Chicago

Please, anyone but Boston!  I don’t want Chicago to win either.  Go Tampa Bay!

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