Certainly one of the more interesting given how it started. Too bad people would give it a pass if they didn't care for the topic and have ignored the ongoing flurry of comments.
actually, when I was in Montreal the crowds were really good. That place could get really loud with only 10 or 12 thousand people in the stands. Gary Carter day was huge. The crowds were into it then because we were fighting for the wild card. in fact, the day I was sent down we swept the phillies and tied for the lead in the wild-card standings. I can remember watching Larry Bowa on the other side blowing his lid as we swept them four straight. however, as I went to the minors, they went on a big road trip to fla. and puerto rico and lost nine straight and screwed their wild-card chances. Karma! Mexican league crowds, like the Major Leagues, depend on where you were playing. We averaged 6 or 7 grand a night with a pretty vibrant atmosphere. Cheerleaders, mascots, mariachi bands, it had a little bit of everything. Tijuana had the best support, probably averaging 10 or 12 a night. They jammed music between almost every pitch and it was more festive than anywhere else. A big difference between there (Japan, also) and the states is that they sold hard liquor at the games. The Mexican fans would get trashed and were not afraid to hurl insults. They would throw stuff at our mascot even. The most festive atmosphere I have ever played in is down in winterball in the Dominican. 25-thousand plus on the weekends, elaborate fireworks, shakira look-alike dancers that strutted their stuff on top of the dugouts between every innings. Way cool, better than any major league atmosphere that I played in.
I'm casting a vote for one of the top ten threads EVAR. And erkno - I fucking REMEMBER that AB with Sheffield. Not sure what that says about me, but it does indicate that my short term memory isn't that bad indicate that my short term memory isn't that bad. Though I do recall thinking that Sheffield fucked up the new guy. You are now officially one of MY favorite posters on SpoFi, too. (Oh geez, I'm gushing aren't I?)
the one thing that stands out about that play was the sound of the ball coming toward me. it's hard to describe, but it had a kind of heavy sound to it, like the ball weighed 20 pounds or something. I know it was hit back a lot harder than it came in. that and the lortabs the doc gave me to ease the pain. I had weird ass dreams for two or three nights in a row.
You've gotta get called to an MLB game this season, Eric. There will be a mad scramble to add you in the fantasy league. By the way, my nose was broken on a line drive right back at me in a sandlot game. I never even saw it coming. I threw the ball, saw him swing, then saw a bunch of people looking down at me. Unfortunately, my nose had to be re-broken twice to get it straight. Now the girls say my face has "character," so at least something good came of it... Best of luck down south!
the sheffield line-drive wasn't even the worse. I had taken a shutout into the 8th inning in a game in AA. I threw a 2-0 fastball to a guy named mario encarnacion. he smoked it off my neck. i was sem-conscious when the trainer came out to help me. I tried to be tough and walk off the field under my own power but jelly-legged it halfway to the clubhouse. i remember sitting in the clubhouse with brad penny, john patterson, and nick bierbrodt laughing at me. they said i was talking complete nonsense after that. i went to the hospital, x-rays were negative, and made my next start. if it would have hit me in my jaw or collarbone I would have been done for the season. I still flinch sometimes when the ball is fouled off or I don't see the ball of the bat the worse part was the pen blew the game and I ended up with a ND
You said you're 31 - has your eyesight stayed good? I just turned 30 and I think I'm going to need glasses or contacts for the first time. I imagine in your line of work it's a huge deal, and not just for seeing the ball off the bat. Do a lot of guys get Lasik surgery?
dusted, breathtaking scenery there on your blog. if I wasn't afraid of wiping out on a motorcycle I would love to do one of those trips. i used to love driving from florida to arizona for spring training. once i got past san antonio, it was a beautiful drive to tucson. gave me plenty of time to get my mind right for the upcoming season. then coming home, it was great to unwind on the drive home. my eyesight has always sucked. i wear contacts and have since high school. i'm a little skeptical to get lasik right now. i've played with some guys that have problems with seeing 'halos' around the outfield lights. my contacts are fine but I sometimes have problems with them in dry climates. riding a motorcycle without eye protection would be really tough alot of the really good hitters i know see better than 20/20. i would give almost anything to have perfect eyesight. my contacts don't even correct it to 20/20
where in soCal do you live? i played A ball in Victorville and, even though it wasn't the nicest place, I enjoyed it out there alot. those joshua trees reminded of where i lived.
erkno, I meant to post this earlier, but have you checked out Nike's MaxSight lenses? ... via Wired:
The lenses come in amber for sports like baseball and tennis where the wearer must separate fast moving objects from the background, and grey-green for sports like golf, where the background environment is what's visually important. Both colors filter out a significant amount of overall light, but they also sharpen and improve contrast, so they have a brightening effect, says Alan Reichow, who invented the lenses and is a sports vision consultant for Nike. The amber lenses also turn the wearer's eye's an unsettling shade of red. But when Nike asked players if they'd like to create a version that created less of an evil eye, the answer was an overwhelming "no." "They felt it gave them a more intimidating look," Reichow said, "and thus an edge over the competition." The lenses make objects appear sharper by eliminating 90 percent of blue light -- the primary component in "visual noise." Then, in a process Nike calls "light architecture," MaxSight manipulates the brightness and hue of the remaining light transmitted through the lens. The result is improvement of visual acuity. The seams on baseballs are sharper, images in shadows are more clear, and every blade of grass has definition.
i was a gunea pig for that product. I actually participated in a study for Nike in '01 or '02, can't remember exactly. they came to tucson during spring training and examined us and fitted us with poor eyesight with these lenses. i thought they were great. i preferred the yellower tinted lenses. the amber ones were a little freaky looking and a little dark, but very effective. when our AAA team went to portland, me and the other 'subjects' were taken to nike town for testing. it was pretty cool. the gave me so many pair that I still have four or five of each shade. all of your descriptions of the effects are true. it is truly an amazing product and I am glad I participated in the program.
Gary Carter day was huge. Hey, I was there. We were around 25 000, if I recall correctly. For people my age, Gary Carter is the quintessential Expo, although he played with a boatload of very good players at the beginning of the 80s. A shame he had to go to NY to win the World Series. (Damn you, Rick Mond
