Preparation

     It has been far too long since we have been able to sit back, relax, and watch a baseball game.  I am longing for the feel of the sun on my face while sitting in a hard plastic chair, cheering on the Giants at beautiful AT&T Park.  But for all those games you can't make it out to the park, you might want to pick up a few things to make your game viewing at home more pleasurable. 

 

•  First off, everyone needs a good cozy.  This is an essential item to keep your beverage nice and cold during the game.  I suggest getting something that will show your pride in your favorite team, even if you are just watching the game at home alone, it will help your team win, trust me.

• Next, if you have any animals; buy them jerseys for them to wear while watching the game.  Not only will this guarantee your team a victory, but animals love to put on clothes.  To the right is one of my dogs, Bella.  Bella is not only a Giants fan, but she loves to put on her jersey to support her favorite team.  I would also suggest some team apparel for yourself, perhaps some comfy foot wear also.  I prefer a pair of crocks, they are nothing great to look at, but they are comfortable; and do to there softness, they will save you a lot of money if you by chance throw them at the TV in a blind fit of rage. 

• Make sure you have a comfortable place to sit and watch the game.  It is best to choose somewhere were you will have little foot traffic that will block your view of the television.  Give yourself easy access to any snacks or beverage that you will be consuming during the game.  The ultimate goal here is to make yourself as much of a "couch potato" as possible.  I would even suggest that you try one of those crazy beer helmets.  This way you will have two free hands to snack and/or express your excitement during the duration of the game.

      That's about it really.  Just make sure you have enough to drink and something good to snack on.  Easy, right?  But these are just a few of my suggestions to make the most out of your home viewing experience.  Chances are, if you are a fan of baseball, you might already have your own home viewing ritual.  The point is, stick to what works -- if it ain't broke don't fix it right?  Because as fans, we know that without us cheering on our team from the comfort of our own couches or chairs; they would never win.  And though it has been a long and boring winter, rejoice, opening day is just right around the corner!

Let's dispel a myth

     So, it was brought to my attention recently, that people view the average professional baseball player to be a big and out of shape guy, who only needs to do just a little bit of jogging around the bases.  Now, while it is true that there are, and have been, those players who are a little less than fit, Babe Ruth would probably come to mind for most people, and currently, we have Prince Fielder who is a very, well, robust man who hits the heck out of a baseball, the average baseball player is in top condition.  Many players train rigorously all year-round to maintain physical and mental health.  As I have mentioned in earlier posts, physical training extends beyond the regular season.  The risk of injury is so high that these players cannot fall out of shape.

      Baseball is very much a sport of endurance.  While it is not as cardio oriented as a sport like soccer or basketball, it requires huge amounts of energy that are concentrated into short bursts.  Most baseball players body types are built physically different then most other athletes in other sports.  Obviously, the arms are important for throwing and batting, but the real focus is mostly on having lower body strength.  A huge part of power, when it comes to hitting, is generated through the leg muscles.  The legs are the stable part of a good solid swing, opening up the hips and generating power while the arms are really there to guide the bat toward the ball.

     Pitching itself is a whole other kind of endurance.  Putting all mental endurance aside, to be able to throw a baseball up to one-hundred times at speeds of around 90 MPH and making the ball go over a plate that is only 17 inches wide, is no easy task.  Most professional pitchers agree, that the key to success on the field, has everything to do with their training off of the field.  If a pitcher took the mound and was not physically prepared to pitch in a game; he would get eaten alive by the opposing team.

     If you look at a pitcher such as Tim Lincecum from the San Francisco Giants, who is lovingly nicknamed "The Freak" you might understand a little better on how pitching is based not off of bulk in muscle, but it is focused on key areas to create pitch speed, and endurance.  Tim is known as the freak, because with his 5'11'' of height and his small frame (staying around 175 lbs.) he should not be able to throw a ball as hard as he can.  But Tim Lincecum has been conditioned to throw a ball with the perfect mechanics every single time.  There are so many working parts on his body with every pitch that need to cooperate, that the slightest stray from his motion would throw his entire pitch off.  Tim Lincecum is a two time Cy Young Award winner a two time National League All-Star and in 2008, he led Major League Baseball with 265 strikeouts.  You cannot generate these kinds of numbers by being lazy, or out of shape.

     So, while there are a few big guys in the league, and not all players are stacked with muscle, professional baseball players are still in top condition.  They work hard at being in shape and ready to play, after all, they have 162 games to play in a six month period, and that is just regular season!

Steroids

Steroids has been an issue that has plagued the Major League Baseball Association for many years now.  It all started around 2003, when the MLB came to recognize the use of steroids through a tip from a anonymous source.  This brought on great concern that many of the top players in the league might be using performance enhancing drugs.  As a result, the MLB started testing for steroids in 2004.  But testing is really the only measures that the League has taken to create prevention.  Many great players have use drugs to better their performance on the field, and this has been a huge let down to many of loyal fans of the game.  The use of steroids creates an uneven advantage, and it taints the name and record of any player who uses them.  So, why would a player use steroids?  Why was the use of performance enhancing drugs so big that we now have what is known as "the steroid era" in baseball?  Why would a player risk his name, and possibly his career, just to play a little better?

     I have found it difficult to find any information coming from players themselves on why they uses steroids.  Truthfully, none of them want to talk about it.  But I did manage to come across a few articles on Mark McGwire and Barry Bonds.  McGwire is willing to admit to his mistake, he wants to move on with his career and life.  Bonds is a different story; he had denied and denied.  But I was able to find some articles about his use that came through trainers and others that were close to him.

     In 2005, former Oakland Athletic, Jose Canseco released his controversial book Juiced.  The book revealed the rampant use of steroids by not only Canseco himself, but he exposed many other top athletes for using performance enhancing drugs.  The news cast a long and dark shadow over all of professional baseball, one that would remain there for many years.  Pretty soon, most every major slugger in the big leagues was being put under the spotlight, and unfortunately, many of them were using steroids.  Soon after Mark McGwire set the record for number of home-runs in a season at 70 in 1998, he was exposed for using steroids.  McGwire amassed much weight and muscle in a short amount of time raising suspicion amongst fans and major league baseball alike.  His record was tainted when in 2011 he admitted to using steroids on and off for years, he apologized saying that he wishes he never used any drugs to enhance his game.  McGwire still works as a batting coach for the 2011 World Champion St. Luis Cardinals.  I found a great article where McGuire opens up to his steroid use and talks about his mistakes and how he is trying to move on.  I admire that he was able to open up about his mistakes, and talk about them to the world.

     It has proven difficult to find articles on Barry Bonds and his use of steroids.  He just wants to forget that it happened and move on.  But as you can tell, steroids might help players to perform better; but it will keep them out of the Hall of Fame.  It is viewed as cheating, cheap, and unfair.  It is something that will follow players like Barry Bonds and Mark McGwire for the rest of their careers in the Major Leagues, and for the rest of his life.  But McGwire is still working in the Major Leagues?  So what has been the real reproductions for these players?  There is no permanent ban from Major League baseball.  So what is stopping them from using?


     The biggest mark of shame that our beloved San Francisco Giants have had to endure is that of the Barry Bonds saga.  Arguably the best hitter to ever play the game, Bonds holds records for both most home runs hot in a single season, 73, and most home runs hit in a career at 762.  AT&T Park was practically built for Bonds so fans could watch him launch balls over the brick wall and into the water of McCovey cove.  He was a loved by every Giants fans out there, and feared by every pitcher who faced him.  Bonds was born with a beautiful and natural left handed swing, he was a great hitter in his early career, and he became the best while wearing a Giants uniform.  But soon, after it was known that Bonds had used performance enhancing drugs, he became what some felt to be a burden to the team and to the league all together.  But Bonds tried to deny it all the way to the Supreme Court, when everyone knew he was guilty, then he just pointed fingers at everyone but himself.

     So what would drive this naturally talented player to use steroids?  Is it the pressure to be the best?  Advise from trainers?  Here are some words from Barry Bonds on the charges put against him for the use of steroids...

"All you guys lied! All of y'all and the story have lied. Should you have asterisks behind your name? All of you lied. All of you have said something wrong. All of you have dirt. When your closet's clean, then come clean somebody else's ..."

"What did I do? What did I do? What are you going to apologize for when you're wrong? This is old stuff. I mean, it's like watching Sanford and Son. It's just rerun after rerun after rerun. It's almost comical, basically. We've got alcohol that's the No. 1 killer in America, and we legalize that. You've got tobacco, No. 2 or 3 killer in America. We legalize that. There's other issues. It's become Hard Copy all day long. Are you guys jealous? Are you upset? Disappointed? What? ..."

"I don't know if steroids are going to help you in baseball. I just don't believe it. I don't believe steroids can help eye-hand coordination [and] technically hit a baseball."

-- Feb. 22, 2005,
his first public comments after his grand jury testimony was leaked

     As you can tell, Bonds was in no way apologetic for using the drugs, he never even really gave an explanation as to why he did it.  He later came out a said that he didn't know that he was taking steroids, that his trainer was giving them to him unknowingly.  It was sad for many fans to have to deal with this reality.  It was sad for me, and it left a harsh taste in my mouth for a long time.  Here is an article that I found about the known use of steroids by Bonds.  It was known by many that he was using; daily.

     But finally, we are starting to see a time in baseball again where it is uncommon for players to be using steroids.  The last few years we have seen the pitchers shine on the mound as they are bringing the game to the next level  Pitchers like Tim Lincecum who are making the change for the better, who are bringing the excitement the right way, through practice and raw talent.  These new and clean players are restoring a faith once lost in many baseball fans.  They are the heart and soul of the league.  Sure, there will always be meat bags like Alex Rodriguez (and the whole NY Yankee organization for that matter) that will try to tip the scales in an unfair manner; (winning World Series with money) or using steroids.  But there are still many many players out there that shine, and many teams that thrive without the billion dollar budget.  They are the players and teams that speak for baseball.  They are they ones that I want to see play, and see win.

  

A few words from a great fan...

The other weekend, I was having a discussion about baseball with my father.  Fortunately, this is something that occurs pretty often.  So, I thought it would be nice to post a few of his words about how he came to love the sport of baseball...

     "I came to love the game of baseball at a very early age.  My father and a neighborhood father coached a minor league team ages 9 and 10.  I was too young to play (8) so I was the bat boy.  The team did very well going all the way to the district championship game which we lost.  I was devastated and I remember crying my eyes out.  I also remember one of the boys said that the other team deserved to win more than we did to which I vehemently disagreed.  

     That same year, towards the end of the season my Dad snuck me into the lineup and I got to pitch to a couple of batters.  I had a natural curve ball that nobody could hit.  I was hooked.  I knew I would always be a pitcher and continued playing through high school aspiring to attend Santa Clara University to play baseball.  Life (girls and partying) got in the way as I went to one practice in September in the fog at USF and immediately decided that the commitment I would have to make was too much.  No regrets.

     When you boys played (my brother and I) my love was renewed as I got the same feelings just watching you guys as I did playing. 

     And then of course our beloved Giants won it all in 2010.  It seemed as if my whole baseball experience, both playing and watching, was complete."

I am so glad that I can share my love of baseball with my father.  It is something we have always had in common, and at times maybe the only thing.  This, for me, is a true testimonial to the love of baseball.

Cactus League

     Finally, the Spring Cactus League is upon us!  It has been a long winter break, and I know that I, among many others, am ready for the season to begin.  One of the best things about the Cactus League, is that players are eager and ready to play, it has been a long winter break for many of them also!  One great aspect of Cactus League is that some are competing for prime positions on the twenty-five man roster. The competition for a roster spot brings out the best in many players, young and old. In baseball, a signed contract does not always guarantee a starting position, so a player that maybe did not deliver as expected the prior year will come hungry to show that he can still be the best.  And younger players want to get their name out there, they need to leave a good lasting impression, this makes for great baseball!  Players must show up to Spring Training showing that they keep in good shape during the off season, and prove that they came to play.  I will elaborate on the importance of this in a later post.

     This year, competition is fierce.  With Buster Posey and Freddy Sanchez possibly starting off the disabled list, we might have our starting second base and catcher.  But the real competition is for the first base spot...

     We are tied into one more year $11 million contract with first baseman Aubrey Huff.  Huff was a fan favorite in the 2010 season, but suffered a bit behind the plate in 2011 helping the Giants to achieve the less than honorable lowest runs scored all year of any Major League team.  But, we have some great prospects that are battling Huff for the coveted starting first base spot.

     First, there is the returning Brandon Belt who has endured the emotional roller-coaster of going up and down from the majors to the minors.  Belt is looking strong this Spring, and I'm sure he intends to play as hard as he can to earn his spot.  Second, there is the young Brett Pill.  New to the majors, but looking ever so promising and ready, Pill is doing his best to try and outshine both Huff, and Belt for the starting position at first base.

    And, with talk of playing Posey some days at first to relieve the strain of catching everyday, who knows who will end up our constant at the number one bag?  It is all making for some great baseball and leading us fans into a promising 2012 season.

Searching out the facts

If you are interested in the game of baseball and want to get down to the nitty-gritty about it; here are a few things you should be reading.  I like each of them for different reasons.  Some are just the facts and statistics; an easy way to find out team standings or the score of a game.  And some of them have great commentary on the game of baseball, using in depth research, personal opinions, and even humor.

The web page espn.go.com/mlb/ is a great all around source for finding out current facts about what is going on in the baseball world.  There is a great application for your smart phone.  You can search in the general format, or narrow your search by individual teams.  This is perfect for the baseball fan on the go...


http://www.baseball-almanac.com/ is a virtual library on everything from the history of baseball, and every single individual team, to facts about players past and present.  They also include the "Left Field" section which includes humor and games.  This is a great site if you are looking up specific facts about your favorite team or player.

Currently, one of the most popular baseball blogs is mlbtraderumors.com.  The site serves as a source for trade rumors that come from credited and established baseball reporters.  It is maintained by Tim Dierkes.  Tim worked in the search engine marketing field before taking the website full-time in January of 2008.  This site is for the more advanced advocate of baseball, it takes a look outside just the regular baseball season.  I enjoy it because it is useful year-round.

Although http://joeposnanski.blogspot.com/ is somewhat of a general sports blog, Joe tends to focus in on baseball most of the time.  Joe Posnanski is a very credible source due to his position as Senior Writer at Sports Illustrated.  His blog is interesting because he writes about other subjects as just sports, he uses humor in a great way to keep his readers coming back.  Warning:  this blog is definitely for the more advanced baseball fan.  He does not include any background on topics, assuming the reader is up to date on current topics.


Here is a recent article that I found for searching baseball blogs; http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bill-lucey/looking-for-the-best-base_b_480207.html.  This way, you don't have to take my word for it, you can go out and search for your self!