A Fan's Dream, MLB Hall of Fame in Cooperstown!

First off, Congratulations to Megan and Helen!  Their wedding was awesome and we had a wonderful time.  We wish them many years of happiness to come!  It was a great weekend in upstate New York!

An obvious highlight (taking nothing from the wedding, of course) was the MLB Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY.  When Debbie and I were discussing our Fall plans and the numerous weddings, travels, and holidays, we figured our time was all booked up.  I should have been more aware of the proximity of Cooperstown to Albany and Syracuse (where we flew into, and were the wedding was)...but I give all the credit to Deb for suggesting "why don't we go to Cooperstown?"  WOW, what a wife!  And we made it happen...

Cheryl and Calvin joined us for the day, which made it fun!

It was baseball immortality there, seeing how the game came to be, how it has evolved, the historic artifacts, photos, memorabilia, etc etc etc.  It was baseball overload, and it was awesome!!

Read the caption...wouldn't be okay now!

I'll admit, there was a lot of Yankees stuff there, which I was not too fond of...but I have to remember, there have been some amazing players in history that have been Yankees.  I admire their careers and their accomplishments, but I still consider myself a Yankee-hater!  Sorry folks.

I liked this display with Ted Williams hitting zones, that he put together, I was actually fascinated with this...Red is where he hit the best, blue not as well...

The women in baseball section was there, just like in A League of Their Own, including giveaways in Cleveland (!!!) from years back...aprons!

The movie debate was guys versus girls...The guys say Major League was the best, girls said A League of Their Own.  Granted both were good movies, you have to defer to the Indians winning it all in the ML movie!

The plaque room was awesome...seeing all the history there and realizing how many have played the game with such honor was amazing.

We even saw current memorabilia from historic moments this year...perfect games, no hitters, and more.  Plus we saw Barry Bonds' "asterik" baseball from his record-breaking home run.

Debbie's Cardinals...a locker full of modern-day memorabilia...

Greatest team ever, the Indians!  WOOHOO!  We will win again soon, 1948 was a looooong time ago!

It was a great great day!  Can't wait to go back with the little Kadlec's...after they are born and of course get older!  Haha.

Baseball Rules!!!

Baseball, Softball, etc

After 68 games in Houston, I think we all have a good idea how the season is going. With only 26 victories and a 0.382 winning percentage, I'll borrow our friend Lisa's line and stick it in the Astros' mouths..."I'm done!" And to add more disappointment, the Indians only have 26 victories, themselves... I am getting to the point of dusting off my old Mets gear to find a team to root for! I guess I have a growing appreciation for the Cardinals by way of Deb, so for now I'm not hopeless in October. At least I'm not a Pirates fan, or worse...an Orioles fan!

It's been a rough year for Cleveland and Houston, but I think it's time to fold and make some trades. Play for next year or 2012, don't protect your pride, just do what needs to be done!

With my pessimistic attitude towards my favorite teams, it was perfect time for summer softball to start back up! There's nothing better than 95 degrees and 90% humidity...actually, just about anything sounds better than that! But throw in some cold (crappy) beers and good friends, it's worth it.

Last Thursday was our first week back, and we split the day going 1-1. First game we held a 13-8 lead into the last inning...go figure, we lost 15-13 a la a couple bad plays in the field. I was 1 for 3, with a single, run and RBI. I reached on a fielders choice also...overall hitting the ball hard all three times. Second game we did quite better, won cleanly 13-3. I had my best softball game to date, going 3 for 3 with 2 HRs and a double, 4 RBIs and 3 runs. The first homer was of the inside the park variety, definitely was flying as fast as I could around the bases...

With the weekend here, last night I had the guys over for drinks. Deb's away to Denver for the weekend, so she missed out on the fun. We watched Strasburg impress, the Astros lose, and a night full of Roma and Buster chasing each other around. Kiddy came out for a minute, but realized she liked the comfort and security of our bed more!

Oh and Roma and kiddy are getting more and more friendly, they are civil and we have even seen the two chasing each other. Friendship perhaps? Time will tell, but they are definitely quite comfortable with one another, check out Midnight befriending Roma's bone. Sisterly love? I know that there's always a sibling rivalry, so we'll see how it all pans out. For now, though, we'll enjoy their growing bond.

Aside from baseball, and Debbie being gone for the weekend (Denver for father's day), it has been a pretty good week overall......

BULL! The Indians are NOT the most hated MLB team!

I'm going to go on my soapbox here on the blog and defend my favorite team, the Cleveland Indians.

According to an ESPN article, a Neilson formula ("Sentiment Ratings"), the Indians are the most hated...BULL! I have lived in three places...Florida, NY, and Texas...all of which are very different, very different baseball markets, culture, people, and politics (won't go there!!). I can say that FL, or NY South, was just like NY...you either love the Yankees or hate them. As for Texas, I think most people just hate NY in general...

Not that this is a Yankee-bashing affair, but in reality, the Yankees have got to be the most hated. Yes, as an Indians fan, there are struggles supporting a team that often appears to be going nowhere, but come on, they are definitely not the most hated.

Wanna read the article, go here: INDIANS RULE, YANKEES SUCK!

Another funny part of the article, the Astros were 4th on the list. I'm shocked by this too, but I'll be loyal to my most-favored team first!

I'll concede this opinion if, and only if, the Indians win the World Series this year. Pshh, who cares if you are the most hated, it's the championship! 1995 and 1997 were so close. It's been so long since 1948...I just don't want to become like a Cubs fan (another team that should be at the top of the list...but then again, they did have Harry Carey, who could hate that guy?!)

UPDATE: Check out this link to baseball-fever.com...where they had a poll, approximately 75% of people hate who? The Yankees!

Terence's 2010 MLB Preview...well, my "thoughts" at least

Baseball's back baby!!! I will spare everyone this year and limit my baseball blogs. I tried last year to start my own blog, the short-lived "Terence Babbles Baseball." Just like Speed 2, it was well-hyped but not a success. (In my personal opinion my blog and Speed 2 were GOLD!) Anyways, spring training is ongoing, the free agent class is thinning, and opening day seats are all set (for the Astros...4th year in a row, not my World Series favorite, Cleveland)!

Yes, my pick for the World Series is the Cleveland Indians. Granted I'm probably one of the few people that would say this...but as they are my favorite and most loved team, what kind of fan would I be if I didn't say the Indians?? I have been following the website mlbtraderumors.com since last year when my friend Owen sent it to me...and I was instantly hooked! It doesn't only cover the rumors, but all the transactions too! For me, it's the best. They did a spread on the Indians offseason moves last month...Cleveland's Offseason in Review. Not sure things like "the Indians' winter hammered home the fact that they're in full rebuilding mode" or "the Indians' veteran sell-off began last summer and should continue in 2010" really look promising for my prediction, but I'm holding to it!

There's been plenty of Cinderella stories throughout sports...why not Cleveland? It's been a long 62 years since their last championship! Prediction 91-71, 1st Place in AL Central. Toppling the Wild Card Yankees (bunch of dbags) in the Division Series, the Angels in the Championship Series, and the Cardinals in the World Series. Odds of going down like this...12,000 to 1! HA! If it does, I'm buying a lotto ticket!

As for my other teams I like to follow...the Astros and Cardinals. The Astros did nothing of substance. With a healthy team, they could be moderately successful, a few games above 0.500 or so, but I wouldn't hold my breath. They are going to be 77-85. The Cardinals did well signing Holliday long term. I'll bet they continue to succeed and see them going 90-72 this year...heading to a frustrating loss in the World Series to the Indians.

Oh that was fun...can't wait for the season to start! Baseball is back and I'm ready for it!!

The "Lowly" Indians

Over the weekend the Indians were shut out TWICE, spanning 19 innings (that's a span of three games!) without scoring a run. I have been giving the Astros crap, but they have listened to me and improved. They are sitting in 5th place in the NL Central only 3 games under .500. However, the Indians have not.

Today the Indians enter with the worst, yes the worst, record in baseball. Not just the AL, but all of baseball! Sitting at 11-21 is terrible. Now comes my defense of the worst team in baseball...targetted at Cheryl and her trash talking "Nationals" propaganda. See the Nationals winning percentage sits at .345 where the Indians winning percentage is at .344. That's one-thousandth of a point separating these two basement dwellers.

Last week when the Nationals and Astros played, I read the recap and the way it started made me laugh, "...two last place teams vying for a win..." Go figure the game was suspended in the 10th and neither team will pick up a victory until July when they finish that game! But over the weekend the most depressing read was about the Indians getting shutout twice:

"In the first two games, the Tigers pitched consecutive shutouts in Cleveland for the first time in nearly 101 years. Hall of Famer Ty Cobb was 21 years old when the Tigers did it on July 3 and 4, 1908."

It's sad when you have to compare the Indians play to games over 100 years ago! The first line was so accurate..."the Indians are digging themselves a deeper hole every day."

I think I might go home and watch the Major League movie series, at least the Indians WIN! Ahhh...