Evan Longoria and An Amazing Night of Baseball [WMQ]

[caption id="" align=“aligncenter” width=“500” caption=“Not the same at bat as last night, but you get the idea (Picture courtesy DJOtaku)”] [/caption] What an amazing night! Wow, that was fantastic! I was just on the edge of my seat all last night… My evening began with the final Marlins game of the year against the Nats. It was the end of an era, really. The Florida Marlins are technically no more (they’re officially no more on 11 November) and I wish they closed out Joe Robbie Stadium with a bang, but instead they went out with a whimper. That happens when you face Stephen Strasburg, I guess. Still, listening to Mike Lowell reminisce about the old team and ballpark and just seeing it all finally come to an end is kind of heartbreaking. I hope that the new name reinvigorates Miami like it did for Tampa. I also really hope the “leaked logos” are not the official logos. We’ll see come November. ...

September 29, 2011 · 2 min · el33tcapitan

The Race Gets Tight! [WMQ]

[caption id="" align=“aligncenter” width=“500” caption=“This could be me again if I go to the game”] [/caption] In case you not baseball folks don’t know, the Tampa Bay Rays season all boils down to today. At best they go to the playoffs. At worst they stay home. In the middle is a one-game playoff against Boston. Just to break it down further. ...

September 28, 2011 · 1 min · el33tcapitan

What I'm Watching [IB/FB/WMQ]

[caption id="" align=“aligncenter” width=“354” caption=“Fan-Created Poster of Source Code by Matt Needle”] [/caption] Movies Source Code - Some defect in the genetic composition of my brothers has caused them to write off this movie as garbage. I assure everyone reading that the numbers obtained by Rotten Tomatoes assuring the public that 90% of movie reviewers liked this movie are worth listening to. The “thinking man’s action blockbuster” seems to have become a thing with Inception last year and Duncan Jones delivers. It’s not quite as deep as Nolan’s epic, but still the best option in theaters at the moment. ...

April 10, 2011 · 3 min · el33tcapitan

2011 Pre-Season Predictions [WMQ]

[caption id="" align=“aligncenter” width=“500” caption=“Baseball is BACK!”] [/caption] Games start at 1300 today, so I’m still pre-season. This is also a much shorter prediction post than years past, but that’s what you’re getting. NL Playoffs: East: Braves Central: Reds West: Giants Wild Card: Dodgers I love Philadelphia’s rotation, but their offense has too many holes. No Utley, no RF, Ibañez is not great, Howard is getting figured out and has no protection…it just leads me to the Braves because they don’t have any huge issues, but are solid. ...

March 31, 2011 · 2 min · el33tcapitan

June: The Friendly Confines [Fukubukuro 2010]

Wrigley Field is baseball. No other ballpark I’ve ever been to has exuded quite so much of that je ne sais quoi that makes baseball so great. You know, I think I do know what makes Wrigley so great for baseball. It’s the fact that no matter what year it is, no matter how many garish Toyota signs are up in the outfield, or how the game of baseball has changed since its inception, the Cubs show up in a Wrigley laid out almost identically to its opening day in 1914, complete with a manual scoreboard and ivy walls, and play ball in a park that has become one with Chicago. Wrigley Field is a constant. No matter what you do to it, watching a ball game feels like you’re back in the 1950s. Wrigley is comforting in that way. It immediately makes you feel like you’ve been watching baseball there forever, even during your first visit. ...

January 7, 2011 · 4 min · el33tcapitan

The 2010 Season in Review [Wednesday Morning Quarterback]

[caption id="" align=“aligncenter” width=“500” caption=“Time to check out my prediction score”] [/caption] Another season is now behind us and the playoffs begin this afternoon at 1330 EST in Tampa Bay. How did I do in my projections? Who do I predict for the World Series? Let’s check it out! ...

October 6, 2010 · 16 min · el33tcapitan

The 2010 MLB All-Star Game [Wednesday Morning Quarterback]

It’s All-Star game time again! This year the game is being played in sunny Southern California, down in Anaheim. Thanks to the peculiarities of baseball scheduling and the east coast focus of television, the game is actually being started in daylight hours, 1700 PST. The liveblogging experience of the year is about to begin yet again! Expect updates throughout the evening and night. Time: 1944 My cable woes are keeping me from watching the MLB Network this year (I hate you Comcast!), so instead I’m watching ESPN’s coverage, which has been somewhat interrupted with news about George Steinbrenner’s death by massive heart attack. It’s an odd thing to not have him around the Yankees anymore, even if he hasn’t really running things for two or three years. Despite my dislike for the Yankees, he will be missed as a figure in baseball. ...

July 13, 2010 · 17 min · el33tcapitan

Just Barely Squeezed In A Win: Yesterday's Scores That Matter and Some Light World Cup Notes [Wednesday Morning Quarterback]

[caption id="" align=“aligncenter” width=“500” caption=“It’s from the Baltimore series, but there was no way I could make it to Puerto Rico for this one. “] [/caption] Leo Nuñez likes giving everyone near heart attacks. He blew the save last night, but Florida still managed a win thanks to Dan Uggla. 29 June (David’s Birthday!) NPB Yomiuri Giants (12) at Hiroshima Carp (9). Six Giants homered (Ramirez homered three times) to put the Giants way ahead of Hiroshima who managed quite an offense themselves. An ugly game that puts them at 27-40-2. At this rate Yakult might pass them. ...

June 30, 2010 · 2 min · el33tcapitan

Marlins at Orioles: Yesterday's Scores That Matter [WMQ]

[caption id="" align=“aligncenter” width=“500” caption=“Action shot!”] [/caption] I just can’t miss seeing the Fish when they’re in town. I let nothing stand in my way, even the dental surgery I had last night. It was with a sore jaw that I saw them rock Baltimore last night. New York got its chance to beat up on the Orioles and the Indians to improve their record. Now it’s time for Florida. ...

June 23, 2010 · 2 min · el33tcapitan

Swept By the Mets: The Weekend's Scores That Matter [WMQ]

[caption id="" align=“aligncenter” width=“500” caption=“The old Shea home run apple. I hate this thing.”] [/caption] My friend Lee has somehow got his girlfriend into baseball, probably by pure force of will. This would be great, except she’s a Mets fan now and she loves to trash talk each time the Mets beat the Marlins. Thanks, Lee. 4 June NPB Softbank Hawks (4) at Hiroshima Carp (5). A huge fourth inning, including two RBIs by Eric Stults, puts Hiroshima just far enough ahead to win the game. ...

June 7, 2010 · 3 min · el33tcapitan