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2013 Season |
Edition No. 3 |
January 31, 2013 |
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Brethren:
I am penning this issue of From the Bullpen from sunny Florida, at the historical and beautiful Vinoy Resort in St. Petersburg. With the temperature here 80 degrees and the weather sunny (while in the low teens back home in Omaha), my thoughts are already turning to baseball. It is what we do when it is January and we live in the Midwest.
In today’s USA Today (January 24), the sports section included the Spring Training schedules for both the Grapefruit League and the Cactus League, and I began fantasizing about our upcoming HSL Draft junket to Scottsdale, where we will pick our teams and take in a Spring Training game or two, and see at least one new Spring Training ballpark. If there is a pleasure in life which surpasses cozying into a bleacher seat on a warm, sunny day with a cold beer to watch a leisurely Spring Training game, you will have to prove it to me.
THE PART WHERE HIS FANCY TURNS TO SPRING TRAINING BALLPARKS
Later, as Michele and I strolled around St. Pete after dinner, we walked past Al Lang Field (former Spring Training home of the St. Louis Cardinals and five other MLB teams) where two juco baseball teams were playing a game, and chatted up two Cardinal scouts who were looking at one of the junior college flame throwers. I recalled seeing a Spring Training game at Al Lang Field on a deposition trip to Tampa/St. Pete a dozen or more years ago, and I wondered to myself in how many venues have I seen a Spring Training contest. So I decided to pull out the morning newspaper and make myself a list, like this:
GRAPEFRUIT LEAGUE (8)
CACTUS LEAGUE (6)
I am likely forgetting a few, but I have seen games in at least the above 14 Spring Training venues.
Then I started pondering in how many ballparks I had been to witness to a Minor League baseball game. Once again, I thought I should make myself a list, which looks like this:
CLASS TRIPLE A FIELDS (10)
CLASS DOUBLE A FIELDS (5)
CLASS A FIELDS (5)
CLASS-INDEPENDENT FIELDS (2)
All in all, 22 Minor League ballparks to go with 14 Spring Training ballparks and 54 Major League green cathedrals, for a total of (at least) 90 different ballparks in which I have had the privilege of seeing a professional baseball game. While my immediate goal is to make it to the century mark, it is doubtful that I will make it there this season. For now, my sights are set on the new Spring Training complex in Scottsdale in March. After 90 different ballparks in which I have had the privilege of seeing a professional baseball game
But enough about me. Here are a couple of other things that are on my mind this day:
As I put the finishing touches on this issue of From the Bullpen on the final day of January in frigid Omaha, I can only get through the winter doldrums by repeating my favorite refrain:
Only 10 more days until pitchers and catchers report!
Skipper [1] American Association of Independent Professional Baseball Leagues, Central Division. [2] American Association of Independent Professional Baseball Leagues, North Division.
Our 503rd edition
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Speaking
of
great
players
from
the
1940s,
RIP
to
Stanley
Frank
“Stan
the
Man”
Musial,
who
passed
away
on
January
19
at
the
age
of
92
years
old.
Musial
had
the
second-highest
batting
average
during
the
1940s
at
.346
(behind
Ted
Williams’
.350)
and
scored
the
second-most
runs
behind
Ted
Williams.
The
Man
had
three
World
Series
championships,
three
Most
Valuable
Player
awards,
3,630
hits
(exactly
1815
of
them
at
home
and
1815
of
them
on
the
road),
1951
RBIs,
and
24
All-Star
Game
appearances.
A
great
player,
and
arguably
an
even
greater
human
being.
A
second
great
baseball
man
passed
away
on
the
same
day
as
Stan
Musial,
the
“Earl
of
Baltimore,”
Earl
Weaver.
Weaver
also
passed
away
on
January
19,
he
at
the
age
of
82.
Most
of
us
recognize
Earl
as
one
of
the
great
managers
of
our
time
because
of
his
great
Orioles
teams
in
the
’70s
and
’80s.
He
had
an
outstanding
career
record
of
1480-1060,
and
won
four
American
League
pennants.
However,
his
team
only
won
one
World
Series
title.
Weaver
is
best
known
for
his
dirt-kicking
tirades
at
umpires,
leading
to
his
expulsion
from
98
Major
League
baseball
games.
Little
known
fact:
Earl
Weaver
played
in
Omaha
for
two
years
(1951-1952),
handling
the
second
base
chores
for
the
Omaha
Cardinals
A
team
with
great
dexterity.