Admiring perfection

I don’t care what anyone else has to say – the 2012 World Series was compelling.  I don’t think that a series has to be a see-saw affair to be worth watching.  The Giants were a likeable team with plenty of un-sung stars who came together as a team to deliver a championship to their fans. 

The fascinating thing about this Giants team wasn’t just what they did in the World Series, but what they had to overcome to get there.  As a baseball fan, I enjoyed the journey very much.  To top it off, no one really saw it coming.  A sweep on the surface of things may not seem very exciting – but when it comes in such an unexpected fashion – it can be very exciting. 

Make no mistake about it – this was a great World Series for a variety of reasons.  It was "perfect" in many ways.

The Tigers had the bigger names in Justin Verlander, Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder – but as all of us have seen first-hand – that doesn’t necessarily buy you a seat at the big boy’s table.  It’s a lesson that we learn over and over again.

I enjoyed this series because of the exposure it gave to names like Marco Scutaro and Ryan Vogelsong and how we got to learn about their stories; their struggles and what they had to do to get to where they are today.

I was very pleased that most of the baseball analysts and experts picked the Tigers and were proven wrong.  I even loved how Joe Buck and Tim McCaver discounted the Giants’ pitching – something that in and of itself was a head scratcher for sure.  It was nice to see them come back and acknowledge that mistake publicly.

I loved the fact that even though the Giants dominated – they looked beatable.  I mean, I bet you thought your favorite team could have given them a better challenge, right?  Let’s be real – when you look at the Giants on paper – they don’t astonish you and they certainly don’t scare you.  If that doesn’t give all of us hope for our own teams, nothing will.

I love the fact that Bruce Bochy is now being mentioned as a possible Hall of Famer.  I love that Sandy Alderson (formerly of the Padres) didn’t see the potential in a guy like Bochy.  Padre fans know what I’m talking about. 

And trust me, as an Angel fan who had to watch Mike Napoli come back to haunt his former team for the past two years – it’s kind of nice to see someone else feel the burn of losing someone that goes on to do great things. 

I love the idea that most people probably thought Hunter Pence had a better chance of winning a title with the Phillies than with the Giants.

It’s a beautiful thing to see a guy with a nick-name like Kung Fu Panda win the World Series MVP award.

Yes, there are many reasons to embrace this World Series as one for the ages.  It was a series that re-emphasized the importance of good pitching and good defense. 

I must admit, I get a little bit of pleasure in knowing that some Dodger fans are feeling the sting of seeing their rivals win titles in two of the last three years.

I can appreciate what the Giants did and the way they did it.  It may not have been the kind of edge-of-my-seat entertainment we have all come to enjoy, but it was grand never-the-less.  

Most of all, it makes me anxious for next year.  I can’t wait for the next story to unfold and I hope that next year it will be the Angels who rise to the occasion.  Oh boy… I can only hope.

The legacy of Roberto Clemente lives on

Torii Hunter is everything one could hope for in a baseball player. He’s a dynamic talent on the field. He plays the game with passion and comes to the ball park with a smile and a positive attitude every day. Off the field, he’s equally, if not even more dynamic with his service to the community and his philanthropic endeavors.

Torii Hunter is simply, without question my favorite player in the game today. I like the way he carries himself. Long before he ever put on an Angels uniform, Hunter was the guy I loved to watch more than any other. He put a premium on defense and made it cool to be a great defensive player.

My all-time favorite player is Roberto Clemente, the Hall of Famer who played for the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1955-1972. He captured my attention as a young kid in 1971, the year the Pirates won a World Series. It was the first year the World Series had night games and that allowed kids like me to tune in at night. 1971 will always be special because it was the first World Series that captured my attention. It was also the year I was introduced to the talent of Clemente and thus, one of my fondest baseball memories.

Clemente died tragically on December 31, 1972 in a plane crash while taking supplies to victims of an earthquake in Nicaragua. He was one of the most gifted baseball players of all time, but his greatest attribute was in his service to those in need.

Yesterday (Sept. 7, 2010), Major League Baseball announced that Torii Hunter was named the Angels’ 2010 nominee for the prestigious Roberto Clemente Award presented by Chevrolet.

How perfect. Rather than blogging about the abysmal season that is the Angels’ 2010 campaign, I have something better to focus on today.

Today is the 9th Annual Roberto Clemente Day, which was established by Major League Baseball to honor Clemente’s legacy and to officially recognize local Club nominees of the Roberto Clemente Award presented by Chevrolet.

The Award recognizes players who best represent the game of baseball through sportsmanship, community involvement and positive contributions to their Clubs.

There are 30 nominees, but I’m here to focus on just one.

In an era when the Nyjer Morgans of the world grab headlines, it’s nice to take some time to recognize those who are actually doing something positive in the world. It’s actually a pleasure to be able to focus on one of the good guys of the game; and that’s Torii Hunter.

I couldn’t tell you who the other 29 nominees are; although I could look it up. All I know is that the award has been given out every year since 1971 and an Angel has never won it. It would be an awesome honor for Hunter to be the first.

I received a press release from the Angels yesterday announcing the nomination. Here’s an excerpt:

Torii Hunter’s passion for helping others sets him apart as one of the true ambassadors of the game. His primary charitable work is done with his own charity, The Torii Hunter Project a program founded in January of 2006. The Torii Hunter Project is a comprehensive, long-term effort to impact youth in need in various locations throughout the United States. The project has four areas of focus related to youth: Sports, Community, Education, and Wellness. Torii and his wife Katrina have personally contributed over $1 million to the project. These efforts include youth athletic facilities in Southern California and Pine Bluff, AR; assistance for children in need, homeless families, children with terminal illnesses, and other community-based and wellness support.

The Torii Hunter Project Education Initiative officially kicked off in 2008. The initiative, which is operated by the Heart of a Champion Foundation, focuses on two aspects: the Heart of a Champion character education curriculum, which is delivered to students in Anaheim, CA, Pine Bluff, AR and Minneapolis, MN and the Hunter’s Hundred scholarship program, which will provide college scholarships to 100 students from Anaheim, Pine Bluff and Las Vegas, NV over the next four years. The goal of the initiative is to raise five million dollars over the next four years to fund both programs. Reaching this goal will enable The Torii Hunter Project to provide the Heart of a Champion program to over 50,000 students, and to fund college scholarships for at least 100 high school graduates.

“Torii’s impact goes far beyond the game of baseball,” stated Angels community relations coordinator Lindsay McHolm. “His most impressive accomplishments are those that have come away from the baseball field, in the community and in the lives of children. He exemplifies what it means to give back to the community that so strongly supports him.”

“Being nominated for this award is very special to me,” Hunter stated. “Roberto Clemente is a hero of mine not just because of his incredible talent, but because of his strong character and his passion for helping others. I am truly honored to be considered for this incredible award.”

As I sit here and think about Hunter’s nomination, I can’t help but smile and think that two of my all-time favorites could be connected via this award.

The Torii Hunter Project lists this educational initiative on its web site: “The way I grew up was pretty tough, I vowed to myself, that if I ever got the opportunity to help anybody that I was going to do it. That's one of the reasons why I'm so passionate about helping kids." - Torii Hunter.

Fans can participate in the voting process by visiting the official site. The winner of the fan poll will receive one vote among those cast by the selection panel, which includes Vera Clemente, wife of the late Hall of Famer; Commissioner Selig; MLB Network analyst and former Roberto Clemente Award winner Harold Reynolds; MLB Network analyst, TBS broadcaster and former Roberto Clemente Award winner John Smoltz; Hall of Famer and ESPN broadcaster Joe Morgan; former All-Star catcher and FOX broadcaster Tim McCarver; and MLB.com senior correspondent Hal Bodley.

In closing, I tried to draw parallels between the two careers, but found more differences than similarities. Clemente was the much more accomplished offensive player and although both have won multiple gold gloves (12 for Clemente and 9 for Hunter) Clemente had the superior arm. Comparing the two for what they accomplish on the field wouldn't be fair. Clemente is a Hall of Famer; and a 12 time all-star. Hunter is a spectacular talent, but most likely won't end up in Cooperstown.

Regardless, both are on the only list that really matters on this blog and that's my all-time favorites list (Bobby Grich is my favorite Angel of all time, Hunter is my favorite player in the game today and Clemente is my all time favorite player, period). Just saying.

Off the field - it's clear the two are definitely peers and their passion for serving others is certainly worth noting. I salute Torii Hunter's nomination and applaud the legacy of Roberto Clemente. To think that the two could be connected iva this award is simply awesome.

Start Spreading The News!

Last night the Angels took the best punches the Yankees could throw and at the end of the day, they counter punched and threw some big bombs of their own and stood victorious. Any other team would have probably folded, but as we all know, this bunch is not like any other team.

I don’t normally do much analysis of the games in this blog. It’s not that I don’t have opinions or agree with everything the Angels do; I just figure there are plenty of other people out there doing that kind of stuff. My goal for this blog is to bring you something that’s hopefully unique and somewhat entertaining.

Never-the-less… I just have to say that for the record, I would have left John Lackey in the game with the bases loaded to face Mark Teixeira. In my heart of hearts, I wanted to win or lose with Lackey on the mound. I can only imagine how hard it was for Scioscia to walk out to the mound to take the ball from a warrior like Lackey. My heart ached for Lackey because I felt like he wanted this game in the worst way. John is not afraid and I absolutely love that about him.

I also would have left Jered Weaver in the game to close things out. When he came in the game and wrote N.A. in the dirt, I had to gulp and fight back a tear. If Lackey wasn’t going to finish this thing, I wanted Weaver to carry the torch.

Well, what do I know? It doesn’t really matter and all I need to know is that the Angels are still in this thing...

And how about the offensive play of Jeff Mathis all series? So many different players have stepped up every game. I was talking to a colleague (his name is Joe and he’s a Dodger fan, but I try not to hold it against him) at work last week and he was telling me about a conversation he had with a buddy of his about the difference between baseball and the NBA. In the NBA you pretty much know who’s going to take the last shot… be it Kobe or Lebron James or whoever. Basketball teams pretty much get to dictate that stuff. Even in the NFL, you can put the ball in the hands of whoever you want. In baseball, it all depends on how the roster turns over. You never know who’s going to be at bat in a key situation and anyone can be a hero. Everyone is going to get roughly the same amount of at-bats. I love this about baseball.

Today is John Lackey’s birthday. John just got a great present. It might not have come wrapped the way he wanted it, but I doubt he’s complaining much now.

Tim McCarver just celebrated a birthday. He said one of the things he wanted for his birthday was a seven game series. I do believe he’s going to get his wish; after all, guess who’s taking the mound Saturday? Joe Saunders. You know Cheryl and I love that. I have to say, I like the Angels chances in that one.

Last night was all about demonstrating the resolve that is within this team. It was about Tim Salmon throwing out the first pitch and Brian Fuentes making the last one. It was about Juan Rivera coming up with a big hit, just when I was about ready to give up on him. It was about telling the Yankees, “not in our house.”

I love this team. I genuinely like all the players on this team. Every last one of them. It’s not often you can say that about a team. I really wasn’t a K-Rod fan. Not because he made me nervous, but because I hated all of his on-the-mound antics. Speaking of antics, Joba hasn’t much to get excited about in his last two outings. I don’t know if I could stand watching him act as if he was going through a difficult bowel movement again.

Other observations… it was a beautiful sight to see so many Yankees taking the walk of shame back to their dug out after looking at strike three. When the game ended, I closed my eyes and faced the heavens with my arms reaching into the sky. When I opened them, I didn’t see any Yankee fans. It was a beautiful thing. "New York, New York" wasn’t playing in any of cars leaving the stadium and only the people that actually know how to drive (Californians) were headed home.

I only wish I could have heard John Sterling, the obnoxious Yankee broadcaster screaming… "the Yankees lose, the Yankees lose, Thaaaaaaaaaa YANKEES LOSE!" I’ll take Rory Markus screaming “Just another Halo Victory” instead any time.

A tip of the hat goes to 514 Fanatic Kim, who sits next to Cheryl for many of the games. When Kim goes to the potty, the Angels score. This has been going on for years. It really works quite a bit. It’s to the point where I think Arte Moreno should give her, her own private bathroom. On the door, there should be a sign saying “Home of the Rally Bladder.” Guess who was in the bathroom when the Angels scored the three runs to take back the lead? You got it. Now, if you ever hear people chanting, “Go Kim Go” – you’ll know what that’s all about. In fact, if you want to bring her cold drinks all game long, just stop by Row F and pass it down to her. Heck, even when she’s not at the game, people will call her when the Angels are at bat to see if she’s doing her duty.

Oh the things we do to help our team.

On to New York. Good luck Angels, we’ll keep the light on for you while you’re gone. You can’t miss it; it’s on top of the Big A in the parking lot.