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We do not need robins or groundhogs to tell us that winter is just about over because we have “Pitchers and Catchers” which is the day that the first players report to training since the 1920’s when MLB teams started practicing in locations other than their own fields allowing the newer players to learn the roster and get a feel for their positions while giving the veteran players the opportunity to get warmed up. Since they practice on more than one field they get the chance to play each other and gain a little competitive feel during pre-season. This also gives fans a chance to get just a little closer to their favorite teams and players.

This means that baseball fans have a tendency to head to Florida and Arizona during the spring; basking in the sun and catching some top baseball action. Many of these stadiums are well located making it easy to stay in one location and still be able to catch several different teams.

You can check out spring training by visiting the Grapefruit League found in Florida or the Cactus League out of Arizona. Each team has what is considered a home field during spring training; in Arizona you will find them in the Tempe, Tucson, Scottsdale and Phoenix areas. One you definitely want to visit is Peoria stadium so that you can catch  the San Diego Padres and the Seattle Mariners; or head to HoHokam Stadium to watch the Chicago Cubs.

In Florida the major areas are Ft. Lauderdale and Ft. Myersand down the Space Coast to Walt Disney and Kissimmee. Try staying in the central part of the state so that you can visit several different stadiums and keep in mind that many of them are “home” to two different teams allowing you to see that many more games.

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Yankees Sign Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera and Russell Martin

Yankees re-sign shortstop Derek Jeter, their captain, as well as their closer Mariano Rivera.  Jeter looks like he will end his career as a Yankee to the jubilation of all Yankee fans everywhere.  Jeter became a free agent at the end of the 2010 baseball season.  The Yankee organization wanted Jeter back of course but didn’t want to pay “Derek Jeter prices”.  The Yankees let Jeter “test the market” pretty much knowing that no other team would bite on the 36 year old shortstop for the type of money Jeter was expecting.  On December 4th the Yankees and “Mr. Yankee” Derek Jeter agreed to a 3 year deal for about $51 million which is actually only about $2 million dollars less then his previous yearly salary. Rivera is back as their closer so the Yankees are set their.

They were poised to be a favorite for another postseason push but lost to the Phillies in the Cliff Lee chase.  So they signed Russel Martin instead. Really Yankees you miss out on Cliff Lee and sign Russell Martin?  That has got to have Yankee fans scratching their heads and questioning the front office.

Phillies Win Out Over Rangers and Yankees in Cliff Lee Chase

Cliff Lee Back With Phillies

The Phillies really?  Wow this came from nowhere.  Many people thought it was a fight between the Texas Rangers and the New York Yankees for Cliff Lee, but out of it seems nowhere Lee signs with the Phillies.   CLiff Lee signs a 5 year $120 million dollar contract today, making the Phillies rotation the best in baseball for the 2011 season bar none.   Lee will be rejoining the Phillies and make their starting 4 virtually unstoppable.

It looks like the Phillies now have the best rotation in all of baseball with Halladay, Oswalt, Hamels and now Lee.

CLiff Lee Career ERA 3.85

Roy Halladay Career ERA 3.32

Cole Hamels Career ERA 3.53

Roy Oswalt Career ERA 3.18

That is definitely a MAN CERTIFED rotation.  The Phillies are definitely favorites in the National League to make the World Series.

I know Baseball is over and the San Francisco Giants are the 2010 World Champions, but it amazes me that people throw around sayings and baseball jargon without knowing the meaning or origins of the word their using. Doesn’t matter if it’s my daughters softball team or the guys at the office, they just don’t know. Its time they learn. Most sayings date from the early days of the game and have been around for decades.

Hot Stove League- Circa 1910, Gathering of friends, usually at the General or Hardware store around the Pot bellied stove discussing the past and upcoming Major League Baseball season.

Can of Corn- Early Twentieth century, easily catch-able fly ball, compared to a stock boy knocking a can of corn off the top shelf  at a general store and catching the can in his apron.

Good Cheese- Exceptionally good fast ball.

Tape Measure- An exceptionally long home run needing a tape measure to determine its length.

Meat- An easily hittable pitch, looking like a chunk of meat.

Southpaw- A left handed pitcher, so named because fields were laid out facing East to avoid the sun in the batters eyes (Afternoon games) when the pitcher was on the mound his pitching arm was on the South side.

Show- The Major Leagues.

Chin Music- High inside fastball usually in the area of the chin.

Spitter- Pitch doctored with the pitchers saliva to create an unnatural movement of the ball. Made illegal early to mid twentieth century.

Sweet spot- Perfect spot on the bat to get optimum distance.

Pea- A ball hit so hard and fast it looked like a pea in flight.

Hot Corner- Third base, because the balls are hot coming of the batters bat.

Around the Horn- Third to second to first.

Twin Killing- Double Play.

No pepper Sign- A game played among players where one player bats balls to others usually within fifteen feet of each other to improve reflexes and dexterity. Balls would sometimes go into stands and cause injury.

Frozen Rope- A hard line drive with some distance.

Alley- The area between outfielders.

Four Bagger- Home Run.

Pickle- Rundown between bases.

The Dish- Home Plate. 

(Image courtesy of Wikipedia.)

It is not just sad for the Washington Nationals or for Stephen Strasburg, who needed the Tommy John’s surgery, it is comparable to being a musician who can no longer play or an artist who can no longer paint as they used to; it is like an artist losing part of who they are. It has been said that it is not just a portion of a career or a game that is being lost but part of a human achievement. Stephen Strasburg was headed to not only becoming a very dominant pitcher he was handling a baseball in such a manner that many hall of fame players could not even begin to imagine.

According to the Washington Nationals, Strasburg underwent the procedure on Friday, September 3rd, with successful results.

Tommy John surgery is named after the first pitcher who had this surgery over 29 years ago; it is technically called Ulnar Collateral Ligament reconstruction and has about an 85% success rate. The surgery takes about one hour, about a third of the time it originally took, and most often you do not even have to stay in the hospital overnight, even though Strasburg did.

Perhaps man was not meant to throw a baseball at 102 mph, throwing as hard as you can overhand is actually one of the most unnatural acts of any sport and it is not uncommon for every pitcher to feel some pain in their arm at some point; in essence part of what made Stephen Strasburg a great pitcher also put him at risk.

While he may still become a really great pitcher he will not ever be the same pitcher that he was. Rehab from any surgery is never easy, but it can be done. He has a hard road ahead of him and we all wish him a speedy recovery.

For a little under ten million dollars ($9.9 million to be exact) the Washington Nationals finally got the number one overall pick, Bryce Harper. This makes him one of the best paid minor leaguers in baseball history and puts him well on his way to the major leagues; although it may be a while before he is seen in Washington since he is still 17 years old.

It came down to the actual last seconds before the deadline to sign up drafted players and the General Manager, Mike Rizzo, along with the president of the Nationals, Stan Kasten, really thought the deal was going to fall through. Finally right before the midnight cut-off everything seemed to come together.

Since he only has experience in junior college it is likely that he will go to the Nationals instructional league during the rest of the season and will then start spring training with the team next season.

His arm has been described as a cannon and he is being considered for the outfield, possibly in right field; so all base runners need to be watchful. Although a catcher at heart many feel that he does not have all of the mechanics down to be behind the plate; but he can without a doubt play the outfield, third base and even pitch.

While still in his developing teen years he has already shown a great deal of skill and the world of baseball will be undoubtedly watching Harper and his journey through his career choice. Playing in MLB will help to not only advance his skills but will also increase his public appeal; despite his age he just may be the next big name in baseball.

Normally baseball is considered a balanced game between the pitcher’s mound and the batter’s box but since the balance is so precarious and delicate the history of baseball is usually marked by a gradual movement or tilt to one side which results in many distinct times of low or high run scoring. So far in 2010 is looking to be the year in which that balance has taken a marked tilt towards pitching; but it has not been what can be considered an abrupt change.

It would seem that, on the whole, major leagues are trending back to defense and pitching after the explosion in the late 90’s of offensive playing. As a matter of fact scoring due to runs has actually decreased during each of the last four seasons from approximately 4.86 scoring runs in each game of the 2006 season to the current score of 4.47. However, since the much warmer summer months are ahead of us that figure will very likely increase.

To follow are a few samples of some of the pitching dominated past seasons:

1968 – considered by many to be the year of the pitcher; only one year, 1908, had fewer runs scored (3.38) than the 3.42 of 1968. During this season 49 of the pitchers had ERA’s below 3.00 which is the most since 1917 and 7 of them were below 2.00 which is the most since 1919.

1972 – since pitching dominated so much during the 1968 season the mound was actually lowered prior to the beginning of the 1969 season which was thought to end the pitching dominance but it was only four years later that pitching again took control. This resulted in only 3.69 runs per game being scored which was the 9^th lowest rate of scoring of all time and 2^nd lowest (after 1968) since 1918.

1981 – although it is also remembered as the season divided by the players strike it was also a season where pitching dominated. This season scoring rate ties with 1976 as one of the toughest scoring seasons since 1972 with two no hitters only five days apart during May which the last one being a perfect game with Len Barker of the Indians. Later when play resumed Nolan Ryan had his 5^th no hitter during late September.

Be sure to continue watching to see how the 2010 season will unfold and where it will fall in the baseball pitching dominated statistics.