Where Are The Bats?

• Mark Buehrle throws the first no-hitter since 1984 against the Texas Rangers two days ago (Wednesday April 18th, 2007). He was one batter away from a perfect game, but a walk allowed Ranger Sammy Sosa to reach 1st base.
• Speaking of Sosa, who thought the Texas Rangers would be counting on Sammy Sosa and Ian Kinsler to be their bats this season? Sosa, though only batting .196, has 3 HRs and 10 RBIs. Kinsler is batting .333, with 7 HRs and 13 RBIs. Only Michael Young and Frank Catalanotto come close with 2 HRs apiece and 9 RBIs and 7 respectively.
• What about the bat of Big Tex? Mark Teixeira has sucked. Average is .204, with only 2 RBIs and 0 HRs. Maybe he's hitting doubles and triples? NOPE. 1 double. He's supposed to be a star and we kept hearing all Spring how he was going to get such a fast start this year. I say let him walk when his contract is up. Good player, no great and not worth the money Boras is going to want for him. Let him walk.
• Where's Hank Blalock? He used to be good. He hit the game winning HR in the All-Star Game once. His RBIs? 1.
• Only three Rangers batters are hitting over .300, which is not good this early in the season. And two of those hitters, have less than 20 at bats combined.
• Kevin Millwood is pitching pretty good. Decent, for sure. Yet, he is 2-2 thanks to the batting lineup. Vicente Padilla is now winless (either 0-3 or 0-4, not sure if he got charged with a loss tonight).
• Rangers finished a six-game road trip tonight and went 2-4. Not good.

The season is young, barely three weeks old with only 15 games played. But to a Rangers fan, the scene is already feeling familiar. Wasn't this supposed to be different? I hope so.

Green Baseball

Ah...The perfect storm. When politics meets baseball, I'm in. So I want to share this article from the Opinion pages of today's San Franciso Chronicle. It's a short, but excellent piece. On Our Energy Future Strike out climate change David Hochschild, Parin Shah - Sunday, April 15, 2007 Opening day has arrived in San Francisco and another season of America's favorite pastime is under way. But this spring something besides baseballs will be flying over the right field line at AT&T Park. Starting this month, solar panels will be hoisted into place, making San Francisco home to the largest solar roof on any stadium in the nation. In a country where professional sports attract more attention than global warming, the greening of sports stadiums is a powerful tool to promote public awareness about clean energy and encourage environmental stewardship. The 123-kilowatt solar roof, due to be completed in time for the All-Star Game that San Francisco will host on July 10, is the fruit of a collaboration between PG&E, the Giants, environmental advocates and the mayor's office. With the White House remaining obstinate on addressing global warming, and with energy independence ranking at the top of U.S. concerns, bold leadership on clean energy is needed now more than ever. But where nations fail to lead, cities are succeeding. The solar ballpark is just one piece of a mosaic of activity that local leaders are initiating to help strike out global warming. More than 100 cities have signed onto the Urban Environmental Accords forged during the U.N. World Environment Day held in San Francisco in 2005. Tehran, the 100th city, signed on last month. Sports venues, in particular, have a critical role to play in the stewardship of our environment. Stadiums have replaced the town square of the past and are, in many respects, our new "commons" -- the place in society where more people gather together to share an experience than anywhere else. The potential for an environmental message to reach a broad audience here is unparalleled. Sports associations around the world are recognizing the influence they have and are stepping up to the plate. In 2006, FIFA (Federation Internationale de Football), in partnership with the United Nations, offset 100 percent of the carbon emissions related to the World Cup. The money they raised was put to use in small community development projects such as providing residents in tsunami-affected areas with solar ovens to prevent the need for cutting trees for firewood. In the United States, even the Super Bowl is starting to go green. The NFL has started to offset some of their carbon emissions by planting trees in the host city where the Super Bowl is held. When PG&E announced its plans for AT&T Park to be the first Major League Ballpark to host a solar roof, there was a small dust-up about who would foot the bill and whether this is fair (the project is expected to be ratepayer funded). But facing the choice between another dirty power plant or a cleaner energy future, the public has spoken loud and clear. The last statewide Field Poll, done in June 2005, found that 77 percent of Californians want spending on solar energy increased. The Legislature and the governor agree and worked together to create the nation's largest solar program last year (www. gosolarcalifornia.com), part of a broader effort to increase all renewable energy generation in the state. With the increasing cost our society pays for our dependence on the polluting fossil fuels of the 20th century, public support for the clean energy technologies of the 21st century will continue to grow. Up to this point, Major League Baseball has not taken a leadership role in reducing climate pollution. This is starting to change and it begins in San Francisco. We're fast approaching the 9th inning in the fight against global warming. Installing solar panels on the ballpark and greening the All-Star Game is a home run we can all celebrate. David Hochschild is co-founder of the Vote Solar Initiative (www.votesolar.org). Parin Shah is former president of the San Francisco Environment Commission and was the lead organizer for United Nations World Environment Day 2005. David and Parin have been working to encourage the greening of future All-Star Games. This article appeared on page E - 5 of the San Francisco Chronicle

King Felix

Over the past two weeks, I’ve had the opportunity to witness one of the most exciting young pitchers I’ve ever seen. Though it may be too early to call Seattle Mariners pitcher Felix Hernandez the next Roger Clemens or Dwight Gooden, it’s not too early to say he could be the best pitcher in baseball this year. On Opening Day, I watched Hernandez strike out 12 Oakland batters on his way to a complete game shutout. Then, on Wednesday I witnessed Hernandez pitcher a 1 hit shutout against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway. In fact, he went up against the more heralded Daisuke Matsuzaka (the $100million Japanese pitcher for the Red Sox) and Hernandez stole the show by carrying a no hitter into the 8th inning before JD Drew broke it up. When the game was over, the Mariners had beat the Red Sox 3-0 and Hernandez had thrown another 1 hit complete game shutout with 5 strikeouts in another dominating performance. Matsuzaka “Dice-K” didn’t pitch bad either, but Hernandez clearly was the story on national television. With Hernandez as their ace, the Mariners could sneak up and win the A.L. West. He’s that dominating and dominating pitchers tend to start momentum building win streaks and they also tend to stop losing streaks. Hernandez is just that good. If he’s pitching, you should be watching.

The best social rooms - Part 1 (Trader Vic's)

The reopening of the legendary Trader Vic's in the Palomar Hotel in Dallas this past month has inspired me to think of some of the great social rooms and bars in this world. (At least the ones I've been to). However, that's for Part 2 of this essay. Part 1 is all about the kitschy-cool vibe of bars and supper clubs from the late 1940s to the mid 1960s that oozed class and fun. Trader Vic's is one of those such places.

Trader Vic's opened in Dallas to great fanfare in the 1960s. Conrad "Nicky'' Hilton was there with Bob Hope. Kirk Douglas stopped by. Mickey Mantle liked to hang out there in the 1970s. Then, in 1987 it closed and along with it many great memories of Dallas. Sealed like a tomb when the hotel was purchased and owned by some religious group, the new Trader Vic's has been reopened in 2007 and rumor has it that almost of the original decorations remain. Only refinishing and dusting was required for much of the original interior. Already it is the hottest table in Dallas, and not because the food is the best. The food is good, not great. But the drinks and the atmosphere are part of the "Tiki" culture that became popular in the late 1940s and continued until the mid-late 1960s.

Legendary restaurants and clubs such as Don the Beachcomber, The Luau, Bali Hai, Kon-Tiki, The Tikis and of course, Trader Vic's, originated out of California but spread to across the United States and ultimately influenced all kinds of designs from apartments to homes to hotels. (You can read all about this Polynesian influenced "Tiki" culture in The Book of Tiki by Sven A. Kirsten and published by Taschen and you can even attend the Tiki convention in San Diego each year.)

Victor Bergeron may be the most famous of all the conessieurs of this "Tiki" culture because of his success with Trader Vic's restaurant(and his invention of the Mai Tai), which originated in Oakland, California as Hinky Dink's, later to be renamed. Refined and classy, yet wild and loose, these clubs bring to mind a simpler society with every bit as much culture as today, yet few of the problems and complications. Doris Day, Rock Hudson, JFK, the two martini lunch, Cary Grant, the convertible Cadillac, the Rat Pack, the Tropicana, Joe Dimaggio, Marilyn Monroe, exotica jazz music, and Trader Vic's are just a few of the people and places that symbolize one of the most stylized times in our country's history.

You want cool? Go to Trader Vic's and try one of the tropical libations from the four page drink menu. Have some of the upscale food. Enjoy the bamboo and tikis. Do some people watching.

www.tradervics.com

You want to know more about the "Tiki" culture. Here are some references:

Sig's Lagoon - Houston, TX - www.sigslagoon.com

Konakai - guide to all things "Tiki" - www.konakai.com

Tiki Magazine - just what it says - www.tikimag.net

Atomic Magazine - Retro cool beyond Tiki - www.atomicmag.com

My Baseball List

USA Today's Sports Weekly has just published a list of the 50 most influential people in baseball in its April 4th-10th edition. The weekly news magazine used to be just Baseball Weekly until they capitulated (to what I'm not sure - most likely profits) and started including NFL coverage and even worse, NASCAR coverage. I digress though. Their list is fascinating and worth reading (go buy the magazine on the newsstand and learn to read dummy!) but I myself have a list I'd like to offer up for comment, criticism, or praise.

Jayson Bales presents "THE TOP 10 MOST POSITIVE & NEGATIVE INDIVIDUALS IN THE GREAT GAME OF BASEBALL."

MOST POSITIVE INDIVIDUALS

10. Michael Young - The Rangers shortstop is a pro in every way. You only hear his name for the right reasons. When Alex Rodriguez joined the Rangers, Michael Young moved to 2nd base. When they traded Rodriguez for Alfonso Soriano, Young moved back to short. He's unselfish, a team leader, an all-star, and one of the three best shortstops in the league. 9. TBS/WGN - Though these two networks aren't people, it hardly seems right not to include these networks and the people behind them who brought major league baseball in the homes of Americans everywhere, be it large or small town. If you had cable television, chances are you caught more than your fair share of Cubs and Braves games growing up.

8. Bill James - He's made math cool with his statistics in every possible baseball category ever.

7. Barry Bonds/Mark McGwire/Sammy Sosa (tie) - Whether or not they cheated doesn't matter for this argument. When they were hitting home runs and setting records five or six years ago, we all watched and fell in love.

6. Joe Buck/Rudy Giuliani/President Bush (tie) - After the 9/11 attacks, Rudy's staunch support of the Yankees and the great American game of baseball along with Joe Buck's soothing play by play represented something bigger than the game. They represented American spirit and hope. And President? Probably the biggest baseball fan to grace the Oval Office ever and his finest moment was in the coming months after 9/11.

5. Bud Selig - Yes, he makes my negative list also because of bonehead PR moves, bullheadedness, and just idiotic moves like calling the All-Star Game a tie. However, his bullhead, though it contributed to events like the strike in the 90s and the blow-up of the steroids scandal, also paved the way for genius moves like revenue sharing, the luxury tax, and expanding the playoffs. Simply put, Bud Selig has reigned over one of the most successful periods ever in the history of baseball. You can't really say he hasn't been positive for the game.

4. Derek Jeter - Simply one of the classiest, most competitive, clutch players ever to play the game. As the face of the Yankees, he is the face of baseball.

3. Billy Beane - Whether or not you agree with his philosophies, his management style and statistics minded analysis helped to turnthe game upside down and created a whole new generation of general managers. He's the face of the new management movement and its well deserved, as evidenced by his miracle work with the Oakland A's, who have one of the lowest payrolls in baseball. (See Bill James)

2. George Steinbrenner - When you are willing to spend the biggest amount of money on the most storied franchise in the largest media market and you do it with flash and style, you've got to be good for the game.

1. Jose Canseco - After the initial controversy and shock of his accusations died down, baseball got serious about substance abuse and performance enhancing drugs. If less home runs means a purer sport, so be it. Jose Canseco gets credit for that.

MOST NEGATIVE INDIVIDUALS

10. Bud Selig - Some would passionately argue baseball has enjoyed a renaissance under Bud as commissioner. On that, I'm not sure. Maybe so. It is true he has been commissioner in one of the most successful periods ever for baseball and he has been the leader on many good things. But here's why he is on this list. Mr. Selig called the All-Star game three years ago and declared it a tie? That alone puts him on this list. Throw in the fact that he let the steroids issue linger for too long (so long that the media and Congress forced baseball to take action) and he's definitely on the list, albeit the lowest rank.

9. Donald Fehr - He only makes the list for allowing guys like Scott Boras to push the interests of players ahead of the game itself and for his ignorance and refusal to even deal with the player steroids issue. Other than that, he's definitely done his job for the Players Association as their representative and seemingly done so without hurting the game.

8. Barry Bonds/Mark McGwire/Sammy Sosa/Rafael Palmeiro(tie) - These four guys represented everything that was wrong with professional sports when it came to the steroids scandal and the ensuing denials and lies told to Congress and the fans.

7. George Mitchell/John Kerry/Arlen Specter and others (tie) - Since when does Congress need to worry about the governance of baseball? The Direct TV deal? Come on! Focus on the Middle East, global warming or something.

6. Whoever the jackass is that started pricing out Opening Day game seats for corporations and pricey ticket package buyers. Baseball is a sport for everyone, not just the rich. Don't make it like the NHL or the NBA.

5. The Balco trainer dude.

4. Pete Rose - I'm sick of every sports nerd in the world asking the question whether or not Rose should be in The Hall of Fame. I don't give a damn. I wish he'd shut up and go out with some dignity.

3. Tom Hicks - When "the baseball Antichrist" can say you doled out the highest professional sports contract in history by a long shot and he uses you to drive up the bidding on his players with other teams, then you aren't good for the game.

2. Alex Rodriguez - This primadonna represents what people loathe about modern day professional athletes. About as transparently fake as the worst politician and as egocentric as a movie star, this guy is good at nothing but putting up great numbers. He doesn't help his team win and he drains a locker room. And he smiles as he does it. The antithesis of Michael Young or Derek Jeter.

1. Scott Boras - The baseball Antichrist. No one is more responsible for the ridiculous player salaries which affect every aspect of the game. From the cost of a game ticket to whether or not your team can compete each year, Scott Boras is fleecing major league baseball.

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/default.htm

Opening Day Part 2

Although there was no Rangers game at The Ballpark in Arlington yesterday, Opening Day was as exciting as always! Between XM Radio with its broadcast of every Major League Baseball game, Direct TV, and various news outlets, I got my fill of baseball. Some highlights worth mentioning:

Carl Pavano, pitching for the first time since June 27, 2005, started for the New York Yankees. Despite a not so great outing by Pavano, (41/2 innings, 6 hits, 5 runs, 2 strikeouts, on 73 pitches) the Yankees managed to hit well and win the game 9-5. The hated A-Rod was booed early after an error in the 1st inning (YEAH!), but then homered in the 8th inning. Let's hope the Yankees still win this season and A-Rod stumbles along, continues to alienate everyone, and opts out of his contract and moves on. But enough of the disgruntled Yankees fan talk...

Milwaukee pitcher Ben Sheets retired 22 straight batters in a two-hitter against the Dodgers. New Royals ace Gile Meche out pitched Curt Schilling by going 7 1/2 innings with only one run against the Red Sox. Not bad for a pitcher many thought the Royals overpaid for. We'll see.

But the day's most exciting pitching performance (which I listened to on the radio and watched on TV) was by 20-year-old Mariners ace Felix Hernandez, who dominated the A's with a shutout and 12 strikeouts. He was awesome! He's in good company as the youngest Opening Day starter since Dwight Gooden, who was one of the most exciting pitchers ever in his days with the Mets. Oh, and one final pitching note...Brad Lidge of the Astros blew another save by allowing a homer in the 9th inning against the Pirates who went on to win in the 10th. The once lights out reliever blew six saves last year and is not so fondly remembered in Houston for the Albert Pujols home run in the 2005 NL Championship Series.

I closed out my evening with a late game in Los Angeles, where the Angels hosted my beloved Texas Rangers. Despite decent pitching from Kevin Millwood (5 innings, 5 hits, 3 runs, 5 strikeouts, on 82 pitches) and pretty good bullpen pitching, the Rangers left 8 runners stranded on base. The great Michael Young went 0-4 and really the whole offense just kind of stunk except Ian Kinsler, whose solo home run in the 3rd inning gave the Rangers their only run. It was pretty cool to see Sammy Sosa back on the field though, and in a Rangers uniform no less. Though he went 0-3 with a walk, I've turned the corner on him and I believe he could really be a contributor this year.

This is going to be another great baseball season!

Opening Day

It's a big day, so I can't write much....Probably going to Home Depot, Bed Bath and Beyond, not sure if I'll have time though. Nevertheless, it's Opening Day for Major League Baseball and I am excited so I had to write something. Technically, the season started last night with the Mets in St. Louis to take on the World Champion Cardinals but Opening Day is really about day games all day with all of the teams. You've got the Yankees hosting the Devil Rays, the Dodgers visit the Brewers, the Blue Jays against the Tigers, the Red Sox at the Royals, the Pirates going to the Astros, the Braves at the Phillies, the Cubbies at the Reds, the A's in Seattle against the Mariners, and the Rangers tonight against the Angels. And these are just the most interesting games!

I've been going to Opening Day (when the games were in Arlington) for the Texas Rangers most every year since 1998 with my father. It's a wonderful day that reminds you what is important in life. Not baseball, but relationships and people and memories. I can remember some of the best conversations with others from Opening Day. I can remember skipping school to cook-out hotdogs and watch the Cubs on WGN and the Braves on WTBS because everyone in the country got those cable stations growing up and in Lubbock, Texas, that's what you had. I remember the radio broadcasts and the excitement from everyone that their team could win. They had hope for the season. All teams are equal on day 1.

On Opening Day, the grass is always greener, the sky is always bluer, the beer is colder, the hot dogs juicier, the spirits higher, and our problems smaller. Opening Day is a day to put work on hold, to forget about your problems, and to relax and appreciation the better things in life. Opening Day is the gateway to Spring and Summer, where things move a little slower and we are all a little more relaxed. Opening Day is an opportunity to relive your childhood and make new memories for your children. Opening Day is pure. Opening Day is one of the greatest things about being an American, whether you care about baseball or not. Now, back to work since there's no home game for the Rangers in Arlington this year. But, you can bet I'll be listening on the radio, checking scores online and watching on TV tonight!