Early to Bed, Early to Pitch =_=

ICHIRO jersey available NOW at shop.mlb.com ^_^

With the Major League Baseball season kicking off across the pond (The Pacific one, not the Atlantic o_O), game time for the Seattle Mariners and the Oakland Athletics begins at 5:04am Eastern Time at the Tokyo Dome.

I remember when American television executives requested start times for sporting events in far and distant lands to be pushed back so they could showcase those events in prime-time. They did it for "The Rumble in the Jungle", but this isn't a boxing match between two heavyweights, and the Yankees and Red Sox are still in the sunny climbs of Florida suffering from near tropical weather, deadly orange juice cocktails, and the menace known only as "Lee Roy Selmon's Restaurant" and their exquisite cuisine. So terrifying indeed o_O

Known as the away match for the Season Opener the previous day, Seattle won that game 3-1 in extra innings thanks to Dustin Ackley's 2 "ribbies" (2 RBIs or runs batted in for those unfamiliar with ball talk): A solo home-run in the fourth inning, followed an RBI single in the eleventh frame.

Ichiro (at bat) with one of four Opening Day hits vs Athletics (Toronto Star)

It's good to see Seattle star Ichiro perform in front of his native land; his four hit performance is another Opening Day record in the fact book for the Mariners. I still question why Ichiro doesn't try his hand at batting for a competitive team in the American League East Division, where clutch hitting and national exposure can go a long way for a player's career and reputation. No offence to the Seattle Mariners, but a player with 200 hits could see their name on MVP ballots and postseason game reports playing for the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, or maybe this year my Toronto Blue Jays ^_^

Dropping Ichiro in the batting order is one of the first signs the Mariners ball club is in need of a culture change. Since the days of Ken Griffey Jr, Seattle loved their all-star players, and as long as they hit the ball and bolstered fantasy league scores there was no problem. Assets depreciate over time, and the Mariners found that even the great superstar Ichiro Suzuki is showing signs of rust at thirty-seven years of age, according to Steven Goldman of the Bleacher Report. The Mariners finished dead last in the West Division of the American League in three of the previous four campaigns, and went through just as many managers during that span, if not more. The Pineda trade with the Yankees in the off-season is a step in a direction towards competing with the Rangers and Angels, but I hardly call it the right one. Albeit too late, I see the Mariners preparing for life after Ichiro :(

If Ichiro taught me anything about baseball, it is the higher the knee socks, the better the player ^_^ "High knee socks means he's good!" - Benson Chiu

You're Doing It Wrong: Spring Training Malaise

David Price, Tampa Bay Rays; sidenote, didn't he already pitch a no-hitter against my Jays?

My preseason training regime isn't going so well.

Yes, I am eating most of the right kind of food, and snacking on sweets was on the decline since the end of February, yet as far as getting in shape for baseball that might not be for at least another month o_O The decision over which league to play in, or at least how many, weighs on my mind like a baseball bag full of bowling balls.

The league I played in last year is self-officiated, and the teams we played shout the ground rules they want to play in each game, and sometimes change them during the game to suit their offensive situation. One team not only took one player in and out of the lineup, but also during a play hoping no one on my team would notice. I am not sure if I want to return to that league, or try my hand at another self-officiated league in the city. Then again, playing in those leagues prepared me for the summer, and last year was my best season; the question becomes how many leagues do I join in 2012?

There is also the problem of purchasing baseball gear for the new year o_O There isn't enough money right now to buy new gear like baseball gloves, bats, and cleats, so I must take a page from the book of Red Army athletes from the old Soviet Union, and wear old gear on the bus to games around the city (true true true true true). I did that a couple of times, and it turned the heads of some the ladies riding the bus ^_^ (lies lies lies lies lies).

Michael Wilbon, ESPN

To boost my baseball credibility, I'm following ESPN Sports broadcasters and journalists Dan Shulman, Kevin B. Blackistone, Michael Wilbon, and Stuart Scott on Twitter ^_^ No, following a handful of talented writers and ESPN personalities will not get you published T_T However, if you follow their tweets and cover the subjects they discuss and tweet about on a daily basis, perfect your writing skills, respect the opinions of others in your field, and generate an audience that respects what you say in return, eventually you will get to where you want to be ^_^ For example, I know nationally revered ESPN journalist and Pardon The Interruption co-host Michael Wilbon is a diehard Cubs fan; for 2012, but my original plan was to wear out DODGERS gear to baseball games this year. Would it be beneficial for my writing career to shelve my plans of dressing up in my Los Angeles DODGERS road jersey with the name "Hollywood" printed on the back of my personalized authentic MLB jersey, and buy all three CUBS jerseys sporting names like "Bluetooth", "Ironhide" and "Animal" just for the chance I may be mentioned in an ESPN article? Probably not, and I may end up in debt after buying another jersey online o_O However, there are a few readers I picked up over the course of 2011 who followed this blog and my humourous attempts at playing city ball, and pretending I look like I know what I'm doing.

That's what I should do, or rather what I should keep doing: Writing about the ups and downs of the city league season as well as my take on Major League Baseball in 2012 ^_^, while being as truthful as possible. This year should be an interesting one (I'm buying the jerseys though)!

Goofball Update

Sorry things on this site are sparse of late. As is the tradition behind Spring Training, I don't write during Spring Training o_O I do, however, have a plan for the upcoming 2012 season: To write at least one baseball story a week for the upcoming MLB season. Of course, this may not always be possible as I have a life outside of the internet (hard to believe, I know), so I will try to submit three writings a week for MAJOR LEAGUE GOOFBALL. If you follow me on Twitter, then you will get all the updates for this blog as well as all the updates for my personal blog, "Just Phil".

It's nice to receive a nice treat from the Spring Training circuit, and this A.J. Pierzynski round tripper is no exception. Click here and enjoy!