Off season excitement

The Hot Stove has officialy heated up. The lastest domino to fall was Jayson Werth signing a 7 year deal worth $126 million dollars. Thats around $18 million a year for a sub three hundred hitter and a guy who hits .187 with runners in scoring position. GOOD FOR JAYSON WERTH! If a team is willing to overpay for your services then who can blame you for signing. Derek Jeter, as we all expected, re-signed with the Yankees but seemed unhappy that it took so long. Now we all wait for Cliff Lee and Carl Crawford to make there decisions known. The Boston Red Sox, in a trade, acquired Adrien Gonzalez and now seem poised to re take the AL East crown. If the off season excitment carries over to the 2011 regular season, I cant wait!

The Coach

Season Review 2010

What can one say about the 2010 season? SURPRISE! Lets start with the teams. The Texas Rangers were a team in total chaos and turmoil. Bankrupt, up for sale and ran by MLB, no one expected much from this team. They started off hot and stole Cliff Lee Yankees en route to an AL west championship and eventually beat those same New Yorkers to earn a trip to the World Series for the first time in club history. Their opponent, of all teams, were the Giants. 10 games out of the NL west lead at one point and losing ground to the Padres, they inserted rookie catcher Buster Posey and the rest is history. The great pitching staff and meltdown of the Padres vaulted the Giants into the playoff. Once in, they sent the Braves packing and easily made the most feared team in baseball, the Phillies, look meek and meager and sent them to an early vacation. That win earned them a trip to the World Series to battle Texas for the right to be called champions of the league. San Frans pitching and Edgar Renteria were to much for the Rangers and the Giants hoisted the trophy. Other teams earning the Coaches praise were the Reds, in the playoffs for first time in 15 years, the Rays, a team that had no fan support, the Padres for their major melt down and the Rockies for making things interesting.

Stay tuned for my next blog, when I talk about the players that defined 2010.
Coach

Meltdowns

This is not the time of year to slump people! If you are a legitimate playoff contender you better beat the little guys. The Padres have lost six in a row, the Cardinals are 2-8 in their last 10 games allowing the Reds to build an eight game lead in the NL central, and the Rangers have cooled off lately. When you are a contender, you have to beat the Astros and Royals. So why are people making excuses for teams that are falling apart and not giving praise to those teams who are beating the teams they should beat? Its simple, the media loves the fall of teams as opposed to the rise. Its easier to dissect a one time contenders flaws then to showcase the real contenders strengths. If you are indeed a contender, you dont want to look back at a series against Baltimore where you were swept and see that they kept you out of the playoffs. So to the teams that are doing it right, keep it up. And to those of you who are on cruise control, enjoy your early vacations and say hello to the family. The real contenders will send you postcards from the playoffs.

The Coach

Pete Rose

Bud Selig is allowing the Reds to honor the anniversary of Pete Rose breaking Ty Cobbs record of career hits sometime in September. But wait! Isnt "Charlie Hustle" banned from baseball. Hes not supposed to have any contact or be involved with Major League baseball at all! He cannot be enshrined in the Hall of Fame. However, if you've ever been to Cooperstown, Petes stuff is everywhere. Spikes, jerseys, gloves you name it. His name is still on the top of the career hits list with his image. And wasnt he honored by being put on the all century team? Thats right, he was. So lets call a spade a spade and face the fact that even though Pete is "invisible" to the baseball higher powers, he can still be seen by the people that matter...his fans. So lets put it all behind us and let Pete back in. Its what the majority of people want. Except for Pete Rose of course, whos more famous for being out than in.

The Coach

Opening Day Blast Off

Batter Bing Batter Boom.

The Clippers started their season with every gear in full throttle resulting in a nice 17-4 win over the Indians.

As I sat there on the second floor bar stool made of classic oak, the sun perched over Huntington Park, with images of fable Roman Coliseum glory, a 1940's Clipper fan asked me to do the wave. It was successful to say the least. Despite the temperatures being somewhere in the 30's, fans showed up enthused and exhausted trying to find little warm hot spots to soften the numbness of their texting hands. The build up was intoxicating while the breeze of winters chill lingered as the new November nine trotted out to play ball.

If shaking off rust is one thing, than polishing your skills is overwhelming. Foul balls literally almost hit the Clippers fan girls. Potential supporters arrived later with hot cappachino-in-hand politely asking those in the wrong seats to move and disturb team mascots. The 3rd floor patio was buzzing with excitement familiarly similar to Ohio State game day, with expectations not seen by many, but realized through the competitive nature that is baseball.

Even after two innings, fans got a sense, of how high this team can soar.

Ahh, The Smell of Baseball

Ahh, The Smell of Baseball

With Spring comes new beginnings. A chance to rejuvenate old memories of playing catch, working in the yard, and getting rid of the ghostly shadow from dreary winter months.

Baseball, America's pastime, brings new life to a season with high hopes and expectations. It allows us to remember the sweet smell of spring air at the ball park, and the stomach aches of poorly cooked hot dogs. While Huntington Park is only in its second year, the Columbus Clipper's are ready to continue a season of great aspirations-well it can't be worse than last season right?

Familiar faces will be shown as its time to "take me out to the ball game", but having a beautiful stadium in the midst of let downs from a season ago may not take away from the crack of a slugger bat or organ music filling the stadium. It's time to play ball.

The Columbus Clippers will throw out the first pitch against the Indianapolis Indians a week from today, and expectations of the team couldn't be bleaker. After sufferrinng one of the worst seasons in team history, the air of possiblity remains outgoing. Manny Acta's first year with the Indians only indicates a thin line of this teams potential.

Now on the mound Mike Sarbaugh.