Arkansans in the MLB Draft (Round 1)

Only 1 round on the first night of the Major League Baseball draft, and as a Cardinals and Razorback fan I have to be excited. Here's the Arkansas connections:

16. Chicago Cubs: Hayden Simpson, RHP 6-0 175 lbs
Southern Arkansas University (13-1 1.81 ERA 131 K/35 BB in 99.1 IP)
Magnolia, AR / Magnolia HS

Summary (Baseball America): We were on Hayden Simpson in the preseason. But no one was on him at No. 17 overall. Simpson, our No. 191 prospect on our Top 200, was our preseason Division II pitcher of the year, and he was the pitcher of the year at Division II. But Simpson is a big surprise as a 6-foot, 170-pound righthander whose velocity parks at 92-94 mph, and he lost just two games in three seasons. Still, many scouts had Simpson in as a middle reliever. We knew this was a volatile first round, but we didn't think Simpson could go No. 17 overall.

25. St. Louis Cardinals: Zack Cox, 3B 6-1 215 lbs
Arkansas Razorbacks (.424 9 HR 48 RBI 11 SB)

Summary (pre-draft): A Draft prospect two years ago, Cox is back as a Draft-eligible sophomore. His best tool is his bat and he should hit for plenty of average with at least decent power. His plus arm plays just fine at third, but his overall defense at the hot corner likely won't work at the next level. Arkansas has been mixing him in at second and that might prove to be a better spot for the left-handed hitter. Regardless of the position, the bat should be enough to get him off the board sooner rather than later.

Also of note... high schooler Justin O'Conner, a SS/C from Cowan HS (Ind.) got drafted 31st by Tampa Bay. He is committed to the Arkansas Razorbacks if he doesn't sign with the Rays.

R.I.P. Ernie

I grew up listening to the great Jack Buck and Mike Shannon as a Cardinal's fan. They were my voices of Summer. Yesterday the Summer voice of the Detroit Tigers passed away, and I was really moved by some of the tributes I saw on the man. He was an amazing person.

Detroit Tigers broadcaster Ernie Harwell died about 7:30 p.m. in his apartment at Fox Run Village and Retirement Center in the Detroit suburb of Novi, said his attorney and longtime friend, S. Gary Spicer. His wife of 68 years, Lulu, and his two sons and two daughters were at his side, Spicer said.

So I've seen the speech below posted around the net at various places today and figured I'd re-post it too for anyone who hasn't, because frankly... it's f'n awesome. So take some time and read it.

Source: Baseball Almanac

National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, Inc.
Ernie Harwell Induction Day Speech
August 2, 1981, in Cooperstown, New York

Thank you, Ralph Kiner and thank you folks for that warm Cooperstown welcome. This is an award that I will certainly cherish forever. I praise the Lord here today. I know that all my talent and all my ability comes from him, and without him I'm nothing and I thank him for his great blessing. I'd like for you to meet my very best friend and she is my best friend despite the fact that this month we celebrate our 40th wedding anniversary, Lulu Harwell. Lulu, will you stand up please. My son, Bill, right next to her, his wife Diane, their youngsters, my son, Gray, his wife Sandy, and their three youngsters, and my daughters, Julie and Carolyn.

I'm very proud of this award, but I'm even more proud of my family. You know the life and times of Ernie Harwell could be capsuled I think in two famous quotations, one from a left handed, the New York Yankee pitcher and the other one from a right handed English poet. The Yankee pitcher, Lefty Gomez, once said, "I'd rather be lucky than good. " And the poet, Alfred Lord Tennyson, once wrote in his epic poem Ulysses, "I am a part of all that I have met." Well, I know that I'm a lot luckier than I'm good. I've been lucky to broadcast some great events and to broadcast the exploits of some great players.

When I went to Brooklyn in 1948 Jackie Robinson was at the height of his brilliant career. With the Giants I broadcast the debut of Hall of Famer Willie Mays. When I went to Baltimore the great Brooks Robinson came along to replace my good friend George Kell at third base. Kind in my 22 years at Detroit it's been a distinct privilege to watch the day by day consistency of Hall of Famer Al Kaline. Yes, it's lucky that I've been there and I've been at some events too. I want to tell you about one that Ralph mentioned Bobby Thomson's home run October 3rd. I felt a little sorry for my Giant broadcasting partner that day, Russ Hodges. Ole' Russ is going to be stuck on the radio, there were five radio broadcasts and I was gonna' be on coast to coast TV and I thought that I had the plum assignment. Well, as you remember it turned out quite differently. Russ Hodges' record became the most famous sports broadcast of all time, television, no instant replay, no recordings in those days, and only Mrs. Harwell knows that I did the telecast of Bobby Thomson's home run. When I got home that night after the telecast she said to me, she said, ''You know Ernie when they turned the camera on you after that home run I saw you with that stunned look on your face, and the only other time I had ever seen it was when we were married and when the kids were born.”

That other saying, I'm a part of all that I have met, I think that would have to begin with my wonderful parents back in Atlanta when I was a youngster five years old I was tongue tied. They didn't have much money, but they spent what they had sending me to speech teachers to overcome the handicap. I know that a lot of you people who have heard me on the radio probably still think I'm tongue tied, but through the grace of God officially I'm not tongue tied any more. Also I'm a part of the people that I've worked with in baseball that have been so great to me, Mr. Earl Mann of Atlanta, who gave me my first baseball broadcasting job. Mr. Branch Rickey at Brooklyn, Mr. Horace Stoneham of the Giants, Mr. Jerry Hoffberger in Baltimore and my present boss, here's too the greatest ever, Mr. John Fetzer and Mr. Jim Campbell. I'm also a part of the partners that I've worked with and there have been so many great ones, beginning with Red Barber and Connie Desmond at Brooklyn and continuing on to my present partner WJR's Paul Carey.

But most of all, I'm a part of you people out there who have listened to me, because especially you people in Michigan, you Tiger fans, you've given me so much warmth, so much affection and so much love. I know that this is an award that's supposed to be for my contribution to baseball, but let me say this I've given a lot less to baseball than it's given to me and the greatest gift that I received from baseball is the way that the people in the game have responded to me with their warmth and with their friendship. Yes, it's better to be lucky than good and I'm glad that I'm a part of all that I have met. We're all here with a common bond today. I think we're all here because we love baseball.

Back in 1955, Ralph referred to this, I sat down and wrote a little definition of baseball to express my feelings about this greatest game of all. And I know that a lot of things have changed since then. Especially in this strike filled year but my feelings about the game are still the same as they were back then and I think that maybe yours are too. And I'd like to close out my remarks for the next couple of minutes with your indulgence to see if your definition of baseball agrees with mine.

Baseball is the President tossing out the first ball of the season and a scrubby schoolboy playing catch with his dad on a Mississippi farm. A tall, thin old man waving a scorecard from the corner of his dugout. That's baseball. And so is the big, fat guy with a bulbous nose running home one of his (Babe Ruth's) 714 home runs.

There's a man in Mobile who remembers that Honus Wagner hit a triple in Pittsburgh forty-six years ago. That's baseball. So is the scout reporting that a sixteen year old pitcher in Cheyenne is a coming Walter Johnson. Baseball is a spirited race of man against man, reflex against reflex. A game of inches. Every skill is measured. Every heroic, every failing is seen and cheered, or booed. And then becomes a statistic.

In baseball democracy shines its clearest. The only race that matters is the race to the bag. The creed is the rulebook. Color merely something to distinguish one team's uniform from another.

Baseball is a rookie. His experience no bigger than the lump in his throat as he begins fulfillment of his dream. It's a veteran too, a tired old man of thirty-five hoping that those aching muscles can pull him through another sweltering August and September. Nicknames are baseball, names like Zeke and Pie and Kiki and Home Run and Cracker and Dizzy and Dazzy.

Baseball is the cool, clear eyes of Rogers Hornsby. The flashing spikes of Ty Cobb, an over aged pixie named Rabbit Maranville.

Baseball just a came as simple as a ball and bat. Yet, as complex as the American spirit it symbolizes. A sport, a business and sometimes almost even a religion.

Why the fairy tale of Willie Mays making a brilliant World's Series catch. And then dashing off to play stick ball in the street with his teenage pals. That's baseball. So is the husky voice of a doomed Lou Gehrig saying., "I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of this earth.”

Baseball is cigar smoke, hot roasted peanuts, The Sporting News, ladies day, "Down in Front", Take Me Out to the Ball Game, and the Star Spangled Banner.

Baseball is a tongue tied kid from Georgia growing up to be an announcer and praising the Lord for showing him the way to Cooperstown. This is a game for America. Still a game for America, this baseball! Thank you.

Source: National Baseball Hall of Fame Research Library

I Saw A Couple Of Baseball Rarities

I love baseball. As many games as I've attended in my lifetime though it seems like I should be able to say I've seen pretty much everything I guess. But last night at Dickey-Stephens Park in North Little Rock I sat in my season box seat and witnessed a first for me, and the park, and it occured in a game where a no-hitter also occured... only the 2nd time I've ever seen one of those tossed at the professional level. What a night.

NWA Naturals' lefty Will Smith's (not the Fresh Prince for the record) perfect game came to an end in the bottom of the sixth inning when he walked Clay Fuller. Then he walked Orlando Mercado to put runners on first and second with no outs. Catcher Alberto Rosario attempted to lay down a sacrifice bunt twice and then grounded into the first triple play in Dickey-Stephens Park's five-year history. Rosario grounded it to third, who stepped on the base to start the 5-4-3 triple play allowing Smith to still face the minimum.

Smith didn't come out for the 8th though due to a high pitch count. Kelvin Herrera relieved him and faced the minimum in his 2 innings to finish the no-hitter. 27 batters faced, 27 retired.


And talk about a tough luck loss. Matt Shoemaker (8-2, 2.28) pitched a complete game. He gave up five hits and an unearned run, striking out eight without a walk while throwing 106 pitches. In his last three outings, Shoemaker is 2-1 with a 0.36 ERA, giving up 11 hits and four walks in 25 innings. He has struck out 16 batters in that span. Shoemaker has already been Texas League Pitcher Of The Week twice this year and was a mid-season all-star.



Dickey-Stephens Park Milestone Moments:

* April 29th, 2010 - Ryan Braser pitched the 1st no-hitter (against Tulsa)
* July 19th, 2011 - Will Smith and Kelvin Herrera pitch the 2nd no-hitter (against the Travs)
* July 19th, 2011 - NWA turns the 1st triple-play in the 6th inning

And I was at all 3 moments. Sweet.

New Mascot REALLY Loves The Game

Apparently over the weekend the Amarillo Sox minor league baseball club unveiled their new mascot...

Sweet holy hell what is that thing? A banana with a boner? Look at that poor kid, the loaded sock is aimed right at him! I guess it's obviously supposed to be a sock. A VERY happy sock apparently.

Sounds like the GM isn't too happy with it either, and it will be sent back for a cold shower and some alterations.

Of course my Arkansas Travelers have the best mascot there is in Shelly, who is a horse (although most think he's a donkey). Shelly rocks! And even better, he's not walking around with a giant erection! Well, at least I hope he's not. But he doesn't wear pants and you know what they say about horses... so I think we'd know.

Best First Pitch Ever?

Maybe you've seen this, maybe not, but it's too awesome not to share... a Cirque du Solei performer flips before delivering the first pitch at Monday's game between the Padres and Royals at Petco Park. Is this the greatest first pitch of all-time? Damn close if not.

I actually did something similar to this once. It was Winter and I hit a strip of black ice. Didn't throw a baseball though, but something came flying off. Had I actually tried this I have a feeling in addition to pulling several muscles, I'd have fired the ball into the outfield or possibly straight into the pitchers mound.

But anyway, check it out...

Trav's Game Pics

Somehow I completely hosed my digital camera over the weekend. Well, I say somehow but I have a feeling it was the soaking it got thanks to a lake visit. Oopsie. Ah I was sort of looking for a new one anyways as mine had started to get a bit outdated, which actually they start doing about as soon as you open the box. It was "only" 8 megapixels, which is just unacceptable it seems now. So my new one is twice as good and I tried it out at Dickey-Stephens Park earlier this week during a game between the Travelers and Springfield Cardinals (hooray!).

This year our Travs are pretty loaded with talent really. There's 3B Luis Jimenez (.285 - 7 HR - 45 RBI), SS Darwin Perez (.296 - 1 HR - 27 RBI) and everybody's all-world Mike Trout (.330 - 8 HR - 22 RBI - 23 SB). Hell just come out and watch future MLB superstar Trout if for no other reason, as the kid delivers more often than a herd of mailmen. I've really enjoyed watching him lead-off every night and hope we get to keep him all season... but I wouldn't count on it, despite the fact that he doesn't even turn 20 until August.

For the visitors, former Arkansas Razorback Zack Cox has been in town playing 3b for the visiting Springfield club. He tore it up at A-ball (Palm Beach) hitting .335 in 42 games but has found the jump to AA a bit more difficult as he's only hitting .236 right now. He did have a recent 6-game hitting streak so hopefully he's showing some signs of getting it going. Plenty of time as this is his first full year in the minors.

Anyway... here's just a few pics from the evening at America's nicest minor league ballpark, starting with Zack Cox (#7) at the plate. Click 'em to blow 'em up:

Hey Guys, Um, The Season Started

I love the St. Louis Cardinals and have since I was old enough to hold a transistor radio (remember those?) up to my ear but damn this season is off to a resounding thud. I guess it's how Cubs fans feel every year but I'm not used to the suck. So I'll vent for a minute on the 1-3 start.

The Cards hit into two more double plays last night and went 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position. That makes seven twin killings in four games they've grounded into, tied for the most in the Major Leagues.

* Holliday, who was 3 for 4 in the debut, is out injured.
* Pujols is 2 for 16 (.176) and has grounded into 4 double-plays.
* Molina is 2 for 15 (.133).
* Freese is 2 for 13 (.154).
* Franklin has had 1 save opportunity, and blew it.
* They're 23rd (out of 30 teams) in batting average (.231).
* 28th in slugging percentage (.299).
* 25th in runs scored (11) and the 5 teams behind them haven't played 4 games yet.
* 20th in ERA (4.50).

This blows. At least not as bad as the gawd awful NCAA championship game last night, but pretty bad still. 1 positive? Garcia threw a 9 inning shutout for the win! Hopefully he can do that about 35 times this year.

I predict the offense wakes up tonight and scores 10 runs. No... really. I do. And do you know why? The good luck Cardinals' gnome has already made an appearance. Foolproof luck changer right there friends.

Albert hit .345 with 7 HR and 19 RBI last April for the record... I expect the same this year by the time the month is up.

Classic Tirade

I'm no psychologist, but I think this guy may be a bit upset with the strike zone of the ump. Just maybe. This is one of the better blow-ups I've seen (non-Lou Piniella obviously) in some time. I love how the ump brushes the plate off finally, and the dude stops on his way to the showers to cover it again. Well done my friend, well done.

Video courtesy of KWCH. "A minor league player from the Sioux City Explorers has an outburst involving his baseball bat at a Wingnuts game."

KWCH: Minor League player goes on rant @ Yahoo! Video