Proceeds from the ads below will be donated to the
Bob Wuesthoff scholarship fund.
Monday, August 21, 2006 |
Mid-Day Bullets
Once the current hurricane at work passes, more regular game notes and such, but for now, enjoy —
- Grady Little thinks the upcoming series with the tied-for-second-place Snakes and Padres will make a big difference in how the season ends.
"We obviously have a lot of the season left to play, but it's getting down to the nitty-gritty," Dodgers right fielder J.D. Drew said. "It would be nice to win these two series and give ourselves a nice, comfortable lead."
The Dodgers currently enjoy a 66-58 record, and if they can keep that .532 winning percentage going, it amounts to an 86-76 finish. Yet, the team is 9-14 against Arizona and San Diego this year; I'm a big believer in Earl Weaver's maxim that momentum is tomorrow's starting pitcher, that is, don' get too essaited about the recent hot streak. - I know brown nosing when I read it...
- The Giants shouldn't get too excited, either, now that Barry Bonds isn't the terror he used to be.
- Speaking of the Giants, Moises Alou left the game early yesterday, which can't be a good thing for them.
- The Times has a great story about the Angels' school they run in Arizona for their Spanish-speaking players.
"Most of the Latin guys were joking around and didn't pay much attention, not taking it too seriously," said [Ervin] Santana, who is from the Dominican Republic. "I didn't, because I wanted to learn. I wanted to be able to talk to guys on the street, in the park."
- It's that time of the year: Vlad has a sore foot, GA has a sore foot and a tight back, Maicer Izturis has a sore hamstring.
- It's only a bullet point in the Detroit Free Press, but it's nice to see baseball columnists understand that Jered Weaver is (a) a professional baseball player, (b) has a very nice 9-0 record, and (c) might be a candidate for AL Rookie of the Year. Of course, I would be more impressed if this had come out of the New York Times, or even ESPN, but that's too much to hope for.
- Jamie Moyer was one of three remaining players from the 116-win 2001 Mariners, the other two being Ichiro Suzuki and Joel Piniero.
Comments:
Aside from the fact that he's a good (with potential to be excellent) pitcher, one of the things I've admired about Santana since his first win in 2005 is his willingness to talk with the media in English. Clearly, he was taking those classes seriously.
Although his on-field interview with Jose Mota last year was kinda funny in that after a few questions it appeared that Jose had exhausted Ervin's knowledge of the language, the fact that he was game enough to go on live TV and do an interview told me a lot about his confidence and composure. He didn't shy away from the national spotlight, either, as he calmly answered questions following his and the Angels' triumph over the Yankees in last year's division series: "I don't have to be nervous."
He's an impressive young man. I sincerely hope that he remains a Halo for many years to come.
Although his on-field interview with Jose Mota last year was kinda funny in that after a few questions it appeared that Jose had exhausted Ervin's knowledge of the language, the fact that he was game enough to go on live TV and do an interview told me a lot about his confidence and composure. He didn't shy away from the national spotlight, either, as he calmly answered questions following his and the Angels' triumph over the Yankees in last year's division series: "I don't have to be nervous."
He's an impressive young man. I sincerely hope that he remains a Halo for many years to come.
# posted by 
: 8/21/2006 02:58:00 PM
: 8/21/2006 02:58:00 PM
I agree. Santana has the best mental makeup of a young pitcher I can ever remember seeing. It is one thing to be able to blow teams away time after time, but Santana is not yet like that. Instead, he seems to pitch his best against the toughest opponents at the most important times. Santana may be only the 4th best starter right now, but I think when the team needs a win, I would trust him on the mound most (and that is saying a lot with how good Li'l Bro has been and how dominating Lackey and Escobar can be at times).
Newer› ‹Older
 |
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.