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  • kehlis
    Moderator
    • Jul 2008
    • 27738

    #7336
    Re: MLB Off-Topic

    Originally posted by Blzer
    I'm watching the M's - Giants game recording right now, and in the bottom of the 2nd inning they had Barry Bonds mic'ed up for a dugout interview with the broadcasters Kruk & Kuip. Obviously he has the new position with the organization, so they asked him about that as well as his stint last year with the Marlins.

    Then Mike Krukow asked: "Can you still hit?" Without a second's hesitation, Bonds laughed and said, "Very well."

    Get this 52-year old guy a player's contract!
    You have a very strange obsession with Barry Bonds.

    Comment

    • TheMatrix31
      RF
      • Jul 2002
      • 52897

      #7337
      Re: MLB Off-Topic

      Well, I wouldn't necessarily blame a Giants fan for being obsessed with the best player any of us have watched with our own eyes.

      Comment

      • Money99
        Hall Of Fame
        • Sep 2002
        • 12694

        #7338
        Re: MLB Off-Topic

        Originally posted by Blzer
        I'm watching the M's - Giants game recording right now, and in the bottom of the 2nd inning they had Barry Bonds mic'ed up for a dugout interview with the broadcasters Kruk & Kuip. Obviously he has the new position with the organization, so they asked him about that as well as his stint last year with the Marlins.

        Then Mike Krukow asked: "Can you still hit?" Without a second's hesitation, Bonds laughed and said, "Very well."

        Get this 52-year old guy a player's contract!
        Haha, I watched that as well.
        I liked his story about how his 55YO father won a HR contest during an exhibition game too.

        The guy can be very charismatic when he feels like it.

        My brother's co-worker is brothers with the former caretaker of the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame.
        He was tasked to fly to SF to retrieve a Bonds bat to put on display (bat is made in Canada).
        When he arrived, the public relations person told him to hang back so he could talk with Bonds about getting the bat - he said that there are 'good Bonds days' and 'bad Bonds days', and you didn't want to interrupt him on a bad day.
        After speaking to Barry, he came back and relayed the good news that it was a Good Bonds Day.
        The Caretaker said that Bonds was extremely friendly and was really excited and gracious about having one of his bats in the Canadian HoF.

        I've read he's always been moody, but I wonder if the PEDs were the reason for that late in his career?

        Comment

        • fugazi
          MVP
          • Apr 2003
          • 3749

          #7339
          Re: MLB Off-Topic

          Originally posted by TheMatrix31
          Well, I wouldn't necessarily blame a Giants fan for being obsessed with the best player any of us have watched with our own eyes.
          Seriously tho....PEDS or NoPEDS....those numbers are just silly. You look at them and just laugh. 232 walks in a season lol
          Australian Rules Football...just sayin'

          Comment

          • BigOscar
            MVP
            • May 2016
            • 2971

            #7340
            Re: MLB Off-Topic

            Originally posted by Money99
            Haha, I watched that as well.
            I liked his story about how his 55YO father won a HR contest during an exhibition game too.

            The guy can be very charismatic when he feels like it.

            My brother's co-worker is brothers with the former caretaker of the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame.
            He was tasked to fly to SF to retrieve a Bonds bat to put on display (bat is made in Canada).
            When he arrived, the public relations person told him to hang back so he could talk with Bonds about getting the bat - he said that there are 'good Bonds days' and 'bad Bonds days', and you didn't want to interrupt him on a bad day.
            After speaking to Barry, he came back and relayed the good news that it was a Good Bonds Day.
            The Caretaker said that Bonds was extremely friendly and was really excited and gracious about having one of his bats in the Canadian HoF.

            I've read he's always been moody, but I wonder if the PEDs were the reason for that late in his career?
            He was always a pretty objectionable guy to start with, with a real chip on his shoulder about not getting enough credit (with some justification tbf), so it's not surprising that he reacted so badly to being pretty much singled out as everything wrong with baseball and constantly hounded and investigated, while other players who the press liked got off lightly. The press hounded him, so he did the whole "me against the world" thing, it's probably the only way he could have remained so successful under that level of scrutiny and hate.

            It's nice to see him looking more relaxed these days now the constant pressure is off him, especially good to hear him even admit he was wrong in some situations.
            Last edited by BigOscar; 03-24-2017, 10:32 AM.

            Comment

            • LambertandHam
              All Star
              • Jul 2010
              • 8008

              #7341
              Re: MLB Off-Topic

              Kang was denied his work Visa. The Pirates may just cut him outright. Freese seems to be the starter now.
              Steam

              PSN: BigGreenZaku

              Comment

              • SPTO
                binging
                • Feb 2003
                • 68046

                #7342
                Re: MLB Off-Topic

                For anyone who cares, looks like Marco Estrada gets the opening day assignment for the Jays this year.
                Member of the Official OS Bills Backers Club

                "Baseball is the most important thing that doesn't matter at all" - Robert B. Parker

                Comment

                • Money99
                  Hall Of Fame
                  • Sep 2002
                  • 12694

                  #7343
                  Re: MLB Off-Topic

                  Originally posted by LambertandHam
                  Kang was denied his work Visa. The Pirates may just cut him outright. Freese seems to be the starter now.
                  How does that happen?

                  Comment

                  • Mabster
                    Crunchy
                    • Mar 2009
                    • 7659

                    #7344
                    Re: MLB Off-Topic

                    Originally posted by Money99
                    How does that happen?
                    Might be related to his multiple DUI's and his conviction for the last one.
                    Oakland Athletics San Jose Sharks

                    Comment

                    • TheMatrix31
                      RF
                      • Jul 2002
                      • 52897

                      #7345
                      Re: MLB Off-Topic

                      Kang. Smh. What a loser. What a waste.

                      Comment

                      • LambertandHam
                        All Star
                        • Jul 2010
                        • 8008

                        #7346
                        Re: MLB Off-Topic

                        Originally posted by Money99
                        How does that happen?
                        Aside from the US and South Korea DUIs, Rotoworld says he picked one up a third country. Too many chances.
                        Steam

                        PSN: BigGreenZaku

                        Comment

                        • dubcity
                          Hall Of Fame
                          • May 2012
                          • 17872

                          #7347
                          Re: MLB Off-Topic

                          Originally posted by LambertandHam
                          Aside from the US and South Korea DUIs, Rotoworld says he picked one up a third country. Too many chances.
                          Wrong kind of world tour.

                          Comment

                          • SPTO
                            binging
                            • Feb 2003
                            • 68046

                            #7348
                            Re: MLB Off-Topic

                            Originally posted by LambertandHam
                            Aside from the US and South Korea DUIs, Rotoworld says he picked one up a third country. Too many chances.
                            SMH...Welp, he just threw away what looked to be a promising career in MLB.
                            Member of the Official OS Bills Backers Club

                            "Baseball is the most important thing that doesn't matter at all" - Robert B. Parker

                            Comment

                            • SPTO
                              binging
                              • Feb 2003
                              • 68046

                              #7349
                              Re: MLB Off-Topic

                              Pretty cool story about Reggie Jackson in regards to Josh Donaldson today via Jeff Blair:

                              TAMPA, Fla. — The chat was one thing. Reggie Jackson, after all, loves to talk. When the Montreal Expos used to play interleague games at Yankee Stadium, Reggie would walk in unannounced in the middle of Felipe Alou’s pre-game media sessions, greet his old teammate in Spanish, sit down on a chair … and take over. Alou, 11 years Jackson’s elder, would wink at the reporters. Interview? Over. School? Very much in.

                              Reggie will talk your ear off about hitting, so it was no surprise that when Josh Donaldson, Jose Bautista and Troy Tulowitzki took their turns in the batting cage at George M. Steinbrenner Field on Saturday, the now-New York Yankees senior adviser stayed around to talk shop.

                              What happened next was interesting, however. Reggie pulled out an iPhone and started videotaping Donaldson’s BP. "Come over here with me," he said, tugging on a reporter’s arm as he moved to the right side of the cage. "I want to see it (Donaldson’s BP) from this angle.

                              "I wanted to see, because they say Josh is doing something new and different … I wanted to see and then have him interpret it for me so I could hear his words of definition," Jackson said. "Because players don’t like the word ‘down-through.’ I used to think I had a swing that was down-through and level and I had to go to video to prove it because the younger generation thinks the swing is up.

                              "Well," Jackson continued, "his swing’s as level as it gets. It might finish high, but the pass through the ball, the path through the ‘pay zone,’ where you collect dues, is level."

                              Asked if he’d use the information gathered to instruct the growing crop of young Yankees prospects, Jackson stared at the questioner as if he’d just been asked the stupidest question in the world.

                              "I video’d it," he said. You could add the "What the hell do you think?" on your own.

                              Donaldson was among seven Blue Jays regulars taken to Tampa for Saturday’s game against the Yankees, who had three major league pitchers scheduled to work, but sent Michael Pineda, Dellin Betances and Aroldis Chapman over to their minor league complex instead. No matter. For Donaldson, it’s possible that his session with Mr. October might have been the most important aspect of the trip. Certainly, the coolest.

                              "Humbling," Donaldson said, later. "I was talking to Tulo and Bautista about it. You don’t expect a guy of that stature to be still trying to learn, maybe not learn what I’m doing but maybe it’s terminology or a different way of thinking about it. You just don’t expect it.

                              "He was kind of testing me in some areas. The good news is I’ve done a lot of extensive research and I’m very confident in what I’m doing and what I believe in, and if people want to hear it, I’ll tell them. It happens more often than you’d think. It’s one of those situations where you have to be careful, but I want people to remember me as being somebody who gave back to the game. I don’t want to just talk about what I do; I want to hear how other people go about doing things."

                              The fact is Donaldson’s become a bit of a “thing” in baseball. A segment he did on MLB Network last season about his swing was widely viewed and a topic of much conversation in clubhouses around baseball. He’s one of the cool kids … and talking to Jackson, who still cuts an imposing figure at the age of 70, he was chatting with one of the original cool kids.


                              Reggie will talk your ear off about hitting, so it was no surprise that when Josh Donaldson, Jose Bautista and Troy Tulowitzki took their turns in the batting cage at George M. Steinbrenner Field on Saturday, the now-New York Yankees senior adviser stayed around to talk shop.

                              What happened next was interesting, however. Reggie pulled out an iPhone and started videotaping Donaldson’s BP. "Come over here with me," he said, tugging on a reporter’s arm as he moved to the right side of the cage. "I want to see it (Donaldson’s BP) from this angle.

                              "I wanted to see, because they say Josh is doing something new and different … I wanted to see and then have him interpret it for me so I could hear his words of definition," Jackson said. "Because players don’t like the word ‘down-through.’ I used to think I had a swing that was down-through and level and I had to go to video to prove it because the younger generation thinks the swing is up.

                              Well," Jackson continued, "his swing’s as level as it gets. It might finish high, but the pass through the ball, the path through the ‘pay zone,’ where you collect dues, is level."

                              Asked if he’d use the information gathered to instruct the growing crop of young Yankees prospects, Jackson stared at the questioner as if he’d just been asked the stupidest question in the world.

                              "I video’d it," he said. You could add the "What the hell do you think?" on your own.

                              Donaldson was among seven Blue Jays regulars taken to Tampa for Saturday’s game against the Yankees, who had three major league pitchers scheduled to work, but sent Michael Pineda, Dellin Betances and Aroldis Chapman over to their minor league complex instead. No matter. For Donaldson, it’s possible that his session with Mr. October might have been the most important aspect of the trip. Certainly, the coolest.

                              "Humbling," Donaldson said, later. "I was talking to Tulo and Bautista about it. You don’t expect a guy of that stature to be still trying to learn, maybe not learn what I’m doing but maybe it’s terminology or a different way of thinking about it. You just don’t expect it.

                              "He was kind of testing me in some areas. The good news is I’ve done a lot of extensive research and I’m very confident in what I’m doing and what I believe in, and if people want to hear it, I’ll tell them. It happens more often than you’d think. It’s one of those situations where you have to be careful, but I want people to remember me as being somebody who gave back to the game. I don’t want to just talk about what I do; I want to hear how other people go about doing things."

                              The fact is Donaldson’s become a bit of a “thing” in baseball. A segment he did on MLB Network last season about his swing was widely viewed and a topic of much conversation in clubhouses around baseball. He’s one of the cool kids … and talking to Jackson, who still cuts an imposing figure at the age of 70, he was chatting with one of the original cool kids.

                              Um, about Donaldson’s patented leg kick, Reggie?

                              "I didn’t like it at first, but I see guys like him who control it," said Jackson. "Mine was more a move like Tulo’s; I didn’t have a toe tap but a straight, short stride. That was my move. I kept it like that because I control it. I saw some guys with leg kicks; Al Oliver had one. But most of the guys were like (Willie) Mays and (Hank) Aaron, that’s what you saw and what you followed.

                              "Everybody is in the hitting zone the same, from Ty Cobb to Miguel Cabrera," Jackson said, fully engaged now. "You’re going to be the same: with the barrel behind the hands. And if you’re not, you’re not going to hit. Everyone may start the same, everyone may have a different theory, but when you get to the baseball — from Ty Cobb and Babe Ruth and Gehrig, to Cabrera, Donaldson and Bautista and Altuve — impact is in the same spot. Getting to it and the description of it may be different, what you think you’re doing may be different, so I had to come and talk to Josh Donaldson myself because he’s used quite often as players use the high leg kick, and up-swing, etc. Well, this guy’s swing is as level and pretty as you’ll see and so is Tulo’s and Bautista’s and Morales. I just want to see it.

                              "I got 50 years in. But I’m still trying to learn and understand, mostly understand the vernacular. I get the move. I know what that is. I don’t need to describe it; I can tell you to go Google me. That will tell you that I understood the swing. But I wanted to hear it, because I want to be able to communicate it. I need to take time to learn the new words, the new vernacular … whatever you want to call it."
                              Seems like the Bringer of Rain is teaching Mr. October some new tricks

                              Link to article
                              Last edited by SPTO; 03-25-2017, 04:08 PM. Reason: Fixing some format issues.
                              Member of the Official OS Bills Backers Club

                              "Baseball is the most important thing that doesn't matter at all" - Robert B. Parker

                              Comment

                              • Speedy
                                #Ace
                                • Apr 2008
                                • 16143

                                #7350
                                Re: MLB Off-Topic

                                Originally posted by Speedy
                                Yet again, MLB Network chooses to be difficult.

                                I want to cut the cord from TWC...but I want to watch MLB Network. The two options I'm looking at, Sling.TV and PS Vue, don't have it.

                                Well...low and behold, my prayers have been answered!

                                PS Vue now has MLB Network as of 3/22!
                                Originally posted by Gibson88
                                Anyone who asked for an ETA is not being Master of their Domain.
                                It's hard though...especially when I got my neighbor playing their franchise across the street...maybe I will occupy myself with Glamore Magazine.

                                Comment

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