BASEBALL…BRATS and the Beginging or Spring
The birds are chirping, the sun is shining and when you step outside the smell of fresh cut grass envelops you like blankets…Ahhh yes this can only mean one thing…Spring is here…and with spring…comes none other then BASEBALL!!!!
Over 100 years ago, in 1903, Major League Baseball held the first modern World Series with the Boston Americans defeating the Pittsburgh Pirates. Since then the sport has managed to-become one of the most predominant activities in the United States and brings in talent from all over the world. Its the one and ONLY sport herald as “America’s Past Time”…. With the passing of Monday, March 10Th, we are now less then 2 weeks away from the opening day of the 2008 MLB season!
The 2008 Major League Baseball season is scheduled to begin on March 25, 2008 in Tokyo, Japan with the 2007 World Series champion Boston Red Sox playing the Oakland Athletics at the Tokyo Dome in the first game of a two-game series, and end on September 28 of that same year. The Civil Rights Game in Memphis, Tennessee will take place March 29 when the New York Mets play the Chicago White Sox. The All-Star Game is scheduled to be played on July 15 at Yankee Stadium in The Bronx, New York. The road to the World Series will begin on October 1 with the League Division Series, followed by the League Championship Series starting October 11, and the Fall Classic beginning October 22. If the 2008 World Series goes the full seven game limit, the season (barring postponements due to inclement weather) would end October 30.
Being from Detroit, its probably obvious to concur that my team of choice would have to be the Detroit Tigers, who with the paramount addition of both Dontrelle Willis and Miguel Cabrerra, are looking pretty hot this year. Dontrelle Willis won 22 games in 2005, posting a 2.63 ERA in the process. Only Chris Carpenter’s magical season in St. Louis kept the Marlins’ left-hander from a Cy Young Award trophy. The next two campaigns, however, were a true collapse. Willis’ ERA spiked by more than a whole run each year, and last season he added a 1.60 WHIP to his deteriorating stat line. Now that Willis is in Detroit, what can his owners and all Detroit fans expect? I’d say with Jim Leyland running the show, we can always expect the bast. And as for Mr. Miguel Cabrera, well if you dont know about him you really arnt paying attention to baseball at all…
With baseball come tradition. It plays a factor in almost EVERY aspect of the game. From the rules of how the game is played down to rituals batters preform before they step up to the plate. One of baseballs finner traditions (and the tastiest) is the Dodger Dog… The Dodger Dog is a hot dog named after the Major League Baseball franchise that sells them (the Los Angeles Dodgers). This foot-long ballpark frankfurter wrapped in a steamed bun is consumed by the millions over the course of the baseball season. Sold at Dodger Stadium located in Los Angeles, CA, it is the top selling hot dog in baseball and widely regarded as “the perfect food.”
There are two queues for Dodger Dog vendors: steamed or grilled. The vendors of the grilled dogs locate near the back wall of the stadium so that the smoke doesn’t overwhelm the baseball fans. Some purists believe the grilled dogs are superior to the steamed variety.
Every year there always that one team to beat, usually its the World Series Champions from the year before, and this year is no exception. The Boston Red Sox will attempt to become the first repeat World Series Champions since the 1999/2000 New York Yankees and also be the first repeat Champions of the 21st century. They will also try to become World Series Champions three times in five years and with faces like Big Papi and Manny Ramirez staking claim in beantown, the Sox are looking nastier then ever.
BUT…the beauty of baseball is “you never know”…just like the 2004 world series champion Red Sox can tell you after having come back from a three game deficit in the American League Champion to defeat their arch rival New York Yankee’s…
But when its all said and done, its really all about YOU…the fan…the ones who fill the stand and crowd the TV blabbering about so many stats it would turn any non baseball fans face green. So I have listed some stuff below that any respectful baseball fan might find amusing…for now we will have to sit and wait till the season starts…and dont worry this will not be the last baseball blog you see…until then, keep your eye on the ball..and have a blast