COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS – It’s wildflower season down here, akin to leaf-peeping up North and we were rolling along on U.S 71 with fields of bluebonnets interspersing the big oaks and pine woods of East Texas. After the bluebonnets fade, then come the Indian paintbrushes, coloring the fields with vibrant strokes of orange… So we’re enjoying the view while listening to Aggie legends Robert Earl Keene, Max Stalling and an assortment of other Texas singer/songwriters serenade our travels.
We were returning from watching the A&M Aggies at spring football and lamenting the demise of the late, great Southwestern Conference, especially given the resurgence of the Horny Toads in both football and baseball over the last decade. Miss the old rivalries. (Right: Another noted Aggie fan – “…must be somethin’ in the water.”)
The conversation turned to forays on our kids, politics and the various women in our lives. Spanish Jerril is a waaaay big a Catholic, so the whole thing about The Pope and his actions (or lack thereof) was good for an hour or so. But, it was mostly baseball that we talked about. And in no particular order, these items came up:
Texas Rangers: A lot of people are giving them a shot this year, given their ability to score runs, decent young pitching staff and the perceived fall-off of the Angels over in Anaheim. Heck, adding Bad Vlad Guerrero should make for 4 or 5 wins for the club, given that he personally killed them as an Angel. But are we the only ones who think it is strange that a club, whose biggest stars, Josh Hamilton, is a very well-publicized recovering drug addict, has a manager –Ron Washington – who got caught for snortin’ dope??? That’s really pushing the do as I say, not as I do mantra. It’s a good thing Fidgety Ron manages in the AL where the DH makes it easy…
Joba Chamberlain: Speaking of dopes, we got to Joba the Butt and not about his role as Yankee starter, reliever, whatever… The guys seems to be eating & drinking his way out of a major league job. Will he go the way of the late Steve Howe, a great talent who just couldn’t handle the big time? Joba played like crap all spring until first game of the season… when he played like crap. And what will be the next hi-jinks from his crazy-ass kin from Nebraska?
Looks like Joba’s family said, “To Hell with the inch, let ’em take the whole dang yard!”
The Yankees: Why can’t their minor league system produce players anymore? Jeter , Posada, Petite, Rivera – they are all getting up in years and it’s been a long time since they have produced players like this. Lately, it’s just mo money, mo money, mo money… Homegrown talent that can perform day in and day out has been nada since the aforementioned stalwarts. What gives? Will the Bombers just keep buying success and let the rest of the league develop talent? I overheard Hank talking to Brian Cashman:
Minors? We don’t need no stinkin’ minors!
Ozzie Guillen: Is there a funnier manager in baseball than? You just know that he would be great to have a few beers with. altough I’m pretty sure he’d piss off the politically correct crowd, including Ubersturmbanfuhrer Jersey Girl of the PC Police. …Inflatable dolls in the club house are bad, bad, bad… Kate Hudson’s magic vag is OK, though. Humph.
Peter Angelos: The Baltimore owner is a version of the Baseball Ghost of Chistmas Past – by contributing to the demise of that once-great franchise and miring them in St. Louis Browns type dysfunction. Just another example of why people hate the legal profession, lawyer Angelos is now letting his kids pretty much run the franchise as their personal plaything. We wondered what the City of Baltimore has done to deserve a storied line of d-bags as owners of their sports franchises: First the Colts, now this. Maybe ol’ Edgar Allen Poe left behind some kind of curse.
Jason Bay/NL East: He will have an All-Star year for the Metsies. The Phillies will slump back to reality. Look for the Braves in the East, with Melky Cabrera also having an All-Star year.
Wow!!! Bay cranks another dinger!
The Pirates: It’s been fifteen years since The Pitts-burgh had a winning season. Think about how much the world has changed in that span.
Albert Puljos: He is the best player of this generation… Is he the best ever? There are a couple of names that rise to the top: Ruth, Williams, Cobb, Mays for position players; Kofax , Gibson, Dizzy Dean and Cy Young on the mound. You can argue a few more, but these are the guys who epitomize baseball, who even the non-fan knows. Puljos is definitely headed for that club. Given his continued prodigious production, awesome fielding, team leadership and all around excellence… Are we seeing the best player ever when we watch The Machine do his work for the Cardinals? Something to think about the next time the Redbirds are scheduled for a series at a National League Park near you.
Puljos…better than the Splended Splinter?
College Baseball: It’s in mid-season, with Texas, TCU, Rice, Houston and Oklahoma all in the Top 20. Surprising to see A&M and Texas Tech struggling, however. We have another road trip planned for the College World Series up in Omaha. Will the East Coast teams ever be able to get competitive in NCAA ball? Dinosaurs roamed the earth the last time a team from there made some noise.
Well, that got us rolling into Fort Worth, happy that America’s pastime is in season at all levels, and singing along to that ultimate Texas party song, The Road Goes On Forever And The Party Never Ends…
