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Lady Loves Pinstripes: 2011 MLB May Monthly Power Rankings

Posted by on 1 June 2011, 1:30 am

With one-third of the 2011 MLB season under their belts, how did your team stack-up in the moth of May?

The hottest team was without question the Arizona Diamondbacks; while the biggest losers on the list goes to the Colorado Rockies.

Agree or disagree? Please feel free to share with a comment below.

LAST MONTH MLB TEAM THIS MONTH COMMENTS? REASONS WHY?
1 Philadelphia Phillies 1 Utley is back and Hamels is partying like it’s 2008.
4 St. Louis Cardinals 2 Crazy that the Cards are 2-9 when Chris Carpenter’s on the bump and win without Matt Holliday.
2 New York Yankees 3 Wait ESPN experts said the Yankees would stink…. Guess the meant stinking good. Tex is hot, hot, hot…but so is Grandy.
13 Boston Red Sox 4 Finally, team is winning and Crawford wins the AL Player of the Week. 45 of 45 ESPN Experts picked Red Sox as the best team, but still not quite there yet.
6 Florida Marlins 5 Season rests on Hanley Ramirez’s stiff back, but a bettered team with a big future.
10 Milwaukee Brewers 6 Here come the Brew-Crew and I am hoping on this bandwagon.
15 Atlanta Braves 7 If this team gets a big bat, watch out.
24 Arizona Diamondbacks 8 Yes, it does feel nice to be the best team in the AL West. Loving JJ Putz too.
8 Cleveland Indians 9 Reality bites and poor Cleveland fans seeing Indian players’ wearing LeBron jerseys pre-game….not good.
5 Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 10 Can’t wait for Kendrick and Wells to return.
7 Texas Rangers 11 Better win games before Josh Hamilton goes on the DL again.
11 Cincinnati Reds 12 Jay Bruce, welcome to the gun show with 12 HRs, 32 RBIs and is batting just under .350 for the month of May.
12 Tampa Bay Rays 13 Feasted on the bad teams for long enough and question is can the Rays hang with the +.500 teams.
9 Detroit Tigers 14 Ah-oh here come the White Sox.
16 San Francisco Giants 15 Posey loss will start to show the reigning champs weaknesses; skipper Brian Bochy is team’s best catching option. SOS Sandoval.
25 Chicago White Sox 16 Bats are officially hitting; let the climb to the top of the AL Central begin.
29 Seattle Mariners 17 Hitting might not matter now, but Figgins, Smoak and Ichiro need to start to contribute or Mariners will fall fast.
19 Toronto Blue Jays 18 Bautista is a one-man wrecking crew.
17 Kansas City Royals 19 Closer Joakim Sori can’t close and that will sting.
3 Colorado Rockies 20 Jorge De La Rosa needs Tommy John and rotation needs some help.
21 Baltimore Orioles 21 Still hanging in last place; but not like before as the O’s remain in the AL East hunt.
20 Oakland Athletics 22 Starters have best ERA in baseball with 2.88 ERA, but you wouldn’t know it with the Yankees in town.
22 New York Mets 23 Jose Reyes is an awesome baseball player, who the Mets want to trade or if not let him walk at the end of 2011. Dumb.
26 Pittsburgh Pirates 24 April showers brought May flowers, as the Pirates ship is not sunk yet.
18 Chicago Cubs 25 Not this year Cubs fans.
14 Los Angeles Dodgers 26 The best bullpen on the DL in all of baseball.
23 Washington Nationals 27 Jayson Werth is trying to jump start a team without a spark, as he listens to “Goin’ Back to Philadelphia, PA” on his ipod.
27 San Diego Padres 28 A-Gone all the hitting to Boston and Padres feeling it.
30 Houston Astros 29 New owners want their money back please.
28 Minnesota Twins 30 Keep blaming it on Joe Mauer, who is the most overrated and overpaid player in baseball.
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Baseball Basics: What Is A 6-4-3 Double Play?

Posted by on 25 May 2011, 10:26 pm

What is a 6-4-3 Double Play?

That is a question I get all the time from friends of mine, so much recently that I thought I would explain why announcers will refer to an out in this way.

When a team is playing defense, meaning the players are in the field each of the nine positions is assigned a number.

Please look at the diagram below:

1 - pitcher

2 – catcher

3 – first baseman

4 - second baseman

5 – third baseman

6 – shortstop

7 – left fielder

8 – center fielder

9 – right fielder

 

As you can see each number corresponds with a specific position.

A 6-4-3 Double Play is just one example of the specific sequence of how an out was made.

In this case it means the ball went from the shortstop, who threw it to the second baseman, who to the first baseman resulting in two outs.

Here is another example from MLB.com:

If the hitter grounds out to shortstop, for example, write in “6-3,” which shows the shortstop threw him out at first base. If the hitter flies out to left field, write a “7.”

If you were unfamiliar with this kind of explanation, I bet you didn’t realize how simple a formula was used.

Hope this helps, and please email me or leave a comment with any more questions if you are still confused at all.

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MILB: Charleston Riverdogs Vs. Greenville Drive Brawl Keeping Rivalry Alive

Posted by on 15 May 2011, 3:20 am

Wearing the uniforms of their parent clubs, the game between the Greenville Drive (Boston Red Sox affiliate) and the Charleston River Dogs (New York Yankees affiliate) on Saturday definitely sent a message for the future of sports most torrid rivalry.

Maybe the Yankees should take some pointers, as the Baby Bombers won the game 17-7 and sent the Red Sox little ones packing.

Watch an actual recording of this brawl, which was no joke as it happened in the first inning after the second pitch thrown by Red Sox pitching prospect Miguel Celestino hit Yankees stud Slade Heathcott, who immediately started swinging. Rumor has it this was bound to happen as the two teams have a heated exchange two weeks back.

 

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Baseball Movie You Must See

Posted by on 7 May 2011, 1:26 pm

When we watch professional baseball players on TV or at the ballpark, none of us really understand what most had to go through to get to the top.

Getting there is even harder for the non-American players, who are in a totally unfamiliar place, without family and don’t have the words to communicate more than through actions on the field.

The movie SUGAR portrays a pitcher; Miguel Santos from the Dominican Republic drafted at age 16 by the Kansas City Royals and follows his steps through the minor leagues.  Santos’ nickname is ‘Sugar’ for his knuckle curveball was that sweet.

This movie will engross any baseball fan, as you fathom from the vast pressure put on someone so young to go all the way. From family you never knew to the realization that if this doesn’t work out that you are unequivocally uneducated to get anymore than a remedial job, if that.

SUGAR shows the little details of the everyday emotions and struggles faced in the minor leagues everyday. Not only is the baseball aspect fascinating, but also as an American you get to see how the country looks threw a young man’s raw viewpoint, which makes this movie all the powerful.

Trust me go and watch SUGAR. I can promise that you will walk away feeling like you really learned something about the sport of baseball that we tend to overlook or just never really understood in the first place.

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Start-To-May Giveaway: A Philadelphia Phillies Fan Wins $50

Posted by on 4 May 2011, 12:23 am

Lady Loves Pinstripes hosted a Start-To-May Giveaway, where the two winners (picked at random) each receive a $50.00 gift card (2x$25) to MLB.com Shop, the Official Shop Of Major League Baseball.

Our first winner is a Philadelphia Phillies fan named Ted, who is a reader of Lady Loves Pinstripes.

I hope to hear from the second winner, who has until Wednesday May 4th to reply or someone else will be picked. Thank you and look for the next Lady Loves Pinstripes Giveaway…. Summer Is Here to be announced in about two weeks. Prizes TBA, but it will be BIGGEST yet (especially for Yankees or Mets fans).

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Lady Loves Pinstripes Giveaway: Win $50 Gift-Card To Shop.MLB.com

Posted by on 24 April 2011, 11:53 pm

Lady Loves Pinstripes is hosting a START-TO-MAY $50.00 GIFT-CARD GIVEAWAY.

Two lucky Lady Loves Pinstripes readers will be picked at random on Sunday May 1st and each will win a $50 Gift Card to Shop.Mlb.com, the Official Store of Major League Baseball.

Who Is Eligible?

  • Eligibility is limited to email subscribers of Lady Loves Pinstripes Emails and members of Lady Loves Pinstripes Linked In Group ONLY.
  • Winners are required to have a USA residence.
  • On Sunday May 1, 2011 the winners will be selected through a random contest generator and notified on Monday May 2, 2011.
  • Winners have three days to reply to notification email from kate@ladylovespinstripes.com with their name and email address. If a winner should fail to respond within three days, a new winner will be drawn and notified.
  • Lady Loves Pinstripes will announce the winners publicly, only at each person’s discretion. Confidentiality is a priority and your name or email will NEVER be shared with anyone. So, it is up to the winner if he/she wants it to remain private or not.
  • This contest is NOT sponsored by any of the manufacturing companies. This contest is fully operated, run and sponsored by Ladylovespinstripes.com.

TO ENTER BECOME A LADYLOVESPINSTRIPES.COM SUBSCRIBER BELOW AND YOU ARE AUTOMATICALLY ENTERED INTO THIS AND ALL FUTURE GIVEAWAYS.


Enter your email address: 
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Please, go ahead and spread the word to friends, family or fellow fans that might want some brand new authentic gear for FREE as the 2011 season heads into the summer months.

 


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New York Yankees: Joe DiMaggio: The Long Vigil

Posted by on 20 April 2011, 4:57 pm

In Joe DiMaggio: The Long Vigil, you can appreciate the admiration author Jerome Charyn had for Joe DiMaggio the New York Yankees baseball player.

The first half of the book, Charyn is just a fan that enjoyed nothing more than going to Yankee Stadium and watching DiMaggio play the game of baseball with such grace.

In a sense Charyn wanted to keep his DiMaggio the unvarnished hero that the Yankee Clipper was when he wore the pinstripes.

The later half tells a story of a man who struggled with life after baseball, the true love of DiMaggio’s life, until he met Marilyn Monroe.

Monroe and DiMaggio loved each other but valued how they were perceived to be even more, as the most beautiful actress and the greatest to play the game.

Once DiMaggio desired for Monroe to take on the role of wife their relationship soured. Only to end with DiMaggio being rejected, which did not bode well with a man who was suppose to be perfect. Charyn asserts to the idea that it was only after Monroe’s tragic death, that DiMaggio became the thoughtless character he is remembered for today.

Whether it was in DiMaggio’s personality or whether the pressure of being a baseball star got the better of him is what the author brings into question. Maybe DiMaggio felt used and baseball was the only real personal connections he truly formed authentically.

It makes DiMaggio’s attitude almost understandable and for a moment even endearing. Charyn’s words describe a passionate man in everything he did, regardless of whether it was good or bad, it was just very real.

It justifies why DiMaggio said, “I’d like to thank the good Lord for making me a Yankee.”

The book reiterates a recurring theme amongst athletes still today, why life is sometimes so hard off the baseball field, when everyone seems to love you when you are on it.

When I completed reading The Long Vigil, one of my favorite quotes came to mind this one by Dr. Harriet Braiker.

It best describes how I perceive Joe DiMaggio after being influenced by Charyn valiant words:

“Striving for excellence motivates you; striving for perfection is demoralizing.” – Dr. Harriet Braiker

 

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