WARNING! Off-topic! Do NOT read if you are at all offended by baseball threads!!

[Jurassic Referee]

Originally posted by JRutledge

And the Tigers will still have more World Series trophies than the Red Sox. But what else is new.

Oooooooooo...... LOL!

[Mark T. DeNucci, Sr.]

Originally posted by ChuckElias
Mussina starts, the Yankees have the home field advantage thanks to Matsui, and they still give up 15 hits and 8 runs to -- the Devil Rays!! (Hmmmm, I seem to remember the Sox losing to the Rays on Opening Day last year. . .)

Course it doesn't help when your biggest big-ticket acquisition takes backward K's in his first 2 at bats, and also knocks your long-reliever (Quantrill) out of the game by running into him on a defensive play.

Giambi didn't look bad, tho. I wasn't awake to see his 1st inning homer, but I saw his liner off the wall for a double. Of course, he let a lazy pick-off move go right through his legs on defense. . .

Ahhhhhh, yes. First real baseball I've watched since the ALCS. Can we really call it "real" baseball, when it's played in Japan, at a time when nobody in either team's home market was awake to see the first pitch, in a dome that had all the atmosphere of a museum?

Doesn't matter, I guess. It was fun to watch, regardless.

Chuck:

I am not offended and while the major reason for the forum is to discuss in a scholarly and civilized manner basketball rules and mechanics, it is also a place for light-hearted banter and a chance for officials to communicate with each other about things that are happening in their lives.

In my heart the two greatest sports are basketball and golf, I love to watch baseball (even more so now, that our two sons have turned out to become accomplished first basemen; best described as good fielders, but they need to improve in the batter's box). I took up umpiring eleven years ago and I wished I had taken it up long before that because after basketball I really enjoy umpiring.

There are some people in this forum that are just old poops and really do not know how to enjoy life. The weather is finally starting to get better here in NW Ohio and I cannot wait to start playing golf. Today at 4:30pm, I have my first game of the Spring, a girls' H.S. jr. varsity fast pitch softball game and tomorrow I have a boys' H.S. jr. varsity baseball game to umpire.

And yes, I agree that it is hard to call it baseball when two teams, neither of whom are the Cincinatti Reds are playing in the first game of the season, and the game is being played in Japan. Whatever happened to tradition.

I was planning on being in Orlando for the IAABO Spring Meetings but I will now be in Hartford that weekend to officiate in the CT Starters' Girls' Spring Classic. The DoO usually has some officials from MA come down to officiate. If you are interested in officiating email me.

MTD, Sr.

[ChuckElias]

Originally posted by JRutledge
And the Tigers will still have more World Series trophies than the Red Sox. But what else is new.

I don't know about trophies, but I know that the Sox have more World Series championships than the Tigers.

The Tigers won World Series titles four times, in 1935, 1945, 1968, and 1984.

The Sox won World Series titles five time, in 1903, 1912, 1915, 1916, and 1918.

And Rut hasn't bothered to check on his facts. But what else is new?

[dblref]

Originally posted by ChuckElias

Ah, there's JR!! Yeah, Torre seems to have a real problem with those Florida teams, eh?

This game doesn't count in the standings because it was not played in the US. Besides, the Yankees considered this game to be a "mulligan". So put that in your pipe and smoke it.

(I edited because I couldn't spell "mulligan". Worthless keyboard.)

[Junker]

I'm glad it's baseball season also. On a side note, I teach 5th grade and I don't do much for other holidays (Valentine's Day and such) so I'm doing a whole day celebration for opening day of baseball season. We're making solar ovens in science to grill up our dogs, we're practicing a reader's theater of Casey at the Bat, doing some stuff with statistics and keeping a scorebook in math and I have a person from the Bob Feller museum coming in and bringing some artifacts. If we have time we're having a screening of "The Sandlot". I'm really looking forward to it. We're actually doing it on April 8th (opening day of the minors around here) just because it fits into my schedule better. The best part is it gave me an excuse to order a new, personalized Cubs jersey! All right, my sharing time is over, thanks for listening.

[dblref]

Originally posted by ChuckElias

I don't know about trophies, but I know that the Sox have more World Series championships than the Tigers.

The Tigers won World Series titles four times, in 1935, 1945, 1968, and 1984.

The Sox won World Series titles five time, in 1903, 1912, 1915, 1916, and 1918.

And Rut hasn't bothered to check on his facts. But what else is new?

Did the titles awarded back then (1918) really count?


MTD, Sr. - Since your sons are developing into first-class firstbasemen (is that a word?), perhaps they could play for the Bosux. They are always looking for a good one. Actually, they could be mediocre and still play for them.

[mick]

Originally posted by dblref

This game doesn't count in the standings because it was not played in the US.

Au contraire!

[Dan_ref]

Originally posted by ChuckElias

I don't know about trophies, but I know that the Sox have more World Series championships than the Tigers.

The Tigers won World Series titles four times, in 1935, 1945, 1968, and 1984.

The Sox won World Series titles five time, in 1903, 1912, 1915, 1916, and 1918.

And Rut hasn't bothered to check on his facts. But what else is new?

1918...that is SO 5 minutes ago!

[Barry C. Morris]

Originally posted by Junker
If we have time we're having a screening of "The Sandlot".

That's a great movie. I caught the end of it on TV just last night. Unfortunately, I missed my favorite scene where he tricks the lifeguard.

[Junker]

My favorite scene (I hope I don't get heat for this) is when they insult the kid from the other team with "You play ball like a girl!" Cracks me up every time.

[Jurassic Referee]

Originally posted by Mark T. DeNucci, Sr.
[/B]

And yes, I agree that it is hard to call it baseball when two teams, neither of whom are the Cincinatti Reds are playing in the first game of the season, and the game is being played in Japan. Whatever happened to tradition.

[/B][/QUOTE]Amen! Cincinatti traditionaly had the home opener. It was almost a rite of passage. Kids bagged school to go to the game. It signalled that winter was over, and here comes summer. Great tradition!

Then ESPN gets the opener. Now it's "Hey, we've got a great idea". Let's play the opener at 8:30 on a Sunday night. Kids are in bed? Ah, who the hell cares. We don't need new fans. A few years later, they get another bright idea. This one I can picture in my mind. Two ESPN pointy-heads sitting in a boardroom talking. One says to the other- "Say, Mort, we haven't pissed off all of the real baseball fans in a looooong time. Doesn't seem right to me. Any idea what we could do to take care of that?" Mort replies- "Tell you what, Moe.We got 'em good by making 'em stay up 'til after midnight on a Sunday night if they wanted to watch the opener. Why don't we take it one step further? We'll send 2 teams to Japan to open the season, and to make it even better, if the fans wanna see the game, they'll have to damn well get up in the middle of the night to do so". Moe sez- "Great idea, Mort. We'll do it. But we ain't sending no damn small-market team like Cincinatti. T'hell with tradition!"

Agree with you completely on this one, Mark.

[BktBallRef]

[Barry C. Morris]

JR and MTD,

I'm with you on the opening day shenanigans. Growing up a fan of the Big Red Machine, I consider it heresy that Cincy hasn't gotten the opener these last few years.

[JRutledge]

Originally posted by ChuckElias
I don't know about trophies, but I know that the Sox have more World Series championships than the Tigers.

The Tigers won World Series titles four times, in 1935, 1945, 1968, and 1984.

The Sox won World Series titles five time, in 1903, 1912, 1915, 1916, and 1918.

And Rut hasn't bothered to check on his facts. But what else is new?

I was responding to what Mick said. But with that being true, at least the Tigers that have been terrible for about 10 years, have more titles in the past 40 years than the BoSox do in that same time. I was actually alive to see it. Just like a BoSox fan to bring up an error that no one even remembers or cares about. And at the very least, I can watch tape on the Series that the Tigers actually played in and won at the same time, and that is more than the BoSox can say.

I am also a Cardinals fan. Was raised closer to St. Louis and grew up with Cardinal radio and watching Cardinal games more than watching the Cubs in West Central Illinois. And they have the second most World Series Championship to the Yankees. And have been to the World Series more than the BoSox. All you guys had was 1986 and former Cub (sweet justice) Bill Buckner to lose against the Mets. In my lifetime the Cardinals went to the 1981 World Series, 1985 World Series and 1987 World Series. And in that time we won one of those that I got to actually witness in my lifetime. So if I die tommorrow, I will have seen more Championships from my teams than you have seen World Series games from the BoSox. And after this year, you will be waiting even longer. Did someone say Aaron Boone?

Peace

[mick]

Originally posted by JRutledge
So if I die tommorrow, I will have seen more Championships from my teams than you have seen World Series games from the BoSox.

Cardinals, Cubs, Tigers, Twins, White Sox ..., sure Rut!!!!
...You pick enough teams, there's a chance o' that happenin'.
mick