October 12, 2018

And The Winner Is…

The Championship Series to decide the American and National League pennants are set. The Boston Red Sox against the Houston Astros in the American League and the Los Angeles Dodgers against the Milwaukee Brewers in the National League. My personal favorite teams are not among the four remaining, so what better time to take an unscientific approach to decide who I want to win the World Series.

Starting with the team’s success every team has won at least one pennant. Their last pennants were: the Red Sox in 2013, the Astros and in 2017, and the Brewers in 1982 (American League). The 1982 American League Pennant remains the Brewers only trip to the World Series. The Red Sox last won the World Series in 2013. The Astros are the defending World Series Champions. The Dodgers last won the World Series with Kirk Gibson in 1988. The Brewers are still waiting to win their first World Series Championship.

In a year that has been so improbable, the impossible has happened. (www.mlb.com)

Looking at the home cities I have visited Boston, Houston, and Los Angeles. Sorry Milwaukee, maybe another time. My positive take from Boston is the rich history of the city colonial days to present. The food and drink is wonderful, which is made better by having extended family in Boston. Houston is a fun city. The food and culture is diverse and it never hurts to have a friend working for NASA to show you around. Los Angeles has great weather, great food, and beautiful scenery from the mountains to the beaches. Never visiting Milwaukee, I would guess the beer and brats are delicious and the lakefront area by Lake Michigan is nice. I would guess.

However, for all the great things about these cities there are drawbacks. Boston is cold and the people are not always warm and welcoming. Houston is the epitome of flat, urban sprawl. Los Angeles has its world famous traffic and pollution, not to mention it is expensive. In my mind, Milwaukee is always cold, and I hate the cold.

The ballparks the teams play in a different as well. Fenway Park is a historic park with a unique configuration and appearance. Baseball legends have played on this diamond for over a century. The history of the park all but speaks for itself. Minute Maid Park is modern with all the amenities baseball fans have come to expect. The weather outside rarely matters as the retractable roof creates perfect baseball weather inside every day of the year. Dodger Stadium is timeless in its simplicity and longevity. Legends, including the voice of baseball Vin Scully, have spent decades within its inviting confines. Miller Park remains on my list of Major League stadiums to visit. Beyond the ability to close the roof and have perfect baseball weather, the Uecker seats and the slide for Bernie Brewer are clearly the most important features of the park.

Celebratory slide for Bernie Brewer. (www.mlb.com)

The good comes with the bad. Fenway Park was built when people were smaller. There is not enough legroom between seats, especially for people who are claustrophobic. It is also an expensive park to visit as people flock to historic Fenway to watch the Red Sox continued success year after year. The roof on Minute Maid Park is not perfect. I had the pleasure of sitting under a leaky portion of the roof a few years ago. Luckily I was able to change seats, otherwise the torrential rain outside would have soaked me inside the stadium. The closed roof also means the cannon fire after an Astros home run is deafening. Dodger Stadium is expensive but the biggest complaint I have is the team does not market their history well. I could not find any memorabilia from their storied history. Maybe keep a few Jackie Robinson and Roy Campanella shirseys around, people will definitely buy them. Where do I start with Miller Park. Ummm…it looks a little dark when I watch a game on television.

Everything else is superficial, it is the team on the field that matters the most. The Red Sox have a solid rotation with Chris Sale and David Price, arguably the best closer in Craig Kimbrel, stars like J.D. Martinez and Xander Bogaerts, and the Most Valuable Player in Mookie Betts. The Astros have a proven winning lineup with Jose Altuve, George Springer, Alex Bregman, and Carlos Correa. A rotation of Justin Verlander, Gerrit Cole, and Dallas Keuchel does not hurt either. The Dodgers have Clayton Kershaw leading the charge with Yasiel Puig, a resurgent Matt Kemp, Justin Turner, and a host of other All Star caliber players. The Brewers have the National League Most Valuable Player in Christian Yelich, Lorenzo Cain, and Jesus Aguilar supported by an almost unhittable bullpen with Josh Hader, Jeremy Jeffress, and Corey Knebel.

Mookie Betts and the Red Sox look unbeatable. (Boston Herald/ Stuart Cahill)

Each team also has unique drawbacks. The Red Sox have spent a ton of money to assemble a great team. World Series Championships should be won not purchased. The Astros are the defending Champions, their repeating is less than thrilling. The Dodgers have tried to buy a World Series for years, this forever rubs me the wrong way. The Brewers still employ Ryan Braun. I am not a fan of his, not was busted for using Performance Enhancing Drugs, but his attempt to smear Dino Laurenzi’s name, the test collector, to save himself from his own stupidity forever stained his legacy. I have sat in left field when watching the Brewers on the road simply to boo Braun and will continue to do so until he retires.

After weighing the good and the bad for each team my decision on which team to root to a World Series Championship comes down to a single person. Bob Uecker. Mr. Baseball. Bob Uecker has given his life to baseball. He has been the voice of the Milwaukee Brewers since 1971. He was Harry Doyle in the Major League movies. His appearances on Johnny Carson. Andre the Giant choking him. The Miller Lite commercials. He continues to complain about his induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame only as a Broadcaster, the Ford C. Frick Award in 2003, and not as a player. A career .200 hitter with 14 lifetime home runs, including off Gaylord Perry, Fergie Jenkins, and Sandy Koufax. Yes that Sandy Koufax. The stats speak for themselves. Come on Brewers, give Milwaukee the World Series they deserve with Bob Uecker making the call.

Come on Brewers, let Bob Uecker announce a World Series Champion!!! (Scripps Media-2016)

Mr. Consistency

Consistency in baseball is about showing up and performing game after game, season after season. Most consistent batter in baseball? Khris Davis. Over the last three seasons, Davis has hit .247, consistently.

In 2015, his third and final season playing for the Milwaukee Brewers, Davis played 121 games, with 27 home runs, 66 RBI, walked 44 times, struck out 122 times, with a .323 OBP, .505 SLG, and .828 OPS. In 2016, his first season playing for the Oakland Athletics, Davis played 150 games, with 42 home runs, 102 RBI, walked 42 times, struck out 166 times, with a .307 OBP, .524 SLG, and .831 OPS. In 2017, Davis played 153 games, with 43 home runs, 110 RBI, walked 73 times, struck out 195 times, with a .336 OBP, .528 SLG, and .864 OPS. Every season Davis’ batting average was .247.

2018 is vastly different for Khris Davis. This season Davis has played 147 games, with 46 home runs, 120 RBI, walked 56 times, struck out 169 times, with a .326 OBP, .547 SLG, and .873 OPS. He is not hitting .247, no he has posted a blistering .249 batting average. If Khris Davis cools off just slightly at the plate he could hit .247 for a fourth straight season. Consistency.

Khris Davis consistently launches the baseball into the seats in Oakland. (Getty Images)

Davis batting fourth in the Athletics lineup has him cleaning up after Marcus Semien, Matt Chapman, and Jed Lowrie cause havoc ahead of him. Davis is seeing more pitches to hit as teams must choose to pitch to him or Matt Olson. Constantly turning over the line up stretches opposing pitching staffs and provides breathing room for Oakland’s staff. A good offense and solid pitching staff have the Athletics in the playoffs for the first time since 2014. A Wild Card match up against the Yankees awaits.

Oakland benefits from Davis on the field and in the stands. The Athletics and Davis have one last round of arbitration before free agency in 2020. Davis will reach free agency heading into his 32 year old season. If he continues producing big power numbers, even in Oakland’s pitcher friendly park, he will be a hot commodity at next season’s trade deadline. Oakland fans love Davis and he loves playing in Oakland. Large contracts are almost unheard of in Oakland, Davis could find himself in a situation similar to Andre Ethier and the Dodgers. The Dodger front office overpaid a fan favorite to show the team was serious about winning. The Athletics will soon be the only team left in Oakland. The Raiders are moving to Las Vegas and the Warriors are moving to San Francisco. Now is a good time for the Athletics to spend some money and draw Oakland in as the team is winning, consistently.

September 21, 2018

The House That Ruth Built

“Now batting for the New York Yankees, the shortstop, #2, Derek Jeter, #2.”

I can still hear legendary Yankee Public Address Announcer Bob Sheppard introducing Derek Jeter for his first at bat on Sunday, September 21, 2008. Jeter walked to the plate while Sheppard’s voice echoed around Yankee Stadium. Jesse, John, and I had flown to New York solely to watch the Yankees play the Orioles in the final game at Yankee Stadium. The House That Ruth Built was closing.

Baseball brought me to New York City for the first time. I would later live and work in New York for five years, but that first visit was about baseball. Knowing we only had one game to explore one of the greatest ballparks in baseball we arrived at 161st Street Station in the Bronx around 9:30 am, 11 hours before first pitch. We were greeted by a sea of fans who, like us, we eager to spend the day inside the House That Ruth Built before it closed.

We made it to The House That Ruth Built. (The Winning Run/ JJ)

The crowd outside the Stadium was chaotic, joyous, and a bit solemn all at once. The new Yankee Stadium stood just across the street, and except for a few glances I had little interest in the building. I had come to see THE Stadium, not its replacement. After slowly making our way through the line we finally entered the hallowed stadium. We soon learned our first stop would not happen. Monument Park was at capacity and the Yankees were closing it early. We scrapped our other plans and began exploring every nooks and cranny of the stadium that was accessible. We walked around the cheap seats, the foul lines, behind home plate, everywhere but our seats. Our seats were in the right field bleachers, with the Bleacher Creatures. Once you entered the bleacher area, security would not permit you to return to the rest of the stadium. We explored until our feet ached from the concrete. Once you join the Bleacher Creatures, there is no coming back.

Our first glimpse of the field was from behind home plate. Seeing the most famous baseball field in the world, where so much of the game’s history was made, where so many legends played, felt spiritual. I remember silently standing with Jesse and John gazing at the field, soaking it in. Three baseball fanatics in awe of their surroundings.

The field is beautiful from the cheap seats (The Winning Run/JJ)

Warming up before the game. (The Winning Run/JJ)

Breathtaking. (The Winning Run/JJ)

Our day touring Yankee Stadium went by in a flash before we joined the Bleacher Creatures. The pregame festivities included Yankee legends returning to the field one last time. Yogi Berra, Whitey Ford, Reggie Jackson, and other living legends were joined by the ghosts of Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, among others. Fittingly Babe Ruth’s daughter, Julia Ruth Stevens, threw out the final first pitch in the House That Ruth Built.

Once the actual game began, it was like every Yankee game I would attend while living in New York. The nationally televised game between two teams who would finish the season a combined 36.5 games behind first place began at 8:36 p.m. There were plenty of people, like us, who were not the regulars among the Bleacher Creatures. It was easy to identify the Bleacher Creatures. They are loud, obnoxious, generally know their baseball, and above all are die hard Yankee fans. The chants began in the top of the first, roll call. Every Yankee, except the pitcher and catcher, had their name chanted until they acknowledged the Bleacher Creatures. Some players, like Bobby Abreu, waved quickly, others, like Johnny Damon, made us work for a few minutes before waving. The loudest chant was for the Captain, Derek Jeter. Jeter was the man; no one on the field commanded more respect than #2.

Our seats with the Bleacher Creatures. (The Winning Run/JJ)

I remember only pieces of the actual game. We went to the game for the experience, not necessarily the actual game. The Bleacher Creatures did what they do best, being loud. I have clear memories of a chant regarding Hall of Fame player and then ESPN Sunday Night Baseball announcer Joe Morgan, who was broadcasting the game. The chant was simple, “Joe Morgan Sucks! Joe Morgan Sucks! Joe Morgan Sucks!” Over and over and over. I was never a fan of Morgan’s broadcasting, but the Bleacher Creatures were less bashful in voicing their opinion. Another memory is a different chant “Box Seats Suck! Box Seats Suck!” The metal bleachers in right field were anything but leisurious. They reminded me of the bench at a little league game. The most memorable moment sitting among the Bleacher Creatures happened when people sitting several rows in front of us attempting to start the wave. Yes the wave. Every time they tried to start the wave they were booed and told to “Take That Sh@$ Back To Shea!” Eventually stadium security and the New York Police Department stepped in. This was late in the game after beer could lower people’s inhibitions. Obviously the people threatening those trying to start the wave were removed by security. Wrong. Attempting to start the wave gets you removed to the cheers of the Bleacher Creatures. I might have missed something someone said or did, but I like to think they were arrested for attempting to start the wave at Yankee Stadium.

On the field, Jose Molina hit the final home run in Yankee Stadium with a fourth inning two run shot off Chris Waters to give the Yankees a 5-3 lead. The Yankees would stretch out their lead in the sixth inning with a Jason Giambi RBI single and a sacrifice fly by Robinson Cano to score Brett Gardner. The tension was palpable in an otherwise meaningless game. Everyone wanted one last Yankee victory inside the House That Ruth Built. The Yankees led 7-3 heading into the ninth inning.

The guitar riff blasted through the speakers. Metallica’s Enter Sandman filled the stadium. The greatest closer of all time was trotting in from the bullpen. 11 pitches and three groundouts later, Mariano Rivera closed Yankee Stadium.

Mariano Rivera coming in to close out Yankee Stadium. (The Winning Run/JJ)

The final out. (The Winning Run/JJ)

Jesse and me after the game. (The Winning Run/JJ)

John and me after the game. Note the mounted police on the field to keep people off.(The Winning Run/JJ)

The celebration was not the World Series many envisioned to close Yankee Stadium, it was still special. Derek Jeter spoke to the crowd, thanking the fans and creating a bridge between the two stadiums. He was brief and to the point before leading the Yankees around the field to say goodbye. Yankee Stadium was the House That Ruth Built and the House That Jeter Closed.

The game ended just before midnight. An era in baseball history was closed. No one wanted to leave. Grown men were tossing empty water bottles to the player’s kids on the warning track, begging them to fill the bottles with dirt before tossing them back. Every nook and cranny inside Yankee Stadium was filled with memories and the thought of never coming back was almost too much for some to bear. Normally at the end of a Major League game the ushers and security are quick to push you out of your seats. This was different, we stayed in our seats for an hour after the final out. The crowd was slow to disperse and the stadium staff did not have the usual urgency to clear the stadium. It was after 1 a.m. when we left Yankee Stadium. No one was in a hurry to leave the ghosts of baseball history alone in a now closed Yankee Stadium.

September 18, 2018

Balls and Strikes Aren’t Black and White

Try as you might, it is becoming increasingly difficult to avoid politics. The polarization of American politics is steadily seeping its way into nearly everything, including baseball. The contentious Senate hearing for Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court nomination has even brought umpiring into politics.

Texas Senator John Cornyn along with the Family Research Council are supporting Judge Kavanaugh, saying he is someone who “calls balls and strikes.” This analogy seems to irritate retired Major League umpire Jim Evans, who wrote a prospective piece for the Washington Post titled “Sorry, judges, we umpires do more than call balls and strikes.” Evans argues umpires are not machines, they must interpret the rule book constantly. Was a collision interference or obstruction, or simply players running into each other? Umpires also constantly make judgement calls on catches, tag plays, force outs, and yes even balls and strikes. No two players have the same strike zone. Yes, the strike zone is spelled out in the rule book, but the size of the strike zone is larger for Aaron Judge than for Jose Altuve.

Speaking of the rule book. How many amateur umpires, disgruntled fans, have ever sat down and studied the rule book? My guess is not many. It is not their job to know the rule book, but it is also not an umpire’s job to make people happy. Do I get every call correct? No. Do I spend hours studying the rule book? Yes. The rule book for high school baseball per the National Federation of State High School Associations is 88 pages. The rule book for Major League Baseball is more than 150 pages. Have you ever seen a Major League umpire consult the rule book during a game? Nope. High school umpires do not consult the rule book during a game either. The rules of baseball, all of them, should be ingrained in the mind of an umpire. The analogy of Kavanaugh calling balls and strikes is that he knows the rule book, the United States Constitution, and makes decisions based on what the Constitution says. I doubt when the Founding Fathers wrote the Constitution they foresaw every imaginable case the Supreme Court would hear. The Constitution and the various baseball rule books do not cover every possible scenario, judges and umpires must interpret how those rules apply to the case or play before them.

Calling balls and strikes is not black and white. There is plenty of gray. (www.larrybrownsports.com)

Obviously a judge sitting on any bench, especially the United States Supreme Court, has a more profound impact than an umpire. However, simplify umpires into machines is off base. Umpires must make decisions quickly, they cannot spend weeks or months reviewing similar plays and the text of the rule book before making a decision. If an umpire waits five seconds to decide if a borderline pitch is a ball or strike people would complain. Judgement calls are part of being an umpire and they must happen quickly, not slowly and after careful consideration.

There is dignity in all work, dishwashers, mechanics, lawyers, CEO’s. Honest work is dignified work. Do not simplify another person’s job to make a point. Good umpires make a sometimes difficult job look easy, the same way a good teacher makes teaching a class full of energetic First Graders look easy. You only understand how difficult someone’s job is when you walk in their shoes.

Little in life is black and white. On the diamond and in court, interpreting the rules is necessary and creates gray areas. Gray areas necessitate institutions like the Supreme Court to settle disagreements. In baseball the umpire is the judge. Working solo, or discussing a play with your partner on appeal, the umpire is the Supreme Court. Their decision is final. There is no reviewing previous plays, umpires must know the rules, interpret them for the situation, and the render a verdict. They do it all in the snap of a finger. Can you imagine the Supreme Court issuing a ruling in less than five seconds? Neither can I, so stop comparing Supreme Court Justices to umpires. One clearly has a greater impact than the other, yet both deserve respect.

September 13, 2018

Grinding Away

The Washington Nationals had a stranglehold on the National League East during Spring Training, at least on paper. The rest of the division was vying for a Wild Card spot at best. When the season started the Nationals turned into a paper tiger, while the Phillies and Braves vaulted to the top of the East as their rebuilding efforts bear fruit. Few people expected either team to play this well into mid-September.

Leading the Braves resurgence is a consummate professional. The breakout season by rookie duo of Ozzie Albies and Ronald Acuña, and another outstanding season from perennial All Star in Freddie Freeman have gotten much of the attention. However, it is the veteran Nick Markakis leading the charge in Atlanta.

It is past time to appreciate and honor the consistency of Nick Markakis. Markakis is leading baseball in hits, and leading the National League in sacrifice flies and is tied for the National League lead in doubles. He is a compiler, like Craig Biggio. Compilers are rarely given the respect they deserve as they grind, often under the radar. Markakis rarely misses a game, playing an average of 155 games each season. He has played fewer than 147 games in a season only once in his 13 year career.

This season he ranks in the top 10 in baseball in Batting Average, Plate Appearances, At Bats, Games Played, Hits (leads all of baseball), Singles, Doubles, Times of Base, Sacrifice Flies, Intentional Walks, and At Bats per Strikeout. While these stats do not make him a super star in the eyes of fans, teams know a player like Markakis is critical to their success.

Nick Markakis consistently puts the ball in play. Could he quietly be grinding his way towards Cooperstown? (Hyosub Shin/ HShin@ajc.com)

2018 is not an outlier for Markakis, he has been a force his entire career. He has eight seasons with 170 or more hits. He averages 182 hits per season, yet has never had a 200 hit season. He will finish close to 200 hits yet again as he has 174 hits with two weeks left to play. Markakis has nine seasons with 30 or more doubles and five seasons with 40 or more doubles. He already has 40 doubles this season, above his 39 doubles in an average season. He has scored 75 runs, hit 14 home runs, and drawn 63 walks which are around an average season for him. His .306 batting average is the best of his career, he will have his third season hitting above .300, yet his career .289 average shows his consistency at the plate. Markakis has struck out 70 times, well below his average of 93 per season. His career 6.8 At Bats per Strikeout is well below the Major League average of 4.6. A career .359 OBP, with .371 this season. He has never been a power bat, but he puts the ball in play and sets the table for the power bats behind him in the line up.

Markakis finished sixth in the crowded 2006 American League Rookie of the Year. He is a two time Gold Glove winner, 2011 and 2014, winning both awards without committing an error in over 1,300 innings in the field each season. He was voted to his first All Star game this season. He played the most games and collected the most hits before playing in his first All Star game in baseball history.

Grinding away, Markakis is quietly sneaking up on 3,000 hits. He currently has 2,226 hits. If he can remain healthy and continue collecting an average of 182 hits every year, Markakis would reach the mystical 3,000 hit mark before his 40th birthday. This would present the baseball writers with an intriguing question. Does collecting 3,000 hits automatically make you are a Hall of Famer? A few more good seasons by Markakis could force the baseball writers to confront this question.

Much of what Markakis provides Atlanta is not found in the stats. His veteran leadership has helped the young Braves rise to the top of the division earlier than expected. Veteran leadership is disappearing as teams are unwilling to pay veteran prices for players past their primes. In Markakis, the Braves have a veteran leader in the clubhouse and on the field. Time will tell how far his leadership can lead Atlanta and how valuable he is on the free agent market after the season.

September 10, 2018

Screaming in Silence

Silence makes people uncomfortable. When you are asked a question, if you sit silently for long enough the other person will grow physically uncomfortable. Sitting in silence can turn the tables on someone if they are trying to force you into a decision. I was promoted at a former job, but was informed my pay raise would take at least six months to process. When I told them I would not do the new job without the pay increase my supervisors tried to pressure me into accepting the delayed raise. When I asked them if they would work for less than they were worth they said no. I let the silence and hypocrisy hang in the air for several minutes. The literal ticking clock was the only noise in the room as I stared at my supervisors. Everyone but me was uncomfortable. Silence can be deafening.

Driving home after umpiring evening baseball games I often listen to the Reds radio broadcast. I normally drop in around the 6th or 7th inning. Broadcasting baseball over radio requires people like Marty Brennaman and Jeff Brantley to paint a picture on each play. The listener cannot see the fly ball to the warning track, rather the imagine must be created. While listeners are dependent upon radio announcers to tell them what is happening, good announcers also utilize silence. They do not need to talk every second of the game. Allowing the sounds of the stadium to come through the radio and wash over the listener adds to the drama of the game. The game is not played in an empty stadium. Cheering fans, the crack of the bat, the pop of the glove are part of baseball. The listener needs the whole picture, some of which cannot be said with words.

The silence as Billy Hamilton makes a diving attempt is the loudest moment of the broadcast for Marty Brennaman and Jeff Brantley. (Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)

A brief description of the play and get out of the way. A dazzling diving catch by Billy Hamilton? Let the roar of the crowd tell the listener about Hamilton’s catch. Radio requires more focus than television as you must hear the call and then imagine the play. You are dependent on the announcers to tell you the score, the count, and the outs if you tune in late. There are no informational graphics. The game you see on the radio is created from your knowledge of baseball. Your imagination and the actual game are not a perfect match, yet both can be exhilarating. What is more exciting than late inning drama when the announcer stretches out a word, waiting to see what happens.

“The 3-1…Line drive to center. Hamilton coming in. He dives…”

The pause. The brief silence before you know if Hamilton caught the ball is pure ecstasy. Did he catch it? Maybe he trap it? Is the ball is rolling all the way to the wall? The drama of that moment is what draws people back to their radios night after night. Sometimes nothing is louder than silence.

August 28, 2018

The Turf Monster

Sasquatch prowls the woods of the Pacific Northwest. The Loch Ness Monster lurks below the surface in Scotland. The Yeti roams the Himalayas. So too does a beast lurk on many baseball fields. The Turf Monster!!! It will find you, and it will eat you.

Fall ball is beginning to ramp up as school starts back and summer winds down. The games are less intense and coaches put more emphasis on actually coaching than winning. However, umpiring does not get easier. Gone are the days of working with a partner, Fall Ball means umpiring solo. Every call is yours, no one to ask for help. Working the first game of a 13U doubleheader, the visiting team needs one out to win the game. The batter hits a routine ground ball to the right of the shortstop, who fields and fires the ball to first. At least that is what I think happened.

In an effort to prevent canyons appearing in the batter’s box, the ballpark nailed astroturf to plywood and then buried it under a few inches of dirt. The turfed area does not extend to the catcher’s box or where the umpire stands. The back edge of the plywood is slightly raised creating a ridge the umpire must clear as they move out from behind the plate. In addition to the ridge, the astroturf has begun to fray and split into tentacles. It is lurking…

Moving around the catcher and into the field to create an angle for the call at first, my left foot was entangled by a strip of turf. My legs went out from under me and I did my best Willie Mays Hayes impersonation. I landed with my arms outstretched like Superman and slide on my stomach several feet. Dirt was on my pants, in my pants, on my shirt, in my shirt, it was everywhere. Working solo I knew I had to get my head up to make the call at first. I did a quick push up to a kneeling position, ready to make a call. Fortunately it was not a close play, an easy out call to end the game.

Walk it off like nothing happened. Don’t worry, no one saw the turf monster get you. (www.mlb.com)

One of the coaches jogged over to me before I got back to my feet. He asked if I was ok, and then asked “What are you doing down there Blue?” All I could do was laugh. I brushed myself off and told him the Turf Monster got me. He just laughed.

The attack by the Turf Monster wrenched my neck and back. Not getting my hands in front of me to cushion the fall, along with the added weight of my hockey mask did not help. The site director wanted to know what happened as I turned in my score sheet and grabbed baseballs for my second game. I told him about the Turf Monster on Field 4 and went to my car to grab some ibuprofen before the next game. Luckily the Turf Monster had its fill and did not come back for seconds.