Posts tagged Baseball
Pepsi Is Looking For Yankee Fans To Earn Their Pinstripes
Baseball is here. A lot of fans including myself are psyched for another year of watching their favorite team try to make it to the World Series. What if you were surprised by a former player from your favorite team on Opening Day? Well some New York Yankee fans experienced this earlier this month thanks to Pepsi.
Pepsi is celebrating the New York Yankees this season with former Yankee player Johnny Damon and SNL comedian and lifelong Yankees fan Pete Davidson. In an entertaining video, the two take to the streets of New York City on Opening Day to give a few lucky fans a chance to “Earn Their Pinstripes” by dropping everything and riding with them to Yankee stadium.
Fans can also get a chance to “Earn Their Pinstripes” by entering the #EarnYourPinstripesContest. By sharing a photo on Instagram or Twitter using the hashtag #EarnYourPinstripesContest, fans are entered to win fun prizes including tickets to a game, meet and greets with Joe Girardi and GM Brian Cashman, Yankee gear, a game of catch with Didi Gregorius on the field and more!
Apr 8th
Jennie Finch Talks College World Series, Capital One Cup, and More!
If you going to want to learn about softball then listening to Jennie Finch is probably a smart move. Finch is a winner on every level. She was the 2001 Women’s College World Series Champion, an Arizona 3-time All-American Player, an NCAA Record Holder 60 Consecutive Victories, and is a 2004 Olympic Gold Medalist and 2008 Olympic Silver Medalist.
She is now working with Capital One to find out who will win the Capital One Cup. The Capital One Cup honors NCAA Division I athletics. This promotions rewards the top men’s and women’s college athletics program in the country. These colleges compete all year round to gain points to win the Capital One Cup. The scoring is based on their Top 10 finishes in fall, winter and spring sports. Whoever wins on the men’s and women’s side will win the Capital One Cup trophy and a $400,000 scholarship at the end of the spring athletics season.
I was able to chat with Jennie about this year’s Women’s College World Series, her time in college and the Olympics, the Capital One Cup, and more.
Art Eddy: The Women’s College World Series is underway. Who are some of the favorites for this year’s World Series?
Jennie Finch: Florida looks really good. Offensively they are on fire. Kentucky has been on a roll. Alabama has been on a roll too. This World Series is going to be tough.
AE: Are there any underdog teams we should look out for?
JF: At this point if they are here they are not too much of an underdog. Yet in the parody of this game it is anyone’s chance to win it all. It is definitely up for grabs for all the teams that are here.
AE: From your time playing in college to now, has the game evolved or has it stayed the same? 
JF: No, it has absolutely evolved. It is incredible to see how much it has grown and continues to grow. There are more TV games than ever. Each year it continues to increase because more people are tuning in. It is very exciting. It is fun on all the different levels and aspects to see the game evolve and grow.
AE: You played in the College World Series with Arizona. What was your preparation like going into that game?
JF: It was more just trusting everything you have been doing the entire year. You also are trying not to make the game bigger than it is even though this is what you have dreamed about your entire career. The minute you step on campus that is immediately what you are thinking about. So you just have to stay within yourself, trusting your teammates, and playing your game.
AE: You are working with Capital One to promote the Capital One Cup to help provide scholarship money to the winning universities. Tell me about your work with this promotion.
JF: I am excited to be on the athlete advisory board for the Capital One Cup as the spring season championships begin to play out. One reason is that one of the sports is softball. There are many schools that are close in the standings for the Capital One Cup.
This program honors the best Division I program that has the most cumulative wins in on the field performance across 
39 total men and women’s sports. The winning school gets over $400,000 in total scholarships for student athletes. Not only is it fun for the school, but for the fans to see how their school is doing.
AE: Right now who is in the lead for the men and women’s brackets for the Capital One Cup?
JF: UCLA is in the lead for the women and Notre Dame is in the lead for the men.
AE: Is there a college out there in the World Series that if they win they will help move their college up in the Capital One Cup standings?
JF: Yes. If Florida win it they will be in the lead for the women’s side. So it is pretty exciting to see if they not only win the World Series, but move their college into the lead.
AE: You pitched in the 2004 and 2008 Summer Olympics where you and Team USA won gold in 2004. I am guessing in your great career that winning gold is the top moment.
JF: By far. Being up there with women that I looked up too and being able to represent your country and having the name U.S.A. across your chest, there is nothing greater than that. All of those moments were great, but it is also the journey. When you are done and look back you are able to appreciate all of your accomplishments by thinking of how you got there.
AE: You have been a strong voice in trying to get baseball and softball back into the Olympics. Do you think baseball and softball will be back in the Olympics?
JF: It is going well. We are still trying to fight and get it back in. We are building a campaign. Our hope right now is for the Olympics in 2020 in Japan. Luckily baseball and softball are the two most popular sports in Japan. The campaigning they did to become the hosts in 2020 we hope will help them be able to reinstate softball and baseball for 2020. Hopefully it will be a success and we will be then locked in for the future.
AE: Lastly, you have some fantastic softball camps. Looks like you are setting those back up for this year.
JF: Yes. Go to my website, jenniefinch.com. We are going to places like Dallas and Chicago. We will be all over the country going from coast to coast.
Jun 2nd
Cal Ripken Jr. Tells Us How He Never Misses a Game
There are those athletes who talk the talk and then there are those athletes who use their actions to do all the talking. One of the best players to step on the diamond has to be Cal Ripken Jr. The Hall of Famer who played 21 season all with the Baltimore Orioles is a two time Gold Glove winner, a 19 time All-Star, and won the American League MVP award twice.
Oh, there is the other small thing where he passed Lou Gehrig’s 56-year-old record for consecutive games played. That is when he got the nickname of “Iron Man” for never missing a game. The first ballot Hall of Fame inductee in 2007 has even won the Home Run Derby in 1991.
Now since retiring from the game Cal is still showing his love for baseball as he is teaming up with Kellogg’s for their “Never Miss a Game” promotion. Kellogg’s and Cal are encouraging fans to love every moment this baseball season, and share the lengths they’ve gone to never miss a game. Tweet them at @Kelloggs_US ,@Ricekrispies or @Cheezit using the hashtag #nevermissagame. You can win some great prizes by sharing your story.
I had the honor to chat with Cal about this campaign, baseball, and who he enjoys watching now play in the big leagues. I even shared my story with Cal about how I never missed a game.
Art Eddy: First off let’s talk about the great campaign you are working with Kellogg’s called “Never Miss a Game.” Tell me about what you are doing with Kellogg’s and how fans can participate?
Cal Ripken Jr.: The “Never Miss a Game” campaign is really a celebration of baseball fans who go to great lengths to never miss a game. I guess I was a somewhat obvious choice because I never missed a game in 17 years. (Both laugh.)
We encourage you to share your stories with some of the great lengths that you go through. Whether you put a flat screen up in your wedding reception or anything like that. I can relate to this because when I really wanted to watch a game I had to go to a dinner at the White House. It was the championship game of the National League. I befriended a secret service agent and he kept giving me updates as I sat at the President’s table. (Both laugh.)
Maybe I will submit that story. We are encouraging all the baseball fans out there to use the hashtag “Never Miss a Game” and submit your story. You could win a bunch of prizes like MLB game tickets, flat screen TVs, and the grand prize still has not been divulged yet. I guarantee that it is something that every baseball fan would desire.
AE: Sounds like an awesome promotion. I can relate as well. My wife and I got married in 2004. I am a Red Sox fan. I remember Game 3 of the ALCS was supposed to be played on our wedding day. It was postponed. I remember watching the greatest comeback in all of Red Sox history in Spanish while I was on my honeymoon.
CR: You should submit that story. That was a good one!
AE: I think I just might. Thanks Cal. You played your whole career with the Baltimore Orioles. For you was that something that was important to you in an era of free agency?
CR: Yeah. Ultimately I was a hometown kid. I rooted for the Orioles when I was a kid wanting to be a baseball player like every other kid. I wanted to play for the Orioles and my dream came true. Against all odds I made it to the big leagues and played my whole career there.
When we went through rebuilding phases, especially when they fired my dad, I thought about playing elsewhere. In the end I wanted to stay in my hometown and my home community. There were many other factors that went into it. I thought I was young enough to go through the rebuilding parts of the team in my career. I think most players would like the stability that I had playing in my hometown and playing in front of my own fans.
AE: You have accomplished such a long list of milestones during your amazing career. I have to say though watching you pass Lou Gehrig’s 56-year-old record for consecutive games played was a priceless. Where does that record rank when you look back on your career?
CR: It is part of who I was as a player. It is my identity. Some people ask me if I feel it overshadows other accomplishments I made in my career. To me who you are is how you are going to be remembered. It was important every day. If you are an everyday player you are always in the lineup.
I understood that responsibility. I learned that from Eddie Murray. He was a player that was in the middle lineup and encouraged me to play. I was lucky enough to play through some injuries and be able to contribute. I didn’t set out to do it, but it was just something that happened. I am very proud of the fact that I was able to be there for my team every 
single day. That was really the motivation for coming out.
AE: When you got the call about being inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame what was your initial reaction?
CR: It is one of those things that when your career is said and done you have a chance to be elected to the Hall of Fame that only a few players are selected for. I wouldn’t say it is your goal to make the Hall of Fame when you play. It sure is nice to be recognized.
I think all of us want to leave a mark on a game and leave it better since you played it then it was before. I had a chance to make a mark. I had a chance to play and be a kid all that time. To be elected to the Hall of Fame is really special. To look around and see all the game’s great players and for you to be considered one them is quite an honor.
AE: For you what was the best part of playing baseball day in and day out?
CR: Again I reduced it to where you are playing a kid’s game. You shouldn’t forget that you are getting paid really well. It is hard. You are under scrutiny. There is a lot of pressure. At the end of the day you are playing for a living. You are not working. (Both laugh.)
So I think the best part of it is that I had the joy for the game every time I put on that uniform. I had a smile on my face every time I did that. I think that is the best joy. You get a chance to be a kid and you don’t have to grow up until you are done playing.
AE: Which player or team do you love to watch the most now?
CR: I am curious about the whole league. The Orioles are a team that I pay close attention to. Manny Machado is a player that I like to watch. I am curious to see him at shortstop, but I also love J.J. Hardy. I wouldn’t move J.J. Hardy.
I like to watch Mike Trout. I like to watch Bryce Harper down the street. They are young players that have really come on. They are super, super talents that have made an impact early on in their careers. It is going to be fun to watch them develop.
Apr 7th
Aaron Boone Interview
In February we celebrate Heart Awareness month. One of those weeks in that month we recognize and raise awareness for the disease known as Congenital Heart Defect (CHD). I didn’t know too much about the disease until my friend told me his daughter had CHD. Now I am trying to help by spreading information about it to others.
To help with that cause I had the great fortune to speak with former Major League Baseball player, Aaron Boone about CHD. He found out back in his college days that he had a heart defect. Even with that news he didn’t let that didn’t slow him down. He made it all the way to the big leagues and is in inspiration to those with CHD.
You might recognize him because he appears regularly on ESPN’s “Baseball Tonight”, which is celebrating its 25th season. You can also see Aaron as the color commentator of baseball games on ESPN as well as his “SportsCenter” coverage.
Art Eddy: Before we get into baseball and fatherhood I want to talk about CHD Awareness Week. You knew that you had CHD back in college, but you had to have heart surgery in 2009. When you heard the news that you needed an operation what was racing through your mind at that moment?
Aaron Boone: I knew that that day was out there someday. When they tell you that the time has come it hits you pretty hard. The reality of something major that you got to tackle and take on. It happened right in Spring Training when I was getting ready for the season so I didn’t expect it.
It definitely is a wakeup call. At the same time I was very eager to get it done. I had different injuries throughout my career obviously not related to the heart. I knew that this was a big one. I had a ton of confidence in my doctor, my surgeons, and all the people up in Stamford that did my procedure. I was very much at peace going in knowing I was in good hands and ultimately God’s hands.
AE: After the surgery you came back to play in the league. You played a bit for the Astros. How good did it feel to be back in the game you love?
AB: Certainly heading in I was at peace if this was the end of my career I was going to be fine with that. That being said once I knew that I had the surgery and that things went well and the rehab process was going well they green lighted me to try and get back.
It was very gratifying. To see your body go through open heart surgery and all of that it entails. To see the weight loss. To really see your body return over a few months period and working hard at the gym to get back and play in the month of September was great. It was my going out party if you will. It was my only year in Houston, but I ended up playing with a lot of people that I am still close with that were so supportive.
It is times like that where you really appreciate friendships and people that are trying to enable you, help you, and support you in realizing your dream in getting back. The fact that I was able to do that was a little bit of closure for me in my career.
AE: What do you think people should know about CHD?
AB: With medicine and technology now, like many diseases in our society you can find out what is going on with your body at early stages of things. It can really help you fulfill your life and get the most out of your life just from early detection.
The fact that I knew about my situation starting in college and I knew about it for 20 years. I did my due diligence of getting my checkups. So doctors were on top of the growth of my heart for when I actually needed to have the surgeries. Maybe 20 to 40 years before that they wouldn’t be able to detect and it would have turned into a heart attack or a stroke. All the advancements and the great technology you can really prevent catastrophic situations by being aware, by getting checked out, by monitoring not only what is going on with your heart, but with your body.
AE: You played for a handful of teams in your career. How was the transition for you when you would start up with another team?
AB: It was a fun part of the game. For me I played my whole minor league career and then my first six, seven years in the big leagues with Cincinnati. When I started bouncing around to different teams I was already a veteran player so I knew a lot of people. I had a lot of relationships throughout the game.
Anytime you would go to another team there was typically several guys that you were familiar with or had friendships with. For me it was always a new challenge, a new chapter of building something with a new team. It was something that I enjoyed to get the opportunity to get to play with several teams at the end of my career.
AE: What is your favorite memory from your playing days? Please don’t say the home run against the Boston Red Sox in 2003. I am a Sox fan and that still hurts. (Both laugh)
AB: Well it was pretty good, but you know 1999 we won 96 games with the Reds. We were a nice mix of young and up and coming players, me, Sean Casey, Pokey Reese, and Mike Cameron early on in our careers with veteran players. There was Barry Larkin, Pete Harnisch, and Greg Vaughan. It was such a really good blend of veteran players, younger players, and it all kind of came together. There were so many special moments that came together that year. Looking back my best year was playing in 1999 with the Reds.
AE: When I watch you on TV I love to hear the passion you have for the game. You do a great job of breaking the game down for the audience. How much fun do you have at ESPN being an analyst?
AB: Well thank you for that. It has been such an awesome way to really be continuing my career. Not being able to play at the highest of levels your body tells you that it is time for that. This is a way to stay involved like you said in a game that I love. It is a sport that I have a lot of passion for. It is a sport where I have a lot of ideas.
The fact that I get to go out there and have a platform to try and bring the game to the viewer from a player’s perspective is what I take a lot of pride in. I enjoy trying to convey the sport that I love in hopefully a simple manner.
AE: You come from a long line of baseball players. Your grandfather played. Your dad and brother played. First off I think that is amazing for a family to have that type of baseball heritage. What advice did you get from your family as you entered the big leagues?
AB: My dad played for 19 years in the Major Leagues. He had such a tremendous work ethic that I think hopefully a little bit of that rubbed off on me. He always told me all the time, no matter what I did, do it because you love it and do it to the best of your ability. I always thought that if I could take those two thoughts in whatever path I choose in what I do each and every day that you are going to get a lot out of it. You are probably going to get the most out of your ability.
I always tried to have that simple perspective in even the most trying of times. When you are scuffling at your job or it is not going as smooth as you want, I always tried to get back to that foundation.
Feb 10th
Former Red Sox Kevin Millar tells MANjr what it is like to win the World Series
Kevin Millar had many outstanding moments in his Major League Baseball career. The 2004 season has to rank really high up for him. That year he and the rest of the Boston Red Sox did the unbelievable by beating a 0-3 series deficit against the New York Yankees in the ALCS to move on in the playoffs and eventually win the World Series.
Now retired from the game he loves, Kevin is the co-host of the phenomenal show “Intentional Talk” with Chris Rose on the MLB Network. The show airs weekdays at 5 PM EST. If you have never seen this show you are missing out on some good times. Kevin and Chris talk baseball, but discuss a whole lot more. They even get players from around the league to sing on television. What other shows can do that? Not many!
I had the great pleasure of talking with Kevin about his time in the majors, his show “Intentional Talk,” and winning the World Series.
Art Eddy: I know that you have spoken about this issue at great length, but I have to ask you to put a bow on the Ryan Dempster and Alex Rodriguez fiasco?
Kevin Millar: I think that once everyone has their own opinions, because the bottom line is that what is the right thing to do? Players are upset that A-Rod is playing. They feel that he should be suspended. They feel that he should be serving his suspension. There is an appeal process that Alex has the right to go through, which any other player would go through, and he is appealing this process.
I think the whole bottom line is that we know too much about Alex Rodriguez’s situation. It is public knowledge. For some reason it has been public knowledge and most players that appeal their process we don’t hear about it. There has been a ton of players that have appealed. Melky Cabrera. Miguel Tejada was just playing through an appeal process. Ryan Braun played through his appeal process, but no one knew about it.
Alex Rodriguez, we all knew about it. Players are kind of angry because one now you are judging a guy. The other side of it is the Ryan Dempster situation. The first pitch behind the calf. Did it shock everybody? Sure it did. It wasn’t a dangerous pitch. I do think we blow things out of proportion because it is Alex Rodriguez and the situation. There are players in baseball that get hit every single night. We saw Bryce Harper get drilled in the thigh two weeks ago when he hit a home run off of (Julio) Teheran.
So this happens. It is baseball. I mean my goodness gracious Dempster hits A-Rod. He hits his elbow pad, grazes him in his ribs and it became a huge story. I think everybody is confused. Everyone has got their own opinion. I really don’t know the right situation or the right way. I don’t want to be the Red Sox homer and be anti-A-Rod. That is not what I am about. I am just confused.
This is the first time I think that we have seen this in our sport, ever. It is a lightning rod and Alex Rodriguez should be serving a major suspension and he is going through the appeal process. Players are angry and you are hearing voices. We saw the first action by a Major League player in Ryan Dempster.
AE: Before we talk about your career in the majors, I want to talk about the show you co-host with Chris Rose called Intentional Talk that launched April 2011 on the MLB Network. It looks like you have blast on that show. You and Chris work great together. How did you get involved to be on the show?
KM: First of all it is a tremendous show. The reason why I say that is if you have one game the Red Sox and Yankees game and you have five different shows, you can only talk about that game so many times. Yankees win 3-1 and (Robinson) Cano hits a three run home run, how many times and spins can you see the Cano home run and that they Yankees won?
It started back then and we love to laugh. I am not a comedian by any means. What you see is what you get, but I am a little goofy. What you see is going to be from my heart. You are going to laugh. It is different. You are going to have relevant videos. You are going to have a player interview every day. We are not going to talk baseball half the time. We are going to ask them a lot of funny questions. Every week we try to get better.
We have a rapid fire segment that is just off the wall questions that players love. It is shocking some of the questions. Two days ago we had J. J. Hardy and one of the questions I asked him was give me the worst thing about Buck Showalter’s face. To see his reaction, he was like ‘What? I can’t say that.’
The show itself is fun. Chris Rose is brilliant. He is very smart. He is very knowledgeable. He is a hard worker. He has helped me a lot. I met Chris through “The Best Damn Sports Show” days when he was working there and I played with the Red Sox. They asked about doing the show. Tony Petitti and John Entz asked, ‘Would you like to do a show?’ I live in Austin and have four kids, I can’t live in Jersey, but they put a camera in my house.
We tried it. It took time. The first three months we were double talking, speaking over each other, but it truly is a fun show. I enjoy doing it. I love doing it. Hopefully everyone who gets a chance to watch it can at least laugh.
AE: What are some of your favorite moments so far on Intentional Talk?
KM: I think when we get players to sing. I mean you are getting Major League players to sing on a microphone. We had Mike Stanton and Michael Morse and it just started. It was like sing us a song, the best line. The next thing you know these are looking in the camera like they are JLO. When you start playing them back, it doesn’t get any better than that. It is great.
Last year at the World Series we had Marco Scutaro on the set and Miguel Cabrera. They start getting into it with each other. Talking about each other’s hair. It is a World Series game and they are getting ready to face each other. This isn’t an All-Star Game. That is what are show is about. Players feel comfortable and you are going to get anybody you want because the trust us. They are not getting the standard baseball question like how do you feel and blah, blah, blah.
AE: Who would be your ultimate guest to have on your show?
KM: I think the biggest running joke has been Derek Jeter. I think Derek Jeter has to come on the show. I want to talk about his hair. How bad his hair is. I want to talk about his cologne. He has never sent me a bottle of his cologne. I want to know who Derek Jeter really is. I think he would probably be a great interview. I don’t think that anybody rags on Derek Jeter publicly. I am going to rag on him. I think it is time for America to know about Derek Jeter.
He has got a lot money. He has got a lot of rings and he is good looking. We know all that. I want to know about some of the girls that he has dated like the rest of the world.
AE: Switching to your playing days as a Red Sox fan I will always remember 2004 season for many reasons. One was your famous rally cry “Cowboy Up.” Take me back and talk about the change of emotions in the clubhouse from Game 3 in the ALCS to Game 4?
KM: In Game 3 we got beat 17-8 or 9 or whatever that score was I was hoping that (Hideki) Matsui and (Gary) Sheffield had blisters on their hands. I think they had four hits and a couple of home runs. I was thinking that maybe their hands were damaged for Game 4. Maybe their blisters are bleeding and they won’t be able to play the next day. At that point we are down 0-3 and we got crushed. There is a long road ahead. You can’t make it up.
You can’t win four straight games against the mighty Yankees. It was a bad time. We showered. As soon as I got up the next day, that night it stays with you, I read the paper. Dan Shaughnessy wrote an article and in there he called us frauds that we all have seen. Then it hit me. I said okay, I didn’t think we were frauds.
I thought that the Yankees were better than us. I got that. You can say that. Sheffield, A-Rod, and Jeter and (Jason) Giambi and Matsui, I get it. They are better, but you can’t call us frauds. I am over there looking at Billy Miller and Trot Nixon and Jason Varitek and Pedro (Martinez), we are not frauds. We are just down 0-3.
That got me a little bit. I got to the field. It was like this little light switch that clicked on. I got to figure this out. When Dan Shaughnessy walked in I wore him out publically in the locker room. I said, ‘Your hair sucks Dan. You got a red perm.’ He had no idea where I was coming from. I am like yea your hair sucks.
He said, ‘Why are you on me?’ Then the whole fraud thing came out. I said don’t let us win tonight and that is how the whole thing started. At that point I think that was our only hope. It was to forget about the three games and let’s move forward and let’s try to win a game tonight. I felt strong with that statement and it is amazing how it all worked out.
AE: Is there one singular moment that stood out to you when you saw the tide turning for you and your teammates?
KM: The part that really turned and I think was the Tony Clark ground rule double. If that ball doesn’t go in the stands we probably lose Game 4 and the series is over. His ball goes into the stands, they can’t score. Now it stays second and third and we win that game. Now you start seeing uh-oh, it was just like one win.
At that point, I don’t care who says who, that pressure is in their dugout. They were a nervous wreck. They knew that this was not looking good. I don’t care who you are, but that was just the way it was. We had nothing to lose. When we left the hotel room going to Yankees Stadium they had no chance. They really had no chance.
They were going to try so hard. There was no ghosts this year. It was the boys of the Sox were going to roll in here and it was just the way it was. It was in the cards. You can’t fight that. We went up there and boat raced them in Game 7. Johnny Damon with two home runs. It was just in the cards. You can’t have a rivalry if you are not going to let us win once. It was about time we won one.
AE: For people like me that will never experience winning a World Series, can you describe what it was like to win a championship?
KM: It is indescribable, because you are men, you are dads, and you are husbands. You got gray hairs. Some of the guys have bad bodies. They are old, but yet we are kids. You are playing for a ring. You are playing for a World Series Championship. You are playing for a title. You are playing for a city. I am telling you, you can’t describe it.
The Boston Red Sox are number one at that point. 86 years they haven’t won anything. Say what you want with the Cubs. They are the lovable losers. They are cute. They drink beer on day games. I get it. It will be a cool World Series one day, but there is nothing like Red Sox nation at that point. That group of guys, because we were normal. We are bad bodied, normal guys not making $40 million a year.
We are not good looking. We are just normal guys. I think Boston related to us and we were like one big family. We were out. We didn’t have VIP limos dropping us off at the bar. We want a beer, we went across the street on Boylston and go get a beer. You put all that in. It doesn’t make sense, but is was that group, that year, that series, that championship, we were a bunch of kids and it was awesome.
Aug 26th
Coco Crisp Interview
Whether it’s the nickname, his cheerful personality or his epic brawl with pitcher James Shields, Coco Crisp is a guy you don’t forget. Born and raised in LA, Crisp has been on four teams during his 9-year Major League career. He came up with Cleveland, won a championship with the Red Sox, and played one injury-plagued season in Kansas City before joining the Oakland A’s last year.
A couple weeks back we had a good chat with the A’s center fielder. After appearing in only 124 games the last two season, Crisp is healthy and excited about his team’s chances this year. During our interview, we talked about his nickname, his charity work, baseball brawls, the A’s outfield, speed vs. power, Charlie Sheen’s UCLA batting practice, who’s got the nastiest stuff and who’s the most underrated pitcher in baseball.
CS: So you started last season on the DL and you’ve had to deal with some injuries in the past. Are you fully healthy going into this season?
CC: Yeah, for the first time in a long time. I think last year was really a challenge for me to even be ready to start the season. Then I end up breaking my finger to start the season which probably was a little blessing in disguise because I don’t know if my shoulder was really 100% ready, but I was good enough to play at a level to compete. So I broke my finger and it was very disappointing to the guys before the season started. But you know like I said, it was probably a blessing. Maybe I would have re-injured my shoulder and then I’d be out the whole year. Right now I feel great. I’ve been in really good shape, able to work out just like I normally would. I’m just ready, ready for the season to start.
CS: Is the team as a whole healthier this year than they were last year?
CC: At least to start this season. We got a little banged up towards the end of last season. To start the season last year, we were pretty healthy I think. Sheets was coming in as a question – whether or not he was going to be ready. Myself, I was a question mark. But for the most part, I think this year there’s no question marks on if anybody is going to be healthy – with the exception of maybe Sweeney and I think he’s doing really well. I know Penny was dealing with some stuff this year. But I think everybody is ready to go and I think our health and our team is really good.
CS: What do you think about the team’s chances this year?
CC: I think they’re greater than last year. I thought we had a great chance last year to win our division, the way our team was structured. You know the thing that we were just talking about—the injuries last year—that kind of changed our season a little bit and made it difficult for us to compete. And we still did a great job of competing, because of our pitching staff was so phenomenal, or is phenomenal.
I think with the addition that we have this year and with some luck and just being blessed and staying away from injuries, I think this year our team is stronger. We have filled the need that we were lacking last year – which are some power players. I think that bringing those players – I mean we still have speed, we have defense and our backbone is our pitching. The only thing that I felt that we were a little low on was power, and they did a great job of addressing that this year.
CS: Do you think with all the additions in the offseason that you’ve got a crowded outfield or is that a good problem to have?
CC: Well for the team (laughs). For the team, that’s always a great thing because you have that many good players that you don’t know who to play out there. You have a lot of options. For the manager, it can get a little bit difficult I think because of those options. It puts a little strain on him. Because they’re so good and probably so close – I mean I’m trying to say “they” but I’m in there I guess – it can be difficult on us to try and shuffle and maneuver guys so they don’t get upset.
On a personal level, you want to be out there every day playing. That’s the heart of the champion and a winner and those are the type of players we have on our team. You want to be out there helping the team. You want to play, you don’t want to just cheerlead. From the top, it’s a good look, but all the way from the bottom it’s kind of like, I want to be out there playing you know. But you don’t want to be that guy to mess up team chemistry either. So I think with the crowded outfield, and the personalities that we have in that outfield, I think we can deal with what might happen or the toughness of being in a crowded outfield. But I think everybody wants to be out there playing. I think depth is always a great thing on the team though.
CS: So are you fired up to be playing with David DeJesus again?
CC: Yeah, that’s my boy! We had good chemistry in the outfield when we’re playing. You know, we didn’t play that long together, because I did get injured in 2009 very quickly in the season. But in spring training, we grew that chemistry and through that first month, it was easy playing alongside him because his moves were easy to see. If he was going for the ball, it was easy to read you. That’s kind of how me and Sweeney were last year as well. That’s just because they are really good outfielders and the communication level and they way they go about it is very similar, and it makes it easy to play alongside them. That’s always a great thing. There’s no fear of running into each other, getting injured.
And as a center fielder, there’s that respect that if I’m calling for it, he backs me up proper. I mean just being a good outfielder makes it easy.
CS: Now you guys are a young team but you’ve still got a lot of veterans, including yourself. Who would you say is the clubhouse leader in Oakland?
CC: Wow, I think from different aspects, I think this year it’s hard to say. I don’t know. I know I’m more vocal. Sheets is a very vocal guy. He was last year. Raj [Rajai Davis] was there last year, he was the leader of our chapels. So there’s different leaders in the clubhouse, and it’s not just about baseball sometimes. Elli [Mark Ellis], you know he’s been there for a long time. So you look at those guys. You look at the guys who are not just older guys, but guys who have also been there throughout the duration of their career. He’s one of those guys, so if I was going to pick somebody I would say him.
CS: What do you think is more important in baseball, having speed or having power?
CC: Wow, you can’t have both? (Laughs)
CS: (laughs)
CC: This day and age, it’s flipping to more of an old school game where speed was more relevant in baseball back then. Then it turned over into power and now it’s kind of coming back to that. But for a ball club I think both are essential in building a team.
CS: Right.
CC: I think you can get away with having less power and more speed guys, than just having a power hitting team, because speed doesn’t slump and power does. You know? So you have a lot of guys that just go for the gusto. It can be a tough time winning with those guys even though it’s going be a fun team to watch. Everybody loves to see the long ball. But the small ball – the bunting, the slap hitting, stealing bases – that can also be fun to watch. It’s just a completely different game. I think the consistency of speed, I think I would choose over power.
Mar 9th
Ranting on Roger Clemens
I could rant on Federer, too. I’m not the biggest fan of that smug mug, either. It’s a good thing Roger Moore is still alive and kicking–he’s a Saint.
Roger Clemens. That guy. I need to fire on all 8 cylinders for this one.
I’m a very forgiving human being. In fact, I don’t hate Roger Clemens for using PEDs, I don’t hate him for lying about it and I don’t even dislike him for the episodes–but I can’t stand the guy. I couldn’t stand him as a player, and I can’t stand him as a fellow member of society. I couldn’t stand how he wished he were the Brett Favre of the baseball world, and I wish to this day that Mike Piazza would have thrown the nub of his bat at Clemens after Clemens threw the head of the bat at Mikey.
I remember in depth conversations I had about Roger Clemens late in his career. I’ll never forget, round about 2003 or 2004, perhaps, when my brother said to me, “I can’t believe that everyone only wants to single out Barry Bonds. If there is anyone in the league that I am 100 percent certain is on steroids, it’s Roger Clemens.” And you know what, you couldn’t argue. How was the guy getting better at a power position, as his body got older. People can say what they will about his training regimen, but they showed videos of it, and it wasn’t that impressive. Yeah, it was obvious–the dude was DRANKIN’ the juice. And honestly, he always acted like such a prick–like the world owed him a huge debt for being a great pitcher.
I laugh when people mutter the words “Hall of Fame” in the same breath as “Roger Clemens.” And I also hate when people try and justify Hall of Fame inductions based solely on numbers. Halls of Fame have become jokes because bums like this are in them. They should be places of celebration, not contention. Make no mistake, there will never be another discussion about Roger Clemens, only arguments.
Whew. Cleansing breath. Now, to the serious matter at hand. An indictment that it going to put Clemens in court. And do you know what sucks? He still won’t admit that he used PEDs. If for some reason he comes out and states that he did use the drugs, I’m sure that he’ll also say it was because he loved the game soooo much, and he didn’t know how to let it go.
Do I think he’s going to jail? Nah. But I think it’s far more likely that he’ll land in the clink than he will in Cooperstown.
Aug 20th
Roy Oswalt Trade Begins to Sputter Before Deadline
Oswalt is trying to be the nice guy. You can see it. You can hear it. He hasn’t been overly demanding, but he wants the heck out of Houston. Who can blame him? It’s so freakin’ humid there. The franchise is well aware that freeing up Oswalt might also offer them a bat or two to build with, as well as a prospect or two, but where would Roy end up?
All signs have been pointing to Philadelphia. In fact, if you watched ESPN’s Monday Night Baseball, it was all the commentators were talking about after the Cardinals went on a home run barrage, tagging 4 in two innings. At present, Oswalt’s contract demands seem to be the issue in moving the deal forward between Philly and Houston, namely the 16 million dollar option he has for 2012. He wants it before he would agree to a trade. It’s one thing to ask this Roy to go play second fiddle to the other Roy (Halladay) they picked up in Philadelphia in the off-season, but I just can’t see Philly agreeing to the tie up an additional 16 mil. for the 2012 option.
I think this deal is dead in the water. Had they started negotiations earlier, or perhaps if Philly looked like they were going to compete with Atlanta in the NL East this year, it might be a different story. I think Roy will pitch out the season in Houston, and once the off-season rolls around, you might see some movement from one of the AL east coast squads with a little more money to toss around.
Other trade rumors a-flyin’? Well, not so much. A little bit of something surrounding Arizona Diamondback’s Dan Haren, but other than my own personal bias for the St. Louis Cardinals and wanting to see the kid come back to where he began his career, not a lot has been said–some potential interest from Philly. I don’t think Haren has much of a desire to pitch east of the Mississippi. I’m hopeful the Cardinals are doing things quietly, similar to their acquiring Matt Holliday around this time last year. (Yeah, I want Haren back in the STL. I’m still bitter about the Haren/Calero for Mulder trade back in ‘04. Worst deal ever.)
Someone is going to make a move before the July 31st deadline, and it will probably be a significant move–the only question: Who’s it going to be? I certainly don’t think it’ll be Roy Oswalt
(Image via: Around the Horn Baseball)
Jul 21st
