GodsendJen

Vernon Wells hasn't been on my personal radar screen since he left the Expos Nationals to play for one of those American League teams.  Well today Deadspin had a blurb that really makes me appreciate Vernon for his sense of humor.  Too many professional athletes take themselves far too seriously. And they take it personally when someone in the stands trys to take heckling to an all new level.  I'm not a heckler, but I can imagine these guys got a real charge out of Vernon's response.  After several innings of playing to the hecklers just a bit he went into the dug-out and signed a baseball for them.  The inscription:

Dear Mr. Dork,
Here is your ball! Can you please tell me what gas station you work at, so when you are pumping my gas, I can yell at you!!! Now sit down, shut up and enjoy the game.
- Your favorite centrefielder

Go Vernon.  Way to show everyone in baseball that you are just playing a game and fun is of paramount importance.

As a former Orioles ticket holder I can appreciate the sentiment some fans express during Thursday's day game at Camden.  Organized by Sports Talk 1570 in Baltimore a group of fans attended Thursday's game and walked out in protest 1 hour into the proceeding.  The protest was against Peter Angelos, the Orioles owner who is perhaps the worst owner in baseball after the Tribune Company.  The fans want new ownership, a better team, or to at least "get some players in here who want to be part of the community, who understand what a crab cake is."

From a fan's perspective good business men make lousy owners because they usually put the bottom line ahead of winning percentage.  Its precisely that characteristic of Angelos that guarantees this type of protest would never work with Angelos.  He is a business man and while you were "protesting" you did it without impacting his bottom line.  If you want to make a statement in Baltimore stop buying tickets.  Don't renew your season tickets.  Don't buy yet another Orioles hat.  Don't even wear the Orioles hats you have.  Stop watching the Orioles on television. If you really want to protest do it outside Camden.  If he can't sell tickets and can't sell advertising during the games....that is the kind of protest the Angelos would understand.  Of course the real problem here is that Baltimore, as much as any city I've spent time in, is a baseball town.  They love the game and they will keep buying tickets even if it is only to see another team win 9 games out of 10.  And you know what....I suspect Mr. Angelos knows this too.

Baltimore Sun Story

I attended my first professional baseball game in May of 1990.  The only baseball games I'd attended before then were little league games that I had played in myself.  This was on a school trip to Atlanta when the Braves had been so perennially bad that our group tickets were incredibly good. Fulton County stadium was half empty, maybe more than half empty by the time the second rain delay arrived.  The Braves played the St. Louis Cardinals.  David Justice was the man and Steve Avery was every girl's eye candy.  The Brave's lost, but that was pretty typical of the team that finished in 6th place that year in the National League West.  For me none of that matter. I loved everything about it and a baseball fan was born.

All in all my baseball fandom has been one of relative luxury.  I relished the opportunity to watch the AAA team play in Richmond, especially those great rehab starts by the big boys on the mend.  Heck, the presence of the Braves even played a role in my decision to move down south. In all this time the closest I've come to rooting for a loosing team was the year I had season tickets in Baltimore.  Even then I was rooting for former Brave Javy Lopez way more than I was rooting for the O's.  

Yesterday my luxurious time as a baseball fan officially came to an end when the Braves were eliminated from the NL East race.  It was a nice run, but we've known since June that it was probably coming to an end.  Too much gone wrong in a year when everything went right for the other guys. A guess a girl can't expect to root for a winner every year--but thanks to Bobby and John I could pretend it was possible for a really long time.

My team is experiencing an identity crisis of sorts.  They are apparently auditioning for a spot in the American League as that is the only thing I can think of to explain their rattling off 51 runs in their 4 games since the All-Star dud break.  The occasional double digit run game you expect, but 4 in a row? One of the most exciting things to watch in sports is a good come back from a team that is behind.  This year my Bravos found themselves needing that kind of comeback to salvage their season and it certainly looks like they are giving it their all.  This should inspire Shurholtz to make that move and shore up the bullpen.  With the way Wilson Bettimit was playing last night (he was 4 for 6 in what has been our ultra unproductive leadoff spot) I say trade Marcus Giles and Jorge Sosa (who is obviously on Cox's @#$@ list for his general apathy--I mean he got chewed out on the mound last night when we were up by more than 10 runs) for a veteran reliever who can come in a close games for us.

This just in.  According to Elias (via the Daily Quickie) The Braves are the first team ever to score 10-plus runs in four straight games against first-place teams.

I've never been a Roger Clemens fan.  I've been in awe of his ability as an old man in the game, but lets face it.  He played for yankies in Boston and Yankees in NY.  He helped Houston oust my team from the playoffs two years ago.  When he pitches, batters get hit.  All good reasons not to like him.

But now comes his whirlwind tour through the minor leagues. Rehabbing players, especially pitchers, were always a good reason to hit The Diamond when I lived in Richmond.  But they were nortoriously unhappy to be their at times.  (The Time-Disgrace ran a large photo of Mark Wholers talking on his cell phone from the dugout.  It pretty much exemplified his attitude about a daytrip to the minors.)  Maybe its all because Koby plays for Lexington, but Clemens looks like he is embracing this experience. His first stop was filled with improbables.  He gets to play with his son.  Fans with $8 tickets got to watch the legend up close, and enjoyed free windshield wiper fluid to boot.  Hotdogs were $0.25/each.  Here are some bits I've really enjoyed reading about the last few days:

The Louisville Courier-Journal reports...

The best right-handed pitcher in baseball over the last 50 years is making his first comeback start tonight for the Legends, the Houston Astros' Class-A farm team. Clemens -- you can call him Rocket -- wanted to leave the Legends' players with more than memories of a clubhouse overrun with ESPN cameras.

Spreading the wealth

On Sunday afternoon Clemens went on a $7,000 shopping spree. When he was finished, it looked as if the Legends' clubhouse had been hit by a Rocket.

See that 42-inch plasma television, the one that retails for $2,069.99? The Rocket visited a local electronics store and said he'd buy it -- if they could have it installed by 8 p.m. The store dispatched three guys to the clubhouse to get it done.

While you're at it, bring along another 20-inch TV, equipped with a DVD player and VCR. Don't forget the microwave. Or another DVD player.

The carpet was cleaned, the showers scrubbed. Even the furniture was rearranged. The old L-shaped, tobacco-stained couch was replaced by a pair of jumbo, plush black leather couches and two oversized leather chairs. The new furniture was arranged theater style so the players could enjoy the stack of DVDs Clemens purchased. He autographed the Bernie Mac movie on top of the stack:

"Mr. 3,000, starring Roger Clemens. Time for another comeback!"

"I just wanted to have some fun with it," said Clemens, 43. "I wanted the guys to figure out I'm not going to bite."

The Daily Quickie and Houston Chronicle both mention the Windshield Wiper Fluid windfall for fans:

What about the wiper fluid?!

If Clemens provided any highlights in his "One-Night-Only!" stop in Lexington, it was that his strikeouts in the 3rd inning that earned all fans in attendance free wiper fluid, as part of a regular Legends promotion.

Clemens didn't even KNOW about it until his son, Koby, alerted him to it at the top of the 3rd. Frankly, if Clemens threw the Ks simply motivated by the wiper-fluid giveaway (and because he COULD), I respect him now more than ever.

It's not exactly calling a home-run shot, but it was, by far, the most entertaining detail of the night: What a classic "You Know You're a Redneck Minor-League Baseball Fan" moment.

Free wiper fluid might not top the Legends' "Mullett Night" from May or "Baby Shower Night" in July, but I'm pretty sure fans weren't cheering the giveaway anyway.

(Although you have to ask if there's enough fluid to go around: The listed capacity of the Legends' stadium is 6,017; last night, they announced 9,222. If nothing else, local drivers will sport sparkly windshields.)

Pat Forde mentions the arrogant lucky young man who hit that first inning home run:

Thanks to Clemens' careful scripting of his comeback from semi-retirement, Lexington lucked into the biggest event in the Class A franchise's five-year history. Much the way Drennen lucked into a hanging split-fingered fastball that allowed No. 22 for the Lake County Captains to take No. 22 for the Cooperstown Immortals deep.

"I was thinking that he had a great number, so I'd hang him a split," Clemens joked after step one in his comeback attempt to amaze America once more. "I hung it to him, and he did what you're supposed to do with it. ... I'll ask him how he liked the room service."

I'm not sure that Drennen's teammate appreciated that homer though.  Clemens plunked him in the elbow. Reports are that he made a trip to the visitor's clubhouse to check on his status after he left the game.

Clemen's next stop? Playing for the Astros' AA team in Corpus Christi on Sunday. They are even selling Roger Clemens Hooks Jerseys.