You know in your heart what's right

Major League Baseball has a bit of a unique structure. It was originally made up of two leagues: the American and the National. The National League was around first and the American League was initially its competitor. Though the leagues are now legally one entity, they still have slightly different rules. For example, in the American League there is a player whose job it is to hit for the pitcher (called the Designated Hitter) while in the National League, the pitcher has to bat.
We’re now into the second round of baseball playoffs, meaning that there are only two teams left in each league. In the American League the Texas Rangers (who knocked out our Monday Man’s team) are facing the New York Yankees. And in the National League- the Philadelphia Phillies are up against the San Francisco Giants.

xoxo Roy

The National League series is posing a bit of a conundrum for me: I hate the Phillies and always have, but a former Blue Jay (and the best pitcher in baseball), Roy Halladay, is on the Phillies and I love him. (Read more about his awesomeness here.) So what do you do when your heart is pulling you in two different directions?

I’m watching the Phillies game as I write this, and they are losing 4-3. Every time the Giants get a hit on Halladay I feel sad. And when the Phillies get a hit, I don’t. So I guess I have my answer. I love Roy more than I hate the Phillies – so GO PHILLIES GO!

Much to be thankful for

October is not only the start of hockey season, but also the month that baseball playoffs begin. The playoffs got started last week and there has been no shortage of drama thus far. One of the most exciting series to watch right now is the one taking place between the Texas Rangers and the Tampa Bay Rays.

The Rangers seemed to have the series under control after they won the first two games. But the Rays didn’t give up and came back to win the next two. So they are now tied 2-2, and since the first round of the playoffs is a best of five series, whichever team wins the next game will advance.

One player who has been a big part of the Rays comeback is first baseman Carlos Peña. Born in the Dominican Republic in 1978, he moved with his parents and three younger siblings to the US when he was nine years old.

He grew up in Cape Cod and then attended Northeastern University where he studied electrical engineering. In 1998 he was drafted by the Texas Rangers (the team he is now facing in the playoffs). He bounced around from team to team for quite awhile and spent a good deal of time in the minor leagues before having a breakout season in 2007. That year he was named the Comeback Player of the Year by his fellow players, and donated the $20,000 prize money to underprivileged Dominican youth.

He’s since signed a three year, $24-million contract with the Rays. He’s also continued his charity work, acting as a spokesperson for Big Brothers Big Sisters of America and getting involved in relief efforts after the earthquake in Haiti.

Peña’s attitude towards his success (and his great smile!) made him a natural choice to feature this holiday Monday. When his club was behind two games to nothing Peña called a meeting and urged his teammates to relax and remember how much they had to be thankful for already. “This is a ballcub of guys that love to play baseball and have gone through many difficulties to get to this point, so all of us appreciate where we're at,” said Peña. “[This is] what I dreamed of as a kid…. To be able to live the dream, I'm just extremely grateful.”

It's always nice to see an athlete who appreciates all that he has. And in a few weeks - if everything goes well - he may have a World Series championship to add to his list of blessings. But first he has to get through tomorrow with a victory. Good luck to Peña and the Rays, and Happy Thanksgiving everybody!

 

Bye-bye Cito

This afternoon the Toronto Blue Jays are playing their last game of the season on the road against the Minnesota Twins.  Not only is it the end of another year for the Jays, but it is also the last game for their manager (or coach) Cito Gaston, who's retiring after today's game.


Cito Gaston



Cito is a big deal in Toronto, having led the Jays to two World Series championships in 1992 and 1993.  He left the team in 1997, but was brought back in 2008. 



Alex Anthopoulos



Since I didn't grow up in Toronto and wasn't a baseball fan in the early 90s when the Jays were dominating, I don't have the hero-worship for Cito that many people have and tend to be a little more critical of him than others I know.  Despite my reservations, he is leaving the Jays in a better position than he found them.  As the announcers during today's game mentioned, he's also a big enough name and well-respected enough that he can bring other good baseball people to the Jays organization. 

 

I have no idea right now who will be the Jays next manager.  Our GM, Alex Anthopoulos, seems to be content to take his time with this decision and keep his cards close to his chest.  Anthopoulos certainly has a lot of work to do in the off-season.  As for Gaston's winter plans?  The Jays gave him four first-class tickets anywhere in the world as a farewell.  Not a bad parting gift, huh?

Huston Street is right up my alley

Our holiday Monday Man is Huston Street, a pitcher for the Colorado Rockies. This hottie is from Austin, Texas and is celebrating his 27th birthday today.

So why do we like this guy (besides the obvious, see above)? For one, he's good - he was named the American League Rookie of the Year in 2005 (there are 2 leagues in baseball, the American and the National).

He's also a romantic: when he proposed to his girlfriend 4 years ago, he did so in a room filled with 1,500 red roses. He was just 23 at the time, but said "If I've found the right person, why wait? To find someone I like more? No. That's not going to happen."

Finally, he's used the expression "the cat's meow" in an interview, which I think is pretty adorable.

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Street gave fans a bit of a scare last week when he was taken to the hospital after being hit with a ball in practice. He passed out several times en route and suffered abdominal bruising. Once, at work, I burnt my fingers taking a bagel out of the toaster oven, so I know a thing or two about workplace injuries and can sympathize. Luckily for us all he is okay and is expected back in the lineup very soon.

Street's hazing outfit - not quite my thing, but he does have nice legs under that skirt

Oh, and a little tip for any Vancouver readers - his little brother Juston currently plays ball for the Vancouver Canadians, so you might want to check out a game and see if good looks run in the family. Feel free to report back.

If this doesn't get your pulse racing...

Today's Monday Man is Mark DeRosa, a baseball player with the San Francisco Giants.


DeRosa is one of six current major league ballplayers to have attended an Ivy league school - the University of Pennsylvania - where he studied business.

[Unlike in hockey, most baseball players do go to university. Baseball players usually take longer to develop the skills they need to play at the highest level, and it's very rare to see an 18 or 19 year-old in the majors.]



DeRosa, 35, was originally drafted by the Atlanta Braves and has spent time on teams in Texas, Chicago, Cleveland and St. Louis. He was nicknamed "the Pulse" in 2008 after undergoing surgery to correct an irregular heartbeat.

Unfortunately, this fellow is taken. He is married to former model Heidi Miller. They have 2 children, Gabriella and Mark Jr.

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But he's still fun to watch!

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[Oh and by the way, A-Rod is still searching for that 600th homerun.]

600 or bust

In every sport there are some records that are a very big deal. In baseball, one of those records is hitting over 600 home runs. Only 6 players in the history of the game have ever managed it in their careers. Yesterday Alex Rodriguez, third-baseman for the New York Yankees, hit number 599, so the wait is on for that all-important next hit.

Alex Rodriguez, often referred to as A-Rod, may be someone you recognize. His marriage ended in 2008 just months after his second child was born when he was romantically linked to Madonna. Several strippers also came forward alleging that they had been having affairs with the Yankee great as well. His wife soon filed for divorce due to "marital misconduct" and "emotional abandonment" of her and the children.

Fans try to get in A-Rod's head

A-Rod managed to move on from both his wife and Madonna pretty quickly. In 2009 he had a highly publicized romance with Kate Hudson. She was often photographed at Yankee games and was thought of by many New Yorkers as a good luck charm for the Yankees. Indeed, they ended up winning the World Series that year.

Hudson and Rodriguez have since gone their separate ways, and the baseball star has recently been linked to actress Cameron Diaz.

Besides his skills on the field and with the ladies (he reportedly has a painting of himself as a centaur hanging over his bed), A-Rod is also known for his involvement in the steroid scandal that has been darkening baseball's reputation for a number of years now. Despite various accusations, Rodriguez initially denied steroid use in a 2007 interview with Katie Couric. After proof surfaced that he had, in fact, tested positive for steroids earlier in his career, A-Rod came clean and admitted to taking steroids from 2001-2003, saying "I was young. I was stupid. I was naive. And I wanted to prove to everyone that I was worth being one of the greatest players of all time."

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A-Rod has since become a spokesperson for a foundation that educates youth about the dangers of steroid use, and seems to be trying to repair his reputation. There are some, however, who will always believe that his records, including 600 home runs when he gets there, have lost the meaning that they might have had if steroids hadn't been a factor.

The Yankees play the Kansas City Royals tonight so A-Rod will get his chance at 600. This record's meaning is sure to be debated for years to come.

Our first boy of summer

I know it will be difficult to say goodbye to our soccer Monday Men. And I know baseball will be a tough sell for many of you. So to make the transition easier and to give baseball a fair shot at capturing your attention, I searched long and hard for a baseball player who was as shameless about displaying his bod as the men of the World Cup.

So our first baseball-playing Monday Man is Rich Harden. This 29 year-old Victoria, BC native is a pitcher for the Texas Rangers, but right now he is down in the minor leagues rehabbing from a glute injury (think he needs any help with that?). Hopefully he'll be back up where we can see him before too long.

Switching gears

The time has come to switch gears at In the game. The World Cup is behind us, and some attention can now be paid to the rest of the wide world of sports.

One sport you'll be hearing a lot about from me in the months to come is baseball. Now, I know a lot of people (especially non-sports fans) think that baseball is slow and boring. I used to be one of those people, so I understand.

But then I met my husband - a baseball fanatic - and realized that I could either try to learn to appreciate (or at least tolerate) America's pastime, or fight about it for the rest of my life. And along the way to tolerance something strange happened - I actually became a big fan of the game myself. I even happily went to 2 baseball games on my honeymoon in California last year.

Baseball is a misunderstood sport. My theory is that because it is so complicated, people have trouble relating to it. Soccer and hockey are easy - take round(ish) object, put in net. But a million things can happen on every play in baseball, and there are more rules and exceptions than most casual fans will ever know.

So I'll be sharing some of the joys of baseball with you throughout the summer - the drama, the history, the oddities and the characters that make the game great. Though you may not discover a love of the game like I did, hopefully you will start to understand why millions of people around the world look forward to seeing the boys of summer return each and every year.