Another Year, Same Outcome

The AL won their 10th straight All-Star game last night which means the AL pennant winner has home field in the World Series..and not much else. As expected, once the game started, I didn't have it on for very long. So the beginning and the end, and checked in occasionally in between.

Prior to the game, Willie Mays was honored, giving the Bay Area fans a nice way to show their appreciation for the Say Hey Kid. There was also a fun, pre-recorded interview session with Derek Jeter and Ken Griffey Jr. asking questions of Mays.

The funniest moment of the night though was the possible $1 million giveaway by Taco Bell. One fan had 3 swings to hit the ball 280 ft in the air for an instant million bucks. Here's the catch though. He or she had to hit the ball of a tee.

Secondary prizes were to be given for a ball hit 230 ft (100 K) or 255 ft (250 K). So some poor schmuck, emphasis on the poor, is selected. 1st swing dribbles off the tee and draws boos from the crowd. The 2nd went out to the infield and the 3rd bounced about 280 feet. It was the most underwhelming contest ever. The guy had a look of "get me out of here".

As far as the game goes, the AL won 5-4, barely hanging on in the 9th as J.J. Putz nearly blew it. Ichiro had a big day. Wins the game MVP award, hits the 1st inside the park HR in All-Star history, and is on the verge of a mega deal. Carl Crawford and Victor Martinez also homered for the AL and Alfonso Soriano's 2-run opposite field off Putz nearly helped the NL pull it out.

Putz followed up the gopher ball with a walk to fellow a J.J., Hardy, the Brewers shortstop. Putz looked incredulous when AL manager Jimmy Leyland came out to yank him. But Leyland wanted this bad, as evidenced by his barking at 1st Base ump Charlie Reliford on a check swing no-call later in the inning.

Francisco Rodriguez came on and made like BB-Rod, walking Derek Lee to put the tying run in scoring position. It gets even better though. BB-Rod walked Orlando Hudson to load the bases. The batter due up was Phils' centerfielder Aaron Rowand, but NL manager Tony LaRussa still had Albert Pujols sitting on the bench. However LaRussa opted to hold out Pujols in case the game went extra innings. Rowand flight out to fairly deep right to end the game and in the process, causing Pujols to have a hissy fit for not playing.

Ken Griffey Jr. had a nice night driving in a pair of runs and gunning down Alex Rodriguez as the plate.

For the locals, A-Rod, Derek Jeter, and Jorge Posada were each 1-3. A-Rod had a stolen base and Posada's hit was a double. Jose Reyes had a big night, going 3-4 with a steal and a run scored. David Wright was 1-3 while Billy Wagner came up big in a big spot...for the AL that is. Wagner allowed the 2-run HR to Martinez that proved to be the difference in the game.

...

Once again Joe Buck did his best to blow home plate Bruce Froemming on the air. It's still inconceivable that any would talk highly of the fat little pig.

The player intros seemed really low key as did the fans reaction. Maybe it was just the way it was miked. Then again Manny Ramirez didn't even acknowledge the crowd when he was being introduced. Yeah we know, Manny being Moron.

Another Year, Same Outcome

The AL won their 10th straight All-Star game last night which means the AL pennant winner has home field in the World Series..and not much else. As expected, once the game started, I didn't have it on for very long. So the beginning and the end, and checked in occasionally in between.

Prior to the game, Willie Mays was honored, giving the Bay Area fans a nice way to show their appreciation for the Say Hey Kid. There was also a fun, pre-recorded interview session with Derek Jeter and Ken Griffey Jr. asking questions of Mays.

The funniest moment of the night though was the possible $1 million giveaway by Taco Bell. One fan had 3 swings to hit the ball 280 ft in the air for an instant million bucks. Here's the catch though. He or she had to hit the ball of a tee.

Secondary prizes were to be given for a ball hit 230 ft (100 K) or 255 ft (250 K). So some poor schmuck, emphasis on the poor, is selected. 1st swing dribbles off the tee and draws boos from the crowd. The 2nd went out to the infield and the 3rd bounced about 280 feet. It was the most underwhelming contest ever. The guy had a look of "get me out of here".

As far as the game goes, the AL won 5-4, barely hanging on in the 9th as J.J. Putz nearly blew it. Ichiro had a big day. Wins the game MVP award, hits the 1st inside the park HR in All-Star history, and is on the verge of a mega deal. Carl Crawford and Victor Martinez also homered for the AL and Alfonso Soriano's 2-run opposite field off Putz nearly helped the NL pull it out.

Putz followed up the gopher ball with a walk to fellow a J.J., Hardy, the Brewers shortstop. Putz looked incredulous when AL manager Jimmy Leyland came out to yank him. But Leyland wanted this bad, as evidenced by his barking at 1st Base ump Charlie Reliford on a check swing no-call later in the inning.

Francisco Rodriguez came on and made like BB-Rod, walking Derek Lee to put the tying run in scoring position. It gets even better though. BB-Rod walked Orlando Hudson to load the bases. The batter due up was Phils' centerfielder Aaron Rowand, but NL manager Tony LaRussa still had Albert Pujols sitting on the bench. However LaRussa opted to hold out Pujols in case the game went extra innings. Rowand flight out to fairly deep right to end the game and in the process, causing Pujols to have a hissy fit for not playing.

Ken Griffey Jr. had a nice night driving in a pair of runs and gunning down Alex Rodriguez as the plate.

For the locals, A-Rod, Derek Jeter, and Jorge Posada were each 1-3. A-Rod had a stolen base and Posada's hit was a double. Jose Reyes had a big night, going 3-4 with a steal and a run scored. David Wright was 1-3 while Billy Wagner came up big in a big spot...for the AL that is. Wagner allowed the 2-run HR to Martinez that proved to be the difference in the game.

...

Once again Joe Buck did his best to blow home plate Bruce Froemming on the air. It's still inconceivable that any would talk highly of the fat little pig.

The player intros seemed really low key as did the fans reaction. Maybe it was just the way it was miked. Then again Manny Ramirez didn't even acknowledge the crowd when he was being introduced. Yeah we know, Manny being Moron.

The Bruce Froemming Love Society

An aside for a moment. What's with the sudden love affair with Bruce Froemming? Or as I like to call him, "that fat little pig". Is this all because he's retiring?

A few weeks back Joe Buck was kissing his ass on FOX and Froemming did so in return, talking about Buck's father Jack. The Yankee's broadcasters have been talking about him glowingly as well. This is the Froemming I remember.

Former pitcher/manager Larry Dierker:

"Bruce Froemming was an absolute terror at first - a cross between Napoleon and Hitler," Larry Dierker said. "(Especially if) it's a day game after a midsummer's night contest and he has to umpire behind the plate."

When Froemming was a rookie ump he cost the Cubs' Milt Pappas a perfect game. How? By refusing to call a strike. Pappas had a perfect game going against the Padres. He'd retired the 1st 26 hitters, when Larry Stahl came up. Pappas threw 4 sliders, all of which were in or around the strike zone. It turned into a 4 pitch walk and Pappas cursed out Froemming, who responded with an arrogant sneer. Then the little shit had the nerve the next day to ask Pappas for an autograph.

The latter part of that story is interesting, because it is taboo for the umps to get autographs. In 1996 Froemming went into the Dodger's locker room before a game seeking autographs, particularly Mike Piazza's. Piazza's teammate Tom Candiotti says it was even worse than that, stating that Froemming threatened to do to Piazza what he did to Johnny Bench when he refused to sign baseballs.

"I remember an incident with Froemming when I was with the Dodgers in 1996. Froemming came into our clubhouse about a half hour before a game I was pitching. He had some baseballs and asked Mike Piazza to autograph them. Piazza was on the table and the trainers were helping him stretch.

I'm getting ready to pitch -- I was about to go out and warm up -- and my catcher is trying to prepare for the game. And Froemming is telling Piazza this story about how one time Johnny Bench wouldn't sign baseballs for him, and Bench went 0-for-4 that day with three called strikeouts (or something like that). So Piazza stopped stretching and signed the baseballs. "

He stabbed his own brethren in the back. Froemming was one of the guys calling the shots when the umpires staged a mass resignation in 1999. Froemming criticized the umpires who didn't go along with the resignation, but later rescinded his and was re-hired by major league baseball. The majority of the umpires that resigned were never reinstated. (That piece of garbage Joe West was rehired too).

Froemming was to work an MLB series in Japan in 2003. The league was taking care of the flight arrangements. But Froemming decided to take care of his own itinerary. When Froemming was reprimanded he called umpiring administrator Cathy Davis, "a stupid Jew bitch.". That earned him a 10 day suspension and cost him the trip to Japan.

I for one will be glad when this piece of garbage is gone. He's never figured it out in his 36 years of service. No one comes to the game to see him.

The Bruce Froemming Love Society

An aside for a moment. What's with the sudden love affair with Bruce Froemming? Or as I like to call him, "that fat little pig". Is this all because he's retiring?

A few weeks back Joe Buck was kissing his ass on FOX and Froemming did so in return, talking about Buck's father Jack. The Yankee's broadcasters have been talking about him glowingly as well. This is the Froemming I remember.

Former pitcher/manager Larry Dierker:

"Bruce Froemming was an absolute terror at first - a cross between Napoleon and Hitler," Larry Dierker said. "(Especially if) it's a day game after a midsummer's night contest and he has to umpire behind the plate."

When Froemming was a rookie ump he cost the Cubs' Milt Pappas a perfect game. How? By refusing to call a strike. Pappas had a perfect game going against the Padres. He'd retired the 1st 26 hitters, when Larry Stahl came up. Pappas threw 4 sliders, all of which were in or around the strike zone. It turned into a 4 pitch walk and Pappas cursed out Froemming, who responded with an arrogant sneer. Then the little shit had the nerve the next day to ask Pappas for an autograph.

The latter part of that story is interesting, because it is taboo for the umps to get autographs. In 1996 Froemming went into the Dodger's locker room before a game seeking autographs, particularly Mike Piazza's. Piazza's teammate Tom Candiotti says it was even worse than that, stating that Froemming threatened to do to Piazza what he did to Johnny Bench when he refused to sign baseballs.

"I remember an incident with Froemming when I was with the Dodgers in 1996. Froemming came into our clubhouse about a half hour before a game I was pitching. He had some baseballs and asked Mike Piazza to autograph them. Piazza was on the table and the trainers were helping him stretch.

I'm getting ready to pitch -- I was about to go out and warm up -- and my catcher is trying to prepare for the game. And Froemming is telling Piazza this story about how one time Johnny Bench wouldn't sign baseballs for him, and Bench went 0-for-4 that day with three called strikeouts (or something like that). So Piazza stopped stretching and signed the baseballs. "

He stabbed his own brethren in the back. Froemming was one of the guys calling the shots when the umpires staged a mass resignation in 1999. Froemming criticized the umpires who didn't go along with the resignation, but later rescinded his and was re-hired by major league baseball. The majority of the umpires that resigned were never reinstated. (That piece of garbage Joe West was rehired too).

Froemming was to work an MLB series in Japan in 2003. The league was taking care of the flight arrangements. But Froemming decided to take care of his own itinerary. When Froemming was reprimanded he called umpiring administrator Cathy Davis, "a stupid Jew bitch.". That earned him a 10 day suspension and cost him the trip to Japan.

I for one will be glad when this piece of garbage is gone. He's never figured it out in his 36 years of service. No one comes to the game to see him.