Activated

After two weeks of rehabbing, my shoulder has healed (enough) and I have been activated from the disabled list.  I was lucky to have escaped a more serious injury (again), and only missed 14 games during my time on the shelf.  I have done my best to maintain game shape conditioning through running and sprint workouts, and doing as many drills as I could these past few days of being allowed to perform full activity.

With my activation, C.J. Bressoud, who took my place on the roster, will be sent back to Arizona to clear room on the roster for me.  I played with C.J. last year in Cedar Rapids and he is a good guy.  His departure will be disappointing after getting reacquainted with him these past two weeks, but this game always leaves you wondering when someone will be making another appearance as your teammate.

Returning from the off day, we begin a crucial stretch of the first-half, which will most likely be an indicator of how we will fare in the overall playoff picture this season.  The two-half season system enables teams that struggled during the first half to have an opportunity to make the playoffs by winning the second-half, or earn the wild card spot by having the best overall record of divisional teams not yet in the playoffs.  So, if our efforts during these final 25 days of the half do not result in a first-half championship, it can set us up nicely for a playoff run in the second-half.

Benefits of Aging

Whoever said aging has its perks might have been a baseball player.  In the top of the first inning tonight, Vladimir Guerrero was batting with a runner at first and one out.  On a one-two pitch, Guerrero tried to check his swing, an attempt that was an apparent failure to everyone in the ballpark, except the umpires.  After a moment of hesitation, the plate umpire appealed to the base umpire for help.  What happened next can only be described as comical.  The base umpire took a long pause, made a quick motion as if he was going to call him out on the swing, then smiled coyly and made the safe signal.  The subsequent chuckles in our dugout and the smiles on the faces of Guerrero and both coaching staffs all seemed to say “the young California League umpires couldn’t find it them to punch out a Major Leaguer.”

Sure, everyone wanted to see Guerrero take another swing, but it was still pretty obvious he swung.  The only defense for the umpires arose from the deficient two-umpire system (in place until the triple-A level), which makes any check swing appeals with any runners on base a tossup as far as correctness goes (due to the base umpire’s placement behind the pitcher’s mound).  Two pitches later, Guerrero dribbled a single through the right side, and we went on to score two runs in the first inning.  This is just another story to add to the growing list of conversational material to be used at future cocktail parties.

Major League Rehab Asssignments

After a heartbreaking loss in High Desert last night, we rebounded tonight to take the series opener from the Lake Elsinore Storm (San Diego affiliate), albeit with some help from some Major League rehabbers.  Kelvim Escobar started for us tonight and threw 4.2 innings (his pitch count was 60), while Vladimir Guerrero was our designated hitter and had a double, RBI, and a run in three at-bats.  Cliff Floyd was on rehab assignment with the Storm, taking some at-bats as their designated hitter.

It is common for the California League to be home to some Major League rehab appearances due to some affiliates’ close proximities to the locations of their parent clubs.  These rehabbers do not cost their teams roster space, and all players on the active roster as eligible to play.  Escobar and Guerrero are the second and third players making appearances for us this season, with Ervin Santana making a start for us a few weeks ago.  There always seems to be more of a frenzy prior to these games.  Scores of fans line the fences to get a glimpse of the Major Leaguers and hope that they pause from their pregame routines to sign a few autographs.

To the players, it is business as usual with us going through our regular routines.  However, we do take the time to watch these players go about their routines; after all, they are who we are striving to become.  For the fans though, these rarities are a much bigger deal and jump at the chance to see Big Leaguers in their backyards (at a much cheaper rate).  A tangible perk for the players of these assignments is that a post-game spread is usually purchased for us by the Major Leaguers.

O! Say Can You See

After winning three of the last four, we enter the final game of our home stand with renewed spirits and heightened optimism.  A few victories do wonders for confidence, and things have slowly been on the upswing.  Last night’s inspiration may have been partly attributed to the Quakes’ honoring of Armed Forces Day.  This game included the wearing of red, white, and blue uniform tops that were auctioned off for a charitable cause, as well as the honoring of military personnel throughout the game.

With a patriotic mood in mind, I got to thinking about the National Anthem we hear prior to every game and some of the features that make some performances better than others.  Personally, I get a bit antsy during the Anthem as the game is about to begin and I have to stand still for a period of time.  This brief anxiety leaves me hoping for shorter anthems over the longer performances.

I see there being three components to the Anthem: length, type, and originality.  I have already touched on length, which tends to be directly correlated to anthem type.  Anthems can be performed vocally or instrumentally, and done solo or in groups.  Instrumental anthems tend to be on the shorter end, with there being minimal room for musical interpretation and drawn out notes.  The same goes for group performances; these anthems are typically shorter in length than solo renditions.

Finally, the last Anthem component is originality.  The desirability of this trait differs from listener to listener; however, I prefer that there be as little variation from the “traditional” Anthem as possible.  I do not enjoy hearing certain words and notes drawn out in a variety of ways so the performer can express his or her individuality.  Instead, I prefer the traditional Anthem because it is intended to be a reminder of the freedoms we enjoy as Americans and the people that give their lives to protect these liberties.

To sum things up, I find the most enjoyable anthems to be performed instrumentally by a group.  This is not to say that I have not heard solo vocalists put a solid performance together; however, when looking for a terse and traditional National Anthem, group instrumental renditions are my preference.  Despite the fact that some performances are personally more enjoyable than others, the efforts to provide the subtle reminder that our freedoms have not come without a fight are always greatly appreciated and admired by all.

Finito

Now the writing can pick up with the completion of my MBA.  I guess I could consider just being a professional student and work on a second Masters this offseason, but I am pretty much over school and will be looking for a real job.

I had a minor setback on our road trip last week by injuring myself during the series finale at Stockton (Oakland Athletics affiliate).  I partially dislocated my left shoulder on a slide into second base during the second inning (somehow I managed to do this on a feet-first slide).  While this is my second trip to the DL in as many seasons, this ailment should not set me back the four weeks my sprained MCL did last July.  Since the shoulder did not fully dislocate, I am mostly dealing with rotator cuff irritation.  The rehab is just going to be shoulder strengthening and getting game ready.

The team has been struggling a bit lately, with the pitching, defense, and hitting not being able to get on the same page.  This has lead to blown leads, comebacks that have fallen short, and overall disappointment.  However, it is a long season and we will continue to keep grinding things out.  We were faced with a similar situation last season in Cedar Rapids, with the team struggling through May, then figuring it out before the All-Star break.  This led to a strong second-half and a playoff run.  Figuring things out sooner rather than later is the goal, with individual improvements being the means that lead to overall team success.

Winding Down

No, not the season.  School is finally winding down for me.  My business forecasting class (glorified stats) culminated last night with a 3:00am run to FedEx Office so I could print my 90-page Excel file and Second Day Air it to my professor in Tampa.  And now, with the recent submission of my data base for the data base development and administration class, all that separates me from an MBA is the take-home (or take-to-wherever you are playing that day as this case may be) final exam due on Thursday.  Finally being able to not think about school is going to be a great feeling.

After some recent struggles, the team has reeled off two wins; one in convincing 6-2 fashion, the other in a 7-6 comeback.  Tonight featured Ervin Santana making a rehab start, which brought some hype to a typically quiet Monday crowd.  The idea of Major Leaguers playing in games that do not really count for them, but is of utmost importance to us is a bit of a conundrum to me.  You have players of the ultimate caliber mixing in with guys who are still learning the inner workings and skills of the game, leaving some to expect the Major Leaguers to dominate and make the games one-sided.  However, we were actually trailing 3-2 when Santana came out in the 5^th inning after reaching his 60-pitch limit.  This is just more proof that baseball is an equalizing game; the biggest, strongest, and fastest players do not necessarily have the most success on a given night. 

The main separation between Major and Minor League players is consistency.  Given 10 opportunities, the Major Leaguers are going to be successful one or two more times than the Minor Leaguer.  For now, we will soak up the experience and presence of someone performing where we hope to be and keep grinding through the days.