Is It The Moon??

I dunno... seems to be a weird vibe on the board this week... maybe it's the moon phase? Maybe it's cause we all see the end of baseball season looming in the near future? I dunno... just seems to be a weird vibe.

Days are getting shorter, leaves are turning, days are cooler... as baseball people we are faced with a long, cold Winter... February HS tryouts won't come soon enough, Spring Training won't get here soon enough... such is the anguish faced by fans of baseball...

So, let's get some good Hot Stove stuff ready, get that pot of chili working on the stove and take one last deep breath of baseball before next "Spring".

(BTW - The Greenville FCA Banquet has Josh Hamilton coming in as it's guest speaker in November. That's a done deal and rumour is Pitt County Hot Stove is working towards having Chad Tracey as it's speaker this year - although it's not official yet. Just a lil heads up for you guys here in the East).

Here's an idea... Oprah has her book club... I nominate Coach27 to lead the TBR Hot Stove Book Club.... Weekly discussions to get us through the Winter doldrums... when not out busting the hell outta some ducks...

 

ho hum

how utterly depressing...the end of baseball, the election, winter...ugh...can I hibernate?

 

Josh Hamilton

Had the pleasure of meeting Josh Hamilton and hearing him speak last January at a Purpose Driven Baseball event in Clayton. Josh was a class act all the way around. His story was and continues to be truly inspiring plus he gave some great hitting instruction. At the end of the day he stayed until every last autograph was signed. Before that I also got the chance to see him play at Wrigley Field when he was with the Reds. Cubs almost won with a walk-off HR but the ball was caught up against the ivy. Josh went 3 for 3. What a game! Zambrano was pitching for Chicago. Junior was in RF for the Reds. The only thing that could have made it a better night for baseball was if my son could have been there with me. I was on a business trip and he was back home (during the school year). Of course we talked several times on the phone so he could at least hear the sounds of the game.

 

indoor batting cages

that's what we'll have to get by on for the next couple of months. It ain't the same though!

 

Speaking of Josh Hamilton . . .

He has a book out, Beyond Belief. Here's an interview he did yesterday promoting his book and talking about this past season.

http://www.wralsportsfan.com/mlb/video/3755958/

 

My son even said to me last night "I feel very anxious and nervous." I said "about what?" He said "this is it! This is the last weekend of baseball for a while. What am I going to do with myself? It stinks!" (he didn't use that word though). I agreed.

 

for fans of Josh Hamilton....

here's a link you may be interested in....http://www.gopack.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=9200&ATCLID=1585527

 

People ask me what I do in winter when there's no baseball. I'll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring. ~Rogers Hornsby

 

George F. Will...

... wrote in a column once that the period between the last out in the World Series and the day pitchers and catchers report should be known as the "VOID". An appropriate term in my opinion.

As far as off season reading goes, there are many interesting books out there. The above mentioned Mr. Will has written some good ones. "Men at Work" is a good example.

I am now in the process of re-reading Mike Lupica's "Wild Pitch". A very funny book that can be read by anyone, even those who move their lips when they read... you know who you are! This book, along with "Bump and Run" and "Red Zone", are kind of a New York sports trilogy (football/baseball... he, like many of us, doesn't give a crap about the NHL or the NBA) that are all entertaining and will make you laugh out loud, as well as make you wish you were there!

 

There ya go! I like those ideas.... good reading to fill the VOID