The New York Mets are currently my enemy. They are rumored to be taking very hard looks at JJ these days, and I’ve heard that from more than one source. While a lot of other fans acknowledge the role of the closer and his very short shelf-life, I am clinging onto the man that got me into baseball like I white-knuckle the armrest when I’m in an airplane. Who will close for us? Who will run out to ‘Thunderstruck’? WHO WILL TAKE THE PLACE OF MY GINGER-HEADED GOD?!? Nobody, that’s who. All I ask is for another year – just let him stay for 2009, see if he can get back to where he was in 2007, and if not, then perhaps it is time to say goodbye. But don’t crush me now – I’m too young, too unprepared for the separation. Too needy! And especially not the Mets – that means I won’t see him this year. This may harsh up my weekend.
Part of my day job involves working with an outsourced billing company over in Chennai, India. A man I consider my coworker and I talk a lot about things outside of work during our day, including the sporting world. Baseball is not played widely in India – their national sport, believe it or not, is apparently hockey. And cricket, lots of cricket. I was poking around on mlbtraderumors.com, and found this little bit of info, which I then shared with him:
“Two 19 year-old Indian men named Rinku Singh and Dinesh Patel will try out in front of Major League scouts today after winning the Million Dollar Arm contest. The idea of the contest was to find raw talent among India’s huge population, kids who could hit 85mph consistently. The Red Sox and Indians are among the clubs in attendance.”
I think it would be great if the MLB could or would further expand it’s reach into other countries where the sport is not that popular. I think it should definitely be open to everyone, and there is surely an untapped market out there, skilled players who might be hampered only by their distance from the US or their borders. I would love to see players from India, Sri Lanka, Germany, even England (“No rounders!”). Hey, if we get can get ‘em from Australia, we can get ‘em from anywhere.
I am going to my first hockey game of the season tonight (Thunderbirds @ the Key), and then getting together with friends at WingMasters tomorrow afternoon to check out the RedWings. A weekend that includes my favorite sports is a good weekend indeed. I would love to take some photos to post here with the new camera, but I don’t think I’m allowed, and better safe than having to walk all the way back to the car right before the game.
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November 12, 2008 at 6:41 am
JonBBT
Saying goodbye to your favorite player is one of the worst thing about this game, and sports in general. What’s worse is when you’re a casual fan that doesn’t read the rumors and gets a cruel surprise one day when they open the sports page: “Ken Griffey traded to Cincinnati” or whatever. No fun. I’ve never been a huge JJ fan, but I definitely know the feeling. I’m am bummed to see Raul go (assuming that that’s what happens), even though I clearly understand that his departure is a big help when it comes to rebuilding this organization. I’ve been a big Raul fan since he first came up under Lou Pinella back in the 90s.
The two Indian kids is an interesting story. I read about the contest when it was still being created and wondered if I’d ever hear about it again. It would be great to diversify the game and make it truly global. Seattle has done a good job, with an extremely diverse farm system that features multiple players from every continent. Good stuff.
November 13, 2008 at 2:21 am
section331
I am also bummed at the possibility of Raul leaving, but yeah, I understand it may have to be done. I wish I could have gotten into this sport/team sooner, I would have gotten to see some awesome players in their heyday, guys that were leaders, that I can now only see at the end of their careers. I haven’t been able to decide if it would be worse to not pay attention and be surprised, or if the suspense of knowing that guys will be trimmed from the roster is better; but I can imagine that the shock of finding out so abruptly would not be pleasant, as a fan.
Thanks for reading! 
I also think that the Ms have done a good job of becoming a virtual Bennetton ad in the world of baseball – when Balentien was brought up last year, and the word “Dutch” was mentioned, I was quite surprised, but I like our diversity, and I hope the approach is continued – who knows what new talent we might find if we keep mining the world in places other than the US, Asia, and Latin America?