Baseball is back!

[Tarcristiel]

Yay! Spring training games have begun! Can spring itself be far behind? I watched the Mets-Nationals game yesterday, and listened to the Orioles-Marlins game this afternoon. Nothing lifts my spirits like baseball. I don't care who's playing, I love to watch the game.

Take me out to the ballgame, take me out with the crowd.
Buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jack!
I don't care if I ever get back!
For it's root, root, root for the ORIOLES!
If they don't win, it's a shame.
For it's one, two, three strikes you're out at the old ball game!


”My cuts, short or long, don‘t go wrong.”

[siskoeva]

fond memories of watching Baseball as a young boy. however, I've always been a Football (euro) fan myself, and watching the Indoor leagues and finally the MLS games starting in '96 quickly took my attention from baseball. still, it remains the innocent Joy I always turn to when I'm need of relzxation.

[Theodred]

I was just watching the World Champion Red Sox on TV. They were a little rusty, but they're off to a good start. It's a pity I wasn't in Fort Myers when they were practicing. I got there too late. :(

[Prince Dol Amroth]

Kaz, even the Bronx Bums? :lol

[Barahir]

Softball's back, too, I'll bet. Where's fingol?!

[Tarcristiel]

Kaz, even the Bronx Bums? :lol

Certainly! I just root for the other team :biggrin

Something magic happens every time you go.
You make the magic happen
The magic of Oriole baseball!
When the game is close
and the O's are hot
there's a thundering roar from 34th
to give it all they've got;
And you never know
who's gonna hear the call
Every game there's a different star,
That's the magic of Oriole baseball!

Orioles Magic, feel it happen,
Orioles Magic, feel it happen!
O-R-I-O-L-E-S!!
Magic, magic, magic, magic,
Orioles Magic, feel it happen

When Weaver moves
When we score the runs
Nothing could be more exciiting
Nothing could be more fun!
There's a love affair
between you & the team.
You're the reason we win when we win
And you know what the magic means!

Orioles Magic, feel it happen!
Orioles Magic, feel it happen!
Orioles Magic, feel it happen!
Orioles Magic, feel it happen!
O-R-I-O-L-E-S!!
Magic, magic, magic, magic,
Orioles Magic, feel it happen!
Something magic happens --


Indeed, if it had not been for the disturbing events of the night before, they would have enjoyed this part of the journey better than any up to that time.

[RW7427]

I have one thing to say....

GO TRIBE!!!!

:biggrin

[Poguemahone]

I am not a baseball fan. Hockey and soccer for me.

[Aragil]

Baseball may be back, but hockey sure isnt :(.

[Lothíriel]

Yeah...when I saw the announcement that the NHL season was officially cancelled I was like...what? It wasn't cancelled already? :lol

Baseball!!!!!!!!!!


I love baseball! I saw in the paper today that the Braves won...I forget who they were playing though.

[Tarcristiel]

Orioles baseball, feel the magic where you are
I feel like a kid again, when I am at the Yard
Born and raised to love the game
In Baltimore, no better place
And I am glad, that I am lost
In my own little world of baseball.

I remember the days, when I just couldn't wait
For opening day to arrive, what a time to be alive!
33rd Street they would play
Memorial Stadium, I'd say
The memories still live with me
Full of baseball history.

The crowd, the lights, the summer nights
Electric vibes in pennant drives
And often I had sat and wished
The game would never end
And the faces changed along the way
But that's OK with me
I'm still here, and I'll cheer the Birds again.

Orioles baseball, feel the magic where you are
I feel like a kid again, when I am at the yard
Born and raised to love the game
In Baltimore, no better place
And I am glad, that I am lost
In my own little world of baseball.

Moved along to '92
Out with the old, in with the new
Found our way to Camden Yards
And had our time amongst the stars
Still we boast some of our own
In this now legendary home
Where the Iron Man has turned the key
To baseball immortality
And Eddie's blast had come at last
He hit it here, and I believe
That after all these years
It was somehow meant to be
And now we're dreaming that the Series
Will become reality
Until then, let's all cheer the Birds again.

Orioles baseball, feel the magic where you are
I feel like a kid again, when I am at the yard
Scream it, yell it, loud and clear
'Cause this could be our year
We're flying high, and flying far
Until we reach that sacred star
I was born and raised to love the game
In Baltimore, no better place
And I am glad that I am lost
At Camden Yards in Baltimore
Baltimore Orioles Baseball.

- Jason Seimer


”What do they live on when they can‘t get hobbit?” asked Sam, scratching his neck.

[Theodred]

...The Red Sox are World Champions. We lost Pedro though. :(

[Arathorn III]

I'll still cheer for them in 2005. ;)

[RW7427]

I'll just cheer for them to beat the Yankees. ;)

[Prince Dol Amroth]

RW and I will forgive you for doing that... :lol

[RW7427]

I have a motto....

Once a Yankee hater, always a Yankee hater. :P

[Byrhthelm]

What's all this fuss about rounders?

[Prince Dol Amroth]

RW, it is ok to break a bad habit... :LOL

[Tarcristiel]

What's all this fuss about rounders?

"You can't sit on a lead and run a few plays into the line and just kill the clock. You've got to throw the ball over the g*d*d plate and give the other man his chance. That's why baseball is the greatest game of them all." - The Earl of Baltimore

"Since baseball time is measured only in out, all you have to do is succeed utterly; keep hitting, keep the rally alive, and you have defeated time. You remain forever young." - Roger Angell

"I think a baseball field must be the most beautiful thing in the world. It's so honest and precise. And we play on it. Every star gets humbled. Every mediocre player has a great moment." - Lowell Cohn

"No one can stop a home run. No one can understand what it really is, unless you have felt it in your own hands and body. As the ball makes its high, long arc beyond the playing field, the diamond and the stands suddenly belong to one man. In that brief, brief time, you are free of all demands and complications." - Sadaharu Oh

"Baseball is a lot like life. The line drives are caught, the squibbers go for base hits. It's an unfair game." - Ron Kanehl

"October doesn't care what your name is." - Mike Lupica

"Why certainly I'd like to have that fellow who hits a home run every time at bat, who strikes out every opposing batter when he's pitching, who throws strikes to any base or the plate when he's playing outfield and who's always thinking about two innings ahead just what he'll do to baffle the other team. Any manager would want a guy like that playing for him. The only trouble is to get him to put down his cup of beer and come down out of the stands and do those things." - Manager Danny Murtaugh

"The majority of American males put themselves to sleep by striking out the batting order of the New York Yankees." - James Thurber

"With those who don't give a d**n about baseball, I can only sympathize. I do not resent them. I am even willing to concede that many of them are physically clean, good to their mothers and in favor of world peace. But while the game is on, I can't think of anything to say to them." - Art Hill


”Not all the birds are to be trusted, and there are other spies more evil than they are.”

[Tarcristiel]

And some more . . .

"In the beginning there was no baseball. But ever since then there have been few beginnings as good as the start of a new baseball season. It is the most splendid time in sports." - BJ Phillips

"I see great things in baseball, it's our game - the American game. It will take our people out of doors, fill them with oxygen, give them a larger physical stoicism. Tend to relieve us from being nervous, dyspeptic set. Repair these losses, and be a blessing to us." - Walt Whitman

"Ninety feet between the bases is the nearest thing to perfection that man has yet achieved." - Red Smith

"Man may penetrate the outer reaches of the universe, he may solve the very secret of eternity itself but for me, the ultimate human experience is to witness the flawless execution of the hit-and-run." - Branch Rickey

"No game in the world is as tidy and dramatically neat as baseball, with cause and effect, crime and punishment, motive and result, so cleanly defined." - Paul Gallico

"One of the beautiful things about baseball is that every once in a while you come into a situation where you want to, and where you have to, reach down and prove something." - Nolan Ryan

"Baseball gives you every chance to be great. Then it puts pressure on you to prove that you haven't got what it takes. It never takes away the chance and it never eases up on the pressure." - Joe Garagiola

"The game has a cleanness. If you do a good job, the numbers say so. You don't have to ask anyone or play politics. You don't have to wait for the reviews." - Sandy Koufax

"I ain't never had a job I just always played baseball." - Leroy Robert "Satchel" Paige


”Not all the birds are to be trusted, and there are other spies more evil than they are.”

[RW7427]

RW, it is ok to break a bad habit... :LOL

Maybe you should take your own advice there, Mr. Bronx Bomber. :P

[Prince Dol Amroth]

RW, I would gladly break a bad habit, just can't seem to find any. :biggrin

[Tarcristiel]

A broadcasting legend passed away yesterday. :cry

Raise a cold Natty Boh to Chuck Thompson (http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/baseball/bal-sp.schmuck07mar07,1,6589524.column?coll=bal-sports-baseball&ctrack=2&cset=true)

Raise a cold Natty Boh to the man who warmed Baltimore airwaves

Mar 7, 2005, Peter Schmuck

COCOA, Fla. - It's warm here in Florida, and so is the beer.

Chuck Thompson, who could turn a muggy August evening into a cool drink or a chilly Sunday afternoon into a symphony, has gone on to bigger things, and it's hard to imagine the sports world in Baltimore ever being quite the same.

It wasn't just the voice, though it was a voice that spoke the language of Charm City like none other. It wasn't just a long history in a region that has always had a very personal relationship with its teams and its broadcasters. It was more than that.

Thompson was your favorite uncle who just happened to call the play-by-play for the Orioles and the old Colts, and he graduated into the grandfatherly figure who kept us all in touch with the city's sports legacy.

Now, let me get the truth in advertising out of the way. Everyone knows that I didn't grow up in Baltimore. I grew up listening to the lilting voice of Vin Scully, who has sent several generations of kids to a blissful sleep each night with his wonderful Dodgers broadcasts.

Vinny was the broadcaster of my boyhood and beyond, and I was privileged to get to know him when I covered the Dodgers as a young sportswriter in the 1980s. Maybe it is presumptuous of me to speak for my parallel generation in Baltimore, but I know that every kid who grew up listening to the Orioles in those days gets the same warm feeling when they think of Chuck that I do to this day when I hear Scully on the radio.

It wasn't just a game. It was a conversation. Those talented vocal cords created a common thread that ran through an entire sports community. When Chuck delivered his signature "Ain't the beer cold!" there wasn't a fan within earshot who couldn't feel that icy tang in the back of his throat - even the teetotalers.

Thompson was a local legend, but his credentials as one of the greatest broadcasters of all time were well recognized outside of Maryland. In 1993, he became the 17th recipient of the Ford C. Frick Award - elected by his fellow baseball broadcasters - and was recognized in baseball's Hall of Fame at Cooperstown, N.Y.

He was, simply, the voice of Baltimore, and it was a voice that resonated so deeply that the next time you walk down the street in Hampden on one of those cool nights in June, you'll swear you still hear it seaping out of every rowhouse.

There will be a lot of testimonials over the next few days. Everyone who ever held a microphone in Baltimore owes a debt to Chuck - and the respect he garnered inside the sports world should be obvious from the who's who that already has weighed in on his great career - but those weren't really the people he touched the most.

He was the broadcaster for Everyman, a regular guy with a great, big voice who understood that Baltimore fans liked their heroes warm and their National Bohemian ice cold.

Chuck's broadcast career dates back to 1939, but he arrived in Baltimore in 1948. He was the radio voice of the Orioles for 29 seasons.

He made nothing but friends along the way, from Brooks Robinson to Cal Ripken to all the old Colts who still remember the good, old days. Chuck didn't play the game, but he was one of them anyway.

It hasn't been much fun for him the past few years. He suffered from dementia and macular degeneration, which eroded his eyesight and took away his ability to enjoy the games and athletes he once made so enjoyable for everyone else.

He needed the help of his beloved wife, Betty, to get around during the past few years, but he didn't hide from his ailments or the colleagues and fans who still loved him - making a point of attending as many functions as his schedule and health permitted.

Chuck Thompson signed off for the last time yesterday, leaving the airwaves flying at half-staff.

[Prince Dol Amroth]

raising a tall, cold glass of iced tea here in South carolina for a legendary announcer. Far too many of these guys are passing away and we could use some real good ones.

[Lothíriel]

I just saw that the Braves are 5 and O in spring training while a certain Bronx Bums are 0 and 4...:p

Oh, and my old college got tromped in the Big South Conference final...ha ha ha!!!! They're ranked 227th ha ha ha!!!! I laughed so hard!

[RW7427]

I hope the Yankees go 0 for whatever in spring training! :devil

[Tarcristiel]

Oh, wouldn't it be loverly!

Actually, I would rather they went 0 - 162 during the regular season. :biggrin


”Few now have the skill in healing to match such evil weapons.

[Prince Dol Amroth]

Did the room suddenly get colder... :lol

[RW7427]

Perhaps Lothiriel, Kaz and I should gang up on you! :devil

[Prince Dol Amroth]

What? You mean y'all haven't already stated? :lol

Bring it on, I ain't skeered!

[RW7427]

Yeah, wait until they get their butts kicked by either Cleveland or Baltimore. :biggrin

[Theodred]

Or....Tampa Bay.

[RW7427]

:lol

Tampa Bay....the last place team in the AL East how many years in a row? ;)

[Prince Dol Amroth]

Hey, give them some respect. It takes a lot of work to be that bad for that long!

[RW7427]

I just wanted to say that my "hoping that the Yankees go 0 for whatever in spring training dream" is dead. They've won 3 games. :lol

[siskoeva]

curses. I myself am a Cards fan, but I haven't even checked their standings yet.

[RW7427]

My team, the Indians, has one of the best records in the American League so far this spring. They're like 8-3. :biggrin

[Tarcristiel]

For our Red Sox fans: Queer Eye for the Red Sox (http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/3465846)


”He is not slain, and I think he will resist the evil power of the wound longer than his enemies expect.”

[Prince Dol Amroth]

psst, Yankees 1, Red Sox, 0 pass it on.

[Tarcristiel]

Sammy Sosa paid his Orioles debut today as the Birds beat Oakland (something they could not do last year). Final score: 4 - 0.

PDA, I believe the Bronx Bums won the first game of the ALCS last year also. But what good did that do them? :lol


”Don‘t adventures ever have an end?”

[Prince Dol Amroth]

Kaz, not a thing, but any day that the Yanks win is a good day to me, and any day they beat the Bosox is a great day to me... :biggrin

[Arathorn III]

Today didn't happen.

[Arathorn III]

Today happened. :biggrin

[RW7427]

Oooh, I can boo the Yankees again! :lol

[Prince Dol Amroth]

Yankees: 2, Bosox: 1 :)c

[RW7427]

Eh, Boston let 'em have that one. :P

[Prince Dol Amroth]

Don't you mean they let them have those two? lol

Best wishes to terry Francona, I hope he recovers soon and is able to get back to managing the Bosox.

[Lothíriel]

I am so out of it baseball wise...anyone know how my Braves are doing?

[RW7427]

As of this moment they are 2-1 and tied with Washington for the lead in the division.

[Lothíriel]

Heh...sounds good to me :D I read today that they beat the Mets (0-4...hah)

[Tarcristiel]

My beloved Baltimore Orioles took 2 of 3 from the Bronx Bums this weekend! Waaahoooo!!!! :bounce

http://pic10.picturetrail.com/VOL326/681490/2564433/31122817.jpg


”And you are lucky to be here, too, after all the absurd things you have done since you left home.”

[Arathorn III]

Good for them. ;)

[RW7427]

My beloved Baltimore Orioles took 2 of 3 from the Bronx Bums this weekend! Waaahoooo!!!! :bounce

I'm not an Oriole fan, but I'm happy if the Yankees lose.

WOOOOOO HOOOOOO!!!!! :biggrin

[Prince Dol Amroth]

Baseball back in the nation's capitol, yeah!

[Tarcristiel]

What a great weekend for Orioles baseball, sweeping the Bronx Bums, 8 -1, 7 -6 and 8-4. Waaaahoooo!!! :orange :orange :orange


”Dwarves‘ tongues run on when speaking of their handiwork, they say.”

[Prince Dol Amroth]

:mad

[RW7427]

Way to go Orioles! :lol

[Tarcristiel]

I love being in first place! Go O's! :bounce


”Don‘t adventures ever have an end?”

[RW7427]

More power to ya honey! As long as the Yankees aren't. :lol

[Theodred]

Man, what is with that dude Brian Roberts? He's already hit more homers this year than his previous season high. :p

[Tarcristiel]

Not only that, as of last night, he was tied with Miguel Tejada for most RBI in the AL. Way to go, QT! :DD


”What shall we do with the Ring, the least of rings, the trifle that Sauron fancies?”

[Prince Dol Amroth]

How about them Orioles!!!

[RW7427]

Better than them Yankees!!! :lol

I can't say "How about them Indians" when they have a losing record. :eek2

[Prince Dol Amroth]

It is sadly true that the Orioles do have a better record then my beloved Bums, but the Bums have all these old guys playing for them,so it tookk them a little longer to get started, but we might be on our way now(I hope!)

[RW7427]

I miss saying this so.....

BOOOOOOO YANKEES!!!!!!!

:devil

[Prince Dol Amroth]

We will see what we can do to give you more opportunities to say that... :biggrin