Results tagged ‘ Johnny Damon ’
Most Recent MLB Related Things On My Mind
For once I’m not using an entry to get caught up on the things that I’ve failed to blog about. There really hasn’t been much for me to write about since the last time I blogged. The three things that I’m going to discuss in this entry are things that have happened very recently in baseball, and I just want to get my personal opinion out there.
Please leave a comment if you have anything further you’d like to say about the topics being discussed.
ALBERT PUJOLS’ HOME RUN DROUGHT
Albert Pujols homered 37 times in 579 at bats last season. That’s once every 15.6 at bats, but for the sake of simplicity, we’ll round it up to 16. So far this year Pujols has had 45 at bats, and has hit a grand total of zero home runs. If you go by last year’s trend of 1 homer per 16 at bats, he 
should have 2-3 home runs already. So what’s going on?
I don’t think there’s anything wrong with Albert physically, nor do I feel it’s the mental emotion of being with a new team. In my personal opinion, I just think it’s a streak of bad luck. Every player goes through a rough patch from time to time. It’s just that Pujols has had so few in his career that when a long streak of bad luck like this hits him, it’s big news.
Now I’m not saying that Pujols will get his first home run this week or even this month, but I am saying that he won’t end the season still stuck at zero home runs. For a guy like him, once he gets that first one past him, the pressure will be gone, and he’ll become the old Pujols that the Angels were looking for when they shelled out big money for him.
One thing’s for sure. If Albert Pujols wants to keep of his steak of at least 30 home runs in every season of his career, he needs to figure things out, and start getting hot.
JAMIE MOYER WINS AT AGE 49
Jamie Moyer made his start last night against the Padres with the hopes of becoming the oldest pitcher in MLB history to win a regular season 
game. He would achieve his goal, as although he never even reached 80 miles per hour on the gun, he was still able to have a successful outing and record the win at age 49 and 150 days.
To record a win in a MLB game at age 49 is truly incredible. To give you an idea of how long Moyer has been playing, the starting pitcher for the Padres, Anthony Bass, was born a year after Moyer’s debut. Pretty insane if you think about it.
The oldest pitcher to ever play in a MLB game was Satchel Paige at age 59, though he didn’t record the win.
JOHNNY DAMON MAKES IT OFFICIAL
I talked about the Damon deal a little while ago, but now that he’s officially an Indian I thought I’d bring it up again.
Damon joins the Indians just 277 hits shy of 3,000 for his career. If he hopes to reach the milestone he’ll have to play at least one more season longer that his
1-year 1.25 million dollar contract from the Indians. It’s unclear as to whether or not he plans to do that, as he has to make it through this season first.
The plan for Damon is for him to continue working out at the Indians’ spring training facility in Arizona. He’s then expected to join the Triple-A affiliate of the Indians (the Columbous Clippers) for a short while, before joining the Indians up in Ohio in early May.
It should be interesting to see if Damon still has the ability to help his team win. According to Damon, that’s his main goal for the year, as he made the following statement after signing:
My track record shows that I play hard and I play to win. That’s why I’ve helped teams win championships, and I’ve helped some teams that aren’t so good be better…I play for the organization, not for myself.
I hope things work out between Johnny Damon and the Cleveland Indians. Damon can be a really exciting player to watch when he’s performing well.
My Thoughts On the Latest MLB News
If you’ve been reading my blog for awhile then you know I sometimes like to take little breaks from blogging. I tell myself I’m going to post an entry every few days, but even when something interesting happens I fail to blog about it. Not every time, but at least once a month I can’t seem to motivate myself to post a new entry.
What I’ll usually do (as I’m doing now) is post an entry after the several day break to recap the things that have happened since the last time I blogged. I’m not going to go over everything that’s happened. I’m just going to talk a little bit about the main things on my mind.
Chipper Jones Returns To the Braves’ Lineup
Chipper Jones made his 2012 regular season debut on Tuesday against the Houston Astros. I wasn’t sure what to expect, as he had just gotten over surgery from an injury
he sustained during spring training. I was hoping he’d get at least one hit (which he did) but I never expected him to perform as well as he did. Jones went 2-4 in the game, with one of his hits being a home run. (Number 455 of his career.)
I thought Chipper looked great deffensively as well. During Tuesday’s game Jones made a fantastic bare handed play to throw out the batter at first. He moved fairly swiftly, and didn’t appear as if he was feeling any pain. A great sign for Braves and Chipper fans alike. It didn’t appear to be luck either, as Jones went 2-5 in the very next game. It should be interesting to see how he does in today’s home opener against the Brewers.
Tim Lincecum’s Rough Start To 2012
After a less than stellar 2011, I was fully expecting Tim Lincecum to have a bounce back year, domintating the way he did in past years, but so
far that’s not the case. If anything, Lincecum’s going down hill. Now I’m not saying he can’t, and won’t, turn things around. All I’m saying is that he really needs to hurry up and figure it out. (As a fan of Lincecum, I’m hoping he does.)
Tim Lincecum has made a total of two starts so far this season, and looked overmatched in both. In his latest start on Wednesday, Lincecum lasted only 2.1 innings (the shortest outing of his career) giving up 6 runs off of 8 hits, while striking out three.
Lincecum’s next start is scheduled for Monday against the Phillies. Let’s hope he can finally show us at least a glimpse of the old Tim Lincecum.
Johnny Damon Signs With Cleveland Indians
When I first heard that the Cleveland Indians were looking to sign Johnny Damon I didn’t know what to 
think of it. To tell you the truth, I had lost all track of Damon once the 2012 season got underway. I recalled that Damon hadn’t found a team during the offseason, but once spring training ended I thought nothing more of it.
I for one think it’s an interesting move by the Indians. Damon can be a great player (future hall of famer?) but he’s a guy you need to keep a very close eye on. He could go either way.
Johnny Damon agreed to a 1-year, 1.25 million dollar contract with the Cleveland Indians. This makes the seventh team of Damon’s career, and the fourth different team for him in the past four years. I truly hope Damon performs well this season. I look forward to seeing him play again.
MLB’s Most Likeable Players-Fans Point of View
Question: What do Curtis Granderson, Ichiro Suzuki, Heath Bell, Brandon Phillips, David Ortiz, and Johnny Damon, all have in common?
Answer: They are all great guys who enjoy interacting with their fans, and giving back.
So, in honor of their general awesomeness, I decided to ask six fans (one for each player) the same three questions, to see their opinions on the coolest guys in baseball. Here’s what they had to say:
CURTIS GRANDERSON
Big thanks to Curtis Granderson fan Alexandra, for answering my questions.
1. What is it about Curtis that makes him such a likeable guy?
His personality and the way he plays the game. He plays with his heart and has fun with it. He’s a great guy on and off the field.
2. Since becoming a fan is there anything that Curtis has
done on, or off, the field, that has stood out to you?
His Grand Kids Foundation and how he donates thousands of dollars worth of baseball gear to schools around New York every year.
3. On a scale of 1-10, rank Curtis in terms of fan friendliness/likeability. (With 10 being highest.)
Definitely a 10. He’s a very humble guy. Every one likes him even more after meeting him. He loves his fans.
ICHIRO SUZUKI
Big thanks to Ichiro Suzuki fan Luke, for answering my questions.
1. What is it about Ichiro that makes him such a likeable guy?
I think many people like him because he is a good guy who is always smiling. He also has a lot of talent, plays hard and plays the right way.
2. Since becoming a fan is there anything that Ichiro has done on, or off, the field, that has stood out to you?
I believe he helped get donation stuff going when the Earthquake tore apart Japan. I believe he’s just a really good guy.
3. On a scale of 1-10, rank Ichiro in terms of fan friendliness/likeability. (With 10 being the highest.)
I would say he is about an 8. Really friendly guy.
HEATH BELL
Big thanks to Heath Bell fan Zack, for answering my questions.
1. What is it about Heath that makes him such a likeable guy?
He’s basically a four-year-old in a grown man’s body. He’s happy and friendly, and he doesn’t behave like everyone seems to think that a professional athlete should.
2. Since becoming a fan, is there anything that Heath has 
done on, or off, the field, that has stood out to you?
He donated more than $200 to my charity fundraiser two years ago for Pitch In For Baseball. That was way above and beyond anything I ever expected from him.
3. On a scale of 1-10, rank Heath in terms of fan friendliness/likeability. (With 10 being the highest.)
I’d say somewhere around 14.
BRANDON PHILLIPS
Big thanks to Brandon Phillips fan Neiko, for answering my questions.
1. What is it about Brandon that makes him such a likeable guy?
Brandon is a very caring and supportive person. He shows he cares about his family, friends, and fans, which makes him likeable.
2. Since becoming a fan is there anything that Brandon has done on, or off, the field, that has stood out to you?
The fact that Brandon has become a worldwide known baseball player, and has interacted more with his fans. That shows the person he is.
3. On a scale of 1-10, rank Brandon in terms of fan friendliness/likeability. (With 10 being highest.)
I would say 10 because once you really get to know him he’s the most fan friendly and likable player in the MLB.
DAVID ORTIZ
Big thanks to David Ortiz fan Jordan, for answering my questions.
1. What is it about David that makes him such a likeable guy?
He’s shown to be a generally nice guy from what I’ve seen from games. A gentle giant of sorts. Reference being an MLB fancave video where he is wearing his jersey walking around New York, looking for hugs.
2. Since becoming a fan is there anything that David has done on, or off, the field that has stood out to you?
I was watching a Sox v. Yanks game on ESPN back in May. Next to the dugout was a father wearing a yanks hat, and a son wearing a sox hat. He put his bat up, noticed the boy wearing a sox hat in yankee stadium, and pulled his bat back out and handed it to the kid. Awesome in my book.
3. On a scale of 1-10, rank David in terms of fan friendliness/likeability. (With 10 being the highest.)
Giving that kid his bat gives him a 10 in my book.
JOHNNY DAMON
Big thanks to Johnny Damon fan Teresa, for answering my questions.
1. What is it about Johnny that makes him such a likeable guy?
J D loves baseball. Would have stayed in Boston for less $$ but was forced to the Yanks. Success did not change him. He’s remained someone his mom could be proud of. Never whined, when not given the media attention he deserved. Just played ball.
2. Since becoming a fan is there anything that Johnny has done on, or off, the field, that has stood out to you?
I became a J D fan when he donated his hair to Locks of Love to help a child (while in Boston).
3. On a scale of 1-10, rank Johnny in terms of fan friendliness/likeability. (With 10 being highest.)
While in Boston a 10. Yanks a 5. Back up to an 8 these days.
So there you have it. Six different opinions, on six different players. I hope this entry has helped to turn you into a fan of all six players. When it comes down to it, they’re all GREAT guys.
Please leave a comment, and rate this entry………
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Big thanks to ALL who helped me out in answering my questions. I appreciate it. So, to thank you, I’ll give you shout outs to your twitter accounts:
Alexandra– Twitter….. @TeamGrandy14
Luke– Twitter….. @LGNation34
Zack– Twitter….. @zack_hample
Neiko– Twitter….. @ThisIsNJJ
Jordan– Twitter….. @RoundDozerMan
Teresa– Twitter….. @golfergirl88
Johnny Damon and Manny Ramirez To the Rays?
If you follow Major League Baseball at all, then you have already heard that Johnny Damon and Manny Ramirez are going to Tampa. I for one, have never really liked Manny Ramirez. I feel that he is too showy, and doesn’t give it his all in every game. I do however like Johnny Damon. I have always thought of Damon as a nice guy, and like how he plays.
Considering that both Damon and Ramirez used to be teammates on the Redsox:
….it will be interesting to see how they interact with each other. Will it be a happy reunion, or not?
Reports say that Damon will earn 5.25 million, while Ramirez will earn just 2 million. They will both however, combine to bring attendance levels up. What do you think? Will Damon and Ramirez help or hurt the Rays? Will they give the team a boost to make it all the way to the World Series?
Let me know what you think……
UPDATE
Well, the whole Ramirez thing didn’t go as planned…….
Matt Huddleston
