I have my driver's license exam in a few hours. If I pass, I'll be down there. Afterwards, I'm going to play the most rock'n'roll concert ever (i.e. I'll probably get banned from the bar).
I have my driver's license exam in a few hours. If I pass, I'll be down there. Afterwards, I'm going to play the most rock'n'roll concert ever (i.e. I'll probably get banned from the bar).
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I just bought a couple of tickets for my wife and me. We'll be over on the 3rd base side. Got seats in the row in front of my cousin & his wife and their two kids.
“In the same way that a baseball season never really begins, it never really ends either.” - Lonnie Wheeler, "Bleachers, A Summer in Wrigley Field"
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I am in section 115 if anyone is around there, come say hi. I have on a black tshirt that says "More Cowbell" on it and will have a DSLR camera attached to my face and or neck from about 5-930pm today.
Impressions from the game (in no particular order):
1. Tucker Barnhart is really short. He also made a fabulous peg to get Phillips stealing.
2. Hoover looked kind of studly. I was behind the first-base dugout, pretty low, so had a good view of the downward movement. He had a lot of it on his breaking stuff. Reds couldn't touch him.
3. David Vidal was extremely smooth at third base. Made three very nice plays, and made them look easy.
4. Chapman is ready. For whatever.
5. Ryan Wright either had a weak-swing, lucky bloop hit, or he did a great job of stroking a tough pitch the other way. My impression was the latter, but couldn't be sure.
6. It's plain to see that Donald Lutz should be starting at first base over Votto. But I suppose it can wait until, say, 2024. (Kid looks good, though.)
7. Kyle Waldrop would have been the next batter when they called the game. Dang. He looked pretty bummed.
I agree with your impressions, although I must have missed one of Vidal's gems. Lutz looked very good, along with a number of the players.
One thing that surprised me - I just always assumed that Yorman Rodriguez was a huge guy, but he was slighter in size than I had imagined. I'm guessing I've always pictured a Wily Mo type physique.
“In the same way that a baseball season never really begins, it never really ends either.” - Lonnie Wheeler, "Bleachers, A Summer in Wrigley Field"
The Baseball Emporium - Books & Things.
The Baseball Bookstore
http://tsc-sales.com/
http://tscsales.blogspot.com/
http://silverscreenbooks.com/
Vidal's first nice play was a ball right on the line in which he threw the guy out by a couple steps. Then a barehand scoop on the run. Then a crisp, quick backhand. He showed reflexes, hands, accuracy and poise. I guess the main thing, though, was he made them all like it was nothing. Silky.
I omitted maybe the best impression. Todd Frazier coming to the plate with Sinatra (Fly Me to the Moon). I'm liking that guy.
Good stuff, mace. I'm encouraged by what the young guys have done this spring. From the little I saw on TV, Vidal and Lutz look solid at the plate -- well, Lutz looks a little better than just solid. I'm also bullish on Hoover.Impressions from the game (in no particular order):
1. Tucker Barnhart is really short. He also made a fabulous peg to get Phillips stealing.
2. Hoover looked kind of studly. I was behind the first-base dugout, pretty low, so had a good view of the downward movement. He had a lot of it on his breaking stuff. Reds couldn't touch him.
3. David Vidal was extremely smooth at third base. Made three very nice plays, and made them look easy.
4. Chapman is ready. For whatever.
5. Ryan Wright either had a weak-swing, lucky bloop hit, or he did a great job of stroking a tough pitch the other way. My impression was the latter, but couldn't be sure.
6. It's plain to see that Donald Lutz should be starting at first base over Votto. But I suppose it can wait until, say, 2024. (Kid looks good, though.)
7. Kyle Waldrop would have been the next batter when they called the game. Dang. He looked pretty bummed.
Not that batting practice means much, but I'm curious about how the young guys looked taking hacks at little ole GAB... Anybody get a gander?
Also, Corcino hit 95 once, with a few 94s. He seemed to be kind of high-low, but I don't know if that was by design or wildness.
Lotzkar's delivery looked smooth to me. I was glad to see that he actually uses a little windup, bringing the ball up over his head before starting forward. It all seemed pretty effortless, which I guess is what you want out of a guy whose original motion led to two elbow injuries. Kind of low-intensity. He lacked command in his first inning, but had an easy second.
Didn't make BP. I would have liked to, but had wifey considerations. Among other things, she doesn't get home till 5. And she was doing me a favor by going, so I didn't feel like I could push it.
Edit/P.S.: I always thought Sulbaran was pronounced Sool-BEAR-un. The PA guy called it SOOL-bur-ahn.
Last edited by mace; 04-04-2012 at 11:09 AM.
Any more impressions on Hoover from last night?
lollipop: I just saw that Doug had a couple BP observations on his site:
http://redsminorleagues.com/2012/04/...-and-notes-39/
He said that Yorman showed some impressive power and that Lutz was hitting line drives that looked like singles and cleared the fence. He also liked Vidal's glove.
My mistake on an earlier post: It was Votto whom Barnhart threw out stealing. Phillips was picked off second by Corcino. (That was after Phillips doubled following a first-pitch fastball that whizzed by his ribs. In response to the brushback, Phillips smiled and pushed his palms out toward Corcino, as if to say, "Take it easy there, big boy. We're all friends here.")
Phillips, not surprisingly, looked like he was having a blast. He made some lighthearted chatter with the second baseman after getting caught.
After Votto was thrown out, I turned to my cousin's 9 year old son and asked him if he thought the catcher was pretty excited about throwing Joey Votto (not that Joey's a speedster, but just his status as a star).
Again, this was a terrific event and I hope they continue it. It's a great way to introduce the fans to the up and coming players and allows those players to get the feel of the big league experience.
“In the same way that a baseball season never really begins, it never really ends either.” - Lonnie Wheeler, "Bleachers, A Summer in Wrigley Field"
The Baseball Emporium - Books & Things.
The Baseball Bookstore
http://tsc-sales.com/
http://tscsales.blogspot.com/
http://silverscreenbooks.com/
Thanks for the heads up. Great to hear that Yorman's power comes easy. Sounds like there will be some good video on Doug's site in the next day or two.http://redsminorleagues.com/2012/04/...-and-notes-39/
He said that Yorman showed some impressive power and that Lutz was hitting line drives that looked like singles and cleared the fence. He also liked Vidal's glove.
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