Saturday, March 31, 2018
When Will They Ever Learn?
Our Spring
Training experience began this year with a game between the Minnesota
Twins and the University of Minnesota Gophers baseball team. It is an
annual affair, and the Twins are kind enough to the fans, and to the
Gophers to start the game with most of their regulars in the lineup.
Dozier led
off, followed by Mauer, Sano, Rosario, Morrison, Buxton, and the
rest. Batting eighth was Jorge Polanco. Polanco was suspended on
Sunday, March 18th for 80 games after testing positive for
the banned substance Stanozonol.
Stanozonol
has been around a long time. I am sure you will recall that Ben
Johnson was disqualified after he won the 100 metre race in the
Olympics in Seoul in 1988, because he had used the same
performance-enhancing drug.
In a
statement from the players' union, Polanco said that he did not
“intentionally consume this steroid”. He said that he requested a
substance from his athletic trainer in the Dominican Republic, but
was given something else.
Polanco is
24 years old, from the Dominican Republic. As a regular shortstop
with the Twins last year, his second half of the season was nothing
short of remarkable. He stole 13 bases, hit .316, had 10 home runs
and 42 runs batted in. He batted third in the order, and helped the
Twins get to the American League wild card game. Of course, the
question remains as to whether or not he was “on the juice” at
that time. We will never know.
The second
baseman on that team, Brian Dozier, summed up his feelings on
Polanco's situation, with drug-taking. “We don't want it in our
game. We want a clean game. It sometimes is disappointing in seeing
guys still trying to use performance-enhancing drugs.”
Polanco is
not alone this season. Other players suspended thus far: Jorge
Bonifacio-Royals, Oscar Hernandez-Boston, Steve Geltz-Phillies, Jon
Singleton-Houston. Their suspensions range between 50 and 100 games.
The Twins,
and the rest of the Major League baseball players break camp this
week, and head north to begin the grind-162 games of regular season
baseball. Opening games take place on Thursday night. The Twins open
in Baltimore against the Orioles, then head to Pittsburgh for two
games before heading to the Twin Cities.
The Jays
still have a couple of exhibition games slated for this weekend in
Montreal, as the league continues to toy with the idea that baseball
will sell in the city.
The Twins
have options for Polanco's position. Eduardo Escobar played five
positions for them last season, had 21 home runs and 73
runs-batted-in in 457 at bats-respectable numbers. A couple of other
players might also be considered: Erick Aybar and Ehire Adrianza.
Polanco is
not one of those players making huge amounts of money. He was to
receive slightly more than $500 000 this year. That's not going to
happen. He did indicate some remorse for his error. “My hope is
that, though this is an extremely disappointing situation, other
players will learn from my mistake”. Some perhaps, but not all.
Dozier did
show some sympathy for his teammate. “When it comes to a guy on my
team, that's my brother. He needs love right now.”
Enough,
already. Play Ball!!!
James Hurst
March 26,
2018
Tuesday, March 27, 2018
Tiger's Back!
If
you are a golf fan, such as I, then you are likely following the
remarkable comeback of Tiger Woods. After four back surgeries, and
other countless setbacks, he has come to play. Round after round,
recently, he has shown that he will be in the thick of things, likely
for years to come. He pounds his drives off the tee, not always
exactly where he would like the ball to go. But his drives are
almost as long as anyone else on the tour, and his ball lands in a
spot where he can finish each hole at par, or close to it.
One
cannot argue with the fact that he has re-invigorated his game, and
the fans' interest in the game. Truly remarkable fans now gather at
each hole to watch him play. No doubt that television ratings have
increased substantially since he began to play well. In a nutshell,
those things pay the bills. No one ever suggested that Woods was on
hard times when his game and his health left him. He still had his
followers, and he likely had to put seven digits on his income tax
form at the end of the year. Following this year's tournaments, thus
far, his stock has increased substantially. His efforts are truly
commendable.
He
knows what he is up against on the PGA Tour. There is the usual pack
of great golfers looking to lead the pack late Sunday afternoon. But
there are also the upstarts, those young golfers who believe they
belong, trying to put their names on silver goblets. Phil Mickelson
recently won in Mexico. “Lefty” had left a message that he just
isn't ready to join the Seniors Tour. I am sure that there are
several players on that tour who are grateful for that. The Seniors
Tour becomes more competitive each year, as the younger members of
the PGA turn 50.
Along
with Mickleson, there are other great players chomping at the bit to
win: Bubba Watson, Ernie Ells, Stuart Cink, Charles Howell III,
Sergio Garcia, Matt Kuchar, Zach Johnson, Dustin Johnson, Rory, (you
know his last name,) Justin
Rose, Rickie, (same thing!), Jason
Day, Henrik Stenson, Jordan Spieth....It is a long and hungry list.
And you can include a few Canadians in that pack: Mackenzie Hughes,
Adam Hadwin, Nick Taylor, Graham DeLaet, Ben Silverman and Corey
Conners.
And
then there is that list of fine pros who are not exactly household
words, just yet. Bryson DeChambeau, Sam Burns, John Huh, Grayson
Murray, Ryan Moore, Sam Horsfield, Tommy Fleetwood, to name just a
few. That is also a very long list.
But
any week, when all of the stars are perfectly aligned, when one's
biorhythms are ready, any one of these guys can step up to the little
white ball and reach the podium. Most golf fans are looking forward
to the first major tournament, The Masters, in early April. As I
write, they are rolling the greens and clipping the fairways on that
pasture in Georgia. It was not too long ago that a young Canadian who
also hits from the south side, came to the fore and won the Green
Jacket. His name is Mike Weir, and he is easily Canada's best
recognized golfer at this time.
Last
Sunday, Rory won the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill in style.
He had five birdies on the last six holes to win by three strokes.
Tiger got within one stroke of the lead on the back nine, but
faltered down the stretch. He did crank up one drive, measured at 375
yards, on one of those holes. That would send a message to the rest
of the players.
It
won't be long before some of you will be enjoying the great game of
golf, all over the world!
James
Hurst
March
19, 2018
Thursday, March 22, 2018
Memories ofthe Breaking of the Four Minute Mile
Our memories often serve us in
intriguing, and sometimes inexplicable ways. We remember some
nebulous things so easily, but forget names and places that we really
should remember.
Then there are those events,
sometimes historic, that come back to us instantly and vividly. One
of those in my memory was the Mile Race at the British Commonwealth
Games in Vancouver, British Columbia, in 1954. Earlier that year,
Roger Bannister became the first person to break the barrier of the
Four Minute Mile. He accomplished that feat at Iffley Road Track at
Oxford, England, using Chris Chattaway as a pace setter. I have no
idea why I was at a particular location. But I remember it vividly.
It was at the Bay of Quinte Yacht Club, in the Belleville Harbour.
They had a black and white television hung in a corner, and the race
was being shown on international television.
As long as I can remember, I have
had a keen interest in sport, and I had become interested in distance
running. I was born slow, not the slowest in any particular race. But
certainly not the fastest. At Sunday School picnics, out on the
school yard at Queen Victoria School, or at Queen Alexandra School, I
realized that I was never destined to lead the pack. I was a skinny
runt, standing less than five feet tall, weighing less that 100
pounds even when I was in the tenth grade. But I loved the running
business, perhaps influenced by my older brother Dick, who could
really run.
We watched him compete in the Ken
Colling Memorial Run, held annually at the local high school. He
never won the race, but always placed well. Aboriginals from the
local Mohawk Reserve, particularly the Green Brothers, did well in
that race, hearkening our memories to great runners like Tom
Longboat. Others, like Bill Vermilyea, could just “flat out run”
and took the podium multiple times.
Not to be outdone, we ran the course
several times ourselves, testing our limits. We rode the course on
our bikes, then ran it just to prove it could be done. We did not
need stopwatches.
The mile is 5 280 feet, 1 760 yards,
and is an important instrument of measurement in the United States,
but not in many other areas in the world, any more. All Olympic
events are now measured with the metric system, so there is no
further talk of inches, feet, or yards. All that Bannister had on his
mind that day was to run that distance in less than four minutes. He
was racing a staunch competitor, John Landy, from New Zealand.
The race was dubbed “The Miracle
Mile”. Landy led the entire race, until near the finish line, when
he looked over his left should to see if Bannister was with him.
Roger Bannister passed him on the right side to finish at 3:58.8.
Landy also finished under four minutes at 3:59.6. Historically, one
of the greatest races of all time.
The world record for the mile has
been broken many times since 1954. The current record holder is a
Moroccan, Hicham El Guerrouj. His time is 3:43.13, and he
accomplished this in 1999 in Rome. Svetlana Masterkova from Russia
holds the women's mark: 4:12.56, which she accomplished in 1996.
Dr. Roger Bannister was also a
neurologist who was always more proud of his contributions to
academic medicine. He was also knighted by Queen Elizabeth. Bannister
died on March 3, 2018, at the age of 88.
James Hurst
March 10, 2018.
Tuesday, March 13, 2018
Florida Gulf Coast Eagles Basketball
The stage
was set for the FGCU Men's basketball team to put the icing on the
cake last Sunday. They had finished first in the regular season,
earning the right to host the Championship Game. They had Coach Joe
Dooley at the helm, and he had just been named “Coach of the Year”
for the ASUN, the conference in which they play.
Brandon
Goodwin had been named the “Player of the Year” for the ASUN. He
was also named to the first team all stars with fellow Eagle Zach
Johnson. They had won their quarter final and semi final games. Their
home court at the Alico Arena was jammed to the rafters. The prime
American sports network, ESPN was all set up to cover the game. What
could possibly go wrong?
The Lipscomb
Bisons won the tip off to start the game. Never a good omen. They had
finished second in the conference, and they had previously defeated
the Eagles at the Alico Arena. They entered the game with a quiet
confidence, and with a shooter named Garrison Matthews. They made
very few errors in the first half. They shot the lights out. They
began the second half with an insurmountable lead of 29 points.
The Eagles
came out cold to start the game. They fouled at inopportune times,
they passed poorly, they took bad shots, they did not guard the rock
well at all. It may have been a case of nerves, a bit of wilting
under pressure. They just played really poorly, and gave the Bisons
ample opportunity to steal the victory.
The Eagles
resorted to a full court press in the second half, with amazing
results. They outscored the Bisons 65-48 in the second half. They
reduced the Bisons' lead to five points, but that was it. The boys
from Nashville withstood the heat, and waltzed away with the victory,
108-96.
Zach Johnson
had 37 points in the loss, including 9 three-pointers. Brandon
Goodwin had 34 points, to no avail. Lipscomb made 65% of their shots
from the floor in the game, an incredible number.
Naturally,
there were many disappointed fans at the end of the game, and a few
tears from the young players. The Eagles now await the results of the
NCAA draw next Monday to find out how they will fit into the National
Invitation Tournament. It is a small consolation for what was
expected from Sunday's game.
Hats off to
the Lipscomb Bisons from Nashville, Tennessee. Their execution was
almost flawless. It was good enough to sink the Eagles' ship last
Sunday.
Sports kudos
to Michelle Wie for winning her first LPGA event since 2014. And a
nod to Brooke Henderson for finishing second. Phil Mickelson won the
PGA event, his first in 100 tries. It was a little disappointing to
see Shubhankar Sharma fade in the last round when he carded a 74. It
was the first PGA event for the youngster from India. There are so
many young golfers out there who could win at any given time. Tough
crowd, as Rodney Dangerfield would say.
It all makes
for great sport!!!
James Hurst
March 6,
2018.
Friday, March 02, 2018
Spring Training-2018
About a week
ago, catchers and pitchers were summoned to their Spring Training
facilities here in Florida, and also to Arizona. The teams in Florida
play in the “Grapefruit League”, those in Arizona play in the
“Cactus League”. As you well know, there really aren't leagues,
and these games played in Spring Training don't mean a damn thing.
They are simply training games.
Teams go to
the ball park early in the morning when it is cool. They work on
fundamentals: hitting, fielding, catching, covering bases, throwing
from the outfield to the correct place....learning how to do it right
when the occasion arises in game conditions.
In the
afternoon, or the evening they take the field to play other teams.
Managers, coaches, scouts, and other team leaders watch new players
carefully to see whether or not they are ready for the big leagues.
All teams have hundreds of players in their camps. Following Spring
Training players are dispersed to various levels in the organization.
Only a select few manage to make the Major League roster. The others
will be distributed to Rookie Leagues, Class “A”, Class “AA”
or to the highest level of ball outside the majors, “AAA” ball.
Throughout the year, players may move up or down, depending on their
play, or on the requirements of the organization.
Two teams
use Fort Myers for Spring Training: The Minnesota Twins and the
Boston Red Sox. Each has its own ball park and training facilities,
consisting of batting cages, pitching areas with mounds, and several
regulation-sized baseball fields. The Twins have a large residential
building to house their players, also used during the summer for the
minor league team called the “Fort Myers Miracle”.
We went to
the first Spring Training game that the Twins played last Thursday.
They played the University of Minnesota Gophers. It is a traditional
thing for Major League teams to play local university teams I n the
early days of Spring Training. I am sure that the college kids would
get a big thrill out of this. For some, it might prove to be the
pinnacle of their careers.
Justin
Morneau works as a special assistant for the Twins. He played in the
majors for 13 years with the Twins, Rockies, Pirates and White Sox.
The native of New Westminister, British Columbia, he also
represented Canada several times in World Baseball Championships.
Originally a
catcher, he moved to first base early in his career. He was one of
those guys with a sweet swing who could knock the cover off a
baseball. Standing 6' 4”, and weighing 230 pounds, he covered a lot
of ground around first base in the field. He first played in the
majors in 2003, and his last game in 2016. He was a 4 time All Star,
and the American League Most Valuable Player in 2006. He won the Home
Run Derby at the All Star Game in 2008. In 2014, he won the National
League batting title with the Rockies.
He actually
played one exhibition game for the Portland Winter Hawks of the
Western Hockey League, enough to get his named engraved on the
Memorial Cup! One assistant coach said,; “ He was young and raw, a
big guy who covered a lot of the net. I remember a conversation we
had with him when recruiting him. We told him he should go to hockey
because not many Canadian guys end up going very far and doing very
well in baseball. He showed us otherwise!”
The Twins
won the game 2-1 in the bottom of the ninth. Like I said, it doesn't
count!
James Hurst
February 27,
2018.
