Falling Out Of Love With Baseball

It hit me while watching tonight's AllStar game. Maybe the uniform uniforms had something to do with it. Maybe it was the excess player fraternizing on the field or the clip of Tatis  Jr. wearing the  homerun chain. All these things set off a chain reaction and suddenly everything from the implementation of replay to the " man on second" extra inning rule had me doubting my love for  today's version of MLB. In fact, the day they decide to implement the DH rule in the National League will be the day I stop watching baseball all together. The last straw I guess you could call it. I could list other things that have changed in the game that are contributing to my growing disdain for the sport but I've gone over it ad nauseum in my head. My mind is made up. 

Flashback Gaming!

Recently,I hooked up a small man cave In my basement.It's still a  work In progress. I've got my old Sega Genesis hooked up to the ol' analog   set  with Tony LaRussa's Baseball by EA Sorts queued and ready to go.I also picked up Tommy Lasorda's arcade classic just for the heck of It.While LaRussa's game has a ton of stats and real teams/players,Lasorda's  arcade style of baseball is 20 times better!Both are fun,though,If your looking to flashback into and kill time all at once.I'll play a game or two while I'm doing laundry or when the better half Is having one of those days that make you wonder If she's not the better half and you are.Plus,these are  two of the best that ever did it so having some retro game goodness with their mugs on it Is always great!

Flashbacks of 1988 all over again! 

Look at those killer graphics!I never tire of reading the backs of video game boxes.Even now they have the ability to draw me in and make me want to play!

Sportstalk Baseball

Remember  Sports Talk Baseball ? I can recall spending countless 90 degree days ,In my hot,dusty,spider infested attic  ,binge playing Sports Talk Baseball.The minute that gurgly,robotic  voiced announcer exclaimed "It's time to play ball!",I knew shit just got real!  I didn't care about anything In the outside world.Foreign parachutists  could have descended onto my street ,carrying M-16's  Red Dawn style ,and I wouldn't have had the slightest clue of what was going on.And sorry Paula Abdul,but your "Rush" video Is just going to have to wait until  I'm done with my three game series against the Yankees, and the game Is properly saved.It was just me,my 20 inch color T.V. with  Sega Genesis running Sports Talk Baseball ,and a sign on the front of the attic door that read "Leave Me Alone!". Games were fun back then.Colorful and cartoon like.It was a time where,when you bought a video game ,you were getting more than just a  game.You were buying the total package.A nice,decorative protective hard case,substantial game manuals and the occasional kick ass insert/poster.

Ya gotta love the Canseco reference!

"It's time to play ball!"

McFarlane Sportspicks - Sammy Sosa

I should have picked more of these up when I had the chance because they are truly little works of art!The likeness to Chicago's beloved slugger Is  uncanny!Not every McFarlane figure Is on point,player likeness-wise,but this one  certainly Is. Slammin' Sammy's HR hop Is captured nicely and things like personalized batting gloves and bat wear add to the overall realism of the figure.I'm more a collector of action figures these days,but It's tempting to put that on the back burner just to catch up on these marvelous looking toys that debuted sometime in the early 2000's. I've already got a Prince Fielder and Ichiro on my eBay watch list as well as a Reyes and David Wright,so you never know  ;)Enjoy the pics!

Unboxing Some McFarlane Goodness!

These have been hanging up In my basement for a while now.This wintry weather we've been having here In Upstate NY has given me a bit of cabin fever,and the only cure for that of course Is opening up 2002 a Sammy Sosa McFarlane figure!Don't worry moms and dads out there,this one doesn't come with a  plastic toy replica bottle of  H.G.H.I'll be posting pics of each figure within the next couple of days ;)

Post 9/11 Sports Therapy

After the events that took place on 9/11 in 2001, morale was down but the message was-"Go out and have a good time, travel and show the terrorists that they haven't won!". When It all went down I was asleep and hung-over from the night before. I remember being awoken by a "Breaking News" alert on my television which had been on all night. I had been living with my parents at the time, so as I stumbled out of my quarters and into the living room, there was my mom, dad  and sister all huddled around the T.V. set with tears in their eyes. We have family there, so naturally phone calls were made to make sure everyone was all right. It was all pretty nuts to say the least. To this day who knows what really happened that morning. I will say that as a result , peoples lives, day to day routines and mental states were forever changed .Some more than others, but changed, nonetheless. Things would sort of return to normal soon after, particularly In the world of sports, namely MLB. It was September ,which meant "Pennant Race" to those of us familiar with the sport. The perennial play-off bound Yankees were in the midst of another championship caliber season and all sorts of patriotism had people coming out In  droves to witness post 9/11 history and I wanted to be a part of it. Major League as well as N.Y. baseball would resume and tickets were selling like hot cakes. Now I'm not sure what a hot cake actually tastes like but I'm assuming they were pretty damn good because they sold fast. My sister knows how much sports mean to me and knew that I would jump at the chance to attend a baseball game In N.Y. , especially after what had taken place, and bought my ticket! I was heavy into drinking then and some time away from my stomping grounds would do me some good, my sister knew that better than anybody.She has always been there for me, In fact they all have (I have 3), and I don't know what I'd do without them. So,not only did we score some pretty good seats, the Yanks were playing the Orioles and this would be  Cal Ripken's last time in Yankee stadium! The memory of the game Is still fresh in my brain. The roaring crowd, Cal Ripken's farewell trot around Yankee stadium and the guy trying to sell me a Derek Jeter portrait after the game. Most of all, though, I can remember the cab ride to the game and the ominous feeling It gave the group we were with, my sister and I. There wasn't any talk about baseball or who we thought was going to win the game or how crowded the streets were. Just an awkward silence as we all looked out of the cabs backseat windows with the same thing on all of our minds. We all knew what we were thinking, but instead of talking about it, kept it to ourselves. In the end the whole experience proved to be rather therapeutic and I'd like to think that traveling to N.Y. so soon after the 9/11 events to enjoy a game of baseball ,played a small part in the rebuilding efforts, not only structurally/monetarily  but morally.

Actual ticket stub

 

Derek Jeter UD Playmaker bobble head I picked up while at game