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Autographs and Dinner Table Guys

Roger Clemens' son was drafted by the Houston Astros this year. He signed and was assigned to Greeneville to play rookie ball. Roger has made several visits to Greeneville. He was here all weekend and we ran into him at the park a few times. He graciously signed many autographs for fans, including the balls Grace & James had brought. Now those balls have a future Hall of Famer's signature along with a bunch of young hopeful's signatures. This signing of a son of a famous pitcher has brought many more press to our little stadium for games. USA TODAY's front page article yesterday was about Roger and Greeneville is mentioned several times.

Koby Clemens has done a great job of dealing with the attention that goes with being the son of Roger Clemens. His team mates have also been gracious about dealing with irritating autograph seeking kids who say, "Hey you, can you get Koby to come over here." I feel sorry for the guys who hear that alot. Especially those guys struggling with their confidence.

Dinner Table Guys Update: This year is wrapping up in Greeneville. I think we attended the last game we have a chance to on Monday night. That made our 4th game in 4 days. It was the first of a double header but since it was a school night we had to leave before the second game.

The guys who have graced our table this year are: Jake Hurry, Chris Campos, Brad James, Ralphie Henriquez and Bryan Mulhern. We also had a special guest on Sunday when Chris's wife Reecie joined us. She had flown in from California to visit Chris.

Sunday was a dinner table guy highlight. Jake, Ralphie, and Chris came over. That night, Jake started and pitched well through 5 innings. Chris came in with 2 on and 1 out in the 8th and got the batter to hit into a double play preserving a 2 run lead. Ralphie went 3 for 4 with his first career homer. Shannon's cooking get's all the credit!

Last years guys are continuing to do well. Beau Torbert is doing very well in Lexington. Troy Patton has his ERA up above 2.00 but most pitchers would love to have that problem. He is being seen as one of the Astro's top prospects. Next season if he continues his progress, some are speculating he may be a September call up. Jordon Parraz has had a solid year in Tri Cities NY.

As another year of baseball comes to a close, there is a bit of apprihension in Greeneville. Baseball America is reporting some posible changes to the lower levels of baseball that could seriously impact the Appy League. So who knows what next year holds. They say there is always next year. It looks like there will be for next year, we just don't know what it will look like.

Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer

I have been reading a very enjoyable book over the last few weeks. (My daughter read the new Harry Potter in 3 days, I have had this book close to 3 months. She obviously gets her attention span from her mother). The book is Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer by Warren St. John.

I picked the book up primarily for my wife who is an Alabama Fan. Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer is a cheer unique to the University of Alabama. In the book, St. John chronicles his journey through a season with the people who travel to games in their RV's.

Here is an snippet of the introduction

At some point in the life of every sports fan there comes a moment of reckoning. It may happen when your team wins on a last-second field goal or three-point basket and you suddenly find yourself clenched in a loving embrace with a large hairy man you’ve never met and with whom you have nothing in common except allegiance to the same team. Or it may come in the long, hormonally depleted days after a loss, when you’re felled by a sensation oddly similar to the one you felt when you first experienced the death of a pet. In such moments, even the fan who rigorously avoids anything approaching self-awareness is sometimes forced to confront a version of the question others—spouses, friends, children, and colleagues—have asked for years: “Why do I care?” In very general terms that’s what this book is about—the human obsession with contests.

I grew up in Alabama—possibly the worst place on earth to acquire a healthy perspective on the importance of spectator sports. If you were a scientist hoping to isolate the fan gene, Alabama would make the perfect laboratory. People in Alabama have a general interest in almost all sports—the state is second only to Nevada in the amount of money that its citizens bet on sports, despite the fact that in Alabama, unlike Nevada, sports gambling is illegal. But the sport that inspires true fervor—the one that compels people there to name their children after a popular coach and to heave bricks through the windows of an unpopular one—is college football. A recent poll by the Mobile Register found that 90 percent of the state’s citizens describe themselves as college football fans. Eighty-six percent of them pull for one of the two major football powers there, Alabama or Auburn, and 4 percent pull for other teams—Florida, Notre Dame, Georgia, Tennessee, and Michigan, or smaller schools like Alabama A&M or Alabama State. To understand what an absolute minority nonfans are in Alabama, consider this: they are outnumbered there by atheists.

You can read the rest of the intro here

I know that it may seem odd that an Auburn fan would recommend a book that looks back at a season where Bama beat Auburn in Auburn for the first time, but this book is an enjoyable read no matter what school affiliation you come from. It also may help those non fans understand college football fans a little better.

Disclaimer: Beware of the language in the book and I don't just mean the cuss words. This guy uses words that require frequent dictionary use.

Minor League Ball - George Will

I like George Will when he writes about baseball. Today he has a nice piece on minor league baseball. He talks of the optimism each player has and the realistic statistics each of these players faces. I would encourage you to take a read.

BTW: I know I haven't posted much lately. Real life has been getting in the way. Hopefully I can find some time to write something soon.