Not your average baseball fan, not your average sociologist
MLB put together this tribute to former president George H.W. Bush, who passed away last week at the age of 94:
ESPN.com also put together a video honoring the late President:
http://www.espn.com/video/clip/_/id/25422090
Happy Friday!
~ baseballrebecca
Massachusetts
Much has been said this past week about President George H.W. Bush and his love of baseball. Several organizations, including Little League Baseball, paid their respects with fitting tributes. Here is a run down of just a few of his baseball-related honors and accomplishments:
~ baseballrebecca
In case you missed it last week, the MLB Mascots got together for Thanksgiving:
Happy Friday!
~ baseballrebecca
Happy Thanksgiving, from the Baseball Sociologist! While most of us love Thanksgiving, it can be a tough time for baseball fans: no baseball and football is everywhere. Thus, I’ve compiled a few links for baseball-related Thanksgiving articles:
Enjoy!
~ baseballrebecca
On Wednesday, the Arizona Fall League held its first-ever Pride Night. The Salt River Rafter hosted the Peoria Javelinas and MLB VP and special assistant to the Commissioner, Billy Bean, for a celebration of baseball, diversity, and inclusion. Check out the video below:
Happy Friday!
~ baseballrebecca
A group of MLB all-stars is on its way to Japan for the 2018 MLB Japan All-Star Series. The series will feature major leaguers and the Japanese national team, Samurai Japan. Their first stop, however, was Hawaii, where the team worked out in Les Murakami Stadium (where fans could watch for $15 or $25, depending on seat location), worked on a community service project at Kahauiki Village (a community providing housing for homeless families), and held a Play Ball clinic for local kids.
Today in Tokyo, Samurai Japan will play (already played? are currently playing?) an exhibition game against the Chinese Taipei national baseball team; tomorrow the MLB All-Stars will take on the Yomiuri Giants in an exhibition game (airing at 4 am and 8 pm on MLB Network). These games also will be televised live on MLB Network – starting around 4 am:
The games will be played at the Tokyo Dome, Mazda Zoom Zoom Stadium in Hiroshima, and the Nagoya Dome. The rosters appear below.
[On a sociological note, the roster for the MLB All-Stars was super easy to find and include below – basically, I just needed to cut, paste, and format. For Samurai Japan… not so much. I found what appears to be a recently updated list of players by position on Wikipedia. However, to include their team names (like the list of MLB players), required research. What does that say about us?]
~ baseballrebecca
Rosters:
| MLB All-Stars | Samurai Japan |
| PITCHERS | |
| · Matt Andriese, D-backs
· Scott Barlow, Royals · John Brebbia, Cardinals · Junior Guerra, Brewers · Brian Johnson, Red Sox · Kenta Maeda, Dodgers · Chris Martin, Rangers · Collin McHugh, Astros · Daniel Norris, Tigers · Vidal Nuno, Rays · Dan Otero, Indians · Yusmeiro Petit, A’s · Erasmo Ramirez, Mariners · Hector Velazquez, Red Sox · Kirby Yates, Padres |
· Takayuki Kishi, Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles
· Daichi Osera, Hiroshima Toyo Carp · Naoyuki Uwasawa, Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters · Nao Higashihama, Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks · Takahiro Matsunaga, Chiba Lotte Marines · Shinsaburō Tawata, Saitama Seibu Lions · Yasuaki Yamasaki, Yokohama DeNA BayStars · Yuta Iwasada, Hanshin Tigers · Yuki Matsui, Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles · Yu Sato, Chunichi Dragons · Haruhiro Hamaguchi, Yokohama DeNA BayStars · Rei Takahashi, Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks · Shuta Ishikawa, Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks · Shotaro Kasahara. Chunichi Dragons · Yūhei Takanashi, Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles |
| CATCHERS | |
| · Robinson Chirinos, Rangers
· Yadier Molina, Cardinals · J.T. Realmuto, Marlins |
· Tomoya Mori, Saitama Seibu Lions
· Tsubasa Aizawa, Hiroshima Toyo Carp · Takuya Kai, Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks |
| INFIELDERS | |
| · Whit Merrifield, Royals
· Amed Rosario, Mets · Carlos Santana Phillies · Eugenio Suarez, Reds · Chris Taylor, Dodgers |
· Tetsuto Yamada, Tokyo Yakult Swallows
· Kosuke Tanaka, Hiroshima Toyo Carp · Ryosuke Kikuchi, Hiroshima Toyo Carp · Shuta Tonosaki, Saitama Seibu Lions · Sōsuke Genda, Saitama Seibu Lions · Kazuma Okamoto, Yomiuri Giants · Hotaka Yamakawa, Saitama Seibu Lions |
| OUTFIELDERS | |
| · Ronald Acuna Jr., Braves
· Mitch Haniger, Mariners · Kike Hernandez, Dodgers · Rhys Hoskins, Phillies · Kevin Pillar, Blue Jays · Juan Soto, Nationals |
· Kazuki Tanaka, Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles
· Yuki Yanagita, Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks · Seiji Uebayashi, Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks · Shogo Akiyama, Saitama Seibu Lions |
| MANAGER and COACHES | |
| · Don Mattingly
· Edgar Martinez · Hideki Matsui · Fredi Gonzalez · Hensley Meulens · Brent Strom · Henry Blanco |
· Atsunori Inaba
· Masaji Shimizu · Yoshinori Murata · Hirokazu Ibata · Makoto Kaneko · Yoshinori Tateyama |
There is a statue of Willie McCovey across from AT&T Park at McCovey Point in China Basin Park, San Francisco. It is now adorned with flowers and other memorabilia in honor of the man who passed away on October 31, 2018. Willie McCovey will never be forgotten in San Francisco or the hearts of baseball fans every where. I never saw McCovey play. After all, all but 11 games in his 19-year MLB career were with National League teams. Growing up in an AL town, there weren’t many opportunities to see him play. But his reputation preceded him.
According to the Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame, McCovey was nicknamed “Stretch” due to his ability to catch throws that were wide and high. The 6’4″ player also was known for his hard hit line drives, prompting Bob Gibson to call him “the scariest hitter in baseball.” The first baseman was signed by the Giants as an amateur free agent in March 1955 at the age of 17. After four years in the minors with the Sandersville Giants, Danville Leafs, Dallas Eagles, and Phoenix Giants, McCovey made his major league debut with the San Francisco Giants on July 30, 1959. He played with the Giants through the 1973 season and then was traded to the San Diego Padres. In August 1976, his contract was purchased by the Oakland A’s. He again signed with the Giants as a free agent in 1977, where he played until his retirement in 1980. In his 22 years in the majors, McCovey amassed 2,211 hits in 2,588 games. He hit 521 home runs and had a batting average of .270. After his playing days, McCovey served as a senior advisor to the Giants for 18 more years, until his death last week.
On Wednesday, the Giants’ President and CEO, Laurence M. Baer, stated: “San Francisco and the entire baseball community lost a true gentleman and legend, and our collective hearts are broken. Willie was a beloved figure throughout his playing days and in retirement. He will be deeply missed by the many people he touched. For more than six decades, he gave his heart and soul to the Giants – as one of the greatest players of all time, as a quiet leader in the clubhouse, as a mentor to the Giants who followed in his footsteps, as an inspiration to our Junior Giants, and as a fan cheering on the team from his booth.”
Ann Killion of the San Francisco Chronicle noted that, unlike Willie Mays and the players that had moved with the team from New York in 1957, McCovey was the first Giants superstar for the San Francisco fans: “McCovey was a San Francisco Giant through and through, arriving in 1959.” In a series of heart-wrenching tweets, Barry Bonds said goodbye to McCovey, adding: “thank you for your mentorship and unconditional love for me and my family. You will be dearly missed.”
On Thursday, beginning at 11:30 am, the Giants will hold a public celebration of life for McCovey at AT&T Park. Those wishing to offer their condolences to the family may send letters to the team at the following address: San Francisco Giants, Attention: Forever 44, 24 Willie Mays Plaza, San Francisco, CA 94107. Condolences may also be sent via email to Forever44@sfgiants.com.
~ baseballrebecca
