I’m so glad that the baseball season has started up for 2008! More later.

Getting closer to the new MLB and MiLB Baseball Seasons … it’s nearly December … so just a few more months …

I haven’t posted about the MLB teams lately … things going on, good and bad … but we’ve been attending MiLb team games IRL … so that’s what I’ll write about.

We were itching to see a game live right then (had plans to do so the next week in Florida) so we went to see the Chattanooga Lookouts –who were playing the Tennessee Smokies. We had been to the Smokies stadium for a game on July 4, 2005, liked them, but haven’t “followed them” –until now again. We like them partially because of their location and name … it’s not based on MLB Affiliation. (In 2005 their MLB Affiliate was Ariz. D-Backs, and in 2007 it’s now the Cubbies.)

We like to see younger players and enjoy the games, being able to afford to sit close to the field, being able to afford going to games with the children … and not have to sit in nose-bleed seats … and really like seeing the up-and-comers at those lower levels of professional baseball.

I hadn’t been “following” the Smokies, so when we looked into going to a game in Chattanooga it was a nice surprise to find that the Smokies would be visiting at that time. At the game, after a couple of innings, my hubby said something about the Smokies starting pitcher, so I took note and looked closer.

Jeff Samardzija is the guy. His official website is nice to look through, to see a talented sports figure that is rising …

The next week we were going to mid-Florida for work, and had two games we had previously planned to go to –our favorite MLB teams Single-A Florida teams (Advanced A):

In Lakeland we saw the Lakeland Flying Tigers playing the Sarasota Reds on August 22, 2007.

In Tampa we saw the Tampa Yankees play the Lakeland Flying Tigers on August 23, 2007.

Detroit Tigers are my hubby’s favorite team, New York Yankees are my favorite team. Both of us have liked our fav. respective teams since childhood, BTW.

We got home late Friday night and the next day we were home and just “had to go find another game to go to” and flipped some ideas around, and then decided to try the Rome Braves, not “too far” from our house … since they had “fireworks” after the game, and also were playing my favorite Minor League team: The Charleston Riverdogs (who we also had seen in July of 2005.)

So we did that as well as half-way decide to go to see the Smokies in their ball park the next day. We were tired both mornings, but it worked out. We drove there and back home for both, just a couple of days after the trip to FL. and so of course, by Monday morning we were dragging.

We had wanted to go to Savannah and to Charleston to see games before the season ends (MiLB ends in very early September) but after all that felt too pooped to think about it so said we wouldn’t try to see them the next weekend (which we had been thinging of going to Savannah for a Saturday game and to Charleston on Sunday afternoon )… and then on Tuesday hubby flew to WI for work and over the phone that day he told me he had a potential appointment in Mt. Pleasant on Friday –that just happens to be Charleston. So he wondered if I’d be open to going with him (the whole family of course) and seeing the Riverdogs that night. So it’s now set, we’ll be seeing the Charleston Riverdogs play the Rome Braves, again, though this time in Charleston.

Years ago the Yankees used to have Spring Training in Fort Lauderdale, FL. We became a “couple” in early 1992, and went to see many games at that stadium (Fort Lauderdale Stadium) –the Fort Lauderdale Yankees played — Minor League in the Florida State League — baseball there through 1992. We both loved baseball. The next year (1993) the Florida Marlins began their first MLB-NL season in Miami — and the Ft. Laud. Yankees didn’t exist anymore — so we went to many of those games at Joe Robbie Stadium [AKA: JRS -- Joe Robbie Stadium is the original stadium name -- and should be called that still, but it ain't] the next few years until we moved to GA. In GA we just haven’t had the ability to go to much … we saw one Braves game some years ago, and we don’t like the Braves at all so haven’t gone back since, and the $ is probitive to that as well. We by far prefer AL teams, our favorites being in the AL as well.

I have snapshots from some of the 1992 FY games when Brien Taylor was pitching. He was such a sensation, and went on to fail … quite a dissapointment he was, but the hype surrounding him in 1992 in Fort Lauderdale was fun to participate in. (I have to clean up my scanner and get those pictures online, nothing superb, just OK early 90’s snapshots.)

Links to Current MiLB sites talked about above:

Minor League Baseball : Official website :

The Southern League - Double-A

Chattanooga Lookouts : MiLB website : : Official Team website :

Tennessee Smokies : Milb website : Official Team website :

The Florida State League - Single-A Advanced

Sarasota Reds : MiLB website :

Lakeland Flying Tigers : MiLB website : : Official Team website :

Tampa Yankees : Milb website : Official Team website :

The South Atlantic League - Single-A

Rome Braves : MiLB website : Official Team website :

Charleston River Dogs : MiLB website : Official Team website :

Thursday, August 16, 2007 is the day of the first Tigers/Yankees game of the next series.

Probable pitching:

Verlander vs Mussina.

This is a battle as my DH likes V. a lot, and I like M. a lot. I’m a big Yankee fan, and he’s a big Tiger fan

Mussina is from Williamsport, PA, I lived there from when I was 7 to 13 … and consider it my “home” of sorts, though I haven’t been back there since leaving. I was a child when we left and no opportuity to go back since, though I have been to PA since … just not back to that nice area of my youth (I’d love to go back, we moved to FL from there. Ugh.)

Things are getting more and more interesting in the MLB lately — and I found it most interesting to point out to my DH this morning how the Tigers and Yankees are even, 1 game out of the AL Wildcard race, neck and neck at .553 (both are 63-51) –with the Yanks having an off-day yesterday (Thurs. Aug. 9th) and the Tiggers losing.

Tonight the Yankees begin a 3-game series against the Cleveland Indians, who were the team the Yanks were chasing in the Wild Card for a bit, current Arch Rival of the Tigers for 1st place in the AL-Central, with the Indians rising to the top, but are they the cream rising, or just a fleck of dirt from the bottom of the bucket (think “raw milk”) …? If the Indians are dirt, then maybe, just maybe the Tigers are the cream and will stay there, as long as the milk ain’t shook up …

The Tigers need us Yanks right now, but if we are that good, which we can be and will be I hope, then they’ll not wish us to be so good next week this time … as the Tigers and Yankees will be playing each other finally.

The point for the Yankees is: they need to beat both the Indians and Tigers in their upcoming series, or end up not taking top spot in the Wild Card Race eventually, which they currently need to do to get closer to the AL-East top spot. Boston is trembling, according to the Boston Herald yesterday (found via ESPN’s Buster Olney - his INSIDER blog there today).

It’s heated Rivalry in our Duo home from here on out to the end of the Regular MLB season, at the least, and maybe into the Post Season as well.

Of course the AL-West figures into this heavily, if it’s the Wild Card that is needed for either the Yankees or the Tigers to get that coveted October playing time.

Our 11-year-old boy pointed out that the Yankees have won the recent Sox series, two in a row, and that they are the only Sox in baseball. It was neater sounding than that the way he said it, but I don’t recall his exact wording, unfortunately.

I’ve enjoyed watching the Yankees this year and am happy with their improvement the last week or so. I was really impressed with Wang the other night, and that he was allowed to Complete a game. It wasn’t a no hitter or a shut out, but impressive nonetheless. (It was the first “complete” game the Yankees have had since sometime in July 2006, btw.)

The game last night, the 4th game with the White Sox, was a good game too, really interesting and exciting from the 8th inning onward but it was good the whole way, a close game, yet not, yet was, but wasn’t.

I’m a Night Owl and these night games can, and lately often do, go fairly late … and my eldest child, the boy I spoke of above, is also a Night Owl and so I do often enough let him come down and watch the last inning or so of a game here and there (he has an earlier bedtime but is rarely asleep by 11pm, and we do yell updates of score and good plays up to him from time to time.)

Hubby is a Tiger fan, and we will flip back and forth between games usually, but the last two nights the Yankee games were good and the Tiger games blow-outs — so I’ve gotten the privilege of watching the Yanks on the big TV, and he’ll keep track of the Tigers on the computer. At times I get backlogged with my viewing (delayed stream, DirecTivo) and will watch the top of the inning to see the Yankees at bat, and go 1-fast-forward through the bottom of innings and play if it is more interesting at any point.

Hubby wanted to see some of the Tiger game on the TV, but it just never transpired last night …

So then, the 9th inning was great. Way to go A-Rod. Way to go Yankees, hitting and pitching improving, keep it up!

I’m not happy about this Saturday. Roger Clemens returns to the Yankee’s lineup — scheduled to pitch in the Yankees vs. Pirates 1:05pm Saturday, June 9, 2007 game. That part is great … but the rest is not.

FOX controls Saturday afternoon games on TV, and that game ain’t on FOX and MLB Extra Innings is therefore useless (FOX TV MLB Saturday Rights) as is MLB.com view-age. Words can’t express my feelings about this.

I’ve been watching Yankee games on DirecTV MLB channels this year, as well as MLB.com when they are not on DirecTV MLB, or if Yankee games conflict with Tiger games when Hubby is home and he insists on watching the Tigers on TV.

I haven’t followed my favorite team much in the past several years … but am doing so this year finally.

It’s great to see that they are doing better now, but regardless of that, I support them in any case. I grew up a fan of them and that is all that matters, since they weren’t so good in my childhood

The last series against the Red Socks was good. 2 out of 3, and Derek Jeter did so well last night, 3 for 4, and everyone else doing so great with hits last night mostly.

I’m not fond of (in fan fashion) Farnsworth, and was disconcerted when he allowed those runs last night after Pettitte did such a good job. All in all though, the runs that the Yankees racked up through the game were more than sufficient to support Pettitte (W) to win.

The night before, that game I didn’t watch, and found it interesting that I didn’t and that the RS won and that the Yankees didn’t do well with runs. Call it Flip-Flop Sandwich — Mon. Yanks Win Big — Tues. RSocks Win Big — Weds. Yanks Win Big.

Tasty sandwich, I must say, good enough, though the filling isn’t my favorite by far :rolleyes:

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