This Week in Baseball

This crazy project is going to be a lot harder than I thought. With 30 teams each playing several games per week, how can one keep up? I've been watching Sports Center whenever I can, so I've been catching some of the major highlights. In order to force myself to keep up with all the great catches, hits and plays I am going to start posting a "this week in baseball" entry every Sunday. So here is what's been happening this week in baseball.

Giants Trade Fred Lewis 

To the great delight of one Uncle Mark Wright of Fresno, CA, the Giants have traded Fred Lewis to the Toronto Blue Jays. Lewis replaced Barry Bonds in left field and played well in 2007 and 2008. The team had high expectations for him last season, but he did not perform well. 

"We appreciate everything Freddy did here," Bochy said, "Last year was a tough year. He got derailed with the bat and became a role player, and he got frustrated with that. A change of scenery might be good for him. And we wish him the best."

The Giants will receive cash or a player to be named later in the deal. The trade is that it leaves the Giants without an African American player on the active roster. The teams only player of African American Heritage is injured infielder Emmanuel Burriss.  I find this interesting to note during the same week that Jackie Robinson day was celebrated. 

Jackie Robinson Day

Each year April 15 is a celebrated and despised day in America. While many Americans are desperately trying to get their taxes finished, in baseball we honor the great Jackie Robinson. This April 15 marked the 63rd anniversary of Robinson's first game with the Brooklyn Dodgers. Robinson was the first African American player to openly take the field in the major leagues, breaking baseball's color barrier. It's hard to imagine what baseball might be like today without his legacy. 

Yankees closer Mariano Rivera is the last player to officially wear #42, which has been retired. On Thursday all players in the MLB wore #42 to celebrate a great player. 

Teams in the MLB wear #42

I'm very curious about Jackie Robinson's life and how he came to be the first African American to play in the major leagues. His story deserves a great deal of attention and I plan to do some more research for a future entry. 

Rockies Get First No-Hitter

Ubaldo Jimenez threw his first career no-hitter on Saturday in a 4-1 win against the Atlanta Braves. This was the first no-hitter in Colorado's 18 year 2,703 game history. According to the Associated Press, Jimenez had a tough time sleeping Saturday night with all the excitement surrounding his great accomplishment, but was able to clear his head after a 6-mile run through Atlanta Sunday morning. Jimenez's no-hitter is the first in the MLB since July 23, 2009, which was thrown by White Sox pitcher Mark Buehrle. Giants pitcher Jonathan Sanchez threw a no-hitter just days before on July 10, 2009. 

Congrats Ubaldo Jimenez

Mets and Cardinals Play 20 Innings

On Saturday, the New York Mets and St. Louis Cardinals played a 20 inning game, which lasted 6 hours and 53 minutes. Interestingly this was not a first for either of the teams. In fact they played each other in the second longest game in baseball history, a 25 inning behemoth of a game. Jose Reyes of the Mets, hit a sacrifice fly to win the game.  

In doing my research for today's entry, I noticed the following question being posed across the board. Which is more news worthy, a no-hitter or 20 inning game? From what I can tell, Jimenez's no-hitter got more play in the media. What do you think readers?

Vin Scully Celebrates 60 Years With the Dodgers

I almost don't even want to include this as part of a great week in baseball, mostly because I am really depressed by the outcome of the Giants/Dodgers game today (more about that rivalry later). But I think Scully has accomplished a great feat, surviving the Dodgers for such a long time. Today marks his 60th anniversary announcing Dodgers games. Scully's first day on the job was in 1950 with the Brooklyn Dodgers, where he had to describe a 9-1 loss against the Philidelphia Phillies. Scully has won numerous awards and accomplished a lot during his broadcasting career, including being the youngest person ever to broadcast a World Series at age 25. 

Vin Scully

It was quite a week in baseball with many great accomplishments. Watching ESPN and listening to KNBR has been a great resource for my baseball education. It's fun to see other teams and players doing great things on the field. I think it's great that there is respect and awe for great baseball no matter what team it's coming from. 

Sources

http://bit.ly/bMkT3d

http://bit.ly/bMkT3d http://bit.ly/cDr008

http://bit.ly/bMkT3d http://bit.ly/cDr008 http://bit.ly/94MFxt

http://bit.ly/dCIZQE