A to Z, The Orioles' Legacy: Al Zarilla

Player: Al Zarilla
Years of Service: 7 (1943-44, 1946-49, 1952)
Position: Outfielder


Image via VintageCardPrices.com

Zarilla had his best year in 1948: .329 batting average, 12 home runs, 74 RBI and his only All-Star Game appearance. As today is a celebration of the letter Z, it is worth noting that Zarilla played in the same Chicago White Sox outfield as Gus Zernial for four games in April 1951, marking the only time in Major League history that two players with last names starting with Z played in the same outfield. Zarilla is one of many World War II-era players who enlisted in the military, sacrificing time in the prime of their baseball careers for wartime service.

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For each letter of the A to Z Challenge, I will feature one player from Baltimore Orioles/St. Louis Browns history. I hope you will join me. I hope you'll also check out the other 1200+ blogs participating. See the full list at Tossing It Out.

A to Z, The Orioles' Legacy: Mike Young

Player: Mike Young
Years of Service: 6 (1982-87)
Position: Outfielder/Designated Hitter


Image via Baseball Almanac

Alas, the only photo I could find for Young has him in a Brewers uniform. Young played in Milwaukee in 1988. His career stats: .247 batting average, 72 home runs and 235 RBI.

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"Your X is a cop-out," My Wife said to me yesterday morning. That's what she said. What I heard was "Your ex is a cop-out." I was more than a little confused. As far as I know, My Wife isn't in close touch with any of my old flames and, indeed, has only ever met a few of them. What any of them might have done to inspire her disdain was baffling to me.

What she meant, of course, is that I had cheated by using Mike Devereaux as my Letter X post. I anticipated some flack on that one, I must admit. I would argue, however, that an X at the end of a word is no less an X than one at the beginning. There's no shame in bringing up the rear. All hail, the French silent X!

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For each letter of the A to Z Challenge, I will feature one player from Baltimore Orioles/St. Louis Browns history. I hope you will join me. I hope you'll also check out the other 1200+ blogs participating. See the full list at Tossing It Out.

A to Z, The Orioles' Legacy: Mike DevereauX

Player: Mike Devereaux
Years of Service: 7 (1989-94, 1996)
Position: Outfielder


Image via Democratic Underground

Yes, I had to dig for an X but there's no reason the letter can't be at the end of the name, rather than the beginning. Devereaux, a Wyoming native, played center field for the Birds. His best year as an Oriole was 1992: .276 batting average, 24 home runs and 107 RBI.

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For each letter of the A to Z Challenge, I will feature one player from Baltimore Orioles/St. Louis Browns history. I hope you will join me. I hope you'll also check out the other 1200+ blogs participating. See the full list at Tossing It Out.

A to Z, The Orioles' Legacy: Bobby Wallace

Player: Bobby Wallace
Years of Service: 15 (1902-1916)
Position: Shortstop


Bobby Wallace is the fifth and final Hall-of-Famer on my A to Z list, elected to Cooperstown in 1953. In fine Oriole/Brown tradition, he was considered the best shortstop in the American League during his prime. He was plenty good with the bat, too, amassing 2,309 hits for his career. He served as player/manager for two seasons: 1911 and 1912.

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For each letter of the A to Z Challenge, I will feature one player from Baltimore Orioles/St. Louis Browns history. I hope you will join me. I hope you'll also check out the other 1200+ blogs participating. See the full list at Tossing It Out.

A to Z, The Orioles' Legacy: Elam Vangilder

Player: Elam Vangilder
Years of Service: 9 (1919-27)
Position: Pitcher


Image via Waatp

Elam Vangilder may not be the best player on my A to Z list but I would argue that he has the best name. His career stats, including two years with the Detroit Tigers: 99-102, 4.28 ERA and 474 strikeouts.

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For each letter of the A to Z Challenge, I will feature one player from Baltimore Orioles/St. Louis Browns history. I hope you will join me. I hope you'll also check out the other 1200+ blogs participating. See the full list at Tossing It Out.

My Baseball Fantasy: Braun

Private League: won, 7-3 (24-6 overall, first place, 5 games ahead)
Public League: 5th out of 12
My Player of the Week: Ryan Braun (Left Fielder, Brewers) with 3 home runs, 9 RBI, 9 runs, 1 stolen base and a .480 batting average


Photo via Behind Blondie Park

Energy has settled a bit in the private league with Mock & Co. There was a lot of online banter during the first two weeks of the season but the past week was pretty quiet. Of course, it was also school vacation week in Vermont last week which might have been a factor. In theory, I would think that a head-to-head format would encourage a more social atmosphere in general. It definitely worked in the early going. We shall see about the impact over the course of the long season.

Braun was my top draft pick in the public league, delightfully still available to me with the last pick of the first round. This past week, he was the best player in fantasy baseball and a major factor in my surge from 7th place to 5th. Braun was the first Jewish player to be named Rookie of the Year, winning the National League award in 2007.

A to Z, The Orioles' Legacy: Koji Uehara

Player: Koji Uehara
Years of Service: 3 (2009-present)
Position: Pitcher


Photo via The Orange County Register

Uehara is the second current Oriole player in my A to Z list, the third international player and the first Japanese player. Uehara has a history of bouncing around with pitching assignments, serving as starter and reliever for the Orioles, for the Yomiuri Giants in Japan and in international competition. He is currently the set-up man for the club. However, there is much clamoring for him to get the closer role in favor of the struggling Kevin Gregg. The job was thought to be Uehara's heading into spring training but injuries in March prevented his promotion. One can't complain about his regular season performance thus far: 1.35 ERA over 6 2/3 innings.

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For each letter of the A to Z Challenge, I will feature one player from Baltimore Orioles/St. Louis Browns history. I hope you will join me. I hope you'll also check out the other 1200+ blogs participating. See the full list at Tossing It Out.

My Tennis Fantasy: Almagro, Part 3

Current Standing: 26th
My MVP for the Week: Nicolas Almagro (Spain) with $99,404, losing to David Ferrer (Spain) in the semifinals of the Barcelona Open BancSabadell


Photo via Tennis Perspective

This is Almagro's best result yet on this year's European swing. He will enter the top 10 for the first time in his career tomorrow. That will make for three Spaniards in the top 10, which seems perfectly normal in the current era.

On the Road: The Elusive Spanish Steps

Our Girl and I made our annual April DC trip this past week. Late April is a wonderful time to be in Washington. One misses the cherry blossoms, but one does get to see the second round of blooming trees, the dogwoods being the stars of the show. And, truth be told, the weather is usually better than it is during cherry blossom time. Springtime in the south is every bit as spectacular as autumn in New England and DC is definitely a southern city by botanical standards.


Photo via markdroberts.com

Our week was filled with the usual activities: swimming, sightseeing and urban strolls. The swimming highlight for Our Girl was learning to swim underwater. She had a lot of fun with that. We devoted our sightseeing time to art museums. We hit the Freer, where Grandma volunteers as a docent, the Sackler, the carousel and the National Gallery Sculpture Garden, all old family favorites. We also introduced Our Girl to the National Gallery, the East Wing and the Hirshhorn Sculpture Garden. There is only one National Mall museum I've never visited: The African Art Museum. I meant to go this time but we ran out of time. Our Girl has visited all but the African Art Museum and the American Indian Museum. We'll save those for another time.

I did go for an Embassy Row walk, following the walking tour outlined in the Lonely Planet Washington, DC City Guide, 4th Edition. The walk is shorter than in previous editions: 1 mile (1.6 km), as opposed to 2.5 km in the 3rd Edition. The walk no longer includes my three favorite stops: the Japanese embassy, the Islamic Center and the French ambassador's residence. However, it does still include the Spanish Steps, which I've never been able to find. As it turns out, Lonely Planet is one block off. They've always had the Steps on 23rd Street whereas they're actually on 22nd Street. I finally found them and dutifully climbed them.


Photo via Que sera, Sarah

Another embassy has been lost to Wisconsin Avenue. Cameroon has abandoned its digs at 2349 Mass Ave. It is sad to watch all of the old mansions fall into disrepair. Hopefully, someone with money and energy will devote some effort to restoring them and putting them to good use.

As I've previously written, I'm at a point of redefining my relationship with Washington, in theory, at least, the city I know best in the world. I hope that part of that will involve rekindling old friendships. The last several years, most of our family time in DC has been devoted to time with my parents and exploring the city in which they live. That is as it should be. But in truth, I know quite a lot of people in the DC area, people with whom I have shared some of the most meaningful friendships of my life. It has been years since I have seen some of my best friends from high school. I have not been intentionally avoiding anyone, of course. Life just gets complicated: my parents moved away from our house in Maryland making it more of an effort to see folks plus we all get involved with the goings-on of our own families.

But with my 20-year high school reunion coming up, I am reminded of the importance of old friends. My chore for the week was going through boxes of my old stuff which my parents have faithfully stored for me over the years. I unearthed quite a lot of old photos, including class pictures from elementary school which I posted on facebook. One friend, noting my presence in town, suggested we get together. She was, years ago, one of my best friends though I'd not seen her in ten years. She had, in fact, never met our daughter, though she has been very generous in sharing her Hello Kitty collection with her. She took us out to lunch and showed us around her office. Our Girl got more HK loot in the deal so she was happy. Plans to get together with another friend - Best Man at my wedding, in fact - fell through but I'm confident we'll find the time on another visit.

It's always nice to visit DC but it is doubly nice to get home. I am very grateful that we have decided to settle in a place like Vermont rather than in a big city. The fresh, if brisk, air when we got off the train was invigorating indeed. We're all happy to have the weekend together before we all head back to work and school on Monday.

Happy Passover and Easter to all.

On the Coffee Table: Joe Posnanski

Since 1950, the Japanese government has funded what are popularly known as Living National Treasures, masters of various traditional art forms: pottery, kabuki theatre, origami, etc. These practitioners receive government subsidies with the understanding that they will continue their work and pass on their knowledge to others. In the United States, I believe that Buck O'Neil would have qualified as a Living National Treasure. I am very envious of Joe Posnanski for the year he spent with Buck, collecting material for what would eventually become The Soul of Baseball: A Road Trip Through Buck O'Neil's America.


Image via Rocky Mountain News

Buck O'Neil was not the best of the Negro League baseball players. Satchel Paige and Josh Gibson vie for that title. But in the decades following the decline of those leagues, O'Neil was their greatest champion, and one could hardly have chosen a more suitable emissary. Baseball is a folklorist's paradise and Buck O'Neil was the game's master storyteller. Anyone who has watched Ken Burns's Baseball knows the magic to be heard in that rich baritone delivery. Written records of the vast majority of Negro League games are lacking, so the oral history provided by former players has been essential to the preservation of the legacy. I, for one, could listen to Buck O'Neil all day.


Photo via Negro Leagues Baseball eMuseum

Storytelling is largely a lost art form in the age of mass media. But anyone who has known a great storyteller, and I am very lucky to have known a few, understands that neither television nor Internet will ever be able to replicate the joy of hearing a great yarn spun over shared food and beverage. It is one thing to know what a word means. It is quite another to know how to use it. O'Neil does occasionally offer insights into his art in Posnanski's book and Posnanski presents Buck's most eloquent utterances as italicized verse. Hearing O'Neil tell a tale is much how I imagine it would have been to hear Mark Twain.


Photo via Sons of Steve Garvey

The book has inspired a few road trip ideas of my own: the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City and other baseball-themed adventures. At a minimum, a trip or two to the ballpark are in order for this summer. I am also now curious about O'Neil's autobiography, I Was Right on Time.

I will go further than recommending this book. If you love baseball, good stories or people with joie de vivre, you owe it to yourself to read it. I may even convince My Wife to give it a go.

A to Z, The Orioles' Legacy: Jack Tobin

Player: Jack Tobin
Years of Service: 10 (1916-25)
Position: Outfielder


Photo via Find A Grave

Tobin finished his career with a .309 batting average. He led the American League in triples in 1921 with 18.

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For each letter of the A to Z Challenge, I will feature one player from Baltimore Orioles/St. Louis Browns history. I hope you will join me. I hope you'll also check out the other 1200+ blogs participating. See the full list at Tossing It Out.

A to Z, The Orioles' Legacy: George Sisler

Player: George Sisler
Years of Service: 13 (1915-27)
Position: First Baseman


Photo via HowStuffWorks

Sisler is probably the best player on my A to Z list. He was one of history's best pure hitters. His record for hits in a season, 257 in 1920, stood for 84 years before Ichiro Suzuki finally broke it with 262. He was league MVP in 1922, a season in which he enjoyed a 41-game hitting streak. He led the American League in stolen bases four times, hits twice, batting average twice and runs once. He served as team player/manager from 1924-26. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1939.

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For each letter of the A to Z Challenge, I will feature one player from Baltimore Orioles/St. Louis Browns history. I hope you will join me. I hope you'll also check out the other 1200+ blogs participating. See the full list at Tossing It Out.

A to Z, The Orioles' Legacy: Brooks Robinson

Player: Brooks Robinson
Years of Service: 23 (1955-77)
Position: Third Baseman


Image via HowStuffWorks

R is a very important letter in the Orioles legacy. For starters, you have Cal Ripken, Jr. and Brooks Robinson, probably the two most beloved Orioles of them all. Plus, you have Frank Robinson, the single best player to take the field for the franchise since the move from St. Louis. All three have had their numbers retired in Baltimore. All three were elected easily to the Hall of Fame and all three were enshrined as Orioles, even though Frank Robinson played most of his career for other clubs. But I decided in the beginning that years of service would be coin of the realm for my A to Z list so Brooks gets the nod here. Even with all of those consecutive games, Ripken's 21 seasons fall short of Robinson's 23. Brooks Robinson is, in fact, the longest tenured Oriole of them all. Only the Red Sox' Carl Yastrzemski spent as many years with one club.

Brooks Robinson is the best ever to field the third base position and he won 16 consecutive Gold Gloves to back that claim. He did plenty of damage at the plate, too, with 268 career home runs. He was league MVP in 1964 and World Series MVP in 1970. In 1999, he was elected to the All-Century team.

Robinson received his highest praise from opposing players. My two favorite quotes both come from Johnny Bench:

(After Robinson was given a car as part of the World Series MVP award) "Gee! If we had known he wanted a new car that bad, we'd have chipped in and bought him one."

and

"I will become a left-handed hitter to keep the ball away from that guy."

There's also one particularly nice one from teammate Frank Robinson:

"He was the best defensive player at any position. I used to stand in the outfield like a fan and watch him make play after play. I used to think WOW, I can't believe this."

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For each letter of the A to Z Challenge, I will feature one player from Baltimore Orioles/St. Louis Browns history. I hope you will join me. I hope you'll also check out the other 1200+ blogs participating. See the full list at Tossing It Out.

A to Z, The Orioles' Legacy: Guillermo Quiróz

Player: Guillermo Quiróz
Years of Service: 1 (2008)
Position: Catcher


Photo via enlapizarra.com

Amazingly, Quiróz is the second Venezuelan to make my A to Z list. He served as backup catcher for the Orioles in 2008, behind Ramón José Hernández, also Venezuelan, interestingly enough. At 29, Quiróz has a minor league deal with the Padres for 2011. As of yesterday morning, he was hitting .286 for AAA Tucson.

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My astute pal Mock submitted the following comment in response to yesterday's post, regarding Ted Danson's resemblance to Jim Palmer:

Originally the character [Sam Malone of Cheers] was supposed to be a former football player. Once Danson was cast, they switched sports.

He is right, of course. In fact Fred Dryer, the one time LA Ram defensive end, was initially considered for the role. Dryer did fine, anyway. Hunter was a fun show. He made four guest appearances on Cheers, too.

I, for one, am grateful that they cast Danson instead. I still think his resemblance to Palmer is uncanny. Perhaps Palmer at least inspired the hairstyle...

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For each letter of the A to Z Challenge, I will feature one player from Baltimore Orioles/St. Louis Browns history. I hope you will join me. I hope you'll also check out the other 1200+ blogs participating. See the full list at Tossing It Out.

A to Z, The Orioles' Legacy: Jim Palmer

Player: Jim Palmer
Years of Service: 20 (1965-84)
Position: Pitcher


Photo via Baltimore Sports Then and Now

By nearly any measure, Jim Palmer is one of the best starting pitchers in Major League history. Where do you start? Three Cy Youngs, six All-Star games, four Gold Gloves, three World Series titles in three different decades, eight-time 20-game winner, two-time league ERA champ, 2,212 career strikeouts, first-ballot Hall-of-Famer, etc., etc., etc. Every ace pitcher who has come through the organization since has contended with the misfortune of inevitable comparison to Palmer and none has come anywhere close.

By the time I was old enough to pay attention, Palmer was just as famous for his Jockey ads as for his on-field heroics. Scantily clad male athletes are hardly surprising anymore but Palmer was the pioneer.


Image via flickr

I have always assumed that Palmer was at least part of the inspiration for Sam Malone of Cheers in light of the fact that Ted Danson looks a lot like him, though I've never actually seen or heard any concrete proof of that.


Photo via Piece of Mind

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For each letter of the A to Z Challenge, I will feature one player from Baltimore Orioles/St. Louis Browns history. I hope you will join me. I hope you'll also check out the other 1200+ blogs participating. See the full list at Tossing It Out.

My Baseball Fantasy: Kemp on a Roll

Private League: won 10-0 (17-3 overall, 1st place, 4 games ahead)
Public League: currently in 7th place out of 12 teams
My Player of the Week (April 11-17): Matt Kemp (Center Fielder/Right Fielder, Dodgers) with 2 home runs, 8 RBI, 5 runs, 2 stolen bases and a .520 batting average


Photo via Wokay

I certainly can't complain about my week in the private league. I had a bit of a dip in the public league, though. I have some strong performers on my bench in that league, so I think it might be time to start shopping for trades. I face off against friend and fellow blogger Marc in the private league this week. He's right behind me in second place.

Kemp is on a tear. Particularly pleasing is his stolen base total. He has 8 on the year. He had only 19 for all of last season.

A to Z, The Orioles' Legacy: Gregg Olson

Player: Gregg Olson
Years of Service: 6 (1988-93)
Position: Pitcher


Image via Mr. Irrelevant

Olson was the Orioles' closer during one of the most pathetic stretches in team history - not that it was his fault. When it's your job to lock down the ninth inning, you can't really be blamed for what happens in the previous eight. I remember them drafting him very clearly. It was 1988, the season of the notorious 0-21 start. The streak was mercifully over by the time the draft rolled around but O's fans were still excited about Olson, a thoroughly dominant pitcher in both high school and college. He had not one but two devastating strikeout pitches: a great fastball and one of the best curves in baseball. That sort of weaponry is ideal for a closer.

Olson was the American League Rookie of the Year in 1989, his first full season. He was the first reliever ever to win the award. Olson might have ranked among the all-time greats if not for injury trouble later in his career. 217 career saves is still pretty good.

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For each letter of the A to Z Challenge, I will feature one player from Baltimore Orioles/St. Louis Browns history. I hope you will join me. I hope you'll also check out the other 1200+ blogs participating. See the full list at Tossing It Out.


In particular, check out my new blogger friend at Wistful Nebulae.

My Tennis Fantasy: Ferrer

Current Overall Standing: 26th
My MVP for the Week: David Ferrer (Spain) with $276,425, losing to Rafael Nadal (Spain) in the final of the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters


Photo via TopNews

These days, it's not a bad gig being the second best Spaniard on the men's tennis tour. Nor is there any shame in losing to Rafa in Monte-Carlo, an event Nadal has now won seven years in a row. One of the quietest, hardest working and most dependable players on tour, Ferrer has recently had a brush with notoriety, lobbing a ball towards (but not actually anywhere near) a crying baby in the stands. Not a great way to make friends, dude! I thought of posting the video, but that seems a low blow for a player who did well by me this week. As a fan, I hope he makes up for his faux pas with more stellar tennis this season.

A to Z, The Orioles' Legacy: Bob Nieman

Player: Bob Nieman
Years of Service: 6 (1951-52, 1956-59)
Position: Outfielder


Image via Seth.com

Nieman hit home runs in his first two major league at-bats, the first player ever to do so. He is the first on my A to Z list to play in both St. Louis Brown and Baltimore Oriole uniforms. He also played one year in Japan for the Chunichi Dragons.

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For each letter of the A to Z Challenge, I will feature one player from Baltimore Orioles/St. Louis Browns history. I hope you will join me. I hope you'll also check out the other 1200+ blogs participating. See the full list at Tossing It Out.



My friend and fellow music teacher Marc is jumping into the A to Z Challenge a little late but is doing double-time to catch up. Check him out at Marc Whitman's Blog.

A to Z, The Orioles' Legacy: Eddie Murray

Player: Eddie Murray
Years of Service: 13 (1977-88, 1996)
Position: First Baseman

EDDIE! EDDIE! EDDIE!


Photo via Camden Chat

By the time I was old enough to pay attention, Eddie Murray was the Orioles' big star. The hair, sideburns and bushy mustache added up to an iconic image of the era. Murray was, quite simply, one of the best switch hitters in baseball history. He was the third player to amass 3,000 hits and 500 homers for his career. The first two? Hank Aaron and Willie Mays - 'nuff said.

Murray was a no-brainer, first-ballot Hall-of-Famer and he is the first inductee on my A to Z list. As extraordinary as he was at the plate, it should not be forgotten that he was also a stellar first baseman. For his career, he won three Gold Gloves at the position. An early scouting report in the organization trumpeted his skill in turning a 3-6-3 double play.

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For each letter of the A to Z Challenge, I will feature one player from Baltimore Orioles/St. Louis Browns history. I hope you will join me. I hope you'll also check out the other 1200+ blogs participating. See the full list at Tossing It Out.

A to Z, The Orioles' Legacy: Chet Laabs

Player: Chet Laabs
Years of Service: 8 (1939-46)
Position: Outfielder


Image via The Full Wiki

On the day in 1944 when the St. Louis Browns beat the Yankees for their only American League pennant, Chet Laabs was the star, hitting two home runs on the final day of the regular season. He was an All-Star in 1943. However, his most productive season was 1942: .275 batting average, 27 homers, 90 runs scored and 99 RBI.

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In answer to Mock's question regarding Red Kress, he was traded to the White Sox in 1932 and then to the Senators in 1934. He played minor league ball in 1937 before finding his way back to the Browns in 1938.

Kress's journeyman career is interesting in light of a trend I've noticed on my A to Z list. I set the parameters for selection before I picked the players. For each letter, I chose the player who had the longest tenure with the club. What I've observed is a surprisingly high number of players who were known more for their defense than their offense. Mark Belanger is the perfect example: notoriously weak at the plate and yet considered one of the best defensive shortstops ever. That was enough for him to find a home with one of the era's strongest franchises for the better part of two decades. The lesson is pretty clear: fielding your position well is great for job security. Offensive prowess can be streaky but a good gloveman probably always will be one.

Which brings us to the case of Red Kress, jack of all trades. The Browns shipped him off after he'd had a string of solid offensive years, essentially when his stock was at a high point. He never matched the same success at bat but it seems his versatility in the field helped keep him in the sport for several more years. He played his last professional season in 1946 with the New York Giants at age 39.

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For each letter of the A to Z Challenge, I will feature one player from Baltimore Orioles/St. Louis Browns history. I hope you will join me. I hope you'll also check out the other 1200+ blogs participating. See the full list at Tossing It Out.

A to Z, The Orioles' Legacy: Red Kress

Player: Red Kress
Years of Service: 8 (1927-32, 1938-39)
Position: Shortstop


Photo via Fanbase

Kress was the ultimate utility man, playing seven different positions during his major league career - all but catcher and center field. As a minor leaguer, he once played all nine positions in a single game. His professional highlight was a 22-game hitting streak in 1930.

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For each letter of the A to Z Challenge, I will feature one player from Baltimore Orioles/St. Louis Browns history. I hope you will join me. I hope you'll also check out the other 1200+ blogs participating. See the full list at Tossing It Out.

A to Z, The Orioles' Legacy: Baby Doll Jacobson

Player: Baby Doll Jacobson
Years of Service: 10 (1915, 1917, 1919-26)
Position: Outfielder


Image via Juggle.com

Another St. Louis Brown, Jacobson almost deserves inclusion here for the nickname alone. His .311 career batting average is good for 95th on the all-time major league list. He hit for the cycle on April 17, 1924.

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For each letter of the A to Z Challenge, I will feature one player from Baltimore Orioles/St. Louis Browns history. I hope you will join me. I hope you'll also check out the other 1200+ blogs participating. See the full list at Tossing It Out.

My Baseball Fantasy: Spring Is Here at Last

Private League: won 7-3, currently tied for first place
Public League: currently in fourth place out of twelve teams
My Player of the Week (March 31-April 10): Matt Kemp (Center Fielder/Right Fielder, Dodgers) with 1 home run, 4 RBI, 7 runs, 6 stolen bases and a .438 batting average


Photo via KFFL.com

A year ago, Kemp was my first round draft pick. This year, he was still available in the third round of our private league draft so I grabbed him. His stock drop resulted from an underwhelming 2010 but he's certainly off to a good start in 2011.

The fantasy baseball season is off to a great start. As I explained in an earlier post, I'm in two leagues this year: the same private league I was in last year with Mock & Co. and a Yahoo! public league. The differences between the two are many. Most significantly, the private league is using a head-to-head format this time whereas the public one is rotisserie. Furthermore, the private league has ten members while the public one has twelve.

Then, of course, there is a great disparity in my familiarity with league members. Nine of the ten managers in our private league are returned from last year's league. Mock is, of course, a good friend and I know Marc both personally and professionally. I've met their brothers/cousins, but only once. I've never met the others. The public league, on the other hand, is composed entirely of strangers - to be expected. Predictably, there is far more banter in the private league. The draft this year was quite a lot of fun. There was a brief back-and-forth in the public league draft but it passed mostly in silence.

So far, I really like the head-to-head format a lot. Of course, winning helps. But even beyond that, individual baseball games over the course of the week, and presumably the season, take on far greater importance. I feel more on top of things, out of necessity.

At any rate, I'm excited for the new season. Huzzah!

A to Z, The Orioles' Legacy: César Izturis

Player: César Izturis
Years of Service: 3 (2009-present)
Position: Shortstop


Photo via Dempsey's Army

Izturis is, simultaneously, the first current Oriole and the first international player to be featured in my A to Z list. Not much of a threat with a bat, he is one of the best fielding shortstops in baseball and will serve as utility man for the club this year. He made his first appearance last Thursday, starting at short against Detroit. With regular shortstop J.J. Hardy heading to the disabled list, Izturis is going to get a lot more work. He represented Venezuela in the 2009 World Baseball Classic. The Venezuelans did well, making it to the semifinals before falling to South Korea.

Itzuris is a great clubhouse leader, too. Here is a very nice Baltimore Sun piece by Jeff Zrebiec from spring training.

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For each letter of the A to Z Challenge, I will feature one player from Baltimore Orioles/St. Louis Browns history. I hope you will join me. I hope you'll also check out the other 1200+ blogs participating. See the full list at Tossing It Out.


In particular, I hope you'll check out my new blogging friends:

My First Book
Jeffrey Beesler's World of the Scribe

Rock Stars: Stoughton Wins

The rivalry between Canada and Scotland is at the very heart of international curling, pitting the sport's ancestral nation against its modern home. In fact, for the first two world championships in 1959 and 1960, they were the only two countries invited. Thus, it was only fitting that the two should meet in the gold medal match in Regina this evening. For the 33rd time in the history of the event, the Canadians walked away with the crown.


Photo via The Gazette

Jeff Stoughton, pictured above, won the second world championship of his career. The Canadians lost only one game all tournament, 7-6 to Norway in their final round-robin match. The Scots, skipped by Tom Brewster, took the silver. Sweden, led by Niklas Edin, won bronze. Thomas Ulsrud's Norway rink finished just out of the medals in fourth but did not disappoint in the leg-wear department:


Photo via The Blair Necessities

The US squad finished a disappointing tenth.

Current details for the 2012 championships are as follows:

Men - 3/31-4/8 in Basel, Switzerland, Roger Federer's hometown

Women - Canada, city and dates TBA