Thursday, April 19, 2007

Getaway Day Grab Bag




Last night, 28-yr old Mark Buehrle tossed his first career no-hitter, the first White Sox pitcher to do so since 1991. He was actually even one walk away from a perfect game as well. As much as I hate the White Sox, and mostly anything from Chicago except Old Style and Harry Carey, a no-hitter is a special achievement and it deserves a mention, particularly to have one this early in the season when pitchers are not considered to be in "full form" yet. You have hat tricks in hockey or perfect passer ratings in the NFL, but nothing really comes close to the mystique of the no-hitter. It's a moment of perfection unrivaled in sports that could happen to anybody: case in point, Mark Buerhle now has one more no-hitter than future hall-of-famer Roger Clemens.

Barry Bonds hit three home runs this week and is now only 17 away from tying Hammerin' Hank. I only mention this because yesterday the Brewers unveiled plans to mark the location of where Hank Aaron's 755th and final homerun fell as a Brewer in July 1976 at Milwaukee County Stadium, which stood in the parking lot now adjacent to the new stadium. This commemorative plaque should prove to be the subject of much controversy when Bonds eventually breaks this record, but I'll leave this debate for when this event actually happens. Right now, I'm just glad that Aaron is being honored in the special way by the Brewers' organization at Miller Park.

Phillies first basemen and last year's NL MVP Ryan Howard injured his knee in yesterday's loss to the Nationals. This is the last thing this team needs, as sports writers had very high hopes for this club. At 3-9, the Phillies can ill-afford him to be placed on the DL, so hopefully he is alright. He stayed in the game post-injury, so that's a good sign at least. Howard is probably one of my top 5 favorite players, so I hope he's okay; I am looking forward to watching him and Utley in Philadelphia this summer.


Voting is underway already for the 2007 All-Star Game!? Is it just me, or does it seem a little early? I don't ever seem to recall filling out ballots at mid-April ballgames.


A-Rod is still on a tear, now with 9 HRs, and lastly...


Good news for the trip! The Brewers' recent rainout in St. Louis is going to be rescheduled for the day we're in St. Louis in July! Seeing a Crew-Cards doubleheader would be totally awesome; I only hope we can acquire tickets, since it's not your typical 2-for-1 doubleheader. Also, we're in Oklahoma City the day before, so driving 7 hours through the night to catch a Noon game might be challenging, but between the 2 of us, I think we can make it happen. And there's a giveaway at the evening game! This could prove to be one of the top 5 days on the trip.


LAST NIGHT'S RESULTS:
Twins W (9-5)
Brewers W (8-6)
Reds L (8-7)

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