Although he’s been up there for a while, Matt hasn’t actually played all that much. Mostly he’s been coming in during the late innings. He’s had only 19 at-bats total, spread over 11 games. It’s got to be hard to get your bat going when you only have 1 or 2 chances a night, rather than the usual 4. Matt seems to get kinda antsy if his at-bat lasts for more than 6 or 7 pitches. Although, he seemed to do better the last two games of the season. And he made some nice, smart defensive plays.

It takes a while to get used to the Big Leagues. Look at how long it’s taken Brandon to make consistent contact. Jeff Mathis is still figuring things out and Sean Rodriguez too. Guess time will tell. . .

Tell Jackson I’m thinking of him and he’d better keep up with his schoolwork! Come to think of it, . . .I’ve got some homework to finish as well. . .

By the way, I am glad you have weened yourself from the game of colored cards, and magic water. It would be so cool if we were Euros!

Have you guys watched many Angels games lately? Since the Angels have clinched home-field advantage for the play-offs, Jackson’s faves ought to see some playing time these last two games of the regular season.

Sigh! This is not helping yours truly settle down for the winter. . .

I was spending yet another morning pondering over another amazingly creative promotion by the Altoona Curve, when it hit me like a 2×4 between the optical orbits.

The fundamental forces of the minor-league universe had been revealed to me in the divine patterning of these holy posts.

“Eureka!” I cried. And the rest, as they say, is . . .well, something. . .

Thanks again for the positive review. I’ll be heading shortly to your blog to return the kindness!

Ben

bensbiz.mlblogs.com

As I’ve written before, I don’t agree with the notion that fans are entitled to a player’s autograph. A privilege, a shared moment. Sure, but hardly an obligation. At any rate, my memories of Midre as a ballplayer were he worked hard and got along in the dugout. If Phil gave him the seal of approval he must have been ‘doing his job right,’ which is all we should expect from our price of admission.

Most importantly, thanks for posting the column on Midre at your website on Baseball in the Virgin Islands, which helped remind/inspire me to post my own tale. For those readers who have not perused Rory’s site, I really recommend you embark on this interesting tour of Caribbean baseball.

Seems as though the MLB is fast-becoming a showcase for international talent, much more so than the other U.S. “big-leagues,” namely NBA and NFL. [The NHL already is well-stocked globally, much to the dismay of Don Cherry.] Baseball has taken root in so many countries and when it returns, it’s fun to note how our ‘national pastime” has become infused with new, international flavors.

Hispano/Latino players, along with their dreadlocks and cries of “¡Adelante!”, now constitute the majority of professional ballplayers in organized baseball (MiLB, MLB). Names like Daisuke, Hideki, and Keiichi roll off fans’ tongues with nary a stutter. And who could have predicted South Korea to win the Olympic Gold Medal over Cuba? In fact, South Korea was undefeated against all teams faced, including Japan and the U.S. Who knows? Perhaps at the next All-Star Futures Game, we’ll be watching the “crafty left-hander from Seoul” while dining on a bowl of bibimbap with kim chee.