A 'lil HooHaa

Messing with the blogging world since 2005

baseball blogging challenge

Can of Corn Challenge: Favorite tradition/superstitions

And so we come to the final prompt in this year’s Can of Corn Challenge.

I’m hoping to do this again next year, but find a way to change it up to maybe get more people involved. There haven’t been many who have participated, which is too bad. I know there are people out there who will write baseball-related posts. Maybe it wasn’t left to enough interpretation?

Whatever the reason, the off-season will provide time to think and ponder about this.

A tradition for me is a hot dog at a game, such as this Dodger Dog!

A tradition for me is a hot dog at a game, such as this Dodger Dog!

Anyway, let’s finish up strong, shall we?

You would think after having a full summer to think about this that I would have some sort of idea of where to go with this one. As somebody who has played baseball/softball most of his life, I would think there would have to be superstitions or traditions. Right?

Not so much.

There are a few things I’ll do, such as wear the same hat all season. But that’s about it as a player. My traditions come more when I watch a game, so that’s the direction I am going to take with this.

Some may call them quirks, but I call them the way I like to enjoy a baseball game when I go (at the pro level, anyway).

First, I always attempt to get an aisle seat. It’s just where I like to sit. I don’t know where it started or came from, but I like having that seat. I don’t like being crammed in the middle of an aisle.

If I haven’t been to a park before, I like to get there early so I can walk around, look in the team store, get stamped in (with the Passport program), and go find the lineup board (if there is one), or find a place to get the lineup so I can fill in my scorebook. If I’ve been to a stadium before, I don’t get there as early, but the other things are still true.

While at the game …

I’m usually one who watched the majority of the game from my seat. As many friends can attest, I don’t move around much. I usually take one inning to walk around the park and grab something to eat, but then it’s back to the game.

Speaking of food, I do enjoy trying new things and “signature foods.” In fact, at some point this off-season, I’ll have a post about all the minor league “food fight” items I tried this summer. There was a lot of interesting things.

But 95 percent of the time, I will have a hot dog. It doesn’t always happen when I have been to a stadium before, but if not — I always have a dog. It’s part of the baseball experience for me.

That’s about it for my traditions. As a fan, I have my own way of enjoying baseball and that’s how I’ll likely be for a long time. And I’m fine with that.

So how about you? What are your favorite superstitions and/or traditions? If you blogged this challenge, link below. If not, drop a comment!

If you want more information on the season-long Can of Corn Challenge, please visit this page. I am co-hosting this challenge with Kasey at Kasey at the Bat, so go visit her, too! The more the merrier, so please feel free to visit all the others and join up! Also, feel free to grab the button below!

Can of Corn Challenge

Can of Corn 2016 – Dates

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog@gmail.com. Also, please “Like” A ‘lil HooHaa on Facebook! You can also follow me on Twitter @softball29!

Can of Corn Challenge: Favorite player of all time

4,256.

That should give you an idea of my favorite player of all time. That is, if you’re a baseball fan.

That’s how many hits Peter Edward Rose had over his 24-year playing career. Of course, he’s know by today’s generation much more for being on the permanent ban list for betting on baseball and for being the guy so many have tried to get into the Hall of Fame.

Pete Rose got into one Hall of Fame ... will he ever get into the big one?

Pete Rose got into one Hall of Fame … will he ever get into the big one?

He’s been turned down several times to be rinstated to baseball. The latest, by current commissioner Rob Manfred, did leave some light for the Hall though as Manfred said the Hall is not the MLB and doesn’t necessarily have to follow the  ban list. That’s always been my thought, too, as the Hall of Fame is supposed to be a museum that shows the history of the game and it should be all aspects.

What Rose did on the field as a player is nearly unmatched. How about these Major League records:

  • Most career winning games played – 1,972
  • Most career games played – 3,562
  • Only player to play at least 500 games at five different positions – 1B (939), LF (671), 3B (634), 2B (628), RF (595)
  • Most career at bats – 14,053
  • Most career singles – 3,215
  • Most career hits – 4,256
  • Most career outs – 10,328
  • Most career runs by a switch hitter – 2,165
  • Most career doubles by a switch hitter – 746
  • Most career walks by a switch hitter – 1,566
  • Most career total bases by a switch hitter – 5,752
  • Most seasons of 200 or more hits – 10 (shared)
  • Most consecutive seasons of 100 or more hits – 23
  • Most consecutive seasons with 600 or more at bats – 13 (1968–1980) (shared)
  • Most seasons with 600 at bats – 17
  • Most seasons with 150 or more games played – 17
  • Most seasons with 100 or more games played – 23

In the National League, he also has record:

  • Most years played – 24
  • Most consecutive years played – 24
  • Most career runs – 2,165
  • Most career doubles – 746
  • Most career games with 5 or more hits – 10
  • Modern (post-1900) NL record for longest consecutive-game hitting streak NL – 44
  • Modern record for most consecutive hitting streaks of 20 or more games – 7

That’s impressive, no matter how you look at it.

And how about a few more tidbits:

  • 17-time All-Star
  • 3-time World Series champion
  • NL MVP (1973)
  • World Series MVP (1975)
  • NL Rookie of the Year (1963)
  • 2-time Gold Glove Award
  • Silver Slugger Award
  • Roberto Clemente Award
  • 3-time NL batting champion
  • Cincinnati Reds No. 14 retired
  • Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame
  • Major League Baseball All-Century Team

No matter how you look at it, Pete Rose was an amazing player. When I was a kid and he came to the Phillies (and proceeded to help them win their first World Series title in 1980), I loved Pete Rose and how he played the game. I used his number (14) any chance I could when I played and he was always the player I looked up to most.

He may not have the best morals at times and he may have done wrong (as he has admitted), but he’s still one of the greatest of all time and he was the one who I cheered the most as a kid. Without a doubt, to this day, he’s my favorite all-time player, though there are others who are close on the list.

If you want more information on the season-long Can of Corn Challenge, please visit this page. I am co-hosting this challenge with Kasey at Kasey at the Bat, so go visit her, too! The more the merrier, so please feel free to visit all the others and join up! Also, feel free to grab the button below!

Can of Corn Challenge

Can of Corn 2016 – Dates

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog@gmail.com. Also, please Like HooHaa Blog on Facebook!

Announcing the Can of Corn challenge!

OK, I admit it, I like blog challenges.

Well, some anyway.

And if you didn’t know already, I love baseball. Love, love, love. More on that in a bit.

Challenges and linkups are good for personal bloggers because it helps fill some space when you feel you might be struggling to find something to write. Now, don’t get me wrong, I couldn’t do challenges every day of the year. Then it would get kind of crazy.

And, let’s be honest, not all challenges/linkups are for everybody. Take for example the A-to-Z Challenge. It’s a great challenge and it happens every April. I’ve thought about doing it for several years, but I don’t think I’d be successful with it the way I blog.

Home Plate

There’s a lot of other linkups out there, too, covering so many interests. Some don’t fit me well and others sometimes cross days when I have other things planned.

But the monthly photo blogging challenge I run each month is fun and it allows me one post per month with photos, and with it being themed, it makes it interesting. The 20 Days of Chill Challenge, which I started last year after a writing challenge I had been involved in decided to not continue. I kept it up this year and it was fun.

I always keep my eye out for smaller challenges that might interest me as it often opens the chance to find new bloggers and different things to write about.

Last year, I stumbled across a baseball challenge that was at the end. I had the chance to write one post, but it unfortunately didn’t seem to have a lot of links (I know that feeling with running these things!)

The idea though got me thinking about baseball challenges. It doesn’t seem like there are a lot of them in regard to blogging. Yes, I’ve seen a few. But they are either no longer running, or hard to tell if they are continuing etc. I just want different ways to write about baseball, outside of the occasional stadium review.

We’ve had a mild winter, too, which makes me think about baseball.

Baseball season is upon us.

In fact, pitchers and catchers started reporting officially around February 18, with position players reporting a few days later.

I’m ready, too.

To watch baseball. And to blog.

So, let’s mix them together. One of the two who co-hosted the one I found last year was interested in joining on with this one, so I’ll be co-hosting this blogging challenge with Kasey of Kasey At The Bat. You’ll enjoy her style of blogging and she’s a full baseball nut (and has interned in the sport and had a blog on MLB.com), though she’s a Braves fan – but don’t hold that against her.

So I’ve tweaked a little and chatted with Kasey on some thoughts and what is happening this summer should be a lot of fun.

Allow me to introduce to you the Can of Corn – a season-long baseball blogging challenge.

This will be an eight-month challenge. I’m sure many won’t do the whole thing, but that’s fine. Come and go as you like. Hopefully a bunch of people will get involved and have fun with it enough to keep with it every month.

The first post will be in March, with the final being in October. I’m sure the World Series will again go into November, but baseball should end in October, so that’s where it will end with the challenge.

How’s it going to work? Simple.

  • Write about baseball using the theme (or not) on the dates provided (or thereabout) from March-October. Just make it baseball!
  • Use the button in your post somewhere (at the end or whatever) and link back to me and Kasey.
  • Go to one of our blogs the day this comes up (or thereafter) and linkup! The linkup will be “live” for a week after the date.
  • Visit other blogs, read, comment, and make some new baseball pals!
  • Have a cold beer

OK, I can’t lie – I totally stole that from one of Kasey’s posts from last year, who in turn stole it from her co-host last year Allison. But the reality is it’s a pretty good rule, even if you don’t necessarily do it…

That’s it.

OK, it would be totally cool if you followed each of us for updates and such, be it via the blog (P.J. I Kasey), twitter (P.J. I Kasey), Instagram (P.J. I Kasey), Facebook page (P.J. I Kasey) etc., but totally not mandatory!

We’ve come up with some themes and the dates. You can post yours whenever you are up for it, but remember to come back and link up so others can find your posts. We’ll leave the linkup live for about a week after each date, giving people the chance to catch up!

Can of Corn 2016 – Dates

  • March 17: Your favorite baseballism (saying, quote, jargon etc.)
  • April 14: Best baseball memory
  • May 12: Favorite ballpark (minor or major)
  • June 16: The best promotion you’ve ever been to
  • July 14: Dream baseball road trip
  • August 18: A current rule you’d change
  • September 15: Favorite player of all time
  • October 20: Favorite tradition/superstitions

Will you be joining us for the Can of Corn challenge? We hope to see you and your posts! Please go check out Kasey’s post about the challenge, too!

You can also snag the button below, if you want!

Can of Corn Challenge

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog@gmail.com. Also, please Like HooHaa Blog on Facebook!