baseball writing challenge

It’s that time of year.

The fall classic is upon us as baseball playoffs are in the full swing. So far, the playoffs have been pretty exciting and I have a feeling the World Series will be pretty good this year. I know who I am pulling for, but I’ll keep that away from the blog for now.

This also will mark the end of the Can of Corn Challenge for 2017. The odds are, too, that this will end the Can of Corn Challenge. It was a good two-year run, but it hasn’t brought in any other people. And for a writing challenge to succeed, then it needs more than one and, occasionally, a couple of others checking in. The idea of this challenge was to try and attract others who would like to write about baseball, but it never did that well … so it’s been fun, but time to move on.

But the Fall Classic.

I was still young when the Phillies won the World Series in 1980. I have some small memories of it, but not vivid. I slightly remember the Phillies losing to the Orioles in 1983. And 1993 … well, Joe Carter can go pound a serious amount of salt.

But then there’s 2008.

World F’N Champions.

If you wonder why I added that “F’N” – well, just Google Chase Utley’s speech after the championship parade.

Baseball is a funny sport. There are times when you feel like things go your way and 2008 was that way for the Phillies. They battled bad weather and everything else to fend off the Tampa Bay Rays to win the World Series and set up a crazy parade down Broad Street.

The team was filled with colorful players and was an incredibly fun team to watch. They played the game in an old-school way and played it right. There was solid pitching, defense, and hitting. It was just great.

Heck, all of the playoffs were great. There were some amazing moments. And it’s something I’ll remember for a long time. I might never see the Phillies win another World Series. I always said that if I had the chance to see my teams win championships in my lifetime, I’d be happy with one. Yes, I thought they should have won more than one during their run – but they won the one.

Baseball is a great sport. Playoffs are as good, if not better, than hockey. And that says something considering the fact that hockey playoffs are amazing. It doesn’t matter the level though – minors or majors – playoffs are great.

But 2008 was special for me. It’s a Fall Classic I’ll never forget.

Link up below if you want to take part in this month’s challenge!

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!

Oh, the designated hitter.

One of those positions that people either love or hate and the opinions will differ as strongly as what those people think.

Personally, I’m a traditionalist. And being a fan of the Phillies and the National League, I think you can see where I am going with this.

I don’t like the designated hitter.

Look, in amateur sports or adult league softball – I have no issues. In some instances, it’s a great thing as it allows maximum participation. However, when you are getting paid to play the game …

Come on.

Pitchers throughout time have hit for themselves. And they’ve done it well.

In 1973, that changed for the American League with the addition of Major League Baseball Rule 5.11, which allows teams to have one player (the designated hitter) to bat in place of the pitcher.

The DH has extended people’s careers. It probably got some people into the Hall of Fame, and it hurt other candidates by likely keeping them out. But it’s been a part of the game, that’s for sure. Alas, not everybody likes this rule.

I’m sure, eventually, the National League will adopt this rule as well. I can hope that it’s not something I will see.

The designated hitter prolongs careers. Take David Ortiz as one recent example. But it doesn’t mean it’s something one has to like.

These players are professionals being paid millions of dollars to play a game. There are a lot of pitchers who hit well and who love to hit. Others you can tell don’t love it at all.

But you are paid to play baseball.

As noted in Bull Durham, there are three aspects to the game – you hit the ball, you catch the ball, you throw the ball.

Three items.

It’s time to stop worrying about getting rid of an intentional walk process to speed up games and start going back to the game how it used to be. Make the pitchers hit!

What say you on the DH? Yay or nay?

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

The ballpark experience is definitely different for every person.

Some people go for the social aspect. Others go to watch a game and nothing more. Others may experience the food, sights, and sounds.

It differs all around the park, which makes it even better.

But what do you bring to the park with you? Again, you could poll 100 people and probably will get a different answer from each person.

For me, the ballpark is more than just a game. It’s a safe-haven of sorts. A place where I can unwind and relax and watch the game I love so much. Some people love going to concerts and things like that — I enjoy baseball games.

But I do things a little different as I consider myself a bit of a baseball nerd. And with that in mind, here is what I bring to the park every time I go:

• Backpack
• Score book (yes, I keep a score book for every professional game I attend)
• Baseball Passport (link to my review)
• Baseball America Prospect Handbook
• A sweatshirt
• A camera of some sorts (some days my phone, other days my main DSLR/lenses)

What’s nice is I do this for every game and it all fits in a backpack. The days I carry my DSLR will be harder than others, and heavier. Last year I did it at most games. This years not as much. I love action photography, but I really love paying more attention to the game. I also like using other lenses at the games, though, as it gives you a different perspective. Take for example sitting in the upper deck at an MLB game and using a fisheye/wide-angle lens.

While inside the park, my goals usually include a hot dog — especially if I have never been to the stadium before. Outside of that, it’s just watching the game and taking in the ambiance.

So how about you? What do you bring when you head the park? If you are taking part in this month’s challenge, link up below!

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

“A good friend of mine used to say, ‘This is a very simple game. You throw the ball, you catch the ball, you hit the ball. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, sometimes it rains.’ Think about that for a while.”

This question has been posed to me more than once and I’ve never wavered from my answer.

Bull Durham.

There are some great baseball movies. Field of Dreams. The Natural. Pride of the Yankees. Bad News Bears. The Sandlot. Major League. For Love of the Game.

Then there’s Mr. 3,000. Oh wait … I went too far with that one.

But then there’s truly Bull Durham and it stands above all other baseball movies, bar none.

Years ago, when I was starting out my career at a daily paper, I had to write a column during the MLB playoffs. I wasn’t much of a column person then, so I needed to dig deep. I ended up writing a top-10 picks of baseball movies.

It wasn’t even close.

Bull Durham is a classic in every form. It’s funny. It’s semi raunchy at times. It has a good story. The actors are fantastic.

And it has baseball.

The movie is full of quotes, too, which makes it even better. While it’s true it’s probably not for younger fans, the movie has withstood the time. On a visit to Durham last year, the team store had a bunch of things related to the movie. It’s very cool in that regard.

A quick story about this movie, though.

Years ago, we were playing at a softball national tournament. While there, I met up with an old college friend who was playing with another team. After our games were done, a bunch of us were standing beyond the outfield wall of another game, having a few cordials and chatting. At some point … the quotes started.

And though we couldn’t go through the whole movie, it seemed like between the whole crew, we covered every quotable part of the movie. It was pretty cool.

The movie is just about the perfect baseball movie, and with that in mind, I’ll leave you with this quote:

Skip: You guys. You lollygag the ball around the infield. You lollygag your way down to first. You lollygag in and out of the dugout. You know what that makes you? Larry!

Larry: Lollygaggers!

Skip: Lollygaggers.

If you are a baseball fan and have never seen this movie … I am not sure what you are waiting for. Make sure you go see it … and realize why it’s so amazing!

If you are taking part in this month’s Can of Corn Challenge, link up below and visit any others who might be doing the same! You can see the remainder of the themes for this summer (and join us in any that you would like) by clicking here.

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!