A 'lil HooHaa

Messing with the blogging world since 2005

spring training

Bring on baseball!

With the end of the Super Bowl …

… it’s baseball season!

Yes, it’s that time of year. It’s when the best sport comes to the forefront of it all. And I, of course, will enjoy that baseball is upon us.

I’ve already started looking at where I want to go this year. And though I’ll stay a little more “local,” I plan on still hitting a bunch of baseball games. The reality is, though, I don’t want to be away every weekend like I was last summer. I don’t mind going to a game on a Saturday night or something, but it’s nice to be able to be around in the summer as well.

That also means I need to gear up for some baseball posts over the next month and change … to get myself ready, of course.

So in that time period – I plan on finishing all of my stadium reviews from last year, as well as a couple of reviews and recaps. Part of blogging every day last year was that I had a problem keeping up with certain things – such as stadium reviews and baseball recaps. Still, that’s all well and good as it’s just about spring training and it’s when I am really pumped – so hopefully I can get all caught up and maybe some others will be interested in going to some of the stadiums I hit last year.

Another thing – I am working on the second edition of the Can of Corn Challenge. This will, again, be a summer-long writing challenge (once per month, March-October) with a baseball-related theme. Now, to be honest, last year was kind of a flop. There were a few people early, but by the end, it was just me.

My plan and hope for this year, though, is to make it a little friendlier to those who might not be rabid fans. Maybe we can get some others involved in the challenge even if they aren’t massive fans. I’ve found many people have baseball memories and thoughts, so I want this challenge to be something maybe everybody can get into.

Therefore, the themes this year will be a potpourri of baseball items. Some might go toward the baseball nerd, some might be toward the average baseball fan. Pick and choose. I will have the themes for the whole summer (and dates) posted here likely by the end of February. Then you can get in any of the ones you want. You don’t have to be in every one of them – just pick and choose.

I’m going to do it either way as I love baseball. But it would be cool to see some others join in, just to see what everybody has to say. I’ll be working on the announcement post and themes soon.

The weather in my area might not be feeling like baseball yet, but when the Super Bowl ends, I officially start getting ready.

My goal this year is to be around 50 games. I hit that 75 mark last year and, with other things going on, it was a bit too much – even for me. This year, there’s one “big” trip planned and then probably more of hitting the “area” teams – such as Binghamton, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Syracuse, and Tri-City in Troy. I, obviously, would like to throw in a few IronPigs games, being they are the AAA affiliate of the Phillies.

If all goes well on one of the bigger trips, I’ll get to add several new MLB stadiums to my list, including Milwaukee, Detroit, Chicago (both Cubs and White Sox), and possibly Toronto. I keep saying I want to hit up Fenway, so maybe this will be the year. And I always catch a couple of Phillies games.

Needless to say, baseball is around the corner and I couldn’t be more excited. Time to make sure I have my Baseball passport and get my scorebook in hand as before I know it … games will be 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!

Baseball is here!

Last year ended poorly for Chase Utley and the Phillies. Can this year be different?

Yes, it’s only pitchers and catchers.

But it doesn’t matter. Baseball season is here. Football is over. Basketball and hockey are, well, not as exciting as baseball. When pitchers and catchers officially report, to me it’s the beginning of the season.

And I’m ready for it.

Last year ended very sour to me. A poor performance in the first round of the playoffs eliminated the Phillies and their league-best record.

Note that I’m still against a five-game series. I always have been. When the divisional round was added to the playoffs, I said it then as I still do today — it should be a seven-game series. A five-game series becomes a crap shoot and, I think, penalizes a deeper and better team because it allows the team with the worst record to maximize what it has. Not to say that the Phillies didn’t just run into baseball’s hottest team last year, but it’s something I’ve always believed. You can’t reward the lower-ranked teams in the playoffs and that’s what a five-game series does.

Anyhoo…

This is the day I truly love because I know real baseball is right around the corner. It’s something that can help me ignore the crappy things going on in my life, even for a little while.

(Though, to be fair, it’s sometimes hard to forget certain things knowing how much these guys get paid to play a game).

The Phillies, again, should be one of the favorites. Though teams such as the Marlins and Nationals improved in the NL East, most experts have agreed that the Phillies are still the cream of the division. The Braves pretty much remained the same and the Mets, well, are the Mets. With all going on with that team, I’d be willing to bet they won’t be making any runs at the division.

The Phillies should be the favorites in the NL East again this year, but most teams in the division have improved.

The rest of the NL will be interesting.

No more Albert Pujols.

No more Prince Fielder.

And that doesn’t stink. At least for those of us who are fans of the National League (and not fans of the Cardinals or Brewers, respectively).

The Phillies, without a doubt, overpaid to get the best closer on the market in Jonathan Papelbon this offseason. Meanwhile, ex-closer Ryan Madson signed for much cheaper with the Reds.

I’ve disliked Papelbon for many, many years.

The former Red Sox closer has always reminded me of that college jock/frat boy who never grew up after leaving college. I don’t like some of his antics and likely never will.

But…

I had told a friend the day the Phils signed him — if any team can humble Papelbon, I think the Phils could be it. They have a very focused group and with people like Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Cole Hamels and the such, it’s going to be hard to be a pompus idiot. So, hopefully, he’ll realize it’s time to grow up a little. There’s no doubting what he can do on the mound.

The Phils also had some changes that needed to be made.

Raul Ibanez had his contract run out and wasn’t re-signed. That’s too bad because I really wanted to see him win a championship with the Phils. He’s a class act and I’ll miss him. I know he was up and down during his tenure, but he came through with some big hits in key situations. That leaves left field as a question mark.

Ryan Howard was seriously injured during his last at-bat of the playoffs (the final out of the Phillies season) and isn’t expected to play until like May.

The Phils have brought back a fan favorite in Jim Thome as some power off the bench and an occasional first base option. There’s new faces in Ty Wiggington and Laynce Nix. There’s a minor league contract to Juan Pierre, which could be very interesting. Speed off the bench and the ability to put the ball in play. The bullpen is WAY overcrowded.

And J-Roll is back.

There’s questions. There’s hope. There’s a full season. I’m excited.

This is the time of the year when everyone is tied. Every team has hope. Every team has a chance. It’s not September, it’s February. Injuries can ruin a team. Rookies can make a splash and be a huge impact. Teams not expected to contend can pull off a wild move and become front-runners. A few mishaps can take a top contender and put them back to the middle of the pack.

Anything can happen.

And it’s such a wonderful time! Go Phils!

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog [at] gmail.com. Also, please “Like” HooHaa Blog on Facebook by clicking the button on the right side of the page!

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