June 10, 2009
A couple quick thoughts as we enter the College World Series and go through the draft. First of all, somebody has GOT to rip the microphone out of Bud Selig’s hands. You’ve got to be holy cowing me with this guy. Can you say social misfit? MLB should recognize that the amateur draft is a spectacle. There’s revenue and publicity to be made there somewhere and Bud is not the man you want running the show. Bud may have a lot of things he does well, but MCing isn’t one of them. Ryan Seacrest he’s not.
Secondly, I haven’t seen all of the teams in this years College World Series; however, of the teams I have seen, Virginia is the best. I’m not sure how deep their pitching is, but they’re real good.
Arizona State is good. They’re less talented than last year’s squad but a much better team. And how 
about Josh Spence, their left handed pitcher from Australia, ? He gets my vote for most entertaining baller along with Tommy Mendonca of Fresno. He lights up the radar gun at 80, double windups, throws from all angles….c’mon! Can’t wait to see him twirl some more in the series.
Speaking of Mendonca. Texas stole him as the 62nd pick in the country. There were 62 better players than him? Sorry, but no. I’m no scout, but I didn’t see anything more interesting this year. This guy is a big leaguer. He’s a big leaguer defensively right now and maybe even a gold glover. Offensively, yes he’s going to break the all time strike out record, but he’s going to hit 30 bombs along the way. And as far as the intangibles go….rock solid. You just can’t teach that big league mentality and (I’m not trying to be funny) the ability to fail gracefully. He’s got it…barring injury, look for him in the show shortly. That’s all I got. Cheers.
June 8, 2009
So let me ask you something. Is HBO compensating the family of the late Rod Beck? This is him isn’t it? In more ways than just the looks. Pretty funny show though…not for the little ones however.
Speaking of mullets, a big belated congratualtions to Randy “the unit” Johnson on his 300th win. What an accomplishment. He’s not the cutest guy in the whole wide world, but man can he compete and pitch. Good on you Big Unit.
June 5, 2009
One of my claims to fame as a professional player is that I was present for probably the greatest post game managerial snap of all time. I don’t remember the game too well, but I’ll never forget this comedy.
Pay special attention to the very end after Hal chucks the phone like a discus. You can’t really see, but the phone spiraled out of Hal’s hands, whizzed across the room, and just clipped beat writer Allan “Scoop” Esckew before he could escape. After the phone flies, in the middle of the tirade, listen closely and you’ll hear Hall say “Scoop, Scoop, pardon me Scoop”. Classic. You’ll recognize Scoop as he exits the manager’s office…he’s the one with the blood trickling down his face. Also pay attention to the huge bottle of vodka Hal has in his hands at the end. Enjoy watch?v=kamDqL-AGzI
All in all, an excellent snap…equaled only by the time Hal turned the spread over after we WON a game against the Yankees in New York. Yes, you heard that right. He flipped the food after a WIN! Awesome effort Hal!
June 3, 2009
You know when you go to 7Eleven and get every flavor of slurpee in one cup? The end result is a flavor infamously called “The Monkey Fart.” Anyway, that’s what this blog post reminds me of. Kind of a mix-up of a lot of different things. It’s kind of like dinner at a minor league dorm during Instructional League in that it has no theme. Hot dogs mixed with chow mien mixed with lasagna.
Leading off, Moneyball, the movie. That’s right, complete with Brad Pitt playing Billy Beane. I’m not joking.
Next, great article in Time with author Chris McDougall about running, ultra-marathons, and the Tarahumara Indians. He just wrote a bestseller titled Born To Run which I ordered but haven’t read yet.
After you read that, check out this nice little piece about blocking I had come out in Junior Baseball magazine…here’s a quick look. It’s in the April issue if interested.
Totally unrelated…this just gets me pumped up. I’m from California and on a good day, this is what it feels like. Click trailer.php and then click where it says “play trailer”…..enjoy….
The last thing I’ve got for you today is the great baseball art of Roger Patrick.
Here are a few examples of his work…
Whoa…how’d this get in there? Holy inflated guy Batman!
June 1, 2009
Finally my new website is up! I’m super excited. Hopefully you’ll find it fun, interesting, and informative.
I did it all myself. I took about a million lessons with the good folks at the Mac store and knocked it out. I feel like I did when we won the playoffs in LA. I got some hops for a skinny white boy, eh?
Next on the agenda is tackling the video clip thing. Instead of doing a full length video, my idea is to create a library of 3-5 minute clips of different drills and catching techniques. For a couple bucks each, you can download them on your iPod and take them out to the field and practice. Exactly like purchasing a song from iTunes only different.
I can film and edit the video myself. I just need to figure out the technology and format which will support what I’m trying to accomplish. Any suggestions?
Anyway, for the time being, check out and enjoy the new site. Let me know what you think…brentmayne.com
