Players to Watch - 3 years later

In 2010, I took a couple of roadtrips in which I saw a good bit of minor league baseball. In California, I saw three games and in Iowa, I witnessed another seven matches. For all but one of those games, I mentioned a "player to watch" which was simply a player (not a well-known prospect) who I thought might have a chance to reach the majors based on his performance in that single game. Of course, baseball is a sport where even the least talented player can have a 4-4 game once in a while, so having this feature was more an exercise in learning about randomness rather than demonstrating what a great eye for talent that I have.

Two seasons have passed since then, so I thought I'd review those players and find out where they are now. Most of the games I saw were in Class A, so the players should be playing at AAA in 2013 if they have a legitimate chance at making the big leagues. Here's the list of my players to watch from 2010, in the order in which I watched the games:

Dallas Keuchel (LHP) - Lancaster Jethawks. Keuchel was Houston's 7th round pick in 2009 and he pitched well when I saw him. No fluke, as he debuted with the Astros in June, 2012 and started 16 games, going 3-8 with a 5.25 ERA.

Roberto Lopez (C) - Rancho Cucamonga Quakes - Lopez, the Angels' 25th-round pick in 2008, had a great defensive game when I saw him. Played in 10 games in AAA in 2011 but only hit .167, so spent 2012 back in AA where was a solid contributor. At 27, he's not likely to reach the majors.

Drew Cumberland (SS) - Lake Elsinore Storm - San Diego's top pick in 2007, he played superbly in the game I watched. He was destined for the majors when he was diagnosed with a neurological condition which caused him to retire before the 2012 season.

Jay Jackson (RHP) - Iowa Cubs - OK, picking a player in AAA isn't that hard, but Jackson has yet to appear in Chicago despite some decent numbers in 2010. He had a poor 2012 and spent the winter in Mexico where he seemed to improve. Guessing if he doesn't crack the Cubs this year he will be picked up by another club.

Matt Adams (1B) - Quad Cities River Bandits - Drafted in the 23rd round in 2009, he wasn't considered a prospect but hit two long dingers in the game I saw. St. Louis called him up in May 2012 and he appeared in 27 games, hitting 244/286/384 before being returned to Memphis, where he had some great numbers, including a .986 OPS. Expect to see him back at Busch permanently very soon.

Stephen Locke (LHP) - Cedar Rapids Kernels - I saw Locke throw a 5-inning no-hitter but that was his career highlight as he's out of organized baseball after starting 2 games in the California League in 2011. He's now in the news for suing the Gainesville police.

Carlo Testa (OF) - Burlington Bees - Drafted in the 18th round by the Royals in 2008, Testa hit two homers and added an outfield assist in the game I saw. He played a full season at AA in 2012 and seems to be moving up the ladder, but at 26 he is probably too old to make an impact. Still, expect to see him in the bigs this year or next.

Trey Haley (RHP) - Lake County Captains - Cleveland's 2nd-round pick in 2008, Haley was initially a starter and outpitched Shelby Miller in the game I went to. After becoming a reliever in 2011, he underwent surgery for a sports hernia injury that had plagued him for over a year. He recovered well and ended the 2012 season in AA and is now considered a top prospect for the Indians.

Keon Broxton (OF) - South Bend Silver Hawks - Arizona's 3rd round pick in 2009, this speedy outfielder hit 19 triples in 2010, including one at the game I saw. Looking at his stats, he seems to have plateaued at the High A level in Visalia, spending most of 2011 and all of 2012 there. However, he is only 22 years old and he hit 19 homers for the Rawhide last year, so I think he still has a future in baseball, although I'm not as confident that he will reach the majors as I was back in 2010.

So there you have it: out of nine players to watch, two made the majors, another three are likely to make it in smaller roles, one retired, one is out of baseball, and the other two will probably spend their entire career in the minors. Not a great record for the Player to Watch feature; I guess my dreams of becoming a baseball scout will remain just that.

Best,

Sean

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Looking Around Los Angeles

I like to post a little about each city that I visit. Perhaps an attraction that might not get much notice, or an area of town that is worth a visit. Everyone knows about Disneyland and Universal Studios in LA, but many people spend their entire time in LA outside of the downtown area, which has a few things that might be intriguing.

Japanese American National Museum

There is an area in downtown LA known as Little Tokyo which is historically where Japanese Americans lived in the early part of the 20th century. There are lots of Japanese restaurants stores, and temples in the neighbourhood, but the prime attraction is the Japanese American National Museum on First Street, just south of Union Station. Opened in 1992, the museum contains a detailed history of the Japanese American experience. It's not a long history as Japanese immigrants didn't start arriving until the 1880's, and much of the display is dedicated to the internment that affected the Japanese population in 1942, one of the United States' most embarrassing acts. After the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, all Japanese Americans were forcibly removed from their homes and placed in relocation camps for over two years until the Supreme Court ruled against the government. Because there are so many personal artifacts, the displays on this period are quite interesting and powerful.

There are some displays on baseball, and a great picture of Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig who played a Japanese American team during a barnstorming tour. Another interesting topic was how Arizona had the most drastic anti-Japanese law on the books in 1935. Just 75 years later and now the boogeymen are Mexicans. The more things change...

The museum also has changing exhibitions which are detailed on their website. For anyone who has lived in Japan, this is a good place to see how those who left here over 100 years ago dealt with the problems of assimilating in the USA.

Next door to the museum is the Geffen Contemporary Museum of Art, but it was closed when I was there. Across the courtyard from the museum is the Nishi Hongwanji Buddhist Temple, which is pictured below.

Downtown

Downtown LA is not known for its tourist-friendly attractions, but rather as a place to be avoided. Historically this may have been true, but recent redevelopments make it worth your while to walk around if you have time before a game at Staples Center. City Hall (pictured at the top of the post) is here, as is Angels Flight, a small funicular railway that has just reopened in March after a 9-year hiatus due to a fatal accident.

As you walk southwest from Union Station to the Staples Center, you will pass through several neighbourhoods, including Little Tokyo, Civic Center, Bunker Hill, and South Park. Each has its own history and distinct feeling. There are some parks such as Pershing Square, and unique museums such as one dedicated to Neon Art.

Just to the northwest of Union Station are the El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historic Monument and Chinatown.

There is really a lot to see here, so take your time to do some research and try to catch some of the lesser-known sights. You'll avoid the crowds who are all in Hollywood and maybe learn something as well.

Miracle Mile

The Miracle Mile refers to Wilshire Boulevard between Fairfax and LaBrea Avenues in western LA. From a roadtrippers perspective, this is an historic area as it is where the first dedicated left-turn lanes were introduced as well as timed traffic lights and parking lots for shops. All of these innovations were the brainchild of developer A.W. Ross who wanted to create a commericial area to rival downtown. He succeeded in a manner that was unimaginable, hence the area was named "Miracle Mile" and the model became the de facto standard for commercial districts across the country.

If you are going out to UCLA to catch a game, you can try the slow route along Wilshire. Museum Row is located here as well. The LaBrea Tar Pits (shown below) and Page Museum, LACMA, and the Petersen Automotive Museum are all within a few minutes of each other and you can easily spend a day going between them.

I did spend an afternoon at LACMA and was particularly impressed with their Japanese pavilion. It contains a number of screens and prints from all periods of Japanese history. My favourite display was the coloured woodblock prints by Utagawa Hiroshige, one of which showed the area in which I now live. It's amazing how much things have changed here in the intervening 150 years, especially after visiting London which has many of the same buildings from 500 years ago.

LACMA is not cheap, with parking and admission totaling $19, but it is "Pay What You Wish" after 5 pm. It's a huge complex and an art fan can spend hours here browsing a wide variety of works.

In-N-Out by LAX

OK, enough culture, let's talk about food! Before flying out of LAX, I make it a rule to have a Double Double at the In-N-Out on Sepulveda Blvd just north of the airport. It is the most famous location of the venerable chain as it is right next to one of the runways, so there are planes landing every couple of minutes. As I sat down to eat my burger yesterday, SQ12 from Tokyo arrived - this would be the same plane I would take back home a few hours later. The burger as always was superb but I was rather hungry so I finished it before I remembered to take a picture. Below is the iconic sign as a US Airways plane lands behind.

I can hardly wait to get back there.

Best,

Sean

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Toronto Blue Jays 6 at Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 0 - May 25, 2010

After a busy sports Sunday in Phoenix, I woke early Monday morning and spent 6 hours along I--10 driving to Anaheim. It was a good drive with no traffic jams and I arrived around noon, in plenty of time to see the Jays taking on the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in the first of a 3-game set.

Getting Tickets

I arrived quite early at the ballpark and approached a ticket window. I noticed that the lady had a sign indicating that she spoke Japanese. With Hideki Matsui joining the Angels in the off-season, the Angels could expect an influx of Japanese tourists, so I asked her if she was hired for her Japanese ability. She laughed and acknowledged that may have been an important reason, then asked me if I could speak. I said that I live in Japan and so we started conversing in Japanese, which was a bit odd. A Japanese film crew started filming the transaction, so if you see a show with a short guy with bad hair and worse Japanese buying tickets in Anaheim, it just might be me.

I have to say that there are too many ticket options. The first row in many field-level sections is slightly more expensive than the rest of the seats in the section, and overall I counted 31 choices. Tickets are not cheap here either, with the lower level seats between the bases priced at $85. I ended up in section 221 and was happy with that seat because it wasn't blocked by people coming and going during the action (other than the morons in front of me who spent half the game getting up and down to buy beer).

I'd say you are better off waiting outside and seeing if someone has extra tickets as season tickets are cheaper and you can probably save money that way. I wanted to get in and walk around though, so I bought my ticket and went in.

Angel Stadium of Anaheim

What is it with all the "of Anaheim" things going on here. First the team changed their named from the Anaheim Angels to LA Angels of Anaheim, and the stadium followed suit when Edison International exited their naming rights agreement in 2003. But locals refer to the ballpark as "The Big A" and nobody actually uses the "of Anaheim" part of either the team or stadium name.

Opened in 1966, the stadium is the 4th oldest in the majors. It hosted the LA Rams of the NFL from 1981-95 but after they moved to St. Louis and Disney took over the team, the stadium underwent a significant renovation period that finished in 1998. The most noticeable changes were a terraced bullpen (below) in left field, and the "California Spectacular" in center, in which a stream courses down artificial rocks surrounded by real trees.

The stadium is located across the street from the Honda Center, with $8 parking off Katella Avenue to the North or Orangewood Avenue to the south. You will notice the Big A scoreboard pictured below as you drive by on the 57 freeway.

When you enter, there is a display commemorating the Angels' World Championship season of 2002, including the trophy below.

There are three decks, but the middle deck is a club level which requires ticketed access. The first deck is divided into two levels: field level (100) and terrace level (200) but there is just a walkway between them. The 200 level seats are cheaper and might offer better value as they are covered and there are TV's where you can watch the replay.

From section 540

There are two scoreboards, one in left field above the bullpens, the other in right. They were showing the Boston-Tampa Bay game while batting practice was on, which is something I always appreciate.

Angel Stadium was my favourite for food options back in 2001 and still offers a good variety. Panda Express is quite popular as you can get decent Chinese fast food for a reasonable price, while the Katella Grill offers a California Chicken Cheese Steak that I found quite tasty. This restaurant has a branch nearby at Main at Katella and if you have a game ticket you can enjoy a 2-for-1 offer before or after the game. There's also a Ruby's diner that offers milkshakes. For those of you with a real thirst, I noticed an all-you-can-drink soda option for only $11.25. Yikes.

The other thing I like about the ballpark is that the staff is quite friendly. They have instituted a rule though that prevents you from going into the first level above the dugout without a ticket, but the ushers are very kind in enforcing it.

Behind the California Spectacular

It's been a long time since I've seen a stadium with old style ramps that you switch back on to get to the upper deck. Of course, there are escalators and stairs, but it was a bit of nostalgia as I hiked up to the top.

Overall, Angel Stadium is an excellent place to see a game but it can be expensive. Still, for me it's a bit of a look back to the stadiums I grew up with. I hope it stays as is for a long time to come.

The Game

Joe Saunders started for LA against fellow lefty Brett Cecil (above). Fred Lewis led off the game with a triple to right and scored on a sacrifice fly by Adam Lind. The Jays had the lead and Cecil was sharp, giving up only a single to Jeff Frandsen through 3 innings. Torii Hunter was called out on this check swing below.

In the fourth, Alex Gonzalez singled for Toronto and after Jose Bautista drew his first of 3 walks on the evening, John Buck singled home Gonzalez to double the lead. Cecil kept dealing though, keeping the Angels' hitters off-balance, giving up a walk in the 5th but nothing else.

Edwin Encarnacion grounds to third

The Jays broke the game open in the 7th, scoring 4 runs, highlighted by an Adam Lind double. The last run was unearned as shortstop Erick Aybar muffed a line drive with the bases loaded. That's Encarnacion scoring on Lind's double as Aaron Hill gets back to third.

Cecil finally tired in the 8th, giving up a single to Matsui (shown below) and walking Mike Napoli. Jason Frasor came in to get the next two outs and preserve Cecil's scoreless game, and Scott Downs pitched the 9th as the Jays won easily 6-0. Great way to end the trip!

The game took 2:53 due to all the walks (8 by the Angels, 2 by Toronto) but the story was Cecil's pitching. 7 1/3 innings and only 4 baserunners with only one of them reaching third base. When the game started, LA were the only team to have not been shutout this season, but that is no longer the case.

It was a great game for me, and nice to see Toronto work the count for a change. They are an aggressive team at the plate, but Saunders struggled with his control and the Jays were able to capitalize. They had only 6 hits themselves, but those 8 walks helped out. Here's hoping that those two losses in Arizona were the anomaly and Toronto can be in the race this season.

Notes

As I walked to the front of the stadium to take the picture at the top of the page, I noticed a few bees buzzing around. Strange I thought, why would bees be here. Well, I turned around and was surprised to see that a whole swarm had congregated on some poor fellow's car. I guess there was something tasty for them there, but I didn't stick around to investigate.

While I was enjoying my pre-game meal, they were playing the radio broadcast which included a brief interview with Jays' manager Cito Gaston. He talked about the unfair aspect of having pitchers hit in NL parks during interleague play and suggested that the DH be used in all interleague games. Not a bad idea actually, although the Jays' pitchers did manage a couple of hits in the series. But there have been some high-profile injuries in recent years, so perhaps it's worth a look to see if using the DH makes sense. At the least, NL fans would see some AL-type games.

Gaston also spoke about Toronto's future. This is his last season as manager but he felt like the Jays have a lot of good young talent and he was looking forward to seeing how things develop. It certainly made me optimistic listening to him speak, so who knows, maybe Toronto can contend sooner than we expect.

In the 8th, Frandsen was at the plate when Frasor's pitch was a bit wild and went behind Frandsen's head. But the ball hit his bat and bounced back in front of him, rolling just foul. It was kind of amusing to see and even Frandsen was smiling, but he wouldn't have been so happy if it was a fair ball as he would have been thrown out.

Trip is over

Well, the 1-month jaunt to California, Arizona, and England has come to a close. Back to Japan now where I'll take it easy before the final trip of the year to Minnesota to see the new Target Field. I also plan to see the Jays in Kansas City and a few days in Iowa to check out their minor league teams. I'll post the final schedule shortly, so check back in a while for that and some other thoughts on LA, the playoffs, and other updates.

Best,

Sean

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Los Angeles Lakers 109 at Phoenix Suns 118 - NBA Western Conference Finals Game 3 - May 23, 2010

Jump ball

When the Phoenix Suns defeated San Antonio in round 2 of the NBA playoffs, I knew that they would be playing sometime around the time I would be visiting the city. But the NBA initially scheduled only the first two games that were to be played in LA. I worried that they might set games 3 and 4 in conflict with the Jays games that I was planning to see, but NBA commish David Stern is a regular reader I guess as he kindly set game 3 for Sunday evening at 5:30, about an hour after the Jays game would probably end. So after Toronto hammered Arizona 12-4, I walked over to the US Airways Center to see if there were tickets available.

Tickets

My friend Sharpy had purchased a single from a scalper that morning but I wanted to wait until closer to game time for a couple of reasons. First, if the baseball game went long, I didn't want to leave early, and secondly, I wanted to check the box office so I could avoid a trip to the ATM. It's just a couple of minutes from Chase Field to US Airways Center, and the ticket windows were surprisingly empty. After being searched, I made my way to the Advance Ticket Window, where there was nobody waiting. I asked if they were selling for tonight's game and was happy to hear that there was a single in 4th row of the upper deck in a corner. Not the best seat but as it turned out, not that bad at all, especially for a last minute purchase.

US Airways Center

It was a drastic sensory change leaving the red and black clad fans of the Diamondbacks and walking a couple of blocks to where the Suns fans in their bright orange colours waited outside the outside of the arena, with liberal sprinklings of Laker fans sporting their trademark purple and gold. Upon entering the seating bowl, we were subject to an even more colourful display as every seat was covered with an orange T-shirt, courtesy of a local grocery store.

Yeah, free T-shirts! The Suns' playoff theme is "WE R ORNG" as it would be texted, so everybody had to wear the shirts. Of course, Laker fans were happy to throw their shirts away, so some fans got two or three shirts. Christmas presents for the family!

Anyway, I didn't have much time to wander around but can say that the upper concourse is far too narrow for a sold-out game. It took about 10 minutes during halftime to make the walk around and the lineups for the concessions and facilities were quite long. I'd recommend purchasing your food before the game.

The good thing is that the upper deck is actually quite close to the floor. The arena, opened in 1992, was designed for basketball and the suite level is quite small, so the upper bowl seats are good value. With only 14 rows up here, even the nosebleeds are more than acceptable.

There was an out-of-town scoreboard that showed the MLB and WNBA scores, but neglected to tell us the Chicago-San Jose result in the NHL. This doesn't bode well for the future of the Coyotes, who once called this arena home. But it is really much better for basketball, the design fits the smaller hardcourt properly, unlike a typical hockey arena where the corner and end seats are just too far away from the action.

The Game

The Lakers had won the first two games of the series, so this was a must-win for Phoenix. Both teams came out on offense but Phoenix was driving to the basket and drawing fouls while LA was kept to the outside by the Suns' defense. At one point the Suns were 18/20 from the free throw line while LA was 0/1 and both Andrew Bynum and Lamar Odom were in foul trouble. But the Lakers were making most of their shots while the Suns missed some easy ones. At the end of the first, the Lakers led 32-29 with Kobe Bryant netting 15 points.

Bryant grabs a rebound

In the second though, Phoenix went to a zone defense and LA couldn't adapt. The last five minutes saw the Suns go on a 15-2 run to lead 54-47 at the half.

Steve Nash looks to pass

The third quarter saw the Suns' Amar'e Stoudamire explode for 20 points but the Lakers were solid shooters and actually won the quarter by 5 points to head to the final stanza down 86-84.

Pau Gasol shoots over Stoudamire while Derek Fisher tries a three below

The fourth quarter was back-and-forth for the first few minutes and with 7:35 to go, the Suns held a 93-92 lead. But after Stoudamire drained two free throws, Ron Artest made a bad pass and the Suns quickly broke down the floor. Steve Nash found Jason Richardson in the corner and Richardson sank a 3 that brought the crowd to its feet. After a Laker timeout, Bryant missed a 3 and Stoudamire knocked down a two-pointer to make it 100-92. Bryant added 4 free throws to narrow the deficit to 4, but Stoudamire continued his dominance, driving to the basket for two more. Lamar Odom then fouled out and after Robin Lopez made both shots, Nash added a jumper to make it 102-92 with just 2:48 left. The fans were delirious and although the Lakers got within 6, Phoenix held on for the 118-109 win.

Stoudamire finished with 42 points and 11 boards and has perhaps given pause to his critics. It was a great performance and with Lopez adding 20, the Suns have served notice that the series is not yet over. Bryant added 36 points but many of those were after the game was decided.

Robin Lopez muscles to the basket

Overall, this was a great game, lots of scoring and 12 lead changes. The NBA playoffs have been terribly dull, but perhaps this is a chance for a great series. Game 4 is set for Tuesday night in Phoenix and if the Suns can keep it up, we should be on for a great finish to see who gets to play Boston in the final.

Nash gets 15 assists (and only 1 turnover)

Next up

I'm in Anaheim right now and just about to head over to the Jays-Angels game, for which I will add a post in a couple of days. Tomorrow I fly back to Japan (hence missing game 4) where I'll be taking it easy for the Stanley Cup Finals and the World Cup. I'll add some posts on LA and some other sports happenings in the meantime, so check back in a few days for lots of new stuff.

Best,

Sean

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Blue Jays take 1 of 3 in Phoenix

From section 300, row 32, seat 1 - farthest seat from home plate

Interleague play began this weekend and the Blue Jays were in Arizona to visit the Diamondbacks. I had circled these 3 games when the schedule came out late last year as it combined my favourite baseball team and favourite baseball destination. I've posted plenty on Phoenix, so will just talk briefly about each game here as detailed recaps are available in about a million places on the web.

Friday - Arizona 8 Toronto 6

My friend Sharpy joined me for the weekend and was interested in sitting in the Friday's restaurant section above left field. For $30 you get a partial view of the field and a food and drink credit of $30. So essentially the game is free. But you are very far away. It's worth trying once if you are here for a series and want a different experience, but not for just one game.

Dan Haren (above, taken from Friday's) started for the D-backs and promptly gave up a leadoff homer to Fred Lewis. The Jays led 1-0 but things went downhill from there. Arizona scored 2 in the second and 4 more in the fourth, highlighted by a 2-run double from Haren. Edwin Encarnacion hit a homer for Toronto in the 5th, but Haren doubled in another run in the 6th. Encarnacion hit another shot in the 7th, but Arizona's Chris Young replied with a shot of his own in the bottom half to make it 8-3. In the 8th, Jose Bautista homered for Toronto. Haren left after 8 decent innings, walking none and striking out 8. In the 9th, Juan Gutierrez gave up two more solo dingers, including Encarnacion's 3rd of the game. Gutierrez was pulled and Chad Qualls came in to get the final out for the second night in a row.

I've intentionally recapped the game as above because that's how it felt. Runs kept coming without a break. There was scoring in all but one inning (the 3rd), the Jays hit 6 solo homers, only the second time that's happened in MLB history, and Arizona had 8 extra base hits themselves. It was a very entertaining game, but not so enjoyable as the Jays were down early and never really threatened, although they did have the tying run at the plate in the 9th. It was surreal being far away though, especially when home run balls sailed below you - a view I had never seen before.

Saturday - Arizona 8 Toronto 5

More of the same as Jays' starter Dana Eveland gives up 8 runs in 1 1/3 irritating innings (that's him leaving above) and the Jays struggle until the late going, when an Encarnacion 3-run dinger and Aaron Hill solo shot make it 8-5. The score might be slightly respectable but it is much closer than the game was. One of the least enjoyable sporting events I've seen and let's leave it at that.

Dave LaRoche

The good news is that Sharpy got a foul ball off the bat of Lyle Overbay. It bounced off the facing of the second deck, the person behind us yelled heads up, Sharpy ducked but the ball was juggled by the group of fans behind us and rolled down next to Sharpy, who just reached over to pick it up.

Adam Lind above, Mark Reynolds below

It was also 70's night at the ballpark. The cheerleaders were all attired in clothes from that era and disco tunes were played. Unfortunately food prices were still at 2010 levels but it was still as nice idea. Several fans played along too; even the Jays pretended like they were the 1977 team!

Sunday - Toronto 12 Arizona 4

Arizona scored again in the first as Justin Upton drove home Tony Abreu (below) and it looked like another long day at the ballpark.

But the Blue Jays offense finally got on track as Encarnacion hit his 5th homer of the series (a 2-run shot that landed just below Friday's, an absolute monster home run) and Jose Bautista had 4 RBIs to chase Billy Buckner. Shawn Marcum completed 5 serviceable innings and the bullpen was solid as the Jays salvaged the series with the win.

Bautista fouls one back while Encarnacion drives one

Aaron Hill

All-in-all, not a very good set of games, regardless of the outcome. No doubt Friday's big-fly fest was memorable, but the weekend tilts were blowouts that were decided early.

It was a bit of a disappointment after anticipating this series for so long. But that's sports, you never know what's going to happen. For example, you might be in a city watching baseball when another league schedules a playoff game on the same day. That's what happened in Phoenix as game 3 of the conference finals series was set for Sunday evening, just over an hour after the ball game ended. Naturally I went to that too, and will post on that next.

Best,

Sean

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San Francisco Giants 7 at Arizona Diamondbacks 8 - May 20, 2010

I'm back in Phoenix for the 3rd time in 3 years. I love the hot desert weather, the In-N-Out burgers, and the scenic drives nearby. Of course, right now Arizona is going through some problems with their new immigration law that permits police to stop those they suspect of being illegal immigrants. As a foreigner in Japan, that sort of treatment is something we are also subject to. It's never happened to me, but friends have reported the occasional encounter with the authorities. I won't get all political here, but I am not boycotting Arizona when there's baseball to be seen.

Friday's Front Row

I posted on Chase Field last year, but there is one thing that I didn't try that I'd like so mention. It's the Friday's Front Row restaurant that is located well above the left field fence. You can eat here before the game and catch batting practice before the gates are opened. If you want to sit there during the game, there are a variety of options, with the most reasonable being the Upper Deck Tables at $30 per person with the entire ticket price being credited to food and drink. As you can see below, you are far away, but it might be worth trying once, and the food wasn't that bad.

The Game

With that said, let's get to the game. I was fortunate that 2-time defending Cy Young winner Tim Lincecum (above) was scheduled to start for the visiting Giants. He leads the majors in strikeouts while the D-backs lead all teams in times fanned, failing to make contact on nearly 25% of plate appearances! So I expected a K-fest tonight.

Just before the game started, the roof opened as it was a perfect 92 degrees outside. Beats the crappy cold cricket I sat through in London last week.

Rodrigo Lopez took the hill for the Diamondbacks and gave up a run in the first on a Pedro Sandoval double (below) that scored Freddy Sanchez, who was just activated off the DL.

Though staked to the early lead, Lincecum was not sharp. It was immediately noticeable as he walked Conor Jackson with one out and then gave up a monster fly ball to Stephen Drew. Chase Field is 413 feet to center and I'd say this ball went 412. But it was just a loud out and Justin Upton struck out to end the first.

Lincecum walked another in the second and then gave a free pass to Lopez in the third. A lead-off double by Adam LaRoche in the fourth went nowhere but it was obvious that Lincecum was struggling, missing with a lot of his pitches and looking frustrated on the mound.

With the Giants up 2-0 in the fifth, Lincecum gave up a 1-out single to Kelly Johnson and then walked Jackson for the second time. Drew then drove the ball down the right-field line that rolled around in the corner, resulting in a 2-run triple. A sacrifice fly by Upton gave the D-backs a 3-2 lead. After a walk to LaRoche, strikeout king Mark Reynolds, who had already K'd twice, crushed a fastball to deep left and Arizona were up by 3. Lincecum finished the inning but his night was over. He had a most interesting line though:

IP H  R  ER  BB  K  NP  BF
5  5  5  5   5   6  100 25

Twenty pitches per inning - certainly his worst start of the season and one that put him in line for his first loss. But Lopez couldn't hold it, giving up back-to-back jacks to Jose Uribe and John Bowker to start the 6th. After a walk and single, Lopez was gone but Sergio Romo was not much help, giving up a sacrifice fly to Sanchez and then intentionally walking Sandoval before Aubrey Huff doubled home two more runs to make it 7-5 Giants. That's back-to-back 5-run innings, an uncommon sight.

In the 7th, Arizona fought back on doubles by LaRoche, Reynolds, and pinch-hitter Chris Young that tied the game at 7. Jeremy Affeldt was on in the 8th and gave up a leadoff double to Jackson, who moved to third on a botched double-play ball off the bat of LaRoche (below).

If Uribe handled the toss at short, the inning would have ended, but he bobbled it and LaRoche was safe. With Reynolds batting, Affeldt tossed one in the dirt that bounced away from former Ottawa Lynx Eli Whiteside. Jackson gambled and took off for home. Whiteside couldn't pick up the ball and Jackson crossed safely with the go-ahead run.

Aaron Heilman continued in the 9th after pitching a perfect 8th, but he was pulled after a 2-out walk. Chad Qualls came in and struck out Uribe on 3 pitches for the save and Arizona had the 2-game sweep with an 8-7 win. Giants' manager Bruce Bochy was ejected (above) arguing the first called strike, but Uribe missed the next two by so much (below) that I don't think it made much difference.

This was not a particularly good game with the Giants walking 9 batters in just 8 innings and blowing two 2-run leads, but it was interesting. Lots of extra-base hits, some monster homers, and the home team winning in their last at-bat is entertaining at least, even at 3:14. Let's hope that's all the winning the Diamondbacks do this weekend.

Notes

The scoreboard here is incredible. The player's season stats, day's performance are shown for each appearance, and for one appearance his entire career stats are shown baseball-card style. The inning summary is also available, as well as the updated pitching line. Lots of interesting stories for each player too. Definitely the most informative scoreboard I've seen.

The Giants had an off-day last week but didn't skip their fifth starter. Lincecum pitched last week on 6-days rest and said he felt uncomfortable. I wonder if the simple decision to give him an extra day threw off his rhythm as he has walked 5 two games in a row.

With the Jays in town for the weekend, I won't do a daily posting of each game, but just a summary of the series. Also hoping to get a Suns-Lakers ticket for Sunday night. Check back early next week for all the details.

Best,

Sean

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Sports Tours in London

I usually like to mention a few lesser-known attractions when I visit a city as there is more than just sports. In London though, where there's hundreds of things to do, I'll focus on the sports tours that are available.

Lord's Museum

Within the Lord's Cricket Ground is a small museum dedicated to the game. It contains the original Ashes urn as well as plenty of bats, balls, and other assorted equipment that sports museums should have. There was also an exhibit comparing baseball to cricket which I would have loved to have seen, but it wasn't quite ready. At only £3, it's definitely worth a look, even if you don't really know the game.

The ground also offers tours at £14. I didn't take it as I was watching the match, but it was interesting that they still offered the tour while the match was taking place. In that case, you can't see the dressing rooms, so if you are interested in the tour, check to make sure there is no match that day. And if there is a match, see that instead and tour the ground yourself.

Stamford Bridge Tour and Museum

Chelsea have just completed the double with the Premiership title as well as the FA Cup. Interestingly the team hasn't always been that strong, only entering the elite of Europe after being purchased by Russian bazillionaire Roman Abramovich. Now though, they have turned their home ground at Stamford Bridge (above) into a nice little revenue stream, charging £15 for an hour's tour and a museum.

I decided to do this tour and was amazed at how many people joined me. There were tourists from nearly every country in Europe, India, and of course one guy from Canada via Japan. They give 5 tours a day, hourly from 11 am. You get to see the press box, interview room, both dressing rooms (that's Chelsea's room below), and then get to walk out onto the pitch as if you were a player. You even have to line up in two lines, one for Chelsea supporters and one for "losers", and they play music as you walk up the stairs to the pitch. Kind of neat. But you can't actually walk on the field itself, for obvious reasons.

It's a bit expensive for what you get, but still I enjoyed it. The guy giving the tour was amusing (it's easy to be funny when you're the best team in English football) and the museum is worth a look. Chelsea were an average team for a long time and it's cool to see that history. I don't like how European football has changed so that a rich owner leads to silverware and the museum presents a time when championships were earned and not bought.

What's interesting is that only these top clubs can run these tours. Nobody is traveling out to Craven Cottage for a behind-the-scenes look. So the rich get richer, as usual.

Getty Images Gallery

One other sports-related attraction that I stumbled onto is the Getty Images Gallery near Oxford Circus. They had an exhibition entitled Life Between the Sticks, which displayed several photographs of football goalies, from professionals like David James to little kids. There were also five portraits of goalkeeping icons such as Peter Shilton. Unfortunately, the exhibit ends on May 22nd, so you've probably missed your chance to see it in London, but click the link above for the images - it's really quite enjoyable.

Other Tours

There are two other iconic sporting venues in London: Wimbledon and Twickenham, the home of English rugby. I did not go to either of these places as they are a bit out of the way and one stadium tour is enough. But if you are interested in all four, there is a £45 option that allows you to see each them. Any hotel should have the brochure with all the details.

There are obviously many other things to do in London that have nothing to do with sport. My favourite was the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, where you can stand over the Prime Meridian, with one foot in the Eastern Hemisphere and one in the Western. If you've never been to London, you should try to go while the pound is so weak. They've done a great job at maintaining their history and most of the museums are free.

Best,

Sean

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Surrey v Middlesex - Match Drawn

I'm now in Phoenix after a 11-hour flight and 7-hour drive (love that LA rush hour!) and currently following the last day of the Surrey vMiddlesex cricket match online. I decided to create a separate post for the final result of the match that I saw a couple of days ago because there are some rules that should be explained first.

The Follow-on

After finishing day 2 on 148/0, Middlesex collapsed on Wednesday, losing all 10 wickets for only 176 additional runs to end their first innings at 324 against Surrey's 490. Surrey then had the option to ask for the follow-on. When the team batting second doesn't get close enough (150 runs in a 4-day match), their opponent has the option to make them bat again immediately. This way, the team with the lead has a better chance to win as they can bowl the team out twice for a smaller total to chase. As well, if the leading team is forced to bat again, they may put up such a high score that they won't have enough time to bowl their opponent out, resulting in a draw. Essentially the follow-on rule reduces the chance for the draw.

In this match though, Surrey, leading by 166 runs, did not enforce the follow-on, electing to bat instead.

Declaring

Surrey closed Wednesday's play at 165/2 with Mark Ramprakash at 100. This gave them a 331-run lead but with only one day left, the chances of both teams being bowled out were slim. So on Thursday, Surrey added 42 runs and then declared. This means they stopped batting as they believed they had enough runs to win the match. With only 88 overs left to play, they had to get all 10 Middlesex wickets to secure their first win of the season. Middlesex could win by scoring 374 runs, while a draw would result if Middlesex did not lose all 10 wickets.

Run Rate

Cricket is great for statistics, much like baseball. One key stat is the run rate. This is simply the number of runs per over. For example, Surrey's first innings saw them score 490 runs in 157.2 overs for a run rate of 3.11. The other way to use run rate though is to see what the necessary run rate is for a chasing team to win. For Middlsex, requiring 374 runs in 88 overs is a run rate of 4.25. Considering their first innings run rate was 3.61, it wasn't an impossible task, but not an easy one.

The Result

This would have been a great day to be at The Oval, but it's a bit far from Phoenix, so I resorted to following on-line.

Middlesex started slowly with Andrew Strauss and Scott Newman taking nearly 33 overs to put together a 103-run partnership (RR 3.14). They required another 271 runs in just 55.1 overs, or a very difficult 4.91 RR. It seems like they are playing for the draw, trying to avoid losing wickets rather than slog for the runs.

The match just finished and it was a draw as expected. This is probably the least comprehensible thing for fans who are new to cricket. How can you play 4 days and still have a draw?! The thing about cricket is that is a very subtle game. Although the final result is just a draw, during those 4 days it appeared as if both teams had a chance to win. The ebb and flow of the game over several days is what makes it unique and a sport I will continue to study in the years to come.

Best,

Sean

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Surrey 286/4 vs Middlesex - Day 1 - LV= County Cricket Division 2 at The Oval - May 17, 2010

I've pretty much completed my sightseeing in London, so had a bit of time Monday morning to visit The Oval, another historic cricket ground that lies just south of the Thames. It was Day 1 of a county cricket match between Middlesex and Surrey. The coolest thing about seeing Day 1 is that when Day 4 is being played, I'll be in Phoenix!

The Oval

The Oval was built in 1845 to provide a ground for the newly formed Surrey County Cricket Club. In the intervening years it saw many historical events, including the first ever international soccer match in 1870 and the first test in England in 1880. The clock below commemorates the 150th anniversary of the ground.



The closest tube stop is appropriately named Oval station on the Northern Line. But it's also walkable from Vauxhall or even from the north side of the Thames near Tate Britain. Tickets for county cricket matches are just 1o quid at the turnstiles. The capacity is around 25,000 and for the match yesterday there were maybe 500 spectators, so not much of a worry on getting a seat. When you enter you will notice the entire venue is enclosed by a brick wall that looks to be original from 165 years ago. Between the wall and the seating area is effectively the concourse and you can walk around the entire place, stopping in to check the view here or there.



The pavilion (above, taken from the middle of the field) is for members only but right next to it is the Laker Stand which provides a good view to the corner of the pitch. A couple of more blocks to the right will take you to the Peter May stand, which looks at the pitch straight from the side.


...or he may sit

Across the way from the pavilion is the recently-built OCS stand (below). It was mostly closed for this session but has some higher seats which should provide a different view. I found that the upper level of the Laker Stand was the best place to sit as it was in the sun (when it was out) and gave a good perspective on the bowling.



Perhaps the most distinct feature of the ground is actually outside it. To the west of the stadium lies an old gasometer, or gas holder. It has become world famous as The Oval is one of the grounds used in international Test matches and the gasometer is visible from many television angles. That's it below; you may notice the word "Brit" painted on the seats. This refers to the ground's sponsor Brit Insurance (the official name is now the Brit Insurance Oval). It's not nearly as nice as seeing the team name in the seats as you do in the local football stadiums.



There were a couple of food carts including one that sells seafood which surprised me. There's also an enclosed restaurant with a view of the field that is open from noon till 5, but again seafood. There we no pies so I didn't partake.

One warning: outside the ground there are signs saying "No Admittance with Alcohol or Music Instruments" so leave your tuba at home.

Overall, the recent developments here along with the copious amount of advertising made this less impressive than Lords. Still, it is one of the oldest facilities in use in the world and located close to central London, so check if there's a match on when your visiting and stop by if you can.

The Match

I saw Middlesex last week at Lord's so knew a bit about them. Their victory over Derbyshire moved them to 5th in the 9-team table. Surrey, however, was lying bottom with just a draw in 4 matches. Their star is Mark Ramprakash (below), an ex-Middlesex player who has spent 23 productive seasons in county cricket as well as some time with England in the 1990s.

Surrey won the toss and elected to bat as the wicket was quite flat.This implies that the bowlers will struggle to fool the batters and a high score should result. But that was not the case in the morning session as the Surrey batsmen spent most of the time protecting the wicket. In other words, they were just batting the ball weakly and not running. In the 8th over, youngster Laurie Evans (below) was bowled for just 10 runs, but he was replaced by Ramprakash who joined Arun Harinath in an 89-run partnership that lasted until well after lunch, including a short rain delay. But it was slow going that saw few boundaries. It was rather dull cricket but proper strategy as Surrey were not taking any risks early in the match.

After Harinath (below) was caught out I stayed for a while to see Ramprakash make his 50 before I headed home. It was getting cold as the sun had disappeared and I didn't expect much to happen in the last few hours. Turns out that Ramprakash managed 125 runs on the day, and Surrey ended up with a promising 286/4 with all 96 overs being played.



I saw about half of those overs but just 110 runs - as the day progressed Surrey changed their strategy as the heavy hitters started swinging harder. The danger for Surrey is taking too much time at bat and then not being able to bowl Middlesex out twice. I'd say that the first sessions of a Test are probably the least interesting, but you never know what might happen. I'm glad I went but it was more entertaining last week watching Middlesex chase a low total.

Notes

There was a fox that repeatedly entered the field and disrupted play. It was quite amusing to watch the players chase it around until it jumped over the fence, only to appear again a few minutes later. With that and the rain, I was surprised they made all 96 overs by the end of play.

During lunch spectators are allowed onto the field. It's always an interesting experience being on a professional sporting ground, but this one has so much history it was easy to imagine the cricketers from a 100 years ago playing exactly the same game. That's the pitch below with the stumps clearly visible.



The shop had a sale on cricket jerseys from last season so I picked one up for £5. So now I guess I'll have to root for Surrey. Given that they are in last place, it's not something that will take much getting used to after 35 years as a Toronto Maple Leafs fan.

Day two has just finished and Surrey were all out for 490 with Ramprakash notching 223 runs for a double century. Middlesex have responded for 148 without losing a wicket, so it looks like a draw is likely at this point. In the first two days, only 10 wickets have been taken, which means that 30 wickets would be necessary in the next two days. I'll post the final result here so check back on Thursday.

From a road trip perspective, Test cricket might be the worst sport to watch. It takes all day, which is when you should be doing some sightseeing. Still, I'd like at one point to watch an entire test just for the experience. So I hope to be back again in better weather.

Next Up

Tomorrow I'm flying to LA and driving to Phoenix. I'll arrive too late for the Diamondbacks-Giants game but Thursday should see Tim Lincecum pitching for San Francisco, so I'll be there to watch that. Then the streaking Jays are in town for the weekend. Sharpy is joining me so it should be a good time. Talk to you then!

Best,

Sean

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