Results tagged ‘ Buster Posey ’
Brian Wilson’s bearded airplane hits the skies
By David Brown | Big League Stew
Not since the heyday of Haight-Ashbury and Jefferson Airplane has a San Francisco-themed aircraft been this trippy. The Splash blog at the San Francisco Chronicle says the Virgin America plane decorated with a San Francisco Giants logo and a Brian Wilson beard on the nose is like flying “the bearded skies.” The turbulence will be delicious.
It’s actually kind of freaking me out (and not in a Summer of Love way), mostly because it reminds me of the “Air Israel” plane from “Airplane!” (minus the yarmulke cap device). I’m also imagining Wilson wearing his George Lopez Sea Captain’s outfit into the cockpit so he can fly us all home in style. And no acid needed to be dropped for such kooky visions.
It’s plenty cute, but this is all related to a sponsor partnership between the G-men and Sir Richard Branson’s favourite airline, which has worked out a contest that probably will break Twitter when the time comes to play. I’m wondering, though, in what other ways might the Giants airplane make passengers feel like they’re at AT&T Park for a ballgame?
1. Matt Cain, celebrating his new contract extension, plates the landing gear in solid gold.
2. The guitar stylings of left-hander Barry Zito will be the in-flight entertainment.
3. Relax and listen to Zito on a headphone-pillow combination made to resemble a Panda Sandoval hat. In the unlikely event of a water landing, it can be used as a flotation device.
4. Flight attendants will pass out free snacks, beverages and rally thongs.
5. Reflecting the Brandon Belt conundrum, manager Bruce Bochy stubbornly will insist on using a washed-up veteran pilot instead of a younger, more talented guy who has been wasting away in the pilot minor leagues.
6. The soothing tones of broadcasters Duane Kuiper and Mike Krukow guide the flight via air-traffic control at San Francisco International.
7. Lavatories will be located in the aisles to remind everyone of the on-field bullpens at AT&T.
8. Upon every landing, Tim Lincecum will pump his fist and scream his favorite obscenity.
9. There’s never a full flight because there’s always a bunch of guys on the disabled list.
10. All flights seem half as long now that Buster Posey is back, whoo-hoo!
Make sure you’re ready for opening day!
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Pre-emptive strike: Quit cryin’ about home plate collisions.
Ty Cobb says you're all a bunch of wussies!
When you get the urge to cry about unnecessary collisions at the dish just do me a favor.
Don’t.
Just don’t.
They happen. They are a part of the game.
Ricky Doyle over at NESN put it best:
Collisions at home plate aren’t always necessary, and should be occur sparingly, but to regulate them would inevitably hand either the baserunner or the catcher an unnecessary advantage in close-play situations.
If Major League Baseball was to employ a rule stating that runners must avoid contact with the catcher — similar to the “slide or avoid” rule employed in amateur baseball — it would give the advantage to the catcher. The catcher would have the benefit of dictating the course of action that a baserunner must take, and would — perhaps more importantly — have peace of mind knowing that there is no chance of an ensuing collision.
If Major League Baseball was to make a rule stating that the catcher cannot block the plate, the advantage would certainly go to the baserunner, who would enjoy the luxury of a straight path to the most sacred ground on a baseball diamond.
It’s understandable that some may call for authoritative action to be taken by the MLB rules committee in the wake of an injury sustained in a home-plate collision. What happened to Giants catcher Buster Posey last seasont is extremely unfortunate.
But to demand action to be taken as the direct result of the injury is a knee-jerk response, and one that is completely unnecessary. While they come with risk, home-plate collisions are rare occurrences in baseball, and injuries resulting from them are even rarer.
So instead, collisions should continue to be handled the way they currently are, which is through an unwritten code of conduct. A baserunner can barrel over a catcher, but that player runs the risk of getting brushed back the next time he steps into the batter’s box.
Rounding the bases, getting to home plate and putting a run on the board for your team is what the game of baseball is all about. A baserunner wants to get there at all costs, whereas a catcher wants to protect it at all costs. The mutual discomfort that’s evoked in both the catcher and the baserunner as a play at the plate develops is one of the intriguing peculiarities that makes the game of baseball so great.
Posey’s injury isn’t the first injury to result from a collision, and it likely won’t be the last. It’s extremely unfortunate, but it’s the result of a hard-nosed play that is as old as the game itself. To take away the potential for a high-intensity, physical play in an otherwise non-physical sport would be a mistake.
Baseball continues to evolve, but some things are better left unchanged.
