Tony Gwynn

In 2008 my parents took me to Cooperstown, N.Y. to visit the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame. We were in Cooperstown the week before the '08 induction ceremony and I wanted to makes sure that I got my picture taken with the Class of 2007 before the new faces were added. I remember being excited because Cal Ripken Jr. and Tony Gwynn were at the top of my list as my all-time favorite non-Cleveland baseball players. Even though I missed the beginning of both of their careers, I had been alive and remembered some of their biggest milestones. When Gwynn was poised to hit over .400 in the strike-shortened 1994 season (.394 when the strike hit, raising his batting average from .386 on June 16th, he WOULD have done it) he became one of my favorite players. Maybe part of it was his rounded figure, or the fact that I had a Swingaway in my basement that he endorsed, but I started to try and be more like him in my approach every day. No, I would never swing from the left side and pepper the hole between short and third with precision as he did, but I would hit three buckets of balls to the opposite field off the tee before I started hitting. And I'll always remember the words he was known to say and play by when he said, "Remember these two things: Play hard and have fun."

Listening to Gwynn talk about hitting was fascinating. Not just because he was so knowledgable about the his craft or the fact that he was about as scientific about his approach as Ted Williams, but because he had that distinctive voice. I could listen to Tony talk about hitting for hours.

When we left the Hall of Fame that day I made it my mission to find a Tony Gwynn Padres shirt. I'm glad to say that I did. I'm also glad that I was able to spend the first part of my baseball fandom rooting for one of the best men to play the game. Today my heart is with the many Padres fans who mourn the loss of their legend. Like Williams for Red Sox, Gary Carter for the Expos, and Bob Feller for the Indians, Gwynn stood for many things that go far beyond the game of baseball and meant more to San Diego than anyone else.

Thank you Tony Gwynn, for all the memories.

** For your listening pleasure here is Ted Williams and Tony Gwynn talking hitting. I'm hoping that these conversations are continuing in heaven **

Kenny Hogg's ESPN Debut

Over the past two years at Palm Beach Atlantic, I have had the distinct pleasure of watching one of the NCAA's best men's soccer players do what he does best: score goals. 29 goals in 2012, 24 goals in 2013, and hopefully moving on to bigger and better things after PBA. Here's the local TV story on Kenny Hogg, one of the nicest guys and best soccer players I have ever met.

The Amazing Game 7

Let me start my first blog post of 2013 with a rant.

Manu “Mr. Rogain” Ginobli’s comments after Game 6 last night made me sick to my stomach. As a former athlete, and someone who still works in athletics, I was appalled by his remarks stating, “I have no clue how we're gonna be re-engergized. I'm devasted. There's no Game 8. We're gonna have to play our best game." Are you kidding me? I went from being in the, ‘Manu annoys me, but I don’t mind rooting for his male-pattern baldness hanging around,’ camp to the, ‘Holy crap, did he just say that? I can’t stand this guy,’ camp. If you can’t get energized by the Game 7 for the NBA Championship, get out of professional sports. I realize that last night’s game had to be emotionally draining for him; single-handedly giving the game to Miami in overtime will do that. But let’s be serious here.

With tomorrow’s Game Seven looming as one of the biggest NBA Finals games of the 2000’s, I got curious about the Magnificent Game Seven. Everything is riding on the outcome of this one game. The legacy of LeBron James and the Miami Big 3 rests on tomorrow’s outcome. Of course, the conspiracy theorists out there will say that this Game Seven was inevitable from David Stern and the NBA, and this made me curious. If Game Seven is the ultimate money-maker for the league, there should be a lot of them, right? There are three major sports that use a series format to decide their ultimate championship (NBA, NHL, and MLB). As a result of ignorant bar-talk conspiracy theorists, I'll explore the "money-making" Game Sevens of each league.

NBA Playoffs
I'll start with the NBA Playoffs, since it is most relevant to the times. In order to keep this in true games of significance, I will be looking only at the Conference Finals and the NBA Championship. In the last ten years (2004-13), there has been seven Game Sevens. Five of those seven have been Eastern Conference Finals matchups (2005 Detroit over Miami, 2006 Detroit over Cleveland, 2008 Boston over Cleveland, 2012 Miami over Boston, and 2013 Miami over Indiana). The only NBA Finals to go seven games is this seasons (Miami and San Antonio) and 2010's Finals (LA over Boston). Wouldn't there be more Game Sevens of the NBA Finals if a it was such a money maker? Why has there only been seven in the last ten years?

I'd like to hear/see responses to this one. Leave comments below or in the Facebook comments section. What's your opinion on Game Sevens? What do you think of Manu Ginobili's comments? Who will win Thursday night's NBA Finals Game Seven? 

One of my Most Memorable Broadcasts to date

Heading to the park on Wednesday night seemed like just another trip. I couldn't take the highway because my wife's car can't handle it. I was drinking a Diet Dr. Pepper for dinner. And it was extremely overcast and looking like rain. That's when things started to go my way.

As I got to the park I hooked up my recording device for the first time and it worked, making this post (and its subsequent audio) possible.

While I was filling out the lineups, I noticed a #40 Giancarlo Stanton batting third for the home Jupiter Hammerheads.

To top it all off, a decent crowd showed up, which always makes broadcasting a little more enjoyable.

And because I know there were a large number of people (or four) anxiously awaiting their mentions on the broadcast, here is my subtle mentions of some of my buddies from back home in my 6th inning trivia contest.
Here's the second walkoff home run call of my career:

RIP Uncle Guy

Everyone has a certain person who has a lasting impact on his or her life. They may be people God simply gave to us (family) or people we choose (friends), but they are ALL in our lives for a reason. We learn things about life, loss, fear, and hope from these people, and its what takes people from the “acquaintance” level to being “loved ones.” Guy Parrot was one of those people. Early Saturday morning, he lost his battle with cancer, a family lost a loved one, the world lost a great man, and Heaven gained the best homemade ice cream ever.

My Grandpa Ludlow passed away in 1979. That’s nine years before I was born. Even with only one biological grandfather to help teach me lessons the way only grandpas can, I never felt like it was an issue. Why? Because of my Uncle Guy. Uncle Guy traveled to my baseball games, cheering loudly for me and my teammates, though he never actually knew of them. He’d stop over for a birthday party, come watch my sister’s basketball games, and he always loved an opportunity to make some homemade sweets. Uncle Guy loved my sister and I like we were his own grandchildren, and that’s something that I’ll never, ever forget.

Growing up, he always had this uncanny ability to make me laugh when he called our house. Sometimes he’d call to talk to my dad, but end up having a conversation with my sister or me and then completely forget what he was calling for in the first place! He always cared so much for how we were doing, and we were just his great-nephew and niece.

When Kenleigh and I were in high school, Uncle Guy, Aunt Lil and Grandma Ludlow came over on a school night to make all sorts of sweets with us. Uncle Guy had been wanting to come over for years to do it, and we finally got the chance. I never would have imagined that I could have had so much fun! We made hard tack candy, peanut brittle, and of course, the most amazing candy buckeyes that I’ve ever tasted. That night was filled with so much love and even more laughter that I will no doubt remember it for as long as I live.

Of course I have to mention the homemade ice cream in a little more detail. I can’t even specifically recall all the times we had it when we were visiting with him, but boy, do I remember how much better it is than any ice cream ever. No Faulkner family reunion was complete without it. No matter what place we go to as a family (and the Ludlows go to a LOT of ice cream places), no place ever compares to Uncle Guy’s homemade ice cream.

The last time I saw Uncle Guy was at my wedding in June, and I would trade anything to have been able to say a proper goodbye. I consider myself blessed beyond words that God put such an amazing man in my life. My hope is that he knew that too. My other hope is that he has some of his ice cream waiting for me when I get to Heaven one day.

We’ll all miss his stories, jokes, candy, ice cream, and uncanny ability to make us smile. But most of all, we’ll miss him. Rest in peace Uncle Guy. We love you.

Notre Dame's Move to the ACC is about More than Dollars and Cents

Long title, I know. I have to preface this entire article with this: I am not a Notre Dame fan. I grew up in the heart of Buckeye country, and always cheered for the University of Dayton. Then my best friend decided to become a member of the Fighting Irish nation, and I became a casual fan. In the past few weeks, there has been a lot in the media about Notre Dame, some bad (like Rick Reilly's article) and some good. I do really enjoy the business side of sport. Whether it is professionally or collegiately, there is always a financial reason behind every major decision. This move for Notre Dame is just a tad different though.

Everyone has always said that Notre Dame should join the Big Ten. I want people (especially some of the tweeters from Notre Dame) to know, this isn't because we think of the Big Ten as the supreme conference in the Midwest. If you want to make the argument that other conferences are stronger, you have every right to do so. The reason Notre Dame would join the Big Ten isn't because of sports though. The Irish joining the likes of Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Indiana, Purdue, etc. would be because financially it is MUCH more affordable. How? Think of the travel between these cities. I know that a big program like Notre Dame doesn't think about that too much, but the difference between sending an entire team to Syracuse, NY isn't going to be nearly as expensive as it is to send them to Bloomington, IN, or any of the other schools in the conference. A team like Notre Dame doesn't really need to worry too much about this, but this is my main reason why the Big Ten and Notre Dame would be a great fit. "Minor" sports (like baseball, soccer, golf, tennis, etc.) can't fly everywhere like the basketball and football teams. A move to the Big Ten would make absolute sense for those programs who, even though part of a great athletic tradition, have to worry about a budget.

Staying in the Big East is no longer a viable option, and I completely understand the move to a new conference. With teams like Boise State, UCF, Houston and SMU joining the conference, the travel aspect of things are out the window, and suddenly the Big East has become the Big Joke. Those teams being in the conference for football is fine, but Notre Dame is still independent in football, so this means nothing to them. Pitt and Syracuse are already leaving, so two of the best basketball programs in the conference have made the switch. If trying to make the most money, amass the most wins, and keep the football program happy, then staying in the Big East makes sense. Notre Dame is about more than making money though (which it clearly does: sell outs for every home game and that NBC TV deal are huge), and that brings me to why the ACC actually makes sense with the University of Notre Dame's philosophy.

The current Big East, has one university in conference that is in the Top 40 of US News Top College rankings (Georgetown). The Big Ten has two (Northwestern, Michigan) and the Big Twelve has zero. The ACC, with Notre Dame included, now has six institutions in the Top 40 (Duke, ND, North Carolina, Virginia, Wake Forest, and Boston College). When the Notre Dame officials say that they want to move to the ACC because they will be with like-minded universities, THIS is what they mean.

I used to think that Kentucky basketball and Notre Dame football were very similar: they won a bunch of championships before schools really cared about athletics. Now I realize there is so much more to the University of Notre Dame. Here's another great article about Notre Dame from Pat Forde that I have to include in this post. I am proud of what Notre Dame is doing as both an institution and an athletic organization, and my only tie to the school is my best friend. This is an institution whose students, faculty, staff, alumni, and die-hard fans around the country deserve to be proud of.

Day 9: Designated Hitter

I apologize for not posting anything the last few days. Palm Beach Atlantic hosted a seven-team volleyball tournament that ran my life from Friday morning until about 7 PM on Saturday. After a mini-coma Saturday night and two naps Sunday, I'm feeling better and ready to get back at it today!

Here's another option for the Indians that seems to be a no-brainer. The designated hitter has been a spot that hasn't given us much production since Pronk was awarded his fat contract. I have to say, I love Travis Hafner as a clubhouse guy, but have to admit I think he was on the juice. He doesn't have that pop he used to, and I know we could blame the constant injuries for that, but let's just be honest with ourselves here.

It is time to move on from Hafner (which as a sidenote, does anyone have an idea of when he last hit a ball into "Pronkville"? I feel like its been at least 2+ seasons) and start using the DH as the majority of minor league teams do. What do I mean by that? Well, I personally don't see the advantage with a team with limited talent (like the Indians) to handicap themselves with a full-time DH. Its a perfect spot to rotate guys like Santana, Kipnis, Choo and Cabrera during the week to give them time off without completely taking their bats out of the lineup. I would much rather have a revolving door there that includes our best hitters as opposed to trying to work matchups out (like this years' team tried with Jose Lopez, Shelley Duncan, and Johnny Damon). On the days that all of those guys are playing, it'd be great to see Russ Canzler there. The Indians don't have a lot of sluggers in the minor league system, so unless there's a trade made to accommodate that weakness, which I highly doubt, this is probably the best option.

Now, would I give Hafner a very small, incentive-based contract like the one I'd give Sizemore? No. Sorry Pronk, but you can't play any position BUT designated hitter, you aren't worth one of the twenty-five spots anymore. Love the guy, but the final verdict is let him walk.