Baseball

FSN North - Brewers Live

admin — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 06:54:00 +0000

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The BSG Playoffs Poll

admin — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 06:24:00 +0000

So with trips to Milwaukee, LA, and Anaheim in the last few months, we’d like to think that BSG had some hand in the postseason destinies of the those cities’ respective clubs. Minnesota just missing out hurts the theory, but you get the idea. Now with the playoffs under way we’d thought it’d be a good time to get your take on the best collection of postseason moments for our hard-working impresionist to take on. So here is a semi-comprehensive list of the vids we’d most like to see him tackle. Get your votes in ASAP!

&amp;lt;a href =”http://answers.polldaddy.com/poll/967220/” &amp;gt;What set of playoff stances do you want to see BSG do the most?&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt; &amp;lt;br/&amp;gt; &amp;lt;span style=”font-size:9px;” mce_style=”font-size:9px;”&amp;gt; (&amp;lt;a href =”http://www.polldaddy.com”&amp;gt; polls&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;)&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;

The Brewers & BSG

admin — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 20:21:00 +0000

Saturday, I get the word that I’m supposed to be at Miller Park that next morning at 10:30am. I arrive and the producer takes me to the field. We meet the on-air pregame show host. He is gracious and his wife laughs at me imitating BJ Surhoff’s facial expressions. We start the interview and he has me imitate players from the last 30 years.

We finish the interview and the on-field entertainment producer gets my phone number, just-in-case.
I then hangout behind homeplate while the Nationals take BP.
The game begins with John Lannan taking a no-hitter the furthest I’ve seen in person (5 1/3 innings). The ball ticked off the 2nd baseman’s glove on a floater to shallow center,
The game moved into the 8th tied at 1. Then someone who resembled a poorman’s Eric Gagne gave up three runs. Wait, is that actually Eric Gagne? No, not the dude from the Dodgers?

Oh man. He gave up a homer to Austin Kearns. Is there a record for most seasons on a last place team? Who can claim that award over Austin Kearns? Who? Please name him?

So, during the 8th inning the Milwaukee NBC sports anchor sends a cameraman to interview me. During that interview Mike Rivera is hitting a 2 out, 2 strike bases clearing double tying the game at 4. Four seconds after that double I get a call from the on-field entertainment boss who says- If this game goes into extras….you’re on!
Wow- that sounds cool. Only problem- What do mean I’m On?
So he meets me at the Fox sports desk and asks if I want to do a “Name that Brewer guessing game”?. I say of course. So he brings me down to the box seats behind the Brewers dugout and we talk about a strategy. He says, if we make it through 10 innings you’re gonna hop up on the dugout roof and imitate stances. We agree on which 5 we should do and he radios up to the PA announcer. He starts with some good news: we’re going to project it on the Jumbo Tron. Then some disappointing news: we’re gonna use the centerfield camera to film it. The idea of having my back/butt to the closest people kills the local vibe.

In the bottom of the 10th the BrewCrew load the bases with one out. Dang, GET THEM OUT!!! Sure enough JJ Hardy strikes out on a pitch only I swing at in RBI 2 when my brother pitches.
Gabe Kapler steps up and rockets a shot directly at the leftfielder. Out #3. I immediately hop up onto the dugout armed with Shorts, Chucks, a FSN Brewers cap and a plastic bat.
That’s a lot of people and I have a bad case of cotton mouth.
The PA announcer proclaims, “Hey everybody, it’s Batting Stance Guy…from the Internet!”

It sounds as cool and hip as the Dean of your college meeting you at Orientation and tapping you on the shoulder while bellowing, “Hello Mr Johnson, meet any co-eds have you?!”
So I imitate Prince Fielder and notice that CC Sabathia, Jeff Suppan and Ben Sheets are right in front of me sitting on the edge of the incredibly wide dugout. That’s the first time I consider that my Fielder waddle out of the box may not be met with all smiles. Oh well, this is for the crowd. I finish Fielder and begin the Ryan Braun, hand kiss, shirt adjustment, etc when I hear the PA announcer launch, “It’s Prince Fielder!”
(uh, yeah, 20 seconds ago, oh man, this is off). So I do the Braun imitation and start on the next one. “Hey everybody, It’s Ryan Braun!”
So by Ben Oglivie, the crowd gets what is going on and I’ve slowed down. The final one is Craig Counsell and the crowd seems to easily understand who it is,.
I step down from the dugout roof and get some high fives from the season ticket holders.

I am fairly surprised when ½ inning later the Brewers on-field entertainment boss joins me and says- we’re running the Sausages again after the 11th inning- if the game goes 12 full innings- you are on again.

Sure enough, Brewers go down in the 12th and I hop up on the dugout. This marks the 2nd time during the game something other than a hot girl or fuzzy costumed character has stood up on the Brewers dugout.
This time the PA announcer is on it and we do 7 players, with me able to hear a thousand people yell Rickie Weeks upon my first imitation. The last one in Cecil Cooper and the crowd answers correctly.
The second time I hopped up on the dugout and waited for the PA announcer, I looked around while soaking it all in. We posted the Red Sox less than 4 months ago and I’m on the top of a major league dugout?
Ah, the internet.
Kapler leads off the bottom of the 13th with a walk-off off the pole in left. Brewers mob Kapler, then heap praise on Rivera’s 3 RBI double.

Can’t remember a day like this.

A word of caution: if you are ever on the Brewers dugout roof with Converse Chuck Taylor high-tops and imitating Jason Kendall or Jeff Cirillo…..it’s pretty slippery.

Lancashire Line Weekly Draw - Week 26

admin — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 10:02:00 +0000

Have you won a £1,000 prize in this weeks draw? Here are the winning numbers for Friday 26th September 2008.

Last ball misery for over 50s

admin — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 15:04:00 +0000

Over 50s side just miss out on National title

Chilton leads Lancs to victory

admin — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 14:58:00 +0000

Mark Chilton hit 97 to take Lancashire to an 8-wicket victory over Somerset on the final day of the season at Taunton today.

Keedy five wickets destroys Somerset

admin — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 19:29:00 +0000

Lancashire are aiming to put the finishing touches to County Championship survival tomorrow morning by dotting the i's and crossing the t's on a marvellous victory against Somerset at Taunton.

FSN North - Twins Live

admin — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 20:06:00 +0000

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BSG goes to Minnesota

admin — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 19:58:00 +0000

TWINS pregame.
Friday, I was in Knoxville, TN when I received an email from the Minnesota Twins’ TV station FSN North. They requested I make an appearance on their pregame show. They simply said, be at the Dome, that Monday at 3pm….and bring your Hrbek jersey.
Done.

I got in a car and drove. Stopped off in Louisville to get two bats, one for my buddy that called the Twins and one for my buddy that designed/runs the bsg website. Had dinner with a buddy in Indy Sat then stayed in Gary, Indiana Sat night. Early Sunday morning I randomly get a text from a college buddy saying he was getting ready to go to Wrigley Field. He has no idea I’m near Chicago. (Cool, Cubs are in town). 3 hours later I’m in the leftfield bleachers. I text him, to see if he’s enjoying the game and if he has good seats. He says he’s in the last row on the first base line, beautiful day, Mike Jacobs just hit is second HR for the Marlins. Florida is up 5-0.

I then borrow one of those, It’s Gonna Happen large white signs with a huge “W” on the back.

I text him, do you see in leftcenterfield bleachers there is a W about three rows deep?

He says, Yes.
I say, It’s me.
He says, No way.
Then he writes, Turn the W over.
I immediately do it.

Like a Hitchcock film, he was spooked that everyone in the bleachers was watching the game and one fan is sending mindtricks his way.

Awesome.
Cubs make a crazy comeback win the game and Samardzija gets his first save. Fans mercilessly boo Uggla every time his name is mentioned, figuring his 3 errors in the All-Star game cost them WS home field advantage. Although boos turned to groans when Uggla untied the score with a knock out of the stadium.

Gotta keep driving. Get to the Twin Cities Monday morning and have lunch with my 84 year old Great UncleHartley who sent me a Homer Hanky in 1987. I still have the Game 6 review of the Star-Tribune featuring Kent Hrbek’s grand slam and a Wheaties box with the celebrating Twins.

Get to the Dome at 3pm. Meet with the producers and they take me down onto the field.

Bananas.

The cameraman gives me a few instructions, puts on the microphone and allows the producer to interview me. He asks me about this skill/curse, has me imitate current Twins, former Twins and two announcers, Roy Smalley and Ron Coomer.
Two highlights from the interview….while overdoing the facial expressions of Mark McGwire during an imitation I can hear laughter from the bullpen where the pitcher and catcher have stopped their warm-ups and are standing looking at us. They then get yelled at to quit playing grab-ass and get back to work. Highlight #1.
Highlight #2 was in 28 years of doing imitations I’ve never had a MLB batting champ impede my progress. When putting the finishing touches on the Derek Jeter imitation, I realized Joe Mauer was standing where the Jeter-post-swing-bat-chuck needed to go.
Oh well, foiled by the only AL catcher in MLB history to win a batting title. Oh well. FSN North got 88% of the Jeter routine.

I was then able to stand in foul territory for all of batting practice. I was struck by how small most of the players are. I’m 6’3” 215, but I’ve felt smaller than a MLB player. Man, I am not. A couple dudes are bigger, but most seem 5’9” 165.

When the White Sox take BP I sit in the Twins dugout. Unbelievable. I feel like I’m 11.
I can easily recall where most of the players were standing in 1991 when Gene Larkin stepped up vs Alejando Pena with the bases loaded and Gladden on third. The gum and seeds really do taste better in a major league dugout.
Speaking of the 91 World Series and the dugout. The cameraman starts to tell me about a vacation he just returned from where we took his boy to several games at Yankee Stadium, Shea, Citizens Bank and Oriole Park at Camden Yards. A gruff goteed man also sitting in the dugout complains, “Oh man, don’t take your kid to a baseball game on vacation. Take him hunting, or fishing or firing a gun.”
Wait a minute, I recognize that voice, and now I recognize the facial hair.

Jack Morris?
(I later find out he does the radio announcing)
I guess I understand what he’s saying. Most of us don’t want to show up at our office on a Sunday. I rarely see major league and the putt-putt batting cages.
But Jack, you made millions of dollars in your career……….BECAUSE folks like us take our kids to baseball games on our vacation.
As gametime neared, I picked up my stuff and took one last look around the Dome from the turf. I knew much of my childhood memories from those classic 1987 & 1991 World Series would be memories once the Twins move into a new stadium in 2010.

Brock Lesner was also on the field during BP and thought it looked strange when AJ Piezynski asked for his autograph.

It really was a spectacular day. The Twins shutout the White Sox. Nick Swisher hilariously lost his glove over the fence trying to rob a homer. The batboy had to run out another glove.

This place must have been so loud when Puckett homered of Leibrandt.

Glad I got to have lunch with my Great Uncle. What a day.

Lancs edge ahead

admin — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 19:31:00 +0000

Lancashire battled hard with both bat and ball to raise their hopes of County Championship survival by taking the midway point honours in their final game against Somerset today.

Final game finely balanced

admin — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 22:54:00 +0000

Lancashire's bowlers claimed the early advantage in their LV County Championship match against title chasing Somerset, but the hosts are still firmly in the game after today's first day.

Liverpool CC achieve ECB Clubmark

admin — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 14:49:00 +0000

The Lancashire Cricket Board would like to congratulate Liverpool Cricket Club from Liverpool MBC on achieving the ECB Clubmark Accreditation award.

Journos in a wheel spin for Charity

admin — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 10:58:00 +0000

With the England Team on a month's break, a group of National Cricket Journalists have decided to use their time for good, and embark on a Charity Bike Ride called The Oval to Lord's the Long Way Round.

Lancashire Line Weekly Draw - Week 25

admin — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 10:55:00 +0000

Have you won a £1,000 prize in this weeks draw? Here are the winning numbers for Friday 19th September 2008.

Lanky joins Facebook

admin — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 10:22:00 +0000

Lanky has decided to practice typing with his hooves and he's joined Facebook!

Baseball

FSN North - Brewers Live

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