Carew's Line Drives
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Pujols to catch Obama's All-Star pitch
St. Louis superstar fittingly representing host city
By Anthony Castrovince / MLB.com
07/12/09 4:15 PM ET
ST. LOUIS -- Albert Pujols is the face of the 80th Major League Baseball All-Star Game, so it's appropriate that he'll pair up with the face of the nation Tuesday night.
Pujols has been selected to catch President Barack Obama's ceremonial first pitch before the Midsummer Classic at Busch Stadium. The game will air on FOX at 8 p.m. ET on Tuesday.
An eight-time All-Star, Pujols will be on center stage for this week's events in his home park. He was the Majors' top online and overall vote-getter in balloting for the All-Star Game, collecting 5,397,374 votes. He'll be taking part in Monday's State Farm Home Run Derby. And in advance of taking the field as the National League's starting first baseman for Tuesday's marquee event, he'll snag Obama's first pitch.
But Pujols won't be the only Cardinals hero on the field for that special moment. The six living Cardinals Hall of Famers -- Stan Musial, Bob Gibson, Lou Brock, Red Schoendienst, Bruce Sutter and Ozzie Smith -- will all be there to greet the president.
As for Obama, he'll be wearing a black glove specifically designed for him by Wilson. The glove includes "Obama #44" written in script and an American flag. Following the first pitch, the glove will be authenticated by MLB and sent to the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y.
The president has also received a request to appear in the FOX Sports broadcast booth during the game.
"We are discussing with FOX the prospect of him being in the booth," White House spokesperson Dan Pfeiffer told SI.com.
Former Presidents George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush and Jimmy Carter will all appear in a video address as part of the ceremony honoring the All-Stars Among Us -- a group of 30 people recognized by MLB and People magazine for their outstanding community service. The video, combined with Obama's appearance, will mark the first time all of the living U.S. presidents will participate in a ceremony at a sporting event.
Pujols, of course, will be at the center of it all, keeping with the theme of the week.
Anthony Castrovince is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Posted on June 23, 2009 at 11:24 PM.
I grew up and still go to this area of East New York/Canarsie, Brooklyn. When I heard this story a couple of Sundays ago, I just shook my head in disbelief. Not because of some ******* randomly firing a gun, but the fact that this young man was at the park, with his team, on a sunny Sunday afternoon and this happened.I know anywhere and anytime, anyone of us could be a victim of a random gunshot, but where he was, and the time it happened, I just didn't expect it to happen. God is truly good!
Gunshot victim Kelly tosses first pitch
Fifth grader survives taking stray bullet to skull
By Tim Britton / MLB.com
06/23/09 9:06 PM ET
NEW YORK -- Eleven-year-old Davonte Kelly threw out the first pitch at Citi Field on Tuesday night, a little more than two weeks after he was shot in the head by a stray bullet.
Kelly, a fifth grader at P.S. 219 in Brooklyn and a member of the Spring Creek Mets, was preparing for a photograph with his team on June 7 when a 9mm bullet lodged in his skull.
Kelly was released from the hospital later that week, amazed he'd managed to survive.
David Wright, Kelly's favorite player, had a special gift for the youngster, presenting him with a personalized No. 31 jersey.
Tim Britton is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
Posted on June 23, 2009 at 10:26 PM.
President will be fourth in office to perform ceremonial honorBy Alden Gonzalez / MLB.com
06/23/09 7:31 PM ET
President Barack Obama will throw out the ceremonial first pitch for the 2009 All-Star Game at Busch Stadium in St. Louis on July 14, Major League Baseball announced on Tuesday.
Obama will be the fourth U.S. president to throw out the first pitch in the Midsummer Classic -- joining John F. Kennedy (1962), Richard Nixon ('70) and Gerald Ford ('76 and '78) -- and will be the seventh president to attend an All-Star Game. The first was Franklin D. Roosevelt, in 1937.
"Major League Baseball is truly honored that President Obama will be in attendance to throw out the first pitch at the 80th All-Star Game on July 14 in St. Louis," MLB Commissioner Allan H. (Bud) Selig said in a statement. "The central theme of the 2009 All-Star Game is community service, celebrating the extraordinary work being done by ordinary people. We are thrilled that we can come together with President Obama, who has encouraged a renewed spirit of national service, and illustrate a call to action in our communities. President Obama will continue a great tradition that joins our nation's leader and the national pastime."
The All-Star Game will be nationally televised on FOX Sports, with pregame ceremonies beginning at 8 p.m. ET. ESPN Radio will provide exclusive national radio coverage, while MLB.com will provide extensive online coverage.
On April 22, MLB dedicated this year's All-Star Game and surrounding events to raising funds and awareness for charitable initiatives and community service. The charity and community-service initiatives, themed "Going Beyond," will be the most extensive in MLB All-Star history.
In addition, MLB is supporting Obama's call for community service through "United We Serve," a program that encourages Americans to engage in community service. Obama is encouraging all Americans to visit www.serve.gov to find service opportunities in their area.
Alden Gonzalez is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Being of African-American/Latino ancestry myself, I know that black is black. Most of us don't try to 'divide' or differentiate what is patently obvious...African blood.
The Jose Reyes', the Pedro Martinez', the Hanley Ramirez', the Robinson Cancel's, the Sandy Alomar Srs, the Julio Franco's, the Carlos Delgado's, the Vldimir Guerrero's and the Manny Ramirez' of the world are black also--Black Latinos.
It matters not if one speaks English, if one dice Ingles or even if one parle l'anglais. We are one.
I'm not naive. At 51 years of age, I can print some stories (personal and otherwise) that would make many of you have a spinning head. But not today.
Back to The New York Mets. I'm pretty sure that this situation is probably mere coincidence. Most of us know that the numbers of black Americans in Major League Baseball, has been way down gradually for decades. I understand the number is now somewheres around 5%.
In the large cities acrosss this country, and in the smaller ones, blacks as well as a lot of whites, have gone on to play other sports or not play any at all.
Anyway...tonight, a radio broadcast confirmed that the Mets signed Junior Spivey (utility infielder) today to a minor league contract. I'm wondering if he's still got game. He had a VERY nice 2nd year with the D'backs in 2002 and fell off gradually...ending his playing career up to this point with the Washington Nationals in 2005.
If he can still play, I hope he can show a lot between now and Opening Day. The Mets need as many right-handed bats as they can get, and he's got some pop. So we'll see what the future holds. At 34 years of age now, IF he's got game, we need to see it now, for there probably won't be any tomorrow.
I'm out.......
Friday, February 27, 2009
My first issue:
WFAN's logistics aside...for the last two days, WFAN has had their prominent personality, Mike Francesa, do his show live from Port St. Lucie. He's sitting in one of the broadcast booths. One would THINK that for at LEAST half of the game, we would be treated to what went on in the field, right? WRONG!
For those who don't know, Francesa is a dyed-in-the-wool Yankees fan. And he tries to spin it that he's an objective radio host. Bull****. The guy is an ignoramus and what's even more indicting, is the for the last two days, he was CLUELESS with the Mets' goings-on in the game.
He's doing all of these interviews with some Mets players and even some folks who are not even in baseball, like Jim Calhoun. And not taking any real time to at LEAST racap some of the ongoing action.
Add to that, virtually any caller who challenged him today regarding his know-it-all statements about David Wright and his clutch or non-clutchness, they got CUT OFF...most times abruptly.
In addition, Francesa is REALLY a head case. He's very tempermental, hates to be confronted, HATES to be wrong and as I've said many, many, many times, when it comes to talking about what 'certain' Latino players do or don't do, HE (Francesa) needs to shut the **** up and move his fat *** on.
He's clueless when he speaks on issues that he clearly is not in tune with. And that's followed up with legions of callers...following him like lemmings in the midnight sun, who don't know a damn thing either. They just mirror what Francesa says.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Published: February 19, 2009
KISSIMMEE, Fla.: The Atlanta Braves emerged from the dugout as though it was just another spring training day. The pitchers headed to the mound. The hitters wandered in and out of the cage, taking their swings. Bobby Cox wobbled around the field trying to get a look at some of the promising kids.
"We move on real fast," the venerable manager said, standing along the first-base line after his team took the field.
But there was an undeniable pall hanging over the Braves camp Thursday, the sense that another player who might have helped this franchise recapture its glory days had gotten away.
Twenty-four hours earlier, they were confident — in the case of third baseman Chipper Jones, downright convinced — that Ken Griffey Jr. would soon be donning a tomahawk jersey. After all, Junior was the one who initiated the talks, telling Jones and team officials that Atlanta was a perfect fit for his family, the best place to spend the twilight of what will surely be a Hall of Fame career.
But late Wednesday, Junior delivered an unexpected curveball, informing the Braves by phone that he preferred to finish out where it all started. He's heading back to the Seattle Mariners, which left the Braves back at square one when it comes to bolstering their feeble outfield.
"The only thing I question is why he came to us," said Jones, the reigning NL batting champ and a leader in the effort to recruit Griffey to Atlanta. "Our time could have been better served exploring other options. That's unfortunate."
Not that he didn't sympathize with Griffey's back-and-forth decision.
"He wanted to come here," Jones said. "That's why he reached out to us. But with every major decision in your life, you've got to do some soul-searching. He had options, and he didn't chose this option. There's no hard feelings."
But there was clearly some bitterness over the turn of events, some of it directed at media outlets that reported Griffey had decided to play for Atlanta. Pitcher Tim Hudson got into a heated argument in the clubhouse with a newspaper reporter, claiming his story angered Griffey and led him to back out of dealings with the Braves. A team official had to step in and lead Hudson to a back room.
The Braves wanted to add Junior to an outfield that produced only 27 homers last season, worst in the majors.
While clearly past his prime, the 39-year-old Griffey seemed to fit two key criteria — he still has some pop in his bat (18 homers last season, 30 two years ago) and he wouldn't require a major financial investment. Having already doled out a $60 million contract to free agent pitcher Derek Lowe, the cost-conscious Braves weren't prepared to make a similar offer to a hitter.
Griffey wasn't even on the Braves' radar until he got in touch with them last week, saying he wanted to play for a team that wouldn't take him too far away from his wife and children.
"I think he clearly felt like this is where he was going to go," Wren said. "Whatever factors entered in after that, I don't know, but he changed his mind."
Apparently, the chance to return to city where he played his first 11 seasons, where he became one of baseball's biggest stars and is still viewed as an icon, was just too much for Griffey to pass up. The Mariners also sweetened the pot — he'll get a guaranteed contract for around $2 million, plus incentives — by assuring he'll remain a part of the organization even after he hangs up his glove.
"They wanted him to have a relationship, a role with the club post-career, which made all the sense in the world to them but not necessarily for us," Braves general manager Frank Wren said.
So, what's next for the Braves?
They could take a shot at one of the remaining free agents, such as Garret Anderson. They could try to swing a deal with an overloaded team such as the New York Yankees, who might be willing to give up Nick Swisher or Xavier Nady for prospects. Or they could just stick with what they've got.
That would appear to be the least-appealing option, though the Braves' outfielders insist they'll be much better as a group than they were in 2008. Start with right fielder Jeff Francoeur, a once-budding star who looked totally lost while batting .239 with 11 homers and 71 RBIs.
"I truly feel, as bad as were last year, we'll be as good this year," said Francoeur, who avoided arbitration by agreeing late Wednesday to a contract for just under $3.4 million. "I'd sure like to think I'm going to hit more than 11 homers this year."
While Francoeur is only 25 and certainly has some history — he hit 29 homers in 2006 and had more than 100 RBIs each of his first two full seasons — the other two outfield spots are manned by prospects and journeyman types.
Matt Diaz, who likely would have platooned with Griffey in left, hopes to get another shot at a full-time job. He batted only .244 last season and was limited to 43 games after tearing up his left knee in May. But Diaz has lost a significant amount of weight and looks forward to recapturing the form of the two previous seasons, when he hit over .300 as a part-timer.
In center, Josh Anderson appears to have the edge after batting .294 with 10 stolen bases in limited time last season. Gregor Blanco and Jordan Schafer also will get long looks.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
LeBron: Monkey Off A-Rod's Back
NBA superstar puts positive spin on steroid admission
By Doug Miller / MLB.com
Alex Rodriguez's admission of steroid use has rebounded all the way to one of the stars of the National Basketball Association.
NBA star LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers told the Associated Press on Tuesday that Rodriguez's confession was a positive thing for the Yankees third baseman.
"I think it had to be a big monkey for him to get off his back, and I think it will be good for him in the long run," James said. "It's another big cloud over all baseball, and his accomplishments, but I think it will be good for him in the long run."
James, who considers himself a fan of the Yankees, said he doesn't think the NBA has a problem with steroids.
"I look at baseball like it's one of those team sports that's kind of individual, and I guess baseball players think they need an edge on the next player," James said. "It's never mentioned in basketball and I hope it never is, or in any sport.
"You know guys always want to get an edge. It's just never done [in basketball], and I hope it never will be," he said. "It's dangerous."
Doug Miller is reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Perez, Ponce set for Caribbean Series
Former Major Leaguer the skipper for Puerto Rican squad
By Jesse Sanchez / MLB.com
Eduardo Perez's voicemail is full. His inbox is so loaded it sometimes kicks back e-mails, and his cell phone battery is barely hanging on.
When the former Major League player says he is keeping busy in the days since his playing days ended in 2006, he is being humble.
Because sandwiched between his daughter's morning bake sales, lunches with his lawyer wife, designing his winter baseball program, television appearances and preparing for an upcoming coaching gig, Perez not only found time to manage the Leones de Ponce, he led them to a Puerto Rican Winter League title.
"Here in Puerto Rico, my motivation is simple, and that is to raise the quality of baseball," Perez, 39, said. "There is so much talent here, and it has not even been tapped. If I'm here and I can help, I will. That is my drive."
Perez and Ponce will join Mexico's Mazatlan Venados, the Dominican Republic's Tigres de Licey and Venezuela's Tigres de Aragua in the 2009 Caribbean Series starting Monday in Mexicali, Mexico. Using a round-robin format, every team will play each other twice, and the team at the top of the standings after six games will be the champion.
The Caribbean Series dates back to 1949.
"If you are a baseball aficionado, there is nothing like seeing the first week of February and watching guys that have been playing since October," said Lou Melendez, Major League Baseball's vice president of international baseball operations. "These guys are in good, competitive shape, and that makes for exciting games. You add the international element, and the appeal is there. It's a feeling you only get by being there, but since it will be televised by the MLB Network this year, people watching will get a feel for what it is all about."
The Dominican Republic is the reigning champion and has won 11 Caribbean Series titles since 1990 and 17 championships overall. Venezuela, winner of six Caribbean Series titles, last won the tournament in 2006, while Mexico, a five-time winner, earned the trophy in '05. A team from Puerto Rico has won the Caribbean Series 14 times, most recently in 2000, when Perez was a member of the squad.
"For me, growing up in Puerto Rico and sweeping all six games in the Caribbean Series, there was a lot of pride," he said. "It's about competing and going in there and having that sense of pride. When you play winter ball and win here, people don't forget championship teams."
You don't forget your first managerial job in Puerto Rico, either. Perez was named the manager of Ponce one day before the club's first game, not long after longtime manager Jose Cruz Sr. backed out for personal reasons. Perez ended the season as the league's manager of the year.
Under Perez's guidance, Ponce finished 27-15 and topped Arecibo, four games to one, in the Puerto Rican Winter League series final. Crowing a champion, any champion, is an accomplishment in itself for the league. Last season, Puerto Rico did not have a winter league because of financial problems and did not participate in the Caribbean Series. As a result, the field at the 2008 Caribbean Series was made up of Mexico, Venezuela and two teams from the Dominican Republic.
"Early on, the league had its bumps and bruises. It started off a little sluggish," Perez said. "It was November and nobody knew what kind of league we would have here. But the players showed up and the big league players came, too. There was a sense of unity in getting this league back to where it was."
Ponce's team featured Ivan Rodriguez, Javier Vazquez, Luis Matos and Pedro Feliciano. Mike Aviles, Ruben Gotay, Jose Valentin and Ramon Vazquez also participated in the league alongside young players from the island and Minor League players imported from the United States.
"In the Minor Leagues, each player has one goal, and that's to make the big leagues," Perez said. "In winter ball, players have different priorities. Some are coming back from injury. Some are trying to find jobs and show scouts they still have ability to play at a Major League level. Some play because they love to play. Some play because they owe it to the fans. That's why our leagues and the Caribbean Series are important."
Perez, the son of Hall of Fame first baseman Tony Perez, has two young daughters and is quickly developing into a paternal figure to players on the island. He created the annual Winter Training Program (WTP) in 2007 to bring professional players into the community with clinics and provide a central workout facility and program for the island's players. He also will be a coach for team Puerto Rico in this year's World Baseball Classic. Perez's other job is as a baseball analyst on ESPN.
"I really think we can surprise a lot of people," the Ponce manager said. "If we keep playing the game we have been playing all year, I don't see why we can't compete in every game."
Jesse Sanchez is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
Monday, January 26, 2009
Team Mexico taking on old prejudices
Classic roster unaffected by question of who should represent country
Some rivalries are made. Some are born and some are made to be broken. The 2009 World Baseball Classic will have them all.
Proximity between countries makes for natural rivalries for teams such as Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, the United States and Canada and of course, Mexico and the United States. There's the political rivalry between Cuba and the United States, the age-old rivalry between Japan and China and the competition for big league bragging rights in Latin America between Venezuela and the Dominican Republic.
Then there's the rivalry that no one really talks about but everyone knows exists between Mexicans and Mexican-Americans. Unofficially, you can call it "Mexicanos vs. Pochos." Officially, you can call it silly and outdated. It's anything but friendly. The entire rivalry is based on heritage and pride. It's also about division and the notion of being a "true Mexican." It seems to be coming to an end, at least in baseball.
For Team Mexico, the World Baseball Classic is about winning and putting the best team together.
Finally.
Remember the 2006 World Baseball Classic? Team Mexico's lone Mexican-American was San Diego's Adrian Gonzalez. The team went 3-3 and did not make it out of the second round despite eliminating the United States.
This year's provisional 45-man roster boasts nine Mexican-Americans, including Gonzalez, Tampa's Matt Garza, Arizona's Augie Ojeda, Jerry and Scott Hairston along with Toronto catcher Rod Barajas.
Will they help? They sure can't hurt when Mexico opens the first round on March 8 against Australia at Estadio Foro Sol in Mexico City.
"If they want to play for us and feel they are Mexican because of parents or family, we welcome them," Mexico manager and former Major Leaguer Vinny Castilla said. "They are coming to open arms, and they are still Mexicans to me. They want to represent the country, and they can."
That's what you call progress. It's also smart. Castilla has been around long enough to know that the inclusion, not exclusion, of talent wins baseball games. Why not let Mexican-Americans play if they want to and are, more importantly, good players who will help you win?
It seems like a no-brainer. It isn't that simple.
"Mexican-Americans are good to increase the performance level of the team, but they don't have any identification with the other players or the country," said Oscar Sanchez, a sports writer for the Mexican newspaper El Norte in Monterrey. "In soccer, we have a similar discussion with the naturalized players or 'naturalizados,' because many people don't want them on the national team, but the law gives them the right to play as Mexicans."
When talking about Mexicans vs. Mexican-Americans, place of birth is always the issue.
"For too many years people in the sports world, especially in Mexico, have made the mistake of believing that a Mexican-American doesn't count as 'Mexicano' because we were born in the U.S., and honestly, many have been divided on this issue for years," said Adrian Garcia Marquez, a broadcaster for Fox en Español based in Los Angeles. "Others have said they don't consider what they call 'pochos' to be Mexicans because some [Mexican-Americans] can't speak Spanish or speak very little, and they don't respect the heritage. On the contrary, our parents teach us at an early age to be proud of where our family came from and understand that our parents or grandparents came to U.S. to give us a shot at a better life, and better opportunities. So it doesn't matter if two or three generations have lived in the U.S., our cultural heritage is something we hold on to, and cherish."
But tell that to the Mexican fans when Ojeda strikes out or Garza gives up a home run. What happens if a Hairston gets picked off first base? It could get ugly and the term "pocho" will be anything but a compliment. Let's hope for the tournament's sake that it doesn't. But maybe, just maybe, Mexican fans will see every player in the same light when they don those famous green jerseys with Mexico stitched across the chests.
Perhaps winning the World Baseball Classic with the help of Mexican-Americans puts an end to the self-destructive rivalry between Mexicans and Mexican-Americans in every sport. Then again, maybe it never disappears.
"Unfortunately, some fans, even now, share that absurd point of view and may see the Mexican-Americans on Mexico's roster the same way and not fully accept them," Marquez said. "But it is good to know that the Mexican Baseball Federation sees it differently and is welcoming these ballplayers."
Jesse Sanchez is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
(PHOTO COURTESY OF LATROY HAWKINS)
Hawkins savors historic day
Astros pitcher, wife get great view of inauguration
By Alyson Footer / MLB.com
HOUSTON -- Astros reliever LaTroy Hawkins waited in long lines, stood in subfreezing temperatures and nearly got lost on the Washington, D.C. Metro system, but by the end of the day Tuesday, he marveled about how lucky he was to be at the right place at the right time.
Hawkins and his wife, Anita, traveled from their home in Prosper, Texas, to the nation's capital in order to witness history. But unlike the millions of Americans who flocked to the National Mall without a way to get up close and personal to President Barack Obama's inauguration, the Hawkins couple had tickets to the event, and therefore they were afforded a fantastic vantage point to watch the first African-American take the oath of the country's highest office.
"It was pretty amazing," Hawkins said via cell phone from a nearby restaurant following the ceremony. "You're sitting out there, and you're not thinking about race. You're thinking about welcoming a new president to office -- a clean slate. It was unbelievable."
Anita Hawkins, using her connections with well-connected friends, scored tickets in the seating area near the Capitol Building. While LaTroy was awestruck by the sight of Obama, he was equally as taken with the scene behind him -- what seemed like miles and miles of people, an endless sea of well-wishers there to simply be a part of the celebration.
"It was truly amazing to see Obama, but more than that, it was truly amazing turning around and seeing the millions of people behind us," Hawkins said. "After they swore in [Vice President Joe] Biden, they said, 'You can be seated now.' You could literally hear thousands of people who didn't have seats burst into laughter."
The Hawkins' Washington excursion began Monday night, when they waited for approximately two hours to gain entry into the Illinois ball, where Hawkins, from a distance, caught a glimpse of White Sox general manager Kenny Williams.
The next morning, the couple headed out just before 8 a.m. ET, boarded the Metro and quickly befriended a couple of locals who helped them navigate to the Capitol -- or, as Hawkins put it, "Led us to the promise land. We had absolutely no clue."
Once the ceremony began, Hawkins stood speechless as he watched Obama's inauguration.
"We were so in awe," he said. "Our eyes were glued on stage. It gives me goosebumps. It was just incredible."
Hawkins originally had planned to fly back to Texas on Tuesday evening, but after witnessing the massive crowds at the inauguration, he figured it would be more prudent to postpone the trip until Wednesday morning. Instead of traveling, he and Anita planned to attend the home states ball in the Washington Convention Center, one of 10 balls the Obamas were scheduled to attend.
Throughout the experience, Hawkins' thoughts were with his family, from his grandfather, who remembers Jackie Robinson breaking baseball's racial line in 1947, all the way to his daughter, who at just 7 years old became a staunch Obama supporter and a great fan of the campaign process.
He also was reminded of his grandmother, after noticing an older African-American woman standing behind them during Obama's swearing-in. Overcome with emotion, the woman burst into tears, and Hawkins wondered if his grandmother, who passed away in 2006, would have had the same reaction after witnessing this particular slice of American history.
"She'd be looking at me saying, 'I told you," Hawkins said. "She'd say, 'I knew it could happen. I knew it.'"
Alyson Footer is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Baker visits D.C. to witness history
Reds manager brings family to the Inauguration in search of hope
By Lyle Spencer / MLB.com
It was in July, the Barack Obama campaign rolling full-steam ahead, that Cincinnati Reds manager Dusty Baker made a promise to his wife and their son.
"I told Melissa and Darren that if Barack won," Baker said by phone this past weekend, "I'd take them to the Inauguration."
The Baker family's excellent adventure began on Sunday with a flight from San Francisco to Washington, D.C., where on Tuesday Obama will take the oath of office as the 44th President of the United States at the U.S. Capitol.
As he soaks it all in, the wonder and splendor of it all, Baker will be thinking about his parents and what this means to them and all African-Americans of their generation.
Christine and Johnnie B. Baker Sr. raised Dusty and his siblings in Riverside, where he was born in 1949, and then in Sacramento with a social awareness that has served Johnnie B. Jr. well throughout his illustrious career as a ballplayer, coach and manager.
Baker Sr., now 83, worked two jobs, one with the U.S. Air Force, in Dusty's youth, while Christine, 77, was teaching history, specializing in black studies.
"They've seen a lot," Dusty said. "A lot of people of all nationalities have seen a lot -- good, bad and change. I'm sure my folks, and a whole lot of other folks, will be real happy on Tuesday.
"I know a lot of people, including some big ol' dudes, were crying the night of the election. My parents worked on getting people registered to vote way back when John F. Kennedy was running for president [in 1960]. I was just a kid then, 11 years old. But I remember how important JFK was to my parents, what he represented. And now we have this momentous event.
"My dad was disabled on Election Night and wasn't able to really see the reaction. My mom was downtown [in Sacramento]. She and my dad were very active in the NAACP. She's been active socially her whole life. She was working for Barack in this election, getting out the vote."
It was through Gary Matthews, his hitting coach in Chicago while Baker was managing the Cubs, that Dusty met Obama, who'd served eight years in the Illinois Senate representing Chicago's 13th District, on the South Side, before his 2004 election to the U.S. Senate.
There was a Chicago birthday party for Matthews' daughter, attended by the future president and the Baker family, and several memorable dinner parties hosted by the Bakers during Spring Training in Mesa, Ariz.
"Sarge [Matthews] asked me if he could invite Barack over," Baker said. "Sarge and I would cook and put on these dinners, and Barack came over and just hung out with everybody else. He was a regular guy, very polite, smooth. A cool dude, really. You couldn't help but like the guy.
"He gave me his cell phone number and told me to call if anybody needed anything. I'd call, hoping to get his answering machine, knowing how busy he was. He'd answer every time, and we'd talk. I didn't want to bug him, but he said to call any time.
"After he won the election, I called to congratulate him but didn't get through. I heard later that they'd taken his cell phone away. But Sarge told me he got the message."
Now a broadcaster for the Phillies, with son Gary Jr. playing for the Angels, Matthews gave Baker a call from Philadelphia on Friday night.
"He told me he was having a hamburger with the president," Baker said. "Sarge and his wife, Sandy, have done a lot of work in support of Barack. They've gotten to know Michelle, and Gary's daughter is close with Barack's daughters."
Obama departed the City of Brotherly Love on Saturday, bound for D.C. and his appointment with history. It would arrive one day after Martin Luther King Day.
"I'm praying for Barack," Baker said. "He's the busiest man in the world now. We have environmental issues, political issues, money issues. Everybody is focused on the economy, but foreign policy issues are just as important.
"If anybody can handle it, with his demeanor and intelligence, he can. Barack and his Cabinet, his people, have done their due diligence to get us out of this mess and get us back to being America, respected around the world.
"From what I've read and seen, the world seems happy with Barack's election. It sure seems like we're beginning to get back on the right track."
The "Audacity of Hope." Obama wrote the book on the subject.
"The biggest compliment I ever got as a manager was when I was with the Giants," Baker, a three-time National League Manager of the Year in San Francisco, said. "I was getting a physical and there was a male nurse there, and he said, 'Dusty, you give us hope.'
"I thought about that on the way home. Hope will make you tolerant, patient. Hope will make you optimistic. That's what Barack does. He gives us reason for optimism.
"This is the most involved I've seen young people on the political scene. I speak at Stanford every year, and I spoke at Yale a couple years ago. Every time I go on a campus, it gives me a great sense of hope in our much-maligned next generation. I see some dynamite kids coming up. They'll challenge you, and you can't lie to them. They want the truth."
Darren Baker was given a couple of days off from school with the assignment of delivering a special report on the big trip.
"He's got his little suit -- and a top-hat," Baker said. "My dad always wore hats. My favorite picture is one with my dad, me and Darren, all wearing hats. Old- school style."
When he returns home to the Sacramento suburb of Granite Bay, Darren Baker, the former Giants batboy, will have some amazing new tales to tell his classmates.
Lyle Spencer is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
Monday, January 19, 2009
Anderson ready to witness history
Mets' top pinch-hitter travels to D.C. for Obama inauguration
By Marty Noble / MLB.com
NEW YORK -- Given his druthers, Marlon Anderson would witness the inauguration of Barack Obama from a vantage point with greater proximity to history than the one he is likely to have Tuesday. He made a few runs at gaining VIP status. But an invitation was too hip a ticket even for a man with some connections. Anderson will be a VIP on Tuesday nonetheless -- very impressed person.
The swearing in of Obama as the 44th president of the United States will send a chill through Anderson, no matter the temperature in Washington, D.C.
"It's the biggest event in my life," Anderson said Sunday.
In that regard, it has displaced Obama's election two months ago.
Invited or not and regardless of the weather, "I had to be there to see history," Anderson said. "Whether you voted for him or not, this is history. How many opportunities do you get to witness something this historic?"
Anderson, the Mets' top pinch-hitter and perhaps the lone African-American on the Mets' Opening Day roster, and his wife, Shadia, have made the trip from their home in Houston to the nation's capitol. Anderson made the reservations the day after Obama was elected.
"No way I'd miss it," Anderson said.
They will walk some five or six blocks Tuesday morning, armed with a camera, coffee and a sense of the significance, and take their places among the thousands. Anderson won't be a big league player; he'll be wearing the uniform of the proletariat as well as new gloves, hand warmers inside his shoes and "what a country" sense of pride.
He wonders where the moments will take his emotions.
Anderson had hoped to bring his son and daughter. But their ages -- seven and eight -- the forecast and the likely crush of humanity dissuaded him.
"They'll come to know how important the day is," Anderson said.
His words sounded more like a vow.
"We're not packed yet, and we both are excited," Anderson said Sunday. "Can you believe where we're going and what we're going to see? Amazing."
Marty Noble is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Hawkins to attend Obama inauguration
Astros hurler sees new president as role model for children
By Alyson Footer / MLB.com
HOUSTON -- Astros reliever LaTroy Hawkins and his wife, Anita, watched the outcome of election night in November and casually discussed making the trip to Washington, D.C., for the inauguration of President-elect Barack Obama.
Although Anita had a chance to score tickets through a well-connected friend, they still figured odds might be slim they could actually make it happen.
"I said, 'No way she's going to be able to get tickets,'" Hawkins said in a phone interview with MLB.com from his hometown of Prosper, Texas, on Saturday. "But she worked it out and got us tickets. She said, 'Somehow, someway, we're going to go.'"
And off they'll go, as will millions who plan to flock to the nation's capital for a historic event that comes on the heels of a presidential race that captivated the country for the better part of the past two years.
For the Hawkins family, the election of Obama, who will be the first African-American president in United States history, is profoundly significant. Hawkins, African-American and the father of a 16-year-old son, Dakari, and 7-year-old daughter, Troi, likened Obama's election to Jackie Robinson's breaking baseball's color barrier more than 60 years ago.
"Jackie Robinson showed my grandfather and my uncles and my father that anything is possible," Hawkins said. "You can do it. Obama is showing my kids -- my kids who have seen that their dad has been successful -- that you can do anything. In my household, it's important, because it shows you can be successful in something other than sports.
"For an African-American man to hold the highest honor in the country, it gives my kids hope that if you put your mind to it, work hard, keep your faith first, anything can happen. You have to stand for something."
Hawkins and his wife both grew up near Obama's home state of Illinois, in Gary, Ind. Through Anita's connections, they're going to the Illinois gala Monday night and the inauguration Tuesday. Anita is participating in the entire four-day extravaganza, whereas Hawkins plans to fly back to Texas after Tuesday's festivities so that he can resume preparing for Spring Training.
Hawkins wasn't a staunch Obama supporter from the very start, but warmed up to the President-elect as he learned more about him. Hawkins agreed with some of Obama's policies, but not all of them. By the time election day rolled around, the pitcher was sold on the Illinois senator.
"It took me a while to sit down and listen to Obama and see how down-to-earth he is," Hawkins said. "He's so normal. Most presidential nominees seem to be untouchable. He doesn't give that aura that he's untouchable."
Marveling about how much the country has evolved, Hawkins noted that it is a parent's obligation to tell children how important this time is for the country.
"We're making strides in the right places, strides in racism," Hawkins said. "People say racism doesn't exist. That's not true. There are still traces all over our country. But it's definitely getting better.
"For Obama to win the election by so many votes, that shows you that the bitter taste in our mouth of racism is slowly, slowly going away. A lot of races voted for Obama. That shows he touched everybody. It doesn't matter what color you are. All races, every walk of life -- he touched everyone."
The process to score inauguration tickets was somewhat unnerving for Anita Hawkins, but well worth it. She wasted no time working the phones the morning after the election, first calling her friend Francina Norman, who hosts a show on the Oxygen Network, and who received an allotment of tickets for the Illinois ball.
"I said, 'We have to go,'" Anita said. "[Francina] said, 'I have 10 tickets.' I said, 'I need two.'"
Another friend, Maryland real estate agent Natalie Middleton, obtained tickets to the most coveted event -- the swearing-in ceremony. Middleton also took care of the toughest assignment -- scoring LaTroy and Anita a hotel room in a city that was completely sold out.
Anita, who met Obama at an event she attended with her children during the campaign, found the whole process to be a family bonding experience. Troi, an enthusiastic Obama supporter known to place bets with her classmates prior to election day, camped out in front of the television the night of Nov. 4 with her pretzels and various other snacks and watched the results unfold.
"She dozed off right before, but I woke her up," Anita said. "I said, 'He won.' [Troi] said, 'I knew that already.'"
Alyson Footer is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
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