The end is near

Nothing beats a cold, snowy winters day than watching T20 cricket, Russian hockey and Dutch futbol.  Ah, the joys of being unemployed.  Another Pirates signing today.  Fransisco Liriano.  Now if we could have signed him five years ago. 

Special Talents

It is always fun for me to see a great movie or read a really good book.  But then I get the feeling that I am missing out on something.  Some people have a special talent.  My daughter has her Irish dancing.  My son has his guitar.  They both are really intelligent kids and I am extremely proud of both of them.  I always talk of writing a novel but never get the ambition to start it up. I try to blog but I really don't have that much to say.  I really enjoy reading the works of Hiruki Murakami.  His writing, even in translation, seems to come from deep inside.  I wish that I had that somewhere within me.  I read many different baseball blogs and see a lot of clever and insightful posts. Maybe one day I will reach that level.  I don't really see it happening soon.  For now I will plug away, doing the best that I can.
We are getting closer to the start of Spring Training.  It will be starting earlier because of the upcoming World Baseball Classic.  That is always a good thing.  It means a shorter winter.  Not that we have had much of a winter so far.
I have been off of work for a month now.  It is a little weird having nothing to do during the day.  Hopefully I don't get too used to it.  I did qualify for unemployment.  I fell a little guilty taking money for not working.  Last time I was out of work, I took a part time job that actually paid less than what I am making thru unemployment.  Seems strange to me, but I'll take it for now.   

It was the best of weather, it was the worst of weather

Sometimes it seems like a blessing and a curse to have temperatures in the 60's this time of year.  There is a feel of spring in the air and you start to get the urge to prepare for the dispatches from Florida and Arizona.  But then you look a the calendar and realize that it around 78 days until pitchers and catchers report.  Luckily there is baseball to tide me over until then.  The Caribbean leagues are in full swing and the 52nd Cuban season is under way.  The Cuban game is a little different in that most games are played during the day.  There is usually one night game and that is covered by the Cuban national TV station. Of course there is also NCAA baseball with Division I starting Feb 15.
Big news from Pittsburgh yesterday as the Pirates have jumped in to the free agency waters by signing Russell Martin.  It is reportedly a 2 year deal for $17 million.  He will be a welcome addition to the backstop picture.  It was interesting that the Pirates outbid the Yankees for his services.  They said that they could not afford him at that price.  Or could they have possibly seen something that would cause them not to go that high.  Only time will tell.

The Dysfunctionals

Wow and I thought it was tough being a Pirates fan.  Welcome to the dysfunctional family that is the Miami Marlins.  This team has more personality changes than Sybil.  They have gone through fire sale after fire sale, changed managers like Drew Barrymore changes husbands, and now they are at it again.  It looks like they are dealing Johnson, Buehrle, Reyes, Bonafacio, and Billy the Marlin for a few guys with multiple vowels in their names.  The Blue Jays are looking like they think they can be this year's Orioles and make a move in the AL East.  The Marlins however, are taking a step in the other direction. It is one thing to bring in young talent, but it is a different thing entirely to bring in only young talent. The big question is who goes after Giancarlo Stanton.  He probably won't be moved now but when he becomes arbitration eligible, then Katie bar the door. First they add payroll to fit their new digs, and to quote Major League about high-priced talent, "I forgot about Dorn, but he's just high priced."  All of that brought them is a last placed finish in the NL East.  Now they look to replace the outgoing Dis-Astros as the doormat of the NL.  Poor Mike Redmond.  He takes the manager's position and watches half of his roster turn over.  That is OK, he will only be with the club for a couple of years before Loria goes back off of his meds and replaces him.  Way to steal the spotlight from the Manager of the Year winners.

It is tough being the only sports fan in your household.  While my family is the other room watching Ghost Hunters and Modern Family, I am drawn to the computer to watch cricket from South Africa or Gaelic football from Ireland.  That is one of the true joys of the internet.  Instead of relying on the almost non-stop football coverage on ESPN, I get to watch sports I would never have the chance of watching without the internet.  I was able to watch my Yomiuri Giants win the Japan Series, the latest Newcastle United match, and beisbol from the Caribbean.  One of the great joys for a sports fan is to watch different sports from around the globe.  I had always been intrigued with the sports of other countries.  It started when I found a copy of Chrysanthemum and the Bat, an introduction to the world of Japanese baseball.  From there it was on to Amazing Games on ESPN where ex NFL player Bob Chandler would introduce us to sports from all over.  Now I spend much of my free time following sports from other countries.  I am now in the swing for the Test Match season of cricket.  Tonight it is the fourth day of the Test Match between South Africa and Australia, tomorrow we get Sri Lanka and New Zealand. I also get to watch teams like the Kaiser Chiefs, Borussia Moenchengladbach, the Windies cricket team, and the Collingwood Magpies.  The internet has opened my eyes to the Wide, Wide World of Sports.