January 30, 2005 [LINK]
Sammy to Bal'mer!?
There is no official confirmation from the Cubs or Orioles yet, perhaps because he still has to pass a physical exam, but it seems certain that slammin' Sammy Sosa will be wearing orange and black colors this year. That will take some getting used to. The fact that he agreed to void the last year of his contract, meaning that he will become a free agent one year early, leaves no doubt about how badly he wanted to get out of Chi-town. The fact that the Cubs are willing to eat $10 million of his contract salary for this year suggests that the feelings are mutual. What in the world is his problem? Fans in the Windy City adored him, as far as I can tell, but something turned him sour last year, even though the Cubs were in the pennant race until the last week of the regular season. I hope this doesn't mean the Cubs are lowering their expectations for the 2005 season... For their part, the Orioles have shown they are serious about putting together a pennant-contending team after all -- just in time!
Revisions to the Memorial Coliseum page took longer than expected. (You would think a simple one-deck structure like this would be easy, wouldn't you? Don't try this at home!) It now includes a diagram version for the 1993 renovation, which turned out to be not enough to keep the Raiders in L.A. for very long.
Thanks to new visitor Mike Feldbush for pointing out to me the fact that neither the Pro Player sportswear brand, nor its parent company Fruit of the Loom, are in business anymore. Obviously, the money they spent to promote their brand name didn't have much impact on me; I guess I'm just not as attuned to marketing campaigns as most people are. Anyway, the Dolphins Stadium page has been corrected. Thanks also to Steven Poppe and Bruce Orser for their continued constructive input.
January 30, 2005 [LINK]
¡Los Tigres Ganaron!
Felicitaciones to the Aragua Tigers for winning the Venezuela Winter League Championship, beating the Caracas Lions 7-6 in the seventh and deciding game of the series. The Tigers thus retained the title crown they won two years ago (the season was canceled because of political violence last year), and it is their fifth national championship. The game was played in Maracay, which happens to be the home town of Miguel Cabrera, the star of the Tigers as well as the Florida Marlins. Among the stars of the Lions was Bobby Abreu, better known as a slugger for the Phillies, and Henry Blanco, catcher for the Braves. Perhaps reflecting the tense mood of the country, there was some fan violence in the game in Caracas last Sunday. See mlb.com and lvbp.com. In scanning other team rosters, I noticed that a certain pitcher named John Rocker, who played for the Lara Cardinals this winter, has an ERA of 13.50 on 2 2/3 innings pitched. Ouch!