June 15, 2008 [LINK / comment]
Nationals sweep the Mariners
The Washington Nationals have been swept (in 3- or 4-game series) five (5) times this season, and this weekend they finally achieved such a sweep against an opposing team, the Seattle Mariners. The hero today was Kory Casto, whose first major league homer got three runs across the plate. See MLB.com. Or, perhaps the fact that they were playing in Washington (state) gave the Nationals a bit of an advantage. After spending a couple weeks on the DL, infielder Ronnie Belliard has come roaring back, with two home runs on Tuesday, two doubles yesterday, and another double today.
Red Sox beat Reds
Yesterday's Game of the Week from Cincinnati on FOX had a thrilling ninth-inning, when the Reds' Edwin Encarnacion hit a two-run homer with two outs and two strikes to tie the game, but it didn't matter in the end, as the Red Sox got two home runs in the top of the tenth, thus winning, 6-4. That's gotta be painful. Today, the Bosox defeated the home team 9-0.
Yanks want more $$$
The New York Yankees are seeking an additional $400 million in public funding for their new stadium, which seems like a dubious proposition. But the bigger issue is whether the project should have been given tax-exempt status in the first place, as about $941 million in tax-exempt public bonds have already been issued. See foxsports.com and Chicago Tribune; hat tip to Brian Hughes and Bruce Orser.
More old baseball movies
I recently saw parts of two classic baseball movies for the first time on Turner Classic Movies: Angels in the Outfield (the 1951 original version; see IMDB) included lengthy scenes from Forbes Field, and some from Wrigley Field and Yankee Stadium. The other movie was The Stratton Story (1949), starring Jimmy Stewart as White Sox pitcher Monty Stratton, who kept playing even after his leg was amputated; see IMDB and MLB.com. It included scenes in Comiskey Park as well as Briggs (Tiger) Stadium, and some scenes were filmed in the two principal L.A. minor league ballparks: Wrigley Field and Gilmore Field.
Maybe some day they will make a movie called "Angles in the Outfield" for us baseball stadium aficionados. 