A Nurse's Journey » baseball

Thanks for the memories

Lillie — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 21:39:52 +0000

As this magical season comes to and end all the naysayers have to bite their collective tongues. No one but no one gave the San Diego Padres the chance of a snow ball in hell to make a showing in their building year.
Magic still happens. These dedicated young athletes came out swinging and fought their way to number one in their division. And there they set for a very long time.

How could this happen? They aren’t the power hitters of other teams but what they did have was solid playing of the game. Errors were few and far between. Highlight catches in the outfield left fans breathless. But what surprised the fans was the bullpen. Here were the pitchers that could carry a game if they could get just a few runs.

Latos, Richardson , Leblanc, and Garland worked the early innings. Then in the late innings, Frearia, a young, strong pitcher, would often hold them for the gab.

The gab is the fearsome trio of Gregerson, Adam, and Bell. If allowed most team would like to take their ball and go home rather than face these three. They have made the game fun to watch. I truly loved to see Heath Bell bring heat to the plate.

Looking back we can see where the team found strength when we received Miguel Tejada. He has added some hitting power to the roster and working in front of our true power house, Adrian Gonzales, things in deed picked up. When you talk about players who contribute to our team’s winning, there is five foot seven inch David Eckstein. Small in statue but a giant player we would be a lesser team without him. If there is a great play look for Eckstein to be in the middle of it.

Our catchers are both topnotch but Yorbie Torrealba is a real professional. Signing pitches or visiting the mound, he oozes confidence. He can also hit.

There are other players that have helped the team get where they are now. I just wanted to speak of the ones I love to watch. Thanks for this season of believing and the magic that made the game so much fun to watch.

With six more games to go I can’t wait for next year. This has in deed been a year of fun.

The agony of defeat

Lillie — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 17:28:39 +0000

Sports fan and players are a superstitious bunch and I am no exception. My team, the San Diego Padres, is in a world class slump. A loss of six straight games. They had only lost three straight games before this and it was a given that they would rally and win the fourth game by hook or crook.

The pitching and the great defensive plays had overcome their poor hitting skills. I thought that when they brought on Tejada and Ludwig we would be in good shape. Little did I know that those fixes would be a little too late. Now here’s where I think the jinx comes in. We have lost all these last games to teams in red so no more teams in red! LOL

Now I have come to like Bud Black but I think he has a problem with relieving pitchers who aren’t doing well. I have noticed that we have lost games because someone should have been sent to the showers early.

I hope that tomorrow will start us on a winning streak again. I would hate to have to burn all my red clothes.

The sound of spring

Lillie — Fri, 28 May 2010 04:40:18 +0000

As I suffer through May gloom, the San Diego Padres are heating up the city by holding onto first place in their division. Now this is somewhat of a surprise since they can’t hit their way out of a wet paper bag. Or as well as I could if I used my cane to take a swing!

We had a hitting machine in Adrian Gonzales but the big guy went into a slump that dropped his batting average from the low 300′s to 256. Well he has started to come back. In fact the other day, to the Mariner’s dismay, he had 6 hits in one game! Welcome back Adrian. Now let’s look at Little Tony. He seems to be as nice as his father and has a good eye. He can get walks by being patient but he does not have his father hitting skills. The one person we can count on is Eckstein. He is the team’s leading hitter and his defensive plays are what we San Diegians yell “hang a star on that baby!”

You may ask with all these problems how can we be in first place? Well it’s called great pitching! Like Latos who almost had a no hitter, Correia, and Garland. But the trios of Gregerson, Adam, and oh my god, big Heath Bell, who have ruled the seventh, eighth, and ninth innings, and are unbelievable. I must mention our new catcher, Yorvit Torrealba. He is well versed in the game. He will visit the mound when the game is tight so that he and the pitcher are in sync.

This southern girl could not be happier if she was sitting on the front porch swing drinking mint juleps. As long as those maple bats keep creaking and the guys keep winning, I am a happy camper.

Go Padres!!!

At least one bat isn’t working

Lillie — Thu, 07 May 2009 22:59:33 +0000

Waking up this morning, I found out that the first place Dodgers have lost the services of the dread locked menace, Manny Ramirez, for fifty games due to using an unauthorized substance made me jump for joy. Don’t get me wrong. Manny seems like a great guy but he just happens to play for the enemy of my San Diego Padres. So with him gone for a while we might be able to get in first place!

All kidding aside I feel sorry for Manny because his doctor, who should have been aware of the drugs action, and that it was on the no no list for an athlete. Here is a man who is on top of his game, but parts of his personal life are not working. He goes to the doctor who messes up his career. I am sure this must have been an “A list” doctor. So why didn’t he check if this medication would cause him to test positive for a forbidden substance? I am sure his fifty game suspension will cost him more money then maybe the doctor makes in a year. Moreover, he has now had to tell the world that he has sexual dysfunction problems. Even though there is no shame there, I can bet this bit of information was the last thing Manny would have wanted to come to light

I don’t understand how this could happen? If Manny chooses to sue, I sure would like to be on the jury. Patients are getting screwed over big time by doctors and other health care workers who are not doing their jobs properly. A quick check with the pharmacy could have prevented this problem.

From the Sublime to the Ridiculous

Lillie — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 20:15:04 +0000

We all know that the sports world has hired some really poor excuses for human beings and teams have started to crack down on the bad behavior of it team members. But there has to be some common sense in the rules.

Baseball player Elijah Dukes of the Washington Nationals, who has documented cases of bad behavior has turned a new leaf and is trying to clean up his act. He took time to go to a team sanctioned activity of a Little League Baseball team. Oh my god. He was five, count them, five minutes late for the practice time before a game. For this he was fined and threaten to be sent back to the minor leagues.

The Nationals are so far in the cellar that helping out in the community would go a long way to make the fans love a team that can’t play very well. Then they pull a stunt like this! And they want you to pay to see them on the field?

Manny Acta, the coach of the Nationals, who probably will be looking for a new job soon, talked as if this was an earth shaking mistake from their star player. Five minutes late for a good reason should not be a punishable offense. Manny have a heart. You will need good will when you are no longer in the dugout!