Kuo Was Pimp'n It

Tonight was a great all around game for the Dodgers tonight. It was especially a great night for Hong-Chih Kuo. Not only did he pitch an outstanding seven innings, but he hit a long home run to rightfield that capped off three straight dingers by the Dodgers 7, 8 & 9 hitters. Kuo knew he got it all as he flung the bat high in the air.

On the radio after the game Matt Kemp said that he had seen Kuo hit many a ball that hard in the minors, but added that he certainly was not pimp'n it today. No, Matt. He sure was pimp'n it to the delight of 42,438 Dodgers fans in attendance.

Below are some photos I took at tonight's game.





My Photoalbum:

UPDATE: BTW, Kuo is the first Taiwanese to hit a homerun in the major leagues. Contrats!

UPDATE II: Diamond Leung reminds me that the crowd did briefly start a Hong-Chih Kuo chant shortly after his homerun. A friend turned to me and said where's Hee-Seop Choi now? I said, "Who cares?"

YouTube: Baseball and Lightsabers

Below is a short little video that fuses Baseball with Star Wars. I'd love to see a longer version played out on the Baseball diamond.



YouTube Link: anonymousdonut:
HatTip: Home Run Derby:

Doc Marshall's Pitching Revolution

Former Cy Young winner Dr. Mike Marshall is the focus of an LA Times sports front page cover story today. As some of you may know he has set out to revolutionize the way pitchers pitch. As you read further you understand that Baseball is less than receptive.

"They just didn't want my ideas to get in," Marshall says. "That's ridiculous. But that's the small-mindedness of Major League Baseball. They don't know what the hell they're doing. And if I get in, everybody will know that they don't know what the hell they're doing."

To tell you the truth I don't know anything about pitching at this level. Are the arm injuries that seem so common today the result of habits that have long been the staple of Major League Baseball? Has Doc Marshall discovered the optimal way to pitch? Is organized Baseball fearful of his teachings? Or are they just fed up with him overall? Who knows, but i figure if he can help a ballclub win games then he must be worth listening to. If his players experience less injuries, then there must be someone in Baseball willing to take an objective look.

Of course, I'm reminded of a phrase I once read many moons ago that may very well explain Baseball's reluctance. I'll do my best to rephrase it since I can't find the original quote now.

"The ability to understand an issue is dependent on how it effects your livelihood."

For example, it would be impossible for an oil executive or those who benefit from oil to truly understand and accept the impact of oil consumption and global warming since doing so would negatively effect that persons livelihood. If global warming truly exist and oil consumption is a major reason for its existence, then oil company executives will have to accept a reduction in their corporate revenue since the world would seek to reduce the overall consumption of oil. This would directly cause paychecks to dwindle in that industry. Jobs would diminish. Entire local and national economies could be decimated around the world. Hubert's Peak is another good example of this within this industry.

Likewise, Baseball could not possibly understand or accept Dr. Marshall's ideas since doing so could not only revolutionize what they know or don't know about pitching, but could also mean the potential loss of jobs for countless number of coaches around the league.

Change is difficult. Just my two cents.

LA Time Story Link:
Photo Link: Baseball-Almanac:
2002 Interview with Dr. Marshall on BP: Part 1: Part II:

Loney Paying Dividends

Thank you SOSG for spearheading the campaign to bring Loney back to the bigs. Now all we need is a permanent home for the man.

So far, he is 2 for 8 with an RBI in each game he has played in so far this year. His run scoring double in last night's game was the winning run.

For now he will be subbing for Nomar.

"Little said he would use him to rest Garciaparra in the hope of keeping him healthy and productive."

Story Link: LA Times: