America’s pastime
After 170 chapters, Mitsuru Adachi finishes off Cross Game. I’ve just finished the penultimate chapter. I almost cried, but you could’ve seen this ending coming since last week.
I envy you who are about to read the manga for the first time.
Too bad they’ll never bring the Cross Game manga here. The industry believes that sports manga can’t ever catch on in the US. It’s our loss. Adachi-sensei is a very good story teller. Every time I read the scanlation, I ponder the greatness of this tale. Love, friendship, and baseball. Just plain a great story.
[Although when you read his other manga, you’ll find out that he runs through the same plot devices.]
Adachi-sensei still one of the best you’ll ever read.
As soon as I got home yesterday from Fan Fest I posted some pictures of that fun day.
Here’s how the day went…
Got down to the convention center around a quarter of. The hardcore Baltimore fans were already filing in dressed in black and orange.
First listened to a bit of Dave Trembley and Andy McPhail talking. But I came to get some autographs so jumped in the smallest line available: Ken Dixon, Jeremy Guthrie and Jimmy Johnson. I went to see Jimmy Johnson. That dude doesn’t have a baseball card.
Then found out Nolan and Felix would be signing soon and made a bee line to their table. We had to wait as Felix and Lou Montanez were 15 minutes late. They must’ve over slept or something. After getting their autographs on their Topps T206 cards, I go and get some memorabilia: a Gregg Zaun! bat and a “This is Birdland” flyer.
Standing in lines started making me tired, so I seek a chair while listening to the coaches talk. Interesting. Hopefully, these guys can make the team 20 wins better.
There’s a lot of bobbleheads out there!
I’m tiring so I go get in one last line for Josh Bell, Jason Berken, and Brad Bergesen. I almost don’t get in line. I went to get a picture of Brian Roberts as the line to Bell, Berken and Bergesen fill up and closes. The lady was sympathetic and she lets me in as well as a few more. I chat with a bunch of collectors in line. These guys are hard core. One guy has a flag that he gets Orioles players to sign as long as they have played a game in the majors. Two guys from the Eastern Shore go to minor league games to get everyone’s signature. Some girl’s got all 83 Orioles and Phills on a ball. One dude with an oversize baseball has been for 2 years continuously striving for current players. Me, I just want my cards signed. I’m not as hardcore as these guys.
I leave early to do the tour of Camden Yards. Is this the one you pay money for during the season? If it is, it is kind of a rip off. Maybe this year, I’ll check it out.
Looking forward to the season. I felt like baseball was soon around the corner. Can’t wait.
Circle those dates for the bobbleheads.
Highlight the Brooks Robinson jersey date against the Blue Jays.
Add in the floppy hat night.
And every one of those Tuesday free shirt night.
That’s a lot of tickets above and beyond the season plan.
Looking forward to summer. I’ll be hanging out at 2110 Eutaw Street. THIS IS BIRDLAND!
http://baltimore.orioles.mlb.com/schedule/promotions.jsp?c_id=bal
Plenty to talk about. Hard to write down though. Trying to capture some things that have been rattling around my head this early month of 2010, the year we make contact.
Watching movies is getting hard again. Netflix queue is backed up again. Perhaps it may take longer than usual to unclog and I’m sure I’m approaching the last overdue record. Sunshine why must you mock me? Going to the movies? Also hard, especially with lame movies like this. Are there gonna be anything good coming out? Or do I have to wait for this or this.
Baseball season will commence soon. In thirty or so days, spring training. Then I will get to sit next to Nick Markakis in right for thirteen games. There’s still time if you want to join me. Yet, they just raised the prices for walk up games. How am I going to go to all the business men specials on the spur of the moment? I planned to go to all the day games and root, but I’m disappointed in the price hike. Didn’t we just show up and buy tickets lots last year?
Work is still sucky. I’m not feeling it as a software engineer. I wish I knew someone that would make working fun. Let’s build out good software. I wish I could be cool again.
Got a cool app. Mini-Link. Don’t know if it works. It’s a social app. Why aren’t Mini drivers girls?
Trying to read lots of books. Still stuck on that city one. I’m onto Green Mars. I have to get to my Christmas present. I still go to the bookstore, but I’m trying to hold off on the books.
Anime! Anime! Anime! Manga! Manga! Manga! The only spring anime I’m torrenting is Baka to Test to Shokanju. Funny! Still watching KimiTodo, Cross Game, and Railgun. Still buying lots of manga.
Nendoroids are my favorite. I have received four more and I haven’t opened up the boxes on three. I want more. More nendoroids! They are so cute.
Plenty of more to say, but I can’t keep writing. Hit me up in comments with your thoughts especially those of the 16 early days of January.
"People ask me what I do in winter when there's no baseball. I'll tell you what I do, I stare out the window and wait for spring."Rogers Hornsby
Brooks Robinson, Mr. Oriole, is getting a statue at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. From what I can tell, they are planning on placing it on the median strip by the bars across the stadium. This is not a good location to honor one of the best Orioles ever. I would like to see them move the Babe Ruth statue and put Brooks there. While Babe Ruth can claim a Baltimore birth right, he'll always been known as a Yankee. Babe Ruth may be the best known baseball player ever, but he doesn't capture the hearts of Baltimore fans like Brooks Robinson. Put Babe Ruth closer to the Babe Ruth museum. Put Brooks Robinson closer to the Baltimore fans right there on Eutaw Street.http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/bal-sp.brooks17dec17,0,2471035.story
As the title says, “Episode 4” of the Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. I think watching this episode made me want to watch some baseball. You could say that Suzumiya-sama was the one that got me back into watching baseball.
This is the middle part, but the rest of the episode is pretty awesome as well. You should watch the whole thing.
I was wanting to hit some baseballs for the last few days, so I stopped by the batting cages at Grand Slam, my home park, after work. I bought the usual 6 tokens for $8 which is 96 balls. I stepped into the medium pitch cage. I was feeling it. Everything was pulled and sometimes I was hitting it off the end of the bat. But I was feeling it. Hitting line drives from both sides of the plate. Nice.So I saved a token for the fast pitch cage.Nothing but swinging strikes. I did have three foul tips, but I could barely lay a bat onto the ball. I saw the ball exit the pitching machine, watched it zoom towards the plate, but I was swinging at air. My timing was all wrong stuck on the medium pitch and barely fast enough to catch up to the fast. It wasn't as bad as when I moved from the slow cage to the medium. My first time in the medium I didn't even see the ball. I was just swinging blindly. This time, I was really late. Maybe if I'd had the lowered the pitches so that they were low strikes then I would've done better. Maybe. But it will be fun to try the fast pitch cage again. 80+ mph. Don't get scared of the ball.
Wowee! Greg Zaun's on the free agency market, and he looks to be a good value. Someone should sign him as a backup catcher. I would like it if the Orioles would resign Zauny, but I doubt they want to go that route again. Besides they may have their hearts set on light hitting Mr. Moeller as their backup to superman, Matty Weit Weit. http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/index.php/zaun-on-the-market
