Griffin Phelps
Griffin Phelps is currently teaching 6th grade Language Arts and Social Studies at Mesa View Middle school in Farmington, NM. He is finishing up classes towards his teaching degree via the Alternative Licensure Program at the local San Juan College. Better known as Flips by some, he graduated from Farmington High School in 2003. He attended the University of Arizona on a baseball scholarship as a freshman, only to blow out his knee and watch from the bench as his team made it to Omaha. He transferred to Central Arizona College where he studied (?) and played for 3 semesters before succumbing to a blown out elbow and Tommy John surgery. Two major reconstructive surgeries in 3 years drove him to hang up his spikes and pursue another dream…the mountains. Griffin to decided to move out to the biggest little city in the world and join his younger brother Brett at the University of Nevada. Griffin enjoyed fresh pow, legalized gaming, and delivery pizzas on his way to a degree in the spring of 2009. Now days Griffin works as an instructor at the Strike Zone in Farmington. He also heads up FHS’s C-team program during the spring and the Local Farmington Cardinals Connie Mack team during the summer. He also is an active participant in the Denslow Cup but has never finished above 5th in his 4 years in the league. You want to know more about Flips, check him out on Reverb Nation. Want to know more about Griffin, hit him up here: griffin13phelps@gmail.com. One.
Liveblogging My 1st Mock Draft of 2012
All fantasy baseball players begin jonesing for a fix after the New Year kicks off. I cannot be excluded from this group. I always try to wait and indulge in my first mock draft once all the big names and major moves off the off-season have finished panning out. With the announcement of Ryan Braun’s victorious […]
Baseball is Neet: Peach’s Neet Feet
Griff’s neet feet Here at the Golden Sombrero I would like to take advantage of our viewership to spread the word about a charitable organization that is near and dear to me. Peach’s Neet Feet is a not-for-profit organization that provides custom shoes for children with cancer and other long-term disabilities. It was started by […]
Interview With a Vambauer
I originally planned on writing a review of my time spent at the ABCA (American baseball Coaches Association) national convention in Anaheim. However, every time I began to think about the idea I grew more and more tired with it. Finally, I realized that if I were already tired of the subject, then how could […]
Changeups and Screwballs: A Southpaw’s Perspective for 9/7/11
– As a former student of the University of Nevada, I saw my fair share of drugged out women of the night. Watching CJ Wilson last night brought back memories. His cutter and curve were as nasty as the workers of Reno’s 4th street corners. – Speaking of the Rangers, who put firecrackers inside David […]
Changeups and Screwballs: A Southpaw’s Perspective for 9/2/11
– Stephen Strasburg’s final rehab start has come and gone. He again looked supreme in comparison to the hitters he faced. He even appears to have more of a mental edge after recovering from Tommy John. Watching the way he carried himself, and the mound presence he exuded, gave me goose bumps. MLB hitters be […]
Changeups and Screwballs: A Southpaw’s Perspective for 8/31/11
– Another Yankees vs. Red Sox series got underway last night…yawn. At least there was a little bit of tension after Francisco Cervelli’s (weak) celebration of his own homerun. But other than that, what is the point of so many meaningless games for these two teams down the stretch Bud Selig? – How cool would […]
Changeups and Screwballs: A Southpaw’s Perspective for 8/29/11
– Sure, the Yankees are one of, if not the most storied franchise in baseball. They have a history of being larger than life, no doubt. However, do they really believe that they are in a position to complain about rescheduling a couple games due to a freaking hurricane? Forget being happy about the fact […]
The Sandlot vs. Bull Durham: Heroes Get Remembered, but Legends Never Die
While flipping through the channels last night around 10:30 PM, I came across one of the all-time classic baseball movies…The Sandlot. For me, and hopefully anyone with a soul and an ounce of love for baseball, this movie is a go-to. No matter what is happening, or what else is on the boob tube, if […]
Changeups and Screwballs: A Southpaw’s Perspective for 8/24/11
Apologies for those of you looking for this article yesterday. At the middle school where I teach we had to teach the new 6th graders how to use and open their lockers, as well as distribute laptops to each individual student. If that sounds like sitting in hell with a puffy coat on, it’s because […]
Changeups and Screwballs: A Southpaw’s Perspective: Harper, A-Rod, Weaver and A.L. Central
Lefty pitchers are baseball’s equivalent of kickers in the NFL. They are just a little bit different. However, because we lefties are such a minority in the realm of baseball, it allows us to provide the rest of you with a unique perspective on the game. Since I have this special ability to provide a […]
Random Thoughts
Having not written anything recently, I feel completely lost as I try to put together something for Sombrero Nation. I checked the files on both my work computer and home computer, and found out that I have eight different blog posts started, just waiting for me to finish them. For whatever reason, I just have […]
A Retrospective Look at the 2010 Strike Zone Cardinals CMWS Pitching Staff
This year’s Cardinals took the field Friday night following a day of pictures, opening ceremonies, and a parade. The first Friday of the CMWS is a grind, and unprepared teams who happen to draw a Friday evening game always get trounced for not managing the day properly. The host team has no excuse for this […]
Thank You, Mr. McLane
It has been announced that Drayton McLane and Jim Crane have reached an agreement on the purchase of the (my) Houston Astros. This sale brings closure to the end of an era that has seen the Astros reach the World Series, and then become the laughing stock of all MLB organizations. (Except maybe Pittsburgh…maybe.) McLane […]
Trade Bait: Volume 1, Issue 2 (Nolasco, Hamels, Uggla, Werth, and Upton)
Another week and another healthy helping of goodness, baseball is well under way with what can finally be considered a “worth-while” sample size. By now, you have had enough time to watch baseball games, dissect saber-stats, and formulate a nice feel for your team and league. It is the primetime to find an unsatisfied owner […]
Trade Bait: Zobrist, Crawford, Kinsler, Puma, and Konerko
Playing fantasy baseball is fashionable for many reasons. It appeals to not only rad people, such as myself, but also has qualities that attract the nerdiest guy you know from your AP stats class back in high school. People love the stats, and people love trying to predict the future. If they didn’t, then why […]
Sombrero Staff Prognostications: Griff’s 2011 Predictions
National League West Division 1. San Francisco Giants 2. Colorado Rockies 3. Los Angeles Dodgers 4. Arizona Diamondbacks 5. San Diego Padres Central Division 1. Milwaukee Brewers 2. Cincinnati Reds 3. St. Louis Cardinals 4. Chicago Cubs 5. Pittsburgh Pirates 6. Houston Astros (tear drop) East Division 1. Atlanta Braves 2. Philadelphia Phillies 3. New […]
Some Outlandish Predictions for 2011
Mark Twain is responsible for popularizing the Sir Charles Wentworth Dilke quote, “There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics.” As someone who bases many of his opinions on statistics, I could not agree more. I could take any player, along with any different combination of stats, and come up with two […]
Albert Pujols hitting the market is good for baseball
Last night, on ESPN Radio’s Brian Kenny Show, Brian Kenny posed the following question to Jayson Stark: “Is Albert Pujols hitting the market good for baseball?” Stark, being the baseball purist that he is, was a bit befuddled by the question until ultimately saying yes. I tried to wrap my mind around all of the […]
Will 2011 be Billy Butler’s “breakout” season?
Everyone has a vice. If you’re like me, you have multiple vices. My favorite vice, fantasy baseball, is right around the corner, so I just couldn’t help but look for some interesting angle to write on in January. Analysis of off-season moves are done by, well everyone. Rankings and season previews are more of a […]
Fantasy Outlook: Paul Konerko vs. Player B
Everyone has a vice. If you’re like me, you have multiple vices. My favorite vice, fantasy baseball, is right around the corner, so I just couldn’t help but look for some interesting angle to write on in January. Analysis of off-season moves are done by, well everyone. Rankings and season previews are more of a […]
Cliff Lee: Destroying A Legacy? Doubtful.
After hearing about Cliff Lee duping the entire world, forgoing destinations like Texas and New York and returning back to Philadelphia, I can’t help but find the similarities between this free agent signing and Lebron James. I’m not trying to say that Lee pulled something like “The Decision.” I am trying to say that what […]
Response To Buster Olney’s Video Blog
In the game of baseball it is common place to hear somebody talking about “playing the game the right way.” The right way means a few things. It means not taking a single pitch off. It means conducting yourself like a professional. It means that as a player, you are willing to sacrifice your body […]
The Final Chapter of the Ricketts Park Series: Connie Mack World Series Time
How you doin Sombrero Nation? I know I have not posted in a while and I apologize for that. I have been busy handling my coaching duties for the Farmington Cardinals, your 2010 FABC representative Host team in the 2010 Connie Mack World Series. I say that with pride. The Cardinals were the winner of […]
Sunday’s SombreroCast
In the latest installment of the SombreroCast, Griff and Dee reflect on a recent Farmington Cardinals game, discuss hitting philosophies, talk about some players and player development and touch on ideas regarding coaching theory. Click here to listen to Part I Click here to listen to Part II Related Posts Audio from Thursday’s appearance on […]
Will there ever be another VIP in the 40/40 club?
“Hell, If I’d known 40-40 was going to be a big deal, I’d have done it every year!”- Mickey Mantle “40/40 club/ESPN on the seats” This is exclusivity at it’s best. Fellow blogger Brett (aka my lil brother) wrote a piece on baseball’s influence over hip-hop music. I felt that out of tribute, I should […]
Ricketts Park, Part II: The High School Years
First off, let me apologize for my delay in releasing any new pieces for all the people of Sombrero Nation. This last month has been quite a ride. First there was the state tournament (in which the Scorps lost their semi-final game in heartbreaking fashion), then I had to finish up my first year, as […]
Ricketts Park: A True Diamond in the Rough (Part I)
April 25, 2010 My first full season as a high school baseball coach has finally come to an end. For the grand finale, we were able to hook the C-teamers up with a dream come true…playing at Ricketts Park. They got the whole deal, including pre-game batting practice on the field. Watching the grins roll […]
Thank You, Baseball: An Epiphany
April 22, 2010 Late one evening, my assistant coach-for both my high school C-Team and my summer league Connie Mack team-his girlfriend, my girlfriend and I were entertaining ourselves with some rather deep conversation about teaching techniques. By around 12:15 a.m. an epiphany had found its way through to my brain. We all began discussing […]
Griffin Phelps’ 2010 Predictions
April 6, 2010 NL East: Philly, Atlanta, Florida, New York, Washington NL Central: St. Louis, Milwaukee, Houston, Chicago, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh NL West: Colorado, Los Angeles, Arizona, San Francisco, San Diego NL Wild Card: Atlanta NL Pennant: Colorado NL MVP: Troy “Too Legit” Tulowitzki NL Cy Young: Ricky Nolasco NL ROY: Jason Heyward AL East: New […]
Trackbacks / Pingbacks