Posts belonging to Category Daniel “Dee” Clark

Yesterday morning the United States netted the most important goal in American history in the 91^st minute against an Algerian team that was supposed to suck.  Despite how bad they were supposed to be, they certainly challenged the Americans to their absolute limit.  This World Cup has seen the French and Italians both eliminated before the round of 16 as well as the Redcoats desperately needing a goal against Slovenia to make it out of group play.  The World Cup, because of the time zone it is being played in, has been televised in it’s entirety here in the States.  For maybe the first time in my life, I get the feeling people over here genuinely care.  I’m not even sure that it’s completely because the States have such a compelling team this year.  I think America may finally be giving soccer the chance it deserves.

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After watching the USA claw back into a draw with some tiny Eastern European country this morning, I’m feeling a little proud to be an American.  With the College World Series set to begin tomorrow and Ron Ron’s single apparently dropping sometime in the near future, it’s a pretty fun time in sports.  The best part about this time of year for me, though, is that the sports world only has baseball to follow (and US soccer every 4 years) until the damn NFL season starts.  I personally hate football and don’t really care for basketball either.  Hockey is not a sport in New Mexico, but from what I gather, other places unfortunately seem to care about it.  To me, these other sports are simply a massive distraction to the public and divert conversation and concentration away from the one game that actually deserves to be followed.  What I am getting at here is that for folks who primarily/only care about baseball, get ready for the best 2 months of the year.

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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

Griff and Dee weigh in on Farmington High School players selected in the MLB Draft, the North/South series and Stephen Strasburg.

Click here to listen to the podcast

Yesterday the Florida International Panthers fell to Ivy League Champs, Dartmouth College, for their second, and eliminating, loss at the Miami regional.  Three-hole hitter and infielder Garrett Wittels had a 3 for 5 day with a double to end the season hitting .413/.463/.541.  Wittels closed the season with a 56-game hitting streak intact, ready to continue it in 2011.  Luckily for baseball fans, Wittels is only a sophomore this season, so the only threat to this streak outside the game between the lines is injury.  Were he a junior, he surely would be drafted early and sign, right?  With a 56-gamer?  The all-time record holder for longest hitting streak is Robin Ventura with 58, and he went 10^th overall in 1988.  I’m not so sure about Wittels.  With the draft set to begin tomorrow and to continue through Wednesday, let’s use Wittels as an example of some important things to keep in mind as we scratch our heads as guys like Chevez Clarke, a Georgian outfielder with tools to drool over but with mediocre high school statistics, are taken ahead of proven collegiate hitters like Wittels, who will be lucky to be taken inside the first 20 rounds next year.

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