Posts belonging to Category Mike Rosenbaum

For anyone who has ever played serious baseball, it is common knowledge that when in the on-deck circle, it is important to always be paying close attention as a pitch is delivered.  As a hitter, not only should you be attempting to time the pitcher’s release point, but you also should be paying close attention to avoid serious injury on a sharp foul ball.

However, even when paying attention, an on-deck hitter is still susceptible to being drilled by a foul ball- just ask former Cardinals’ outfielder Juan Encarnacion.  In late August of 2007, Encarnacion was struck in the left-eye socket by a foul ball off the bat of teammate Aaron Miles- an injury that ultimately ended Encarnacion’s career and that has been described by Cardinals’ medical director Dr. George Paletta as, “The worst trauma I’ve seen. Absolutely.”

Fortunately for Florida Marlins’ rookie Logan Morrison, it appears that he will ok after taking a foul ball to left side of his face in the 10^th inning of Sunday’s victory against the Atlanta Braves.

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In the same sense that people say baseball is better with Josh Hamilton in it, the exact opposite can be said about Nyjer Morgan of the Washington Nationals.  Baseball is worse with Nyjer Morgan in it.  On Wednesday night, Morgan continued his dip-shit ways by igniting a brawl with Chris Volstad and the Florida Marlins.  However it was not just the brawl itself that made Morgan appear completely despicable, it was how he handled the entire situation- for a second it even seemed like he might head into the crowd.

Now, considering that he hasn’t even served what was supposed to be a 7-game suspension for throwing a ball at a fan in Philadelphia, I think it’s safe to say that Morgan’s punishment is overdue.  The brawl is just the latest of his extra curricular activities on what has become a deep list of disconcerting outbursts by the center fielder.  Therefore, I think that it’s time that either the Nationals organization or Bud Selig lay down the law and suspend Nyjer Morgan for the remainder of the 2010 season.

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As I browsed through some tweets last night, I came across a story that was too funny not to pass along.  According to Steve Gilbert, the Arizona Diamondbacks beat writer for MLB.com, Adam LaRoche changed Kelly Johnson’s hitting music to prior to the start of Tuesday night’s game against the Padres.

As Johnson stepped to the plate in the first inning, “It’s Raining Men” was blasted throughout the stadium, much to the delight of his teammates.  The same thing happened as Johnson came to the plate for his second at-bat, which prompted Gilbert to predict that, “Payback certain to follow.”

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Did Aroldis Chapman really hit 105 mph on the radar gun last Friday? Does it matter?  In his major league debut on Tuesday night, Chapman challenged all of his skeptics with a perfect, 1-2-3, 8th inning against the Milwaukee Brewers.

The first hitter that the 22 year-old Chapman faced was Jonathon LuCroy, whom he retired on 3 straight pitches: 98mph fastball, a filthy 86mph slider, 102 mph fastball, and then another untouchable 87 mph slider.

He then retired the next two hitters, Craig Counsell and Carlos Gomez, on weak groundouts that more than likely have their hands hurting today.

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According to Rotoworld, Manny Ramirez is not currently in the Chicago White Sox starting lineup for Tuesday night’s game against the Indians.  After many were disappointed that Manny was not available for Monday’s contest, we quickly learned that Ramirez’s flight from Los Angeles was scheduled to arrive in Cleveland this afternoon, and that he would undoubtedly be in Tuesday’s lineup.

For those who wish to remain hopeful about Ramirez making his White Sox debut tonight, remember that there are still several hours until the game’s scheduled start time.

Considering that Ramirez has been a regular on the All-DL Team this season, it wouldn’t surprise me if his inclusion in the starting lineup was a game time decision.  Ozzie will most likely let him stretch and take batting practice before having a street-spanish-riddled coversation with him about whether he is able to play.

Currently, Mark Kotsay has been penciled in as the White Sox DH for tonight’s game against the Tribe.