Articles from October 2010

I will admit that this article will probably interest Brett, Griff, and a handful of high school baseball players from Colorado and Utah who also frequent the Newschoolers forum…and literally no one else.   Sorry Arlo.  This is just what September and October mean to me: baseball playoffs and the anticipation of winter.  The title probably doesn’t make a lot of sense to very many readers, but these are a few nicknames of some of skiing’s greats.  Growing up the majority of sports media to which I subscribed were ski magazines, Internet forums devoted to skiing, and ski films.  I paid way more attention to the world of professional skiing than I did to the world of professional baseball until I was around 20.  At that time I found myself at school in Iowa playing baseball.  Iowa surprised me with something that at least resembled skiing in the form of a trash dumb covered in manmade, but it was far enough from the skiing that I knew that I let it go a little.  This time of year always brings me back to yesterdays and the days to come on the hill.  Griff and Brett are two of my favorite people in the world to ride with, so I am really glad that they also write for The Sombrero.  Anyway, with this piece I will compare a legendary skier to the Big Leaguers that I believe their personalities, talents, and styles most represent.

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As the Rangers, Yankees, Giants, and Phillies start the American and National league Championships and take one step closer towards their goal of a World Series title, a slew of dominating pitchers and devastating bats are set to face off. The first round of the playoffs was amazing and we can only hope that we will witness equal excitement in round two. But some of MLB’s best performers from 2010 are going to be watching these championships at home on the couch, just like the rest of us. So this week I’d like to give a shout out to the best losers in baseball for the 2010 season.

Continue Reading “Baseball’s Best Losers in 2010”>>

Day three of the Four Ballparks trip began at the Hilton in beautiful Anaheim, California, just minutes from Angel Stadium.  Hungry and bored and with the game not until six PM, we were two weary travelers with some time to kill.  So we figured that, since we were staying right near the ballpark, there must be some place to grab a quick bite before the ballgame.

Wrong.  After twenty minutes of fruitless searching, we settled for a coffee cake and a second pack of skittles—breakfast of champions–from Dildar, a clerk at a convenience store a few blocks away.  Another trip to the OC Sports Bar (and Ubaldo Jimenez’s 18^th win) followed, after which it was time for Angels vs. Indians at Angel Stadium of Anaheim.

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The Golden Sombrero presents MLB Look-alikes Playoff Edition: Joba Chamberlain and Stetson Allie

Keep checking back over the course of the weekend, as there will be several other Joba look-alikes posted.

On any given baseball team there are endless off the field, inside jokes that permeate the clubhouse and in the end, define the team.  More often than not, the humor is completely spontaneous, childish and crude.  And it has to be.  With 162+ games in a season, it is foregone conclusion that every team will experience ups and downs.

The inside jokes and endless ragging on teammates are what keep a team optimistic  –yes, I know that actually having good players goes a long way, as well– in their darkest hour.  Similarly, when a team is winning and feeling good, the jokes are always more hilarious and enjoyable than they already are.  Every couple of years, there is a team whose jokes gradually become indicative of the team chemistry and synonymous with the overall success of the season.  And it is then that we truly see just how much being a part of that team means to the players.

This season, the Texas Rangers have had their clubhouse humor on full display in the form of the claw and antlers.  And considering that they are headed to the American League Championship Series for the first time in the organization’s history, it’s time that baseball fans familiarized themselves with the gestures and their meaning.

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