Two golden sombreros in three days for Howard

Top 2: Ryan Howard struck out looking against Tim Stauffer

Top 4: Howard struck out swinging against Stauffer

Top 6: Howard struck out looking against Stauffer (Really?)

Top 9: Howard struck out swinging against Heath Bell

Top 11: Howard rips go-ahead two-run double off of Chad Qualls.

Final Line: 1-for-5, 2B, 2 RBI, 4 K

NOTES: The golden sombrero on Saturday was Howard’s second in his last three games and second of the season overall.  After starting the season red hot, Howard has cooled off significantly.  As we all have witnessed during previous seasons, the strike outs start adding up when Howard is slumping.  In his 88 plate-appearances this season, the big man has already fanned 23 times (not including Sunday’s results).  Since Mark Reynolds is yet to record a sombrero — although he is 2 for his last 29 with 10 strikeouts — I’ve gone and added a Ryan Howard Sombrero Counter, which can now be found on our left side bar.

Total 2011 Sombreros: 11

Maybe a Ryan Howard Sombrero Tracker would be more appropriate…

Top 1: Ryan Howard struck out swinging against Mat Latos

Top 3: Howard struck out swinging against Latos

Top 4: Howard called out on strikes against Latos

Top 7: Howard struck out swinging against Corey Luebke

Top 9: Howard grounds out to second baseman against Chad Qualls

Final Line: 0-5, 4 strikeouts, 6 LOB

NOTES: Howard’s golden sombrero disrupts the trend of sombreros by leadoff hitters, as he becomes the biggest name to record one this season.

Total 2011 Sombreros: 10

*Be sure to check out the additional sombrero coverage over at OffBasePercentage.com for a more detailed and less graphic-based assessment of baseball’s most impressive feat.

Spring Training is a wonderful time of year.  It portends warmer weather, hope for the future and of course, the beginning of a brand new baseball season.  As someone whose spirits lift dramatically at the mere utterance of the words “pitchers and catchers report” each February, I truly believe that Spring Training conveys much more than simply “preseason baseball”, as an ignorant colleague of mine spoke of it a few days ago.  However, one very important aspect of Spring Training that is not often mentioned is its educational power.  While players learn offensive strategies, signs and new practice drills, managers and executives take a look at their teams and try to learn as much as possible about each player’s level of talent and where their skills would be best used to begin the upcoming season.

The educational process does not stop there, however.  To the contrary, even the average fan can pick up insights into the lives of those around the game, gain a better understanding of the motivations of Maricopa County’s aging population, and garner plenty of other valuable information simply by staying around the game they love in the middle of March.  In no particular order, here are some of the important life lessons my dad and I gleaned from our father-son trip to the Valley of the Sun.

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Last Wednesday, my dad and I flew in to Phoenix for Spring Training.  It was our second year in a row of watching baseball that doesn’t matter in the Valley of the Sun, and this year’s trip was even better than the last.  Of course, the outcomes of the games don’t mean anything. The players we know only play four or five innings a game (if at all) and the mid-day heat of the Arizona can bother even the most ardent of fans. But none of that is important to us as we spend a few days in the sun enjoying not only the game we love, but also the return of spring and the hope of another Rockies playoff run—all of that adding up to what my brother Sean (himself not even a baseball fan) appropriately calls “The Baseball Feeling”.

The trip started with a visit to the Rangers’ facility in Surprise.  Although driving in stop-and-go traffic up dreaded Grand Avenue was an ordeal, the Rockies won a wild and wacky game over the defending AL champions, 11-10.  Among the unsurprising portions of the game were a towering blast by a minor-leaguer off of former Rockies closer Franklin Morales, a wild Rockies comeback in the late innings, and not one but two instances of poor baserunning by Eric Young Jr., one of the fastest but also one of the poorest baserunners in the game.  With the winning run at the plate in the ninth, the Rangers hit into a game-ending line-drive double play to seal a bizarre win for the Rockies.

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• This week Braves’ manager Fredi Gonzalez stated that youngsters Jonny Venters and Craig Kimbrel could split the closing duties in 2011, just as Rafael Soriano and Mike Gonzalez did in 2009.  Last season, Kimbrel burst on the scene and to say the least, was absolutely filthy.  In just 20 2/3 innings, Kimbrel recorded 40 strikeouts, which for those of you keeping score at home is a ridiculous 17.4 K/9.  He also racked up four wins and a save along the way, and allowed just a single earned run.  If he can repeat his success, Kimbrel could very well become a household name in 2011.

• The Cleveland Indians cleared catcher Carlos Santana to resume all baseball activities, and he will be ready for the start of Spring Training next week.  In 2010, Santana’s eye-opening rookie campaign came to an abrupt halt after he suffered a hideous knee injury on August 2.  Considering that the switch-hitting catcher posted slashes of .260/.401/.467 last year in 192 plate appearances, the fact that he’s been cleared significantly increase his fantasy value.  I’m really excited to see what this guy can do over the course of a full, healthy season.

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