ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick eloquently details the heartbreaking story of the death of Trevor Correia, and the subsequent grieving process of his brother, Kevin.  “I would quit baseball right now to have [Trevor] back.  Nothing will be able to compare to that,” said the Padres starting pitcher.  Without a doubt, this is one of the best articles that I have read in some time. [Jerry Crasnick, ESPN]

With all of the ongoing hoopla regarding Derek Jeter and the New York Yankees, the folks over at Climbing Tal’s Hill decide to take a look at four different Astros players who spent their entire career playing for the organization. [Climbing Tal’s Hill]

(more…)

Recently, first-team all-Midwest Conference South Division pitcher Ryan Harris wrote his second Golden Sombrero article, where he rightfully rips into beleaguered FOX Sports color commentator Tim McCarver. While I could not agree more with his candid (and rather harsh) account of Joe Buck’s right hand man, I believe that calling baseball games is a difficult job. And while those who have been given the privilege of calling the World Series and still perform poorly deserve every bit of the criticism the heralded Pioneer hurler dishes out, it is equally important to salute those who do the job well game after game, year after year.

There are a select few announcers out there who, by their very presence, make the experience of watching a baseball game on TV or listening to it on the radio more enjoyable. In my June article on this topic, I tipped my cap to Jon Miller, Dick Enberg and Vin Scully, three of baseball’s greatest voices, all of whom I am privileged to hear nearly eighteen games every season while watching my Rockies take on the hated Giants, Padres and Dodgers. In this edition, I look outside the NL West for two other announcers who do more than their fair share to make our game the greatest in the world.

(more…)

The baseball world received some unfortunate news on Saturday morning.  According to ESPN, Hall of Famer and lifelong San Diego Padres outfielder Tony Gwynn is battling cancer of the salivary gland.  Everyone at The Sombrero wishes Tony nothing but best in his recovery.

I remember exactly where I was when Tony Gwynn ripped hit #3000.  To honor him, here are Gwynn’s appearances on the cover of Sports Illustrated:

July 28, 1997                                                July 25, 2007

The Golden Sombrero presents MLB Look-alikes: Khalil Green and Jeff Spicoli(Fast Times at Ridgemont High)

Maybe Spicoli could have given Khalil a little something to help with his anxiety…

Only a few weeks remain in Major League Baseball’s regular season and there’s no reason for fans not to be thrilled; we’ve got fantastic finishes shaping up all around the league. In the National League West, the collapsing San Diego Padres, steady San Francisco Giants, and surging Colorado Rockies are battling for the division crown as well as the NL wildcard. Every win is now crucial for each of these teams, and all those seemingly worthless games from back in the spring have suddenly become relevant.

Entering the last week of August, things in the NL West looked to be settling down. The Padres, who’d been leading the division most of the year, were 27 games over .500 and had their biggest advantage of the season over their upstate rival Giants, at 7.5 games. The Rockies were less than 10 games over .500 and more than 10 games behind San Diego, looking like they were going to coast to a mediocre finish. Then as Labor Day approached upheaval began and we were all reminded why a 162 game schedule is a beautiful thing.

Continue Reading ‘National League’s Wild West Wrap-Up’>>