Misbehavior

The Venezuelan Pitcher Carlos Zambrano fell in misbehavior one more time.
After having a bad first inning allowing 6 runs he got into the dugout shouting insults and swearing away, then he faced the first baseman Derrek Lee complaning because he did not dive to reach a rolling that was hit along the first base line


(Zambrano shouting insults on the chief umpire last season, he was ejected that time)

this has happened several times before, it is totally unacceptable when a professional baseball player falls in that kind of behavior. The Cubs manager Lou Piniella said that it is embarrasing.
This Pitcher has acted like that since the beginning of his carrer with the Cubs; But the office said that he was a very young player and he would grow up sometime, the thing is that Zambrano is already 28 years old andd he still acts like a 5 year old kid who is mad at his parents because they won't give him the candy he wants.It's sad because he is a very talented pitcher but nobody knows if he is going to start to have an acceptable behavior anytime soon.
At this moment Zambrano is in a restriction list and he won't be back in action before the all-star game, and Piniella already said that when he gets back he will be in the bull pen, not a starter anymore, besides the Cubs assigned him to psychiatric treatment so he can control his anger.

Problemas de conducta

El lanzador Venezolano Carlos Zambrano hace unos dias volvio a incurrir en comportamiento indebido.
Despues de tener un mal inning permitiendo 6 carreras en el primer inning entró al dugout profiriendo insultos y maldiciones, encaró al primera base Derrek Lee reclamandole por no haberse lanzado a la tierra para fildear un rolling que le batearon ceñido a la linea de foul.

 
 (Zambrano en la temporada pasada al momento de reclamar airadamente al Chief Umpire, fue expulsado del juego en ese momento)

Zambrano es reincidente, ya ha hecho este tipo de cosas varias veces antes, es totalmente inaceptable que un jugador de beisbol profesional se comporte de esa manera. Su manager Lou Piniella dijo que es vergonzoso y que no pueden aceptar ese tipo de comportamiento dentro del equipo.
Este lanzador ha actuado asi desde que comenzo su carrera con los Cubs; Pero la gerencia pensó que estaba joven y que con el tiempo iba a madurar, la cuestion es que Zambrano ya tiene 28 años y sigue actuando como un niño de 5 cuando sus padres no le compran las golosinas que les pide. Es lamentable porque es un lanzador con mucho talento y podria llegar lejos, pero no se sabe si en algun momento aprendera a comportarse.
En este momento Carlos Zambrano se encuentra en una lista de restriccion y no volvera a la accion hasta despues del juego de las estrellas, y Piniella ya dijo que cuando vuelva sera como relevista de nuevo, ademas los Cubs lo colocáron bajo cuidado psiquiatrico para el control de la íra esperando lograr cambios en su forma de comportarse.

"Pitching" is the name of the game

Last night, Edwing Jackson took the mound for the Arizona Diamondbacks and threw a no hitter against the Tampa Bay Rays, that was the 4th no hitter this season, 2 of them were perfect games, plus Galarragas one, if you one to count it.









I've been paying real attention to the MLB action since 1996 when I was 9 years old, althought I was even younger when I started to watch some games with my dad, who has always been a complete baseball fan, and happens to know a lot abot the game; However I 've followed Venezuelan Baseball many years before for my parents took me the first time to the baseball park in Valencia when I was like 1 month old to watch Magallanes play, I'm Venezuelan for those who don't know.
 





I'm saying all this because in all the years I've been following the MLB I don't remember any season in which the pitchers have been as dominant as they are in this one, I know there have been seasons like this before but I did not see those.
In the 90's the pitchers were pretty dominant, and we were admired to watch hitters like Tony Gwynn win several batting titles with very high BA. The home run leaders were always at 40 or 45 homers per season, with some exceptions like Ken Griffey Jr. who was accuratelly called "The Natural" for he had some 50 HR seasons, a guy who for sure will be in Cooperstown in 5 years.
In 1998 Mark McGwire hit 70 long balls, and Sammy Sosa hit 66, but we all know the history behind them (steroids and cork bat).
Later when the year 2000 arrived we started to see big eruption of power hitters, but those hitters weren't like Andres Galarraga, Ken Griffey Jr, Vladimir Gerrero, Cal Ripken Jr, David Justice, Paul O'neill, Vinny Castilla, Dante Bichette, Gregg Vaughn.



(Tonny Gwynn and Cal Ripken Jr. Two of the best hitters in the history of the game, no steroids at all)

Those were hitters that improved their power and skills by using steroids.

That was the time when the batters-over-pitchers age started
.
From 2000 on y saw Barry Bonds do the same thing as McGwire, and we knew about an important amount of players that were using or had used steroids, of course some pitchers have used this kind of substances too, but the quantity is almost insignificant when we compare them to the position players, the most in-famous
case of a pitcher on steroids was Roger Clemens.

 in the late 00's the doping tests have gotten better in MLB, that is why last year we did not see so many batters hit 50 home runs, and that's also why we have seen very dominant pitchers this year.But let us be clear, we can't say that the only reason why pitchers are better is because of the lack os steroids in the hitters system, it is also because of the pitchers have been working better, and because of the technology as Armando Galarraga sayd when he was asked about this subject.
This season there have been other pitchers that have gone far in games throwing no-no's like Ted Lilly with the Cubs agains the White Sox, who lost it in the 9th inning, and CC Sabathia with the Yankees who lost it in th 8th against the Rays a few months ago.
If you ask me, I like Home Runs and games with some runs, but it's also very good to watch pitching yewels like we've had this year with perfection and command.
you can have  ateam full of power hitters, with high battin averages, but if u have not a good pitching staff, u won't go anywhere good, you can score 10 runs in a game, but if your pitchers allows 11, you will loss the game, that is why pitching is the name of the game.


 (Mariano Rivera's 4seam fastball)

"Pitcheo" es el nombre del juego

Anoche, Edwin Jackson de los Arizona Diamondbacks dejo sin hits ni carreras a su ex equipo los Tampa Bay Rays, ya van 4 no-hit-no-run en esta temporada, sin contar el de Armando Galarraga, de los cuales dos han sido perfectos sin contar el de el ultimo.
 
Yo estoy prestandole atencion al beisbol de grandes ligas mas o menos desde el año 96 cuando tenia 9 años de edad, aunque cuando era mas pequeño veia algunos juegos con mi papa, quien siempre has sido un completo seguidor del beisbol y sabe bastante de este deporte; El beisbol de Venezuela si lo sigo desde mucho antes, pues no tenia ni un mes de nacido y ya mis padres me llevaban a ver al Magallanes aqui en Valencia.


Digo todo esto porque en los años que tengo siguiendo el beisbol de grandes ligas, no recuerdo una temporada donde los lanzadores hayan sido tan dominantes como en esta, se que si las han habido, antes, mas de 20 años atras, cunado entre otras cosas el monticulo era mas alto, pero yo no las vi.
en los años 90 los pitchers eran bastante dominantes y era admirable ver a bateadores como tony Gwynn ganar tantos titulos de bateo con tan altos promedios. Los lideres en cuadrangulares siempre estaban en los 40 o 45 home runs, con una que otra excepcion comola de el acertdamente llamado "El Natural" Ken Griffey Jr que tuvo algunas de mas de 50 a quien nunca se le probo haber utilizado esteroides y quien seguro va al salon de la fama en 5 años, en 1998 Mark McGwire conecto 70 pero todos sabemos la historia detras de esto(esteroides), Sammy Sosa 66 y todos sabemos tambien de sus esteroides y su bate de corcho.
Despues cuando llego el año 2000 comenzamos a ver esa erupcion de bateadores de poder, pero no bateadores de poder natural como Andres Galarraga, Ken Griffey Jr, Vladimir Gerrero, Cal Ripken Jr, David Justice, Paul O'neill, Vinny Castilla, Dante Bichette, Gregg Vaughn.



(Tony Gwynn y Cal Ripken JR. Dos de los mejores bateadores de la historia, limpios de esteroides)


Sino bateadores que aumentaron su poder y sus habilidades utilizando esteroides, entre los cuales sabemos que el principal es Jose Canceco.
 Alli fue cuando comenzo la era de los bateadores sobre los lnazadores.
Del año 2000 para aca vimos a Barry Bonds hacer lo mismo que McGwire, y nos enteramos de una gran cantidad de jugadores que habian utilizado y estaban utilizando esteroides, claro tambien hay pitchers que lo han hecho, pero se conoce una cantidad que tiende a cero comparada con la de jugadores de posicion.


a finales de la decada del 00' se han mejorado mucho los controles andtidopaje en el beisbol de grandes ligas por eso el año pasado no vimos tantos bateadores bateando 50 home runs, y por eso estamos viendo tambien a lanzadores mas dominantes este año; Aunque estemos claros, no le podemos echar la culpa solo a los esteroides que ciertamente tienen bastante responsabilidad, pero tambien es que los lanzadores se han estado preparando mejor, y la tecnologia los ayuda impresionantemente, como dijo Armando Galarraga cuando se le preguntara acerca de este tema.
Esta temporada tmabien han habido otros pitchers que han llegado lejos con juegos de no-no como Ted Lilly de los Chicago Cubs quien llego hasta el 9no inning lanzando el no hitter contra sus rivales de ciudad los Chicago White Sox, cuando Juan Pierre como bateador emergente conecto hit al left field para abrir el inning. CC Sabathia de los New York Yankees tambien lo hizo temprano en la temproada llegando al 8vo inning lanzando el no hit no run a los Tampa Bay Rays cuando Kelly Shoppach lo termino con hit a left field.
Si me preguntan, me gustan los cuadarangulares y los juegos con bastandes carreras, pero tambien es muy bueno ver joyas de pitcheo como las que hemos visto este año, perfeccion y dominio.
Puedes tener un euqipo de poder y con grandes averages pero si no tienes pitcheo no llegas a ningun lado, puedes hacer 10 carreras en un juego pero si a tus pitchers les hacen 11 pierdes, por eso pitcheo es el nombre del juego.






(Mariano Rivera y su recta de cuatro costuras)

Interleague action

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim beat Los Angeles Dodgers in interleague game at Angel Stadium, the starter pitcher for the Angels was Ervin Santana, while Clayton Kershaw took the mound for the Dodgers.





  
Santana was hit in the beginning of the game, and the Dodgers got ahead early in the game 3 to 0; Kershaw was very dominant, to the point of allowing only two hits in the first 5 innings.
In the sixth inning LAA scored 3 runs to tie the game with a home run to the center field by bobby Abreu, who had been struggling at the plate in the early innings; Abreu hit a fastball pitched by Kershaw down the middle of the plate and sent it over the fence, bringing three runs to the plate, that was his 8th homer of the season, and now he has 37 RBI's.
Later in the 7th inning Kendrick and Kevin Frnadsen bring threes more runs to the plate for the Angels and print the final score 6 to 3, Angels.

The win was for Ervin Santana, the save for Brian Fuentes and the loss for Ronald Belisario.

Accion Interliga

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim vence a Los Angeles Dodgers en juego interliga realizado en el Angel Stadium, de California, el lanzador Abridor por LAA fue el Dominicano Ervin Santana, mientras que por LAD tomó el monticulo el Norteamericano Clayton Kershaw.
        

Santana fue bateado en los primeros innings y los Dodgers tomaron ventaja temprano de 3 carreras por 0; Kershaw estaba intraficable y en los 5 primeros innings solo habia permitido dos sencillos por parte de Howie Kendrick.
En el 6to inning LAA anoto 3 carreras y empato el juego con cuadrangular de Bob Abreu por el jardin central; Abreu habia deslucido temprano en el juego pero en ese turno se reivindico al conectar la recta de Kershaw fuerte detras de la verja, trayendo al home los dos corredores que estaban en base. El cuadrangular fue en cuenta de 2 bolas y 1 strike, asi Abreu llega a 8 cuandrangulares en la temporada y 37 carreras impulsadas.



Mas tarde en el 7mo inning,Kendrick y Kevin Frandsen traen 3 carreras mas al home para LAA e imprimir la pizarra final de 6 carreras por 3 a favor de Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.
El pitcher ganador fue Ervin Santana y el juego salvado para Brian Fuentes, el perdedor fue Ronald Belisario quien permitio las 3 carreras del 7mo inning.

Oscar Azocar dies at age 45

Oscar Azocar Venezuelan baseball player made his debut in the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League as a Pitcher for the Leones del Caracas, tehn because of being so good with the lumber was turned into an outfielder, bieng among the bes hitter of Venezuelan Baseball.
After playing with Caracas, he was traded to the Navegantes del Magallanes, there he helps that team win the 93-94 season.
He played several years with Magallanes at the outfield and 1st base, later on he played for La Guaira and Tigres de Aragua.
Azocar was taken into the Caribbean Hall of Fame this year.

Oscar Azocar was a good pitcher, but a better hitter

I remmember one game, Caracas Vs Magallanes, seventh innning, Magallanes had runners on second and third base, Caracas' manager calls the left handed pitcher Oscar Azocar from the bullpen, somehow he was better when he pitched against Magallanes. He put out the two hitters he faced, a good left handed pitcher.

One day playing in the Yankees farm system Felipe Alou saw him hittting during a batting practice and said "this guy is a good hitter". So he made the change...

He got to the majors as a Yankee and turned into the Azocar we all remember. Ironically, his best years in Venezuela were with the Glorious Navegantes del Magallanes, the team that he always dominated from the
mound.

He passed away this on june 14, 2010 at 4 am, in Valencia, Venezuela. He had a heart attack