Saitama Seibu Lions (埼玉西武ライオンズ)

My A’s signed one of my Lions today.

Posted on December 17th, 2012 under Japan. Tags: baseball, seibu lions. Comments Off on Oakland A’s sign Seibu’s Hiroyuki Nakajima for 2013

National League Cy Young Award winner R.A. Dickey throws a knuckleball to a New York Yankees hitter

Congratulations to R.A. Dickey for winning the 2012 Cy Young Award. I like guys like Dickey, who exceed expectations and don’t have a ridiculous salary. He has never made more than $4.3M in a season. Once a guy starts making $10 or 20 million a year I have a hard time liking him.

I saw Dickey play at the end of his improbable run in late June. From May 22 until I saw him pitch at home against the Yankees on June 24 he started 6 games and was nearly perfect during that stretch. He not only won all of those games, but he only gave up 1 earned run (in the first game) and was averaging more than 10 strikeouts a game. Unfortunately for the Mets, the streak ended the night I was there and he gave up five runs to the Yankees. He was never quite that good during the rest of the year, but he was plenty good enough to win the Cy Young Award on the season, given to the best pitcher in the league.

Posted on November 15th, 2012 under Other. Tags: AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II, baseball, mets, new york, nikon d7000. Comments Off on 2012 NL Cy Young Award winner R.A. Dickey

No, not that Godzilla, the Godzilla also known as Hideki Matsui. Kirin used Matsui (or a giant balloon made to look like him actually) to promote their canned coffee called “Fire” with this “Big Matsui” outside of the Shinjuku Train Station exit a few years ago. Matsui was all the rage at the time given his MVP in the World Series the prior fall with the Yankees. I wonder if his image is still plastered all over the place in Japan now that his career is winding down.

Posted on November 7th, 2012 under Japan. Tags: baseball, shinjuku. Comments Off on Godzilla in Shinjuku

Miguel Cabrera - 2012 Triple Crown

Miguel Cabrera led the American League in batting average, home runs, and RBIs this season. No one had done so since 1967. He will likely win the MVP award as well. I am hoping the A’s pitchers can hold him in check for another couple days.

Posted on October 10th, 2012 under Other. Tags: AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II, baseball, nikon d7000, Nikon TC-17E II 1.7x Teleconverter. Comments Off on Mr. Triple Crown — Miguel Cabrera

The last time I saw the A’s play the Tigers live Doug Fister was on the mound for Detroit, just as he is today in the playoffs. This is my voodoo photo of the day, hoping the A’s can go back to Oakland on Tuesday with the series even at one game each.

Posted on October 7th, 2012 under Other. Tags: AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II, baseball, nikon d7000. Comments Off on Doug Fister of the Detroit Tigers