August 19, 2006
IF HE HUGGED A PIG THEY'D BE WORTH MILLIONS:
Dugout Pastimes: Saving Faces (Ben Reiter, Sports llustrated)
Michelangelo, da Vinci, Botticelli ... Baldelli? Devil Rays outfielder Rocco Baldelli may not rank among the Italian masters, but he has made a lasting contribution to art, one that won't biodegrade for 2,000 years. While on the bench during a long recovery from assorted injuries, Baldelli, 24, doodled on Styrofoam coffee cups, using a sunflower seed as his stylus. Soon, he was carving portraits of teammates -- each took about five innings to complete -- and refining his technique. "I'd need a sharp seed to do the outlines," he says, "then I'd use the dull end to do the shading."Posted by Orrin Judd at August 19, 2006 11:13 AMBaldelli did three portraits. Pitcher Mark Hendrickson was "shocked" by the resemblance; catcher Toby Hall admires Baldelli's rendering of facial hair ("long, fuzzy little chin hair, eyebrows, everything"). But all agree Baldelli's masterpiece is his Julio Lugo. "Impressive," says the shortstop. "The mustache he got right, and the nose, that's the difficult part."
On a related topic:
"The Yankees took full advantage of 13 Red Sox walks -- nine by Boston starter Josh Beckett -- and won their third straight game against their AL East rivals."
Ouch.
Posted by: Bob at August 19, 2006 6:28 PMWell, Theo wasted a golden opportunity to give his young staff a good catcher--instead of Varitek-- but instead gave Francona that Javy toy. The results were predictable.
Posted by: oj at August 19, 2006 8:09 PMJavy's terrible, but it's not the catcher's fault that the Sawx pitchers can't throw the ball near the plate.28 bbs in 3 games.
I wonder if Anibal Sanchez watched the game today and had himself a chuckle.
Posted by: Jim in Chicago at August 19, 2006 11:14 PMActually, it often is the catcher's fault. Catcher's ERAs have been demonstrating that for some time.
Posted by: oj at August 19, 2006 11:48 PM