I Went to a Baseball Game, but a Hockey Game Broke Out
As you can probably tell from the title, this is going to be about baseball. That’s right, Sac State Baseball is back at home and they took the field with a bang. Literally. In the home opener at The John (John Smith Field), UC Riverside’s Eddie Young was caught in a pickle between Second baseman Andrew Ayers and Third Baseman Will Soto. As Young was tagged out between second and third, he tried to grab the glove of Ayers. To get his glove out of the grasp of Young, Ayers gave a little push to Young and that is when it all broke out. It was the punch heard ’round the world as Young turned around and decked Ayers in the face. Ayers ate it like a boxer in the ring as he threw punches back at Young. As that fight ensued, Will Soto then came to the defense of Ayers and grabbed and slammed Young to the ground as Catcher Dane Fujinaka came to help out Soto. That is when the benches cleared and chaos broke out. Coach Reggie Christianson was trying to break everything up and after talking to a couple players about his reaction, it seems he wasn’t mad at all. Sutter McLoughlin was saying that after the brawl was over and everything settled down it was just a normal game again. After the game, he says Christianson was not the least bit mad. He said he was proud of them for sticking up for one another and protecting each other. After the brawl, Ayers and Young were suspended for the next 4 games as well as Riverside Catcher Drake Zarate and relief pitcher Zach Varela for their involvement in the bench clearing brawl in that third inning of opening day play at the John. Check out video of the fight here.
The AL West is going to be a close race this year with the addition of Albert Pujols to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, and the Texas Rangers. Texas, as you all know has gone to the World Series the past 2 years. With help from Ian Kinsler and Josh Hamilton, who just had a relapse from his drug and alcohol addiction. Last week, he “went to dinner and had a few drinks.” He then realized what he had done and called Ian Kinsler, but didn’t tell him that he had been drinking. They then went and hung out and talked at a nearby “place across the street from the restraunt and talked baseball and family.” Kinsler then drove Hamilton back to his place and asked if he was going out anymore tonight. Hamilton said no and a few minutes later, he was back at the place to buy a few drinks. He apologized in his press conference for “hurting those that have looked up to me.” ESPN analyst Richard Durrett spoke about how this will affect his free agency for the 2013 season. With the fact that he has only played one full season, and is still struggling with the drug and alcohol addiction, he is saying that it is going to take a huge affect whether or not he plays next year. But that’s next year. This is this year. If Hamilton can stay healthy for the entire year and He and kinsler, along with the rest of the Ranger lineup can do what they are known to do, they should have no problem, whether or not Hamilton stays healthy. 
As much as I hate to admit it, Baseball is no longer America’s national past time. ESPN bumps meaningful baseball games in the last month of the season to ESPN 2 in favor of preseason NFL games. And while only about 25 million people tuned in to watch Game 7 of last year’s World Series between the Rangers and Cardinals (in what was maybe the greatest World Series of my lifetime), the NFL will easily crack 100 Million viewers this Sunday, even if the game is a blowout. 
Alright baseball fans its that time again. Time for all the hot dogs, screaming fans, popcorn and the screaming, drunk fans that start the wave in the crowd. Best of all, the walk into the gate, looking over the box seats and smelling the fresh cut grass and the nicely groomed dirt of the baseball field. Being a baseball player, I love that feeling of the start of a new season. There were some key pick-ups over the off-season including Prince Fielder, the long-time Brewer now moving over the the motor-city, Detroit Tigers. The slugger played in all 162 games last season with the Brew Crew with a betting average of .299 and a slugging average of over .500. the trade was not just a one year contract but a nine year deal worth $214 million Also another big trade was former Oakland A’s ace Gio Gonzalez going to the Washington Nationals. This is a huge loss for Oakland as they have lost a great pitcher in the organization. Gio, with the A’s, went 16-12 with a 3.12 ERA, 197 strikeouts and 91 walks. 
Whereas Brian Sabean was content to let the Giants backup catchers log innings when Buster Posey’s leg bent in half (thus giving 213 at bats to Eli Whiteside and his robust .193 average), he wasn’t afraid to pull the trigger when second baseman Freddy Sanchez went to the DL two weeks later. On July 19th he acquired Jeff Keppinger, the 6 foot tall second baseman from the Astros.
