baseball misc.

First of all, Reds outfielder Josh Hamilton put on a hi-light show during their game against the Rockies today, by hitting 2 homers, making a great catch, and throwing out a baserunner trying to go to 3rd by a mile. After watching the game, I got to thinking that maybe he should be on the All-Star team this year. Unfortunately, since he isn't considered one of the Reds three main outfielders, he's not on the ballot. He can be included as a Write-In though, which is at the bottom of the ballot. To vote for the All-Star teams go to the Major League website at: http://mlb.mlb.com/index.jsp and look for the All-Star game links.

Also, an article about Cubs pitcher Rich Hill. Here's a quote from him about his curveball, which some people have said that it's so good that it seems magical:

''I don't think it's magic,'' the Cubs left-hander said with a laugh. ''I think probably the majority of it is God-given. I've been fortunate to be blessed with a good curveball. Sometimes I try to teach my curveball, and I don't know how to explain it. You can tell somebody how to do it, but unless you have the ability to do it, it just usually doesn't come out.''

Here's the article: http://www.suntimes.com/sports/baseball/cubs/362495,CST-SPT-hill29.article (originally found at: http://mlb.mlb.com/pa/news/article.jsp?ymd=20070430&content_id=1939242&vkey=mlbpa_news&fext=.jsp).

Here's an article about an organization that retired Brave Dale Murphy is starting to keep high school and college kids off of performance enhancing drugs: http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article_perspectives.jsp?ymd=20070501&content_id=1940071&vkey=perspectives&fext=.jsp.

Next, an article on Cubs 1st baseman Derrek Lee and the work that he's doing to raise money for research for the disease that his daughter has: http://mlb.mlb.com/pa/news/article.jsp?ymd=20070501&content_id=1940178&vkey=mlbpa_news&fext=.jsp.

Here's a good article about Braves outfielder Jeff Francoeur from the Fellowship of Christian Athlete's Sharing the Victory magazine: http://www.sharingthevictory.com/vsItemDisplay.lsp?method=display&objectid=21B3F9A9-0196-4024-B7D3653027FCA72E.

Also, a good Christian article about Tigers 1st baseman Sean Casey and pitcher Chad Durbin: http://www.bpsports.net/bpsports.asp?ID=5567.

Lastly, I read this in Sports Spectrum's "The Daily" on Friday, and since I couldn't put it any better myself, I'll just paste it here:

If you get a chance, read the article in this week’s Sports Illustrated about the Bluffton University baseball team. It is both a remarkable piece of journalism and a grand tribute to a fine bunch of young men who have suffered greatly from the loss of their teammates in that bus accident in Atlanta as the team was headed for spring training. Continue to pray for the five families who lost young men in the accident and pray for their teammates as they process all that has happened in their lives over the past several weeks. (Found at: http://www.sportsspectrum.com/daily/archives/070504.php)

At first I wrote myself a note to get a copy of the magazine, but then I thought to check on the Sports Illustrated website first and see if it was on there, which it was. I printed off the article from there and read it. I recommend reading it too, even though it's kind of long. Here's the webpage that the article's on: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/baseball/more/05/02/bluffton0507/index.html.