The Jock Strap
with Brian Bruce
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Can't wait for baseball season? Give Iowa Minor League Baseball a try this Spring and Summer!
If you're like me, you have just about had enough of Mother Nature and her silly tricks this Winter. It has been snowing, icing, and freezing since early November 2007, and it's just about time to move on. I, like you, long for warmer temperatures, more sunlight, and longer days.
And, when I start thinking like this, I start dreaming about green grass, roasted peanuts, giant souvenir cups filled with the soft drink of my choice, warm breezes, and the crack of the bat. That's right sports fans, baseball season is only about one month away!
When you start putting together plans to head out to the old ballpark this Spring and Summer, keep Iowa Minor League Baseball in the forefront of your mind. Yes, no question, the occasional trip to K.C., St. Louis, or Chicago to watch the big boys in action is always a great use of an extended weekend, but when you want to watch a ballgame and be able to get back home for work the next day, staying in Iowa is the answer for you. Plus, there's just nothing like the allure of Minor League Baseball, watching young professional ballplayers with big dreams to make it to places like Kansas City, St. Louis, and Chicago one day.
The Minor League game and experience are great because of the lack of frills and unnecessary extras you sometimes encounter at Major League ballparks. The Minor League experience is about one thing, baseball. The experience has to do with watching the game and studying the game that is being played in front of you, not about everything that surrounds the game.
On top of the beautiful simplicity of the set-up, you'll experience old-school prices and a touching hometown feel.
For instance, at Community Field in Burlington, Iowa, home of the Kansas City Royals' Low Class A affiliate, the Burlington Bees, you head up to the concession stand, order a Coke, and they hand you a 20-ounce Coca Cola bottle. No fancy stadium cup. No 40-ounce stadium mug and straw for $4.50. Just a plastic, 20-ounce Coca Cola bottle. Love it! Also, the price will be about $1.00 to $1.50, as compared to the $4.00 you'd pay at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City or the new Busch Stadium in St. Louis for a similarly-sized beverage. Bottom line, you take $5.00 to the concession stand, you come back with plenty of products. You get your money's worth, and that's all that you can ask for. And, you're not just getting your money's worth in terms of concessions, but also the product on the field. Next time you're at a Minor League game, study the actual game being played. It's great baseball, and many times, like in the Midwest League (where the Bees play), it's very well-pitched baseball. For baseball purists who like the low-scoring game where intracacies of the game become important to push across hard-to-come-by runs (like myself), this is great baseball to watch.
Now, onto the touching hometown feel of Minor League Baseball. Again, using Burlington, Iowa as an example, when you're at Community Field you'll run into a local legend by the name of Bobby. Bobby is a gentlemen who attends each and every game, stands near the the first base line box seats, and dances to the stadium music in-between half innings. Bobby is totally harmless and very entertaining, but will get a little miffed if anyone tries to dance with him and steal the spotlight. So, do yourself a favor, just let Bobby have the spotlight and enjoy the dancing. Again, only in Minor League Baseball.
Also, Minor League GMs will regularly have some sort of crazy promotion to draw crowds, such as "pick your seat night," "80s night," etc. Teams will also typically have fun little trivia segments and competition giveaways between half-innings. Minor League Baseball is all about the fun.
So, this Spring and Summer before you run out of state to K.C., St. Louis, or Chicago to catch a game, why not head to Burlington, Davenport, Cedar Rapids, or Des Moines. Believe me, you'll thank me for it later.
Check out these four team sites:
Burlington Bees (K.C. Royals Low Class A affiliate, Burlington, IA):
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/index.jsp?sid=t420
Quad Cities River Bandits (St. Louis Cardinals Low Class A affiliate, Davenport, IA):
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/index.jsp?sid=t565
Cedar Rapids Kernels (Anaheim Angels Low Class A affiliate, Cedar Rapids, IA):
http://www.kernels.com/
Iowa Cubs (Chicago Cubs AAA affiliate, Des Moines, IA):
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/index.jsp?sid=t451
Have a great time experiencing Minor League Baseball! I sure have and will continue to, I can tell you that for sure. And, don't forget to respond to this blog by posting a response and/or e-mailing me with your thoughts at bbruce@ottumwaradio.com. Look forward to hearing from you!
"The Bruce"
And, when I start thinking like this, I start dreaming about green grass, roasted peanuts, giant souvenir cups filled with the soft drink of my choice, warm breezes, and the crack of the bat. That's right sports fans, baseball season is only about one month away!
When you start putting together plans to head out to the old ballpark this Spring and Summer, keep Iowa Minor League Baseball in the forefront of your mind. Yes, no question, the occasional trip to K.C., St. Louis, or Chicago to watch the big boys in action is always a great use of an extended weekend, but when you want to watch a ballgame and be able to get back home for work the next day, staying in Iowa is the answer for you. Plus, there's just nothing like the allure of Minor League Baseball, watching young professional ballplayers with big dreams to make it to places like Kansas City, St. Louis, and Chicago one day.
The Minor League game and experience are great because of the lack of frills and unnecessary extras you sometimes encounter at Major League ballparks. The Minor League experience is about one thing, baseball. The experience has to do with watching the game and studying the game that is being played in front of you, not about everything that surrounds the game.
On top of the beautiful simplicity of the set-up, you'll experience old-school prices and a touching hometown feel.
For instance, at Community Field in Burlington, Iowa, home of the Kansas City Royals' Low Class A affiliate, the Burlington Bees, you head up to the concession stand, order a Coke, and they hand you a 20-ounce Coca Cola bottle. No fancy stadium cup. No 40-ounce stadium mug and straw for $4.50. Just a plastic, 20-ounce Coca Cola bottle. Love it! Also, the price will be about $1.00 to $1.50, as compared to the $4.00 you'd pay at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City or the new Busch Stadium in St. Louis for a similarly-sized beverage. Bottom line, you take $5.00 to the concession stand, you come back with plenty of products. You get your money's worth, and that's all that you can ask for. And, you're not just getting your money's worth in terms of concessions, but also the product on the field. Next time you're at a Minor League game, study the actual game being played. It's great baseball, and many times, like in the Midwest League (where the Bees play), it's very well-pitched baseball. For baseball purists who like the low-scoring game where intracacies of the game become important to push across hard-to-come-by runs (like myself), this is great baseball to watch.
Now, onto the touching hometown feel of Minor League Baseball. Again, using Burlington, Iowa as an example, when you're at Community Field you'll run into a local legend by the name of Bobby. Bobby is a gentlemen who attends each and every game, stands near the the first base line box seats, and dances to the stadium music in-between half innings. Bobby is totally harmless and very entertaining, but will get a little miffed if anyone tries to dance with him and steal the spotlight. So, do yourself a favor, just let Bobby have the spotlight and enjoy the dancing. Again, only in Minor League Baseball.
Also, Minor League GMs will regularly have some sort of crazy promotion to draw crowds, such as "pick your seat night," "80s night," etc. Teams will also typically have fun little trivia segments and competition giveaways between half-innings. Minor League Baseball is all about the fun.
So, this Spring and Summer before you run out of state to K.C., St. Louis, or Chicago to catch a game, why not head to Burlington, Davenport, Cedar Rapids, or Des Moines. Believe me, you'll thank me for it later.
Check out these four team sites:
Burlington Bees (K.C. Royals Low Class A affiliate, Burlington, IA):
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/index.jsp?sid=t420
Quad Cities River Bandits (St. Louis Cardinals Low Class A affiliate, Davenport, IA):
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/index.jsp?sid=t565
Cedar Rapids Kernels (Anaheim Angels Low Class A affiliate, Cedar Rapids, IA):
http://www.kernels.com/
Iowa Cubs (Chicago Cubs AAA affiliate, Des Moines, IA):
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/index.jsp?sid=t451
Have a great time experiencing Minor League Baseball! I sure have and will continue to, I can tell you that for sure. And, don't forget to respond to this blog by posting a response and/or e-mailing me with your thoughts at bbruce@ottumwaradio.com. Look forward to hearing from you!
"The Bruce"
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Show the Drake Bulldogs some love!
"The Bruce" is back and I'm annoyed. The Drake Bulldogs men's basketball team, as of 02/20/08, is 23-3 overall and 14-2 in the Missouri Valley Conference, already MVC regular-season champs for the first time since 1971, and ranked No. 16 in the country on the AP Poll, and still earning little or no love from the national media.
Yes, I grant you that it's extra special to me because I cover collegiate sports in Iowa, and also because I live within 90 miles of the Drake campus in Des Moines. But, if you're an employee at ESPN or a producer for College Gameday, how can you say that you're doing your job while you overlook a conference champion that was picked to finish 9th in the league in the preseason rankings? How can you say that you're doing your job when you overlook a program that just last year had its first winning season in the last 20, and currently sits at 23-3 overall? Again, it's a disgrace. The Drake men's basketball story is a great one, and nobody is telling it.
Instead of spending all of the time in the world on Roger Clemens, Andy Pettitte, Brian McNamee, and the "Kidd to Dallas" NBA blockbuster trade, the national sports media should focus a little more of their collective energy on some good old, hometown feel-good stories. Drake would definitely qualify.
To read up on the Bulldogs, learn about the team, and devour in-depth facts about their on-going magical season, try these links:
http://www.godrakebulldogs.com and http://www.sportsline.com/collegebasketball/teams/page/DRA
Enjoy this season and support the Drake men's basketball team, one of the best in the land in 2007-2008. Magical runs like this sometimes only come once in a lifetime.
Yes, I grant you that it's extra special to me because I cover collegiate sports in Iowa, and also because I live within 90 miles of the Drake campus in Des Moines. But, if you're an employee at ESPN or a producer for College Gameday, how can you say that you're doing your job while you overlook a conference champion that was picked to finish 9th in the league in the preseason rankings? How can you say that you're doing your job when you overlook a program that just last year had its first winning season in the last 20, and currently sits at 23-3 overall? Again, it's a disgrace. The Drake men's basketball story is a great one, and nobody is telling it.
Instead of spending all of the time in the world on Roger Clemens, Andy Pettitte, Brian McNamee, and the "Kidd to Dallas" NBA blockbuster trade, the national sports media should focus a little more of their collective energy on some good old, hometown feel-good stories. Drake would definitely qualify.
To read up on the Bulldogs, learn about the team, and devour in-depth facts about their on-going magical season, try these links:
http://www.godrakebulldogs.com and http://www.sportsline.com/collegebasketball/teams/page/DRA
Enjoy this season and support the Drake men's basketball team, one of the best in the land in 2007-2008. Magical runs like this sometimes only come once in a lifetime.
Friday, February 15, 2008
Roger Clemens, Brian McNamee, steroids, and HGH
Earlier this week, 7-time Cy Young Award winner Roger Clemens and his former trainer Brian McNamee engaged in a "he said, he said" on Capitol Hill, with both men calling the other a liar. If you're not familiar with the situation, the Mitchell Report, which investigated steroids and HGH (Human Growth Hormone) use in Major League Baseball and was released several months ago, has turned Major League Baseball and the country upside down with big names in baseball implicated for steroid and HGH use at some point during their careers.
Of course, Barry Bonds was implicated and tied up the most pages of any player in the 600+ pages of the report. But, Roger Clemens was also highlighted in the report, with McNamee stating that he had injected Clemens with steroids and HGH several times over a period of years during his Major League career.
While being questioned in a public deposition, both men asserted they they were telling the truth. McNamee saying he injected Clemens with steroids and HGH, and Clemens saying that he never took steroids or HGH during his playing career. From watching the video on ESPN, it is, of course, impossible to tell which man is actually telling the truth. The chilling thing is that we all know for a fact that one of them is flat-out lying.
Now, and I admit that this is nothing but my intuition speaking as part of an opinion, but I believe that it's Clemens who's doing the lying.
First and foremost, what do you expect him to say? "Yes, I took steroids and HGH shots during my career, so please look differently on my accomplishments and Hall of Fame numbers and think of me in a totally different light than you used to." Of course he's not going to say that. He must defend himself and the credibility of his career.
Secondly, what are McNamee's reasons to lie about the situation? What does he have to gain? Nothing more than a little time in the spotlight that comes with more than adequate irritation, being questioned under the spotlight by a Congressional committee, etc., etc. There really isn't any reason for McNamee to lie. Why would he?
Finally, and this is more on a generic line, but usually when someone has very specific details about an incident that occurred or didn't occur, such as the in-depth specifics in the Mitchell Report highlighting supposed facts surrounding McNamee injecting Clemens with steroids and HGH, then they are not lying. When someone lies, they give a glossed-over and generic answer to everything, hoping that nobody will dig into the details, details with which they are not equipped. But, when someone has the truth on their side, they also have details and facts to support their argument, because they were actually there and said what they said or did what they did. Basically, McNamee is giving an incredible amount of specific facts, while Clemens is simply saying, "No, I didn't do it." That's really all Clemens has left at this point, a comprehensive denial of all the accusations pointed toward him.
Now, what McNamee's real reasons are for saving gauze pads and needles from supposed injections of Clemens, I have absolutely no idea. It's disgusting, not to mention possibly harmful with infection and the like.
But, even with that being said, McNamee has the facts and specific details on his side. Agree with me or disagree with me, but I see it how I see it. Fire back with your thoughts on the situation.
"The Bruce"
Of course, Barry Bonds was implicated and tied up the most pages of any player in the 600+ pages of the report. But, Roger Clemens was also highlighted in the report, with McNamee stating that he had injected Clemens with steroids and HGH several times over a period of years during his Major League career.
While being questioned in a public deposition, both men asserted they they were telling the truth. McNamee saying he injected Clemens with steroids and HGH, and Clemens saying that he never took steroids or HGH during his playing career. From watching the video on ESPN, it is, of course, impossible to tell which man is actually telling the truth. The chilling thing is that we all know for a fact that one of them is flat-out lying.
Now, and I admit that this is nothing but my intuition speaking as part of an opinion, but I believe that it's Clemens who's doing the lying.
First and foremost, what do you expect him to say? "Yes, I took steroids and HGH shots during my career, so please look differently on my accomplishments and Hall of Fame numbers and think of me in a totally different light than you used to." Of course he's not going to say that. He must defend himself and the credibility of his career.
Secondly, what are McNamee's reasons to lie about the situation? What does he have to gain? Nothing more than a little time in the spotlight that comes with more than adequate irritation, being questioned under the spotlight by a Congressional committee, etc., etc. There really isn't any reason for McNamee to lie. Why would he?
Finally, and this is more on a generic line, but usually when someone has very specific details about an incident that occurred or didn't occur, such as the in-depth specifics in the Mitchell Report highlighting supposed facts surrounding McNamee injecting Clemens with steroids and HGH, then they are not lying. When someone lies, they give a glossed-over and generic answer to everything, hoping that nobody will dig into the details, details with which they are not equipped. But, when someone has the truth on their side, they also have details and facts to support their argument, because they were actually there and said what they said or did what they did. Basically, McNamee is giving an incredible amount of specific facts, while Clemens is simply saying, "No, I didn't do it." That's really all Clemens has left at this point, a comprehensive denial of all the accusations pointed toward him.
Now, what McNamee's real reasons are for saving gauze pads and needles from supposed injections of Clemens, I have absolutely no idea. It's disgusting, not to mention possibly harmful with infection and the like.
But, even with that being said, McNamee has the facts and specific details on his side. Agree with me or disagree with me, but I see it how I see it. Fire back with your thoughts on the situation.
"The Bruce"
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Welcome to The Jock Strap....Your favorite new blog from the mind of Brian Bruce at Ottumwa Radio
Hey there Southeast Iowa sports fans! Welcome to your new favorite sports blog. The idea here is this.........I regularly post sports-related topics that inspire, irritate, annoy, and/or provoke, and you post back with your feelings on what I've said and/or the topic in general......Sound good? Excellent.
My blogs might have to do with ultra-local sports.......Such as the Ottumwa Bulldogs, Indian Hills Community College, William Penn, etc., or they might have to do with national stories that are receiving big-time coverage.
Either way......The idea here is to get a flow of ideas going.......I'll get it started a couple times a week, and your job will be to respond!
So, let's get this thing rolling..........First true post to come soon! Let me know what you think about the new sports blog, and thanks for looking at the Ottumwa Radio websites!
Go Ottumwa Bulldogs! I'll be with you again soon!
Brian Bruce
My blogs might have to do with ultra-local sports.......Such as the Ottumwa Bulldogs, Indian Hills Community College, William Penn, etc., or they might have to do with national stories that are receiving big-time coverage.
Either way......The idea here is to get a flow of ideas going.......I'll get it started a couple times a week, and your job will be to respond!
So, let's get this thing rolling..........First true post to come soon! Let me know what you think about the new sports blog, and thanks for looking at the Ottumwa Radio websites!
Go Ottumwa Bulldogs! I'll be with you again soon!
Brian Bruce
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