Major League @ MindSay

PITCHERS AND CATCHERS REPORT!!!! <3


Okay, they don't report until Valentine's day, but I couldn't NOT post about my excitement : ).


Also, my cousin Jared and his wife, Lauren, just gave birth to a BEAUTIFUL baby girl named Sophia and when my mom called to tell me about it I broke down in tears and I was hopping up and down in public like a crazy person but I don't give a damn, I am soooooooooooo happy for them!  Ahhhhhhhh!  I'm already plotting ways to get down to Long Island to see them and meet her. 

Well, I went to one of the bars last night to watch the Sox game, and did not come home very happy.  They're in a deep hole now and need to win, or else they're season is over.  I was expecting more for them, but maybe it was unrealistic.  They barely even made it to the playoffs, afterall.

Hopefully they can pull together like they did at the end of the regular season and get something going.

Former major leaguers Mike Kinkade and Chad Allen lead the roster for the U.S. national team that will compete in an Olympic qualifying tournament in Havana from Aug. 25 to Sept. 5.

 

The United States did not qualify for the last Summer Olympics, in Athens in 2004.

 

The 24-man roster announced Monday consists of professionals that are not in the majors, and will be the eighth time the national team will use MLB-affiliated players.

 

Aruba, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Nicaragua, Panama, Puerto Rico and Venezuela will also compete, with the top two finishers advancing to the 2008 Beijing Olympics. The third- and fourth-place finishers will advance to a second qualifying event to be held in the spring of 2008.

 

Former major league manager Davey Johnson will lead the team. He will be assisted by hitting coach Reggie Smith, pitching coach Kirk Champion and bench coach Rick Eckstein.

 

In addition to infielder Kinkade, who's with the Florida organization, and outfielder Allen (Kansas City), both former Olympians, other players with national team experience are outfielders Billy Butler (Kansas City) and Jarrod Saltalamacchia (St. Louis); infielders Brian LaHair (Seattle), Bobby Hill (San Diego) and Brandon Wood (Los Angeles Angels); and pitchers J.B. Cox (New York Yankees), Zach Segovia (Philadelphia), and Nic Ungs (Florida).