Monday, July 15, 2013

Things that make me go hmmmmmmm

Taking a break from the mundane breakdown of balls, strikes, home runs and double plays, this posts is just a series of unrelated random musings from the first half of the season. Some are positive, some are not, and some are just inane, but hopefully they will make you pause and reflect on the first month and half of baseball in Victoria.
  1. Is it just me, or is the grass getting greener and the infield getting firmer and just more darn aesthetically pleasing as the season goes on?
  2. Why can't we get jalapenos on our nachos? The real processed cheeze food is perfect, so is the salsa, but we want to bring the heat!
  3. The scoreboard is great, and we now get to see live versions of the inter-inning entertainment, so why can't we see a player's key stats when he hits (average, hits, RBI's, etc.) or when there is a pitching change? And how he is doing on the night - "1 for 3 - single, BB, K, K"? And what about the visiting team? It would be great to know who they were too. Maybe the All Star game will push us there, but it can't be that hard to do.
  4. Even better, like those old hockey cards from the '70's, maybe we could have a cartoon with a fun fact about the player - "In the off-season, Alex likes to go water skiing" or "Timmy will be studying Astrology at CSF this year".
  5. I know we can't do anything about it, but the sun angle is brutal on the first base line, and with the plate moved back it's hard to see the hitter since these kids are so darn keen and stand up all the time.
  6. Speaking of these kids, have you ever seen so many games without someone blowing a gasket? I have yet to see anyone go nuts over a blown call or even come close to being tossed out. And they run on and off the field like they actually like being there...strange.
  7. Harvey has a lot of junk in the trunk - we need to chip in and get him a personal trainer or he'll never beat anyone around the bases. No offense Harv', I'm just sayin'...
  8. There has never been a better dynamic duo (sorry Caped Crusaders!) on a summer evening than Spinnakers and Pig.
  9. I cannot figure out why the catchers - on both teams - drop the ball so frequently? Is it because they are getting used to catching for new pitchers? New gloves? Hard to see the ball?
  10. Alex Real is the Re-al De-al. The guy can hit and he has a pretty good glove too. You will see him on your TV some day.
  11. Are they filming Terminator IV (the Early Days) behind third base, because it sure looks like a scene from post-apocalyptic mankind? I think a cool "between innings" promotion would be to have a kid run through there and if they don't get bitten by a raccoon or step on a nail, they win a prize. 
  12. I'm impressed with the crowds that make it out, even on weeknights, even when the team is in a slump. Wait a minute, could this model actually work and give us a "permanent" baseball team?? Heart be still!
  13. No one is ever in the "Group deck" behind third base - why not turn it into a "beer garden" every so often with cheap beer and eats and make it a cool place to hang out. In an extreme example, the Tacoma Rainiers got it going on with Thirsty Thursday's! The space will get used, and more bums will pass through the turnstiles.
  14. It's so Canadian that the beer stands use a puck to hold money down on windy days.
  15. Do you only get a franchise in this league if your town has a weird name - Walla Walla, Wenatchee, Cowlitz, Bend, Kitsap? We're pretty normal with Victoria, but where are the Springfield's or the Newtown's?
  16. What would base coaches do if we moved the coaching box to where they actually stand? Would they stay there, or move out of the box again just to be difficult?
Anyone got any more?

19 comments:

  1. I predict that Harvey will win a race before the end of the season... but not against a little one. Maybe Marty the Marmot will challenge him to a race, talk about a big butt!

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    1. While we're on Marty, doesn't he look like he is wearing a diaper?? In any case, I'll take that bet...I say Harvey goes 0 for 2013, no matter what!

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  2. If we're going to see the Real-Deal on tv one day which I agree is likely, why won't we see him in the WCL allstar game. Can you believe that?

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  3. Is it just me or does it seem some nights Harvey is wearing boxers and others he's wearing a thong under his fur. He/she seems to shrink as well?

    Yes a beer garden!!! However this might might create a significant list to the port side of the field causing all third baseline bunts to roll foul.

    No offense to the brew pub beer as I see you're partial but could they have one "Normal Canadian Available" or Mexican with a lime....they would get allot more of my money.

    Ditto on the Nachos...how about some hot mix pickles for the dogs if we're going to bring the heat.

    11 is hilarious...how about find the foul ball, contestant has to go in sticking there hands into those dark creepy spaces until they find something...ball, animal, another person?

    Who's in charge of on field games and promotions, did he quit after the first night? As great as the prize is for that OB Marine Group catch the fish in the giant net....how about water balloons and a ball glove and the contestants are only 25-35 year old women in white t-shirts?

    I'm enjoying the games all the same even if nothing changes









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    1. Nice suggestions! I think you may be on to Harvey having a couple of different "personalities". And I'd suggest trying the Kolsch beer as it is pretty light...and I hear you on occasionally tossing back a "lawnmower" beer that is a bit lighter, but I'm guessing sponsorship says no dice.

      And you nailed it, even if nothing changes, it is good to be back at the yard enjoying Victoria baseball.

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    2. Darth, took your advice and tried the Kolsch beer. After 8 of them last night I believe I like them very much. No need for change or additions to that lineup.

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    3. We have had quite a few comments on the blog this year, but this is perhaps my favourite. :-)

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  4. Here's one that makes me go hmmmmmmmm. Alex Real not selected to the North Division All Star team.
    Can anyone explain this? Please.
    http://www.wccbl.com/news.php?p=News&a=new

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  5. Oh I see now Alex Real has been added as a first baseman, yesterday he was not listed.

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  6. Anonymous,

    Alex Real has been added to the team.

    See http://harbourcats.com/news/headlines/?article_id=107

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  7. The issue with the All Star roster has been addressed. The guy who just might win the Triple Crown has been added to the team.

    See http://harbourcats.com/news/headlines/?article_id=107

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  8. #2 - Food (and further to Anonymous asking for hot mix pickles): how about some more hot dog varieties? I'm not asking for anything exotic like a Vancouver Japadog or Seattle cream cheese dog (although I wouldn't complain about those), but Canadian staples like cheese dogs and chili cheese dogs would sure go down well.

    #8 - The above hot dog request notwithstanding, Pig's pulled pork is the best ballpark food EVER.

    #12 - The league stats show Victoria with the biggest average crowds at 1,441 (that's only 20 more than Bend, though). 15 games in, there's never been fewer than 1,003 people in the stands at RAP. And that was a Wednesday evening when the temperature was 16 degrees. The two Saturday games, sunny evenings when the temperature was 20+, saw 1,600+ turn out.

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  9. Martin - you got my mouth watering with talk of chili cheese dogs...nice call (but agree, not many ballparks you get an awesome pulled pork/brisket sandwich like the ones from Pig!).

    Let's hope attendance keeps up...I think it will only improve as warm days seem to be here and most of the future series are over the weekends.

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  10. OK, further to the attendance question, I got carried away -- here's a link to my blog, with an over-the-top statistical analysis of the link between attendance and the good weather.
    http://bayesball.blogspot.ca/2013/07/fair-weather-fans-r-scatter-plot-matrix.html

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  11. Great job, Martin! I was stunned by the correlation coefficient of 0.7 -- that's crazy! But as you say, it's a small sample size. I look forward to your analysis once the season has concluded.

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  12. Martin - I also tip my hat to you, what a cool analysis...truly amazing amount of effort you invested here! Thanks for contributing to the blog!

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  13. Hey Guys, any reason why we don't have a bat boy? In all the years in Vic following ball at Rap, I've never not seen a bat boy workin for the home team. Hmmmm. A dream job for some young boy/girl.

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  14. Good question, maybe these guys are so young they'd feel offended! I'll see what I can find out...

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  15. A few of my own observations after attending my first game:

    I am curious to know how many nights the Group Deck has been utilized. I was at my first game the other night and it was vacant as you said too (mind you it was a Monday). Seems to be this space would be better used with seating areas for general admission folks and move the Group area down the third base line where it was previously.

    This was always a popular spot for fans to stand and this would have the added bonus of somewhat covering up the nuclear holocaust storage area down the third baseline even if it is not used. Man that is UGLY!

    Another third base item is the bullpens. I question the choice of having the visitors bullpen so close to the dugouts, with them throwing back toward the infield. At the game I was at last night, a pitcher let loose a full speed wild pitch that narrowly missed beaning unsuspecting players on the HarbourCats bench. It also seems odd that opposing players have to trot all the way around back of home plate on a break in action. Move this one back to the first base line so it is easier to access for the visitors and safer too.

    The PA announcer. Is making me really appreciate how good Newman was for the Seals. The way he announced some names made it sound like he was cutting off their full name...eg the Schuknechts always sounded like just Shuk. Sometimes simpler is better, just clearly announce their name and don't worry about any dramatic emphasis...unless of course we get another AAAAAARHARRRT! or similar.

    Scoreboard clock....last nights game started at 11:10 and finished at I think 11:30. Do you think the City could get up there and put a new battery in or whatever is needed!?

    Harvey - agree on the junk, but is it just me or does his facial expression look just odd enough to be a bit creepy to some? Something in those eyes makes me think creepy old man, on skid row or something like that. And I think we have all been spoiled by Marty as Harvey is no where near the animated mascot type.

    Promotions...so we get a new ball team but the same old promos...throwing into the fishing net, spinning on the bat and falling down...Is there nothing new and out of the box that can be done promotion wise?

    The baseball and overall experience was great and it is nice to see more food selections. Very happy that baseball is back and the HC staff are doing a great job. Lets hope some minor tweaks can be made for next year as I think this level of ball is one that fans in Victoria will enjoy watching.

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