Tagged: timeout at the plate

Timeout at the plate #2

Day 7


timeoutattheplate_copy.jpgWelcome back to the Timeout at the plate series and a look at a blog that comes from out west in the great United States. Pulling no punches in the critique of “her” team, this writer calls it like she sees it and doesn’t mind calling it real bad if she thinks it’s real bad…

In case you were asleep in history class or wandering eyes were on the cute blonde or dreamy eyed beefcake you may have forgotten the Spanish began to create the first missions in the San Diego area in the early 1770’s. Those missions were run by fathers or friars called “Padres,” hence the name San Diego Padres if you never caught the reason behind that. Just saying… San Diego translated is the name of a Spanish Saint Didacus of Alcala. 

So it’s somewhat fitting that teenage writer and student “Kaybee” as the autuserpic-68421-250x250.pnghor of Unfinished Business http://kaybee.mlblogs.com quotes a biblical line from Corinthians in her blogs header and sometimes her unabashed critique of the Padres can seem like fire and brimstone.

Like other one name celebrities Madonna or Prince, Kaybee  needs only one name and MLBlogs to make her point on the Padres. The title “Unfinished Business” comes from a quote from Padres general manger Kevin Towers after the 2007 season when the Padres fell in a heartbreaker in game 163 to the record setting Rockies. Kaybee has questioned changing her title but she hasn’t because the Padres still have that business to take care of… winning a World Series. 

So expect more straight up commentary and strong opinions this year, especially if Trevor Hoffman goes bye bye, yikes!

Kaybee first please explain the idea behind the name Kaybee!
Well, my mom actually suggested it. My initials are KB, so “kaybee” is my initials spelled out. (Don’t act like you didn’t want to know)

On your front page of Unfinished Business you reference Corinthians in your header. What significance does it represent to you having it there?
I’m a Christian. I have had problems with being too obsessed with the Padres, but that verse reminds me that sports aren’t everything. Winning the big championships is one of the most important things in sports. But just look at the players who have won the World Series or the Superbowl. Everyone’s super excited and happy for a while, but then it just fades away. Trophies collect dust. The fans turn to the next season, wondering what the team will do next. I really want the Padres to win the World Series someday, but I know I won’t be happy for the rest of my life when they do. I’ll always feel like there’s something more. This verse also encourages me to look ahead, to see that I am living for a huge gift, the gift of eternal life. I’m living for a crown that will last forever! 

You have written a great post on what maybe it meant to be a true fan. Do you think you now know what it means to be a true fan and what all it entails?

Yes, the response I got on that entry was incredible. We’ve got a great group of TRUE fans here at MLBLOGS!! Being a true fan is cheering for your team no matter what, especially when they aren’t doing well. It’s not easy, but you stick by them. Being a true fan doesn’t mean having season tickets and going to the ballpark all the time, but by following them in any and every way you can. Being a true fan is enjoying baseball, no matter what the score is.   

What would you like to achieve in your writing about the Padres on MLBlogs?

Well, I would like to cover the Padres in a reporting job someday, so this has been great practice. I just want to put my opinion on the Padres out there (and I’m not afraid to criticize them if they aren’t doing well), and give my readers something to enjoy and maybe even laugh at. San Diego has a good little team here, and I don’t want them to get pushed into a corner.

 
What does having MLBlogs mean to you?
This place has been an incredible blessing. Before I joined in June, I didn’t have anyone to talk baseball with. Coming here, I have a place to rant about my Padres when they are doing bad, and praise them when they are doing well. Best of all, I can interact with baseball fans all over the world! It has been so neat to tease other fans when our teams are playing each other, or to support each other when things aren’t going well. Without this blogosphere, I would probably be depressed!  (I think I would be depressed too..)
 
The Padres have had an up and down time in the NL west the last few seasons. What would you tell a first time visitor to your blog about the Padres and their future?
The Padres are a sad, frustrating team that has never won a World Series. They trade away very good players, and their payroll is ridiculously low. Plus they make very bad first round draft picks. But they have a beautiful ballpark in downtown San Diego, and they are able to give you good baseball once in a while. Hopefully, we will get a new owner before the season starts. This year we will have a fairly young team. The top guys from our system are making their way up. I’m hoping that they can get a decent season under their belts this year. In a few years, I hope to have a championship-caliber team here in San Diego. It’s very possible in this strange NL West. I think we can be a very good team in the near future. 
 
Lastly, where would you like to be as a person and a Padre fan at the end of 2009?
I would like to get my priorities straight. Sometimes we get so caught up in the busyness of life that we forget what’s really important. Sometimes, baseball needs to be put on the back burner if it means spending time with someone who’s hurting, or just taking the time to pray. I’m going to be pretty busy this year, with lots of new responsibilities, but I want to make sure I stay in touch with my friends, keep listening to baseball, and spend time with my family. As a Padres fan, I want to be as involved as I can, but keeping it in perspective. I’m really excited about blogging on the Padres this year. It will be a lot of fun.
 
So there you have it folks, if you didn’t know then you know now! Timeout at the plate #2 is a wrap. Thanks for reading and see you next series!                                                      
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Timeout at the plate #1

Day 3


timeoutattheplate_copy.jpgThe amount of support I have received since posting on new year’s eve has been overwhelming. The MLB blogging community is a great place to belong to. I was inspired to create a series of short looks at many of the blogs that you may or may not read daily on MLBlogs.com which I will call Timeout at the plate. It was only fitting for me to start this series with the first person who responded to my blog and responded with an incredible gesture of kindness. She was the first person to open her home to me and I thought only fitting she be featured on Timeout at the Plate #1.

If you are walking around the area of Sudbury Massachusetts and you see a Red Sox hat in a bush like tree grab it. The rightful owner is probably Julia Fitzgerald and you may know her through her blog Julia’s Rants http://werbiefitz.mlblogs.com.

She is a smart and well educated woman on all things RedSox and her blog is worth the drop by for insightful opinions and
redsoxhats.jpgon target commentary.

I have to admit I have had some bad experiences with Sox fans who were less then fun to be around. 2007 was a tough year for Rockies fans because we saw a team work so hard and come up short to a veteran Sox team that dominated in the World Series. My mouth had a sour taste to the Sox fans I was witness to during that series. Julia Fitzgerald has put a great spin on Soxdom and has restored my faith there are indeed very classy fans in the Boston area.

Fitzgerald, 45, and wife and mother of teenage sons loves her baseball and her Red Sox and was gracious enough to sit down for an interview after a two hour private jet flight (wink). Here’s a quick glimpse into the mind of Julia’s Rants:

Julia, it’s obvious you are an outstanding Boston fan, what is your earliest recollection of rooting for the Sox and when did you really begin to get into baseball?
 
My Parents – including my Mom! – were big sports fans and I can remember cheering for Yaz when I was young.  My Dad is Polish so I thought it was really neat that he was also.  I always remember being a Red Sox fan,  When I was young it was a lot easier (and cheaper!) to get tickets so we went several times a year.

If you could live anywhere in the country where would you live beyond where you live now and why?  
 
I think it would either be in the Kentucky area – it is beautiful there and not that far from New England- or (don’t laugh!) probably Colorado.  While I’m not a big winter person (I don’t ski) I do enjoy hiking so the rest of the year would be beautiful.  My husband and I have talked about how beautiful the country is there. (The Colorado reference was an obvious attempt to win brownie points…no brownie points for you.)

Would you still root for the Sox?

YES!!!!  I can never imagine loving a team as much as I do my Red Sox!  I actually am a big fan of all the Boston teams and besides baseball I am a really big football fan.

What is your most memorable baseball moment that when your sons have sons or daughters you will be excited to pass on?
 
I was in 7th grade during the ’75 World Series – Red Sox vs Reds.  I will never forget the 12th inning of game 6 – Fisk’s home run!  All of the Red Sox fans willed the ball to stay fair with Pudge.  My parents let us stay up late to watch all the games in that World Series.  Also – during the 1986 World Series against the Mets I was in a bar in Florida during the game when the ball went through Buckner’s legs.  I think I was the only Red Sox fan in the place.  It was a very lonely night.

Having children, is baseball more meaningful in being able to pass along moral or ethical messages like not getting ahead with steroids?
 
Yes it is.  It is important to us that we teach our boys – while it is okay to really like players and to respect them for their ability, sports figures are not “heroes”.  That should be reserved, in my opinion, for people who are doing the really important work in our society – the Military, police, firefighters and other first responders.  I have something that affect on the “about me” section on my blog.  We also “preach” to our boys about how using steroids is just plain stupid and very harmful to your body.  You get ahead by hard work, not by taking short-cuts.

What would you wish in ’09 for your biggest critic?
 
That my critic would be more accepting of who I am.  I’m not perfect, but I have opinons and I have the right to be listened to and not be made to feel unimportant.  Also – I don’t have to agree with you on everything and it’s okay for me to have different likes.

As I boarded Julia’s million dollar plane I could see how she would lose her hats in the trees because she can obviously buy more! (wink) And with that the first installment of Timeout at the plate is wrapped. Stop in for this ongoing series and you may learn a little more about a blog you already love or one that is brand new.