It's all about Matheny

 

It started early in our relationship, listening to the games on the radio around the campfire, it's late in a close game and it comes down to that one clutch hit... "it's all about Paquette" (who?) (former Cardinal catcher) It was uncanny, it seemed to always be up to our friend Paquette to come through with a hit and win the game. So that transitioned into our next catcher and for a long time my favorite player "it's all about Matheny". Who could we always count on when it counted? It's all about Matheny. I was heartbroken when he stopped playing for the Cardinals and even though it has frequently been all about Molina,  the rally cry never stuck for him. We're more likely to chant "Yadi! Yadi! Yadi!" or (to the Jaws theme) 'Yaaadi... Yaaadi... Yaaadi... Yadi, Yadi, Yadi, Yadi... Yadier!" 

So when Tony LaRusa finally retired even though we all thought it would be Jose Oquendo as our new skipper, once again, it was all about Matheny. 

We're coming off of a fantastic Post season in 2011, it was beyond exciting and carried us right to the World Series and an Unbelievable Championship. We've clinched a post season spot again, in typical Cardinals fashioned (by the skin of our teeth) and we'll see... "It's all about Matheny".  

Or is it? Maybe it's all about "Coors and a shot" (Matt Holiday) or 'Torty!" (Allen Craig) or "Squirrel!" (Skip Schumaker) or "Ready when you are CB" (Carlos Beltron) or the aforementioned "Yadi!!"

Or maybe it's about the GARDEN GNOME!! But that's another post. 

Go Cards!!! Let's make it 12 in 12!

Koenig Glossary: Ass Grab...

 We have developed quite a glossary of baseball terms in the 14 years we have been watching baseball together. One of these terms is Ass Grab. I believe it came about in the summer of 2001 (where many of our terms came about) when Pete was working as an usher for the minor league Camden River Sharks. I went to a lot of games alone while Pete was working and had time to notice things.

We were watching a game during this season and there was a meeting at the mound. My comment to Pete was "Aw, looks like someone's going to get their ass grabbed" ("huh??!") I went on to explain that every time there was a meeting on the mound, it always ended with someone getting their ass grabbed. 

A lot has been said about the friendly pat on the bottom that most sports employ, but it doesn't fail in Baseball... at any level. If there is a meeting at the mound, whether it ends in a pitching change or just a quick scouting update, there is always a little... well... Ass Grab at the end of the conversation.

We have since incorporated it into our scoring, an "AG" in the corner of the batter usually indicates a pitching change. There is even the MAG - Major Ass Grab - almost always a pitching change, where everyone and their cat comes out to the mound to give the new pitcher a couple extra seconds to warm out before heading out to the mound, and No, the ass is not major or is the grab, just a comment on the number of people that are milling about on the mound.

So, feel free to add it to your own vernacular or scorecards. Maybe it will even just make you smile a little when you see that manly pat on the bottom when the crowd breaks up.  Whatever, it's our definition:
ASS GRAB: verb (used with object) The final moment of a meeting at the mound when the highest ranking authority figure shows his sympathy with the pitcher who is done for the day by spanking him. 

Pot of Gold

Pete caught this picture at the Salem Red Sox game this summer. I, of course, was at the concession stand waiting for the last Cheesesteak in Virginia.

We have a long history of 'Did you see that!' It probably started (maybe our first Cardinals game together) when Pete's Dad innocently asked Pete to pick up his dropped All Star Ballot and Pete missed one of Mark Magwire's towering home runs. We still use that to this day ('Hey Pete, can you pick up my all star ballot?'). Albert Pujols is coming up to bat? Hey Pete, can you pick up my all star ballot?

More likely though is the 'Did I MISS anything' reaction that originated with Karen Loftus when we were at a Mets v. Cardinals game at Shea and she left to look for some Ice Cream. Of course 2 innings later when she finally got back, having missed (Magwire again) a home run hit to the Citgo! 'Did I MISS anything?'

See above where I was at the concession stand. I can't even count the number of cool things I have missed because I was at the concession stand. This particular photo was taken after we fled our campground in Cave Mountain lake because of tornado warnings, and then huddled in a hotel for 2 hours monitoring the Sox website while the rain poured down outside. It was a beautiful night.

But I guess that's the point, it's always a beautiful night in the ballpark. After this, I will steadfastly maintain that if you follow a rainbow to the end, there will be baseball.

In the Beginning...

This hopes to be a combined labor of love from both Pete and me and our baseball adventures. We found each other as two Cardinals fans in Cub country, we met in 'The Summer That Saved Baseball' and enjoyed the end of the home-run race to beat 61 together. Since then we have seen hundreds of games together in hundreds of parks of every level. We have developed our own vernacular while watching and scoring the game. It permeates every corner of our life (in a good way!). So hopefully, some fun stories and definitely some amazing photos, hope you enjoy!

This summer we finally got a dream come true, a minor league park within short driving distance from home. We "Got Hooked" into the Lakeshore Chinooks inaugural season and once or twice a week make the drive up to Mequon (about 20 minutes) to see our Fish take out the competition. It's a lot of fun. The park is very nice, intimate with a couple challenges that they are working on solving for next season.

It offers Pete a ton of opportunities for photos including this gem of infielder German "Big Poppi" Reyes beating out a throw to first. I love the windmill feel of this shot. And of course nothing beats the vivid Green and Brown of the field in the bright light of the Lakeshore Sunset
(more of those later!)