Of Bug Bites and Bad Plays

Picture from The Reporter

Welcome to the start of another week!  I had a very fun and productive weekend, although I somehow managed to get five very itchy and very inconveniently placed bug bites.  As anyone who know me will tell you, no matter the bug, I always swell up the second I get bitten.  Unfortunately for me this time around, two of the bites are on the backside of my knee, and the swelling is not only extremely uncomfortable but makes it difficult to bend my leg.  If only I didn't attend a college with millions of stairs...

Actually, I really can't complain, as long as I have amazing baseball games like tonight's NLCS Game 2 to distract me.  It seems like most of the Giants are finally starting to find their rhythm and we won 7-1 over the Cardinals.  The only downside of the game was that Giants second baseman and top-hit producer Marco Scutaro had to exit the game after taking a harsh slide by Matt Holliday in the first inning.  And now to consider the question that has the media buzzing: Was Holliday's slide into second base a "dirty play"?

Keep in mind that I am merely a fan, and a fairly ignorant one at that.  I don't know much about the nitty-gritty rules of the game (although I bought a book for just this purpose), but I do know what I heard and what I saw.  I heard both Bruce Bochy and the commentators state that the rule was you had to start sliding before you hit the bag, i.e. you have to start sliding on dirty.  I saw Holliday suddenly go airborne right above second base and then smash into Scutaro in what was an obvious attempt at stopping a double play.  Was the play intended to be "dirty" or illegal?  Probably not.  Holliday himself insists that he was only trying to break up the double play, not injury Scutaro or take him out of the game.  So, yeah, while I think that it was a poorly executed slide and that I'm not eager to see a play like that again, I don't think it was intentional.

That is all.

Did any of you see the play?  Or better yet, anyone out there with more baseball knowledge than I do who would like to weigh in with your opinion?

Fun Finds: Guilty Pleasures

Now it's really starting to feel like fall, and I find myself looking at some of my favorite things: warm clothes, fun furniture, and baseball paraphernalia.

 1. Lavender Coat (Pickles) - I love fall and winter simply for the excuse to wear warm sweaters!  I'm always amazed at the variation in the sweaters that Pickles designs, and I particularly love this one for its ability to be either dressed up or worn casually.  Plus, doesn't it just look like the fluffiest thing ever?

2. Raskog Kitchen Cart (Ikea) - Ikea has been a weakness of mine ever since I was a kid.  They always have the most interesting pieces of furniture that easily add a bit of a simple, modern twist to any room. I love this color, and I think that this cart could be used anywhere, not just in the kitchen.

3. SF Giants iPhone 4 Case (MLB.com) - And last but not least, because we're moving into the post season, a little piece of team spirit!  What can I say about it other than it's orange (my favorite color) and represents my favorite baseball team?  Of course, I might have to switch cases if I happened to go to LA...

In other news, I hurt my neck somehow over the weekend, and am basically one big sore muscle.  It's amazing how difficult it is to remain calm and positive when you're uncomfortable.  I guess it's at least a good lesson in patience, although it is making my upcoming fall break seem farther and farther away.

Enjoy the rest of your week, everyone!

The Quiet Days Are Gone

I can hardly believe that break is finally over, but it's true.  The five weeks flew by so quickly!  I fly back to San Fran tomorrow (today?) and before I do I wanted to post some pictures from a few weeks ago.  They were all taken on a photo-exploration with my brother and dad, at the Upper Newport Bay.

The Upper Newport Bay Interpretive Center has many different trails that you can follow, though sometimes it's more fun to just forge your own.  The hills and weird gaps that required jumping over were not my favorite, however, because I've been having some knee troubles.  I've spent the last two weeks of break in physical therapy to treat my irritated and inflamed IT Band, so hopefully the hills and stairs of San Francisco will not be an issue.  Keep your fingers crossed!

The next time I post, it will be from my home in the rainy city.

Playing Catch (Up)

Although I've been home from school for about a week, I have become incredibly lazy, and still have not gotten around to posting pictures from the various adventures I have yet to tell you all about. I will try to get to that within the next week or so, as after that I probably shouldn't even bother.

Picture obtained from the SF Chronicle at sfgate.com

There are a couple of things that I wanted to talk about in this post, and the first will be painful for any Giants fans out there. This past Wednesday, while playing the Florida Marlins, Giants catcher Buster Posey took an extremely hard hit catching a ball in front of home plate. Scott Cousins of the Marlins barreled into the young Rookie of the Year in an attempt at dislodging the ball and thus preventing himself from being tagged out. During the collision, Posey was forced backward, bending his left ankle awkwardly. It was revealed on Thursday, after x-rays and multiple MRIs, that Posey had fractured his lower leg and torn several ligaments. The injury will require surgery and probably keep Posey from playing for the rest of the season.

Now, this injury has become more than just a tragedy for the already offensively struggling Giants. Rather, it has sparked a nationwide discussion about whether the rules regarding plays at home plate need to be changed. And, as a loyal Giants fan, I felt like it was my obligation to at least voice my opinion on the play. Across the various Internet platforms I use, I have watched many people argue over whether or not it was a clean play. If you watch the video, it is pretty obvious that Posey was not, in fact, completely blocking home plate, and that Cousins opted to run into the catcher rather than take the open lane. However, from my understanding, that was a legal play; the runner is allowed to run into the catcher in an attempt to dislodge the ball. So then the question becomes, Should they make this kind of play illegal? I say, why not? The NFL has made attacks on defenseless players punishable with a fine, and I think that MLB should be able to incorporate a similar rule. I have read multiple articles that suggest that Cousins decided to go with the collision because he was trying to prove his worth and claim more playing time. However, if he had been facing a fine, he probably would have thought twice about committing to the play. So, while I agree that these collisions are simply a part of baseball, I also think that there are preventative measures that can be taken to help limit their occurrence.

Well, this post has certainly turned out to be longer than I was expecting. On an entirely different note, I have a favor to ask of you. I've been posting pictures of my artwork all year, and have been trying to find a way to make some money from it. Jobs are very difficult to come by in our current economic situation, so I have been looking into alternative ways of making money. One such alternative I found in Threadless.com. Here they print t-shirts designed and picked by the public. I have recently submitted a t-shirt for rating, and hope that it will get enough votes to be printed on t-shirts and possibly other products. I would greatly appreciate it if you would take a few minutes to look at the design and rate it! Remember, the higher it scores, the closer it will be to getting picked for printing.

Thanks so much for all your support. I know I don't tell you enough, but I really appreciate it and promise that I will try and get those pictures up soon!