Tag: braves

A melancholy feeling of change

~ dannyhong ~ Leave a comment

Typically, I tend to leave most sports talk out of my brog, because frankly I know that the majority of the 12 people that actually read my swill aren’t necessarily sports fans, or even care to read about sports related things.  Typically, I also never really felt the necessity to use my brog as an outlet for sports talk, because I’ve always had an outlet for talking about sports; and by sports, I mean baseball, because other athletic contests are second fiddle anyway.

Over the span of the last four years, I wrote for a Braves blog, Talking Chop.  I went under a pseudonym over these years because I’m skeptical like that and wished to keep my identity somewhat separated from the rest of my life, but it’s not like anyone paying attention didn’t discover my real name at some point.  Writing for TC was an enjoyable experience as I was able to interact with baseball fans all over the place, and share thoughts and ideas, as well as expand my horizons as it came to baseball statistics, analysis and the minor leagues.

I’m leaving Talking Chop.  This coming Saturday is my last scheduled post, and I’m leaving on my own fruition.  I know most of my brog readers probably couldn’t give two shits about this, but to me, having done this consistently over the span of the last four years, leaves me with this melancholy feeling of change; separation from a long and consistent routine.  I’m glad to be freed up from the occasional feelings of obligation to write about baseball, but at the same time, I now really have no true outlet to ramble on about baseball if I ever felt like it.

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Photos: A day in Detroit

~ dannyhong ~ Leave a comment

One of the best things about my baseball travels is that it gives me a legitimate excuse to visit places that I never really thought I’d ever visit.  I mean seriously, I don’t know anyone in Detroit, there’s not really any particular motivation for me to go to Detroit, but because there’s a Major League Baseball park in Detroit, it gives me a reason.  And that’s really all the little push I need, because sure I’m going to go see the ballpark, but obviously, I’m going to take in as much as I can otherwise, while I’m there.

As far as day trips go, this was the smoothest one I’ve had in ages, possibly ever, as I’ve already mentioned previously.  Detroit itself is indeed the gritty, blue-collar, kind of rough-around-the-edges kind of city that people often use to describe it, usually in exaggerated jest though.  It helped that it was a picture perfect day when I went, because seriously, I’d have second thoughts about wandering around the place at night.  But for what it was worth, I had an enjoyable time wandering around the urban sprawl that was Detroit’s general Downtown and eventual Greektown areas.  There really is that gritty blue-collar feel about the city, but as cliched as it sounds, in spite of how run down certain blocks looked, it legitimately feels like there’s still some fight left in the place.

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Real Men Don’t Wear Small update: Comerica Park

~ dannyhong ~ Leave a comment

My latest baseball journeys took me to Detroit, Michigan, where I was able to get in a game at Comerica Park, home of the Detroit Tigers, and officially ballpark #23 out of the 30 Major League Baseball cities.  Despite the fact that the Atlanta Braves are winless every time I go to see them play for the first time in other cities, the rareness of the Braves playing in Detroit compelled me to make the trip regardless, and if there’s one thing about baseball, it’s that salvation is always potentially the next game.

I think I’m the worst baseball fan in the world

~ dannyhong ~ Leave a comment

It’s that time of the year again, when baseball begins to permeate into my writing, into my daily activities, and into life itself.  Technically, it’s still a month away before the Major League Baseball season begins, and I go back to rooting for the Atlanta Braves again, but there’s still meaningful baseball being played currently in parts of the world, as the World Baseball Classic has been going on for a week now.  I should say there was meaningful baseball being played, because in my case, my main involvement with the WBC has always been that Team Korea has always been present and played well at prior WBCs and international baseball tournaments in general.  Well, they were knocked out of the WBC this morning, and despite playing in the semi-finals and the finals respectively in 2006 and 2009, they’re bounced in the first round this time.

It’s really ironic how it all happened too, considering that in the four-team pool that Korea was in, three teams went 2-1, with Australia embarrassing themselves going 0-3.  But Korea didn’t do themselves any favors, getting embarrassed themselves, getting blanked against Curacao the Netherlands in the first game, which put them in the wrong side of a tie-break situation, which ended up coming to fruition, resulting the favored Koreans getting bounced, despite winning their last game against the cheating Taiwanese.

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This is now how it was supposed to end

~ dannyhong ~ Leave a comment

The Atlanta Braves have been knocked out of the playoffs twelve times since 1995. The fact that they made it to the playoffs in twelve of the last seventeen years is impressive in its own right, but still, zero championships in that span.  Needless to say, seeing the Braves get bounced from the playoffs is truly nothing new or out of the ordinary for a Braves fan.  At least until the events of the 2012 season came along.

This was truly, the worst defeat I’ve ever seen in my entire, baseball-watching life.

To those of my three regular readers that might be tiring of how much I’ve been writing about baseball lately, you’re in luck.  Frankly, after this, I don’t really feel like writing about any more baseball, on my personal site, for a long while.

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Photos: Chipper’s last regular-season home game

~ dannyhong ~ Leave a comment

For very likely the last time in 2012, I went to Turner Field to catch a Braves game.  The Braves are guaranteed at least one playoff game next Friday, but honestly, I don’t really like the idea of going to a playoff game by myself, so I’m probably not going to go.  So as far as I’m concerned, this is probably the last time I go to Turner Field for the remainder of this year.

But anyway, this also serves as the de facto final regular-season home game for Chipper Jones, to which the crowd showed up en masse to commemorate the occasion.  I’m actually proud of the baseball fans of Atlanta for a chance, seeing as how I figured the attendance would have been above-average, but not necessarily a packed house like it ended up being, because there was a Falcons game in town at the same time.  But they showed up in great numbers, and were never not willing to stand up and cheer for Chipper Jones every single time he stepped up to the plate, or made a good defensive play.  It’s nice to know that there are plenty of other people out there that genuinely seem to appreciate the career of Chipper Jones.

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Photos: Chipper’s last regular-season home game

~ dannyhong ~ Leave a comment

For very likely the last time in 2012, I went to Turner Field to catch a Braves game.  The Braves are guaranteed at least one playoff game next Friday, but honestly, I don’t really like the idea of going to a playoff game by myself, so I’m probably not going to go.  So as far as I’m concerned, this is probably the last time I go to Turner Field for the remainder of this year.

But anyway, this also serves as the de facto final regular-season home game for Chipper Jones, to which the crowd showed up en masse to commemorate the occasion.  I’m actually proud of the baseball fans of Atlanta for a chance, seeing as how I figured the attendance would have been above-average, but not necessarily a packed house like it ended up being, because there was a Falcons game in town at the same time.  But they showed up in great numbers, and were never not willing to stand up and cheer for Chipper Jones every single time he stepped up to the plate, or made a good defensive play.  It’s nice to know that there are plenty of other people out there that genuinely seem to appreciate the career of Chipper Jones.

Continue reading “Photos: Chipper’s last regular-season home game” →