by Jacoby Nolnaho

Amusing or Confusing? $70 Premio Junior Varsity Pitchback

To perfect the art of fielding and pitching, one must practice long and hard. Thankfully, the pitchback was invented. A pitchback is a metal frame that holds a taut netting. When a baseball is thrown, the pitchback is supposed to reflect he ball back to the person. With lots of pitchbacks on the market, I chose Premio’s Five Position Junior Varsity Pitchback.

The product included many pros. Each of the five positions were unique from each other ranging from ground balls to line drives to fly balls. The fly ball setting did not, however, highly elevate the ball. Also, another flaw of the product is the bounce-back velocity. The reflection speed was only half of the original speed. On the other side, the quality is tough and the elastic bands are very hard to break. But if a missed pitch does hit the metal, then denting is very likely to happen. The metal frame is a dark green and the netting is black so the pitchback fits well into any environment such as the suburbs or a city alley. At $70, the pitchback is expensive but well worth it. Overall, the Premio Pitchback is Amusing.

by Jacoby Nolnaho

Aaron Judge Breaks Strikeout Record and Weaver Retires

On August 16, New York Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge broke the Major League record for most consecutive games with a strikeout. He struck out in his 33rd consecutive game. On the season, Judge has 159 strikeouts. Jered Weaver called it quits as well. He finished his 12 year career with the Padres, but spent his first 11 seasons with the Los Angeles Angels.

by Jacoby Nolnaho

The Crashed Rocket: The Story of a Great Pitcher Taken Down by Steroids

Roger Clemens could have easily been regarded as the best pitcher in history if it weren’t for his performance enhancing drug connection. One can mindlessly say a man with a record seven Cy Youngs should be in the Hall of Fame, but a man with multiple steroid allegations from writers and former teammates can easily be curbed. Even after spending many years on the ballot, Clemens has still not be admitted into the Hall. Roger Clemens, donning the nickname “The Rocket,” finished his career nothing more than a great pitcher taken down by steroids.

It was 1984. Rookie pitcher Roger Clemens toed the mound for his first career start. Even though he did not find noteworthy success until 1986, Clemens went 9-4 with 126 strikeouts and a 4.32. In 1986, he truly broke out winning 24 games, striking out 238 batters, and posting a 2.48 earned run average in 254 innings pitched. To go along with the All Star Game MVP, he took home his first Cy Young award and won his only MVP. Although he was great for the rest of his career, Clemens never quite matched his numbers from his breakout 1986 season.

During the regular season, Roger put up a 354-184 record with 3.12 ERA over his 24 year career with the Yankees, Red Sox, Blue Jays, and Astros. He also compiled 4,672 strikeouts thanks to 97 mile per hour fastball that earned him the name “The Rocket.” He would win a Cy Young award in 1986, 1987, 1991, 1997, 1998, 2001, and 2004. Despite winning two World Series titles with the Yankees, Clemens was not a great postseason player. He went 12-8 with a 3.79 ERA in 197.1 innings pitched. He only had one postseason where his ERA was below three, and there were three separate occasions where his ERA was above 5.00.

He has a strong case for being one of the best pitchers in Major League Baseball history if it weren’t for his involvement in the steroid era. Roger’s former trainer, Brian McNamee, testified that Clemens used anabolic steroids in his career. His former teammate, Roy Halladay, said via Twitter that Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens should not be allowed into the Hall of Fame. Many baseball writers and other Hall of Fame voters share Halladay’s views as Roger Clemens has not been elected in even though he has been on the ballot for 5+ years. It is still a question whether he will ever get in.

The record books show Roger Clemens as one of the best pitchers, maybe even players, to ever step on a baseball diamond. Many fans believe he is nothing more than a person with great potential who ruined his reputation by using drugs, or in other words, a rocket who knowingly used the wronged fuel and crashed.

by Jacoby Nolnaho

This Week in Baseball

Giancarlo Stanton continues his rapid tear by smacking his 44 home run this season. He has homered in six straight games and has already set a Marlins’ franchise record. Another story line in National League East is Mets’ prospect Logan Taylor. He was attacked by a homeless man with a tire and a rock filled sock after the homeless man demanded his wallet. He needed lots of stitches on his head and the homeless man was taken into custody. Rockies’ pitcher Chad Bettis made his return from cancer and pitched seven innings of shutout ball. Superstar Bryce Harper was diagnosed with a deep bone bruise after slipping on a wet base during a game against the Giants.

by Jacoby Nolnaho

BREAKING NEWS: DEREK JETER BUYS THE MARLINS

After many rumors, msn.com confirms that former Yankee Derek Jeter, businessman Bruce Sherman, and other associates have purchased the Miami Marlins. The previous owner, Jeffery Loria, put up an asking price of $1.2 billion dollars. It took months for Sherman and Jeter’s 16 investors to pile up the $1.2 billion dollar asking price. The other investors including Sherman helped for the money while Jeter will manage baseball related tasks. Jeter hasn’t been in any baseball related positions since 2014 when he ended his 20 year playing career with the Yankees.

by Jacoby Nolnaho

BP Report with Jacoby Nolnaho: All Good Things Come to an End

On July 31, 2017, I went to yet another Yankee game at Yankee Stadium. I got there early right when the gates opened, but there was some season ticket holder event that let other people in earlier. By the time I got in, right field was really crowded. The Yankees groups hit about ten baseballs into the home bullpen. I went over there, put my hands in the air, and got, well, “competed” by a kid. He put his thumb in my earhole, the middle finger around the earlobe, and twisted. It really hurt and I went down. I would’ve accepted it, but the kid got the ball, and I was empty. Later in BP, Zack Hample showed up. I went over to him and had a nice chat. This is the second time I’ve talked to him. I warned him about the kid, and asked him how many balls he had gotten. He only had two, and you could see he was having a rough day. I helped him out by telling him who was up at the plate. I didn’t get any balls during batting practice or during the course of the game. This ended my three game streak.

The game was very interesting and fun as the Yankees won 7-2 over the Detroit Tigers. Aaron Judge hit a home run, but sadly I missed it as I was in the bathroom. I enjoyed a milkshake from Johnny Rockets and a bowl of soup noodles from the Noodle Bowl. Even though I didn’t get I ball, I know that people are always better than possessions.

by Jacoby Nolnaho

Albert Pujols New Record

Angels’ designated hitter Albert Pujols is known for holding many records. He has 600 home runs, more than 1,500 RBIs and runs scored, plus 500+ doubles. On August 4 (2017), Pujols set another record. He grounded into a double play with Mike Trout on first. This was his 351 GIDP (grounded into double play), passing Cal Ripken Jr. for first on the all time list. Needless to say that this is one record one does not want to have on their résumé.