Lefties hit Lefties better than Righties hit Righties

Submitted from Hoboken, NJ office: From the Yankees’ website:

What happens when an ambidextrous pitcher faces off against a switch-hitting batter?

This may sound like an abstract philosophical query along the lines of “If a tree falls in the forest…” but on Thursday night in Brooklyn, this baffling conundrum became all too real.

The Staten Island Yankees were leading the host Cyclones, 7-2, in the bottom of the ninth inning when Pat Venditte came in to close out the ballgame. Venditte, a 20th-round Draft pick who happened to be making his professional debut, is ambidextrous. The Creighton State product even uses a specially-made six-fingered glove that can be worn comfortably on either hand.

Pitching right-handed, Venditte induced a pair of groundouts to start the inning, and Nicholas Giarraputo then singled to center field to keep the game alive. This brought switch-hitter Ralph Henriquez to the plate, and that’s when the fun began.

Henriquez had been swinging left-handed in the on-deck circle, so Venditte switched his glove to his right hand in order to face the 21-year-old backstop. Seeing this, Henriquez instead came to the plate batting from the right side. So, Venditte switched his glove back to his left hand. Henriquez then decided to bat lefty, and Venditte switched his glove yet again.

And on and on it went. This rather absurd (and highly amusing) game of chicken ultimately led to a prolonged conference between the umpires and coaching staffs of both teams. After much debate, Manriquez was made to bat right-handed against Venditte throwing right-handed. Manriquez then struck out on three pitches to end the game.

Wow. I think that the batter should hit on the side he feels is his best shot at a hit/BB. He should also consider that maybe the guy is throwing righty and isn’t as loose lefty, so in that case you may go up Lefty to force him to switch to the “cold” hand. How does the pitcher keep loose with both hands all inning? hmm..

I think the batter ultimately, has to get set in one box or the other. The rules clearly state that if you switch sides DURING the pitch or while the pitcher is on the rubber, you are out. So batter chooses and there’s no prohibition on the pitcher’s glove switch so he can make the adjustment. So long as the pitcher can switch that glove while on the rubber and not balk (there’s about 13 different, distinct ways to balk), he has effectively “Frozen” the batter into either the left or right batter’s box.

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Has anyone any ideas on good kids’ books?  Or a website that list such books?  I am thinking in the vein of 3rd and 4th grade stuff like James and the Giant Peach and The Great Brain.  Myself, I liked the Paul Bunyon, but that might not fly with today’s kids so much.

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Video wise, the latest Kolchak phase has run its course and it joins the other DVDs in the pile along with Bullwinkle, Andy Griffith, Jack Benny, The Odd Couple, Green Acres and Arrested Development.

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Random: This is from a long time ago and stuck in the drafts folder: Rolling Stones songs was the topic.  I laugh now at how much stock I put in those idiots when I was younger.  Still, some of their music has a certain something.  Someone asked me about it and we both agreed (Joe I think) that “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” is probably their best offering.  NOTHING else sounds or sounded like that.  And it’s pretty ambitious.  I’m not sure that anyone would set out to make a record like that now, you know?  Well, it was the 60’s.

Along those lines, I also always loved the totally Mick Taylor influenced “Time Waits For No One”.  Not even Jagger could ruin that one.  Great guitar work, just effortlessly tasteful playing and NO showing off.  You ever think Mick Taylor sits around and kicks himself for getting off that gravy train?  Hmm…

The entire album “Exile On Main Street” was an amazing thing for a big, heavy rock outfit to come up with.  I wore out several copies of it and it is the most played single album I think ever, for me.  Which track?  Well, all of them, really.  Like any great album, you don’t care where you put it on or how long it plays.  Maybe some tunes haven’t aged well.  I’ve heard Jagger refer to it as the album that the critics liked the most but he says, “…the sales don’t reflect that”.  Always having to be, you know, “cool”.  Doesn’t Jagger remind you of the most popular guy in high school, who you see at the reunion and he is still reveling in it all long after no one cares anymore?  Go fix your eyeliner, pal.

Jagger went on to say that the “mixing” of Exile was “terrible”.  Hmm.  Not sure I agree.  I do know that the song Hand of Fate on Black and Blue is possibly the worst mixed song I’ve ever heard.  If mixing can bury the hook and ruin a nice tune, that’s it.

Other noteworthies?  The backup singers on “Gimme Shelter” and really, that entire tune.  Brilliant little package of music.  Ditto “Honkey Tonk Women”.  Just tremendously done.  The sound on the guitar, the phrasing and the way it meshes with the drums.  Still sounds great.

I always loved “Can’t you hear me knocking”, but the words are typical Jagger nonsense and that hurts it.

Lately, I’ve been playing Some Girls a lot on my MP3 player at work.  The songs are well crafted in spots.  When the Whip Comes Down always sounds good but don’t pay any attention to the words–my goodness.  Listening to Lies under the headphones and I heard some interesting things being done on the guitar–not the main parts but some of the accents and stuff.  Is that Ron Wood?  If so, some of it is really deft.

By the way, anything after 1980 is complete trash.  And I couldn’t finish without a nod to “You gotta move” and “Love in Vain”.  I don’t think ANY other artist, with the possible exception of Jimmy Page, “got” Mississippi Delta Blues MORE than the Stones on those two numbers.  Oh, and “Get Yer Ya-Ya’s Out” is the best live rock and roll record ever made.  Nothing even comes close.

[ducking]