Chris Owings is the kind of athlete you want to root for. The Visalia Rawhide’s star shortstop is articulate, humble and obviously loves doing what he does – which is tearing up the Cal League. I recently had the opportunity to ask Chris a few questions.
Author Thomas Wolfe wrote a novel titled You Can’t Go Home Again. And for many people, that’s true. But for former Clovis High/Fresno City College/Fresno State baseball star Garrett Weber, Wolfe’s sentiment doesn’t hold true. Garrett Weber has come home, and he couldn’t be happier.
With baseball season upon us I thought I’d review one of the few baseball movies I’ve ever seen, American Pastime, which is about a Japanese baseball team that forms within an internment camp.
If there's one thing baseball has over the other major sports, it’s tradition. Yeah, football, basketball and hockey all have traditions, but they’re not as..... well, traditional as baseball. Opening day has red white and blue bunting hanging from the railings at every stadium. Fans of every team have genuine hope in April that this will be the year their team wins it all.
For sports fans, 2011 was an amazing, ridiculous and frustrating year. Choosing the top ten sports stories of the year was something like choosing the ten best tasting Christmas cookies my wife (and editor) baked over the holidays - there were a lot to choose from! But here, in no particular order, are my top ten local and national sports stories of 2011.
A give-away day at Yankee Stadium is a pretty special occasion though quite a few trinkets get handed out during the baseball season. I’m sure that those folks who attend the games regularly must have a large collection of bobble head dolls, beach towels with the Yankee logo, cold cup sleeves, key rings; really there’s no end to the variety of merchandise that is handed out periodically.
Harmon Killebrew died a couple of weeks ago, and it got me thinking about how much baseball has changed in the last four decades. For those of you too young to remember, Harmon Killebrew was an outstanding hitter for the Washington nationals and Minnesota Twins in the fifties and sixties. He was known for a powerful home run swing, and it is assumed by most experts that it is his image that adorns the official logo of Major League Baseball. But he was much more than a prodigious home run hitter. He was also a true gentleman who treated teammates, the media, and the fans with great respect and kindness.
With gas and ticket prices what they are now you practically have to take out a loan to go to a Major League baseball game to see the Giants, Dodgers, or whoever your favorite team is. And with the current economy, it’s hard to even consider spending that kind of money. So if you have an itch to attend a baseball game, why not try Minor League baseball and check out the Visalia Rawhide. They are right here in our own backyard and far more affordable.
As we find ourselves in the middle of baseball season, it seemed a good time to review a fun local children’s picture book about baseball, TimeOut’s Great Baseball Adventure. This book was written by local KPGE sportscaster George Takata and illustrated by Fresno State student Marci Thiessen; which is appropriate since it is about Fresno State baseball.
There’s an old and true adage in Baseball, that pitching wins championships. It’s been proven over and over again through the years, and that’s why the pitching coach is one of the most important parts of a baseball team. On the professional level, the pitching coach at the lower minor league level makes a huge impact on the development of an organization’s prize prospects, and that’s why the Visalia Rawhide have entrusted their pitchers to Doug Drabek.
