While the MLB regular season still has more than two months left, the AAA season only has a handful of games remaining in August until September call-ups begin (and people forget about baseball and focus on the NFL). So let’s embrace the final month and see what we have to look forward to.
Future MLB Prospects:
Now that it’s late in the season, most of the minor leaguers expected to make an impact in 2010 have already been called up. In fact, in the last two “Know Your Enemy” posts I’ve made, I highlighted players that ended up being promoted just a few days later: Chris Davis of the Oklahoma City Redbirds and Logan Morrison from the New Orelans Zephyrs. Although, none of you would know about the Morrison prediction due to technical problems, I swear I wrote a Pulitzer prize-esque post on comparing him to Albert Pujols. Also, I talked about Ryne Sandberg a mere 24 hours before Chicago Cubs manager Lou Pinella said he’d resign at the end of the season and that Sandberg was the likely replacement. Just call me Nostradamus.
However, the next month for the Express still features a few home matchups versus teams who always have highly touted players in the minor-league system. Oklahoma City will have a few more players to talk about when they come into town Aug. 21-24 and the Oakland Athletics AAA affiliate, the Sacramento River Rats, come to town in two weeks and they have a full crop of minor leaguers on the verge of being promoted to the bigs. So fear not, you will still be able to see future major-league talent play in the final month of minor-league baseball.
The Calm Before the Storm:
Let’s face it: I’m from Nebraska, and most of y’all reading this are from Texas. (And even if you aren’t from here, you’ve adopted some of the Texas personality … heck, even I just said “y’all.”) So let’s just go ahead and admit that this is a football state. A football crazy state. So as much as we like watching the Round Rock Express or driving to Arlington or Houston for a professional baseball game, we love watching something as simple as a scrimmage of the Texas Longhorns or the Dallas Cowboys.
Having said that, it’s a lot more stressful on a Texas sports fan during the football season. If the Cowboys get upset by the Washington Redskins in Week 1, the sports community in Texas will feel like the end of the world is coming. Radio stations will be flooded with calls claiming Tony Romo is a failure and Dez Bryant a bust. Somehow Jessica Simpson will once again be mentioned as a curse. All hell will break loose. If the Texas Longhorns only win by a touchdown over Rice in the season opener, same scenario, especially the Jessica Simpson reference.
So let’s enjoy a game of baseball. A gentleman’s sport. A game that is simply meant to be enjoyed, not obsessed over. Take your son/daughter/parent/spouse/friend to a game and enjoy America’s pastime without having to worry about a heart attack should your team not win. You’ve only got a month left until you start stocking your house with heartburn medicine and the crazy football season begins, so take advantage of the opportunity and go see a baseball game, if not for fun, then just for your health!
**The Round Rock Express is away all week, but next Monday I’ll post another “Know Your Enemy” entry for the incoming Fresno Grizzlies and Sacramento River Rats.***
This article appears in July 30 • 2010.