afixell Blog Posts

The Rich Get RicherBut Thats Not What This Is About

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 21:52:25 PDT

With the addition of Rich Harden to the Cubs roster, the National League's best record just put themselves over the edge as the National League's best team. A top 4 rotation of Carlos Zambrano, Ryan Dempster, Ted Lilly and Rich Harden, the Cubbies answered the Milwaukee Brewers move to obtain C.C. Sabathia with a deal that I believe will pay even bigger dividends. After all, Harden is not due for a raise until after the 2009 season and he's one of baseball's biggest bargains at $4.75 million a year. C.C., on the other hand, is due $11 million this season and is a free agent at the end of this season. The Cubs managed to finagle Billy Beane's final pitcher from his quintuplets of future star pitchers. That list ranges from the now miserable Barry Zito and unimp

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A Call To Young Arms

Sun, 08 Jun 2008 20:57:38 PDT

At the of 10, I pitched my first baseball game. By 16, I had pitched my last. I was a product of a career cut short by tendonitis in the elbow of my throwing arm. I recall coming home after high school games to the weak therapy of a heating pad which only isolated my pain. The throbbing would be so intense that I was unable to move my arm enough to pick up a pencil to do my math homework. I knew things were on their way down when a kid clobbered a 300 some-odd foot homerun off of the first pitch of my career. It would be the only homerun I gave up all year, but as the season moved on, my stamina withered. A 5 inning outing quickly turned into 4 innings then 3. Before I knew it, I was moved to the role of closer. By the end of the season, I was lucky if I could handle more than 1 innings worth of work. My fastball steadily declined from the upper-mid 70s to the low 60s. With only two games left in the season, I broke my left thumb and was done for the season.

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Can A Vegetarian Break The All-Time Home Run Mark

Tue, 20 May 2008 15:18:49 PDT

In the 1990s, baseball fans watched Cecil Fielder clobber home runs from one city to another. A 3-time All Star, Fielder earned the moniker of "Big Daddy" for his towering shots. In 1990, he became baseball's first player to hit 50 homeruns in a season since George Foster of the Cincinatti Reds hit 52 in 1977. But perhaps Cecil's greatest accomplishment was the birth of his son, Prince, in 1984. Today, the younger Fielder has also earned a reputation for launching explosive long-balls. In 2006, Fielder hit 28 home runs to break the rookie record for the Milwaukee Brewers and in 2007, he became the youngest player of all-time to hit 50 home runs.

Looking at Prince, one would naturally think the 270 pound Fielder has a penchant for 32 ounce steaks and Takeru Kobiyashi-like skill at eating hot dogs. But such is not the case. It's not because he only eats kosher meats or because he starts his morning by downing a 6 egg omlette. No, all of that is impossible because Prince Fielder, the 270 pound behemoth, is a vegetarian. Fielder joined the likes of such vegetarian sports celebrities as Jim Kaat, Tony LaRussa, Carl Lewis, Billie Jean King, Bernard Hopkins, Martina Navratilova and Bill Walton, to name a few. But one particular famous vegetarian that comes to mind stands alone as the greatest home run hitter of all time (let us disregard an

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My Youth In Cardboard

Thu, 08 May 2008 12:48:19 PDT

Growing up, Saturday afternoons in the Spring meant two things: playing little league and buying baseball cards. My weekly allowance until I was 7 was $1. My parents wisely taught me what the value of $1 was. By the age of 9, I had proven my appreciation for the all mighty dollar and was given a raise for a weekly allowance of $5. My goodness, FIVE DOLLARS. Each week, I'd drag my father to Baseball Card and Memorabilia in my hometown of Great Neck, New York and peruse the store, looking for a pack or two that I could afford. There was the bargain bin that enabled me to purchase packs for 50 cents each. 1991 Fleer, 1989 Topps, maybe even a 1990 Upper Deck if I was lucky. Heck, I even still have a 1988 Score pack of baseball cards which I intend on never opening. But with $5, I could now purchase multiple packs of high-priced cards for the first time in my life. It was like years of eating chuck steak and all of sudden having your first bite of filet mignon. You cannot go back, nor will you. I bought packs of Fleer Ultra, Upper Deck HD, Leaf, Pinnacle...The list goes on. Before I knew it, I had too many cards to count. When I filled up 30 books of cards, I found a huge rectangular box and threw my lesser valued cards in there. My hobby became a passion, one which lasted until I was 13. By that time I noticed girls and realized that although a 1997 Topps Finest Refractor Frank Thomas was awesome, no girl in their right mind would find my passion sexy. So I stopped buying cards religiously. Occasionally at the local drug store, I'd find myself buying a pack. But these days, like the price of gas, baseball cards are ridiculously expensive. Five Dollars for a pack of 8 cards is highway robbery. The 7 year-olds of today are losing out on a hobby that helped introduce me to my best friend, learn ridiculous facts about my favorite athletes, and, all-in-all, teach me to love a sport. If anyone from Topps, Upper Deck, Fleer, etc. is listening, America's youth needs you to lower those prices so that we don't lose the greatest hobby there is.

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An Animal Rights Activists View On A Tragedy

Tue, 06 May 2008 13:51:38 PDT

Although this is a blog meant to focus on baseball, I must address the tragedy that occured at the Kentucky Derby on Saturday, May 3, 2008. Big Brown hardly shocked the racing world with his prowess on the track, proving to everyone why he was the favorite for the race. Yet deep down, most observing the Derby were cheering for a filly named Eight Belles. A gorgeous thoroughbred who had only five races under her belt prior to Saturday's Derby, Eight Belles shocked the world with her glorious second-place finish as a 20 to 1 shot. Only moments after her achievement, Eight Belles suffered a gruesome injury that resulted in both of her front ankles breaking, one of which broke the skin. Thankfully, equine vets acted quick and put the horse out of her misery but not before sparking a bitter debate on the future of the "sport."

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To My Future Wife

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 18:16:31 PDT

To my future wife,

Whoever you are, all I want is one thing: For you to love the New York Mets. Now I don't want you to love them anymore than me or our kids (That would just be selfish). But when saying your prayers at night,please make sure to wish health and happiness for your friends, family and David Wright. He's the cornerstone of baseball's greatest franchise. And while you're at it, include Jose Reyes, Johan Santana and heck, even Endy Chavez because that guy can do it all. Just pray for the well-being of my beloved Metropolitans because even if you divorce me, at least I'll still have them.

Sincerely,
Andrew Fixell

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