MLB Blogs Sister Site

In an effort to get more exposure to my ramblings, I will be duplicating this blogs entires on MLB Blogs. The site is http://followingsecond.mlblogs.com/.

Historical moment in Los Angeles

The Red Sox took on the Los Angeles Dodgers in Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles. The exhibition game was a throwback fifty years to the days when the Dodgers played at the Coliseum from 1958 to 1961. The attendance at the game on Saturday night was 115,300. It set the World Record for the largest attendance at a professional baseball game. The Red Sox won 7-4.

Wait a minute

I thought Opening Day had already come and gone. Didn't Oakland and Boston just play in Japan to open the season? What's all this hoopla about the Nationals new stadium and Opening Day? I guess the real Opening Day for the rest of the league is Monday. Every team has a game scheduled, except, you got it, Oakland and Boston. Funny stuff MLB scheduling. Boston will play Oakland on April 1st to get things going for both teams on good 'ole American soil.

Ellis talks with Reynolds

Mark Ellis interview with MLB.com Harold Reynolds
Check the left side of the page in the MLB.com Video Block "Mark Ellis chats with Harold." Or search Video content for Mark Ellis.

World Baseball Tour

Major League Baseball successfully opened the 2008 season with two games between the Red Sox and A's at the Tokyo Dome in Japan. The Red Sox made a dramatic comeback in the ninth inning to win game one, the A's pitcher Rich Harden dominated the Red Sox lineup for a 5-1 win in the second game. Second Baseman Mark Ellis scored a run on a walk but went 0-3 at the plate. He assisted in completing two double plays.

This is not the first attempt by Americans to spread the great game of professional baseball to other parts of the World. The first time can be attributed to Albert Spalding's World Tour. The tour took two professional baseball "All-Star" teams to play exhibition games around the globe in 1888-1889. The tour, lead by Spalding, showcased some of America's best ball players including John Ward, Cap Anson, Ned Williamson, Ed Crane, and Tom Burns. The tour started in Chicago and played their way across the West stopping in several towns such as Omaha, Nebraska, Denver, Colorado, and Salt Lake City, Utah. They left from San Francisco and traveled by ship to Hawaii, New Zealand, Australia, India, Egypt, Italy, France, and finished in England. There are conflicting reviews of the success or failure of the tour but without a doubt American baseball was given global exposure.

Welcome MLB 2008

The Oakland A's played the Boston Red Sox in the Tokyo Dome to kick off the 2008 Major League Baseball season. Mark Ellis, batting second in the lineup, homered to left center in the 1st inning. Ellis had 19 home runs on the year in 2007 and looks more powerful than ever. He is now tied for the league lead in this category after Brandon Moss tied the game in the bottom of the ninth with his first home run of the season. Manny Ramirez hit the clenching go ahead double in the tenth to steal a victory 6-5 for the defending World Champion Red Sox.
Mark finished the day 1 for 4 with 1 run scored, 1 RBI, 1 HR and 1 BB.