Some quick facts about Hawaii: * It became a state in 1959. Prior to that, it was a U.S. territory, an independent republic and even a kingdom.
* There are eight main islands (Hawaii, Maui, Kahoolawe, Lanai, Molokai, Oahu, Kauai, Niihau), all of which were formed by volcanoes.
* Mauna Kea, Hawaii's tallest mountain, stands over 13,000 feet.
The Phillies have had two native Hawaiians -- pitcher Sid Fernandez in 1995-96 and current right fielder Shane Victorino. They recognized Victorino's heritage today with a hula figurine giveaway and other planned events, including a live performance of Don Ho's "Tiny Bubbles."
But the day's most dramatic -- and apropos -- moment wasn't planned. Victorino, whose father Mike is a councilman in Maui, hit his first career walk-off home run and only the second opposite-field homer of his pro career. The last one came in 2001 in A-ball. As he rounded third base, he flashed the shaka sign, known to mainland folks like you and me as "hang loose," to coach Steve Smith.
Really. You can't make this stuff up.
* In the game story in Monday's paper, I wrote that Ryan Howard is batting .296 with four homers and 12 RBIs in nine games since he came off the DL. Howard attributes his slow start to two things: a) the left quad strain that sidelined him for two weeks; b) the dramatic overshift that defenses play against him. One problem with that: teams played the overshift last season, too, and it didn't stop Howard from batting .313, hitting 58 homers, driving in 149 runs and winning the NL MVP. Funny how The Big Guy seems to have ignored the shift last year.
* Ryan Madson experienced euphoria and disappointment -- in the span of three batters.
2 comments:
Team in trouble? Take away the Hamels game and the Phillies pitching staff gave up 29 runs in 27 innings against the Giants. I don't care who's managing this team there not overcoming that. How does an offense like this play this flat in the opening game (0 runs) and closing game (1 run)
I agree: it doesn't matter who manages, if guys don't hit with runners on base, runs won't score and your team won't win the game. Simple as that. The manager's doing his job by putting the players he thinks are the best on the field. It's up to them to produce, and for some reason they fell flat on their faces against the Giants. A series like this is unexcusable. Absolutely atrocious.
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