TheTickleMonster
3rd Level Blue Feather
- Joined
- Aug 30, 2002
- Messages
- 5,716
- Points
- 38
I'd thought I'd share this amazing catch article since it's by an Oakland A's player and people posted about Halladay's perfect game and I don't think someone posted about Braden's perfect game at the beginning of the month, but anywho lol...
A's Gabe Gross' amazing catch robs Tigers' Gerald Laird of homer
By David Brown
Trying to change his luck, Gerald Laird(notes) changed his uniform number.
As Oakland Athletics outfielder Gabe Gross(notes) demonstrated, sometimes there's more to it than that.
Gross made an incredible leaping catch against — and over — the fence at Comerica Park to rob the hit-starved Laird and the Detroit Tigers of a home run on Saturday night.
This was no petty larceny. It is one of the best homer-saving catches you will ever see.
"I've taken homers away," Gross said, "but that's the best one I can remember. They don't come around very often."
Neither do hits for Laird. Since joining the Tigers before the 2009 season, Laird has been a stabilizing influence on defense. His bat, conversely, has been meek. Laird hit .225 with a .626 OPS in '09 and came into today batting .154/.235/.231. A .231 slugging percentage!
I might change my number, too. My number, my batting stance, possibly my profession. However, before giving up, one must try every plausible solution.
That's why Laird made a deal with batting coach Lloyd McClendon and went from No. 8 to No. 12, increasing his digital power by half. McClendon, not wanting any part of Laird's No. 8, now wears No. 19.
"Just changing it up," Laird said. "That's all I'm doing. Maybe my luck will change a little bit."
Laird really needed to double-up and escalate to 16. One problem with that. But first ...
Probably to his credit, Laird gave no reaction after the grab, which came in a scoreless tie the A's would later take 6-0. On the inside, he had to be thinking, "You've got to be kidding me, %*#&$!"
This makes five different uniform numbers for Laird since he broke into the majors with the Texas Rangers in 2003. You can't say he ever gets too attached to his digits.
I'm not sure what options Laird had in mind this time, but going back to No. 15 — a number he wore with some success for the Rangers — would have meant a trade with Brandon Inge(notes). Even if Inge had agreed, marketing would have thrown a fit. All of those expired "No. 15 Inge" T-shirt/jerseys ... shirseys ...
Laird doubling from No. 8 to No. 16 also was out. Thanks, near-Hall of Famer Hal Newhouser. And if he wanted to triple his word number score like Kobe Bryant did by going to No. 24, Laird would have to make a deal with Miguel Cabrera(notes), one of the league's top sluggers. Not gonna happen.
Laird could have quadrupled to No. 32 by trading with Don Kelly(notes) — a guy with a name straight out of "Mad Men" — and the rookie probably could have used the extra scratch. Maybe that's next. (That's not Gross' glove, by the way.)
the start:
<img src="http://a323.yahoofs.com/ymg/ept_sports_mlb_experts__56/ept_sports_mlb_experts-92326226-1275246620.jpg?ymdwEODDmDT9cOC8" width=500>
the finish:
<img src="http://a323.yahoofs.com/ymg/ept_sports_mlb_experts__56/ept_sports_mlb_experts-336927148-1275248663.jpg?ymXQFODDHIkMgVLy" width=500>
Hey, let's hear it for Gabe Gross! No. 18 until further notice.
A's Gabe Gross' amazing catch robs Tigers' Gerald Laird of homer
By David Brown
Trying to change his luck, Gerald Laird(notes) changed his uniform number.
As Oakland Athletics outfielder Gabe Gross(notes) demonstrated, sometimes there's more to it than that.
Gross made an incredible leaping catch against — and over — the fence at Comerica Park to rob the hit-starved Laird and the Detroit Tigers of a home run on Saturday night.
This was no petty larceny. It is one of the best homer-saving catches you will ever see.
"I've taken homers away," Gross said, "but that's the best one I can remember. They don't come around very often."
Neither do hits for Laird. Since joining the Tigers before the 2009 season, Laird has been a stabilizing influence on defense. His bat, conversely, has been meek. Laird hit .225 with a .626 OPS in '09 and came into today batting .154/.235/.231. A .231 slugging percentage!
I might change my number, too. My number, my batting stance, possibly my profession. However, before giving up, one must try every plausible solution.
That's why Laird made a deal with batting coach Lloyd McClendon and went from No. 8 to No. 12, increasing his digital power by half. McClendon, not wanting any part of Laird's No. 8, now wears No. 19.
"Just changing it up," Laird said. "That's all I'm doing. Maybe my luck will change a little bit."
Laird really needed to double-up and escalate to 16. One problem with that. But first ...
Probably to his credit, Laird gave no reaction after the grab, which came in a scoreless tie the A's would later take 6-0. On the inside, he had to be thinking, "You've got to be kidding me, %*#&$!"
This makes five different uniform numbers for Laird since he broke into the majors with the Texas Rangers in 2003. You can't say he ever gets too attached to his digits.
I'm not sure what options Laird had in mind this time, but going back to No. 15 — a number he wore with some success for the Rangers — would have meant a trade with Brandon Inge(notes). Even if Inge had agreed, marketing would have thrown a fit. All of those expired "No. 15 Inge" T-shirt/jerseys ... shirseys ...
Laird doubling from No. 8 to No. 16 also was out. Thanks, near-Hall of Famer Hal Newhouser. And if he wanted to triple his word number score like Kobe Bryant did by going to No. 24, Laird would have to make a deal with Miguel Cabrera(notes), one of the league's top sluggers. Not gonna happen.
Laird could have quadrupled to No. 32 by trading with Don Kelly(notes) — a guy with a name straight out of "Mad Men" — and the rookie probably could have used the extra scratch. Maybe that's next. (That's not Gross' glove, by the way.)
the start:
<img src="http://a323.yahoofs.com/ymg/ept_sports_mlb_experts__56/ept_sports_mlb_experts-92326226-1275246620.jpg?ymdwEODDmDT9cOC8" width=500>
the finish:
<img src="http://a323.yahoofs.com/ymg/ept_sports_mlb_experts__56/ept_sports_mlb_experts-336927148-1275248663.jpg?ymXQFODDHIkMgVLy" width=500>
Hey, let's hear it for Gabe Gross! No. 18 until further notice.
