Wezen Ball - A Baseball Blog

What the Beastie Boys Teach Us About Baseball

larry@wezen-ball.com (Larry Granillo) — Sun, 06 May 2012 21:56:55 +0000

Just a reminder: posts are still going up regularly at Baseball Prospectus, with recents posts looking at the sad execution of a Negro Leaguer, a fantastic Richard Marx video involving Dennis Eckersley, and a comparison of search results from Google.com and Google.co.uk. There are also, of course, the daily Tater Trot Tracker posts (with the 2012 leaderboard here). This post comes from the Terrific Girlfriend, after the sad news of Adam Yauch's death. Major League Baseball might learn a thing or two from the way the Beastie Boys matured since their debut album.

I was out of sorts this weekend after hearing that Adam Yauch, aka 'MCA', and my favorite Beastie, had passed away. Hearing the news via Twitter instead of Kurt Loder (as I had when Kurt Cobain died) added to this out of sorts feeling. Kurt Loder (to me) was the Vin Scully of the MTV generation. Indeed, it made me feel a little nostalgic for when MTV played real music and was the authority on cool. I had a similar ache of sadness when Joey, DeeDee, Johnny Ramone and Joe Strummer died a few years apart from each other. I thought these guys were too tough to get cancer and die. Twenty years earlier, it was Keith Moon and John Bonham. Mostly the ache comes from the realization that we're all mortal.

The Beastie Boys were always cool because they successfully matured without getting old. I think a lot of people think that growing older means giving up childish pursuits and become absolutely boring. Growing older and maturing mean completely different things. I think you have the choice to fit a mold, let yourself naturally evolve, or force yourself to get to that next level. The Beastuie Boys they did the latter. Enlightenment doesn't have to mean that you also can't be a badass. Part of growing older is accepting the undiscovered country of adulthood and taking advantage of all the benefits.

In applying this thought to baseball, for some odd reason, I started thinking about the Brewers and their uniforms. People love the old ball and glove logo from the 80's. It's a good logo. However, the team was sick of hearing about '1982' when they made it to the World Series. We live in a city that celebrates being 'almost champions'. Anyway, the Beasties (in contrast) used to perform with a giant phallus on stage and dancing girls in cages. In the latter half of their career they didn't even perform 'Fight For Your Right' anymore because that was the 'old' them and they were on a different path. They wanted to shed that frat boy image because they wanted to transcend to that next level of musicianship.

Baseball and music are two industries that prize youth over anything else and are afraid of change. There aren't many (if any) women that call Major League baseball games on t.v or radio. In 1987, Chicagoans gave themselves a nosebleed when Wrigley finally added lights and night games. "That's not how it was when I was a kid!!!" Well guess what, you aren't a kid anymore and really, it isn't about you. It's about other people. Music and baseball are both individual and communal undertakings. In regards to change, the Beasties didn't fight for their right to party so much as fought for their right to be themselves and have their career on their own terms. Same thing with ballplayers. Nostalgia and archaic rules are forced down their throats. For these people, it's a job but it's also an art form. It's an incredibly difficult industry to be in already when you're considered 'old and disposable' before you reach 30.

I think the ultimate lesson is to let it all go and enjoy athletes and musicians for their individual gifts and for maturing into the people that they ultimately become. The creative and athletic processes can be incredibly difficult and the person that taps into and harnesses it and evolves is utterly wonderful. I'm sure people told Robin Yount that he couldn't excel at two positions.

If we look at where baseball is at in terms of Beastie Boys albums I'd say we're at around the 'Ill Communication' phase with the "Paul's Boutique" age being somewhere around the 1960's. Now that I think about it, maybe baseball's "Paul's Boutique" still eludes us because we haven't pushed the boundaries of what baseball can really do. I think ultimately what the Beastie Boys taught us about baseball is that the the past is an important touchstone but it is only a building block of what is yet to come. It's like people who had one amazing year in 1987 and still dress that way because they're afraid to change.

Scattered thoughts on Fenway and Growing Older

larry@wezen-ball.com (Larry Granillo) — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 17:59:58 +0000

On the 100th anniversary of Fenway Park's first game, here are some thoughts on the stadium - and life - from the Terrific Girlfriend (aka @ladywezen)...

When I was 9 years old, my parents took my sisters and me to Fenway Park. We didn't have a lot of money and even back then a trip into Boston for a game was still spendy. Not to mention the fact that, if I'm the oldest at 9 years old, my 3 younger sisters were still pretty young (while we were prone to mischief, we were well behaved girls) and carting your kids around, especially Boston in the 1980's, could get tiresome. I always have been, and always will be, grateful for the sacrifices that my parents made. When the Sox were in the World Series, we were allowed to stay up late (though I never made it past 8 p.m.). Even though the Sox lost, my sisters and I prolonged that season by playing "World Series" in the back yard. Somehow, "My Little Pony" and obstacle courses were involved too - which, looking back on it was rather a bit strange, but, you know what? If you don't have an active imagination, you're an idiot.

For the life of me, I want to say that it was in July that we went, but I could be wrong. One of my younger sisters got a baseball with a shiny puffy Red Sox logo on it. It was later lost and I think it was probably my fault (which truly haunts me to this day, along with losing my other sister's Barbie in the woods at Stanley Park - I was an expert at Barbie catapults). Anyway, what matters most was that it was a big deal. We sat under the Polaroid sign and we thought it was the most magical thing ever. Part of my love for "Field of Dreams" comes from the fact that they filmed it not long after our first visit so it serves as a 'living photograph' of what I experienced that day. "Field of Dreams" was also the movie I was watching the night before my father died in 1996, ten years after our visit.

In any case, my father was a forward looking kind of guy. He wanted us girls to grow into strong and independent women, to learn how to face our demons, work through problems, and conquer things bigger that we are. He wanted to teach us that age is just a number and that you're only as old as you feel. He went to Boston University in the 1960s, was a music teacher and, later, returned to school for a Masters in Computer Science in the early 90's and was working on his Ph.D when he passed away.

I don't like to hold on to memories too much or dwell on the passing of my father. However, James T. Kirk said something wise about this, "How we deal with death is at least as important as how we deal with life". When I look at Fenway, I see my dad and what he held dear to him. Maybe it's because I think that dad is chatting up a storm with Jimmie Foxx and Ted Williams in baseball heaven but I feel close to my dad again.

Just because something is old doesn't mean that it isn't important. More importantly, holding on to the past can prevent you from fully living in the present. Just like my dad going back to school because he wanted to, because he envisioned a life and future for himself. Sure, Fenway is 100 years old but, considering it's limitations, the Red Sox have done an amazing job of it and should be commended. They should also keep an eye on the future because there may come a time when the current stadium might not work anymore, but a brighter future (an undiscovered country in terms of ballpark design) may await.

I've mentioned before about baseball's romanticism of youth and going back to when we were all young and how it drives me nuts when fans bemoan certain aspects, "IN MY DAY WE PLAYED IN THE DARK!!!". Sure it's fun but really it doesn't do any good. We get older, things break, people die, but as long as we exchange our quest for a fountain of youth for one of wisdom and a desire for the future, we'll be alright. We end up staying young as a result.

Lastly, I'm grateful that I finally have more recent memories of Fenway. In 2008, my sweet fella took me on an anniversary trip. It was different than I remembered (obviously) some for better, some for worse. I never felt compelled to return until I had someone special with me. Fenway has such a deep, deep place in my heart that I didn't want to give it up for some loser. Some people feel that way about restaurants and songs, I feel that way about baseball stadiums. Although my fella and my dad had never met, being at Fenway with him felt right, that my dad was giving a cosmic stamp of approval.

So Fenway, happy birthday. Red Sox fans, happy birthday to you too. And thank you.

Ryan Braun and "Confidentiality"

larry@wezen-ball.com (Larry Granillo) — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 15:18:01 +0000

In the wake of the Ryan Braun news yesterday - which, if everything had been done properly, we should never have heard about - I wrote something for Baseball Prospectus looking at how badly the confidentiality of drug tests has been handled since the initial "survey testing" of 2003. In short, the players have always made confidentiality the primary foundation for their support of the program, but Major League Baseball has done little to ensure it.

Give it a read: Major League Baseball's Lack of Confidentiality.

Doctor Who's On First

larry@wezen-ball.com (Larry Granillo) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 04:40:04 +0000

And now for the latest post from the Terrific Girlfriend. It's a topic that I approve of whole-heartedly, even if I do think she shortchanges ol' Flopsy a little at the end there...

As you may (or may not) have noticed, Wezenlandia has been taken over by Doctor Who.

I used to watch this series religiously when I was a kid at the encouragement of my father (who was also a big Doctor Who fan). I loved the series SO much that I used to pretend that our yellow toy chest was the TARDIS and tried in vain to time travel in the back yard. I'm pretty sure I was trying to go someplace that had an amazing assortment of candy as well as an epic swimming pool. I forgot about it for a couple of years only to watch the TV movie in 1996. I have a special place in my heart for the TV movie and Paul "My Thumbs Have Gone Weird" McGann. It was the last Doctor Who that my father and I shared because he passed away later that year. I saw a few episodes of the reboot but didn't commit to it because it wasn't something that I could watch on a regular basis until we acquired BBC America, iTunes, and Netflix. There was no going back after that.

There is a certain amount of similar romanticism in both Doctor Who and baseball. You can get involved in all the timey-wimey sci-fi numbers aspects of both or look at the more humany wumany aspects. Either way, they're escapism at it's best and I think that's why people love them both so much and why they are the best that humanity has to offer itself. Sure, people make the 'return to your youth' argument, but I think they're each really about the willing suspension of disbelief that is really healthy. Plus, there's a similar level of attachment that comes with, say, your favorite 3rd baseman or Doctor. There is also a certain level of purism between baseball fans and Doctor Who fans. You have the Whovian fanbase freaking out because the Doctor fell in love with some lady while you have baseball fans giving themselves a stroke about the DH/instant replay/women wearing pants/when it was a REAL game/blah blah blah...

With that being said, I thought to myself, "what is the nerdiest thing that I could possibly do that involves both Doctor Who and baseball?" That nerdy thing, of course, is figuring out which version of the Doctor would be best at each position on the field (and in the front offices). Now, keep in mind that these are only suggestions; if you disagree, be my guest.

Oh, for those not in the know, the Doctor is from a planet called Gallifrey and is a Time Lord. If you have any other questions, that's what the interwebs are for. (Ed.'s note: Or you could watch the show - because it's excellent.) One last disclaimer, it should be noted that this information was taken from Wikipedia and edited accordingly. I have also given them nicknames, because everyone in sports has a nickname. Nicknames are cool.

Management:

Doctor #1

William Hartnell, General Manager
The Wizard of Trades

William Hartnell described the Doctor as "a wizard", and "a cross between the Wizard of Oz and Father Christmas". This version of the doctor has been described as grandfatherly. True; I wouldn't describe Ben Cherington or Theo Epstein as grandfatherly, but I might Doug Melvin. Maybe it's the mustache and sweaters.

(Click "Read More" to continue reading.)

Doctor #7

Sylvester McCoy, Manager
The Question

The Seventh Doctor displayed perhaps the most profound change in attitude of any of the Time Lord's personae, beginning as perhaps the most outwardly amiable and bumbling (to the extent of putting himself in danger, but not at the cost of his overall great intelligence and benevolent intentions) and progressing into a driven, dark gamemaster whose plans to defeat his adversaries, both old and new, would play out across space and time. He generally displayed an affable, curious, knowledgeable, easygoing, excitable and charming air. However, as he began to choose his battles and keep a tighter grip on his secrets - from his plans to his very identity - he also presented more serious, contemplative, secretive, wistful and manipulative sides with undercurrents of mischief and authority, constantly giving the impression that there was more to him than met the eye.

I discovered McCoy rather late in the game and absolutely adore this guy; he even might be one of my favorites of all time. His managerial equivalent might be Joe Maddon and a lesser batshit version of Bobby Valentine, or even Casey Stengel. I'm sure at 'dark gamester' you thought, 'oh, that's LaRussa'. Yeah, no. Absolutely not.

The Battery

Doctor #9

Christopher Eccleston, Pitcher
Dr. Laser Rage or Black Ops

I didn't make up the nickname Dr. Laser Rage, it comes from the brilliant writers of the Sarah Silverman Program. Eccleston and McGann (Doctor #8) are easily the most accomplished and best actors out of the bunch. Eccleston is also from Manchester so there's that.

Most gritty, and informal, masking a lonely, guilt-ridden and melancholic personality with a jovial, witty, forthright and almost manic exterior. Did not shy away from using force in situations he would deem necessary. Anyway, you'd want Eccleston and his battery-mate controlling the show. Not really sure of canon here, but I think both fought in the Time War or something. I guess the baseball equivalent to the Time War would be... nothing, unless you had Andy Pettitte and Jorge Posada fighting the war on roids and killing every juicer or something. Basically 8 & 9 kill every timelord because the timelords have gotten too powerful and will wreck the universe.

I'd say maybe the 9th's equivalent might be Zack Greinke, Jonathan Papelbon, or Brian Wilson - something along those lines. That one is tougher to figure out.

Doctor #8

Paul McGann, Catcher
Blackout

Encouraged those around him to seize life instead of withdrawing from it. He also seemed to enjoy giving people hints of their own futures, probably to prod them into making the right decisions. It is unclear if the eighth Doctor's knowledge of people's futures comes from historical expertise, psychic power or precognitive ability. Is prone to forgetfulness. He's more of a central heroic figure than an enabler, encouraging his companions and other people he meets to act upon their more positive impulses. His sidekick, however, looked like Vida Boheme. Which is too bad because she's a great female character (one of my big gripes is that Doctor Who is pure shit when it comes to female companions, excluding Sarah Jane and Martha Jones).

I selected the 8th Doctor at catcher primarily because of his ability to control the situation while also being able to detach from the situation. He's a good Carlton Fisk or Gary Carter.

Side note, Paul McGann was also this guy from Three Musketeers. Well done sir. Well. Done.

Infield

Doctor #5

Peter Davison, 1st Base
Old Chap

Vulnerable, sensitive, and reserved. #5 treated his young companions as parts of a team, and often willingly participated in situations under the leadership of someone else who had the strong command presence that he apparently lacked. Greatly abhorred violence and often hesitated about taking matters into his own hands

Ah, the 5th. He was one of my first crushes when I was little. Him and Luke Skywalker*. I actually liked him a lot more than Tom Baker after I got over the whole, 'Doctor Who isn't BLOND!' thing. Anyway, he's a pretty cool one, a little more emo and might be better off at first base. I think he's along the same lines as Harmon Killebrew and Lou Gehrig.

*Now that I'm older, Han Solo is where it's at. He's a babe.

Doctor #2

Patrick Troughton, 2nd Base
Plaid the Impaler

Scuffy, childlike, clever. Calculating schemer who would not only manipulate people for the greater good, but act like a bumbling fool in order to have others underestimate his true abilities. Loves hats. Always acted heroically and morally in his desire to help the oppressed. I'd say he's a Ryne Sandburg or Rogers Hornsby.

Doctor #6

Colin Baker, 3rd Base
Rainbow Shitstorm

Kind of a twat. Unpredictable and somewhat petulant egoist, whose garish, multicoloured attire reflected his volatile personality. His unpredictability was made even wilder by his mood swings, manic behaviour, bombastic outbursts and glib, unflappable wit. His personality also displayed occasionally fatalistic overtones. He was wicked smart, though.

I feel really bad for Colin Baker. NO one likes this version. I mean, it's hard to like but really, it's more the writers' fault than anything else. Plus, it's kind of like having to play the villain after Ricardo Montalban's brilliant turn in "Wrath of Khan". It's just hard. The writers of this incarnation were also rubbish, so you really can't fault him too much for trying. I align him with Wade Boggs and maybe Chipper Jones. You have to have an aggressive yet slightly psychotic streak to play third successfully. I think in C-Bake's case, he's kind of like Kenny Powers.

Doctor #11

Matt Smith, Shortstop (he plays shortstop now, shortstops are cool)
The Oncoming Storm

Energetic, eccentric and lively soul who possessed a sense of arrogance and a short temper. While the Doctor was usually cheerful and full of manic energy, traits he shared with his previous incarnation, he also had a darker side and was capable of becoming furious if his loved ones were threatened. Less forgiving and more aggressive than his previous incarnation, showing considerable hatred towards his arch enemies. Notable for his self loathing, claiming that he was "a stupid selfish man" and even saying that he hated himself more than anyone else in the universe.

#11 is the Robin Yount or Cal Ripken of the series. He's awesome. In the Christmas special, he put a lemonade faucet in a house. Robin Yount makes lemonade. Boom. Honestly, if you put a faucet of Robinade in our home, you'd be my hero.

Outfield

Doctor #3

Jon Pertwee, Centerfield
The Editor

The Third Doctor was a suave, dapper, technologically-oriented, and authoritative man of action, who not only practised Venusian Aikido or karate, but enjoyed working on gadgets and riding all manner of vehicles. Basically a badass. If this Doctor had a somewhat patrician and authoritarian air, he was just as quick to criticise authority, too, having little patience with self-inflated bureaucrats, parochially-narrow ministers, knee-jerk militarists or red tape in general. He's kind of like a less dickish Ty Cobb, but I'd say Ken Griffey Jr. is more like it. He seems to be the most Ron Swanson of the bunch.

Doctor #4

Tom Baker, Rightfield
The Franchise

One of the most unpredictable in terms of emotional depth, slightly more distant and alien than his other incarnations. Displayed whimsical charm, offbeat humor, permeated by his manic grin, more aloof and somber than his previous incarnations. He could become intensely brooding, serious and even callous. He's the dude with the Gali-fro and the scarf.

This is the incarnation that everyone associated with Doctor Who. Same can be said for Tom Seaver and pitching, or something. ANYWAY, in the days of yore known as the 1970's, when dinosaurs roamed the earth, the BBC syndicated the show to PBS and that's how most of us came to know this version of the Doctor. Which is cool. I really like PBS.

Famous right fielders include Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron, Roberto Clemente and so on. So, 'The Franchise' seems fitting.

Doctor #10

David Tennant, Leftfield
Flopsy

Displays a light-hearted, talkative, easy-going, witty and cheeky manner, but repeatedly demonstrates a vengeful and unforgiving streak as well. Tendency to babble, mixing apparent nonsense with vital information, sometimes acting erratically to put his enemies off-guard. He is prone to making comments that to outsiders seem obtuse or rude, sometimes to his own embarrassment. Describes human beings as both brilliant and stupid in the same sentence while arguing the necessity of emotions.

Also, this guy cries all the time. You're a Time Lord. You've seen shit. Nut up. I'm sure many Whovians would say that he's the Ted Williams of all the incarnations. Ted Williams didn't cry though, because Ted Williams is a man.

Talking About the Brewers with SNYtv

larry@wezen-ball.com (Larry Granillo) — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 20:31:31 +0000

The Brewers begin a three-game series in Milwaukee tonight against the Mets, a team not exactly living up to its fans' expectations. Watch me talk with Ted Berg of SNYtv about the upcoming series.

Tater Trot Tracker: June 5

larry@wezen-ball.com (Larry Granillo) — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 19:14:28 +0000

I usually do my best to keep abreast of the day's goings on in the baseball world (through Twitter and whatnot) so that I don't accidentally miss something home run-related when I watch through the videos. There are times, though, when I don't get a chance to do that and, as such, go into the home run videos pretty blind only to discover some pretty interesting things happened. Sunday was a day like that.

Let's get to those trots.

Home Run of the Day: Albert Pujols, St. Louis Cardinals - 24.26 seconds* [video]
I could get away with not giving the Home Run of the Day to Pujols' walkoff yesterday because of the terrific play by Torii Hunter in the Yankees/Angels game. There is no valid excuse to skip over Pujols today, when he hit a walkoff home run for the second night in a row. I can only imagine how excited Cardinals fans are by the back-to-back walkoffs. You don't have to imagine how excited Pujols is, though - you can see it in his trots. Just watch Saturday's walkoff trot and then Sunday's trot. That's excitement right there.

Dodgers pitcher Chad Billingsley also had a big game, hitting a home run, a double, and earning a run-scoring walk in Cincinnati. Almost any other day that would be enough for Home Run of the Day, but it pales in comparison to Pujols today.

For the rest of today's trots (including trot times for all home runs and one of the most blatant cases of intentional showboating I've yet seen), head over to Baseball Prospectus.

Tater Trot Tracker: May 31

larry@wezen-ball.com (Larry Granillo) — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 18:46:45 +0000

Family issues kept me from posting Monday's trots yesterday. There were 46 hit that day - the biggest day of the year, I believe - but I still had to go back and time then. The times are included below. Tuesday's home run haul was a little smaller, but it was still a pretty good day for taters.

Let's get to those trots!

Home Run of the Day: Mitch Moreland, Texas Rangers - 23.46 seconds [video]
This home run is from Monday, but I can't let it slip by. Watch the video. Now that is a home run. I'm pretty sure he just hit it out of Tropicana and all the way to Tampa. Pretty darn impressive.

For the rest of today's trots (including trot times for all home runs), head over to Baseball Prospectus.

Tater Trot Tracker: May 29

larry@wezen-ball.com (Larry Granillo) — Mon, 30 May 2011 16:53:19 +0000

I know everyone is anxious to get out to their grills for some hot dogs and beer, so I won't keep you waiting.

Let's get to the trots!

Home Run of the Day: David Ortiz, Boston Red Sox - 24.45 seconds [video]
For only the fourth time in his career, David Ortiz hit a pinch-hit home run. Also for only the fourth time in his career, David Ortiz trotted out a 24-second trot.

I kid, I kid. Papi busts out a quick trot every now and then, and it's nice to see it come on Sunday, after a late-inning, go-ahead, pinch-hit bomb. Very appropriate.

Houston starter J.A. Happ hit his first career home run on Sunday, coming in at a league-average 22.06 seconds. The Astros would win the game 4-2. The home run hit by Jay Bruce was not measurable. Being the ESPN Sunday Night Baseball game, the Cardinals/Braves game had only one video feed, and that feed chose not to show Bruce touching home plate. What a shame.

For the rest of today's trots (including trot times for all home runs), head over to Baseball Prospectus.

Tater Trot Tracker: May 23

larry@wezen-ball.com (Larry Granillo) — Tue, 24 May 2011 19:06:38 +0000

I'm not sure I've ever had a day with such a tight competition for the Home Run of the Day. Here in Milwaukee, Corey Hart hit his first, second, and third home runs of the year in the Brewers' 11-3 rout of the Nationals. In San Diego, Albert Pujols hit his first home run in over 100 plate appearances (that didn't stop him from admiring the blast). Jose Bautista continued his torrid pace of making obnoxious sportswriters say inane things with his 19th home run of the season. In Detroit, Andy Dirks hit his first career home run. Josh Hamilton and Nelson Cruz returned to the Rangers' lineup down in Texas and proceeded to each hit a home run to celebrate their return. For a day with only twenty-one home runs hit, it certainly seemed like every one of them was meaningful.

So what was the Home Run of the Day? Let's get to the trots!

Home Run of the Day: Jim Thome #2, Minnesota Twins - 23.19 seconds [video]
As excited as I am for all the home runs mentioned above (and, believe me, it's great seeing Corey Hart playing well), the one that made me most excited was Jim Thome's second blast of the game. The home run came in Target Field and was the 593rd of Thome's career. Like Cruz and Hamilton, this was Thome's first time in the lineup for a few weeks, having recently returned from the disabled list. What makes this more special than any of the others, though, is that the Twins were honoring Harmon Killebrew during the game. Thome is often described as the Killebrew of his generation, so the fact that he managed to sock two home runs on the day Killebrew's memory was honored takes it to a whole other level.

For the rest of today's trots (including trot times for all home runs), head over to Baseball Prospectus.

Tater Trot Tracker: May 22

larry@wezen-ball.com (Larry Granillo) — Mon, 23 May 2011 20:07:18 +0000

The first weekend of interleague play is now concluded, and what have we learned? Players can hit balls just as hard off opposing league pitchers as they can off their own league's pitchers. It's pretty amazing, really. I can't way for when interleague arrives in June for real (for five series in a row instead of just one) so we can learn the same lesson again.

Meanwhile, let's get to the trots!

Home Run of the Day: Asdrubal Cabrera #2, Cleveland Indians - 22.04 seconds [video]
Cabrera finished this game against the Reds a perfect five-for-five with two home runs and five RBIs. You can't ask for a more perfect game at the plate than that. For that, he bests San Francisco's Nate Schierholtz for Home Run of the Day. Schierholtz hit a blast out of AT&T Park in the bottom of the eighth inning to tie the game up. I couldn't tell if it hit the sidewalk before splashing into McCovey Cove, or if it splashed on the fly. The Giants would go on to win in the eleventh.

For the rest of today's trots (including trot times for all home runs), head over to Baseball Prospectus.