Liveblog - 3/10/07 vs. Michigan

6:10pm:
I've been here for about 45 minutes. These facilities are immaculate. That's the best way I can describe them. I'm sitting here in the PETCO Park press box (seat 21, naturally) in total amazement. The press box is open-air, so there is no barrier betwixt me and the ambiance of the field. I love it. I can soak in both the game and the San Diego skyline. Note to Tony - can we please knock out the window in the SDSU press box? Get on that.

The band is here... first baseball game I've ever seen them at. On that note... when was the last time any baseball team ever had a band? I can't recall any Major League ones (well, aside from Oakland's amazing LF bleacher drummers).

SDSU appears to be wearing their 10000000000th uniform combination in the season - white jersey/white pants. Christ, we really ARE a Nike school. Must be new for this game, because I haven't seen this white jersey before.

It's now T-minus 10 mins 'til Tony's special ceremony.

6:26pm:
They're playing Avril Lavigne's "Skater Boi".
Shoot me.

6:34pm:
I almost forgot Tony played basketball. As Ted Leitner is saying... he played both sports "OLD SCHOOL"

Word up.

7:00pm:
They just finished the ceremony and video tribute. Fuckin-A, man, fuckin-A. I still don't have a lineup sheet. Why the hell not?

7:13pm:
UM's Jason Christian has the weirdest, most bugged out look on his face. Billings has had a good fastball, mid-to-high 80s, and he's mixing it up in the first inning. That's a 1-2-3 inning!

7:21pm:
More observations: The writer next to me keeps mumbling. It's slightly disturbing. Michigan's catcher's mask has the Wolverine pattern like they do on the football helmet. 0-0 after 1.

For once, asshat, I thank you

Ken Tremendous and Junior have Joe Morgan.
Will Leitch and AJ Daulerio have Stuart Scott.

And now I have Curt Schilling.

For those of you who don't know... I don't particularly like the asshat blowhole bane of society Boston Red Sox pitcher.

I'm going to try Fire Joe Morgan's style of blogging and break down Schilling's first entry, Throwing out the first pitch

I’ve done it. I’ve caved and am actually taking the blog plunge.

Thank god. I needed my daily dose of idiocy.

I’ve been called everything from outspoken to blowhard to much, much worse.

My god! He can read my mind! WITCH! WITCH! BURN HIM!

I’ve never been a yes/no kind of guy, which probably hasn’t been received well by some. I don’t know that I’ll be changing my style, but I do know that getting ripped for something I say here will be getting ripped for something I actually said–with the entire contents of my comments included.

That’s not to say I’ll be preaching from the pulpit–far from it. Being a major league baseball player does not give me keen insight into politics, education, or anything else for that matter.

Curt Schilling, the guy who is learning Japanese to tell another culture how he feels about everything, will not be using the internets to preach? Really, now? Ethos be damned. He acknowledges that he doesn't know shit about anything, yet over and over and over, relishes the opportunity to stand on a soap box. Hell, in searching for articles about his outspokenness, "Curt Schilling said" was the third-highest tag available.

Curt, you have as much business talking about politics as I do about nuclear fusion or ways to dye a sock red. Stick to Worlds of Warcraft.

The truth is, I’ve been wrong as many times, if not more, than I’ve been right in my life.

Duh.

I’m hoping this little experiment turns into something productive. At some point in the future we’ll steer this more toward a Q&A forum where we can talk about baseball and other things that interest people.

Translation: I will sound off on anything and everything. Ask me a question and I will tell you how to think. After all, I am Curt Schilling. I won a World Series with one leg and am now trying to help George W. Bush get this country back on the right and moral path.

The hotels all have room service and the women all have long legs and brains

At around 1:12 today, I realized how great my job really is.

I could be working at the Aztec Market, dealing with sorority queens and other rude people all day.

I could be working in the library, silent and boring.

I could be greasing up my face by working at some restaurant.

But nope, I get to mix love and work. I'm a baseball writer.

My latest article came out yesterday, but I was too busy to link it.

Most days, you don't even need to watch the game to tell who won.

Following victories, you can hear the San Diego State baseball team loudly singing the school's fight song in the locker room.

After losses?

You'll hear nary a ballplayer.

Yesterday, you could hear "Fight on and on ye Aztec men" all the way from Stockton, near the Bay Area. Thanks to a five-run fifth inning, SDSU topped No. 28 Baylor, 6-2, in the final game of the Pacific State Bank Tiger Classic.

"That was a super game," head coach Tony Gwynn said in a phone interview.

I really liked this quote at the end...

The victory was the third of the year for the Aztecs over an opponent ranked in the top 30.

"It doesn't matter what name is on the jersey," Sewell said. "We know we can take care of them."

I'm really trying to get better. Now that I've talked with one of the other amazing writers at the DA, I hate this story. I really could've done more with it, but it was on deadline and I was just trying to get it over the plate. He told me to write like I talk. I'm gonna try this with my next articles, because I'd really love to be on his career path - freelancing for Sports Illustrated at 23. I want to do that at 21, or hell, even later this year. I want to be on ESPN by 25. That's my goal.

Back to my original point, I'm pretty lucky. Most people my age are working at jobs they hate either because of the pay or the drama with other people. I look forward to drama in my job. I'm finally adjusting to Tony, knowing that I cannot just treat him like any other coach I've talked to. I've got to expect some shit, and I have to dish it right back at him.

But my job is perfect. I get paid to watch baseball. In San Diego. Beat that, stock boy at Safeway. As I'm typing this right now, it's 74 degrees and sunny as hell. I know parts of the country where it's raining or snowing or just generally pretty cold. I wore shorts and a t-shirt today.

I'm very ready to go to Spring Training. I'm a baseball addict, and I just need my fix.

Next article on Thursday previewing the Tony Gwynn Classic.

Wednesday: A rant about sensitivity in sports - or - a rant about love for team vs. love for a player. Stay tuned and stay classy.

Daisuke Matsuzaka does not throw a gyroball

I do actually have something constructive to say, but it'll wait til later today as I've gotta jet soon. I've started many blogs, just never really followed up on them. I'm going to try to update this thing every day with news and views about SDSU athletics, pro baseball and football and just sports in general.

I'm nu skool, and old school. I love Moneyball, but hate the designated hitter.

I'm really not much of a columnist (as you'll probably find out later), but this is going to be my way to practice. Kind of a stream-of-consciousness schtick without worrying about AP style or deadlines.

I hate the media, yet I'm a sportswriter.

I'll post my articles on here, because I'm just that cool, and maybe liveblog a baseball game or two, for all of the five people who will probably read this shit.