July 2010
Player Spotlight: Second Baseman, Daniel Descalso
Good news is, it’s been almost a month and Descalso was reactivated from the DL July 27th going 3-for-9 with one run scored since being back and has extended his hit streak to five games, including three games from before his DL stint. Looks like he’s back and better than ever!
Here is an article about Descalso from earlier this year:
Redbirds’ Daniel Descalso wants clutch situations and a video of him from when he first arrived in Memphis: Daniel Descalso interview with StLtoday
…and a little more about number 13 that most of you probably didn’t know, enjoy!
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Full Name: Daniel William Descalso
Nicknames: DD, Dirty D, ‘Scals
Hometown:San Carlos, CA
Favorite baseball player of all time: Carney Lansford
What is your best moment on the diamond? Being a part of the gold medal winning team USA last year in the Baseball World Cup.
What team did you watch growing up? I was a big Oakland A’s fan
If you weren’t in baseball, what would you be doing? Probably something business related, running my own company.
Where do you see yourself in 25 years? Sitting in my backyard by my pool.
Favorite food: My Grandma’s homemade ravioli
Newest Hobby: FIFA World Cup Soccer
Favorite movie: Rudy
I’m afraid of… heights.
Favorite TV Show: “24″
Song that gets you pumped up: “Automatic” by E-40
Most embarrassing moment while playing baseball: Forgetting the number of outs one time in college and running and getting double up.
Favorite play in a baseball game: Anytime you can make a diving play and take a hit from someone is pretty fun.
Tell us one thing about you the fans don’t already know…I have five younger brothers and sisters and my last name in Spanish is ‘barefoot’.
If you were on a reality TV show which one would it be? The Real World
Best prank pulled that you’ve seen or been a part of while in pro ball: In 2008, a teammate and I took another guy’s keys to his car, filled his AC vents
with baby powder and turned his air conditioning on high so when he got in and turned on his car after the game he got sprayed with baby powder all in the
face.
Who is your greatest influence? My dad, growing up he was always around coaching me in baseball and always being a good role model for me.
What is your favorite off-day activity? Nice BBQ, hang out by the pool, etc.
Describe yourself in five words or less: Hard-working, all around good guy.
Do you have any autographs? I have a Derek Jeter one and my favorite one is my Joe DiMaggio autograph picture
What is the most difficult part about playing professional baseball? The grind, the long season, the 140 games and the travel, it all adds up.
What do you like best about the city of Memphis? The history
Any broken bone stories? I have a broken collar bone right now…it was a play over second base, me and Tyler Greene were both going after it. I dove and he slid, his knee hit me in the shoulder and I broke my collar bone.
If you were a kid would you rather be the one in Rookie of the Year, Angels in the Outfield or Little Big League? Rookie of the Year Rookie of the Year because he’s the only one that actually plays.
Three things you can’t live without: My computer, my ipod and my family.
What is your favorite thing about being a Redbird? Playing at AutoZonePark..
Lightning Round Responses
Dogs or Cats
Summer or Winter
Fruits or Vegetables
Movies or Books
Offense or Defense
Ketchup or Mustard
Sunflower Seeds or Bubble Gum
Have the ability to fly or read people’s minds
Be able to stop time while you slept or never have to do laundry
That about wraps it up!
Jordan. Out.
Homestand photos
Hey everyone! Dave here. Below are some photos snapped by our team photographer, Allison Rhoades, from our last homestand against Omaha and Oklahoma City:
Remember folks, we return home on Saturday with fireworks to play the Omaha Royals! Cya at AZP!
Gotta love those BBQ nachos
Hey everyone! Dave here. You know how much you love the BBQ nachos when you come to AutoZone Park? Well, guess what…so does Sports Illustrated!
Check it out! We’re number five!
They also posted us on Extra Mustard!
Player Spotlight: Left Fielder/First Baseman, Allen Craig
After Allen Craig’s outstanding outing as a St. Louis Cardinal yesterday against the Los Angeles Dodgers, I thought it was the perfect time to post his Q & A. But before we get into that, let’s recapitulate last night’s game and Craig’s amazing performance! The Cardinals were down 4-0 in the bottom of the eighth with both Albert Pujols and Colby Rasmus sitting out for the day. Craig hit a two-run double to left field plating Brendan Ryan as well as fellow Memphis Redbird Jon Jay. Shortly after, Randy Winn singled to right field to drive in Craig putting St. Louis down by only one run.
Fast forward to the bottom of the ninth. Allen Craig is up again with Yadier Molina on second, Jon Jay on first and two outs. Craig singles to center field, Molina scores to tie up the game! Matt Holliday up next hits a single to right for the winning run. Cardinals win 5-4!! And all on the former Cal Bear’s birthday!
Not only did Craig receive his first Major League double, but he also had his first multi-hit game with the Cards while collecting three RBI. Allen Craig did an exceptional job and St. Louis posted videos to prove it. Check them out!
Allen Craig’s first Major League double
Allen Craig’s single ties up the game
Q & A with Allen Craig
What is your best moment on the diamond? Getting my first major league hit (this year) in Milwaukee
|
DATE |
OPP |
POS |
AVG |
AB |
R |
H |
2B |
3B |
HR |
RBI |
BB |
SO |
|
4/11 |
MIL |
RF |
.167 |
2 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Who is your greatest influence? My family in general, mom and dad, grandparents, aunts and uncles
What is your favorite food? Pizza
What is your favorite sports movie? Major League
Favorite Baseball Player: Ken Griffey Jr.
Where do you see yourself in 25 years? Having a family, kids sitting in the front row at the Lakers games with season tickets
What is your favorite TV show? “24″ 
What is your favorite off-day activity? Getting rest
Song that pumps you up: “Imma Do It” by Fabolous
Tell us one thing about you the fans don’t already know. I have a pet tortoise back home.
Do you have any autographs? A bunch! Cal Ripken, A-Rod, Griffey, etc.
What is the most difficult part about playing professional baseball? The grind of the game, playing and staying focused every day and working hard.
What is your favorite part about the city of Memphis? Huey’s
What was your favorite baseball team growing up? The Angels
What was your favorite athlete of all time? Kobe Bryant
Three things you cannot live without: Food, water and family.
Describe yourself in six words or less: Work hard at what I do.
What is your favorite part about being a Redbird? It’s unpredictable.
*All photos by Allison Rhoades
That’s it for Allen Craig, we send our congratulations from Memphis and wish him the best of luck!
Jordan. Out.
A special contributor
Hey everyone! Dave here. Not long ago we had some special visitors from Texas who wanted to check out AutoZone Park as part of their family vacation. Check out the article written by 11 year-old Sarah Fonville…
http://www.allenamerican.com/articles/2010/07/07/sports/schools/allen/000090.txt
Redbirds All-Stars
Hey everyone! Dave here. As I’m sure many of you know, last night was the Triple-A All-Star Game. Redbirds closer Fernando Salas, pitcher Brandon Dickson and hitting coach Mark Budaska were all in attendance at Coca-Cola Park in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Shortstop Tyler Greene was also elected, but he’s up with St. Louis getting ready for the Cardinals second half push so he wasn’t in PA last night.
Both Salas and Dickson pitched well. Here’s the crew together at the park:
Photo taken by Chuck Hixson/Scout.com
My favorite part about the Mid-Summer Classic every year is seeing the truckload of fabulous pitchers make their way into the game. I have to admit, it doesn’t get much better than having Ubaldo Jimenez and Josh Johnson come in back-to-back throwing 98 mph on the black.
However, it looked like for awhile the AL might out-pitch the NL until the seventh inning when Matt Thornton gave up a bases clearing triple to Braves catcher Brian McCann to win 3-1. Here is what he and NL Manager Charlie Manuel had to say after the game:
Now with the All-Star Game festivities for both Triple-A and MLB now over, it’s about time we get back to the nearly everyday grind of the season. The Redbirds begin a four-game home-stand tonight in New Orleans before returning to Memphis on July 19th.
Player Spotlight: Outfielder, Jon Jay
Although Jon Jay is currently playing for the Cardinals, and very well I might add, before he left I
had the opportunity to pick his brain and get some insight on who he is as a person, not just as a baseball player.
But before we get to the question and answer part, I’d like to take some time to show you how well Mr. Jay has been doing while with the Cardinals, just in case you haven’t been paying attention as close as you should be.
His last seven games:
|
DATE |
OPP |
AVG |
AB |
R |
H |
2B |
3B |
HR |
RBI |
BB |
SO |
|
7/3 |
MIL |
.318 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
7/4 |
MIL |
.319 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
|
7/6 |
COL |
.327 |
2 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
7/7 |
COL |
.352 |
5 |
1 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
0 |
1 |
|
7/8 |
COL |
.368 |
3 |
1 |
2 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
|
7/9 |
HOU |
.377 |
4 |
0 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
7/10 |
HOU |
.385 |
4 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
His totals after all 33 games:
|
G |
AVG |
AB |
R |
H |
2B |
3B |
HR |
RBI |
BB |
SO |
SB |
CS |
|
|
33 |
.385 |
65 |
11 |
25 |
6 |
0 |
3 |
9 |
2 |
12 |
0 |
1 |
And his first Major League hit on 4/30/10 against Cincinnati:
And his first Major League start as right fielder 5/16 against the Reds
Keep it up Jay!
And now for why I wrote this blog in the first place…the interview!
Full Name: Jonathan Henry Jay
Nicknames: Jay and The Bomb
Favorite baseball player of all time: Ken Griffey Jr.
Team you watched growing up: Atlanta Braves
If you weren’t in baseball, what would you be doing? I’d be a businessman.
Where do you see yourself in 25 years? Hopefully I can have a good baseball career and do community work around where I’m living.
Newest Hobby: Dominating World Cup FIFA 
Best prank pulled that you’ve seen or been a part of while in pro ball? In ’06 when we (Quad Cities) won the championship, a guy put on Clyde the Drexler mascot head and ran around the locker room.
Favorite movie: Bad Boys II 
Greatest memory since playing baseball: All the years of hard work, to make my major league debut this year and the relationships I’ve created.
Who is your greatest influence? My mom
Song that gets you pumped up: Anything Jay-Z song
Most embarrassing moment while playing baseball: Dropped a fly ball to lose a game in college against the Florida Gators.
Describe yourself in five words or less: Fun, easy-going and simple
If you were a drink, what kind of drink would you be? Pina Colada because it’s ‘daytime fun’.
Favorite play in a baseball game: Robbing hits from guys in the outfield
Any broken bone stories? No, thank God. Knock on wood.
If you were a kid would you rather be the one in Rookie of the Year, Angels in the Outfield or Little Big League? Rookie of the Year, definitely.
Three things you can’t live without: My phone, any type of ball (basketball, baseball, soccer ball) and my family.
Lightning Round Responses
Dogs or Cats
Summer or Winter
Fruits or Vegetables
Movies or Books
Offense or Defense
Ketchup or Mustard
Have the ability to fly or read people’s minds
Be able to stop time while you slept or never have to do laundry
And that’s a wrap on Jon Jay. We wish him the best in St. Louis!
THE DECISION……has been made
Hey everyone! Dave here. Well, THE DECISION was announced last night by Lebron James as I’m sure you all know by now. Normally I wouldn’t spent any time on this on the Redbirds blog because everyone under the sun has made their opinions heard on one format or another. However, when our PA announcer announced to the crowd “The King” was going to Miami there was a pretty significant reaction from the crowd. So since you people (myself included) care about this, I’ll let you know how it should have gone down last night.
The room that ‘Bron was announcing his decision should have been completely dark to start. Then loud music (we were thinking Jock Jams), lasers and pyrotechnics should have consumed the room upon his entrance. He proceeds to dance his way to the chair, takes a seat and says…”hit it Will!”
Will Smith blasts into the room with a microphone and breaks into “Miami” as Lebron dances out of the room. I mean seriously, if you’re going to hold the audience captive for a full hour and keep the world waiting…might as well do it in style, and Jordan and I agree this would have been the best way to do it. Maybe it’s just because we love Will Smith because you have to admit he is pretty awesome.
Anyway, doubleheader tonight at AZP so come on down for that. If you can’t make it tonight, we have fireworks on Saturday and a day game on Sunday before the All-Star Break. Also, make sure to stay tuned to Chirp Chatter as I’ll break down the Redbirds’ first half and give you thoughts and analysis on our team.
By the way, “Miami” is an extremely catchy song…check it out. >
Player Spotlight: Outfielder, Joe Mather
Full name: Joseph Paul Mather
Nicknames: Joey Bombs, Jumper, Joe Joe
Favorite Color: Right now it’s royal blue.
So it changes? How often does it change? If I see a color that I really start liking, I’ll just change it.
Favorite baseball player of all time: Trot Nixon
What team did you watch growing up? The Red Sox
If you weren’t in baseball, what would you be doing? Hopefully I’d be traveling around. If I had to have a job, I’d like to try and play tennis.
Where do you see yourself in 25 years? On a lake somewhere with my family watching my kids grow up.
Do you have any rituals? Drink a cup of coffee, hot tub, stretch and then pre-game high-fives.
Newest Hobby: FIFA 2010 Soccer for Play Station
Best prank pulled that you’ve seen or been a part of while in pro ball? I saw a cop come into the clubhouse and fake arrest a guy for being out after curfew.
Favorite movie: Hot Rod 
Favorite movie quote: “Life is short- stunt it.” ~ Rod Kimble from Hot Rod
Greatest memory since playing baseball: There’s so many…probably getting called up to St. Louis for the first time.
Who is your greatest influence? My parents
Song that gets you pumped up: “Forever” by Drake and “Drop the World” by Eminem
Most embarrassing moment while playing baseball: Running all the way back into the dugout with only two outs.
Describe yourself in five words or less: Goofy (just a little bit), fun-loving and super rad
Can I have five dollars? Sure. 
If you were a drink, what kind of drink would you be? Water because I love it. That’s pretty much all I drink, it’s good for you and…I like to be good for people?
Favorite play in a baseball game: Home run, it’s got to be a home run.
Any broken bone stories? Yes, I broke my hand. I broke it in Phoenix, we were playing the Diamondbacks and I was facing Randy Johnson and I swung and broke that bone. I ended up
striking out after that.
If you were a kid would you rather be the one in Rookie of the Year, Angels in the Outfield or Little Big League? Rookie of the Year
Three things you can’t live without: Pizza, Nerf basketball hoop and my iphone
Three people you can’t live without: My mom, my dad and Andy Sandberg
Lightning Round Responses
Dogs or Cats
Summer or Winter
Fruits or Vegetables
Offense or Defense
Movies or Books (although books are usually better)
Ketchup or Mustard
Cold or Hot
Have the ability to fly or read people’s minds
Be able to stop time while you slept or never having to do laundry again
Joe Mather, everybody.
Jordan. Out.
