Wednesday, August 7, 2013

Craig Kimbrel/Atlanta Braves


Craig Kimbrel is a fantastic pitcher for the Atlanta Braves.  He is a closer, which means he is a relief pitcher who specializes in getting the final outs in a close ballgame when his team is leading.  It is very exciting to see a pitcher come on in the 9th inning and you are just holding your breath, hoping that he will be able to hold on to the lead so that your team can win.  When Craig Kimbrel comes on, you don't have to wait too long, he almost always gets them out! After winning last night's game, he has 35 saves for the year, the most in the National League!
 
Craig Kimbrel has a very unique way of holding his body when he pitches...he almost bends completely over and then pitches with a very strong arm and his pitches sometimes are thrown at 100 miles an hour!  There is a good story behind his strange pitch and you just know I am going to tell you about it...
 
At the age of 18, as he waiting to attend college in the fall, Craig Kimbrel was working with his father, an electrician, putting in some wiring on a house.  Another worker, accidentally pulled over some heavy sheet rock onto Craig and the sheet rock smashed his left foot quite badly, breaking several bones.  Craig went on to college but was unable to pitch with his injury.  However, he decided to practice long tossing the baseball ON HIS KNEES. It didn't take long until he could throw a ball the length of a football field!   
I love stories where someone has turned a negative into a positive, don't you?  Here is what Craig Kimbrel himself had to say about it..." It's kind of weird to say that breaking your foot is the best thing that could happen to you but it seems like it ended up that way. It helped me understand how I move my upper body . Once I started using my lower body, it all came together."
 
There, isn't that a nice story and NOW you know why he has that very strange way of holding his body as he pitches!  I found a video for you which I enjoyed so very much I just had to share this with you.  Even if you don't know one thing about baseball, you should enjoy it.  And if you know all these pitchers that he is imitating, then you should love it, just like I do! 

The Atlanta Braves! They have now won 12 games in a row and they are way ahead of anyone else in their division!  (The score for tonight's game is tied at 2-2, so I can't be long typing this post, I must watch the game and call my Dad to discuss it!)  They have been great fun to watch and there are other players that I must tell you about, but that will have to wait until another post! 
 
 Go Braves!

UPDATE: The Braves won! The final was 6-3 over the Washington Nationals, and they have now won 13 in a row!  Kimbrel was the closer but it took him longer to get those 3 outs than usual, so he DID make me hold my breath!
 

24 comments:

  1. Go Braves! Hope you and your Dad enjoyed the game!

    ReplyDelete
  2. This was very interesting and uplifting. I love stories of people who are able to overcome adversity and calamity. What an amazing man he is. I had to show this to my baseball fan husband.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You know these are kind of stories that I like!
      Hope Art liked this too! :-)

      Delete
  3. Nice to hear that he worked around his injury. Many people would have given up at that stage.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I like stories where people make the best of things!

      Delete
  4. I am and always have been a huge Braves fan! I hadn't heard the story of him breaking his foot, the first time I saw him pitch I thought "oh my, what's wrong with him". He is the best there is! Go Braves for #14.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This winning streak could go on until the end of the season, as far as I am concerned!!
      Go BRAVES!!

      Delete
  5. Judging from that video, he's a cheery guy! He's got a real winning personality alright.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. He's a slow-talking boy from Alabama, a real charmer! :-)

      Delete
  6. Thanks Kay for a wonderful story of determination. I always enjoy the inspiring people and stories you chose to share with us.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Mairead! You know the kind of stories that I love! ;-)

      Delete
  7. We enjoy watching him pitch too, but he sure scared us last night!

    ReplyDelete
  8. I agree, it is VERY exciting to watch the new pitcher come in during the 9th inning! I wasn't familiar with Craig Kimbrel and I don't see baseball on TV because Alain is not a sports guy....but I'll know who he is the next time someone mentions him!!! It's been YEARS since I've been to a Braves game but I love them so much.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hey Audrey!
      I know just what you mean! Remember I am married to a Brit and he does not care one BIT for baseball! HA! But he lets me watch them AND he remembers to record them for me if they have a Day Game and I am not home, that is true love!!
      Our son is a big baseball fan, I miss having him home, miss our baseball discussions!

      Delete

  9. Thank you so much for stopping by my blog and telling me about your experience with the stove and etc., in a T-storm. We hadn't had a storm, immediately before my son-next-door's stove window blew out. But we have lots of T-storms up here, in mid NY state.

    Thank you for the warning, concerning not touching metal, during a T-storm. I know the window warning, but had not thought about metal.

    Tessa~

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hey Tessa!
      I didn't know if a t-storm could have anything to do with the stove window blowing out, but I just had to tell you of my experience!
      Thanks for your comment! :-)

      Delete
  10. Wonderful overcoming-adversity story. Hooray for this young man.

    Back in HS, my husband did a little bit of this... (overcoming-adversity) :-)

    He played all sports, so he began basketball, with the arm he had broken, in the previous football season. So he had to practice, and practice, and practice, and practice... Until he mastered shooting the basketball with his left hand. I like that. :-)

    Tessa~

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Wow, perfecting shooting baskets with your left hand when you are right handed? He must be a great athete with a GREAT attitude, I love that!

      Delete
  11. Kay, this post REALLY made me want to get to the closest ballgame I can....which would be the Red Sox in Boston!! Have been to a few in the past and I just think it's about time for another, thanks to you!
    Kimbrel seems like a good kid with a great personality.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh! Did you just see the Boston Red Sox game where David Ortiz held the baby during the National Anthem? (A fan was getting an autograph and Ortiz was asked to hold his baby, the National Anthem started and rather than handing the baby back to the Dad, Ortiz just held the baby tenderly to his chest!) Gotta love these moments in baseball!
      YAY! I am happy that I have inspired you to get to a baseball game. I love baseball!

      Delete
  12. He's a good kid. The video was fun.
    Enjoy the weekend!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Glad you liked the video too, it really made me laugh out loud, especially at the end, where the other pitcher imitated Kimbrel!
      Hope you have a great weekend too, thanks!

      Delete