Reaction to the First Left-Handed Home Run of the Pirates' Season

The first Pirate home run by a left-handed batter was hit last night in Arizona.  First baseman Garrett “G.I.” Jones hit a solo home run in the top of the 8th inning to extend the Pirates’ lead to 5-3 over the Diamondbacks.

Wanted a video, but it's not on Youtube yet.
So, this is all there is.

Jones seems to be that sort of power hitter. He rarely hits a home run with runners on base.  This may be because it seems to be somewhat difficult for Pirates’ hitters to get on base in front of the team’s power hitters. 

Regardless, I have always thought of G.I. Jones as “Mr. Solo Homer.”  The unofficial nickname came to be in 2009, his rookie season, when he hit a walk-off home run in extra innings.  Some drunk hipsters started chanting “Solo homer” when Jones came up to bat.  The chant spread throughout PNC Park, and Jones delivered what the crowd had been asking for.  

I walked past the hipsters on my way out of the stadium and one girl said, “Did you see what just happened?  It’s all because of us.  We started ‘Solo homer.’  And it happened.”

Typical hipster, always taking credit for something before it is cool.

Let’s go Bucs! 

Left-Handed Supergroup: The Bassist

Guess who?  Who else would this supergroup’s bassist be?  Sir Paul McCartney, bassist and singer for the legendary Beatles.

I remember when my dad pointed out to me that McCartney strummed the strings with his left hand.  It was an infomercial for a Beatles’ compilation and the spot used some music videos.  I didn’t care at the time because the picture was in black and white, and I just considered that to be too old for me to like.

If I could go back in time I would slap myself.

In addition to the hundreds of awards he has won throughout his career, with the Beatles and as a solo artist, McCartney was the last member of the group to get a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

I’m sorry what?  Last?  I mean second I can understand because of John Lennon’s assassination, but last?  I don’t think that’s right, but I digress.

Anyway, this will be the last Beatles question mark for the supergroup as both Lennon and George Harrison were right-handed guitarists.

Left-Handed Supergroup: The Drummer

Left-handed musicians have always interested me.  I played the violin (right-handed because it was the only way my music teacher would teach me) from the age of 9 until I graduated from high school.  I started thinking about a hypothetical supergroup consisting of lefty musicians.  The supergroup would have 4 members in it.  While I realize this group may not make much sense, since the musicians didn't all play the same style of music or peak in popularity at the same time, keep in mind this is just for fun.

The band’s drummer would be Phil Collins, the legendary drummer / singer of progressive, art rock group Genesis.

Throughout his career, Collins has won 7 Grammy Awards, 3 American Music Awards, an Academy Award, and 2 Golden Globe Awards, among numerous others.  And don’t forget, he wrote and performed the songs for Disney’s Tarzan.    

Now, what made the decision tough was the fact that legendary Beatles’ drummer Ringo Starr is a left-hander.  But, Starr plays a right-handed drum kit.  I didn’t want to include lefties that play right-handed instruments.  I also didn’t want to include more than one person from a band.  (A hint at another member of the supergroup?)

Waving the Magic Wand(y)...With the Left Hand

I am a die-hard Pittsburgh Pirates fan, even though the team hasn't made a playoff appearance, let alone had winning season, since I was 9-months-old.  Here is a left-handed recap of tonight’s Pirate game:

Pittsburgh got its first win of the MLB season tonight.  Left-hander Wandy Rodriguez pitched 6 2/3 scoreless innings as the Pirates defeated the Cubs 3-0.

Starter Wandy Rodriguez

Left-handed hitting right fielder Garrett Jones singled in the bottom of the 4th inning, and scored, what was ultimately the winning run, after center fielder Andrew McCutchen (he's not a lefty, but had to mention him) doubled in the next at-bat.

Right fielder Garrett Jones

Left-handed reliever Tony Watson came into the game in the 7th after Rodriguez got into a 2-out-bases-loaded jam, and got the final out of the inning.  Watson had a (very rare) plate appearance in the bottom of the 7th inning, after short stop Clint Barmes hit a ground-rule double, and laid down a sacrifice bunt to move Barmes to third base.  Barmes later scored on a Starling Marte single to put the Bucs up 3-0.

Relief pitcher Tony Watson

Closer Jason Grilli came in to save the game and secure the shutout and the win for Rodriguez.

Raise the Jolly Roger!

A Left-Hander's Pen

Smudge marks on my hand make me crazy.  Fortunately, left-handed pens are sold.  The most common left-handed pen that comes up when you do a Google image search is one with a curved neck.

Is it Photoshopped?

These type of pens allow you to keep your hand elevated, while still being able to see what you are writing.  The ink is supposed to dry faster, too.  You can buy a 2-pack of Maped Visio pens for $7.50 at LeftysLeftHand.com.  

In my opinion, the lefty pen is a cool concept, but this version has an awkward design to it.  Also, I feel like you can get a 10-pack (or maybe even more) of normal pens for just about the same price, without having to order them online.  There's got to be a regular pen with fast-drying ink, right?

What do you think?  Will you try it?  If you’re right-handed, would you want to try it? 

Another Typing Post

This time the keyboard picture was taken
from the right side.

“Stewardesses” is the longest word that can be typed using only the left hand.

What is the longest word that can be typed using only the right hand?

I don’t know.  I could look it up, but that’s not what this blog is for.

Anyone else want to figure it out (Google it)?  Let me know what the word is, or at least what you think the word is, in the comments.

Hey, I Can Do That

I found this fact from Leftys.com: Left-handers are generally more capable of using their right hand for tasks than right-handers are using their left.

In my opinion this bit of trivia is true.  I write with my left-hand, but I can use either hand when I use silverware or scissors or brush my teeth.  But athletically, especially when playing wiffleball or softball, I throw with my right hand and bat right-handed.  I know for a fact that I am not the only lefty whose dominant hand was their right hand in sports.  All the left-handers in my Spanish 5 class in 12th grade, also played sports right-handed.  We had a very deep conversation that day (not in Spanish, ironically).  

However, I know of one case where the opposite is true (righty capable of using the left hand).  Pittsburgh Pirates third baseman Pedro Alvarez throws right-handed, but he bats left-handed.  This comes in handy (no pun intended) at PNC Park because the distance from home plate to the right field wall is shorter than the distance to the left field wall, and left-handed batters tend to hit most of their home runs to right field.  

Opening Day Post

It’s MLB’s Opening Day, at least for most teams, so I thought I would highlight some of the greatest lefties in baseball history.  Specifically, I am looking at those nicknamed “Lefty.”

According to Baseball Almanac, there are 3 Hall of Famers that were nicknamed “Lefty.”  All 3 were left-handed pitchers.

Steve “Lefty” Carlton, best known for being an ace for the Philadelphia Phillies in the 1970s and 1980s.

Vernon Louis “Lefty” Gomez, who pitched most of his career for the New York Yankees from 1930 - 1942.

  Robert Moses “Lefty” Grove, who pitched for the Philadelphia Athletics and Boston Red Sox from 1931 - 1941.

My Lefty Family Tree

I thought I would take this post to do a personal family history of left-handedness.  I have heard that to be left-handed there must be a lefty on both sides of your family.

My great-grandfather on my dad’s side of the family was left-handed.  But they forced him to write with his right hand in school.  My grandma told me that the teachers used to tie his left hand behind his back just to make sure he used his right.  She also told me that he would stutter when he talked, and that he blamed not being able to use his left hand for his nervousness and speech problems.

My cousin on my mom’s side of the family is also left-handed.  So, I know that the lefty in my mom’s family was somehow related to my grandma because my grandpa adopted my mom when he married my grandma.  Regardless, I don’t know who the lefty on my mom’s side was.  It was probably the same situation as on my dad’s side, where the relative was trained to write with his or her right hand in school.

Do you know how many lefties are in your family?

And They Say We're Evil...

The Grim Reaper doesn't look so bad.

This post is a little dark.

I came across a fact that claims that 2,500 lefties die each year as a result of using right-handed products.

My first thought was, “Is this a joke?”  Maybe.  But my second thought was “What are they doing?”

I know that there are certain types of guns that if used improperly can kill you.  But when I hear the phrase “right-handed products,” I don’t think of weapons.  I think of scissors and IPhones (if confused see the IPhone post from a few weeks ago), which I guess can be dangerous in their own ways.  

I mean I guess you could stab yourself with the scissors.  Or the phone could make you so frustrated or stressed that you have a heart attack or something.  But I think you would have to be really struggling for something like that to happen.

I guess this is where the idea that the life expectancy of a left-hander is, on average, 9 years shorter than that of a right-hander.  I say this is pure BS.

Regardless, to all you lefties out there, be careful around those evil right-handed products.  

Left-Footedness?

While I’m not an extreme sports enthusiast myself (I don’t have the coordination or the athletic ability), but I do like to watch the X-Games on ESPN in the summer and winter.  So when I came across the following fact on GrammarManComic.com, I had to find out how many pro skaters, snowboarders, and surfers were left-footed (since they don’t use their hands).

“In skateboarding, surfing, and snowboarding, a left-footed stance is called goofy foot.”

The only "goofy footed" skater I’ve ever watched compete before is Nyjah Huston.  (I also love his dreads.)

Feel Good Post

According to CoolQuiz.com, in Chinese tradition yin (right) and yang (left) live in harmony.  Neither one is dominant over the other.

I just like the
 black and yellow
Since they are both equal, neither one can be considered good or evil.  This is a contrast to the beliefs of many ancient cultures and western religions.

Lefty Hockey Players

It’s a hockey night in Pittsburgh.  (Well, the Penguins are in Toronto, but still.)  I will admit that I wasn’t that interested in hockey until guys like Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin started making the Penguins a relevant team again.  This probably disappoints my die-hard-Pens-fan uncle.  

Anyway, the game got me thinking about left-handed hockey players.  According to HockeyStickExpert.com, when holding a hockey stick, the more coordinated, or dominant, hand should be on top. 

According to Ranker.com, this is who the “Top 5 Left-handed Hockey Players” are:

1. Cam Neely

2. Phil Esposito

3. Roman Turek

4. Terry Sawchuk

5. Tom Barrasso

While I am familiar with most of these names, I am biased since I like Barrasso because he was the goalie for the early 90s Stanley Cup Penguins teams.  That being said, I wouldn’t say he was better than Sawchuk or Esposito.  However, if I put the list together, I would probably have Esposito at the top.

The other thing is, maybe the list would be better if it was split by position, since 3 of the 5 players on this list are goalies.

What are your thoughts? 

Left-Handed Video Game Characters

Today’s post is sort of a follow-up to yesterday’s.  When I saw that lefties tend to be better gamers, I wondered how many video game characters are left-handed.

Most are obscure names I’m not familiar with.  I tend to stick with old-school Nintendo games.  However, Link from “The Legend of Zelda” series is left-handed.

According to Wikipedia (I know great source), Link holds his shield with his right hand, while holding his sword with his left.

Do you know of any other left-handed video game characters?

Lefty Vs. Righty Gamers

Research suggests that lefties can handle large amounts of stimuli better than righties.  That being said, it is believed that lefties are better video gamers.  

Lefties have better hand-eye coordination and quicker reaction times.  These facts found at Buzzle.com, are very conducive to gaming.  

This is not to say that righties aren’t just as good at playing video games.  If you spend enough time in front of a screen playing video games, it doesn’t matter which hand is your dominant one, you’re going to play well. 

Spanish ABCs

Lefties are less able to roll their tongues.  This fact was found under the Bizarre Lefty Tidbits section of the “25 Amazing Facts About Left Handed People” on Leftyfretz.com.  I think this one may be true.

I took 5 years of Spanish in junior high and high school.  I couldn’t roll my “Rs” and that’s a problem when speaking Spanish.

In Spanish there is a double-R letter in the alphabet (Rr).  You are supposed to roll your tongue when saying words with the double-R in them.  However, I could not and I think at some point my teachers just gave up on me ever having a perfect pronunciation.

Another Spanish alphabet fun fact, there are no “Ks” or “Ws” in Spanish words even though they are in the alphabet.  They are only used in spanish words that are translated from other languages.    

That being said, my last name must not have a true Spanish translation.  Does anyone know if there is one?   

World Baseball Classic Lefties and Thoughts

Sorry this post is a few days late.  I watched the World Baseball Classic on Sunday to see current and future Pirates pitchers throw on Sunday.  This is relevant to my blog because two of the starting pitchers in the games were left-handers. 

Team Canada's Jameson Taillon

On Sunday in Phoenix, AZ, Canada and the U.S. faced off in the World Baseball Classic to decide who would move on to Round 2 in Miami and who would go home.  The Canadian starting pitcher was Pittsburgh Pirates #2 prospect, right-hander Jameson Taillon, whose parents are Canadian even though he is from Texas.  Team USA’s starter was Texas Ranger’s lefty Derek Holland.

Team USA's Derek Holland

The Canadian batting lineup was loaded with left-handed batters.  However, the only threats in the lineup were Cincinnati Reds’ first baseman Joey Votto, Minnesota Twins’ first baseman/designated hitter Justin Morneau, and Seattle Mariners’ outfielder Michael Saunders.

Fortunately (or unfortunately), Team USA won the game.  Despite Canada’s loss, Pirates fans can be pleased that Taillon held his own against players like the Milwaukee Brewers’ outfielder Ryan Braun and Cincinnati Reds’ second baseman Brandon Phillips (both division rivals).

Later that night, Pirates left-handed pitcher Wandy Rodriguez started for the Dominican Republic against Puerto Rico in San Juan, PR.  Rodriguez went 3 1/3 innings allowing one run on three hits, while striking out two batters as the Dominicans defeated Puerto Rico 4-2.

The Dominican Republic's
Wandy Rodriguez

Some would wonder why Rodriguez would be taken out of the game before even finishing four innings when he seemed to be pitching so well.  In the first round of the WBC, there is a 65 pitch limit set for pitchers.  This is to make sure that every participant gets a chance to play for his country.  

This is fair especially when you take into consideration that many teams such as the U.S. and Dominican Republic have bolstered their rosters with MLB superstars.  Even the teams that don’t have as many (if any) MLB players have guys that play in an MLB team’s organization, and each team wants to make sure its players get to play when they are missing the club’s Spring Training camp for it.

Left Hander's "SmudgeGaurd"

Anyone out there frustrated with pencil and pen smudges?

I recommend the SmudgeGuard.

It comes in 3 different colors: "Cool Black," "Sweet Lavender," and "Rich Burgundy."

One-finger: $14.99

Available at SmudgeGuard.com



Perfect for artists, too.

Two-finger: $16.99

Lefty Quarterbacks

Top 5 Left-Handed Quarterbacks (According to BleacherReport.com):

1. Steve Young
2. Michael Vick
3. Ken Stabler
4. Boomer Esiason
5. Mark Brunell


I'm not a football fan.  Do the football fans out there agree or disagree?  Anyone you would have replaced?

Are Macs Lefty Friendly?

4 of the 5 original designers of the Mac computer were left-handed.  Steve Jobs was one of the lefties, or at least he was ambidextrous.  

Then, why did he design the IPhone to lose its signal if you hold it with you’re left hand?

According to Engadget.com, gripping the bottom-left corner originally (maybe still does, I don’t have an IPhone) caused the phone to lose its signal.  With no decent left-handed option for smart phone users, what were lefties to do?

Jobs’ and Apple’s solution: “Avoid holding it that way.”

Despite the original left-handed dominance, Apple products are not very lefty friendly.  

Then why do I choose to use them?

Left-Handed Artists

Lefties tend to draw figures facing to the right.

I’m not much of an artist, but I do that on the rare occasions when I draw.

?

I have not drawn lately.  

Therefore, I have nothing 

to prove this fact.

Guest Blogger Kyle Holland: Left-Handed Movie Stars

As a guest blogger who usually talks about movies, I’ve decided to compile (google search) a short list of left-handed actors. 

Tim Allen- Disciplines Mark, Randy, and Brad with a strong left hand

Matthew Broderick- Endorses his royalty checks for Ferris Bueller’s Day Off with his left hand

Matt Dillon- Neve Campbell and Denise Richards fought over his left hand

Robert DeNiro- Has held an Oscar in his left hand—twice

Richard Dreyfuss- Almost got his bitten off by a shark

Mark Hamill- Uses his non-dominant hand for lightsaber duels

Tom Cruise- Signs his child support payments with his left hand

Luke Perry- Remember him?

Anthony Perkins- Used his left hand when stabbing women in the shower

Richard Pryor- Held his crack pipe with his left hand

Sarah Jessica Parker- Prefers her left hoof

Mickey Rourke- Would give his left hand for a new face

Christian Slater- Signs his Direct-to-DVD’s with his left hand

Rip Torn- Throws Dodgeballs (and wrenches) with his left hand

Dick Van Dyke- Supercalifragilistic-lefty-alidocious (sorry)

Bruce Willis- Reaches for his duct-taped gun with his left hand

Kyle Holland

Visit his blog: Wontseeit.blogspot.com

Lefty Pets

While only about 10% of the world’s population is left-handed, cats and dogs that show a dominant paw are just about equal when it comes to being lefties or righties.

Left-Handed Advantage

According to the Huffington Post, lefties have an advantage in sports.

Tim Tebow's the exception.

Because left-handers are in the minority, they get more opportunities to practice against right-handers, while righties don’t get to face as many lefties.

My 21st

My 21st birthday is  tomorrow (actually it's  only 6 hours away) and this fact caught my attention:

Left-handed people are 3 times more likely to become alcoholics.

I am not a big drinker to begin with, so fingers crossed this fact does not become true. 



Info from Dailyinfographic.com

What's with the weather?

Honus Wagner,
Hall of Fame SS and
Pittsburgh Pirates great.

So, apparently Mother Nature is bi-polar.  It was really nice on Monday, a little windy, but fitting for the first day of MLB Spring Training.  

Flash-forward to Wednesday evening, and it's snowing.  

On the bright side, there is only a month and a half until baseball season starts.  I am a huge baseball fan and will have tons of left-handed baseball facts to choose from come April. 

Family Guy's Left Hander

After my Simpsons post a few weeks ago, I was asked to find out if there were any left-handed characters on “Family Guy.”

The answer is yes.  Chris Griffin is the show's only listed left-handed character.

He even plays air guitar left-handed.

Info from Anythinglefthanded.co.uk

Left Handed Meme





From Quickmeme.com