Hometown Newspapers are my absolute favorite when they are covering the local boy done good. The player, normally, feels freer about giving quotes to the reporter because the whole area is cheering for him to succeed. I like that.
And today, we have two.
The first one comes from New Mexico, where Cody Ross used to dazzle the locals with his play.
"I just want to hit the ball hard. If I can get 25 home runs and drive in 80-90 and cut down on some of the strike outs. I want to put the ball in play more and try and get some more walks. Individually that is my goal. Obviously as a team we are trying to get into the playoffs and win a World Series. That all just goes with the playing well and the whole team just playing well together and that is how you win a championship."
The other is Logan Morrison. While Logan is from all over, the good folks in New York have claimed him.
And Baseball America predicts he'll be playing in left field for the 2012 Marlins. And how does the first baseman feel about that? ''I don't care, I just want to play,'' Morrison said. ''I'll pitch, catch, DH, it doesn't matter; I'll do it.''
I love the attitude and I know what he said was to emphasis the point he is willing to do whatever it takes to make the squad. But the day he strolls out to the mound or dons the catching gear is the day I know the Marlins front office has officially lost their minds.
Read both of the articles, trust me, hometown newspapers are fun.