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03
Jun
09

You Said It!

By slanch Leave a Comment
Categories: Baseball
Tags: , ,

After Monday’s game, AJ Pierzynski of the Chicago White Sox was talking with reporters about Jim Thome’s 550th HR with one of the smarter statements anyone has ever said.

He’s got almost 600 home runs so he’s done it a million times. He’s been up there so many times that I don’t think it phases him. The guy made a mistake and Jim hit it. The one thing about Jim if he gets the barrel on the ball it can go out to any part of the park. That’s why he’s got 550 homers.

Which is it, 600 or 1 million?

[ESPN]

02
Jun
09

The Worst Hat in America

By slanch 9 Comments
Categories: Baseball, Boston and Mistakes
Tags: , , ,

It’s bad enough to go to a sports stadium like Fenway Park and see loads of pink hats fans — both literally and figuratively — around, but this latest hat offering from the Boston Red Sox is simply abysmal. I don’t care that this is being marketed for kids, it’s absolutely terrible.

Introducing, the one item that all of America has been clamoring for, a pink Red Sox hat that has scratch and sniff parts that smell like watermelon.

At last!

pMLB2-5240073dt

This is the worst.

[MLB via Boston Dirt Dogs]

02
Jun
09

Bill Simmons Ripped Me Off

By slanch 3 Comments
Categories: Baseball
Tags: , ,

Notice this passage from Bill Simmons’ latest article in ESPN the Magazine, or as I like to call it, “That thing I get in the mail and throw out without opening.”

We reached the “ending badly” point with David Ortiz five weeks ago. Remember in Superman II when Clark Kent gave up his superpowers so he could be with Lois Lane — lesson No. 184 on how women ruin everything — and then a bully beat the crap out of the suddenly mortal superhero in a diner? That’s been Big Papi since Opening Day.

And then there is THIS, from my piece last week about Big Papi:

And yet, despite all this, despite Ortiz’ struggles the fans of Boston have embraced him still. Sure a smattering of boos followed him after some of his many strikeouts, but those reactions are out of love, the fans have looked to Papi for so long as indestructible, you knew when he came up that he’d come through for the team. For all of us, it’s like in Superman 2 when Clark Kent gets beaten up in the diner and starts bleeding from a cut for the first time. How could this happen to him, he’s Superman, how could it come to this, David Ortiz struggling to even get a hit?

I can’t believe Simmons is reading my stuff, and then STEALING it. How else could we BOTH have used the same Superman 2 reference, albeit, slightly different? I refuse to believe that anyone else, prior to me writing my bit thought to compare Superman 2 and Ortiz. Therefore, ESPN, I’m ready for an apology/job offer. After all, unlike Rick Reilly I work every day and I don’t write stories that are 3 months too late.

29
May
09

This Job May Kill Francona

By slanch Leave a Comment
Categories: Baseball and Boston
Tags: ,

d168c9914e_francona_0212I’ve always been a big fan of Terry Francona, unlike the morons who refer to him as “Francoma,” he’s by far the best manager the team has had in my lifetime, and not just because of the championships. Deftly handling the media hordes of Boston, the oversized personalities and egos on the team and in the process putting together 5 successful seasons and 4 playoff berths is an incredible job. During this past offseason Francona was supposed to undergo surgery to help alleviate some constant pain he’d been enduring, there were times he said when half his body would go completely numb. Suffering from a number of different ailments, Francona is not in great condition, suffering blood clots, chest tightening and infections in the last few years and so it was with great trepidation I saw that after yesterday’s game against the Twins and Francona’s ejection, that he was visited by EMTs in the clubhouse.

According to the Boston Herald:

A parade of EMTs – one wielding a stretcher and other emergency equipment – entered the clubhouse as players and coaches readied to leave. Two members of the team’s medical staff stood outside the sealed-off trainer’s room and directed players elsewhere as the EMTs examined Francona.

“I’m fine,” Francona said later as he walked to the team bus, “I just got a little worked up and my blood pressure shot up. But I’m fine. They take good care of me.”

I hope so Tito, stay well. You may well be the glue that keeps this team from cracking apart.

[Boston Herald]

27
May
09

Things Not Great in Mets-Ville These Days

By slanch 7 Comments
Categories: Baseball
Tags: ,

The Mets have suffered a rash of injuries recently, seeing some of their best players like Jose Reyes and Carlos Delgado forced onto the DL; it looks like the loss of Reyes is really going to hurt the Mets, since they apparently have decided to forgo the shortstop position and realign their defense. It’s radical but it just might work…

metsdepth

27
May
09

The 2009 All Star Game

By slanch 4 Comments
Categories: Baseball
Tags: ,

Here’s a question for you out there, currently, Manny Ramirez is the 4th highest vote getter for outfielders for this season’s All Star game, despite him being out for 50 games for testing positive for steroids. In the AL, Alex Rodriguez is likely to be the leading vote getter at his position. Both players have been linked directly with steroids in the last few months — although supposedly A-Rod’s trangressions were all in the past — but are now in a position to be feted and honored by the sport and the fans. Is this right?

The NFL instituted the “Shawn Merriman Rule” which makes a player who tests positive for PEDs ineligible from the Pro Bowl, should MLB consider something similar?

I’m interested in your opinions out there. Mine is that if you test positive in a season you should be ineligible for any All Star games or post season awards for that season. This is not a directly anti-Manny backlash, but he’s just the first player where this situation has directly come up; there wasn’t a lot of worry about JC Romero getting anywhere near the All Star game before. What do YOU think?

26
May
09

Some Thoughts on David Ortiz

By slanch 3 Comments
Categories: Baseball and Boston
Tags: , ,

Loyal reader Youppi rightfully pointed out to me that for all my (in my opinion rightful) hammering on the Mets, and in particular Carlos Delgado who I insisted was D-U-N done at this time last season that I have been giving the Red Sox and one David Ortiz a free ride.

Very fair. After the jump, here are some of my disjointed thoughts.

Continue reading ‘Some Thoughts on David Ortiz’

26
May
09

Mr. T Dominates “Take Me Out to the Ballgame”

By slanch Leave a Comment
Categories: Awesome and Baseball
Tags: , ,

I’m not sure how I feel about the Cubs’ “tradition” of bringing in celebrities and such to lead the crowd in “Take Me Out to the Ballgame,” no one else is Harry Caray and almost always does it result in awfulness. Then again, it leads to plenty of easy blog posts so…

Here’s Mr. T taking the reins and leading the crowd.

26
May
09

No Way Jose

By slanch 1 Comment
Categories: Awesome, Baseball, Douches, Other Sports and Random
Tags: , ,

Vodpod videos no longer available.

Jose Canseco finally made his MMA debut yesterday, entering to the song “Wild Thing” against 7′ 2″ 33o pound Hong Man Choi in Yokohama, Japan. Unlike Canseco’s last foray into the ring — against noted pugilist Danny Bonaduce — where the fight was called a draw, this one ended in a clear decision; 77 seconds into the fight Canseco tapped out.

“That’s a big man,” Canseco said after the fight. “I ran into one of his left jabs and that almost knocked me out. You have no idea how scary it was facing a man that big.” Canseco landed the first punch of the evening an instant into the fight but that was the extent of his inflicted damage, from then on Canseco danced around the ring doing his best to avoid the long reach of Choi. While trying to get away from Choi, Canseco grabbed at his knee at one point and then tried to kick Choi a second later, Choi pushed the former baseball star to the mat and started pummeling his head. Once more left with just the coward’s way out, Canseco tapped out.

“I hurt my knee back home real bad but I didn’t want to disappoint the fans,” Canseco said. “I knew that at some point during the fight my knee was going to give out and once I was down I knew I wasn’t going to get up. He’s just too heavy to move.”

I am incredibly confused though about one thing; when Canseco fought Bonaduce his body was COVERED in tattoos but against Choi, Canseco just had a couple arm tats, what happened to the other ones? For photographic comparisons, take a gander after the jump.

[The Sporting News and AP]

Continue reading ‘No Way Jose’

25
May
09

Nationals Utterly Fail Once More

By slanch Leave a Comment
Categories: Awesome and Baseball
Tags: , ,

rosseveltI don’t know what it is about the Nationals that makes them desire to suck so much, but this team is clearly run by people who are not paying attention and don’t care. First there was the debacle with the misspelled uniforms, and now, available at the stores at Nationals Stadium you can have your very own Teddy Rossevelt bobblehead. Whoever he is.

I can see how they would get Roosevelt’s name wrong, I mean, it’s not like he was a major force in American government like Jerry Ford. This is just more piling on ol’ Teddy, first they never let him win in any of the races, and now this!

Hey Nationals, obviously no one is paying any attention to anything going on either at the stadium or with the team. Hire me. I’ll pay attention, although, paying attention to the Nats is pretty difficult… Also, what is it about Maryland-area stadiums complete inability to use the English language?

[DC Sports]

22
May
09

I Don’t Care If I Never Come Back Because I’m Drunk, Drunk Drunk at the Ball Game

By slanch Leave a Comment
Categories: Awesome and Baseball
Tags:

Home Run Derby always puts together great collections and this one of some of the best drunk related baseball jerseys is another winner. I highly recommend checking out the full thing but here are my two favorites.

la-russa-093-bac-jerseydrunk-cubs-fans-jerseys[Home Run Derby]

22
May
09

And Like That, Poof, He’s Gone

By slanch Leave a Comment
Categories: Awesome and Baseball
Tags:

4412729

Shea is no more. Good riddance.

[WCBS]

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