Home Run Derby

Quick …

Who’s this female athlete throwing out the first pitch and then hanging out with Republican Presidential Candidate John McCain before yesterday’s Marlins-Diamondbacks game in Arizona?

Here’s some hints …

• She’s a 2008 Olympian
• She’s won a Gold Medal in two straight Olympics 
• She plays in a HEAVILY watched Olympic event
• She’s married to an MLB Player

So she should be easy to recognize, right?

Still can’t tell?  Here’s another hint …

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Derby Contest Standings are updated, so here’s a Monday Morning Quickie:

FULL SEASON:  Team Minivan and Belichoke are tied for the lead with 391 Home Runs.  In case you’re wondering, Minivan owns the AB/HR Tiebreaker and it’s not close (16.96 to 17.70).  Sultans of Swat and Herby’s Heroes are tied for 3rd Place with 385 HR.  Sultans own the Tiebreaker - but it’s really close (17.86 to 17.88). 

2ND HALF:  Team Minivan and Russellmania are tied for the lead with 110 Home Runs - Russellmania holds the tiebreaker (16.46 to 16.69).  Poker Pals and Croatian Sensation are tied for 3rd Place with 109 HR (Poker Pals hold the tiebreaker 16.31 to 16.92). 

In other news … Fredbird defeated Pirate Parrot 105-90 in Mascot Brackets. 

• Nick the Greek will love this:  The Nationals are the most consistent team in Baseball.  I expect a follow-up post from Nick.
• Check out Kevin Millar’s Hitler-style Moustache at Mister Irrelevant.
• Last week it was the three ball walk.  Now it’s the five-ball walk.
• Land of Dave Corzine wonders if AJ Pierzynski is the best cheater in MLB History. 

I have been accused by my good friends at the Nationals Enquirer of being a “pathological Nats-hater” but I must say that the Nationals are my second favorite team.  Well, at least for this weekend anyway.  They get the honor of filling in the blank of my regular quip:

“My two favorite teams are the White Sox and whoever is playing the Cubs”

Of course, not expecting any chance of a win this weekend at Wrigley for the Worst Team in Baseball, I must say I was pleasantly surprised to see this team clobbering the Cubs 10-5 in the 9th.

No wait, 13-5!!!  And to make it even better, ex-White Sox Willie Harris (you know the man who scored the final run of Game 4 in the 2005 World Series) jacked 2 Home Runs and knocked in 6 runs.  Wooo Hoo!!!  Go Nats.

Wait…Willie Harris has 12 Home Runs this year. Tied for the TEAM lead.  OK, it is official.  The Nats are not only the Worst Team in Baseball…They are the Worst. Team.  EVER.  Willie Harris leads the team in Home Runs.  You got to be kidding me. 

Yet, It’s a final…they just be the Cubs!

Let’s head to St. Louis for our next Jersey of the Week, where this Cardinal fan felt the need to (pre-emptively) tweak the nose of Chicago Cub fans everywhere with his choice of clothing …

… by reminding them of a long futility streak and a recent Cubbie scapegoat.

100 YEARS AND COUNTING

Ouch.  Well played.

Mind you, there’s a couple things we have to nitpick about the jersey …

First, he’s a little ahead of himself here.  The Cubs won their last World Series on October 14, 1908.  So it’s not TECHNICALLY 100 Years yet - but I think he’s trying to make a statement by betting that the Cubs won’t win it this season … or next.   

But we give the guy credit - he’s got stones to put down $250 for an authentic jersey that could be 100% obsolete in just a few months.  Plus he’s risking a beatdown, what with the new breed of Cub fan out there.

Next, he called out Steve Bartman … who DID NOT cause the Cubs to blow Game Six AND Seven of the 2003 NLCS.  He should really have “BAKER” written across the back.

Last, my biggest gripe about this guy - he’s got the Jersey tucked in. 

Don’t tuck in a baseball jersey unless you’re on the field, jackass!  It’s a blatant violation of rule #8 of JSF’s Baseball Jersey Wearing 101 - something I thought they handed out to anyone purchasing a Cardinals jersey of any kind.

100 Years and Counting Jersey Rating

• Cleverness: 7
• Originality: 10
• Understandability: 10

If you see a great baseball jersey that everyone else needs to see … let us know at the HRD JotW tip line !!

The Presidents bum rushed the Padre in the Mascot Battle between Church and State … so it’s time for another Mascot Bracket Showdown.

We’re headed back to the aviary (the Feather Division) for a second round showdown between two feathered NL Central mascots who like biting female fans (and who doesn’t?)

#1 - Pirate Parrot (Pittsburgh Pirates) vs #5 Fredbird (St. Louis Cardinals)

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Sometimes the best trades are the ones you don’t make.  But don’t tell that to the New York Yankees.

Back in December, the Yankees and the Boston Red Sox were each trying to negotiate a trade with the Minnesota Twins for pitcher Johan Santana.  At the time, Minnesota wanted two of the top three young players from either the Sox or Yanks.

For the Yankees, that basically meant CF Melky Cabrera and young pitchers Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy.  The Yanks seemed satisfied with their offer of Cabrera/Hughes and when the Tiwns wanted more …  the Yanks wouldn’t add Kennedy to the mix.  

Santana ended up being traded to the crosstown New York Mets.  

For the Mets, Santana is 11-7 with 20 Quality Starts in 26 games with a 2.75 ERA and a 1.13 WHIP for the NL East-leading Mets.  He should be 17-7, but the Mets’ bullpen has blown six saves for Santana (five coming in the ninth inning).

Considering that the Yankees haven’t tasted World Series Champagne since 2000 … they wouldn’t have gotten unfavorable results by not pulling the trigger … would they?  The Yankees must be getting good results from the trio of players they refused to deal to the Twins for a two-time AL Cy Young Award winner, right?  

Not as such …
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And we’re back from vacation … time for a standings update.

Team Minivan (376 HR) wrested the full-season lead away from Belichoke (374 HR), but this seems like it’s going to go the way of a pennant race … down to the wire.  Mind you - now that I said that, one (or both) of them will tank the rest of the season.  Herby’s Heros is waiting for that drop-off, mired in 3rd place at 368 HR.

Russellmania had the best week last week (26 HR) and rode it to the lead in the Second Half standings with 98 HR.  Evil Toast drops to second place with 96 HR, just ahead of Team Minivan (95 HR).

Some reading as we get out from under a mountain of e-mail, voicemail, and company reorganization talk …

• Goat Riders of the Apocalypse recalls how bad it was for Cub fans a mere two years ago
• Big League Stew uncovers the three-ball walk issued to Coco Crisp
• Hugging Harold Reynolds wonders why the US Women’s Softball team doesn’t get more ink
• Epic Carnival thinks it’s not fun to cheer against the Yankees anymore.  Bull.
• Walk off Walk tells you that Reds fans have finally lost it

And here’s your video du jour.  If you catch a batting prctice ball in your beer cup … you gotta chug it.

Even though the rest of the interweb already posted it … Lion in Oil found it first.

Well, if we always post 3 Home Run Nights for players, we definitely should recognize a more rare achievement, 4 consecutive Home Runs by the White Sox (Jim Thome, Paul Konerko, Alexei Ramirez, Juan Uribe).  To give you a bit of scale, a single player has hit 3 Home Runs in a game 480 times.  However, a team has hit 4 consecutive Home Runs in a game only 6 times.

Funny thing is, it happened once the past three seasons (Dodgers in ‘06, Red Sox in ‘07, White Sox in ‘08), but apparently these things come in threes, because the first three occurences took place in a four year span (Braves in ‘61, Indians in ‘63, Twins in ‘64).  Again for scale, 3 Home Run Games occurred 19 times the past three years.

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Apparently, Boston ain’t big anough for two hot, blonde sideline reporters.
Specifically, ESPN’s Erin Andrews and NESN’s Heidi Watney.

Here’s a screenshot from a recent Red Sox game at Fenway with the two sideline temptresses du jour in the same picture.

Whoa. That sure looks like Erin Andrews is checking out NESN reporter Heidi Watney’s behind.
And Andrews doesn’t look happy about it. She’s got that same “pissed off look” she gave Joba Chamberlain a few months back.

Watney seems to know something is up, too. Probably because her ass is burning up from the eye-lasers Andrews is firing at it.

Does ESPN’s Alpha Hottie sense some competition? Could this turn ugly when both of them go to interview/grab the bicep of Jason Varitek at an upcoming Sawx game?

Who ya got?

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hat tip: Barstool Sports