Home Run Derby

Remember when you used to get a stick of gum in a pack of baseball cards?  That oblong piece of stale bubblegum hasn’t been seen since 1991 … and I’ve always felt that something was missing from my baseball cards ever since.  Maybe we should replace it with something …

I know!!  A Bottle of Wine!!  It tastes better than gum, and it’ll just get better with age.  Not to mention the side effects you can’t get from gum.

In 2007, a trio of Red Sox players unveiled wines which would benefit some of their favorite charities.  There were wines for …

Manny Ramirez: ”Manny Being Merlot” (CHARLEE Homes for Children)
Tim Wakefield: “CaberKnuckle” Cabernet (Pitching in for Kids)
Curt Schilling: “Schilling Schardonnay” (Curt’s Pitch for ALS)

The response was so good, that there’s a lot more players on wine bottles in 2008.  Something called Longball Cellars is at it again with wines produced by Selby Winery, but now there’s 21 baseball players (past and present) on wines which go for about $12 or $13 a bottle, all available in Spring 2008.  100% of the proceeds go to a charity of the player’s choice. 

The art on some of these bottles rivals the baseball cards my dad has in his collection from the fifties. 

Let’s see whose face you could be drinking, and who they’re supporting. 

You can believe that the Red Sox are back on the bottle with new “Championship Edition” bottles …

David Ortiz: “Vintage Papi” (The David Ortiz Children’s Fund)
Jason Varitek: “Captain’s Cabernet” (Pitching in for Kids)
Kevin Youkilis: “SauivignYoouuk Blanc” (Kevin Youkilis’ Hits for Kids)

And if the Red Sox are gonna do it, you better believe the New York Yankees will do it too.

Bobby Abreu:  ”Abreu’s Finest” (Police Athletic League of New York)
Jorge Posada: “Jorge Cabernet” (The Jorge Posada Foundation)

What, no A-Red for A-Rod?  Where’s Hideki’s Sake? 

The New York Mets are on board as well …

Johan Santana: “Santana’s Select” (The Johan Santana Foundation)
Jose Reyes: “CaberReyes” (MLB Players’ Trust)
Brian Schneider: “Schneider’s Schardonnay” (Brian Schneider’s Catching for Kids)

Another SCHardonnay.  It was funny the first time, but now they’re trying too hard.

The Atlanta Braves are in on the wine business, too.  

Brian McCann: “McCann Merlot” (Rally Foundation)
Chipper Jones: “Chipper Chardonnay” (The Miracle League)
Tom Glavine: “Cabernet Glavingon” (CURE Childhood Cancer)

Longball Cellars apparently has a thing for catchers.  That’s four of them so far (Varitek, Posada, Schneider, and McCann).

The Cincinnati Reds are in the Cellar (literally and figuratively) as Ken Griffey Jr. gets three different bottles …

Vintages for both the Seattle Mariners and the Cincinnati Reds, benefitting the Ken Griffey Junior Family Foundation.   

And there’s another wine which will be released to commemorate Junior’s 600th Home Run, provided he stays healthy enough to hit seven more round-trippers in 2008.  JINX!!!  The production of that wine will be limited to a mere 600 bottles.  I will guarantee you that “600″ wine doesn’t retail for a mere $13 a bottle.

Homer Bailey (Outdoors without Limits) and Barry Larkin (Champions Sports Foundation) also have wines for the Reds.

And even some baseball legends are in on the act, as three members of the 500 Home Run Club gets their own wines as well …

Mister Cub, Ernie Banks: “512 Chardonnay” (Ernie Banks’ Life Above and Beyond Foundation)
Mike Schmidt: “548 Zinfandel” (Cystic Fibrosis Foundation)
Eddie Murray: “504 Cabernet Sauvignon” (Baltimore Community Foundation)

I was always under the impression that MLB Players couldn’t endorse alcoholic beverages.  There are no logos of any MLB teams on the labels.  Last year, didn’t Daisuke Matsuzaka get in trouble for a beer commercial that aired in Japan?  But I suppose since the players aren’t making any money off of this venture, it must have been okayed by the commissioner’s office. 

And since there have been two guys named Wine on baseball cards … why can’t we have baseball cards on wine?

Think you’re good at picking Home Run hitters? 

Play homerderby.com’s Home Run Derby Contest and find out … and compete for $2,500 in prizes while you’re at it. 

See the Official Rules for details.

This entry was posted on Sunday, March 16th, 2008 at 12:04 am and is filed under Braves, Charity, Cubs, Mariners, Mets, Orioles, Phillies, Red Sox, Reds, Yankees. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.