Home Run Derby

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. 

The Home Run Derby Standings have been updated. 

In the Second Half chase, new faces rule the leaderboard. 

Led by the awesomely named Evil Toast, who leads the 2nd season with 66 Home Runs.  The Croatian Sensation (65 HR) trails ET by a single HR with the 62-HR triumverate of the Quebec Nordiques, Snowmashers, and GLUCK FU! in third place. 

For the big money, Belichoke is back in the overall lead with 437 Home Runs.  He’s followed by Team Minivan (342 HR), and Sultans of Swat (337). 

Sultan will have a hard time holding off five teams right on his heels. 

Some Friday reading for you:

• Extra Mustard has the top 25 Must-See Videos for Sports Fans (AWESOME)
• Big League Stew has a special guest writer for the Morning Juice recap
• Red Sox Monster reviews the new Backyard Baseball Video Game
• Epic Carnival has some bad news about Derek Jeter
• The Zoner wonders what the heckhappened to Joe Torre

And it looks like the Nat-o-Sphere came through … as their Racing Presidents are gonna trounce the Swingin’ Friar in the 2nd Round of Mascot Brackets, barring a late comeback from the Pad Squad.  A new Mascot Showdown will be live on Monday. 

Until then … I’ve got a great seat for the ballgame tonight.

A quick race around the world of the baseball blogosphere.

• Bugs and Cranks thinks that the newly goatee-less Kevin Youkilis looks like Sergeant Slaughter. They’re right.
• The 2008 Texas Rangers season is four and a half months away, but people are already sounding gloomy about the schedule.
• Chuck over at Ivy Chat and Andy at Desipio are kinda happy about Jacque Jones leaving the North Side.
• The Fanatnicks are happy about the Twins acquiring Craig Monroe.
• There is proof that the AL Cy Young votes were cast before the playoffs began. Some Sawx fans are not amused.

I got nothing today.  Something good is in the works, but it ain’t ready yet.

So here’s some places to spend your surfing time.

• Roger Clemens cost the New York Yankees $24,766,578 this season.  Was it worth it?
• Speaking of the Yankees’ pocketbook, they’ve spent over a Billion dollars since their last World Championship seven years ago.
• There’s no crying in the press box.
• The Yankees have some fun Hotel psuedonyms.
• Last Yankees link - The Yankees don’t seem to win the World Series when Don Mattingly is around.
• This is the first postseason for the Humidor at Coors Field.
• Ivan Rodriguez will be back with the Tigers next season … for $13 Million.
• George Steinbrenner might replace Joe Torre with Tony LaRussa.
• The Rockies’ farm system is paying off
• Cubs fans knew how bad a broadcaster Chip Caray is.  Now everyone else does.
• Peeing in the bleachers is not limited to men.
• Mark Cuban, Bleacher Bum.
• Okay I lied, there was one more Yankee link.  Video actually …

Home Run Derby was ranked 22nd on Juiced Sports’ list of the Most Influential Sports Bloggers.  Does that mean people actually read this site?

All jokes aside, you should click that link and read that list.  I can’t argue with the top ten and it’s a great list from top to bottom.

I’d have thought that HRD should have been ranked much lower and I’m truly flattered to be listed in the top 25.

Thanks to everyone who’s ever stopped by HRD.  Thanks for reading.

Rich

Unlike both the American League and the National League, I think I can call who’s winning our Home Run Debry contest.  The Great Hambino has a seven Home Run lead over Master-Batters, and that should be enough to say he’s clinched the Derby.

Here’s who’s a going concern. 

Still a four-way race for second and third place in the full year board.  Let’s break down the differnces between the top five in the full year race.

Remember, if there’s a playoff on Monday with a postseason berth at stake, any Home Runs hit in the game(s) will count towards our Derby standings. 

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As the MLB Regular season is coming to a close, so is our little Home Run Derby contest.

And we have a Race.  The Great Hambino (490 HR)seems to a have a comfortable lead of six Home Runs over The Master-Batters (484 HR), but it’s not a lock.

A mere five Home Runs separate 2nd Place (484 HR) from 5th Place (479 HR), so the race for 2nd and 3rd places should be tight until the final game of the year.  Empire of Dirt, Triple Crown, and Suck It will be watching the scorecards all weekend.

And the Second Half contest hasn’t been decided yet either.  Empire of Dirt (236 HR )has a 5-Home Run lead over Hambino (231 HR). Third Place is a tie (227 HR) between Suck It and Bash Brothers. 

Some links …

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So before yesterday’s Reds-Brewers contest in Milwaukee, Cincinnati pitching coach Dick Pole was reading the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. And came up with the line of the year …

Dick Pole comes up … and he has the Milwaukee paper in his hand. “Do you know this guy?” as he points at a picture of Milwaukee columnist Michael Hunt. No, we answer.

“His parents weren’t thinking any better than mine where when they named him.”

I wonder if Dick Pole ever met Pete LaCock?

Other stuff that happened this week

• Alyssa Milano scores a reporting gig with MLB.com for the MLB Playoffs.
• Sooze from Babes Love Baseball won third place in the Win a Date with Alyssa Milano contest.
• OMDQ scored an interview with NESN reporter Tina Cervasio. No word on any scoring after the interview.
• Some Blue Jays fans threw virtual beanballs at A-Rod and made Joe Torre mad. The Jays won’t let that happen again.
• Early reports say Mr. Met was elected to the Mascot Hall of Fame. He’ll be up soon in Mascot Brackets
• Ozzie Guillen got his contract extended even though his team is in last place (South Side Sox).  Happens in the business world all the time.
• Twins GM Terry Ryan called it quits (Twins Geek) Imagine what he’ll do when he lands with a club that spends money.
• Nobody’s going to Marlins games anymore (Nationals Enquirer)
• Fenway Franks can’t be called Hot Dogs anymore (Call of the Green Monster)
• Red Sox fans continue to drink weird stuff. First Mustard, now Salsa. (Red Sox Monster)
• MLB announced that there will be 10-foot tall bobbleheads during the playoffs.
• Bugs and Cranks give you 40 Reasons to hate the Cardinals.

What went down this week ….

The Yankees swept the Red Sox and moved ahead of the slumping Mariners, who haven’t won in a week.

We’ve been paying a lot of attention to the Mariners lately for some reason - we’ll stop now so they can start winning again.

And the Cubs were in first place all week.

• Okay, do Bugs and Cranks have the Phillies down, or what? They scooped everyone on Brett Myers little tirade, they got the first video of the fan brawl at the Mets-Phillies game and then they went out and got a freaking interview with Phillies pitcher Cole Hamels.
• Epic Carnival posted the definitive list of what “The Bases” means.
• Call of the Green Monster had a great piece on how the Red Sox are intentionally appealing to the “Stupid” fan. (Satire)