Home Run Derby

It’s Jersey of the Week Time  - where we award the most creative baseball fans for their choice of attire.

Last time, the JotW was a Bodypainted Female Phillies Fan (NSFW) - so you know fabric is optional for this award.

This week, let’s just say we’re going with a strategically placed Blue Jays Foam Finger.

Let’s go to Toronto, Ontario, Canada where some guy decided to streak during a game between the Baltimore Orioles and the Toronto Blue Jays (Sept 17, 2008) at the Rogers Center.

And when I say streak - I don’t mean run out there wearing clothes (which some people think is streaking) - This guy’s gonna go starkers.

Well, except for a foam finger …

This video is NSFW unless your workplace approves of bare bottomed guys jumping out of the stands at Skydome …

Prepare to see a Canadian moon …

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Somewhere, Mitch Williams is smiling. 

Nearly fifteen years after the Phillies lost to the Blue Jays in the 1993 World Series … The Phillies extract a little revenge.

Earlier this year, Jayson Werth earned a Home Run of the Day with an Inside-the-park job at Colorado … I guess that wasn’t enough for Werth, who felt he had to lay a whuppin on the Blue Jays … all by himself.

And only one of those longballs was a solo shot.  Werth hit a 3-run jack and a Grand Slam in the second and third innings off Jays’ starter David Purcey, who practically grooved two balls right in Werth’s wheelhouse. 

Here’s Video of the Grand Slam and the Solo shot …

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I promise we’re going to publish something other than HRoD posts one of these days.

But instead, we’ll go North of the Border, where Matt Stairs scored the only run of the Jays-White Sox ballgame last night in Toronto.

The Home Run put the finishing touches on the Blue Jays’ four-game sweep of the White Sox. 

Something tells me that the White Sox bats might come alive after this road trip.  And it has nothing to do with Ozzie’s Guillen’s rant or the Blow-Up Doll Shrine the Sox had in the locker room before Monday’s game.

It might have more to do with the fact that the Sox will no longer be playing indoors.  In nine games so far this season under a roof (and on artificial turf) the White Sox are 2-7 with six straight indoor losses … and their batting average is a simply horrendous .191.

That would be the lowest indoor batting average in MLB since at least 2000.  And the White Sox have eleven more games scheduled in domes this season (4 in Tampa, 7 in Minnesota). 

Mind you - the Mets are worse this year (.192 indoors) - but they’ve only played two games with the roof shut this season. 

Hey look- that kinda delved into something other than just an HRoD post!  Yay!

Really - work sucks right now.

 As a tribute to Richie Rich and his other great baseball love, the Toronto Blue Jays, I decided to go old shool on the logo.  I am sure Richie has his vintage Blue Jays cap somewhere.  I remember sitting with him in the outfield of New Comiskey (as it was called at the time of our outing) watching the Palehose and the Blue Birds lock up in a battle of two quality teams. 

It was 1993 and the Blue Jays were the defending champions and the Sox were contending in the AL West and looked like world beaters.  Funny thing is I don’t remember the game too well (unlike my Game 6 of the 2003 NLCS recollection) but I remember Richie’s damn hat (it was the blue road cap, and matching road jersey).

But before I go any farther, please rise and remove your caps as we sing the Canadian National Anthem (and no I am not Canadian).

I had to use a Hockey clip to get the full effect, and no, the tone deaf guy featured prominently in the audio is not me (although I am pretty damn tone deaf).  But enought about the anthem and on to the Blue Jays.

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The Interleague Inequity Series is winding down …

And since Nick just previewed the Angels, let’s head out West.  As in the American League West.

There are two likely contenders in the AL West (Angels and Mariners) and two likely also-rans (A’s and Rangers) … even before a singl;e pitch has been thrown.  Seattle and California will be locked in a tight battle all season … so a easy Interleague schedule for one of them could easily tip the scales in one team’s favor.

The MLB Schedule makers didn’t absolutely screw one contender over another one like they did in the NL Central.   But the Angels have a right to complain …

2008 AL West Interleague

A quick glance shows you that the AL West is playing the NL East.  All four teams in the Division have Interleague Rivals, so each team misses at least one team from the NL East.

And among the Contenders … the Angels drew the short straw.  They get back-to-back series against the Phillies and the NY Mets, missing only the lowly Florida Marlins.  They also get six games against the crosstown Dodgers, who will likely be better than their 2007 record. 

Meanwhile, the Mariners also miss a NL East team.  But they don’t miss an also-ran like the Marlins or Nationals.  No, the M’s miss the defending NL East Champion Phillies.  The Mariners do get the honor of facing the pitching-rich San Diego Padres for six games.  Someone needs to explain to mean why this is considered a rivalry?  San Diego?  Seattle? 

Meanwhile, rebuilding Texas and Oakland get sextets against two lousy teams.  And get to get whomped by the Mets and Phillies and Braves.

There’s lots of reasons to go to a Major League Baseball game …

But sometimes, that’s just not enough to make you pay $40 for a ticket and drink a beer for $7, especially if the team sucks … and MLB Teams know it.  So they offer trinkets and bawbles to get your butt in a seat.  Yep, we’re talking promotions and giveaways.  And we usually fall for it.

The majority of these handouts are overdone retreads of stuff like t-shirts and floppy hats and plastic doodads like keychains and flashlights and bobbleheads.  Bobbleheads are great, but unless you’re the table in front of Mike and Mike or Mottram and Steinz, how many do you need?

But sometimes, the team’s marketing squad does something creative … here are the best ones you can try to grab in 2008.

Joe Mauer Fishing Lure - Minnesota Twins (May 2)

Now this is cool.  In a state with 10,000 lakes, you’re gonna need something to catch bass with when the Twins are on the road.   

Mind you, I’m not sure how many times an MLB team has given away anything with six sharpened barbs on it before.  This could be a one-and-done event, because you just know someone’s gonna lose an eye from this thing.  Given out to the first 5,000 fans over the age of 18.

No boys, this will not help you catch anything like Mauer’s ex-girlfriend, former Miss USA Chelsea Cooley.  No girls, this will not help you catch Joe Mauer.

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2007 was a banner year for Milestone Home Runs in Baseball.

• The 300 Home Run Club got a new member .
• Three players joined the 500 Home Run Club, the most ever in a single season.
• The 600 Home Run Club got a new member for only the fifth time in MLB History.
• And the all-time MLB Home Run record was surpassed. It had stood at 755 Home Runs for more than 31 years.

Let’s take a quick look back at those milestone dingers from the 2007 season … with video, of course …

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So the Blue Jays have recognized that their fans will spend money on a uniform if they put one out there … especially if it was one they already knew and loved …

And here’s the new home alternate and the new road uniform.

The Blue Jays (as previously mentioned here at HRD) will be bringing back their old Powder Blue Uniforms - as part of their Flashback Fridays promotion in which they bring former Blue Jays in to sign autographs and throw out ceremonial first pitches.

Vernon Wells (above) liked the blue uniforms …

“This is my favourite uniform. I like the old school vibe! The guys are thrilled with these uniforms. When we were presented with options, we voted to go with the powder blues - I’m glad they listened.”

The new road uniforms are just craptacular, however.

Former Blue Jay Lloyd Moseby was at the unveiling - and talked about his playing days and the powder blue uniform. Apparently he didn’t like the uniforms coming up as a rookie.

Moseby actually said “they sucked” and said that his friends called them pajamas.  He also compalined in particular about the elastic waistband and how the snaps would come undone.  I think Moseby is just jealous that the new uniforms have a belt.

Here’s a pic of old man Moseby with his pants hiked up …

“Get off my lawn, you pesky kids!!” 

More Powder Blue Uniforms right here …

In 2008, the Toronto Blue Jays and Kansas City Royals are going to do something that no baseball team has done since 1991.

They’re going to break out the Powder Blue Uniforms. Mind you - they’ll be only occasionally be used as home alternate uniforms, but that’s a feat in and of itself. I don’t think anyone’s ever worn the powder blue in their home stadium before.

The Royals will be wearing blue shirts (with white pants) while the Blue Jays will go completely retro and bust out the baby blue from head to toe. The Jays will also bring back their old logo, a pullover jersey, and their old two-color cap. I have one of those hats. I love it.

There’s no word yet as to how often the Royals and Jays will do this in 2008, but the vibe is that they’ll do it enough that they petitioned MLB to add the uniforms to their regular cache of kits.

The St. Louis Cardinals have worn powder blue throwbacks in road games twice (2005 vs Tampa Bay and 2007 vs Milwaukee).

Considering that we’ve hardly seen powder blue for the last sixteen seasons (and the fact that no one under the age of 21 likely has any memory of powder blue baseball) let’s take a trip down memory lane and revisit the teams that dared … to wear blue.

Prepare yourselves for a trip when the blue wasn’t just in the azure sky over the field. And watch out for lots of polyester pullovers and stirrups.

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