Well with the temperature at Home Run Derby headquarters currently at -7 degrees (wind chill of -29) and not expected to rise above zero for the next 27 hours … I was trying to stay warm by thinking about baseball.
Crack of the Bat, lush green grass, hot August sun, an ice cold beer, and a Kosher dog with grilled onions doused with the Stadium Mustard my brother in law sent me (hey Mike, I need more) and another ice cold beer. That warmed me up for a while …
And then I accidentally clicked on Wrigley Field’s Webcam and saw this disturbing sight …
Singing at the Winter Classic may be all done, but it’s still winter at Wrigley. And I got to wondering what the other MLB playgrounds look like in the snow and cold. Let’s find out.
Staying at Wrigley, it looks like Harry Caray and Ernie Banks are keeping a quiet and chilly sentry along Addison Street.
Anyone else afraid of how cold it will be when if the Cubs do ever win the World Series? I hope I’m retired and living in Green Valley, Arizona by then.
Heading South, as in the South Side of Chicago … when last we saw US Cellular Field, it was in the midst of a “Blackout.” Now it’s in the middle of a “White-Out.” (more…)
The “CC” in CC Sabathia used to stand for “Carsten Charles.” Or maybe “Captain Cheeseburger.”
The New York Yankees want to change it to “Cha-Ching”
This past Friday, the New York Yankees offered CC Sabathia a six-year, $140 Million contract to anchor their starting rotation and help bring a World Series Championship the Playoffs back to the Bronx. The offer is $40 million more than the five-year, $100 million offer he reportedly received from the Brewers to stay in Milwaukee. And it would be the largest pitching contract in the history of Major League Baseball, besting the $137 million Johan Santana received from the New York Mets last offseason.
No other team is going to exceed (or even match) the Yankees contract offer. The Brewers can’t do it. Sabathia’s preferred home-state Dodgers and Angels won’t do it either. They’ll be looking for a discount … and the Yankees’ monster offer might prevent the LA teams from even entering the bidding. The Yankees have basically made this into a pissing match … and they drank the most beer before the contest started.
But I think it would be a bad idea for Sabathia to sign with the Yankees …
They’re not afraid to show their allegiances on their chest.
Literally.
When they’re not peeing their pants about their 2008 NL WildCard Winning Brew Crew, they’re finding other ways to support their team … like this guy – who shaved “Go Brew” into into his chest hair.
That takes some dedication. Besides, a lot of people just simply can’t do that. Or wouldn’t.
He gets extra points for the bottle opener strapped to his arm. Be Prepared, I always say. And the ratty cap doesn’t hurt the cause either.
Mind you, we have to deduct some points for the purple pen outline that this guy didn’t wash off before the tailgate.
“Go Brew” Chest Hair Rating
Cleverness: 8
Originality: 5
Understandability: 10
I would have given Tens across the board if he had shaved the Brewers’ baseball glove logo (most awesome logo EVER) into that shag carpeted torso. That would have been something to see.
By the way, what’s up with all the Brewers love on manchests this season?
Where’s the half-naked girls doing that? Come on all you women of Brew Crew Nation … don’t let the boys have all the fun.
Got a Jersey or Shirt we need to see? Let us know at the JotW tip line !!
Somehow we missed this event at a minor league hockey game in Rockford, IL – wherein the Sausages took their race to the ice in an intermission at a Rockford Icehogs game, way back in February 2008.
Wow – that’s some nightmare fuel for you right there. Especially when Benny the Bull of the Chicago Bulls tried to grab the Chorizo. If he caught that sausage, would he have eaten him and washed it down with the walking can of Mountain Dew?
I know I would have. Someone ask that racing hot dog if he’s ever tried to eat himself.
Looks like Chorizo won the race, but only after he checked the Italian Sausage into the boards. Nice move there. Was anyone shocked the Polish Sausage took a dive right after the start?
The Racing Sausages also participated in a broomball game with a bunch of other mascots during an intermission.
We see London, we see France … we see Prince ’s Underpants!!
So last night, Prince Fielder hit a two-run Walk Off Home Run to beat the Pittburgh Pirates and kept the Milwaukee Brewers a mere one game behind the Mets in the race for the National League Wild Card (which they’re going to win).
As he rounded the bases, Fielder started untucking his shirt … which has become a victory celebration for the Brewers this season, as a tribute to teammate Mike Cameron’s working class dad (I learned that from the fabulous Uni Watch).
But as he untucked his shirt … Prince let everybody see his underwear. Let’s tempt fate and zoom in on the waistline of baseball’s resident vegetarian fattie …
Another day, another Walk Off Home Run. This time in extra innings, Hunter Pence delivers the fatal blow to the Milwaukee Brewers. The second time in three days a Houston Astro has walked away with the coveted HRoD award.
The funny thing here is everything in the game was just a little weird, or more to the point, predicated on poor execution. The Astros were lucky to even get to extra innings. Eric Gagne had a horrible ninth to blow the save with a game tying walk Lance Berkman. Gagne’s line 1 IP, 2HA, 3BB, 2ER, 0K.
Hunter Pence wasn’t really any better before the 12th as he nearly had himself a Golden Sombrero as he was 0 for 5 with 3 strike outs to that point. Even if you look at the video, the swing was everything you teach your kids not to do: His hips fly open, he has poor weight transition and appears to lose his balance. It was the case of the ball hitting the bat, not the bat hitting the ball. It seems the MLB has given up the embedding of video (no more menu to try), but I highly suggest taking a look at the video. Crappy swing or not, Hunter Pence you are the HRoD Honoree!
Yesterday was one of those days that was filled with meaningful Home Runs. There were 27 Home Runs in total, two walk-offs (Burrell, Schumaker), three multi-Home Run games (Uggla, Pence, Bautista) and the first of the year from Khalil Greene (Hooray…finally, the last stone cutter on my entry this year).
But sometimes meaning takes a whole different point of view, as it does with today’s honoree, Miguel Tejada. Tejada was special in the sixth when he smacked a two run Home Run against the Brewers to tie the game at 4-4. First, his Home Run was the first of three consecutive by the Astros (Berkman, Lee) last night.
But more importantly, on a night when every Astros Home Run raised $10,000 (courtesy of Citgo) to fight Muscular Dystrophy, Tejada fulfilled a promise to a young MD patient he made earlier that day. Miguel when meeting 8 year old Jacob Scott prior to Friday’s game told the young man that he would hit a Home Run for him.
The Astros, in addition to the back to back to back jacks, had two Home Runs courtesy of Hunter Pence. 5 Home Runs. $50,000 for MD research. Good job, boys.
In the bottom of the eighth inning, Ryan Howard untied a 2-2 ballgame with one swing and the Phillies went on to beat the visiting San Diego Padres.
The win put the Phillies in sole possession of first place in the NL East.
Around the League:
Brewers 4 Cubs 3
The “Kerry Wood as closer” experiment might be just about over for the Chicago Cubs.
Wood blew a 3-1 ninth inning lead and his third save in seven opportunities and visiting Milwaukee beat the Cubs 4-3 – wasting another great start by Carlos Zambrano. Wood now has an ERA of 18.00 against the Brewers in three games at Wrigley.
You get the sense that it’s only a matter of time until Carlos Marmol is the closer for the Northsiders.
Rays 4 Orioles 2
They’re on the cusp of history in Tampa Bay … as the AL East-leading Rays beat the Orioles and moved to four games over .500 for only the third time in their 10+ year history.
The Rays have never been five games over .500.
Maybe there was something to dropping the Devil.
Tigers 8 Yankees 4
The Tigers completed a three-game sweep of the the Yankees in New York.
Don’t look now, but since the Tigers started 0-7, they’ve gone on a 14-8 run. And they’re now in a three-way tie for second place in the AL Central, only 1 1/2 games behind the Chicago White Sox.
It’s about time, you big, fat, wonderful vegetarian.
Milwaukee Brewers’ 1B Prince Fielder hit his first Home Run of the season yesterday, and it was a beauty in St. Louis. After doubling in the tying run in the eighth inning, Fielder came up again in the top of the tenth. In his 54th at-bat of the season … Fielder finally looked like the man that hit 50 Homers last season.
Before Fielder’s post-game press conference, Joe Dillon jokingly yelled “Prince had steak and eggs for breakfast!” He didn’t. It looked like Fielder used Dillon’s bat to hit the Home Run.
Before you blame Fielder’s vegetarianism for his slow start, keep in mind that he warmed up slowly last season as well. And then he went HR-crazy in May 2007.
The worst part about that Home Run is that Fielder did it with his pants long enough to stretch under his heels.
Which means we’re probably done seeing Fielder wearing the Babe Ruth knickers he sported a few weekends ago.
Well with the temperature at Home Run Derby headquarters currently at -7 degrees (wind chill of -29) and not expected to rise above zero for the next 27 hours … I was trying to stay warm by thinking about baseball.
The “CC” in CC Sabathia used to stand for “Carsten Charles.” Or maybe “Captain Cheeseburger.”
You’ve got to love fans of the Milwaukee Brewers. 
I would have given Tens across the board if he had shaved the Brewers’ baseball glove logo (most awesome logo EVER) into that shag carpeted torso. That would have been something to see.
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