Home Run Derby

SUPER TUESDAY UPDATE - CLICK HERE

The 2008 Presidential Primary elections are less than a month away. And everybody needs a guide to the candidates.

Before I get started, I want to say that Home Run Derby will not endorse a candidate for President of the United States. We are a shoddy little baseball website and will not pretend to be a political one.

With that in mind, we’re not above giving you the facts about some of the candidates … when it comes to their baseball allegiances.

First up … The Democrats.  The Republicans are over here.

Hillary Clinton - Chicago Cubs and New York Yankees

New York Senator Hillary Clinton grew up in Northwest suburban Chicago, which would justify her claims that she was a Cub fan as a youth (there are many pics of her wearing a Cub hat).

But in 1999, when there was talk of her as a candidate for New York Senator in the 2000 elections, Hillary claimed “I’ve always been a Yankee fan.” Her justification was that she needed an American League team to cheer for as well. And the Yankees were the best in the AL.

Mind you, she had never mentioned it before prepping for her Senate run.

(more…)

CC Sabathia won the American League Cy Young last month and became the heaviest AL Cy Young award winner ever … at a weight of 290 pounds.  He unseated Bartolo Colon’s then-record Cy Young scale-tipping weight (a listed 245 pounds) in 2005. 

Hold on a minute.  There’s a standing rule at Home Run Derby … if you talk about two overweight pitchers in a post …  THROWDOWN !!

Who would win in a fight between Bartolo Colon and C.C. Sabathia?

(more…)

Major League Baseball’s Posteason awards are the the ultimate in recognition for a ballplayer.  To be named your League’s best pitcher or Most Valuable Player does wonders for an already inflated ego.

Not to mention your wallet getting fatter from the contract incentives for winning one.

(more…)

Happy halloween everybody!! 

Pumpkin carving is a combination of sport and art form at my house.

So let’s take a stroll around the front doorsteps of baseball fans around America and check out some artwork dedicated to their favorite teams and players …

Baseball Pumpkins!!  Baseball Jack O’Lanterns!!

The MLB logo is looking pretty sharp in this guy’s kitchen.

(more…)

So it’s been about a week since the Cleveland Indians blew a three-one series lead in the American League Championship Series and lost in seven games to the Boston Red Sox.

And now, to make matters that much more heartbreaking - the Red Sox are up three games to none over the Rockies in the World Series.

That seems to be all the time it took for the Indians’ embattled mascot, smilin’ Chief Wahoo to move from the stage of denial and compose himself … and grant a quick interview.

However, Wahoo doesn’t seem to be quite over the most recent chapter in Cleveland sports heartbreak. The Chief has some interesting words about the Red Sox’ rise to glory and then directs some leftover vitriol at dancin’ Jonathan Papelbon.

But the changing emotions on Chief Wahoo’s face are the best part.

(more…)

I dislike FOX Sports announcer Joe Buck.  His smarmy, saccharine voice has been ruining sports broadcasts for me for some time now.  He’s kinda like Troy McClure.

Last night, Conan O’Brien was interviewing Joe Buck.  Buck talked about how his friends will call him during a baseball broadcast and bet him that he can’t work a non-baseball word like “wasabi” into the broadcast.  Often times, Buck finds a way to do it.

So Conan threw his own challenge at Buck.  Conan O’Brien will donate $1,000 to a charity of Joe Buck’s choice if he works “Jub-Jub” into his broadcast of the World Series.   Jub-Jub, is the name which then Simpsons-writer O’Brien gave Selma’s pet iguana on “the Simpsons.”

Watch the video …  

(more…)

In case you missed it last night, here’s the Red Sox highlight of Game 4 of the 2007 ALCS.

Kevin Youkilis, David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez provided the Red Sox some offense with back to back to back Home Runs in the top of the sixth inning …

And Manny Ramirez might have just set a record for the longest admiration of a Home Run in an MLB playoff game. 

The only problem was that the Red Sox still trailed the Indians by four runs. 

I can understand a display like if it was a walk-off shot in the ninth inning (or later).  

I could understand it if the Red Sox were winning (the game or the series). 

I could understand it if it was against the rival Yankees. 

I could really understand it if Home Runs were worth five runs.

But that’s just bush-league crap right there.  Whether he was just “being Manny” or not.

That ranks down there with Shawne Merriman doing his “Lights Out” sack dance when his Chargers are trailing the Patriots by 17 points.

If this was a regular season game (or a Yankees/Red Sox game), I’d say Ramirez should be on the lookout for pitches near his head the next time he’s at bat.  But I don’t think the Indians will do that.

Okay - This might go down as one of the worst displays of TV Sports Journalism in the history of TV Sports Journalism.

Friday night, Boston’s FOX 25 was doing their pregame for Game One of the 2007 American League Championship Series between the Red Sox and the Cleveland Indians …

But there’s something interrupting their broadcast.

• A drunken streaker?
• A F-14 flyover?
• Jonathan Papelbon?

No, just that pesky National Anthem …

(more…)

After winning their respective divisions, it’s only fitting that the teams that tied for the most wins in the 2007 regular season would face off for the right to play in the World Series.

The Indians cruised to the AL Central title at 96-66 while the same record provided the Red Sox with a less comfortable victory over the 94-68 Yankees. These teams continued their strong 2007 campaigns by going a combined 6-1 in the first round of the playoffs and will now fight it out in a series that could be more competitive than the World Series.

This series features some of the top winners of 2007. The Red Sox and Indians each have three pitchers with 15+ wins, including two Indians tied for the second most wins with 19 and the Red Sox with the Majors’ only 20-game winner. Two of these Majors-leading pitchers will square off for a historic game one matchup.

(more…)