Home Run Derby

Quick …

Who’s this female athlete throwing out the first pitch and then hanging out with Republican Presidential Candidate John McCain before yesterday’s Marlins-Diamondbacks game in Arizona?

Here’s some hints …

• She’s a 2008 Olympian
• She’s won a Gold Medal in two straight Olympics 
• She plays in a HEAVILY watched Olympic event
• She’s married to an MLB Player

So she should be easy to recognize, right?

Still can’t tell?  Here’s another hint …

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Last season, Chipper Jones griped about the inequities of Interleague Play …

What’s not fun is when they’re all contenders and your competition doesn’t have to play the same competition you do. If you play the top teams in the AL and everybody else doesn’t, it’s pretty unfair.
Chipper Jones, Atlanta Braves OF (2007)

Chipper might not be so chipper about interleague play again this season.  Because the NL East has another tough road against the AL in 2008 …

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I can’t pity fans of the Florida Marlins …

• Even though Dontrelle Willis is gone
• Even though Miguel Cabrera (2007 NL Andre Dawson Award Winner) is gone
• Even though they’re among the lowest in league attendance
• Even though 2008 looks pretty bleak

They do have nice weather … even in late January … and you know what happens next …

Yes, I suppose that pitchers and catchers will be reporting to spring training really soon (Two Weeks and Counting).  But it also means that MLB’s pre-eminent cheerleading squad is about to formally announce their 2008 Squad.  That’s right … the Mermaids are coming.

HRD has had a spot for the Mermaids and Baseball Cheerleaders in general for some time … and we just can’t wait to see the 2008 Marlins Mermaids … so here’s your first look at video from the Mermaids’ tryouts in Miami this past weekend.

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Twenty Years Ago (in 1987) Andre Dawson was named the Most Valuable Player of the National League.

Before the 1987 season, Dawson (a free agent) had made it clear that he wanted to play for the Cubs because they played day baseball and had natural grass at Wrigley Field.  The Cubs didn’t seem interested (because they had Brian Dayett slated to play RF) so Dawson basically forced the Cubs to sign him when he handed them a signed blank contract right before Spring Training which the Cubs filled in the numbers at a base of $500,000 with $250,000 in incentives.

A quick look at his stats from that season (.287 Avg, .568 Slg, 49 HR, 137 RBI) say that he was worthy of the honor. 

But the most fun fact about that MVP season is that Dawson was the first player in Major League Baseball history to win a league MVP award while playing for a last place team (the Cubs finished a staggering 18.5 games behind the Cardinals).  In 2003, Alex Rodriguez became the second man to accomplish this feat (with the Texas Rangers).

Ironically, the Cardinals had two MVP candidates in 1987 (Ozzie Smith and Jack Clark) Dawson’s great season (and his gesture to play for whatever the Cubs wanted to pay him) and the split of the St. Louis vote for NL MVP left Smith and Clark #2 and #3 in the MVP voting. 

So, in honor of that special season, Home Run Derby presents the Andre Dawson Awards - given to the Most “Valuable” Player on a last place team in each League.   Because these guys deserve an award for having fabulous seasons while their teammates couldn’t do anything to support them.

The 2007 AL and NL Andre’s go to ….

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Josh Beckett is the latest face of a World Series Champion to grace the bright orange box that supplies my breakfast almost every morning.  Which means that they actually put a World Series MVP on the cover of a Wheaties Box.

Too bad it’s about four years late.

You see, Josh Beckett isn’t the World Series MVP for the 2007 Champion Boston Red Sox.

He was the World Series MVP for the 2003 Champion Florida Marlins.

The past four seasons (2004-2007), General Mills has put a member of the World Series Champion on the cover of the Wheaties box.

And the past four seasons, it hasn’t been the World Series MVP.

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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.

MLB players have a lot of reasons to show up to every game and give their best.

The money. The women. The accolades. The money. The fans. The clubhouse buffet table. The money.

But above all those things, they all say they’re in it for One Thing … The Bling.

The Ring.

So let’s take look at some of that Bling. We’ll start this series with the 21st Century …

2001 - Arizona Diamondbacks

If this ring looks cheap, it’s because it is. This is the replica of the Diamondbacks’ real ring, which was given out to fans.

I know that because World series rings don’t have corporate sponsors like “Bank One” engraved on the side … yet.

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Suffice it say, South Atlantic League rivals Kannapolis Intimidators and the Greensboro Grasshoppers do not like one another.

Calling these two teams bitter rivals doesn’t even come close.

On Tuesday, one of the Kannapolis Intimidators (White Sox Low Class-A Affiliate) got hit in the face by a pitch thrown by a Greensboro Grasshoppers (Marlins) pitcher. Benches cleared.

All was not forgiven on Thursday night, as you’ll see.

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In our other current matchup, FredBird of the Cardinals is whomping the Blue Jays’ mascot Ace … it ain’t even close …

But let’s go with a matchup of Aquatic Animals this time with our first contest from the Critter Division …

#3 Lou Seal (SF Giants) vs #6 Billy the Marlin (Marlins)

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