Somehow I missed this in Home Run Derby’s Top MLB Promotions of 2008. I think it was because I excluded bobbleheads from the list.
But Friday Night (July 18) was Crazy Crab Bobblehead Night in San Francisco. Who’s Crazy Crab? Well, The Crab was a mascot the San Francisco Giants paraded out in 1984 as an anti-mascot to rival the recent influx of mascots into Major League Baseball.
Why an “anti-mascot” instead of a regular mascot? Well, then-Giants exec Pat Gallagher explains …
Our fans were too hip, too sophisticated and way too baseball oriented to put up with anything as stupid as a mascot.
And you wonder why San Francisco gets portayed as the Smug Capital of the World? It’s beacuse it’s true.
The fans would boo the Crab (when they weren’t throwing things at it), the players would abuse it with rosin bags and bats, and the Crab would give it right back on talk radio and taunt fans and management, even after it was retired in 1985 - barely a season after it had debuted.
But over the last decade, The Crab has seen a surge in popularity among fans.
So I guess a few weeks back (on May 19th) - The Simpsons were at Dodger Stadium to see the Los Angeles Dodgers take on the Cincinnati Reds.
Homer Simpson (or at least a seven-foot tall facsimilie of him) got to throw out the first pitch. I guess Universal Studios was hyping up the new Simpsons Ride at their Theme parks.
At least you get a cool picture of a baseball-capped Homer Simpson on a popsicle stick.
Then again - shouldn’t Homer be wearing a Dodgers cap?
So far there have been only four games wherein the Dodgers have hit a Home Run in the fifth inning (4/15, 5/5, 5/6, and 6/24) at Chavez Ravine - and only one of those games occurred after the press release on May 15th (6/24). I’m not sure if the promtion was live before the press release of May 15th, 2008.
Even if the promotion was in effect during April and early May - all three of those games were night games during the school year - where there are likely to be less kids than during the summer or on a weekend. And none of the games have been sellouts.
So Universal Studios is making out like a bandit on this promotion if you ask me.
You can watch Homer throw better than most celebrities right here … video after the jump.
The Cubs don’t have a mascot. That’s the official word.
They’ve had some unofficial ones though … namely Harry Caray, Ronnie Woo-Woo, and the Goat.
Add another one to the list.
One who’s not above a cheap feel of a Mets fan …
I don’t think his actions are sanctioned by the Chicago National League Baseball Club.
You’ve got to wonder what the Cubs’ official position is about some guy in a cuddly bear suit wearing a Cub Jersey (with no pants) walking around outside Wrigley Field.
So this past weekend, Major League Baseball went to China.
In MLB’s continuing quest to conquer the world, the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Diego Padres played a pair of Spring Training games in Beijing, China. They got to grade some players, eat some Chinese food, spread some baseball goodwill, and showcase China for the upcoming Summer Olympic Games.
But the Chinese Cheerleaders stole the show.
As you probably know, we here at Home Run Derby are big fans of Baseball Cheerleaders, and we find it to be our duty to “report” to you whenever we find baseball cheerleaders. We’ve been doing it for nearly a year.
That got me wondering if there have been any players named Ray to play for the (Devil) Rays in their ten forgettable years of existence (645 Wins, 972 Losses, nine last-place finishes) in the Major Leagues.
Short answer: No. Nobody named Ray has ever played for Tampa Bay.
Part of that’s because there have been slim pickin’s for Rays in Major League Baseball for the past decade.
We held a vote back in May to ask our readers which Mexican League baseball team (in the Liga Mexicana) had the best Porristas or Edecanes. The Potros (Broncos) de Tijuana won that vote - so let’s check out more of their Porristas and Edecanes.
We’ve mentioned before that the Potros outsource their cheerleading to whatever company wants to pay for the exposure. By my count there’s at least six different cheerleading uniforms dancing around Estadio Calimax in Tijuana.
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.
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.
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.
Somehow I missed this in Home Run Derby’s Top MLB Promotions of 2008. I think it was because I excluded bobbleheads from the list.
The fans would boo the Crab (when they weren’t throwing things at it), the players would abuse it with rosin bags and bats, and the Crab would give it right back on talk radio and taunt fans and management, even after it was retired in 1985 - barely a season after it had debuted. 
At least you get a cool picture of a baseball-capped Homer Simpson on a popsicle stick. 
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