Home Run Derby

Baseball is filled with gross habits. 

Crotch grabbing (which we photo-profiled a couple years ago) is one of them.  It’s a necessity, considering the protective equipment down there.

Spitting is another one.  I won’t go into all the reasons players spit (tobacco, sunflower seeds, disgust, anger, boredom) – but it happens.  A lot. 

And in many different ways. 

Horizontal Spit

Araron Miles and Rickie Weeks demonstrate the lateral spit.  You need some power to get that to go straight.

I’m not sure why Aaron Miles has to close his eyes.  Or why Weeks is spitting at JJ Hardy.

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One of the best things about baseball is that with so many at-bats in a season … whatever you can think of is probably going to happen (like when that bat stood up on its end after an at bat a couple years ago).  So it kinda surprises me that very few baseballs ever hit the TV cameras around MLB ballparks.

But that’s not the case in the other fields around America, where cameras are taking a beating from baseballs …  whether it be batted or thrown.

Here’s a clip from the Little League World Series a couple years ago.  Take it away, Brent Musburger.

That’s not the only time a pitch has hit a camera behind the plate.  Here’s another pitcher who’s throwing …. juuust a bit outside

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Tonight, President Barack Obama will throw out the first pitch at the 2009 All-Star Game in St. Louis.  He’ll be the first sitting president to throw out a pitch at an ASG since Gerald Ford in the 1970’s.

There will be much pomp and circumstance and many Cardinals fans will cheer very loudly for our Commander-in-Chief as he throws out the first pitch … even though it will kill any chance the Cardinals have for winning the World Series in 2009. 

Why?  

Well, no MLB team that’s had a sitting President throw out the first pitch at a game in their Home Stadium has won that year’s World Series in over 77 years.

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In 2008, 38 men stole 66 bases against the New York Mets.  None of them went to jail.  None was even prosecuted or charged with a crime.  And the Mets would like to keep it that way. 

But if a memorabilia vendor who had 2nd base stolen from him has his way, that could change.

This Spring Training, someone might be in trouble because of a base they stole.  It was stolen from a memorabilia vendor at the Mets’ Springtraing home at tradition Field in Port St. Lucie FL.

The base in question is from the 2007 All-Star Game and is autographed by Jose Reyes of the New York Mets, according to a recently released police report. The base is estimated to be worth about $2,000.

Here what the base looks like. 

Unbelievably…..  a few days after the base was stolen, it turned up in the vendor’s driveway (early Saturday morning). 

And it would seem the Mets want the story to be over right then and there …

A Mets general manager told police he didn’t want a report and would “take care of this,” the report states.

The vendor doesn’t feel the same way …

The memorabilia vendor wants to pursue charges in the matter, and a police lieutenant asked that the incident be investigated further.

Know what happens when you try to sweep things under the rug?  The Mets might be about to find out.

Stay tuned.

Think you’re good at picking Home Run hitters? 

Play homerderby.com’s 2009 Home Run Derby Contest and find out … and compete for $2,000 in prizes while you’re at it.  Only $10 for a full season’s worth of fun. 

See the Official Rules for details.

Words have a funny way of biting people in the ass.  Or their Pujols.

In 2006, Ryan Howard won the National League Most Valuable Player Award … prompting runner-up Albert Pujols to say the following …

“I see it this way: Someone who doesn’t take his team to the playoffs doesn’t deserve to win the MVP“

Pujols had the sour grapes in 2006 after leading his St. Louis Cardinals to a World Series Championship while Howard’s Philadelphia Phillies didn’t make the playoffs.

Fast Forward to today … Albert Pujols won the 2008 NL MVP, beating out runner-up Ryan Howard.  Howard’s Phillies won the World Series while Pujols’ Cardinals didn’t make the playoffs.

OOPS. You can’t write this stuff any better.

I would love to hear Pujols say “I really don’t deserve this” when he accepts the award. Even though I think Pujols is 100 times more deserving of the 2008 NL MVP than Ryan Howard.

By being named MVP, Pujols will get a $200,000 bonus from the Cardinals, per his contract.

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I hoped I’d never see it happen.

Since 1988, the Lakeview Baseball Club has owned a building and operated a private club at 3633 Sheffield Avenue. It happens to be located across the street from Wrigley Field, home of the Chicago Cubs.  The rooftop had a primo view of Wrigley and the LVBC became the first rooftop club in Wrigleyville.

In 1995, the club installed two signs which could be seen from inside Wrigley Field.

One which read EAMUS CATULI, which reads “LET’S GO CUBS” in Latin.  Actually, it’s LET’S GO WHELPS – I had two years of Latin in High School … it’s close enough.

And another sign which (at the time in ‘95) read AC115087.  Back in 1996, my Dad thought it was the number of Cub fans who had died waiting for the Cubs to get back to the World Series – but 125,188 was just too small a number.

The AC stood for Anno Catuli, Latin for “Year of the Cubs.”  The numbers (11-50-87) stood for the years since the Cubs’ last championships.  In 1995, it was 11 years since their last Division Championship, 50 years since their last National League Championship, and 87 years since their last World Series Title. 

The sign would be updated at the conclusion of every season, ticking the years since the Cubs made it to the World Series.  Occasionally, the first two numbers would reset to “00″ when the Cubs won the NL Central …

But mostly, those last two numbers ticked ominously toward a big click of the futility odometer.

96…97…

98…99…

For years, many have wondered what would happen to the sign if the Cubs’ title drought reached the century mark. 

Wonder no more …
The Lakeview Baseball Club has updated the sign.

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It’s good to be the King.

And by King, I mean Editor of the world’s most powerful independent sports blog, the mighty mighty Deadspin.

Why? Well, besides being the face and name behind the most influential sports blog, there’s the oodles of fame, cash, groupies, future book deals, and lots of Buzz Bissinger expectorate.

Not good enough for you? How about the fact that you become a freakin’ World Series Good Luck Charm for your favorite team?

Here’s what I mean …

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On Wednesday, a Tyrannosaurus Rex invaded U.S. Cellular Field, home of the Chicago White Sox. 

Somewhere, Crazy Carl Everett is spinning in his grave.  Oh wait, he’s not dead – but he might soon be after his head explodes.

Why?  Well, a few years back, the former Marlins-Mets-Astros-Red Sox-Rangers-White Sox-Expos-Mariners OF/DH said the following …

“The Bible never says anything about dinosaurs. You can’t say there were dinosaurs when you never saw them … No one ever saw a Tyrannosaurus rex.”

And Everett believes that Dinosaur bones were “made by man.”  Well, Carl … what IF you saw them?

Here’s video of Dinosaurs walking around at The Cell. 

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So Sports Illustrated went out put the Tampa Bay Rays on the cover … a cover which looks a lot like the front of a Comic Book.  There’s even a cameo by Bizarro Superman.

That’s just awesome cool … but it’s not the first time Baseball and Superheroes have crossed paths.  As much as Superheroes are the legends and myths of American Folklore, it makes sense that they’ve done crossovers with America’s Pasttime.  Superman, Batman, The Hulk, the X-Men, and Spider-Man have all played a little baseball in their day …

Let’s take a look …

SUPERMAN

In Action Comics #389, the big blue Boy Scout was on the cover taking a mighty swing …

only to be struck out by some kid with a goofy curveball.  

I call B.S. 

There is no way the Man of Steel doesn’t crush every freaking pitch thrown anywhere near the plate, unless the ball is made of Kryptonite and he’s playing inside a dome.  That kid is probably Mister Mxyzptlk or something.

I have no idea about the story inside, but I know that there’s a tribute to Babe Ruth in it.

Uhhh … where are the basepaths?

A lot more after the jump …

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