Home Run Derby

The Washington Nationals have gotten a lot of flack for their misspelling snafus lately (Natinals, anyone?) … but they aren’t the only Beltway team that can’t spell their own team’s name.

Check this out.   From the Baltimore Orioles’ Twitter page. 

On the left side …

Does that say Oriloes.com? 

Oriloes?  Seriously?  Is there something in the water over there that causes baseball people to lose their ability to spell?

I would like to offer my services as a proofreader to any and all MLB teams who don’t want to look stupid anymore.

[Update - They fixed it.  We get results.]

H/T:  Uniwatch

Hey Beltway Baseball fans – be sure to check out the best Nationals jersey you’ll ever see.

You can buy cool “Natinals” shirts here.

So Roberto Alomar’s ex is suing the former ballplayer in a $15 million lawsuit, alleging that the 2010 Hall of Fame candidate has “full blown AIDS” and knowingly had unprotected sex with her.

Predictably, Alomar has denied the allegations, calling them “full of lies” and that he is in “very good health.” 

He has not said anything about whether he has HiV.

If the allegations are not true, I wonder if Alomar’s current girlfriend (Maripily Rivera) is the reason behind his Ex’s accusations.

From the Toronto Star:

Recent photos of Alomar show him to be presumably healthy. Shortly after his alleged breakup with Dall last October, reports in the Puerto Rican media linked him romantically with a high-profile model there, Maripily Rivera, described by some as that island’s equivalent of Paris Hilton. The pair, according to sources in Puerto Rico, went to Miami earlier this week.

Jilted ex?  New hot girlfriend?  Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.

Rivera seems to think so …

Maripily Rivera claimed that when Dall broke up with 12-time All-Star Alomar in October, she told him: “I will destroy you.”

Picture from Vocero. 

(more…)

So a couple days ago, Home Run Derby showed you a time lapse video of a guy making a portrait of Cal Ripken Jr out of thumbtacks.

Admit it, you were impressed. We were, so we reached out to the artist.  

His name is Dustin Barkley – and he’s a man of many talents.  

Home Run Derby:  Let me speak for lots of people when I say … that is simply awesome. 
Dustin Barkley:  Glad you liked my Cal Ripken.  It has been a lot of fun to see people appreciate it.

HRD: How long did it take you?  How much did it cost? (more…)

Spare time is what makes America great.  Writing taunts in the snow. a motorized Lego Miller Park, and Lego baseball figures, and a bodypainted female Phillies fan (NSFW) are recent examples.

Want more proof? 

Watch this time-lapse video of a Baltimore Orioles fan creating a mosaic of Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr. … using nothing but thumbtacks …

(more…)

During last night’s Orioles-Yankees game, the O’s put on the right field shift for Jason Giambi.

Baltimore Centerfielder Brian Roberts shifted towards Right Field to cut down on the lefty Giambi’s chances at getting a big hit (it worked earlier in the game) … and Giambi puts one through anyway.

And then, Giambi playfully lets Roberts know what he thinks of the shift.

Now if someone would do that after hitting a Home Run following an intentional walk, that’d be great.

Hat tip: Big League Stew

Baseball fans of all allegiances flocked to Camden Yards on Wednesday hoping to see Manny Ramirez make history by hitting two home runs to reach the 500 home run milestone.

He did make history in one sense, but not in a manner anybody expected.  He did so by turning late Orioles PA Announcer Rex Barney’s famous saying “Give that fan a contract” into “Give that fan an assist.”

Manny turned what could be seen as the first 7-10-4-3 double play in baseball history in the bottom of the fourth inning by high-fiving a fan between making a running catch on a Kevin Millar fly ball and firing the ball into cut-off man Dustin Pedroia.  Pedroia then relayed the ball to first-baseman Kevin Youkilis to complete one of the funniest successful plays you will ever see.

I say “successful” because it’s hard to top Jose Canseco’s Zidane-esque home run helper with the Rangers, Jack Cust’s ‘03 home stretch stumble with the Orioles, or Ruben Rivera running the bases for the Giants like a squirrel crossing a busy street (unfortunately I couldn’t find a picture or video of the last play).

(more…)

Extra inning walk-off Home Runs rock. 

Yesterday, Mark Ellis provided some tenth-inning fireworks in Oakland as the A’s completed a sweep of the Baltimore Orioles.  With the score tied, Ellis - who had entered the game riding a .024 average in May - tagged the left field foul pole for the win.  The A’s moved to 22-14, tied for the most wins in MLB.

What the heck happened to the Orioles anyway?  On April 29th they were 15-11 and led the AL East by percentage points.  Since then they’ve gone 1-7, falling to 16-18 and 5 games back of the Red Sox in the AL East cellar.  Things move pretty fast – heck Cub fans are wondering if Brian Roberts is available again.

Yes, I know … someone will say that I should have given the HRoD to the Twins’ Carlos Gomez, who hit for the cycle yesterday against the White Sox – and I would have if his Home Run completed the cycle or really factored into a close game instead of the blowout that it was.  HRoD’s are better if there’s some drama attached to them.

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. 

So I read the other day that the Japanese professional baseball leagues are going to try to shorten their games this season.  They’ll do it by making teams switch from fielding to hitting in no more than 2 minutes and 15 seconds as well as limit the time between pitches to 15 seconds when no one is on base. 

Why? 

To help fight Global Warming. 

As part of the fight against global warming, Japanese professional baseball has come up with a plan to shorten its games and reduce carbon dioxide emissions at stadiums.  Teams will aim to cut playing time by six percent, or 12 minutes …

Why six percent?  Well, that’s what Japan pledged to cut their greenhouse gas emissions between 2008 and 2010 under the Kyoto Protocol.  And it sounds as if Japan needs all the help it can get in meeting that goal … which is why Japanese baseball is making this gesture.  According to the article, baseball games result in the emission of …

… a huge amount of carbon dioxides to be discharged through the use of energy to move players and spectators, supply electricity for lighting and other purposes.

They forgot to mention all the gas emissions caused by the mass consumption of nachos, sausages, peanuts, and beer consumed at baseball games. 

Do they eat that kind of food at baseball games in Japan? 

Mind you … if shortening the length of baseball games is a quick fix to help in the fight against global warming, I have a simple solution …

Stop Steve Trachsel from pitching anymore.

Baltimore Orioles pitcher Steve Trachsel is often referred to as “The Human Rain Delay” because he takes so much time between pitches.  Don’t believe me?  I present evidence …

Slowest Worker Ever
Slow Hand Trachsel
Human Rain Delay

Trachsel has been known to visualize every pitch before he throws it.  This can really slow a ballgame down.  In the 1998 Wild Card tiebreaker game between the Cubs and Giants, Trachsel pitched 6 1/3 of the most deliberate innings ever.  He pitched great (1 hit with 6 K and 6 BB) and the Cubs made the playoffs …  but wow, did that game take forever.  Three hours and 40 minutes for a 8.5 inning game.

And now, Trachsel has a starting gig and has assumed a mentor’s role in Baltimore, where he’s teaching the art of pitching to the young hurlers on the Orioles.   Hey Trachsel – this season’s already going to be a long one for O’s fans … don’t make it any longer.  Steve Trachsel’s slow speed makes for good concession sales, but he’s apparently bad for the environment (if the Japanese are to be believed.)

I guess we’ll never see Trachsel pitch in Japan.  Or be seen in the same room as Al Gore.

Think you’re good at picking Home Run hitters? 

Play homerderby.com’s Home Run Derby Contest and find out … and compete for $2,500 in prizes while you’re at it. 

See the Official Rules for details.