The Phillie Phanatic came back from an early deficit to slaughter Southpaw last week, so it’s time for another Mascot Matchup.
Let’s head to the Primate bracket, where we’ve got a transcontinental showdown between two last place teams with first-rate mascots. To make things more interesting … it’s a battle between Church and State.
#2 - Swinging Friar (San Diego Padres) vs #6 - Racing Presidents (Washington Nationals)
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.
Sometimes, it takes a little extra time to get it right …
But for the Padres, this was getting ridiculous. The Pads were 13 innings into their fourth extra-inning game so far this young season, and had very little to show for it.
In their previous 22 1/3 extra innings this season, the Padres had scored exactly one run with zero wins to show for all that extra time. 2B tadahito Iguchi had been o for 6 with two walks in that stretch of extra frames.
No more.
Iguchi ended San Diego’s extra inning futility with a Home Run to end it in the 13th.
In this crazy YouTube world we live in … you always need to remember to look for a camera before doing anything … shall we say … potentially embarrassing?
That goes double if you’re a professional baseball player.
Triple if you’re a future first-ballot Hall of Famer like San Diego Padres pitcher Greg Maddux, who got caught in the dugout the other day … digging around.
I know there’s lots of crotch grabbing and adjusting in baseball (HRD did a big post with lots of pictures) … but there’s a line between adjusting and doing something else. When your hands are down your pants … I think you’re crossing into “something else.”
And Maddux pitched the bottom half of that inning! I hope he washed his hands. Then again … maybe that’s why Maddux has such great control on the mound.
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.
For years, some people have said that the White Sox play in a war zone.
Really, people. The South Side of Chicago isn’t anything like that - it’s being quickly gentrified … especially in the area around U.S. Cellular Field.
But the White Sox will look like they’re ready for combat … at least for one game this season.
You see, on July 4, 2008, the White Sox will take the field against the Oakland A’s wearing camouflage jerseys.
Sox’ southpaw Mark Buehrle modelled the new White Sox’ fatigues at SoxFest this past weekend.
The rumor around last weekend’s SoxFest was that the camouflage uniforms were Buehrle’s idea and that he “requested” the Sox wear them as part of his contract negotiations last season. Buehrle had been pitching the idea to the White Sox’ marketing department about the idea for a few years.
Kosuke Fukudome is coming to America. He’s coming to Chicago. He’s coming to Wrigley Field. The Cubs outbid the Padres and White Sox offered the most attractive situation for Fukudome. He’ll play Right Field, which the Sox couldn’t or wouldn’t offer.
I can’t wait for 2,000 drunken Trixies in the Wrigley Bleachers to mispronounce “Fukudome” 30 times a game.
As we said once before … it’s pronounced Foo-Koo-Doh-May.
Not Fuk-U-Do-Me.
But if you’re hoping to get a Cub jersey for Christmas with an easily mispronounced sexual innuendo on the back … I think you’re going to be disappointed.
Because Fukudome’s jersey is probably going to look like this …
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.
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