Home Run Derby

When an MLB franchise selects a player with the #1 overall pick in the Amateur Draft, the team is expecting to have that player make a significant contribution to the team for years to come.

In unrelated news, earlier this season, the Padres released Matt Bush, the #1 Pick in the 2004 MLB Draft … before he ever played a game in the Major Leagues.  I hope no one actually bought a Matt Bush Padres Jersey.

Bush was a High School Shortstop from the San Diego Area who the Pads selected over the likes of Jered Weaver and Stephen Drew.   Bush’s career batting average in the minors is a robust .219 (in nothing higher than Class A ball) … so let’s just go and call him a bust.  The Padres have.

This got me to thinking … who else has flopped after being picked first in the MLB Draft? 

Brien Taylor, P – 1991 (New York Yankees)

Under advisement by Scott Boras, Taylor held out until the Yankees caved and gave him an unprecedented $1.55 Million signing bonus.  

Mind you, after his first two seasons in the minors … he looked like he might be worth it.  In Class A in 1992, he had 187 K’s in 161 innings and in 1993 went 13-7 with 150 K’s in AA Albany.

But in December 1993, he separated his shoulder and tore his labrum in a fight in a trailer park – does anything good ever happen in a trailer park?  Dr. Frank Jobe described the injury as one of the worst shoulder injuries he’d ever seen. 

Taylor never posted an ERA under 6 the rest of his minor league career and never sniffed the Majors.

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I am proud to announce that due to popular demand  …
Home Run Derby’s MLB MASCOT BRACKETS IS BACK!!

Okay, when I say “popular demand” … I mean the two people who emailed me asking what the heck happened to the Baseball Mascot Tournament. 

We’ll pick up where we left off last year in the second round with what might be one of the most anticipated showdowns of the tournament.  One which is sure to whet your appetite.

#1 Racing Sausages (Brewers)  vs #5 Racing Pierogies (Pirates)

The near future doesn’t look so bright for the Pittsburgh Pirates, who are very likely to set a very dubious sports record with an unprecedented 17th Consecutive Losing Season in 2009.  

Beyond that, the long-term future doesn’t look so bright either – because today, a team loaded with the Pirates’ top prospects lost to Manatee Community College by a score of 6-4. 

Let’s let that sink in.  
The Pirates lost to MANATEE COMMUNITY COLLEGE. 

Usually the Pirates wait until opening day to crush the hopes and dreams of their fans, but this year I guess they started a little early.

Oh the Huge Manatee!!  (Get it?  Oh the Humanity?  Manatee?  Oh forget it.) 

Now mind you, this was a split squad game and no one from the Pirates 25-man roster was playing in the game.  Just Minor League prospects.   So it was basically a team of guys in the Pirates’ dirty laundry who lost.   
But that’s still … simply put … just not acceptable. 

But I have something that’s even less acceptable.  Before this atrocity unfolded … Pirates fans were chirping about this game.  So much that they made T-Shirts trumpeting the fact that they had beaten the Manatee CC squad ten years straight.

Let’s take a look at that T-Shirt.  Front and Back.

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Well with the temperature at Home Run Derby headquarters currently at -7 degrees (wind chill of -29) and not expected to rise above zero for the next 27 hours … I was trying to stay warm by thinking about baseball.

Crack of the Bat, lush green grass, hot August sun, an ice cold beer, and a Kosher dog with grilled onions doused with the Stadium Mustard my brother in law sent me (hey Mike, I need more) and another ice cold beer.  That warmed me up for a while …

And then I accidentally clicked on Wrigley Field’s Webcam and saw this disturbing sight …

Singing at the Winter Classic may be all done, but it’s still winter at Wrigley.  And I got to wondering what the other MLB playgrounds look like in the snow and cold.   Let’s find out.

Staying at Wrigley, it looks like Harry Caray and Ernie Banks are keeping a quiet and chilly sentry along Addison Street.

Anyone else afraid of how cold it will be when if the Cubs do ever win the World Series? I hope I’m retired and living in Green Valley, Arizona by then.

Heading South, as in the South Side of Chicago … when last we saw US Cellular Field, it was in the midst of a “Blackout.” Now it’s in the middle of a “White-Out.”
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The Presidents bum rushed the Padre in the Mascot Battle between Church and State … so it’s time for another Mascot Bracket Showdown.

We’re headed back to the aviary (the Feather Division) for a second round showdown between two feathered NL Central mascots who like biting female fans (and who doesn’t?)

#1 – Pirate Parrot (Pittsburgh Pirates) vs #5 Fredbird (St. Louis Cardinals)

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  OK, I am purposely using the Pirates logo circa 1979 (actually it was used from 1968-1986), because let’s face it, there hasn’t been a lot to celebrate in Pittsburgh baseball since the days of Will Stragell, Bill Madlock, Bert Blyleven, John Candelaria, and my personal favorite, the Cobra, Dave Parker. Not to mention the managerial prowess of the legendary Chuck Tanner.  But those days are long gone.

Yes, they flirted with relevence in the early 90’s with Barry Bonds, Bobby Bonilla and Doug Drabek, but when I was a young lad, I had two teams the Chicago White Sox (above all others) and the Pittsburgh Pirates.  Boy does it pain me to see them now.  15 straight seasons of sub .500 ball and this one is going to be #16.

By the way, speaking of Barry Bonds, do you remember when he used to look like this?  Neither does he! Anyway, enough with the fond trip down memory lane, let’s look to the future or at least to 2008 for the Pittsburgh Pirates.

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Every season since 1997, Major League Baseball has had Interleague Play. 

But since the AL and NL have a different number of teams, there’s always a bit of a necessary imbalance when it comes to scheduling.  Add to that the doubling up of games between the geographic rivalries … and you get a Grade A Mess.   There’s always  potential for some contending team to be at a competitive disadvantage to another team in its division … because of the resulting imbalance in strength of schedules. 

Players and managers and owners gripe about it …

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)

The unbalanced schedule is not good for baseball … Some teams are getting a so-called lesser opponent, and other teams are playing powerhouses. 
Art Howe, former Oakland A’s Manager (1999)

I believe in my heart that last year the reason why we didn’t win the division is we didn’t play very well in the Interleague games and the Diamondbacks did.
Dusty Baker, former SF Giants Manager (2003)

I used to be for it, but I’m not for it anymore. It’s too easy for discrepancies
George Steinbrenner, NY Yankees Owner (2003)

Let’s see who gets the shaft this season … based upon 2007 MLB Won-Loss records.  We’ll start in the National League Central …

I think we’re going to hear a lot of bitching this season about the Cubs’ feeble 2008 Interleague schedule. 

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SUPER TUESDAY UPDATE – CLICK HERE

The 2008 Presidential Primary elections are less than a month away. And everybody needs a guide to the candidates.

Before I get started, I want to say that Home Run Derby will not endorse a candidate for President of the United States. We are a shoddy little baseball website and will not pretend to be a political one.

With that in mind, we’re not above giving you the facts about some of the candidates … when it comes to their baseball allegiances.

We profiled the Democrats yesterday, so here come the Republicans.

Rudy Giuliani – New York Yankees

The former Mayor of New York City is a diehard Yankee fan through and through and was often labelled the Bronx Bombers’ “First Fan.”

Even his recent comments about cheering for the Red Sox in the 2007 World Series really don’t even scratch his pinstripes.

Giuliani owns a bunch of Yankees World Series Championship rings. There’s some debate as to whether he should have them at all.

He maintains he paid for them.

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Recently, Construda found a sick wiffle ball pitcher over on the YouTubes.

When this guy throws, the ball dances all over the place before hitting the strike zone almost every time. I’d say it was unhittable.

Here’s the clip.

Videos like this always make me (and others) wonder if a Major League player would stand a chance against a guy who can hurl this kind of pitch. Especially a decent hitter, say one who has a bit of pedigree in the bigs.

Heck, let just dream about a league batting champion stepping inside the box against a wiffle baller. That would be sweet. I wonder what would happen …

Wonder no more …

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