Home Run Derby

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.

(more…)

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.

First up … The Democrats.  The Republicans are over here.

Hillary Clinton – Chicago Cubs and New York Yankees

New York Senator Hillary Clinton grew up in Northwest suburban Chicago, which would justify her claims that she was a Cub fan as a youth (there are many pics of her wearing a Cub hat).

But in 1999, when there was talk of her as a candidate for New York Senator in the 2000 elections, Hillary claimed “I’ve always been a Yankee fan.” Her justification was that she needed an American League team to cheer for as well. And the Yankees were the best in the AL.

Mind you, she had never mentioned it before prepping for her Senate run.

(more…)

Sept 3, 2004

Fenway Park, Boston.
Red Sox lead the Rangers 2-0. 
Ninth inning. 
Two Out. 
One Ball, Two Strikes. 
Runner on second base.

Watch as Red Sox relief pitcher Keith Foulke throws a pitch to Kevin Mench. 

You know … Foulke might have been juust a bit distracted on that pitch.   

Miss it? 

Front row - girl on the cell phone to the left of the umpire.  Gives the ol’ one-boob salute to Foulke.

Mench grounded out on the next pitch to end the ballgame, so it’s unlikely that she was thrown out of the stands.

I wonder if she was talking to “Johnny from Burger King.” 

Watch as Red Sox pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka gets stuck with the old “gum on your hat” trick during the fourth (and deciding) game of the 2007 World Series.

Bubble gum compliments of Coco Crisp. Pic courtesy of Getty Images.

Cool little secret handshake bow with Big Papi there at the end.

There’s something to be said about team chemistry. Even if you can’t speak your teammate’s language.

This is a big part of why I already picked the Red Sox to repeat as World Series Champions in 2008.

Sorry about making you listen to Joe Buck again.

Josh Beckett is the latest face of a World Series Champion to grace the bright orange box that supplies my breakfast almost every morning.  Which means that they actually put a World Series MVP on the cover of a Wheaties Box.

Too bad it’s about four years late.

You see, Josh Beckett isn’t the World Series MVP for the 2007 Champion Boston Red Sox.

He was the World Series MVP for the 2003 Champion Florida Marlins.

The past four seasons (2004-2007), General Mills has put a member of the World Series Champion on the cover of the Wheaties box.

And the past four seasons, it hasn’t been the World Series MVP.

(more…)

A bunch of months ago, we gave a preview of Kosuke Fukudome, who we expect to be the next big Japanese import to Major League Baseball.

Sources say that the San Francisco Giants, Chicago Cubs, Boston Red Sox, and San Diego Padres are all interested in Fukudome.

Which could mean he might get the $10-13 million per year that he reportedly wants to cross the Pacific and play in Major League Baseball.

We could talk about his hitting and fielding skills or his August elbow surgery that limited him in Japan’s Central League this year – but we’d rather show you how he behaves when things don’t go his way.

The following video begins as Fukudome has a 3-0 count with two outs.  And then the ump decides to start calling strikes on the outside corner.

Hilarity ensues …

(more…)

Happy Halloween everybody!!

Since the Boston Red Sox are the reigning World Series Champions and they’re very well represented by their own pumpkin carving fanbase – they get their own post. 

Red Sox 3rd Baseman (and World Series MVP) Mike Lowell. This is really impressive work.  This will make him want to stay in Boston.

(more…)

Happy halloween everybody!! 

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.

(more…)

The champagne probably hasn’t been cleaned out of the visitors’ clubhouse at Coors Field after the Red Sox champagnedalized it last night. 

Jonathan Papelbon hasn’t done his enthusiastic riverdance down the streets of Boston during the victory parade.  No championship rings have been distributed.  They haven’t raised their 2007 World Championship banner.  Boston’s collective hangover hasn’t even begun to wear off.

But that won’t stop me from making a prediction for 2008. 

The Red Sox will repeat as World Series Champions.  You heard it here first. 

(more…)