Home Run Derby

It’s been over 21 years since Game Six of the 1986 World Series … you know, when the Red Sox were only one strike away from winning their first World Series in 68 years … and Bill Buckner let that lazy Mookie Wilson grounder roll through his legs to give the Mets new life and eventually the Championship.

Since then, the Red Sox have won two World Series Championships.  Bill Buckner and Mookie Wilson even co-sign photographs of the play and baseballs.  Red Sox Nation has forgiven Buckner and has expunged October 1986 from their franchise history. 

So it’s been long enough.  Home Run Derby presents … Buckner’s Revenge.

For those of you weren’t around to remember any video games before Madden and Sega Genesis … that’s the graphics from RBI Baseball (the greatest baseball video game ever) combined with the music and sound effects from Custer’s Revenge (which was a naughty game for the Atari 2600). 

The Nintendo Wii is the video game du jour.  People spent hours waiting in line for them.

I kinda wanted to buy a Wii to have around HRD HQ.  I could see myself spending hours in front of one of these things playing baseball, tennis, golf, Zelda, etc. 

You can even buy sports-themed accessories instead of the little controllers you get with the console. 

Like a Wii Baseball Bat.  Great idea, right? 

Wrong.

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You know those guys who have too much money and free time on their hands that take a summer off and go and visit all thirty MLB ballparks in a summer?

Yeah, I’d like to be one of those guys too. My dad and I have wanted to make that trip ever since I bought him the book “Dodger Dogs to Fenway Franks” for Father’s Day one year.

But I don’t have the time or scratch. And my wife would have probably have changed the locks by the time I got home …

Have you got 15 minutes?

Well if you do, you can take a quick virtual tour of every MLB stadium in 15 minutes. Thanks to some guy (who also had some extra time on his hands) who did some cool work with Google Earth and the MLB 07 videogame.

We’ll begin with the 14 ballparks of the American League …

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So last night in Toronto, some Blue Jay fans got to throw beanballs at Alex Rodriguez.

What is this world coming to? Oh wait, it was only a video game …

In a video game promotion in the middle of the sixth inning, two Jays fans were playing a baseball game on the scoreboard screen, pitching to A-Rod. Twice they threw at him, missing once and hitting him once and leaving Joe Torre unhappy.

Of course, Yankees Manager Joe Torre said it was “ridiculous” and that it “lacks good sense.”

Some of the videos they have period, it’s all about violence … To me, this game is about playing it and not about hurting somebody.  To me, if you show it at a ballpark, you’re telling the youngsters it’s OK to do it and that’s not a good message to send.

Wait - it’s okay to try to bean someone in real life, but not while playing a video game?

Joe … do you mean to tell me that when your pitcher Joba Chamberlain intentionally throws two balls at the head of Kevin Youkilis it isn’t “ridiculous” or it’s not “about hurting somebody” or you’re not “telling the youngsters it’s OK to do it?”

It’s not like after the pixellated pitcher beaned the digital A-Rod, the pitcher heard Shang Tsung say “FINISH HIM” and then charged the plate and ripped A-Rod’s spine out of his body or anything.

But everyone’s missing the big news story here …

People are playing Video Games on a freakin’ JumboTron.

HOW AWESOME IS THAT?

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