Home Run Derby

And here we go … a new feature here at Home Run Derby. 

Baseball Jersey of the Week.  We’re going to highlight the most creative personalized baseball jerseys/shirts we can find.  And we’ll start with a good one …

In honor of the continuation of the White Sox vs Cubs Interleague Series (The Black and Blue Series) … here’s a Chicago Baseball fan who apparently has two favorite players in the Windy City.  The Cubs’ Kosuke Fukudome and the White Sox’ Jim Thome.

FUKUTHOME !!

I love it.  It’s a Frankenstein-like creation.  Mind you, the name looks a little off center … but it’s pretty sharp and self explanatory to most knowledgeable baseball fans (which will exclude most of the overserved patrons in the Wrigley Bleachers during a Night Game.)

FUKUTHOME Jersey Rating:

• Cleverness: 8
• Originality: 10
• Understandability: 8

Does the guy have a matching White Sox jersey? 

Home Run Derby would love your pics for Jersey of the Week. 
Drop us a line right here.

So Sunday night, during the final game of the Cubs’ sweep of the White Sox at Wrigley Field, ESPN focused a little bit on Ernie Banks - also known as “Mr. Cub.”

They showed the new statue of Ernie outside Wrigley Field, showed Banks’ 500th Home Run at Wrigley Field, and Jon Miller ran down his stats and career accomplishments.

But later in the ballgame, when Eric Patterson hit a Home Run for the Cubs into the right field basket … Joe Morgan said something that wasn’t true.  Morgan said that the basket was installed to keep fans from interfering with Home Run balls and that the fence became known as “Banks Boulevard because he hit a lot of balls into that basket”  - implying (to me anyway) that Banks’ Home Run totals were cheapened by the basket that shortens the field at Wrigley.

Roll tape.

(more…)

So last night, I got to watch some baseball for the first time in nearly a week … and it happened to be the White Sox vs the Cubs at Wrigley Field.

Awesome. 

Oh wait … ESPN is broadcasting it.  Joe Morgan.  Crap.
My first thought was “how long does it take for Joe Morgan’s first blunder of the night?”

Two batters.  Seven pitches.  That’s all.

Here’s White Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski at the plate in the top of the first inning.  AJP’s a bit of a polarizing figure in Chicago, thanks to the scuffle he had with then-Cubs cather Michael Barrett in 2007 during a game at US Cellular Field …

(more…)

So last year on July 8th 2007, the White Sox ponied up and did something they don’t usually do.  They signed a pitcher to a sizeable long-term contract. 

Their staff Ace, Mark Buehrle.  

Buehrle signed for Four years, $56 Million with a limited no-trade clause for 2008 and escalators if traded after that.  Plus, he got the White Sox to wear Camouflage jerseys for a game in 2008.

Buehrle deserved it.  He was HUGE in their World Series Championship run (2005) and an overwhelming fan favorite.  He was on the frickin Wheaties Box.  And even with all the contract speculation (read: distraction) in the first half of 2007, Buehrle was having a very good season for the White Sox.

Buehrle Pre-Contract 2007

Not to mention the No-Hitter he threw on April 18, 2007.  When you take into consideration the offensive woes and pitiful bullpen the White Sox had in 2007 … it’s even more impressive.

But since he signed the contract … like many players who get the big payday … Buehrle hasn’t been so great …

(more…)

I promise we’re going to publish something other than HRoD posts one of these days.

But instead, we’ll go North of the Border, where Matt Stairs scored the only run of the Jays-White Sox ballgame last night in Toronto.

The Home Run put the finishing touches on the Blue Jays’ four-game sweep of the White Sox. 

Something tells me that the White Sox bats might come alive after this road trip.  And it has nothing to do with Ozzie’s Guillen’s rant or the Blow-Up Doll Shrine the Sox had in the locker room before Monday’s game.

It might have more to do with the fact that the Sox will no longer be playing indoors.  In nine games so far this season under a roof (and on artificial turf) the White Sox are 2-7 with six straight indoor losses … and their batting average is a simply horrendous .191.

That would be the lowest indoor batting average in MLB since at least 2000.  And the White Sox have eleven more games scheduled in domes this season (4 in Tampa, 7 in Minnesota). 

Mind you - the Mets are worse this year (.192 indoors) - but they’ve only played two games with the roof shut this season. 

Hey look- that kinda delved into something other than just an HRoD post!  Yay!

Really - work sucks right now.

Mother’s Day is coming (May 11th, guys - don’t forget) … which means MLB will be going Pink.

Once again, MLB and the Susan G Komen Foundation will to raise money and awareness for Breast Cancer research.  So you can expect to see Pink bats (Louisville Slugger), Pink wristbands, Pink lineup cards, Pink ribbons on the bases, etc., on Mothers Day.  With auctions on the bats to raise money afterwards.

But this season … Chicago White Sox players Nick Swisher and Bobby Jenks might be upping the ante in Baseball Pinkdom.

From Swisher’s blog …

… here’s a little insider tip …we’ve got something — shall we say, colorful … brewing in the DirtyCat for Mother’s Day!

The “DirtyCat” is the name of the fake salon Swisher (nickname: Dirty30) and Jenks (JenksyCat) have established in the White Sox clubhouse where they dye and groom their beards.  Both Swisher and Jenks have sported the blonde goatee this season.

I think I have an idea where Swisher is going with this … and he might just take Jenks with him …

Those would be hilarious and hideous at the same time - and they’d stand out great against the White Sox’ black unis, which they usually wear on Sundays.  And they might just top Scott Spiezio’s red soul patch in the history of Great Baseball Beards.  Primarily because of the reason they might do it.

Too bad the White Sox will be on the road this Mothers Day. US Cellular might have been packed with fans sporting fake pink goatees.

Nick Swisher isn’t a stranger to doing things for women’s cancer charities.  Last season, he grew out his hair so he could donate it to Pantene’s Beautiful Lengths foundation - which makes wigs for women with cancer - in memory of his grandmother, who passed away from cancer.

And Home Run Derby will once again pledge $10 to the Komen Foundation for every Home Run hit on Mothers Day. 

Last year, Home Run Derby donated $280 for the 28 balls that left the yard on Mothers Day 2007 - May 13, 2007.

Sometime before the White Sox played the New York Yankees on Wednesday, ESPN sideline reporter Erin Andrews had a chat with Yankees reliever Joba Chamberlain.

Chamberlain was talking about his father, who apparently has been getting better after collapsing earlier this month. 

But as Andrews wrapped up the interview … she reached out and held his arm in support  … and it looked as if Chamberlain said something that made her roll her eyes and scrunch up her face.

Okay - who can read lips?  Does he say “I love you” or something like that? 

Whatever Chamberlain said isn’t picked up by the microphone … but it made Erin Andrews wince in exasperation, if not disgust.  She looks like  she got Punk’d after showing genuine emotion towards Chamberlain about his family situation.

If that’s the case (and it might not be - I really can’t tell what the heck Chamberlain said or if that’s what caused her reaction) - that’s just obnoxious.

Andrews gets and takes a lot of crap from horny college students (and coaches) at NCAA basketball and football games - solely because she’s an attractive woman.  But this is the first time I think I’ve ever seen her catch it from a professional athlete.

This just in …

Jim Thome is really strong. 
I mean really strong. 
Hercules Strong. 
In fact, I am pretty sure he could beat up my dad. 
With one hand tied behind his back. 

In case you missed it, Thome jacked a three run bomb in the third inning today off of Tampa Bay rookie Jeff Neimann.  The Home Run tied Thome with Mel Ott for 21st all-time with 511.

Here’s what made this the Home Run of the Day.  It smacked the catwalk over the right field bleachers.  Even Jim Thome said it might be the longest Home Run he ever hit. 

The official measure was only 418 feet, but that was because it’s trajectory was stopped cold when it hit the catwalk. 

As always, MLB’s video embedding sucks, so go to the ESPN highlight (MLB prohibits ESPN from making their highlight reels available for embedding).

But in honor of the catwalk shot, let’s go back to bad music videos and remember this one hit wonder and his song about the catwalk!

Yesterday, White Sox OF Nick Swisher almost hit a Home Run in his first game against his former team, the Oakland A’s.  If it had enough distance … it would have been in contention for the HRoD.

Listen as White Sox TV play-by-play man Ken “Hawk” Harrelson almost busts a nut in the press box as the ball carries toward the fence, only to have the ball get caught at the warning track so Hawk can lament that it didn’t happen and drop some cornpone curse words since he didn’t get to say “You caaan put it on the boooarrdd .. YES!!”

I’m not a big fan of Harrelson, but his schtick is worth listening to just for moments like that.  He might be the biggest homer in baseball broadcasting, but he’s emotional and fun.

But what exactly are the White Sox paying Darrin Jackson to do in the broadcast booth? 
Sleep?  Eat Hot Dogs?  He broadcasts like Harold Baines coaches.

There’s six seconds of dead air between Hawk saying “No … No” and “Dadgummit” and another five seconds of dead air before Jackson decides to open his mouth. 

And when he does, he doesn’t even say anything useful - DJ just tells us that Swisher was “trying to bring it to his old teammates” in the slowest, most monotone delivery I’ve ever heard.

Plus, there’s nothing DJ said that was even remotely close to analysis … Was the wind blowing in?  Did Swisher get under it? 

With Darrin Jackson … you’ll never know.