Home Run Derby

Yesterday we talked about someone lighting a firecracker in a ballpark and getting in big trouble for it.

Today, we’re going to look at some authorized explosives in some MLB Ballparks.

Okay, actually some former Ballparks. Here’s the demolition of a bunch of stadia which are no longer with us.

Busch Stadium (1966-2005)

Okay, Busch wasn’t brought down by explosives. But it was supposed to have been blown up. But concerns about possible damage to the nearby railway gave Busch an extended date with the wrecking ball.

Here’s the time lapse.

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It was nearly six years ago that there were some unexpected fireworks at Jacobs Field in Cleveland, Ohio. 

And not because the Indians slugged some big Home Runs either … these fireworks weren’t the kind to be celebrated.

On June 12, 2002, the Cleveland Indians were hosting the Philadelphia Phillies.  Indians’ pitcher Bartolo Colon was on the mound in the top of the ninth, trying to finish a complete game shutout.

Marlon Anderson singled to lead off the inning, with the heart of the Phillie order due up.  And then it got interesting - even before Bobby Abreu took a swing …

That huge boom which made Abreu spin out of the batters box and halt play for a moment was courtesy of an idiot who threw a pretty powerful firecracker (possibly a cherry bomb) over the edge of the right field stands towards a smoking section on the lower level.

Two people were injured.  A woman suffered leg injuries for which she was hospitalized and a Jacobs Field employee sustained burns to his chest. 

Police originally held three men in connection with the crime, but two were later cleared of charges and were awarded $1 Million each for wrongful arrest, but the awards are under appeal.  One of the men was recently convicted of “threatening the lives of the judge, prosecutor and lead police investigator in the 2002 case.”

The third man was convicted of throwing the firecracker and sentenced to three years in prison.  He was released after serving seven months of the sentence.

I was wondering why there had been no comments at HRD in a while.

Stupid anti-spam plugin.

Anyway, you can have at it in comments again. 
Flame away.

And yes, Virginia, there will be a 2008 Home Run Derby Contest. 

In advance of the Mitchell Report being published, there was a lot of talk this offseason about teams possibly shying away from players who had been associated with performance enhancing drugs.

Don’t count the Milwaukee Brewers among them.

Because with the Brewers’ signing of free agent outfielder Mike Cameron last week, the Brewers have acquired three players (since November 2007) who have either tested positive for PED’s or have been alleged to have purchased them.

Let’s take a look …

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Harry Caray is associated most famously with the Chicago Cubs as their longtime play-by-play announcer, beer swiller, and seventh inning stretch conductor.  God rest his soul.

But lest we forget (before WGN-TV put Harry in the living rooms across America and not just on UHF in Chicago) he began singing “Take me out to the Ballgame” not at Wrigley Field … but while he was the broadcaster for the Chicago White Sox on the South Side of Chicago. 

From 1971-1975, Caray just used to sing the song in the booth for himself - he said it was the only song that he knew all the words.  But owner Bill Veeck noticed that the crowd was singing along with Harry … so someone planted a stadium mic in the booth, and the Comiskey Park crowd ate it up.

Everybody has seen lots and lots of video of Harry conducting the crowd at Wrigley … but how about back when he was on the South Side, root root rooting for the White Sox?

Well, here you go … from the summers of 1979 and 1980, here’s nearly twenty times Harry sang at Comiskey Park (sorry about all the bare chested men at the world’s largest outdoor saloon)

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Rich “Goose” Gossage was announced as the newest member of the Baseball hall of Fame today.

An eight time All-Star as a reliever (and once as a starter), Gossage compiled a 124-107 record with 310 career saves, 1502 strikeouts, and a 3.01 ERA while mostly playing for the New York Yankees and the San Diego Padres.  His 115 wins in relief is third all-time.

He was one of the first dominant closers in baseball, and would often pitch 2-3 innings rather than the one-inning specialists common in baseball today.

So why did it take nine tries for Gossage to get the Call from the Hall?

Well, sportswriters vote players into the Hall of Fame … and there’s lots of speculation that some of those writers might carry a lengthy grudge against a player who was … less than friendly with some of them.

If that’s the case, maybe they hadn’t forgotten this spectacular tirade Gossage launched at them while a Yankee

Warning: bad language not safe for work - no really, there are like 20 F-Bombs in this 70 second clip.

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I love Minor League Baseball …

You get to see washed up pros, creative hecklers, vicious bench clearing fights, smokin hot Mexican cheerleaders, and … oh, maybe some baseball, too.

There’s also a lot of players who will NEVER make it to the Show.

Let’s go to the Atlantic League (indepedent high-AA baseball) and see one of the worst pitching performances ever thrown in the history of baseball. I don’t think I’m exaggerating either.

July 2, 2007. Newly acquired Lance Odom is pitching for the Lancaster (Pa) Barnstormers against the Somerset Patriots. Bottom of the 12th inning. Game tied 6-6.

• Odom hits the leadoff man, former Met 2B Danny Garcia.
• Odom commits an error on a pickoff attempt; Garcia advances to second base.
• Sacrifice bunt; Garcia advances to third base.

And with one out and a runner on third, the fun begins. Watch as Odom tries to intentionally walk the next two batters in order to load the bases …

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Baseball is the greatest sport. 

Why?

Because with 2,430 regular season games every year not to mention all those preseason games and the playoff games  … weird-ass crap happens all the time in baseball. 

For example …

• Randy Johnson beaning a bird
• A Home Run bounced off Jose Canseco’s head
• The Bugs that pestered Joba Chamberlain in the ALDS
• The Magic Bat
• Drunken Red Sox fangirls who drink mustard and flash relief pitchers

And then there’s Ryan Zimmerman of the Washington Nationals. 

June 23, 2007 - Indians vs Nationals at RFK.  Top of the second inning, runner on first with two out.  Nats’ 3B Zimmerman gets set to field a two-hopper to end the inning … and an ordinary fielding opportunity turns into a clip on a blooper reel …

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