Archive for Major League Baseball
Torii Hunter is mad as hell and he’s not going to take it anymore.
Now that the backlash regarding his comments are coming from all angles, Hunter would just like to point out that he’s not too pleased with how his comments have been portrayed when he labeled darker-skinned Latin American players as “imposters.” The comments, originally published in the USA Today , have stirred up quite a controversy for the Angels center fielder regarding some statements Hunter made during a recent panel discussion in which he took part. In case you somehow missed them, Hunter’s comments were as follows:
“People see dark faces out there, and the perception is that they’re African American,” Los Angeles Angels center fielder Torii Hunter says. “They’re not us. They’re impostors.
“Even people I know come up and say, ‘Hey, what color is Vladimir Guerrero? Is he a black player?’ I say, ‘Come on, he’s Dominican. He’s not black.’ ”
“As African-American players, we have a theory that baseball can go get an imitator and pass them off as us,” Hunter says. “It’s like they had to get some kind of dark faces, so they go to the Dominican or Venezuela because you can get them cheaper. It’s like, ‘Why should I get this kid from the South Side of Chicago and have Scott Boras represent him and pay him $5 million when you can get a Dominican guy for a bag of chips?’
“I’m telling you, it’s sad.”
Chris Berman Probably Has His Entire Summer Wardrobe Planned Out Now
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Just when Chris Berman believed he owned every piece of apparel ever made by casual attire outfitters Tommy Bahama, the company goes and pulls a stunt like this…
And totally redeems itself!
That’s right, Tommy Bahama will release in April an exclusive line of limited-edition, Major League Baseball-endorsed camp shirts. Retailing at $250 a pop (what a steal!), Berman will be set back $2,000 (plus shipping and handling, of course) to order one shirt for each of the following eight ballclubs: Boston Red Sox, Chicago White Sox, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, Seattle Mariners, and St. Louis Cardinals. Sorry fans of the other 22 teams, Tommy Bahama ain’t making shirts for those teams.
More photos of Chris “You’re With Me, Tommy” Berman and the new shirts after the jump.
Man, I Cannot Wait To Get My Hands On These Wieners
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Despite the presence of more regionally-fitting choices of ballpark fare (walleye-on-a-stick, anyone? yum!) that will be available at Target Field when the Twins open up their new stadium next month (only 35 days away – YAY!), perhaps no announcement will be greeted with more enthusiasm than the fact that there will be four separate hot dog offerings for sale at the new ballpark. There is no single food item that I can better equate with going to a baseball game than a good old-fashioned hot dog.
Unfortunately, the Dome Dogs, a fan favorite which were sold at the Metrodome will not be available at Target Field as they were produced by Hormel and the Twins have formed a partnership with rival Schweigert (who previously were the supplier of the hot dogs at the Twins’ original ballpark, Metropolitan Stadium) to provide the blended tongues-and-snouts (or lips-and-assholes, depending on the day at the slaughterhouse) encased items of deliciousness.
A look at the four varieties of hot dogs, via the Star Tribune:
Original Twins Dog: A traditional pork and beef hot dog, it will be made from the same recipe as the ones served in the team’s first ballpark – Metropolitan Stadium – and will be available at many of the park’s concession stands.
Twins Big Dog: The quarter-pound all-beef dog will officially replace the Dome Dog and will be served at portable grills and select concessions stands. As with the Dome Dog, chips are included.
Dugout Dog: An old-fashion pork and beef hot dog in a natural casing, it will be sold in the stands by retro-attired vendors. The dogs will be steamed in vending boxes and placed in a bun when ordered, not pre-wrapped.
Dinger Dog: This extra-long pork and beef dog will also be available at select Hennepin Grille locations at Target Field.
Mouth drooling. Stomach growling. Heart palpitating. Left arm…numbing. Uh oh.
Twins to sell Schweigert hot dogs at Target Field [Star Tribune]
Target Field to feature wide-ranging fare [Minnesota Twins Official Site]
Mariano Rivera Feels So Good Right Now He Could Practically Eat Himself
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lAt least that is what can be inferred from what the Yankees closer said after throwing his first round of live batting practice earlier today:
“I feel outstanding,” Rivera said after his 34-pitch session to minor-leaguers. “Delicious. Bueno.”
Mmmm-mmmmm! Yummy. Interestingly, do you want to know how I feel today? Aromatic. Like a fresh bulb of garlic, I tell ya.
Anyway, good for Rivera for feeling so great, despite his unique way of putting it. I bet if he could, Mariano would eat his liver with some fava beans and nice Chianti.
Yankees closer Mariano Rivera feeling ‘delicious’ after throwing first live batting practice session [New York Daily News]
Gah! Stupid In Stereo: Joe Morgan To Present Bud Selig With Humanitarian Award
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Here is a simple formula that illustrates how wrong it is that on Monday in New York City, Joe Morgan will present Bud Selig with an award during Jackie Robinson Foundation’s 2010 Robie Awards, which are hosted by Bill Cosby.
Nightmare Fuel = -(Bill Cosby’s senility) ±[(Bud Selig's smugness) x (Joe Morgan's essence)]
2a
* where “a” equals the amount of times I would rather punch myself in the face than attend this gala.
Sure, some of the variables in the above formula are not quantifiable in a mathematical sense, but I think you get the picture here.
Selig will be honored “for his commitment and contributions to baseball for more than 40 years.”
What is this? Bizarro World or something?
Selig to receive humanitarian award [Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel]
The Week That Was In ‘Tracking Ozzie’s Twitter’: Happy Anniversary, Baby
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Ozzie’s got you on his mind….
And don’t give me that look. The Little River Band is as hip today as they were in 1983, which I guess is not saying much, but that’s a topic of discussion for another time.
Overall, it was All Quiet on the Twitter Front in Ozzieland this week. Hopefully, this is not an indication that Guillen is already growing tired of Twitter, because that would be sad. I’m looking forward to John Daly-esque meltdowns this upcoming season.
Perishing that thought, let’s take a look at the Life and Times of Ozzie Guillen, shall we?
Will Corey Hart Wear His New Goggles At Night?
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After struggling horribly over the past two seasons, Brewers outfielder Corey Hart has discovered that he is near-sighted and will begin to wear prescription goggles. Via the Brewers Blog:
“It kind of started last year but I didn’t really think about it,” he said. “I just kept playing. The ball was a little fuzzy at times but I didn’t think it was that big of a deal.”
“That’s why I want to do it in spring so I can get used to them,” he said. “I’m hoping they work for me. I don’t want to have any trouble picking the ball up. Right now, it’s a little fuzzy.”
Hart elected not to go with contact lenses due to the inherent problems with shoving plastic things in your eyes that run the risk of frequently needing to be adjusted during play.
To be perfectly honest, this story really isn’t that interesting and barely worth a post, but it would have been damn near impossible to pass up the Corey Hart-eyewear reference. I’m surprised neither of the two stories I have linked to in this post didn’t make mention of it. Or is simply the fact that I am really old and only people my age have any clue who Corey Hart is and his “classic” tune, “Sunglasses At Night”?
Yeah, that is likely the case here, but I don’t care – it’s a solid bit and on that point I will “Never Surrender”!
Corey Hart Is Getting Goggles [Fanhouse]
Hart to wear goggles [Brewers Blog/Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel]
Holy Pornstache, Batman!
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I was just heading out the door for lunch when Big League Stew’s post about Washington Nationals pitcher Collin Balester’s fantastic spring training mustache was brought to my attention and I had no choice but to point out the magnificent display of mustachioed brilliance to my readers.
‘Duk has the all the stylin’ digs on the ’stache, but here is what Balester had to say on how long he planned on keeping his homage to all that is wonderful yet terrifying about ’70s-era facial hair:
“Now I’m just going to keep it going because I’m not ashamed of it or anything like that,” Balester said after Monday’s workout. “It went through the itchy stage but now it’s fine.”
Rock on, Collin Balester. You just go ahead and keep letting your freak flag fly, ya dig?
‘Stache-stastic! Collin Balester wins offseason facial hair contest [Big League Stew]
Ooh! A Roger Clemens Sighting!
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Roger Clemens, “[w]ith a big Texas handshake and a smile as broad as his chest” (the Daily News’ words, not mine – I would have went with “a laugh as hearty as Grandma’s beef stew, but that’s just me), made an appearance at a fund-raising event Sunday which benefited the organization Allies, Inc., a New Jersey charity that assists people with disabilities.
Clemens, who has largely withdrawn from the public spotlight over the last few years, ever since the investigation regarding whether he committed perjury when testifying before Congress in 2008, “seemed right at home” during the event, “wrapping his arms around kids and elders, moms and 20-something groupies.”
Groupies, eh? Any aspiring country singers in the crowd? Let’s hope not.
Clemens, after informing reporters the he would have “[n]one of that. No. None of that” when they attempted to ask him about the ongoing perjury investigation, even joked about coming out of retirement, a la Brett Favre. The cad!
“I know some of the writers were here asking me about retiring again. I told ‘em, I’ve retired three times, surely I don’t have to do it again. But I was teasing Brett Favre, that heck if he came back, what the heck? I might as well start running again or something,” Clemens said to fans from the stage, eliciting some cheers.
Yes, that’s exactly what we need: another Brett Favre, just one a little more “‘roid rage-y.” That would be sweet. Maybe The Rocket simply “misremembered” the amount of hard work and dedication it takes to be a major league baseball player. You know, along with some other important details about his life.
Cordial and fan-friendly Roger Clemens makes appearance in New Jersey for foundation [New York Daily News]
Clemens says Pettitte ‘misremembered’ him; McNamee grilled [ESPN]
As I mentioned previously, Ozzie Guillen may well be the the very reason that Twitter was invented. Either that or he will eventually be the cause of its ultimate destruction. At the same time, I suppose he could possibly end up being be both.
The Ozzman has been very busy over the last 24 hours. Let’s take a look and see what he’s been up to, other than pissing off White Sox GM Kenny Williams, of course.
