Tag Archives: baseball

May 6, 2014 · 1:09 pm

Throwback Jerseys

Throwback jerseys are sports uniforms that are made to look like a team’s old jerseys. Almost every major American sports leagues have turn-back-the-clock nights where the teams wear throwback jerseys. The National Football League and the National Basketball Association have cool throwback jerseys, but I prefer Major League Baseball’s throwbacks. The MLB made throwback jerseys popular. The MLB has a much deeper, richer, and extensive history than the NFL and NBA. They have more memorable teams and stars from different eras. They also have an insanely long season so they have a lot more games where the players rock retro uniforms. Sometimes they even wear defunct Minor League team jerseys or even classic Negro League ones. They honor their past and they don’t run from it.

Critically Rated at 14/17

Written, Rated, and Reviewed by Brendan H. Young

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April 12, 2014 · 10:00 am

Grand Slam

A grand slam is one of the most exciting plays in baseball. It’s a home run when the bases are loaded. One crack of the bat gets you four runs. You can come from behind and get the lead with a single swing. It’s awesome to watch on TV, but there’s nothing like being at the ballpark and seeing one firsthand. Don’t take it for granted. You should feel lucky to witness one because you are lucky to witness one. It’s an instant memory and one you’re not likely to forget. A grand slam is always enough to get the stadium going, but a grand slam hit by a pitcher is the cream of the crop. It doesn’t get better than that. Especially if it’s an AL pitcher because they never get at bats.  If you don’t appreciate a grand slam, you don’t appreciate baseball. You should probably give your season tickets to somebody who does.

Critically Rated at 16/17

Written, Rated, and Reviewed by Brendan H. Young

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April 10, 2014 · 12:49 pm

Ballpark Food

You’ve never truly experienced a hotdog until you’ve eaten one at a baseball game. A hotdog is ballpark food and it tastes best at the stadium with your favorite team on the field. There’s something about being at the ballpark that makes food taste better. Hotdogs and Polish sausages and corndogs become a delicacy. Cotton candy is sweeter and fluffier. Peanuts are crunchier, sunflower seeds are saltier, and the Cracker Jacks are top notch. Different ballparks have different menus that reflect their region. They have crab fries in Philly, carne asada fries in San Diego, and garlic fries in San Francisco. Ballpark food is going gourmet too. You can find some truly amazing dishes at stadiums around the MLB. Of course no ballpark meal is complete without a ballpark beer to wash it down with. A ballpark beer is a regular beer, only far more refreshing and five times as expensive.

Critically Rated at 15/17

Written, Rated, and Reviewed by Brendan H. Young

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March 21, 2014 · 9:29 am

Scooter Wiley

One of the best ways to get psyched up for baseball season is to start playing baseball video games, and the best baseball video game out right now is MLB The Show. I don’t have the newest one, but my roommate has last season’s so I had to settle for playing that. I decided to create my own character, a shortstop with dreams of making it to the big leagues. Choosing his position and deciding on his physical attributes was easy, but coming up with his name was a challenge. His first name had to a casual and fun nickname. His last name had to be two simple syllables. I tossed around a few potential names before deciding to call him Scooter Wiley. Scooter Wiley seems like the ultimate baseball name, up there with Buster Posey and Homer Bailey. Scooter Wiley seems believable. If I told you that the Chicago Cubs drafted an unknown prospect named Scooter Wiley, you wouldn’t doubt it for a second. In fact, I’m surprised that there’s not already a minor leaguer out there with that moniker. Or maybe there is and he sucks so much that he’s not even Googleable.

Critically Rated at 14/17

Written, Rated, and Reviewed by Brendan H. Young

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February 23, 2014 · 2:50 pm

Steve Bartman

Steve Bartman is perhaps the most well known Chicago Cubs fan in history, and for all the wrong reasons. He’s the guy who interfered with a foul ball during the 8th inning of Game 6 of the 2003 NLCS, potentially costing the Chicago Cubs their first chance to get to the World Series in a million years. Even non-baseball fans remember this play. The Cubs were up 3-0 in the 8th and 5 outs away from the World Series when Marlin’s batter Luis Castillo hit a ball down the 3rd baseline and several fans made an attempt to catch it. Steve Bartman was one of those fans, and he was the unfortunate one who managed to deflect it. Cubs outfield Moises Alou wasn’t able to catch the ball and he blamed poor Steve. And then the other Cubs players blamed poor Steve. And then the Cubs announcers and all the Cubs fans in the stands started to blame poor Steve. And then all the other Cubs fans started to blame poor Steve. And poor Steve received death threats and had to be placed under police protection, and he is still hated today. All because of something that was purely instinctual. There were half a dozen other fans who could have been the one to touch the ball. We could all be hating Susie Nonfan just as easily. It just wasn’t Steve Bartman’s day. Steve, if you’re reading this, I feel sorry for you and I’d love to buy you a beer sometime. You’re lucky I’m a Giants fan.
Critically Rated at 9/17
Written, Rated, and Reviewed by Brendan H. Young

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November 27, 2013 · 1:14 pm

Four Days in October (documentary)

Four Days in October is one of the many documentaries in ESPN’s 30 for 30 series. It focuses on the Boston Red Sox during their improbable comeback in the 2004 ALCS against the New York Yankees. As you might recall, the Red Sox were down three games to none in a best of seven series. The Red Sox were playing their hated rivals for a chance to go to the World Series and break the “The Curse” once and for all. But no team had ever come back from a three game deficit, and one more loss would mean the end of the season. It looked like the Yankees had it in the bag.

But there’s one thing that separates baseball from most other sports: there is no clock. You have to play to the last out. It sounds cliché, but it’s really not over until it’s over. Positive attitudes, clutch performances, and key hits kept the Red Sox alive. They proceeded to win the next four games in spectacular fashion, inspiring a nation along the way. Those four days in October gave baseball fans some of the most memorable moments in MLB Playoff history: Kevin Millar and his motivational pep talks, Curt Schilling and his bloody sock, Dave Roberts and his game-shifting steal, and the invincible bat of David Ortiz are just a few that stand out.

You don’t have to be a baseball fan to appreciate this documentary, but it certainly helps. It also helps if you hate the Yankees. Four Days in October does a good job of capturing the excitement and energy happening in the Red Sox dugout and locker room. You can tell the players know that they are in the middle of something special. They know that destiny is on their side; they just have to enjoy the ride.

Critically Rated at 14/17

Written, Rated, and Reviewed by Brendan H. Young

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October 12, 2013 · 9:21 pm

2013 MLB ALCS/NLCS

The baseball season is winding down and right now four teams are trying to get to the World Series. The Detroit Tigers and the Boston Red Sox are competing for the American League Pennant, and the St. Louis Cardinals and the Los Angeles Dodgers are competing for the National League Pennant. The two Pennant winners get to play each other in the World Series to determine the championship team. All four teams are solid, all of them deserve to be there, there are no underdogs… and that’s bad for baseball. In fact, it’s terrible for baseball. The Tigers were just in the World Series last year. They got swept by the San Francisco Giants in four games. The Cardinals won the year before in 2011. The Red Sox won it in miracle fashion in 2004 and then again in 2007. That wasn’t that long ago. And the Dodgers have one of the highest payrolls and most star-studded lineups in baseball, and have turned themselves into the Yankees of the West. You either love them or hate them, but you still have to respect them. And unless you’re a fan of one of those four teams, you probably don’t care who wins. In fact, you probably want all of them to lose. I know I do. Especially the Dodgers. I suppose we should consider ourselves lucky that the Yankees didn’t even make the playoffs, but I’ve got to bitch about something. All four of those teams are legitimate contenders. And that bores me.

Critically Rated at 4/17

Written, Rated, and Reviewed by Brendan H. Young

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August 24, 2013 · 9:22 am

Wait Til Next Year

The Chicago Cubs have a motto and it’s “wait til next year.” That’s because they haven’t won a World Series title since 1908. That’s a pretty big drought, the longest of any North American sports team. As each season crumbles away and they see their World Series chances dissolving, all the fans can do is wait till next year. I never really understood their grief. I’m a Giants fan, and we won two World Series in three years. But then the 2013 season began, and the Giants started playing like a Little League team. We still have the same core team that won it all in 2012, but this season we are last in our division, well below .500, and are about 20 games behind the Dodgers. We have no choice but to wait til next year. We can still gloat about being the defending champions, but we can’t ignore the fact that we suck right now. Only one team can win the World Series, everyone else has to wait til next year.

Critically Rated at 6/17

Written, Rated, and Reviewed by Brendan H. Young

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May 26, 2013 · 10:40 am

A Blown Call

Umpires are humans and humans make mistakes, but that doesn’t make you feel any better when an ump blows a call and your team loses. Major League Baseball needs to accept the inevitable and embrace instant replay to review controversial calls. They already do it for homeruns, but they need to do it for plays at the plate too. Maybe each team can challenge a call twice per game or maybe they can challenge once every three innings. It wouldn’t be too much of a hindrance or slow the game down too much. The umpires seem to be the biggest opponent of utilizing instant replay. They need to shut the fuck up. It won’t put them out of a job or anything. The NBA, the NFL, the NHL all use instant replay and we never saw an influx of referees on welfare. Umpires are an integral part of the MLB, they aren’t going anywhere. There’s nothing wrong with technology, especially if it makes you do your job better. I don’t want to see any more perfect games getting ruined by an inept umpire. The future is now and human error should be a thing of the past.

Critically Rated at 3/17

Written, Rated, and Reviewed by Brendan H. Young

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May 8, 2013 · 9:53 am

Watching the Game at Work

The game is on but you’re stuck at work. You can turn on the TV or radio and have it tuned in, but you can’t just stay in one spot and watch it because there’s shit to be done. That’s when watching the game at work becomes a group effort. You have to identify your gamer co-workers and work out an amateur system of notification. At any given point, one or two people should be following the game. Then if someone gets a run or makes a great play, they disperse and spread the word to everyone else, “Posey just hit a solo shot, it’s 5-4 now.” You might be missing most of the action, but you’re not missing out. Sports have a way of bringing people together. I have nothing in common with my manager except for a mutual passion for baseball. We can talk about the Giants for hours but all other small talk is nonexistent. Baseball season has a way of unifying people. I work in a restaurant, and it’s pretty awesome when the managers, servers, cooks, and bussers all have something to cheer about and celebrate together. Watching the game at work is essential for staff bonding. I’d still rather be at the game though.

Critically Rated at 13/17

Written, Rated, and Reviewed by Brendan H. Young

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May 4, 2013 · 9:56 am

The Seagulls at AT&T Park

AT&T is the home of the San Francisco Giants and about a thousand fucking seagulls. The seagulls seem to have some sort of ESP because they always know when the game is almost over. It doesn’t matter if it’s a day game or a night game, or the first or last game of a home stand, they’ll always show up around the 7th or 8th inning. You’ll see one, than a few, than it’s suddenly like a Hitchcock movie and the sky is filled with the motherfuckers. They start flying around looking for food and shitting on people. It’s pretty nerve-wracking (not to mention distracting) and it makes you want to bring an umbrella for protection from aerial bombardments. The seagulls can even sense extra innings somehow. It’s kind of amazing how aware they can be. I love everything about AT&T Park, it’s one of the best stadiums in the world but the seagulls are definitely a nuisance. You can’t enjoy the game if you’re worried about being shat on. Maybe they can have a BB gun giveaway and solve the problem once and for all.

Critically Rated at 7/17

Written, Rated, and Reviewed by Brendan H. Young

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April 30, 2013 · 11:04 am

A Walk-Off

A walk-off is baseball’s equivalent of a buzzer beater. Except it’s better than a buzzer beater because there is no time limit in baseball. You can’t simply run out the clock. You can have two outs and be a strike away from losing and still win the game. It’s not over until it’s over. A walk-off can only happen when the home team is at the plate either in the bottom of the 9th inning or in extra innings. It’s awesome when your team wins in a walk-off and it’s agonizing when they lose in a walk-off because there’s nothing you can do about it. It’s one of the best things about baseball. There’s nothing quite like experiencing a walk-off in person. Everyone in the stands is screaming and going nuts while the winning team rushes the field and pummels the clutch hitter as he touches the bag. They jump on top of him and slap his helmet and you see grown men acting like little kids. It’s all smiles and pure joy. It’s why they play the game and it’s why we watch it.

Critically Rated at 16/17

Written, Rated, and Reviewed by Brendan H. Young

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April 24, 2013 · 10:17 am

Bringing a Glove to the Game

It’s baseball season and I love every minute of it, so I’m warning you now that I’ll be writing a bunch of shit about baseball for the next few months. Today’s baseball topic is bringing a glove to the game. Bringing a glove to the game means that you are either really optimistic or six-years-old. I’ve been to over two hundred baseball games in my life and have never caught a ball. I’ve had three major chances, and I would have caught them if I had my glove. I’ve only brought my glove to a few games. One time I was sitting in premium foul ball territory right along the third baseline, so I made sure to bring it. Not a single foul ball came anywhere in the vicinity of me and I almost left my glove at the bar after the game. Wearing a glove is only acceptable at the game, you look like a tool anywhere outside of the stadium. It’s a Catch-22, you’re damned if you do and you’re damned if you don’t. I might never catch a foul ball, but one time I saw a guy get smashed in the face with a loose bat. That almost makes up for it. I just want to catch one ball in my life. I don’t even want to keep the ball. I want to catch it, have my five seconds of glory, and then give it to a little kid nearby. He’ll treasure it more than I would. Unless he throws it back.

Critically Rated at 12/17

Written, Rated, and Reviewed by Brendan H. Young

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April 11, 2013 · 10:06 am

California Baseball Teams

Baseball is America’s pastime and California is America’s best state. I’m not being biased, I’m being factual. There are only thirty clubs in Major League Baseball and five of them are based in California. We have two expansion teams and three of the most storied teams in the MLB. The Oakland Athletics have been an American League team since 1901. They’ve played in Philadelphia, moved to Kansas City, then came to the Bay Area. They have won 9 World Series titles: 5 in Philly and 4 in Oakland. The LA Dodgers and SF Giants are both National League teams with roots in New York City, and they are one of the best rivalries in baseball. The Giants and Dodgers both have roots going back to 1883.  The Dodgers have 6 World Series titles, and the Giants have 7 (and are the reigning World Series Champions for the second time in three years). The Angels were an expansion team in 1961. They currently have one World Series title and right now they have one of the most formidable lineups in baseball.

            The Giants and the Dodgers have been rivals since the NYC days. The Giants and the A’s have a mostly friendly rivalry, but there’s some tension because A’s swept the Giants in the Battle of the Bay in the ’89 World Series. The Angles also beat the Giants in the 2002 World Series and bitter feelings still linger in San Francisco (we were five outs away, then they had to bust out the damn Rally Monkey). The Dodgers and the A’s have a rivalry because they are both competing for the love of LA.

And then there’s the San Diego Padres. They are the little brother of MLB teams in California. They have no World Series Titles and no real rivalry with any other California team because they’ve never really been a contender. They have 2 NL Pennants that they can raise, but you’re not a team until you have a ring. They have a nice stadium. That’s about it.

            The era of the East Coast Bias is long gone. It’s all about the West now. And you have a lot of options for choosing a baseball team in the Golden State. Do you support the NL or the AL? Northern California or Southern California? Do you like winners or losers? No matter what, there’s a team for you. But if I were you, I’d go with the Giants. Can’t go wrong with the best.

Critically Rated at 13/17

Written, Rated and Reviewed by Brendan H. Young

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April 6, 2013 · 8:29 am

The San Francisco Giants

The San Francisco Giants are the best team in baseball. The Yankees might have won more World Series, but the Giants have won more games. I know that sounds unbelievable, but it’s a fact. Look it up. They have more wins than any North American sports team. That includes football, basketball, soccer, and hockey. The most winning team in the USA ever. And we won two out of the last three championships. That makes us a dynasty.

Right now we have some of the best players out there. We have Buster Posey, former Rookie of the Year and reigning National League MVP, and we have him for 9 more years. People don’t give enough respect to Pablo Sandoval. Yeah, he’s a fatty but he also hit three homeruns in a World Series Game, can hit from both sides of the plate, and makes spectacular plays at third base. We have quite possibly the best pitching rotation in the majors. Our worst starting pitcher has 2 Cy Young Awards. Our best pitcher has achieved perfection. We have three of the best announcers in baseball. Jon Miller is in the Hall of Fame. And Kruk and Kuip are two broadcasters that are as beloved as anyone on the field. Dave Flemming is growing on me. Very slowly, but he’s still growing on me.

We have two of the best players of all time. Barry Bonds is controversial because he was roided out in an era when everyone was roided out. Most people choose to ignore that he was a 40-40 player before he started using, and was perhaps the most dominate player of any generation. Some people might say that Babe Ruth is the Greatest Of All Time because he was the best hitter and a brilliant pitcher. Whatever, he never played against black people or Latinos and white people suck at sports. We also had Willie Mays. He is the leading candidate for being the best player ever. He’s certainly the most rounded. He was the ultimate team player with all five tools: he could hit with power, he could hit for average, great defense, a great arm, and a great base runner. Plus he was smart with great instincts. He was born to play baseball.

The Giants are the best team because they are my team. I love them no matter what. I love them when they win, and I love them when they lose. I anguish in each defeat, I revel in each victory. Baseball allows you to connect with the past. You can always compare a player from today with a player from yesterday. It’s why it’s the national pastime. It doesn’t matter who you root for. Your team is your team. But my team just so happens to be the best.

Critically Rated at 16/17

Written, Rated, and Reviewed by Brendan H. Young

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April 1, 2013 · 10:51 am

Opening Day 2013

Today is Opening Day for Major League Baseball, one of the best holidays of the year. You’ve been jonesing for the season to start all winter, you get a little bit of a fix from Spring Training, but there’s nothing like the real thing. Baseball is a drug and Opening Day is the needle. Opening Day also represents possibilities. It’s a clean slate, a fresh start for your team. Anything can happen and everyone looks forward to it. It’s better than Christmas. You look forward to Christmas for a few weeks, then it finally arrives, you do Christmassy things for a few hours, and then it’s over. But with baseball you’re waiting for a few months for Opening Day, then it finally arrives and you do Opening Day festivities and watch your team play a game, and when it’s over you realize that it was just the first of 162 games and you’ll have baseball in your life for the next six months. Christmas abandons you, baseball crashes on your couch and never leaves. Play Ball!

Critically Rated at 16/17

Written, Rated, and Reviewed by Brendan H. Young

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February 26, 2013 · 8:54 am

Spring Training

Spring training is a glorious six-week long period from mid February to Opening Day. It’s when baseball starts to come back to life as players and coaches come back for practice and exhibition games. Some players are competing for a spot on the team, fighting for a chance to make it to the big leagues, and others are trying to prove they still have some gas left in the tank. And a lot of the old time greats walk around offering advice the players and signing autographs for the fans, trying to prove they are still relevant. Teams either train in the Grapefruit League in Florida or go to Arizona for the Cactus League. Most games are played against other MLB teams, but they’ll also play minor league teams, colleges, and every four years they’ll also play World Baseball Classic national teams.

There is a lot of turnover in professional sports and spring training lets to become familiarized with the new faces and talent. And you also start getting psyched for the real season to begin. Spring training is like pregaming: you can’t just start at the bar for a night of marathon drinking, you have to start drinking early and gradually get ready for the real thing.

Critically Rated at 14/17

Written, Rated, and Reviewed by Brendan H. Young

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