Strike Three!

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I'm not sure why, but this picture makes me chuckle every time I see it. Which is about 3 times now in the last month. Sorry kiddo!

For Dale Murphy, From Your Son

Artist: Tyson Murphy / Image Source

The image above is a cartoon drawn by one Tyson Murphy for his father Dale Murphy. Dale was one of my all-time favorite players growing up as a baseball-loving kiddo. This is a great story I was turned onto at Deadspin. The article is written by Deadspin's Barry Petchesky:

It's Dale Murphy's 15th and final year on the Hall of Fame ballot, and while his chances of getting in are slim, his children are doing their part to honor him the way they remember him. Tyson Murphy isn't a sports fan—he's an artist at Blizzard Entertainment, the video game developer responsible for the World of Warcraft games. But he drew his dad this doodle for Christmas, as a tribute to the man whose non-baseball exploits meant more to him.. (cont'd)

Continue to the rest of the article..

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Another Incredible Stadium Light Photo

Enlarge!

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This one is Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Yovani Gallardo throwing during the eighth inning of Game 1 of baseball's National League division series against the Arizona Diamondbacks on October 1, 2011, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps)

Ultimate Batting Practice

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Video trickery? I think it would have to be as hard as it is to hit a baseball exactly where you want to. Very cool, though.

Good Kid

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Hmm.. What kind of message is it gonna send to the first kid who was upset in the first place - once he finds out the other kid was given an autographed bat?? They should've kept it simple, and given him a ball as well. Maybe an autographed ball. Good story though! These two kids will probably be friends for life now.

A Perfect Case For Complete Instant Replay Review in MLB

OK I've watched this video over and over and over and it appears to me that there is no one in the world who had a better look at this play than umpire Jerry Meals.


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With runners on second and third with one out, Braves pitcher Scott Proctor chopped a ball to third baseman Pedro Alvarez who threw home to catcher Michael McKenry who swiped a tag across the leg of the Julio Lugo.

Meals called Lugo safe and the Braves won 4-3 after six hours and 10 minutes. McKenry yelled at Meals, "I got him." Pirates manager Clint Hurdle rushed from the dugout to complain. The call has ignited debate about instant replay and prompted the Pirates to file a complaint with Major League Baseball. (USA Today)

I don't know. The throw beat him by a mile. The issue is whether Meals saw a tag or not. It looks as if he may have missed the first swipe on the knee, but even had a second chance further up, a millisecond later, on the back of the arm. Some of the clips I've watched have a slow-motion segment that shows each possibility in a little more clarity, but no camera angle I've seen has shown me definitive proof that there was a tag. I guess the only two people who really know are McKenry and Lugo.

Nevertheless, here is umpire Jerry Meals' post-game statement: "McKenry caught the ball and made a swipe-tag attempt at Lugo sliding. I did not see any tag. After that I ruled him safe. [But] after coming into the locker room, I reviewed the incident through our videos we have in here, and after seeing a few of them on one particular replay, I was able to see that Lugo's pant leg moved ever so slightly when the swipe-tag was attempted by McKenry. That's telling me I was incorrect in my decision, and he should have been ruled out, not safe." (USA Today)

This is why you utilize instant replay whenever you can. The call was questionable, and upon a first review my any average viewer, it's fair to say that an official review would have been warranted. More so the call itself was a crucial call - much like those in the last 2-minutes of an NBA game and NFL games. C'mon MLB, get with the program, and follow suit!!

Full USA Today article here..

That Would Be A Record

On Aug. 4, 1982, Mets center fielder Joel Youngblood had driven in two runs against Cubs pitcher Ferguson Jenkins in an afternoon game at Wrigley Field when he was traded in mid-game to the Montreal Expos.

He left the game and flew to Philadelphia in time to take up a position in right field at Veterans Stadium at the bottom of the sixth in an evening game against the Philadelphia Phillies.

In the top of the seventh he singled

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against Steve Carlton. That makes Youngblood the only player in history to get a base hit for two different teams in two different cities on the same day — and he did it against two future Hall of Famers.

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What A Brother

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Here is the article about this..

World Series Stuff You May Not Know

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Journey - "Lights" World Series Sing Along

Giants fans sing Journey during World Series Game 2 @ Yahoo! Video

Here's the story..

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Congratulations Texas Rangers!!

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What an incredible post-season this has been.. Now go bring it home!

Reds' Chapman Throws Fastest Pitch Ever Recorded

Aroldis Chapman was summoned from the bullpen one batter too late to make a difference in the game. No matter. The 22-year-old Cincinnati Reds left-hander made do by making history Friday night, throwing the fastest pitch recorded in a major league game, a 105-mph fastball.

The blazing pitch pushed a white-hot pennant race
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to the back burner. Yes, the San Diego Padres won the game 4-3 to pull ahead of the Atlanta Braves in the National League wild-card race. Sure, the San Francisco Giants all but buried the Colorado Rockies thanks to a dominant performance by Tim Lincecum.

But the lingering memory was of a now-you-see-it, did-I-actually-see-it fastball to Tony Gwynn in the eighth inning. The pitch was not a fluke: Chapman threw 25 pitches in his 1 1/3 innings of relief, and every one was at least 100 mph. He didn’t throw a slider. He didn’t throw a changeup. Why would he?

From Walter Johnson to Bob Feller to Steve Dalkowski to J.R. Richard to Nolan Ryan to Stephen Strasburg, blistering velocity is etched forever in baseball lore. Rush Chapman to the head of the list. Has anybody in the history of the game had a comparable 25-pitch sequence?

“I didn’t see it until the ball was behind me,” Gwynn said. “I was trying not to look at the radar reading because I’d be intimidated. I saw how hard he was throwing and just tried to be slow and work my hands.”

The 105-mph pitch was inside for a ball and evened the count at 2-2. Gwynn had fouled off the previous two pitches and fouled off the next before striking out. He ought to be pleased with his effort, forcing Chapman to make seven pitches, the slowest of which was 102 mph.

Gwynn’s father, Tony, a Hall-of-Famer and one of baseball greatest hitters, never saw a pitch as fast as the one Chapman threw. Maybe nobody else has, either. Since radar guns were introduced in the 1980s, the fastest pitch recorded was 104.8 mph by Joel Zumaya of the Detroit Tigers in a playoff game Oct. 10, 2006. Chapman, who defected from the Cuban national team in 2009, was clocked at 104 on Sept. 1 in his second major league appearance and also hit 105 mph with a pitch for Triple-A Louisville earlier this season.

Chapman, speaking through an interpreter with bags of ice strapped across his arm, credited his stepped-up velocity Friday to the fact that he’d pitched only once in the last week. He didn’t allow an earned run in his first eight relief appearances after being promoted Aug. 31, but the Astros nicked him for two runs a week ago. He pitched a scoreless inning on Monday against the Brewers, then had three more days off.

Continue reading..

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Doesn't The Government Have Better Things To Do?

Roger Clemens indicted on perjury charges, and others.

A federal grand jury indicted Roger Clemens on Thursday on charges of making false statements to Congress about his use of performance-enhancing drugs.

An indictment was returned to U.S. Magistrate Judge Deborah A. Robinson of the District at a brief hearing shortly after 1:30 p.m. The indictment charges Clemens with one count of obstruction of Congress, three counts of making false statements and two counts of
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perjury in connection with his February 2008 testimony before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

If convicted, he faces 15 to 21 months in prison.

How Mariano Rivera Dominates

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Mariano Rivera is one of the most dominant closers in history, but what may be most remarkable is that he has done it by confounding hitters with mostly one pitch - his signature "cutter", or cut fastball.

Having run across this video, along with another infographic over at Chartporn Dot Org, this blew me away. But I'd rather link you to the main article about Rivera. So even if you don't read the entire article (yes it is rather long - but great), at least check out the 2½ minute video. You won't regret it!:



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In Case You Haven't Seen The Catch Yet

Reality of The Moon Exploration

vs. an average baseball field


Click to enlarge..

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I'm really not surprised. Compared with the size of the moon, and the desire to get there after all those years, this is miniscule if you've ever seen a baseball field. Not impressed. I explored more territory behind my house growing up right after dinner on my 11th birthday!

You Can't Fix Stupid

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There's No Cake In Baseball

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The United Countries Of Baseball

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There needs to be a section around Montreal where there are still a ton of fans for the Nationals. I also guarantee that the Astros area extends well into Texas where Rangers are noted. Same thing with the Cardinals into Missouri, and a lot more of Illinois. Heck I know a ton of Cardinals baseball fans, and I live in Texas.

Lots more Dodgers and Phillies fans than shown, too. I know I knock it, but yet I posted it. It's still pretty accurate. You get the idea. Anyone wanna do one of these for football?? NBA??

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What An Incredible Hailstorm

Just in case you've never seen what baseball-size hail can do. This is absolutely insane, especially at about the :55 mark.



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Update: Supposedly this is the cloud that is responsible for that hail storm in Oklahoma.


Click to enlarge!

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