C-Brad Ausmus
1B-
2B-Ian Kinsler
SS-
3B-Kevin Youkilis
LF-Ryan Braun
CF-Gabe Kapler
RF-Gabe Gross
DH-Dave Newhan
SP-Jason Marquis
SP-Aaron Poreda
SP-Scott Feldman*
SP-
SP-
RP-Scott Schoenweiss
RP-Craig Breslow*
RP-Mike Koplove*
CL-John Grabow
The announcer will be Steve Stone and the team will be managed by Bob Melvin, Shawn Green will be the hitting coach and Sandy Koufax will be the pitching coach. It will be owned by Jerry Reinsdorf and the GM will be Theo Epstein.
*-denotes a later add to the post
Showing posts with label Baseball Myths. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Baseball Myths. Show all posts
The All African-American All-Star Team
In advance, I apologize to all those who read this post. It was not written with any intention of being offensive, so if it in any way comes out as such, let me just say that I am sorry now. That said, lets move on to the post...
For almost two years now, there has been a single question that the writers of the blog have floated around: are there very many (active) African American baseball players in the major leagues? A few years back, there was a PTI segment dedicated to the topic and Michael Wilbon concluded that there are so few African Americans in baseball because they are much to busy making millions in the NBA and NFL.
Is it true that there are "no" African American baseball players? Of course not; there are many great active black baseball players in the majors and minors, but the ratio of African American athletes in baseball to Basketball or Football is quite small. According to 2008 data collected by ESPN "among major leaguers...just 8.2 percent were black players, down from 8.4 percent in 2006 and the lowest level in at least two decades."
Since that segment, we have periodically tried to piece an all-black baseball team comprised of 100% black players. This means that players like Grady Sizemore and Derek Jeter do not technically qualify for the team. In fact, neither would Russell Martin if it were not for the fact that he is the only half-or-more black catcher in baseball since 2005 (Charles Johnson). For him, we make an exception (despite all the contempt that I continue to hold for his vastly overrated production). We denoted players like Jose Contreras and Kung Fu Panda (Pablo Sandoval) as hispanic, although that classification may be incorrect. Again, apologies for any and all misconceptions.
In compiling this list, the one thing that struck me most was the sheer volume of black MLB players who were outfielders. Almost all of the guys who didn't make the cut for the 25 man roster were outfielders (like Gary Matthews Jr.) or ex-outfielders (like Gary Sheffield). So many, in fact, that guys like Curtis Granderson, Torii Hunter and Jermaine Dye got completely left off the roster.
Anywho, below is a 25 man roster comprised of the best active African American baseball players. Outside of the bullpen, it's a championship-material team.
1-C-Russell Martin
2-1B-Prince Fielder
3-2B-Brandon Phillips
4-SS-Jimmy Rollins
5-3B-Chone Figgins
6-LF-Justin Upton
7-CF-Carl Crawford
8-RF-Matt Kemp
9-DH-Ryan Howard
10-OF-B.J. Upton
11-OF-Adam Jones
12-CI-Derrek Lee
13-MI-Orlando Hudson
14-MI-Rickie Weeks
15-SP-C.C. Sabathia
16-SP-Edwin Jackson
17-SP-David Price
18-SP-Ian Snell
19-SP-Dontrelle Willis
21-CL-LaTroy Hawkins
22-RP-Darren Oliver
23-RP-Tom Gordon
24-RP-Joel Zumaya
25-RP-Corey Wade
The team would be managed by Willie Randolph, but Dusty Baker would be Interm Manager if Willie Randolf was fired.
Active players who didn't make the cut who come to mind:
Andrew McCutchen, Torii Hunter, Curtis Granderson, Jermaine Dye, Milton Bradley, Vernon Wells, Jerry Hairston Jr., Juan Pierre, Eric Young Jr., Elijah Dukes, The Patterson Brother, Marcus Thames, Nyger Morgan, Arthur Rhodes, Bobby Scales, Jerry Owens, Cameron Maybin, Bill Hall, Mike Cameron, Fred Lewis, Emmanuel Burris, Dexter Fowler, Gary Matthews Jr., Joey Gathright, Rajai Davis
Guys who do not qualify for the list because they were forced into retirement:
Frank Thomas (old, ineffective), Kenny Lofton (old, still effective), Ray Durham (old, still effective), Jacques Jones (not exactly old, but he's always sucked), Shawn Chacon (choke-slammed a GM)
For almost two years now, there has been a single question that the writers of the blog have floated around: are there very many (active) African American baseball players in the major leagues? A few years back, there was a PTI segment dedicated to the topic and Michael Wilbon concluded that there are so few African Americans in baseball because they are much to busy making millions in the NBA and NFL.
Is it true that there are "no" African American baseball players? Of course not; there are many great active black baseball players in the majors and minors, but the ratio of African American athletes in baseball to Basketball or Football is quite small. According to 2008 data collected by ESPN "among major leaguers...just 8.2 percent were black players, down from 8.4 percent in 2006 and the lowest level in at least two decades."
Since that segment, we have periodically tried to piece an all-black baseball team comprised of 100% black players. This means that players like Grady Sizemore and Derek Jeter do not technically qualify for the team. In fact, neither would Russell Martin if it were not for the fact that he is the only half-or-more black catcher in baseball since 2005 (Charles Johnson). For him, we make an exception (despite all the contempt that I continue to hold for his vastly overrated production). We denoted players like Jose Contreras and Kung Fu Panda (Pablo Sandoval) as hispanic, although that classification may be incorrect. Again, apologies for any and all misconceptions.
In compiling this list, the one thing that struck me most was the sheer volume of black MLB players who were outfielders. Almost all of the guys who didn't make the cut for the 25 man roster were outfielders (like Gary Matthews Jr.) or ex-outfielders (like Gary Sheffield). So many, in fact, that guys like Curtis Granderson, Torii Hunter and Jermaine Dye got completely left off the roster.
Anywho, below is a 25 man roster comprised of the best active African American baseball players. Outside of the bullpen, it's a championship-material team.
1-C-Russell Martin
2-1B-Prince Fielder
3-2B-Brandon Phillips
4-SS-Jimmy Rollins
5-3B-Chone Figgins
6-LF-Justin Upton
7-CF-Carl Crawford
8-RF-Matt Kemp
9-DH-Ryan Howard
10-OF-B.J. Upton
11-OF-Adam Jones
12-CI-Derrek Lee
13-MI-Orlando Hudson
14-MI-Rickie Weeks
15-SP-C.C. Sabathia
16-SP-Edwin Jackson
17-SP-David Price
18-SP-Ian Snell
19-SP-Dontrelle Willis
21-CL-LaTroy Hawkins
22-RP-Darren Oliver
23-RP-Tom Gordon
24-RP-Joel Zumaya
25-RP-Corey Wade
The team would be managed by Willie Randolph, but Dusty Baker would be Interm Manager if Willie Randolf was fired.
Active players who didn't make the cut who come to mind:
Andrew McCutchen, Torii Hunter, Curtis Granderson, Jermaine Dye, Milton Bradley, Vernon Wells, Jerry Hairston Jr., Juan Pierre, Eric Young Jr., Elijah Dukes, The Patterson Brother, Marcus Thames, Nyger Morgan, Arthur Rhodes, Bobby Scales, Jerry Owens, Cameron Maybin, Bill Hall, Mike Cameron, Fred Lewis, Emmanuel Burris, Dexter Fowler, Gary Matthews Jr., Joey Gathright, Rajai Davis
Guys who do not qualify for the list because they were forced into retirement:
Frank Thomas (old, ineffective), Kenny Lofton (old, still effective), Ray Durham (old, still effective), Jacques Jones (not exactly old, but he's always sucked), Shawn Chacon (choke-slammed a GM)
Baseball's Top Pranks
Over the past few years, I've seen and heard some pretty hilarious baseball tales, such as David Cone's ridiculous libido and propensity for bullpen masturbation. There's also a seemingly endless list of hilarious baseball injuries. In this vein, I present you the eleven funniest baseball pranks (that I know of).
11. Moon Shot
Apparently, it is an annual tradition at the Metronome for former pitching great Bert Blyleven to moon the team during the team photo.
10. R-O-C-C-O
When you're as bad as the Tampa Bay (Devil) Rays were from 1997-2007, you gotta do something to maintain a positive attitude. In 2003, the Rays replaced rookie teammate Rocco Baldelli's jersey with one that said "ROCCO" on the back. Oblivious to this switch, the Rays got the crowd to chant and cheer ROCCO for a full inning. The prank ended when the homeplate umpire burst into tears of laughter during one of Baldelli's at bats, calling for a time out because Baldelli needed to "inspect his uniform."
09. Fishy Foulplay
According to the book Ball Four by Jim Bouton, Orioles pitchers Eddie Watt and Pete Richert once snuck into the visitor bullpen during a game and put four live fish in the Seattle Pilot's water cooler. The bullpen coach was so pissed off that he threatened to protest the game to the commissioner.
08. Rick's A Dick
Cubs pitcher Rick Sutcliffe once sent the team's 8 year old batboy out to home plate to ask the umpire if he had the key to the batter's box.
07. "Fan Appreciation Day"
On the last day of the 1992 season, Joe Carter and the Blue Jays announced that they were "giving away" a car to a lucky ticketholder in honor of fan appreciation day. Too bad that car happened to belong to rookie CF Derek Bell.
06. Will Ohman gets his shit rocked by Ryan Dempster
Prior to the 2005 baseball season, Will Ohman put eyeblack on teammate Ryan Dempster's hat and superglued his clothes in a feeble prank attempt. Dempster responded in kind by removing all four tires from Ohman's car, hiding them around the spring training facility, and placing the tireless car body up on cinder blocks in the middle of the outfield.
05. Don't lend money to Ken Griffey Jr.
Unless you want to get paid back in pennies, one should never lend money to Ken Griffey Jr.
04. "The Great Double-A Potato Swap"
In the summer of 1987, minor leaguer Dave Bresnahan, distraught with his team's awful performance, decided to lighten up the clubhouse mood by secretly replacing the game ball with a potato that he whittled to look like a baseball ball. The result was a bad pitch and potato explosion that looked like a passed ball. The runner on third attempted to advance, only to be tagged out by Besnahan and the real baseball.
03. The curious case of Sidd Finch
How many of you have heard of Mets pitcher Sidd Finch? In 1985, the Mets organization and SI writer George Plimpton pulled the greatest April Fool's joke in the history of sports on Major League Baseball. Plimpton extensively profiled a fictional fireballer by the name of Sidd Finch in the April edition of Sports Illustrated, claiming the New York Mets had signed a prospect whose fastball topped off at 168 MPH. SI even hired a High School teacher to pose for the article as the made-up hurler, while the Mets provided them him an authentic uniform. Following the article's publication, several GM's contacted the commissioner of the league to protest the unfairness of the signing and demanded that he be refused entry into the Major League farm system.
02. Do not cross the Cubs pitching staff
I can't even begin to summarize this prank without losing the article's comical effect.
01. Kyle Kendrick is punked by Brett Meyers
The video speaks for itself. Enjoy!
11. Moon Shot
Apparently, it is an annual tradition at the Metronome for former pitching great Bert Blyleven to moon the team during the team photo.
10. R-O-C-C-O
When you're as bad as the Tampa Bay (Devil) Rays were from 1997-2007, you gotta do something to maintain a positive attitude. In 2003, the Rays replaced rookie teammate Rocco Baldelli's jersey with one that said "ROCCO" on the back. Oblivious to this switch, the Rays got the crowd to chant and cheer ROCCO for a full inning. The prank ended when the homeplate umpire burst into tears of laughter during one of Baldelli's at bats, calling for a time out because Baldelli needed to "inspect his uniform."
09. Fishy Foulplay
According to the book Ball Four by Jim Bouton, Orioles pitchers Eddie Watt and Pete Richert once snuck into the visitor bullpen during a game and put four live fish in the Seattle Pilot's water cooler. The bullpen coach was so pissed off that he threatened to protest the game to the commissioner.
08. Rick's A Dick
Cubs pitcher Rick Sutcliffe once sent the team's 8 year old batboy out to home plate to ask the umpire if he had the key to the batter's box.
07. "Fan Appreciation Day"
On the last day of the 1992 season, Joe Carter and the Blue Jays announced that they were "giving away" a car to a lucky ticketholder in honor of fan appreciation day. Too bad that car happened to belong to rookie CF Derek Bell.
06. Will Ohman gets his shit rocked by Ryan Dempster
Prior to the 2005 baseball season, Will Ohman put eyeblack on teammate Ryan Dempster's hat and superglued his clothes in a feeble prank attempt. Dempster responded in kind by removing all four tires from Ohman's car, hiding them around the spring training facility, and placing the tireless car body up on cinder blocks in the middle of the outfield.
05. Don't lend money to Ken Griffey Jr.
Unless you want to get paid back in pennies, one should never lend money to Ken Griffey Jr.
04. "The Great Double-A Potato Swap"
In the summer of 1987, minor leaguer Dave Bresnahan, distraught with his team's awful performance, decided to lighten up the clubhouse mood by secretly replacing the game ball with a potato that he whittled to look like a baseball ball. The result was a bad pitch and potato explosion that looked like a passed ball. The runner on third attempted to advance, only to be tagged out by Besnahan and the real baseball.
03. The curious case of Sidd Finch
How many of you have heard of Mets pitcher Sidd Finch? In 1985, the Mets organization and SI writer George Plimpton pulled the greatest April Fool's joke in the history of sports on Major League Baseball. Plimpton extensively profiled a fictional fireballer by the name of Sidd Finch in the April edition of Sports Illustrated, claiming the New York Mets had signed a prospect whose fastball topped off at 168 MPH. SI even hired a High School teacher to pose for the article as the made-up hurler, while the Mets provided them him an authentic uniform. Following the article's publication, several GM's contacted the commissioner of the league to protest the unfairness of the signing and demanded that he be refused entry into the Major League farm system.
02. Do not cross the Cubs pitching staff
I can't even begin to summarize this prank without losing the article's comical effect.
01. Kyle Kendrick is punked by Brett Meyers
The video speaks for itself. Enjoy!
Mythbusters: Baseball Myths
Today, I ran across a pair of old Mythbusters episodes that took on several of baseball's most notorious myths. Can a corked bat hit a baseball farther than a regular baseball bat? Does eye black really work? Does adding humidity to a baseball reduce it's tendency to be hit for a home run? Is there such a thing as a rising fastball? Is it faster to slide or slow down into bases that you can't overrun in a game? Can a fastball ball hit hard enough cause the baseball's hide and stitching to be torn apart?
The answers are:
1. There is no available video for the first myth, but Mythbusters proved that putting cork in a bat actually reduced the momentum of the batted ball by up to 50%. In other words, if Sosa truly was playing with a corked bat, not only was he cheating himself out of homeruns, but he was also significantly more powerful than fans ever gave him credit for!
2.
Yes, but it only works on reflected glare (not direct sunlight)
3. I couldn't find a video for the humidity myth, but Mythbusters proved that there is a noticeable impact on the home run propensity of baseballs stored in humid areas.
4.
No.
5. I couldn't find a video for the sliding myth, but Mythbusters proved that sliding is unequivocally more effective by fractions of a second.
6.
Not by a human, no.
The answers are:
1. There is no available video for the first myth, but Mythbusters proved that putting cork in a bat actually reduced the momentum of the batted ball by up to 50%. In other words, if Sosa truly was playing with a corked bat, not only was he cheating himself out of homeruns, but he was also significantly more powerful than fans ever gave him credit for!
2.
Yes, but it only works on reflected glare (not direct sunlight)
3. I couldn't find a video for the humidity myth, but Mythbusters proved that there is a noticeable impact on the home run propensity of baseballs stored in humid areas.
4.
No.
5. I couldn't find a video for the sliding myth, but Mythbusters proved that sliding is unequivocally more effective by fractions of a second.
6.
Not by a human, no.
