Embrace MLB Instant Replay – It’s Here to Stay

Ah, baseball is back. I love America’s pastime. From the crack of the bat to the pop of the mitt to the stoppage in play because of an official review – baseball is great. For the first time ever instant replay is being used throughout MLB stadiums and everyone has their own opinion on whether it’s good for the game. While there have to be some tweaks to the system, and players will have to change the way they play the game in some instances, I think instant replay is a great thing for baseball and will only improve.
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Forget Reality, and Give Me the Cubbie Blue Pill | Chicago Cubs Opening Day

Although the weather in the Eastern half of the United States continues to defy what the calendar proclaims, today is Opening Day.  For Chicago Cubs supporters such as me, this year promises to be the fifth straight season of following a team without contention aspirations.  Despite the promise of various minor league talents that could make their major league debuts this summer, the general expectation is that this Cubs season will closely follow this script. Read More

Dave Parker is Fighting to Stay in First Place

“That’s one of the greatest ball players of all time, Buddy. Shake his hand.” Dave Parker, who has grandkids of his own now, took the child’s small hand in his own— the same hand that used to fire off balls like a cannon from right field— and gave it a gentle but firm shake. 
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The Nuances of Baseball

The official Major League Baseball Rules Book is a 125-page document that explains everything from how to play the game to how to keep statistics. Outside of that document there exists a set of unwritten rules that players, managers, and umpires use to govern the gray areas. This post season the legitimacy of some of these rules both written and unwritten have been called into question in regards to their legitimacy and their ability to affect the outcome of a game.  Read More

Blurry Vision: The 2013 MLB Playoffs

The first day of autumn has fallen upon us, and, while most on this blog are comparing the subtleties of pumpkin beers and other fall seasonals, I am sweating out … Read More

New Faces Atop MLB Standings

What if I told you that on July 31^st the two best teams in baseball were both in the National League Central? What if I told you that the two teams were the Pittsburgh Pirates and the St. Louis Cardinals? You might expect the Cardinals but it finally looks like the Pirates will keep it together for an entire season. Major League Baseball is facing a lot of issues but new teams at the top of the MLB standings are definitely a positive.

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Why the Phillies Won’t Trade Cliff Lee

I guess most important to preserving any credibility I have is to acknowledge my Philadelphia bias and all the territory that comes with it….i.e. Washington should have never sat Strausburg … Read More

Ban Home Plate Collisions

In baseball contact is frowned upon. Any contact except for the ball hitting the bat is discouraged and can include discipline if it is severe enough. So why in a sport that steers away from collisions do we have one of the most violent incidences in professional athletics?

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Awesomesauce- Uncommon Goods

If you’ve never heard of Uncommon Goods, you’ve been missing out.  The sustainable and eco-friendly purveyor of awesome stuff has been around since 1999 (that’s the same year this song was released, for some perspective.)  They feature awesome handmade, specialty, and sustainable gifts for almost anyone you can imagine. Read More

Who’s Worthy for Cooperstown Now?

Many might not have realized it, but January 9^th will be a day that changed the future of professional baseball in America forever. For just the 8^th time in the history of the Hall of Fame voting, no players were elected into the HOF in Cooperstown. But if it’s happened before why is this time more significant? It’s simple and can be summed up in two words – steroid era.

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Story Time With Hank | ADHD in the Outfield

Still on the road, so this is gonna be another quickie. I’d apologize, but “you’re welcome” is probably more appropriate.

The plan this week was the same as the plan last week: namely, sitting in bars, dropping some eaves, hoping other people would basically write this thing for me. Except last week’s material came out of a clean and well-lit sports bar, which I figured was a fluke. The best stories, in my experience, usually come out of the shittiest bars. So for three nights I sat in dark rooms on wobbly stools, waiting, listening and taking copious notes. Being looked at weird for taking such copious notes. But I think I overshot my mark; these bars were too shitty. I didn’t hear the kinds of conversations I was hoping to hear, the kinds of conversations I can share with tender-hearted readers. I have a notebook full of stories about prostitutes. Read More