Players Who Somehow Received a Vote for the Baseball Hall of Fame

The Baseball Hall of Fame announced Wednesday that Andre Dawson will be the newest member of the Hall of Fame. Bert Blyleven and Robert Alomar narrowly missed being elected as well. The fact that Alomar did not make the HOF was surprising but that did not stand out the most when looking at the voting results.

I noticed that David Segui, the known steroid user, who bounced around his entire career and was nothing more than a slightly above-average first baseman, received one vote. Who in their right mind would have voted for this guy? So then I got to thinking: What other marginal players have received votes over the years? Thanks to baseball-reference.com (one of my favorite sites) I looked through the final hall of fame ballot over the past ten years and found quite a few of these people. (more…)

Links of the Week: December 4, 2009

Booty-21Here is the latest edition of the LwB’s Links of the Week. In this edition, we have hot chicks in booty shorts, a man marrying a video game character, a Serena Williams wardrobe malfunction and MUCH MORE.

If I ever have a daughter, this is why she will NOT be going away to school

Looking for some good ornaments for the tree? These adult Christmas ornaments could do the trick. (more…)

The 2009 World Series Will Break Up My Wedding

phillies-yankees copyAs you all know by now, the New York Yankees and the Philadelphia Phillies will battle it out for the 2009 World Series title this week. If you are a reader of this site, you probably know that I am a HUGE Yankees fan. What you may not know, is that my fiancé, a native of a southeastern Pennsylvania suburb is a Phillies fan. We should be in for quite the interesting week.

I worry how this series will affect our relationship. Up until this point, we always rooted for each other’s teams. We shared a love for baseball and a hatred for the Mets. I’d take her to Yankee Stadium and she would buy a shirt of whichever Yankee she thought was the hottest at the time. She’d take me to Citizens Bank Park and I’d purchase a Phillies cap and cheer on Chase Utley.

But that all changes from here on out. My Phillies hat will be burned in effigy. I hope Citizens Bank goes bankrupt and Chase Utley breaks an ankle. (more…)

Boo? Fuck You!

chase utley-philadelphia philliesAs promised, here is the first post from new contributor Frank Wheeler.

Watching Chase Utley try to bunt for a base hit against the Rockies in Game 2 of the 2009 NLDS reminded me of the type of player this guy is. He’s a fighter. A man’s man. A man who will do absolutely anything to win. Utley can destroy opposing teams with the homer, the two-bagger, or a bunt – doesn’t matter. He’s of the same mold of the type of guys who used to play in the Golden Age, when men would play through a broken finger and indeed, a hangover (e.g. Lou Gehrig and Mickey Mantle, respectively).

Coincidentally, it also reminded me of the 2008 All-Star game in New York when Utley was caught on camera saying “Fuck You!” in response to arrogant fans who booed him when he was introduced. (more…)

A-Rod Becomes a “True Yankee” and Other Observations from a Classic Playoff Game

arodIn of the greatest games in Yankee postseason history, the Bronx Bombers defeated the Minnesota Twins 4-3 Friday night to take a commanding 2-0 ALDS series lead. Everyone knows that already though. No one is coming to this site to read a recap. These are some observations from last night’s instant classic that you may not know about.

ALEX RODRIGUEZ
Last night A-Rod came through with a game-tying home run off closer Joe Nathan in the bottom of the ninth inning. Alex the Great is finally showing that he can come through in big playoff situations. Does this mean that A-Rod has finally earned his pinstripes? Is Alex officially a “True Yankee?” Can he finally be mentioned in the same breath as such Yankee greats like Chad Curtis, Scott Brosius and Mariano Duncan? I’ll leave that to the sportswriters to figure out. (more…)

The Ten Easiest Jobs in Sports

sorianoMany boys grow up dreaming of sports glory. Throwing the winning TD pass in the Super Bowl, hitting a walk-off home run to win the World Series or draining the winning basket as time expires to win the NBA championship are just a few of the dreams that fill the heads of American youngsters as they sleep.

These are not easy dreams to attain. Just to be in the position to achieve sports glory, it takes a lifetime of hard work, dedication, discipline and, most importantly, God-given talent.

Those who aren’t talented enough but love sports may look to a job as a broadcaster, or general manager or some sort of front office job. Well these aren’t too easy to get either. You need a bachelors AND a masters degree and you need to work 20 different internships before anyone will even hire you. Even after that you probably still need to know someone to get in. Working behind the scenes requires more work than being an athlete.

Well…most men are lazy. This is why so few achieve this goal. However, there are some jobs in sports that require little or no effort. These are the jobs every lazy man out there should dream to attain. These are the ten easiest jobs in sports. (more…)

Links of the Week: October 2, 2009

mike_blowersIt’s Friday. It’s time for another edition of Links of the Week.  This week we have hilarious roller coaster photos, idiot bank-robber stories and an amazing prediction from former ball player Mike Blowers.  Check it out.  (more…)

Fire Joe Morgan on Deadspin!

Fire Joe MorganOMG you guys! Fire Joe Morgan is back for one day only on Deadspin! If you are not familiar with Fire Joe Morgan, then you’ve been missing out. Firejoemorgan.com was a web site created in 2005 that was devoted to mocking bad sports journalism. The blog took off but the guys decided to stop writing in 2008. Turns out two of them are writers for NBC and just didn’t have the time to do it anymore.

Anyway they are making a one day appearance on Deadspin. If you are a big baseball fan you MUST check this out. This article is definitely my favorite. Be sure to check out the others as well.


Derek Jeter: All-Time Yankee Hit Leader and the Greatest Shortstop Who Ever Lived

derek-jeterWith a single to right field in the third inning of the Yankees 10-4 loss to the Orioles Friday, Derek Jeter collected his 2,722nd career hit and passed Lou Gehrig to become the New York Yankees all-time hit leader.  This is quite an accomplishment when you consider all the great players that have donned the pinstripes: Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle, Joe DiMaggio, Yogi Berra.  They all had fewer hits than Derek Jeter. 

 This is all happening amidst, quite possibly, Jeter’s finest season.  As of 9/11/2009 Jeter is hitting .331 with 97 runs and 25 stolen bases.

As evidenced, here, here and here, Jeter was supposed to be in the decline of his career after he posted his worst statistical season in 2008.  However, what wasn’t widely publicized was the fact that Jeter battled through nagging injuries to his quadriceps and hand for most of the season. Despite all the injuries, he still managed to hit .300 with 88 runs and 69 RBI’s. Only Christian Guzman and Hanley Ramirez had higher batting averages as a shortstop.  

In a Sports Illustrated poll voted on by MLB players in 2008, Derek Jeter was named the most overrated player in the game.  Any intelligent baseball fan will tell you this is completely absurd. In fact, he might be underrated. (more…)

20 Reasons New York Mets Fans Have Suffered More Than Anyone

NewYorkMets-logoFans of the New York Mets have been made to suffer throughout the years like no other fan base in sports. Sure they’ve won two memorable world championships in their brief 47 year history. Fans of the Chicago Cubs and the Cleveland Indians would kill for that. However, over the years, Met fans have been forced to deal with more heart wrenching, bizarre, and embarrassing moments than any other professional sports franchise in history. To prove my point, here are 20 reasons why Mets fans have suffered more than anyone else. (more…)