Spring Training is here! Major League Baseball players are reporting to camp and getting ready for the upcoming baseball season.

Meanwhile, sports writers follow the players down South in order to provide news to baseball fans across the country that are hungry to read about baseball after a long winter.

Yet we are still over a month away from any meaningful games so there really isn’t a lot to talk about.  There’s not much going on at Spring Training other than light jogging, pitchers fielding practice and soft tossing.  However, beat writers have to write about something while they are down in Florida and Arizona, so they find ways to turn just about anything into a 1,500-word press release.

I’ve found a number of articles—mostly on MLB.com— where the reporters are desperately reaching for any kind of story. Here are five of the best releases I’ve seen thus far that can barely be called newsworthy.

1. Some Fat Yankee Pitchers Aren’t Quite as Fat; Others are as Fat as Ever

The BIG news around Yankee camp this spring has been about the weight of their pitchers.

Ace hurler C.C. Sabathia claims to have lost 25 pounds because he stopped eating Cap’n Crunch.

“I stopped eating Cap’n Crunch every day,” Sabathia told news reporters Monday morning. “I used to eat that stuff by the box.”

Meanwhile, pudgy relief pitcher Joba Chamberlain has dropped some of that baby fat and put on some muscle during the off-season.

“Obviously, I added muscle,” Chamberlain said. “That just comes from being a man, too. I’m 25 now, not 21.”

Yankee skipper Joe Girardi then really spiced up the Chamberlain story with this quote…

“I think his hairstyle being different is the one thing I noticed first.” (more…)

The MLB League Championship Series begins tonight, and as a big baseball fan, that has me pretty excited—But these pictures of girls representing the remaining playoff teams might have me more excited.

While the Yankees, Rangers, Phillies and Giants will battle it out on the field for their respective pennants, here at Living with Balls, we’ll pick our winners based on which girl is hotter.  Check out the pictures after the jump and be sure to vote.

WARNING: These pictures are probably NOT SAFE FOR WORK (more…)

When it comes to the New York Yankees, baseball fans either love ‘em or hate ‘em.  There is no in-between.  Today I have a post on The Casual Observer titled “Why I Love the Yankees”, while Kosmo—the founder of The Casual Observer—will discuss why he hates the Yankees on this site.   While it pains me to posts this blasphemy written below, I will post it because it should strike up some good conversation.

Why Kosmo Hates the Yankees

Derek Jeter is overrated

OK, people, please put down the pitchforks.  I’m not suggesting that Jeter isn’t a fine player.  I’m not even suggesting that he’s not Hall of Fame caliber.  I’m just suggesting that he’s placed on a pedestal a bit higher than what might be appropriate. (more…)

There is a close friend of mine, whose brother is an alumnus of the University of Maryland. After Maryland lost on a buzzer-beater to Michigan State in the Second Round of the 2010 NCAA tournament, he posted on Facebook that it was the worst sports loss of his life.

That got me thinking. What is the worst sports loss of my life? As a HUGE Yankees fan, I haven’t had too much to complain about over the years. However, there have still been a few heartbreaking losses mixed in with all those titles.

The 2004 loss to the Boston Red Sox in the ALCS is certainly an easy choice for most Yankees fans. Blowing a 3-0 deficit to the hated Red Sox was certainly difficult to swallow.

Yet after thinking about it, there were two other games in my lifetime that hurt just a little bit more… (more…)

So I’ve noticed lately that the most viewed “Links of the Week” posts have been the ones where I have a picture a big-breasted woman next to it. So I figured, why mess with a good thing? The picture is from COED Magazines, Fatigue Wearing Foxes. (NSFW) Other great links this week include, a mascot dance-off, what not do to on a first date, Conan O’Brien clips and MUCH more.  (more…)

The New York Yankees are back in the World Series. The Yankees ability to hit the long ball is a big reason for their return to the Fall Classic. With a MLB leading 244 home runs during the regular season, New York Yankees radio announcer John Sterling has had to make plenty of home run calls.

For those of you who don’t know, Sterling is famous (or infamous depending on who you root for) for his signature home run calls. Every starting player on the Yanks has his own home run call. “An A-Bomb from A-Rod!” (Alex Rodriguez) and “Jorgy Juiced One” (Jorge Posada) are just a few examples. Some are really clever, while others are just plain awful.

LwB wants to know. What do you think is John Sterling’s best call? What do you think is his worst call? Take a listen to all of them below and be sure to vote! . (more…)

As 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…)

With 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…)