Evan’s Staying Longor(ia)
Welp, looks like Tampa’s hot corner isn’t cooling off any time soon. The Rays’ gap-toothed God Evan Longoria extended his contract at Tropicana for six more years — possibly good through the 2023 season.
Longo took to Twitter to announce it himself:
In an article written by MLB.com’s Bill Chastain, Rays executive vice president of baseball operations commended the 27-year-old third baseman, too.
“Evan has all of the attributes we seek in a player. His determination and work ethic inspire others around him. He is devoted to his craft and strives to improve himself every year, and he defines success in terms of team performance and achievement. It’s exciting to know that Evan will be manning third base for the Rays for many years to come.” — Andrew Friedman
Longo joined the Rays’ big boys in 2008 when he made his major-league debut. Now, the former Cal State Long Beach player boats a .276 career batting average and accolades including ’08 AL Rookie of the Year and three-time All-Star (’08, ’09, ’10).
Also, this is his girlfriend.
Moral of the story, with an additional $100 million to his extended contract and an OK-looking girlfriend, Longo ain’t doing half bad.
Astros Makeover: Houston’s Fresh ‘forms
Everything’s bigger in Texas — and sometimes, that ain’t good.
Take, say, the horrific-ness of the Houston Astros.
Just to jog your memory:
Yeah, that sucked.
But great news, Texans! The Astros are cleaning up at least one thing before next season comes barreling through: their look.
To celebrate the team’s move from the National League to the American League, Houston unveiled new ‘forms.
Here’s last season’s:
And the upcoming swagger?
Oh, and don’t forget another new addition: Orbit.
At least the Astros have one dude who’s supposed to act goofy now.
At least the Tigers still have this…
So what if the Detroit Tigers got murked by the San Francisco Giants? ( … four times)
Though they didn’t get their paws on that World Series trophy this year, they’re still ahead of San Fran when it comes to the land of hipsters. Hey, it’s something.
On Peta’s list of Top 10 Vegetarian-Friendly Major League Ballparks released this summer, the Tigers stole the No. 3 spot while the Giants (wait for it) WEREN’T LISTED AT ALL. Take that! Enjoy trying to satisfy skinny-jean wearers now, San Francisco!
The Peta article reads the following about Comerica Park:
There’s a trio worth cheering for at Comerica Park—and we’re not talking about Justin Verlander, Prince Fielder, and Miguel Cabrera. We mean the stadium’s vegetarian Italian sausages, veggie riblets, and vegan hot dogs. With these and other great-tasting vegetarian choices available, Tigers fans can show that they care about cows, pigs, and chickens, too.
Could this have to do with Prince Fielder’s stint with vegetarianism back in ’08?
Anyway, who needs rings when you have tofu, am I right?
Romobomb: San Fran’s Photobomb King
There’s always a bit of ham riding the pine for the Giants. OK, so being a relief pitcher isn’t exactly getting benched, but when Giants relief pitcher Sergio Romo isn’t on the mound, he’s living it up in the dugout — for all to see.
Romo frequently photobombs reporters during their television coverage on the diamond. Sunday night, Fox Sports/Erin Andrews became Romo’s latest target.
Stunning, isn’t he?
But it wasn’t his first time.
Keep on keepin’ on, man.
Police Groupies in Maryland
Apparently, carrying a gun can’t even get you a Yankees autograph.
Today, Deadspin posted an article claiming two Maryland State Troopers hired to work the first game of the ALDS Yankees Orioles series asked Derek Jeter and Nick Swisher for autographs … during live play.
I mean, God damn it. First off, as an employee of Maryland, shouldn’t you have some respect for the home team? Second off, Nick Swisher?
Y’all could’ve gotten your Jeter fix by waiting for your gift basket the morning after just like everyone else. Rookies.
Postseason Pickin’: Who Will Be 2012’s Champ?
MLB’s design team has wasted no time flexing its muscles in time leading up to postseason play.
The lucky stars with Instagram accounts know what I’m talkin’ about. MLB’s Instagram has really been posting some gems counting down the days to postseason — er — #postseason. Don’t have an Instagram? Thank God you have me.
So, MLB answered the, “But who’s counting?” question swimmingly (complete with animals). The battle for the title of 2012 World Series Champions officially fires away Friday. Who you got?
One of the Youngest Players Doin’ it: Trout’s Time
There are few guys in the MLB tearing up the game like Angels centerfielder Mike Trout. Not only is the 21-year-old the youngest player to join the 20-40 club , but he’s also showing promise for other pro accolades.
In Lyle Spencer’s article for MLB.com, he writes:
Trout, who turned 21 on Aug. 7, has a legitimate shot at assembling a postseason hardware collection unprecedented in the game’s history: the American League Rookie of the Year Award and the AL Most Valuable Player Award; a Rawlings Gold Glove Award in center field; a Louisville Silver Slugger Award; AL batting champion; and steals and runs scored kingpin.
American League MVP, anyone?
Oh, turns out Trouty20 tries to live up to his name, too.
The Biggest Turnoff Courtesy of the Nats
As an annual hazing ritual for their rookies, the Washington Nationals have the new guys trade their sliders for something a little more … festive.
2012:
2011:
Hey, at least it beats the stunt the Twins in ’11.
Woof.
Instant Adrenaline: How Bad Do You Want It? (MLB)
A year ago, a YouTube video featuring an Eric Thomas speech and (former) East Carolina running back Giavanni Ruffin getting after it absolutely exploded on the internet. The 6-minute vid dished out motivation and inspiration … and it’s up to more than 9 million hits to date. Try and tell me your energy doesn’t jolt by the end of this:
But baseballers had one complaint: It features football. So some fellas crafted a baseball version. Check it out — you’ll recognize some faces.
Backyard Baseball: MiLB Player Plays Every Position in One Game
Dollar hotdogs and free Hanes t-shirts are usually the run-of-the-mill promotions for highly attended, huge-drama minor league baseball games.
But on Saturday, the Carolina Mudcats (the Cleveland Indians’ farm team) ran a promo called “Toole Time” which featured utility man Justin Toole in all nine positions against the Salem Red Sox — one per inning, for math whizzes.
According to the MiLB.com recap, Toole (a former University of Iowa baller) rotated his way around Zebulon, N.C.’s Five County Stadium by starting in the right field slot and finishing on the hill.
Though Toole let up back-to-back homers to Salem in the ninth for the Sox’s only runs of the day, he paved Carolina to a 4-2 victory.
After seeing this nugget pop up on Deadspin, I bet players will tiptoe around the “I can play anywhere” line a tad more now … or maybe this is just a clever way to keep from falling asleep on the field during minor league games.
Summer Catch: Robbing Casey McGehee
There was a little splash of “Space Jam” in Toronto Sunday.
In the seventh inning of the Blue Jays/Yankees game, Toronto left fielder Rajai Davis absolutely robbed NYY first baseman Casey McGehee of a clean homer. Though the wall at Rogers Centre wall only climbs to a mere 10 feet, it’s still one hell of a show of athleticism.
On top of his clutch catch, Davis rounded out Toronto’s win with a career-high five runs. Maybe the rest of the MLB should figure out what his breakfast of champions is.
Gon’ Rogue: MLB’s Facebooks Hilariously Compromised
There’s no doubt MLB has been uppin’ its social media game — but Thursday’s Facebook posts were on a whole ‘nother level.
Zuckerberg users looked did some double takes at their FB feeds, and Deadspin reported why.
Check these gems out:
The sports site initially reported it was a hilarious hacker, but Friday, it revealed it was actually a “rogue MLB employee.” Let’s be stereotypical for a sec: There’s no way nerdy computer hackers watch sports, anyway — so this makes a helluva lot more sense, right?
A member of the Geek Squad wouldn’t be able to understand what the Braves post meant.
And according to the article, (via a statement from the rogue employee) we didn’t even see the best ones. Damn.
Ichi-heyyo, Yankees!
Last week, the Yanks started sporting a new trophy on their roster: Ichiro Suzuki.
In honor of the trade of Seattle’s former Golden Boy, we decided to have some fun with, arguably, the most adorable I-still-look-like-a-little-boy-but-play-like-a-man in MLB history. Enjoy, y’all.
(From MLB Memes…)
(From VeryFunnyGIFS.com…)
(From SuperIchiroCrazy.Wordpress.com)
YES.
A Helping Glove: Rockies, Padres Honor Aurora Victims on Diamond
When a tragedy shakes the country, it doesn’t check its coat at the baseball field’s gates.
The horrific shooting that resulted in 12 deaths during the midnight premiere of “The Dark Knight Rises” at an Aurora, Colo., movie theater Friday took place a mere 20-minute drive away from the Rockies’ home field in Denver. In Thomas Harding’s article for MLB.com, he details how the team honored the victims in the Padres matchup Friday in San Diego.
“The Padres and Rockies observed a moment of silence before Friday’s game at Petco Park. The Rockies hung a black jersey in their dugout, reading ‘We remember 7-20,’ and wore purple jerseys and black wristbands in honor of those killed and injured.
The Rockies described their actions in a statement that was read on Root Sports Rocky Mountain at the start of its broadcast. The flags at Petco Park were flown at half-staff, and the Rockies stood at the edge of the warning track in front of their dugout during pregame ceremonies as a show of solidarity.
Harding notes the massacre sparked the memories of the nightmare of the Columbine shooting in 1999. The Rockies postponed their scheduled game against the Expos that day. In Harding’s piece, he quotes outfielder Carlos Gonzalez talking about the escape that sports offer fans.
“When there were political times, when they were trying to elect the president, all that stuff, people always have the pressure of being in danger every day,” Gonzalez said. “Going to the stadium is a really good way to escape, to just relax their mind, enjoy the game and don’t think of anything else — family problems or what is happening in the country. We work hard to put on a show for the fans because, in the end, baseball is about them.” — Carlos Gonzalez
In class, the Padres and Rockies provided an escape for a crowd of more than 25,000 (plus the countless television viewers and radio listeners) in San Diego’s 9-5 victory.
#WeRemember720
MLB Players on Twitter: Who Do They Follow?
A smidgen over a month ago, BuzzFeed published an article exposing some NBA stars and their Twitter game.
The hard-hitting, investigative report “A Bunch of NBA Players Follow Porn Stars And Booty Models On Twitter” (how’s that for a headline?) sparked the question: Ight, what about some of the heavy hitters in the MLB? Whose Tweets are they twerking with on their feeds? The MLB is already exploding on the social media scene, most recently in the Home Run Derby/ Social Media Derby.
So what better excuse to take a peek into who some of the stars from last week’s Home Run Derby are following? While there isn’t a plethora of booty models or porn princesses, there were some interesting handles in the “following” section of some of the sluggers. Let the games begin.
Robinson Cano: @RobinsonCano, Following: 39, Followers: 266,898
Nothin’ too interesting with Robby on the ‘net. However, the former #HRDerby champ does follow one of the movie “Ted” parody accounts. The page’s bio is all you need to see what this dude’s throwing up.
Oh, and Cano is following Fabolous. Yeah, that one rapper. (We forgot about him, too.)
Prince Fielder: @FatCatPrince, Following: 168, Followers: 12,128
One of the most interesting things about Fielder’s Twitter is the fact that the Home Run Derby Champ isn’t verified … yet. But this Fresh Prince should get points for his Twitter handle alone. FatCatPrince? Classic. Fielder seems to enjoy some chuckles if you scroll through his “following” list. It’s full of parody accounts of other athletes.
OK, FatCat, this FoJet is pretty hysterical.
In other news, the first five peeps Fielder decided to follow are also … interesting. Man’s gotta eat, right? And enjoy his dose of the rally squirrel.
Jose Bautista: @JoeyBats19, Following: 251, Followers: 245,396
Contrary to his Twitter handle, Jose’s account does not belong to a 14-year-old Little Leaguer. The Blue Jays slugger isn’t too fascinating in his “following” except for the hefty amount of singers and celebs he follows (50 Cent, Rihanna, Justin Timberlake …). And who doesn’t love a sexy serving of Shakira? Come to Joey, baby!
Mark Trumbo: @Mtrumbo44, Following: 71, Followers: 40,105
Not a whole long trum-going on over here, either. Trumbo hasn’t even changed the default Twitter background yet. Something a little fascinating? The first account the Angel decided to follow was a tattoo company. Different strokes for different folks, y’all.
Matt Kemp: @TheRealMattKemp, Following: 331, Followers: 188,170
OK, so Mr. Hollywood is our guy who runs closest to those NBA guys on Twitter.
And no, he’s not following Rihanna.
Carlos Beltran: @Carlosbeltran15, Following: 10 , Followers: 68,192
An athlete who keeps his social media professional? Booorrrinng. But he’s the only Carlos in this year’s Derby who has a Twitter (we couldn’t find one for Gonzalez). Beltran follows a measly 10 people and only registers 315 tweets so far. Here’s the thrilling list of the Tweeters he follows. Hey, at least he followed his wife first.
Andrew McCutchen: @TheCUTCH22, Following: 190 , Followers: 84,403
This Pirate’s “following” list isn’t exactly scandalous, but his taste in music should be a crime. Seriously.
At least the Florida native is staying true to his roots by following former University of Florida greats. But, Bruno Mars? Anything but clutch, Cutch.
*Note: Numbers for “followers” and “following” are changing for these guys on the reg.
Home Run Hoopla: Last Year’s HR Derby
I’m going to go out there and say if you didn’t get a little misty-eyed watching last year’s Home Run Derby, you have no soul and probably get a special high listening to Nickelback.
Last July, Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano captured the title with his father, Jose, on the pitcher’s mound. Cano’s pop is a former MLB player himself (he retired in ’89/ played for the Yankees, Braves and Astros) and was on the other side of the plate in his son’s 12-homer final round in his path to Derby domination.
Cano narrowly beat Red Sox first baseman Adrian Gonzalez (12-11, final round) for the win. Both sluggers were born in ’82, putting Cano (October birthday) at 28 and Gonzalez at 29 (May baby).
Here are quick facts from the MLB.com recap of last year’s event at the Arizona Diamondbacks’ home turf: Chase Field (Phoenix):
Winner: Robinson Cano
Runner-up: Adrian Gonzalez
American League Captain: David Ortiz
National League Captain: Prince Fielder
AL Homers: 76
NL Homers: 19
Money Donated to Boys & Girls Clubs: $603,000
This year’s State Farm Home Run Derby is set for July 9 ( 8 p.m. ET) at Kauffman Stadium — home of the Kansas City Royals. Cano (Yankees), Fielder (Tigers), Jose Bautista (Blue Jays) and Mark Trumbo (Angels) will be repping the AL while Matt Kemp (Dodgers), Carlos Gonzalez (Rockies), Carlos Beltran (Cardinals) and Andrew McCutchen (Pirates) will slug for the NL. Cano is the captain for the AL and Kemp is the captain for the NL. This year, the competition is upping its social media sweetness and players can upload live content on their Twitter accounts via the social media stations designated for each dugout. Search for #HRDerby on Twitter and watch the Derby from the comfort of your couch on ESPN.
Do It For America: Sportin’ Red, White and Blue
If we’re talkin’ Patriotism and sports, it doesn’t get any more American than baseball. Football? Too close to rugby. Soccer? Europe has that down. Golf? Not a sport. Just kidding (kind of). So in honor of the anniversary of the grand ol’ independence of the US of A, let’s break down the Major League Baseball teams who take the nod “Great American Pastime” literally, and rock red, white and blue. So instead of wrapping the flag around you for fireworks this Fourth of July, maybe you should opt for one of these teams’ uniforms.
Atlanta Braves
Boston Red Sox
Chicago Cubs
Cleveland Indians
Los Angeles Angels
Los Angeles Dodgers
Minnesota Twins
New York Yankees
Philadelphia Phillies
Texas Rangers
Kevin Youkilis: A Change of Sox
What’s white, black and not red all over?
The Chicago White Sox’s newest addition: infielder Kevin Youkilis.
Sunday, the Boston Red Sox All Star was swapped (along with some cash flow) for Chicago’s Brent Lillibridge (1B) and Zach Stewart (RHP). Stewart is a tender 25 years old, Lillibridge is 28 and veteran Youkilis is 33 and boasts 8 years of experience — more than Stewart and Lillibridge combined (5 years, for all you math wizards).
According to an AP article on the trade, “Youkilis’ time in Boston became limited because of the play of rookie Will Middlebrooks, hitting .326 with nine homers and 34 RBIs in 41 games.”
As the article states, Middlebrooks, 23, currently sports a .326 batting average in 41 games played, while Youkilis sits on a .233 average in his 42 games played for the ’12 season. It’s a numbers game and Twitter exploded with tweets on the swap. Former University of Florida catcher and current New York Mets associate scout Teddy Foster posted this tweet:
Foster was spot on. Despite the fact Youkilis (who made his MLB debut with the Red Sox in ’04) was with the BoSox for two World Series wins and is a three-time All Star infielder, Boston didn’t hang on. Stewart and Lillibridge boast better numbers, and now because of it, they’ll sport numbers in red and navy. What are your thoughts on the much-talked about (or tweeted about) trade?
The Throwback Kid: Miami Marlins vs. Tampa Bay Rays
What better way to spend Father’s Day than with your pops at a good ol’ ball game? The shade of Tropicana Field set the stage for the Miami Marlins, Tampa Bay Rays matchup and a super Sunday for dads and their little ones to kick back and clock in some quality time.
But there was one kid in the stands who just may have had enough of his dad.
In the bottom of the eighth inning (Rays up 3-0), Tampa Bay infielder Drew Sutton fouled off a 93-mph pitch off Marlins right-handed pitcher Chris Hatcher. One plump pop got lucky and snagged the foul ball to give to his young son sitting next to him (both donned in Rays gear, by the way). But Young Buck used the opportunity to rifle the ball back onto the field, boasting his throwing skills on national television. Click the photo below to see the rising baller in action.
Looking at the video from MLB, it’s clear as day that Dad felt duped. Put simply, he was hella pissed. But his little one just shrugged his shoulders. What? Like it’s hard to catch a foul ball? Sorry, Daddy.
2012 CWS: Northern Teams Join Traditionally Southern Showdown
Over its more than half-a-century of existence, the NCAA Division 1 Men’s College World Series has undergone plenty of transformations.
The competition field shifted from the initial Kalamazoo, Mich., site to Wichita, Kan., to its current stage — Omaha, Neb. Then in 2011, the entire realm of college baseball received a facelift in the form of metal-bat restrictions and a 20-second pitch clock. This year, the instant replay will make its debut at the CWS. However, one post-season trend has remained fairly consistent: Southern presence. Southern college baseball teams have been top performers year after year on the diamond, especially when it comes to the CWS.
Just check out the chunk of winners from the past three years:
2011: South Carolina
2010: South Carolina
2009: Louisiana State
But this year, Northern teams are making headlines with their super regional wins and passes to Omaha. Along with competitors South Carolina, Florida, Florida State, Arizona, Arkansas and UCLA, enters Northern squads Kent State and Stony Brook, stemming from Ohio and New York, respectively.
According to Baseball America’s Aaron Fitt, no program rooting from Ohio or further Northeast has clocked in at Omaha since Maine in 1986. Fitt entertains that the Northern invasion (OK, duo) may be attributed to an unusually warm winter, thus allowing for outdoor baseball practices as early as February (the norm for the Southern schools.)
But Fitt quotes Kent State coach Scott Stricklin who pins this year’s CWS Northern company to a more even distribution of solid players throughout the nation.
“I think it shows that parity in college baseball does exist. And that’s something that we talked about a few years ago as coaches, with the scholarships, with the roster limits, with all those things that are put into play — we wanted this to be a national game. Now, I don’t know how many coaches in the Southeast and the West actually wanted that to happen, but that’s what’s happening. You’re seeing players that are spread out a little more evenly.” — Kent State coach Scott Stricklin
Though, the top-three national seeds still aren’t in favor of those Yankees just yet.
1. Florida
2. UCLA
3. Florida State
Despite the fact Stony Brook and Kent State are sweeping headlines as this year’s CWS Cinderellas, when push comes to shove, can they dominate those Southern powerhouses? It’s one thing to make it to Omaha, but it’s another feat to actually leave with the title.
Takin’ it to the Streets
There’s no doubt New York City is a melting pot, but there’s one issue that isn’t intermingled.
You either call yourself a Yankees fan or a Mets fan. You sport blue and orange or navy and white — there’s no in-between.
To kickoff the Subway Series, MLB Fan Cave put together a fun video to only fuel the rivalry fire even more. It put NYY pitcher Cody Eppley and NYM center fielder Kirk Nieuwenhuls face-to-face on the 4 Train for their commute the first game of the series at Yankee Stadium. Click below to see how Eppley and Nieuwenhuls have some fun with some fellow passengers (and each other).
Venice High Baseball: Excellence On And Off The Field
They’re a high school squad that’s sporting some new hardware, but the reach of the FHSAA Class 7A State Champion Venice High School Indians extends far beyond the diamond.
The Indians are the pure embodiment of a class-act program as the Venice, Fla., team not only clutched the Class 7A State Championship in Port St. Lucie, Fla., in May but also donated an applaudable amount of time dusting off their batting gloves to lend helping hands to their community.
On top of excelling in the classroom with a collective 3.309 GPA (earning the Indians the second-highest mark in their region), the young men got their feet wet with a variety of charitable programs in the area. The players volunteered for Venice Challenger Baseball, a program designed to allow every child who cannot participate on a typical Little League team the opportunity to play on the clay. The Indians assisted the children by helping them hit and field while ensuring the Challenger players got their turn around the bases, even if it meant carrying them across home plate.
Each week following a full day of classes, the Indians extended their stay in school by volunteering in a local reading mentor program, helping elementary school students prepare for their standardized reading tests.
Even on weekends the players dedicated their efforts to causes close to their hearts, notably to the C.A.R.E Autism Awareness 5K each spring.
This season, to honor the late longtime supporter of the VHS baseball program Colonel Jack Dundas, the players not only had “CJD” sewn into their caps, but they also hosted a Veterans Night to honor those who fought for America’s freedom — just like Dundas did. The Indians went to further their ode to veterans by arranging captains from their fishing tournament fundraiser to take local veterans out for a fun-filled day of fishing.
Though Venice is graduating a player near and dear to my heart (hey, bro!), these young men should serve as an inspiration for the aspiration of programs everywhere. What goes around, comes around. Well done, guys.
Now check out the FHSAA’s footage in this highlight video created by On the Diamond that showcases the damage the Indians did in the FHSAA Class 7A State Championship Finals against the Brandon Eagles.
Hey they play baseball, and this is crazy …
YouTube has been exploding with baseball players, but it’s not because of what they’ve done on the field.
The fellas of the Harvard Baseball team paved the way for baseball players around the country to faux belt it out with their cover of Carly Rae Jepsen’s pop single “Call Me Maybe.” Baseball players of all shapes, sizes and ages have responded with their own special renditions of the hit following the Ivy League squad’s vid, probably in hopes clinching the more than 4 million views that elevated Harvard’s diamond boys to instant stardom.
Check out the videos below — old and new — of players testing out their own lip synching skills.
Bryce Harper: New Kid Swag
Thank God for the MLB, what happened in Vegas didn’t stay in Vegas. The No. 1 2010 draft pick (who stems from steamy Las Vegas, Nevada) Washington Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper is taking the Majors by storm at a tender 19 years old. 
With less than a month on an MLB roster under his sliders, he is more than living up to his hype with impressive performances on both sides of the plate. Yahoo! Sport’s Big League Stew reporter David Brown wrote,
“I recently made a half-joking comment on Twitter that this blog would publish a post about 19-year-old Bryce Harper at least once a day for the rest of the season, because ever since the Washington Nationals said they were calling him up, that’s what we’ve done.”
The baseball-centered portion of the site has scrolled the teen’s picture across Yahoo! headlines often — from highlighting his unbelievable arm rocketing balls to attempt the out at home to him slamming doubles against seasoned pitchers to making crazy barehanded catches in the outfield.
On the Diamond 