The Phillies Bring Back Pat Burrell...Hilarity Ensues

You're never going to see Pat Burrell get his day in Cooperstown, but, thankfully, that didn't stop the Philadelphia Phillies from bringing back the fan favorite for one more game.

Saturday, "Pat the Bat" was back in uniform and retired as a member of the Phillies.

"It doesn’t seem that long ago, really, that it started," the 35-year-old said. "It was a really nice thing for the organization to do."

And the fine gents from Bird Text put together the hilarious video below to commemorate the occasion.

Some stats of note from Burrell's time in Philadelphia.

• He was the Majors' number one overall pick in 1998
• He hit 20 or more home runs for eight straight years (2001-2008)
• His 251 home runs ranks him fourth all-time behind Mike Schmidt (548), Ryan Howard (286) and Del Ennis (259)
• Nearly 72% of Philadelphia's elementary school students have been fathered by Pat Burrell

And, apparently..."once you go Pat, you never go back."

Enjoy.

 

Babe Ruth Jersey Sells for $4.4 Million

There's been a lot of talk lately about who is selling what and for how much at sports memorabilia auctions lately.

This is another one of those stories.

Over the weekend, SCP Auctions announced that they sold a uniform once worn by Hall of Famer Babe Ruth for, wait for it...a record $4,415,658. And in case you were wondering, the previous high for a piece of sports memorabilia was when someone paid $4,338,500 for James Naismith's founding rules of basketball.

But back to that jersey!

"This is simply the finest sports artifact we've handled in our 30-year history," said SCP Auctions president David Kohler said of the jersey.  "The historical impact of Ruth’s emergence in the Big Apple in the early 1920s, combined with the jersey’s superb original condition, makes this a sports treasure of the highest order."

While the buyer of the jersey is the ever-popular "Anonymous"...the significance is incredible.

First, 1920 is the year that Ruth was sold from the Boston Red Sox to the rival New York Yankees.  And we all know how that worked out.  And two, it is one of only four known unrestored Ruth jerseys in existance.

Another cool piece that was up for auction was a 1930s Yankees cap worn by Ruth.  What makes this cap unique...it is from David Wells' personal collection and was the one that the former hurler tried to wear on the field back in 1997.

It sold for $537,278.

"Kid K" Goes Out in Style

I've done my share of blasting the Chicago Cubs over the years.  Some of it was warranted...plenty of it wasn't.

But how they handled Kerry Wood's sudden retirement Friday was pure class.  They let him face one more batter.

And in front of 35,000 cheering Chicagoans, the big righty exited the same way he began...striking out the batter.  On April 12, 1998...it was Mark Grudzielanek.  On Friday, it was Dayan Viciedo.

In 14 big league seasons, Wood went 86-75 with a 3.67 ERA.  But it was with strikeouts that "Kid K" earned his moniker...dude fanned an astounding 10.3 per nine innings.  That places him second all-time behind Randy Johnson's 10.6.

Not.  Too.  Shabby.

Kerry Wood Calls it Quits

According to ESPNChicago.com, Chicago Cubs pitcher Kerry Wood called it quits Friday.

Sure, it's not Earth shattering news, but when a veteran ballplayer just up and quits...it's worth mentioning.

The big righty hit the scene in 1998 with all the promise in the world.  In just his fifth start, "Kid K" matched Rogers Clemens' record of 20 strikeouts in a game.  He'd wind up making two All-Star game appearances with the Northsiders.

A lot of time has passed between then and now, however.

The 34-year-old has struggled out of the Cubs bullpen this season, giving up eight runs and walking 11 in just over eight innings of work.

"It's one of those things," Cubs manager Dale Sveum said of the reliever. "The ball is coming out of his hand well, but (he issues) four-pitch walks right away."

So, what's next?  Could a move to the broadcast booth be in the flamethrower's future?

When Wood re-joined the Cubs prior to the 2011 campaign, rumors swirled that the deal included a job with the organization upon retirement.  Initially, it was reported that team chairman Tom Ricketts had promised Wood the gig.

But, soon after, Wood himself squashed the idea.

"That is completely untrue," the pitcher told the Chicago Tribune. "I have no interest in broadcasting when my playing days are over. That has never been something that I saw myself doing."

My guess, dude walks away.  Quietly.  His record during his tenure with the Cubs was pretty decent, so, yeah...he's probably got a trip to the broadcast booth in his future.  But, something tells me he'll be singing...not delivering commentary.

Joey Votto...Meet Keith Hernandez

At an early age, we're taught (while playing any game) to focus on what's going on in front of us.

But, when your name is "Joey Votto"...you probably don't need to listen to my advice.

Either way, I've gotta wonder how and why the brief encounter between the Cincinnati Reds superstar and New York Mets broadcaster Keith Hernandez went down.

I'm not complaining.  I love the exchange.

It reminded me of, years ago, sitting just behind the visitor's on-deck circle at Milwaukee County Stadium and finding myself engaged in a brief chat session with then-Toronto Blue Jays star Joe Carter. 

But, and I'm completely serious here...why was Hernandez sitting so close to the field?

***Props to Drew Fairservice for delivering the goods.***

Sammy Sosa is (Probably) a Zombie

I know that over the past couple of years, everyone has done stories on Sammy Sosa's skin and while I'm not trying to beat a dead horse...is this even possible?

According to occasionally reputable MediaTakeOut.com, the former slugger's skin has died. 

What?!?

Sammy Sosa stepped out yesterday in NYC. His face was looking CRAZY. After a year of bleaching his skin has virtually DIED...now he has an ASHEN GRAY appearance...sort of like a CORPSE!!!

And while I'd like to believe that Sosa is the undead (or even a vampire!)...it's probably not the case.

In November 2009, when the 1998 National League MVP stepped out with noticeably lighter skin, it was (alledgedly) due to "skin rejuvination" treatments and, of course, poor lighting.

"He is going through a rejuvenation process for his skin. Women have it all of the time," Sosa friend Rebecca Polihronis told the New York Post in 2009. "He was surprised he came out looking so white. I thought it was a body double. Part of (the photo appearance) is just the lighting. The picture is deceiving."

But here we are, more than two years later and he's looking worse...not better.  Oh, and his hands are ashy too.

Shouldn't "skin rejuvenation" on his face (which has also been reported) NOT affect his hands?  Yuck.

 

C.J. Wilson: Josh Hamilton "Might Break Bonds' Record"

It seems like just about everyone in the blogosphere is talking about Josh Hamilton and his Herculean efforts of this past week.

And why not?

All dude did was bat .467 (14-for-30) with nine home runs and 18 RBI.  Oh, and let's not forget that, in the process, Texas Rangers slugger became just the 16th player ever to go deep four times in one game.

One guy watching Hamilton's achievements very closely is his former teammate, Los Angeles Angels pitcher C.J. Wilson...and he hit the Twitters to let his followers know how he feels.

I know a lot of people might want to pitch around hamilton, but their lineup is too good. He might break bonds record this year, no joke

Through 33 games, the 2010 American League MVP has 18 home runs.  But how does that compare to some of the more prolific home run seasons of note?

Barry Bonds (2001) - 15
Mark McGwire (1998) - 13
Babe Ruth (1927) - 10
Roger Maris (1961) - 7
Sammy Sosa (1998) - 7

Sure, people heat up at different times throughout the season, but, well...Wilson might be on to something. 

More astounding is this.  Not only has Hamilton hit those 18 home runs in his first 33 games, but he's only failed to reach base in two of those games and is currently carrying a 14-game hitting streak.

And who won the war Saturday when the former teammates squared off at Arlington?  It's a wash, really.  Hamilton went 1-for-3 against his former teammate with two strikeouts. 

That one hit was, however, you guessed it...a home run.

Dan Majerle Makes a Spectacular Grab

When Arizona Diamondbacks centerfielder Gerardo Parra ripped a Matt Cain pitch deep to right center Saturday afternoon...we might have witnessed one of the best catches of the year so far.

But, it wasn't made by anyone on the San Francisco Giants.

It was made (casually) by former NBA star "Thunder" Dan Majerle. The current Phoenix Suns assistant coach was, wait for it...barbecuing with friends at Chase Field.

Take that Matt Geiger!