Baseball Monday: Opening Day is Here!

We're going to take a week off from our regular Bollywood Monday feature to celebrate something of great import -- the start of the baseball season.

Now, I'm usually loath to post any kind of viral marketing videos, but I'm going to relax my rules here. Not only are these a pretty spoof of the Tom Emanski-style instructional videos, but they also feature my boys Matt Kemp:


...and Andre Ethier:


While there are a lot of reasons to have high hopes for my Dodgers in the coming season, now is also a time to look back. I know I've posted this one before, but it needs to be seen again. Because anytime is a good time for "Baseball Boogie":


And finally, one guy shares his love for Peter Gammons:

Blue Skeletons in the Closet.

Everyone's done a few things in their past that they're embarrassed by, and for the Dodgers this is one of them. It's not enough to erase their long, proud tradition, but it sure makes you think twice. I've been a fan all my life (including 1986, the year in which this was made) and yet somehow I'd never heard of it until now. I'm sure the people involved would have wanted to keep it that way.

(Usually I wouldn't link to anything on YouTube that doesn't allow embedding, since that seems pretty fascist, but this seems to be the only way to share it, and I just can't resist.)

http://youtube.com/watch?v=JW7q0JzWaoY

[via Blue Notes - A Dodgers Blog.]

Joe Beimel! No. 97!

Now that spring training is here again, it's time for hope to spring eternal once again. Things look good for my beloved Dodgers and I'm excited for the new season. Someone else who's excited is troyfromwestvirginia, who loves a certain Dodger reliever just a little too much:


That prompted this response:


Which in turn prompted this:


Whew. After you digest all of that, check out Troy's elegy to the gone but not lamented Brett Tomko:


[via Blue Notes: A Dodgers Blog.]

Hope Springs Eternal Today.

...and not just because it's Valentine's Day. More importantly than that -- pitchers and catchers report today! Spring training officially starts, which means that baseball is back baby!

So, to commemorate the day when everything still seems possible and we diehards look ahead to a rosy season (and not more Congressional hearings), I offer you this.

In 1999, Major League Baseball offered the (now mercifully forgotten)"Turn Ahead the Clock" promotion, in which several teams futuristic uniforms from the far distant year of 2029. Consider it a cautionary tale of how looking ahead can go horribly wrong.



[via UniWatch.]

When Sports and Karaoke Collide.

There's something about being a sports fan that brings out a wealth of passion, pride and (depending on your team) plenty of angst as well. But for that rare few, it also brings out a ridiculous attachment to bad arena rock and the need to make fools of themselves. This post is dedicated to them.

First, some Cowboys fans really love Tony Romo ("Now your balls reach the tight ends..."):


[via Sports Guy's World.]

And then there are Cubs fans. Poor, sad, woeful Cubs fans ("Fans pee in horse troughs, they ain't got no stalls"):

Baseball Fight!

With the baseball season winding down, what better time to liven things up with a little fisticuffs? Here, former Major Leaguers Rod Allen exports our American insanity to the Japanese leagues, and hilarity ensues:

In a Single Bound.

Joey Gathright: Kansas City Royals reserve outfielder. Career .272 hitter. Accomplished car jumper.

Bump 'n' Grind It, Mickey.

This is how you work it out, especially when you love collecting baseball cards:



[via The Baseball Card Blog.]

Solitary Vin.

Vin Scully is the man. After doing play-by-play for the Dodgers since 1950, he's still the best in the business and still works without a partner, in the old school way.

This little animation was actually part of a series that ran every week on the Sunday pregame show a couple years ago. The quality varied from episode to episode, but this was one of the better than average ones, and one of the few available online.



While we're on the subject, here's some more Vin. I originally posted this next clip over on my Eric's House blog quite a while back, but it bears repeating. Some industrious soul recreated the end of Game 6 of the 1986 World Series using the old RBI Baseball video game. But it's synchronized to Vin's call of the game, so you can listen to him covering a great moment in the history of the game:



And if you've got 20 minutes to spare, here's an interview by Jim Hill of CBS News in Los Angeles, shot before the start of the 2006 season.

Hall of Fame Special: "Fancy Curves."

With the baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremonies for Tony Gwynn and Cal Ripken Jr. today, what better time to revisit the antics of that HOF charter member, Babe Ruth. In this vintage short, the Babe tries to teach some babes to play baseball:

Battlefield Baseball.

Once again, the National Leaguers killed me with their play in last night's All-Star game. Maybe they should have played with this attitude:

Babe Ruth, All-Star Slacker.

With the MLB All-Star game set for tonight, what better time for this special message from Babe Ruth. Remember, kids -- stay out of school! (And don't forget to partake of the hot dogs, booze and loose women!)