Video: Baker Walks Off, Puig Injured in Marlins' Victory

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Who Will Fill In For Kershaw? Dodgers Pitching Woes Continue

Maholm (Jaime Squire/Getty Images)

It’s not the end of the world, yet. Los Angeles Dodgers’ ace Clayton Kershaw is suffering from back inflammation and, as was reported on OPSN yesterday by Andrew Vigliotti,  has been scratched from the Dodgers’ Sunday U.S. opener against the San Diego Padres. An MRI showed no structural damage in Kershaw’s back which is excellent news. It was also reported by Fansided.com‘s Stacie Wheeler that Kershaw reported no discomfort after playing catch on Tuesday. 

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2014: LIfe of a MLB Season Ticket Holder: STH Friends are Like Family

This week in the little story that is my Life of a Major League Baseball Season Ticket Holder I am going to pick up where I left off last time. I was in my hotel room at the DoubleTree and had to take off in order to get to an A's game at Phoenix Municipal Stadium against the Los Angeles Dodgers with the reigning Cy Young Award winner, Clayton Kershaw, on the mound. I couldn't be late to see Kershaw!

Lucky for me, I was there to see the southpaw get crushed by the A's offense! Kershaw cruised through the first two innings but wasn't able to get out of the third inning. The A's scored 5 runs off Kershaw and seven total in the inning. They eventually won the game 7-3. So that was a great game in my book.

Besides winning the game, another great part of going to spring training is that you get to see, what I like to call, your "Season Ticket Holder (STH) Neighbors.' STH neighbors started out for me as just the people who had tickets directly around where my seat is. I've seen families come and go, children grow up and go to college. Overtime you develop relationships with these people with whom you share a common love. I have to say that your direct STH neighbors are where the really deep friendships are formed. Some families do come and go (I mean, my family was new in 2002 when we moved our season tickets from section 219 to section 128.) but you end up staying in touch and develop friendships with new people. With so many games and weekends spent together it makes sense that STH would bond.

To Read the Rest of this article go to Sports Unbiased - Your Alternative Source for Sports!

Pioneer Surgeon Jobe dies at age 88

In 1974 surgeon Dr. Frank Jobe treated Los Angeles Dodgers' southpaw Tommy John and changed the face of the game of baseball forever. Jobe performed an experimental surgery on John. He transplanted a tendon to replace a torn ulnar collateral ligament in the pitcher's elbow. John's comeback, thought to never be possible, lasted a successful 14 years. Thus, on that day 40 years ago the then revolutionary and now commonly performed, "Tommy John Surgery" was born. Sadly, Dr. Jobe passed away on Thurday at the age of 88.

Read the rest of the story on  Dr. Jobe on OutsidePitchMLB.com - Outside Pitch Sports Network, a MLB Advanced Media Affiliate 

(*If you would like even more information on the Father of Tommy John Surgery click here.*)

Greinke Injured, CrAzy A's Fans and Trying to go to EVERY Single Home Game in a Season

Just a quick update because it is something I think is pretty news worthy .... I know that all injuries should be newsworthy but some more than others and I kinda felt like writing for bit since I am awake from voting for my boy Eric Sogard for the Face of Major League Baseball. Which is pretty freakin' awesome because it shows the power of a true fan base and a tight knit one. We are seriously AmAzing and it's not just this competition - not at all! We are creative, we love our players and they love us! We are crAzy but we are cool too. The RF Bleachers (I'd say we again but gotta give credit where credit is due!) make friends with the players from other teams and in turn they love us all! It's greAt and incredibly cool. We've also been called the loudest fans in baseball ... just ask the Detroit Tigers .... even after being shut out by Verlander in game 5 (yes, I do realize this has happened twice) - we still gave our players a five minute standing ovation ... so while we may be NERDS (both baseball and otherwise) ... we are the coolest nerds you will ever meet and by far the best fans in baseball .... but I completely digress ... 

Michael Hickey/Getty Images 

My point in starting this was really as the title may suggest that the Dodgers' star pitcher - well after Kershaw of course - Zach Greinke was forced to leave their game against the Arizona Diamondbacks early due to a calf injury. He faced only retired only one batter Diamondbacks leadoff hitter, Tony Compana on a first pitch fly ball to left. On his third pitch to second baseman Cliff Pennington Grenke landed wrong on his right leg. He threw one more pitch and hobbled a bit off the rubber and out came the trainers. Greinke threw two warm up pitches before being taken into the clubhouse for treatment. Greinke was diagnosed with a mild right calf strain. While this might not sound bad and doesn't sound like a big blow to the Dodgers, it could be. With the compressed Spring Training schedule due to the team's early start to the season in Australia there could be a question as to whether or not Greinke can start the season on time. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim's outfielder Josh Hamilton recently suffered a calf strain that has him sitting out from Spring Training for the next couple of weeks. The injury makes it even more likely that Kershaw and either Hyun-Jin Ryu or Dan Haren will  be the starters for their opening series down under. There is a chance that this was just a cramp. Greinke says he's had them before and could pitch through it but at this point since it is still February there is no reason for the Dodgers to want him to do that ...

I mean that makes sense doesn't it? It's Spring Training, he's their second best starter and he actually told the press at one point that he had "absolutely no excitement about going to Australia." He did kinda try to correct that comment yesterday saying, 

If we're going to be there, and we obviously are, yes I'd like to pitch there," he said. "My comments, I didn't realize they would cause a stir. I'm looking forward to playing over there. No one wants me to say it, I had to vote to go, my vote was not to go. Now that we are going, I want to be there. I don't want the team to go and me sit here and watch. I don't want to go and watch. I want to play. I want to pitch good, I want to win games. You're forced to do what you're not used to do, it's harder to be able to do it to the best of your ability."

That last part of the comment was referring to his being outside his comfort zone by having to change his pitching routine and preparation for the trip to Australia. Again, I don't blame the guy because shit who wants that? I'd LOVE to go to Australia dont get me wrong but I get annoyed when I have to watch my team open in Japan (and now they are talking about Taiwan for next year ... why always my A's?? I mean seriously!!) and I just have to wake up in the middle of the night not travel there and play the game! I mean shit, that would suck. I once tried going to every single home game one year (made it to 78!) but that was rough and all I had to do was show up and sit there ... but some days the couch and a tv can be much more appealing ... Just sayin' - I'm not the perfect fan but I do try ... So yeah, I will leave y'all with that and of course this ...

 If you are awake and it is before 5am on the West Coast  - wait! What the hell are you doing reading this ... get back on Twitter and VOTE #EricSogard 4 #FaceOfMLB! I so hope I get to write about this in the morning saying that he is the winner!! #NERDPOWER!!!! (I'm even wearing my own #RallySpecs as we speak because I'm cool like that and because I am incredibly blind ...)

For it's 1, 2 ... 3?? Wilson & Koufax Both Hit in Head by Line Drives

Alright, both of these incidents happened in Arizona during early Cactus League practices and not in Los Angeles but they did happen to a former Dodger and a current Angel .... 

There's a slightly disturbing trend happening to players of Los Angeles Major League Baseball teams. Two players, one former and one current, have been hit in the head with line drives in the last four days. One has to wonder who's next since things seem to happen in threes.

It's a scary thought, getting hit in the head with a line drive. A ball moving that fast and hitting you in the right place can very possibly kill you. That means Hall of Famer Sandy Koufax and Angels' pitcher CJ Wilson are both extremely lucky men. Both were struck in the head with a line drive during batting practice. Both, while still requiring medical attention, walked off the field on their own.

On Saturday at the Los Angeles Dodgers' training camp in Glendale, AZ Koufax was hit in the head by a line drive off the bat of Andre Ethier while watching pitching prospect Ross Stripling. Koufax, 78, maintained his footing but suffered a cut to the forehead.  He was, however, immediately carted off by the team’s trainers in a golf cart and immediately tended to by the medical staff. The HOF pitcher seemed to take it in stride being seen later that day in the Dodgers' clubhouse conversing with some of the players.

A mere four days later Angels' starting pitcher CJ Wilson was hit in the head by a line drive off the bat of Yorvit Torreabla while throwing live batting practice. Wilson was knocked to the ground suffering a gash on his head. He, like Koufax, never lost conciousness and actually wanted to continue pitching. At the insistence of the team and medical staff he was taken to the hospital for a CT scan as a precaution. Wilson downplayed the incident later tweeting,

@str8edger8cer Everything is fine, except that pitch I threw. Shoulda caught it. Thanks for the #PMA - lesson is to not pitch to contact! Haha

Image courtesy of Greg Flume/Getty Images

These kinds of injuries though should not be taken lightly though.  In 2012 Arizona Diamondbacks' pitcher Brandon McCarthy, then of the Oakland Athletics, was hit in the head with a line drive during a game. He was out for the rest of the season, underwent emergency surgery and experience a seizure last year. McCarthy’s misfortune sparked the approval of an optional padded cap for pitchers by MLB. However rare, the possibility of a serious injury is omnipresent.

To Read the Remainder of this Article Go to SportsUnbiased - Your Alternative Source For Sports

HOF Koufax Hit with Line Drive by Ethier at Dodgers Training Camp!

(Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

What if you were Andre Ethier right now? How would you feel? Relieved? Embarrassed (even though it was a fluke accident)? Scared? Would you be sending flowers? I know I would after hitting a line drive that could have killed a legendary Hall of Famer!

Yes, at the Los Angeles Dodgers spring training camp in Glendale, AZ a line drive ball, out of the hand of prospect Ross Stripling and off the bat of Andre Ethier, hit HOF pitcher Sandy Koufax in the head. These types of injuries are not to be taken lightly. A line drive ball does have the capacity to kill someone if hit in the right place in the head at a high speed. In 2012 Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Brandon McCarthy, then with the Oakland Athletics, was hit in the head with a line drive during a game. He was out for the rest of the season and has since been experiencing seizures. Line drives do hit people and hurt them but it is an out of the ordinary occurrence.

That is why this must have been so insane for poor Mr. Ethier. What if you were the guy who killed the great Sandy Koufax? The Dodgers would have you traded where? Siberia? Just to have hurt someone is bad enough but a 78-year old legend? My own mind is blown at the thought. 

Getty Images

Anyway, the good news is that Mr. Koufax is alright. Koufax miraculously remained on his feet despite suffering a gash to his forehead. He was, however, immediately carted off by the team's trainers in a golf cart and was treated by medical staff. Reigning Cy Young Award winner, Clayton Kershaw, was sitting 20 feet away when Koufax was hit. He told reporters later, 

 "It didn't look good. I'm glad he walked off."

Such a scary moment for everyone involved but Koufax seemed to take it like the champ he is. He was later reported to be seen walking around the Dodgers clubhouse talking to some of the players. If there are any lasting side effects, as there have been with McCarthy, they remain to be seen. 

Koufax is a regular at the Dodgers spring training camp and works as a special assistant to team president Mark Walter. For the past two seasons he has also worked informally as a coach for the younger pitchers. 

Ethier later told the press that, of course, he was worried,

"Wouldn't you be? Not just because of who he is, but anybody who gets hit. It's scary. I've seen it happen."

Of course no player or fan ever wants to see a person hit by a line drive but in this case it did matter a little more because of who he hit. Dodgers pitching coach, Rick Honeycutt, seemed still shaken hours later saying,

"Everybody was like, 'Oh my gosh, You don't want anybody hit, but Sandy? I mean, you don't want that to happen to anybody, but especially him, he's out here to support and help us and be around. I just got a sick feeling from the sound of it."

Well, thankfully, the entire baseball world can breathe a sigh of relief that the Hall of Famer is safe and sound. I'm sure Andre Ethier is doing the exact same thing!

For More News From Around The League Visit MLB Nation!

Mulder Injures Ankle, Comeback Sidelined

Mark Mulder, who is trying to make a comeback to Major League Baseball after a six year hiatus, was injured early Saturday while warming up for his first bullpen session of the spring. MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez reported earlier this morning that the Angel's pitcher injured his ankle. He was taken in for x-rays but the severity of the injury is still unknown. This is a major and unfortunate setback for Mulder.

The former star pitcher for the Oakland Athletics and St. Louis Cardinals has not thrown a pitch in the majors since 2008 and officially announced his retirement in 2010. Mulder was sidelined by shoulder injuries after being traded from the Athletics to the Cardinals. He has since been working for ESPN as an analyst.

During the playoffs last year Mulder figured out a way to throw the ball without it affecting his shoulder by watching Dodger's pitcher Paco Rodriguez's delivery. He was able to replicate Rodriguez's delivery without any shoulder pain or strain.

He held a tryout session in November, according to the Los Angeles Times, and the scouts were impressed with what they saw. It was rumored that his fastball was hitting the 90 mph mark. The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim soon signed Mulder to a minor league contract with an invite to big league spring training. There were, and still are, hopes that he would be able to stay healthy with his new delivery and possibly make the Angels' starting rotation. Mulder, if he returns, will be battling for the fifth spot in the Angels rotation with Joe Blanton and Tyler Skaggs.

Mulder, unfortunately, just seems to have a streak of bad luck. After finding a way to throw with his often injured shoulder, the southpaw wasn't even able to make it to his first bullpen session. Hopefully for the comeback candidate the x-rays will comeback negative and he will be able to pitch again during the spring.

For More News From Around the League Check Out MLB Nation!!

Michael Young to Retire! (and a whole litany of other stuff - I got off topic a bit)

Well I really have nothing witty or interesting to say, this is all pretty straight forward ... that said I will still in my usual long winded way say something ... I always liked this guy (except when he was batting against the A's of course), found him respectable and it's pretty fitting that he retire now, spend time with his fam while he is still young and still has an exact .300 career batting avg - I mean why risk that, right? One at bat could kill ya! LOL! But seriously ... it like would. 

Anyway, the only thing that freaks me out about all these guys' retiring like Mo (although it felt like he pitched for an eternity ... like what is baseball without Mariano Rivera? I'm sorry but it's true. He's like so awesome every way you look at it! I adore him but then again who doesn't - oops, sorry I forgot about the city of Boston although they at least have respect for him right? I'd love for a Boston fan or two to comment on that .... but I am getting super off track here!!) and Jeter's almost done and A-Rod and Andy Pettitte and all these guys I've watched for what feels like all my life and I still think they are young - like even baseball wise - when they are not. Like Lance Berkman just retired and he was one of the young Killer B's on the Astros in 2007 but when you think about that - crap that was already 7 years ago - where does the time go? Didn't bother me so much with the Mark McGwire, Edgar Martinez, Bo Jackson, Terry Steinbach, Darryl Strawberry types retired ... ok, really I am just pulling names off of baseball-reference.com from 1962-63 because I used to think that they were like adults when I was a kid - but in reality they were all like 18-20! So weird!! But as far off point as I am right now I just don't feel like the group of guys retiring or going to be retiring in the next year or two are that old - baseball wise - already! Anyways, onto Michael Young .... (who in my opinion is still young! lol)

After mulling over retirement for most of this off season Michael Young has officially announced his retirement according to Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal and the Dallas Morning News.

A seven-time All-Star Young, 37, spent last season with the Philadelphia Phillies and the Los Angeles Dodgers, batting .279 over a total of 147 games between the two teams. Young is the best known for his time with the Texas Rangers. He spent 13 years of his 14 year career with Texas and has played more games in a Rangers' uniform than any other player. He was also a very scary opponent to have at the plate when he's not on your team. Naturally, this makes him the Rangers' all-time leader in almost every offensive category:

• Hits - 2230
• Runs - 1085
• Total Bases - 3286
• Doubles - 415
• Triples - 55

He holds also 4 of the top seven career years in terms of hits by a Texas player (2003-2006) and he holds the Ranger's club record for doubles in a season with 52 in 2006. He finishes his career with a .300 batting average and a total of 2,375 hits.

According to Rosenthal, Young had a number of "good offers" he could have accepted for 2014. Instead he has chosen to retire now and spend more time with his family. Over his career he has made more than $90 million according to baseball-reference.com.

Young appeared in the playoffs four different times all coming at the end of his career. He played for Texas in the World Series in both 2010 and 2011, neither of which ended with a title. Overall though one can definitely say that he had quite a nice career and even though he didn't play there in 2013 will leave a legacy at the Ballpark in Arlington.

For more baseball news check out MLB Nation 

Dodgers-Kershaw Come To Historic Deal

Two-time National League Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw and the Los Angeles Dodgers came to terms on a record breaking contract today. The $215 million contract to be paid over seven years makes Kershaw the game’s highest paid pitcher, surpassing the Detroit Tiger’s Justin Verlander who signed for $180 million last March.

Image courtesy of Getty Images

While the $215 million may seem excessive to some, Kershaw has the resume to command that kind of money. Last season Kershaw won his second Cy Young Award in three years and his third consecutive MLB ERA title with an ERA of 1.83. He is the first Dodger to ever win three consecutive ERA titles and the first player in baseball to accomplish the feat since, newly inducted Hall of Famer Greg Maddux did it from 1993-1995.

Click HERE to read the rest of my article on Sports Unbiased - your site for all Sports News, Polls and Predictions! 

Writer Gurnick Ensures Maddux Won't Be First Unanimous HOF Selection

Although Major League Baseball’s 2014 Hall of Fame class members will not be announced until Wednesday, it was predicted, even expected, by most that pitcher Greg Maddux would be the first unanimous HOF selection in MLB history. Maddux considered one of the greatest, if not the best pitcher of all time, had been tracking at 100 percent according to The Baseball Think Factory, where they have been keeping track of votes that have been released to the public early. That is until today.  

MLB.com’s Ken Gurnick, who covers the Los Angeles Dodgers, voted for only one player – five-time All-Star Jack Norris. Members of the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA) are allowed to vote for the top ten players on the ballot they deem worthy to enter MLB’s HOF. Gurnick’s public release of his ballot has left many wonder what happened? And some would even ask does this guy have any idea what he is doing? 

According to Gurnick’s ballot he voted only for pitcher Jack Morris who has been on the ballot since 2000. Morris has never received more than 67 percent of the 75 percent needed to be inducted into Cooperstown and in some years he received as little as 30 percent of the vote. His case has been a divisive one among the writers over the years as his numbers can be seen as questionable. In the 1980s he gave up the most hits, home runs and earned runs of any other pitcher. On the other hand, he was a five-time All Star who played on four World Series Championship teams. Here is Gurnick’s reasoning on voting for only Morris:

Morris has flaws — a 3.90 ERA, for example. But he gets my vote for more than a decade of ace performance that included three 20-win seasons, Cy Young Award votes in seven seasons and Most Valuable Players votes in five. As for those who played during the period of PED use, I won’t vote for any of them.

Any player, he writes, “who played during the period of PED use”? So that means anyone who happened to be born during a certain time period and who had the audacity to be good enough to want to play Major League Baseball should be punished because of the actions of a few? Morris pitched from 1977-1994. Some of his contemporaries are admitted PED users like Jose Canseco and Mark McGwire, but how does that constitute ruling out what would literally mean decades of players? 

And what about now? Even with the new PED policies put forth by the MLB, there are still players out there using. And more specifically when does the “PED period” he is talking about end, if ever? Also to be considered are the use of amphetamines, which were used as performance enhancing drugs beginning in the 1960′s. They are now banned by MLB (without a prescription). If the use of banned steriods is considered cheating then the use of banned amphetamines should be considered cheating too. There are players already in the HOF who were known amphetamine users. Do you remove them from the Hall?

Basically, Gurnick’s logic on going against, what could have been a monumental and historic decision by the BBWAA, just doesn’t add up. Unfortunately for Greg Maddux, who is the only player to win 15 games in 17 straight seasons and is the first of only two players (Randy Johnson) to win the Cy Young Award four times consecutively (1992-1995), he will not be the first player unanimously given baseball’s highest honor. Maddux will certainly get in on this, his first, HOF ballot but not in the historic fashion that was expected.

For more on Greg Maddux check out MLB Nation 

Angels Give Mulder His Chance at a Comeback

Mark Mulder, now 36, has not pitched in Major League Baseball since 2008.  Yet now six years later he is getting his chance at making a comeback with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Mulder and the Angels came to an agreement on a minor league deal Wednesday. The deal includes an invitation to Spring Training which means he may have a shot at making the team's starting rotation.

Read the rest of my article on Sports Unbiased - your website for all the latest Sports News, Polls and Predictions!

Mark Mulder Staging a Comeback!!

Mark Mulder was once one of the elite pitchers in the game. He was drafted number two by the Oakland Athletics in 1998 and thus began his stellar career yet short career. As part of Oakland's "Big Three" along with Barry Zito and Tim Hudson, he helped lead the Athletics to four straight playoff appearances from 2000 to 2004. And in 2001 at the young age of 23 he finished second to Roger Clemens in the CY Young balloting, going 21-8 with a 3.45 ERA.

In 2004 the Athletics moved Mulder to the St. Louis Cardinals in a four player trade that brought pitcher Dan Haren to Oakland. 2005, Mulder's first year in St Louis was almost as good as his 2001 season. He finished the year 16-8 with a 3.64 ERA.  But then things slowly began to fall apart for the southpaw. He under went surgeries on his left shoulder in both 2006 and 2007. Unfortunately Mulder reportedly said that his throwing arm "never worked right" after the surgeries.

With his hopes of continuing in the majors seemingly dashed, Mulder officially retired from baseball in 2009. In 2011 he became an analyst at ESPN and spent his spare time traveling with his wife and three children. Then in October of this year, just a few months ago everything changed.

Mulder, now 36, was watching the MLB playoffs from the comfort of his home near Scottsdale, AZ when he saw something in the delivery of Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher, Paco Rodriguez. It was something he was able to imitate without irritating his throwing arm and shoulder that had been an issue throughout his entire career with both Oakland and St. Louis.

To read the remainder of my article go to Sports Unbiased, your site for all Sports News, Polls and Predictions! (& my articles! lol)

MLB Hot Stove: Oakland Athletics Update

The Major League Baseball Hot Stove season has been quiet for the Oakland Athletics, not to be unexpected for a small market team competing in a market where their free agent outfielder, Chris Young, who's numbers were dismal after his move to the American League last season, can command a one year $7.25 million dollar deal with the New York Mets. A signing like that is an indicator that player values on the market are very high this season.

Last season Chris Young was the highest paid player on the Athletics in 2013 making right around eight million dollars. To put this in comparison the highest paid player on the Yankess, Alex Rodriguez made $29 million last season. Having one of the lowest payrolls in the league the Athletics have little chance of signing what they need to make a run at what would be their third straight American League Western Division title: a little help in the bullpen, a veteran starting pitcher, and a big bat.

Read the rest of my article on Sports Unbiased, your website for all Sports News, Polls and Predictions! (and my articles! lol)

New SU Article! Yasiel Puig's Superfractor Rookie Card Reportedly Worth $25,000

Shortly after Bowman released their 2013 Bowman Chrome series, a listing on EBay announced to the world what the biggest pull of the collection would be, a Yasiel Puig Prospect Autographs Superfractor card numbered 1 of 1. Listed on Ebay at a mere $25, 000 the card didn’t immediately sell but 13 bids were placed before the listing was pulled. Later it  was found to have been purchased by South Bay Baseball Cards. 

It has since been reported that South Bay Baseball Cards intends to repackage and include the card in their Super Box product line and the Puig card is predicted to be the most coveted card in South Bay Baseball Cards’ upcoming 2013 “Super Box Rookie and Phenoms Baseball,” collection that is slated for release on Oct. 23 of this year. 

This limited edition buyback product will center rookie cards of phenoms throughout baseball history from players like Joe DiMaggio and Hank Aaron to guys like Manny Machado and Bryce Harper and of course one lucky Super Box will contain the lusted after Yasiel Puig card!  

What makes a Superfractor card so special? Superfractors are Chrome Mini cards that are considered by collectors to be the cream of the crop of all rookie cards. Each player’s card is the only one of its kind numbered on the back 1/1 and are shiny and embellished on the front. In the past Superfractor cards for Stephen Stasburg and Bryce Harper in 2010 and Clayton Kershaw in 2006 have commanded anywhere between seventeen and twenty one thousand dollars. Already publicly priced at $25,000 there is no knowing how high the price on Yasiel Puig’s Superfractor Rookie Card will go but it is already clear that it will be well into the 5 figure range. There is no doubt that this card ranks as the number pull of 2013 and will be one of the most highly priced cards in history.

This article can also be found at http://sportsunbiased.com/mlb/18260/mlb-yasiel-puig-2013-superfractor-rookie-card-reportedly-worth-25000/

First attempt at a Video Blog .... Why I want the Dodgers to Win it All in 2013 & Other Random Ramblings!

Well this probably is gonna be one of the more ridiculous things you will see today! I was home alone bored and annoyed with some of the things people were saying on facebook. Then I began snap chatting with friends, sending mini videos and such - a couple people snapped back that they like my little rants so I decided to rant to my phone and capture it on video! This is the result ... it's probably embarrassing and  through the video most you - the few of you who actually care about my blog (so basically no one)  - will be like "what's wrong with this chick?" and it may be partially because of the unusual ways I choose my  MLB postseason picks.  Most people don't understand my reasoning and I have been trying to figure out how to upload this damn video for long enough that I can barely explain them anymore! So I guess if you care then you will have to bear with me through the video! lol!

VIDEO LINK: My First Attempt at a Video Blog



JUST KIDDING! I wouldn't subject you all to my insanity until I get some feedback (seriously I want to know if it's really bad like you'd rather kill yourself than watch another video or if it's alright enough for me to give it a try when I have a planned topic and some help) and  so if you do watch the video keep in mind that it was recorded on the fly but again if you do watch PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT! THANK YOU!!

My reasons for my postseason allegiances are quirky, some are detailed and others need no explanation there but they are what they are so here goes!  I want the Dodgers to win it all and here's why: First, the St. Louis Cardinals have the 2nd most amount of World Series Titles in baseball history (11). The New York Yankees of course are number one on that list with 27 titles but with their history of having more money than most teams being in 2nd place is just about the same as being on top! My A's have won 9 World Series in franchise history putting them 3rd all time.  While 3rd is a great place to be considering there are 30 teams in Major League Baseball but there was a time just within the past decade where the Cardinals decided it was time to pull away from the tie for second! Well I want that tie back and that means the Cards NOT winning the series and hopefully not even getting the chance to! Unfortunately it looks as though they are going to have a chance at lucky number 13 this year being up in the NLCS 3-1 over the Dodgers! But as we all know in this game anything is possible! Second I hate the Detroit Tigers ... can't stand 'em. Boom, enough said! lol! And finally are the Boston Red Sox. This team has been extremely hard to justify rooting for. They are playing Detroit of whom I am still completely bitter, reason one! But I have always hated the Red Sox second to the San Francisco Giants so just being angry with the Tigers isn't enough so the approach I had to take was to ignore the fact that Boston fans are completely obnoxious, look instead at the individual players (something that also helped me pick the Dodgers to root for to win it all ... Mark Ellis! Hello? Everyone and their mom loves Mark Ellis!! He'll always have a piece of my heart, unless of course he willingly signs with the dark side of the Bay Area!) and remember that it's been a decade since 2003, the year no one really wants to talk about. That was probably one of the worst post season performance by the A's that I have ever seen. Going into Boston up 2 games only to make mistake after mistake and end up back in Oakland losing game 5 ... I shudder even now thinking about it! UGH! But the Red Sox have guys like Johnny Gomes who was a complete joy to have in Oakland last year and Craig Breslow who was great with the A's and is the so called "Smartest Man In Baseball." Also who can hate a guy like Big Poppy (David Ortiz) or a guy with a kick ass name like Jarrod Saltalamacchia who also hit a walkoff in game 2 of this years ALCS against the Tigers? Yeah, hard to hate those guys ... good people, good ballplayers! Still don't like the Red Sox as an organization or their fans but the team I can get behind. So I guess they are my AL choice and the Dodgers are my NL hopeful and if it comes down to the two of them let the Dodgers win it all. Oh and I almost forgot ...1988 and Kirk Gibson. Yes, that home run in game one was a walk off, it was against my all time favorite player, The Eck and the A's did lose that World Series. I was 7 then, 8 when we annihilated the Giants in the WS. I still hate the Giants but the Dodgers and their fans also hate the Giants so I've learned over the years to let go of the '88 hate and embrace the Dodgers in that they are also rivals of two teams that the A's are rivals with - The Los Angeles Angeles of Anaheim and the Giants. So I see more of an alliance in the last 20 years than a long standing grudge. A lot of people would disagree but these are the reasons I'm rooting for the Dodgers to get a ring this season! Good luck to them this post season!