A $480,000 Salesman??

I know that their huge TV contract allows the Doyers to spend tons of money on their players, but paying $480,000 to a ticket salesman is ridiculous!

Enjoying one of my favorite Christmas presents...

Bonus points if you can name that first song.

Witness the Panda in captivity...

Cue the depressing Sarah McLachlan music.

Do you know Bo?

If there's one good thing that the evil four-letter has done, it's the 30 for 30 series.  If you're like me and don't pay for that station, you can watch the compelling documentary about Bo Jackson in its entirety online for free.  I would normally embed such a video in this post, but YouTube has forbidden it.  Instead, please enjoy this 1989 interview of Bo on the Arsenio Hall show before you follow the link above.

Bears > Bruins

Sic 'em!

OSITF links: How to Pitch

What if a baseball coach had to teach his players how to pitch using only what he learned from scouting report graphics during MLB broadcasts?  Well, Sam Miller from Baseball Prospectus has been there and lived to tell the tale.  It's a hilarious (and free) read, and it includes some great gems of wisdom, like this one:

Poor Form, Wade Boggs

Didn't anyone teach you "hips ahead of hands???"

Congratualations, Bizarro Chiefs--2012 PFFL Champions

Exercise your civic duty...

Hmm, but what if I want to vote for Bryce Harper?

A Boxing Day Abomination...

I enjoy Christmas Carols.  What I do not enjoy is when companies impose their own obnoxious lyrics on classic holiday songs (for example: Garmin).

This on the other hand, is an abomination of an entirely different kind:



There is no way that

Merry Christmas! Go Rockies!

Crowning the Champion

This weekend, the Percell Family Baseball League crowned its 2012 champion:


Half of the league was present for the ceremony, well sort of:

Christmas and Baseball...

Does it get any better than that?

Happy Anniversary, Model Basketball Observers!!

What an exciting, high-flying basketball play, no?  Indeed it is, but is it really a reason to lose one's well-maintained demeanor?  Is it reason enough to justify an undignified outburst?  More than one author has analyzed what is the model way to observe a baseball game, but what of basketball?  Just what is the best way to observe an athletic feat such as the one depicted above?

First, let's watch that very play in real time:

Hang A Shining Ace Upon The Highest Bough...

Just put the star on top of the Christmas tree. Hahaha pic.twitter.com/QRCP1Z07

— Ben Verlander (@Verly32) December14, 2012

So the world didn't end...

I hope that everyone has made it far enough to see the happy ending in this:

Don't get ahead of yourself, Frank...

Just be glad you aren't named Craig.

OSITF Namesake

Behind any great name is a great story. This blog is no exception. As many might not realize the significance, I thought I would call it to light.

Several years ago, back when Guns 'N Roses song Paradise City was a hot new hit, the Backsliders owner Melinda and her family were out visiting Colorado as they frequently did. Melinda and Bloomington Baseball owner Jay came across a relic, similar to this balloon. The two found it so humorous that the phrase caught on and it became a bit of a running joke. When it came time for the Percell Family Fantasy Baseball League to warrant a blog, the name was an obvious choice for the same reasons as to why the phrase caught the attention of Jay and Melinda.

Wax On . . . Wax Off . . .

Sand the floor . . .

Paint the fence . . .

Axe the monster truck tire???

Getting worked by our trainer out in Surprise... #offseasontraining twitter.com/BillyButlerKC/…

— Billy Butler (@BillyButlerKC) December 3, 2012

What?

I don't believe what I just saw.

No wait, actually I do:

Breaking: Gibby before and after a shave. Anything less would be uncivilized. Tune in now to @mlbnetwork twitter.com/Dbacks/status/…

— Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) December 4, 2012

If it doesn't have an exploding bird, I don't want it.

This is actually something people can purchase:

“The Big Unit” unveiled by Randy Johnson - Limited Edition @RJ51Photos pic.twitter.com/4QbFtL1T

— Ulysse Nardin (@ulysse_nardin) November28, 2012

If you want to see a boring video of Randy Johnson talking about the watch, there's one on youtube.  But If you're like me, you'd rather watch this:

"Jimbo" . . . how fitting.

Here is that yearbook proof that Jimbo was popular in High School:

Baseball Dream Theater VI

I'm in Milwaukee at a Brewers game, but I'm not sure why.  I'm routing for the Brewers, so they must be playing the Cubs.

With two outs, Carlos Gomez hits a single, which brings up Ryan Braun.  Braun bounces a pitch back to the mound, but the pitcher doesn't get a good grip on the ball.  At the precise moment that I snap the camera on my cell phone, Braun is leaping through the air in a superman pose and the pitcher is sliding past him into foul territory.  The ball flies away toward the first base coach while Braun's descent brings him an infield single.

Then, immediately, the inning ends entirely too early thanks to my alarm clock.

Sabathia : Yankees : : Ryu : Doyers

The Doyers recently signed Korean LHP Hyun-Jin Ryu, who is listed at 6'2" 215lbs.

Here he is striking out thirteen batters in a single KBO game:



Here he is throwing down five double-doubles:

What is wrong with this picture?

I spotted this $59.99 hooded sweatshirt at a newsstand and noticed something peculiar...

Every vacation should have it's own movie trailer

Nationals 1B/OF Michael Morse, also known as this guy, recently had a movie trailer made for his honeymoon.  Take a look:

The Hobbit was Awesomesauce

This clip was NOT in the movie I saw last night.  Still, The Hobbit was awesomesauce.

A Bichette Blake Street Bomber Bobble? Booyah!

Dante Bichette bobbleheads are in design! Sneak peek: pic.twitter.com/SXmxKTgp

— Colorado Rockies (@rockies) December10, 2012

I want one.  Here's hoping they will also have Vinny and El Gato.

Miggy Wins Venezuelan HR Derby

The prize: thirty pesos.  Or something along those lines.

In case you slept through the Winter Meetings...

Here are all the "highlights" that you "missed" last week:



And here is why:

PFFL Season Recap

This pretty much sums up everything.  Well, everything except "fewest points scored."

Happy David Price Day!

Tampa to give #Rays @davidprice14key to city, proclaim Tuesday as "David Price Day"

— Marc Topkin (@TBTimes_Rays) December 7, 2012

He was the AL's best this year:



I only wish that he could actually pull THIS off:

What WIL it take?

So, now that the deal is done, is James Shields really the "high grade starting pitcher" that you were looking for, Royals fans?

Today's Lesson: Plate Swagger

It's always good to get a little BP in during the month of December. Today we focused on the all important plate swagger.

Walt Weiss remembers his most embarrassing moment

I have a snaking suspicion that he probably has some *ahem* more colorful stories that he could tell...

Super Mario does not embrace sabermetrics

Who knew?

Normal, IL Prepares for the Apocalypse...

By selling minor league baseball tickets, of course!

The Normal CornBelters are trying to cash in on the Mayan Calendar Armageddon Scare by holding a doomsday-themed ticket sale.

Stylistics > Jim Leyland

"Betcha By Golly Wow" as performed by Detroit Tigers manager Jim Leyland during a visit to the Motown Museum in the D:



Here is the same song, as originally performed by the Stylistics:

139 RBI in Four Minutes

Baseball Dream Theater V

"Cuban?"  "No, I'm Canadian."

Some friends and I are celebrating--I can't remember why--at Coors Field during a Rockies game.  Some of my coworkers are there too.  Everyone is smoking cigars. 

BABIP on Board

The good people at NotGraphs have released this handy animated explanation on BABIP, also known as Jonathan Herrera's only tool.

Ichiro: Greatest Outfield Arm Ever?

Ichiro has released some baseball trick shot videos.  You make the call: real or fake?



But wait, there's more...

GB^2

The Best Rockies Oddities of 2012

Just like the '12 Rockies' performance on the field, there isn't a lot of good:

Santa in pinstripes

The Kansas City Royals win it all . . . or do they?

What an awesome story!  Dearborn, Missouri?  No way!

Apparently the ticket numbers were randomly generated, so Frank White and Bret Saberhagen don't have to get offended that they were left off the ticket.  I guess this doesn't mean that the Royals will win the 2013 World Series either.  Even though the Royals connection didn't make the ticket a winner, this is an awesome story. 

What do you think a lotto winner in Dearborn, Missouri would buy first?  If you said a red Camaro, you're right.

This story wins the offseason.  By far.