The MVPs of this weekend are, in order: Wade Miley, Clayton Kershaw, and Dallas Keuchel (just beating out Greinke). A good weekend for pitchers.
Standings, as always, after the jump:
MVPs of the Weekend (July 17-19, 2015)
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Category Archives: MLB
Bizarre Baseball Culture: Marvel’s Menagerie of Yankee Stadium appearances
In Bizarre Baseball Culture, I take a look at some of the more unusual places where baseball has reared it’s head in pop culture and fiction.
Sometimes, baseball plays a role in a piece of fiction, but not really a big enough one where I can do a full piece on it. Take Marvel, for example. The fact that 95% of their heroes are in New York City means that there are plenty of stories where heroes or villains visit Yankee Stadium but where their visit isn’t long enough or baseball-focused enough to really justify giving them the full Bizarre Baseball Culture treatment.
So, this time, I’m killing many birds with one stone and showcasing some of Yankee Stadium’s appearances in Marvel comics. Go below the jump to see some of them:
“Deep Dream” turns baseball images into nightmares
Hey kids, it’s Hunter Pence!
Good old Hunter Pence, sticking his tongue out and diving for the ball…. now, let’s have Google’s Deep Dream take a look at Hunter Pence! It’s meant to show how a computer looks at things looking for images and such. So, what does it see with Hunter Pence?
AHHHHHHHH!
Oh, Wally. You scared me there. I was worried for a second…
AHHHHHH! PLEASE GOD GET IT AWAY FROM ME, AHHHHH!
Oh. Alex Rodriguez, you don’t look nearly as demonic in person as some people on the internet say…
I TAKE IT ALL BACK, PLEASE DON’T EAT MY SOUL!
Huh, a Dodger Dog and some beer. There are worse things, I suppose…
NOOOO DEAR GOD, IT’S BECOME LIKE A HORSE-FISH-DOG-CTHULHU THING! OH, THE HUMANITY!
Oh no…
Nonononononononononono
Ohgodohgodohgodohgod…
WHYWHYWHYWHYWHY
YOU MADE THE HOME RUN SCULPTURE WEIRDER?!?! HOW DO YOU EVEN DO THAT!?!?!
THAT’S SUPPOSED TO BE A BASEBALL GLOVE NOT A MANY-EYED MONSTER BEYOND MAN’S COMPREHENSION! I’M OUT OF HERE BEFORE I LOSE MY SANITY!
…
Oh, but the Art-Deco functions and stuff are cool:
Come back this weekend for Bizarre Baseball Culture, and until then experiment with the Deep Dream stuff over at Dreamscope.
All-Star Wrap-Up and MVP of Yesterday update
Well, that was fun.
To be sure, there have been many better All-Star Games. But there have also been many worse All-Star Games as well. And, what’s more, the festivities themselves were above average- the Home Run Derby, for example, has been reborn thanks to the brackets and time limits. It certainly isn’t perfect, but for the first time in quite awhile, I felt like I was watching the Home Run Derby beyond the first round because I was enjoying it, not simply because it was on.
And then there is Mike Trout. He batted four times last night, and in some ways the game became his showcase. He homered, he walked, he beat out a throw to first to avoid a double play. He rightfully was named MVP, his second in a row (the first player to do that), and he’s only 24. It is not out of the realm of possibility that, one day, the quote “The All-Star Game was made for Willie Mays” will instead be “The All-Star Game was made for Mike Trout.”
Not surprisingly, Trout is the MVP of Yesterday, just as he was the MVP of the game. Standings, as always, after the jump:
Over at @HOVG: The First Half “Wisdom-ies”
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Check out Hall of Very Good for my latest there, featuring the First Half “Wisdom-ie” award!
MVPs of the last weekend before the 2015 All-Star Break
The MVPs of this past weekend are Danny Salazar, Taylor Jungmann, and Kirk Nieuwenhuis. Standings, as always, after the jump. Obviously.
MVP of Yesterday (July 8th, 2015): Clayton Kershaw
The MVP of Yesterday is the person who should win the NL All-Star Final Vote: Clayton Kershaw. He threw a complete game shutout, striking out 13. Of course, it was against the Phillies, but still.
Standings, as always, after the jump:
MVP of Yesterday (July 7, 2015): Johnny Cueto
Striking out 11 and allowing only two Nationals hits in a complete-game shutout, Johnny Cueto is the MVP of Yesterday.
Standings, as always, after the jump:
MVP of Yesterday (July 6, 2015): Jon Lester, hitting god
Jon Lester went 7 innings and gave up only 2 hits yesterday, striking out eight. However, he lost due to lack of run support, which is especially amazing because LESTER HIMSELF GOT A HIT FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER YESTERDAY. Seriously, he’s now 1-68 on his career. That’s a .015 batting average.
So, for pitching well and getting the monkey off his back, Lester is the MVP of Yesterday. Standings after the jump, obviously:
MVPs of the Weekend (July 3, 4 and 5, 2015):
The MVPs of the Weekend are, in order: Carlos Gomez, C.J. Cron, and the one of yesterday’s tough-luck losers, Mat Latos.
Standings, as always, after the jump:
The Baseball Continuum 