Today’s quote comes from Hank Aaron:
Failure is a part of success.
Quote of the Day (April 23)
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Category Archives: Baseball
RANDOM THING: Ninja Baseball Batman
I am working on an article about my memories of some of the great baseball video games of the past, but while doing research, I have found something that will blow everyone’s mind: Ninja Baseball Batman.
What is Ninja Baseball Batman? I’ll let this video by James Rolfe, who has a web series, “The Angry Video Game Nerd”, in which he (in character) foul-mouthedly reviews crummy or bizarre games, tell it:
So, basically, Ninja Baseball Batman is a obscure beat-em up game in which you play as ninja baseball players. For those of you who skipped the video, the reason you have never heard of it is because it was only in arcades- not consoles- and was a total failure, selling only 43 machines. It was only found when some gamers came across it on (technically illegal) emulators. Therefore, I haven’t played it, and probably won’t, unless it’s released on a console I have or comes to the PC or Mac.
But, man, this seems like it would be the most bizarre baseball culture. Weirder than the “Double Trouble Header”, weirder than Martian baseball, and even weirder than Rockets Freaking Rigby. I mean, apparently the plot of this game is that the Commissioner hires four ninja baseball players named Ryno, Straw, Roger and Jose to retrieve objects stolen from the Hall Of Fame. Yes, there is a video game that exists that has ninja baseball players named after Ryne Sandberg, Darryl Strawberry, Roger Clemens and Jose Canseco. Although, to be fair, this is like the fifth weirdest thing to ever involve Jose Canseco.
So, there you go, a random post about some obscure video game I have never played… and one of the most unusual baseball-related products in history.
Picture of the Day: Bubbles Hargrave
Bubbles Hargrave had a brief appearance with the Cubs before WWI before becoming a mainstay of the Cincinnati Reds in the 1920s. Here’s a picture of him with the Cubs, from the Library of Congress:
MVP of Yesterday (April 22, 2013): Jay Bruce
The MVP of Yesterday is Jay Bruce, who went 2-5 with a HR and 3 RBIs. However, it’s not just that: in the bottom of the 13th inning of Cincinnati’s game against the Cubs, his 2-run double tied up the game at 4. Bruce would then score the walk-off run when Cesar Izturis singled to left.
MVP standings (after the jump):
Quote of the Day for April 22, 2013
From Honus Wagner:
“I won’t play for a penny less than fifteen hundred dollars.”
Picture of the day: Johnny Evers and “Gettysburg” Eddie Plank
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MVP of Yesterday (April 21, 2013): Joey Votto
Yesterday’s MVP is Joey Votto, who went 3-5 with a HR.
Honorable Mentions: Nelson Cruz, Yuni Escobar, Greg Holland, Ervin Santana
MVP Standings (under jump):
Quote of the Day (April 21, 2013)
Today’s quote is by Connie Mack:
“There has been only one manager, and his name is John McGraw.”
Continuum Global News (Week leading up to April 21): News from Japan, Korea, Mexico, Europe and More
News and Standings from across the wide world of baseball (THIS IS A BIG POST SO THERE IS A JUMP AFTER THE FIRST FEW PARAGRAPHS):
Asia:
In Asia, baseball season is now in full swing, with Japan, Korea and Taiwan all in motion.
In Japan, home of Nippon Pro Baseball, the standings currently look like this (from Yakyu Baka):
As you can see, the teams have already started to spread out a bit, forming into de-facto groups of great, good and bad. The cream of the crop in the NPB, once again, seems to be the Yomiuri Giants, who have 14 wins, 4 losses, and two ties (there are ties in NPB). Only two teams are within five games of them. The Giants, winners of 22 Japan Series and the current defending champions, have several names that would be familiar to baseball fans in North America. Shinnosuke Abe, the team’s captain, is a long-time mainstay of the Japanese national team at the WBC, and former Major Leaguers like John Bowker, Jose Lopez, D.J. Houlton and Scott Mathieson have played for the Giants this season as well. Hayato Sakamoto (another member of the 2013 WBC team) and Shuichi Murata are among the Central League’s HR leaders.
It’s a bit closer over in the Pacific League, but like in the Central League, one team has clearly gotten off to a very good start: The Seibu Lions. Based out of Torozawa, the Lions are being paced at the plate by former MLBer Esteban German, 22-year-olds Hideto Asamura and Yuji Kaneko, and outfielder Takumi Kuriyama. The pitching has also been excellent, and features 2013 WBC pitcher Hideaki Wakui and a young lefty named Yusei Kikuchi, who is 2-1 with a 1.03 ERA in 4 starts.
Also, some interesting news: NPB will open the 2014 season with games in the LA area.
(JUMP FOR MORE)
Picture of the day: Desmond Jennings, Center Fielder, does a unassisted double play
This can only happen when a hit and run play goes horribly, horribly wrong.
The Baseball Continuum 