Category Archives: Uncategorized

Bizarre Baseball Culture: BILLY THE MARLIN guest-starring SPIDER-MAN

Posted on by
39

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.

What if I told you there was a comic about Doctor Doom invading 90s Miami in order to kidnap Jeff Conine, only to be foiled by Spider-Man and Billy the Marlin? And what if I told you that Robb Nen also had a brief cameo? Would you be interested in this comic?

Well, seeing as how you are currently looking at this, the answer is probably yes. And, guess what? You are in luck, as this comic does exist:

MarlinsSpideyCover

Yes, it’s time for Bizarre Baseball Culture to jump into Billy the Marlin, guest-starring Spider-Man! Read below to see the background of it, or go below the jump for an overview and analysis:

The comic, as far as I can tell, was given out in either 1996 (that’s the copyright date in the book and also fits with some of the Marlins portrayed) or 1999 (that’s where it’s listed on some online websites, but doesn’t fit since Conine and Nen weren’t on the 1999 Marlins team) for Billy the Marlin’s birthday, a nice little treat for kids who were at the Marlins game. Based on what I could find, Billy the Marlin’s birthday is usually celebrated in August, so presumably this comic came out in August of 1996 or 1999 (I personally think 1996).

The writer and colorist of this comic was Mark Bernardo, who primarily worked as a colorist and editor at Marvel during the 1990s, primarily in Spider-Man books- he was one of the many cooks in the kitchen during the disastrous “Clone Saga” (which was apparently so complicated both in-story and out that I don’t quite understand it even from what I can find online).

Pencilling the story was Alex Saviuk, a prolific artist who is, according to the “Comic Book DB”, best known for his work involving Spider-Man, including a Sunday newspaper strip.

Greg Adams did inks, Janice Chiang did letters and Glenn Herdling was the Editor. All three had plenty of experience in comics.

End of background, go BELOW THE JUMP for overview and analysis (Warning: image-intensive!):

Continue reading →

1,000th Post Spectacular: The Best (So Far) of the Baseball Continuum

Posted on by
1

If my WordPress is to be believed, this is my 1,000th post on the Baseball Continuum! So, let’s take a look back at some of the best posts here:

The First “Big” Post

The first “big” post here, the first to get any attention beyond the small group of friends and family that I told about the Continuum, was Baseball in the Year 2044: A look at “Rockets on the Mound”. The look I did at the obscure 1950s baseball sci-fi story was written about over on Hardballtalk, and It provided the template and something of a prologue to the Bizarre Baseball Culture segments I’ve done, which are probably the most popular things on this site.

The Most Viewed Posts

The top 10 most-viewed posts on the site all have to do with the World Baseball Classic, which isn’t surprising, given the fact I was one of maybe eight on the baseball blogosphere (at least in English) to give it the time of day and may well have been the first to start projecting out rosters. The most popular post that isn’t WBC related? Why, it’s the first Marvel/AAA Baseball Crossover. In case any of you who have read it missed it, I’ve actually talked to that comic’s writer as well as Chris Hill, who was one of the main people who made that promotion happen. The most viewed post that doesn’t involve the WBC or Bizarre Baseball Culture in any way was the post about strangest stadiums.

My Favorite Posts to Write

Two posts come to mind as my favorite to write, in no particular order:

The first is the one about international team names, just because it was so fun looking at all of the creative names abroad. One team, the Bolton Robots of Doom, liked it so much they sent me a t-shirt. I really need to find that t-shirt, it’s around here somewhere….

The second was the one on favorite baseball memories, simply because I was so glad and a little surprised at all of the ones I got back. I was expecting some from some of the bloggers I’d been in contact with before, but I was pleasantly surprised when I heard from some big-name writers and/or editors like Joe Posnanski, Howard Megdal and John Manuel. Besides, it was just cool to see all those memories.

Stupidest Post

This one. What was I thinking?

Most hilarious-in-hindsight post

The time I wrote an obituary for the 2012 Baltimore Orioles’ playoff hopes.

The One With the Most Photos

Probably the post on the Pepsi Legends game.

The post that got the most attention in my hometown

The Rochester Red Wings tweeted and Facebooked about my post about Jeff Clement and a miracle comeback.

The one that got the most attention in Hollywood

My recent post on Parks and Recreation‘s tie-in book got the attention of both show co-creator Michael Schur and Mets reliever David Aardsma.

And finally…

Thanks to everyone who has been reading the Continuum, promoting/linking to it, and helping to make it possible! The best is yet to come, and here’s to 1,000 more!

On Manny Machado’s injury

Posted on by
Reply

Short version:

Longer version:

Injuries happen in all sports, and they can happen at all times, to all players. Nobody is immune. And yesterday’s injury to Manny Machado is further proof of that. Since arriving in the big leagues, he had not missed a game and he had been a staple of highlight reels both on the field and at the plate. And now, in a freak injury, his season is done and it’s entirely possible he may miss a good chunk of next year as well. And, worst of all, who knows how this knee/leg injury may affect him in the future:

Could this slow him down and turn all of those doubles into singles?

Could it make it so that he will never be able to move to SS, which is technically his natural position?

We don’t know, and that is the thing that makes his injury so sad. Baseball lost one of it’s brightest young stars yesterday for the rest of the (admittedly short) season, and now, all everyone can do- in Baltimore and across the world- is wait, and hope that this injury isn’t as bad as it looked.

MVP of Yesterday (September 23, 2013): Alexis Rios

Posted on by
Reply

With apologies to his teammate Derek Holland, Alex Rios– who cycled last night- is the MVP of Yesterday.

Standings, as usual, after the jump:

Continue reading →

The clever baseball reference in the “Parks and Recreation” book

Posted on by
4

In 2009, Parks and Recreation first aired. A spiritual spin-off (but not an actual spin-off) of The Office, it follows the life of the Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler) and the rest of the staff of the Parks and Recreation Department in the fictional, Springfield-like city of Pawnee, Indiana.

In 2011, Knope released a book on Pawnee in the show, entitled Pawnee: The Greatest Town in America. NBC released the book in the real world.

In 2013, as part of a Netflix/Hulu binge to get caught up on Parks and Recreation before the next season starts, I also read Pawnee: The Greatest Town in America. I got it from the library (thankfully, my local library is not run by Ron Swanson’s second ex-wife Tammi). In doing so, I was able to catch a clever baseball reference in it during a section on Pawnee’s school board- which is filled with people who have lots of A’s at the start of their names in order to be at the top of the ballot, helping them win simply through the laziness of the voters of Pawnee. I’ve put the page up below the jump*, can you spot it?

*(Please don’t sue me, NBC!)

Continue reading →

How scouts saw young Todd Helton

Posted on by
Reply

Todd Helton, as you no doubt heard, is retiring at the end of this year. I decided to look up what the Diamond Mines Scouting Reports database had to say about what he looked like as a young prospect.

The first in the database, from Expos scout Ed Creech in 1992, looked at him as a senior in High School. Creech didn’t seem too impressed, as projected him as having below average hitting ability.

Another Expos scout, Pat Sullivan, was more optimistic, seeing him as having an average future at the plate but noting he was still “crude” and had a ways to go with the bat.

There are a bunch of ones from later in the decade. One of the more interesting ones include a 1995 one by Russ Bove of the Brewers, which projected Helton as being a .265 hitter in the big leagues. Note that Helton has only four times in his 17-year career been under .265 hitter, and three of those times have been in the past four years and the other one was during a year where he had injury problems. Another one, by George Bradley of the White Sox, is interesting if only for the fact it compares Todd Helton’s physical form to an old man and not a big-name school’s quarterback (Helton infamously was replaced by Peyton Manning at the University of Tennessee). Of the reports, perhaps the one that came closest to seeing Helton’s potential was Ed Pebley, also of the White Sox, who saw him as being a .280-.300 hitter.

In other words, none of the scouts really saw Helton’s career- one that may land him in the Hall of Fame- coming. At least, they didn’t see it as being a possible Hall-of-Fame one.

MVP of Yesterday (September 16, 2013): Cliff Lee

Posted on by
Reply

Andrew Cashner picked the wrong night to almost throw a no-hitter, because last night’s MVP was Cliff Lee. Why? Well, for one thing, he had 14 strikeouts. For another, he had 4 RBIs and a triple. His WAR yesterday as a pitcher on Fangraphs was 0.7, and hit hitting WAR was 0.2! That means his total WAR yesterday was 0.9, meaning he was worth almost a entire win more than what the average replacement player would have been.

Anyway, standings after the jump:

Continue reading →

In honor of Friday the 13th: My Greatest Baseball Fears (mostly humor)

Posted on by
Reply

It’s Friday the 13th, so here are my greatest baseball fears (these are mostly meant to be humorous):

  • I go to a ballgame, have to leave early due to some external circumstance, miss a no-hitter, and get ticked off at whoever it was that caused the external circumstance.
  • Some family member or friend schedules a wedding, Bar Mitzvah, funeral, or other major event during an elimination game of the World Series. Had the 2008 World Series gone to Game 7, this would have happened and I would have probably ruined the Bat Mitzvah of a family friend.
  • Even worse than that: the power goes out during the playoffs. The horror…. the horror.
  • Or even worse than THAT: a blackout brought about by a dispute between the TV station and the cable provider. A torch and/or pitchfork would probably be involved.
  • Another work stoppage. I was four when the last one happened so I had no clue. I have a hard enough time getting through the off-season. A work stoppage would probably cause me to enter a grief-coma or something. Is a grief-coma a thing? I don’t know.
  • I miss a walk-off play in deep extra innings because of my bladder.
  • Line drive to the face.
  • Line drive to the groin.
  • Really, line drives in general are terrifying.
  • Hard enough grounders, too, especially if they are bouncing.
  • Somebody other than Andrelton Simmons wins Gold Glove for SS in the NL this season, causing the baseball-related internet to enter a conflagration that would make the Trout-Cabrera WAR debate of last year look like a campfire.
  • No, seriously, he’s had one of the best defensive seasons in history. If he doesn’t win, the baseball-related internet will probably cease to exist. The center will not hold, the falcon will not be able to hear the falconer…
  • Finally: I’m somehow managing a major league team, my team is down in the ninth, and Mariano Rivera is coming in.

Random Thing: Former Major League Stadiums That Are Still Standing

Posted on by
Reply

The (exhibition) return of Olympic Stadium got me to thinking for no real reason: What are other former MLB stadiums that are still standing? I don’t mean cases where they knocked down almost the whole thing but kept the diamond there (as has happened at Tiger Stadium), or cases where they demolished most but not all of the stadium and then it was made into something totally different (as with what used to be Braves Field).  I’m talking about actual former stadiums that are still standing and could, in theory, still be used for baseball.

I came up with this list:

I can’t think of any others… can you?

MVP of Yesterday (September 8, 2013): Jay Bruce

Posted on by
Reply

Yesterday’s MVP, Jay Bruce, had two home runs yesterday in the Reds’ victory over the Dodgers. Even more amazingly, they were both off Clayton Kershaw. Amazingly, those were the first two HRs Kershaw gave up to a lefty all year.

It’s his second of the year.

Standings, as always, after the jump:

Continue reading →