Want to know the easiest way to win the MVP of Yesterday? Throw a shutout. Especially if you don’t give up many hits.
Derek Holland did that yesterday, throwing a 2-hit complete game shutout against the Yankees… in Yankee Stadium. Impressive, even with the C-list lineup the Yankees have been throwing out of late.
So, Holland, the “Dutch Oven”, wins MVP of Yesterday. Go below the jump for the standings:
Introduction:
Superman vs. Batman. Godzilla vs. King Kong. Kirk vs. Picard.
Questions such as these have raged since the beginning of time. All types of media have tried to answer questions such as this. Heck, recently Nintendo released the first trailers for the latest incarnation of Super Smash Brothers, a series based entirely on the question of whether Mario could beat the snot out of Pikachu (amongst others) and similar questions.
But to the best of my memory, nobody has ever answered the question of who would win in a fight between all of the team-names of Major League Baseball. From the Atlanta Braves to the Washington Nationals, what would win?
Truly, this had to be a massive undertaking, taking into account history, science, tradition and countless other areas of knowledge. Nothing less than the most complete look at each of the warriors could do justice. Well, sort of.
You see, I am automatically going to disqualify teams that are inanimate objects. Therefore, the Boston Red Sox, Chicago White Sox, Houston Astros, Kansas City Royals (which is technically named after the American Royal Livestock Show, and not the idea of being kings), Oakland Athletics (which is just derived from being an Athletic club), Philadelphia Phillies, Cincinnati Reds (given that they are not actually communists), Washington Nationals (derived from being in the National League) and Colorado Rockies are all tied for last place. Now, let us go below the jump to take a look at our combatants:
What does my All-Star Ballot look like? Well, it looks something like this:
AMERICAN LEAGUE:
Catcher: Joe Mauer, Twins
First Baseman: Chris Davis, Orioles
Second Baseman: Robinson Cano, Yankees
Shortstop: J.J. Hardy, Orioles
Third Baseman: Miguel Cabrera, Tigers
Designated Hitter: David Ortiz, Red Sox
Outfield: Mike Trout (Angels), Adam Jones (Orioles), Jose Bautista (Blue Jays)
In general, this is pretty close to what the fans have voted in general. The only difference is that I have Bautista in over Nick Markakis.
National League:
Catcher: Yadier Molina, Cardinals
First Baseman: Joey Votto, Reds
Second Baseman: Matt Carpenter, Cardinals
Shortstop: Jean Segura, Brewers (Note: Would be Troy Tulowitzki, but he’s hurt so I’m not voting for him)
Third Baseman: David Wright, Mets
Outfielders: Carlos Gonzalez (Rockies), Carlos Gomez (Brewers), Jay Bruce (Reds)
(Note: Bryce Harper would be in if not hurt, and Gerardo Parra would be a write-in for outfielders in , but, well, the sad truth is that I highly doubt it’d make much of a difference, so I’m voting for Jay Bruce instead)
The NL is a bit more of a mess, and I have differences at 2B (Carpenter- who is more of a utilityman, admittedly, instead of Brandon Phillips), Shortstop (sort of- Tulowitzki is leading but won’t play due to injury) and especially the outfield, where nothing matches up between my ballot and what the fans in general are voting (although admittedly Harper would be on mine too if he was healthy).
So that’s what my ballots look like- what do you think?
Hang on, this can’t be right. Yasiel Puig is the MVP of Yesterday after going 3-4 with a HR and 2 RBIs. That means he now has been MVP of Yesterday three times… despite not even having played a month’s worth of games yet.
Amazing.
Standings, as always, after the jump:
The short-season minor leagues have gotten started or are about to do so, so here are some to look out for… below the jump.
This past week on the Continuum…
This coming week:
Good night!
Max Scherzer may have become the first guy since Roger Clemens to start a season 11-0, but Zack Greinke had the best performance yesterday, going 8 innings against the Padres (the same Padres he rumbled with earlier in the year) while giving up just one earned run and striking out 8 as the Dodgers picked up the win.
MVP Standings, as always, after the jump:
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.
Last time on Bizarre Baseball Culture: I reviewed and overviewed 2007’s Triple-A Baseball Heroes. In it, some of Marvel’s most famous and/or at-the-time-in-a-movie superheroes had misadventures at the AAA All-Star Game before learning the greatness and beauty of Triple-A Baseball. Also, the Hulk sang “Take Me Out To The Ballgame.” If you haven’t read that, I suggest you do so.
And now, without further ado, it’s sequel, Triple-A Baseball Heroes #2.
The first “Superhero Day” giveaways around AAA must have been successful, because they did the same thing in 2008. Everything about the second issue of Triple-A Baseball Heroes was bigger. The scope was bigger, there were more alternate covers for certain cities, and instead of merely dealing with one event or city, the entirety of AAA baseball was at stake. It even had a cameo or two. You can even see the stakes raised in the standard cover (done by John Watson, who also did the cover for the 2007 edition). Where before it was but a standard “running towards the reader” scene, this one had conflict, as the Marvel heroes and AAA mascots surround Doctor Doom, Magneto, the Green Goblin and the Mole Man.
I have to think, by the way, that the mascot of the Lehigh Valley IronPigs would be in trouble against Magneto.
So, what about the story itself? Well, go below the jump for that.
Thanks partially to the efforts of Larry Granillo, the article about the 2007 Triple-A Baseball Heroes actually came to the attention of the comic’s writer, Chris Eliopoulos. His comment upon seeing it:
@wezen_ball @DanJGlickman Wow.
— chris eliopoulos (@ChrisEliopoulos) June 20, 2013
So, I asked him a few questions, and he was kind enough to answer what he could remember from 2007. For example, I asked how he ended up writing the piece in the first place:
@DanJGlickman @wezen_ball I also write stuff and had been for Marvel. They knew I liked baseball & this was a custom comic…
— chris eliopoulos (@ChrisEliopoulos) June 20, 2013
@DanJGlickman @wezen_ball …so there is a lot of back and forth with story and character that the clients want & you have to give it to them.
— chris eliopoulos (@ChrisEliopoulos) June 20, 2013
@DanJGlickman @wezen_ball They knew I would take it in stride. So, it was just my love of baseball and easiness to work with.
— chris eliopoulos (@ChrisEliopoulos) June 20, 2013
In other words, he did the comic because he loves baseball and was willing to work with the clients (in this case presumably AAA Baseball). And, well, most of the unusual and/or bizarre things in the comic can be chalked up because that’s what the clients wanted:
@DanJGlickman @wezen_ball A lot of the things you mentioned in the post are things the client may have asked for. Customer’s always right.
— chris eliopoulos (@ChrisEliopoulos) June 20, 2013
@DanJGlickman @wezen_ball It’s been a while, but I think they wanted certain characters or there were restrictions on certain ones.
— chris eliopoulos (@ChrisEliopoulos) June 20, 2013
Thanks to Chris Eliopoulos for tweeting with me quick yesterday. Appreciate it. Also, thanks to Larry Granillo for bringing it to his attention.
Chris Davis, the MLB leader in HR, went 3-5 with two homers and five RBIs in the Orioles’ rout of the Tigers, making him the MVP of Yesterday.
Standings, as always, below the jump:
The Baseball Continuum 