NOTE: The Baseball Continuum is headed on a one-week (at most) semi-hiatus

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The computer I use to do most of my Baseball Continuum stuff is going in to be repaired tomorrow and will be gone for up to a week. That’s the bad news. The good news is that, much like how the government has “undisclosed locations” and occasionally “home” games are played in Milwaukee, I have everything nice and backed up, so (hopefully) if something goes catastrophically wrong I’ll be able to pick up right where I left off with stuff such as the International Baseball Competition and so on.

I will, however, remain active on Twitter and also, if I get the chance, maybe post some smaller stuff (like MVP of Yesterday) on my other computer (AKA “The Gaming Computer”). Can’t make any promises though.

So… enjoy the games.

MVP of Yesterday (June 9th, 2015): Chris Heston

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It was going to take a lot to have baseball get much attention last night. I mean, the NBA finals were on and had another close game, Marvel announced that The Punisher would be in the next season of Daredevil (that’s going to be SO AWESOME), and, of course, there is the day-to-day news- politics, the weather, crime, etc.

And it would have seemed even less likely that Chris Heston of the Giants would be the one to draw attention. I mean, Bryce Harper was playing in Yankee Stadium! Tanaka vs. Scherzer! The Mets-Giants game wasn’t even the biggest baseball game in New York City!

But, nope, Chris Heston, a rookie, went and threw a no-hitter, and had two hits and 2 RBIs as well! He struck out 11 and, for the first time in at least a hundred years, hit three batters with pitches.

So, obviously, he’s the MVP of Yesterday. Standings after the jump.

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MVP of Yesterday (June 8, 2015): Chris Sale

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Chris Sale dominated last night against the Astros, going 8 innings and striking out 14 while allowing just one run. He’s the MVP of Yesterday.

Standings, as always, after the jump:

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Over at Hall of Very Good: WISDOM AND LINKS!

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Over at Hall of Very Good, I take a look at interesting names in the draft (ranging from the good, the bad, to at least one that sounds exactly like a slur), have links, and talk dingers. Check it out.

MVPs of the Weekend (June 5, 6 and 7, 2015)

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MVPs of the weekend? They were, in order: Chi Chi Gonzalez, Clayton Kershaw, and Jose Bautista.

Standings, as always, after the jump:

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MVPs of Yesterday and the day before (June 3rd and 4th, 2015)

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I screwed up and somehow didn’t post the MVP of Yesterday… Yesterday. So today is a twofer.

The MVP of Wednesday was Mike Leake, who struck out 9 and held the Phillies hitless until their were 2 outs in the 7th (of course, the Reds’ bullpen then blew the lead, but that’s not Leake’s fault).

And the MVP of Thursday was Adam Jones, who finally broke out of his slump and went 3-4 against the Astros, including a homer.

Standings, as always, after the jump:

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BIZARRE BASEBALL CULTURE: Marvel Adventures Spider-Man 34 brings steroid accusations, hallucinations, and a angry father

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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.

Sports have many problems. There are performance enhancing drugs, exploitative agents, a culture that honors people and asks their opinions for no other reason than that they are strong, and stupid adults who ruin everything.

And in Marvel Adventures Spider-Man #34, we get a hard-hitting glimpse at how this affects high school baseball in a Marvel Universe. BECAUSE SOMEBODY HAD TO TELL US!

Screen Shot 2015-05-29 at 1.39.53 PMPublished in 2007, this issue was part of the Marvel Adventures/Marvel Age imprint, a set of ongoing series that were meant for all-ages of readers. To make it more readable for younger folks, these series cut down on more complicated backstories, featured characters (like Spider-Man) that most kids would have been familiar with from TV or movies, featured younger versions of some characters (this Spider-Man is still in High School, for example), didn’t have as much violence, and eliminated bad language and sexual innuendo.

But… that doesn’t stop it from having steroid accusations, a angry father, sports agents, and other fun stuff! It also has a baseball uniform with a Koala Bear on it, which is cool.

Go below the jump for more!

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MVP of Yesterday (June 2, 2015): Joey Gallo

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Joey Gallo, one of the best prospects in baseball, lived up to the hype in his first MLB game for the Rangers, going 3-4 with a 2B, a HR and four RBIs.

Nice.

Standings, as ever, after the jump:

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Fenway can survive the Apocalypse: Baseball in the Fallout 4 Trailer

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There is a video game series called Fallout. It is a good video game series. It basically takes the idea that all of the 1950s “World of Tomorrow” optimism had happened, but then it got nuked. Centuries after, civilization slowly starts to pick up the pieces, and you have adventures.

Well, the latest game in the series, Fallout 4, was just announced (it’s technically the 4th, 5th, 6th or 7th installment, depending on how you count). And it takes place in Boston. And, guess what, folks? Fenway’s still standing after WWIII!

Screen Shot 2015-06-03 at 10.21.37 AMOh, sure, it definitely has been updated and changed with various post-apocalyptic armor and stuff being added, at least partly so that they don’t have to pay royalties, but that’s definitely meant to be Fenway. There’s even a statue of a ballplayer in front. Oh, and what’s more, elsewhere in the trailer they show some sort of post-apocalyptic market built nearby filled with baseball-named establishments, presumably Yawkey Way and/or Kenmore Square- or, actually, probably inside Fenway itself (“Diamond City”). A nice touch by the developers to pay tribute to Boston’s love of baseball. Rest assured, when the game comes out, I’ll make sure to do a Bizarre Baseball Culture looking at the baseball elements in Post-Apocalyptic Boston.

Trailer below:

Over at @HOVG: Wisdom and Links!

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Better late than never, the latest Wisdom and Links at Hall of Very Good looks at the importance of the Black Sox Scandal to American professional sports, talks about College Baseball, and has, of course, links.