Bizarre Baseball Culture: Simpsons Comics #120

Posted on August 31, 2014 by danglickman

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.

As I write this, America is in the grasp of the Every Simpsons Ever Marathon on FXX. To be more exact, we’re currently on Day 10 of 12. Maybe Day 11 of 12. Depends on when this goes up (probably Day 11). But, don’t let FXX lie to you: They don’t have every Simpsons ever. No, they are lacking the original Tracey Ullman Show shorts, the Butterfingers commercials, at least one other short, at least two music videos, and, of course, countless comics.

The Simpsons has long been a staple of Bongo Comics, the publishing group co-founded by Matt Groening to produce comics based on his TV shows, and this time on Bizarre Baseball Culture, I look at Bongo Comics’ Simpsons Comics #120, which tells the tale of Homer, Bart, and a record-setting baseball.

So, it’s time to get up and…. D’OH!

GO BELOW THE JUMP FOR MORE:

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Tomorrow (Sunday) on the Baseball Continuum…

Aside

Tomorrow on the Continuum: Bizarre Baseball Culture does The Simpsons, and I share some of the best writing I’ve read over the past week.

MVP of Yesterday (August 28, 2014): Yusmeiro Petit

Posted on August 29, 2014 by danglickman

While Yusmeiro Petit did have a good start yesterday for the Giants, going 6 innings and giving up only 4 hits and a earned run with 9 Ks, part of the reason is because he, early in the game, broke the record for consecutive batters retired.

Standings, as always, after the jump:

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MVP of Yesterday (August 27, 2014): Clayton Kershaw

Posted on August 28, 2014 by danglickman

Clayton Kershaw was awesome yesterday. Yaaawwwwwwnnnnn. 8 innings, no earned runs, 10 Ks….

Just another day in the life of the greatest pitcher since Pedro Martinez was in Boston.

Standings after the jump:

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MVP of Yesterday (and the day before): August 25 and 26, 2014

Posted on August 27, 2014 by danglickman

The MVPs of the past two days are, in order, Delmon Young and the near-perfect Madison Bumgarner.

Standings, as usual, after the jump:

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MVPs of the Weekend (and Thursday) for August 21 through 24

Posted on August 25, 2014 by danglickman

The MVPs since Thursday?

David Price, Drew Smyly, Pedro Alvarez, and Tsuyoshi Wada.

Standings after the jump:

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Bizarre Baseball Culture: A Cal Ripken Bio-Comic

Posted on August 24, 2014 by danglickman

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.

There is a special type of baseball culture that I haven’t really covered yet… the baseball biography comic. Whether authorized or unauthorized, the baseball bio-comic is it’s own small subgenre of weird.

Take Baseball Superstars Comics‘ bio-comic on Cal Ripken, Jr. from 1992. A black-and-white comic from the now long-defunct “Revolutionary Comics” and seventh in a series of baseball bio-comics, it’s like a fever-dream of a look into the life and times of the Orioles great up through the 1991 season. The art is disturbing, the writing wooden, and the facts sometimes feel wrong.

That said, it’s not all bad. It’s got a so-bad-it’s-good quality at times, and any comic that features two pages devoted to the longest game ever is going to get my attention.

So, on his 54th birthday, here’s a look at the Baseball Superstars comic on Cal Ripken Jr…. after the jump:

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