Tuesday marks the 83rd annual MLB All-Star Game and what better way to prepare than to oogle some of the gentlemen that will be participating in the festivities?

Representing the American League…

Curtis Granderson - New York Yankees, Outfielder

(Photo by Josh May)

CJ Wilson (who actually was replaced…sad trombone) – Los Angeles Angels, Pitcher » Continue reading “Monday Morning Motivation: MLB All-Star Edition”

Josh Hamilton likes to walk up to a mix of "This Life" (Mercy Me), "I Used To Do It" (LeCrae), "Sing A Song" (Third Day), and "Showstopper" (Toby Mac). What would your song be?

A week or so ago, a bunch of the Aerys MLB writers and I got into a lengthy discussion about walk-up songs.  I mean, it’s a tough decision.  People judge you based on your choice.  (Wait, that’s just me? Oh…)  So we thought it would be fun to share our choices with you.

Stacey Gotsulias (New York Yankees – Second Place Is Not An Option) – “A View To A Kill” by Duran Duran

» Continue reading “Tune In Tuesday: Walk On Up!”

For those of you who aren’t A’s or Mariners fans, baseball season starts this week for you!  Some of the lovely MLB ladies took the time to give me what they thought would be their team’s theme song this season and this is what they came up with:

(Credit to Laura for coming up with this great idea!)

1. Baltimore Orioles (Charm City Yakyuu): It Sucks To Be Me- Avenue Q- Stephanie chose this song for the Orioles: “Because they suck.”

» Continue reading “Tune In Tuesday: What’s Your AL Baseball Team’s Theme Song?”

Upon hearing the news of Prince Fielder’s 9 year/$214 million contract with the Detroit Tigers, I began scouring the Internets to find Fielder-themed video…

…And the Internet gods blessed me with this vintage McDonald’s commercial, starring both Cecil and Prince.

So, yeah…

Now that my team’s out of the running, I’m able to focus on the lighter side of baseball while watching the 2011 MLB Postseason.

That usually means I can follow my postseason picks and cheer without feeling like I’m going to have an epic meltdown each time they’re in a jam.

Last night, that so called lighter side made my stomach turn. When he took the mound in the bottom of the seventh inning, Tigers reliever Joaquin Benoit was asked to remove a large bandaid from his cheek.

The request presumably came from the Yankees. The bandaid could be considered a distraction so they were within their right to ask for its removal. Also, they were probably trying to mess with Benoit’s mind. That was within their right too, especially in an ALDS Game 5 situation.

Benoit shook his head, seemed to say “Man” and then pulled the bandage off. Watching him tug that thing away from his skin was a little bit painful. I just wanted to tell him, “Just rip it off!”

When the bandaid had been removed, I wanted to tell him “Put it back on!” I just wonder if the Yankees started to think the same thing.

I was an athlete in high school and I was a scorekeeper for our baseball team. I’ve spent a lot of time in a dugout and a clubhouse so I’ve seen some gross stuff. The growth on Benoit’s face that was originally covered by a bandaid falls into that “gross stuff” category.

Was is the type of zit that one of my friends calls an “underground” pimple?

Was it a staph infection? Should he be seen by a doctor?

Was it an ingrown hair that had become infected? We’ve seen his awful beard. It could very well be one of his hairs just fighting against becoming a part of that.

Every time TBS went in for a close-up, I longed for the days before HD TV. I didn’t know exactly what it was, but I knew I didn’t want to see it. For the love of all that is sacred on television, it had a profile!

I joked about it, but I also felt sorry for Benoit. We’ve all been there to a certain extent. If you grew up in the 90s, you might remember that Doug’s been there. [Thanks to Tara and Ashley for reminding me of this one. Warning: Some NSFW language exists in this Doug: Episode 31 recap.] As Dana pointed out, acne is so common, people write songs about the condition.

If you haven’t ever had you life interrupted by a big ol’ zit, we don’t want to hear about you and your perpetually blemish free skin.

After the bandaid was off, we waited to see if the last minute change would affect Benoit’s concentration. A chopper by Robinson Cano got past Benoit to load the bases. Then Benoit walked Mark Teixeira with the bases loaded to bring the Yankees within one run. I was preparing to see a curse of the zit themed hashtag emerge on Twitter.

But Benoit got back to the game of baseball more quickly than Twitter did and he pitched one and two-thirds innings of three hit ball with three strike outs. Jose Valverde came in to close out the game and he picked up his second save up the postseason as the Tigers won 3-2 over the Yankees.

Guess I don’t need to feel too bad for Benoit, despite his ill-timed facial issue. He’ll be going to the ALCS with his Detroit Tigers. I just sincerely hope that any dermatologists who were watching Game 5 have already sent some samples Benoit’s way. I don’t think the Tigers need Benoit plus his blemish on the roster.

Sarah Tyson is the lead Tampa Bay Rays reporter for Aerys Sports. You can follow her on Twitter at @SarahSeesSports and keep up with her favorite team at Cowbell Clankers.

The Pulse would like to introduce “Foul Territory:” a weekly post featuring an offensive, ridiculous, or all-around absurd sports moment from the last week either on the field or off. In the first edition of Foul Territory, we present you — #girlbehindtheplate.

There aren’t many things that can turn a baseball game sour.

Unless of course said baseball game is against the second-place division rival. And unless said game consists of 14 innings of some of the fundamentally worst baseball you’ve probably ever seen. And unless your team loses on a walk-off hit-by-pitch. And unless all of this just so happened to occur after a two-hour rain delay. And unless of course it’s topped off by an obnoxious girl doing obnoxious things behind home plate for long enough to start trending on Twitter.

If I sound bitter, it’s because I am. And trust me when I say, you would be too if you were a Tigers fan.

Let’s recap:

Game one of a three-game series against the Indians: Cleveland scores two quick runs in the bottom half of the first inning. The Tigers answered with two runs of their own in the top of the second. Cue rain delay. And then, this horribly played, horrendously boring game continued for the next six innings relatively thrill-less.

That is, until she showed up. And by “she” I mean #girlbehindtheplate.

Around the 8th inning, what I can only assume was an Indians fan, found prime real estate behind home plate and subsequently made every living soul watching the game on TV detest her very existence.

For your viewing pleasure, here’s just a small look into the train wreck that was #girlbehindtheplate: » Continue reading “Foul Territory: Indians Fan Sparks a New Revolution of Annoying”