Kuzul

It’s really quite simple. Catch a perfect game: get a fancy watch. 

Susan Slusser, the San Francisco Chronicle‘s A’s beat writer, gives a baseball-mad world a beautiful moment that will restore your faith in humanity—or faith that ace pitchers can still have some class. 

Yes, that is Oakland A’s backstop John Jaso sporting some mighty expensive hardware on his wrist. It’s all thanks to a man who pitches for the enemy. 

Jaso may be playing for a division rival this season, but Felix Hernandez apparently never forgot the best game he ever pitched and the man who caught it. 

Back in August, Jaso and King Felix teamed up for a brilliant battery that would give the Mariners their first perfect game in franchise history. 

Fast-forward to this season and Hernandez is opening up the season in Oakland and is tasked with pitching against his old catcher. 

As CBS Sports reports, Hernandez giveth and then Hernandez taketh away, because the Mariners ace threw seven-plus innings, allowing just three hits and punching out eight in a Seattle 2-0 win. 

Not that Jaso was content to merely get a fancy Rolex on the day. He also managed to break up a no-hitter in the fourth inning:

Jaso, traded by the Mariners to their division rival during the offseason, popped out on the second pitch he saw in the first before his fourth-inning double. Then in the sixth, he struck out swinging to end a 10-pitch at-bat and 22-pitch inning for Hernandez.

About 90 minutes before first pitch, Hernandez had a Rolex watch delivered from a clubhouse employee to Jaso, quite the thank-you gift for his part in the ace right-hander’s perfecto.

“He broke up the no-hitter,” Hernandez said. “I was going to say, `Dude, what time is it?”‘

Sure, Jaso got a hit and a Rolex, but King Felix gets the last laugh with the win and a strikeout in the sixth. 

Felix Hernandez shows that he is pure class both on and off the bump. Not that Jaso will ever forget that magical game, but if he ever does, he can just check the time. 

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It may be spring training, but Phillies fans are already in midseason form. 

Busted Coverage spotted some of the more wonderful moments from an otherwise uneventful day during MLB preseason action. 

Of course, any Hooters waitresses out there should avert their eyes now because things are about to get rather awkward in here. 

First up, we have a Hooters ball girl who decided to fashion her fielding after Bill Buckner. She boots the ball, which leads to fans booing her. 

Yes, even in Clearwater, Fla., during the relative snooze-fest that is spring, Phillies fans find reason to boo just about anyone. 

A little while later, she makes yet another error. 

Even Starlin Castro thinks this is getting out of hand. 

Not to be outdone, a Hooters ball girl working the third-base side nearly gets annihilated by a foul ball and the three Yankees about to take her out. 

Someone, anyone, please get these Hooters girls some padding and helmets before they hurt themselves. Aside from that, please let them stay on the field. 

In fact, the slapstick comedy of errors should really spread to every single team in the Cactus and Grapefruit Leagues. 

I mean, why else are we watching? It’s the dead of March and the biggest news in baseball seems to be Joba Chamberlain‘s mustache and Fernando Rodney’s plantain. 

We won’t make it out of spring training with all of our dignity, so we might as well savor some of the funniest moments going down in sports right now. 

Hell, just last week, another Phillies Hooters ball girl was giving very live and very fair balls to fans. 

America, you may want to turn your attention to the Hooters girls fielding foul balls in Clearwater at the moment. I hear they do amazing work. 

Twitter, now with more tweets: 

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The world doesn’t stand a chance when Fernando Rodney brings his lucky plantain to the ballpark. 

The Dominican Republic moved past the Netherlands Monday night and will now play in the World Baseball Classic final against Puerto Rico. 

Sure, you could give some of the credit to the timely hitting of Moises Sierra and Robinson Cano, but the real reason the Dominican Republic took the semifinal was the undeniable power of Fernando Rodney’s lucky plantain. 

The video (h/t Big Lead) features a stoic Rodney standing confident. Well, there is a reason he is so cool before the start of the game. He has a secret weapon, a lucky fruit that also talks to him. 

Here is more on this special and magical plantain from Yahoo! Sports:

It had a message for him, too, because what good is a piece of produce if it doesn’t talk to you? “If you keep me close to you,” the plantain said, according to Rodney, who did not indicate whether it spoke Spanish or English or maybe Fruitish, “you’re going to get the win.”

Sounds like Rodney’s plantain is a bit of a chatty Cathy. 

The powerful fruit arrived Monday afternoon via a special delivery from the Dominican Republic. Not being an expert on mystical good luck charms, I am not aware whether the plantain will still have enough mojo for the final against Puerto Rico. 

If the Dominican Republic does take the title, you can bet there will be crates of the stuff lying around the Tampa Bay locker room all season. 

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It’s never too early to think about the World Series.

Spring training may be barely underway, but we have some thoughts on which teams are the most likely to make it to the end of this marathon race.

From the Blue Jays and their mammoth overhaul this season to teams like the Giants and Tigers who left things relatively unchanged, we have you covered.  We even managed to find some love for the Nationals and Braves along the way.

Join MLB Lead Writer Zachary Rymer and MLB Contributor Gabe Zaldivar as they break down the teams who are most likely to make it through a tumultuous season unscathed. 

Of course, this is a video that will only serve to begin what should be a heated debate. Do you love these picks or do you feel some teams were snubbed? Leave your emotional pleas in the comments section below.  

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Major League Baseball has a lot to look forward to with Mike Trout and Bryce Harper’s whole careers ahead of them, but who is going to have a better second chapter?

The Angels star largely overshadowed a fantastic campaign from the Nationals phenom, ending with a near MVP win over Miguel Cabrera.

Still, there is a ton to like about Harper who could very well usurp Trout in 2013 as the best young player in the game.   

Join MLB Lead Writer Zachary Rymer and MLB Contributor Gabe Zaldivar as they break down the two brightest stars in the game. Just as the NBA had in Bird and Magic, MLB may soon see two of the most engaging athletes of this era.

Not that the debate ends with this video. This is an argument that will get played out in every pub and baseball field in the country. State your argument on who will have the better 2013 season in the comments section below.

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The sights and sounds of Spring Training remind us that the coming summer is going to be a wonderful time. They also remind us that J.P. Arencibia does a perfect Tim Kurkjian impression. 

On Monday (h/t Big Lead), baseball fans got to hear yet another rendition of the high-pitched enthusiasm that can only be delivered by Tim Kurkjian or the Blue Jays 27-year-old catcher of course. 

In a video best consumed with your eyes closed, the catcher now tasked with catching knuckleball ace R.A. Dickey, delivers one of the more peculiar peripherals upon baseball’s return. 

Of course, this isn’t the first time we have heard this particular impression.

Last year, the catcher managed to get both Terry Francona and Kukjian busting out the giggles on ESPN’s Baseball Tonight. 

Ryan Dempster got in on the fun last year and joked that some scouts seem to think about 25 to 30 players are actually doing Kurkjians around the league. 

Enter any locker room and you may just hear the high-pitched squeal of the analyst’s voice. 

Even Elliott Johnson attempted one in 2012, but the master continues to be Arencibia, who is trying to keep things light as the pressure of a pennant run is just around the corner. 

Since players you have never heard of are hitting camp and split-squad games are in full swing, now is as good a time as any to bust out those baseball impressions you have been saving up all winter. 

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Felix Hernandez was just the latest ace pitcher to get paid, and here are the next maestros in line to bring in a fortune.

Here, we break down the bright future for the likes of Justin Verlander, Clayton Kershaw, Tim Lincecum and Adam Wainwright.

While we may have to wait a while to know with certainty how much these guys will be paid, recent contract extensions and signings have given us confidence in these predictions.

How will Wainwright’s mediocre 2012 season factor into his contract? What’s next up for  Kershaw, the best left-hander in the game? These are just a few of the quandaries solved.

Join MLB Lead Writer Zachary Rymer and MLB contributor Gabe Zaldivar as they break down some of the best pitchers in the game and what kind of deals they will garner in the next few months.

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Spring Training isn’t just about watching baseball in unseasonably warm weather; it’s about going crazy.

Granted, the Cactus and Grapefruit Leagues aren’t renowned for their comedy, but these few incidents will have you far more inclined to look for the hilarity in the next couple of months.

We also have an idea of where Randy Johnson received his idea for his photography logo.  Hint: It comes from the bird he decimated with his signature heater.

Join MLB Lead Writer Zachary Rymer and MLB Contributor Gabe Zaldivar as they breakdown the craziest moments in Spring Training history. Of course, this is but a short list of bizarre antics. 

Please feel free to chime in with some odd and hilarious tales of your own from Spring Training’s past history. 

Pitchers and catchers report, which means the best time of the year is just around the corner. Let’s pay homage by breaking down the craziest moments from Spring Training.

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When the game is on in the background and they step in the box, you stop what you are doing and watch.

There is no more simple an offensive measure in baseball than the home run, a ball that travels over a fence. It sounds so simple but continues to be the most impressive feat and the reason many tune into this wonderful sport every summer.

These are some who are the best at it.

Join MLB Lead Writer Zachary Rymer and MLB Contributor Gabe Zaldivar as they debate who has the top spot as the MLB slugger with the most pure power, guys whose electric bats are legendary.

Of course, this is an open debate that will feature so many wonderful names. Feel free to destroy our choices or offer your own power wisdom in the comments section below.

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It happens in every sport, some of the best leave the sport with a ring missing from their finger. Here are the players we would hate to see that happen to.

Of course, nothing is perfect in life. I am sure the player we mention in this video will be the first to tell you missing out on the World Series would hardly diminish their experiences.

Still, we like to be greedy and consider the possibilities for ourselves, as fans. Here are some guys who have given us so much joy as fans that we would love to see them finish out their careers in the best possible manner.  

Join MLB Lead Writer Zach Rymer and MLB Contributor Gabe Zaldivar as they delve into some of the most underappreciated players in the sport who really deserve a World Series ring. 

We know that you have your thoughts and favorite players on this very subject, please feel free to leave them in the comments section below.  

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