The San Diego Padres know the key to a good photo day—and they know it has nothing to do with baseball.
All it takes is puppies. More specifically, puppies in costumes.
For their photo day, the Padres had players take pictures with dogs dressed up in random outfits. Of course, the focus then became the puppies and not the players. But it was totally worth it, right?
Definitely worth it.
[San Diego Padres, Alysha Tsuji]
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While there isn’t much for fans to pay attention to during the early days of spring training, Yoenis Cespedes has given everyone something to watch in his own personal car show at New York Mets camp throughout this week.
On Tuesday, he turned heads with a Polaris Slingshot. Then it was a Lamborghini, followed by a slick Alfa Romeo. Now, he has gone even bigger.
Cespedes got everyone’s attention by tweeting out a teaser Thursday:
On Friday, he followed through by arriving in his customized Jeep:
Does Cespedes have a favorite car? According to MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo, the outfielder prefers his latest ride above the rest:
Although the Jeep may be his favorite, he chose a different set of wheels as “the most fun”:
Some have ripped Cespedes for dropping hefty chunks of change on all of these cars. But let’s not forget he also just signed a three-year, $75 million deal this past offseason. And as DiComo points out, the cars aren’t making a huge dent in Cespedes’ bank account:
Also, luxury cars are something he has worked hard for:
Cespedes has performed well enough to earn himself a large contract. If he wants to spend some of his money on fun cars, that’s certainly his right.
[Twitter, Instagram]
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The Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees are involved in one of the best rivalries in all of sports, so it’s not often that either fanbase would ever show the opposition any love.
However, when an iconic player decides to hang up his cleats, it is acceptable for fans to give a rival a standing ovation. And that’s exactly what Boston Red Sox star David Ortiz is hoping will happen in the Bronx this season.
“You know what I want most of all?” Ortiz said to Kevin Kernan of the New York Post on Tuesday. “I would love it if the fans at Yankee Stadium gave me a standing ovation.”
The 40-year-old Ortiz announced back in November that the 2016 season will be his last. Big Papi has racked up three World Series titles, nine All-Star selections and more than 500 home runs over his 20-year career.
If he has it his way, the best retirement gift he will receive during his farewell tour will be a standing ovation from the Yankee Stadium crowd on Sept. 29.
New York fans may initially scoff at the notion of showing Big Papi some love. After all, this is the player who clubbed 47 home runs off their favorite team, not to mention he led the historic 2004 American League Championship Series comeback. However, it was not that long ago that Boston fans put the rivalry aside to pay their respects to retiring Yankees legends Mariano Rivera (here) and Derek Jeter (here and here and here).
Ortiz has undoubtedly caused the Yankees and their fans plenty of heartbreak throughout his Red Sox career. But for one night, New York fans should reciprocate the respect Bostonians showed outgoing Yankees stars in recent years and give Big Papi cheers (not Bronx cheers) in his final game at Yankee Stadium.
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Another day, another chance for New York Mets outfielder Yoenis Cespedes to show off his sick rides.
Cespedes turned heads when he showed up to Mets camp in a customized Polaris Slingshot on Tuesday. On Wednesday, he brought a different vehicle to work—and it’s just as flashy.
His latest ride? A Lamborghini.
ESPN’s Darren Rovell reported that Cespedes dropped $80,000 to customize his Lamborghini to shoot flames out of the exhaust pipe:
Here’s a look at the fire-breathing car in action:
Also, according to SNY.tv’s Robert Brender, Cespedes has been letting teammate Wilmer Flores drive one of his cars:
Cespedes just signed a three-year, $75 million deal this offseason, so he’ll have plenty of money to add to his car collection if he so chooses.
[Twitter, TMZ Sports]
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Back in September, we saw that New York Mets outfielder Yoenis Cespedes had himself a sweet customized ride.
Upping the ante for spring training, Cespedes, who signed a three-year, $75 million deal with New York this offseason, overshadowed Mets pitcher Matt Harvey’s Maserati by reporting to camp on Tuesday morning in a brand-new Polaris Slingshot:
Here’s a look at the wheels in action:
According to ESPN’s Darren Rovell, Cespedes spent a nice chunk of change customizing his ride:
In case you were wondering, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reported that the vehicle is street legal:
[Twitter]
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Chicago Cubs position players don’t have to report to spring training for about another week, but young slugger Kyle Schwarber is already in camp and showing off the power that got him to the majors so quickly.
That’s bad news for any cars near the Mesa, Arizona, baseball complex.
On Wednesday, Schwarber—who hit 16 home runs in 273 plate appearances in 2015—showed why fans need to be careful about where they park their cars while visiting spring training camps.
Here’s what the team had to say about the blast on Instagram: “Sorry about that! :-)”
(But for the record, Chicago really likes to see its 22-year-old slugger crushing the ball that way.)
It was only two years ago that Javier Baez smashed a windshield on a long ball. Although he was just a prospect at the time, Baez offered to pay for repairs.
While fans at all spring training complexes need to be careful where they park, it’s even more crucial for those who visit the Cubs. Chicago’s roster is loaded with power bats—park at your own risk.
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Like the San Diego Padres (here) and the Washington Nationals (here) before them, the Texas Rangers are giving fans an opportunity to win free season tickets with a swing of the bat.
All the fan has to do is hit a home run, and the tickets are free. Sure, no problem.
This Saturday, the Rangers will be holding their Select-a-Seat event at Globe Life Park for season-ticket holders.
According to the Rangers’ official website, any fan who is at least 18 years old and places a 25 percent deposit on their season-ticket packages of at least a half-season will get three swings to win free tickets. The fan is not allowed to be a current or former college/professional player, however.
Hitting a home run at a major league ballpark is a tall task for the ordinary fan. Heck, many big leaguers struggle to blast dingers on a consistent basis. As a way to make it easier for fans to win something, Texas will have targets set up at the ballpark that will allow fans a chance to win autographed prizes.
And luckily for them, Globe Life Park is known to be a hitter’s park. According to ESPN’s Home Run Tracker, only eight of the 29 other ballparks in baseball gave up more home runs per game than Globe Life Park (2.19) in 2015.
Better hit the cages, Rangers fans.
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Chicago White Sox prospect Tim Anderson Jr. may be too talented for his own good.
While taking some hacks in the batting cage on Monday, Anderson—who is listed as the No. 1 prospect in the White Sox organization by MLB.com—decided to film himself with his phone. The 22-year-old shortstop even took proper precautions to try to protect it.
However, not even netting could keep a liner at bay.
Fortunately for Anderson, the phone somehow escaped the incident without serious damage:
If Anderson is using a case to protect his phone, that purchase just paid off.
[Tim Anderson Jr., h/t Chicago Sun-Times]
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A year after teammate Jayson Werth received the unique honor, Washington Nationals star Bryce Harper is getting the Chia Pet treatment.
Like Werth, Harper is known for, among other things, his hair. From the flow on top of his head to his beard, the outfielder’s hair has made for a signature look.
Now fans will be able to grow their own Harper hair.
The Nationals have not released their full promotional schedule for the 2016 season, but on Thursday, the team did reveal that it will have a Chia Pet giveaway in honor of the 2015 National League Most Valuable Player:
Werth’s Chia Pet included not only facial hair, but chest hair as well. If the Nationals can find a way to feature Harper’s flow as well as the beard, this could go down as one of the best promotions in baseball this year.
[Twitter]
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After spending the first decade of his professional career in the San Francisco Giants organization, pitcher Tim Lincecum is a free agent and will likely be playing elsewhere in 2016.
However, if Myspace co-founder Tom Anderson has it his way, Lincecum will be back in orange and black this upcoming season.
Even if he has to write the check himself.
San Francisco drafted Lincecum with the 10th overall pick in the 2006 draft and watched him develop into an ace through the years. In his nine seasons with the Giants, the right-hander made four All-Star teams, won two National League Cy Young Awards, threw two no-hitters and helped the team win three World Series titles.
Giants fans have grown to love the pitcher they affectionately call The Freak, which makes saying goodbye tough. And that’s something Myspace Tom doesn’t want to do.
The 45-year-old Anderson tweeted out Tuesday he would be willing to pay up if it meant that San Francisco re-signed Lincecum. In other words, the longtime Giant is probably a part of Myspace Tom’s “Top Eight.”
Given the team’s offseason free-agent signings, it would be a huge surprise to see Lincecum pitching for San Francisco in 2016. The Giants handed out big contracts to pitchers Johnny Cueto (six years, $130 million) and Jeff Samardzija (five years, $90 million) this winter.
With Cueto, Samardzija, Madison Bumgarner, Jake Peavy and Matt Cain, there’s no room for Lincecum in the Giants rotation.
Myspace Tom would love to see the team keep Lincecum and go with a six-man rotation, but he probably shouldn’t hold his breath.
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