Kuzul

Who wants to see grown men lay waste to a field of children with a volley of rubber balls?

Yep, it was dodgeball time in the city for Drew Butera and Dee Gordon. The two Los Angeles Dodgers were in New York on Monday when they took the business to a crowd of students from the Grace Church School.

The game was filmed for the MTV2 show Off The Bat From The MLB Fan Cave, according to TMZ. As you’ll see in the footage, Butera and Gordon were out to put kids in the dirt.

Both men caught throws, completing crucial two-man swings, though no one came from the sideline, leading me to believe this was a Dodgers-against-the-world scenario, and mercy be damned. Judging by Butera‘s play, you’d think the two men would be fed to the Rancor if they lost. 

The catcher snagged a ball out of the air and laced a kid in the torso, teaching him an important lesson about dodgeball and—ultimately—life. You’ve got to keep your hips honest and your head on a swivel if you want to make it in this world.

Gordon captioned this video “@drewbutera smashed on him lol.”

That’s not the sound of bruising. That’s the meaty smack of a lesson learned.

For those unfamiliar with the sports-ish program, Off The Bat debuted in April with the stated objective of “merging baseball and pop culture.”

According to Mike Oz of Yahoo Sports, the program is hosted by a medley of pop culture personalities, including rapper Fat Joe, model/actress Melanie Iglesias and MTV radio host Sway (who remains without answers). Each week involves baseball players from different teams coming in to share a bit of their off-the-field passions—which, in Gordon and Butera’s case, involves juicing hot rubber at the youth. 

The Dodgers play the New York Mets Tuesday night at 7:10 p.m. ET. Suffice it to say, their arms will be limber come game time.

Nothing loosens the rotator cuff like administering stern lessons in the five D’s. 

All is fair in love and dodgeball.

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And for his next trick, Rougned Odor will pull a rabbit out of his hat. 

Yahoo! Sports’ David Brown spotted this video of the Rangers rookie losing a ball in his jersey, causing frustration for the 20-year-old and wild entertainment for the rest of us. 

In the bottom of the sixth inning, with the Rangers leading 4-0 over the Astros, third baseman Matt Dominguez slaps a ground ball towards second where Odor is waiting to gobble it up and…Oh, that’s very clever indeed. 

Instead of pulling off a routine out, Odor (whom we assume is limited to simply repeating his name when conversing with teammates) decides to show off the ol‘ hidden ball trick for the entertainment of thousands of fans in the stands. 

Really, it was just a case of dumb, horrible luck for the young infielder, whose face really tells the entire story. The announcer chimes in with, “That’s one you don’t see everyday; did everything right. (He) took one for the team, blocked the ball.”

Brown reminds that this is hardly the first time fans have seen this trick: 

It’s an oddity that happens from time to time in baseball. Jarrod Parker of the Athletics lost a ball in his jersey a couple of years ago that became a hit for Ichiro. And Brooks Conrad of the Braves had perhaps the most infamous recent instance of making a ball disappear in his uniform.

Snark and lame “Hodor” jokes aside, this was really just an intriguing moment amid something of a breakout game. Odor came into Monday night 2-for-12 on his young career, but he finally settled in and enjoyed quite the game at the plate. 

Against the Astros, Odor went 2-for-4, including a home run in the sixth that measured 431 feet. According to the Associated Press (h/t ESPN), the infielder has this to say, speaking through a translator, about his early MLB performance: “I’m not scared because it’s the same as down in the minor leagues. I take it in that perspective.”

Odor, it would seem, is taking everything in stride, including wonderfully peculiar mishaps that occur in just his fifth game in the bigs. 

It’s perspective that will aid Odor as he continues in his budding career, knowing all too well that one minute you are slamming a home run and the next you are providing a bit of amusement during a relatively ho-hum May game. 

Odor has already experienced some highs, lows and that meaty hilarity that takes place in between. 

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Nyjer Morgan is back giving postgame interviews, and he is better than ever.

Larry Brown Sports’ Larry Brown spotted a YouTube video that features audio of Morgan’s postgame exchange with WTAM of the Cleveland Indians Radio Network.

Rather than spoil a good time, we give you the two-minute clip below, filled with a healthy dose of exuberance and “Woo!”

Classic T-Plush.

Morgan begins with, “You said it. You said it. Woo, woo!” The elated Indians player then discusses the moment he clubbed a rare home run on Sunday night, giving Cleveland the eventual deciding run in a 6-5 win over the Tampa Bay Rays.

Morgan beams, “Hey, I’ve been working my trot since high school. They don’t come often, but when I get it, I’m [going to] let you know when I round second.”

Brown reminds that Morgan isn’t exactly a mainstay in Cleveland: “The outfielder also known as Tony Plush was recalled by the Cleveland Indians last week to fill in for Michael Bourn. He has been playing sporadically since being recalled, and he got in a full game on Sunday against the Rays.”

Given another opportunity, a player such as Morgan wasn’t going to worry about much more than just having a ball. He continues, “I know it’s our livelihood and everything, but you can’t lose track that it’s still a game.”

The 33-year-old, who went 3-for-4 in Sunday’s game, continued by saying he just wants to help the team in any way that he can, a statement that is right at home to so many athletes lending the usual array of postgame banter.

As we know, Morgan isn’t your ordinary athlete, as evidenced by this blast from the past wherein he explains his alter ego:

The outfielder is now batting .341 in just 41 at-bats this season. His status as an Indians player seems to rest on things such as Michael Bourn‘s form and his own consistency.

There is no question that Morgan continues to be one of the more electric players in MLB, yielding so much entertainment when he is involved on the field and such hilarity when he is questioned off it.

Home runs may be rare, but the bat flips and shouts of “Woo!” will be prolific as long as Morgan is bumping around MLB.

Tony Plush is going to do him, and we absolutely like it that way.

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Joe Girardi and Laz Diaz exchanged words Monday night, which is a nice way of saying a manager/umpire shouting match ended with one party fuming and the other feeling as accomplished as Dikembe Mutombo swatting away a would-be dunker.

For The Win’s Ted Berg spotted a couple of videos from Monday’s game between the Yankees and Angels, one New York lost, 4-1.

The game wasn’t the only thing lost, because composure was at a premium in the eighth inning. However, some might say the skipper and Yankees relief pitcher Shawn Kelley—both tossed from the game by Diaz—were provoked into getting ejected.

Here are some thoughts from Girardi in the aftermath of a game that featured quite the peculiar ending:

The Yankees manager had this to say, via ESPN:

I mentioned to Laz in a respectful way that I thought the pitch was up to Kelly Johnson earlier in the game and he gave me the Mutombo [wagging his finger]. I don’t appreciate that. I’m not a little kid. I don’t need to be scolded. Obviously we’re trying to work together, and I just thought there were a lot of inconsistencies tonight.

If you believe Girardi, Diaz sent him to the clubhouse in much the same way a shot-blocking Mutombo once shamed NBA players. If that were the case, we certainly hope Girardi got some words in before heading off to cool down.

There were some, such as Daniel Brown of the San Jose Mercury News, who felt the advent of instant replay in MLB might kill off the entertainment that comes with irate managers scolding umpires. It seems Girardi and Diaz found a loophole because they really got after it.

Now, Diaz was 2-for-2 on the night because he also tossed pitcher Shawn Kelley amid a bullpen implosion in the eighth.

Kelley wasn’t ready to place blame, though. “I’m not going to say anything about the strike zone,” Kelley said postgame, via the New York Daily News. “I made a lot of bad pitches. It’s on me.”

The Star-Ledger‘s Brendan Kuty adds that the dual ejections were particularly noteworthy: “Kelley had never been thrown out of a game before. It was the first time Girardi had been tossed since Aug. 18 in Boston after Red Sox pitcher Ryan Dempster hit Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez with a pitch.”

Of course, we might add the obvious sentiment that the Yankees would do well to keep their composure, but it’s a long season, and it’s a good sign to see some fire in May, which might go a long way to helping the team in what is a jam-packed AL East.

However, it seems Diaz didn’t exactly help the situation because he continually waved Kelley away, much like an annoying older brother might needle you with jabs until you exploded.

For Girardi, we can only take his word that he was respectful in his kerfuffle with Diaz at home. Perhaps the skipper said something that really irritated Diaz. Maybe Diaz was just being a diva.

None of this matters, because we should all just sit back and appreciate an increasingly rare sight, one that only shows up when umpire and manager come together like Voltron and form one beautiful debacle.

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Hey, want to see how legendary scandals are made?

Black Sock researcher Jacob Pomrenke (h/t CBS Sports‘ Matt Snyder, Deadspin‘s Tim Marchman) gave us all quite the historical reminder with this video. 

Snyder explains to whom we owe our gratitude:

From Dawson City Museum and Historical Society Collection as well as Library and Archives Canada comes some actual video footage of the notorious 1919 World Series (or the “world’s series” as it was known at the time) between the Chicago White Sox and Cincinnati Reds.

The somewhat blurry images are from a scandal that not only rocked the baseball-loving nation nearly a century ago but also spawned a great deal of modern-day pop culture.

From Eliot Asinof‘s Eight Men Out to a passing line in The Godfather II, the scandal continued to make a mark well after 1919. 

As noted, and for the uninitiated, the Chicago White Sox lost to the Cincinnati Reds in eight games, which is covered in an ESPN Classic article, breaking down each chapter of the then-budding scandal. 

What’s really quite interesting is something Marchman noticed, giving a great deal of weight to silent images. 

As you may recall if you’ve read the shoddily researched book Eight Men Out or seen the well-done John Sayles movie based on it, one of the ringleaders of the scheme to throw the World Series at the behest of a gambling syndicate was ace Eddie Cicotte, the only player smart enough to demand his payoff upfront. (He got $10,000, placed under his pillow on the eve of the Series. That’s about $137,000 in today’s money, though it might be better thought of as twice his 1919 salary.) He famously hit the first batter he faced in the first game of the Series as a signal that the fix was on and then allowed six runs, something he’d done only twice in 35 starts that year.

Marchman encouraged viewers to pay close attention to the mark three-minutes, 20 seconds into the video, when Cicotte gets blasted for five runs. 

Out of context, the video is already an amazing look back in time, taking fans to a dramatically different sports landscape. Adding specifics really makes this a poignant look anybody can enjoy. 

We don’t get a thorough look at the eight-game debacle, but we do get to see Cicotte amble about the mound as one run after another scores, which is really quite a powerful image. 

The tale seems destined to grow, continuing to add to the mystique of some of the then-banned players like “Shoeless” Joe Jackson. A video like this is exactly the kind of wonderful glimpse that will keep it going. 

Nearly a century removed from the scandal, we can appreciate it as a part of the game. Thanks to some brilliant archiving, we have a new connection to the story.

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Sports rivalries can reach ridiculous heights, but few turn into grueling and personal legal battles.

Such has been the case for New Jersey club owner Lawrence Blatterfein, a loyal Yankees fan in the New Brunswick area whose only wish was to open a new bar called Buck Foston’s Road House.

Unfortunately for Blatterfein, when he attempted to secure a liquor license for his new venture in 2011, the city of New Brunswick and its mayor stepped in and put the kibosh on the entire operation.

According to Sue Epstein of The Star-Ledger, Blatterfein personally blames New Brunswick mayor James Cahill, “an avowed Boston Red Sox fan.” The club owner filed a suit against Cahill, the city and then-council president Robert Racine, accusing them of organizing the liquor license rejection and infringing on his constitutional rights.

Cahill denies these allegations, saying the name had nothing to do with the city council blocking Blatterfein’s application. He says it was a matter of public safety, as the bar would have been located at one of the heaviest-traveled intersections in town.

“Motorists and the surrounding neighborhood who travel the roadway will not be burdened with a night club and sports bar drinking establishment that doubles the occupancy of the former restaurant on the site,” Cahill said to Epstein. “[It would have been] located on a dangerous off-ramp connecting two major highways in New Brunswick.”

Indeed, why put a business in a place people frequent?

As for the establishment’s proposed name, you can make an argument for either way. If you consider the innuendo, the bar sounds like an unoriginal dive.

If you look at it a different way, “Buck Foston’s” sounds more like a cool, outdoorsy-themed pub. I picture a hunting lodge with stuffed game on the wall where patrons drink craft beer and smoke their own jerky, preferably at the same time.

There’s good news and bad news for those hoping to knock back a cold one at Buck Foston’s. The good news is Blatterfein won his case and was awarded $1.5 million for his troubles.

The bad news, however, is that Buck Foston’s will never come to be—not in New Brunswick at least. According to Epstein, Cahill maintains the property is not up for development.

“Cahill said the property would not be permitted to be developed today,” Epstein writes. “[Cahill said] the restaurant, a gas station and a car wash that existed prior to the overpass that took Route 18 over Route 1 more than two decades ago were grandfathered into local ordinances.”

All hope is not lost, however. Blatterfein now lives in Florida and says he intends to find a way to open a Buck Foston’s concept bar in a new location.

This is the American dream at work, people.

Buck Foston’s: Come in, or don’t. Just stop blockin’ the door, would ya?

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If you thought Yasiel Puig‘s tale chronicling his escape from Cuba—as told in Los Angeles Magazine’s Jesse Katz‘s article—would make for a fantastic movie, you weren’t alone. Guess what is getting the Hollywood treatment at the moment? 

The Hollywood Reporter (h/t Los Angeles Times) reports that captivating story is in the initial throes of being turned into a film: 

In a heated competition, Brett Ratner and his RatPac Entertainment have acquired the rights to Jesse Katz’ article Escape From Cuba: Yasiel Puig‘s Untold Journey to the Dodgers.

Ratner will produce the big-screen take with Beau Flynn via his FlynnPictureCo. banner.

This is just the latest MLB star to get a nod from Hollywood. Previously, Deadline Hollywood’s Mike Fleming Jr. reported Blue Jays pitcher R.A. Dickey’s life story had been picked up after the pitcher’s memoir Wherever I Wind Up was optioned. 

In this case, the subject matter came in a harrowing and stirring look into one of MLB’s more mysterious players. While Puig has energized a fanbase with his explosive and often peculiar play, his personal life remained just that—relatively private. 

In an age when every last piece of a celebrity’s life is pored over by the media, Puig‘s arrival into America was left largely untold. 

While it remains with a healthy amount of intrigue and mystery, Katz was able to really deliver an enthralling and thorough look at a terrifying journey for one of baseball’s biggest budding stars. 

A story now covered not only by Katz but by ESPN’s Scott Eden and recounted by Yahoo Sports’ Jeff Passan who managed to garner information from Coast Guard crew members back in 2013 will now likely play out in theaters. 

At the heart of the tale is a young man who managed to finally get out of Cuba, only to find himself allegedly held hostage by his human smugglers. 

Eventually, Puig found his way to America, exploding onto the MLB scene with the Los Angeles Dodgers all while dealing with a scary situation as well as debts to unsavory characters. 

Meanwhile, Puig is remaining guarded about this unfolding story, issuing the following, via ESPN: 

I’m aware of the recent articles and news accounts. I understand that people are curious and have questions, but I will have no comment on this subject. I’m represented on this matter, and I’m only focused on being a productive teammate and helping the Dodgers win games.

The Los Angeles Times’ Steve Dilbeck has more on the project and the man producing it: 

Brett Ratner and his RatPac Entertainment made the purchase. Ratner is the director who gave Marvel possibly its worst movie, “X-Men: The Last Stand.”

[…]

Ratner, who made his mark in Hollywood directing the “Rush Hour” film series, will produce the film with Beau Flynn. The two are the team behind the upcoming new “Hercules” film scheduled to arrive in July, starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.

Fans may have their reservations about Ratner, but there is no shortage of interest in Puig or his story. 

This is a ballplayer who is as enigmatic as Manny Ramirez and as versatile as Bo Jackson. One minute he is dropping easy fly balls in the outfield, the next he is throwing a cannon shot to second to gun a runner out. 

He is polarizing, energetic and above all entertaining, and that’s all without mentioning a story he is yet to really discuss. 

Some love him and some can’t stand his on-the-field antics. Either way, MLB fans have definite opinions on the 23-year-old, making him the perfect subject for Hollywood producers. 

Everybody loves a mystery and Puig remains the sport’s most mysterious, which should yield a healthy showing if and when this makes it to the big screen.

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Getting down on one knee to ask the most important question in your life while your favorite team gets massacred on the field and Shane Victorino flails at a pitch seems like a beautifully romantic gesture. 

In the ninth inning of an eventual 14-5 Yankees win over rival Boston, a man decided to propose to his girlfriend, according to Holdout Sports, which is a good thing for us because nothing else interesting was taking place. 

Victorino grounded out to third while a woman behind him said yes, giving a small group of fans some actual exercise, because this may have been the first time they needed to get up and applaud all game. 

Now you might think something like spontaneous applause might hinder Victorino or Yankees pitcher David Robertson from doing their jobs. Yahoo Sports’ David Brown has thoughts: 

Pro players have trained themselves to ignore, or at least minimize, the crowd and crowd noise. It’s possible Yankees right-hander David Robertson (who was making his first appearance since being taken off the disabled list) didn’t notice or care about the marriage proposal in his line of vision. And Victorino probably was thinking about trying to start a rally in Boston’s last ups. 

That’s all well and good, but I need clarification from the anonymous fellow who proposed, because there are so many questions. 

Was the man waiting for the perfect time, hoping the Red Sox could mount a comeback that never came? Did he consider waiting for another game, coinciding with the Red Sox also showing up? 

Does it matter that their engagement started on the same night Boston was mollywhopped all over Fenway Park? Seeing as how we couldn’t track down quotes from any party, we may never know. 

Marriage proposals continue to be a “Better you than me” scenario. Perhaps it’s us, but we never thought getting down on one knee mere feet away from another fan working off a gnarly buzz, one polishing off their third hot dog of the game or others heckling the opposition was a romantic idea. 

If you wouldn’t do it at a sports bar, chances are you shouldn’t do it at a live sporting event. Unless, of course, you don’t mind the very real possibility that your proposal coincides with a live drubbing. 

No matter, because it seems like she said yes, so Red Sox nation can hold its head high about something from Thursday night. 

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Questions like this are enough to put a man in the dirt.

In his 46 years on the air, sports radio host Bruce Drennan has fielded his share of inane and misguided questions.

He’s dealt with the weird, the mad and the ineffable, but never has he tangled with a caller as criminally misinformed as a man who recently phoned into his televised Fox Sports radio show All Bets Are Off.

Drennan nearly imploded when “Scott” from Sandusky called in to ask if Derek Jeter would possibly sign with the Cleveland Indians in 2015. Joe Kinsey of Busted Coverage spotted video of the incident, and it’s likely some viewers were afraid Drennan would drop dead on live television.

The host asked Scott to repeat his question, in case by some wild chance he had heard him incorrectly. The caller obliged.

“I was wondering what you thought of the chances of Derek Jeter—the Derek Jeter—going to the Indians.”

YouTube Screenshot

Not just “Derek Jeter.” The Derek Jeter.

Drennan handled the situation the best he could, and by that, I mean he avoided seizing up and choking to death on his own tongue.

“I think you’re an idiot,” Drennan said and clicked off the call.

But what about the Derek Jeter, Mr. Drennan? A nation of savvy sports fans needs to know whether or not a 39-year-old lifetime New York Yankees legend with marble-engraved plans for retirement would possibly pull a 180 and sign a contract with the Indians in 2015.

What’s it looking like on that front, Bruce?

The answer is a resounding, “You go to hell. You go there, and you die,” from Drennan, who couldn’t even laugh at the question because it offended him so.

Things must be worse than we thought in Cleveland. The Indians make it to a wild-card series, and some fans hazard to believe they’re giving off sexy enough vibes to lure one of the best shortstops of all time to their club. Either that, or some Cleveland residents were getting a head start on April Fools’ jokes.

Mr. Kinsey (sarcastically) ponders if Jeter could be playing us all.

“Maybe Jeter would like to pretend he’s playing his last season and then laugh at everyone in the Yankees organization by signing a one-year deal with the Indians in 2015,” Kinsey writes. “That would be the ultimate heel move, right.”

Regardless, Jeter will not be headed to the Indians or the city of Cleveland any time soon.

Scratch that. Jeter could be headed to Cleveland, if only for a layover on his way to Malibu for vacation.

Join me on Twitter for more sports news.

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R.A. Dickey has played the part of beguiling knuckleball artist to the tune of a Cy Young Award. However, if all goes according to plan, his entire life could just captivate a movie audience. 

Deadline Hollywood’s Mike Fleming Jr. (h/t CBS Sports, For the Win) reports initial proceedings are underway to turn Dickey’s Wherever I Wind Up memoir into a Hollywood retelling. 

Actors Ben McKenzie and Logan Marshall-Green have joined forces to launch the shingle A Thing Or Two Productions. They come to the table in a big way. Tom Rothman’s TriStar Pictures has made a deal on a baseball memoir which the duo will produce with Michael De Luca. TriStar has optioned Wherever I Wind Up, the memoir by pitcher R.A. Dickey about his unusual life journey. Buzz Bissinger has been set to write the script. It becomes another eclectic project for Rothman’s upstart division.

Bissinger’s work spans a wide swath of publications, but he may be most famous for his work Friday Night Lights: A Town, a Team, and a Dream, which later became a movie and hit television series. 

Baseball fans may be well acquainted with the subject matter of Dickey’s life. The Toronto Blue Jays pitcher struggled last season but was absolutely brilliant in 2012, winning the NL Cy Young after posting 20 wins and a 2.73 ERA. 

It’s the journey that led him to that pinnacle that really resonates with fans and more than likely enthralled Hollywood to come calling. 

Fleming writes: 

His memoir was critically acclaimed as he told a tale of overcoming adversity that included being molested as an 8-year old and nearly losing his dream of becoming a pro pitcher. He was drafted by the Texas Rangers and offered a huge signing bonus, only to see the latter get taken away when the team discovered that Dickey was missing an important ligament in his pitching elbow. 

In a 2012 Sports Illustrated interview, Dickey relayed to L. Jon Wertheim on his initial throes into writing his memoir: “I had to write what was true, even if it meant going to some dark places.”

If the movie makes its way to the screen, one can assume it will be as honest a script as possible. In the same interview, Dickey offers about his own memoir, “I couldn’t share my story and not share the most difficult parts of it. As a reader, I can tell when someone is skating around the truth.”

Fleming reports Dickey had other offers, but McKenzie (The O.C., Southland, Gotham) and Marshall-Green (Devil, Prometheus) decided it was best to meet the star pitcher in person, which paid off handsomely for the duo and their budding production company. 

There is no guarantee that Dickey’s tale makes it to the big screen. With a poignant and gripping story that already inspires, you have to absolutely love its chances. 

It’s the honesty that grabs fans regardless of their allegiances, so a story so enthralling deserves its day in movie theaters around the country. 

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