Kuzul

Resting comfortably next to religion and politics, what you put on your hot dog remains one of the most polarizing things anyone can discuss.

Sadly, we must have that discussion today, as word comes that the Detroit Tigers have dismissed their singing hot dog vendor because he chided fans who would dare put ketchup on their hot dog.

Tony Paul of the Detroit News (h/t For the Win) reports Charley Marcuse—a man known as the Singing Hot Dog Man because he, well, sings—has been fired.

Paul’s report states there is no specific cause given from concession vendor Sportservice, but he has sources who believe they know the reason:

There are rumblings the real reason was ketchup — or Marcuse’s disdain for it. Marcuse, at the ballpark and on Twitter, has been a strong crusader for only putting mustard on a frank. And some fans thought he got combative when they asked for ketchup. There were complaints filed.

Asked whether condiments actually were behind his dismissal, Marcuse was vague.

“It was general employee conduct,” he said, relaying the reason he was given. “I’ve vended the same way for the past 15 years, so there’s nothing new to any of this.”

To put a face to such villainy, we present a video of the hot dog man in action:

Full disclosure: I’m a big ketchup guy. I put it on my burgers, eggs, hot dogs, corn dogs and anything else I can think of that might make you mad.

Look, it’s 2013, and people are putting fries on burgers. It’s time to get off our high horses and accept that some people just like their dogs with ketchup. It’s amazing that in this day and age we can still be so intolerant to one another.

It makes me sad.

And really, the lot of you who hate mustard just end up looking like a grumpy Dirty Harry (video NSFW):

With that said, Marcuse does say he has been working in much the same manner for 15 years. As Ted Berg of For the Win notes, selling hot dogs during the summer is hardly the easiest job in the world. It’s hot, boring and monotonous, unless you think outside the box and bring some spice to the job.

Perhaps Marcuse gave fans a lighthearted hard time about asking for ketchup. There’s nothing wrong with that.

However, if he stepped across the line and made them feel like they couldn’t eat their collection of pig parts in tube form like a civilized human being, he should be taken to task.

As a brief aside to this story, we should warn that it’s never a good look to have two shticks. You can be the singing guy or the mustard curmudgeon, but not both.

Fine, I will listen to you regale us with an operatic “Hot dog!” but then I want my overpriced hot dog and extra packets of ketchup, and I want them now.

When it’s all said and done, we are all just people. Some of us put ketchup on hot dogs, and some of us eat our candy bars with a fork and knife.

At some point, we just have to accept and move on. Only then can we concentrate on things that truly matter, like figuring out why everyone freaks out over beach balls at baseball games.

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Chicago White Sox pitcher Chris Sale gave up an uncharacteristic eight runs in seven innings against the Texas Rangers on Friday night. 

After being told he was done for the evening, the 24-year-old southpaw decided to take out his frustration on an ice chest in the dugout. Sale started banging on the chest with his glove, then both hands until he finally knocked it over. 

Watch the full outburst at MLB.com. 

Hat tip to FTW for the GIF.

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Chicago White Sox starter Chris Sale technically surrendered four home runs on Friday night, although the one that came off of Ian Kinsler‘s bat only landed about halfway between home plate and the bleachers.

Judge his third-inning, inside-the-park blast for yourself:

Even for a great baserunner like Kinsler, line drives hit down the left-field line don’t typically result in anything more than doubles. Chicago’s Dayan Viciedo had ample time to get in front of the ball.

Unfortunately for the home team, Kinsler’s hit rolled underneath the wall and abruptly stopped. Viciedo dropped to his knees, exchanged a “you’ve-got-to-be-kidding-me” glance with the umpires and began searching. The Texas Rangers second baseman continued sprinting, so by the time Viciedo recovered the ball, he had to rush his throw to the plate, and Kinsler scored standing up as it skipped offline.

Tater Trot Tracker shares the unofficial time of his mad dash:

Adam Rosales’ HR over the fence for Texas: 16.13 secs. Ian Kinsler’s inside-the-parker for Texas: 15.66 secs.

— Tater Trot Tracker (@TaterTrotTrkr) August 24, 2013

Good fortune and sheer hustle can be a lethal combination. In this scenario, those factors culminated in Kinsler’s 11th bomb of the season and second since the All-Star break.

However, not everybody was impressed by the feat:

Cheapest HR Kinsler will ever get. Ball never traveled 300 feet.

— Doug Padilla (@ESPNChiSox) August 24, 2013

Congrats Ian Kinsler for hitting a home run that didn’t even leave the field

— President Raegan (@raeganbrooooke) August 24, 2013

Sale had allowed five HR total since June 25. Has allowed four tonight with an asterisk on Kinsler’s

— Scott Merkin (@scottmerkin) August 24, 2013

U.S. Cellular Field has been open for more than two decades, but apparently, nothing like this has ever transpired there. Otherwise, the ballpark’s ground rules would’ve had a passage specifying how the umps should judge the play.

White Sox manager Robin Ventura immediately emerged from the dugout, imploring third base umpire Greg Gibson to use his common sense. The tactic didn’t work, as Gibson eventually ejected him.

It’s been that kind of year for Ventura’s players, who buried themselves deeper in the AL Central cellar with their 75th defeat of the 2013 season.

Texas won comfortably, 11-5, but going forward, expect such plays to be ruled dead once the ball becomes trapped. Nobody wants a close game to be affected by this sort of confusion.

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Mets pitching coach Dan Warthen had a little trouble using the bullpen phone during Wednesday’s game against the Atlanta Braves. 

Those latches can be a little tricky sometimes. 

Thanks to Amazin’ Avenue for the GIF. 

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To be fair, she did have a better angle on the ball.

MLB.com’s Cut 4 posted a video that proves even the ballgirl feels bad for the San Francisco Giants this season, because she tried to lend a hand with a recent pop foul.

We take you to the ninth inning of Monday night’s game between the Giants and visiting Boston Red Sox at AT&T Park.

Jose Mijares pitches to Stephen Drew, who promptly fouls the ball to the third base side. Now we should note the Giants were down 7-0 at this point, seeing Tim Lincecum get touched up for nine hits and five earned runs over five innings.

Knowing how helpful San Franciscans can be, we will assume this ballgirl was just trying to do a solid for her favorite team.

OK, the more plausible scenario is that she just forgot where she was or what her duties entailed, because she very nearly robs Joaquin Arias of the last out of the top of the inning.

Seeing as Arias came into the game to play third base in the ninth inning, you know he was just itching for some action, and then he very nearly had that opportunity taken from him.

Let’s recap for those ballboys and ballgirls out there. The center fielder has priority in the outfield, but the shortstop can call off all others in the infield. As for the third baseman, he supersedes the pitcher and handles pop-ups in his general area.

As it just so happens, he also trumps the ballgirl, whose job it is to merely sit on the sidelines and never, ever go after a pop fly, no matter how awesome that ball looks.

While it’s hilarious to us, Arias doesn’t look pleased in the slightest.

Now someone keep her away from the bat rack before she tries to take some hacks.

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The Detroit Tigers’ Jose Iglesias got hit below the belt by a fastball from Kansas City Royals pitcher Danny Duffy during the third inning of Friday’s game. 

It’s hard tell exactly where Iglesias got hit, but it’s too close for comfort if you ask me. He stayed in the game even after getting plunked by Duffy’s 91 mile-per-hour offering. 

Detroit lost 3-0 in the second game of the double-header after dropping the opener 2-1. 

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The Washington Nationals are watching the season fall apart right before their eyes.

In the latest incident for a team that hasn’t lived up to expectations, Jayson Werth and Gio Gonzalez had to be separated after Gonzalez failed to cover first for an inning-ending double play.

It’s just one in a long list of things that have gone wrong for the Nationals this year.

The frustrations likely stem from the fact that the Nationals sit at 57-60 and 14 games out in the NL East.

Then, there’s this:

It appears Gonzalez could have been unhappy about Werth lackadaisically getting to the ball on a first-inning double, while Werth was unhappy about Gonzalez not covering first.

Regardless, both players made mistakes in the first inning but wanted to focus on their teammate’s mistake. 

Twitter also had a reaction:

Everything has come to a head.

Will players start jumping down each other’s throats when a mistake is made? Where’s the leadership?

Players like Ryan Zimmerman and Adam LaRoche need to take this team by the horns and restore order to the clubhouse. The only real sign of leadership coming this year has been courtesy of Bryce Harper, who told Dan Kolko of MASNSports.com that the team needed to show some heart.

But Harper, who is only 20, shouldn’t be responsible for assuming the role of a veteran. That type of influence needs to come from guys who have the experience to back it up.

That lack of leadership is why the Nationals have struggled in 2013 and why incidents like this are happening.

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If you’re a relief pitcher in the outfield bullpen and want to get a highlight, you need to get creative. Minnesota’s Jared Burton was up to the task.

No, a bullpen brawl did not erupt just as as the baseball sailed over the fence in the second inning of Friday’s double-header between the Twins and White Sox. 

According to Phil Miller of the Star Tribune, “When Chris Colabello swung at the John Danks’ second-inning pitch in Game 1, Brian Duensing jumped up in the Twins’ bullpen and yelled at Jared Burton, ‘C’mon — Punch me! Punch me!'”

They had reportedly been planning the prank for a long time, and we’re glad they did. 

Hat tip to NBC Sports for the GIF and the Star Tribune for the insight. 

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For the second time in as many games, Mariano Rivera has blown a New York Yankees lead. Two nights after blowing a save against the Chicago White Sox in the 12th inning, Rivera has become the latest victim of Detroit Tigers star Miguel Cabrera.

The defending American League MVP stepped up to the plate in the ninth inning against the legendary Yankees closer with former New York farmhand Austin Jackson on second. After falling down 0-2, he ran the count to 2-2, Cabrera finally got Rivera to miss his spot out over the plate—and he didn’t miss.

The Tigers third baseman sent the Rivera fastball to straightaway center field, with Yankees outfielder Brett Gardner giving chase to no avail. The blast tied the game at 3-3, and kept hope alive for the Tigers to extend their 12-game winning streak. That streak ended up coming to an end in the next frame as the Yankees scored in the bottom of the 10th on a Gardner’s game-winning single.

According to ESPN Stats & Info, Cabrera’s home run was the first game-tying against Rivera with two outs in the ninth or later since Jason Bay did so in 2009 as a member of the Red Sox. 

What’s perhaps most impressive about Cabrera’s feat is that he drove the ball to the deepest part of the park in obvious pain. Two pitches the Tigers slugger fouled off in the at-bat bashed off his leg, and he also seemed to twist his knee at one point. Sports Illustrated’s Michael Rosenberg was one of many impressed with Cabrera’s toughness:

It was also the 30-year-old Venezuelan’s 34th dinger of the year. Cabrera, the prohibitive favorite to repeat for AL MVP this season, is batting an MLB-best .360 and also leads the majors with 108 RBI. His home run total ranks only behind Orioles first baseman Chris Davis, who has 41.

Friday night was Rivera’s fourth blown save of the season. The 43-year-old future Hall of Famer has converted 35 of 39 attempts with a 2.18 ERA and 1.18 WHIP, returning to form after suffering a knee injury that prematurely ended his 2012 season.

While solid throughout the campaign, River has struggled a bit of late. He’s blown three of his past 10 attempts. Rivera will retire at the conclusion of the 2013, his 19th in the Bronx.

This was just his third appearance in August, as the Yankees have struggled to stay afloat in the AL East. New York is 10 games behind first-place Boston in the division and seven games out of the AL’s final wild-card spot.

The Tigers, buoyed by their winning streak, are 68-46 and have a 7-game lead over the Indians in the AL Central.

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Unfortunately for Alex Rodriguez, a return to Yankee Stadium would not lead to a warmer reception than what he received on the road in Chicago. In Friday night’s game against the Detroit Tigers, the hometown fans made it clear that it will be a long road to forgiveness for the embattled third baseman.

Taking the plate with two outs in the bottom of the first and Ichiro Suzuki in scoring position, Rodriguez heard an overwhelming chorus of boos from the capacity crowd. The situation was not unlike the one he faced against the White Sox, with his introduction feeling more like that of a reviled opposing player than the return of one of the club’s best hitters.

That said, not everyone wanted to spend their night giving out catcalls to the home team. Joel Sherman of the New York Post also noted the presence of a vocal minority—fans who stood and defiantly applauded Rodriguez when he came to the plate:

Tigers starting pitcher Rick Porcello needed only five pitches to send Rodriguez back to the dugout, though, with the third baseman flailing at a third strike. At that point, it was unanimous:

Since making his return earlier this week against the White Sox, the 14-time All-Star spoke glowingly of the Yankees Stadium faithful.

“I’ve got the opportunity to put on the pinstripes and compete at Yankee Stadium once again,” Rodriguez said to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale. “This is why I came back. It’s been a long time coming.”

Rodriguez is in his fourth game back in the lineup, having spent the majority of the season on the disabled list. The Yankees slugger underwent surgery in January to repair an ailing left hip—one that bothered him throughout the 2012 postseason. 

While recovering, however, news broke of Rodriguez’s involvement with Biogenesis, a Miami-based health clinic. Biogenesis proprietor Tony Bosch is said to have provided him with performance-enhancing drugs during his time with the Yankees, leading to a subsequent investigation by Major League Baseball.

Amid rumors of a possible lifetime ban, the commissioner’s office finally laid down a 211-game suspension at Rodriguez’s feet for his involvement. His was by far the longest of any player involved with the scandal, as most chose to take a 50-game ban in striking a plea deal with MLB. 

Rodriguez has since appealed the suspension and is thus allowed to play while the ruling is undergoing arbitration. The process, though it may be expedited, could allow Rodriguez to play the remainder of the 2013 season. He’s also declined to comment in detail or deny the allegations laid out by MLB.

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