What a World Series...

How good is this year’s World Series? The many errors and base running mishaps haven’t resulted in good 'actual' ball but the story lines are fantastic. After one of the craziest games we have seen in ages in Game 4, the Phillies and Rays followed it up with a 2-2 suspended tie in Game 5.

We’re not huge fans of either the Phillies or the Rays but we do like both teams. What we’re really rooting for is a Game 7. No more sweeps! No more sweeps! So we were pumped in Game 5 when, with the Rays down 2-1, the umpires decided to start the 6th inning. B.J. Upton gets a very rain-aided hit, steals second and scores the tying run. Commissioner Bud Selig made us even happier suspending the game to be finished at a later date. No Cole Hamels (likely for the rest of the series) and a possible David Price ‘start’ means that the Rays have a very good shot at forcing a Game 6.

The Phillies? They weren’t as happy as we were (from the blog at the Courier Post Online):

“That (expletive deleted) guy,” one pitcher said as he saw commissioner Bud
Selig before walking out the back door of the clubhouse. “I wouldn’t let him
supervise one of my (bowel movements). He has no clue. Not one (expletive
deleted) clue.”

“(Expletive deleted),” one position player said in the direction of one
television pausing only for a moment before leaving. “He’s a moron. How stupid
can one person be?”

Do you think the Phillies swear more because they hear the fans talking that way? You know, the same kind of thing that happens to sailors. Bud Selig is an idiot but this is a pretty tough situation for him and he managed to only screw it up a little bit.

We just can’t wait to see what is going to happen next in this series? Game winning Grand Slam? Balking home the tying run? Perfect Game by Matt Garza? The way this series has gone anything can happen!

Crazy Awesome...

In Game 4 in Philadelphia on Monday night Shane Victorino hits the game tying two run home run in the 8th inning. Matt Stairs then hits another two run shot in the eight to give the Phillies the lead and the eventual win:

40 year old (Canadian) Matt Stairs! Crazy. No, not crazy...crazy awesome. When we saw the big smash we immediately thought of Kirk Gibson ... and we didn't even know it was the 20th anniversary of the famous HR.

Stair's home run was huge. It gave the Phillies a 3-1 series lead and the eventual win. But since Gibson's home run was twenty years ago you might need some refreshing on how amazing it really was:

• Game 1 1988 World Series
• Bottom of the 9th, 2 out
• Los Angeles is down 4-3 with a man on base
• Gibson (with an injured hamstring and knees) gets called to pinch hit against the best reliever in baseball
• Gibson gets two strikes on him but somehow manages to work the count to 3-2

...and this happens:

Now that is crazy! Seriously ... if we saw that home run in a movie we would start bitching, like we always do, saying "why can't somebody make a realistic baseball movie?" Not only is it a truly unbelievable sporting moment but Gibson's moustache and fist pump in between first and second are Fonzie cool.

Ass Hammering...

We here at Waikiki Hockey do solemnly swear that any time a player mentions 'ass hammering' in a press conference we will show it to you:

When Better Doesn't Mean Better...

We here at Waikiki Hockey take great pride in finding clips that offer the "so bad that it's good" effect.

We've given you some great examples of this in the past ... like this clip, or this one and especially our namesake.

Another great example of this effect is the official team song for the Toronto Blue Jays, "OK Blue Jays (Let's Play Ball!)". It's a bad song by any measure ... but it's so bad, it's good:

The song was written by Keith Hampshire in 1983 (and even made it to number 47 on the Canadian charts) but it really caught on with the fans during the 1985 ALCS. It has become a fixture during the seventh inning stretch at Jays' games since.

This season the Toronto brass decided to re-mix song ... making it 'better'. Only problem is that with the improvement it no longer has the 'so bad it's good' effect. What a shame.

Batting Stance Guy...

Check this out:

We're impressed. That's the sign of a pretty big baseball fan. As it says on his website it's "the least marketable skill in America"....but at least it's something.

Check out his site for stances for all MLB teams.

Even Worse Than Bird Flu...

You love sports. We love sports. You know who doesn't like sports? This guy:

That's right. Birds hate sports. They hate golf, tennis, baseball and especially auto racing.

Even the San Diego Chicken hates sports now. (Click here for some classic SDC clips)

We were planning on putting together the best bird related sporting moments but the good people at TSN have surprisingly already done it for us. How nice of them:

Sexson, Sexsoff...

You may have missed the big news last week...Richie Sexson was waived by the Yankees. The move means Sexson's 12 year, 306 home run career could be over.

We really shouldn't like or miss Sexson ... but we do and will.

After hitting 40 bombs with a respectable .263 average in 2006 we picked him up on the cheap in our fantasy baseball team. Sexson struggled on Team Waikiki with only 21 homeruns and a .205 average.

We thought Sexson was going to rebound in 2008 so we grabbed him at an even cheaper price and waited. Nine homeruns and a bottom of the ladder finish (we more than just Sexson problems) and here we are. This is normally where we curse the player and vow never to cheer for them again. Not happening with Richie.

We've always been a distant fan of Richie's ... we're not sure why. Maybe it has something to do with his mashing abilities at the plate (he hit 45 home runs twice) or his giantic stature or because we giggle like a schoolgirl anytime we say his name (this also happens with titmouse). This commercial sums up our feelings on the big fella:

Sigh. It will be hard to find somebody to match Sexson's HR / no average combination. But maybe, just maybe, Sexson will catch on somewhere else next year. We bet Team Waikiki could get him really cheap next year ... he's due.

Holy Cow...

We've looked at some hopeless amateur announcers in our articles "Boom Goes The Dynamite..." and "And That Happened..." so we thought it was the perfect time to look at a professional announcer ... who's just as hopeless but does it with much more style.

The announcer in question is Harold Christopher Carabina or as he's better known....Harry Caray.

Caray got his first gig in 1945 with the Cardinals. In St Louis, Caray developed his taste for Budweiser and gained his reputation of being a big drinker. In 1969, after 24 years of service to the Cardinal organisation Harry was surprisingly fired by owner August Busch Jr. It was rumoured that Caray was let go fired because he had an affair with the owner's daughter-in-law ... although Caray denies it.

He moved on to broadcast games with the Oakland Athletics, but didn't get along with owner Charles Findley and left after only one season.

Next he went to the Chicago White Sox where he quickly became a fan favourite. While working for the Sox he starting singing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" during the seventh inning stretch which he later became famous for.

When the White Sox decided to switch to a pay cable service (the first team ever) Caray decided to move on to his final destination ... the Chicago Cubs. The Cubs and Caray were broadcast on WGN which was broadcast across American ... for free. Harry Caray fans were now located all across the country.
Harry Caray was a great quote factory ... only problem was most of them were due Harry messing something up. Our favourite would have to be: "Aw, how could he (Jorge Orta) lose the ball in the sun, he's from Mexico."

Caray has as distinctive of a style as an announcer can get:

We love his pronunciation of Isringhausen. Classic Caray. He sounded like he was into the hooch every game which somehow only seemed to add to his charm. His distinctive style encouraged impersonators like:

• Pitchers Ryan Dempster and Will Ohman
• David Draiman from the band Disturbed
• Will Ferrell on Saturday Night Live (full clip with audio only and partial clip video)
• A soldier in Iraq
• Comedian John Caponera, who pretty much made a career out of impersonating Harry:
  

As he got older his "Grampa Simpson" moments increased like in this clip where Caray waxes poetically on Cracker Jacks.

Harry passed away in 1998, but his legend lives on. Since his death, the Cubs bring in special guests to fill in for Harry during the seventh inning stretch ... which didn't work out every time. Nobody does it like Harry:

Everybody Loves Big Papi...

On one of our many research trips through the YouTube jungle we found a clip of David Oritz on Live!...with Regis and Kelly. It's amazing. Put Big Papi next to two dolts like Kelly and whoever the Regis filler is and Ortiz looks even cooler. Love the look on his face around 4:30 when he's talking about how crazy Jon Papelbon is. No idea why Ortiz thinks that:

Not too many athletes like Ortiz out there...in any sport. It's hard to believe that in 2002, after hitting 20 HR in 400 AB's, the Twins gave up on him and tried to trade him. Nobody wanted him, so the Twins released him. He was almost forced to find a job in Mexico or Japan but the Red Sox signed him and he went on to hit 31, 41, 47, and 54 home runs over the next four year. Not a bad pick up.

“He appeals to every demographic,” Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein
says. “People love watching athletes who you can tell enjoy what they’re doing.
And to have a guy who comes to work every day with a smile—that’s especially
huge in our clubhouse, where we had problems in the past.” (Sports Illustrated)

Everybody love Big Papi. It's really surprising he isn't better marketed by the MLB and sponsors. At least we've got:
- A classic SportsCenter promo featuring Jorge Posada and Ortiz
- A New Era ad that doesn't actually include Ortiz but is still pretty decent
- A newish commercial featuring Ortiz and Brian Urlacher playing badminton

On the personal side of things he's got a sweet ride and he likes to cook...appartently in a Yankee Haters Hat.

But our favourite obscure Ortiz clip is of the big guy playing golf with "Neon" Deion Sanders. Seriously.

YouTube's Best Sport Videos of the Week - Aug 18th to Aug 24th

Each week at Waikiki Hockey we do our best to round up all the videos that fell through the cracks during the week.

• The twenty greatest falls by gymnasts in Olympic history.
  
• Alex Ovechkin so desperate for a girl that he (almost) gives out his mobile number on national TV. Russian TV is bizarre.
  
• Adam Bender plays baseball with one leg. Pretty cool kid.
  
• Al Roker and Matt Lauer take up Rhythmic Gymnastics for a day. Embarrassingly funny.
  
• Jon Stewart gives his take on why Michael Phelps is so good.
  
• Plush toys playing football. We worry about people like this.
  
• A member of the Wrigley faithful becomes a true legend after his magnificent catch.
  
• Michael Phelps is the Usain Bolt of swimming.
  
• Usain Bolt is the Michael Phelps of track.
  
• And finally, the Waikiki Hockey Clip o' the Week. This week Cuban Taekwondo athlete Angel Matos was disqualified in the bronze medal match for exceeding the allotted injury time. He disagreed with this judgement and let the referee know of his disappointment by kicking him in the head:

< Last Week <> Next Week >

Two Sport Stars...Revisted

After our post the other day on two sport star Clark the Canadian goalie we received emails from the "Waikiki Hockey" faithful (too soon to start calling you Waikikimaniacs?) letting us know of two other potential hockey' 'slash' baseball players.

The good men over at Fantasy Hockey Scouts must have taken a break from their excellent fantasy coverage when they came across this gem. Hurricane forward Chad LaRose threw out the first pitch at the Durham Bulls game the other night and threw so high and wide he hit a musician behind the backstop:

"I just threw it a little high and the catcher never tried to catch it," LaRose said. "Everyone's fine except for me. I'm traumatized by the whole situation."

We've never liked Chad. Our unfounded dislike of him has a lot to do with him 'trading' under the name LaRose. To us there will only be one LaRose ... Jean 'Rosy' LaRose. Maybe we're a bit harsh on Chad as he was pretty entertaining to listen to when he was mic'd up.

The other item that a few readers pointed out was Theoren Fleury's three game stint with the Calgary Vipers. The 40 year old Fleury's debut is definitely a Waikiki moment -- we were simply waiting for some video of Fleury's game to surface before we commented. Speaking of comments check out what Theo had to say about his new challenge:

"[it's] one of my all-time dreams come true" Fleury admitted it'd be a thrill "to be mentioned in the same breath as Bo Jackson as a two-sport professional athlete."

What he lacks in size he makes up for in ego ... same breath as Bo Jackson? ... seriously Theo?

Anyway, Fleury ended up going 1 for 3. Here he is collecting his one hit:

He didn't look too bad in that at bat. We're sure everybody is thinking what we are and wishing that after his hit he did this:

Let's just hope he's not using the money he made from his baseball days to fuel his other interests. We're only teasing ... by all accounts Fleury has cleaned up his act. He runs his own concrete coating company, where they have the following special deal:

"Are you a fan of Theo Fleury’s? Theo will sign your floor, driveway or walkway – just ask before we seal it!"

Two Sport Stars...

Bo Jackson, Deion Sanders, Michael Jordan and now Clark the Canadian Hockey Goalie...

Wiffle Ball Legend...

David Mullany's son wanted to be able to throw a curve ball. But he was too young. He didn't have enough room to play real ball in the yard anyway. In 1953, David created a plastic ball with eight ovals on one side that increased resistance and allowed his son to throw the big hook in his small backyard.

The Wiffle Ball was born.

The ball was very hard to hit due to the massive curve action it generated so it was named Wiffle after the slang word for a big strike "wiff".

The game has it's own field, rules and scoring and has become a big part of growing up in America for many kids.

Growing up I wasn't into Wiffle Ball very much. I think I had one at some point and I remember enjoying it but it couldn't compete with my road hockey. We did have a Wiffle Ball tourney when I was in Grade 9 at school but the big kids wouldn't let me pitch. If I had been able to pitch and was able to use the Wiffle to throw a sinker, riser or especially the knuckleball (below) things may have been different.


I know I'm too old for a Wiffle Ball now and I know I would probably look as pathetic as these guys but I'm going to get me a Wiffle Ball again. If it's good enough for Big Papi, it's good enough for me.

Manny being Manny...in Los Angeles?

Yahoo and ESPN (among many others) were reporting that Manny Ramirez was very close to being dealt to the Marlins. From the Yahoo article:

"The current parameters of the trade have Jason Bay and reliever John Grabow coming to Boston, Marlins outfielder Jeremy Hermida and two prospects heading to Pittsburgh and Manny plus a prospect going to Florida."

The deal wasn't yet finalized, as Peter Gammons reported, but it sure sounded like something was going to happen before the trade deadline. I couldn't see the Sox letting the deadline go by with Manny still being a member of Red Sox nation.

Yahoo is now reporting that the Red Sox-Marlins-Pirates deal fell apart at the last minute but like we thought, the Sox we're not going to keep Manny around after the circus that's been created. SI.com is reporting that:

The Red Sox traded embattled slugger Manny Ramirez to the Dodgers late Thursday afternoon. Jason Bay is headed to Boston as part of the deal, SI.com has learned. Pittsburgh gets pitcher Craig Hansen and outfielder Brandon Moss, both from Boston, as well as third baseman Andy LaRoche and right-handed pitcher Bryan Morris from the Dodgers. It looks like Manny is now headed to Los Angeles, with only minutes remaining before the trade deadline.]

I still think this is a very bad move for the Sox. After the season, I can see moving Manny. He's a headcase, we get it. But he's still impossible to replace in that lineup. Here's what Manny's own manager, Terry Francona, had to say on the subject on July 27th to the Associated Press:

"I'd take a guy that's hitting .500 that's miserable as opposed to a guy that hands out bouquets to his teammates and is hitting a buck 45."

Francona is smarter than I thought.

Things have gotten messy between Manny and Boston. Here was his response to the Marlin trade report in the ESPN article:

"The Red Sox did the same with guys like Nomar Garciaparra and Pedro Martinez, and now they do the same with me. Their goal is to paint me as the bad guy," Ramirez added. "I love Boston fans, but the Red Sox don't deserve me. I'm not talking about money. Mental peace has no price, and I don't have peace here."

Things never used to be like this. Manny used to be happy in Beantown. He won World Series in 2004 and 2007. He took home the series MVP in 2004 and even invited Red Sox fans to come back to his place for drinks after the parade. He even used to talk to the media. Gasp!

Sure his defense was a bit of an adventure, but when you have a player that can hit the game winning HR you forget about what happens in LF. Boston will miss Manny.

You want something obscure don't you? Well you're at Waikiki Hockey so you are in the right place.

How about Manny as a muppet with an Italian acccent?

Not bizarre enough for you? How about this then? Where to people come up with this stuff?

Wouldn't an Dodger - Red Sox final have a bit of intrigue now?

X-Blog....

In 1995, the X Games took the Olympic concept to extreme sports like snowboarding, skateboarding, BMX, etc. The Games have grown consistently and are now shown on ESPN and big three network NBC.

In 2001, Vince McMahon and NBC developed the idea for the XFL with the slogan: "It's real football". Apparently, "real football" means no roughing penalties, trash talking announcers, scantily clad cheerleaders and nicknames on the back of jerseys. The XFL had 14 million viewers in their first week but their rating plummeted in the following weeks and the league folded after only one season.

In 2002, Spike TV (or TNN as it was called then) aired the first season of a sport called Slamball. Think basketball + football + trampolines. It's was designed to be a real life video game and it really delivers. Slamball was starting to build up a bit of a following but the sport was folded after two seasons. Don't worry Slamball fans, the sport is making a comeback in 2008.

The next "X" sport has arrived and it looks to be the worst idea since Tom Smykowski came up with the "Jump to Conclusions" mat in Office Space. It's called Xtreme Baseball and doesn't have any big hits, cheerleaders, or loud music. What does it have? Two baseball games happening at the same time on the same field. Wow...that does sound EXTREME!

It actually sounds pointless and ridiculous to me. Thankfully, this "sport" is so stupid that it's likely we've never hear of it again:

Brew Crew...

It's not often that you see a headline like this. Even for "The Onion", that's some pretty bizarre stuff.

Lately there's been a more svelt member of the Brewers on my mind. I'm talking about the player who is third in the league in HR's and is on a big time tear right now...13 for 22 with 5 HR's and 10 RBI's in his last 6 games! The Brewer in question is 24 year old hitting machine Ryan Braun.

I don't know why number 8 doesn't get as much attention as some of the other young stars. The typical excuse is he plays in Wisconsin, but that hasn't hurt Brett Favre's publicity lately. Maybe it's because he's not built like a prototypical power hitter but neither is this douche and he still gets a bit of attention.

Braun has continually crushed major league hitting since his debut in May 2007. The recent struggles of fellow phenoms Jay Bruce, Hunter Pence, Alex Gordon, etc. have shown us how rare finding a player of Braun's calibre and consistency really is.

This guy should be an ESPN darling and mentioned in NL MVP talk:

• He hits piles of homers, has a good batting average and some speed
• He is apparently really good looking
• He can spout off the clichés like anybody's business (even if Adam Corrola is trying to give him shit)
• His name is a lot like the paper towel Brawny
• He may be the nicest guy in history:

Maybe that's the problem....Braun is too nice. People only pay attention to the bad guys. He could lie (I hope) and say he used steroids...that really seems to be getting people in the papers nowadays. Or he could hook up with Angelina Jolie (after the twins maybe?) to make the super couple Braungelina?

The best idea might be for Braun win the NL MVP.

...and that happened!

This has got to be fake, but even still, it's pretty damn funny:

"Yellow and blue for Dustin" Very nice. I have a friend that would probably still listen to him over Joe Morgan and he's definitely better than Mark Messier.

Update: Since I posted I've read that the announcer is apparently singer John Mayer doing the play-by-play. He was at the game and the video was posted on his blog. Not sure I'm buying that but if it's true it makes this video even better!