But history has shown that these massive deals don’t always work.

Sometimes they turn into a financial sinkhole for the team where the ownership and the fans are just counting down the days until they no longer have that player on the books.

There have been 72 Major League Baseball contracts when adjusted for inflation come to more than 100 million dollars.

In this article we’re going to look at the 11 absolute worst of those 72 contracts.

11. Mike Hampton – 2001 Rockies – $190 Million

The Colorado Rockies have always been a team with a pitching problem. Playing in the highest elevation stadium in baseball by a long margin, the lowered air resistance means pitchers pitches don’t have near as much movement, are more hittable, and the ball flies further when the batter does make contact for that reason.

Free agent pitchers have always been hesitant to sign with the Rockies as it’s been known to be a place where
pitchers careers go to die. Meaning the Rockies have to shell out a bit more than any other team to land top pitching. And that was the case with Mike Hampton.

Signed in December of 2000, Mike Hampton was offered the largest contract in baseball history up to that point. Mike was a good pitcher leading up to that contract but when you think of the pitchers in the league at that time (Pedro Martinez Greg Maddux Roger Clemens Randy Johnson), Mike Hampton isn’t near that level.

You knew even at the time that him getting the largest contract in baseball history was a hell of an overpay but the Rockies had a glaring need at starting pitching.

Since their Inception the Rockies had the worst starting pitching era in the league league and the third worst starting pitching wins above replacement. It made sense for them to splurge on starting pitching.

But compared to another pitcher (Mike Mussina who signed a six-year 88.5 million dollar deal with the Yankees just nine days before Hampton Hampton’s eight-year 121 million dollar contract), is almost criminal.

But how did he perform during the contract? Well not great.

During his first two years he started 62 games and had a 5.75 era his strikeouts per 9 innings was a laughably low 4.6.

On the bright side he was by far the best hitting pitcher in the league during those two years hitting .315 with 10 home runs – absolutely crazy stats.

With Colorado he accumulated 0.3 War minus 1.6 on the pitching side and plus 1.9 on the hitting side – his entire positive output was with the bat.

After those two years the Rockies had seen enough they packaged Hampton with Juan Pierre in a trade with the Marlins. The Marlins were apparently only interested in Pierre because just two days later they traded Hampton to the Braves for a relief pitcher and minor leaguer.

To Hampton’s credit he did bounce back a little. While nowhere near his pre-Rockies days from 2003 to 2005, on the Braves he was a slightly below league average starting pitcher before requiring Tommy John‘s surgery near the end of 2005.

He missed all of 2006 and 2007 before returning in 2008 for the last year of his contract. He played pretty mediocre across 13 starts that year and secured a much smaller one-year 2 million dollar contract in 2009 with the Astros.

He only pitched 4.1 innings in 2010 with the Diamondbacks before retiring. All said baseball inflation adjusted Mike Hampton signed an eight-year 190 million dollar contract earned 6.2 wins above replacement coming to 30.65 million per war.

10. Albert Belle – 1999 Orioles – $135 Million

Unlike Mike Hampton, Albert Belle had a track record going into free agency that demanded a massive deal.

Finishing top 10 in MVP voting in five of six seasons from 1993 to 1998 he was one of the best left
fielders in baseball in the mid 90s and his first free agent contract with the White Sox showed that.

After signing with the White Sox he became the highest paid player in baseball for the 1997 season and the first player in baseball history to make over 10 million in a season. In that contract he lived up to hitting 79 home runs and accumulating 8.6 war in two seasons.

After the 1998 season he had a unique clause in his contract that stipulated he would remain one of the three highest paid players in baseball throughout his contract.

The White Sox didn’t agree he was worth that much opting out and making him a free agent going into 1999.

The Orioles on the other hand saw it differently. They then signed him to a five-year 65 million dollar contract which again made him the highest paid player in baseball. In the end the White Sox look very smart passing up on Belle’s pay raise.

While he had a good 1999 with the Orioles hitting 37 home runs with a 941 Ops, his 2000 season was a step back offensively. It’s also important to note that he was one of the worst defensive left fielders in the league during this time accumulating negative 3.3 D War.

But things went from bad to worse in 2001. During spring training he was diagnosed with degenerative hip osteoarthritis. The Orioles said that he was totally disabled and unable to perform as a major league baseball player.

He was forced into retirement and never played baseball again. Fortunately for the Orioles about 70 percent of his remaining contract was covered by Insurance.

Still his inflation-adjusted contract was a total of five years 135.1 million dollars and he accumulated four wins above replacement coming to 33.78 million per win.

9. Prince Fielder – 2012 Tigers – $237 Million

Coming off his last year with the Brewers in 2011, Prince Fielder was an icon of the game.

The Home Run Derby champ and three-time All-Star was set to make a massive amount of money in free agency. The Brewers made an offer of five years 100 million dollars but that was never a serious offer that anyone thought Fielder would sign.

Instead Fielder signed a massive nine-year deal worth 214 million with the Detroit Tigers. Along with Miguel Cabrera the Tigers were looking to have one of the best one-two punches in the league. And off the bat that looked to be the case.

By the 2012 All-Star break Fielder and Cabrera combined for a league leading 134 RBIs. After 2012 the contract was looking like a massive success. Fielder accumulated 4.7 War the second highest total in his career and received MVP votes.

However 2013 saw a bit of a dip. He was worse than nearly every single offensive stat along with some of the worst first base defense in the league.

With seven years still on the contract the Tigers were sufferingand they traded Fielder to the Rangers for Ian Kinsler. Much like the White Sox opting out on Albert Belle’s contract, this turned out to be a great move for the Tigers.

Fielder’s decline was real; he had an injury riddled 2014 and 2016 with 2015 being the only semi-productive season with the Rangers. Again very similar to Albert Belle, Fielder was forced in a medical retirement during the 2015 season due to C4 and C5 herniation in his neck.

Also similar to Belle, insurance picked up some of the remaining money on his contract. Of the 96 million dollars of payments still due to Fielder the Tigers would pay 24 million the Rangers would pay 36 million and insurance would pay 36 million.

Interesting fact about this contract: because all that money is guaranteed and paid in full regardless of Fielder playing, in 2020 when all active players had their contracts prorated due to the covid shortened season, Prince Fielder was the highest paid player in the league despite retiring four years earlier.

With an inflation-adjusted contract of 9 years 237 million dollars, his production of seven war in the end Fielder’s massive deal came to 33.9 million dollars per win

8. Josh Hamilton – 2013 Angels – $124 Million

Hamilton’s story is a weird one. Drafted first overall by the Devil Rays in the 1999 draft, in 2001 he began excessive drug and alcohol use and was sent to the Betty Ford Center for drug rehabilitation.

He ended up failing a drug test during spring training of 2003 and took a year off for personal reasons. He then failed three drug tests in 2004 earning a suspension for the entire season.

He was arrested in 2005 for smashing the windshield of a friend’s truck and was suspended again for the entire season following another relapse.

At this point he was looking like a massive bust for the Rays. They left him unprotected in the 2006 Rule 5 draft where he was taken by the Chicago Cubs and then immediately traded to the Reds for cash. But this is where the story turns around.

In 2007 he was apparently clean for the first time in years and broke out with the Reds. Prior to 2008 he was traded to the Rangers and continued his prolific hitting earning his first All-Star appearance in garnering MVP votes. At this point in his career Hamilton was the post boy for overcoming addiction and turning one’s life around.

His remaining team control years with the Rangers were wildly productive with him winning League MVP in 2010. But there were still relapses in 2009. Photos of him shirtless in a bar with reports of him looking for cocaine emerged prior to the 2012 season his last team control year.

It was reported that he had another relapse with alcohol but every time these reports serviced he would apologize. The team would report how they have him on a program with a mentor and his off-field availability and production remains strong.

So the warning signs were there for an implosion but like in many sports, production reigns king and the Angels ignored all the warning signs giving Hamilton a five-year 125 million dollar contract.

On the Angels, Hamilton never came close to his level of play with the Rangers.

After two pretty subpar seasons with the Angels and a shoulder surgery prior to the 2015 season, Hamilton relapsed again and voluntarily reported to Major League Baseball while the Angels laid out a rehab plan for him. Angels owner Arte Moreno hinted to the press that they were looking to cut ties with Hamilton.

They traded him back to the Rangers for cash and a player to be named later in April of 2015 with three years still left on the contract. He played a total of 50 games with the Rangers in 2015 before knee injuries kept him off the field for the rest of his career.

From a contract standpoint he damn well earned his spot on this list inflation adjusted his contract was five years 125 million and he earned a total of 3.2 wins above replacement coming to 39 million dollars per win above replacement and memories that Angels fans wish they could erase.

7. Carl Crawford – 2011 Red Sox – $159 Million

All the contracts previously mentioned you could argue were overpays even at the time of the signing. Sure the players were good, but relative to other free agent deals at the time along with the risk, those players carried all of them were at least on the higher end of what you’d expect.

Carl Crawford doesn’t fall out of that category; he was a bona fide star with his time with Tampa Bay and an exciting player to watch. Always near the league league in stolen bases and triples along with a healthy batting average and on base percentage, he was your prototypical leadoff hitter and had his best season right before hitting free agency. In his last year with Tampa he stole 47 bases hit 307 knocked a career-high 19 home runs and scored 110 runs accumulating a great seven War season and finished seventh in the MVP voting.

It was the best case scenario for him to lock up a lucrative deal and he did just that signing a seven year 142 million dollar contract with the Red Sox. His first season with the team was headline inducing and not for the right reasons.

One of the most infamous stories of Clubhouse dysfunction that I can remember, articles came out about how the pitching rotation settled into a routine of swilling Brew eating, fast food chicken, and playing
video games in the clubhouse rather than support their struggling teammates during games.

in The Dugout manager Terry Francona completely lost his ability to motivate the team and was distracted by his own marital problems he apparently lived in a hotel during the season leadership was constantly in question and multiple reports linked players to being detached and uninspired.

At the center of this and possibly the scapegoat of the team was Crawford. He developed a chronic wrist condition and a strained ligament in his elbow that eventually resulted in wrist and Tommy John’s surgery. He had a number of complaints about the medical staff during this time and later described his two years with Boston as “the toughest time in my life.”

Asked if he regretted signing with the Red Sox Crawford replied A lot of times I did you hear a lot of talk about how I just wanted money at some point you wondered if you made the right decision.

The fans had no love for Crawford either. He was viewed as an overpaid Diva that was really a summation of the problems the Red Sox had that season. Needless to say he had to get out of Boston.

After two injury-riddled seasons where he performed nowhere close to the level he did in Tampa, the Red Sox traded him to the Dodgers in a massive salary dump for the team. While Crawford played a little bit better with the Dodgers he was still nowhere close to his Tampa Bay production.

He had nagging injuries throughout his tenure and with almost two years left on his contract the Dodgers released him and he went into retirement.

Inflation adjusted Crawford signed a seven-year 159.7 million dollar contract and accrued 3.6 War good enough for 44.4 million dollars per win.

6. Jordan Zimmerman – 2016 Tigers – $109 Million

When the Expos moved to Washington and became the Nationals, the Nationals embarked on a half decade rebuild that was highlighted by a number of great draft picks.

Ryan Zimmerman, Bryce Harper, Anthony Rendon, Stephen Strasbourg – all highly touted memorable players. But somewhat forgotten in that time was 2007 second round pick Jordan Zimmerman.

He threw the Nationals first no-hitter, finished top 10 in the Cy Young voting twice, was a two-time All-Star and was a staple in the Nationals rotation for five years.

Why is he forgotten? Probably due to the free agent deal sign with the Tigers going into 2016. While he had five seasons in a row with an era under four prior to the deal and one season under three after signing with the Tigers, he never saw below four and a half while he made 32 or more starts in the four seasons leading up to free agency.

He never crossed 30 again as injuries took their toll. While he put up 20.3 war in seven years with the Nationals, he put up a total of 1.8 over the course of his five-year deal.

Funny thing is the deal was off to a great start his first month with the Tigers. In 2015 he was the American League pitcher of the month with a 5-0 record and only giving up two earned runs in 33 Innings pitched.

After that month he missed action due to a variety of injuries including a neck strain, right shoulder strain, UCL strain, and right forearm strain. And when he was able to pitch their results were not very good all in all.

Zimmerman’s inflation-adjusted contract was five years 109.7 million dollars accruing just 1.8 War for a total of 61 million per war.

5. Mo Vaughn – 1999 Angels – $160 Million

Mo Vaughn was a stud first baseman for the Red Sox winning MVP in 1995 and putting up an Ops plus of over 144 in the Five Seasons leading up to free agency. Based off that, the Angels decided to give him a five-year 80 million dollar contract.

Now if you were to just look at his raw offensive numbers with the Angels it doesn’t look too bad.

In the first two years the contract he had over 30 home runs over 100 RBIs and pretty solid looking stats. But when you adjust for this being in the midst of the steroid era those two seasons take a huge hit compared to the rest of the league.

After those two years you wouldn’t think this contract would be fifth worst of all time but things took a turn for the worst as he missed the entire 2001 season due to injury.

He was traded to the Mets for Kevin Appier prior to 2002 and the last three years of his contract with the Mets were pretty lackluster with him missing almost two whole seasons. When he was able to play he racked up a total of negative 1.2 War.

Vaughn’s contract inflation-adjustment was a six-year 160 million dollar deal where he put up a total of 2.4 War for an end result of 66.8 million per war.

4. Justin Upton – 2018 Angels – $107 Million

This marks the third Angels contract to make this list. Add in that Albert Pujols was just outside this list at number 18 and Anthony Rendon is well on track to go down as a bad contract, the Angels could soon be owners of a whopping five free agent contracts in the top 20 worst contracts of all time.

They basically have a terrible contract Dynasty. As we saw in 2022 it shows on the field despite having two of the best players in baseball – Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani – they have no depth whatsoever. And nearly every draft pick trade or signing has done nothing to fix that.

In 2022, Ohtani and Trout combined for 15.9 B War. The rest of the Angels roster combined for 15. That means without Trout or Ohtani the Angels on paper are around a hundred loss team.

Back to Upton. Upton had a very impressive career at least up until signing that extension with the Angels.
At the age of 29 he was finishing up a two-year contract with the Tigers and having one of his better career seasons and was traded to the Angels near the 2017 trade deadline.

He continued to impress with a short stint with the Angels to close out the year which is good enough for the Angels to extend him right after the season ended.

In total a five-year 106 million dollar deal, his first year of that contract was very good 30 home runs 121 RBIs and it looked like maybe the Angels were gonna buck the trend of their terrible free agent signings. But in 2019 the wheels fell off. Injuries took their toll as he never crossed 90 games in a season from 2019 to 2022.

When he was healthy he looked like a shell of his former self while he accumulated 3.7 war in 2018, the last four years of the contract he managed to pitiful negative 2.4 War. As his offense was well below average and and defensively he lost a step and was one of the worst left fielders in the league.

In total Upton was given an inflation-adjusted contract of five years 107 million accumulated 1.4 War for a total of 76.5 million dollars per war.

3. Barry Zito – 2007 Giants – $169 Million

I can already see Giants fans rushing to the comment section to let me know that this contract was well worth it due to his 2012 playoff performance. Zito started a must-win game five in the NLCS against the Cardinals with the Cardinals up three games to one. Giants fans were not optimistic at the time as his performance up to that point with the Giants wasn’t very good.

Surprisingly Zito pitched seven and two-thirds Innings of shutout baseball to give the Giants a five to nothing victory over the Cardinals. They went on to win the last two games of the series to go up against the Tigers in the World Series. Zito started game 1 and through five and two-thirds Innings giving up only one run he exited with the game well in hand with a Giants leading six to one and en route to an eight to three game one win they went on to sweep the Tigers in four games.

Zito proved to be a catalyst of six straight wins in the playoffs and the Giants second ring in three years.

So if Zito was so instrumental to this run why is he number three on this list? Well because this list is only based on regular season results and Zito’s regular season results of minus 0.4 War over the course of a seven year 126 million dollar contract goes down as pretty terrible.

Before that 2012 playoff run, Giants fans were ready to run him out of town and his 2013 is up there with one of the worst starting pitching seasons in the last decade with an impressive 5.74 era and a negative 2.5 War.

Over the course of his inflation-adjusted contract of seven years 170 million dollars, Zito’s minus 0.4 War gave him a formula breaking negative 425 million dollars per war.

2. Chris Davis – 2016 Orioles – $162 Million

This dumpster fire of a contract has been covered ad nauseum over the past four years or so.

Chris Davis the once MVP candidate who is the heart of the Orioles offense during one of the best five-year stretches in recent Orioles history, was given a seven year 161 million dollar contract for his age 30 through 36 seasons.

Now giving a contract that big to someone over 30 has turned out bad in the past but what happened to Davis was beyond bad.

After two so-so seasons where Davis was slightly below MLB average, he seemingly forgot how to play baseball.

In 2018 he put up one of the worst seasons by a full-time starter in baseball history hitting just 168 and striking out over 35 percent of the time he ended with minus 2.6 War.

Not only that he ended the season on a 21 at-bat Hitless streak that streak continued into 2019 where he set a Major League record with 49 straight hitless at-bats by a position player.

2019 and 2020 were much of the same where Davis put up a batting average well south of the Mendoza Line and racked up strikeouts at an unprecedented rate. The Orioles kept sending Davis out to the batter’s box to take at bats because they were in full tank mode at the time and were crossing their fingers that maybe he could turn it around.

A knee injury ended his 2020 season early and also kept him out all of 2021. At that point the Orioles had seen enough they worked out a deal with Davis where he could retire but still get the remaining payments on his contract.

Inflation-adjusted Chris Davis signed a seven year 162 million dollar contract accumulated minus 2.8 War a total of negative 57.9 million per war.

1. Ryan Howard – 2012 Phillies – $146 Million

It’s often overlooked how great Ryan Howard was in his first full seven seasons with the Phillies. In those seven years he averaged over 40 home runs and 122 RBIs.

He was the heart and soul of the offense for a Phillies team that had five straight playoff appearances and one World Series ring. Going into the 2010 season the Phillies gave Howard a five-year 125 million dollar extension with an option for a sixth year. however they already had Howard signed for two more seasons through age 31.

And this may be a lot of hindsight talking but preemptively signing a guy for a premium for his age 32 to 37 seasons seemed like a lot of jumping the gun and setting yourself up for a problem contract.

But it was almost poetic in a bad way how this contract started out. On the very last at-bat of the last game of the Phillies 2011 playoff run which was Howard’s last game under his original contract, Howard came to the plate representing the tying run in the fifth game of a best-of-five series against the Cardinals. A win would have clinched the series from of the Phillies and sent them to the NLCS.

Instead Howard grounded out to second, ending their season. But one of the biggest cases of adding injury to insult, Howard tore his Achilles while running to first.

Howard was never the same after that. A guy that averaged over 40 home runs the previous seven seasons never hit over 25 again. Someone with over 120 RBIs in a season never cracked 100 again.

Not only that but it served as a major turning point for the Phillies franchise itself. After five straight playoff runs the Phillies didn’t have a single winning season for the next nine years, finishing in the cellar in the NL East for three of those years.

Once Howard’s contract was up in 2016 at the age of 36, the Phillies declined their team option for 2017. Howard tried to catch on with the Braves signing a minor league contract but never saw the majors again he officially retired in 2018.

All in all Howard signed an inflation-adjusted contract of five years 147 million and managed a staggering negative 4.8 War for a total of negative 30.6 million per war.

The post The Worst $100+ Million Contracts in Baseball History appeared first on I-80 Sports Blog.

Roger Clemens had the best season of his storied career with the Blue Jays in 1997. And the Best Pitching Season Ever.

The Blue Jays attempted to re-establish themselves in the American League East by signing Roger Clemens via Free Agency and bringing All-Stars Carlos García and Orlando Merced through trade.

Clemens rejuvenated himself with the Blue Jays (en route to one of the best-ever single seasons by a starting pitcher).

In 1996 he finished with a 10-13 record and 3.63 ERA for the Red Sox.

Everyone thought he was DONE.

A common belief is Roger Clemens was on the downside of his career in his final year in Boston in 1996 and only PEDs brought his game back to Cy Young level.

Nerd metrics disagree. In 1996 Clemens finished;

~2nd in pitcher WAR
~2nd in WAA
~5th in ERA+

Ridiculous right? Let’s look at his old fashioned stats;

~7th in ERA
~7th in walks/hits per 9 innings
~2nd in hits/9 innings
~1st in Ks/9 innings
~5th in innings
~1st in Ks
~4th in complete games
~8th in K/BB
~3rd in lowest homers/9 innings
~2nd in FIP

Not his best year, but pretty damn good right?

I’m assuming his 10 and 13 record plus 3.63 ERA are the main reasons. A few explanations for that;

1. Clemens recieved 3.9 runs per 9 innings. AL teams averaged 5.39 runs per 9innings.

2. Red Sox were a terrible defensive team. Rtot negative 77.

3. Fenway was a real good hitters park, inflating offenses by 9%.

He was still a top pitcher when he left Boston.

But in 1997, Clemens had the best pitching season ever.

He won the pitching Triple Crown and won the AL Cy Young Award. Clemens led the majors in pitcher fWAR with 10.7 (Pedro was second with 8.5).

That year he led the league in:

~21 wins
~2.05 ERA
~9 complete games
~3 shutouts
~264 innings pitched
~292 Ks
~2.25 FIP
~1.030 WHIP

In geeky stats he also lead the league in;
~11.9 WAR
~222 ERA+

Clemens 11.9 WAR is tied for the 3rd best single season mark since the deadball era(1920).

His 2.22 ERA+ is tied for 10th best for a pitcher all time since 1920.

WAR and ERA+ are calculated by comparing performance to league average. 100 ERA+ is average, so Roger was 122% better than the average AL pitcher in 1997.

To demonstrate, in 1997 the average AL pitcher had a 4.93 ERA and the average batter had a batting average of 271, OBP of 340 and slugging of 428.

Clemens had an ERA of 2.05 and batters had a BA of .213, OBP of .273 and a slugging of .291.

Clemens actually had below average run support with 4.81 runs per game as opposed to league average of 4.94. With better run support, he almost definitely would have an even better won/loss record.

Roger Clemens had an ERA of 2.05 over 264 innings. Clemens struck out 28% of all batters he faced, with 292 strikeouts on the season.

Yeah, Rocket was probably juiced to the gills during the best pitching season ever, but he was facing batters equally juiced and as a whole the league was one of the most offensive in MLB history.

So most pitchers were losing the steroid battle to hitters.

But not Roger Clemens during the best pitching season ever.

The post Best Pitching Season Ever: Roger Clemens 1997 Blue Jays appeared first on I-80 Sports Blog.

This video took place on Sunday September 30th, 2018. During a rare Royals win over the Indians, 9-4 at Kaufmann Stadium in Kansas City.

Alex Gordon was 2-5 on the day with an RBI. But that isn’t what got Eric so excited.

It was that not only did Alex Gordon attend college and play for our beloved Huskers before being drafted in 2005 by the Kansas City Royals with the second pick overall, becoming the highest draft pick out of Nebraska since Darin Erstad was selected with the first pick of the 1995 Major League Baseball (MLB) draft.

But it was that he is FROM Nebraska, just like us. And is 2 “ish” years younger.

We watched him progress through the minor leagues at a blistering pace, occasionally playing for our hometown #Omaha Storm Chasers.

In short, we LOVE Alex Gordon. But my friend Eric’s love borders on insanity. As evidenced in this clip.

We were as close to Alex Gordon aka “GORDO” as we have ever been in our entire lives.

So how could we NOT show our appreciation? for one of the greatest Royals #baseball players in Kansas City history?

After much goading from me and my then-9 year old daughter, E-HO let hurl one of the greatest showings of admiration a Nebraskan can bestow on a former Husker – that chant of GBR – GO BIG RED!

And not only did Alex respond when Eric yelled his name, at the end of the video you can see him laughing.

And 2 pitches later, I caught a foul ball for my daughter!

GREAT memory.

During his rookie year in with the Royals, Alex Gordon lived in Lincoln. He moved to Leawood, Kansas in 2009. After his first child was born in 2010, he moved back to Lincoln to be closer to his grandparents.

When he signed a four-year contract with the Royals in 2016, he moved back to Leawood with his family in order to pick a convenient full-time school for his children.

Alex Gordon Royals Franchise Records:

Gordon ranks in the top-10 for most offensive categories in Royals history:

hit by pitches (121, first);
walks (684, third);
home runs (190, fourth);
doubles (357, fifth);
total bases (2,622, fifth);
extra-base hits (573, fifth);
WAR (34.5, fifth);
hits (1,643, sixth);
runs batted in (749, sixth);
runs scored (867, sixth);
games played (1,753, sixth);
singles (1,070, sixth);
at bats (6,391, sixth);
plate appearances (7,250, sixth);
sacrifice flies (43, seventh);
intentional walks (48, seventh).

And the two records that count the most: two World Series Appearances and one World Series championship.

In 2015, Gordon hit trouble as a groin injury held him to only 104 games. Despite the injury, the star appeared in his third straight All-Star game. He went on to hit .271 with 18 doubles. Gordon was a key piece to the World Series Championship team. His game-tying home run in the ninth inning of Game 1 off of Jeurys Familia led to a win in extra innings.

After the season, Gordon signed a four-year, $72 million contract, which was the largest in franchise history at the time.

He finished his career with four straight Gold Gloves. Gordon continued to shine with his arm and willingness to put his body on the line to make incredible plays. Additionally, he finished his career tied with Frank White for the most Gold Gloves in franchise history. Gordon also has two Platinum Gloves to go along with his three All-Star Game selections and one World Series Championship.

With his cleats hung up for good, Gordon finished with a total fielding percentage of .994. He accumulated 14 double plays and 102 outfield assists.

The latter led all outfielders in the span of 2011-2020. At the plate, he had 1,643 total hits, 190 home runs, 749 RBI, and 357 doubles.

The post Alex Gordon LOVE SCREAM appeared first on I-80 Sports Blog.

The unassisted triple play which has occurred 15 times in MLB history since 1900, is the rarest play in baseball for which there is a specific statistic and which is truly about a single play, and not the context in which the play occurred.

Here is a list of the rarest plays in baseball as a batter that have actually occurred, each happening one time in the history of MLB(in no particular order):

– 2 grand slams in a single inning. 1a Baseball Almanac, Wikipedia article
– 8 runs batted in during a single inning 1a Baseball Almanac
– 1 grand slam from both sides of the plate in a game 1b Wikipedia article
– 3 inside-the-park home runs in a game 1c Baseball Almanac
– Hitting for the natural cycle with a grand slam 1f Baseball Almanac
– 9 hits in a game 1g Baseball Almanac
– 7 singles in a game 1g Baseball Almanac
– 4 triples in a game 1h Baseball Almanac
– 5 intentional bases on balls in a game 1i Baseball Almanac
– 4 intentional bases on balls in a 9-inning game

Here are a few baseball hitting events that though rare, happen more frequently than I would’ve guessed:

2 – HR from both sides of plate in same inning
2 – 7 hits in a 9 inning game
6 – hitting for cycle with a grand slam
12 – 2 grand slams in same game
15 – 4 HR in a 9 inning game
21 – HR on first pitch in MLB
223 – Inside the park grand slam
13 – hitting for the natural cycle
273 – hitting for the cycle

Here is a list of the rarest plays in baseball as a pitcher that have actually occurred, each happening one time in the history of MLB (in no particular order):

– 4 consecutive home runs surrendered in a single inning Baseball Almanac
– 7 home runs surrendered in a game 1r Baseball Almanac
– 21 strikeouts in a game 1s Baseball Almanac
– 10 consecutive strikeouts in a game

Here are a some popular baseball pitching events that though rare, happen more frequently than I would’ve guessed:

9 – Perfect game lost on the 27th batter
24 – Perfect Game
104 – Immaculate Inning (retiring 3 batters on 9 pitches)
198 – 3 pitch inning

The rarest of rare plays, that I’m sure will never actually happen but would be amazing to see, would be one that can only happen under National League rules.

It would be where, in the bottom of the ninth, the home team pitcher hits a walk off home run to preserve his own perfect game, and in the process breaks up a bid for a perfect game by the opposing pitcher.

The “quadruple play” which someone else mentioned is pretty rare too, although probably not quite as unlikely.

This would be a situation where a team turns what is already a triple play, but must record a “fourth out” to negate a run that would otherwise count.

BTW officially this would “only” be a triple play. Only three outs can officially be recorded. If a team records four outs, though, then only three outs will count, but the official “third out” will be whichever one is most advantageous to the team recording it.

Still a very, very rare play especially if in combination with a triple play.

However, it turns out that the antithesis of an unassisted triple play—three errors by one player on play—is even rarer, having occurred only once as far as I can tell in MLB history.

Tommy John, pitching for the NY Yankees against the Milwaukee Brewers, achieved this “accomplishment” on July 27, 1988.

Ironically, apart from this one very bad play, John appears to have pitched a good game. He went eight strong innings for the win in a 16–3 blowout.

Two of the three Brewers’ runs occurred on the three-error play, although one of them became an earned run due to a subsequent single allowed by John.

A feat that has only occurred high school or college baseball, but has never happened in the major leagues, is hitting a home run cycle — solo shot, 2-run homer, 3-run homer, and grand slam.

Here’s an incredibly rare baseball play/scenario – like astronomically rare:

A pitcher hitting walk-off homer to preserve his perfect game and ruin the other pitcher’s perfect game is rare. But there is even more rare and technically possible scenario that would make that situation even more rare.

That is, in addition to the aforementioned scenario,  if each pitcher had only thrown 27 pitches. It would require each batter to swing at first pitch and make an out. I think this is a scenario that is far more rare.

It’s incredible to think that somewhere in a professional baseball game today there is a really good chance that a player will accomplish some feat that has never or rarely been accomplished.

I think that’s a testament to what a terrifically complex game baseball can be. Not to mention every year during the playoffs and the World Series, there’s always an instance of a play or circumstance that rarely happens in DS/CS/WS.

Did you know that there is only one player that has played for every National and American League team? Can you name him? Give up?

The organ player! #ZING

The post What’s The Rarest Play In Baseball? appeared first on I-80 Sports Blog.

After the year that Shohei Ohtani had in 2021, how could he NOT be on the cover of MLB The Show 22? Scroll down to see the release date and cover.

For God’s sake his name, SHOhei, is already in the title!

Shohei Ohtani will serve as the cover star for the latest version of MLB The Show.

Ohtani starred as both a batter and pitcher, being named the starting pitcher for the 2021 MLB All-Star Game and lead MLB in WAR as a batter (9.1) and as a pitcher (9.1). He also led the Majors in triples (9), intentional walks (20), caught stealing (10, so he will be slow in the game lol) and was third in home runs (46).

Check out the dopeness of the MLB The Show MVP Edition Cover:

As a pitcher, he started 23 games and finished 9-2 with a 3.18 ERA. He had 156 strikeouts in 130 innings.

He won the 2021 AL MVP Award while Salvador Perez finished 2nd.

MLB The Show 22 Cover Reveal

The cover reveal was badass. The cover was announced on a huge 3D billboard in New York City’s Times Square.

After a countdown ended at noon ET, the screen fell away to show Ohtani highlights and the cover of the new game, which features images of him hitting and pitching.

#MLBTheShow 22, coming soon.

https://t.co/ekanG858Bt pic.twitter.com/Ix2oyGLfIX

— MLB Gaming (@MLBGaming) January 31, 2022

MLB The Show 22 Release Date

MLB The Show 22 will be released April 5th on PS5, PS4, Xbox X|S, Xbox One, and for the first time ever, Nintendo Switch. Pre-order: https://mlbthe.show/22

Bryce Harper, Javier Baez and Fernando Tatis Jr. have been on the cover the last three years.

But what is interesting about the MLB The Show 22 release date and cover being announced is that MLB and the players are currently undergoing “labor discussions” aka a strike.

You have to imagine the developers did not approve this message, and will be even more pissed at sales and marketing than they typically are.

The closer to the launch date without a collective bargaining deal in place, the less likely it is we’ll see the new CBA reflected in MLB The Show 22, barring some post-release support. Sorry Dev Nerds but you wouldn’t have jobs without sales!

Ohtani is the first California/Anaheim Angels player to ever be on the cover. Which is crazy because Mike Trout has played his entire career there!

MLB The Show Past Covers

Last year, Fernando Tatis Jr. became the youngest player to be The Show’s cover athlete.

Others who have been on the cover since the game debuted in 2006 include Javier Báez, Bryce Harper, Aaron Judge, Ken Griffey Jr., Josh Donaldson, Yasiel Puig, Miguel Cabrera, Andrew McCutchen, Adrián González, Joe Mauer, Dustin Pedroia, Ryan Howard, David Wright and David Ortiz.

10 New Features in MLB The Show 22:

1. The game is now available on Nintendo Switch
2. New Stadium Creator Edition
3. Multiple Ball Players in Road To The Show
4. Additions to March To October
5. New Mini Seasons
6. Two New Gameplay Difficulties
7. New Intro
8. New Legends
9. Tempest 3D Audio
10. Best version of the game EVER.

MLB The Show 22 Highest Rated Batters and Pitchers

Top Rated Pitchers 

1. 1. • Jacob deGrom, Mets: 99
      • Corbin Burnes, Brewers: 99
      • Brandon Woodruff, Brewers: 96
      • Shane Bieber, Guardians: 95
      • Trevor Bauer, Dodgers: 95

Top Rated Batters

1. • Mike Trout, CF, Angels: 99
   • Ronald Acuna Jr., CF, Braves: 99
   • Aaron Judge, OF, Yankees: 97
   • Trea Turner, 2B, Dodgers: 96
   • Fernando Tatis Jr., SS, Padres: 96

And because I am a Kansas City Royals “homer” here are the top 1o Royals:

MLB The Show 22 – Top 10 Royals Players

1. C Salvador Perez (88 overall)
2. SP Zack Greinke (87 overall)
3. SS Adalberto Mondesi (84 overall)
4. 2B Nicky Lopez (83 overall)
5. LF Andrew Benintendi (79 overall)
6. CF Michael A. Taylor (79 overall)
7. RF Whit Merrifield (78 overall)
8. CP Scott Barlow (76 overall)
9. SP Brady Singer (76 overall)
10. C Cam Gallagher (75 overall)

The post MLB The Show 22 Release Date, Ratings, and Cover Features Shohei Ohtani appeared first on I-80 Sports Blog.

FOX Sports baseball genius Frank Thomas jams your mind full of all you need to know about the 2021 MLB season the way he used to CRUSH 3-2 dongs out of Comisky Park.

I-80 Sports Blog: What was your ABSOLUTE, #1 favorite MLB game of 2021?

Frank Thomas: IT HAS TO BE THE FIELD OF DREAMS GAME BETWEEN THE WHITE SOX AND YANKEES. IT WAS A WELL PLAYED GAME AND AN AMAZING FINISH WITH TIM ANDERSON’S WALK OFF HOME RUN.

I-80 Sports Blog: What was the biggest SUPRISE? Be it a player, team, trade, off-field development – what made you think twice about it/rub your “eyes” to make sure you were seeing it correctly?

Frank Thomas: IT WAS FUN WATCHING VLAD GUERRERO JR CHASE THE TRIPLE CROWN ALL SEASON LONG. COMING SO CLOSE FOR A YOUNG PLAYER!

I-80 Sports Blog: Speaking of “seeing,” what was your vision score pre-Varilux, compared to now/after you started using? Could you “see” the difference right away? Please explain.

Frank Thomas: I ALWAYS HAD EXCELLENT VISION. AS I GOT OLDER AND MY VISION SLOWLY DETERIORATED, I STARTED HAVING ISSUES SEEING THINGS UP CLOSE AND BEGAN DOING THINGS LIKE HOLDING MY PHONE AT ARM’S LENGTH TO READ A TEXT, WHICH WAS FRUSTRATING. I RECENTLY VISITED AN EYE DOCTOR AGAIN WHO TOLD ME I HAD PRESBYOPIA AND PRESCRIBED VARILUX, THE #1 RECOMMENDED PROGRESSIVE LENS. I COULD SEE AND FEEL THE DIFFERENCE IMMEDIATELY AND NOW HAVE EXCELLENT VISION ONCE AGAIN. VARILUX’S SUPERIOR TECHNOLOGY ALLOWS ME TO HAVE A GREATER AND CLEARER FIELD OF VISION SO I DON’T MISS THE SMALLEST DETAILS OF ANY GAME.

I-80 Sports Blog: If you had to pick an overall 2021 MLB MVP, overall Cy Young, and overall Manager of the Year, regardless of ML/AL leagues, who would each be and why?

Frank Thomas: OVERALL MVP HAS TO BE SHOHEI OHTANI. WHAT HE DID AS A TWO-WAY PLAYER WAS AMAZING, IT’S SOMETHING WE HAVEN’T SEEN SINCE BABE RUTH. BABE RUTH! THAT WAS 100 YEARS AGO. OVERALL, HE WAS SO GREAT FOR THE GAME OF BASEBALL BOTH DOMESTICALLY AND INTERNATIONALLY. FOR THE CY YOUNG I’D PROBABLY GO ROBBIE RAY FROM TORONTO, HE REALLY PUT IT ALL TOGETHER THIS YEAR.MANAGER OF THE YEAR I’D GO WITH GABE KAPLER FOR SURE BECAUSE HE DID AN INCREDIBLE JOB WITH THE GIANTS WHO WERE PICKED TO FINISH 4TH IN THE NATIONAL LEAGUE WEST AND WOUND UP WINNING 107 GAMES AND BEATING OUT THE DODGERS TO WIN THE DIVISION. THAT WAS VERY IMPRESSIVE.

I-80 Sports Blog: What is something one of your parents told you when you were young that you still think about today? That still influences you?

Frank Thomas: MY PARENTS ALWAYS INSTILLED A TIRELESS WORK ETHIC IN ME, THAT WILL NEVER WANE OR GO BY THE WAYSIDE. THEY ALSO DRILLED IN ME TO STAY HUMBLE, AND THAT’S SOMETHING I INSTILL INTO MY CHILDREN AS WELL. BEING HUMBLE IS SO IMPORTANT IN ALL ASPECTS OF LIFE, ESPECIALLY ONCE YOU’VE FOUND SUCCESS AS AN ADULT.

I-80 Sports Blog: Which of your MLB seasons are you most proud of and why?

Frank Thomas: STATISTICALLY THE 1993 SEASON MADE ME PROUD. I BEAT OUT PAUL MOLITOR AND JOHN OLERUD AND KEN GRIFFEY, JR. TO WIN MY FIRST AMERICAN LEAGUE MVP, I HIT 42 HOME RUNS AND THAT WAS MY FIRST TIME WINNING A DIVISION. THAT FELT GOOD ALL AROUND. CONVERSELY, THE 2006 SEASON WAS SATISFYING BECAUSE WHEN I LEFT THE WHITE SOX AFTER THE 2005 SEASON EVERYONE THOUGHT I WAS DONE BUT I PROVED THEM WRONG AND HAD AN MVP CALLIBER SEASON IN OAKLAND THAT NEXT SEASON AT AGE 38.

I-80 Sports Blog: What year was the most fun?

Frank Thomas: THAT 2006 SEASON WAS THE MOST FUN I EVER HAD IN BASEBALL. I REIGNITED MY CAREER WITH THE OAKLAND ATHLETICS. BEING THE ELDER STATESMAN ON A YOUNG TEAM THAT MADE A PLAYOFF RUN WAS SO MUCH FUN AND REMINDED ME OF BEING ON A COLLEGE TEAM.

I-80 Sports Blog: Did baseball ever STOP being fun and it became a job like every schlub has and takes for granted/dislikes?

Frank Thomas: NO NEVER. I DID HAVE A FEW YEARS WHERE I ALLOWED THE MEDIA TO TAKE AWAY SOME OF MY JOY, BUT THAT KIND OF COMES WITH SUCCESS. SOME OF THE INJURIES I SUSTANIED OVER MY CAREER TOOK AWAY JOY, BUT AT THE SAME TIME I’M PROUD I WAS ABLE TO WORK HARD, RETURN TO FORM AND PERSEVERE.

I-80 Sports Blog: What’s your #1 piece of advice for managing business relationships – agents, PR people, managers, employees, vendors, lawyers?

Frank Thomas: IT’S CRITICAL FOR ME TO HAVE PEOPLE IN MY CIRCLES THAT I CAN TRUST AND RELY ON. WITHOUT MY SUPPORT SYSTEM I DON’T THINK I WOULD HAVE FOUND THE SUCCESS THAT I DID. I KNOW IT’S CORNY BUT TEAM WORK MAKES THE DREAM WORK, AND HAVING A STRONG TEAM HELPS BREED SUCCESS.

The post Frank Thomas Gives His Picks For BEST Of The 2021 MLB Season appeared first on I-80 Sports Blog.

Two-time American League MVP Frank Thomas breaks down who the 2021 AL MVP is – the Royals Salvador Perez, Shohei Ohtani, or Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

Click below to hear Big Frank:

Paul Eide: I want to talk about an AL central rival the royals and particularly Salvador Perez and how amazing is the season he’s having, in your opinion?

As a as a former AL MVP, two-time in your case, what he’s doing with no protection in the lineup, am I overblowing it? Or is the season he’s having just that awesome?

Frank Thomas: No, you’re not overblowing it it’s been an awesome, incredible, historical season for Salvy. Salvy is one of my favorites i said all the way back in 2014, I think he’s a playing Hall of Famer.

And people thought I was crazy but I saw his attributes – what he did behind the plate and his hitting, and holding runners, calling games and he’s a complete catcher. And to watch him excel this year without any of the big power hitters behind him anymore it’s an amazing feat.

I really believe he’s in this MVP race and I don’t know what’s gonna happen now because of his performance at the end of the season, he might steal some first place votes.

Vladimir Guerrero might get a lot of first place votes. And Shohei Ohtani, he’s gonna get a lot more first place votes than Salvy or Vlad. Because his season is just so rare and remarkable, and he’s done it all year.

I think its gonna come down who gets all the second place to determine the MVP this year.

Paul Eide: That’s a really good point i hadn’t even thought about that. Did Salvy just pick the wrong year because of what Shohei is doing?

Frank Thomas: Yes, I mean I think they both (Salvy and Vlad) did. But you know you got to think about what they’ve got potentially happening down the stretch. And Vlad you know yeah still has a chance of walking away just because they’re one game back from making the playoffs with a week to go in the season.

And, he plays the Yankees three games on national TV. So you know you’re gonna get to see him.

And if you have a big six games to close out this season on national TV, Vlad could sneak away with MVP this year too. And it’s not sneaking because he’s basically been in the triple crown race all season long, battling Salvy for home runs and RBIs.

He’s been flirting all year. so any way you slice it, and whoever wins, just an incredible year for all three of these guys.

Even if Salvador Perez does not win the 2021 American League MVP award, he has solidified his place in history as one of the best catchers of all-time.

Even though it seems like a million years ago, Salvy won a World Series in 2015 and appeared in back to back versions of the Fall Classic. He was also the World Series MVP in 2015.

Perez is a seven-time All Star, a 5x Gold Glove winner (will be six after the voting is completed for 2021), a 3x Silver Slugger winner, and was the 2020 AL Comeback Player of the Year.

But what is overlooked is how great he is on defense.

From Royals Review:

“Opponents have had the opportunity to steal a base 1,338 times on Perez this year. However, Perez has only allowed 19 successful stolen bases.

That means that Perez has allowed one successful stolen base every 70 opportunities, a huge gap between the second best catcher this year and a comically large gap between the median catcher on this list. When people say that Perez controls the run game, that is not simply hot air: Salvador Perez is the best catcher in baseball there, and it is not even close.”

Between Salvy, Vlad, and Shohei, Salvy and Shohei have contributed just as much defensively, as they have offensively.

I think that makes this a two-horse race for AL MVP. And Salvador Perez has every reason to consider himself the 2021 winner.

From Frank:

Varilux changed my life; it is the #1 progressive lens in the world. So as for most of us around 40, we develop presophobia which is a condition. And to be honest you know i had 20/10 vision my whole baseball career. And then around 45 to 47, you know, you started stretching out those menus, those text messages and all the apps, it all became hard to read. I thought something was wrong with me so I’d reach out to my eye doctor and he was laughing at me he’s like “welcome to being old.”

That condition is real and uh you know you need to do something about it.

Make sure you check us out at varilux.com.  You need to see your eye care provider though so you can get these lenses.

The post Is Salvador Perez The 2021 AL MVP? Frank Thomas Weighs In appeared first on I-80 Sports Blog.

This the Best Frank Thomas interview EVER.

No production, no graphics. Me in my mac miller shirt in my home office with a pull up bar and a life-size picture of myself in the background. Just like this interview with White Sox manager Tony LaRussa. 

Two dudes talking baseball and Tom Selleck’s mustache – one of them just happens to be MLB hall of famer Frank Thomas.

Frank and I kept it light and talked Mr. Baseball, the best ball he ever CRUSHED, his favorite pitcher to RAKE DINGERS off of, and what he calls the baseball stadium in Chicago – Comisky, The Cell, or Guaranteed Rate Field.

Paul Eide: Big Frank!

Frank Thomas: Hello Paul, what’s going on.

Paul Eide: I’m stoked to talk to you today Frank. I just want to talk about your career a little bit and then talk about nearsightedness versus farsightedness – where should we start?

Frank Thomas: I think we should start with Varilux.

Paul Eide: Let’s do it

Frank Thomas: They changed my life; it is the world progressive lens in the world. So as for most of us around 40, we develop presophobia which is a condition. And to be honest you know i had 20/10 vision my whole baseball career. And then around 45 to 47, you know, you started stretching out those menus, those text messages and all the apps, it all became hard to read. I thought something was wrong with me so I’d reach out to my eye doctor and he was laughing at me he’s like “welcome to being old.”

That condition is real and uh you know you need to do something about it. so for me i didn’t want to wear glasses for so long trying to be cool or whatever. but now I’ve realized having these lenses and these glasses have changed me for the best because I’m on TV now looking at custom screens and cameras and the glare and everything else and it affects your eyes as you get older. So I’m happy to be with Varilux and we’re moving forward.

Make sure you check us out at essilorusa.com.  You need to see your eye care provider though so you can get these lenses fantastic

Paul Eide: So what’s it called when I’m holding the pill bottle or the menu as far as my arm can stretch – is that nearsighted or farsighted?

Frank Thomas: Whoa Paul, I’m not i care provider now. I can’t diagnose eye problems, you gotta check with your doctor with that one.

Paul Eide: Big Frank it’s been 30 years and after all this time do you feel bad about how it went down between you and jack Elliot during your time with the Yankees in 1992 as Ricky Davis…?

Frank Thomas: yeah Ricky Davis was a heck of a young ball player!

Paul Eide: Man he could do it all. five tools!

Frank Thomas: That was a heck of a movie, it was a heck of an experience. I got to spend a week and a half in LA filming a major motion picture with Tom Selleck. And he nailed it he worked his butt off.

He was in a cage non-stop because he told me he did not want to disrespect you the major league ball players acting out that part in that role. So he did a hell of a job, he put in the work man. And that’s why he’s been one of the world’s greatest actors for a very long time.

Paul Eide: Is he taller than you?

Frank Thomas: He’s a big boy. He’s six four we’re right close eyed eye. But yeah he’s a tall guy; he fit the part. He had the swagger, he had everything down. He did a lot of homework becoming a major league baseball player.

Paul Eide: Was the mustache more impressive or less impressive in person?

Frank Thomas: You know, what it was more impressive.

Paul Eide: Well I I’m sure you didn’t get on this call to talk about Tom Selleck’s mustache but we sure can.

Frank Thomas: He is a class act man i enjoyed my time with him.

Paul Eide: Awesome. Do you remember the best ball you’ve hit in your whole life? Like you know that feeling of just stroking one – do you remember it?

Frank Thomas: Yes I would say uh it was against Johan Santana when he was with Minnesota Twins. He came inside, a fastball, one night and i hit it pretty much really close to the top in our ballpark in Chicago and left center field but it almost reached the concourse. It was a big home run; it was a game-winning home run actually.

Paul Eide: Hey that’s even better

Frank Thomas: um yes.

Paul Eide: Where are your two American League MVP awards sitting right now?

Frank Thomas: In my trophy case at home yeah. Yeah that’s a really nice trophy case.

Paul Eide: When you’re just sitting in your living room watching the news they’re just kind of over there like you know like “oh there’s those two AL MVP trophies.”

Frank Thomas: Yeah I remember this all the time. You know i look at i look at all of my trophy case and all the accolades and awards and I’m proud of it because i put in a lot of work. Nobody gave me nothing they always thought I was a football player playing baseball. And to achieve the way I did it was something special mentally and physically and I’m really proud of my career

Paul Eide: Talk about that for a second – do you ever think about how your life would be different if you hadn’t gotten hurt playing football early in your career at auburn?

Frank Thomas: No. I really wanted to achieve in baseball. We won back-to-back state championship in high school and i knew i could play baseball. But down South everybody looked at me as a football player. So i had to prove my worth. you know i went to Auburn to play college football and uh coach Pat Dye gave me a chance to walk onto the baseball team. But he said I had to earn my way in football first. And I did so he gave me the chance to walk on and rest his history.

Paul Eide: What is the best pre-social media 80s to 90s real world interaction story that you Bo Jackson, and Charles Barkley had?

Frank Thomas: Well you know it’s one of those things that uh we didn’t have the cell phones like we do now. you don’t have the social media but uh just to talk amano amano and uh the to fill that testosterone in the room with three of us you know great players a few different sports. and uh very proud of the university because uh you know we put out a hell of a players. and you look at cam newton in the mix now we got one hell of a mountain Rushmore at auburn university.

Paul Eide: You three guys one room all the testosterone, all the joking around i just love it. are you guys everybody’s been told you’re one of the best they’ve ever seen you know what i mean. as well yes oh it just goes all night.

Frank Thomas: Yes, every now and then. But Charles will tell you he’s the most famous auburn tiger ever you know there’s only one chuck he’s saying he’s one pose two and um three and he’s at cam’s four he said Cam didn’t go to Auburn long enough so he’s number four.

Paul Eide: That’s fair. What was your favorite stadium to crush dingers in?

Frank Thomas: I would say Fenway. Really, all you had to do was get the ball up. once you got it up it went a long way out of that on that short ballpark in left field.

Paul Eide: In your days with the White Sox what was the big piece of metal that you’d swing in the on deck circle

Frank Thomas: My rebar! I’m in Sarasota, Florida and right across the street, there was a house been built right next to our spring training site. I just ventured over there one day because I was I was either earlier or later than everyone else. So i walked over and saw these these bars over there and I said, “what the hell is that?” I picked it up it was heavy and it looked like a long bat. So i just picked it up, and they had like quite a few over there, and I just I really helped myself to one and next thing you know i’m swinging the old deck circle.

Paul Eide: That’s a weird story frank

Frank Thomas: Yeah but it made the bat feel like a toothpick. All I did was put tape around it took it home back and had it in the on deck circle because I never liked the way, the ends like, uh you know the weights in the top; the round weights they put on the top of the bat it doesn’t make me feel good going to the plate it’s like top heavy you know what I’m saying.

Paul Eide: I’m just imagining reigning stud MVP white sox slugger Frank Thomas on a construction site rummaging around for rebar

Frank Thomas: well it was right across from the clubhouse okay it was basically part of the clubhouse. so i went over and saw it that was awesome. yeah that’s the bigger pieces but i got one i could handle take it up put it in the bag and old deck circle. the next day a lot of guys tried to swing it too

Paul Eide: “tried”

Frank Thomas: yes

Paul Eide: all right rapid fire on you frank. Favorite pitcher to rake off of?

Frank Thomas: ugh i mean i never had a favorite one to rake off of i had a lot of success against Mike Mussina and Randy Johnson so two two hall of fame guys that uh i did well against.

Paul Eide: favorite teammate

Frank Thomas: i would say i had a few but the one who made me laugh the most was tim Raines.

Paul Eide: ROCK!

Frank Thomas: yes

Paul Eide: In casual conversation do you refer to Comisky, as Comisky, the Cell or Guaranteed Rate Field?

Frank Thomas: Comisky

Paul Eide: perfect. who’s the biggest name you have a text thread going with on your phone right now

Frank Thomas: um no i’m not a big texter. i have a lot of famous friends i’m not going to throw names out there though. but i’m not a big texter but i do have
quite a few names in my rolex from musicians to ballplayers to politicians

Paul Eide: do you feel like the statue at Comisky looks like you?

Frank Thomas: not really just it it it i wanted to be better because the statue is more early 90s and my look kind of evolved down the road there so i wish that i kind of took the 2000 frank thomas look with the longer pants than that old school look.

Paul Eide: furthest you’ve ever hit a ball batting left-handed?

Frank Thomas: left-handed never did much of that but i could hit left-handed. it was kind of weird i could turn around and still hit the baseball but it was
just awkward i could hit it 350.

Paul Eide: 350?

Frank Thomas: yes

Paul Eide: that’s awesome. more nervous – all-star game home run derby at bat or regular season at bat?

I’ll say home run derby everybody’s watching you’re trying to pound it yes yes

Paul Eide: final question has anyone ever had the stones to call you the big skirt to your face?

Frank Thomas: yes

Paul Eide: really?

Frank Thomas: yes, fans.

Paul Eide: oh god what Yankees fans?

Frank Thomas: all kind of fans you know that’s just they got to get in your psyche somehow.

Paul Eide: did anybody ever get in your psyche?

Frank Thomas: no but they tried

Paul Eide: Frank Thomas the man the myth the legend. Loved speaking to you sir thanks for everything!

The post The Best Frank Thomas Interview Ever appeared first on I-80 Sports Blog.

Dylan Bundy Throws Up On The Mound

Pitchers have been called “hurlers” for decades, but Angels Dylan Bundy took it to a new level tonight.

In the second inning v the #Yankees Bundy Barfed all over the Bump.

Liquid SPEWED out of all of Bundy’s head holes at once, in a truly disgusting display.

His ERA is over 6, so he had good reason to RALPH all over the place. If Mike Trout would have been playing, he would have caught one WHIFF and barfed himself.

#BundyBarfed

#BundyBlowsChunks

The post Dylan Bundy PUKES ON MOUND Mid-Game (Video) appeared first on I-80 Sports Blog.