Just in case Toronto Blue Jays fans didn’t already know that if Brett Lawrie played for the Boston Red Sox, they’d hate his guts with a previously unforeseen fury, this is the good ‘ol Canadian boy having a laugh at the expense of a rather unfortunately dressed Phoenix Coyotes fan. Ugh.

From the Twitter feed of his lady friend Paige Brendel.

To be fair, the Atlanta Braves did not stand completely pat this offseason. They did update their uniforms for the first time since 2005! That ain’t nothin, right?

The Braves famously missed the playoffs in 2011 by a single game. The last game of the season, as it turns out. They are clearly talented with youth in many of the right places. But their total lack of improvement this offseason is troubling, isn’t it? Might the Braves regret not stepping...

I believe there is a sense among some baseball fans that the players we cheer for and against live something of a charmed life, and while there’s certainly some truth to that sentiment, most of the benefits that baseball players receive is well earned.

It’s true that even on the very pages of this blog, from time to time, we will poke fun at Adam Jones’ inability to take a pitch or Brad Penny’s grease ball or even Adam Lind’s...

Above is a section of text from an article at MLB.com going over some of the more intriguing match ups scheduled for the 2012 season.

Of course, if you’ll remember back to late November, you may recall that Jose Bautista wasn’t actually awarded the AL MVP, as it went instead to Justin Verlander of the Detroit Tigers. In fact, Bautista, despite leading the league in most of the important offensive categories ended up finishing third in voting behind Jacoby...

According to Wallace Matthews of ESPN New York, the New York Yankees will introduce two “official fragrances” on Tuesday, February 21, quite cleverly named “New York Yankees” and “New York Yankees For Her.” Personally, I would’ve preferred “L’Eau De Cash Grab” and “L’Eau De Break Up Immediately With Whoever Gave You This As A Gift (Unless It Was Given With An Enormous Dose Of Irony).”

Yankees fans, this is why we all hate you. It could quite possibly be the lamest idea...

For a few scant minutes, it looked like all was not lost in Queens. The Mets, under the capable stewardship of a cadre of nerds and Billy Beane disciples, seemed poised to emerge from the National League East wilderness.

Sure, there was that whole “they made guys play on bloody stumps and with broken noses” thing that surfaced in January, but, in general, they’re making headway.

Until the Mets made waves by refusing to credential a reporterfrequently...

This is a refrain familiar to any baseball fan forced to fight for the soul of their sport in the face of hockey/football/basketball fan-based bigotry. You and I know it isn’t true but that doesn’t stop dummies from making this baseless claim.

You know who else knows it just ain’t so? Hunter Pence and Domonic Brown of the Philadelphia Phillies. I encourage anyone who thinks baseball players aren’t athletes to direct their comments to these two refrigerator-shaped gentleman showing off...

A nice little pick up by the Seattle Mariners today, as they add lefty reliever Hong-Chih Kuo to their bullpen. The former Dodgers setup man signs a one-year Major League contract, a pretty good deal for a player with his recent injury history.

The injury history overshadows the dominant fashion in which Kuo went about his business over the last three years. He boasted one of the best strikeout rates in the Majors across 2008-2010before running into health...

@darrenrovell @jaimeedmondson we all get you have 175k but no need to treat the playmates w disrespect!#getoveryourself

— Evan Longoria (@Evan3Longoria) February 5, 2012

That is indeed Evan Longoria of the Tampa Bay Rays telling sports business ghoul Darren Rovell to “get over himself” in hash tag form. There are few things in life more repellent than an oily weirdo like Rovell trying to monetize every single aspect of life. When he lambasted Playboy for not sending...

There are very few sure things in life. Super Bowl commercials will disappoint, people will bail on work the day after the Big Game, and the Orioles and Rockies will make head-scratching moves.

Let this glorious tradition continue for another year as the Rockies and Orioles agreed to a three-player deal this morning, with Baltimore sending Opening Day starter and acknowledged sneakerheadJeremy Guthrie (three out of the last four years!) to Colorado for reliever Matt Lindstrom and starter...

I had a lot of fun last week with comparing teams in the AL East to TV shows for little ones. There are a few I didn’t get to that I really wanted to, though, so I’ll be doing it again for the AL Central. I’m out of kid shows after this one, so I’ll have to find another theme (or several) to cover the remaining four divisions over the next four weeks.

The Twins are Thomas and Friends.

Thomas...

Happy Superbowl Sunday; if that’s your thing. Personally, although I love watching football during the rest of the season, I tend to avoid the Superbowl if possible. The game itself takes a backseat to the spectacle of the event and although I realize that that’s the point, it pushes me to the teetering point of my own sanity. Between highlights and late-night replays, I’m sure I’ll get the gist of the event over the next few days

The good thing...

Every year, I take on the daunting task of going through every single team and creating a mini-database of stats and one-liner (and often only semi-informed) analysis. I use these to write rather arduous previewsof each team every spring and attempt to predict how the teams will finish. I’m often horribly wrong, but the exercise is fun and allows me to learn more about each player and team in baseball, right down to the last player on a 40-man...

I wish I was kidding, but currently, the top story on MLB.com is about Miami Marlins new short stop Jose Reyes getting his dreadlocks cut for charity; complete with an 11-minute (!) video detailing every agonizing second. The hair is being sold on eBay with the proceeds going to the South Florida Make-A-Wish Foundation.

As of the time of this writing, Reyes’ hair was up to $4,350.00. My theory is that Mets’ GM Sandy Alderson is currently the top...

I cannot imagine this, but Tim Lincecum said he got up to 196 pounds in November. Took it off by frog-form swimming in his Swim-X.

— Andrew Baggarly (@extrabaggs) February 3, 2012

Considering how much information in conveyed in this single tweet, I think Andrew Baggarly is either a genius or one of the greatest writers of his time. This single tweet sent my mind into so many vivid places, I can only marvel at the incredible economy of language...

Like Bad Brains, these people are Banned in DC.

Phillies fans are some of the very best in baseball. They travel like mad and create entire t-shirt empires out of dust; slowly reducing the tired “violent/bitter Philly sports fan” stereotype to rubble. It is almost as though a nine-year run of sustained success is good for business!

Understandably, some of their division rivals do not view the invading hordes from Eastern PA/South Jersey so warmly. Phillies fans descend on parks...

I really don’t know how I feel about Josh Hamilton and the Texas Rangers holding a press conference to talk about the events that transpired on Monday eveningthat led to Hamilton’s relapse with his alcohol addiction. On one hand, he has embraced his public role as a recovering addict, rarely missing an opportunity to promote his beliefs as a means for dealing with his addictions. On the other hand, such things are a deeply personal matter, and certainly not...

Earlier today my esteemed colleague Dustin Parkes wrote about Cleveland’s acquisition of Casey Kotchman. It is indeed a puzzling move, as the Tribe seemed to be lousy with first base options. First and foremost, the team seems intent on limiting the amount of time stud catcher Carlos Santana spends behind the plate. Between Santana, lefty masher Shelly Duncan, and organizational question mark Matt LaPorta, one would assume there aren’t too many at batslying around for Kotchman to pick...

Two things surprised me yesterday. I suppose actually three things surprised me if you consider that the first two things that surprised me both relate to Cleveland.

Anyway, the first thing that caught me unexpectedly was that the Cleveland Indians, presumably in an effort to further prove that randomly winning a bunch of games one year can be detrimental to a franchise the next, signed Casey Kotchman to a one year deal worth $3 million. And then, shortly after that...

The Chicago Cubs have signed Cuban left-hander Gerardo Concepcion to a Major League contract worth $7 million plus incentives, according to Enrique Rojas of ESPN Deportes Los Angeles.

At only 18 years of age, Concepcion was named this season’s Rookie of the Year in the Cuban Serie Nacional after pitching just over 100 innings. On the surface, his 10-3 record and a 3.36 ERA is astounding for a player of his age pitching against a high level of competition. However, his...

According to a report from Gerry Fraley of the Dallas Morning News, Texas Rangers outfielder and 2010 American League MVP Josh Hamilton was seen consuming alcohol at Sherlock’s Pub & Grill in the Dallas area on Monday evening.

The incident marks Hamilton’s second known relapse as a recovering drug and alcohol addict, the first being the well documented bender in January of 2009 at a bar in Tempe, Arizona. According to Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Rangers second baseman Ian Kinsler...

One could say Tommy Hanson (right) looks like a rock star. Not in the co-opted way that everyone and (more generally) their kid sister refers to the term rock star, Tommy Hanson looks like an actual rock star. James Hetfield, if we’re being specific. Maybe a little bit like one of the guys from The Sheepdogs, which I understand to be a band people like.

Here is Hanson looking very much unlike a robot with superstud reliever Jonny Venters...

Why didn’t anyone tell me when I was hired that we can pass off cheesy pop culture stuff as baseball analysis? It would have saved me a lot of scrounging. I guess you can do this kind of stuff if you post under an obviously made up name like “Bill Parker.” Yeah, right, like that’s a real name. What other choices made the final cut? “John Smith?” “Scott Baker?” Don’t be ashamed of your heritage, “Bill,”...

This old media, it is very old. No sooner do we record a podcast wondering aloud what will become of Edwin Jackson and…the Nationals became all over Edwin Jackson. It is the nature of the beast, I suppose.

In less time sensitive news, we spoke to 17 year big league veteran Royce Clayton! Royce is participating in the March of Dimes Celebrity Golf Classic event next week in sunny California so we spoke to him about the...