Now this...is a "First Pitch": Cirque du Soleil performer spins a strike

((ht: mlb.com))

We've seen some pretty weak ceremonial 1st pitches in baseball these days. From John Wall's dribbler to home plate to Dirk Nowitzki's air ball, it hasn't been pretty.

Which leads us to this. Check out this performer from Cirque du Soleil throw the opening pitch of Monday's Padres/Royals game in San Diego.

The spinning left hander actually throws a strike...and count us as "Impressed"

Video courtesy of MLB.com:

Paul Splittorff Passes Away

[HT: The Kansas City Star]

The death of former Kansas City Royals pitcher Paul Splittorff won't register as big as Harmon Killebrew's but for Royals fans and those in the Midwest that watched Royals baseball growing up it's a big loss.

The man know as "Splitt" died Wednesday morning after a battle with oral cancer and melanoma, he was 64.

Splittorff became the face of the Royals pitching staff from it's infancy to their quick success in the American League during the 1970's. He became the franchises first 20 game winner in 1973. He was a "Yankee Killer" never losing to the Yankees in the ALCS even though the Royals could never get past the Bronx Bombers until 1980 when the Royals finally broke through.

When Splittorff's career ended after the 1984 season he became a broadcaster for not only the Royals, but Big 12 basketball.

Royals fans and baseball fans in the Midwest are mourning the loss of "Splitt".

Here's an interview with Splittorff in September 2010.

No More Lima Time, Pitcher Dies At 37...

One of the true characters of baseball of the last decade, former All-Star right-hander Jose Lima died Sunday morning at his home in Los Angeles at the age of 37.

The cause of death was ruled a heart attack, according to his wife, Dorca Astacio.

"Jose was complaining while sleeping and I just thought he was having a nightmare," Astacio told ESPNdeportes.com. "I called the paramedics, but they couldn't help him."

Lima was 89-102 in 13 seasons with the Tigers, Astros, Royals, Dodgers and Mets. He was selected to the All-Star Game with Houston in 1999, when he won a career-high 21 games.

Here's one of Lima's lighter moments with the Golden Baseball League's Long Beach Armada, where his singing talents were once again on display...
((HT: LongBeachArmada))

BREAKING NEWS: Royals Fire Hillman, Hire Yost...

((ht: Kansas City Star))

***BREAKING NEWS***

We have our first fired manager of the 2010 Baseball season. According to Yahoo Sports Baseball writer Jeff Passan's Twitter feed, the Kansas City Royals who won their game this afternoon against the Cleveland Indians, the team decided to part ways with Manager Trey Hillman.

More from the Kansas City Star RIGHT HERE

((Trey Hillman//Courtesy: Kansas City Star))

Hillman, who has been with the team for a little over two seasons, winning less than half of his games, his record 151-207. He apparently will be replaced by former Milwaukee Brewer Manager Ned Yost, who will be reunited with Royals GM Dayton Moore, they worked together with the Atlanta Braves back several years ago.

Al Wallace has the details from inside his newsroom...
((HT: WDAF-TV/Fox4KC.com))
 

Bank Shot

Check this out. Thursday in Cleveland, the Indians are tied with the Kansas City Royals in the bottom of the 10th inning. There are runners on 1st and 2nd, nobody is out. The Indians Shin-Soo Choo (Guzundheit) at the plate and he hits a shot up the middle. As we all know, strange things involving animals, birds and sometimes insects seem to happen at the Jake. The video will tell the rest of the story.

Video Courtesy: You Tube



I'm not sure exactly which part was the funniest; Watching the Seagull, the fact that it was the cookie monster, Coco Crisp in Centerfield or that the batter's name was Shin-Soo Choo. I guess it was a better outcome then when Randy Johnson exploded a bird with a pitch...isn't it?


Video Courtesy: You Tube with apologies for the lack of audio, it's still pretty damn funny to watch though.

25 Years Ago George Brett Lost His Mind

When I was a junior in high school I was up in the Kansas City area with a friend and his family. We stopped at I think a Quik Trip store in an upscale part of Kansas City, Kansas when a sports car pulled up with a hot blonde as I recall in the passenger seat getting out and buying some alcoholic beverages (beer). By the time we saw the car pull out my friend and I noticed it was George Brett driving the car. (Thanks SI.com)

George Brett was my idol growing up. I loved the way he played the game, always going all out which explains why he was injured a lot. I even pattered my batting style after him.

I bring this up because as I’m writing this, it’s been 25 years since the infamous Pine Tar Game when George Brett absolutely lost his freakin’ mind at Yankee Stadium. (Thanks Baseball-Almanac.com)

Here’s the history lesson for you kids. Back then the Kansas City Royals mattered in the American League and the Royals/Yankees rivalry was on par with the Yankees/Red Sox today. It was a hot lazy Sunday afternoon in Yankee stadium and the Royals were trailing the Yankees 4-3 when George Brett stepped to the plate facing the best reliever of the game then, Goose Gossage, with 2 outs in the top of the 9^th with U.L. Washington on base. Brett promptly launched a Gossage fast ball into the seats to give the Royals a 5-4 lead.

Yankee manager Billy Martin claims Brett used an illegal bat, too much pine tar. Umpire Tim McClelland examines the bat, looks toward the Royals dugout and calls Brett out, game over Yankees win, Thaaaaaaaaaa Yankees win. That’s when Brett changed out of the dugout to confront McClelland and had to be physically restrained. (You kids do yourself a favor a watch the video, its good TV.)

Brett told Sam Mellinger of the Kansas City Star: “When I was running out of the dugout I had no idea I looked like that,” Brett says. “When I first saw (the video), I said, ‘You gotta be (kidding) me. I ” really did that in public?’

George Brett accomplished a lot during his 20 year career. A championship ring 3,000 hits and a first ballot induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame. But he will always be remembered for an at bat on July 24, 1983. I’m sure that’s better than being remembered for sitting out Game 2 of the 1980 World Series because of hemorrhoids.

The post script to this is that American League President Lee McPhail ruled that Brett’s bat was illegal it did not violate “The Spirit of the Rules.” That the rule only provided for the removal of the bat, not calling a batter out. McPhail ordered the game resumed at the point of Brett’s home run. They played a month later with the Royals winning 5-4 and oh yeah, Billy Martin got tossed from that game.

Now let’s have some fun. Just think if the Pine Tar Game happened today. Can you imagine the wall to wall coverage on ESPN. The Baseball Tonight Crew demonstrating in studio how Brett broke the rule, Bob Ley would have an Outside The Lines show ready within hours and Jeremy Shaap would have an investigative piece done for the next days Sports Center. It would be gavel to gavel coverage for months.

Of course the Par Tar Game 25 years ago happened before sports talk radio came along. This would give Mike and the Mad Dog, The Herd or Point/CounterPoint (wait, damn, we not on the air right now, sorry.) months and months of material. You think the Brett Farve saga has a shelf life beyond its expiration date, this would be replayed, rehashed and re told to the point where you a screaming ENOUGH. That’s the difference between 1983 and 2008. Of course where I live, it might have been talked about today but SEC Media Days took priority and it was Georgia’s day to talk.

Kind of ironic that the stars of the “Par Tar Game”, George Brett and Goose Gossage, are in the Baseball Hall of Fame but they will be forever linked to a bizarre afternoon at Yankee Stadium.

That's it... I'm spent...

--John Wilkerson