Bring on the Angels!

The Angels are in town for the ALDS!

Here's Big Papi before Game 1...



Mike Scioscia has clearly been to Big Papi's house before and isn't too fond of Papi's welcoming gestures...



Youk got Game 1 off to a great start with a solo shot...



Then Papi hit a two-run blast. Lugo was very happy about it...



Papi and Youk then formed a plan of action for tomorrow's game...



With Beckett on the mound, the Angels weren't having much luck getting hits. They were pretty bummed about getting shut out, 4 to nothing....


Beckett, on the other hand, was psyched enough to do his best Ralph Macchio impression...

The one hitter.

April 11th was Dice-K's big Fenway debut.

(It was also Tek's and Trot's birthday...happy b-day, boys!)

Unfortunately, Felix Hernandez stole Dice-K's thunder.

It started out innocently enough, with Dice-K and Ichiro exchanging pleasantries...




Dice-K got a little wild...



But he didn't hit anyone in the head.


Ichiro got a little crazy...



But he didn't hit Tek too hard.


Then those Mariners began getting hits off Dice-K.
It sucked.

Then this happened!



What the hell? That is an angle from which I have never seen Tek's butt.

While the Mariners were hitting Dice-K, the Sox were not hitting Felix Hernandez AT ALL!
Here are Felix and his catcher, Kenji, working on their game plan...




Dice-K was very sad that someone else was the star on what was supposed to be his big day...




Things got nasty when Youk got walked.
Adrian Beltre tried to kill him!



That punk Beltre used to be on my fantasy team, but I had to release him.
Nobody messes with my Youki and gets away with it! Nobody.

Then JD Drew went and spoiled everything (as he is wont to do)
and got the only hit Felix would throw that day.




But, Felix was still pretty happy when he got the last out.
He celebrated by shouting the same thing we all shout when we're happy...



Because they do, right?

Hottest Baseball Players: Honorable Mentions

There's a ton of hotness in the MLB.
Just ask Lee Mazzilli...sometimes he just can't help himself...




I found it impossible to narrow it down to just 10 playahs without feeling like I leaving some major cuteness stranded on base.

So, I'm gonna need to toss around a few honorable mentions.


The first honorable mention goes to............


Jose Reyes



Add this guy to your fantasy team, because he can do it all.

He can throw...



He can catch...



He can hit...



He can groom himself like a cat...



And he enjoys a good beer shower.






The second honorable mention goes to.......


Trot Nixon


"Huh?" you might be saying to yourself. "Trot's not hot!" And I tend to agree with that sentiment. However, Trot had the balls to have this picture of himself put on a baseball card, and for that, he deserves an award.

Behold Trot in all his glory...



If that's not hot, I don't know what is.




The third honorable mention goes to.....


Nomarrrr Garciiiiaaaaapaaaaarrrrrrrrraaaaaaa

(Don't you miss the sound of the Fenway announcer saying his name? Me, too.)

Nomar is only hot when being viewed from the front. Things fall apart from the side. So, it's a good thing that Sports Illustrated settled on a front view for this 2001 cover.







The fourth honorable mention goes to....



Kevin Youkilis, as I see him through my baseball goggles


Ooooooooookay. I know that Kevin Youkilis looks like this...



Not a pretty sight.

But, when I watch baseball, my vision and judgment often get clouded by what I can only refer to as my "baseball goggles". These are analogous to beer goggles, but do not require beer. When I see an ugly player do something hot, my judgment gets clouded, and suddenly the player becomes hot.

This happens more often than not when I watch Youk. Because he is, in fact, a damn good player. He gets on base, plays LF when Manny is being Manny (even though he's a 1st/3rd baseman), and hangs in there even when 2/3rd of the team are on the DL. He even gets clutch hits. So, even though Youk looks like the picture above, I see him through my baseball goggles as looking more like this...



It's true. I can only see Youk for who he really is during the off-season. Once baseball season begins, all bets are off, and I will become Youki's bitch.




The fifth honorable mention goes to....


Theo Epstein



Okay, Theo doesn't actually play baseball, BUT, as General Manager of the Red Sox,
he still manages to be one of the most important players in the game.
Therefore, I think he's eligible for an honorable mention.






And the final honorable mention goes to........


Tom Brady



"What?!" you're probably thinking to yourself.
"Tom Brady is a football player and baby daddy, not a baseball player!"
But, did you know that Tom was drafted in 1995 to play baseball for the Montreal Expos? Therefore, I consider him enough of a baseball player to be eligible for an honorable mention. And boy, he deserves it, because he's so hot.









Is there anything cuter than Tom Brady with puppies?

Proof that Youk can do more than walk.

Kevin Youkilis may be the Greek God of Walks, but he began vying for a new nickname during the June 2nd game against Detroit. The Sox were down 2-1 in the top of the ninth with the tying run on base. After watching Big Papi strike out, the future looked bleak for the Sox, who were down to their final out. Then Kevin Youkilis stepped up to the plate. He'd had an uninspiring day at the plate so far, with two strike-outs against him, but with one swing of the bat, he turned the whole game around and gave the Sox the lead!


Here he is, looking a little sheepish.


Yes, he really did compare himself to the legendary Mark Bellhorn.

The only thing better than a real walk-off victory is when we get to drop the Papel-bomb for the last three outs. Young Papelbon recently revealed his secret for staying so focused on the mound. He hums his favorite song, over and over and over.



I can think of no better way to end this post than with a true Bellhorn moment.

2 legit. 2 legit 2 quit.