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Q-o-t-D 5/21/13 |
| Posted by TheBEEZER 17 Hours Ago
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Okay, today we ask, who do you think was the best all-time MLB Catcher?
And why?
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Could it be more talk about which players are using PED’s? Do I want to
see if the Yankees spent their money wisely? Do I want to know which
team will surprise the fans this season and overachieve? Am I looking
forward to the crack of the bat on opening day? The answer to all of
those questions, quite frankly, is a resounding NO.
After the last couple of seasons, with records being questioned on
a daily basis and doubt being shadowed on every player that has a
breakout season, there is only one thing that will bring a smile to my
face this season. And that my friends, is the rookie hazing.
Each team has their own rules and procedures for doing it. The one
thing that is common league wide is the longtime standing bullpen
protocol. For those that are unaware, it basically means that the
pitcher in the bullpen with the least amount of seniority must pack a
bag full of snacks for everyone in the bullpen to share. Doesn’t sound
so bad, does it? Did I mention that it has to be packed in either a
pink or a purple packsack, and the player has to wear it across the
field and into the bullpen?
Here’s a nice one…right in front of all the fans…
And if I had 2 girls instead of two boys, I may have this “backpack, backpack” (generic Dora the Explorer joke) in my house…
In the past, many players have had to pay their dues. Even if you
were a call up, or were a success in another league, you still had to
pay your dues. Lots of teams do different things, but they all involve
dressing the rookies in costumes. Let’s look at Hideo Nomo as an
example. Big star in Japan, but yet, in the eyes of MLB and his
teammates, still a rookie.
Here we have Josh Barfield as a rookie.
And…
Here we have Clay Meredith and Brian Sweeney…
Paul McAnulty…looking good…
The general rule is that the rookies have to wear the costumes out
to the bus, onto the plane, and into the other teams’ ballpark. This is
where the Yankees excel. Normally, this takes place before their last
road game of the season, but what the Yankees tend to do, is wait for a
game in Toronto. As a result, not only do the players have to wear the
costumes everywhere that I have already mentioned, they also have to
wear them through customs and immigration. Each year, the Yankees roll
with a theme. One year, it was dressing everyone like George
Steinbrenner. Here is Melky Cabrera and Jose Veres.
Another year, they had to dress as cheerleaders…
And another year, the cast of the Wizard of Oz featuring Joba Chamberlain…
Other teams have caught on with the Customs and Immigrations
approach, so now there are plenty of players in costume landing in
Toronto.
Some Braves Rookies…
When the Minnesota Twins arrived in Cleveland a day early, and
found out that the Indians and the Royals game was still in progress,
they had all of their rookies (in costume) go and watch the end of the
game.
There was one incident where it actually benefitted the rookie at
the time. Back in 04, Kyle Denney was made to dress like a USC
cheerleader, all the way down to the knee high boots. This is where
things get (expletive) up…the bus was hit with a stray bullet, and it
ended up striking Denney in the leg. The doctors say that the injury
could have been much worse had he not been wearing those boots…
So that my friends, is what I am truly looking forward to this
baseball season. What themes will we see? Maybe a “Loveboat” theme, or
maybe a “Toy Story” theme, or better yet, maybe even a “1980’s
celebrity theme”.
Whatever it is, I hope it is embarrassing, but yet extremely entertaining at the same time.
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