Fu Fu Fu Fu-Lin Kuo

On display at the entrance to George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa rests three of The Boss's most cherished personal belongings:  a poster from the film Dharti Sheran Di, an absolutely bitchin' 1974 AMC Gremlin, and a copy of Def Leppard's Pyromania on high-quality audio cassette.  It should come as no surprise, then, that the Tampa Yankees master of baseball ceremonies chose a selection from that titanic arena-rock masterwork to announce each plate appearance of Taiwanese infielder Fu-Lin Kuo.  

"Which song?" you wonder?  "Foolin', " of course.  So, let us proceed with the homophony in this, the BBB's first installment of Great Moments in Minor League Walk-up Music:

The BBB audio visual department would like you to take note of the fact this video contains a Def Leppard font, and that such a thing exists, for free, on the internet.

RHP Corey Black and Something Called Head Whack

The 2013 Baseball America Prospect Handbook, which has now officially become the BBB's Southern Harmony and Musical Companion because it guides us and sheds light on eternal truths, states the following about right-handed Yankee pitching prospect Corey Black:  "His athleticism helps him repeat his release point and allowed him to adjust his delivery as a pro, eliminating a head whack that worried scouts."

It is unclear when the head whack returned, or if it ever really left, but this much is clear.  The video below is available for your viewing pleasure and, much like championship love-making, is slowed down for effect at singular, breathless moments.

April 21st, 2013

Steinbrenner Field

Brevard County Manatees at Tampa Yankees

UT Baseball Ties, Sets Records during Seventeen-Run, Eight-HBP Inning

Here's a baseball happening you've never heard of before.  Eight batters were hit by a pitch and seventeen runs accumulated during a single inning Saturday.  These record-setting events occurred during the seventh inning of game one of a double header between Eckerd College and the University of Tampa.  The HBPs set an NCAA record (across all divisions) for the most during a single inning and the seventeen runs scored in one inning tied a UT record.  One batter, Stephen Dezzi, was hit by a pitch during two different plate appearances in the inning that saw seven pinch hitters used.

From the UT baseball website (formatting by the BBB):

Tampa 7th - Witkowski to p for Owens. Ding singled to right center
(2-2). O'Brien hit by pitch (1-0); Ding advanced to second. Zimmerman hit by
pitch (3-1); O'Brien advanced to second; Ding advanced to third. Schrader hit
by pitch, RBI (0-0); Zimmerman advanced to second; O'Brien advanced to third;
Ding scored. Gawrych hit by pitch, RBI (3-2); Schrader advanced to second;
Zimmerman advanced to third; O'Brien scored. Horsfield to p for Witkowski.
Pippin pinch hit for Pendleton. Pippin singled up the middle, 2 RBI (0-2);
Gawrych advanced to second; Schrader scored; Zimmerman scored. Dezzi pinch hit
for Tillotson. Dezzi hit by pitch (0-0); Pippin advanced to second; Gawrych
advanced to third. Obrochta singled up the middle, 2 RBI (1-0); Dezzi advanced
to second; Pippin scored; Gawrych scored. Danner walked (3-1); Obrochta
advanced to second; Dezzi advanced to third. Pagliarulo pinch hit for Ding.
Pagliarulo singled to right field, RBI (0-0); Danner advanced to second;
Obrochta advanced to third; Dezzi scored. Alvord pinch hit for O'Brien. Alvord
singled to left field, RBI (1-2); Pagliarulo advanced to second; Danner
advanced to third; Obrochta scored. Franklin pinch hit for Zimmerman. Franklin
hit by pitch, RBI (0-1); Alvord advanced to second; Pagliarulo advanced to
third; Danner scored. Hughes pinch hit for Schrader. Langs to p for Horsfield.
Hughes reached on a fielder's choice, RBI (2-0); Franklin out at second 3b to
2b; Alvord advanced to third; Pagliarulo scored. Lowery pinch hit for Gawrych.
Lowery struck out looking (2-2). Pippin walked (3-2); Hughes advanced to
second. Dezzi hit by pitch, RBI (2-2); Pippin advanced to second; Hughes
advanced to third; Alvord scored. Obrochta hit by pitch, RBI (3-2); Dezzi
advanced to second; Pippin advanced to third; Hughes scored. Danner singled to
first base, RBI (1-1); Obrochta advanced to second; Dezzi advanced to third;
Pippin scored. Pagliarulo singled to left center, 2 RBI (0-0); Danner advanced
to second; Obrochta scored; Dezzi scored. Clagg to p for Langs. Alvord singled
up the middle (2-2); Pagliarulo advanced to second; Danner advanced to third.
Franklin reached on a fielding error by 3b (0-0); Alvord advanced to second;
Pagliarulo advanced to third; Danner scored, unearned. Hughes singled up the
middle, RBI (2-0); Franklin advanced to second; Alvord advanced to third;
Pagliarulo scored. Lowery popped up to 1b (1-0). 17 runs, 9 hits, 1 error, 3
LOB.

Astute readers may remember the BBB once criticized those who highlight failure with glee, and point out in today's post, thanks to the bleeding-edge technologies of the Blogger-brand blogging platform, that we have literally highlighted failure with glee.  So be it.