Dad Catches Foul Ball - Toddler Throws it Back

Oh toddlers. This clip from Tuesday's Phillies - Nationals game is fantastic. Dad lunges over the railing and snags a foul ball. Dad is psyched. He gives a couple of high fives and hands the prize to his daughter. She promptly throws the ball back on the field. Oooops!

Prince Fielder HR Celebration

I've never criticized the 2004 Red Sox for being "idiots," so it may be somewhat hypocritical to berate the Brew Crew for lack of "professionalism" for their premeditated celebration after Prince Fielder's walk-off homerun on Sunday, but...stuff like this just looks stupid when your team is 15 games under .500:



Unrelated BTW: Yikes. If the 2009 World Series is in the Bronx, tickets won't be cheap. According to the New York Post, tickets are already on sale in the secondary market for $23,000 each. The new Yankee Stadium seats 50,235 fans. After tickets were allocated for season ticket holders, league executives, players, and sponsors, there are only 735 face value tickets left per game for the "real fans." Not good.

Howzat! Manny Ramirez Plays Cricket

In the seven and a half seasons that Manny Ramirez played for the Boston Red Sox we witnessed a myriad of Manny Moments -- but none of them involved cricket. Manny took a few swings of the paddle today to promote Direct TV's "Cricket Ticket." Behold the video evidence:


Manny Being Manny: Cricket Edition from Big League Stew on Vimeo.

Outtakes from Photo Day

Thank you Cursed to First for pointing out this video of fantastic outtakes from Red Sox photo day. Dustin Pedroia wants YOU to run onto the field (naked). The video is pure fun. Trust me.

Hang in there Jack

I'm not sure about you, but I wasn't too impressed with the Super Bowl commercials this year. But...I had to laugh when I heard about the campaign that Jack in the Box launched with their $3 million dollar spot. Jack, the globe-headed CEO was hit by a bus on his lunch break in LA:



I should mention that one of the details I miss about life on the West Coast is the Jack in the Box commercials. (We don't have Jack in New Hampshire.) I've never set foot in the restaurant, but I grew fond of Jack over the years. Somehow I actually care that he got hit by a bus. The man has a family.

Jack's status is being updated at hangintherejack.com (the additional video footage is fantastic) and his administrative assistant is posting updates on Twitter and Facebook. Very funny and kudos to Jack in the Box for making the most out of their pricey Super Bowl ad.

Pitchers and catchers report in 10 days!

Friday Random YouTube: The Steal

Here is some (raw) video footage of The Steal in honor of Red Sox hero Dave Roberts' return to Fenway Park this weekend as a member of the San Francisco Giants. Goosebumps!Where were you at that moment?

Welcome back to Fenway Dave Roberts!

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Friday Random YouTube: Rem Dawg Air Guitar

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Manny & Julian

Those of you nestled snugly in NESN country have likely already seen this footage of Manny Ramirez "petting" Julian Tavarez during Sunday's Sox-Twins game. I was stuck watching the Twins broadcast so I saw the clip for the first time today. Be sure to have your volume turned up so that you can hear Don Orsillo's commentary. He is not quite able to contain himself. So funny.

Hat tip to Sox & Dawgs for the link.

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A-Rod on Letterman

Shirtless and getting a rub down. Yikes.
(Via The Big Lead)
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The Pizza Toss

Kudos to Yanksfan vs Soxfan for locating footage of "The Pizza Toss" from today's Red Sox broadcast. In case you missed it, here is a brief outline of the incident: Fan A in section 82 attempts to catch a foul ball. Fan B tosses an entire slice of pizza at fan A for no apparent reason. Just watch.
Update: The full version of the Pizza Toss incident is now on YouTube. It's 100% better with analysis from Don and Jerry.
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Friday Random YouTube: Matsuzaka's First out at Fenway

This YouTube video of Daisuke Matsuzaka racking up his first out at Fenway was taken by a fan sitting out in right field. The quality of the video isn't great (it's actually difficult to tell when Matsuzaka makes a pitch), but you can get a good sense of how insane the flashbulbs were during Ichiro's at bat.

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The Showdown

I saw this Daisuke Matsuzaka vs Ichiro video over on Deadspin. I have no idea what is being said, but the gist is that a)Matsuzaka has had the upper hand in previous encounters with Ichiro and b)the Japanese are wicked psyched for Wednesday's matchup:

In a twist that will add to the drama of Wednesday's game, the Seattle Mariners announced that their own young stud pitcher, Felix Hernandez, will match up against Matsuzaka. The M's had their entire weekend series snowed out in Cleveland, so Hernandez will be pitching on eight days rest. "King Felix" (as he is referred to in Seattle) was awesome in his first start of the season (8 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 12 K). He will be fun to watch too.

My dad and I have tickets to the game Wednesday, so I'll be doing the "PLEASE don't rain" dance for the next 48 hours (no video footage available). So far, the forecast for Boston is "good":

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"Just do it: Enjoy the pressure" Matsuzaka Nike Ad

Nike is airing this new commercial in Japan featuring Daisuke Matsuzaka. According to SI.com, "the commercial will air once in the United States, on NESN, before Matsuzaka's scheduled home debut April 11."

I suppose I should admit that the commercial made me giddy? Be sure to turn your volume up to get the "full effect."
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Friday Random YouTube: He's Coming For You

This YouTube conglomeration of Jonathan Papelbon moments is a little bit cheesy, but -- hey -- you'll be rocking out to it too.

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Ouch!

Ouch! Thank you double helmet ear flaps.

(via Red Sox Monster)

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Friday Random YouTube: Because Teddy Ballgame can curse better with his head attached

What better day than Friday for a random YouTube video of a foul-mouthed Teddy Ballgame? Enjoy.

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R.I.P. DJ

Wow, I got a sinking feeling when I read that former Celtics guard, Dennis Johnson, died today after collapsing at his developmental team's practice. I don't follow the Celtics intensely anymore, but when I was a kid in '80's, the ultimate treat was to watch DJ, Bird, McHale, Parish and Ainge work their magic on the parquet floor at the Garden. Sigh. DJ will be missed. My thoughts are with his family.

Here is a little DJ/Bird YouTube goodness:



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Dice-K Can Chug!

We can't quite get enough of this Japanese ad for Asahi Super Dry beer which features Daisuke Matsuzaka in slow-mo pulling on a dramatically flowing Red Sox jersey and chugging beer like it was milk. Is it opening day yet?

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