HER RAYS!

In my previous post I informed you of a shockingly awful list published by Fox Sports in which they attempted to pick the hottest men in baseball.  As promised I will give you my list, a better list.  However, this task is not as easy as one might think.  For one I can’t seem to keep my Rays bias out of it, and it is really hard to narrow it down to ten guys.  So I’m cheating and going with ten AL players and ten NL players.  Oh and I’m not even bothering to put them in order.

American League

Carlos Pena – yep, biased
Ian Kinsler - one of many hot Rangers 
Grady Sizemore – he even has his own following, Grady’s Ladies
Jason Bartlett – more bias, but Twins fans get it
Tori Hunter – just a very handsome fella
Ryan Sweeney – plays for the A’s now giving them one hot guy
Justin Morneau – some would prefer Mauer, but not this girl
Nick Markakis – cute and really good at baseball
CJ Wilson – wowza is all I have to say
George Kottaras – Sox fans would probably put Jacoby here, but I think their new catcher is super cute

National League
disclaimer – I don’t really follow the NL but word on the street is these are the guys.

Matt Kemp – not a bad choice by Fox
Brandon Phillips – love that smile
Ryan Zimmerman – super awesome at baseball doesn’t hurt his cause
Jeff Francoeur – Frenchy the heartbreaker
David Wright – even cuter in person, love his lashes
Ryan Howard – many would go with Chase Utley or Cole Hammels, but I think Ryan is so cute.
JJ Hardy – wow who knew, maybe I should start following the NL
Joey Votto – with a name like that you just gotta be hot
Brad Ausmus – my friend said she would disown me if he wasn’t included
Rick Ankiel – pitchers who can hit rock my world

I really think Evan Longoria and BJ Upton should be on there too, but four Rays might have been a bit much.  Sooze over at Babes Love Baseball was also inspired to create a real list of hot players.  She does include Longo and she has a great picture of him.

Well there you have it.  The game we all know and love is filled with  treats for the eyes.

Last night I finally got to sit down and enjoy my favorite show, the Tampa Bay Rays.  Now the show has gotten some pretty rough reviews lately, but I thought last night’s episode was excellent, a winner you might say.  It almost kept me entertained for the three hour duration, but alas I literally couldn’t keep my eyes open.  No worries, DVR to the rescue.  Rays win!

Niemann was good.  He seems to get all flustered when he has to go to the stretch, but it’s usually just for that first batter after he allows someone to reach base.  So after he gets two on, then has a visit from Hickey, he figures it out.  That’s not scary at all.  Pitching is always the source of drama on my favorite show.

BJ and Navi both had singles last night, let’s hope they can build on that tonight.  Comeback kids.

Justin Morneau is tough.  He could transition to hockey easily.  Did you see him take that ball off the shin without even flinching?  What a man.  He was the bad-ass on my show last night.

The best part was when the three hot guys brought it home.  Longo and Pena make quite an RBI team, and Barty wants to join the hot guys who drive in runs club too.  That my friends is must see TV!

Or better known as the never ending all-star game!

I guess it was quite a fitting send off for Yankees stadium.  You don’t have to be a Yankees fan to appreciate the stadium as a piece of our history, or to know how awesome that must have been for the Yankees past and present to be a part of.  Derek Jeter seemed to be just soaking it in all night.

Sheryl Crow seemed like an odd choice to sing the national anthem?  I expected some one more relevant to NY.

Wouldn’t it have been awesome if A-Rod came up to bat to a Madonna song?

The Gatorade ball girl climbing the wall to catch a foul ball commercial would have been a huge hit if it wouldn’t have been all over the Internet a month before hand.

Sheets pulls a Chase Utley and drops a nice F-bomb for the national audience.

A good friend of mine has now added Kevin Youkilis to his list of Red Sox players he would have to hit with a pitch.  He’s up to three now including Lugo and Crisp.  He has a point.

I saw a FOX commercial that really disturbed me.  Are they really going with the “There’s only one October” slogan again?  Cuz, I don’t know if I can take it.

Great to see Kazmir getting cutter lessons from Mariano Rivera.  I like his thinking.

Zambrano pitched one over Manny Ramirez’s head.  It was kind of cute, like a love tap or something.

Matt Holladay finally got past the awesome pitching and hit one out in the fifth.  I think he’d look great in a Rays uniform.  Ya with me simkins?

NL strikes again in the sixth as Buck and McCarver are giving the Rays some love.  Hanley Ramirez and Utley both get basehits, and Berkman hits a sac fly to score the run.  2-0 NL

In the 7th Morneau starts it off with a double.  Navi is in.  Oh, he strikes out, bummer.  Drew hits a two run shot to right.  I can honestly say that is the first time I’ve been happy to see Drew hit a home run!  Tie ball game.

Wierd.  Papelbon pitching and Navi catching.  Papelbon has had a shitty time in NY.  He was kind of unfairly ripped in the press, and the crowd is taking it out on him.  Maybe it’s like a karma thing for shooting his mouth off?

Tejada gets a base hit then steals second when Navi makes a terrible throw letting Tejada go to third.  Ugh, suddenly I know what it’s like to have little leaguer.  You just want him to shine.  Sac fly and the NL takes the lead 3-2 on a critical error by our guy.

Bottom of the 8th.  Sizemore gets a 2 out base hit.  Longo’s in!  Oh my gosh, he hit an RBI double!  I’m so proud!  He tied the game and saved Navi’s ass.

Top of the ninth K-Rod came in to pitch.  I was very surprised Rivera wasn’t called on, but then Terry Francona brought him in after a couple of batters, and he was able to make his grand entrance.  He and Navi get a strike out throw out to end the inning!  So proud again!

Navi struck out again in the bottom of the 9th, but remember these pitchers are filthy!

Dan Uggla had a nightmare of a night.  He ground into a double play top of the 10th and then made two errors in the bottom half.  They walked Guillen to load the bases.  0 outs.  Sizemore, Longo and Morneau all hit weak grounders and Cook was able to get out of the jam.  Unbelievable, I just wanted to go to sleep.

How many times do you think Corey Hart has been asked if he wears his sunglasses at night?

Bottom of the 11th was interesting.  Kinsler started it off with a base hit, then was thrown out stealing 2nd.  He was actually safe but whatever.  Navi walked.  Drew base hit.  So 1st and 2nd, 1out.  Young, who is quite cute, hits a basehit.  Run Navi, Run.  Navarro gets thrown out at the plate.  Looked like his feet might have gotten in, but I bet there are quite a few blog comments about the fat catcher today.

Continuing Uggla’s nightmare he struck out with bases loaded in the 12th, but so did Gonzalez.

Bottom of 12th.  Very late.  Guillen almost hits one out, settles for a double.  Sizemore grounds out and moves him over.  Longo has a chance to be the hero again, but…struck out.  Morneau walked and Kinsler grounded out.  C’mon! Doesn’t anybody want me to sleep?

Navi grounded out in the 13th.  Our guys sure are getting a lot of playing time.  Longo struck out again in the 14th.  I think.  Stuff was getting blurry.

Kazmir in to pitch!  He did great.  So proud again.

Bottom 15th.  Morneau base hit.  Kinsler flied out.  Navi gets a base hit!  WooHoo, I was delirious at this point.  Drew walked.  Then that super cute Michael Young hit a sac fly and Morneau scored the winning run!  Hallelujah it’s over.

Kamir was the winning pitcher!  Go Rays!!

ESPN started the night out with images from the first half of the season.  It was very moving.  I totally got choked up watching it.  Some chicks cry at kleenex commercials, I cry at sports videos.  I know, I’m a dillweed.

Longo hit 3 homeruns.  He didn’t seem to be gellin with his pitcher.  His performance is something that I’m perfectly okay with.  He got to be a part of the homerun derby, soak in that great experience and only hit in one round.  Saving him for the Rays.  Win win situation there.

Rick Reilly was a dickwad when Justin Morneau came up to bat, he stated how surprised he was by the late addition of Morneau.  He went into detail and even turned it into a race issue.  It was distasteful to bring Morneau’s name into it.  Other people were asked and turned it down, Morneau is deserving and was nice enough to participate.  My response was naturally “How rude.  I hope Morneau wins the whole damn thing.”  And he did.  Congratulations.

I’m sure it was anticlimactic for him though, since Josh Hamilton put on a show.  In the first round he hit 28 home runs.  His pop-ups were going 400+ feet.  It was crazy.  The guy is Paul Bunyan strong.  He wore the arm right off of his 71 year old batting practice pitcher!  He turned something that has a tendency to be boring into quite a ride.  I was really hoping to see him hit one out of Yankees Stadium though!