Is it just me, or are Obama’s jeans rather dorky?

Baseball computers say: Intentional walks cost five runs per year, steals are overrated, and the sacrifice bunt is rarely a good idea (unless you have a good manager).

I attended a baseball game in Japan between the Yomiuri Giants and the Hanshin Tigers. When you buy tickets in Japan for a baseball game, they ask you which team you’re rooting for and seat you within the stadium based on that question. For my game, all the Tigers fans were on the third base side of the stadium, and all the Giants fans were on the first base side. This was done to facilitate the organized chanting that goes on throughout the entire game without stop. They sing, they chant, they wave flags, they bang sticks together… the whole time.

It was hard to watch the game what with all the fun of well organized and stadium-wide chanting.

My last set of pictures from the big trip is now online. Joining New Zealand, Australia, Singapore and Cambodia is Japan. From Japan we have a sumo tournament, a baseball game, the Tsukiji fish market, Hakone, Kamakura, Tokyo and people.

As always, here are a few favorites:

And while the picture is not so amazing, the Tokyo government building did have a sign listing the offices of the Declining Birthrate Countermeasures Division.

Japan, Yomiuri Giants Baseball Game (2008)

It may say Giants versus Tigers, but this ticket confirmation is not for a game in San Francisco or Detroit:

Dear [DoorFrame],

Thank you for purchasing your 3 ticket(s) from etix.com.

This email serves as your receipt.

Your method of delivery is: Print At Home.

Your confirmation code is: XXXXXXX

Your ticket(s) are from the following venue(s): ??????Tokyo Dome?

You have been charged for the following:

Serial # Section Row Seat Price Conv. Fee Date Performance
__________________________________________________________________________________________
XXXXXXXX 41(Gate)6(Aisle) 22 114 JPY2,300.00 JPY0.00 September 21, 2008 6:00 PM ??vs???Giants vs Tigers?

Delivery Fee: JPY0.00
Order Fee: JPY0.00
Total Price: JPY2,300.00

Sincerely,
The Staff at etix.com

If you want to read more about this exciting game, you can TRY to do so here. I’m pretty excited about this.

The Washington National’s have a daily Presidents Race featuring George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson and a hapless Teddy Roosevelt. Poor Teddy Roosevelt has lost every race, over 200 so far, often in surprisings ways. One of my personal favorites was when he was the first to horizontally reach the finish line, but somehow managed to be off by 100 vertical feet. ESPN recently interviewed Teddy Roosevelt about his misfortunes.

The Nippon Ham Fighters are my new favorite baseball team.  Do you think they fight with ham, or against ham?

Let the ham beware!

NYTimes presents an interactive graphic detailing the best and worst foods at each of baseball’s 50 stadiums. Via Doobybrain.

Back-to-back foul balls caught by Dodgers fans sitting side-by-side.

The new Nationals theme song is really, really bad. Via Metroblogging and Why I Hate DC.

Either the New York Times headline writers and photo editors have lost their minds, or the Catholic church is in much worse trouble than I thought:

Thanks jbg.

Papelbon used a butt double. Via Adfreak.

Improv Everywhere, a paradox: the more professional their stunts get, the less impressive they seem. See, e.g., Best Game Ever.

Why doesn’t Google Maps give me the option to see a foreign map labeled with latin-based characters? This map doesn’t help me (though it is good to know that I’m still able to find a nearby 7-Eleven).

You know it’s opening day of baseball season in Washington DC when you’re suddenly startled by fighter jets screaming past your window. Either baseball season, or, you know, war.

Professional baseball teams in Japan are split into two leagues, and one has the DH!

I stumbled across this blurb about Chicago Cubs player Mark DeRosa’s recent woes and was amused by how pitiful he sounds:

MLB.com reports Cubs 2B Mark DeRosa was scratched from Wednesday’s spring game because of sinusitis. It is not the first ailment DeRosa has dealt with this spring. “First, I have heart surgery,” said DeRosa, who underwent a procedure in Chicago to correct an irregular heartbeat. “Then, I get the flu. Now I have sinusitis.” And his problems haven’t stopped there. “A rock hit my wife’s windshield, busted,” he said. “We’re packing yesterday, and she spills a bottle of water on my computer. Fried. I’m hitting .190. I need to leave this city.”

Jeez, the Cubs should take away his shoelaces and his belt.

Last Elliot Spitzer thing, I swear. The Macon Music, a minor league baseball team, will be holding Elliot Spitzer Night and will feature the following promotions:

1. The Music have extended an invitation for former New York Governor Spitzer to be on hand and throw out the first pitch
2. The team will give away a New York Vacation including a one night stay at the MayFlower Hotel
3. Client #9 (or fan #9) will receive a free Music prize pack
4. Any fan with the name Eliot, Spitzer, or “Kristen” along with any fan from New York will receive $1 off admission
5. The Music will play Frank Sinatra music throughout the evening in honor of New York
6. Wire Taps will be placed throughout the ballpark this evening
7. ATMs will be available for cash withdrawals not to exceed $5,000 per hour
8. Any fan who has resigned their position will be given $1 off admission
9. The 871 fan will receive a gift certificate for the Macon Music Team store.

Someone should probably tell them that the Mayflower Hotel is in DC, not New York.

US, Boston, Kenmore Square Riots (2004)

US, Los Angeles, Dodgers (2008)

In honor of today’s announcement that the seeming majority of major league baseball players is on some form of performance enhancing drug, here’s a great article from 2003 describing one 40 year-old cyclist/journalist who, in the name of science and with the aid of one shady sounding doctor, begins taking his own drug regiment of Human Growth Hormone, testosterone, EPO, and anabolic steroids:

My plan was simple. I would train as I always do—about 15 to 20 hours a week—while taking various supplements under Dr. Jones’s supervision. I started in January 2003. In eight months, I intended to ride the 1,225-kilometer (761-mile) Paris-Brest-Paris bicycle race, a once-every-four-years sufferfest that’s popular among amateur ultracyclists…

And?

Five months earlier, I couldn’t have imagined riding this far and feeling so strong. We finished the 1,225-kilometer ride in just under 76 hours—sleeping only twice for a few hours. The next morning, if it weren’t for my saddle sores, I could have easily done it again.

Apparently HGH is something of a wonder drug with amazing benefits (better eyesight) and no major negative side effects. Who knew? It’s the only drug the author, despite his impressive performance, was willing to consider continuing with. Anabolic steroids, on the other hand, are scary.

In honor of today’s steroids announcement, here’s the weight distribution of baseball players over the last 130 years:

I want to see a list of all 164 players who weighed over 230 pounds.  With pictures.

Troeltsch presents the following trivia question:

Five players on the 2007 Red Sox (at any point this year, not just the 25-man roster) share last names (one with a very minor change) with the 2007 Rockies. Name them. A hint: 4 of the five are hispanic (latino? whatever) names.

Knowing nothing about anything, I leave this to my few readers to figure out.

In celebration of the Red Sox and Angels facing off in the playoffs, here’s a clip from a previous Red Sox Angels game:

Here comes a pizza!