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Ariel Pestano Bio
2009-03-26 12:34:00 Ariel Pestano Bio Harkening back to the last incarnation of the WBC in 2006, there was one player who really caught my attention. This was Cuban catcher Ariel Pestano, mostly for his antics rather than his actual playing skill (though that is not to say he is not a highly skilled player). When I learned that ...
By: Mop Up Duty
Steven Strasburg Bio
2009-03-24 12:44:00 Steven Strasburg Bio Even before his 23 strikeout performance, San Diego State’s RHP Steven Strasburg was the consensus pick to go #1 in the 2009 MLB draft. Consider this: as of March 22nd, Strasburg is 4-0 with a 1.57 ERA in five starts, and has racked up 74 strikeouts in 34 1/3 innings - more than 55 percent of ...
By: Mop Up Duty
Reflections by Comrade Fidel
2009-03-20 19:12:00 Reflections by Comrade Fidel Former Cuban president Fidel Castro has taken to blogging his thoughts on the internet. Topics include the Agonies of Capitalism, Obama’s politics & ethics and…… even the World Baseball Classic! Thanks to Escambray, the newspaper of the province of Sancti Spiritus in Cuba, we can read Fidel’s weblog translated to english. Highlights include: The Baseball ...
By: Mop Up Duty
Attention: Dunedin Spring Training Veterans
2009-02-24 13:38:00 Attention: Dunedin Spring Training Veterans I am heading down to Dunedin F-L-A at the end of March to catch the last 2 of the Jays’ Spring Training games. When I am not marvelling at Ken Takahashi’s meatballs, I need to keep myself occupied. Idle hands are the devil’s tools, as they say. I realize I am about ...
By: Mop Up Duty
Suzuki Can?t Scratch His ?Ich? in the WBC
2009-02-13 13:34:00 Suzuki Can’t Scratch His “Ich” in the WBC Japan WBC manager Tatsunori Hara has ignited the speculatory fires by suggesting that using Ichiro in emergency pitching situations is a possibility in this year’s tournament. In his workout on February 7th, he skipped batting practice and worked out as a pitcher. He threw 56 pitches off the ...
By: Mop Up Duty
Another Mysterious Medal
2009-02-05 15:43:00 Another Mysterious Medal A while back we posted a mysterious baseball medal from 1921 and asked our readers to help us identify it. We were lucky enough to have one shed some light on the subject, believing it to be a minor league award of some sort. Pictured above is a different yet similar medal. There is ...
By: Mop Up Duty
Another Mysterious Medal
2009-02-05 15:43:00 Another Mysterious Medal A while back we posted a mysterious baseball medal from 1921 and asked our readers to help us identify it. We were lucky enough to have one shed some light on the subject, believing it to be a minor league award of some sort. Pictured above is a different yet similar medal. There is ...
By: Mop Up Duty
World Baseball Classic Primer
2009-02-03 13:30:00 World Baseball Classic Primer In anticipation of the upcoming World Baseball Classic, Kman has collated all of my International Baseball posts into one .pdf file that you can download here. It covers all of the nations participating in the WBC and a bonus country. They include: Cuba Israel Italy Japan Korea Mexico Netherlands Panama Puerto Rico South African Taiwan Venezuela Hopefully this e-book will enhance your understanding of the way the ...
By: Mop Up Duty
World Baseball Classic Primer
2009-02-03 13:30:00 World Baseball Classic Primer In anticipation of the upcoming World Baseball Classic, Kman has collated all of my International Baseball posts into one .pdf file that you can download here. It covers all of the nations participating in the WBC and a bonus country. They include: Cuba Israel Italy Japan Korea Mexico Netherlands Panama Puerto Rico South African Taiwan Venezuela Hopefully this e-book will enhance your understanding of the way the ...
By: Mop Up Duty
Jays Sign Takahashi
2009-02-02 17:44:00 Jays Sign Takahashi Remember when JP hired all those new scouts and said that now he will have the resources to maybe get a lefty arm from Japan who could be a middle reliever or a 5th starter? Well it looks like that self fulfilling prophecy has come to pass only a few short days later. Left-hander ...
By: Mop Up Duty
Bart Given Let Go
2009-01-25 17:15:00 Bart Given Let Go Yesterday Jays GM JP Ricciardi made the following announcement: “Please be advised that Bart Given is no longer an employee of the Toronto Blue Jays. “Bart wishes to remain in baseball, and can be reached at this phone number “Thank you.” Bart Given began his career with the Jays as the Travelling Secretary and acquired ...
By: Mop Up Duty
International Baseball Links
2009-01-16 13:50:00 International Baseball Links We at Mop Up Duty have written fairly extensively on International Baseball and with the World Baseball Classic on the not-too-distant horizon, links pertaining to this subject are beginning to pop up around teh interwebz. The other day I was talking to my immigrant friend from the former Yugoslavia who was telling me they actually ...
By: Mop Up Duty
My Hypothetical Hall of Fame Ballot
2009-01-08 17:44:00 My Hypothetical Hall of Fame Ballot Since we are 4 days away from the Hall of Fame ballotting results, we at MUD.com thought we would throw up our ballots and maybe spark up a little controversy, if not at least some discussion. I’ll start it off. Bert ?Be Home? Blyleven: BB won 287 games - only one ...
By: Mop Up Duty
Henderson Hall Update
2009-01-07 21:37:00 Henderson Hall Update Not long ago I wrote a post on Rickey Henderson becoming possibly the first unanimous hall of fame entrant. Well, now we know this is not going to be the case. With a tip of the hat to ESPN’s Rob Neyer, BBWAA member Corky Simpson left Rickey off this year’s ballot. He does, ...
By: Mop Up Duty
AJ?s Obituary
2008-12-13 15:14:00 AJ’s Obituary In today’s Star, Cathal Kelly absolutely nails it as he writes an obituary of sorts. In the article he reminisces on AJ’s time in Toronto and airs some dirty laundry that some of us may or may not know. Here is a telling quote: The Halladay/Burnett relationship existed, but was never as close as advertised. Burnett ...
By: Mop Up Duty
Unanimous Hall of Fame Entrant?
2008-12-02 13:23:00 Unanimous Hall of Fame Entrant? Not long ago Kman and I had a discussion about Greg Maddux’s career. I argued that Maddux was a candidate to be the first ever player inducted to the Hall of Fame with a unanimous vote. Surprisingly, this has never happened before - not even Cal Ripken received votes from 100% ...
By: Mop Up Duty
Blogger Vs. Legitimate Reporter Rant
2008-11-10 13:57:00 Blogger Vs. Legitimate Reporter Rant A while back I read a post on our friends Drunk Jays Fans’ blog in regards to bloggers being fans and nothing more. Basically the gist of it is bloggers are hacks because we do not have the same access to the team that writers have. At first I used to ...
By: Mop Up Duty
The Best Hair In Blue Jays History
2008-11-05 13:04:00 The Best Hair In Blue Jays History We at Mop Up Duty are pretty obsessed with ballplayer’s hair, mostly because either we are losing it ourselves or we just have a bad haircut in general (or both). When I think of the Jays of my youth, I think of glorious mullets and Tom-Selleck-like mustaches. To celebrate ...
By: Mop Up Duty
Mark Prior to the Toronto Blue Jays?
2008-10-24 15:54:00 Mark Prior to the Toronto Blue Jays? A conversation regarding the possibility of the Toronto Blue Jays signing free agent pitcher Mark Prior: Calman: Mark Prior, who had his second, less-invasive right shoulder surgery earlier this year, is in the midst of beginning a throwing program and should be available for the start of 2009, according to his ...
By: Mop Up Duty
2008 World Series Predictions
2008-10-22 21:04:00 2008 World Series Predictions Calman Rays in 5, their starting pitching is too much for the Phillies to handle. Myers, Blanton and Moyer are going to crumble. Pitching and defense win championships!! Kman I’m going to go against the grain and pick the Phillies to win the 2008 World Series in six games. This is really an odd ...
By: Mop Up Duty
2008 LCS Playoff Predictions
2008-10-09 13:44:00 2008 LCS Playoff Predictions Building upon our collected first round playoff predictions, here is the next set of league championship series predictions from the staff at mopupduty.com. Calman Rays over Sox in 6 Dodgers over Phils in 7 Early Red Sox over Rays Phillies over Dodgers Kman Kman is back once again with his points/stream of consciousness predictions for the 2008 ...
By: Mop Up Duty
Yankee Stadium/Hall of Fame Review
2008-10-03 13:37:00 Yankee Stadium/Hall of Fame Review For the Labour Day weekend this year, Early and I decided to take a road trip to see the Jays play those damn Yankees before Yankee Stadium becomes a pile of rubble. On the way back, we decided to pass through Cooperstown and unleash our inner 12 year olds at the ...
By: Mop Up Duty
What Up, Yo?
2008-10-02 18:29:00 What Up, Yo? In today’s Richard Griffin mailbag, Dick answers a question about why some baseball players wear their hats in the ridiculous fashion as pictured above.
By: Mop Up Duty
2008 Postseason 1st Round Predictions
2008-10-01 21:17:00 1st Round Playoff Predictions The annual Mopupduty first round playoff predictions.
By: Mop Up Duty
Bob Sheppard, Voice of the Yankees
2008-09-22 13:38:00 Bob Sheppard, Voice of the Yankees A few weeks ago, I travelled to Yankee Stadium with fellow MUD.com writer Early. One of the striking memories I have was the unmistakeable recording of Derek Jeter’s introduction by the legendary voice of the Yankees, Bob Sheppard.
By: Mop Up Duty
Micah Hoffpauir the Next Jack Cust?
2008-08-26 21:48:00 Micah Hoffpauir the Next Jack Cust? Micah Hoffpauir is a mashing 1B in the Cubs system, currently at AAA and blocked by Derrek Lee. For a team looking for a lefthanded masher, Hoffpauir just might be 2008’s version of Jack Cust in Oakland.
By: Mop Up Duty
The Fernando Tatis Story
2008-08-25 18:44:00 The Fernando Tatis Story If you are a regular reader here at Mop Up Duty then you know I am a sucker for a comeback story. The New York Sun has an article detailing the story behind Tatis’ rise, fall and bounce-back.
By: Mop Up Duty
Burnett Lives and Dies By His Deuce
2008-08-07 18:25:00 Burnett Lives and Dies By His Deuce If AJ wants to get these fans out of their seats tonight vs. Oakland, he is going to have to have that dirty deuce working.
By: Mop Up Duty
The Perfect Game Trailer
2008-07-26 16:30:00 The Perfect Game Trailer Based on a true story, a group of boys from Monterrey, Mexico who become the first non US baseball team to win the Little League World Series in 1957.
By: Mop Up Duty
Sandlot Ball Headed For Extinction
2008-07-25 18:49:00 Sandlot Ball Headed For Extinction The Globe and Mail has a rare baseball feature on Sandlot baseball, a slice of American life enjoyed for decades by boys from coast to coast that appears on the verge of extinction.
By: Mop Up Duty
Alfredo Aceves
2008-07-25 13:36:00 Alfredo Aceves Signed out of the Mexican League, Aceves is rapidly rising through the Yankees’ farm system, and it is no coincidence that general manager Brian Cashman drove to Scranton to watch him pitch Tuesday night.
By: Mop Up Duty
Cito needs to Introduce some Spice to the Clubhouse
2008-07-23 02:13:00 Spicing Up the Jays Clubhouse Calman and I were chatting about how there are no real “characters” on the 2008 Jays.
By: Mop Up Duty
Fantasy Baseball in the Post-Steroid Era
2008-07-21 20:53:00 Fantasy Baseball in the Post-Steroid Era By the turn of the 21st century, it had become routine for Major League Baseball players to remain productive deep into their 30s and into their 40s. Players who are in their mid-30s suddenly look ? well, kind of like they did before the Steroid Era. What does this mean ...
By: Mop Up Duty
Kit Pellow Bio
2008-07-14 08:18:00 Kit Pellow Bio Kit Pellow is a former MLB ballplayer who is currently making a MOCKERY of Mexican League pitching. Who is this guy!?!?!?!
By: Mop Up Duty
Blue Jays Fans FTW
2008-07-13 10:28:00 Blue Jays Fans FTW I know we like to rag on Jays fans from time to time but this time they actually did something cool.
By: Mop Up Duty
Highway 60? 6? Revisted
2008-07-03 11:22:00 Highway 60′ 6″ Revisted Recently I have noticed Jays fans bemoaning the current bullpen with BJ blowing 3 saves in a row and Brian Tallet turning a 6-1 ballgame in the 8th into a 6-5 ballgame. Jays fans, you don’t know how good you’ve got it. Let me take you on a trip to JP Ricciardi’s ...
By: Mop Up Duty
Things Are A Little Intense In The Japanese League
2008-07-02 22:21:00 Things Are A Little Intense In The Japanese League Watch here as an ump gets leveled.
By: Mop Up Duty
Who Has The Best Hook In MLB?
2008-06-30 11:23:00 Who Has The Best Hook In MLB? Instead of doing what I usually do, which is tell you who has the best curve by me looking at it on SportsCentre highlights, I am going to look at the top MLB curveball-tossers and use stats to back up my argument.
By: Mop Up Duty
These Are A Few Of My Favourite Things
2008-05-22 19:12:00 These Are A Few Of My Favourite Things Aside from Gregg Zaun touching my hind quarters, my favourite things in life are anything associated with Gordon Ramsay and baseball. This week Drunk Jays Fans nailed them both.
By: Mop Up Duty
Ankiel?s Spectacular Assists
2008-05-09 20:23:00 Ankiel’s Spectacular Assists Most outfielders with extraordinary arms get converted into pitchers. This is what happens when pitchers get converted into outfielders. Funny how a guy can’t throw a strike from 60 feet but can throw one from 200 feet. BallHype - Ankiel Throws Strikes From Centre Field ballhype_story_widget_280311(fa-lse);
By: Mop Up Duty
Feliz Cinco De Mayo!
2008-05-05 15:58:00 Feliz Cinco De Mayo! In honour of Cinco de Mayo, I thought I would take a look at two of the big stories of last year in the Mexican League - Karim Garcia and Jose Lima. What are they up to now?
By: Mop Up Duty
Philips Stein? unos relojes que calman el stress
2008-04-30 08:11:00 Según Philips, sus nuevos relojes Stein utiliza tecnología de radio frecuencia, también conocida como “Tecnología Teslar” que se supone convierte la energía negativa obtenida con el estrés de cada día y la polución electrónica en una sensación de más calma así como una mejora de la salud en general…. por lo que nosotros solo ...
Mop Up Duty Now On Facebook
2008-04-28 03:13:00 Mop Up Duty Now On Facebook Click here to
By: Mop Up Duty
Calman?s Dad on the Big Hurt Situation
2008-04-20 19:17:00 Calman’s Dad on the Big Hurt Situation Who is the American League Player of the Week? John Gibbons. Why?
By: Mop Up Duty
Sprague Admits Steroid Use
2008-04-11 15:35:00 Sprague Admits Steroid Use Former Jays third sacker Ed Sprague has admitted steroid use.
By: Mop Up Duty
Live Game Notes: 2008 Home Opener
2008-04-05 18:30:00 Live Game Notes: 2008 Home Opener Highlights of the home opener included the return of the baby blues, the addition of Roberto Alomar and a ~surprise member~ to the level of excellence, streakers and a Blue Jays win. Here is my detailed account.
By: Mop Up Duty
Julio Franco: Back In Mexican League
2008-04-01 13:10:00 Julio Franco: Back In Mexican League It looks like Julio Franco has been forced out of MLB yet again. Franco has always dreamed of playing in the Majors at age 50. Currently at age 49, Franco has returned to the Mexican League to try to keep the dream alive.
By: Mop Up Duty
MUD.com?s 2008 Predictions
2008-03-26 12:41:00 MUD.com’s 2008 Predictions Last year the writers at Mop Up Duty had uncanny success with their 2007 predictions. This year’s predictions include Tampa Bay finishing ahead of New York in the AL East, Chase Headley as NL Rookie of the Year and Grady Sizemore as AL MVP. Check them out and see where you think they ...
By: Mop Up Duty
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