During a Wednesday evening stint with the New York Yankees Double-A affiliate, Trenton Thunder, third baseman Alex Rodriguez (and the rest of the internet) found out about one of the best things in all of minor league baseball…
For the first two innings of Trenton home games, golden retrievers Derby and Rookie pickup the bats after each player’s at-bat. Below are the dogs in action after Rodriguez grounded out early on.
A-Rod grounded out, ran slowly to first. Meanwhile, golden retrievers *retrieve* the bats here. Awesome. #Yankeespic.twitter.com/osrRKaMeY7
The New York Daily News has a great story on the origins of the bat dogs. As is the way of minor league baseball, Trenton was looking for something new and different that would attract fans to the ballpark. When a fans fell in love with traveling act “Jake, the Diamond Dog” in the late 90’s, the team knew they needed one to call their own. Jake’s trainer found the Thunder a puppy named Chase, who served as Jake’s understudy before going full-time with the club.
The bat dogs have been a staple in Trenton since 2003. Chase bred Derby in 2009 and Rookie was born in 2013. When the team goes on the road, the dogs go home with Thunder Sr. VP of corporate sales and partnerships Eric Lipsman. They don’t leave teeth marks on the bats and the only issue is that dogs really don’t like pine tar, which is understandable.
Some Major League organizations host their “Bark at the Park” promotional nights, which is an awesome opportunity to bring your pup to a ballgame. Others have their own Team Dog, like the Brewers and their little bichon frise named Hank. The first MLB team to implement bat dogs will be the real winner though. It’s not like they are taking jobs from bat boys, as they the dogs could just retrieve bats for the first two innings like in Trenton.
Having dogs around the clubhouse may be good for morale, unlike Adam LaRoche having his child around 24/7 (I couldn’t resist). Just take it into consideration, MLB marketing executives. Who doesn’t love dogs?
In the year New Zealand singer-songwriter Lorde was born…
The Daily Show aired for the first time on Comedy Central
Nintendo 64 was released in Japan
The Ramones performed their last show
The OJ Simpson civil trial began
Steve Jobs’ company NeXT was bought by Apple, which he also founded
Tupac Shakur was shot and killed at the age of 25.
To this day, people are trying to prove he’s still alive.
AND in the worlds of movies, music and sports…
Movies
Comedy
Happy Gilmore, Swingers, Kingpin, Matilda, 101 Dalmatians, Don’t Be A Menace in South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood, Tin Cup, The Nutty Professor, Bio-Dome, The Cable Guy, Beautiful Girls, The First Wives Club, That Thing You Do, Striptease, Jack, Multiplicity, Kazaam, The Birdcage, Beavis and Butthead Do America, Down Periscope, The Stupids, Black Sheep, Bulletproof, One Fine Day, Spy Hard, Sgt. Bilko AND…
Space Jam
Action/Thriller
Scream, Independence Day, The Rock, Escape from LA, A Time to Kill, From Dusk Till Dawn, Twister, The Craft, Fear, Eraser, Broken Arrow, The Long Kiss Goodnight, The Ghost and the Darkness, The Frighteners, Chain Reaction, Ransom, Executive Decision, The Fan, Last Man Standing, Maximum Risk, AND…
Mission Impossible
Drama
Trainspotting, Jerry Maguire, The English Patient, Romeo + Juliet, Sling Blade, Sleepers, Secrets and Lies, Shine, Michael Collins, The People vs. Larry Flynt, Evita, The Mirror Has Two Faces, Kolya, Bullet, The Mirror Has Two Faces, Jude, Mother Night, Phenomenon, Gotti, Emma, Before and After, The Juror, Fly Away Home, Marvin’s Room, AND…
Fargo
The 69th Academy Awards
Best Actor
Tom Cruise, Jerry Maguire
Ralph Fiennes, The English Patient
Woody Harrelson, The People vs. Larry Flynt
Billy Bob Thornton, Sling Blade
Geoffrey Rush, Shine – Winner
(The first of 4 nominations for Geoffery Rush. His latest was in 2011 for The King’s Speech)
Best Supporting Actor
William H. Macy, Fargo
Armin Mueller-Stahl, Shine
Edward Norton, Primal Fear
James Woods, Ghosts of Mississippi
Cuba Gooding Jr., Jerry Maguire – Winner
(Cuba Gooding Jr. won the only time he was nominated)
Best Actress
Brenda Blethyn, Secrets & Lies
Diane Keatin, Marvin’s Room
Kristin Scott Thomas, The English Patient
Emily Watson, Breaking the Waves
Frances McDormand, Fargo – Winner
(Frances McDormand has been nominated 3 other times, most recently for North Country in 2006)
Best Supporting Actress
Joan Allen, The Crucible
Lauren Bacall, The Mirror Has Two Faces
Barbara Hershey, The Portrait of a Lady
Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Secrets & Lies
Juliette Binoche, The English Patient – Winner
(Juliette Binoche was nominated once more in 2001 for Chocolat)
Best Picture
Fargo
Jerry Maguire
Secrets & Lies
Shine
The English Patient – Winner
(The English Patient won 9 of the 12 Oscars it was nominated for, including best Director)
The “Final Episodes” of Mad Men and the 2015 Major League baseball season. Both gave us the feel of nostalgia, with some new little twists as well…
ESPN with their K-Zone and Roger with his Mustache.
The both have served as our pastime. They have captured American history in their own ways. They have kept us at the edge of our seats with drama unlike any other. They are also both HEAVILY sponsored.
As we say “goodbye” to one and “hello” to the other, let’s compare further and identify the true “Mad Men” of MLB.
Pete Campbell / Bryce Harper, Nationals
Pete Campbell and Bryce Harper of the Washington Nationals ascended to stardom very quickly in their own way. Harper has an NL Rookie of the Year and a couple of All-Star games to his name while Pete has “Partner” as a title and Clearasil. While both are very successful, they’re also polarizing and even hated by fans. Although they may rub people the wrong way, you will rarely see them with their heads down due to a wealth of confidence…unless Pete’s in trouble.
Don Draper / Derek Jeter, Yankees
Derek Jeter may be retired, but Don Draper began his farewell tour last year too. They were the faces of their organizations and legends of their craft. While Don and Jeter may not have been putting out their best work at times, they were still perennial all-stars. They also could field a pretty strong batting lineup with both of their dating histories. And they both could sell ANYTHING…
Peggy Olson / Troy Tulowitzki, Rockies
Peggy Olson was Don’s protege and Troy Tulowitzki has taken the reigns as the best shortstop in the league post-Jeter. The time is now for both of them. Tulowitzki has been held back by injuries while Peggy was held back by sexism in her industry. And as they show off their talents, they have become hot commodities to other teams as well.
Roger Sterling / Tony La Russa
I attended Tony La Russa’s Hall of Fame induction ceremony last summer, and listening to him talk about his days as both a player and a manager reminded me of the war stories Roger Sterling tells to his clients. Neither one can stay away from the game as Roger continues to sell whatever he can while La Russa just recently took a job as chief baseball officer for the Diamondbacks. Neither one minds a midday cocktail either.
Joan Harris / Jose Abreu, White Sox
On the outside, Jose Abreu is a 6’2, 260 pound Cuban baseball Jedi and Joan is a redhead with curves like a Formula One track. These two have a lot more in common than you’d think…They both joined the majors late in their careers but made an instant impact when they got there. Joan spent years in the secretary ranks and jumped to partner while Abreu went from playing for the Cuban national team for years to MLB All-Star and unanimous AL Rookie of the Year. They also have the savviness and experience to adjust on the fly and last for a long time to come.
Ken Cosgrove / Billy Hamilton, Reds
I think we all have our favorite characters from TV shows that are no more than supporting to the story, and won’t even appear in some episodes. Ken Cosgrove is exactly one of those characters for me because he is the “Mr. Hustle” for the Sterling Cooper agency. The same can be said about Billy Hamilton of Cincinnati, whose 56 stolen bases in his first full season ranked him 2nd in the majors. Hamilton’s OBP isn’t the best for a leadoff man (.290), neither is Cosgrove’s, but he makes the opponent pay when he gets his chances.
Betty Francis / Max Scherzer, Nationals
I guess this could be said about many of Scott Boras’s clients, but Betty Francis (formerly Draper) is a money chaser. Max Scherzer was one of the last high priority free agents to sign this past winter because he was waiting on the 7 year, $210 million deal that Washington happened to have lying around. And he gets to count his cash like Scrooge McDuck when he isn’t pitching every 5th day in the league’s deepest rotation. So another name that we call Betty applies to Scherzer…Frontrunner. However, there’s a reason they got to where they are now…
Megan Draper / Mike Trout, Angels
Out with the Betty, in with the new…Megan Draper, I mean. Megan was Don’s MVS (most valuable secretary), so much so that he put a ring on it. Megan also took advantage of the opportunity quickly, much like Mike Trout when he hit the big leagues. Both were under-appreciated at first, as Trout was working for an MVP nod and Megan continuously auditioned for TV roles. Both got what they wanted and both are California dreaming.
Stan Rizzo / Anthony Rizzo, Cubs
Besides the obvious (last name), both actually have a lot in common. Both Stan and Anthony had rough starts to their careers. Anthony only hit .141 in his first Major League stint with the Padres, and Stan was a sexist jerk…Both have improved immensely and serve as glue guys for their respective teams. Stan grew a beard, found recreational drugs, became best buds with Peggy and is no longer a jerk. Anthony has become an All-Star and isn’t afraid to mix it up with opponents to defend his teammates. Yep, glue guys.
Agree? Disagree? Have some more Player/Character comparisons? Let me know on Twitter @Mike_PiFF03.
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