Baseball is Poop

You're Out of Uniform
For years people have laughed about the charade of managers and coaches (especially the fat, old ones) being forced to wear uniforms like the players, when in every other sport the staff dresses in suits or casual attire.
Major League Baseball is enforcing that rule by banning Joe Maddon's hoodie. The Tampa Bay manager likes to wear a hooded sweatshirt over his uniform on cold days. The league issued a reminder that team uniforms and approved outerwear are the only permissable garments to be worn during games, effectively banning Maddon's rogue hoodie.



I wish the fashion police would have banned former Mets pitching coach Rick Peterson from wearing a jacket on 90 degree days.



Elvis Lives
For some reason the Washington Nationals have chosen a plastic silver Elvis hat/wig as their team mascot this year. After every victory the player of the game does postgame interviews donning the ridiculous headdress.




Should Make For an Interesting Father-Son Softball Game on Father's Day
Four Padres outfielders have fathers who played in the majors. Tony Gwynn (son of Tony), Scott and Jerry Hairston Jr. (sons of Jerry) and Will Venable (son of Max).

Stay Off my Mound
For the second time in his illustrious career Alex Rodriguez is accused of violating an unwritten rule of baseball etiquette. You likely remember a few years ago when A-Rod shouted something (he says it was "ha," Howie Clark says it was "I got it") causing a popup to drop.
This time Oakland A's pitcher Dallas Braden says A-Rod crossed his mound and stepped on his rubber during an inning. A-Rod was on first and running when Robinson Cano hit a foul ball. Instead of going back to the first the way he came, around second, A-Rod walked over the mound. Braden shouted something at A-Rod but evidently he didn't hear it. Because when the inning ended A-Rod asked him to repeat it and Braden said "stay off my mound."
After the game they exchanged the typical barbs with A-Rod saying who the hell is Braden and Braden saying A-Rod is an asshole.
But who's right? Unlike the popup incident it is quite possible A-Rod never heard of this rule of etiquette, several TV analysts with major league experience said they hadn't. But even so it seems like A-Rod was doing it to be a dick, even if he wanted to take the shortcut he didn't have to go right across the mound.

Picture of the Week
The Kirby Puckett Statue outside the Twins new stadium, Target Field. The pose is modeled after the fist pump Puckett made as he rounded the bases on his game-winning home run in Game 6 of the 1991 World Series.