mlb Page 279 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Chart: How Sabermetric MLB Forecasts Stacked Up Against Vegas
From Skidmore College statistics professor Michael Lopez comes the handy chart you see above, plotting the 2014 win totals of all 30 MLB teams against preseason predictions from Vegas and what Lopez calls his "Statsheads Prediction."...

What Were The Most Extreme Home Runs Of 2014?
This Nelson Cruz blast was the most line-drive home run of the year, reaching its apex at just 41 feet off the ground, according to FanGraphs. Check out the season's deepest, shortest, and other "extreme" home runs over at FanGraphs. ...

Chart: Which MLB Fans Suck At Supporting Winning Teams?
This graph, from Harley Ellenberger, charts MLB home attendance and winning percentage throughout the season. As expected, the Red Sox, Cubs, and Yankees had solid attendance despite missing the playoffs, and no one went to see the Astros or Rays. But what's most amusing is that despite making their...

TBS Baseball Crew Recreates "Boom Goes The Dynamite" Highlight Reel
To help ring in the playoffs, TBS had the crew from its studio baseball show do a new version of the famous "Boom Goes The Dynamite" highlight disaster. It's a pretty well-struck parody....

Jon Lester Vs. James Shields Is An Argument For The Second Wild Card
There are plenty of reasons to dislike the presence of MLB's second wild card teams, but tonight's matchup is not one of them. That's because we will get to watch two great pitchers—James Shields of the Kansas City Royals and Jon Lester of the Oakland A's—start the precise game that they were acquir...

Important Update: NYT's Math Also Rates Cardinals The Damned Worst
The New York Times is standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the Wall Street Journal on the issue of the least sympathetic, most contemptible MLB playoff team....

Chart: Stadium Distance From Downtown In Four-Sport Cities
This chart from Redditor jamintime shows distance between stadiums and downtowns in cities with NFL, MLB, NBA, and NHL franchises. Google Maps was used to track distance and define downtown and stadium locations. In cities with multiple pro teams in the same sport, the closest stadium to downtown wa...

Important WSJ Study: The Cardinals Are The Most Hateable Playoff Team
According to science, the Cardinals are the most hateable team in in the MLB playoffs. ...

Palmer Vs. Palmer
Over at the Daily Beast, I reprinted Tom Boswell's fine 1983 portrait of Jim Palmer:...

The Cardinals Took Care Not To Celebrate In The Diamondbacks' Pool
The Cardinals found themselves in much the same position as the Dodgers did a year ago: at Chase Field, about to clinch the division. Would they celebrate the same way, by diving into the right-field pool and peeing all over the unwritten rules? They would not, because the Cardinals are class person...
![A's Get Into Playoffs; Josh Reddick Celebrates With His Sack Out [NSFW]](https://images.deadspin.com/tr:w-900/vcsagb7tppoin8vitgu7.jpg)
A's Get Into Playoffs; Josh Reddick Celebrates With His Sack Out [NSFW]
The Oakland Athletics are in the postseason, and the superhero underwear-clad Josh Reddick is very, very happy about it. (The full, sacktastic version is below.)...
![This Cardinals Fan's Playoff Music Video Makes Me Want To Fight Things [UPDATE]](https://images.deadspin.com/tr:w-900/Image_Not_Found_1x_qjofp8.png)
This Cardinals Fan's Playoff Music Video Makes Me Want To Fight Things [UPDATE]
We know what time it is. The St. Louis Cardinals clinched a playoff berth, which means that St. Louis Cardinal fans—the worst, wackest, whitest fanbase in all of sports—are going to hit us with an indescribably corny music video....

Paul Konerko Leaves Final White Sox Game To A Standing Ovation
Paul Konerko didn't get a hit in his final MLB game, but the White Sox crowd still cheered for him one last time after Andy Wilkins replaced him at first base in the sixth inning today....

Steven Souza's Brilliant Catch Completes Jordan Zimmermann's No-Hitter
Nationals righty Jordan Zimmermann turned a 10-strikeout, one-walk no-hitter against the Marlins today, and Steven Souza capped it off with a thrilling catch in left field for the final out. It was the first no-hitter in Nationals history....

Derek Jeter Hits RBI Infield Single In Final At-Bat Of Career
Derek Jeter took his final at-bat in the third inning at Fenway Park today. He hit an RBI infield single before being subbed out for Brian McCann. Never again will Jeter have to play one of those 10-hour Yankees-Red Sox games....

Red Sox Hire Fake Aretha Franklin To Serenade Jeter With "Respect"
What better gift to give a departing Derek Jeter than a cheap Aretha knockoff? Observers are unimpressed:...

Report: Joe Girardi Called Out Yankees Before Jeter's Final Home Game
The Derek Jeter farewell tour is nice, but it's also serving as a distraction for a large concern in the Bronx: The Yankees have now missed the postseason for a second straight season. Excluding the 1994 season, which had no playoffs due to a strike, that hasn't happened since 1992-1993. Manager Joe...

Phillies Fans Mimic Craig Kimbrel's Stance To Mess With Him
Braves closer Craig Kimbrel has an odd stance before he pitches. He hunches over and stretches his arms out, resembling a bird of prey defending itself. As he worked in the ninth inning last night, Phillies fans behind home plate decided to imitate his habit. From the view on the pitching mound, i...

Paul Konerko Made A Thank-You Video For White Sox Fans
Paul Konerko is retiring, by the way. The 38-year-old made a sweet video thanking White Sox fans for their love over his 16 seasons in Chicago....