Long weekend readin’
The Phillies—manager, players, even beat reporters—played an elaborate practical joke on Kyle Kendrick by convincing him he’d been traded to Japan. Watch him get punk’d at Bugs and Cranks.
Yogi Berra’s museum removed its Roger Clemens jersey (for the children, of course) via Babes Love Baseball.
Speaking of museums, Daisuke Matsuzaka is getting one back in Japan, reports Center Field. And they’re also thinking of the kiddies, planning to “keep admission fees as low as possible in accordance with the wishes of people close to Matsuzaka for the sake of children who want to visit the museum.”
The steroids-Mitchell-Clemens drama continues tomorrow when Andy Pettitte arrives in camp. He’ll give a press conference at 3pm, according to The LoHud Yankees blog.
Via the Canton Repository: as the Yankees head into their last season in Yankee Stadium, Thurmon Munson’s widow wonders what will happen to her late husband’s locker, which has been kept empty since the Ohio native died in a plane crash in 1979.
In other Yankees news, via Sliding Into Home, it appears that in the Girardi era, players may be able to sport beards and goatees—so long as they are “neatly trimmed.” However, “unshaven looks” will still be verboten. I guess if you can figure out how to grow a beard without suffering through that tricky in-between stage, you’re golden.
February 18th, 2008 at 12:41 pm
That Kyle Kendrick prank was epic. I know ballplayers prank each other all the time, but this one was orchestrated by the front office with help from the local cable station.
Moreover, this prank came during the same week the Pat Burrell “Man or Machine” t-shirts debuted. It’s hard to imagine any of this stuff happening if Larry Bowa was still in charge.
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February 18th, 2008 at 1:34 pm
I found it funny that the guy they claimed was coming over to Philly from Yomiuri had two last names. Kobayashi Iwamura.
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February 18th, 2008 at 3:02 pm
I guess players will have to take advantage of the All-Star break or a stint on the DL if they wanna get any UFH (or just plain old FH) going.
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February 18th, 2008 at 3:50 pm
Well, Danny, Jason Giambi managed to get a UFH nod while playing for the Yankees. So I wouldn’t rule any of them out.
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February 18th, 2008 at 7:07 pm
Do you think Kendrick feels like the whole organization and his own agent made him look like a complete dope? Would they have done this to a pitcher that they respected or were counting on? I wonder if in the long run he may feel like they don’t value him. They went to great lengths to make him look like a moron, it seems a bit extreme. I also wonder how it feels to have something like this pulled over on you by a jerk like Brett Myers. I can’t believe he would conspire with “retards” in the media to prank a teammate.
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February 18th, 2008 at 7:07 pm
HHGH?
(Human Hair Growth Hormone)
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February 18th, 2008 at 7:56 pm
I don’t know Melissa, I think this is the kind of thing rookies have to put up with. Kendrick didn’t get his dose of prankage last year, so he gets it this time around. He’ll dish it out next spring! He should just be glad he didn’t have to shave his head or dress in drag. This is just how jocks show love to fellow jocks!
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February 18th, 2008 at 8:07 pm
Also, @ Paul, I love that they used the family name of the famous competitive eater. That’s just so silly!
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February 18th, 2008 at 9:57 pm
Melissa, lighten up. I’m not going to defend Brett Myers. I don’t know him. I’ve never met him. But I wouldn’t assume that just because he’s done and said some stupid things that everybody in the Phillies clubhouse thinks he’s a jerk. Sure, it’s possible Kendrick feels like a little bit of an idiot. But it’s just as likely that he feels a little more comfortable now. A little more like one of the guys. Maybe the team sensed he was putting too much pressure on himself and they wanted to do something to loosen him up. And maybe it’ll work.
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February 19th, 2008 at 12:45 am
Yeah, I wasn’t implying that Myers’ teammates think he is a jerk, that’s strictly my opinion. I don’t “know” him either I just know that he likes to smack his wife around in public and refer to media members as “retarded.” He’s probably just a prankster at heart, a really great guy no doubt. I would imagine that Myers reaction wouldn’t have been very good natured if this prank had been pulled on him. I know baseball players are notorious for pulling pranks on one another but this seems like a much more elaborate scheme. I just wonder if maybe they went a little too far. The fact that it was so public could cause Kendrick to be a little embarrassed or even humiliated but hopefully that won’t be the case.
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