Hunter Pence on Fashion

Tim Hudson on the World Series

Bobby Bonds on Homers

San Fran Radio Bans Lorde "Royals" During World Series

After the San Francisco Giants beat the St. Louis Cardinals to clinch their right to represent the National League in the 2014 Major League Baseball World Series, two Bay area radio stations made waves.  Both KFOG-FM and KOIT-FM announced bans on playing the minimal art pop song "Royals" by New Zealand chanteuse Lorde.  This ersatz outrage is a silly attempt to generate civic pride for the a World Championship Series with two wildcard teams.

During interviews last year, Lorde became inspired to compose "Royals" in a half-hour writing session after seeing a photo of George Brett signing baseballs.

The song is about aspirationalism and uses pop artists' luxurious lifestyles as a counterpoint.

One would think that there would be more tolerance in the City by the Bay.  Then again, the  message might be challenging to those actually listening to the lyrics of the Lorde's song. 

The radio silence on "Royals" seems like a cheap publicity stunt which jumps on the civic bandwagon while getting earned publicity.  But this may be a desperate ploy to generate enthusiasm in San Francisco for the World Series.  

This is the third time in five years in which the San Francisco Giants have made it to the World Series, whereas it has been a 29 year drought for the Royals.  

This is reflected in World Series ticket prices on the secondary market.  It would not be cheap to see the San Francisco Giants play their World Series home games, averaging around $700 a seat. But in Kansas City, expect to pay between $1,000 to $1250 a ticket to see "Royals" in the World Series up close and personally. 

Willie Mays on Defense

Celebrating Star Wars Around the Diamond

Since many star players move through the minor leagues and can not be counted on as an attendance draw, many minor league clubs sell spectacle as much as the ballgame.

A couple of teams have eagerly hopped on the ersatz Star Wars holiday "May the Fourth Be With You" by issuing special uniforms for the occasion.

This year, the Toledo Mud Hens donned Chewbacca inspired jerseys for Star Wars weekend. The Mud Hens, which are the  Triple affiliate of the Detroit Tigers, will don special Mud Hens Star Wars uniforms which try to depict fur along with a munitions holder across the players chest. 

But it's tough to pull off fluffy Wookiee fur on two dimensional material.  Moreover, Chewbacca stood seven foot tall.  So it is unlikely that fans at Fifth Third ballpark in Toledo with think that they have been teleported to Mos Eisley.

 Craig Katz, the director of merchandising for the Mud Hens told OT Sports, which designed the Wookiee uniforms, sought  to do something different.  In Katz mind, "There is no such thing as bad press with something like this.  We have fans say 'These [uniforms] are so ugly, I have to have one." 

So rather than just auctioning these Wookiee uniforms after Star Wars weekend, the Mud Hens will be selling them. Katz expects Star Wars fanatics to snap up these out of this world uniforms and add them to their collection. Probably to the likes of the Big Bang Theory crew.

For several years, the Durham Bulls have been celebrating Star Wars, wearing futuristic uniforms, having costumed Storm Troopers and Chewbacca throwing out the ceremonial first pitch.



But this year the Durham Bulls, which are the Triple A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays,  went all in and honored R2D2 for their Star Wars Day uniforms. After the players wear the Droid inspired jerseys, the 40 jerseys will be sold in a silent auction, with proceeds benefiting the Autism Society of North Carolina.

Alas, the Durham Droid uniforms are not that unique.  It seems that the Sacramento River Cats, the Oakland A's Triple A team, plays to wear nearly an identical uniform in August.

The Brooklyn Cyclones will not hold their Star Wars night until August 2nd. The Class A affiliate of the New York Mets will have a meet and greet with Star Wars characters, light saber training and the option of a post game family sleepover.   While the Cyclones will give Padwan bobbleheads to the kids, they really should be excited about the Sithclones jerseys.

Those jerseys will have the emblem of the Sith  Empire on the right sleeve and Brooklyn is emblazened in Aurebesh across the players chests.  Now those handsome uniforms should fetch prime dukets for charity.

In the big league Galaxy, the San Francisco Giants, the MLB team nearest to the orbit of George Lucas' Skywalker Ranch, have been doing Star Wars Day promotions for years.  This year the promo was an R2D2 beanie.


While this Star Wars sartorial styling may produce out of this world uniforms, nothing quite compares to the Mud Hens fan kazoo accompaniment to the Star Wars theme music.