In case you have not heard about this, here is a recap: Kendrick was called by the Phillies manager into his office and told him he was being traded to Japan, for a pitcher named Kobiashi. Kendrick fell for this hook, line and sinker. They had him going from the second he stepped into the mgr's office. They had him sign the trade papers, and then the Phillies General Manager, (yes the GM AND the MEDIA were in on it), came down to make a media statement and said he thought it was time to make a move in the best interest of the team for the future. It was PRICELESS!
What was so great about it, is that they had everyone involved from the manager to the players, to the General Manager, to even the media! That was a true big time punk! It had all the elements that make a great baseball prank. It was cruel and funny!
And the funniest part is that they told him they were trading him for that guy in Japan who is the hot dog eating champ!...that is priceless!...LOL...
This is one of the major reasons that baseball is so great for those of us who love the game. Baseball has a long and storied history of pulling pranks. From the proverbial 'hot foot' in the dugout to shaving cream pies in the face while sleeping in the clubhouse, to now this.
With all of the negative stories and ugliness of the scandal regarding drug use in MLB, it is great to see that some of the things that make baseball such a unique sport are still part of what makes the sport a "fun game".
Pranks in baseball is what reminds us that with all of the "business" of baseball, baseball is, at the very core, a "game". An escape from all of the seriousness that we have to deal with in our daily lives. And the sport of baseball is a major piece of our American history. (I might do a series of blogs about that during the dull days after the MLB All-Star game.) Baseball is still a game that is played by men who never grew up. And pranks are the way they express that eternal mischievous nature.
This is one of the major reasons that baseball is so great for those of us who love the game. Baseball has a long and storied history of pulling pranks. From the proverbial 'hot foot' in the dugout to shaving cream pies in the face while sleeping in the clubhouse, to now this.
With all of the negative stories and ugliness of the scandal regarding drug use in MLB, it is great to see that some of the things that make baseball such a unique sport are still part of what makes the sport a "fun game".
Pranks in baseball is what reminds us that with all of the "business" of baseball, baseball is, at the very core, a "game". An escape from all of the seriousness that we have to deal with in our daily lives. And the sport of baseball is a major piece of our American history. (I might do a series of blogs about that during the dull days after the MLB All-Star game.) Baseball is still a game that is played by men who never grew up. And pranks are the way they express that eternal mischievous nature.
I remember a couple of great pranks pulled on me, and one I pulled on pitcher. When I was in HS, I played both center field and was the backup catcher. One of the best pranks ever pulled on me was when I was in HS, on a day when the temp was nearing 100 degrees. The starting catcher was just about dying by the 5th inning, and asked if I could take over for an inning or two to give him a chance to cool down. What I did not know is that the ump had called a half-hour delay to the game to let both teams cool down. So I start to get geared up and when I slipped my hand into my catcher's mitt, (we each used our own), I found out he had slipped several scoops of cherry jello into it. Don't worry, I got even, I put vaseline in his cleats a few weeks later. Oddly, he said he liked the way it "squished" between his toes.
And even movies ABOUT baseball reflect how much pranks are part of the game of baseball. Watch the movies of "Bull Durham" when Costner decides that everyone needs a "rained out" game. Or the Tom Selleck movie "Mr. Baseball" when he lights a teammates shoe on fire.
Pranks are part of baseball. It is what we remember that is best about the game. And it is what is best about your teammates. And right now, we need more stories about the "fun" in baseball instead of the "ugliness" surrounding it.
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