July 18- Oakland Athletics

Two-and-a-half months of staring at a television; day-in and day-out, watching EVERY Major League Baseball game during that stretch. Sounds easy, right?  Well, imagine doing that with the same eight people for all of those days. Then try to imagine that a few of those people will “befriend” you and backstab you until you’re sent home. Not going to lie, I had a lot of really amazing moments during my time in the MLB Fan Cave, but none of it compared to when I took to the road and started catching games in person. I idea of being a celebrity never appealed to me, not so much as just relaxing in the sun, drinking a beer and talking shop in every town or city that houses a professional baseball team. Yesterday I touched on my first game at the Coliseum in Oakland since being let go from the Fan Cave. No matter how many games I went to prior or after, the game between the Texas Rangers and the Oakland Athletics on July 17, 2012 is by far the most memorable.

I picked this Athletics cap up through the Lids Web site well before I ventured to New York; however, I did it under the guise that the Athletics had worn it some time during the 1970s. Not too long after I got it the mail I realized I had made an egregious error. I suppose it was an easy mistake to make. After all, the Athletics wore a variety of uniforms throughout the 1970s and 1980s, but the hat was the same no matter what they wore; this one to be exact. Outside of the Pittsburgh Pirates there has yet to be another team to wear a cap with yellow panels, so as far as a collection perspective I decided to hang onto it. Plus, I think it looks pretty cool.

I think during my time in New York I may have worn it once, twice at the most due to the fact that I flip-flopped between the home and road caps regularly. When the time came for me to hit the road I found that my habit of not wearing the cap stayed pretty much the same. I wore it once during Game 2 of the Super Regional’s between the University of Oregon Ducks and the Kent State Golden Flashes, which ended with a Ducks victory.

And I also wore it up in Seattle for the second game in the Athletics series at Safeco Field against the Seattle Mariners which I caught with 2013 Fan Cave hopeful Tom Bentley (@RealTomBentley) on the first leg of my Major League Baseball tour. 

The old school Vida Blue jersey really tied the outfit together. Actually, from what I recall this photo came from the Athletics Tumblr page. But alas, I just never felt compelled to put it on at any other point in time.

When the time came for me to hit the road down south I ended up packing it along with the home cap which I ended up getting a lot of mileage out of all last year. The Athletics had arranged to have me throw out the ceremonial first pitch on July 18^th which I ended up writing about on April 1st along with my home cap. I had gotten to the Bay Area a few days prior as I was meeting up with some friends of mine and taking them to a San Francisco Giants game on July 16^th. Yes, I realize I betrayed some of you for writing that; however, my friends as Giants fans and I was treating them to the game for being so kind as to give me a place to crash while I was in town. Even though the tickets I bought were ridiculously priced, it was still cheaper than paying for one night in a decent hotel. Anyway, July 17th… Everyone in the right field bleachers knew I was coming to the game on the 18^th, but I made sure not to tell a soul about going to the first game of the series. So… decked out in some jeans, my grey “Swingin’ A’s” shirt and this yellow Athletics cap I sojourned across the Bay Bridge all the way to my home away from home, the Coliseum. I arrived a little bit early as I had a 40 ouncer of Mickey’s Fine Malt Liquor to put down before going inside, but I’ll admit that it was a little bit sad to crush that all by myself as to not blow my cover. With a slight buzz and stumble in my step, I walked up to the ticket kiosk at the base of the team store, made my purchase and found my way to section 149 in right field.

Prior to my visit to the Coliseum I had been spotted by a few fans and players at the other eight MLB stadiums I went to who had recognized me from the Fan Cave. What I didn’t expect was that almost every single person walking from one side of the stadium to the other knew who I was. Having been kept away from the outside world for so long, you tend to lose touch with everything else that’s going on around you. Namely I really didn’t know how well most Athletics fans knew about the Fan Cave, let alone who the hell I am besides the regular folks I talk to on Twitter. That day I shook hands, took photos with and swapped stories with dozens of fans who only knew me as “Shakabrodie.” As flattering as the experience was there is also something to be said about how unusual it is to be known by your twitter handle as opposed to your real name. This little bit still continues to this day, which I guess goes to show just how influential a fake name can be.

When I finally approached section 149 my heart was racing. In some weird way all of these people I had befriended online were turning into some weird blind date. Yah we always talked about the Athletics, and we always swapped videos and shoutouts back and forth to one another, but who knows how well actually meeting in person was going to work out? After all, I’m pretty sure from the moment that I was selected to go to the Fan Cave every single one of them was thinking, “Who the hell is Benjamin Christensen?” Due to the sun setting behind third base I was blinded as I walked through the tunnel and down to the seats. I had my video recorder rolling on my phone, but I was too blinded to actually see what I was capturing. Not to sound arrogant, but for a moment I thought I was going to get some kind of ovation; however, I was more than relieved with the “Hey Ben” reaction that I got from everyone. It honestly felt like I had known everybody in the crowd all my life. Yes there were some handshakes, hugs and “great to finally meet you’s,” but overall it was just another game. 

Everyone who had a question about my time, I answered. Anyone who wanted a photo, I took. Anytime we tried to get inside Nelson Cruz’s head, we failed. Sadly that night the Rangers won by the final score of 6-1, but we didn’t let that spoil any of our fun. Before we all retreated out to the parking lot for more beers and chatter I had this photo taken.

Most of you might recognize this photo from my Twitter profile. I could have swapped the photo up to something more current, especially in beard length, but I have yet to come up with a valid reason to. I like this photo too much. It tells more of a story than just me at a game; it tells the story of where I’d like to be when all the troubles of the world are falling down upon me. When I got let go from my dream job I never wanted to be anywhere else but the Coliseum. Seriously, from the bottom of my heart I can’t thank the Athletics, my supporters and especially my friends out in right field enough for your friendship and making me feel like I’m part of the gang. Everything I have ever done to promote or support the Athletics has all been done with y’all in mind:

Anson (@AnsonCasanares), Will (@RFWill149), Tony (@TonyTwo_Tone), Ross (@roscoe), Omar Gonzalez (@OmarInTheOF), Omar G (@omar01), Dennis (@Denny149), Quintona (@Wiggi_Marley), Drew (@DrewMartin6), Justin (@the_toots), James (@EastBay_Sports), Erica (@MissOakland), Taylor (@Taylorfernandez), Ralliney (@Ralliney), Andy (@RFDrummer149), Kara (@Karashotcorner), Spencer (@OakFoSho), Amanda (CheerBabyGrl410), Jorge (@Jorgeleon17), Charlie (@CharliesTheorys), Jennifer (@KiddoYoung), Adam (@ItsOpeningDay), Vanessa (@vdemske), Matt (@Norcalbowler), Sam (@Samligosky), Jess (@JessBeNotorious), Alex (@AlexEspinosaIV), Casey (@CaseyPrattCSN), Tyler (@RF_BLCHRS_No34), Bridgett (@Bridgett_Haney), Chris (@MrChris80), Kevin (@kjmendez3), Michael (@Dehlman1), Tom (@PandaYeung), Sniff (@Sniff009), Eddie (@Eddie_S510), Liza (@HilmLiza_) and everyone else who I may have forgotten. I did this all off of memory as best as I could. Thank you all very much.

72-73-74: Due to the fact that I had originally thought that this was a cap worn in the 1970s I marked it up as so. If there’s one thing that frustrates me most about being an Athletics fan is that the franchise is never really given its due. The forgotten dynasty, as it has been called, is all you really need to know. The Athletics won three consecutive World Series titles from 1972-1974, merely five years after then-owner Charlie Finely moved the team from Kansas City to Oakland. This of course was also after he bought the team from Arnold Johnson in 1960 after Johnson had bough the franchise in 1954 and moved them to Kansas City.

Prior to 1972 the Athletics had won five World Series titles during their time in Philadelphia; however, the last one came in 1930. In 1971 and 1975 the Athletics made but lost in the American League Championship Series, losing to the Baltimore Orioles the first time and the Boston Red Sox the second. In order the Athletics took out the Cincinnati Reds, New York Mets and Los Angeles Dodgers. The Reds would go on to win it in 1975, the Mets had won just four years prior in 1969 and the Dodgers would go on to win it in 1981. Actually, the case of both the Dodgers and Reds they would both go on to get their revenge on the Athletics in 1988 and 1990 respectively (Jerks!).

The reality in all of this is that it would be fair to say that the Athletics OWNED the 1970s. Having won the AL West title in five (in a row) of the 10 years as well as winning the most World Series titles that decade, it’s hard to argue that anyone else dominated like they did. One could make a case that the Reds or the New York Yankees were close having won two times each; however, the Athletics obviously beat the Reds and the Yankees only triumphed after having acquired two of the Athletics’ best players, Jim “Catfish” Hunter and Reggie Jackson. All I’m saying is that the Athletics deserve their due.

July 17- Texas Rangers

Well, it’s been a while, but I’ve finally come back around to writing about the Texas Rangers. I’m hoping this post reaches an audience as it will surely be a difficult read for all of my friends who are ardent Oakland Athletics fans. Unlike most of y’all (you know who you are); I don’t harbor ill-will against other teams to the point where I won’t buy their gear, leaving a hole in my collection. Yes, I totally understand rivalries, and yes, I joke a lot about fans of those teams; however, everything I say in do all takes place in the field of play. I don’t make a habit out of letting my sports-related differences spill over into real life. Well, unless it’s my job. Last I looked I wasn’t getting a paycheck for being “Sports Hater of the Year;” although, that would be pretty tight.

Like a lot of these hats that I’ve written about all ready, this is the first time I’ve worn this cap, my apologies. I know it’s an awesome cap, but when you have over 300 you tend to lose a little bit of focus on which ones you have and haven’t worn. More important, sometimes you just have your favorites that you’d prefer to wear more. In either case, I’m glad I’m finally getting around to this one as it bears some importance to my life a year ago today (July 17, 2012).

For those who have been following since my time during the MLB Fan Cave this day may come as a bit of a “moment of note.” For my friends in the right field bleachers, this is the first day we all met in person. Most of the hugs and hand-pounds part of the story I will leave until tomorrow’s post as it pertains to the hat I have chose for then. What I will schmooze about here was how it was great to finally sit down with the great folks of whom I had befriended during my time in New York. More important, I finally got the chance to get back home to where my Athletics fanhood began, spending the whole game passing jokes back-and-forth to one another, cheering on our team and talking mad trash to Nelson Cruz who had the unfortunate duty of playing right field for the Rangers that day.

I’ve never really been one to shout at a player during a game, let alone smack talk with them, but something compels you to break your manners and good habits the second you sit down in the right field bleachers. Every game I had been to prior to this day was spent in the plaza level above or the first or third base side of the field. No matter where I sat year-after-year I could see the gang yelling, holding up signs and having the best time anyone has ever consistently had at the Coliseum. During my time in the Fan Cave the feeling of wanting to get back to the Bay grew with every game I watched in the “baseball fan’s dream world” which really ended up being a glorified hamster cage. What’s funny about this comment is that there is actually a hamster wheel in there this year. At least they’re aware. Anyway, when the time came to finally get back home I made sure not to tell anyone as to not spoil the surprise. The reaction was about what I expected, but I’ll get into that tomorrow. What I was treated to was a spectacle of rhythmic flag waving, drum beats and specifically-timed chants. It’s quite extraordinary. One chant in particular follows an eight-beat drum lick with “[two syllable name of opposing right fielder] SUCKS!!!” In this case it was, “NEL-SON SUCKS!!!” None of us really mean it of course, it’s just good banter. What I WILL NOT join in on is when anything of a steroid, PED or drug variety is brought up. Personally, I think that’s in very poor taste. Anything else is fair game. The only thing we really needed to bust Cruz’s nuts about was the play in Game 6 of the 2011 World Series, something he has since taken in stride.

The thing that I have to admit about Cruz that very few people seem to do is that he is an incredibly generous and wonderful human being. Cruz is one of the few guys who cut it up with us, throwing some smack talk back, but also taking time out to take photos with kids and dish out some autographs. Hell, he even follows quite a few of us on Twitter. How could you not like that? Most important though, the man does a lot of great work in the Dallas/Arlington, Texas community as well as in his native Dominican Republic. No matter what gets tossed around these days that is something that must not go overlooked. Guys like Cruz are a rare commodity. We all make mistakes; some big, some small, but it’s what we do to set things right that show true character. Despite the fact that he plays on a rival team, Nelly Cruz will always be welcome in Oakland. Just be ready to dish some more smack talk out.

As I said before, I can’t believe I haven’t worn this cap before. In the history of Rangers hats it’s definitely one of my favorites. Most of the design I touched on with my Toledo Mud Hens post back on March 11^th, but I’ll give you a quick refresher as it pertains to the Rangers. This cap was first introduced during spring training right before the 1972 season, the inaugural year after the second incarnation of the Washington Senators packed up shop and moved to the Lone Star State at the end of the 1971 season. Even after having enough time to come up with a really creative logo for the team’s caps, the Rangers elected to roll with this. 

Don’t get me wrong, there is something very stylistic about it, but it still doesn’t excuse the fact that it was taken from the Mud Hens. For those who think I’m crazy when I make this claim I merely need to direct you to this photo of Jamie Farr who played Corporal Max Klinger in MASH. 

Farr’s character was from Toledo and wore this outfit quite often on the show. For those who forgot, MASH was on air from 1972-1983, but the show took place during the Korean War which was fought from 1950-1953. The Mud Hens first used this logo throughout the 1950s before their first incarnate left after the 1955 season for Wichita, Kansas. It’s all a bunch of craziness really. The Rangers used this particular cap until the end of the 1985 season; however, the cap logo lived on until the end of 1993 season.

What I don’t understand is why the Rangers never used this as their cap logo.

Not so much the “Texas Rangers” part, but just this logo. I think it’s pretty clever, but it was only a primary logo not actually featured on the uniform.

I suppose I could blame Ted Williams and his one and only year as the Rangers manager for all of these mistakes, especially since he did an equally poor job before the team relocated. His 54-100 in 1972 is still the worst finish in the team’s history.

#20- Back in the old days when it was common for high school kids to sign with a team right after graduation the then-Senators used their first pick (first overall) of the 1969 draft on a kid from Woodrow Wilson High School in Long Beach, California named Jeff Burroughs. If you’ve been following my blog over the year, let alone the last week, you might recognize that name. Jeff is in fact the father of Sean, the San Diego Padres prospect who I wrote about on July 14^th. Jeff spent the first year-and-a-half down in the minors between the Wytheville Senators of the Rookie League and the AAA Denver Bears. He made his Major League debut on July 20, 1970 as a part-time replacement player before getting sent back to Denver after a two week furlough in The Show. Burroughs would spend the next two seasons bouncing between the Senators and the Bears and then the Bears and the Rangers until finally making his case to stay at the top in 1973. That season, which also happened to be the first without Ted Williams as the skipper, Burroughs hit .279 with 30 home runs and 85 RBI; however, it would be his next where Burroughs made his presence known.

In 1974 the American League was owned by the AL West, and no two team’s players showed this more than the Athletics and the Rangers. In fact, the top-six finish for the AL MVP was comprised only of A’s and Rangers players with Burroughs taking home the prize behind his .301 average, 25 home runs and league-leading 118 RBI. Granted, the Athletics won the World Series that year and the Rangers finished five games behind them for the divisional crown; however, no one expected the Rangers to do anything that season except continue to stay near the bottom. Burroughs and company had other plans. Burroughs also made an appearance in his first of two All-Star Games he’d play in, but the only one in which he’d be a member of the AL squad.

Burroughs’s next two years in Texas didn’t pan out so well as his average dipped below .230 and his strikeout numbers skyrocketed. At the end of the 1976 season Burroughs was traded to the Atlanta Braves for Adrian Devine, Ken Henderson, Dave May, Carl Morton, Roger Moret (remember this name) AND $250,000. Yah! All of that for one guy! Burroughs would go on to have two fantastic years with the Braves in 1977 and 1978, finishing in the top-20 for the National League MVP both years and making his second All-Star Game appearance in 1978, but after that his power production dipped tremendously and by 1981 he was traded to the Seattle Mariners. At the end of the ’81 season he was signed by the Athletics where he played from 1982-1984 before having the rest of his contract purchased by the Toronto Blue Jays prior to the 1985 season. His one year in Toronto would be his last.

After he retired, Burroughs later coached his Sean's Little League team, the Long Beach All-Stars. With Sean as their star player, these teams won the Little League World Series in both 1992 (they actually lost the championship game, but were later awarded the title by forfeit after their opponents were found to have used no fewer than 14 ineligible players) and 1993.

#31- One of the more interesting figures in MLB history, Ferguson Jenkins is still considered by many as the greatest Canadian in MLB history. With a 284-226 record, 3.192 strikeouts, the 1971 NL Cy Young, three All-Star Game appearances and a National Baseball Hall of Fame induction in 1991 it’s really hard to argue. Jenkins played for 19 years with the Philadelphia Phillies (1965-1966), the Chicago Cubs (1966-1973), the Rangers (1974-1975), the Boston Red Sox (1976-1977), the Rangers again (1978-1981) and the Cubs again (1982-1983). While I only plan to really focus on Jenkins’s time with the Rangers, I can’t help but share this video clip with you. I doubt most of you remember seeing this unless you’re into bonus features on DVDs as much as I am, but it’s a cut out clip from This is Spinal Tap from 1984. Now, the movie was released in 1984; however, this scene was shot in 1983 as you can tell by Spinal Tap drummer Mick Shrimpton’s (played by RJ Parnell) answer to the question about Jenkins during their in-studio interview. Jenkins ended up finishing his career with 49 shutouts, the last of which he obtained on June 10, 1983 against the St. Louis Cardinals.

After the 1973 season Jenkins was traded to the Rangers. In 1974 he achieved a personal best 25 wins during the season, setting a Rangers franchise record which still stands. Jenkins also finished the year with 12 loses, a 2.82 ERA, a league-leading 29 complete games, six shutouts, a 1.008 WHIP and 225 strikeouts. Jenkins finished second for the AL Cy Young behind Athletics’ star pitcher Jim “Catfish” Hunter whose numbers were 25 wins, 12 loses, a 2.82 ERA, 23 complete games, six shutouts, a 0.986 WHIP and 143 strikeouts. Hunter received two more first place votes than Jenkins which tipped it in favor of Hunter despite the fact that collectively Jenkins had the more dominant season. Hunter’s team ended up making the playoffs and won their third-straight World Series title which may have been the difference. Either way, Jenkins got hosed.

During Jenkins’s second run with the Rangers he found success within the first year, 1978, when he finished sixth for the AL Cy Young award. Unfortunately for Jenkins it was also during this time that he found himself in a really bad spot. Jenkins achieved his 250th win against the Athletics on May 23, 1980. Later that year, during a customs search in Toronto, Jenkins was found possessing 3.0 grams cocaine, 2.2 grams hashish, and 1.75 grams marijuana. In response, on September 8, Commissioner Bowie Kuhn suspended him indefinitely. However, Jenkins' suspension lasted only two weeks before, in an unprecedented action, an independent arbiter reinstated him and he returned to the league. Jenkins was not further punished by MLB for the incident, as he remained active until his retirement following the 1983 season. It has been suggested that this incident delayed his induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Jenkins was in fact the first player on record to be banned/suspended for a drug-related offense.

#29- Remember when I told you to remember Roger Moret’s name? Well… Moret was born and raised in Guyama, Puerto Rico in 1949 and was later signed by the Red Sox as a free agent in 1968 where he would make his MLB debut on September 13, 1970 just three days before his 21^st birthday. He played for the Red Sox (1970-1975), the Braves (1976) and the Rangers (1977-1978). In 168 games (82 as a starter and 86 as a reliever), he posted a career won-lost record of 47–27 and an ERA of 3.66. Moret led the AL in winning percentage in both 1973 (.867) and 1975 (.824).

His career ended in 1978 in a bizarre fashion. Scheduled to be the starting pitcher against the Detroit Tigers on April 12th, Moret was spotted in the Ranger locker room in a catatonic state, with his arm extended holding a slipper. His teammates first kidded with him but as time went on the gravity of his condition brought the team's medical staff. Attempts to awaken him failed. The Rangers staff sedated him and dispatched him to the Arlington Neuropsychiatric Center. By the 25th of April, Roger's condition had improved and he was scheduled for release within a week. He appeared in only six more games after the bizarre incident. In the film Fever Pitch, the incident was cited as an instance where the Curse of the Bambino struck the Red Sox, but this is an error, as Moret was no longer with that team.

July 16- 2013 National League All-Star

Depending on who your team is, the 2013 Major League Baseball All-Star Game could be considered a rousing success or an absolute failure. The American League team relied upon small ball and tough pitching to notch a 3-0 victory over the National League team and won the rights to home field advantage in the World Series. Even though the win for the AL side made me incredibly happy for the sake of being an Oakland Athletics fan, I will admit the game was pretty boring. Actually, to be honest, this year’s mid-summer classic was the first one I haven’t watched since the NL beat the AL 2-0 at the All-Star Game hosted at the Coliseum back in 1987. For 25-straight years I had tuned in to watch the best in the game slug it out every summer until finally it came to an end du to the fact that I had to work. The All-Star game has always been my personal Super Bowl if you will, a one day test to see whose league was the most dominant. Prior to the 2003 All-Star Game there was never really much incentive for winning, but it was still fun to watch. The one thing that has always separated the MLB’s All-Star game format to the other major sports is that the players can’t play half-ass. I suppose if a pitcher really wanted to throw 90 MPH fastball right down the middle to allow home runs he could, but I highly doubt you’ll ever see it, or I doubt you’ll ever hear a pitcher admit it.

Baseball has always been my most consistent love. Whether I play it, watch it or just enjoy a comforting chat with somebody about it, baseball has always been there for me. Prior to this post I never wanted to admit that I had become some sort of a celebrity last season. Being the guy who has all of the team logos and mascots tattooed all over him may be a comforting label to some, but to me it has always been just a small part of who I am. Being featured in articles by Deadspin, Yahoo! Sports, Bleacher Report, etc. were just small steps that I had to endure to reach, what I thought was the top of the heap, the MLB Fan Cave; however, my experience left me somewhat jaded as I was eliminated before I was able to fulfill the one selfish request I had on my journey, going to the All-Star Game.

From the time I was first interviewed for any of the articles I was featured in my goal was clear, I wanted to share my love of baseball with the masses and bring in the next generation of fans. Years of watching games, studying the stats, but more important keeping an eye on media trends helped me come to the realization that the Fan Cave would have been a perfect platform to lead this mission. As my quest for the Fan Cave built momentum I continued to relay my mission statement over and over and over again to whomever would listen and to whomever asked. These moments included my interview process in Phoenix, Arizona during the top-30. Entertaining and educating others about the game of baseball was all I wanted, and still want to do. I know I’m being redundant, but I really need to continue to emphasize my mission. When finally asked by the executives of what I wanted for myself, the only thing that I have ever wanted for myself is to go to the All-Star Game. When asked why I stated, “I’ve always wanted to be an environment where fans of all teams come together to put rivalries aside and just enjoy the game of baseball with one another.” I also added that it would be a thrill of a lifetime to take a photo with all of the mascots in one venue, which ended up being the only thing that anyone really listened to. This was actually also a point that was brought up during our first day meeting at the Office of the Commissioner of Major League Baseball back in March not too long after the nine of us who were lucky enough to be Cave Dwellers arrived in New York. Clearly the marketing team had been plotting to take me to the All-Star Game for the same mascot-related reason. So when it came to be that I was being sent home I was a little bit pissed off and heart-broken about what I would be missing. 

7/10/12- I was at my parent’s house in Bakersfield, California at the time of the 2012 All-Star Game. I had missed the Home Run Derby the previous night as I had instead decided to go to a Bakersfield Blaze game with my friend Toni (@condorsfan06) instead. In between the innings if the Blaze game I flipped through the Facebook pages of Ricardo Marquez, Shaun Kippins, Ricky Mast and Ashley Chavez to see how their trip to Kansas City was going. All of us were still on really good speaking terms at that time, but things were creeping ever-so-close to the edge as my anger and jealousy was starting to take over.

Prior to that night I had spoken to Ricardo over the phone once or twice since I had been eliminated. No one else really gave me the time, but we did converse through tweets and texting. I had pretty much given Kyle Thompson the finger for spreading lies about during my time in New York which ultimately got me on notice with the executives; however, I have since been told that it was actually Ashley who caused all of this in conjunction with Gordon Mack. Either way, I'm still not happy about the deception. Ricardo and had been trying to relay whatever bits of information he could to me as talk of a TV show staring me had entered the picture. Having not heard a single word from anyone but Ricardo on this matter I thought it was BS, and have still yet to get any solid evidence to prove otherwise. But even at that, we still chatted. The moment in which everything went to Hell was when I scanned through Ricardo’s Facebook page to see him surrounded by all of the mascots.

A few days prior I had let loose on Ricardo after he and Gordon had stolen one of my video concepts and made it their own. The concept was an Unsolved Mysteries video in which Adam Dunn had rediscovered his swing after a poor first year with the Chicago White Sox. The only problem was that nobody else wanted to help me make it, so it died. When voting started for the All-Star Game final vote Gordon and Ricardo teamed up to make a video on Los Angeles Angels’ pitcher Ernesto Frieri… in the style of Unsolved Mysteries. After dealing with that and now the mascot photo I had all I could take.

Not wanting to see or hear anything more about their trip to the All-Star Game I had decided to not watch it. I made an announcement about it on Twitter as well which saddened a lot more people than I had expected. I think I smoked nearly a full pack of cigarettes leading up to the game when I finally decided to not let my emotions get the better of me. I hadn’t missed an All-Star Game in 24 years, I wasn’t about to kill the streak then.

For those of you who weren’t following me then it’s probably for the better, especially if you’re a Texas Rangers fan. At times I have been a bit too outrageous on Twitter, but on this particular day it was a no holds barred war of words. During my American League All-Star cap post from yesterday I discussed how the Oakland Athletics haven’t had a position player make an All-Star team since Ramon Hernandez in 2003. This particular fact was something that I had worked my ass off to change when I made a campaign video for Josh Reddick. But alas, it didn’t happen. But some really cool stuff did result from the video. My beef for his absence was fueled even more by the fact that then-AL manager Ron Washington had stacked his team with his own players who really didn’t have the stats to be there in the first place. So, needless to say, I made Washington my target for when things went wrong, which didn’t take very long.

In a ridiculous bit of foreshadowing, San Francisco Giants third baseman Pablo Sandoval rocked a bases-clearing triple off of Detroit Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander after Milwaukee Brewer Ryan Braun’s RBI-double to give the NL a 4-0 lead. After Atlanta Braves’ second baseman Dan Uggla knocked in Sandoval with the next at-bat the score jumped to 5-0. I had been tweeting up a storm prior to the game, but the one thing I had noticed was that none of the other Cave Dwellers had said a thing. Actually, the last Cave Dweller tweet was by Kyle who had taken a photo during the National Anthem. Around the fourth inning I had finally tagged Ashley in a tweet about taking a trip down the Home Run Slide after Giants’ outfielder Melky Cabrera went yard. Still no response, not even a personal tweet on her end. The game continued with the NL pounding the AL and by this time my direct message inbox, as well as my mentions, had been flooded from people asking me why none of the other Cave Dwellers were talking. I responded as quickly as I could but the questions were still coming in. I had no clue why. What I ended up doing next was meant to have neutral intentions; however, what came out was taken as rude. My tweet basically said, “Why is it that I’m talking but all of the @MLBFanCave Dwellers are silent?” It wouldn’t be until after the game that my question was finally answered with Ashley, Ricky, Ricardo and Gordon unfollowing me and Ricardo giving an explanation to everyone saying that he wanted to put the phone down and just enjoy the game. At which I texted him a “well played, I know that was directed at me.” To which he sent me a massive text saying how wrong I was to do that, how he had always had my back, stuck up for me, etc.

I felt bad for what I had done. It’s not in my nature to attack people and I sent him a long apology afterward, and then about five or six more apologies after that from July 2012 through December 2012, none of which have had anything to follow. Even on the day when I survived a mall shooting and asked to talk to him to make amends I still got nothing. As time wore on I questioned why I even bothered to apologize to him.

I guess the reality is that I hate grudges. I realize how weird that sounds considering where I stand with Kyle; however, if he was willing to actually man up and reach out to me I would be willing to listen. You know, look a good Christian ought to, but I’m Mormon, we don’t need a reason, we just do it. Shaun and I have always been fine as he actually understood what I was getting at. Ricky and I made amends not too long after the shooting and I apologized to Lindsay Guentzel about everything I may have done to her in August of last year.

The reason I marked up this cap with that particular date is to always remind me of a few things:

1. The most important- watch what you say publicly.

2. Keep your ideas to yourself (still struggling with that one)

3. Be true to yourself

On the last day that I got to hang out with Ashley, Ricardo, Ricky and Shaun in New York I made a few simple (drunken) requests that, if anything, I wanted carried out for me; none of which was too demanding. All I asked was that they have the same amount of fun as I did and to share the experience with everyone the same way that I had. Being silent during the one day when all fans and teams come together was not exactly what I had in mind. But hey, I guess that's why I'm still looking for a job in baseball.

Hopefully that last little bit helps give a little bit more insight to why things happened they way they did last year and why I will always be there for the fans. Everyone I interact with matters.

As far as why I chose the National League All-Star Game cap to air all of this out; it seemed fitting that my first All-Star Game and the last one I watched during the streak were both won by the NL. In the case of 2012 the NL won by a final score of 8-0. Both games were shutouts.

July 15- 2013 American League All-Star

I almost didn’t buy this cap. I’ve never been too keen on All-Star Game paraphernalia and I pretty much had cast this into the same bucket, even though I thought it was pretty cool. At the time when I was in a position to pick this cap up they had been released to the public only about a day or two before #CrewEra13 got to Buffalo, New York for the New Era Cap Fan Appreciation event I wrote about on June 23^rd and June 24^th. I found myself in a weird position. I totally thought the All-Star caps were awesome, especially knowing that they came in the Diamond Era styling, but I hadn’t reached that point in my mind where I was planning on buying any of the batting practice caps. After pondering around the New Era Cap store in the lobby of their headquarters I saw John (@Interstate19) and Derick (@LeKid26) each buying the National League version, and John with the American League version as well. I just stood back grimacing at each hat which store manager Billy looked on wondering if I was going to call out a size. Sure enough, his patience and my weakness for cool hats combined as I picked up both caps as well. Well played Billy.

2007 was the first year in which uniform specific caps were introduced to the All-Star Game. By that I mean in previous years the participants wore their own teams’ caps during batting practice and for the Home Run Derby. In 2007, 2008 and 2010 the AL and NL each wore caps that said “American” or “National” across the front panels while in 2009 each cap was outfitted with just the starting letter of each league. With no real tie-in to the city/stadium that was hosting the event. At the All-Star game in 2011, 2012 and this one here (2013) the caps took on the color of the team/city/stadium that was hosting. Personally I thought this was a great touch/addition to the event as opposed to years passed when everything looked rather generic.

As I mentioned above I really didn’t know what I was going to do with these caps nor did I have any specific date intended for when I would write about them or how I would mark them up. The answer to that question came in the form of a direct message I got from my friend Jeff Sammut (@JeffSammut590), a radio show host for 590 Sportsnet in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

On the morning of July 14^th I checked my inbox before I scuttled off to work only to find that Jeff had hit me up to ask if I’d be available to do an interview on the radio some time after the Home Run Derby which would be taking place the next day. According to when the show started and would presumably end, it meant that Jeff and his producer would be giving me a call around 10:00 PM Pacific. This worked out rather well as I would getting out of work and heading to the train around that time. I got back to him immediately, told him I’d love to and we had everything set for the following evening. The only bad thing about me agreeing to this is the fact that I would be at work during the Derby and not be able to watch it or really know what’s going on except for each participant’s score at the end of each round… or so I thought. See, back on June 29^th I had detailed one of the cool features of the phone that I won during my time in the MLB Fan Cave, the master key. Due to the fact that I always had to be watching the games in the Fan Cave the powers that be made it so that I would never have to deal with blackouts no matter which games were on in whatever region. Well, what I didn’t discover until late into the 2012 playoffs is that special events like the World Series and even the All-Star Game are included in this prize as well; however, I still forgot that I could have watched the Home Run Derby. No matter, I was at work and still had the option of check everyone’s progress on my MLB At-Bat application. Things had started off like as I expected. Both captains (David Wright and Robinson Cano) were completely useless for their teams and the average round came in at about six or seven. So far it had the making of another lackluster home run derby. Well, this is until “La Potencia” came up to the dish.

In the week leading up to the 2013 All-Star Game Oakland Athletics fans, including myself, had become especially restless about the last of a presence from the former AL West champions who were now leading their division going into the break but getting no love from anyone outside of our fan base. Josh Donaldson, the well-worth third baseman had been shafted by voters and manager Jim Leyland, much in the same way that outfielder Josh Reddick had the screws put to him by the voters and then-manager Ron Washington in 2012. Like every season since 2004 the only All-Stars the Athletics have been able to muster have come in the form of pitchers. Not since catcher Ramon Hernandez is 2003 have the Athletics been able to have a representative come in the form of a position player in the mid-summer classic. And I assure you, it’s not for a lack of talent. So, with our only representation going to pitchers who potentially weren’t going to see any action after having pitched on Sunday, Bartolo Colon and Grant Balfour, all that remained was a spot or two on Cano’s team for the Home Run Derby. With a stroke of luck and a pretty fair share of begging from MLB and the fans, I’m sure, Cano called upon Yoenis Cespedes with his final selection.

#52/32- I’ll never forget the moment when I found out that the Athletics signed Yoenis to a four-year $36 million deal. I hadn’t been sleeping much due to the fact that I was balls deep into my Fan Cave campaign so my reaction hovered around the realm of not really caring and saying, “Who the f--- is this guy?” when the news broke. Well, I wouldn’t go as far to say that actually, it was more like, “Wait… we just shelled out money for an unproven player? Damn… he must be good.” Being an Athletics fan for so many years, especially under Bill Beane’s tenure as general manager has taught us a few things:

1. If Billy throws money at a player, they’re probably really good.

2. If Billy sees potential in player who has never really been given the chance in MLB, they’re probably going to have a career season.

I think it’s fair to say that both parts came true last season as Yoenis finished in second place for the AL Rookie of the Year award and 10^th for the AL MVP after batting .292 with 23 home runs and 82 RBI. As amazing as those numbers are, those are merely what they are, numbers. It’s not often that fans are given the chance to see a player come up from out of nowhere to crush a ball like Roy Hobbs in The Natural, but Yoenis may certainly be the closest Athletics fans have come to seeing the real thing. Very little was known about the Cuban defector, but at the time, all that mattered was what he could do on the ball field.

I have to admit, I was a pretty skeptical when I first heard about Yoenis back in January of 2012. Like a lot of you, I watched the highlight video “Yoenis Cespedes: The Showcase” that bounced around YouTube, but I was left feeling way more confused than anything. If you haven’t seen, or even if you have, watch it again so that you might be able to see where I’m coming from. The opening plays like Star Wars, I mean literally plays like the intro. Keys words like “new hope” and even the flattened-out text are a dead ringer. Then comes a bevy of dingers and stingers during games, all the while “Sailing” by Christopher Cross is playing as the soundtrack. Now, I’m pretty savvy when it comes to music, but Christopher Cross would be the last thing I would have playing in the background of an action-oriented highlight video. But after that, things get real. The Chris Brown gets kicked on and we’re given a wild display of wind sprints, 45-inch box jumps, 1300-pound leg presses and 4.3 second T-Drills. And it keeps going. Switch it up to Jay-Z and watch Yoenis put on a hitting clinic. I can’t exactly say that the video is the best-edited highlight film on the market; however, it certainly helped get the job done as the 26-year-old was able to land a contract. All there was left to do was prove himself in The Show.

The timing really couldn’t have been any better, all though I’m pretty sure I was chosen for the Fan Cave for the sake of having an Athletics representative in the house for the Opening Day series in Japan and in case Yoenis was going to end up being the real deal. It only took two days for Yoenis to go deep off of Shawn Kelley in the seventh inning in the 4-1 win over the Seattle Mariners, but it was his next home run off of Jason Vargas on April 6^th, the official Opening Day in Oakland, where the legend of Yoenis became a reality. Here’s the video in case you forgot. The Coliseum at night is not an easy place to knock a ball over the fence, but in the case of Yoenis the wall wasn’t so much the issue as it was trying to knock it over Mount Davis in centerfield. It is still one of the most amazing home runs I’ve seen hit at the Coliseum. Granted, I saw it on TV; I can only imagine how awesome that would have been in person. After that night though, Yoenis’s numbers started to dwindle, big time. His average was around .245 with five home runs when he hit the DL with back issues after their game against the Tampa Bay Rays on May 6^th. With as violent as his swing is, and his inability to shy away from breaking pitches, very few thought that he was going to help the club. Boy, were they ever wrong.

Whoever worked with Yoenis during his rehab phases did a remarkable job. His patience was better, his swing looked more natural and his ability to hit for extra bases was effortless. The $36 million man had been rebuilt and was ready for action. Down the stretch he proved to be a key figure as the Athletics won their first AL West Division title since 2006 in probably the most ridiculous, yet amazingly historic way possible; on the last day of the season.

Going into the All-Star break this year Yoenis had tagged 15 long balls, the last six of which had come in pairs. When Cano called Yoenis to the team we (Athletics fans) all knew that he was going to walk away with the trophy. And he certainly didn’t disappoint.

If you recall above I had said that the average score was coming in around six or seven; well, that was before Yoenis came to the plate. I was helping customers at the time of his at-bat so I was a bit surprised to see the number 17 next his name. I mean, I knew he was going to move onto the second round, but I thought he all ready had and that was his continued score. Good Lord! It was all made even more hilarious by the fact that he technically didn’t even need to take his second round at-bats on account of still having a higher score than everyone else with just his first round numbers. It was also at this point in time that my brain kicked on and I watched the final round on my phone. The bat flip at the end with five out left to burn is pretty much all you need to know about how that contest went as Yoenis finished with a score of 32. At the end of my shift I got the call from Jeff who, in his Nostradamus-like infinite wisdom, picked this day, of all days, to have me on his show.

The most interesting part of Yoenis’s victory on the night is that it came on the heels of the San Francisco Chronicle article written by Susan Sussler that was published earlier in the day about Yoenis and his family’s journey from their native Cuba to the United States. If you haven’t read it yet, here it is. All I can pretty much add to it is that Yoenis is one of the most strong-minded, big-hearted players in the game. How he was able to have the season he did while separated from his family is beyond comprehension.

July 14- San Diego Padres

It’s kind of crazy to think that in the 17 years that I lived in California (born and raised) I never went to San Diego until years after I moved away. Living in Bakersfield for the majority of my life this really doesn’t make much sense, especially since the two cities are less than four hour apart from one another. An even weirder thing to consider out of this is that from when I was 13-years-old until I was 19 I was a pretty avid surfer. The furthest south my board and I had ever gotten in California was down to San Clemente, which is still only about an hour north of “a whale’s vagina.” I don’t know. I can’t think of an reasonable explanation as to how I dodged it for so long, but I’m glad that I was finally able to make it out there this last year to catch a game with fellow MLB Fan Cave hopeful Andy Bishop.

Andy and I hit it off almost immediately when we first met in person in February of 2012 for the top-30 of the Fan Cave auditions. He and I have the same appreciation for weird, outlandish, off-the-wall comedy and we are both Mormon. Well, he’s a bit more adherent to the rules than I am; nonetheless, we were both raised with the same faith and struck a common accord during our time together. I thought he would have been a lock as one of the final nine from last season, but then again, I felt that way about a lot of the people that I met. Like Los Angeles Dodgers fan Nick Hamilton, Andy was one of the many people who I told that I would go south to visit him and take him to a San Diego Padres game no matter what the outcome of the Fan Cave experience would be. Just a few days after Independence Day 2012 I lived up to my word.

The timing of my visit technically couldn’t be any worse. Yes, Andy was around; however, Andy was also in the process of moving and didn’t really have a place for me to crash, but we did end up slitting a hotel room downtown. Aside from being an aspiring sports play-by-play announcer, Andy served as a tour guide at Petco Park on off days and before Padres games. Sadly, I never got to get the grand tour from the man, but he did show me around a bit before the game started and after we got to shoot the breeze with Cincinnati Reds second baseman Brandon Phillips. Andy took me to the warehouse in left field and we made our way to the sandbox in centerfield and the grass knoll-area which sat behind. The Padres were hosting a beer and wine tasting event at the time which was a really cool bonus for fans who don’t otherwise want to just sit in their seat waiting for the game to start. One thing I wanted to do was check out the Padres team store as I was in search of a Tucson Padres cap, the AAA-affiliate of the Padres, for my collection. As luck would have it they had a score in stock; however, the price on the caps was $50, and this was before tax. I passed without thinking twice about it.

The game itself was pretty rough. Even our rally caps couldn't thwart the Padres 0-6 loss, but we didn’t let that spoil our night. 

Andy and I retreated to a local ale house for a quick beverage, well, I did and we stayed there until the end of the Seattle Mariners versus the Oakland Athletics game that was in the bottom off the ninth inning. Andy and I spent most of the time chatting about what we’ve got going on over the next couple of days when the next thing I knew Chris Carter had just blasted a three-run home run off of Steve Delabar in the bottom of the 11^th inning to give the A’s a 4-1 win over the Mariners. Worn out an both with busy days the next morning, we went to the hotel, turned on MLB Network and passed out. Andy had all ready paid for the hotel so I headed outside in the middle of the night to grab a smoke and run to an ATM to get money to pay him back. Of all the things that I will ever forget from that trip, the one that sticks out the most is how I left the cash sitting on the nightstand next to Andy’s bed. When I didn’t see Andy leave the next morning, but saw the money gone, I couldn’t help but laugh at that exchange being almost like I paid Andy for a date that night. I have a twisted sense of humor sometimes.

If you’re an avid follower of my blog you might have recognized the cap I’m wearing in the photos with Andy as the Padres Military Day cap I wrote about on April 12^th. Seeing how I didn’t write about the game I went to with Andy I felt that this was a good enough platform to bring it up, especially considering the fact that Petco Park, and the numbers I have marked are all relevant to the cap that I’m writing about. The Padres introduced it, along with this cap, at the start of the 2004 season when they retired the white “S” with orange “D”-logoed cap at the end of the 2003 season; this cap. In the case of this sand-colored “SD” logo cap, the Padres wore it as their road and alternate cap and retired it at the end of the 2011 season. The all-navy blue with a white “SD” cap then took over as their regular game cap. I couldn’t believe that I had never worn this cap until I put it on today; the price tag was still on the bottom.

Picking players to mark this cap up was actually a pretty easy move. 

#44- Of all the players to move on from the Padres over the last decade, the hardest to swallow has to be Jake Peavy. I had actually written about Peavy back on February 12^th for one of my Lake Elsinore pieces, but there’s so much that I left out as I focused primarily on his time with the Storm. 

Peavy grew up in Mobile, Alabama and cheered the Crimson Tide through and through. As a kid he followed the Atlanta Braves whose core of the 1990s was built around the brilliant pitching of Tom Glavine, John Smoltz and one of his sports heroes Greg Maddux. Jake’s father, Donny, was a skilled carpenter who made cabinets along with his father, Blanche, on their three-acre plot of land in the outskirt town of Semmes. Donny was an especially gifted and well-known ball player around town, as was Blanche. Jake was especially close to his grandfather who was still playing fast-pitch softball. He drove Jake to school in his old El Camino most mornings. After school, his grandfather would videotape Jake pitching, pop the tape in the VCR and analyze his motions. Despite all of this keen analysis, no one noticed that Jake was profoundly near sighted. After he got his first pair of glasses, he turned into an excellent hitter, too. One day, in 1994, Blanche turned on a fan in the shop and the unthinkable happened. The blade snapped and went through his eye and into his brain. He fell into a coma, and his family later agreed to let him go. Jake was devastated. From that day forward the loss motivated Jake as he gave it his all for his “Paw-Paw.”

When Jake was ready for high school, his parents sent him to St. Paul’s Episcopal in Mobile. The school had a reputation for its tremendous sports program, and his parents felt that this was a smart path for their son. St. Paul’s was a private school, so Debbie, his mother, had to take a job in the post office so they could afford the tuition. Money well spent.

As Jake grew into his burly 6-1 frame, he blossomed into an unbeatable pitcher. He had a hard fastball that he slung across his body, and a change up that was very advanced for a boy his age. In his first three varsity seasons, Jake went 31-1. He exhibited the kind of wildness one would expect in a live young arm, but after throwing an occasional pitch to the backstop, he was usually able to collect himself and get back down to business. The scouts who began showing up at his games took note of this quality. –JockBio.com

During Jakes senior season, 1999, he led the Saints to the state championship and never lost one of his 13 decisions on the mound. Of all the colleges who were interested in him, the University of Alabama was the one he wanted to attend the most. Upon hearing this Peavy was invited to Alabama’s campus in Tuscaloosa by then head coach Jim Wells for a tour and an offer… or so Peavy thought. Peavy though that Bama was going to roll out the red carpet for him, instead he was welcomed with little-to-no fanfare and the only offer he was given was Wells’ promise to pay for his books. Yup! The best high school pitcher in the state of Alabama was offered books. Dejected, Peavy took an audience with Auburn University head coach Hal Baird who offered him a full ride if he played for the Tigers. Peavy was at a cross road. He now had even more motivational fuel by playing for Auburn to stick it Alabama, or he could roll the dice and see where he ended up in the draft and make his decision from there. Peavy had all ready told most scouts that he would commit to Auburn if he wasn’t drafted in the first four rounds, which scared a lot of teams off… except one, the Padres. Padres’ scout, Mark Wasinger, had gotten to know Jake’s other grandfather, and was convinced that the kid had all the intangibles necessary to be a star. Wasinger called the Padres late in the draft and asked how high Jake had gone. When he was informed that his name was still on the board, he begged the club to take him. They did, in the 15th round. When the draft concluded Wasinger got Jake to agree that he would sign a contract if he was given fourth-round bonus money. Wasinger put his reputation on the line and convinced the Padres to offer six figures. Jake signed, making Hal Baird the unhappiest man in the state of Alabama.

Peavy made his Major League debut on June 22, 2002 and became an immediate fixture in the Padres rotation despite going 6-7 with a 4.52 ERA in his first year. From 2003-2006 Peavy would win at least 11 games per season, only having one losing year in 2006 where he went 11-14. His ERA was cut in half as he led the National League with a 2.27. In 2005 he made his first All-Star game as he lead the NL in strikeouts that season with 216. But all of these accomplishments were merely the warm-up to his phenomenal year in 2007.

Peavy’s final year in San Diego came in 2008, but it was his triple crown, second All-Star Game appearance, Cy Young-winning season in 2007 which will always make Peavy a legend in San Diego. That season he went 19-6 with a 2.54 ERA, 240 strikeouts and even a league-leading 1.061 WHIP to boot. Had the Padres made the playoffs that season Peavy may have won the NL MVP as well, but he finished in seventh place.

#30- If there is one player throughout my years whose name has come up at the most unusual times in my life; it has to be Ryan Klesko. Klesko was a fifth round draft pick by the Braves back in 1989 out of Westminster High School in Westminster, California. He made his Major League debut on September 12, 1992 and hung with the Braves all the way through their World Series run in 1995 and until the end of the season in 1999. In fact, Klesko is the only person in World Series history to knock a home run a three consecutive road games, which he did against the Cleveland Indians in ’95. At the end of the 1999 season he was traded to with Bret Boone and Jason Shiell to the Padres for Quilvio Veras, Reggie Sanders and Wally Joyner.

From 2000-2006 Klesko played first base and left field in San Diego where he made his one and only All-Star appearance in 2001 after hitting .286 with 30 home runs and a career-high 113 RBI. In 2002, he hit .300 with 29 HR and 95 RBI, and collected career-highs in hits (162) and doubles (39). In his career he has a .370 on base percentage with a .500 slugging average, for a .870 OPS. His .525 slugging percentage as a Brave ranks 4th all-time among the team's career leaders, ahead of Eddie Mathews. His .886 OPS as a Brave ranks him 5th among Braves' all-time leaders. Klesko hit .279 with 278 home runs and 987 for his career. He also had a really sweet mustache for most of his career.

My one story that has to do with him came in 2004 when I was interning at a newspaper in Salem, Oregon called The Statesman Journal. My first assignment was to interview a bunch of kids who were on a Little League team that was gearing up to make a solid run for Williamsport. One of the questions that I had to ask all of the kids was, “who is your favorite player?” One of the kids said his favorite player was “Brian Flesko.” I even had him write it down. Well, guess who got their ass chewed out for not correcting it to Ryan Klesko? It wasn’t that I didn’t know who the kid was talking about; I just knew that he was being a smartass so I decided not to change it, which is also why I made him write it down. Needless to say, I never let that happen again.

#3- Khalil Greene was one of my favorite players to come up through the Padres organization. A 2002 Baseball America All-American, Dick Hoswer Trophy winner, ACC Player of the Year, All-ACC first team, Rotary Smith Award winner, Golden Spikes Award winner (best college baseball player), sociology degree recipient out of Clemson University, Greene entered the MLB draft and was taken with the 13^th overall pick by the Padres. Greene moved through the Padres farm system with ease in a year-and-a-half starting with the short season-A Eugene Emeralds on to the Lake Elsinore Storm on to the AA Mobile Bears and then for a brief time in 2003 with the Portland Beavers before making his MLB debut on September 3^rd.

Greene became a regular fixture in the Padres lineup in 2004 and put up solid numbers in his first year, but finished second for the Rookie of the Year award behind Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Jason Bay. Greene hit .273 with 15 home runs and 63 RBI on the season. Greene became a fan favorite overnight. He looked like Jeff Spicoli and played with reckless abandon.

Hell, he even won me over.

But Greene’s time with the Padres would be short-lived as he was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals during the 2008 Winter Meetings. What’s actually pretty crazy is that even though Greene only played in five full season with the Padres, he still holds the franchise record for most home runs hit by a shortstop with 84. Greene took several weeks off during May and June 2009, after it was revealed that he was possibly injuring himself in mental anguish (revealed to be social anxiety disorder) due to a slow start for the Cardinals, hitting .197 with only three home runs at the time. He returned to the Cards lineup on June 19 at the Kansas City Royals. Playing third base for the first time since college, he went 2-for-2 with a double, a solo home run and a walk, eventually being substituted after fouling a ball off his foot. Following a 1 for 17 stretch over five games, Greene was placed back on the disabled list with social anxiety disorder on June 29. Greene filed for free agency for the 2010 season, and signed with the Texas Rangers. He announced on February 22, 2010 that, suffering another episode of social anxiety disorder, he would not be reporting to Rangers spring training. On February 25, the Rangers voided Greene's contract. Greene’s final game in MLB was October 4, 2009.

#32- Sean Burroughs was born in Atlanta, Georgia but grew up in Long Beach, California and is regarded as one of the greatest Little League World Series stars. His father Jeff, former American League MVP with the Texas Rangers, was the Long Beach coach and led his son and company to the LLWS and won back-to-back championships in 1992 and 1993. Sean is also the only player to pitch back-to-back no-hitters in the LLWS. Before breaking into the Major Leagues Sean was also a somewhat accomplished writer as a piece of his was included as one of the freedom writers as his is diary entry #132.

Burroughs was selected with the ninth overall pick in the 1998 amateur draft by the Padres, bolstering solid numbers with the gold medal-winning 2000 USA Olympic team and the AAA Beavers in 2001 before getting called up and making his MLB debut on April 2, 2002. Burroughs’s career with the Padres had a lot of promise. His best season came in 2004 where he batted .298 with 156 hits, two home runs and 47 RBI, but after the 2005 season the Padres dealt him to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays for Dewon Brazelton. Burroughs only made it through August before the Devil Rays released him. After that, he faded into obscurity… or so people thought.

After getting released by the Seattle Mariners in June of 2007 Burroughs disappeared, literally. He ended up in Las Vegas, Nevada moving around from motel to motel, drinking up to eight Slurpees a day and eating cheeseburgers out of trashcans. Sounds unbelievable, right? It gets worse. During an interview with ESPN Burroughs admitted, "I was doing a lot of things that were morally not correct and physically not correct. I was knocking at death's door. I was flirting with going to jail and getting locked up someplace. It was scary. Some people kind of came to my rescue. It was pure insanity, but I got myself back together and I'm coming back out of the haze I was in for so many years.''

The former LLWS star, Olympic gold medalist and highly-touted prospect picked up the broken pieces of his life and got back into baseball in 2011 with the Arizona Diamondbacks and then the Minnesota Twins in 2012. In 2013 he was signed to a minor league deal by the Los Angeles Dodgers and played 57 games with the AA Chattanooga Lookouts.