Hall of Famer Hurt After Fall

Hall of Famer Brooks Robinson is said to be "resting comfortably" after suffering a fall this past weekend at a Florida casino.

According to witnesses, The Baltimore Orioles legend was seated on an elevated stage during a baseball dinner at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino when he leaned backward and fell about six feet to the floor.

Robinson fractured his shoulder in two places. Paramedics treated the 74-year-old and transported him to a nearby hospital.

No word as to whether or not the ghost of Anna Nicole Smith is what forced Robinson off the stage.  But I don't mind starting the rumor.

The 16-time Gold Glove winning thirdbaseman was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame 1983.  This past October, the Orioles unveiled a statue of Robinson to coincide with the 20th anniversary of Camden Yards.

This Week in Baseball Cards: January 31

It was a week of desperate cries of “look at me!” from attention whores Jose Canseco, Heath Bell, Logan Morrison and Dallas Braden.

Here's Bo Rosny with This Week in Baseball Cards!

Braden’s cry for attention was the most interesting, with a tattoo of Rollie Fingers on a dolphin. Too bad he didn’t get art that better showed off Fingers’ handlebar mustache, like this great Diamond King card.

Tim Tebow has been invited to throw out the first ball of a minor league game, which continues a long tradition of quarterbacks and minor league baseball. Which brings up a great trivia question. What do John Elway, Dan Marino and Jay Schroeder have in common? In 1979, they were all picked in the MLB draft before Don Mattingly.

Finally, there was a pretty good interview on this blog with Anna Benson, featuring a great game of word association. On my blog this week was an interview with her husband Kris. Find out why this card is his favorite.

And remember, gang, you can check out Bo's daily insights over at his site...Baseball Cards Come to Life.

Kenny Powers is Back!

"Eastbound and Down" is back, baby!

And, thankfully, I've got a Kenny Powers bobblehead on my desk to remind me daily of the glory of the embattled reliever's signature mullet and the comedic stylings of Danny McBride.

This season, the last of the series, Powers finds himself, again, with a new team...the fictional Myrtle Beach Merman.  Also along for the ride are Will Ferrell, Matthew McConaughey, Jason Sudeikis and Academy Award nominee John Hawkes.

The show recently concluded its production in South Carolina at BB&T Coastal Field...the home of the Carolina League's Myrtle Beach Pelicans.

Season three of "Eastbound and Down" kicks off February 19 on HBO. 

And, no, Jose Canseco...this show is NOT about you.

 

 

Jorge Posada Trying to Unload Condo

Well, that didn't last long.

Just days after Jorge Posada announced his retiring, word came that his $11.5 million condominium was on the market.

But, I guess when the Yankees don't need you in New York...you cease needing to own property on Manhattan's Upper East Side.

Curious about what the condo contains?  Be curious no more...thanks to The Real Estalker.

Property records suggest Mister and Missus Posada purchased and subsequently combined two adjacent mid-floor condo residences in to one mansion-sized sprawler at The Seville, a 31-story, full-service white glove condo tower that lords over a busy but fairly ordinary corner of East 77th Street and 2nd Avenue. The glassy tower offers residents round-the-clock door people, direct access to a private garage, and a state of the art fitness center complete with the requisite body torture devices, an outdoor terrace, swimming pool, spa, and sauna.

We're not entirely sure when they snatched up the first piece of their hoity-toity New York City real estate puzzle but we do find clear evidence Mister and Missus Posada paid $3,600,000—or $3,500,000 depending on where one peeps—for the nearly 2,300 square foot condo next door in August 2007.

Listing information and marketing materials for the Posada's now- and rather smartly-combined 10-plus room urban oasis show it spans approximately 5,600 square feet of interior space—and 0 square feet of exterior space, offers four highly desirable exposures—those would be north, south, east and west, of course—and is currently configured with 4 bedrooms and 5 full and 2 half bathrooms.

Oh...on a less stalkerish note, the five-time World Champ was inducted into the Latin American International Sports Hall of Fame over this past weekend.

And that concludes conversation including both "Jorge Posada" and "Hall of Fame".

Now...pictures of that massive crib dude is trying to unload!  Click below to see all of them.

Behold...the Rollie Fingers Bobblehead!

Quick question...are bobbleheads getting better or is my taste in baseball tchotchkes getting worse?

Both.  But that's neither here or there right now.

When the Oakland Athletics square off against the Cleveland Indians at home on April 21, the first 10,000 fans are taking home a Rollie Fingers bobblehead as part of the team remembering their 1972 World Series win.

Now, you might think to yourself...self, is this the first time Mustached American folk hero Rollie Fingers has ever been celebrated in bobblehead form?

The answer?  No...it's happened at least twice.

On August 20, 2004, the Birmingham Barons had a Fingers bobblehead giveaway.  And even though, the future Hall of Famer wore a lip sweater in the minors...he did in bobblehead form.  The Barons would lose 10-4 against the Carolina Mudcats.

A year later, July 16, 2005, the Milwaukee Brewers would honor their former American League MVP and Cy Young Award winner with two bobbleheads (one wearing the home unis...the other in roads).  Unfortunately, the Crew would also fall...5-3 against the Washington Nationals.

Hopefully, Oakland can reverse the trend against the Tribe at the end of April.

Team Extends Invite to Tim Tebow

You can't blame a team for trying to draw fans.  And that's exactly what the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs are trying to do.

Last week, following the Denver Broncos 45-10 loss at the hands of the New England Patriots, the minor league club sent out an invitation to Tim Tebow to throw out the first pitch before their June 21 contest.

"Tebow has undeniably been the story of the NFL season this year. He and the Broncos made a great run, but as we all saw, Tim doesn’t exactly have a Tom Brady arm. And we’d like to help him with that as he enters the off season," Blue Crabs Assistant General Manager Brian Radle said.  "To make the invite more attractive, we’ve even booked the Cowboy Monkeys which have been a national sensation themselves! All the more to set the stage and get Tim’s mojo back!"

Hold on now. 

No one said there were monkeys involved.  Much less...monkeys that ride dogs.  And really, isn't that the best way to describe Tebow's meteoric rise this past season?

That's right, I just said that Tim Tebow is on par with cowboy monkeys riding dogs.  Except he's probably not as entertaining.

And monkeys hate Jesus.

Please disregard this whole story and enjoy the awesomeness below.

Talkin' Baseball with Michael Schlact

If you’re not hip to Michael Schlact…you’re missing out.

Whether it’s going back and forth with his followers (nearly 11,000 of them!) or live tweeting an ill-fated bus trip…the former Texas Rangers farmhand is no stranger to social media. Recently, the righty was even named Baseball Digest’s top Minor League player to follow onTwitter.

But it was this past Tuesday that Schlact took Twitter to a whole new level and tweeted to his nearly 11,000 followers where he’ll be playing this upcoming season.

If you missed it, I've signed with the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs of the Atlantic League. So excited and grateful for the opportunity!

HOVG: Michael, first off…congratulations on re-signing with the Blue Crabs. Was returning to Southern Maryland an easy decision for you?

SCHLACT: Absolutely. It's a great place to live, a beautiful stadium, an awesome coaching staff and team, plus the league has such high caliber competition!

HOVG: You’re heading into your ninth season in baseball. What’s the plan going into this year and where do you see yourself a year from now?

SCHLACT: My mission in 2012 is to show everyone that I'm healthy. Yes, a shoulder surgery for a pitcher is a definite negative, but with hard work and taking care of your arm, it is possible to return to full health or stronger! I set statistical goals for myself each year. I hit those marks last year and I plan to up the ante this year for myself.

HOVG: What’s the atmosphere like there in Waldorf? I’ve gotta think playing for an owner like Hall of Famer Brooks Robinson has some advantages.

SCHLACT: The Blue Crabs really take care of us. Regency Furniture Stadium is beautiful, and the fan base there is phenomenal. We can always count on the fans to have our back at home or on the road! The city is close to Washington DCso there's plenty to do!

HOVG: I mentioned the infamous road trip live tweet from this past June earlier. Now, I know I wrote about it here at The Hall, but were you surprised to see it pop up over at The Washington Post’s website?

SCHLACT: Haha! Yes, that story got around. I was surprised to see how popular a broken down charter bus could be. Playing Minor League Baseball definitely has interesting stories that go along with it, but that one takes the cake for me.

HOVG: Do you have any lasting memories from that night? Was there any fallout?

SCHLACT: To be honest, it was amazing to see a group of guys stay upbeat and positive in a situation that was less than appealing. We made the best of the situation. If you're referring to fallout from the story being published, no. It showed that even in a bad situation, we could be positive and make the best of it. I think it was a more noticeable story because at the time, three or four other teammates were tweeting about it too. There's a right way to go about tweeting things like that, and I feel like we all did a good job of keeping it entertaining and honest.

HOVG: Lastly, Southern Maryland is also the baseball home to Josh Caray. I had the opportunity to catch up with Josh this past season and we talked about his legendary family. Has anyone on the team taken advantage of situation and attempted a Harry Caray impersonation around Josh or is it something that just isn’t approached?

SCHLACT: Oh trust me, it's approached. Just ask him. I probably did it more than anyone. He has a sense of humor, and everything was in good fun. But, in all seriousness, Harry was one of the most legendary announcers in history. Josh takes that very seriously but also knows that he'll get his fair share of impersonators...especially thanks to Will Ferrell on SNL.

This past season, Schlact was 6-4 with a 4.61 ERA with the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs. The best way to reach to him is via Twitter. He is also on Facebook and maintains his own blog.

Best Tattoo Ever?

If you're like me (and best of luck to you if you are), you've had the conversation with your friends about what tattoo you'd like to get.

For me...it usually ends up being some sort of tophat wearing skeleton or monster driving a hot rod.  The reason?  No reason at all.  I just want something to regret for the rest of my days.

But now, after seeing Dallas Braden's new ink...I feel as though I've let everyone down with my choice.

The Oakland A's pitcher was recently seen sporting a tattoo of Rollie Fingers riding a dolphin...jumping a rainbow.

Word is that the tat was for a commercial Braden shot with the Hall of Fame closer.  I choose to believe that he's juse embracing the gloriousness (gloriousness?) that is one Rollie Fingers.