Over the 'Edg' - UPDATED

Colorado Springs leading the Reno Aces 11-8 in the bottom of the 7th. Reno had just put 6 runs up in the top of the inning and with their history of comebacks against the Sox things were being to look iffy. 

Brendan Harris flies to right for the 1st out and now Sky Sox reliever Edgmer Escalona comes to the plate against Aces' reliever Joe Patterson. Should be a quick out. In 3 major league plate appearances with the Rockies he is 0-3 with 3 K's. In 3 career minor league plate appearances he was 0-3 with 3 K's. Escalona takes ball one. He takes strike one. It doesn't look like he even wants to swing, but there is something in the air. Again, there's always something in the air when Edgmer is in the game. Whether he's hitting, pitching or just wandering around (and he does wander around a lot). That something, whatever it is, just seems to follow him. So, here comes the 3rd pitch, a fastball down the middle, and low and behold Edgmer crushes it, I mean just crushes it, for a no doubter over the left-field wall:

Escalona swings? And...

..."I don't believe what I just saw."

First career homer! Hell, first career hit. Double-Hell, first career contact that goes into fair territory. And does he humbly lower his head and just run around the bases? Not our Edgmer! He throws his hands in the air and watches the ball travel out of site (I was so in shock about him getting a hit I stopped shooting for a second and missed capturing the throwing of the hands) and then jumps, hops and skips his way toward 1st base:

0-6 with 6 K's turns into 1-7, 6 K's and a bomb...

...so now I can STRUT!

As Edgmer rounds the bases Reno is chirping. Joe Patterson is chirping. Aces' manager Bret Butler is chirping (Reno is the team that complained and got Escalona suspended for 8 games for having things and stuff on his person while pitching, so there is no love lost between them). 
 
'How dare you show us up!'
'What about the unwritten rules?'
'Won't someone please think of the children?'. 

Well. How about writing out those 'rules' or shutting the f*ck up? Kay-riste! Don't want a guy showing you up? How about not letting a guy who's 0 for life hit a bomb off of you? That might be a good start. UPDATED - I seemed to have totally missed that Edgmer pointed and shouted at the Reno dugout as he rounded 3rd base. In hind site I guess that would have the tendency to inflame the situation just a bit. So in regard to the above rant, never mind.

'Let me slide right in here with my own bad self!'

The patriotic bunting was there for Edgmer.
And his homer!

For Edgmer. You're golden moment enshrined forever!

Unfortunate Bat Placement

Today contestant in Unfortunate Bat Placement is Matt McBride. As all boys know, it's 'hard' to run with a 'woody'.

Kay-riste! You're going to put out an eye with that thing!

Out 5-3. Thanks for playing Mr. McBride! Please contact Tacoma pitcher, Andrew Carraway, to claim his 'Safety Spikes' as your parting gift.

Carraway's World Famous 'Safety Spikes'.
The reflective tape helps cars see you, at NIGHT!

And to answer the big debate last night:

Bowler or Derby? The correct answer was 'HAT'.

That is a John B. Stetson Derby Fur Felt Bowler Hat. Just $219.95 at the Fedora Store! Remember to order early to beat the holiday rush.

Hey Drew! That cool?
Sez Drew, "It KOOL!"

What's Cool with Drew

Play along with Sky Sox public relations intern Andrew Mitchell as we see, What's Cool with Drew!

Andrew Mitchell, Mr. Apple State, is ready to play our game. Are you?

# 1: 

Crazy Elvis? Cool with Drew?

# 2:

Stereotype Vacation Dad? Cool with Drew?

# 3:

Double rainbows? Cool with Drew?

# 4:

Donovan McCrabb, Shark Mcgwire, Bear Bonds & Dick Flytale?
Cool With Drew?

# 5:

The BoSquatch? Cool with Drew?

The correct answers are, Cool; Cool; Cool; Not Cool; and Cool. 

Thanks for playing and now here is a shot, that against all odds, contains nothing relevant in focus:

Nothing, nada, zip, zilch, bupkis is in focus in the shot.

 

Hurt Feelings

Robinson Cano got booed at the Home Run Contest. He didn't choose 
Billy Butler from Kansas City so the KC fans booed him. And the KC 
fans booed his family. They booed Cano for being a Yankee. They booed 
him for not choosing Butler. Then they cheered when he rolled a doughnut
in the contest. 

You didn't pick our guy!
How dare you pick three guys how happen to be better!
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

Because of all the booing the media started to whine. The players started
to whine. The union chief started to whine. Commissioner Bud Selig started 
to whine. And because of all of the whining about Kansas City booing
KC started to whine about being treated unfairly. 

Kay-riste! Now everyone has hurt feelings...

Flight of the Conchords - Hurt Feelings - HD from cricobs on Vimeo.

You Get To Do This When You Win

Looks fun doesn't it? Just win and you're in!
Hell. You don't even need to win it all.
It seems just your division or league will do.

Dance the Night Away

Look at this guy DANCE!

Mike DeMark loves the nightlife,
He's got to boogie on the disco 'round, oh yea.

Just look at him!

Do the hoedown
(Throwdown!)
Throw it all together, that's how Mike DeMark rolls!

Reno Aces' relief pitcher, and part-time dance phenom, Mike DeMark, #34, cranks it out with the help of someone who is Not-Stephen Drew, #1, and something called Shark McGwire, #25.

Nothing says, "SUMMER!" more than dancing with
'roid -infested inflatable sharks
and your best friend who is Not-Stephen Drew!

The Mirror-Ball Trophy was within your grasp...

Mike DeMark/Not-Stephen Drew/Shark McGwire
2012 Dancing with Baseball Stars winners

...then you have to go and ruin everything by busting out the 'Worm'. The 'Worm'?!

Why Mike why? There were children present.
And service monkeys! On Service Monkey Night!
How dare you sir! HOW-DARE-YOU!
Those monkeys will never be able to serve again.

I think I'm going to be sick...

Happy Independence Day!

That round should take out Pueblo.

PengoSports wishes everyone a Happy 4th of July! Enjoy celebrating the day with your friends and family. Be safe and have fun.

The All-American Synchronized Toothbrush Squad
showing America how they celebrate the 4th!

Hey dammit! Aussie Rules, St. Kilda v Kangaroos, is on FUEL TV (Comcast 128/DirectTV 618/Dish 398) from Noon - 2pm today. Australian Football? FUEL TV? What's FUEL TV? You know. Thrillbillies; shitloads of UFC; snowboarding; surfing, more shitloads of UFC; motocross. That FUEL TV. Yeah. we know. If FUEL TV continues to carry games we'll let you know, but we can't promise that it won't replace Thrillbillies.

And now, because we care:

Origin Decider

WATCH IT! Just WATCH IT!

State of Origin 3 is upon us. The Decider! Queensland hosting New South Wales in Rugby League AWESOMENESS at 330am on Fox Soccer Channel. Watch it LIVE. DVR it. Just watch it and tomorrow you'll finally be allowed to sit at the 'Cool Kids' table! 

The closest you're going to get to fireworks in Colorado Springs this 4th of July

Separated at birth?

Past Colorado Springs Sky Sox great, and current Rockies utility-man, Jonathan Herrera (Root Sport has annoyingly christened him Johnny Sparkplug) and the 1970's New York Mets' superstar Chico Escuela:

Rumour has it Herrera is coming out with a new tell-all book,
Bad Stuff 'Bout the Rockies

It Is On! Origin 3!

State of Origin 3 is Wednesday morning. NSW v QLD. Fox Soccer Channel. 330am. Get ready!

Just a taste. 31 hours and counting...

Fair or Foul #2

June 23. The Tacoma Rainiers came to town for a 4 game series. Bottom of the 1st, two on, one out and Matt McBride is up versus Seattle's wunderkind pitching phenom Danny Hultzen. Here's the pitch, crack, it's a long fly ball, way back, way, way back down the left field line...the home plate ump calls...HOME RUN! Sox are up 3-1! But wait...was it fair? Or FOUL?!...

...Tacoma 3rd baseman, Vinnie Catricala,
and most of the Rainiers' bullpen, seem to disagree...

...They do not seem to be pointing to fair territory...

...and here comes another Sky Sox player around to score...

"Dude. What happened? Really. What happened?"

The boys in the bullpen protest the call in stunned disbelief...

...so stunned that they didn't have time to
put down their Pepsi and sunflower seeds...

...and nothing settles the controversy like everyone
running and looking at the trees in foul territory.

Dude. It was foul. And how was it foul.

And it was foul. Way, way foul. So foul it could have been fair down the right field line. The umps got together. Corrected the call and McBride K'd on the next pitch. Two outs. No runs in. Damn. But karma being karma (or something, it was waaaaayyyyy foul and the umps made the right call so how the hell is that karma?) superstar Hultzen gives up a double and a single and the Sox scored 3 runs anyways. So there...

 

Well, We Butchered That One

Forza Italia! 3-2 Italy over Spain in EURO 2012! We were so right! If only we weren't so wrong. Spain 4 rip. Class, creativity and a whole lot of AWESOME saw the Spaniards through to their third consecutive major title. WOW! Viva Espana! Champions of Europe! Champions of the World! Champions of the whole fricken' Universe!

Spain, in back, take the Italians, in front, bowling.

First the Netherlands. Then Italy. Our next prediction is that the Tebus will win the NFL MVP in 2012!

Now I favor the J-E-T-S, Jets, Jets, Jets!

Fire On The Mountain

On Tuesday, June 26, I rolled up on Security Service Field at 600pm to shoot that night's game against Tacoma. The air was filled with smoke and embers from the Waldo Canyon Fire (about 12+ miles to the West). The visibility varied from several miles down to a couple hundred feet and the air really gave the lungs and eyes a workout.The whole city smelled like a campfire...

Security Service Field in a cloud of Waldo Canyon Fire smoke

The stadium from about 1/3 of a mile away.
Waldo Canyon Fire smoke cancelled the game.

...the parking lot was pretty empty as I pulled up. TONIGHT'S GAME CANCELLED was on the sandwich board at the entrance. A couple of employees were telling the uninformed (ie me) to beat it. The light was so eerie and the place was so empty I decide to get a few shots:

Looking North. Smoke, not clouds, fill the sky.

NNW. Wee little embers were falling from the sky
(and irritating my eyes).

Looking due West. The edge of the cloud of smoke.

This was the time the fire was racing into Mountain Shadows. The roads out were bumper to bumper with evacuees...

An empty, eerie Security Service Field.

The entryway. Dark, empty with a hellish red glow.

...by the time the night was over close to 350 houses and 2 lives would be lost. A dark day for Colorado Springs. But I'm proud of my hometown. We have pulled together like never before and for a short time become a community.