Yes, you read that correctly.  Prior to Wednesday night’s game against the visiting Atlanta Braves, NHL superstar Sidney Crosby took batting practice at PNC Park in Pittsburgh, and impressively failed to humiliate himself.  In fact, he did quite the opposite. Sid went yard.

He turned on a pitch, lining into the right field bleachers where it then one hopped a stair, and bounced out of the stadium.

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As I browsed through some tweets last night, I came across a story that was too funny not to pass along.  According to Steve Gilbert, the Arizona Diamondbacks beat writer for MLB.com, Adam LaRoche changed Kelly Johnson’s hitting music to prior to the start of Tuesday night’s game against the Padres.

As Johnson stepped to the plate in the first inning, “It’s Raining Men” was blasted throughout the stadium, much to the delight of his teammates.  The same thing happened as Johnson came to the plate for his second at-bat, which prompted Gilbert to predict that, “Payback certain to follow.”

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Shortly after the bench-clearing brawl between the Reds and Cardinals, I received an email from a good friend and former teammate, asking about one of baseballs many, under-appreciated nuances.  Since it is a discussion that delves into the mentality surrounding the brawl, as well as a discussion about the overall makeup of professional baseball players, I felt that it would be appropriate to post it in it’s entirety on The Golden Sombrero.

Rosey,

So this is a few days after the Cards/Reds brawl, so I won’t even ask if you saw it, since I know you did.  But I was wondering if you knew anything about the shin-guard-tapping-as-a-sign-of-friendship thing that got pissed off Yadi?  I had never heard of that before and was wondering if you knew about it/encountered it anywhere.  I’m going to start looking for it…when I get the rare chance to see a game.

Keep on keepin’ on,

Ryan

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Ryan,

A batter tapping the catcher’s shin guards as he strolls up the plate is a subtle term of endearment within the game, much like when a first basemen chats it up or pats an opposing hitter on the butt after a base hit.  A similar type of courtesy can be observed when a catcher hands the batter his bat after running out a foul ball, when the batter picks up a catcher’s mask for him after an admirable foul ball attempt, and when a hitter picks up the ball at his feet after the catcher wears a foul tip.

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On Wednesday, left-handed power hitters Adam LaRoche and Brad Hawpe cleared waivers and it appears that they will be traded in the coming days.  Although neither the Arizona Diamondbacks nor Colorado Rockies seem close to a deal involving either player, there are several organizations that will undoubtedly express interest.

The fact that LaRoche was placed on waivers should come as no surprise as the Diamondbacks openly expressed his availability, as well as anybody not named Reynolds or Upton, during July’s trading frenzy.  Prior to the 2010 season, the Diamondbacks signed LaRoche to one year, $4.5 million contract that has a $7.5 million mutual option for 2011, and would increase to a $9.5 mutual option if he is traded.  The Diamondbacks also have the ability to buy out LaRoche’s contract for $1.5 million.

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If you could use one word to describe Adam LaRoche, what would it be?  For those that have had him on their fantasy team, I’m sure that you chose the correct answer, “streaky.”  For the record, I would have also accepted “hack-taker,” as well as “pain-in-the-ass,” and of course, “brother.”  To those fantasy owners who are unfamiliar with the LaRoche, he can be summed up like this: when he’s hot, he’s hot, and when he’s not, he’s…absolutely brutal.  Year after year, LaRoche’s M.O. remains the same: a slow starter who has a mediocre first half, followed by a blistering July and August, and ultimately finishes with respectable statistics.  Similarly, year after year, those familiar with the Diamondbacks’ first baseman are left asking, what if?  What if LaRoche finally rakes for an entire season?  What if he finally cuts down on the strikeouts?  As somebody who has extensively watched him play this season, I have realized that there will always be recognizable potential in a player who gets his hacks in.  That is why there always seems to be a surprising amount of fantasy owners, who target LaRoche as an ideal, late-round sleeper.  This year, I was one of them.

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