Tonight on The Baseball Show, co-host Clint Evans[Diamond Hoggers] and I interviewed Batting Stance Guy. Just as we anticipated, he offered tons of great stories and was absolutely hilarious. Clint and I thought that we loved the game of baseball more than anyone in this world until we had the chance to talk to BSG.

Topics included:
-His favorite player Kent Hrbek

-How his ‘talent’ came about

-The story behind his faithful “wiffle” bat

-A great story about Joe Mauer

-Derek Jeter & Josh Beckett giving him a hard time

-We talk about those State Farm Insurance commercials with Carlos Quentin

-Joey Votto’s dismount and other players with great dismounts

-His stances to look out for in this World Series

-His thoughts on Brandon Phillips’ ‘pinata swing’

-MANY MORE LAUGHS!

You can follow Batting Stance Guy on Twitter and be sure to get his book Batting Stance Guy: A Love Letter to Baseball.  After reading it, I can honestly say that it is a must read for any passionate baseball fan.

Stan Musial Award (MVP)

National League:
First Place Vote – Joey Votto (Cincinnati)
Second Place Vote – Carlos Gonzalez (Colorado)
Third Place Vote – Albert Pujols (St. Louis)
Fourth Place Vote – Adrian Gonzalez (San Diego)
Fifth Place Vote – Troy Tulowitzki (Colorado)
Sixth Place Vote – Aubrey Huff (San Francisco)
Seventh Place Vote – Jason Heyward (Atlanta)
Eighth Place Vote – Roy Halladay (Philadelphia)
Ninth Place Vote – Jay Bruce (Cincinnati)
Tenth Place Vote – Ryan Zimmerman (Washington)

American League:
First Place Vote – Josh Hamilton (Texas)
Second Place Vote – Miguel Cabrera (Detroit)
Third Place Vote – Evan Longoria (Tampa Bay)
Fourth Place Vote – Paul Konerko (Chicago)
Fifth Place Vote – Robinson Cano (New York)
Sixth Place Vote – Delmon Young (Minnesota)
Seventh Place Vote – Carl Crawford (Tampa Bay)
Eighth Place Vote – Jose Bautista (Toronto)
Ninth Place Vote – Joe Mauer (Minnesota)
Tenth Place Vote – Adrian Beltre (Boston)

Congratulations to Jay Bruce and the Cincinnati Reds for clinching the 2010 National League Central in a most dramatic fashion. Tied at 2-2 against the Houston Astros, Bruce lead off the bottom of the 9th and wasted no time, depositing the first pitch from reliever Tim Byrdak over the centerfield fence. Here are the videos of Bruce’s historic homerun and the Reds locker room celebration:

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It has been nearly a week since the Cincinnati Reds first basemen, Joey Votto, launched a 10^th inning, walk-off home run, deep into the left-centerfield bleachers at Great American Ball Park.  The opposite field blast was his 16^th of the season—he now has 17—and only added to his already impressive resume for the N.L. M.V.P.  In my personal opinion, Joey Votto has clearly been the best hitter in all of baseball over the course of the 2010 season.

When I say best hitter, I’m not just referring to what is reflected by his robust slashes of 320/.419/.588.  Rather, what makes Votto the best hitter in baseball is the consistency in his approach to every at-bat, and his ability to crush any mistake that a pitcher makes.  He recognizes pitches and maintains a selectiveness that simply cannot be taught; it’s the type of thing that elevates a player to superstar status.

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It has been a long and draining season for Arizona Diamondbacks announcer and former World Series Champion, Mark Grace.  But just like any desensitized and heartbroken fan, Gracie has demonstrated a knack for finding enjoyment in everything happening in the game, but the actual game–sans Daniel Hudson and Stephen Drew.  For those who tune in to watch Gracie on a regular basis, it doesn’t take long to realize that he possesses the attention span of an excitable, 6-month old puppy.  Combine that with his alleged affinity for both alcohol and women, and you get the kind of situation that occurred during Monday’s game against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ballpark.

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