http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/players/fernando_vina/42614 Recent articles about Fernando Vina en-us Here at RBTS we went brainstorming for a list of baseball players in the past and present to see who has the best iconic moments. Our goal is to feature players who have wowed us with their signature move that fans all over have talked about, mimic, or can tell you where they were when the incident happened. We will use Babe Ruth for example. We have heard for years about how he allegedly called his home run shot. Baseball purist have told stories about that for years. How truthful was it? We will never know, it sounds more like a tall tale but it’s still Babe Ruth’s iconic move..eru3{position:absolute;clip:rect(457px,auto,auto,420px);}get more information courtesy of www.mearsonlineauctions.com   Let’s take a look at other Major League players’ trademark or brand that have made them forever popular. The iconic moments are not in any order. 40. Josh Hamilton’s Home Run Derby 39. Ozzie Smith’s Backwards Flip 38. Sammy Sosa’s Home Run Hop & Kissing The Fingers Courtesy of nbcchicago.com Sun, 16 Jun 2013 19:34:23 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/40_all_time_baseball_players_iconic_moments/13849313 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/40_all_time_baseball_players_iconic_moments/13849313 40 All-Time Baseball Players Iconic Moments http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/articles/40_all_time_baseball_players_iconic_moments/13849313 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png Here at RBTS we went brainstorming for a list of baseball players in the past and present to see who has the best iconic moments. Our goal is to feature players who have wowed us with their signature move that fans all over have talked about, mimic, or can tell you where they were when the incident happened. We will use Babe Ruth for example. We have heard for years about how he allegedly called his home run shot. Baseball purist have told stories about that for years. How truthful was it? We will never know, it sounds more like a tall tale but it’s still Babe Ruth’s iconic move. courtesy of www.mearsonlineauctions.com   Let’s take a look at other Major League players’ trademark or brand that have made them forever popular.  The iconic moments are not in any order. 40. Josh Hamilton’s Home Run Derby 39. Ozzie Smith’s Backwards Flip 38. Sammy Sosa’s Home Run Hop & Kissing The Fingers Courtesy of nbcchicago.com 37. Red Sox Win the 2004 World Series 36. Teddy Ballgame Homer’s In Last Sat, 15 Jun 2013 00:13:17 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/40_all_time_baseball_players_iconic_moments/13839704 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/40_all_time_baseball_players_iconic_moments/13839704 40 All-Time Baseball Players Iconic Moments http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/articles/40_all_time_baseball_players_iconic_moments/13839704 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png In baseball, strikeouts happen. Every player strikes out, some more than others. But no player in baseball has been harder to strike out this season than Brewers right fielder Norichika Aoki. Entering play Friday, Aoki has struck out every 17.9 at-bats this season, by far the best in baseball, as San Francisco's Marco Scutaro is second at 14.5 and Miami's Placido Polanco third at 12.2. Aoki is on pace to be the hardest player to strikeout in baseball since Jeff Keppinger in 2008, when he struck out every 19.1 at-bats. "It's a discipline, it is a mental part, but it's just talent," Brewers manager Ron Roenicke said. "It's hand-eye coordination. We've watched him now for over a year and our guys are still amazed at the movement he can have at the plate and still get the bat on the ball. He can be running out of the box and still flip the bat and foul it off." Marlins right-hander Jacob Turner struck Aoki out looking to start Tuesday's game, ending Aoki's strea Fri, 14 Jun 2013 11:48:18 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/norichika_aoki_adept_at_putting_balls_in_play/13835345 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/norichika_aoki_adept_at_putting_balls_in_play/13835345 Norichika Aoki adept at putting balls in play http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/articles/norichika_aoki_adept_at_putting_balls_in_play/13835345 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/e/b/ebcce6be7fb7fc29043ef0132913f6c213cc6ce9/mini/6289464.jpg In baseball, strikeouts happen. Every player strikes out, some more than others. But no player in baseball has been harder to strike out this season than Brewers right fielder Norichika Aoki. Entering play Friday, Aoki has struck out every 17.9 at-bats this season, by far the best in baseball, as San Francisco's Marco Scutaro is second at 14.5 and Miami's Placido Polanco third at 12.2. Aoki is on pace to be the hardest player to strikeout in baseball since Jeff Keppinger in 2008, when he struck out every 19.1 at-bats. "It's a discipline, it is a mental part, but it's just talent," Brewers manager Ron Roenicke said. "It's hand-eye coordination. We've watched him now for over a year and our guys are still amazed at the movement he can have at the plate and still get the bat on the ball. He can be running out of the box and still flip the bat and foul it off." Marlins right-hander Jacob Turner struck Aoki out looking to start Tuesday's game, ending Aoki's strea Fri, 14 Jun 2013 11:48:18 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/norichika_aoki_adept_at_putting_balls_in_play/13835327 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/norichika_aoki_adept_at_putting_balls_in_play/13835327 Norichika Aoki adept at putting balls in play http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/articles/norichika_aoki_adept_at_putting_balls_in_play/13835327 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/7/6/76cbc6ea0312a3ef3ddfd69c10ac7e74f8b38e4d/mini/6287262.jpg There is a witch hunt going on in the MLB and it involves our favorite son, Ryan Braun. I don't know why, but there is. The mainstream media is a big part of it because they want to get the scoop, they want to break the story and they want to get the page views. They learned from the Melky Cabrera situation that he just doesn't get the clicks anymore. They've learned that Alex Rodriguez, once a ratings bonanza of controversy on par with Tiger Woods, just doesn't get the viewers like he used to. In order to strum up some business with this Biogenesis thing, they need a name with some value. A guy who is still good, they NEED Ryan Braun. I guarantee you if someone ends up suspended for this thing (and they shouldn't be unless they fail a drug test, but that's another rant) that the media will tell you that "so and so was suspended, but still no word on Ryan Braun" because "so and so" doesn't get the clicks, but Ryan Braun will. Ryan Brau... Fri, 07 Jun 2013 11:04:44 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/homestander_critical_thinking/13783484 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/homestander_critical_thinking/13783484 Homestander: Critical Thinking http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/articles/homestander_critical_thinking/13783484 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/b/e/be0923eea033e16951b4c3c33db4c4e067d1d706/mini/f7.jpg While the St. Louis Cardinals absorbed a painful 14-inning loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks Tuesday night, it was doubly painful for second baseman Matt Carpenter. While a leadoff man’s job is to get on base, Carpenter surely did not envision how it would come about Tuesday. In seven plate appearances, the left-handed batter had two hits, including a leadoff triple. He was retired two other times, but in between, three different Diamondbacks’ pitchers hit Carpenter with pitches. In the process, Carpenter set the Cardinals team record and tied the Major League record for most times hit by a pitch in one game. The prior Cardinals record of two occurred 52 times since 1918, most recently by Jon Jay against the Brewers on May 5. Other current Cards to have been plunked twice in one contest are Matt Holliday (last season), David Freese (two different games in 2012) and Yadier Molina (in 2006). Of the 52 earlier occurrences of multi-hit-by-pitch Cardinals in a game, the prior career ... Wed, 05 Jun 2013 10:58:19 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/carpenter_sets_a_painful_st_louis_cardinals_record/13767275 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/carpenter_sets_a_painful_st_louis_cardinals_record/13767275 Carpenter sets a painful St. Louis Cardinals record http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/articles/carpenter_sets_a_painful_st_louis_cardinals_record/13767275 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png When baseball fans think of players who get hit by pitches, they probably think of Craig Biggio, Don Baylor, or, in more recent times, Carlos Quentin, and rightly so. Those players did (and do) get hit often. But how much does their career offensive production rely on the hit by pitch? That is a different matter — some players who get hit a lot do a lot of other things well, and are thus less reliant on pain for offensive profit. Using our old friend linear weights for measuring offense, here are five modern players who have the great proportion of their offensive production from getting hit. Sky Kalkman recently wrote about dividing up offensive production according to value, and that inspired me to get it together and do something like this. I simply took a player’s career hit by pitch production and divided it by his offensive production according to linear weights. I stuck with the modern era (since 1955), since the hit by pitch records are better since then, and also because th... Wed, 29 May 2013 14:30:43 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/pain_profiteers/13718336 http://network.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/pain_profiteers/13718336 Pain Profiteers http://www.yardbarker.com/all_sports/articles/pain_profiteers/13718336 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png (Photo: Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press) It’s obvious that Carlos Gomez’ performance in the early part of 2013 is enhanced compared to previous seasons.  These days, remarkable production can lead to speculation that a player might not be enhancing appropriately.  Last week, The Brewer Nation included a post partially titled “In Defense of Carlos Gomez,” which recounted a talk radio discussion where one host said Gomez’ improved stats “raise an eyebrow.” The Brewer Nation’s defense of Gomez speaks for itself, but it also provides the opportunity to review what we think we know about PEDs.  Roger Clemens was acquitted of perjury charges last year, but it’s widely assumed that his dominating career was made possible by PEDs.  When Melky Cabrera was suspended for using PEDs last year, he was the top hitter in the NL.  Almost baseball fans outside of Milwaukee believe Ryan Braun owes his MVP in 2011 to PEDs.  It’s conventional wisdom that PEDs result in improved production. Wed, 15 May 2013 19:13:45 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/dare_we_suspect_that_carlos_gomez_performance_is_enhanced/13626638 http://network.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/dare_we_suspect_that_carlos_gomez_performance_is_enhanced/13626638 Dare We Suspect That Carlos Gomez’ Performance is Enhanced? http://www.yardbarker.com/all_sports/articles/dare_we_suspect_that_carlos_gomez_performance_is_enhanced/13626638 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/7/7/77a307214c6e842f5041bc669289acedbef825aa/mini/mlb-brewers-reds-july.jpg The number of players suspended for, accused of, rumored to be using or otherwise associated with performance-enhancing drugs could fill more than a few 25-man rosters. Those hundreds of players could even start their own PED league, with The Mitchell Report potentially owning an entire division. As the steroid era (hopefully) comes to a close, many accusations and rumors still cloud the big leagues, with the names of Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa, and Jeff Bagwell being whispered across the baseball landscape. The following MLB All-PED  25-man roster only includes those that have tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs or have admitted to PED use during their careers, not those still field rumors and fend off accusations.   Mark McGwire smashed Roger Maris’ home run record in 1998. Catcher: Benito Santiago – A 20-year MLB veteran, the very reliable Santiago admitted to PED use in year No. 19. 1B: Mark McGwire – If Tony LaRussa had not extended an offer to McGwire in 2010 to becom... Wed, 17 Apr 2013 15:49:34 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/mlb_all_ped_team/13422274 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/mlb_all_ped_team/13422274 MLB All-PED Team http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/articles/mlb_all_ped_team/13422274 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png Here’s all the quickie info you need for our 2013 BEARD MADNESS TOURNEY Bracket If you need to know who is still alive in the tourney, go here. Championship Voting - complete #3 Dennis Eckersley over #6 Jeff Bagwell 61%-39% Congratulations to Matthew Garcia for helping Eck win the coveted prize! Furry 4 Voting - complete Semifinals #6 Jeff Bagwell over #1 Jayson Werth – 56%-44% #3 Dennis Eckersley over #1 Oscar Gamble – 71%-29% Elegant 8 Voting - complete Beard Region #1 Jayson Werth over #2 Al Hrabosky – 51%-49% Goatee Region #6 Jeff Bagwell over #1 Fernando Vina – 53%-47% Hair Region #1 Oscar Gamble over #11 Pedro Martinez – 72%-28% Mustache Region #3 Dennis Eckersley over #1 Rollie Fingers – 60%-40% Scruffy 16 Voting - complete Beard Region #1 Jayson Werth over #5 Johnny Damon – 51%-49% #2 Al Hrabosky over #3 Brian Wilson – 55%-45% Goatee Region #1 Fernando Vina over #13 Todd Helton – 53%-47% #6 Jeff Bagwell over #10 Reed Johnson- 59%-41% Hair Region #1 Oscar Ga Sun, 31 Mar 2013 13:15:43 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/beard_madness_2013_round_up/13278829 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/beard_madness_2013_round_up/13278829 Beard Madness 2013 Round-up http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/articles/beard_madness_2013_round_up/13278829 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png Keep up with Beard Madness results here. Round 2 is going live tonight at 10 pm, here’s the slate of matchups. Beard Region #1 Jayson Werth vs. #9 Chris Perez   #5 Johnny Damon vs. #13 John Smoltz Goatee Region #1 Fernando Vina vs. #8 Matt Garza #12 Paul Konerko vs. #13 Todd Helton Hair Region #1 Oscar Gamble vs. #8 John Kruk #5 Coco Crisp vs. #4 Jeff Samardzija Mustache Region #1 Rollie Fingers vs. #8 Mike Schmidt #12 Don Mattingly vs. #13 Gary Gaetti                 Wed, 13 Mar 2013 12:10:40 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/beard_madness_round_2/13131328 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/beard_madness_round_2/13131328 BEARD MADNESS ROUND 2 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/articles/beard_madness_round_2/13131328 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png Oh lord, please make this happen. In this article by Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer about the next manager of the Cleveland Indians, Hoynes drops a bombshell near the end of it: former Indians star outfielder Albert Belle wants an interview. "I'm just like Robin Ventura and Mike Matheny were last year," said Belle with a laugh, referring to the White Sox and Cardinals bosses. "I'm sitting on my couch waiting for my phone to ring." Belle was one of the best hitters in baseball during his career in Cleveland in the 1990s, but a testy relationship with fans and the media led to his on-field ability being neglected and his vicious personality becoming his defining trait. Some of Belle's career off the field lowlights include throwing balls at fans in the crowd who heckled him, leveling Fernando Vina in the middle of the basepath, being suspended for using a corked bat and having Jason Grimsley go through the ceiling to retrieve the bat, cursing... Tue, 02 Oct 2012 15:19:06 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/albert_belle_wants_to_manage_the_indians/11865367 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/albert_belle_wants_to_manage_the_indians/11865367 Belle wants to manage Indians http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/articles/albert_belle_wants_to_manage_the_indians/11865367 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/5/a/5afebda5695ae85ca33eee9c015104dee9c393b9/mini/ab.jpg Ok, I admit the title is a teaser, yet as you will see, it has merit – just not in the way you probably suspected. For the better part of a decade, second base has remained the biggest ongoing question for the St. Louis Cardinals. Since the departure of Fernando Vina in 2003, the position has been a revolving door with no sniff of an all-star level performance registered by a player calling second base his home. In recent seasons, we have seen a strategy to convert agile, decent-hitting players from other positions to second. This began with outfielder Skip Schumaker and continued more recently with shortstops Tyler Greene and Ryan Jackson. As coaches searching for more offense think even more outside the box, there is the even longer move from third base to second. Cardinals fans anxious for more scoring any way it can be delivered were briefly excited last summer when third baseman-turned outfielder-first baseman Allen Craig received a nine-game trial at second. That experimen... Thu, 06 Sep 2012 17:15:23 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/2012_st_louis_cardinals_reach_historic_heights_at_second_base/11645971 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/2012_st_louis_cardinals_reach_historic_heights_at_second_base/11645971 2012 St. Louis Cardinals reach historic heights at second base http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/articles/2012_st_louis_cardinals_reach_historic_heights_at_second_base/11645971 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png PHOENIX After making his Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim debut in the team's spring training opener on Monday afternoon, left-hander C.J. Wilson mentioned that his days with the Texas Rangers gave him a respect for the AL West rival Angels and the "weapons" they had. And about that new weapon, they added during the offseason? "You mean that guy with No. 5?" Wilson said with a grin. "He looks OK to me." Whether he is sporting Cardinals red or Angels red, Albert Pujols definitely looks at home on a baseball field, particularly standing at the plate with the bat in his hand. Signed to a 10-year, 240-million free agent contract in the offseason, Pujols made his presence felt quickly in the Angels' exhibition-opening 9-1 victory against Oakland at Phoenix Municipal Stadium on Monday. After Erik Aybar and Howie Kendrick led off the game with singles, Pujols yanked a 1-1 pitch from Brad Peacock into the left field corner for a 1-0 Angels lead. "I look at the other guys Mon, 05 Mar 2012 20:31:34 -0500 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/pujols_predictably_solid_in_angels_debut/10239553 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/pujols_predictably_solid_in_angels_debut/10239553 Pujols predictably solid in Angels debut http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/articles/pujols_predictably_solid_in_angels_debut/10239553 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/c/6/c6e128cadfb5dcb3a3c2047e20a1eae42c7f9aea/mini/89213861.jpg