Happy St. Paddy's Day!

In the spirit of St. Patrick's Day, we'd like to share a few [really lame] limericks with you before we get too hammered to type. Feel free to play along in the comments. We love your work!

There once was a team of Dutch
Who liked to play baseball and such
No one thought they could
So they beat DC real good
But don't like Matt Lindstrom too much

We learned from Big League Stew
That Lincecum has the flu
So he'll lay in his bed
With his face turning red
From a fever that just won't do.

Manny is now in LA
But he hasn't been getting to play
His shoulder is sore
So he must rest more
And the Dodgers will still have to pay


Enjoy your green beers and check out this Barry Bonds limerick over at Wild Captive Woman.

That Was Pretty Weak

I wasn't the only fan hoping for a bench-clearing brawl Sunday night during the World Baseball Classic, was I? I would have even settled for a minor dust-up. Instead, I got nothing but some shouting, chest-pounding and a feeling of disappointment in my heart.

With a six-run lead over the Netherlands in the eighth, Team USA's closer Matt Lindstrom gave up a leadoff homer which Bryan Engelhardt absolutely crushed. The native Curacaoan took a nice, long gander at the team's first and only longball of the tournament before jogging lightly around the bases. Not cool.

Continue reading and rate this story at Fantasy Pros 911.

Say It Ain't So, Bernie

A Public Relations woman filed a complaint early this morning against former New York Yankees All-Star center fielder Bernie Williams, claiming he hit her while she took his picture at a club.

Just hours after his Puerto Rican team beat the Netherlands in the World Baseball Classic, Williams [allegedly] grabbed the camera, smashed it and smoked her in the face around 2:30am Thursday at a San Juan nightclub.

Police are investigating the incident, but neither Williams nor Puerto Rico's manager, Lou Melendez, care to comment. However, I'm sure it will come up when they face Team USA in the WBC's second round this Saturday at Dolphin Stadium.

[AP] | [The Fowl Balls] | [Deadspin] | [Bootlegger Sports]

That's a Record

In a rematch of Saturday's World Baseball Classic upset between the surprising Netherlands and the heavily-favored (yet apparently over-paid) Dominican Republic, Ubaldo Jimenez was nothing short of lights out.

During the battle for a spot in the second round, the Colorado Rockies righty set a new WBC record, striking out 10 batters and allowing only 2 hits over 4 innings. The former record of eight was set by Japan's Koji Uehara in 2006. Impressive really isn't the word since he was facing a bunch of Class-AA hitters, but hey. Ten K's are 10 K's.

Too bad the Dominicans couldn't muster more than one run, losing to the Dutch 2-1 in 11 innings. We're sorry your fantastic performance was over-shadowed by your sucktastic teammates, Ubaldo. We won't forget how awesome you are.

The Netherlands will go on to play Puerto Rico on Wednesday for Pool D's top seed going into the second round. We're still in shock.

[Denver Post] | [Baseball Musings]

Circle Me Bert

Bert Blyleven has once again proven he belongs in the Hall of Fame, if only for his stellar performance as the Kingdom of the Netherlands pitching coach during this year's World Baseball Classic.

The former Minnesota Twins curveball specialist, in his first year as a WBC coach, has put together quite the miracle. Most of these guys are virtual unknowns who have no shot at pitching at the major league level as far as we can tell. They're Class-AA hurlers at best. Sidney Ponson for crying out loud.

Yet somehow, the Dutch rotation and bullpen have allowed a combined 6 runs on 23 hits over their last three contests, holding the Dominican Republic to just 3 runs over two games. The Dominican Republic. The WBC's radically over-paid team, now eliminated in the first round.

Circle me, Bert.

For a far more detailed description of why Blyleven belongs in the Hall, check out Joe Posnanski's blog.

[Bert Belongs]

Spring Fever: WBC Dominance

We've seen this sort of thing before during All-Star games. It's unsettling, unnerving, and just plain wrong. Yet, there's something about Yankees and Red Sox players high-fiving eachother that pulls on the heart strings. It's opposing sides united for the cause. It's a beautiful thing.

Even youngster Dustin Pedroia is in on it, hanging a poster of Derek Jeter’s deodorant ad in his locker.

Chipper Better Be Your Starting Hot Corner

Anyone who knows anything about me knows that I've been head-over-heels for Chipper Jones' sweet swing since I was 12 years old. ...That sentence may have dated me a bit since I was introduced to his bat his rookie season on TBS while he was called up to replace Rafael Belliard for one or two games at short, the year the Braves lost the World Series while I furiously waved my Homer Hanky.

Not only is the 36-year-old third baseman hands-down the best switch-hitter since Eddie Murray and Mickey Mantle, (I said it) but his defense continues to shine after 17 years in the game. Last season he put out a .958 fielding percentage over 115 games.

Continue reading this story at Fantasy Pros 911.

Yanks' Wang Feels Good

With every Chien-Ming Wang outing comes at least one great headline.

Wang (yes, we know it's pronounced "Wong") made his first start Monday since partially tearing a tendon in his foot while tearing up the bases last June. The right-hander tossed two scoreless innings for the New York Yankees in their 5-5 Grapefruit League tie with the Houston Astros.

"I feel good," Wang said. "Nothing wrong."

On Tuesday, the Yankees get to face their captain, Derek Jeter, when they play Team USA in a World Baseball Classic exhibition at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Florida.

The will not, however, face Alex Rodriguez, who has chosen to avoid the boos and don the Dominican Republic uniform at the WBC this season.

[Newsday] | [The LoHud Yankees Blog] | [Heartbeat of the Bronx]