On Monday Aug. 9 Cincinnati Reds second baseman Brandon Phillips said he hated the St. Louis Cardinals and called them “little bitches.” The following day the two teams had a benches clearing brawl. When the series was over the Cards left Cincy with a three-game sweep and a one-game lead in the division. Many people, including myself (and not just because I’m a Cardinals fan), thought the fight and sweep would propel the team. Man did it ever. Read the full story

This time of year most kids are trudging back to school, reluctantly returning to once again counting down the days until vacation. Baseball season is long over and the biggest drama they’re facing is upcoming homework, projects and book reports. But one lucky group of kids gets to hold onto summer holiday a bit longer than the rest. Those kids have dedicated the summer, and probably much of their young lives, to the dream of playing baseball on the biggest stage. Each won their respective city, state, and regional qualifying tournaments and earned the right to represent their hometown in the Little League World Series. Read the full story

Today’s Sports Snob focuses on an issue that tortures the essence of my life as a sports fan – losing. It’s every fan’s worst nightmare and it just plain sucks. Some people are lucky and follow teams that rarely lose or only go through short funks before winning again. Others escape the torment of continued misery by only casually following the major American sports leagues.

And then there are schmucks people like me. It’s well documented that I support the Los Angeles Clippers, so there’s no need to say anything else on that front. But I’m also a lifelong Los Angeles Dodgers fan. Sure they have a rich history and have won some great championships, but I’m an 80’s baby and unfortunately that means I’ve rooted for two teams that have won a total of zero combined titles during the last 20-plus years. Read the full story

Former Major Leaguer Bobby Thomson passed away Monday at the age of 86, but his 1951 “Shot Heard ‘Round the World” will undoubtedly live on as long as the game of baseball is played. Thomson’s walk-off homerun, which sent the New York Giants to the World Series over their bitter cross-town rival Brooklyn Dodgers, capped an improbable comeback that saw the Giants 13 ½ games back of the Dodgers on August 11 and going 37-7 down the stretch to force the three game playoff. This playoff was eventually, and so famously, decided by Thomson’s left-field wall-scraper that barely escaped the confines of the Polo Grounds. Read the full story

There is much more to professional baseball, along with every other pro sport, than just the action taking place on the field. While it is the accomplishments and exploits between the foul lines that fans want to see it is the out of site front office operations that are actually driving the billion dollar industry of baseball. An organization’s success is now determined as much by its balance sheets as it is by its box scores, and the recent happenings of the Texas Rangers provide a perfect example of when on and off-field performance can become mutually exclusive. Read the full story

Cincinnati Reds second baseman Brandon Phillips hates the St. Louis Cardinals. Even going as far as to call them “little bitches” yesterday. So you can guess what happened when he stepped in the batter’s box in the bottom of the first inning in today’s Cards-Reds game. I’m sure Phillips would’ve gotten beaned but Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina didn’t let it go that far. He got in Phillips’ face right away, leading to benches clearing, Johnny Cueto kicking and the ejection of managers Tony La Russa and Dusty Baker. I hope MLB doesn’t overreact with the suspensions. This is what a pennant race in the middle of the summer is all about. Read the full story

It seems every small town holds its own annual festival of some sort, a social happening to bring the community together and give the few people there a reason to get out and celebrate collectively. For many places this event is the local fair, a chance for folks to show off their best quilting and sheep-raising among various other pastoral proficiencies, while grubbing down on corn dogs, cotton candy and more deliciously life-shortening treats. Others get a little more creative; Spivey’s Corner, North Carolina hosts the National Hollerin’ Contest, where competitors are judged on their redneck greeting skills, while Clinton, Montana honors the time-honored rancher’s delicacy of battered cow balls at its yearly Testicle Festival. Read the full story