Is anyone else as bored as I am this off-season?  It has been 9 whole days without baseball; the more than 1 week layoff has me going a tad stir-crazy.  Want to see how bored I am?  Read on…

What’s In A Name

Shakespeare said that a rose, if by any other name, would still smell as sweet.  But what if we called it a carnation instead?  Or how about a dandelion?  It still smells good, but doesn’t “rose” just sound better? 

The question I pose then is does the Silver Slugger award seem to denote, if only in name alone, that it is a runner-up to the Gold Glove award?  Jimmy Rollins and Shane Victorino both took home a Gold Glove this year and now, Chase Utley has been awarded his 4th consecutive Silver Slugger.  All these awards are obviously well deserved, but should the “Sluggers” feel slighted that their awards are only silver and not gold?

Ok, so both of the words “Silver Slugger” start with “S” and “Gold Glove” with “G”…I get that.  Very cute in a Sesame Street kind of way.  But why can’t we just call it the “Great Big Bat” award?  I do not know any man on the planet that would not be thrilled with both the name and the connotation ;o)  And since it is all about size here, why not a “Gigantic Glove” award in stead of “Gold”?  I mean, aren’t the words “Gold” and “Silver” kind of woosie and girly in nature?  Toss those out and give us some masculine power phrases!  Put some testosterone into it!  The legal kind, of course ;o)

I therefore dub Chase Utley the winner of the Great Big Bat Award!  There, don’t you feel better now?  Expressions of gratitude are accepted in all forms….thanks ;o)

Speaking of thanks, check out this interview with the Utley’s at home that Access Hollywood put together.  The wife, Jen Utley, tells Chase she loves him as he is getting ready to leave the house at the end of the video.  And his response?  “Thanks.”  See, I told you he needed a more masculine award name because that response if off the charts caveman-style.  Funny stuff…

A Pop Culture Moment

Totally unrelated to baseball, has everyone heard about poor little Taylor Swift?  It seems that the teenage Country singing star just cannot stay out of the firing line.  First, Kanye West crushed her little soul when he interrupted her “Best Female Video” acceptance speech at the VMA Awards and lobbied that Beyonce should have won.  West later apologized and heaps of bad jokes ensued.

Then in a more recent twist, poor Swift was dissed by Country Queen, Wynonna Judd in an interview.  Judd told USA Today that all the awards Swift received at the CMA Awards were “too much, too soon.”  But of course, Judd quickly apologized for the remarks and heaped praise upon the 19-year old.

However, the real back-breaker was when Jenn of Phillies Phollowers said on her blog, at this exact moment, “I do not like Taylor Swift’s music.  Frankly, it sucks.”  Jenn remains unapologetic to this very minute.  No word yet on the potential fall-out that is sure to ensue…stay tuned!

Photo by Jenn

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