Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Let's Have Some Fun! - My Top MLB Commercials

MLB Spring Training games officially started today, which to me means two things: one, that Opening Day is only about a month away, and two, that soon various MLB teams will be releasing their commercials for the year.

I don't quite know why, but I love watching the commercials some of the teams put together (not the ones that are just pitching a promotion, but the kind that has a bit of lead-up to them).  Some of it is probably because it's neat seeing which players have some acting ability, and which don't, but it's also because they're...well...FUNNY.  I mean, I know they are trying to be funny on purpose, but sometimes they hit the mark a bit better than others, and some teams hit the mark more often than others.  So, I thought that in honor of Spring Training being well underway I would compile a list of my Top 15 MLB team commercials.  (The reason I've picked 15 is because I couldn't pick just 10).  Since I don't have one overall favorite out of these, I'm just doing them in alphabetical order by team.  And some of them I couldn't find on YouTube, so this is a mix of embedded videos and links (sorry about that, but I don't know how to embed MLB.com's videos yet).  Enjoy!  :)

1: A's - Chemistry


The A's have been doing commercials for a long time.  There are some out there from when Tim Hudson and Barry Zito were with the team, which was more than a decade ago (!).  So of course the A's have become pretty good at it.

2: A's - Fearlessness Training

I've got to admit, I'd kinda like to find out what happened after that opossum was discovered in the shower.  (Yeah, I'm warped).

3: Braves - Two Uptons, One Outfield

There are some other good Braves commercials out there, too, but almost all of them are kinda sad to watch because the players in them are no longer with the team (BTW, did anybody else notice that Tim Tebow's T Moble Superbowl ad was a lot like Martin Prado's "Sunny Over Turner Field" commercial?  Just sayin').

4: Cardinals - Cape


The expression on Wainwright's face is priceless.  No words needed.

5: Cardinals - Berkman's Number


It does make you wonder what some of these teams (aka Yankees and Cards) are going to do if they keep retiring numbers.  Start doing hundreds?  Decimal points?  "Now stepping to the plate, number Point Five..."  Hmm...

6: Giants - Stuck at the Office


Everybody knows what it's like to try to act like you're paying attention to something "important" when you're attention is being called away by something IMPORTANT.

7: Indians - Say Hello to TERRi


The greatest thing about this commercial is that the guys on the Indians roster actually came up with this commercial themselves (at least that's what I remember reading when they released it last year).  Great job, guys!

8: Mariners - Wise Old Buffalo


If any team can challenge the A's for the title of being the team that's been doing funny commercials the longest, it's the Mariners.  After all, they had Ken Griffey Jr. (And as far as this commercial goes, I can see something like this actually happening).

9: Rangers - Mascots


I love Ian Kinsler, and this is one of the reasons why.  He is such a (as Kevin Millar on Intentional Talk would say) "sneaky" funny guy.  He seems so quiet until you see something like this.  I'm going to miss Ian this year (dangit, Rangers, why'd you have to trade him?)

10: Rockies - Dinger Tipping


In my opinion, up till about a year ago the Rockies were tied for the best commercials ever.  Now they are #1.  That's why I had to include three of theirs in my list.

11: Rockies - Off Days


They obviously don't have Evan Gattis on their team.  ;)  (For those of you that don't know, Evan Gattis worked as a janitor for a while before he went into pro ball).

12: Rockies - Batter Introductions

I love Michael Cuddyer in this one.  He's goin' Old School!  (I know where you're coming from, Cuddy.  I still like, and use, cassette tapes, too).

13: Twins - Carpool


The Twins are the team that used to be tied with the Rockies for Best Commercials.  Over the past year or so they haven't been as good, but their commercials from a few years ago are still classic.

14: Twins - Man with an Ox


No matter which team's commercials he's in, Cuddy is hilarious.  :)

15: Twins - Take it Outside


This was from the first year that the Twins used Target Field.  And that really is Joe Mauer's mom!

BONUS!

If there is anything that's close to being better than team commercials, it's team music/dance videos.  The guys aren't reading lines or being told what actions to do, they're just letting loose and having fun!  Below are two of my favorites.

Baltimore Orioles - "Glad You Came"

This is from the end of the 2012 season after the Orioles started showing signs of becoming a good team again.  (It would have been even cooler if they had gotten Nate McLouth in it, but they could very well have filmed it before he joined the team).  The fun stuff starts about 0.18

Texas Rangers - "Happy"


This one was just released today, and I love it!  Three thoughts:

1:  Robbie Ross is So - Darn - ADORABLE!!!!!
2: Adrian Beltre has some pretty smooth moves.
3: I bet Derek Holland wishes he could've been in this (but with his broken leg...no chance).

Hope this brought a little cheer into your day!  It sure did into mine.  Let's PLAY BALL!!!!!


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