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!!!!!

Check it Out! - "Home Run"

Two weeks ago, I saw a movie that really affected my spiritual life.  That movie was "Home Run", which is a limited-release movie that came out last April.  I found it sitting on a shelf at the library and decided to check it out, and I sure am glad I did!  It is endorsed by ballplayers like Ben Zobrist, Adam LaRoche, R.A. Dickey, and Mariano Rivera, which is a part of the reason I got it.

For a synopsis, the movie focuses on Cory Brand, a Major League player who is battling alcoholism and the effects of an abusive childhood.  He gets suspended for eight weeks for throwing a helmet at an umpire*, and his agent recommends he go back to his hometown in Oklahoma to get his act together.  He hasn't been back home for an hour before he and his younger brother get in a car wreck because of his drunk driving, which gets his brother put in the hospital.  Cory's agent decides that he really needs to straighten up, so she signs him up for Celebrate Recovery and tells the media that he will take over coaching his brother's Little League team.  On his first day as their coach, he learns that his assistant is his old high school sweetheart, who he had dumped after...well, I don't want to tell you all TOO much.  Anyway, he begins to bond with the kids while unwillingly going to Celebrate Recovery meetings, because he doesn't believe that he has a problem.  His goal is to just do the required number of meetings so that they will be on his record, and then get back to his old way of life as a big-time baseball star.  But as time goes on, he starts to realize that he really does have a problem and that he can't quit on his own.  He also has to face up to his past of hurt and realize that he isn't the only person who has gone through painful experiences and injustice. 

While I don't have a background like Cory's, this movie struck a chord with me in a couple of different areas.  For one, unlike most movies with this kind of theme, there was never one really big catastraphe that brought the main character to his knees in front of God.  Instead, smaller, almost common-place things kept coming at him, wearing him down until he had nothing left.  To me, that is much more beleavable than the whole getting-your-world-rocked kind of wake-up call.  I could also recognize that God had been using a similar tactic on me over the past several months to draw me closer to him, and I had been resisting.  This movie helped break my will against that. 

The other thing that struck me was that, even though Cory was definitely an alcoholic, he could keep it hidden.  Whenever he was around other people he was just a charming, fun-loving guy who didn't have a problem in the world.  He could keep his problem under "control", but he couldn't conquer it.  It still ruled his life.  I don't think that is shown very much in movies of this genre, either. 

As far as the movie outside of its message goes, overall it was enjoyable.  The beginning is a little slow, but once you get into it, it is well done and fun, as well as thought provoking.  The parts of the movie with the Little League team are fantastic, and some of the kids you can't help but fall in love with.  And Cory is played by Scott Elrod, whom I had never heard of before but he has apparently had several bit parts before this and is starting to become better known.  I think he did a great job pulling off such an emotional role, and he...ah...DEFINITELY looked the part of a charismatic pro ballplayer.  Picture Dan Uggla's biceps on a taller guy, MattE Diaz's smile, and Brandon Beachy's 5 o'clock shadow and hair before his recent haircut.  That basically describes Cory Brand's/Scott Elrod's appearance.  Not too bad on the eyes...but of course, that's just my opinion. ;)

I would highly recommend seeing this movie.  Even if you don't get something spiritual out of it, it is still a fun, heartwarming film to watch.

*When that happened, I couldn't help but think about Brett Lawrie from a couple years ago.  These guys and their tempers...SMH

Hello, World! Whassup?

Hi, everybody!  Welcome to my new blog!  I am a freelance writer, Christian, baseball fan, history buff, and horse girl.  I hope we have lots of fun times together.

First, an explanation of my blog's name.  Pretty much everybody knows that the term "out of left field" refers to something unexpected, random, or surprising.  So I figured that something out of RIGHT field would be even more so.  And since that pretty well discribes what I'm going to be posting on here, I thought that it was an appropriate name. 

I'm probably going to be posting three main types of articles (maybe four, I haven't decided yet).  The three "sub-blogs" in this blog are going to be:

• On The Ball - this is where I'll be sharing my love of baseball, which is quite extensive because I am a fan of four teams (the Braves, Rangers, Pirates, and Orioles).  Yes, it is trying at times, but that's what happens when some of your favorite players go to teams that are pretty cool.  Since I unfortunately don't live near a team, most of these posts are going to be about things I've read or seen second-hand.  For example, right now I am really, really excited about Nelson Cruz signing with the Orioles!  I never dreamed I'd get to keep cheering for the team he's on. :)
• Check It Out! - this will be I will give my personal reviews on movies and TV shows (both older and newer, though mostly older because they tend to be better), with some books, music and *maybe* some travel location reviews thrown in.
• By The Way... - this is where I will be sharing my more random thoughts that don't really have a catagory.  Whether it's a bit of wisdom or an insight that I happened to pick up on or whether it's something funny that happened at work, it will be going under here.

I'm also playing around with the idea of doing a "Library" post, where I share snippets of original fiction pieces.  Who knows what might happen?  So please follow me here and on Twitter at @outofRF.  (I'm working on getting a Facebook page up).  Exciting things await!