Take Me Out To The [Atlantic League] Ballgame

There's no reason to watch the Yankees or Mets anymore this season so I may have to go see the Atlantic League. I was sent a blog post from Jorge Says No! about the Atlantic League All Stars (H/T Jordan), and I feel like I need to witness this in person. Some of my least favorite players ever are in this league: Carl Everett, Keith Foulke, Felix Rodriguez (just because he was a pretty good pitcher before he came to the Yankees and then was a bust), and Armando Benitez. But if that wasn't enough, they've gone and added Jose Lima and Hideki Irabu! They have the Lima Time AND the Fat Toad! How can I stay away now?

Also, someone posted in the comments that Preston Wilson is not only the nephew of Mookie Wilson, but the stepson also. Wow. Not sure if this is true, but this soap opera league just got a whole lot more interesting.

I'm just waiting for the day someone adds Trot Nixon, Raul Mondesi, Curt Schilling, Roberto Alomar and Kevin Millar (5 more of my least favorite players) to these independent league teams. I think the Blueport Bluefish may be my team. I mean how can I not root for a team whose two mascots are B.B. The Bluefish and Cap'n L.I. Sounder, whose best pitcher is Esteban Yan, and whose 2008 player of the month was former Twin/avid eater Matt LeCroy (is it bad when your baseball-reference.com sponsor just writes "Sack Lunch"? I'm realizing this probably has nothing to do with him, but wow)? So now that the Yankees season is definitely over in April, panic has ensued in the Bronx, and life as we know it as over, I think it's time for me to support the Bluefish.

 

Btw, great post from Peter Abraham at LoHud:

 

Brian from San Francisco, a loyal reader, checked in via e-mail with a comment that made me laugh.

"The Yankees are like swine flu,” he wrote. “There’s cause for concern but there’s no reason to panic.”

I would say that sums it up nicely.

Meanwhile, if you’re concerned about the swine flu, the Yankees have a perfect solution. Purchase one of the $2,626 Legends Seats behind the plate. You are guaranteed to be at least 10 feet away from anybody else, so the odds of catching the flu are slim.