The Infamous Pedro Beato and other Dirty Sports Names

***WARNING*** There WILL be suggestive language used in this blog.

Taking a page from some of the greatest and most pornographic names in baseball, Pedro Beato has taken the baton from such luminaries as Rusty Kuntz, Dick Pole, and the infamous Pete LaCock (these names are real and they all appear on baseball cards) to carry on the tradition of dirty sounding names in baseball. Pedro Beato is a relief pitcher for the New York Mets and made his major league debut on April 1, 2011. Beato was originally drafted in the 17th round by the Mets in 2005 but didn't sign. He was drafted again by the Orioles in 2006, this time in the first round. However, the Mets really wanted ol' Petey Beato and drafted him in the 2010 Rule 5 draft. I guess someone in the Mets front office really wanted Pedro Beato to be on the same team as R.A. Dickey, who is probably very thankful that his parents didn't name him Hugh or U.R.A.

With Pedro Beato now coming in out of the bullpen Mets announcers are going to have to try to keep themselves from teenage hijinx when he comes in to relieve Mr. R.A. Dickey. I can just imagine it now:

Mets announcer #1: "And here comes Pedro Beato out of the pen to relieve Dickey. Dickey wasn't that great tonight, not getting his balls to knuckle and so Terry Collins has to turn to Beato to hopefully get the job done."

Mets announcer #2:"Yeah, Keith, reminds me of my ex-wife. I often had to bring in my own Pedro Beato to get the job done because she couldn't get my Dickey's balls to knuckle either."

Mets announcer #1:"Ummm, can you say that on the air?"

Mets announcer #2:"Well, I hope so because I just did. Anyway, let's take at what kind of grip Beato uses on his fastball. I just have't seen a kid make his balls drop like that in a long time."

Mets announcer #1: "Well folks, this is probably our last broadcast."

Oh, the fun that could be had with this one. Only in sports would we be exposed (pun intended) to these great names. Here are some more dirty names throughout sports:

1. Misty Hyman. Misty was an Olympic swimmer in the Sydney games in 2000. Is there a better name for a female swimmer? I think not!

2. Lucious Pusey. Lucious was a middle linebacker at I-AA Eastern Illinois. He has since changed his name to Lucious Seymour. I do suppose it is better than changing his first name to Seymour. And for the announcers sake, thankfully he isn't a running back. The last thing they need to be saying is "Pusey takes it up the hole and scores!"

3. B.J. Johnson. Mr. Johnson was a wide receiver at the University of Texas, otherwise known as the Longhorns. Johnson was drafted by the Broncos and spent time with the Buccaneers. Johnson, if I recall correctly never played a real NFL game leaving his coaches to look back and say, "B.J. Johnson just sucked while he was on our team. We had to let him go, he just sucked."

4. Dick Cox. Mr. Cox, no relation to Mr. Johnson, played baseball for the Brooklyn Dodgers from 1925-26. He handled his bat pretty well and managed to hit .314 for his career. But he just had no lasting power in the big leagues.

5. Dick Trickle. No, you don't have to go to the doctor. Mr. Trickle was a race car driver back in the '70's and '80's. I can only imagine what it must have been like to be a driver back then and have your crew chief yell in your headset that "You got Dick Trickle coming up behind you!"

6. Dick Bumpas. Ol' Dickey Bumpas is an assistant at Texas Christian University. That's right, he coaches for the Horned Frogs. Dick Bumpas is a coach on the staff (pun intended) for the Horned Frogs. You can't make this stuff up.

7. Dickey Nutt. Coach Nutt is the head coach for Southeast Missouri State. Ahh, imagine the pride when a basketball recruit says he gonna go play for Dickey Nutt. All men play for that I thought.

8. B.J. Lovett. Don't we all? Lovett was a wide receiver at Michigan State back in 2001.

9. Wang Manli. Believe it or not this a female speed skater who won a silver medal in the 2006 Olympics. Last name first paperwork always led to confusion. Manli, Wang, sex: female. Poor Manli still doesn't possess a drivers license because the Chinese DMV thinks she is playing a game.

10. Dick Seaman. Dick Seaman was a pre-WWII grand prix driver. Mr. Dick Seaman met a tragic end as he crashed into a tree and died. His death was definitely premature. What's worse is he died because of wood!

Well, folks, my mind has left the gutter. Hope you got a good laugh outta this one. I did.

My Top 10 Yankees Prospects

By no means am I an expert but I figured I would rank my top 10 Yankees prospects anyway. Here goes:

1. Jesus Montero, C. Montero leads every list of Yankees prospects because he is that good. At least with the bat. Questions abound about his defense and whether or not he will be able to stay behind the plate. If he figures it out the Yankees could be looking at a real prize here. Starting 2011 in Scranton isn't the worst thing but it also says the Yankees aren't totally convinced here. He was once considered untouchable but he was dealt to Seattle for Cliff Lee before the Mariners reneged on the deal and sent Lee to Texas. I can see the Yankees trading him but think it would take a lot in return. Last year he hit .289 with 21 homers and drove in 75. Not bad considering the slow start he got off to last season. Oh, and he was only 20. Now old enough to drink an alcoholic beverage he should be putting on a display that will leave fans at PNC Field thinking they are the ones who have been drinking. Expected arrival in the Bronx: 2011

2. Manny Banuelos, LHP. A small sample size to draw from last year because he missed the beginning of the season because of an appendectomy. Now healthy, he received a looong look in Spring Training this year and performed well. He has a poise that you just can't teach on the mound. He mixes his pitches well and has excellent command of the strike zone. He is small, only 5'10" but his stuff plays much bigger as he can dial up to the mid 90's with his fastball. There is a lot to like here. He will start off at AA but if he dominates he could find himself toeing the hill in Scranton. I doubt he sees the Bronx this year but next year could be a different story. Potential ace here. Expected arrival in the Bronx: 2012

3. Gary Sanchez, C. Two catchers in the top three? Yep. In fact, Sanchez might even be a better player all around than Montero. Sanchez has an uncanny feel for the strike zone as a hitter and can just flat out mash. He will only be 19 but it wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility to see him taste AA this year. There are questions about his defense but less than about Montero's. Expected arrival in the Bronx: 2013.

4. Dellin Betances, RHP. Health has been an issue for the 6'8" Brooklyn native but the potential is there. He needs to command the strike zone a little better but his stuff is nasty, striking out 88 hitters at A Tampa in only 71 innings. He will start the year at AA Trenton where he struck out 20 in 14.1 innings. If he can stay healthy he might be the best pitching prospect in the system. My only question is does his stuff translate to closer-type stuff or can he be a top of the rotation starter? Expected arrival in the Bronx: 2012.

5. Andrew Brackman, RHP. This kid stands 6'10" tall and might as wel be standing on a mountain rather than a pitching mound. His stuff is still coming together after missing over a year due to Tommy John surgery. It took him a couple of years to put it together and last year he began to do just that. He cut his walk rate by over half and struck out around 8 per 9. He has to continue to clean up his delivery but he could eventually stand tall as an ace of a staff in the Bronx. Or, he could become a dominant closer. Personally, I think he is more valuable as a starter and should be on the bump for the Yankees for years to come. He could get the call up to the big league club this year but will start at AAA. Expected arrival in the Bronx: 2011

6. Hector Noesi, RHP. Noesi's command of the strike zone is off the charts. He averaged less than 2 walks per nine and owns a K/BB rate of over 5! To me he rates as an excellent set-up man and could see his major league debut come this season. Until then he will hone his craft at AAA but the Yankees can't ignore this kid for much longer.

7. Ivan Nova, RHP. We have already seen what he can do in the Bronx last year. Great the first two times through a lineup and horrbile in the third go around. Nova is a finesse pitcher that depends on his change-up and location. He will start the year as the Yankees #4 starter after a lights out Spring Training and should adapt to hitters as they have been adapting to him. He projects as a back of the rotation type, exactly where he is now. The Yankees could do a lot worse. Nova could be a mainstay in the Bronx for years to come. Expected arrival in the Bronx: Already there.

8. Adam Warren, RHP. Warren, like Banuelos, saw an increase in velocity and has impeccable command. It is hard to gauge where he projects but a back of the rotation type starter and innings eater is the worst it can get for this guy. He did have a 15 K game at Trenton last year and will probably start the year there again but will be in Scranton by June. If injuries ravish the Yankees they could give Warren a shot. He also doesn't surrender home runs, owning a 0.2 HR/9 rate last year which speaks volumes. Expected arrival in the Bronx: 2011.

9. Brandon Laird, 3B. Has power to spare. Unfortunately he doesn't do much else that well. His defense doesn't stand out at any position and his contact rate dropped big time after his promotion to AAA but he was the Eastern League MVP at AA after hitting .291 with 23 homers and 90 RBI. The Yankees might try him in left field or if A-Rod gets hurt he could be called up to man third base in a pinch. If he can adapt to AAA pitching and continue to progress the Yankees might have a decent bat. If not he could find himself trade bait. Expected arrival in the Bronx: Cup of coffee in 2011.

10. Austin Romine, C. The third catcher on this list. Romine's defense is world's above Montero's and Sanchez's but is not exactly stellar. He probably will stay behind the plate if for no other reason his offense at catcher rates better than anywhere else on the field. Romine will start the year at AA but could see a promotion to AAA. He won't be an all-star at the major league level but he will surely be a solid starting catcher for years to come. Expected arrival in the Bronx: 2013.

Honorable mentions in no particular order: Graham Stoneburner, RHP. Slade Heathcott, OF. Cito Culver, SS. David Phelps, RHP. David Adams, 2B. J.R. Murphy, C. Brett Marhsall, RHP. Eduardo Nunez, SS.

Well, that's my list. Have your own? Share it in the comments. Don't like one of my picks? Let me know. Did I miss someone? Let me know.

Baseball is Back, and so am I

After a long hiatus I have decided to get back into my blogging and what better day to do it than Opening Day of the 2011 season? So without further adieu, here are my 2011 baseball predictions:

1. The Philadelphia Phillies will not win the NL East. I know, it sounds crazy given their sick rotation of Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Roy Oswalt, Cole Hamels, and Joe Blanton. However, with Chase Utley being sidelined for an unknown amount of time with knee issues the Phillies offense has taken a huge hit. Yes, they still have Ryan Howard but the guy has more holes in his swing than Rob Deer. Ok, so he isn't that bad but he struck out like 500 times last year and with Utley not hitting in front of him and an elderly Raul Ibanez hitting behind him I am not scared of the Philly lineup. I'm picking the Braves.

The Braves have some good young arms to go with some sturdy vets and a lineup that is young and exciting. Adding Dan Uggla at second was a huge boost for a Braves offense and should give them some pop as Jason Heyward and rookie first baseman Freddie Freeman continue to develop into future all-stars. The Braves could really surprise this year. No they don't have a dynamic rotation but they do have a better all around and younger team than the Phillies and as a season takes its toll the younger guys down in ATL should squeeze out a surprise NL East crown.

2. Curtis Granderson will show Yankees fans why Brian Cashman traded for him prior to last season. Granderson showed flashes late last year after working on his swing with Kevin Long by hitting 14 home runs after coming back from injury. I should expect him to get a few more green llights this year on the base paths this year and wouldn't be surprised to see him hit the 30-30 mark and flirt with 40-40.

3. Adrian Gonzalez will hit 45-50 homers. Green Monster meet Adrian Gonzalez. Need I say more?

4. The Chicago White Sox will take the AL Central crown away from the Twins. The Twins have a lot of question marks and Carl Pavano is their ace, although Francisco Liriano can take that title away any given day, if healthy. Too many Twins are coming back from injury though. Justin Morneau, Joe Nathan, and Joe Mauer all got bitten by the injury bug last season. Nathan will take a while to come all the way back from Tommy John surgery and Morneau's concussion symptoms make me wary about this team. There is just too much to overcome for me here. The White Sox on the other hand have some good young arms in Chris Sale and John Danks to go along with solid veterans Mark Buehrle, Gavin Floyd, and Edwin Jackson. Their offense is also very dangerous. This is what happens when you add 40 homer threat Adam Dunn to a lineup that already has Carlos Quentin (coming off a down year but still dangerous), Alex Rios (found new life after escaping Toronto), and Paul Konerko who is still putting up MVP caliber numbers at 35. Throw in a possible return to form from former Cy Young winner Jake Peavy and you have all the ingredients for a surprise season. Of course, if Peavy can't stay healthy that puts a huge dent in the White Sox's chances but they should be there in the end.

5. The Mets will lose 95 games. Or more. There is nothing to really like about this team. Too many questions, too many financial restrictions, too many injuries. Jason Bay still suffers from the concussion he suffered last year. Johan Santana is out for at least a couple of months if not longer. Jose Reyes might be the lone bright spot as he is playing for a big contract this offseason. But still, Reyes only played in 133 games last year and 36 games in 2009. Too many things to overcome. Not enough pitching, not enough hitting, too many injuries. However, with the new Mets front office I see a brighter future ahead. It will just be a while before that future gets to Flushing.

6. Mark Prior will make an impact on the Yankees. Once considered the top pitching prospect in the game, Prior was abused early on his career by Dusty Baker who also ruined the career of Kerry Wood. Prior, who hasn't pitched in the bigs since 2006, will start the year at AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. However, Prior could get a call up to the Bronx to step into a bullpen spot once he proves he is healthy. Expect him to stay healthy and get his career back on track.

7. The San Francisco Giants will not repeat as champs. In fact, they will miss the playoffs altogether this year. Miguel Tejada is their shortstop. Tejada was known for his bat, and now that is starting to show signs of his age. Too many innings last season for Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain will start to tell as fatigue finally catches up to them. Even if they do stay healthy and show no signs of throwing all the innings last year, the Giants offense just doesn't wow me. Aubrey Huff was their leading hitter last season and now he is just blocking Brandon Belt from assuming first base. The Giants have one of the brightest futures in the game but the World Series hangover will tell. Instead, the Rockies will be the surprise this year in the NL West. Ubaldo Jimenez, Carlos Gonzalez, and Troy Tulowitzki will lead the Rockies to the playoffs once again.

8. Austin Jackson will hit .300 and strike out 180 times. The guy swings at pitches from pitchers warming up in the bullpen, he just has no concept of the strike zone.

9. Jesus Montero will be the centerpiece of a blockbuster deal that nets the Yankees an ace starting pitcher. Ryan Dempster could be available, so could Josh Johnson.

10. The Red Sox will defeat the Reds in the World Series. The Yankees will lose in the ALCS, and the Mets will have a fire sale at the trade deadline.

11. Derek Jeter will hit .309 and Ichiro will fail to reach 200 hits for the first time in his career, falling one hit short.

So there you have it, my wild predictions for the 2011 season. Agree? Disagree? Leave a comment.

On the Path to The Impossible

As some of you may or may not know, I am focusing my collection on getting the autograph of every living Yankee and Giant.  This task is impossible since people like David Wells, Derek JEter and Alex Rodriguez are impossible to get.  David Wells for instance is doing a show in NJ soon but has a standing order that he will not sign cards.  Well, that sucks.  

Still, despite the impossible feeling around it I can't help but feel encouraged, especially after a mail day like today.  Today I received Hall of Famer Phil Niekro, Mark Whiten, Brad Arnsberg, Horace Clark (you remember the Horace Clark Years references), Bill Burbach, Billy Traber, and some eBay pickups of Roger Clemens (yep it is real as far as I can tell), Joe Girardi (he has been a bit of a white whale for me as he doesn't sign TTM), Larry Milboune (he charges for his auto and I got it for less with shipping on ebay), and Dioner Navarro and Donzell McDonald.  Total haul cost was less than $17.  

I have over 200 Yankees now on cards which includes some guys who never made it out of the minors like Raul Chavez and Omir Santos.  When coupled with balls, jersey's, and 8x10's I can push that total up to about 250 different players.  It is painstakingly fun and I love the chase.  

My New York Giants collection is not as robust as my Yankee one.  However, there are quite a few gems in this one as I have gotten Phil Simms, Lawrence Taylor, Eli Manning, Tiki Barber, Jeremy Shockey, Mark Bavaro (jersey), Pepper Johnson, Gary Reasons, Brandon Jacobs, Antonio Pierce, and many others on cards and 8x10's.  I have received several letters wishing me luck from former Giants players like Joe Danelo, Tom Mullady, and Gordon King.  Those are always interesting and fun.  It is always amazing when a player takes the time to write a letter thanking you for being a fan.  

For those of you who are wondering how I get the home addresses of all these players I use the Harvey Meiselman lists.  I also use the database of Sportscardforum.com under the Autograph Central Link.  There are many tools out there on the internet to use.  However, I have heard some disturbing stories lately about fans actually calling players using numbers they find online.  This is disturbing in several ways.  I do not condone such behavior as this intrudes on the personal space of the players.  I also do not use personal email addresses as some others have done.  I will, however, use a work email address which I have done to get some of my most prized autographs.  When using an email address, which for me is very rare, I always put "Autograph Request" in the subject line.  This way the personal can open it at their leisure or forward it to a secretary who puts pre-signed photos in envelopes and send them off.  The world of autograph collecting is not unlike the real world.  There should be morals and ethics involved and the collector must always respect the player's privacy and their decision on whether to sign or not sign.  If anyone would like a link to Mr. Meiselman's list of home addresses I can provide that for you if you desire.   Happy Hunting to you and your collection.

2009 Baseball Card Season Now Open

I finally got my 2009 card fix in the form of two boxes of 2009 Topps.  The first card I saw was Andy Sonnanstine of the Tampa Bay Rays.  All in all I was pretty happy with this set.  Topps finally got its head out of its rear end and finally made the card about the picture instead of the border.  I just wish they had the crispness of the photo that Upper Deck has.  There are some spectacular photos in the Topps set that just aren't as crisp as they could be but overall it isn't a major problem.  I pulled an interesting card, probably the most intriguing one I have ever pulled.  It is an Ian Kinsler Silk Collection card numbered 12/50.  It is a standard size card that has a small silk card of Ian Kinsler inside of it.  There is a small opening in the plastic which you can feel the silk through.  I also pulled a Prince Fielder jersey card.  The best part of this card is that the jersey piece came with a stripe.  Joining the Fielder is a Justin Morneau game used bat card.  Not bad pulls if you ask me.  Both will go in my game used collection.

Two other interesting pulls were World Baseball Classic redemption cards.  I entered the code found on the back of the card on Topps' website and registered so we will see what two cards I get in return and what they look like.  Something to look forward to.

As for the Yankees in this set, well it is an interesting mix.  First off, there is no Derek Jeter.  It looks like Topps is holding him back until Series 2.  What they should have done is hold back the big free agent players like C.C. Sabathia (who is pictured in his Brewers uni) and Mark Teixeira (who is pictured in his Angels uniform) until Series 2 and let them be the reason to dig into Series 2 instead of random stars being left out of series 1.  There were plenty of Yankees rookie cards in this set though which made it fun for me.  Francisco Cervelli, Humberto Sanchez, Juan Miranda, and Phil Coke round out an interesting class.  Cody Ransom, Hideki Matsui, Xavier Nady, Jason Giambi, Mike Mussina, Chien Ming Wang, Carl Pavano, Ivan Rodriguez, Mariano Rivera, and Mickey Mantle rounded out my Yankee pulls.  I also managed to grab a Darryl Strawberry and David Justice Ring of Honor cards.  It was a nice and interesting Yankee grab.  Plus, I can look forward to Series 2 cards of Mark Teixeira, C.C. Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, Johnny Damon, Robinson Cano, Joba Chamberlain, Jorge Posada, Derek Jeter, Nick Swisher, Andy Pettitte, and possibly Edwar Ramirez, Brian Bruney, Damaso Marte, Jose Molina, Brett Gardner, Melky Cabrera, Dan Geise, Alfredo Aceves, Jose Veras, David Robertson, and Phil Hughes.  This should be a fun collecting season.

Some Photos of My Collection

I took some pics of some of my collection.  Right now it is mostly baseballs and 8x10's and the some jerseys.  Drop by and let me know what you think:

http://s100.photobucket.com/albums/m5/203gunner/My%20Collection/

My Mission gets a boost

Well on my way to collecting every living Giants and Yankee, I received some pretty good returns in the mail over the past couple of days.  I will post a list in the future of every Yankee and Giant autograph I have.  I won't post multiple returns from the same player, just the name of the player for the sake of space.  Stay tuned in the coming days for that list.

On a side note, I have never been as disappointed in an athlete as I am in Michael Phelps.  Poor judgement like this is usually reserved for politicians and is not something I have come to expect from national heroes.  Perhaps I am too idealistic and should come to expect these things.