And now for the latest post from the Terrific Girlfriend. It's a topic that I approve of whole-heartedly, even if I do think she shortchanges ol' Flopsy a little at the end there...

As you may (or may not) have noticed, Wezenlandia has been taken over by Doctor Who.

I used to watch this series religiously when I was a kid at the encouragement of my father (who was also a big Doctor Who fan). I loved the series SO much that I used to pretend that our yellow toy chest was the TARDIS and tried in vain to time travel in the back yard. I'm pretty sure I was trying to go someplace that had an amazing assortment of candy as well as an epic swimming pool.  I forgot about it for a couple of years only to watch the TV movie in 1996. I have a special place in my heart for the TV movie and Paul "My Thumbs Have Gone Weird" McGann. It was the last Doctor Who that my father and I shared because he passed away later that year.  I saw a few episodes of the reboot but didn't commit to it because it wasn't something that I could watch on a regular basis until we acquired BBC America, iTunes, and Netflix. There was no going back after that. 

There is a certain amount of similar romanticism in both Doctor Who and baseball. You can get involved in all the timey-wimey sci-fi numbers aspects of both or look at the more humany wumany aspects. Either way, they're escapism at it's best and I think that's why people love them both so much and why they are the best that humanity has to offer itself. Sure, people make the 'return to your youth' argument, but I think they're each really about the willing suspension of disbelief that is really healthy.  Plus, there's a similar level of attachment that comes with, say, your favorite 3rd baseman or Doctor.  There is also a certain level of purism between baseball fans and Doctor Who fans. You have the Whovian fanbase freaking out because the Doctor fell in love with some lady while you have baseball fans giving themselves a stroke about the DH/instant replay/women wearing pants/when it was a REAL game/blah blah blah...

With that being said, I thought to myself, "what is the nerdiest thing that I could possibly do that involves both Doctor Who and baseball?" That nerdy thing, of course, is figuring out which version of the Doctor would be best at each position on the field (and in the front offices). Now, keep in mind that these are only suggestions; if you disagree, be my guest.

Oh, for those not in the know, the Doctor is from a planet called Gallifrey and is a Time Lord. If you have any other questions, that's what the interwebs are for. (Ed.'s note: Or you could watch the show - because it's excellent.) One last disclaimer, it should be noted that this information was taken from Wikipedia and edited accordingly. I have also given them nicknames, because everyone in sports has a nickname. Nicknames are cool.  

Management:

Doctor #1

 

William Hartnell, General Manager
The Wizard of Trades

William Hartnell described the Doctor as "a wizard", and "a cross between the Wizard of Oz and Father Christmas". This version of the doctor has been described as grandfatherly. True; I wouldn't describe Ben Cherington or Theo Epstein as grandfatherly, but I might Doug Melvin. Maybe it's the mustache and sweaters.

(Click "Read More" to continue reading.)

As you might guess, the Ryan Braun news from last night kind of shocked the Wezen Ball household. I'm still processing all of the news and announcements (and anti-announcements), but the Terrific Girlfriend - who you probably already know as @ladywezen on Twitter - had something she wanted to say...

Ryan Braun's drug drama got me thinking. Initially I was angry and felt betrayed. Then I really started thinking.

Most writers have found that marijuana, red wine, and lord knows what else have been more than a sufficient cure for writers' block and a way to enhance creativity and productivity. Yet society has accepted this fact because recreational (or creative) drug use 'unleashes the creative genius within'.

In the 19th century, many writers used (and subsequently because addicted to) opium. When you really look at it, who knows what someone was on when he/she created a work that we consider to be brilliant. How do you know that Charles Dickens didn't write 'A Christmas Carol' after a sojourn in an opium den? The horror! Insist that required reading do not include the works of authors under the influence immediately! Close all the museums and the schools!

I don't recall learning about any 50 day writing suspensions or public crucifixions, but Poe's (a known opium user) "A Tell Tale Heart" is read in schools. Furthermore, we really don't want to admit to ourselves that we wouldn't have some of the best works of the Beatles if it weren't for a variety of mind altering drugs. Mozart was so drunk during his career that he had to hold on to the lawn to keep from falling off of the earth. The interesting thing is that the talent was there already. It's not as if they took a pill and magically became something new. It's interesting that we're able to separate the drug use from the genius in literature and art but not in sports. [Ed's note: Or even the frakkin' NFL!]

Does this mean that it's ok to take drugs? No. Drugs, PEDs and the like are bad and degrade society. The reason why I love sports is that I view it as an artistic form where you have to harness the power of body and mind to transform or produce something extraordinary. But we should at least be honest with ourselves. It's ok to crucify an athlete and yet we give ourselves a pass when we harass our doctor for a Xanax prescription because we can't deal with the banality and stress of every day life? Isn't popping Adderral while studying for an important exam considered performance enhancement? Isn't getting drunk a way to enhance the fun at a baseball game?

There are the athletes out there who legitimately do it straight. There are others who feel they need a little extra 'medicinal' aid. There are so many things in professional sports that happen that have and would disgust the living daylights out of us. It's also frustrating that these professional athletes seem to get a free pass yet most of us have to get a drug test just to get a secretarial job.

Yes, professional athletes need to be held to a high standard because they are role models, but shouldn't the rest of us hold each other to a high standard as well? We've somehow equated athletic performance with moral standards. It's really gross.

When it comes to baseball, we put the "p*ssy on the pedestal". Agents, athletes, and organizations make money on the illusion of innocence and the reality of lost dreams and a type of youth that never really existed. In a sense, isn't baseball and professional sports a drug itself? They're a hallucinogenic.

Maybe the reality is that if we want to see pure sport, we should just stick to Little League. At least until kids start testing positive for copious amounts of Mountain Dew and Big League Chew.

The Brewers begin a three-game series in Milwaukee tonight against the Mets, a team not exactly living up to its fans' expectations. Watch me talk with Ted Berg of SNYtv about the upcoming series.

I usually do my best to keep abreast of the day's goings on in the baseball world (through Twitter and whatnot) so that I don't accidentally miss something home run-related when I watch through the videos. There are times, though, when I don't get a chance to do that and, as such, go into the home run videos pretty blind only to discover some pretty interesting things happened. Sunday was a day like that.

Let's get to those trots.

Home Run of the Day: Albert Pujols, St. Louis Cardinals - 24.26 seconds* [video]
I could get away with not giving the Home Run of the Day to Pujols' walkoff yesterday because of the terrific play by Torii Hunter in the Yankees/Angels game. There is no valid excuse to skip over Pujols today, when he hit a walkoff home run for the second night in a row. I can only imagine how excited Cardinals fans are by the back-to-back walkoffs. You don't have to imagine how excited Pujols is, though - you can see it in his trots. Just watch Saturday's walkoff trot and then Sunday's trot. That's excitement right there.

Dodgers pitcher Chad Billingsley also had a big game, hitting a home run, a double, and earning a run-scoring walk in Cincinnati. Almost any other day that would be enough for Home Run of the Day, but it pales in comparison to Pujols today.

For the rest of today's trots (including trot times for all home runs and one of the most blatant cases of intentional showboating I've yet seen), head over to Baseball Prospectus.

Family issues kept me from posting Monday's trots yesterday. There were 46 hit that day - the biggest day of the year, I believe - but I still had to go back and time then. The times are included below. Tuesday's home run haul was a little smaller, but it was still a pretty good day for taters.

Let's get to those trots!

Home Run of the Day: Mitch Moreland, Texas Rangers - 23.46 seconds [video]
This home run is from Monday, but I can't let it slip by. Watch the video. Now that is a home run. I'm pretty sure he just hit it out of Tropicana and all the way to Tampa. Pretty darn impressive.

For the rest of today's trots (including trot times for all home runs), head over to Baseball Prospectus.

I know everyone is anxious to get out to their grills for some hot dogs and beer, so I won't keep you waiting.

Let's get to the trots!

Home Run of the Day: David Ortiz, Boston Red Sox - 24.45 seconds [video]
For only the fourth time in his career, David Ortiz hit a pinch-hit home run. Also for only the fourth time in his career, David Ortiz trotted out a 24-second trot.

I kid, I kid. Papi busts out a quick trot every now and then, and it's nice to see it come on Sunday, after a late-inning, go-ahead, pinch-hit bomb. Very appropriate.

Houston starter J.A. Happ hit his first career home run on Sunday, coming in at a league-average 22.06 seconds. The Astros would win the game 4-2. The home run hit by Jay Bruce was not measurable. Being the ESPN Sunday Night Baseball game, the Cardinals/Braves game had only one video feed, and that feed chose not to show Bruce touching home plate. What a shame.

For the rest of today's trots (including trot times for all home runs), head over to Baseball Prospectus. 

I'm not sure I've ever had a day with such a tight competition for the Home Run of the Day. Here in Milwaukee, Corey Hart hit his first, second, and third home runs of the year in the Brewers' 11-3 rout of the Nationals. In San Diego, Albert Pujols hit his first home run in over 100 plate appearances (that didn't stop him from admiring the blast). Jose Bautista continued his torrid pace of making obnoxious sportswriters say inane things with his 19th home run of the season. In Detroit, Andy Dirks hit his first career home run. Josh Hamilton and Nelson Cruz returned to the Rangers' lineup down in Texas and proceeded to each hit a home run to celebrate their return. For a day with only twenty-one home runs hit, it certainly seemed like every one of them was meaningful.

So what was the Home Run of the Day? Let's get to the trots!

Home Run of the Day: Jim Thome #2, Minnesota Twins - 23.19 seconds [video]
As excited as I am for all the home runs mentioned above (and, believe me, it's great seeing Corey Hart playing well), the one that made me most excited was Jim Thome's second blast of the game. The home run came in Target Field and was the 593rd of Thome's career. Like Cruz and Hamilton, this was Thome's first time in the lineup for a few weeks, having recently returned from the disabled list. What makes this more special than any of the others, though, is that the Twins were honoring Harmon Killebrew during the game. Thome is often described as the Killebrew of his generation, so the fact that he managed to sock two home runs on the day Killebrew's memory was honored takes it to a whole other level.

For the rest of today's trots (including trot times for all home runs), head over to Baseball Prospectus.

The first weekend of interleague play is now concluded, and what have we learned? Players can hit balls just as hard off opposing league pitchers as they can off their own league's pitchers. It's pretty amazing, really. I can't way for when interleague arrives in June for real (for five series in a row instead of just one) so we can learn the same lesson again.

Meanwhile, let's get to the trots!

Home Run of the Day: Asdrubal Cabrera #2, Cleveland Indians - 22.04 seconds [video]
Cabrera finished this game against the Reds a perfect five-for-five with two home runs and five RBIs. You can't ask for a more perfect game at the plate than that. For that, he bests San Francisco's Nate Schierholtz for Home Run of the Day. Schierholtz hit a blast out of AT&T Park in the bottom of the eighth inning to tie the game up. I couldn't tell if it hit the sidewalk before splashing into McCovey Cove, or if it splashed on the fly. The Giants would go on to win in the eleventh.

For the rest of today's trots (including trot times for all home runs), head over to Baseball Prospectus.

I know I've done a poor job of keeping Wezen-Ball updated over here with links and info to my other writings. I apologize for that. I'll try to keep things up-to-date a little more often. As an apology, here are a few links to some of my favorite pieces over the last month or so. Enjoy!

• A (nearly) exhaustive look at every mascot in Major League Baseball history. Help me fill in any gaps.
• A story called "How 'Scientific Baseball' Has Changed the Game" originally published in 1911.
• The umpire behind the plate for Johnny Vander Meer's second no-hitter was also an NHL ref and a Stanley Cup wining coach!
• There are three managers in baseball named Ron. Which is baseball's version of Ron Swanson?
• A boardgame from the mid-1960s called "Challenge the Yankees". Nice looking card set too.
• Remembering Manny Ramirez upon his retirement. This one gets a little Cardboard Gods-y (in a good way, I hope).
• In Tater Trot Tracker news, Peter Bourjos sets a new bar (14.02 seconds!) and we have a look at Duane Kuiper's lone trot.

I'll do a better job of keeping everyone in the loop here. In the meantime, you can see my latest posts with this Baseball Prospectus RSS feed.

I will also be doing a chat at BPro Thursday afternoon at 1pm Eastern. Everyone is welcome. Hope to see you over there!

Just wanted to let everyone who submitted a Predictions Contest entry know that, now that the contest is closed, the full list of entries is available.

Head over to the 2011 Wezen-Ball Predictions Contest form to see your (and everyone else's) contest entry. There were 143 entries total, which is pretty fantastic. I can't wait to see how this plays out come October or so.

I'll have a little more about the contest in the upcoming week or so. Thanks for playing, everyone!