I was just reading through some old stories over at Right Off Russell and found what can only be described as the most amazing commercial in the history of ever. Please enjoy, and thanks to RoR for bringing it into my life. 

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The residents of 2110 Eutaw Street take home the Most Birdland Trophy. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

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daveh873 came up with the idea. dayzd toe created the awesome spreadsheet. And you guys spent all year voting. Here's your Most Birdland Top Ten:

1. Nick Markakis - 14
2. Adam Jones -14
3. Brian Roberts - 10
4. Brad Bergesen - 9
5. Nolan Reimold - 9
6. Matt Wieters - 8
7. Jeremy Guthrie - 6
8. Luke Scott - 5
9. David Hernandez - 5
10. Brian Matusz, Koji Uehara, Aubrey Huff - 4

Congrats to Adam and Nicky!

It's worth noting that Bergy won 9 while appearing in just 19 games and Brian Matusz won 4 in just 8 games. A full season for both of those guys and they might have mopped the floor with Nick and Adam despite only appearing in 30 or so games. Let that serve as warning, Adam and Nick, this award will be a lot more competitive in the future

Back in February, SC proposed a Prop Bet contest in lieu of community projections. With the season over, it's time to review those bets. Check out the original post for the contest details. Here are the results:

And now the final tally. It seems appropriate that the winner is a dude named math geek, don't you think?

Congratulations to math_geek! To see the detailed tally for each participant, you can check out my fancy spreadsheet.

• The largest single bet that was correct goes to PhilR8, who bet $11,000 on Felix Pie having an On Base Percentage higher than .315 1/2. Gutsy! That was also my biggest single bet, but I only put down $5,000.
  
• The largest single bet that was incorrect goes to silverstadium, who put all his eggs into one basket, betting $18,100 that the O's would use more than 12.5 starting pitchers this year. It seemed like a safe bet given the O's history, but they ended the year with 12 different starters. So close!
  
• math_geek had the most correct bets with 15. silverstadium and Joltin' Joe Orsulak had the least correct answers with 13 each.
  
• Only five of us (wscott, Fred Sanford, cdavis627, NickMarkaces, and PhilR8) correctly guessed that Nolan Reimold would start more than 12 games.
  
• Though it was hardly a bold prediction, most of us knew Ryan Freel wouldn't play many games for the Orioles. 18 out of 21 said that he'd get less than 110.5 games as an O. Almost as many knew Chris Waters didn't have a chance, as 17 correctly bet that he'd make less than 11.5 starts.
  

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via ME

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So... as we all know, the all-star break is upon us.  The HR Derby was yesterday.  I started to watch it but it quickly bored me.  In my opinion the HRD has run its course.  It was cool for a while to see how far juiced up players could hit juiced up balls with juiced up bats, but last night I found it very monotonous.  So, I did what any sports fan would naturally do...  I kept it on my tube.  Following the HRD was the Celebrities & Legends Softball game.  Who knew Nelly was so good at softball?  Who knew that Bobby Knight had such a soft spot for 4 1/2 ft tall, gold medal winning, gymnasts?  And who the hell knew that Goose Gossage played all the way until 1994?!?  I always thought that he was a Sepia Tone Era guy.  Must've been his name, I dunno.  But anyway.  Tonight's The Game.  But, really, who cares about the good-for-nothing-but means-something-when-it-shouldn't-because-it's-just-an-exhibition-game-anyway game.  Enjoy seeing the "best of the best" play on the same field, but to me it's not a particularly big deal.  Again...  because I'm a good fan it'll be on my TV.  The real important business at this, the "halfway" house point is, if the season ended today who would get the MBP award for the season?

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This conversation about Stacey's trip to Boston got me ponderin'. I think most baseball fans enjoy going to a different team's ballpark when they're in a city that has one.  Just for kicks, I though it'd be fun to see where the CC regulars (and irregulars) fall in. 

Rather than making a poll, which would be 30 choices long and would exclude older parks, just comment and say where you've been in a kind of list form. When everyone's weighed in, I'll tabulate some numbers.

Feel free to leave comments about your impressions, too.

My list after the jump, in roughly chronological order: 

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I say just bring it.

Roar From 34 talks big losses to the Rangers in recent seasons, or at least losses to the Rangers in which the Orioles give up a buttload of runs. The 19-6 loss from the other night and 30-3 laugher (it's that or crying or breaking something) didn't set anything off in my head, but the mention of the 11-8 loss to the Rangers on July 27, 2005 did. That game immediately flew back into my head. Here's the Camden Chat post-game. It was right in the middle of the hideous free-fall, just before things got REALLY bad. That game was excruciating.

Dempsey's Army uses evil statistics and ridiculous "numbers" to debunk the idea that Chad Moeller can't hit worth a damn, so that must mean he's good defensively.

33rd & Eutaw has their own take on the 19-6 loss. We all do. Games like that are just putrid. They're also going with "Sugar Bear" for Adam Jones. I sadly cannot approve; too close to Nick "Honey Bear" Markakis...or does that make it MORE awesome?

MLB Outsider names Nick Markakis the No. 1 right fielder in all of baseball. There's probably a bit to debate there, but then you really think about it. What other right fielder in MLB would you rather have, in a world where Nick Markakis isn't near and dear to your heart? I can't think of a single one. I'd take him every time. That does it: Nick Markakis is the best right fielder in Major League Baseball.

Weaver's Tantrum hates the way the Orioles have jerked around Radhames Liz.

Roch talks Patton and Pedro. "This isn't the same Pedro who defeated Don Zimmer in Wrestlemania 12." I'll have you know, Roch, that WrestleMania XII (Roman numerals!!!!!) was held in ANAHEIM in 1996, and it featured the epic, overrated iron man match between Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels, as well as the return of the Ultimate Warrior. I SAID GOOD DAY!

Peter also talks Patton. Pick your horse.

Our own zknower made this graphic in one of the post-game threads (well, no, he posted it there -- he made it elsewhere) and I thought it surely deserved a day-off front pager.

In a way it's actually kind of predictable that Koji would be taken under the wings of Walker and ZAUN. I remember when Chan Ho Park came to the U.S. and he had that cowboy get-up. Koji learning the ways of Americana from J Dubya doesn't surprise me in the least.

I also want to note that after we gave him some hell last year, Jamie is pitching well so far this season. I'd like to return to loving Walker, so here's hoping he keeps it up.

More photos » by Kathy Willens - AP

7 months ago: New York Yankees starter CC Sabathia reacts after going seven and two-thirds innings against the Cincinnati Reds in the Yankees' 4-1 victory in their spring training baseball game at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Fla., Friday, March 27, 2009. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)

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It's pickin' time, y'all! Let's get to it.

AMERICAN LEAGUE EAST

1. New York Yankees

It's just too much. CC Sabathia might actually be above 60% for the playoffs assuming the Yankees do get there, and as unimpressive as AJ Burnett is as a #1 or even a #2, he's a pretty damn good #3. Their rotation could be nasty with Sabathia, the workmanlike and now-healthy Chien-Ming Wang, Burnett, Andy Pettitte and Joba Chamberlain. The fact that Pettitte -- who probably puts up around a 4.20-4.50 ERA -- really might be their fifth-best starting pitcher is ridiculous. I don't want to underestimate how good Joba Chamberlain really might be. He dominated last season.

The lineup isn't as imposing as some of the past seasons, but it's still pretty good. Johnny Damon was quite productive last year and probably has another solid year in him, Jeter's in serious decline but still better than most shortstops with the stick, and then you have Teixeira and eventually A-Rod will get in there. Teixeira and Rodriguez are likely the best 3-4 punch in the game, and A-Rod is only projected to be out until May 15 anyway. Then you have Robinson Cano, who is likely to bounce back some, and that should help make up for the potential step back Xavier Nady takes. Posada's back, too.

It's a pretty good lineup and a great starting rotation in theory. I think this is the year they start delivering on expectations and payroll again.

2. Boston Red Sox

If David Ortiz is healthy and hitting, it's still a horrible lineup for any pitcher to have to face. Youkilis, Pedroia, Drew and Bay are all intimidating, and maybe Mike Lowell has some gas left in the tank. Jacoby Ellsbury is likely to improve on his .729 OPS, too, and he's a burner to boot. Varitek stinks. Let's say that again: Varitek stinks. But this is a team that's going to have Jason Bay hitting sixth or seventh.

Beckett, Lester and Matsuzaka give them a front three that can hang with just about anyone. They could very easily win the division. Between the rise of the Rays and the restructuring of the Yankees, the Red Sox are almost the forgotten contender. I know that's weird to say, but basically no one is picking them to win the division (and I'm not either).

3. Tampa Bay Rays

Someone's gotta finish third and sadly I expect it will be the Rays. They could seriously be a better team than the AL champions of 2008 and still finish third. They could win 95 games and finish third. That's how far from the pack the Yankees, Red Sox and Rays are in the AL, at least on paper right now. Any one of these teams would cruise to a division title in the Central or West. That's not a knock on anyone or AL East pride from me, it's just true. These are without any question the three best teams in the American League.

I still love their starting rotation, and I think their lineup could be better, particularly if Carlos Pena hits like he did in the second half (.260/.418/.531) rather than the first half (.236/.340/.438) of 2008. B.J. Upton should see his power return, too, as he's said the injuries he battle last year really sapped him of his strength. Pat Burrell should add some clobberin'.

What makes me put them third? Evan Longoria is looking to avoid the Noid (better Rookies of the Year than Longoria have flamed out). And most importantly I wonder if their remarkable bullpen turnaround of 2008 can hold up. That was the single biggest difference between the Devil Rays of 2007 and the Non-Devil Rays of 2008. They're going into Opening Day with 39-year old Troy Percival as the closer (4.53/1.23 when healthy last year). It just seems like a team this good would want to have some more reliable than a guy near 40 that missed an entire season two years ago as their shutdown reliever. Then again batters hit all of .178 off of Percival last year.

4. Toronto Blue Jays

Did you know that by Pythagorean record the Blue Jays were the second-best team in the AL in 2008?

Boston, 95-67
Toronto, 93-69
Tampa Bay, 92-70
Chicago and Minnesota, 89-74
Los Angeles, 88-74
New York, 87-75
Cleveland, 85-77
Detroit, 78-84
Oakland, 76-85
Texas, 76-86
Baltimore, 73-88
Kansas City, 72-90
Seattle, 67-95

Weird, right?

I don't like Toronto to repeat that performance. You could probably guess that by the fact that I'm putting them fourth and am about to say, "I don't think they're close to the top three, and I even think with some luck and baseball weirdness junk we might even leapfrog the Jays," but instead I chose the most uninformative sentence possible. Look out, Plaschke, here I come.

5. Baltimore Orioles

We're going to finish last unless something terrible happens to Roy Halladay. By August or September the rotation might actually start looking passable, but for the start it's ugly, it's not likely Huff hits again like he did last year, Mora won't have the total numbers he had last season (I expect close to 2007 numbers), and while shortstop is improved, it's not like Izturis is a big difference maker. Good glove, hope he pokes some singles and steals some bags. I expect like last year this will be a fun team to watch for a while until the drag of the 162-game season sets in and it starts getting kind of repetitive.

Two things I really want to see: Adam Jones improvement (expect it, count on it, cherish it), and for the team to NOT COMPLETELY LAY DOWN AND DIE IN THE LAST TWO MONTHS. Please? Please please please?

I'm going to go quicker on the rest of the divisions because (1) I don't care as much, and (2) I don't want to write a damn book with this post.

AMERICAN LEAGUE CENTRAL

1. Cleveland Indians

I think you can write Travis Hafner off, but this team was so much better than their record last year (though either way they were quite disappointing) and I just find something appealing about them. It probably has something to do with Major League.

When I think of the Indians and GM Mark Shapiro and even Eric "Tommy Pickles" Wedge, I feel like Paul Rudd talking to Seth Rogen during the dinner scene in Knocked Up. "I like the way you move."

2. Minnesota Twins

I'm done picking the Twins to be bad. I'm never impressed with them on paper and they're pretty much always in contention. They'll probably win the division.

3. Kansas City Royals

Yes! Dayton Moore is not quite the über cool GM of the future some people were making him out to be when he came to KC from Atlanta, because he does weird, pointless things like signing malcontent Jose Guillen and COMPLETELY needlessly acquiring Mike Jacobs, but the Gil Meche deal has worked out, Zack Greinke is becoming the pitcher people thought he'd never become after his off-field issues, and Billy Butler might actually hit this season. I don't think they'll be good, I just think they're getting better. In some ways I think the Royals are getting better in spite of Moore, and that's not even pointing out how much better he is than his predecessors. I really feel for Royals fans. We're with ya, guys.

4. Chicago White Sox

Jim Thome hit 34 dongs last year but he's getting really close to being so fat and old that it all falls apart in one gloriously excruciating season. Paul Konerko is damn close to that, but he's not exactly Jim Thome, either. John Danks might never have as good a season as he had last year. I have nothing against the White Sox. I think Ozzie Guillen is a boneheaded manager but feel he's great for baseball overall.

Is this the fattest team in the league? Thome, Bartolo Colon, Bobby Jenks, Matt Thornton, Jose Contreras, Jermaine Dye, Carlos Quentin, Clayton Richard, Mark Buehrle. These guys are all listed at 230+. Colon is listed at 245 which is pretty absurd.

5. Detroit Tigers

There are few teams that have gotten it as right as Detroit did a few years ago only to IMMEDIATELY start getting it so wrong afterward. The follow-up season where they went 88-74 was just a slight tick back. Little did anyone know they were about to start trading for Dontrelle Willis and Gary Sheffield.

AMERICAN LEAGUE WEST

1. Los Angeles Angels

They're not very good, really, but they're better than every other team here. It's that simple.

2. Texas Rangers

SLUGGAGE. I like that Nelson Cruz. He will have many runs batted in hitting fourth. Go fantasy team. Their pitching is still gross.

3. Oakland Athletics

Now God knows I love Billy Beane but since the Moneyball-era market exploitation doesn't work anymore he's seemed like a chicken with his head cut off trying to find new things to buy for cheap.

4. Seattle Mariners

You know what's sad? I'm psyched about Griffey being back in Seattle and all, but man...is he going to be horrible in Safeco Field or what?

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