How is it that I’ve been online all these years and I’ve never seen this website before? Major League Baseball Players online? I feel like a fool for having never seen it. And the way I found it was researching something not related to baseball, which is usually how these things pop up. As I type this, I’m listening to an interview with Mike Timlin from April 2008. They have interviews that go all the way back to 2004. I’m going to be up all night listening. What I’m also finding interesting is that you can download the basic agreement, the joint-drug agreement and the list of approved supplements for players. Given the information this site has, I’m guessing most of you reading this are thinking “Yes, we’ve visited that site. Where’ve you been, Cyn?”. I have no idea and I’m embarrassed that I didn’t realize it existed. (I blame mlb.com. Their websites are horror shows to navigate. Yeah, that’s it!)
Along with a blurb from Kyle Snyder that I found from January of 2008 (He likes us!):
I went to college at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, a place where Tar Heels basketball fans dominate the local sports scene, but they pale in comparison to Red Sox Nation. I don’t think there’s a city anywhere where fans support a team as well as the Red Sox. Playing in Boston has been an eye-opening experience in that respect. I had played my whole career in Kansas City prior to joining Boston. K.C. is a football-town first, while, despite the Patriots’ great success, baseball still rules Boston.
I also found a, relatively, comprehensive list of websites connected to MLB players. You need to check these out. Jeff Samardzija loves him the flash. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. And I hate to promote a Yankee player’s site, but Nick Swisher won me over with the tribute to his grandmother. I’m a sucker for grandparent love. I cleansed myself of thinking nicely about a Yankee by visiting Jorge Posada’s site and being disappointed that there weren’t any references to Sid the Sloth. Gregg Zaun’s website invites you to “Bring your Z-game” while making you listen to music that will bring on the urge to grow a mullet. GNR is alive and kicking over there. He also does cutesie things like use a “Z” at the end of a word where there should be an “S”. You scamp, you, Gregg Zaun! I also couldn’t stop thinking about Zips while I was there. Remember Stride Rite’s Zips? And the Zarex jingle (“Zarex is zipPY”). So, yeah, mullets, Zarex and Zips. That’s all I got out of Zaun’s website. And even though he hasn’t played since 2007, they still have a link to Barry Bonds’ site up. Sadly, the last time his blog was updated was February 2008. I wonder if they’ll let him blog from prison?
But my favorite, by far, is Alex Rodriguez’ website if for only this one thing: Under “News” they have absolutely nothing linked in 2009 before March 5: “Yanks GM hopes ARod will delay surgery”. Wouldn’t it be awesome if we could live or lives make believing only good things happen to us? How difficult would it be to try and get people to believe I never wore blue eyeshadow and I didn’t go see Milli Vanilli in concert? I’m pretty sure I couldn’t pull it off, but A*Rod (and/or his minions) seems to think that if it isn’t on his website it didn’t happen! Denial. It’s what’s for breakfast! I’m getting hours of enjoyment out of this silly website. MLB needs to do a better job advertising it. It’s good stuff!