Boston Red Sox

British humour makes baseball even better

It's no matter that British comedian Anthony Richardson probably did this voiceover of New York Yankees-Boston Red Sox opening day for folks who are less familiar with Major League Baseball. American fans of our nation's pastime should find it funny, too, as long as they're aware of rounders or cricket (unless those are the same thing), the sport (or sports) from which baseball partially derived.

Richardson's top observations include:

• Calling umpires "FBI" agents.

• Calling the Red Sox "another team ... to be confirmed."

• Calling an obvious foul ball a home run, adding (NSFW): "Smack me! Wowzers in me trousers!" The Anglo equivalent to "You can put it on the board ... yes!"

• Commenting on a routine fly ball to right: "Mork and Mindy! That's going for six! ... No! Caught by the chap in the pajamas with the glove that makes everything easier. And they all scuttle off for a nap." That might encapsulate the typical half-inning better than anything Vin Scully ever has said.

And that's just the first 30 seconds. Additionally, Richardson noting that Ichiro looks like actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt is bizarrely prescient. It's also an important sub-theme of the final 90 seconds.

Richardson just might transform how we all watch baseball going forward. Would it be the worst thing for Hawk Harrelson to affect a Cockney accent and talk like that for a half-inning every now and then ? It would make the White Sox more tolerable right now, that's for sure, what?

And hitting the ball into a plastic bag should be worth more.

Wickets!

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• Mon Jun 17, 2013 12:18 pm EDT
• Big League Stew
• David Brown
• Comment

Rays call on the future, promote top prospect Wil Myers to big leagues

After days of speculation, the Tampa Bay Rays finally made it official on Sunday when they announced that top prospect Wil Myers has been promoted to the big league roster. He'll be in uniform and ready to go when the Rays visit Fenway Park for a day-night doubleheader against the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday.

Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times was among the first to report the news following Tampa's 5-3 loss to the Kansas City Royals on Sunday. He also notes that infielder Ryan Roberts has been optioned to Triple-A Durham to make room on the 25-man roster.

Myers' promotion has been among the most aniticapted in baseball since he came over as the centerpiece in the trade that saw the Rays ship James Shields and Wade Davis to Kansas City. Many wondered if Myers might even make the opening day roster with a good spring. The Rays wisely held off on that decision, though, and then watched on as Myers got off to a relatively sluggish start — .263/.344/.441 with seven home runs through May 28.

He's since caught fire, hitting seven home runs over the past 18 days while raising his average to .283. It's said the Rays have been particularly impressed with the adjustments Myers has made at the plate throughout the season, and it appears they're confident he can continue making them against big league pitching.

One thing is for sure, the 22-year-old outfielder will be given every opportunity to prove he's capable of hanging against big league pitching. Manager Joe Maddon reiterated that when meeting with the media on Sunday.

Here are those comments from Maddon, along with a little bit more information from Topkins in his Times article.

"He's going to play a lot," manager Joe Maddon said. "Of course you don't bring somebody like that up to sit around."

There has always been a lot of expectations placed on Myers, last year's minor league player of the year, since he was the key chip in the offseason trade of RHP James Shields to the Royals. But Maddon said while "outside" expectations are high, they're going to try to "ease him in," hitting him lower in the lineup and telling him to just be one of nine.

If any team would know how to ease a prospect into their mix in a precise manner, it would certainly be the Rays. They've been doing it well for years with players such as Evan Longoria, David Price and Jeremy Hellickson. Myers is in very good hands, which should ease the transition quite a bit. He also possess a world of talent. which means the future is bright in Tampa.

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