BIG NEWS! PITCHERS AND CATCHERS REPORT TO SPRING TRAINING TODAY! BASEBALL IS BACK!... I just had no time to write this week. But yay for baseball finally returning.
By now, you probably know Yoenis Cespedes, the newest Oakland A.
You know the power. You know the arm. You know the mystique.
But do you know the video? In case you haven't, here's another look at Yoenis Cespedes: The Showcase.
Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus breaks it down, if you don't have 20 minutes on hand (but trust me, It's worth it).
Part II: Let's Watch Yoenis Play Baseball!
At the 2:19 mark, following a wipe from an aerial photo of the earth highlighting Cespedes's hometown of Granma, Cuba, we finally see the player, in an ultra-slow-mo shot of a home run hit in the World Baseball Classic against Japan. Then it's a mammoth opposite field bomb against Australia, with multiple replays, followed by shaky shots of blasts from games in his homeland, including one we need a Tater Trot Tracker on, as he admires the blast for what feels like a week. It's impressive stuff to be sure, but that's just what catches your eye. It's what catches your ear that is amazing. Playing in the background of every violent smash and during each tape measure home run is Christopher Cross's 1980 Grammy Record of the Year, "Sailing." We see Cespedes's record-setting home run swing not once, not twice, but three times, and slowed down in time with Cross's memorizing piano solo. The bizarre juxtaposition of trying to excite potential teams with a player's incredible bat speed and leverage with the musical equivalent of sleepy time tea is the first of what will be a series of bizarre editorial choices made by Mercedes's production team.
The video just reminded me of some other great A's-related video gems.
The A's locker room after Scott Hatteberg hit the game-winning home run for No. 20.
Commercials from the past:
Chad Bradford and the bullpen phone
The more things change, the more they stay the same...
Not just athletes... Athletics
Things get a little crazy in right field/Matsuiland when Grant Balfour pitches
Others:
Home video footage of the 1929 World Series between the Philly A's and the Chicago Cubs
Dallas Braden on Letterman after the perfect game
And... of course...
What are some of your favorite A's-related videos?
