Opening Day Moments That Made Us Smile (so far)

Mo’s last Opening Day. Insert heaving sigh here.

Never mind that it was Easter weekend. Opening Weekend made it more like Christmas Day at the Bee Household, just as I expect it may have been for you this past long weekend. (True story: we spent Sunday morning watching the replay of Yankees-Army at West Point on MLB.tv via Apple TV. And it was glorious.)

While it wasn’t such a great day for my Yankees – and please, let’s all just calm down, alright? – there was so much to celebrate. For one, I was glad to see Francisco Cervelli back in the regular lineup and having a decent outing at the plate, and hearing the Yankee faithful bellowing YOOOOOOOOUUUUK! (Suck it, Boston. He’s OURS now!) For Boston fans, seeing a strong outing from Jon Lester at Yankee Stadium was likely pretty uplifting. Maybe we don’t need to relegate them to the AL East basement just yet.

Here are a few other moments that may have brought a smile to your face:

Hanukkah Hunks Night 8: Ryan Kalish

 

A little part of my Yankees fan self just died a bit in posting this. But you know what? It’s the final night of Hanukkah, and who am I to deprive our readers of a hot outfielder, whether he plays for the Boston Red Sox or not?  I give you Ryan Kalish.

Hanukkah Hunks: Night 1

Happy Hanukkah to my fellow Heebs! As sundown approaches this evening, I’m happy to continue the Ladies… tradition of recognizing excellence in the world of Jewish athleticism and kick it off right with one of our old favorites – I’m sure the masses will approve…

Happy Birthday, Miss Minda!

In what needs to become a Ladies… tradition, I’m going to go ahead an honor Miss Minda with some of her favorite hotties.

And also to congratulate her as her photography continues to take her to bigger and better places. If you don’t already read her blog or follow her on Twitter, you should. MiLB.com is using some of her pictures. She took the player card pics for the AAA Omaha Storm Chasers. Her pics of the field crashers at the College World Series made the blog rounds. She’ll be press-passing it up at the ASG and HR Derby with ESPN writer Amanda Rykoff.

In that vein, let’s be a little selfish first and start with the pic she posted early this am to celebrate her birthday – as she calls it: Butttttsssss!

But beyond that, let’s let Alex Gordon’s forearms tell her to have a great day

Ryan Succop, both shirtless and appearing to issue an invitation…

Lastly, we’ll go for the awwww with injured Brandon Flowers visits children in the hospital

Sorry this is an end of the day wish, dear Minda, but we Ladies.. hope you had a spectacular birthday!

Celebrate and remember Pat Burrell, a pillar of this site

Pat Burrell is retiring, which means this site now has to exist in a world without him. Ladies… without Burrell is like Seinfeld without Jerry, like a flower without petals, like Grady Sizemore without that one coffee cup. Just…totally naked, but in like a really sad way.

According to Google, the Ladies… have written about Pat Burrell 118 times. By no means is that the most we’ve ever covered a hottie of sport (paging Tom Brady, Ryan Lochte, etc.), but he is a part of the very fiber of our collective heart nonetheless.

In most of the rest of this post, we'll forget he has a face, too.

Hanukkah Hunks: Night 6

After checking, double checking, and even just now triple checking, I find myself in a bit of disbelief that we didn’t include the Night 6 Heeb hottie in last year’s group.  Regardless, I give you the Texas Rangers’ second baseman: Ian Kinsler.  Drool over him and a doughnut some more after the jump.

MLB All-Star Game Shoe Porn

Apparently Mr. Ronaldo was the first futbol player to sport the orange cleats that littered the World Cup this summer. He debuted them back in October of 2009, if my sources are correct.

Shoes seem to be such a hot topic these days.  First, we had the whole orange shoe craze at the World Cup, now the flashy shoes have infiltrated the MLB All-Star Game.  Everyone’s favorite announcers, Chris Berman and Joe Morgan, were all abuzz about David Ortiz’s shoes that they forgot to talk about all the home runs he was hitting.

So join me after the jump, where we take a look at some All-Star Game foot fashion. Forget the long ball, chicks dig the shoes.

The Reveal! Name That Booty – Mets Edition

This past Monday, I treated you all to a little taste of the Mets/Cubs game through Buffalita’s camera lens and challenged you to name those booties.  I’m quite impressed with how people did (though SOME people refused to put their guesses on the correct platform and left them on Facebook…), but I am glad that I was able to stump nearly everyone on Booty #1! The reveal is after the jump…

Name That Booty – Mets Edition!

So this post will somewhat serve a double purpose – it’s a bit of  ‘I Was There’ bragging rights, as I was lucky enough to find myself in the best seats I’ve had yet at Citi Field on April 21st (which before this weekend was their last loss prior to the 8 game streak), but you can always trust your author to really focus in on what really matters: baseball booties.  I found myself photographing every member of the Amazins, and as one would think with seats just behind the 3rd base line dugout, you’re going to get a lot of booty photos just given the fact that we have a good number of right handed batters. Games Mistress gave me the wonderful idea of what to do with said booty photos, so this week, I shall be playing a little game with you all – name that booty!  I’ll post the answers this Friday.

(Disclaimer: My camera is getting a little old and tired, so some booties are spectacular and in focus, while others came out a tad grainy. Apologies!)

Bringing the Heat…The Pittsburgh Pirates

Listen, Pirates fans – I know you get picked on. I’m certain a post from a Brewers fan isn’t going to go over so well with you after we beat you last Thursday 20-0. However, I discovered last week that you girl Pirates fans have little to complain about. Though the scoreboard may sometimes make you want to cover your eyes, the view on the field is enough to keep a Lady coming back for more.

Who care what the record is – these Pittsburgh Pirates are hot! So hot, in fact, that the first time Garrett Jones came to bat, my mother stopped what she was doing to say “who’s that?”

Sadly for us, these hapless Pirates don’t receive too much media coverage and pictures are somewhat difficult to come by. Maybe there are even more pretty Pirates that I missed out on. Let me know if the comments if someone else needs to make it on our radar.

Follow the jump to meet these Pirates Pretty boys

It’s Opening Day*, you guys!

*Yeah, yeah, technically, it’s Opening Night. Deal.

I realize that Phil Hughes is not starting tonight's MLB opener at Fenway. Enjoy his stare anyway. (Photo: Nick Laham/Getty Images)

We interrupt your Winter Olympic coverage for this important announcement!

  

Chris Carpenter can report here anytime. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

In between squeals of delight over Johnny Weir and the Norway curling team’s pants, we happened to notice that SPRING TRAINING IS UNDERWAY!  

Ladies and stat nerds unite: in celebration of F-Gut!

Stat-nerds have been falling all over themselves in adoration of Franklin Gutierrez’s astounding CF defense, which is so stunningly awesome that the Mariners are hanging on to him for four more years. But don’t leave the F-Gut lovin’ to the statheads* – he’s someone the Ladies… can appreciate as well. Behold:

He is the WORLD. It says so right on his jersey.

*I, much like Crane, proudly belong to that set of people. Give me FanGraphs or give me death!

Advent Calendar of Hotness: Day 19

Yeah, Roy Oswalt. Sorry. (Not.)

Advent Calender of Hotness: Day 11

We could do a whole series on hot Diamondbacks, but today is for Conor Jackson.
More, after le jump.

Insert (caption) Here…

By now you’ve seen the picture but I couldn’t resist having our readers chime in.  I love my boys, but they make it so damn easy to rip on!

Holy S*** I Was There: Jeter hits #2,722

This past spring, I purchased via StubHub two tickets for Section 208 of Yankee Stadium for the September 11th game against the Orioles. As you recently learned, this would be my first live Major League ball game in more than 15 years, and my first ever Yankees game.

I had no idea at the time that I would be witness to a moment in Yankees history.

If you feel a wave of nausea washing over you, you may prefer to read this (and believe me, I agree – Mauer is more MVP-worthy). The rest of you can deal with my swooning after the jump.

The Ladies… play MLB GM: Call up Lenny DiNardo?

If I had a nickel for every time I wanted to do Royals General Manager Dayton Moore’s job, I’d have…a shitload of nickels. I’d love to think GMDM totally reads all the Royals blogs out there, and considers our suggestions. That’s proooobably not the case at all, but just in case: Hey GMDM, call up Lenny DiNardo! He could help your bullpen! And he’s a lefty!

Oh, and…he looks like this:

We have the Omaha World Herald to thank for this work of art.

The All-Star Break Called…

There’s a magical thing that happens every year after the All-Star break… the Yankees start winning!  In an attempt to summon those W’s into our current state of affairs, I thought we’d explore a little all-star action… Ladies style of course!

Earl Weaver would not be happy with our depth at certain positions, but I can’t help that hotties gravitate towards center field and the pitchers’ mound!  There has to be some scientific explanation for this phenomenon.

Pitching Mechanics 101

Constructing an efficient, injury-reducing pitching motion isn’t so much about figuring out what you’re doing right as about figuring out what you’re doing wrong. There are many, many ways to throw without putting undue stress on your arm, and there are many, many ways to throw in such a way that you’re likely to get injured. All credit to Driveline Mechanics for teaching me everything I know about this stuff.

Follow the jump to be overwhelmed by awesomeness.

Historic Hotties

Remember when I told all of you about the Ladies… fantasy football league? Well, sorry I didn’t give an update, but there’s one now! In a race that wasn’t so close, our two invitees, Thistle Warrior and Pam, crushed the Ladies. For real, it wasn’t funny. In the end it was between the two of them to see who would win. And our winner was…

Thistle Warrior! Her prize is a free post on this here blog. So without further ado here is TW.

I owe much of my sports fandom to my dad. He instilled in me with a love for sports, particularly its history. Over the years between my dad’s stories, documentaries, and countless books I have noticed that sports are an absolute hotbed for hotness. So without further ado, here is my Top 5 Historic Hotties:

Hot (well, sort of lukewarm) Stove Hotties

Each week this Hot Stove season, we’ll look at some done deals and juicy rumors involving our favorite MLB hotties. If you want a comprehensive rundown of rumors, go to MLBTR. If you want the pretty, stay right here!

Lame! Nothing really happened in Hot Stoveland this week. The biggest story was actually one that didn’t happen – someone reported that the Giants signed Edgar Renteria, and it turned out to be untrue.

Edgar a Giant? Some people said so, but...No.

Hot Stove hotties

The instant the World Series ended, MLB general managers started to barter and bicker to build up their teams. Each Thursday this Hot Stove season, we’ll look at some done deals and juicy rumors involving our favorite MLB hotties. If you want a comprehensive rundown of rumors, go to MLBTR. If you want the pretty, stay right here!

Where will Jake Peavy end up? Find out the options after the jump!

I still love you, baseball!

Last night, my sister called me from work to ask the score of the Cubs game. Ummmm … wellllll, oh wait! I got a text saying the game was postponed. She asked me if they were still running the rain delay programming, and I scrambled to see what channel they were on. I didn’t even know the channel! You see, like the other Ladies, I have been immersed in the Olympics. Seriously immersed in the Olympics. Having dreams about the Olympics. So, though I’m not watching you, I still got nuthin’ but love for ya, baseball. After the jump, a few reminders on why I continue to love America’s pastime.

You know I love you, baby!

Where are they now? The Hottie Prospectus Edition

At the beginning of the season, the Ladies… assembled an All-Hottie team of some of the game’s best propsects (along with some random hotties). As we round out the final few hours of the All-Star Break (finally!), let’s check up on some of our prospects and see how they’re doing.

Some gratuitous Joey Votto for you...

Hump Day Hottie: Rich Harden

When the Cubs traded for Rich Harden, I was overjoyed. The guy can pitch (if he stays healthy fingers crossed knock on wood spit twice) and Chicago got him without giving up a ton. Then I saw some pictures of him… how had I never noticed him before? Smokin’ hot, with a crooked smile. Welcome to Chicago, Rich. If you need a tour guide, a person to show you where to get the best pizza, hot dogs or a beer near the ballpark, please let me know. Might I add, the pinstripes look marvelous on you.

Hump Day Hottie: Joe Mauer

All of you will have to excuse me this week. I had to fight the urge to do another Rafael Nadal HDH. And I do mean fight. I was so close to just giving in and doing an All–Wimbledon version. But I didn’t because my obsession fandom should not be a burden to Ladies. Instead I decided to go with an All-Star we haven’t covered yet. You all saw Cinnamon Girl’s All-Star post showing that really hot wall picture of Joe Mauer. Well, I was hooked. So here’s much more from the Minnesota cutie.

So Close!

Chicago White Sox cutie Gavin Floyd came thisclose to a no-hitter tonight. His no-hit bid was stopped by a Joe Mauer (speaking of cuties) double at one out in the ninth inning.

I am no fan of the South Siders. In fact, I live on the North Side of Chicago, and have been a Cubs fan since birth. However, I couldn’t help but cheer on Floyd. This was his second brush with the no-hitter; he took one into the eighth inning on April 12. Methinks that Floyd will get a no-no before long. Congratulations to Gavin Floyd! Maybe Ozzie’s motivation techniques do work, after all.

Hottie Prospectus 2008

This is my awkward introductory sentence wherein I inform you that this is my first post here, and I’m very nervous. Now that that’s out of the way, let’s move on to the Hotties!

It’s easy to forget sometimes that the hotties in the Majors aren’t the only ones. I know, sometimes life gets kind of hectic, and so you don’t have the time to keep up with the minor leaguers in your team’s farm system.

You’re missing out.

When these hotties make it to The Show, some will discover their prettiness for the first time. But you will know better; you will have followed the hotness all the way from the creaky buses of the minors to the chartered flights and luxurious life of the majors. It will be hard to match last year’s class of tasty prospects, but let’s give it a shot.

PITCHERS

Taking the hill for our all-hottie team, we’ve got Ruddy Lugo, a Mets prospect who scores points for his talent, his looks, and being the younger brother of Julio Lugo. (The Lugo brothers were once teammates with the Rays – cute, right?) Baseball Prospectus describes his curveball as “nifty,” and reports that his fastball hits 95 at times. The Internets do not have enough pictures of Ruddy; I’d like to launch a campaign to change that. I’ll call it Take More Pictures of Ruddy Lugo, Then Post Them Online, or TMPoRLTPTO for short. But here’s one of the few.

Hump Day Hottie: Alex Rios

The first time I had ever heard of Alex Rios was when Metschick featured him in a Hit and Run. Thanks Metsy! I would have never known of the hotness that is Mr. Rios without that beautiful picture of him with his horrible striped shirt. No ugly shirts hear, just a hottie north of the border.