MLB '13 The Show Needs a Coverboy

Every sport has a signature video game. For baseball, SCE San Diego Studio's MLB The Show Series gives you everything you want in a game of simulation hardball, and each year it seems to deliver more of the things baseball fans want to see.

This year, the player who will don the cover of the game seems like a can't miss no matter how voting ends up. Matt Kemp, CC Sabathia, Andrew McCutchen, Bryce Harper, Buster Posey, Ryan Braun, Miguel Cabrera and Johnny Giavotella are the candidates. Fans can cast their ballot by heading over to MLB.com/covervote and joining in via twitter or Facebook.

Baseball is doing a great job of promoting this as the marquee game of their sport. All hands are on deck with the aforementioned Twitter, Facebook, and MLB.com outlets. Each candidate made a campaign video (here's McCutchen's) and I even heard Colin Cowherd talking about the game with CC Sabathia today on ESPN Radio during my lunch break. 

I can tell you from experience, this game is worthy of all the hype. It's one of the few things in my life that year after year continues to deliver without diminishing returns. Even a new car is only great for the first year you have it. After that, you've got trash on the floor and your friends will smoke cigarettes in it without asking.

This game delivers a feel so real, you'll smell peanuts and pine tar from the minute you throw it in your Playstation. Sorry XBOX owners, you're left out in the cold like George Jung for now. 

If you have the time on your hands, I challenge you to pick the game up and try to play a full 162-game season. It might sound like it gets boring or tedious to some, but you'll never see the same thing twice in this game. And over the course of playing a season with that many game you'll see some rare special things at about the same rate you would see them over the course of the real-life season. You'll get blown out, win an 18-inning game in which you have to insert a pitcher to play left field, make a game saving catch, hit grand slams, have a shot at records, endure slumps, rain delays; it's all in this game if you allow play it out and allow it to come to you. 

Now, head over to twitter and send a simple tweet '#MLB13HARPER' to vote for the guy I want to see on the cover. 

Follow @mlbtheshow for more details of The Show '13 cover vote race. At press time, Andrew McCutchen holds a surprising decisive lead.

Matt Kemp Is A Jerkface

I hate throwing around harsh language. I'm both a gentleman and a scholar (according to my mom) so only on the rare occasion would I stoop to calling someone that word. But Matt Kemp is , earmuffs kids, a jerkface. I said it. But why? Kemp, the NL Home Run Derby captain, will not pick Bryce Harper to participate in the event he was born to win...

"It's not because he's a rookie. It's just that there are other guys out there that are capable,'' Kemp told the newspaper. "I'm not saying he wouldn't do a good job in the Home Run Derby. He's going to have plenty of time to participate in many Home Run Derbies. Just not this year. Nothing against him. I love watching him play.''

I mean, really, who wants to see Harper in the Home Run Derby anyway? Oh, everybody who's heard of baseball? Okay, put your hands down.

Sure, Harper only has seven homers in 224 plate appearances (as a 19-year-old). And his 13.3 home run to fly ball ratio is behind Will Venable and Michael Saunders. But having Harper in the HRD is good for the sport and fans even if he doesn't make the All Star Game, which I believe he should. The hype, the ratings, the money... I'll be surprised if Bud Selig doesn't intervene and Harper magically winds up in the HRD.

Somebody close to Kemp should tell him to do the right thing and pick Harper. Does anyone have Rihanna's number? Those last two sentences are actually, completely unrelated.

Matt Kemp's Golden Sombrero

A golden sombrero is awarded to a player who manages to strike out four times in a single game (real golden sombrero not included). It's quite the feat unless you're Ryan Howard or Mark Reynolds. Unfortunately, cycles and no-hitters are all the rage nowadays. Not for me, though. I will pour over the box scores to bring you the finest at swinging and missing.

Aaarggghhh. Well, I got one day off from awarding a Sombrero. I swear, these things are starting to haunt me. I thought this would be a fun little segment with some cheap tequila and pinata blooper videos. Now it's an every day chore and the tequila has just made me an angry drunk and I'm out of pinata videos. I even kicked Youtube in the crotch out of frustration and too much Costco tequila. I was almost through all of the box scores today when I came across the Dodgers game. Lo and behold, Matt Kemp managed to 0-4 with 4 strikeouts on 15 pitches. It's a good thing Alyssa Milano is a big Dodgers fan and I'm still in love with her from when I was 10 or I'd make some serious idle threats about Kemp and the Dodgers. Let's go to the at bats before I go write about more strikeouts...

Bottom 1st: Kemp struck out swinging against Jason Marquis. 3 pitches. Just like a Dodger fan, Kemp was planning on getting out of there by the 7th inning to beat traffic.

Bottom 3rd: Kemp struck out swinging against Jason Marquis again. 4 pitches. Patience young Jedi.

Bottom 6th: Kemp struck out swinging against Miguel Batista. 4 pitches. I don't know why he was in such a hurry. Entourage doesn't come on until late even on the West Coast.

Bottom 7th: Kemp struck out swinging against Tyler Clippard. 4 pitches. At least he could still beat traffic.

Curveballs for Jobu

Curveballs for Jobu is Off Base Percentage's daily trip around the ballparks.

Today's honorary bat boy: Candy Maldanado



Dodgers 3, Diamondbacks 1. Reason No. 463 why the All Star Game is silly: Hong-Chih Kuo isn't on this year's NL team. Kuo struck out six of the seven batters he faced in two scoreless innings Sunday, moving his season totals to a 1.03 ERA and a 0.72 WHIP in 26 1/3 IP. After smelling like old cheese for nearly a month, Matt Kemp seems to be coming alive of late. The CF, 9-for-22 (.409) with 3 HR and 7 RBIs in his last five games, hit a go-ahead, two-run home run in the eighth off Aaron Heilman, and the AZ bullpen finally had a bad night.

Orioles 6, Redsox 1. Brian Matusz somehow held Boston to a pair of hits in seven shutout innings. Rhyne Hughes: DNP.

Rockies 4, Giants 3 (15). San Francisco used nine pitchers Sunday and only one of them stunk. Unfortunately, it was the last pitcher. Guillermo Mota pitched 1 1/3 innings and walked five, two intentional, which led to Todd Helton's walk-off sac fly and Colorado winning the four-game series. Helton was due: he entered the game in the ninth and grounded into a double play to end the 10th and struck out with the bases loaded to end the 13th. That was like the time I entered an adult league baseball game in the 6th, struck out on three pitches, the last of which bounced, then was pinch-hit for in the 8th.

Mariners 8, Tigers 1. Cliff Lee finally had an off night. He struck out 11 and allowed one earned run in eight innings, snapping his complete game streak at three starts. That sound you heard was Jaret Wright's nostrils exploding.