The greatest comedy trio of our time has returned with a new masterpiece about Mark McGwire and Jose Canseco.
The Lonely Island dropped a special on Netflix called The Unauthorized Bash Brothers Experience, which includes the sure-to-be song of the summer "Uniform On" (warning: contains profanity):
There's so much to unpack just in this two-minute song, not the least of which is the appearance of a Mr. Met knockoff and Andy Samberg holding up a framed photograph of himself in costume with Alf.
They also nailed the late-1980s music-video aesthetic and represent what it was like when McGwire and Canseco were operating at the height of their powers as teammates with the Oakland Athletics.
Bench coach Mark McGwire is leaving the San Diego Padres to spend more time with his family, according to Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union-Tribune.
McGwire has served on manager Andy Green's coaching staff since Dec. 2015. That staff is undergoing major changes this offseason, however, as hitting coach Matt Stairs and infield coach Josh Johnson were both fired earlier in October and McGwire is quitting his post as well.
McGwire, 55, was one of the most feared power hitters of his generation during his playing years, hitting 583 home runs and 1,414 RBI in his career. He was the 1987 American League Rookie of the Year and a 12-time All-Star, most famously surpassing Roger Maris' previous record of 61 homers in a single season by blasting 70 with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1998.
That record would then be broken by Barry Bonds (73) in 2001.
During his playing career, McGwire played for the Oakland Athletics—forming the famous "Bash Brothers" with fellow slugger Jose Canseco—and the Cardinals. His many achievements earned an asterisk, however, when he admitted to steroid use during his career. That steroid use has also played the major part in McGwire never being inducted into the Hall of Fame.
After his playing career, McGwire served as the Cardinals hitting coach for three seasons and the Los Angeles Dodgers' hitting coach for another three before joining the Padres.
During his tenure in San Diego, Sanders noted that McGwire "was not only an experienced right-hand man for Green, he was leaned on heavily for his expertise at the plate."
According to AJ Cassavell of MLB.com, Triple-A manager Rod Barajas is a "top candidate" to replace McGwire, though "it's unclear who the Padres will call upon to fill his place."
He added that "early indications" suggest the Padres may fill out their coaching staff vacancies with internal candidates.
The 2018 Home Run Derby will feature some top players in today's game like Bryce Harper and Freddie Freeman, but none of them can match the sluggers we have seen over the past 30 years.
This begs the question, which top hitter since the Derby first began in 1985 would you take to win?
Barry Bonds is the career leader with 762 home runs, although each of these sluggers is among the top 11 of all time in this category.
Meanwhile, all four superstars won a Home Run Derby at some point in their careers, but Ken Griffey Jr. was the king with a record three wins in 1994, 1998 and 1999. His eight appearances were also the most all time.
With that said, you can't rule out peak Sammy Sosa or Mark McGwire, who combined to create one of the most exciting stretches in baseball history during the 1998 season.
So who would you take in a hypothetical exhibition during each player's prime?
New York Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge became the fastest player to hit 61 home runs in MLB history with a solo homer in the seventh inning of Thursday's 4-3 win over the Toronto Blue Jays.
According to MLB.com's Bryan Hoch, Judge needed 199 career games to reach the mark, eclipsing the previous record of 204 games, which was held by Mark McGwire.
Sixty-one home runs used to be one of the most important benchmarks for MLB sluggers until 1998, when McGwire and Sammy Sosa both broke Roger Maris' single-season home run record. McGwire finished the 1998 season with 70 home runs, while Sosa was just behind with 66.
Then, Barry Bonds smashed 73 homers in 2001 to set the current gold standard for a single season.
After Thursday, Judge is already up to five home runs through New York's first 17 games. Washington Nationals star Bryce Harper leads the majors with eight, while the trio of Jed Lowrie, Joey Gallo and Mike Trout are pacing the American League with six.
Mounting a serious challenge to Bonds' record is probably out of the question for Judge, but he may be able to improve upon the 52 homers that helped him win AL Rookie of the Year in 2017.
Aaron Judge continues to shatter the record books in the second full season in the major leagues.
The New York Yankees slugger hit his fourth home run of the year and the 60th of his career in the second inning of Monday's game against the Miami Marlins.
Aaron Judge goes YARD.
— YES Network (@YESNetwork) April 16, 2018
That's four homers on the year for the big fella. pic.twitter.com/GMoqkYF2h9
According to Bill Baer of NBC Sports, Judge is the fastest to reach this career milestone, accomplishing the feat in his 197th game. Mark McGwire had the previous record with 60 home runs in his first 202 games.
Judge was a breakout star for the Yankees last season, hitting a league-best 52 home runs. He also led the American League in runs (128) and walks (127) while winning Rookie of the Year.
He was off to a relatively slow start this season from a power perspective, hitting only three home runs in his first 14 games. While his early pace of 35 home runs would still be a quality year, it would be a bit of a disappointment after the outstanding production we saw in 2017.
Still, Judge has remained effective in other ways, entering Monday with a .340 batting average and .470 on-base percentage. His long ball in the second inning extended his active hitting streak to 12 games.
The 25-year-old also showed he still has plenty of power, driving the ball the opposite way off Caleb Smith to give the Yankees a 3-0 lead.
If he continues to improve his all-around game at this rate, Judge has a chance to set a lot more records in the future.
Mark McGwire admitted he used performance-enhancing drugs during his MLB career, but believes he didn't need them to set records.
In an interview with Jayson Stark of The Athletic, McGwire said he could have still broken the single-season record with 70 home runs in 1998 even without the help.
"Absolutely," McGwire said, via ESPN. "I just know myself. I just know. I was a born home run hitter. I mean, unfortunately, I did [take PEDs]. And I've regretted that. I've talked about that. I regretted it. I didn't need to. That's the thing. Didn't need to."
McGwire had been a feared hitter for years with the Oakland Athletics, but he took the nation by storm in his first year with the St. Louis Cardinals, battling Sammy Sosa to be the one to break Roger Maris' record of 61 home runs set in 1961.
The first baseman hit 70 home runs that season and 65 in 1999. Barry Bonds eventually broke the record with 73 home runs in 2001.
While McGwire maintained that he had been clean throughout his career, he finally admitted to steroid use in 2010. Still, he thinks this didn't make an impact on his production during his playing days.
"Deep down inside, I know me as a hitter," he said. "And I know what I did in that box. And I know how strong my mind is. And I know what kind of hitter I became."
He retired in 2001 with 583 home runs but failed to earn a spot in the Hall of Fame after 10 years on the ballot. You need 75 percent of votes to be inducted but McGwire never topped 25 percent, per Baseball Reference.
The 54-year-old is currently a bench coach for the San Diego Padres.
Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Cody Bellinger was named the 2017 National League Rookie of the Year Monday after he put on a power-packed show for the National League champions.
MLB announced the winner:
The Dodgers have captured back-to-back NL Rookie of the Year Awards following shortstop Corey Seager's successful bid for the hardware in 2016.
Bellinger, who made his major league debut April 25, was nothing short of brilliant during a historic inaugural campaign that included an All-Star berth.
In 132 games, the 22-year-old slashed .267/.352/.581 with a National League rookie record 39 home runs plus 97 RBI. The only first-year players to mash more home runs than Bellinger are Aaron Judge (52 in 2017) and Mark McGwire (49 in 1987).
Bellinger also finished the year with a .933 OPS—10th among NL hitters—and a robust 4.0 wins above replacement, per FanGraphs.
"For a young player to impact a championship-caliber ballclub like this—on the defensive side, obviously in the batter's box—I think exceeded all of our expectations," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said, according to the Orange County Register's Bill Plunkett. "It's scary. It's easy to say he's only going to get better. But he keeps getting better."
Topping his rookie numbers will require a serious step forward, but if 2017 was any indication, Bellinger appears to be on a lofty trajectory that could eventually land him in the MVP conversation as the Dodgers continue their quest to try to represent the class of the National League.
Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com and FanGraphs.
New York Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge hit his 50th home run of the season Monday against the Kansas City Royals, setting a rookie record for most homers in a single season.
The Yankees and MLB celebrated the achievement:
Mark McGwire owned the previous mark, having hit 49 home runs for the Oakland Athletics in 1987.
Judge tied McGwire with a two-run homer in the bottom of the third inning that put the Yankees ahead 3-0, and he went yard again in the bottom of the seventh with a solo blast that gave New York a 7-3 lead.
MLB shared a replay of the record-setting shot:
Judge increased his lead in the American League home run race over Athletics left fielder Khris Davis, who had 41 homers entering Monday night's game versus the Seattle Mariners. Catching Giancarlo Stanton for the MLB lead will be difficult, though, since the Miami Marlins right fielder had 57 homers.
Judge endured a rough stretch after the All-Star break. He batted .207 with 80 strikeouts in 223 plate appearances between July and August. The presumptive Rookie of the Year has righted the ship in September, though.
He had a .296/.436/.831 slash line this month prior to Monday, and as a result, he has re-emerged as a strong contender for the American League MVP Award. According to FanGraphs, Judge is tied with Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve in WAR (7.3) among position players.
Whether or not he bests Altuve and others for MVP, Judge's prodigious power already has put him in the MLB record book.
