All Star by Smash Mouth was a smash hit of 1999. It is in the opening credits of the original Shrek and was even performed at the MLB All Star Game in 1999.
Strong open that everybody knows. I’m not the brightest crayon in the box either.
This was one of the harshest insults I’d ever comprehended as a 5-year-old.
"When we were on tour for the first record, it's still when people were writing fan mail, like, in the form of paper and pencils and typewriters and stuff. We would get these big bags of fan mail and we would take them to the Laundromat and do our laundry and read all this mail while we were sitting around waiting for our clothes to get dry. And about 85-90 percent of the mail was from these kids who were being bullied or their brothers or older siblings were giving them s--t for liking Smash Mouth or liking whatever they're doing or the way they dressed and stuff. So we were, like, 'We should write a song for fans.' It was sort of like a daily affirmation. It was designed to be an uplifting, self-confidence-building song." - Greg Camp, Smash Mouth guitarist.
I still don’t know if this verse is about global warming or how the world can be cold. Perplexes me to this day.
The voice that says "go for the moon" came from an album of sounds from the Apollo moon mission issued by NASA. Greg Camp cooked up the song in his basement studio where he would use turntables to get beats and scratches. (Source: Song Facts)
Great tune from the 90s. A staple for many 90s kids worldwide and at a time when we were taught how to roast a smore, go big or go home, shoot for the stars, reach for the sky…
July 11, ‘23 | 8 PM ET | FOX | T-Mobile Park | Seattle, WA
The MLB All Star Game is the last All Star game that doesn’t feel gimmicky of the 3 Major American sports. Don’t even get me started about whatever the hell the NFL tries to put on before the Super Bowl. Unlike the NBA, which had to change the way teams were formed and the rules to decide the winner, baseball is still the American League vs the National League, you get 3 strikes & 3 outs, 9 players & 9 innings. Major League Baseball has been playing the All Star Game since 1933. Only twice has the Mid-Summer Classic not been played since the Great Depression: in 1945 when the game was canceled due to WWII travel restrictions and ‘20 during this thing called COVID-19.
Home Run Derby
July 10, ‘23 | 8 PM ET | ESPN
(1) Luis Robert Jr. (CHW) vs. (8) Adley Rutschman (BAL)
I like Robert Jr. here. Rutschman is a rising star but feels more like a line-to-line hits-for-average hitter and I kind of hate that he is in this - I’m already starting the Home Run Derby ruined his swing narrative.
(2) Pete Alonso (NYM) vs. (7) Julio Rodríguez (SEA)
Julio Rodríguez because he went off last year and it is in Seattle. Let’s hope the Polar Bear takes this year’s defeat better than last year’s mini-meltdown.
(3) Mookie Betts (LAD) vs. (6) Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (TOR)
If Vladdy Jr. doesn’t beat Betts Vlad Sr. shouldn’t let him back in the house, he’s twice Betts’ size.
(4) Adolis García (TEX) vs. (5) Randy Arozarena (TB)
Randy Arozarena because he’s the bigger name. That’s all I got.
Predicted Winner
Julio Rodríguez: The guy put on a show last year hitting 81 home runs and still lost. Absurd, but I think he puts on a show for his home fans.
Yandy Díaz was always a very good contact hitter that would but has now added some pop to his bat with 12 homers thus far. He also leads the AL in OBP, getting on at a 40.4% clip. That’ll make you an All Star.
Josh Jung is the odds-on favorite at the moment to win AL Rookie of the Year. 17 homers and 53 RBIs are healthy numbers for a rook heading into the All Star Game.
Corey Seager leads the AL in batting with a .361 average. He may have been one of the biggest beneficiaries of the ending of shifts as his batting average of balls in play has gone from .242 to .390, a massive difference.
Randy Arozarena will be the only AL starting OF to actually start. His 16 homers, .278 batting average, and popularity with the fans got him a trip to Seattle.
Aaron Judge will sadly not be able to play in the game on Tuesday because the man was willing to run through a wall for the New York Yankees. Please come back soon.
Shohei Ohtani, the hitter, leads baseball in home runs with 31. Shohei Ohtani now has 3 seasons with 100 hits and 100 pitching strikeouts in his career (‘21, ‘22 and ‘23). Nobody has ever had more than twice in their career. The only guy to have two 100 hits and 100 pitching strikeouts was Adonis Terry back in 1887 & 1890 for the Brooklyn Grays.
American League Pitchers
#1 Shohei Ohtani (LAA)
Shohei Ohtani, the pitcher, should probably start the game because of how special it is but he is dealing with a finger blister.
#2 Gerrit Cole (NYY)
Gerrit Cole’s 2.79 ERA, 8-2 record, and the fact that he dons Pinstripes is why I’d have him start for the AL.
#3 Framber Valdez (HOU)
Framber Valdez dominated in the postseason last year and has had an even better regular season than ‘22. Not a fan of that.
Félix Bautista (BAL) and Yennier Cano (BAL) headline the AL Bullpen with their dominant 1.07 & 1.48 ERAs. Luis Castillo (SEA) I guess could be a dark horse starter for the AL because it’s in Seattle. Emmanuel Clase (CLE) will be heading back to the Dominican Republic over the break to be with his significant other, who is expecting a baby. Carlos Estévez (LAA) will be replacing Clase. Kevin Gausman (TOR) leads the AL in strikeouts and is 2nd in the MLB. Nathan Eovaldi (TEX) has made his 2nd All Star team. @YouTheReader don’t the Yanks wish they kept him? Sonny Gray (MIN) will be making his 3rd All Star team, I think the Yanks and Sonny mutually agree it wasn’t working out. What is with these starters figuring it out once they left NYY? Kenley Jansen (BOS) has pitched okay but really only made the team because somebody from the Sox had to make the team. George Kirby’s (SEA) 14 Quality Starts tie him with Marcus Stroman for best in baseball. Michael Lorenzen (DET) has a 4.03 ERA but much like the Sox & Jansen, somebody had to represent the Tigers. Shane McClanahan has a back and won’t pitch.
American League Bench
Salvador Perez (KC) has become a mainstay as the backstop of both the Royals and AL All Star Team, his 8th appearance. Adley Rutschman (BAL) may one day have as many as Perez, but this is his first. Bo Bichette (TOR) and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (TOR) will never be as good as their fathers were but have now made multiple AL All Star teams. What? Alright, that was a bit mean but somebody had to say it. Oh yeah, Whit Merrifield (TOR) also made the team. He could have been had for a bag of baseballs last trade deadline - nice work Cash! Yordan Alvarez (HOU) and Kyle Tucker (HOU) both are making the team for the 2nd time but play for the Astros so no need to go into further detail. No SS has more 1st inning homers this year than Wander Franco (TB), thanks @statmusemlb. José Ramírez (CLE) represents the Guardians for the 2nd straight year after representing the Indians 3 other times in the past. Adolis García (TEX) leads baseball in RBIs with 73. Austin Hays (BAL) is having a career year batting .312 at the dish. Garcia and Hays will start for the injured Trout & Judge. Many White Sox fans are annoyed that Luis Robert Jr. (CHW) isn’t getting the start because of his 26 home runs. Brent Rooker is the Oakland A’s representative and he’s batting .237 at the plate. Yikes!
Speaking of hit club, Luis Arraez is making hitting for average cool again. Arraez hit for the first cycle (a game where a batter hits a single, double, triple, and home run) in Marlins history. He was also flirting with a .400 batting average for most of the year and is at .386 at the moment.
This will be Arenado’s 8th All Star Game and 3rd with St. Louis. He passed George Brett (317) for 14th place all-time among primary third basemen with 318 and he hasn’t had to cheat with pine tar.
Orlando Arcia had some shoes to fill when Dansby Swanson left Atlanta and the journeyman SS has delivered hitting .295 all the while continuing to play well defensively.
Ronald Acuna Jr. has 41 steals by the All Star break and 21 home runs. The last player to go 40 homers and 40 steals in a season was Alphonso Soriano in ‘06. In fact, only Jose Canseco, Barry Bonds, and A-Rod are the other members of the 40-40 club.
Mookie Betts will be making his 7th straight MLB All Star Game. It is still pretty crazy to think he used to be a Red Sox and they didn’t want to pay him. Or was it that he wanted to get the hell out of Boston?
JD Martinez has found his power stroke with 21 home runs this season after hitting just 16 with the Sox last year. Sad!
National League Pitchers
#1 Zac Gallen (AZ)
11-3 with a 3.04 ERA. He ranks 1st in the NL in WHIP (1.05), and 2nd in K's (125).
#2 Justin Steele (CHC)
9-2 with a 2.56 ERA. After a solid ‘22 season, is having a career year.
#3 Spencer Strider (ATL)
10-2 with a 3.66 ERA. Throws gas and has a nasty slider. His 155 K’s lead baseball.
Pirates Closer, David Bednar (PIT), makes his 2nd straight NL All Star Team. Alexis Díaz (CIN) is somehow the only representative for the Reds, MLB messed up. Camilo Doval (SF) has 25 saves this season, the most in the MLB. Bryce Elder’s 2.45 ERA is lowest amongst all the MLB starting pitchers. Josiah Gray (WSH) is one of the only reasons people in DC watch baseball. Josh Hader (SD) will be making his 5th Mid-Summer Classic and is still an electric lefty. Mitch Keller (PIT) will be making his debut. Marcus Stroman (CHC) won’t pitch but advocates for Justin Steele to start the game. Devin Williams (MIL) throws straight up airbenders. Clayton Kershaw is the MLB’s elder statesman, making his 10th appearance. He joins the likes of Warren Spahn (17), Mariano Rivera (13), Tom Seaver (12) Roger Clemens (11) Tom Glavine (10), Steve Carlton (10), and Whitey Ford (10).
National League Bench
Elias Díaz (COL) is the Rockies’ lone All Star representative and will be the first Rockies’ catcher to ever make the team. You better keep Will Smith’s (LAD) wife name outcha your goddamn mouth. Ozzie Albies (ATL) made his 3rd All Star Game because of his 22 dingers. The Polar Bear Pete Alonso (NYM) has 26 big flys, 3 less than Matt Olson (ATL). Geraldo Perdomo (AZ) is a 23-year-old switch-hitting SS that made it over Francisco Lindor. Austin Riley (ATL) will be on the bench with former teammate Dansby Swanson (CHC), I wonder if they’ll catch up for a few beers the night before. Something bad is bound to happen during Nick Castellanos (PHI) at bat and it will break the thread internet. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. (AZ) makes the All Star team the minute he leaves Toronto, interesting. Juan Soto (SD) will make his 3rd appearance while Jorge Soler (MIA) is making his debut at 31.