B/R Swagger

It may be spring training, but Phillies fans are already in midseason form. 

Busted Coverage spotted some of the more wonderful moments from an otherwise uneventful day during MLB preseason action. 

Of course, any Hooters waitresses out there should avert their eyes now because things are about to get rather awkward in here. 

The world doesn't stand a chance when Fernando Rodney brings his lucky plantain to the ballpark. 

The Dominican Republic moved past the Netherlands Monday night and will now play in the World Baseball Classic final against Puerto Rico. 

Sure, you could give some of the credit to the timely hitting of Moises Sierra and Robinson Cano, but the real reason the Dominican Republic took the semifinal was the undeniable power of Fernando Rodney's lucky plantain. 

Some people prefer to play exhibition games and others like to build franchises and control the operational side of things, but any way you slice it, player ratings in sports video games are a fun topic for debate.

The sights and sounds of Spring Training remind us that the coming summer is going to be a wonderful time. They also remind us that J.P. Arencibia does a perfect Tim Kurkjian impression. 

Pope Benedict XVI may be in the news lately for his resignation, but did you know his predecessor, Pope John Paul II, was a major league slugger? Well, OK, not really. But he did take batting practice once.

And lucky for you, there were cameras on hand to record the entire thing. The YouTube clip, first uploaded in 2006, summarizes the events as thus, "Footage of Pope John Paul at an indoor batting cage during his 1987 visit to California. This video has just been released by the Vatican."

Jamie-Lynn Sigler is settling down once again, this time with Washington Nationals-affiliated infielder Cutter Dykstra, son of former MLB star Lenny Dykstra, 

Pete Rose, baseball's giant who seems destined to be on the outside looking in, will premiere his TLC reality series with fiancee, Kiana Kim. 

The show, entitled Pete Rose: Hits and Mrs., follows the former Cincinnati Reds superstar who continues to fight his lifetime ban from the game of baseball. 

The Oakland A's have a new sensation in Japanese shortstop Hiroyuki Nakajima, a man who is completely smitten with his general manager, Billy Beane. 

Then again, he may just be a smitten kitten over the man who played Billy Beane in Moneyball, Brad Pitt.  

For those staying up all hours of the night with the shakes, cigarette ashes sprinkling the floor as your hands quiver from the nerves, Brian Wilson is still Brian Wilson. 

You can call off the support group, because The Beard is doing just fine. 

At least, we think things are fairly status quo for the Giants closer as he continues to come back from injury. 

Aside from the Pittsburgh Pirates actually being in a wild-card race, there wasn't much of interest in Monday night's Chicago Cubs game. Well, aside from the super fan getting super inappropriate behind home plate.