Are you cuckoo for Coco Crisp? This might be the job for you.

The internet is full of posers.  People working with stolen identities.  So when I first caught wind of this story I thought FAKE.  Let's see what you think.

Here's a recent ad from Craigslist

Yeah... right.  Coco Crisp, a Major League Baseball player for the Oakland A's, who is making good money, has turned to Craigslist to go looking for a personal assistant... sure.  Oh, and if you want the job you must be FEMALE and along with your resume send a PICTURE... OK.   This is starting to sound like a bad pickup or a setup for a segment of Dateline NBC.

I was ready to laugh this one off.  While in the process of tweeting (That's using Twitter for those of you that don't know, and for those of you that do know and tweet, you should follow us if you don't already at http://twitter.com/Allaboutcards  )  I thought I'd check out Coco Crisp's Twitter page.  Surely he would have something to say about this ridiculous hoax.   Here is what I found.

Here, let me make that top tweet bigger for you.

As the British would say, I was gobsmacked.  Unless Coco is in on a joke, all of this is for real.  

So for all of you... wait... strike that.. for all of you females (sorry guys, its his ad, not mine) that have dreamed of being a ball players personal assistant, (but probably not as fanatic as Annie Savoy) if you live in or would be willing to live in Southern California and you don't mind scheduling, shopping, cooking and some light cleaning, Coco is looking for you.

2010 Major League Baseball Collectors Edition of Monopoly released. Complaints of bias.

The newest edition of Monopoly, the 2010 Major League Baseball Collectors Edition, is available for purchase, just in time to add it to your holiday shopping list.  Instead of properties, you buy and own MLB teams.  The game pieces are World Series Trophy, Hot Dog, Hitter, Pitcher, Catcher's Mask, and a Ball in Glove.   Chance and Community Chest have been replaced with the American League and National League.  


The reason I'm writing about this is I noticed an article from The Orange County Register entitled "Angels Victims of Parker Brothers Bias"  complaining that the Angels were given the first spot on the board, normally Mediterranean Avenue, considered the worst spot because it has the lowest rent.  But after a quick look at the layout and a Wiki check to confirm my idea, it was clear this layout is completely fair. 


The teams are sorted in order of World Series wins. Then, when its a tie, its sorted by World Series appearances. In two instances, there was a tie after that. Those were sorted by which team has been in existence the least amount of time. This is why between the Jays and Marlins, both with 2 wins and appearances, the Marlins get the better spot, (Jays est 1977, Marlins est 1993) and between the D’Backs and Angels, both with 1 win and 1 appearance, the D’backs, est 1998, get the better space over the Angels, est 1961. But even the Angels space is not the worst. The eight teams who never won a World Series have to share the 4 train spots.

Sparky Anderson has died at the age of 76

Unfortunately, not unexpected under the conditions I reported on in yesterday's post, linked here, Sparky Anderson passed away today.  He was 76.  Our hearts go out to the entire Anderson family at this time.

Sparky Anderson placed in hospice care.

This is not the kind of news you like reporting.  The family of Sparky Anderson released a statement today that Sparky has been placed in hospice care.  Anderson has been suffering from complications resulting from dementia. 

George Lee "Sparky" Anderson was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2000.  He managed the Big Red Machine, becoming World Series Champions in 1975 and 1976, and managed the Detroit Tigers for 17 seasons where he holds the team's record for most seasons and wins. Anderson also played second base for one season,in 1959, with the Philadelphia Phillies.

Anderson was always a humble man, living in a modest home in Thousand Oaks, California.  He was also uneasy with taking credit for his teams' success.  During his Hall of Fame induction ceremony speech he said; "The players are the ones who earn their way into Hall of Fame," and finished with; "Managers like me, we just ride in on their backs."

For someone who made his living using his mind, it is particually upsetting that Anderson and his family have been dealing with dementia.  A family spokesperson Dan Ewald said “It’s the type of ailment that takes a toll over time,”

Also in the released statement; "The Anderson family — wife, Carol; sons Lee and Albert; and daughter Shirley Englebrecht – “wishes to express appreciation to all friends and fans for the support and kindness they have shown throughout Sparky’s career and retirement.”"

Our hearts go out to Sparky and the entire Anderson Family.