Braves’ catcher Brian McCann doesn’t always see so well. He’s had trouble with blurred vision, post-Lasik surgery adventures, eyeglass issues and dabbled in some rather unorthodox eyewear.

But don’t tell McCann he can’t hear.

Thanks in part to his eagle ears — and a clutch bottom-of-the-ninth-inning rally by the Braves to tie the Marlins at six — McCann made history on Sunday by hitting the major’s first walk-off home run to be verified by instant replay. He reached low to golf a long drive to right field, which hit high on the outfield wall near the ‘home run line’, but ricocheted back into the outfield. McCann knew all along the ball was out; he had the sound to prove…

It’s not even dented or scratched.

It’s in fine working order.

I understand that is difficult for many people to believe (especially those who support or represent a team called the Atlanta Braves, or are old bald announcers named Jon Miller), but the thing about Coors Field you must remember — it’s freakin’ huge.

Weird things are always going to happen.  The park’s sheer size predetermined that more baseballs are going to find grass and large leads will always be blown. By everybody.  The Rockies have been on the wrong end of just as many as they themselves have turned around.  It just happens.  That will never end.

But the difference now from 10 years ago… it happens far…

I have played team sports off and on for my entire life.  Yet in all of my years playing, most notably baseball and softball, I managed just one championship – in church league basketball.

My Cubs-esque title drought remained that way until this year.

Earlier this summer, my softball team won The Minuteman Classic, a 12-team tournament here in Boston.  But more significantly, last week my team won the World Series.

Unlike MLB’s version that the Yankees usually win, this World Series had a bit of a twist.

I spent a week in Columbus, Ohio for NAGAAA’s annual fab-u-tournament, the gay softball World Series.

NAGAAA was been around since 1977, and the World Series is the largest annual gay…

Dave Winfield was drafted to play three professional sports coming out of the University of Minnesota — baseball, football and basketball. Winfield chose baseball, and fans of the national pastime will be forever grateful.

Winfield finished his career with 3,110 hits, 465 homers and stole 223 bases, to say nothing of seven Gold Gloves and 12 All-Star appearances.

Winfield is currently at the Little League World Series, and took a few moments to answer some of our email questions to discuss the surprising success of his first club — San Diego, why speed is once again a part of the game, what being one of the 50 Greatest Twins means to the St. Paul native, and to talk about his involvement with the Answers…

The most excellent Vin Scully is My Homeboy passed along this incredible piece of YouTubery. Someone with the screen name josieposiemosie went to the trouble of recreating a pitch-by-pitch account of the famous 9th inning of Game 1 of the 1988 World Series. And this person created this piece of high art using two elements: 1. Vin Scully and Joe Garagiola’s television account of the game and 2. Nintendo’s RBI Baseball from 1986.

The only thing more heroic than Gibson’s home run is josieposiemosie’s RBI Baseball video of it.

I really wanted this week as a Pirates fan to be about celebrating. As I wrote, the signings of Jameson Taillon and Stetson Allie were monumental, not only for the improvement of the farm system, but also for what they said about the Pirates willingness to spend money. That viewpoint was only enhanced when they signed Luis Heredia, a Mexican pitching prospect that represented the team’s first foray into the Latin American amateur market in over a decade.

But, of course, as I should know by now, with the Pirates there’s always something else lurking. This time it came in the form of an AP report, detailing how the Pirates had turned a profit of $5.4 million in 2009…

Front page of the execrable Boston Metro was a fairly succinct summary of many people’s attitudes towards the idea of Johnny Damon turning down a Red Sox return: “Former World Series hero on the verge of betraying Boston again,” it hisses. “Outfielder more likely to play for a loser than OK trade back to the Red Sox.”

Well, with a local media like that, why wouldn’t he want to come back?

Dude already has a pair of rings. If his goal is to reach 3000 hits and try for the Hall, does it help for those hits to come in Boston instead of Detroit? I guess 5.5 games out in late August does mean we may technically be “contending,” but…

When Rob Dibble opens his mouth, those who have the misfortune of being within listening distance immediately become dumber.

If you don’t find a way to remove yourself from his voice quickly, your brain cells begin to die away, you become disoriented, and often times you feel like throwing up.  If there was such a thing as a verbal concussion, Rob Dibble would be the leading cause.

I’m sure you’ve heard about or read the comments made by Dibble on Washington Nationals rookie phenom Stephen Strasburg.  If you missed them, D.C. Sports Bog has them right here.

Great.

Now forget all the direct shots at Strasburg’s manhood for a minute and focus on Dibble’s masturbatory comments on his own…

Washington hopes it has its franchise pitcher in Stephen Strasburg, but after straining a tendon in his right elbow on Saturday, Strasburg is headed back to the disabled list, though the date of his next start is a matter of speculation.

According to ESPN.com news services, manager Jim Riggleman stated that the club would “proceed with caution” when it comes to the overall number one pick from the 2009 draft. Earlier, though, Riggleman said it was “probably safe to say” Strasburg would miss his next start, while general manager Mike Rizzo “wasn’t so definite and insisted there would be no decision until the MRI exam was done.”

Rizzo has since seemed a bit more cautious, but even today told the Washington Examiner “Then we’ll…

Or boxers if you prefer.

– Lou Piniella’s emotional farewell from baseball really hit me hard.   I wasn’t expecting that.  Maybe it was the suddenness of the situation.  Maybe I just cared more than I thought.  I don’t know the answer, it just hit me.

I’ve had much fun at the expense Lou during his time with the Cubs, but just hearing and seeing that emotion pour out of him kinda made me feel bad about it.   Then thinking about how difficult it must be to know that’s the last time you’ll take off a big league uniform.  50+ years in baseball as a player, coach, manager, and broadcaster.  I’d give anything for 10 minutes as a bat…

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