MetaFilter posts tagged with wbc

"Are you blind? I'm on the field right now!"

mwhybark — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 17:51:01 -0800

Victor Mesa is the 2013 World Baseball Classic Cuban team manager. In three games, the Cubans have beaten Brazil, China and Japan. The China game was a shutout played in front of an empty stadium which included such hijinks as the Cubans telling a Chinese player a ball was foul and then tagging him out when he took their word for it. The Japan game was nearly a shutout until a late-game rally in front of 23,000 Japanese fans overnight. Mesa has been, by far, the most entertaining single presence across the series. The Cubans' next game is Friday March 8 against the Netherlands and thereafter likely to be a Cuba-Japan rematch on March 10, all of this still in Japan. From the link: Mesa played for 19 seasons in the Cuban National Series. He stole 52 bases at age 35 – in a 90 game season. Known for his “showmanship,” Mesa was once ejected from a game for pimping a home run too hard. Not only would he regularly steal home but he would yell at the opposing pitcher while he was doing it. This made him wildly popular with Villa Clara fans. In 2008, Vanity Fair took a look at the Cuban League with "Commie Ball." (Cuban ball previously, WBC previously on MetaFilter)

Willemstad is the new San Pedro de Macoris

escabeche — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 19:14:12 -0800

If you were going to set out to build a successful national baseball team you probably wouldn’t select a country with most of its land sitting below sea level. Camden Depot presents a brief history of honkbal, as the Netherlands nine get ready to compete in the 2013 World Baseball Classic, exactly 100 years after the formation of Quick Amsterdam, Europe's first baseball team. Last time around, the Dutchmen knocked the mighty Dominican Republic out of the tournament. This year's Dutch team, led by veteran Andruw Jones and Orioles prospect Jonathan Schoop, both natives of Willemstad on the island of Curacao, puts more Dutch talent on the field than there has been since Bert Blyleven's last game. (Blyleven is the Netherlands' pitching coach.) Don't leave it till game time -- learn to speak honkbal now!

KKK vs. WBC

445supermag — Mon, 30 May 2011 17:28:37 -0800

"Protesting members of the controversial Westboro Baptist Church were met with an unlikely group of counter-protesters Monday at Arlington Cemetery...a branch of the Ku Klux Klan from Virginia called the Knights of the Southern Cross" A little googling shows that these two hate groups actually have a history of, well, hating each other. And the Tea Party.

It's Ugly, But It's Legal

EmpressCallipygos — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 09:27:33 -0800

The Supreme Court has ruled 8-1 in favor of categorizing Westboro Baptist Church's funeral protests as protected speech under the First Amendment. In the ruling, Chief Justice John G. Roberts writes: "Speech is powerful...it can stir people to action, move them to tears of both joy and sorrow, and — as it did here — inflict great pain. But on the facts before us, we cannot react to that pain by punishing the speaker. As a Nation, we have chosen a different course--to protect even hurtful speech on public issues to ensure that we do not stifle public debate." Chief Justice Alito was the only dissent: "Our profound national commitment to free and open debate is not a license for the vicious verbal assault that occurred in this case." The crux of the Court's decision seems to have hinged on whether WBC's speech was "private" -- as in, whether they were targeting specific individuals directly -- or "public." Since their "military funeral" protests do not name any specific person, a specific person cannot sue for damages. In his brief, Chief Justice Roberts does state that "even protected speech is not equally permissible in all times and all places", and affirms that a community's effort to restrict the WBC -- confining them to a specific location, or preventing them from demonstrating a half hour before or after a funeral -- is indeed Constitutional.

Turning the Tables

zarq — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 21:09:36 -0800

University of Illinois Student Counters Westboro Baptist Church Protest (YT video) In caes anyone can't view the video, here's a description. I added the links and emphasis.

The Westboro Baptist Church, a hate group that chartered themselves as a church to get away with their harassment of Queer groups, Jews, military families and others, conducted a tour of Chicago on March 8th. The group of five lonely haters targeted Jewish centers, protesting everything more modern than the middle ages at Hillel's at UIC and the University of Chicago before holding their signs outside of the Israeli consulate. Hundreds of queer rights activists rallied against the Westboro group. Activists used humorous and satirical signs to mock WBC. UIC student Jason Connell used the appearance of the hate group to raise money for queer rights groups such as Human Rights Campaign, International AIDS Foundation and Chicago based Jerusalem Open House. Donations were named in honor of the Westboro Baptist Church and community thank you cards will be sent from the non-profits to WBC leader Fred Phelps. Connell called it a, "Lemons to Lemonade" situation.

Kill Them With Kindness

fourcheesemac — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 14:18:51 -0800

God Hates Signs: Fred Phelps' Westboro Baptist Church band-of-bigots showed up in San Francisco the other day to protest at the headquarters of Twitter. (Why? "Twitter should be used to tell the punks of doomed America that God hates you!"). They were met by counter-protesters, well versed in the dark arts of snark. Hilarity ensues.

Gar's revenge

ericbop — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 17:37:09 -0800

Meet batting stance guy. The NY Times has a neat profile on Gar Ryness, who has the most marketable least-marketable skill in America. He does your favorite old-school players, as well as most of the current MLB team lineups, including the (non-Dutch) stars of the WBC. He's made video appearances for several teams (and MLB TV), and has quickly become a fan and player favorite for his uncanny depictions of players' idiosyncratic moves in the batter's box. In terms of virtual baseball, batting stance guy is slightly more awesome than this.

Avast, Ye Scurvy Homophobes!

EmpressCallipygos — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 10:58:56 -0800

On September 19th, the Westboro Baptist Church planned a protest outside the National Conference of Editorial Writers, claiming that they were "responsible for the satanic milieu in this evil land" and for assisting the "satanic agendas" of "baby-killers and fags." But September 19th also happened to be International Talk Like a Pirate Day. And thus, a group of local residents were inspired to stage an effective, and entertaining, counterprotest.

I can't believe this!

SexyParapalegic — Fri, 30 Mar 2001 20:07:15 -0800

I can't believe this! they actually have the nerve to associate themselves with http://www.godhatesdfags.com.... The Human Beings ability for incessant bigotry and ignorance is astonishing! I know this was posted back a few years ago, but it just had to be shown again..... ugh.

mathowie — Sun, 29 Aug 1999 12:46:58 -0800

Greaaaat. Glad to know the freaks are branching out.