Baseball season is officially upon us, and that means only one thing — the return of The Dugout, the Internet’s longest running and most critically acclaimed webcomic about baseball players with pun screen names pretending to curse at each other over AIM. Yes, this is still a thing.
And to celebrate Major League Baseball splitting Opening Day up into like 40 smaller, less important games over the span of a month and at least one ceremony meant to humiliate Muhammad Ali, the normal Spring Training event we like to do has been replaced by Opening Days, a Dugout maxi-series that will span all 25 teams and let you find out what your favorite players are up to in 2012.
There are still only 25 teams, right? Well, 25 important ones. Or was that 5 important ones?
Anyway, whether it takes me a month or I’m still writing Opening Days segments into 2013, here’s episode one: The Tampa Bay Rays.
The Dugout
** Online Host ** | ||
 | Maddon12: Welcome back, everyone! Good to see ev’rybody again. | |
 | pr0FF3ss0r_F4rsnw0rth: exsqueeze me im looken for the pauler abdul chatroom on aol keyword pauler abdul, is this that | |
| pr0FF3ss0r_F4rsnw0rth: do chatrooms even exist anymore where the f**k are we cant we just congergate via intelliphone | |
| pr0FF3ss0r_F4rsnw0rth: wait or just talk to each others in real life what have i been doing with my life | |
| Maddon12: Now, as many of you know, we’ve taken the necessary steps to remedy last year’s disappointing “be 20 games over .500, finish second because you’re in the least fair division ever, get your assholes Feliz’d by the Rangers” season. | |
| Maddon12: also the Miami Marlins sorta stole our thing as the badly-dressed low rent Florida team with a shitty stadium who nobody cares about | |
 | BrignacPaddywhack: my wife cares about me!!! | |
| pr0FF3ss0r_F4rsnw0rth: no she dont | |
 | WhatPriceGlory: No, she really doesn’t. And I’ve been telling you for like a year, that’s not your wife, it’s your Mom. | |
| BrignacPaddywhack: oh | |
| BrignacPaddywhack: oh ok that would explain why she’s so much bigger’n me | |
| Maddon12: Anyway, we’ve got to find some quick new ways to catch up with the Marlins and improve our team. Whatta you guys think about new unis? | |
 | SophiesJoyce: no | |
| Maddon12: A new stadium? One we don’t have to be ashamed to play in? One that doesn’t look like a Diva Cup? | |
| WhatPriceGlory: No. | |
 | UptonGirl: god no | |
| pr0FF3ss0r_F4rsnw0rth: our are tax dollars at work!!!! | |
| Maddon12: What about a new mascot? Like, an additional one. | |
| SophiesJoyce: can we not sign any additional baseball players? | |
| WhatPriceGlory: Yeah skip, I think we’ve still got holes to fill, unless on the roster page where it says “Fernando Rodney” you meant to write “not Fernando Rodney” | |
 | SpareTheRod: heyyy | |
| Maddon12: if we’re going to come out on top of the Yanks and Sox this year we’ve got to stop thinking like scouts and focus on the INTANGIBLES, like how many people are entertained on the left of the arena when Raymond is high-fiving on the right the Marlins are moving our fish tank from the outfield to behind home plate and god dammit that was our identity | |
| Maddon12: so let’s hear some chatter … what’s our new mascot gonna be? Ideas? | |
| SophiesJoyce: sigh, I don’t know, an anthropomorphic stingray named Ray Kinsella? | |
| Maddon12: no, no | |
| UptonGirl: howsabout a fuzzy whatchamacallit by the name of Base Hit, he can make your next gathering or corporate event fun | |
| Maddon12: No, that’s just Raymond. | |
| pr0FF3ss0r_F4rsnw0rth: nah dont get ridda raymon every body loves raymon | |
| pr0FF3ss0r_F4rsnw0rth: lol get it, like the tv progrum i cant believe nobody ever thought of that joke i am like a monnern day louis anderson | |
| SophiesJoyce: An inflatable baseball bat and he dances in place! | |
| WhatPriceGlory: A guy with a baseball head, and we give him slanty eyes and a purse or whatever because baseball headed guys have to be weirdly gay or racist. | |
| pr0FF3ss0r_F4rsnw0rth: pauler adbul from the a cold hearted snake video a cold hearted snake | |
| Maddon12: No. /cleans lady glasses | |
| UptonGirl: cheerleaders instead of a mascot and we make a bunch of puns about how they get a “rays” out of the crowd. | |
| SophiesJoyce: we point out all the empty space in Tropicana Field and say the mascot is invisible and also huge so nobody can sit where he stands | |
| pr0FF3ss0r_F4rsnw0rth: pauler adbul from the vibeology video where she spells a lot an she got that sex-you-ali-tay | |
| pr0FF3ss0r_F4rsnw0rth: fake skinny pauler abdul from the promise of a new day video | |
| pr0FF3ss0r_F4rsnw0rth: kaenu reefs from the rush rush video idk | |
| Maddon12: NO! Those are all terrible ideas. | |
| pr0FF3ss0r_F4rsnw0rth: a contrarian afro american cat in the style of “opposite subtract” video superstar m.c. skatecat | |
| WhatPriceGlory: This is stupid. | |
| Maddon12: Wait a minute, go back … what was that last one again? | |
| pr0FF3ss0r_F4rsnw0rth: hiphopsmith m.c. skatecat he was like arsennial hall but in cat form, like a pist off sinbad the comedian but as a cat man an he danced, an his tail was like a dick an he put it in pauler abdul’s underdress | |
| WhatPriceGlory: Come on. Really? | |
| pr0FF3ss0r_F4rsnw0rth: he was actually quiet good he was objectively one of the decades best rappists | |
| Maddon12: No… no, I like that! In fact, I LOVE that! | |
| Maddon12: Kyle, can you get me in contact with whoever designed such a wonderful creature? | |
| pr0FF3ss0r_F4rsnw0rth: sure if i can ever get this prodigy disc to boot | |
| WhatPriceGlory: Skip, this is a terrible idea. Nobody’s going to come out to the ballpark to see a blackface cat mascot. It doesn’t make any sense for us. Why would that even exist? | |
** Online Host ** | ||
 | DJKitty: /exists
| |
| pr0FF3ss0r_F4rsnw0rth: in all srsnss do u really believe that opposites attract, was it natural fact or simply fiction | |
| DJKitty: /offers up high-five | |
| pr0FF3ss0r_F4rsnw0rth: do u realize that if you take 2 steps foward an 2 steps back u arent traveling so you cant really come together with someone unless they was standin back to back or chest to back to you or whatever before you started | |
| DJKitty: /hip hop dances | |
| pr0FF3ss0r_F4rsnw0rth: blergh i hate you | |
| pr0FF3ss0r_F4rsnw0rth: i helped crate u with my own 2 hands an now all you are is a f**ken pile of a horses shits | |
| pr0FF3ss0r_F4rsnw0rth: now i know how josh whedon must feel whenever he remembers dollhouse | |
** Online Host ** | ||
| WhatPriceGlory: so uh, new uniforms I guess | |
| Maddon12: red, yellow, blue, green, black, white, off-white, flashing orange lights and hypercolor, yes. | |
| WhatPriceGlory: I f**king hate baseball. |
Photos link to player info. WordUpThome.com
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GOD. Welcome back, Pr0f3ss0r. Welcome back, baseball.
And I would get behind the Rays SO HARD if they unveiled Ray Kinsella, the corn-farming stingray.
I thought Farnsy was the the Rays mascot already–especially since he’s starting the season on the DL.
*NOW* it’s baseball season.
Where to start? First bless you for this new installment of The Dugout.
I love how pr0FF3ss0r_F4rsnw0rth always brings it. Easily my favorite Dugout character of all-time. Love the fact he is an old school Paula Abdul fan.
Also, SophiesJoyce is a great new addition. Can’t wait for the A’s Dugout with Manny.
Thanks again B, really looking forward to the rest of the season.
BASE BALL
DUG OUTS
I would like a constructive comments but that will have to wait until I stop being overwhelmed by both the return of baseball and the Dugout. The Professor is concerned that he may no longer be the baddest black in all baseball.
4 separate Opening Days couldn’t get me excited about baseball, but the Dugout finally did. BASEBALL
Also, the fuck are you trying to say about Mr. Met, Stroud?
Based balls, ahoy!
Farnsy is well on his way to pitching into his fifties by only being called upon for two innings per year.
Is DJKitty a real thing?
Yes, yes he is. [sports.yahoo.com]
” . . . because baseball headed guys have to be weirdly gay or racist.”
Y’know, Mr. Price has an argument here.
YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES!
Brandon, please snuff out my hopes before they’re allowed to germinate. The Braves won’t get a Dugout because without their cantankerous old manager, they are about as bland as Greg Maddux’s breakfast of shredded carboard and wallpaper paste, right? The only angle on them is that Chipper Jones is the one athelete on the planet with worse knees than Rey Mysterio, correct? Chipper’s just got tobacco juice and sunflower shells between his leg bones.
Now that I know you like the Braves, of COURSE I have to do one.
D’aww, fiddle faddle, don’t wanna pressure you, none.
I’m not sure what’s going on with that third comma. Damn interlopers!
Senor Lobster, Greg Oden is on line 2…
You had me at Diva Cup.
Also – Donna Jo Kitty is an odd name. More appropriate for the Giants, anyway.
First time reading The Dugout, and yeah, I could get used to this :).
Hope there will be a Dodgers Dug Out.
Oh, man, Dodgers Dugs Out were great! You had Andre Ethier and Greg Maddux discussing Fresh Prince of Bel Air, Manny Rodriguez being all “Hollywood” Hogan, and damn…that pitcher, Brad Penny maybe, dating all the famous ladies.
Two fantasy auctions and several yahoo and espn teams later, this makes it all worth it.
So glad the Dugout is back. Maybe now I can stop reading SFinal Destination Parts 1-3 every week over and over again.
Too long have I waited too register, but the blessing of a new Dugout has inspired me to comment. B, you’re the greatest.
P.S. Dollhouse was the tits, thank you very much!
Any chance we’ll get another Quisenberry Challenge, or at least a Quisenberry Sporcle Quiz?
So happy that the Dugout will be a regular occurence. Also so happy that none of the Dugout staples, at least to my knowledge, have retired. To anyone reading these for the first time, wait until Thome, Ramirez or Morneau shows up. Shit gets cray.
/no pressure, Brandon
If i had to pick a favourite line, it’s gotta be ‘opposites subtract.’ Too good.
“rappists”
Brandon, you beautiful tropical fish.
I didn’t know what a Diva Cup was before today. Now I wish I still didn’t. The Dugout: horrifyingly educational!
Can’t wait for the Indians’ edition wherein Ubaldo Jimenez throws a pitch so wild it actually flies out of Progressive Field and gives a hematoma to the mayor of Akron.
Freaking awesome. NOW I’m ready for baseball, even though I have to put the Twins on the list as another team unlikely to get its own Dugout, what with mostly being made up of people they found at the bus stop in Fort Meyers.
Oh man, I love the Dugout so much. I hope the professor gets to get his emasculatin goggles out again!
“we point out all the empty space in Tropicana Field and say the mascot is invisible and also huge so nobody can sit where he stands”
Actually the best idea ever? I think so.
wish the perfessor was still a cub, simply for his Dugout potential and for his tight pants wearing. If you were into that kind of thing.
i helped crate u with my own 2 hands an now all you are is a f**ken pile of a horses shits
also see Texts from Hillary (to her husband)
So happy for the return of The Dugout. Possibly my favorite non-ponographic thing on the Internet.
PAULER ABDUL AS A LAKER’S GIRL
When I read the words “pauler abdul chatroom on aol” I ALMOST spit lemonade on my laptop. Thankfully I choked on it instead, so I don’t lose the ability to read more Dugout posts.