2017: The Year That Was

As 2017 comes to a close, there are plenty of stories that are likely going to be re-hashed.

While most of the websites across the interwebs are going to be filling their “best of” spaces with stories of Aaron Judge exploding on the scene or the Houston Astros finally winning it all…that’s not how The Hall rolls. When we talk “best of”…it’s all about the stories that (for some reason) had the most traffic.

Here goes nothing.

10. Jake Arrieta to Skip Cubs White House Visit (January 14)
A week before the Inauguration of President Donald Trump, Barack Obama invited the 2016 World Champion Chicago Cubs to the White House. Not making the trip? Jake Arrieta. The pitcher cited a family emergency. Plenty of others thought it had something to do with his political leanings.

9. Are Dodgers Fans Ripping Off The Bleacher Creatures? (May 17)
If imitation really is the sincerest form of flattery, New York Yankees fans have got to be the most flatterested of all things flattered…or something like that. A group of fans at Dodger Stadium have apparently started to emulate New York’s Bleacher Creatures.

8. The Alex Rodriguez Reclamation Project Continues (June 30)
From playing Egg Russian Roulette with Jimmy Fallon to showing up on ABC’s “Shark Tank”, Alex Rodriguez is doing his best to make people forget about his extracurriculars off the diamond and focus solely on his achievements on it. Next stop…Cooperstown. 2022. Bank on it.

7. Million Dollar Arm Winner to Try Wrestling? (May 16)
In 2008, Rinku Singh beat out close to 37,000 competitors to win a shot at pitching in the Major Leagues. In May, the “Million Dollar Arm” winner (and the first Indian-born professional baseball player) had his sights set on another lofty goal…wrestling in the WWE.

6. Orioles Players Help Out Intern (July 19)
Following a loss against the Chicago Cubs, a member of the Baltimore Orioles grounds crew was, according to reports, jumped by four guys outside of Camden Yards. The next day, members of the O’s got together and pooled some money to replace dude’s stuff. Pretty cool.

5. Matt Szczur’s Painting Fetches $35K (April 20)
Chicago Cubs backup outfielder Matt Szczur put brush to canvas and immortalized teammates Anthony Rizzo and Kris Bryant celebrating the final out of the 2016 World Series. Three weeks later…he would be traded to the San Diego Padres.

4. Giants Screw Up Barry Bonds Plaque (July 9)
The San Francisco Giants honored home run king Barry Bonds as the 49th member of their “Wall of Fame”. Naturally, it wasn’t without controversy.

3. MUST SEE: Bitchin’ Seattle Mariners Camaro (March 7)
A 1983 Chevy Camaro with a custom Seattle Mariners paint job? Yes, please.

2. Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf’s Son to Play College Baseball (September 5)
Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf combined for close to 200(!) tennis titles throughout their careers, so it makes sense that their oldest son got some of their athletic prowess, right? In September, their son Jaden verbally committed to play baseball for USC.

1. Two Phillies Denied Players Weekend Uniform Requests (August 13)
Major League Baseball’s inaugural Players Weekend wasn’t without controversy. Two members of the Philadelphia Phillies couldn’t get their nicknames on the back of their jerseys and had to opt for less imaginative ones. Pitchers Zach Eflin and Hoby Milner requested to be known simply as “Led Zeflin” and “Hoby Wan Kenobi” but were shot down due to, of all things…copyright issues.

What story (stories) did you enjoy most? Click on “comments” below and go bananas.