"People ask me what I do in the winter when there's no baseball. I'll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring." -Rogers Hornsby

I know that it's been a while since I've posted, but I, like many others, have been mourning the loss of baseball season. While I do enjoy other sports, baseball has always held a special meaning. At the first crack of the bat, I knew that summer was right around the corner. Since I still haven't entered the glorious full-time work force, summer still means what it did in junior high school: no classes, no homework, late nights and flip flops. Now that my open-toed shoes are reluctantly tucked away, all that's left to do is count down the days until Spring Training.

I've figured out that one of the best cures for the post-baseball blues is to watch some of the great movies that have been made about our nation's pastime. I have engaged in many debates about the Best Baseball Movie Ever, but I don't think that anyone will ever reach an agreement. Many baseball purists point towards the classics, but I think that there are a few recent movies that should definitely make the cut. So don't throw a hissy fit if your top five is different than mine. Remember, there is no crying in baseball! (Nope, that movie didn't make the list. Good quote though.)

And so, for your viewing pleasure, my top five:

5. Never Been Kissed - Okay, before you go ranting that this movie is not AT ALL about baseball, just hear me out. First of all, the movie follows Josie (Drew Barrymore), a reporter who goes undercover as a high school student. Despite being in her mid-twenties, Josie was not the coolest in high school and had never been kissed by a boy, but when she goes back to high school she becomes popular and falls in love with a teacher, blah blah blah. Now, the reason the movie made the list: In the movie's climax, Josie stands on the pitcher's mound of the high school's baseball field waiting for the object of her affection to come kiss her. As the clock runs out, Josie hangs her head and starts to slowly walk off the field. But wait!! Just then, the man of her dreams comes running down the bleachers, across the diamond and onto the mound to give Josie her first kiss. Yes, I may write a baseball blog, but I'm still a girl. And that scene gets me every time.

4. Bad News Bears - Purely out of love for Walter Matthau and the fact that his team of 10-year-old misfits tosses back a few brewskies after winning.

3. Bull Durham - I would be lying if I said I hadn't dreamed about being Annie Savoy. Also, this quote: "I believe in the Church of Baseball. I've tried all the major religions, and most of the minor ones. I've worshipped Buddha, Allah, Brahma, Vishnu, Siva, trees, mushrooms, and Isadora Duncan. I know things. For instance, there are 108 beads in a Catholic rosary and there are 108 stitches in a baseball. When I heard that, I gave Jesus a chance."

2. Fever Pitch - A newer movie about the Red Sox winning the 2004 World Series. I'm sure some people don't believe it belongs on this list, but it's funny and sharp and undeniably true. It shows how fans develop a relationship with their team, to the point where they feel like they're part of a big family. Like Ben (Jimmy Fallon) says, "I like being a part of something bigger than me... Than I. It's good for your soul to invest in something you can't control."

1. The Sandlot - My absolute favorite. I feel like I grew up with these kids. The story completely captures the purity of baseball. Roy Campanella, a former Dodgers catcher said, "You gotta be a man to play baseball for a living, but you gotta have a lot of little boy in you, too." The Sandlot shows an innocent game without sky-high salaries, vicious fans or steroids scandals. A game that - though I'm not old enough to know first hand - I'm certain existed at one point. And maybe it can come back one day, if we play enough under the fireworks on the Fourth of July.

"That's cool, Jess, but why is it called 'The Golden Sombrero'?"

I've received this question a lot. And by a lot, I mean twice, from my roommate and my brother, both of whom were forcibly detained and made to read my blog. The nature of my readership aside, it is a legit question.

"Golden sombrero" is one of my favorite baseball terms. A player who strikes out four times in one game is said to wear the golden sombrero. So even though it kind of sounds like a good thing, it really isn't. But I think it's funny nonetheless.

I'm pretty sure that baseball has more weird slang words than any other sport. I usually spend most of the game listening to see what terms the announcers throw out there. Half of the time, I think they just make stuff up (Joe Buck, I'm looking at you) because fans can't keep track of all of the crazy terms.

Some of my favorites:

Dying Quail - A lame pop fly that lands just beyond the outfielder's reach. So close, yet so far away!

Chin Music - A pitch that wizzes by the batter's face, usually a warning from the pitcher to back the hell off the plate.

Pickle - A rundown; when the runner gets caught between two bases. Benny "The Jet" Rodriguez often finds himself in these...

And finally, my all-time favorite, probably because I have the sense of humor of a 15-year-old boy:

Dong - Used by sports editor Lee Russakoff to talk about Chase Utley's home runs. I'm guessing he meant "dinger," which is a totally acceptable home run term. Instead, he ran an article where he came up with this gem: "Chase's two dongs put him in elite company."

And you wondered why the ladies love Chase so much...

I think I'm warming up to Oswalt...

Gracias to theFightins.com for this fab picture.

Also, check out the video. It's priceless.

Cousin Bud

My grandpa, PopPop, is a pretty cool guy. He makes the world's best apple cinnamon pancakes and lets his sons-in-law call him "Coach." He is also a pretty quiet guy, and if you've ever met my (impossibly loud) family, you would understand why. The one story I can always squeeze out of him, though, is the story of the day he became a Cardinals fan.

PopPop is my professor of all things baseball and, despite being born and raised in Pennsylvania, is a lifelong supporter of the St. Louis Cardinals. His devotion started one fateful day, 70-something years ago, when he agreed to go to a Yankees game with his cousin Bud.

Cousin Bud, PopPop says, would just go on and on about the Yankees. He would rattle off stats, taunt the other team and generally be obnoxious.

On this day, it just so happened that the other team was - you guessed it - the St. Louis Cardinals. And they beat the pants off of Cousin Bud's precious Yankees.

"Well, that shut him up," PopPop says with a chuckle. And he's been a Cardinals fan ever since.

Me and PopPop routing for his second favorite team.

Phillies at Giants, NLCS Game 4

I'm not feeling particularly blog-y while watching this game, considering Big Joe is apparently pitching to the backstop. However, the Giants' barely legal starting duo seemed worthy of a post.

Pitcher Madison Bumgarner, 21, and catcher Buster Posey, 23, when added together, are still 3 years younger than Jamie Moyer. And, as much as I hate to say it, they aren't that bad to look at.

Although apparently Bumgarder has a wife? Who was excited to receive a bull calf as a birthday gift? Yep, a baby bull. Supposedly they wanted to raise it and dress up like clowns and chase it around. I might have made up that last part though...

8:48pm - I take back whatever I said about Buster Posey being hot. It seems to be getting to his head, if his second RBI in three innings is any indication. Pfft.

Buster Posey vs. Chase Utley. Votes??