Baseball-related characters in comics/games?

[FenrisUlf]

I'm curious: can anyone here remember a comics superhero/villain character who drew his shtick from the Great American Pasttime? I vaguely recall some guy named Fastball getting his throat crushed by an OMAC in the limited series, but beyond that I know nothing about him.

 

Also, playing to the current stereotypes about major-league baseball, if I made a baseball-related character what sort of disadvantages would help give him the feel of being a (disgraced) baseball player?

 

Third and last, I swear, what sort of trouble could a major-league player who's a real wonder on the pitch and at bat get in to that would (a) get him tossed for life from baseball yet ( not get him sent to jail for many, many years?

 

Be warned, I'm not very well-informed about baseball beyond the basics, so I might have to ask for some explanations here and there.

 

Thanks for any help.

[Theron]

Re: Baseball-related characters in comics/games?

 

I can't think of any GOOD ones. The old-school DC villain Sportsmaster occasionally used baseball schticks, but not exclusively.

[BNakagawa]

Re: Baseball-related characters in comics/games?

 

Things that you can do that will get you banned from baseball for life (and not thrown in jail for a long time):

 

Gambling on baseball, throwing games - Example: Pete Rose, Shoeless Joe Jackson. Anyone who puts doubt in the public's mind that these games are legitimate contests puts in jeopardy the foundation of the modern pro game. As a result, anyone, player, manager or official who is found to be involved in gambling is punished. If they are found to be gambling on baseball or throwing games, then they can expect to be banished for life.

[Certified]

Re: Baseball-related characters in comics/games?

 

There's always SuperPro, but he plays football.

[Spidey88]

Re: Baseball-related characters in comics/games?

 

Marvel's Boomerang was a former pitcher, if I remember correctly. I don't recall offhand what circumstances lead to him getting fired/leaving.

[freakboy6117]

Re: Baseball-related characters in comics/games?

 

i belive legendary marvel villain bullseye was a professionals pitcher for a very short while until he killed someone with a pitch. of course everyone thought it was just a tragic million to one shot accident but then he made a career out of it.

 

on the other hand just having a minor meta talent would probably be enough to disqualify you from that standard game. even if you got the powers by taking a steroid treatment or chemical supplement.

with no knowledge because you where duped into thinking it was just a vitamin pil by a unscrupulous trainer or sports scientist.

[pinecone]

Re: Baseball-related characters in comics/games?

 

Yeah...I'd say "Super steroids" purchased from ARGENT, gets you banned, and sets him up for Hunting ARGENT...and so becomes "Heroic" (plus missing the cheer of the crowd)

[pinecone]

Re: Baseball-related characters in comics/games?

 

Hmm powers? Missile deflect, with possable lims, as he uses a glove to snag incomming attacks...a E-atk objects of opertunity......a Bat (HA....) basic athleticness...and what else?

[SKJAM!]

Re: Baseball-related characters in comics/games?

 

There's Strikeman from the You're Under Arrest manga, a crazed vigilante who used expertly pitched baseballs to fight crime in suburban Tokyo. Of course, given there were no actual supervillains in that continuity, this mostly meant beaning jaywalkers, litterers and the like. His archnemesis was a female police officer who deflected his pitches with a bat, so he named her Home Run Girl. She was not amused.

 

Then there was Don Carlos from the Miracle Giants Dome-kun anime, but he was a very specialized sort of villain.

[Wormhole]

Re: Baseball-related characters in comics/games?

 

Funny you should mention it, I just happen to be working on a sports-themed villain team and this guy here, Fastball, is the first one I built. Game mechanics-wise he's complete, I just need a civillain ID name for him and I need to finish work on Background, Personality/Movitation, and the rest of his "flavor text."

[CrosshairCollie]

Re: Baseball-related characters in comics/games?

 

Someone mentioned DC's Fastball already, and the Sportsmaster ... in 4th Ed Champion's High Tech Enemies, there was a guy named Hardball (I think ... or maybe he was also Fastball), who had cybernetic arms for super-throwing, a steel Missile Deflecting glove, and some kind of transporter in the glove to form 'trick baseballs' akin to many trick arrows that GA or Hawkeye use ... explosives, gas bombs, etc.

[Twilight]

Re: Baseball-related characters in comics/games?

 

I belive in Astro City there was a character named All American who had a sidekick named All-Star. Said sidekick, nicknamed the Boy Sensation, had a baseball motif.

[GMumford]

Re: Baseball-related characters in comics/games?

 

Eric Bennett aka Sport-1 of the Bionic Six had electromagnetic powers and a baseball motif.

[Badger]

Re: Baseball-related characters in comics/games?

 

Of course, if you were banned from gambling you are still likely to face jail time. Though maybe only short term. Pete Rose went to prison. The black Sox were tried I think, though not convicted.

[OctoberRaven]

Re: Baseball-related characters in comics/games?

 

Funny. I was thinking of building a character called Strikeout (and I for one don't really care for baseball).

 

Now, as far as baseball-themed villains... their not comic villains per se, but I'm still wondering why nobody mentioned the Baseball Furies from the cult classic movie The Warriors.

[BNakagawa]

Re: Baseball-related characters in comics/games?

 

Of course' date=' if you were banned from gambling you are still likely to face jail time. Though maybe only short term. Pete Rose went to prison. The black Sox were tried I think, though not convicted.[/quote']

 

It depends on if you were banned for gambling on games (a crime) or associating with gamblers (not a crime, but an act judged to be 'detrimental to the league'). Pete Rose was accused (and eventually confessed) of gambling on sports, including baseball. The 'black sox' were guilty of associating with gamblers. In the end, Pete Rose was sentenced to 5 months not because of his gambling problems, but because of tax evasion.

 

The 'black sox' were not guilty of breaking any laws about gambling, as they weren't betting on games, they were accepting money for not trying so hard to win games. AFAIK, there are no laws requiring athletes to try to win games. Baseball, however, is well within its rights to ban players for anything it deems 'detrimental to the sport' but baseball doesn't have the authority to jail anybody.

[rcv]

Re: Baseball-related characters in comics/games?

 

The Fastball killed by OMAC was part of a lame villain team called the Cadre. According to Who's Who in the DC Universe, he was "a former minor league baseball player , then syndicate assassin, whose exoskeleton armor and power gloves give him the ability to throw high-velocity metal spheres of great explosive power." He later got a flying "home plate" that worked kind of like the Green Goblin's glider. The Cadre is pictured at the URL below under the entry for Black Mass. Fastball is the chump in yellow.

http://www.moviepoopshoot.com/comics101/136.html

 

Kevin Matchstick from Mage carries Excalibur in the form of a baseball bat.

http://scoop.diamondgalleries.com/news_images/845_1660_3.jpg

 

Casey Jones from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles likes to hit people with baseball bats, hockey sticks, etc.

http://www.derok.net/derok/tmntbios2.html

 

Boomerang was kicked out of the majors for "taking bribes," presumably for throwing games in which he played.

http://www.marvel.com/universe/Boomerang

 

This list of sports supers includes a baseball section:

http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Dungeon/2864/Super_Sport.html

[OctoberRaven]

Re: Baseball-related characters in comics/games?

 

Here's a writeup for a baseball-themed hero who was banned from the sport for throwing the World Series.

 

Strikeout

 

Val Char Cost

20 STR 10

25 DEX 45

15 CON 10

15 BODY 10

13 INT 3

14 EGO 8

14 PRE 4

12 COM 1

 

10/20 PD 6

10/20 ED 7

4 SPD 5

15 REC 16

30 END 0

35 STUN 2

 

6" RUN 0

2" SWIM 0

4" LEAP 0

Characteristics Cost: 127

 

Cost Power

46 Bean Ball: Multipower, 80-point reserve, 16 Charges (+0) (80 Active Points); all slots Gestures (-1/4), Range Based On Strength (-1/4), Beam (-1/4)

5u 1) Screwball: Energy Blast 16d6 (80 Active Points); Gestures (-1/4), Range Based On Strength (-1/4), Beam (-1/4)

4u 2) Fastball: Energy Blast 9d6, Double Knockback (+3/4) (79 Active Points); Gestures (-1/4), Range Based On Strength (-1/4), Beam (-1/4)

4u 3) Slider: Energy Blast 10d6, Armor Piercing (+1/2) (75 Active Points); Gestures (-1/4), Range Based On Strength (-1/4), Beam (-1/4)

4u 4) Curveball: Energy Blast 10d6, Indirect (Any origin, always fired away from attacker; +1/2) (75 Active Points); Gestures (-1/4), Range Based On Strength (-1/4), Beam (-1/4)

22 Baseball Bat: Multipower, 45-point reserve, (45 Active Points); all slots OAF (-1)

1u 1) Right Across The Plate: Hand-To-Hand Attack +6d6 (30 Active Points); OAF (-1), Hand-To-Hand Attack (-1/2)

2u 2) Home Run!: Hand-To-Hand Attack +5d6, Double Knockback (+3/4) (44 Active Points); OAF (-1), Hand-To-Hand Attack (-1/2)

2u 3) Line Drive: Missile Deflection (Any Ranged Attack), Missile Reflection (40 Active Points); OAF (-1), Costs Endurance (Only Costs END to Activate; -1/4)

20 Catcher's Gear: Armor (10 PD/10 ED) (30 Active Points); OIF (-1/2)

Powers Cost: 110

 

 

Cost Skill

5 KS: Baseball 14-

2 KS: Sports 11-

3 Teamwork 14-

6 +2 with Bean Ball MP

3 Breakfall 14-

3 Bribery 12-

2 Gambling (Baseball) 12-

Skills Cost: 24

 

Cost Perk

4 Reputation: One of the Best Pitchers In Baseball History (The United States) 11-, +2/+2d6

Perks Cost: 4

 

 

Total Character Cost: 265

 

Pts. Disadvantage

20 Social Limitation: Public ID: Robbie Jackson (Very Frequently, Major)

5 Social Limitation: Banned From Attending Or Participating In Any Major League Baseball Game (Occasionally, Minor)

15 Enraged: When Someone Uses His Past To Insult Or Belittle Him (Common), go 11-, recover 14-

15 Reputation: Disgraced Former Baseball Player, 14-

10 Dependent NPC: Joan Jackson (Ex-Wife) 8- (Normal)

Disadvantage Points: 65

Base Points: 200

Experience Required: 0

Total Experience Available: 0

Experience Unspent: 0

[FenrisUlf]

Re: Baseball-related characters in comics/games?

 

There's always SuperPro' date=' but he plays football.[/quote']

 

Just reading that makes me shudder. Is there anyone that series DIDN'T offend?

[FenrisUlf]

Re: Baseball-related characters in comics/games?

 

Hmm, I have to ask: did SuperPro show up in Marvel Civil War?

 

I mean, sheesh, if Clor had killed him instead of Bill Foster, I bet a lot of folks would have been able to point at that and say, "See, something good happened during that story line after all."

[TheQuestionMan]

Re: Baseball-related characters in comics/games?

 

Ballistic of CyberForce by Image Comics

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ballistic_%28comics%29

 

Jimmy "Bats" Seldon from Masterminds and Madmen [p.172]

http://www.herogames.com/forums/showthread.php?t=41790&highlight=Masterminds+Madmen

 

 

Cheers

 

 

QM

[Lord Fyre]

Re: Baseball-related characters in comics/games?

 

Just reading that makes me shudder. Is there anyone that series DIDN'T offend?

 

Well, maybe the people over at DC/Warner Bros.?

[Spidey88]

Re: Baseball-related characters in comics/games?

 

Just reading that makes me shudder. Is there anyone that series DIDN'T offend?

 

Strangely enough, my cousin liked him quite a bit. He was never really a comic geek, but my interest in comics rubbed off on him a little. Who did he gravitate to?

 

Daredevil (cool), and Superpro (bleagh), no doubt due to his love of sports. Thankfully, the Superpro phase was short-lived, as the comic didn't exactly last a long time...

 

Come to think of it - at the time, I didn't find Superpro offensive (I was only 13 or so). Cheesy and lame, yes, but not exactly offensive.

[Clonus]

Re: Baseball-related characters in comics/games?

 

GURPS had a character collection that included the team of Fastball and Chain.