the buzz log
Batter Up
Between the draining presidential campaign and the world economy going down the drain, it's easy to forget that there is still fun to be had. That's especially true for baseball fans. The playoffs are in full swing and we now know that one of four teams will be World Series champions.
Below, you'll find a chart that compares the level of interest on the four squads. Red Sox, Rays, Dodgers, and Phillies—who's the tops in Search? (Spoiler alert: It's not the Red Sox, Rays, or Phillies.)
| MLB Playoffs | ||||
| Rays | Red Sox | Dodgers | Phillies | |
| Rank in Search | Top 3,000 terms | Top 1,100 terms | Top 1,000 terms | Top 2,000 terms |
| Search Surge this Week | Up 79% | Up 62% | Up 51% | Up 38% |
| Oddest Related Search | "tampa bay rays crocs" | "billy ray cyrus red sox fan" | "order dodgers hot dogs" | "phillies dog outfit" |
| Most Popular Current Player in Search | Evan Longoria | David Ortiz | Manny Ramirez | Chase Utley |
| Most Popular Past Player | Um. Jose Canseco? | Johnny Damon | Jackie Robinson | Mike Schmidt |
| Team-Related Article Worth Reading | New York Times looks at the Rays success | Fans make Red Sox logo out of pumpkins (video) | Tim McCarver rips Man-Ram's antics | Phillies of '83 vs Phillies of '08 (Bleacher Report) |
Mrs. Rocket Blasts Off in Buzz
Who needs soap operas when we have baseball in the off season? In the latest installment of "Days of Our Steroids," Debbie Clemens, wife of Yankees power pitcher Roger Clemens, has stepped into the Buzz spotlight.
According to personal trainer Brian McNamee, he injected Debbie Clemens with human growth hormone in 2003 for a Sports Illustrated photo shoot. Reportedly, her husband requested the hGH application. Clemens lawyer has lashed back. And buzz on Mrs. Rocket is blasting out of the park.
In the past week, searches for "debbie clemens" and "roger clemens wife" have charted explosive gains. Searchers want to see her clad in a swimsuit, posing for Sports Illustrated, hanging out with the Yankees, and accompanying her husband. Demand is running so high that "clemens wife photos" beat out starlets, movies, and any hint of politics to land as Wednesday's #1 breakout mover.
Baseball fans continue to boost buzz on the Rocket himself, but as of yesterday, the most hotly sought "clemens" queries belong to his Mrs.
Mitchell Report Rocks MLB
His judgment cometh, and that right soon. -- The Shawshank Redemption
After 20 months worth of interviews and investigations, former senator George Mitchell presented his report on steroid use among Major League Baseball players.
In the days leading up to the big reveal, searches on the touchy topic arched upwards. Following the report's publication on Thursday, lookups on the accused players surged to new heights.
So, which players are listed on the "PDF heard 'round the world"? Roger Clemens was called out, rocketing his searches upwards. Other notable big leaguers include Miguel Tejada, Eric Gagne, Gary Sheffield, and Andy Pettitte. Retired players David Justice, Mo Vaughn, and Kevin Brown were also mentioned. Not surprisingly, Barry Bonds and Jose Canseco were listed as well.
Stay tuned to the Buzz as we're sure the report's effect on Search has just begun.
Filed under: Drugs, MLB, Baseball Players
Everyone Loves Ellsbury
Already a fast food folk hero, Red Sox outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury bashed the Buzz this weekend after helping his team win the World Series. It was Ellsbury's stolen base in Game 2 of the Series that earned every person in America a free taco, and his thievery led to big spikes for the cheesy chain. Searches on "taco bell," "taco bell locations," and "taco bell free taco" are still sizzling in Search thanks to Ellsbury's basepath derring-do.
In games three and four of the Series, the young Sox star busted out his bat and etched his name into postseason lore. The 24-year-old rookie played like a seasoned vet and scored with folks curious about his backstory. Searches on the speedy outfielder jumped 160% after the Red Sox clinched the crown. Female fans are curious about his love life. We weren't able to track down any hard evidence of a lady friend, but undaunted searchers looked for "jacoby ellsbury girlfriend."
Red Sox Nation's cult hero of 2007 also owns another unique claim to fame. He's the first person of Navajo descent to play in the majors, and his heritage led to queries on "jacoby ellsbury navajo" and "jacoby ellsbury bio."
And with searches on "jacoby ellsbury shirtless" and "jacoby ellsbury jersey" on the rise, we can tell that the man who earned tacos for a nation has also earned a permanent spot in the hearts of searchers.
Filed under: Sports, Baseball, MLB, Baseball Players
World Series Buzz Faceoff
The Boston Red Sox stormed back to beat the Cleveland Indians and snag the American League pennant. Their reward? A meeting with destiny's darlings—the Colorado Rockies. While this might be the frostiest matchup ever seen in October, the Search box isn't feeling the chill. Queries on both teams are burning up the basepaths of Buzz. We're hoping for some delicious drama when the two teams meet.
To decide a champ in Search, we studied a number of important criteria. While searches on the oh-so-hip "papelbon dance" sway us toward favoring the Sox, the Buzz tells us it will be a much closer matchup...
| Serious Series Searches | |||
| Boston Red Sox | Colorado Rockies | The Winner is... | |
| Overall Searches | Their dramatic comeback from a 3-1 deficit in the ALCS pushed their buzz to the highest point of the season. | Their dramatic server meltdown spurred a massive wave of searches from ticket-hungry fans. | Right now the Rockies are leading thanks to the ticket tumult. |
| Top Related Search | Red Sox Tickets | Colorado Rockies Tickets | It's a draw. The real losers are the fans faced with exorbitant resale prices. From an average seat price of $1,465 in Boston to $781 in Denver, the market is a bit frothy. |
| Best Craigslist Trade for Tix | A new roof from a Sox fan. | Chiropractic treatment from a Rockies backer. | Our spine could always use alignment, but a leak-proof roof is a top priority. We'll take the Sox here. |
| Hottest Player in Buzz | Stud pitcher and ALCS MVP Josh Beckett. | Slugging OF and NL MVP candidate Matt Holliday. | Holliday's been key to the Rockies' amazing run, but Beckett's been there before. Edge: Sox. |
| Wildest Related Search | Red Sox Infield Grass | Colorado Rockies Songs | We enjoy the Sox logo mowed into the Fenway grass, but tunes about the Rockies have us humming. Chalk this one up for Colorado. |
| Ballpark Buzz | Fenway Park has the charm and history. | Coors Field has a well-earned rep as a hitter's paradise. | Fenway slurps up more searches than Coors. |
Filed under: Baseball, MLB, World Series
top movers
| Rank | Subject | 1-Day Move |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Worst Airports For Delays 2009 | Breakout! |
| 2 | How To Survive A Recession | Breakout! |
| 3 | Ice Cream Calorie Counter | Breakout! |
| 4 | Jayson Williams | Breakout! |
| 5 | Alexandra Kerry | Breakout! |
| 6 | Chaz Bono | 10707% |
| 7 | Kelly Osbourne | 3298% |
| 8 | Jennifer Hudson | 3218% |
| 9 | Nicole Richie | 2075% |
| 10 | Thierry Henry | 1125% |
top leaders
| Rank | Subject | Move | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Black Friday | +413 | 1016 |
| 2 | Elizabeth Lambert | -677 | 263 |
| 3 | NFL | +66 | 235 |
| 4 | New Moon | +74 | 213 |
| 5 | Bing | +83 | 209 |
| 6 | Kelly Osbourne | +193 | 199 |
| 7 | Hulu | +7 | 139 |
| 8 | Nicole Richie | +124 | 130 |
what's the buzz?
A subject's buzz score is the percentage of Yahoo! users searching for that subject on a given day, multiplied by a constant to make the number easier to read. Weekly leaders are the subjects with the greatest average buzz score for a given week.
For more detailed information, visit our FAQ.