Baseball‘s back, and we’re covering all the bases in Buzz. First up, the World Baseball Classic. While many predicted that the inaugural event would be a dud, searches on the World Cup-style baseball tourney have been red hot. The Classic landed in our top 5 sports searches for the past week, and queries on it jumped a whopping 375%. Related searches on “world baseball classic rosters,” “world baseball classic schedule,” and “ world baseball classic scores” all doubled over the past week. Those looking for info on the tournament tend to hail from the warm-weather markets where it’s taking place — San Diego, Phoenix, and L.A. top the list of metros searching for the all-star event.
But the Classic isn’t the only baseball item stealing sports buzz. Searches on Giants outfielder Barry Bonds jumped 102% this week after excerpts from a tell-all book detailing his steroid intake appeared in the latest issue of Sports Illustrated. What will happen to the tarnished legend? Fans seeking answers sent searches for his team, the San Francisco Giants, up 22%. Surprisingly, queries on the only two men who top Bonds in terms of home runs — Babe Ruth (-10%) and Hank Aaron (-51%) are both on the decline — exactly opposite the trend we’d expect with the home-run record clouded by so many steroid-fueled questions. The damning tome on Bonds is set to hit store shelves later this month and provoked searches on “barry bonds scandal,” “barry bonds stats,” and “barry bonds steroids.”
Another sad story set against the backdrop of the diamond was the death of Hall of Famer Kirby Puckett. His infectious smile and love for the game translated into an outpouring of searches on the baseball great who passed away far too soon. Queries went from zero into the tens of thousands following news of the 45-year-old’s death. Related searches on “kirby puckett stats” and “kirby puckett pictures” also spiked as fans sought out info on the Minnesota Twins icon.
Filed under: Sports, Literature, Baseball, Barry Bonds
