15 Funniest MLB Spring Training Moments

The lighter side of baseball is part of what makes it so great. Baseball players have a way of keeping themselves entertained all season long, but their antics during spring training take on a different tone, as they can surface in so many different ways.

Whether it's rookie hazing or a light-hearted ploy involving a beloved coach, spring training definitely brings about some of the funniest moments the sport has to offer.

Cubs Strength Coach Is the Butt of Cruel Joke

Cubs strength coach Tim Buss wasn't a happy camper when he saw the damage that had been done to his car during spring training in 2008.

The car was destroyed: all windows broken, sides dented, and the bats and balls that were seemingly the tools used were left on the vehicle.

He suspected a number of pitchers, who obviously denied the implications. Then after practice with Buss continuing to stress over the situation, the players (led by Ryan Dempster) owned up to the crime...and showed him his new Nissan Xterra.

DANCE OFF!

Wow—could we be looking at the next winners of So You Think You Can Dance?

No, didn't think so.

Halladay and Burnett Give Teammates a Flyover

In what has to be one of the most elaborate and expensive pranks conceived, Blue Jays pitchers Roy Halladay and A.J. Burnett found their targets in Russ Adams and Aaron Hill.

During warmups of a spring training game, a plane hired by the two flew over the stadium with a sign reading "Russ, will you marry me, Aaron."

They weren't done there, though, as they had an entire wedding reception waiting in the clubhouse and covered both players' vehicles with full "Just Married" decor.

Mickey Hatcher Nearly Paints Himself to Death

During a spring training game in March of 1986, Minnesota Twins outfielder Mickey Hatcher did what any normal human being would do to celebrate St. Patrick's Day in style: found some green paint in the Twins' Ft. Myers clubhouse and painted his body.

After entertaining the crowd for awhile with his own rendition of an Irish jig, he learned the hard way that his pores couldn't breathe and would have to be quickly drenched in paint thinner by clubhouse staff.

Players Aren't the Only Ones Having Fun at Spring Training

As much as spring training is a time for players to get to know their teammates and re-acclimate themselves with hitting, pitching and fielding, it's also clearly a time to have some fun.

David Letterman sends comedian Andy Kindler down to Yankees camp on a fairly regular basis, and as you can see, the players have plenty of fun with it.

Gerald Laird Gets "Arrested"

Jerry Hairston Jr. played one of the cruelest jokes on catcher Gerald Laird during the spring of 2007, even getting approval from Rangers manager Ron Washington before doing so.

Hairston arranged for two police officers to show up in the clubhouse and issue a warrant for Laird's arrest on charges of unpaid child support.

Laird lost it as the officers cuffed him, removed him from the clubhouse and even placed him in the back of the squad car before those in on the prank would finally come clean.

The Three Man Lift

The three man lift is a seemingly annual spring training tradition where rookies are entangled next to each other and a player subsequently attempts to lift them, or so they think.

These guys have to know what's really coming, don't they?

It's Tough Being a Rookie

It's becoming increasingly clear that being a rookie in major league baseball is a tough gig.

Pitcher Stephen Strasburg and catcher Wilson Ramos really seemed to own their new roles, as the battery made quite the couple as Papa Smurf and Smurfette.

Ken Griffey Jr. Gives Lou Pinella a Steak Dinner, and Then Some

During one spring training as manager of the Mariners, Lou Piniella won a wager with Ken Griffey Jr.

He was supposed to repay the debt with a steak dinner, but he took that to an extreme, as Piniella found out when he entered his office.

Papi Finds a Little Something Extra in His Underwear

I can't understand how a guy as massive as David Ortiz would be the target of a teammate's prank, but that didn't stop Twins third baseman Corey Koskie from taking Big Papi to task after a spring training game.

Koskie filled Ortiz's underwear with peanut butter and placed it in his locker, and with Ortiz rushing to head to the postgame meal, it went unnoticed until he had fully dressed and left the clubhouse.

Big Unit Takes out a Bird

Talk about being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

I can't even imagine what the odds are of this occurring.

Jesse Orosco Rubs Kirk Gibson the Wrong Way

When a player is new to a team, you have to think there's an increased chance that you'll fall victim to some sort of hijinx.

Kirk Gibson's arrival in Los Angeles in 1988 was no exception. During spring training, Dodgers pitcher Jesse Orosco smeared eye black all around the inside of Gibson's batting helmet.

As Gibson began to sweat in the hot sun the blackened drops ran down his face. To put it lightly, he wasn't happy, storming off the field, yelling "No wonder this team finished fourth last season."

Mike Trout Gets His Name (and Number) out There

When you're a rookie, you speak when spoken to. At least that's the way Angels pitcher Jared Weaver looked at things when Mike Trout spoke out of turn during manager Mike Scioscia's team meeting.

As a punishment, Weaver had Trout's cell phone number displayed on the scoreboard multiple times during the game.

It's not known exactly how many of the roughly 3,000 people on hand gave Trout a jingle, but nevertheless, his number was changed after the incident.

Ryan Dempster Is at It Again

Keeping in mind the first slide of this piece where Ryan Dempster demolished a coach's vehicle as a prank, you'd have to think he's the last person you'd mess with.

Will Ohman learned this the hard way after attempting to prank Dempster by going crazy with some eye black and gluing his clothes together.

Dempster once again got involved with the automotive side of things, removing all four tires from Ohman's brand new Denali and placing them in strategic locations including a bathroom stall and the team showers.

Kyle Kendrick Is "Traded" to Japan

There really isn't much to say here other than that this has to be one of the best pranks in baseball history.

Phillies manager Charlie Manuel does a great acting job in making Kyle Kendrick truly believe he's on his way out the door.

The feeling of being traded can't feel good, especially when you think you're headed to the other side of the world.