This week, ESPN’s Baseball Tonight presented a “Web Gem” to the 300th different Major Leaguer this season.  The milestone was reached last night (Sept. 16) when New York Yankees pitcher Chad Gaudin reached behind his back to snag a ground ball and rob Toronto’s Aaron Hill of a hit.

On the season, there is a close race at the top of the Web Gem leader board between Washington’s Ryan Zimmerman (45 points) and Arizona’s Mark Reynolds (43).  Points are presented to players based on the rank of their Web Gem during each night’s show.  Zimmerman leads all players with 15 Web Gems this year.

Baseball Tonight’s Web Gem Awards Show - reviewing many of the top defensive plays of the season - will air Monday, October 26, at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN2.

Welcome to Baseball Fight Protocol 101, brought to you by Baseball Tonight analysts John Kruk and Eric Young. The two former players explained during the Tues., Aug. 11, 10 p.m. ET edition of Baseball Tonight how Boston’s Kevin Youkilis and Detroit’s Rick Porcello failed to follow the correct protocol of a fight when Youkilis charged Porcello after being hit by a pitch.

Next time you hit a batter or get hit by a pitch in your slow pitch softball league, remember the following.

What Porcello did wrong:
• He drifted backward the wrong way, towards first base.  Detroit occupied the third base dugout and former catcher Brandon Inge, who has experience in these situations, was at third base.  Porcello put himself at a disadvantage by drifting away from his best reinforcements.

What Youkilis did wrong:
• He took off his helmet and threw it at a defenseless pitcher.
• Instead of throwing a punch, he tried to wrestle Porcello, and was thrown to the ground.

So who won the fight? Youkilis had the physical advantage and psychological rage on his side, but Porcello pinned Youkilis. Porcello wins.

David Cook, the 2008 American Idol winner and die-hard Kansas City Royals fan, joined ESPN’s Baseball Tonight team Sunday, Aug., 2, during the 7 p.m. ET show.  Cook, who performed the previous night at The MGM Grand at Foxwoods in Mashantucket, Conn., stopped by ESPN’s Bristol, Conn., studios en route to his next tour stop in Bethlehem, Pa.

A life-long Royals fan who worked for the organization for five years, Cook provided analysis during the team’s highlight segment and spoke highly of the organization.

“You get a sense for how much they want to win, and they are really trying to turn around the culture there,” Cook said.

Cook’s favorite Royal of all time?

“Probably my No. 1 guy was Frank White. I used to love seeing him at the ballpark…he’s a consummate player.  He never seemed to do anything but his best. As a ball player, you obviously want to emulate that.”

Cook also offered up some pitching advice from personal experience — don’t pitch to Albert Pujols.

Cook, a left-handed pitcher in high school, recalled one particular lowlight on the mound — surrendering a bomb to the present-day St. Louis Cardinals star Pujols during an American Legion game.

“The one guy that really got the best of me…it was one pitch,” said Cook. “I got a chance to throw a curveball that hung just kind of middle-in on Mr. Pujols.

“One time and it was embarrassing.  It is a permanent bruise on my ego.”

Cook is on tour through the middle of October performing tracks from his first solo album.

April 1, 2009, ESPN First Take - (L to R) Mike Hill, Rob Parker, Bow Wow, Jay Crawford, Skip Bayless

ESPN’s Communications Photo Group develops some of the best photos from sporting events, celebrity campus visits, studio shows and more.   Images from last month, including rapper/actor Bow Wow on ESPN First Take, Mike Golic gets waxed (not a pretty sight), ESPNEWS HD, and the debut of SportsCenter in Los Angeles, are currently available.  If you have any photo requests, for editorial purposes surrounding ESPN, please send a note to photodesk@espn.com.