This Week In GIFs Results: ‘Wonder Dan’ Wins In Landslide

The second-ever installment of THIS WEEK IN GIFs is in the books. DANILO GALLINARI (194 votes) and DEE GORDON (115 votes) made admirable showings in the face of certain defeat. But as we all expected: the winner, with 562 total votes, is ...

I’m embarrassed by how long it took me to title this GIF. It finally came to me this morning: he’s staring at the baseball in wonder ... Thunder Dan ... Wonder Dan. It was a struggle, and I’m glad I’ve finally put it behind me.

Anyway, this GIF really is something special, and it deserved to win as easily as it did. As with many great GIFs, it treats us to an Easter egg of sorts at the very end. There’s just something perfect about that DAN MAJERLE graphic. Without it, and without anyone else telling me, I don’t know if I would have immediately recognized him as Thunder Dan. I probably would have just figured him as some actuary whose company outing just took a turn for the awesome.

We’re gonna do something with these GIF ballot winners. I’m not sure if it’s going to be a GIF bracket or what, but if it is, I think our friend Dan is a 3-seed. Here’s what some of you had to say about our champion:

Maybe it’s a trick of perspective, but it looks like Majerle’s standing at the fence with his plate, basically treating the top of the fence as his own personal breakfast nook.

- Valued Internet subscriber WastelandHound

I was seduced by the apparent miraculousness of Majerle, the way the ball arrows to his upraised hand like a dog to a supper dish, and voted accordingly. But now I regret my rash decision, for upon repeat viewings the mesmerizing incompetence of Dee Gordon would have been a much better choice.

- Valued Internet subscriber smk73

Awarding two bases for a ball that bounces in fair territory and enters the stands is prescribed in Rule 6.09(e), NOT the Commissioner’s list of universal Ground Rules.

http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/official_info/umpires/ground_rules.jsp

- Valued Internet subscriber hotspur

(Did not know this! - Ed.)

And that will do it, friends. You can view all the other GIFs here. And for past and future installments of This Week In GIFs, check out this section.

We’ll run the next installment of This Week In GIFs on Friday. Between now and then, if you see an animated sports GIF that you believe warrants admission, please tweet me at @jon_bois. Thanks for voting, y’all.