To The National

Tomorrow morning, Computer Boy and I will drive to Cleveland so to make our yearly pilgrimage to the National Sports Collectors Convention. Sunday, we will attend the Indians/Tigers game at Progressive Field and heckle Carl Pavano in the process and hope not to get beat up too badly by the locals.

Unless something really really great happens in tonight's games, I may be absent until Monday. "Gone fishin" as they used to say. I am not bringing the laptop. I have stayed in our hotel before on business and they do have a "business center" with internet access but the National and the expected Tigers victory will probably occupy like 99% of our time, you know.

No broken stuff when I get back, ok?

What's with these umpires?

I knew that Bobby Cox got thrown out of Monday's game with the Marlins but I really did not know anything other than the basic facts in the AP article on the game. Well, here is the rest of the story.

In an article by David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, it appears that several Braves players saw rogue umpire, Bill Hohn (yea that guy in the picture above) bump fists with Marlins catcher John Baker after the final out in the Braves 6-3 loss.

"Shocking," Chipper Jones said of the Hohn-Baker fist bump. "But it kind of makes sense considering how the ebb and flow of the game went, the way the game was called."

"Never seen it before in my 16 years," Jones said. 'Players and umpires exchange banter all the time. But never a handshake or a fist bump. I guess Baker thought he deserved a hand shake."

"And as a player, it makes you not want to play when that stuff happens. Because you don't have a chance," Jones said.

"No comment," Hohn told two reporters after the game. (At least deny it....if you can)

You can't make this stuff up. You just can't.

As kind of a public service, I think I will provide the following basic, timeless rules for umpires so to prevent these kinds of problems.

1. Do not wear paraphernalia of either team while on the field. (Stick with generic mlb gear. No snazzy emblems but that is how it goes.)

2. Do not sit in either team's dugout between innings. (Even if it is hot and you are tired. Gut it out.)

3. Do not lend or borrow anything from anybody while on the field. (Even if Jim Leyland tries to bum a smoke off of you)

4. Do not at any time while you are on the field give a fist bump or high five to any player or manager competing in the game. (People are watching you know)

Actually, there are quite a few other rules to eliminate any potential evidence of umpire bias in games but consider these just a start. If we can get through a few weeks with no problems on these, we can work on some others. Our long-term goal is bias-free umpiring. Because right now, we have players that don't want to play. And we don't want that.

And here I thought Bobby Cox got ejected all on his own.

The Pirates traded again?!

Hey, Dave Dombrowski, GM of the Tigers!

Here's a suggestion. Well, actually it is more than that. It is more like something you HAVE to do now or you are going to be left behind.

Scan the Pirate's roster. I know that it might be hard to find as it is in a constant state of flux, but find it somehow. Then see if there is anybody on this list that could make your team; even if it would be a 25th man utility guy or the last man in your bullpen.

If anybody fits the bill, offer a low-level prospect (the backup catcher in rookie ball might do) and get the Pittsburgh guy here in here. Get this done before MLB steps in here, ok? Everybody else is doing it.

You did trade for Jarrod Washburn today. That is good but you need to get with the Pirates now. This is free stuff.

What David Ortiz should say

This is what he said:

"I'm honestly going to tell you guys what's up.

Right now, I have no answers.

I've got no information."

This is what he should have said:

"I am very sorry now but I wasn't then.

I will tell you one thing. It was not a female fertility drug.

Ban me from the Hall of Fame, whatever. But don't lump me in with him!"

Bobby Cox ejection watch

It is noted that Bobby Cox was ejected in last night's Braves/Marlins game which extends his major league career record to 147.

Actually, Bobby was in danger of managing this game to it's conclusion but he pulled it out in the end getting ejected by home plate umpire, Bill Hohn in the eighth inning for arguing balls and strikes. That is one clutch performance.

Bobby was in a slump during the first half of the year but really seems to be getting back in the swing of things lately and this is nice to see. It kind of makes you feel that everything is right with the baseball world again.

(Now Magglio Ordonez needs to turn it around)

Who plays for the Pirates now?

What is the record for trades by one team in a season?

That Andrew McCutchen looks pretty good. Can't have that. When does he get put on the trade block?

How would you like to be the exit interview person in HR here?

You can't have a garage sale every week. People will think the stuff is all picked over.

Manny is still adjusting to National League rules (or something)

Bottom of the first. No outs. Runner on first. Manny catches a line drive and runs in thinking the inning is over.

During the at bat, the guy thought there were two outs when there were none.

Where to start?

Aw heck, forget it! There is no sense trying. I cannot improve upon that.

I just can't.

(He must have thought that the umpires went AWOL like in that card)

Why this interest in Bronson Arroyo by teams at the trade deadline?

It is noted that the AP story of last night's Reds/Padres game indicates that there were scouts from 5 different teams at the game watching Reds pitcher Bronson Arroyo as their teams may have some interest in him before the trade deadline. Some very quick additional research indicates that the Yankees, Angels and Rockies may be teams that have some interest in Arroyo.

I find this is kind of strange.

Bronson Arroyo has 5.17 ERA and 1.48 WHIP this year. I could look up his career stats but I feel very confident in saying that he has had his share of bad years and his "good" years are probably better classified as just "ok". I do know that when he pitched for the Red Sox, when I would hear that he was pitching against the Tigers at Comerica Park, one thought that would usually come to mind is whether there were any tickets available as the game was probably going to be a slugfest. To top it all off, he makes $9.5 million this year and is scheduled to make $11 million next year.

Why would any team be interested in adding him now? I know Wang just went down again for the Yankees but this is Bronson Arroyo who we are talking about here as a replacement. Think about it. If any other team would be willing to assume all of Arroyo's salary, I bet the Reds would let him go for a bag of balls and a year's supply of lineup cards. Well, they should anyway but then again they did hire Dusty Baker so who knows.

This reminds me of a little anecdot. I won a signed Bronson Arroyo card off of ebay some time ago. It is a replica of the card above.* I am not a Bronson Arroyo fan but I thought the card was colorful and nicely framed and accentuated his high leg kick. I am not home when the mail comes and I have an agreement with Computer Boy that he can open up envelopes with cards in them if he can be careful and he always is. Anyway, he opened up this envelope with the Bronson Arroyo card and he was ready for me when I got home.

"Why did you buy a Bronson Arroyo card?" he said waiving the offending card.

"Well it is colorful, framed nicely, blah blah blah"

"Yea, so. It is Bronson Arroyo."

Who am I to argue?

*I try to refrain from posting ebay scans of cards and I think I have only done it once before. In this case, I am not near my scanner now to scan the actual card and I cannot find the card through a search engine so I (shamefully) have posted an ebay photo of the card here. I an not ashamed though to say that I got my card for less than 15% of the "buy it now" price for this card.

Swine Flu pitcher faces the Tigers tonight

I note that tonight the Tigers are SCHEDULED to face pitcher, Vicente Padilla of the Rangers just 11 days after he was diagnosed with the Swine Flu.

NOW JUST HOLD ON ONE SECOND HERE!

There is no way the Tigers should be forced to hit or handle Swine Flu-infested balls.* No way!

The Tigers are in first place in the Central Division and we want to keep it that way. They should not be subjected to some "trojan horse" disease infiltration of their team by the crafty Rangers.

If I was Jim Leyland, I would demand an independent medical examination of Padilla. If that is against union rules, at the very least I would demand a "return to work" slip from his doctor; and not a doctor employed by the Rangers. No, we are not falling for that one.

Look at that first photo above of Padilla. Does that look like the picture of health to to you?

Can't be too careful, you know.

*Another thing. Padilla has a reputation as a headhunter. If I was the hitter and he threw at me, there is no way I would charge the mound like Nick Swisher above. Not a chance. We would resolve it some other way.

John Lannan might need to work on that pickoff move

In Sunday's Nationals/Padres game, Nationals pitcher, John Lannan picked off Everth Cabrera at first base. It was Lannan's first career pickoff.

Ok, let's look at this. Lannan has pitched 352 career innings which is a nice representative body of work. He has given up 344 hits and 130 walks. If you subtract his 39 home runs given up, he has had 435 opportunities to pick off a runner and never did it prior to Sunday. I bet Cabrera felt bad Sunday but just think of how he would feel now if a malicious teammate happened to post this information on his locker!

I think it is safe to say that Lannan needs to work on his pickoff move. I have personally not seen it but it just can't be very deceptive.

For that matter, Cabrera should work on his leads at first base. John Lannan picked him off!

See, they both benefit.

(Yes, I know that it is more difficult for lefties to pick off runners at first base but that doesn't fit with the script, ok?)

Dallas Braden is going to get hazed or something if he doesn't watch out

Per AP, Oakland Athletics' pitcher, Dallas Braden had this to say about his pitching line (5 innings, 10 hits, 7 runs, 6 walks) in last night's 7-5 loss to the New York Yankees: "It's pretty much a blueprint on how to get your team to hate you. It was a total team effort to get us the lead and then I went out and gave it back. Then a total team effort to get us the lead back, then I went out and gave it away again."

Hey guys, don't hurt him too bad, ok?

You know, why not just do a real intense "truth or dare" session or something? Nothing too bad. He seems real remorseful and everything.

If it happens again, well........you see those rocks back there?

A. J. Pierzinski knows a good bike when he sees one

So Computer Boy, Skate Kid, Mrs. CC and myself attended the Tiger game against the White Sox yesterday. The game itself was pretty uneventful and the Tigers lost but you can't complain because a day at the ballpark is better than.........well just about anything.

Sundays are "Kid's Day" at Comerica Park. We have a lot of Sunday games just because that is how the games ended up in our partial season ticket plan. For "Kid's Day", the Tigers do quite a few promotions that appeal to the younger set. One of these is that 3 or 4 times during the game between innings, they give away a "Hummer" bicycle to a child. They do this by bringing the child onto the field with the bike along with a parent and the Tiger mascot "Paws" and a few Tiger employees (always attractive young ladies for some reason) and they all get to waive for the camera with big smiles (Paws has a perpetual "fixed" smile) and they all get on the big screen as the child's name and prize is announced. Frankly, it makes you all warm and fuzzy inside as you are watching. This takes a few minutes and they do it near the on-deck circle and then they leave the field. Actually, I think it would be cool if they would let the kid ride the bike off the field but they don't do that as the Tigers girls just walk the bike off with the group.

The bikes are actually pretty slick as you can see in the picture above. Before this year, I did not even know that there was such a thing as a "Hummer" bike and I have never seen one around our house though I think we are kind of a "Huffy" neighborhood. As you can see, the "Hummer" kind of looks like a little triathlon bike and the kids are understandably thrilled to get it.

Anyway, A.J. Pierzinski was walking to the plate between innings to warm up the pitcher and I noticed that he was really looking at this "Hummer" bike as he was walking by and seemed to have more than just a casual interest in it. I also noted that while warming up the pitcher, he would look over at the bike between pitches. Man, A.J. liked that bike! Good thing they got it off the field before play started.

I don't know if A. J. has kids but if he does and if they are due for an upgrade on their bikes, I know what they are getting for Christmas.

I just know.

How dumb of me!

I was so focused on Soto's eyes, which someone incidentally thinks is due to chemical impairment, that I missed the significant astronomical event that was captured in the photo on this card.

There is a supernova exploding in the background!

I bet if we checked some historical astronomical charts or consulted a brilliant astronomer, we probably could determine the precise date and moment that this photo was taken.*

*The more that I look at it, this could also be one of those colorful smoke bombs which I guess would point to July 4th, 2008, time unknown. I am still going with a supernova though.

Geovany Soto's wandering eyes

The morals clause of my contract prohibits me from doing things like that but I can watch.

Yes, I can watch.

The Bobby Cox ejection watch

I see that Bobby Cox got thrown out of the game last night in the Braves 5-1 loss to the Giants. This gives Bobby who of course is the career leader in ejections, 146 ejections giving him a commanding 15 ejection lead over John McGraw who of course cannot catch him because he is dead.

While I appreciate Bobby's continued feistiness and willingness to extend his lead here, he seems to be in a bit of a slump as this was only his third ejection of the year. This is kind of disappointing. Three?! From Bobby Cox? What's going on here? Is Bobby losing focus or something? It's not like umpiring is getting any better recently. This is truly something of a mystery.

I have said it before but if Major League Baseball would assign Doug Eddings and fellow incompetent Angel Hernandez to ump more Braves games, I bet Bobby would get back in the groove really quick.

Until then, if I was Bobby, I would periodically hurl some abuse on the some of those lesser guys and bide my time until the Eddings and Hernandez games come up when he can really rack up the numbers.

Perfect!

Webster's definition: 1. complete 2. excellent 3. completely accurate
Baseball definition: 27 up, 27 down. See ya!

Both apply here.

On April 18, 2007, Mark Buehrle pitched a no-hitter against the Rangers giving up only one walk in the process but now it is only the second best game that he has ever pitched.

In Spring Training this year, I remember reading of the White Sox pitching coach complaining about Buehrle's off-season conditioning which I guess is non-existent. I thought, "Give it a rest, man. You have other things to worry about. After all, isn't Jose Contreras still on your staff?"

Oh, well. Anyway, congratulations Mark (I have him in the fantasy league every year) Buehrle! (He did it for me, see?)

On the other hand, I also have Longoria (obviously no hits in a perfect game ) and Jenks (no save opportunity in a perfect game) but that is nitpicking in the extreme so forget I ever said it, ok?

There is an Ichiro Hall of Fame debate? Really?

I was reading an mlb.com article the other day and part of it touched on the "debate" apparently presently ongoing as to whether Ichiro is a Hall of Fame worthy player.

I guess my initial (well only) thought was: There is a debate?

He has 1940 hits in 8 1/2 seasons.

He has 9 straight (after this year) 200 hit seasons.

THE GUY HAS 437 INFIELD HITS IN 8 1/2 SEASONS! (I hate all caps but it is true, you know)

Not bad defensively (actually pretty good) so you cannot subtract points there.

In any debate, of course you need someone to argue the "other side". Who would do it? Who would they scrounge up to debate the "No-Hall" position here? Here are some candidates:

1. Chris Berman - Someone without credibility so maybe this is up his alley. He also seems to love the attention and people like this usually settle for negative attention if they cannot get it any other way. Berman would be a possibility. Ichiro then goes to the Hall.

2. Jay Mariotti - He hates everybody and is also not afraid to walk around with egg on his face. Of course Jay is quite unpopular and this also perhaps could insure a 100% vote for Ichiro. Let's do it. Ichiro then goes to the Hall.

3. John Kruk - Earlier in the week on ESPN's Baseball Tonight, I saw him arguing that baseball should adopt a football-like challenge system where each manager gets one "flag" to throw to challenge an umpire call and beyond that there should be no arguments between managers and umpires. This is mind-numbingly dumb for a number of reasons; one of which is fans really like manager/umpire arguments so why would you limit them. Actually, you know what? We have a winner. Kruk gets to argue the Ichiro "No-Hall" position. Ichiro then enters the Hall in his first year of eligibility.

THE GUY HAS 437 INFIELD HITS in 8 1/2 YEARS!

Jonathan Sanchez - back to his old ways

Putrid

Putrid

No-hitter (Hey, a new beginning!)

Putrid (Maybe not)

Remember when from out of nowhere, Brady Anderson hit 50 home runs that one year? Or when Prince Fielder stole 40 bases in a year? (I might be "misremembering" that one as it is fuzzy. Maybe it was Cecil.) Anyway.

Same thing.

Carlos Lee concentrates A LOT less when nobody is on base; say he

Per Richard Justice of the Houston Chronicle, Carlos Lee of the Astros does not concentrate as much when he is at the plate and there are no runners on.

"To be honest, I concentrate A LOT (emphasis mine) more when there are runners on base," Lee said. "I give up less at-bats. (He said it) Sometimes I get away from my game with nobody on and try to drive the ball or hit a double instead of just concentrating on getting a good pitch to hit."

If you think about it, this is great material. You can't make this stuff up! You just can't.

"Hey, Lee is up with 2 outs and nobody on. Let's go get a hot dog."

Chan Ho Park did what?

I read in the game summary of the Phlllies/Cubs game that Philadelphia's Chan Ho Park allegedly had 5 strikeouts in 3 perfect innings of relief. My initial (well only) thought was "Oh, come on now. Pictures or it didn't happen!", but there it is in the box score. It is there.

I have confirmed that Park does not have a twin brother and there was no imposter that infiltrated that game so I guess I willing accept that this performance is now a historical fact; maybe even worthy of a "historical oddities" Allen & Ginter card.

Stranger things have happened. I guess.(But I would have to really think)

For some reason, Clayton Richard cannot sleep at night lately

I note that Clayton Richard of the White Sox pitches against the Rays tonight. Let's just say he better pitch well.

In his last eight starts, Richards has won once, lasting six innings only once with a 7.91 ERA.

Per Dave van Dyck of the Chicago Tribune, Chicago manager, Ozzie Guillen joked that President Barack Obama's ceremonial first pitch that didn't reach the plate in the All Star Game "was better than Richard's last outing".

Then a few days later, Guillen warned Richard that he needed to get his (stuff) together and soon. "This is not the Instructional League. I don't want to see another outing like the last few because we need to win. This ballclub is built to win and that's why he has to step it up a notch and do better."

To summarize, first Guillen insults Richard comparing him unfavorably to a non-player who threw a baseball with a flak jacket on. Then he follows that up with a not-so veiled threat to Richard's future employment.

(ominous music in background)

Clayton Richard should be very concerned.

VERY concerned.

Stay tuned.

Benches clear but........

Benches clearing incident last night in the Brewers/Pirates game but you gotta admit they don't do it like they used to.

A-Rod, that's who!

I know that this picture has been out there for a few months and when I first saw it, I hoped to never see it again.

Well, anyway, I stumbled on it again today and cannot let it go without comment.

What kind of guy poses for a picture like this?

p.s. - Sorry for the visual.

Sunday with the Lansing Lugnuts

They say that in any baseball game, you will see something that you have never ever seen before. This is so true.

Sunday, Computer Boy, Skate Kid and I saw our local Class A team, the Lansing Lugnuts take on the dreaded Wisconsin Timber Rattlers at Oldsmobile Park.

Here are four things that happened in that game that I have never seen before in a professional baseball game:

1. The first batter of the game gets on base. The field umpire then takes his position on the infield grass which is the correct positioning for him with a runner on first base. The next batter hits a very hard shot which hits the field umpire in the......let's go with groin.....and is lying on the ground in, I am assuming, excruciating pain for about 10 minutes. I told Computer Boy that we were likely to see a one umpire game which in itself would be a first for us. In defiance of my prediction, the umpire miraculously arose and umped the rest of the game. Never saw that before. Never.

2. A Lugnut player hits a very long high fly to left field which easily clears the fence but it is foul by about 3 or 4 feet. Kind of close but not really if you were watching it. The home plate umpire calls it a home run. Of course, there is then an argument but the call stands. Nobody in the park, with the exception of the home plate umpire, thought it was fair. A mind-bending weird call. Never saw that before. Never.

3. The Timber Rattlers have a runner on third base. I forget how many outs but it is not really important. The Lugnuts pitcher and the catcher get their signs crossed up and the pitcher throws a high slow lob for an intentional walk but the catcher never leaves his crouch so the ball went to the wall and the runner on third easily scores. Never saw that before. Never.

4. One of 7 year old Skate Kid's goals at any minor league game (he knows this is not possible at a major league game) is to come home with an on-field ball. One of his strategies is to sit in the first row behind the Lugnuts bullpen and when a batted ball winds up in the pen, the players will flip it to him. Today, the first row was occupied by quite a few kids who had the same idea. I suggested that he go to the Timber Rattlers bullpen and sit there. In the row behind the Timber Rattlers pen, there were a few teenagers who were insulting the players and then asking for baseballs. In my opinion, this is not a good strategy to get a ball but that is just me. I accompanied Skate Kid over there and advised him that we would sit in the first row but a good ways away from the teenagers. After a while, a young lady approached the bullpen and asked one of the players for a ball and he gave her one. She then gave it to Skate Kid and advised that she had a "special connection" to this player (I will keep him nameless) and she wanted Skate Kid to have a ball. Of course, we thanked her. I should further clarify that Skate Kid does not beg for baseballs. He just sits there with his mitt and observes the game keeping an eye out for any ball. Well anyway, someone noticed him and wanted him to have a ball and made sure that he got one. Thank you, Wisconsin Timber Rattler special fan! Never saw that before. Never.

Did you know that some people leave baseball games in the second inning when the temperature is only in the low 70's complaining that it is too hot? It happened.

Bobby Cox sure doesn't respect Jeff Francoeur very much

In last night's game against the Mets, Brave's manager, Bobby Cox issued intentional walks to David Wright in the first, sixth and ninth innings, each time putting runners on first and second for former Brave, Jeff Francoeur.

Ouch!

I wouldn't be surprised if the field mikes picked up Bobby yelling to his pitchers, "Don't even bother throwing him a strike! He'll swing!"

As it turned out, Francoeur got hits in the sixth and ninth innings so the strategy was not exactly successful.

That's ok. I am with Bobby on this one.

(Frustrated Jeff Francoeur fantasy baseball owner)

Jim Leyland and his cancer sticks

Yesterday at the corner pub in the old neighborhood with 2 friends from another time to have our own little private 30 year high school reunion.

Today at the newly constructed skate park in our town with 7 year old Skate Kid.

Man, that is a lot of second-hand cigarette smoke to breathe in 2 days.

I was struggling to somehow put this in a baseball context but in the end, I knew Jim Leyland would not disappoint me.

My bad!

Spoke too soon.

Sorry!

We strive for accuracy here.

Charlie Manuel - 2007 Allen & Ginter

Was Charlie ever young?

Just askin.

Derek Jeter needs his space, don't ya know

Per Tampa Bay Online (TBO.com), Derek Jeter has a new home being built on Davis Islands. I think that he will be comfortable there. It has 30,875 square feet of space, seven bedrooms and nine bathrooms. The waterfront home is roughly the size of a BestBuy electronics store and is twice the size of the previous largest house in Hillsborough County. The home is estimated to be worth between $6.2 million and $7.7 million.

No wonder the ladies like this guy! Definitely enough room for a lady friend or wife. He would even have enough room for a harem.

You know, it pays to work on this hitting, fielding and throwing stuff.

Start em young, I say.

Just askin' about this Michael Jackson thing

Instead of making this a "limited-editon" short-print chase card mini-set inserted into a product (Upper Deck X) nobody seems to like, why not just insert these cards liberally into all future 2009 Upper Deck sets? I am not a marketing person by any definition but I would bet that this would drive sales more than doing what they are doing here.

The shame of it all is that the cards look nice. I bet that people will want to have them. I bet these same people will not want to buy the Upper Deck X product to try and get them. I bet these same people will not want to pay an arm and a leg for the cards on ebay.

Had Michael Jackson not died, would Upper Deck have produced a "limited edition" 4 card set (Exclusive to Upper Deck X!) of Farrah Fawcett celebrating her famous pin-up poster? I know that Farrah Fawcett died just hours before Michael Jackson. Did Upper Deck immediately have to switch gears on this?

Just wondering.

Ichiro's lost opportunity

Per ESPN.com, Ichiro got to meet President Obama in the clubhouse prior to this year's All Star Game. Apparently, Obama stopped and signed a ball for Ichiro who gave a slight bow upon meeting the President and appeared giddy and "excited as a kid".

"My idea, when I saw him, was to say, 'What's up?' to him," Ichiro said. "But I got nervous. You know, he has that kind of aura about him. So I got nervous and I didn't say that to him. I was a little disappointed about that."

Ichiro blew it! He had a golden opportunity to say "What's up?" to President Obama and didn't. He choked. At the very least, he could have blurted out "Hey man" or "Be cool" (or the Japanese equivalents) but he did not even do that. Not too many people have the chance to say "What's up?" to the President. He could have maybe even gotten on Obama's Christmas card list. A "What's up?" might have done that.

What a lost opportunity.

I would be kicking myself too.

The Yankees' payroll (kind of) exceeds that of the All Star team

Per bugsandcranks.com, the average salary of a 2009 All Star is $7,404,184 which is $410,917 less than what the average New York Yankee makes - $7,748,046.

I guess I should be all "outraged" about this but considering that the Yankees have not won a World Series since 2000 and didn't even make the playoffs last year, I have to put this in the "so it is" file.

I suppose you could say that this championship drought by the Yankees is proof that they do not spend wisely on their payroll but they are a profitable franchise and I think much of that profit is generated by the "star power" of their lineup so I don't know that this argument works; from a business standpoint anyway.

The more I think about it, this may more properly belong in the "whatever" file and I guess I will have to give a little more thought to the proper filing of this interesting factoid.

Obama's White Sox gear

Of course anybody that has been paying attention has previously seen President Obama in Chicago White Sox gear but now is as good a time as any to say that it is refreshing to see a President not afraid to wear his team on his sleeve for everybody to see. I love it!

Putting politics aside, who would you rather watch a baseball game with? Barack Obama or George W. Bush? Ah heck, throw Dick Cheney in there too.

Thought so.

I do know a few people for whom Obama is the anti-christ and has never done anything right and never will so I am presently waiting for their objections to his conduct last night.

K-Rod's melancholy blues

In today's LA Times, there is an article on Francisco Rodriguez titled "Baseball isn't as much fun anymore for ex-Angel Franscisco Rodriguez".

In it, K-Rod laments that baseball is just not as fun as it was when he played as a kid in Venezuela.

Says K-Rod: "Now you're not playing for fun, you're playing for your career. Pretty much you're an employee. Sometimes you don't want to see it that way. But that's pretty much the reality. The day you don't get the job done, the day you get hurt, the day you basically don't do what they ask you to do, they're going to throw you away and they're going to get somebody else to do your job. That's how it is."

Look, nothing that he says here is untrue but it is kind of bad form for a guy with a generous 3 year guaranteed contract to be complaining. I guess he is just going to have to "soldier on" with this job of his.

By the way, in the above card, I assume K-Rod was not wearing lipstick that day so if Topps altered this photo to make K-Rod look like a transgendered person or something, well then in that case, he does have something to complain about.

My .02.

Disco Demolition

So Computer Boy, Skate Kid and I were watching the 10 minute "look back" that ESPN had on Disco Demolition Night 30 years ago in Chicago. By a show of 3 hands, we say it was great!

Incredible video footage.

7 foot high flames in the outfield!

People climbing down the flagpole from the upper deck.

Riot police on the field.

A free win for the Tigers!

Both Computer Boy and Skate Kid said that they wished they were there.

Me too. (Though I would have been in the "watching from the stands/keeping an eye out for a stray thrown bottle" mode)

No drugs or alcohol either for me but with that show on the field, you don't really need any of that stuff.

One thing in the ESPN segment that I found interesting was the reaction of Jimmy Piersall who was the White Sox radio announcer at the time. Jimmy was still quite angry and bitter at the whole thing calling it a "disgrace to baseball" and scoffing at the interviewer who asked him if he saw anything other than negative in it and eventually telling the interviewer that he was "stupid".

As I recall in his playing days, Jimmy used to spontaneously climb fences at the ballpark in fits of craziness which if you think about it is not much different than what the anti-disco revellers were doing that night.

I guess it is ok when it is just you.

Bad News Bears vs Kansas City Royals - Who wins?

In last night's 15-9 loss to the Red Sox, it is noted that the Royals made 4 blunders in the first inning.

Per AP: "David DeJesus misplayed Dustin Pedroia's triple, then Tony Pena misplayed Jason Bay's grounder and failed to force out David Ortiz at second allowing Kevin Youkilis to score and Ortiz to advance to third. Jacoby Ellsbury then hit a deep fly to left and Jose Guillen thought it was the final out and initially began running in before remembering that Ortiz was tagging up at third. Catcher, Miguel Olivo made the final mistake when he was charged with a throwing error."

I bet the beer was flowing really well at Fenway after all that.

Later in the sixth inning, the Royals loaded the bases however Miguel Olivo who was on third base was forced out on a one-hop hit to right field. (Our little leaguers, "The Wolves" can routinely score on this play; even the kids who struggle with what direction to run)

In the seventh inning, Trey Hillman was ejected by home plate umpire, Todd Tichener but it doesn't say for what.

I can't really blame Hillman. I would be looking to get as far away from that as possible too.

Forget that "going down with the ship" stuff.

Brandon Phillips' non-accomplishment (except for the home runs)

Tonight on ESPN's Baseball Tonight, Tim Kurkjian did his edition of "Kurk Gems" which are noteworthy statistical accomplishments of the past week. One "gem" that he mentioned was that Brandon Phillips* executed a sacrifice bunt after he hit 2 home runs in a game. This was accompanied by a video of the bunt. (Lucky us!) Kurkjian mentioned that this is the first time since 2001 that this has been done.

(Stunned silence)

How dumb!

Who cares?!

Would have rather endured another mind-numbing promo for the Home Run Derby.

Is there a producer in the house?

*Oh, almost forgot. Make sure your Sharpie has fine tip when presenting to a player for an autographed card.

Adding insult to injury

Illustration: Rob Ullman, www.rkullman.blogspot.com (pg13)

Forget the no-hitter, what about the record at the Mets game?

Last night in New York at the Mets/Reds game, the crowd set a Guinness record in the middle of the second inning for most potato chips crunched simultaneously.

That Guinness book must be REALLY REALLY big by now.

Do they all get plaques or something?

Joel Hanrahan gets the win while sleeping on his couch!

So last night, the Nationals and Astros completed their game of May 5th which was suspended by rain. The pitcher of record for the Nationals was Joel Hanrahan who was subsequently traded to the Pirates on June 30th. The Pirates incidentally were off yesterday.

In the continuation game, the Nationals win and Nationals, err Pirates, pitcher, Joel Hanrahan is credited with the win. Hanrahan was interviewed last night on ESPN and was asked what he was doing when he heard that he had been credited with the win and he responded, "Taking a nap."

This kind of reminds me of those situations where the President is awoken in the middle of the night to be notified of a national emergency.

Taking this back to a baseball context, I can just see next week some major league slugger who is not participating in the All Star Game being woken up late night by a call from his agent advising him that he has just won the Home Run Derby.

"Great! This is just like the Publishers Clearing House Sweepstakes. I know I have that bonus thing in my contract for this too. I'll take it! We'll talk in the morning."

Considering that Hubert Humphrey won the 1968 Democratic nomination for President without entering one single primary, you tell me it can't happen.

Ron Washington was VERY impressed with Andruw Jones

Last night in the Rangers/Angels game, Andruw Jones hit home runs in his first three at bats. (Joe Torre is no doubt saying "What the he....")

Rangers manager, Ron Washington was quite impressed.

Per AP: "I saw Kirby Puckett do some great stuff. I saw Dave Engle* do some great stuff. Matter of fact, I saw Mickey Hatcher get nine hits in a row - nine straight in three straight days," Washington said. "This ranks as one of the highest because he got us a win for it."

Hmmmmm.

I am having a little difficulty wrapping my head around the fact that Washington put Jones' feat in with this pantheon of baseball greats including Kirby Puckett (admittedly great), Dave Engle and Mickey Hatcher. (Now if he threw in Mackey Sasser then maybe he would have a point). I guess that it is 1/3 of a compliment anyway.

Know what? I want to see Kevin Millwood throw a near no-hitter or strike out 18 in a game or something. I want to see Washington gush about that and compare it to the accomplishments of Nolan Ryan, John Henry Johnson and Paul Kilgus.

Hey, he said it!

*I did a quick search of Dave Engle's accomplishments and I am having a problem finding "great stuff". I did find an instance where in batting practice, he threw a ball which broke the nose of a teammate but I don't really consider this a great accomplishment (unless they were competing for a job or something).

Newsflash: Manny said he was right!

Per AP in the story regarding the Dodger game last night, it is noted that Manny Ramirez played all nine innings for the first time since his return as he was ejected for throwing equipment following a fifth-inning strikeout Tuesday night.

According to the story, Ramirez said umpire John Hirschbeck told him Wednesday that he missed the call in question the previous night.

"We're friends. Everybody makes mistakes(presumably referring to Hirschbeck, CC) . I overreacted," Ramirez said.

Hey Manny! A little subtle tip free of charge. If in fact Hirschbeck really said that to you in confidence, then that is the kind of thing that you keep to yourself.

What next?

"Bud Selig told me he was sorry about that suspension thing. He said his hands were tied. We're cool."

How do you get him to quit?

Per mlive.com, Nate Robertson, he the possessor of a 7.71 ERA in 2009 and a 6.35 ERA in 2008 and also the lucky recipient of a guaranteed contract beyond this year, thinks he can return to the Tigers this year.

Robertson said everything went well with his June 30th surgery to remove masses from his left elbow. "I should be back, hopefully, in September," Robertson said.

I am hoping that the Tigers' response goes something like this: "Take your time, Nate. No reason to rush anything. Did you notice we are in first place? Hey did you know that Sandy Koufax retired at age 30? He really did."*

*In the interests of full disclosure, I do have a slight bit of guilt here as Nate was very nice and accommodating to Computer Boy a few years ago at Tiger Fest.

Robin Ventura's legacy. And it ain't his college career!

I was reading Craig Calcaterra over at the Hardball Times/Shysterball website and Craig indicated that whenever he thinks of Robin Ventura, he can only think of him playing for Oklahoma State in the 1987 College World Series.

Fail!

I like Craig and he is obviously entitled to his memories but come on now! This is too easy. When you think of Robin Ventura, what is the first thing that you think of? Right, that game against Texas where he charged the mound and got beat up by a senior citizen.

Robin, I know you had a nice college career and also hit 294 home runs and had 1182 rbis over your major league career but when you charged the mound and absorbed that beating at the hands of Nolan Ryan, that forever marked your legacy; like it or not.

Sorry.

What a bulldog!

So in last night's Rockies/Nationals game, Rockies reliever, Alan Embree picked a win without throwing a pitch. Embree comes in the game with two outs in the eighth with the score tied 2-2. Before throwing a pitch, he promptly picks off Austin Kearns at first base to end the inning. The Rockies score one in the bottom of the eighth to go ahead 3-2. Huston Street comes in to close the game in the top of the ninth. Embree gets the win without throwing a pitch.

What an efficient pitcher! He probably didn't even take a sign from the catcher. Maybe he did not even touch the rosin bag. Not even enough time to scan the crowd to see if your friends who you left freebie tickets for showed up.

Hand me the ball. Rifle it over to first. I'm out of here.

I don't want to get too crazy with his workload here but I bet that he would be fresh enough to even pitch today if they absolutely needed him.