Still has nothing on the sad, sad little Royals game earlier this year where Jason LaRue (yes, career backup C) goes to 3B, Alex Gordon (rookie 3B) slides over to SS, and Tony Pena Jr (rookie SS) moves over to 2B. It was one of the most pathetic things I've ever seen in baseball :(

SI

Not a bad start for Roger and it finally seems like the Yankees as a team are getting on track. They've won 8 out of 10 and Abreu is up to .260 from .228 and Cano is up to .275 from .249. Those two starting to hit is huge. They still aren't at .500 yet and they've been beating up on the Pirates and White Sox so we'll see if they keep playing well against the D-backs and Mets next week.

If the Yanks can keep it up it should be an interesting wild card race. Detroit's biggest weakness is it's terrible bullpen and they need to address that with Zumaya possible gone for the year. The A's will stay in it because they always have great pitching. Don't know too much about the Mariners, but I'm surprised to see they're still in it. They seem to have some decent relievers, but bad starters-Jeff Weaver and his 14.00 ERA is pitching today. The Twins stayed at .500 without Mauer and now he's back. The White Sox are now the Yankees without any hope. They aren't even the best team in their own city anymore.

Could MLB please blackout a few more games I'd like to watch today?

Sorry, SI, that's a clusterf__k on at least a mild level, but none of those are distant stretches. LaRue used to play some 3B, and moving form 3B ot SS and SS to 2B isn't that much of a stretch.

It's a lot harder to go from the IF to catcher (Feliz), they have a career outfielder at the position that has the hardest hit balls coming at it, and wait a sec, isn't Lowry a pitcher?!?

Cards and Angels start at 4:15 PDT. There are going to be a ton of Angels, ex-Angels and red uniforms in effect.

I once watched a game where Fernando Valenzuela played 1st base.

You also have Santana pitching on the road, which may be worth watching just for the comedic factor.

Hudson drills Soriano with the first pitch of the game today. Both teams warned, could be an interesting game.

Dear Detroit,

Please figure out a way to keep all these fucking pigeons off the field.

Thanks.

no shit, it's insane.

Lilly hit Renteria tonight and is tossed. Why no warning here?

Could someone please write down these unwritten rules?

Thanks

renteria is a punk-ass chickenshit bitch. I've never seen a guy just punch someone in the face trying to steal second base. what a coward.

The initial call was a warning. I have no idea why he was tossed or what was going on there.

Soriano hits 3 homers in game 1. Hudson hits Soriano to lead off game 2 and both teams get warned. Then Lilly hits Renteria in game 3 and gets tossed after initially being warned.

WTF? Why wasn't Hudson tossed yesterday?

How in the hell is Renteria still in the game?

Could it have been because of Renteria's reaction? I was watching last night's game and Soriano just went to 1st base so Hudson got to stay. Tonight, Renteria went berserk. Maybe the umpire felt they had to make an example of Lilly to settle things down for the rest of the night. I have no clue.

on the mic'd playback, the ump told pinella that he "just knew" that lilly threw at renteria on purpose, because "I was waiting for it to happen"

I would be surprised if he isn't suspended or reprimanded, that's totally inappropriate reasoning for an umpire to use in that situation.

They had tape of the ump telling Lou he was tossed because "He threw at him on purpose. I knew he was going to throw at him, I was waiting for it".

If Lilly was throwing at him on purpose, what was Hudon doing yesterday? And lastly, HOW IS RENTERIA STILL IN THE GAME?

This whole thing is BS.


EDIT: changed to renteria

How'd he know he was going to throw at Renteria? I would have expected he would hit the first batter (because Soriano is the first batter for the Cubs). I guess I'm missing something.

M's are on a roll after sweeping the Padres. They've won 8 of their last 10 and are just 1.5 games out of the AL Wild Card and 4.5 back of the Angels in the West.

Venting: How the hell can the Phils sweep the Mets and then go lose to a AAA team? This is beyond frustrating.

Not to be a jerk, but the M's will have to win the West, because they have zero chance to win the WC. The second place team in the Central will get that honor (unless the Yankmees go insane).

How do you figure? The M's are only 1.5 back in the Wild Card right now, while they're 4.5 back in the West. I know you're a big Tiger fan and all, but right now the M's are playing damn well and are right on the Tigers' heels for a playoff spot.

There's a big difference: The M's (who I actually root for grudgingly) are a very average team talent-wise, especially offensively. The Tigers are the best offensive team in baseball, and also have one of the top 5 or so starting rotation (that is also about to get Kenny Rogers back in a week or so). The only weakness is the bullpen, and that can only improve, especially now that Rodney is back, and Zumaya should be back in a couple of months.

Again, I am beginning to have a soft-spot for the M's, but there is no way they can beat Detroit or Cleveland to the WC over the long haul. No chance.

I'm starting to think that Giambi's injury was the best thing that could have happened to the Yankees. I don't recall the exact timing of it, but they've been much better since he's been out. Which, of course, sucks royally!

This is an interesting article about the Giants game yesterday. It's about how Barry is no longer Barry and his team is realizing it:



Sunday, longtime teammate Rich Aurilia went through three stages of Bonds understanding - denial, grief and frustration - in split seconds, in the bottom of the ninth, with the game on the line.

And it was as confusing to witness as it was for Aurilia to experience.

The Giants trailed 2-0. There was one out. Aurilia was on first. Bonds was up, facing A's closer Alan Embree as the potential tying run.

When Embree skipped a breaking ball to the backstop, Aurilia immediately broke for second, which he would've made easily. Then he stopped halfway there. Then he retreated a couple of steps and gestured in Bonds' direction. Then he stopped again. Then he slowly trudged back to first.

Why didn't he move to second to eliminate the double play? Because the Old Bonds would've automatically been intentionally walked at that point, and the Old Giants never gave opponents an excuse to take the bat out of Bonds' hands.

"A lot of times in the past, you know, with him hitting, with the tying or winning run at the plate, I've been told to not go," Aurilia said.

But Aurilia conceded he should have gone to second. If Bonds isn't the Old Bonds anymore, the play is to go to second.

"I don't know if I was just living in the past right there or what," Aurilia said.

I got a graveyard chill down my spine when I heard those words spoken by a solid Giant in the Giants clubhouse relating an incident connected to the Bonds dissipation.



And then later in the article:

By the way, if you need further proof, A's Manager Bob Geren confirmed that he would not have walked Bonds if Aurilia had taken second base.

Why would he? That's what Aurilia realized in the last split-second - he was trying to set Bonds up to do something that Bonds might not be able to do anymore.

"In all reality, I was trying to do the right thing, but I don't know if I did," Aurilia said. "I should've just been on second."

It didn't affect the outcome of the game. It was only a tiny part of Sunday's swoon, which is part of the larger team-wide swoon, which is part of the Giants' overall fixation with fantasy.

But the Aurilia realization, and revelation, was one of the most fascinating events of this so-far turgid Giants season.


hxxp://www.mercurynews.com/giantsheadlines/ci_6112469?nclick_check=1



He's come this close that there's no way he won't break the record, but wouldn't it be amazing if he suffered a Dale Murphy-like drop off the cliff and didn't make it to 755? What a story that would be. But I just don't see it happening. He's got enough left - and he'll have a starting job always open - that he could accidentally connect 10 more times this year. But who knows?

I hope he breaks down completly and doesn't make it

I concur 100%.

/tk

That would be amaysing.

Although some sportswriter was positing that "everyone has a position on Bonds", I honestly don't care if he breaks the record. If he does, cool. If he doesn't, whatever. And that's coming from a pretty serious Giants fan.

But for those of you who hate Bonds, I was watching the game, and I noticed something you'll enjoy. Invariably on a wild pitch or passed ball, the batter twirls his finger around in the air to signal the runners to take the base. Not Barry though. He just stood around like a guy who's lost his car keys.

Maybe he is so accustomed to the guy on first not taking second for the reason mentioned in the article, that he wouldn't expect Aurilia to take the base?

Personally, I enjoy watching him drop catchable fly balls. That's probably the funniest thing about him. Usually, every guy will have one of those obvious muffs in his career - one of those balls you or I could catch with no problem - but Barry must do it 3-4 times a year, it seems. He had one not too long ago, maybe 2 weeks or so.

That's possible, I suppose. But if you were in his shoes, even if you were leaving it up to Aurilia to make the decision, don't you think you'd at least watch the play? Barry was just looking around the field, maybe seeing if Paris Hilton was in the crowd, but he definitely wasn't watching the ball or the play.

He was keeping an eye out for the crazed fan/sniper.

Hey Bobby!

I would agree that on paper (and considering who's in their minors and who is expected to return from injury) that Detroit is better than Seattle. I don't have a lot of confidence that the M's will end up in the playoffs. But the funny thing is that the better team doesn't always win more games. You can also argue that it's pretty amazing that the M's are doing as well as they are given how horrible Weaver and Ramirez were in the rotation and how bad Sexson's results have been up until recently.

I'm just happy that the M's are in contention this late in the season given how bad they've been for the previous 3 years.

Accidentally connect 10 times? I hope that is a joke.

Even if he was hitting .190 the Giants don't have anyone good enough to replace him.

Wacky Giants game tonight for Bonds-watchers. He blew two plays in the first (neither scored as an error, but they were hardly impossible plays). Homers in the fourth, and when the pitcher falls behind 3-0 to Bonds in the sixth, he gets the intentional pass.

MLB managers are gutless.

I'm saying he's got enough left and the Giants are going to continue playing him every day that he could walk into 10 more homers even if he suddenly lost most of his ability.

For example, see Sammy Sosa.

Now I just want Bonds to break the record to disappoint all of the sourpusses.

You hope he breaks down? I hope your mom breaks down. Boo ya!

nothing like rooting for a cheater

I like Bonds. Every blowhard reporter or "I hate Bonds LOL" type that gets pissed of at his success only makes me cheer for him more. I look forward to see the likes of Jay Mariotti, Skip Bayless, and the other useful idiots having their heads explode. :D

Putting aside my feelings for Barry Bonds, isn't it time we accept that anyone who has had a rooting interest in any baseball team over the last 20 years has rooted for a cheater or two? Or are we going to wait for Kirk Radomski's testimony to be leaked to do it? Hell, didn't Mota get a nice reception after his 50 game suspension?

Come on, now. Steroids in baseball were so rampant over the past two decades that singling out Bonds is just not a tactful thing to do.

I agree completely with your point, and would suggest that it's probably a lot more than 1 or 2 per favorite team, especially when you factor in players popping amphetamines ("greenies"), pitchers doctoring baseballs and hitters corking bats...

I just hope Bonds breaks the record soon so I don't have to hear about it as much. I don't like Bonds, but I'm indifferent about the homerun record. He can have it, but it doesn't change his place in history even though he doesn't realize it.

wow, amazing double play turned by the tigers and Verlander will be 3 outs away

2 outs to go

man, quick K, 1 out to go

0-2 on Hardy

Sweet.