Oh dear... the season is already over for the Nationals

This picture kind of says it all, doesn't it?

The ball is on the left, the fielder is on the right... and the Washington logo shows that you are indeed watching Washington baseball.

Hey, the Nats drafted Strasburg last year... they'll have the #1 pick this Summer.

Maybe they want the #1 pick for the 2011 draft as well to have the three home grown stars to build a team around.

Hey, it makes more sense than the Mets rebuilding plan. (Denial.)

I don't blame you, Josh

Josh Beckett and the Red Sox have been going back and forth on a contract extension.

Should it be 4 years? Should it be 5 years?

The Sox gave John Lackey 5 years, so why not Beckett who has already delivered a World Series title and an ALCS MVP to the Red Sox?

Was Beckett going to be the latest in the "Ungraceful Exit Red Sox" team?

In Fenway that night as a commentator was one of those ungraceful exiters, Nomar Garciaparra... who had turned down a massive contract before the 2004 season... then had a subpar season... and then was traded away by the Sox... and NEVER saw a contract offer that big again.

Last night Beckett was no good. He didn't last 5 innings. He let up homers. He went too deep in the count with the Brett Gardners of the world.

Less than 24 hours after that game, Beckett said "Let me see that contract again!"

And lo and behold he signed it.

4 years... 5 years... if he has a sub par year then haggling over that last year will look awfully silly.

Just ask Nomar.

The Nats have a new left hander

Their new left hander has shown that he will handle those on the right side.

It's too early to see if he should get a 4 year extension. But hey, if one franchise needs a little Hope and Change, it's the Nationals.

(But he still has the White Sox hat... clearly he's not home grown)

The Frozen Series Could Happen

Think about this very plausible scenario for October and November.

It seems that a lot of people (including your pal Sully) are picking the Colorado Rockies to win the NL West.

And a whole mess of experts are picking the Minnesota Twins to win the AL Central.

Now if you make the playoffs, then by definition you have a shot to win the pennant (just ask the 2002 Angels, the 2003 Marlins, the 2006 Cardinals and the 2007 Rockies about being unlikely World Series participants.)

Think about that for a second... the Twins... the Rockies... two teams that won't exactly get the highest Nielsen Ratings in the world.

But one team plays in Denver... the other in Minneapolis.

Now imagine playing baseball in late October and early November in those cities... without a roof.

This is a picture taken of Coors Field, home of the Rockies.

Do you know when it was taken?

In MID October during the playoffs.



Meanwhile the Twins are now playing outdoors in Target Field.



I'm not 100% sure when this pic was taken, but it isn't too much of a stretch to picture a day like this around Halloween in Minneapolis.

Part of me now wants a Rockies/Twins World Series.

Why?

Because Fox sends the casts of their shows to sit in choice seats during the World Series to cut to them (and promote their shows) during the game. When they are in New York, or Anaheim or even Boston, there's a little bit of charm to it.

I love the idea of the cast of Glee, Hell's Kitchen and Bones shivering under snow while watching Jeff Francis pitch to Joe Mauer.

"So we'll chat with American Idol's Kara DioGuardi... once we find her in the snow drift."

Admit it, you like seeing celebrities uncomfortable.
It's worth having the Rocks and Twinkies meet up.

Fans of Small Budget Teams and the Mets take heart...

Savor this day.

For at least one calendar day, you can wake up... check the standings... and know that your team is better than the Yankees!

If I were a Nationals or Pirates fan, I would FRAME the major league standings tomorrow morning!

It's good to see Pedro in a Sox uniform again

I must say, he never looked quite right in a Mets or a Phillies jersey.

I hope someday #45 will be hanging up with the other retired numbers.

And lest we forget Nomar was there too. Remember it wasn't that long ago that the combination of Pedro and Nomar were supposed to be the magic combination that would beat The Curse.

Welcome back Pedro, even if it was just for a day.

THE MAGIC NUMBER IS 161!

Hey, laugh all you want about being excited about the first game of the season...

These games count. If the Tigers won one more game early on in the season, they'd be in the playoffs last year with a rested Justin Verlander for games 1 and 5 of the Division Series.

And beating the Yankees in a game is important, and not just so I can write nasty e mails to my Yankee fan friends.

If the Red Sox and Yankees finish the season tied and both qualify for the post season then the one who had the most head to head wins would be named the Division Champion and the other one would be the Wild Card. The Division Champ would play an inferior opponent.

Think that scenario is far fetched? It happened in 2005. The Sox and the Yankees finished tied but because the Yankees head to head record was 10-9, it was New York that was the Division Champ. One more win would have meant the Red Sox would have been division champs and played the Angels (who the Red Sox owned) as opposed to the eventual World Champion White Sox.

But most importantly, the Red Sox started the season with a Dodged Bullet.

Last year I kept track of "Dodged Bullet Games" and "Teeth Grinder Games." The Dodged Bullet Game were ones where I gave up and thought "Man, we're going to lose this one" and the Red Sox came back to win. The Teeth Grinder games were ones where I felt like the Sox had it won... and then let it slip away.

I kept track of the two categories of games last season (with the final tally when the Sox won the Wild Card).

I did this not just for my own list writing mania, but because I wanted to get a sense to see if they let more games get away for losses or did they steal more wins.

If they missed the playoffs by only a few games, did they blow more games all year or was it more or less even.

I figured a clutch team would have more Dodged Bullets than Teeth Grinders.

In the end of 2009 the Red Sox had 26 Dodged Bullet Games and 28 Teeth Grinder Games.
Essentially they were -2 for the season.

I wonder how they will do THIS year.

Better start the tally NOW!

DODGED A BULLET GAMES - 1

April 4 - 9-7 win against Yankees (On Opening Night, the Red Sox overcome a 5-1 Yankee lead with a game tying HR by Pedroia and a go ahead passed ball.)

TEETH GRINDER GAMES - 0

So right now the Red Sox are +1.

The insanity has begun.
Let's go Sox.

Picking the Post Season winners in April... an act of futility

It is literally insane to try and pick post season results on Easter. Even if I predict the playoff teams correctly (I got 6 out of 8 last year) there is no way of determining who is on a roll and who has injuries going into October.

But while it is insane to make post season picks, you must remember that I am also insane.

So here we go

DIVISION SERIES



NEW YORK YANKEES defeat LOS ANGELES ANGELS OF ANAHEIM
3 games to 1

Last October the Angels got the Red Sox monkey off their back only to see the Yankees get the Rally Monkey off of theirs. The Yankees have too much firepower and Rivera closing games to be denied.

CHICAGO WHITE SOX defeat BOSTON RED SOX
3 games to 2

The Red Sox will make the playoffs because they will throw better pitchers than most in the regular season. But the White Sox rotation will neutralize Boston’s arms and I suspect Ozzie will push a few more runs across the plate.

PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES defeat MILWAUKEE BREWERS
3 games to 0

The Phillies will patch up whatever holes they have in their pitching staff and the Brewers will have “Just Happy to Be Here”itis.

COLORADO ROCKIES defeat FLORIDA MARLINS
3 games to 2

The all “1993 Expansion” series that baseball has hungered for. The Marlins will play tough but lose their first playoff series ever. Purple will top Teal.

LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES

NEW YORK YANKEES defeat CHICAGO WHITE SOX
4 games to 1

New York versus Chicago SHOULD be a great clash of big markets… but instead Fox will grumble that they missed out on New York vs. Boston. It will be an exciting 5 games, but the Yankees are just better.

PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES defeat COLORADO ROCKIES
4 games to 3

Two super talented teams clash head to head in awful weather and launch homer after homer. It won’t be a pretty 7 games, but it will be memorable, setting up the Phillies third straight pennant.

WORLD SERIES

NEW YORK YANKEES defeat PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES
4 games to 3

It’s been 8 years since there’s been a great World Series. The Giants and Angels 7 game struggle was the last one to go the distance. The rematch of last year’s series will result in the first great series of this decade. (Or the last great series of the previous decade depending on how you look at it.) Jeter, Posada, Rivera and Pettitte want one more ring… and sadly I think they’ll get it.

Take note Yankee fans who will inevitably write in this year, saying I don't give the Yankees any credit.

I just picked the Yankees to win the World Series... and I threw up on my keyboard when I did it.

The Official Sully Baseball Picks of 2010

Today is a day of new life… hope… and where millions of people rejoice, show their faith and spread the good word that they will find an eternal happiness.

April 4… THE START OF THE BASEBALL SEASON.

(I believe there is also a religious holiday today. I am not sure. I will Google that and see what I can find out.)

All teams are 0-0. And by the end of the night, every single team in baseball will be ahead of either the Yankees or Red Sox in the loss column. SAVOR THAT, SMALL MARKET TEAMS!

And while everyone assumes that the big market bullies will be playing in October, you only have to go back to 2008 and see the Tampa Bay Rays… the team with the lowest AL Payroll… made the World Series while the Yankees and the Tigers, who had the biggest AL Payrolls, played golf.

Almost the entire National League has a legitimate shot at the post season (sorry Mets, Pirates, Nats and Padre fans… you don’t.) And even the buried AL teams have young talent and hope for one of the top teams to falter.

It’s time to make my picks… they aren’t always pretty or right… but I make them anyway.

So here we go!


AL East Champion – NEW YORK YANKEES

I don’t trust Javier Vasquez in New York, the Joba Chamberlain situation is getting absurd and who knows how many more years Jorge Posada has left in the tank. All that being said, the defending Champs remain the team to beat until another team proves otherwise. They have big bats, big arms and as long as they have the lead in the 9th, Mariano Rivera will make sure they can put it in the W column.

The Red Sox have solid pitching and will probably win 90-94 games even with a less than stellar offensive attack. Meanwhile the Rays have so much young talent that it is literally sickening. The Orioles are slowly putting something together and might pull off a winning season. If the Blue Jays avoid 100 losses I will be stunned.



AL Central Champion – CHICAGO WHITE SOX

The Twins losing Joe Nathan will hurt, but I was leaning towards Chicago before the injury. Having Peavy for the whole year will help make their rotation super deep. And Ozzie will make sure his team plays his brand of baseball… slightly insane.

The Twins will compete all year and have the weather wreak havoc on their schedule early and late in the season. The Tigers will be good but not have enough to go to October. The Indians are a year or so away from being very good. The Royals will flounder and oh yeah… Alex Gordon still won’t be a star.

AL West Champion – LOS ANGELES ANGELS OF ANAHEIM

I was leaning towards the Mariners until the last few weeks. Then I heard the words “Cliff Lee” and “Injury” in the same sentence. And I also heard “Milton Bradley” and “Clean up hitter” used in another sentence. I just can’t pick the Rangers because their pitching will wilt in summer. And I won’t pick the A’s because they burned me last year.

Besides, I predicted the Angels would fall short each of the last two seasons… and I was wrong each time. I won’t be fooled again.. Mike Scosicia is the best manager in the game. He’ll find a way to squeeze out 88 wins with this team.


AL Wild Card – BOSTON RED SOX

Essentially the Red Sox, Yankees and Rays will fight for two spots. You can do all the analysis in the world and it boils down to one factor: Who will get the most out of their rotation.

If the Yankees get 30 some odd starts from Sabathia, Burnett, Pettite, Vazquez and Hughes, then they will be October bound. If not, they will be playing golf.

If the Red Sox get 30 some odd starts from Beckett, Lester, Lackey, Buchholz and some combination of Dice-K and Wakefield, then they will be October bound. If not… FORE!

If the Rays young rotation of Garza, Shields, Price, Davis and Niemann blossom, they will return to the dance. If not, then it’s all over in Tampa.

If they ALL get 30 starts from their rotation, then this will be the best 3 team in 2 spot races since the advent of the Wild Card.

The rest of the AL will watch. There’s no team in the Central nor West that will contend for the Wild Card in October.


NL East Champion – PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES

Yeah the Phillies bullpen is a mess and their starting pitching depth is suspect with Cole Hamels being a total mystery and Joe Blanton being hurt. Do you know what? Last year they had starting pitching depth issues and their closer was Brad Lidge who had the ugliest year for a closer I have ever seen… and they got to Game 6 of the World Series. They will sort everything out by October and be the team to beat again.

The Marlins have some of my favorite young players and with the middle infield of Uggla and Ramirez in tact for at least one more season, I think they will make a run for the division title. The Braves will have the super star of the decade in Jason Heyward. Lock him up now! Heyward’s star will be Bobby Cox’s farewell gift to the game. The Nationals are a mess, but at least they will be a young mess with some hope for the future. The Mets will be a fascinating disaster. But the Nats and the Mets will lose 100 games… but the Mets will be more depressing.

NL Central Champion – MILWAUKEE BREWERS

Am I the only one not picking the Cardinals? Last year I think I was the only one who didn’t pick the Cubs. I didn’t agree with the Cubs as consensus pick last year and I don’t agree with St. Lou being the shoo in this year.

I like the top of Milwaukee’s rotation with Gallardo and Wolf, and I think having Doug Davis in the #3 spot isn’t bad either. The lineup led by Fielder and Braun is solid and I think things will click for the Brew Crew.

Sure the Cardinals have the 1-2 punch in the rotation with Carpenter and Wainwright and the 1-2 punch in the lineup with Pujols and Holliday. They can’t afford a single injury and they kind of over achieved last year. I drank the Kool Aid with the Reds last year, but I still think they have so much young talent that they will bust out sooner or later. With all due respect to my boss, Bonnie Hunt (a huge Cubs fan), the Cubbies will be a mess this year. Too many old players and too many holes. They aren’t the Mets in terms of being a disaster, but that’s not much of a compliment. The Astros, like the Mets and Cubs, are too old and should blow the team up and start again. The Quadruple A team in Pittsburgh will continue to develop major league ready players for other organizations.


NL West Champion – COLORADO ROCKIES

If only the McCourts could get along… or at least be civil. The Dodgers would be a World Series contender. Instead they will fall far short this year. Seriously, the Dodgers should be a dominant force in the NL West, not a team that non tenders quality players like Randy Wolf and Orlando Hudson.

Instead the Rockies will hit behind Troy Tulowitzki and pitch the ball especially if Jeff Francis recovers and Ubaldo Jiminez continues to become an ace.

If only the Giants could hit. Tim Lincecum would be a 20 game winner and there might be playoff games played at McCovey Cove. A few years ago the Diamondbacks looked like they would be annual contenders. Now they are lurking in the grass as a potential surprise contender. The Padres will probably join the Nationals, Mets and Pirates as 100 game losers.


NL Wild Card – FLORIDA MARLINS

Only San Diego, the Mets, Washington and the Pirates are out of this race. And I bet come late August there will be about 8 teams with a realistic shot at the Wild Card. Either the Cardinals or the Brewers (depending on who is in first place) will be knocking on this door. The Braves have pitching and Heyward electrifying the offense. The Reds have lively bats and maybe Chapman will emerge as a stud in mid season. The Giants can pitch. The Diamondbacks can hit. The Dodgers still have talent if not any payroll flexibility.

But in the end, the combination of Josh Johnson and Ricky Nolasco in the rotation and some explosive bats will put the Marlins right back in the post season, where they remain the only franchise in baseball history to NEVER lose a post season series.


AL MVP not named Alex Rodriguez or Joe Mauer. (It’s too easy to pick them.)
EVAN LONGORIA – TAMPA BAY RAYS

He’s put together two solid All Star seasons. This year, at age 24, his game will be taken to a new level.

NL MVP not named Albert Pujols or Ryan Howard.
PRINCE FIELDER – MILWAUKEE BREWERS

He will have a big payday in a few years and leading Milwaukee to the playoffs for the second time in three years will make it even bigger.

AL Cy Young Winner not named CC Sabathia or Zack Greinke
FELIX HERNANDEZ – SEATTLE MARINERS

But will King Felix’s crowning be enough for the Mariners to overtake the Angels?

NL Cy Young Winner not named Roy Halladay, Tim Lincecum or Adam Wainwright
RICKY NOLASCO – FLORIDA MARLINS

This pick could bite me in the ass… but I am drinking the Marlins Kool Aid this year.

AL Rookie of the Year not named Brian Matusz or Wade Davis
MICHAEL TAYLOR – OAKLAND A’S

For about half a season Brett Wallace was the hope of the future for the A’s offense… until they dealt Wallace for Taylor. I think in the end they made the right choice and the Matt Holliday rental will all be worth it in the end because it ultimately yielded Taylor.

NL Rookie of the Year not named Jason Heyward or Stephen Strasburg
PEDRO ALVAREZ – PITTSBURGH PIRATES

Alvarez is already the biggest star on the Pirates and he has played as many games in the big leagues as me! El Toro will be their stand out and All Star selection… and in 5 years will be dealt for a minor leaguer who won’t amount to anything.

AL Manager of the Year not named Mike Scioscia or Ron Gardenhire
OZZIE GUILLEN – CHICAGO WHITE SOX

Yeah he’ll Twitter too much, but if he leads the White Sox to the playoffs for the third time in six seasons with a very different squad from the 2005 champs, then he will earn this hardware.

NL Manager of the Year not named Tony LaRussa or Charlie Manuel
KEN MACHA – MILWAUKEE BREWERS

The Brewers have some of the pieces but not everything to win big this year. But some fancy shuffling from Macha could be enough to get them back into the dance… and win him some hardware.


AL Managers that will be fired
CITO GASTON – TORONTO BLUE JAYS

The win loss total will be ugly, but not as ugly as the locker room if he loses the respect of the players again. It was a good idea to bring Cito back in 2008, but it might be time to hang them up again.

RON WASHINGTON – TEXAS RANGERS

The Rangers couldn’t fire him for using cocaine and still employ Josh Hamilton. But they COULD fire him if the Rangers fall out of contention.

NL Managers that will be fired
JERRY MANUEL – NEW YORK METS

Like it is HIS fault! This will be a mercy firing.

LOU PINIELLA – CHICAGO CUBS

Lou might resign. It’s not happening. His best shot was 2008. If he won it all in 2008 he’d be a God in Chicago. Instead he won fewer post season games as a Cubs manager than Don Zimmer.

AL Manager that somehow WON’T get fired
BOB GEREN – OAKLAND A’S

How is this guy still cashing paychecks?

NL Manager that somehow WON'T get fired
BUD BLACK – SAN DIEGO PADRES

Again, it isn’t his fault but he didn’t exactly resemble John McGraw the one year he actually had a good team.


And finally

WHEN WILL THE MARINERS GIVE UP ON MILTON BRADLEY AND RELEASE HIM?

June 28th. An off day for the Mariners after a series in Milwaukee. The Mariners will finally give up on Bradley just before they visit New York.

RELEASE QUINTON McCRACKEN!

I can't possibly be the only person who hears the line "Release the Kraken" from the new Clash of the Titans and thinks of former Colorado Rockie and Arizona Diamondback Quinton McCracken... can I?

Mike Cuellar didn’t get a single Hall of Fame vote?

1983 was a banner year for the Orioles currently in the Hall of Fame.

The Birds won the World Series that year with help from future Hall of Famers Cal Ripken Jr, Eddie Murray and Jim Palmer.

And that year Brooks Robinson got elected to Cooperstown on the first ballot just one year after Frank Robinson got in on HIS only try.

Former AL MVP and Oriole legend Boog Powell was also on the ballot and got 5 votes

One time Oriole 20 game winner Pat Dobson was also on the ballot, but he didn’t get any votes.

Another Oriole was on the ballot in 1983: Mike Cuellar, who just passed away this week.

He got no Hall of Fame votes. None.

Now I am not saying he’s a Hall of Famer… but I do find it odd that he got ZERO votes. Every year there is someone who gets a vote or two from a stray writer.

Remember how David Segui got a vote this year? I wrote about Jay Bell getting a vote a couple of years ago.

But nobody gave Cuellar a little nod.


Over a six year span (1969-1974) his average season was as followed:
20.8 wins to 10.5 losses.
A 2.98 ERA over 278 innings pitched.
145 2/3 strikeouts and a 1.87 strikeout to walk ratio.

He won the Cy Young Award during that span and finished in the top 5 for the Cy Young one other time. He was named to three All Star games in that stretch

He threw a complete game to clinch the 1970 World Series.

He was a stud.

I know I am being a bit of a hypocrite for complaining that a guy not getting any Hall of Fame votes when I myself would NOT put him on my ballot.

But for God’s sake, Ray Sadecki got two votes that year. Ray had ONE good season.

Don Larsen got 22 votes that year… based on ONE GAME! Seriously, look at Larsen’s stats. He never had a single season of note and yet enough people checked his name to ensure he’d be on the ballot the next year!

You trying to tell me that Mike Cuellar, who actually dominated for a stretch, wasn’t worth one friendly vote?

Rest in Peace, Mike… for a six year stretch, you pitched like a Hall of Famer!

Another post about The Natural

Yeah, I'm talking about The Natural again. It's my blog and my rules!

One of my favorite scenes (of many favorite scenes) in the movie is when Roy comes up to bat for the first time. It's the famous "Knock the cover off the ball sequence" and it is worth breaking down.

There are some parts of it that are awesome and other parts that spark a question or two.

Watch the scene again and then we'll discuss.







0:13 - Does the confrontation between Wilford Brimley and Michael Madsen remind you of any real event? How about the Jim Leyland - Barry Bonds confrontation that took place 8 years after the release of the movie?

0:22 - I hate to say it, but Roy should have been ready to go when Wilford Brimley said "Hobbs, you're up."

0:42 - Not to spoil the mythology within the movie, but I have a hard time believing that "Wonderboy" didn't break on a check swing or a pitch that came in too much outside. And when he DID break it, he did it on a blast that JUST curled foul. Just saying.

0:44 - With the sky that dark, why not put the lights on? I mean what's the point of putting in light towers if your don't turn them on? (For the record, I want to know who the electrician was who installed the lights? Evidently if one bulb gets hit by a baseball, the ENTIRE SYSTEM OF LIGHTS EXPLODE! Bad design.)

0:53 - Wilford Brimley says "Knock the cover off the ball." I wonder what would have happened if he said "Hit the ball off of a pigeon."

0:59 - What do you think the crowd is at Knights Stadium? I am talking actual attendance, not paid crowd. I am guessing 350. It's a day game, the Knights are in a slump and it is probably going to rain. I can't believe there are actually 350 people there.


1:10 - The announcer says "We don't know too much about him. We'll try and find out something for you." I wonder where those announcers found info like that pre-Google.

1:20 - Damn, Redford looks like a ballplayer! 1984 was the height of collusion, but if I were a lousy team in the mid 1980s, I would have taken a chance on Redford. Are you telling me he couldn't have made the Mariners bench better back then?

1:24 - The Phillies pitcher is named McBride. I looked up on Baseball-Refernce.com and there was no Phillies pitcher named McBride. Then again there was also no player named Roy Hobbs, no team called the New York Knights nor any potentially super natural bat called Wonder Boy, carved from the lightning struck tree of the hero's fallen father... so maybe I should relax.

1:32 - I hate to say it, Roy... that was a strike.

1:37 - "Well welcome to the Majors, Mr. Hobbs." Damn, the announcer is awesome. I always say that when I see someone making their first ever big league at bat. I think the announcer is the voice of director Barry Levinson. He also made Avalon, possibly the most underrated movie of all time... but I digress.

1:53 - Why were the pitcher and catcher taking so long to call a pitch? It's an old rookie up at the plate for the first time and he clearly doesn't have a good eye. Challenge him. (Or maybe they were listening to Randy Newman's music. It IS good!)

1:58 - The umps should have called the game at the first sign of lightning. Even if it was the unleashed soul of the hero's dead father.

2:00 - What is that ad on the wall in the background with the big crying baby head?

2:02 - McBride of the Phillies should have thrown the cover of the ball over to first. The rule is kind of murky about that and you might as well try to get the force out at first and let the umps sort it out.

2:04 - I have always wondered if someone caught the ball of string, if it would have been called an out? Or would you need the string AND the ball?

2:07 - RUN HOBBS! Christsake, you've waited your whole life for a shot at the big leagues. You get shot by Barbara Hershey and get benched by Wilford Brimley and now you have made it... and you are going to watch the ball. RUN DUMMY!

2:12 - Michael Madsen perks up. I always thought they should have traded his character instead of having him die crashing into the wall. It's one of the few parts of the film that I don't like.

2:14 - THROW THE BALL TO FIRST, McBRIDE! Heck, you could get out of the inning!

2:23 - I don't care how devoted Kim Basinger is to Darrin McGavin... there is NO WAY she is sitting out in any kind of rain for this long. Why couldn't they watch the game in the Judge's suite like they do at the end of the movie?

2:27 - I give the right fielder some credit for actually throwing in the messed up ball to the infield. Unlike McBride who is still probably staring at the ball hide.

2:31 - Hey Hobbs... nice slide into third. But if you didn't spend your time admiring the blast, you'd be at third standing.

2:45 - I love how nonplussed the other ump is. "That junk is the ball." As if he's been in this situation before.

2:49 - How awesome is the Phillies coach? "That's no ball, we want a real ball!" Like the ump, he is no nonsense and wants a solution to a baseball exploding in the middle of the game.

2:59 - I love Darren McGavin's salute to Roy. Does Darren think that this will be a regular occurance?

3:03 - Hey Roy... I think it is raining.

Sorry Orioles fans... it wasn't an April Fools Joke

The Orioles really DID pick up Julio Lugo. I read the news yesterday and saw that the Birds got him from the Red Birds... but it was on April 1.

Who could believe anything on April 1?
And who could believe one team could trade FOR Julio Lugo... especially a team that has no realistic chance to win and could be grooming a young kid in the infield.

But alas, there it is. The Orioles are the latest spot for Julio Lugo to play in a career that has earned him nearly $40 million... and virtually no love from any fan base that he played for.

If you think I am being harsh on Lugo, remember I did write this amazingly PRO Julio Lugo post last year.

And check out his Baseball Reference page. Look who the sponsor is!

You are welcome.