Bored

Barry Zito getting hammered yet again bothers me. He's really going out of his way to drive down his trade value. The A's are now 1-6 since Menechino was activated. He's a curse.

You mean like actually doing research before he gives opinions? I don't think he has it in him. In fairness that does seem to be a problem with almost all ex-ballplayers turned analysts but Kruk I think has taken it to a new level.

162 game averages Brown: 3.16, ERA, 131 ERA+, 172 SO, 64 BB, 14 HR Pettite: 3.94 ERA, 117 ERA+, 155 SO, 70 BB, 17 HR Kevin Brown is and has always been better than Andy Pettite. Pettite is probably one of the most overrated pitchers ever mainly because of the exposure he got from pitching in New York.

Hey good job A's at awaking a sleeping giant. Of course this skid just happened to start when Frank Menechino came off the DL. He's a curse!!!

Okay what was Ken Macha smoking? Pinch hitting for Scutaro instead of Menechino? Unreal. RELEASE THAT LITTLE PIECE OF SHIT ALREADY!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Menechino is just horrible and he was even getting heckled by his own fans this weekend. He hasn't hit a fucking thing since the first half of 2001 and has zero range defensively. The only thing he can do is get hit by a pitch.

Damnit Al, read! I disagree though, I don't think anyone should make the team just based on their past. Maybe if it's a toss up between two players put the more established guy on the team. Doesn't really come into play now though since the players started voting on this last year.

Luckiest inning ever. Beyond Sierra's double there wasn't one hard hit ball by the Yankees, just little grounders that I couldn't believe got through. Just a sickening way to lose this.

NATIONAL LEAGUE C: PAUL LO DUCA, Los Angeles; Jason Kendall, Pittsburgh 1B: SEAN CASEY, Cincinnati; Craig Wilson, Pittsburgh; Albert Pujols, St. Louis 2B: MARK LORETTA, San Diego; Marcus Giles, Atlanta 3B: SCOTT ROLEN, St. Louis; Adrian Beltre, Los Angeles SS: JACK WILSON, Pittsburgh; Kazuo Matsui, New York OF: BARRY BONDS, San Francisco; ADAM DUNN, Cincinnati; MOISES ALOU, Chicago; Richard Hidalgo, Houston; Reggie Sanders, St. Louis; Danny Bautista, Arizona; Scott Podsednik, Milwaukee Pitchers: DONTRELLE WILLIS, Florida; Roger Clemens, Houston; Roy Oswalt, Houston; Kerry Wood, Chicago; Matt Clement, Chicago; Oliver Perez, Pittsburgh; Brad Penny, Florida; Joe Kennedy, Colorado; Zach Day, Montreal; Armando Benitez, Florida; Jose Mesa, Pittsburgh; Billy Wagner, Philadelphia

I'm Bored so might as well start my weekly All-Star picks like I did last season. Of course none of this means anything this early in the season. Starters are in CAPS. AMERICAN LEAGUE C: JORGE POSADA, New York; Javy Lopez, Baltimore; Henry Blanco, Minnesota 1B: MIKE SWEENEY, Kansas City; Rafael Palmeiro, Baltimore 2B: RONNIE BELLIARD, Cleveland; Alfonso Soriano, Texas 3B: TROY GLAUS, Anaheim; Hank Blalock, Texas SS: MICHAEL YOUNG, Texas; Miguel Tejada, Baltimore OF: CARLOS BELTRAN, Kansas City; MANNY RAMIREZ, Boston; JERMAINE DYE, Oakland; Laynce Nix, Texas; Vladimir Guerrero, Anaheim; Magglio Ordonez, Chicago; Rondell White, Detroit Pitchers: KEVIN BROWN, New York; Tim Hudson, Oakland; Bartolo Colon, Anaheim; Pedro Martinez, Boston; Esteban Loaiza, Chicago; Mark Mulder, Oakland; Paul Abbott, Tampa Bay; Freddy Garcia, Seattle; Roy Halladay, Toronto; Arthur Rhodes, Oakland; Mariano Rivera, New York; Keith Foulke, Boston Lunch is over so I'll do the N.L. later.

Surprised you didn't post the "Yankees Suck, Jeter Swallows" shirt. I actually own a Jason Giambi Yankees Suck shirt ("Oakland" on the front, "Yankees Suck" on the back with Giambi's old #16) as they jumped on that bandwagon when he left the A's. I wore it during the 2002 season and of course to Giambi's return game (oooo could cut the hatred with a knife in the crowd that night) and received several compliments for it. The chip on my shoulder about the Yankees and Giambi doesn't way me down quite as much now. Still hate Giambi but kinda indifferent towards the Yankees so I have since stashed it away.

Oh that wacky New York sports media...Brian Cashman has to squash a Jason Giambi trade rumor. http://www.nypost.com/sports/yankees/19614.htm

Whatever, I still don't ever see MLB putting a team in Las Vegas as they would be the biggest hypocrites ever with their stance on Pete Rose. Anyways I think I'll do this every week for the early part of the season...it's the Snap Judgement Playoff Match-ups! Here is how the playoffs would look like if the season ended today. American League Chicago at Boston Texas at Minnesota National League Cincinnati at Florida Los Angeles at Chicago Oh look out it's going to Rangers vs. Reds in the World Series!

All I have to say is good riddance to the Knicks.

Durazo misses hitting a pinch-hit tying homerun in the 9th by about two feet and the A's are swept at home the first time in 48 series. *off to do his Billy Beane impression and throw a chair through a wall*

A's only get two runs off the terrible Ortiz in five innings (lowers his ERA to 9.77) and it bites them in the ass as Tim Salmon hits a three-run homer to put the Angels up 4-2. A's haven't been swept at home in almost two years. Not a good thing to be getting swept at home against what appears to be their only competition in the division and when they are in a ridiculous 16 out of 19 game road stretch to be swept in the only home series.

A's offense: draw walks, then let the pitcher off the hook. Freddy Garcia, Ryan Franklin, and Jarrod Washburn all had terrible control when they faced the A's this week and gave the A's tons of chances but they scored a total of three runs off them. Not advocating they just starting swinging at everything as that would do no good but can't anyone on this team hit with a runner in scoring position besides Dye? This is the same problem they had last year. First inning today against the god awful Ramon Ortiz, draw three walks but don't score a run. Arrrrrrrgh.

Jake Westbrook of the Indians pitched seven perfect innings (21 up, 21 down) of emergency relief last week and what does he do today? Pitches a one hitter. The one hit was a homerun and he gave up an unearned run later but one hit in 16 innings is damn impressive.

The Yankees are going to be catching the A's at a good time because they are in the middle of a 19 games in 20 days stretch with 16 of them on the road. They are only 6-6 to this point during this stretch and are in danger of getting swept in their only home series today by the Angels.

Hey just like they couldn't make a push for A-Rod? All they would have to do is convince Bernie this time around to move to DH. He didn't want to do for Kenny Lofton but I'm sure he'd be more willing to do it for Beltran. They have a club option on Hidalgo for $15 million although with the current market I'm sure they'd do the $2 million buyout and try to sign him cheaper. Bagwell isn't a free agent until after 2006 ($18 million option for 2007 but no way they pick that up) and he said last year he'll retire after this contract is up.

ESPN really needs to have a seperate telecast for the rounds after round 1 where they actually show the picks made and actually talk about those picks. I hate this endless analysis of picks made hours ago and interviews with coaches and general managers where they all say the exact same thing, "he was who we wanted all along blah blah blah blah."

They are looking at the worst record in the NFL this year.

The 49ers are now the Cardinals of the NFL? Oh god they aren't going to win a playoff game for another 50 years.

Now it's time for the 49ers to trade for some nobody guard from the Eagles.

Reggie Williams will be very good but they definently could have traded down a few spots and still get him.

True but part of the reason he made the change was because he did not pitch as well as he had in the past last season.