EVIL~! alkeiper

Looking at the Castillo trade, the Cards would probably do better with the draft picks.

Hamels has now given up 23 HRs this season. 19 of them have come with the bases empty.

That's the talking point, illegal immigrants. Bring up any portion of the discussion and it becomes, "OMG THEY'RE ILLEGAL!" The problem comes when it infringes on the rights and lives of immigrants here legally. That's what I fear, that the dragnet punishes more than is intended. It's a minute problem in the grand scheme of things, but politicians score brownie points by harping on it constantly. Like the new millennium equivalent of kissing babies.

Absolutely. You'll kick yourself if you're not there for it. Besides, why pass up a game?

The Castillo deal means Alexi Casilla will likely take the second base job in Minnesota.

Couple points to respond to posters on the Phillies' deal. First Brian Mazone can not be called up. He requested his release and is pitching in Korea. Second, the rotation is already staffed by two starters with poor peripherals in Kyle Kendrick and J.D. Durbin. The bottom could fall out on one or both of them and the Phils really didn't have a pitcher in the minors to fall back on. When chasing a pennant, you deal the prospects you think won't help you in the future, in this case a starter who won't be in your top five. I've looked at Maloney's stats, even seen him live twice, and I still can't form a solid opinion. I just don't know. I think this trade is reasonable in that if Maloney succeeds, he's not an ace. The Phillies needed to make this move to compete for a division title.

Look at his roots. His dad was Bob Orton, whose running buddy was Rowdy Roddy Piper. Can you imagine having them as role models when you're 7 years old?

I'll start a new one on Wednesday, perhaps Tuesday night.

I will attend when not conflicted by my Hall of Fame commitments. That and the viewing of pornographic movies. Not involving Bobby Abreu.

Homage.

Viva, a poster at BTF suggests Ensberg's change last year was due to playing through a shoulder injury.

Lou Barletta, Republican mayor of Hazleton. Personally I was never thrilled with the ordinance because it reeked too much of shifting the blame onto minorities in general. I hate to base my views on a Simpsons episode, but one where the town votes on deportation comes to mind. From a legal standpoint, it sounded like the intent was to oppose a minority population in general, which has flourished in Hazleton over the last decade.

Chat on as scheduled, 9pm ET.

9pm ET tonight I plan on hosting a live TSM chat in the sports room, talking MLB, the trade deadline and other pertinent subjects. Time subject to change if the SWB Yankees game goes long. Edit: It's raining now. If the game is delayed, expect a delay in my arrival.

Probably not. I can tell you that I have a list handy of 49 instances where a team scored 13+ runs in an inning. Eleven of those being the first. Here's another game where a team had six hitters collect RBIs in the first inning. http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1989/B08030CIN1989.htm

The new annual edition of the National Pastime included a brief article on Elrod Hendrick's pitching appearance. The boxscore from that game. http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/TO...197806260.shtml

The Washington Nats did resign Dmitri Young to a two year extension. Young is 33, having his best season since 2003, and blocks Nick Johnson when he returns. Beyond that though, these deals (this and Ron Belliard) puzzle me. If you're sitting in last place, what's the point of locking up your aged core players? It's not like they've built an incredibly successful team with these guys.

I think it was a live show/closed circuit deal. Here's another query. Was the three arena show an attempt to upstage the two arena Starrcade?

Maybe?

The Phillies have now scored 10+ runs the last four times I've been to Citizens Bank Park. I think that officially makes me good luck.

More likely they needed to notify Martha and other parties first before putting out the news on live pay-per-view television.

In fairness, the Steele/Elizabeth stuff is one of those angles that is ingrained in a wrestling fan from that era. What really hurt Wrestlemania II, IMO, was bringing back Mr. T. It kept Piper from matching up against someone from a hotter angle (Piper/Orndorff could have been a good match), and it produced one of the worst matches in wrestling history. Also, they could have matched Muraco/Steamboat instead of putting both in less hot programs. Here's something I've wondered. Did Moolah shoot on Velvet McIntyre to get the pin that fast? Not that she wasn't supposed to win, but that she did it at that point in the match. In the History of Wrestlemania I-XIV program, Moolah gives a sort of sly smile talking about that match.

The probability of any combination of wins would be low, since there are ten different possibilities (road team winning anywhere from 0-9 games). Without digging into texts though, such swings over a short stretch of games is not uncommon at all.

I'm going to the Phillies game tonight, J.D. Durbin vs. Shane Youman. Tomorrow is Scranton/Rochester, with Phil Hughes scheduled to make another rehab appearance. The Yankees next need a fifth starter on August 3, exactly five days after that Hughes start. Joe Torre hasn't announced Igawa's rotation replacement, but you can do the math. Ryan Mullins starts for the Red Wings. Mullins did not make Baseball America's list of top 30 Twins prospects, but he jumped from the Midwest League to Triple A in a single season. If anyone goes to a MLB game, check out Baseball-Reference.com's previews section. http://www.baseball-reference.com/previews/ They supply an easy three page stat reference, it's a nice little thing to take to the ballpark. A Reds' fan asked me for a scouting report on Jay Bruce and Joey Votto. Honestly, I don't have much of a scouting eye and there is not much I can add on one or two games beyond what you see in the box score. Bruce and Votto made Baseball America's mid-season top 25 so analysts more trained than I think they are top prospects. Votto hit two home runs including a monster shot on Thursday night. He could probably fill in at first base for the Reds right now. Bruce could fill in at center field right now though reports are that his future position is right field. With Bruce and Josh Hamilton in the fold, the Reds should consider biting on a Ken Griffey Jr. offer if the opportunity presents.

There's no reason to watch it anyway. Until Owen's death is announced wrestlers like RoadDogg pay tribute to him in their promos. The wrestling is lackluster throughout.