EVIL~! alkeiper

In better news, picked up some Iron Pigs merchandise today!

Probably. They're in-division so they come in three series a season.

Comcast Philly declined to put him on camera. Shame really.

I would. Belisle is umimpressive but effective. I have little confidence in Hennessey due to his poor strikeout rates, and doesn't seem to have the confidence of Giants' brass.

Overheard on PTW during Slater/Reed. "If you think that doesn't hurt fans, try it." After all the non-skippable "Don't try this at home" promos, it's a refreshing change of pace.

I'm sure a lot of Yankee fans are anxious for the arrival of Phil Hughes. Seeing him pitch in Scranton, I honestly can not say I witnessed anything impressive. Hughes gave up five runs in five innings, two walks and one strikeout. I wouldn't have considered him notable if not for the name. That said, it was one start, it was cold and most of the game was played in a light rain. I don't trust performances in these conditions. For what it's worth, Hughes throws a low-90s fastball. The game ended after seven innings due to rain. The SWB Yankees now go on the road for a week and a half, and my next live game is not for thirteen days. The next games are against the Ottawa Lynx, the new farm team of the Philadelphia Phillies.

Startup has one of the weirdest deliveries you'll see. He does a sort of ninja kick while making his wind-up, and I think the ball is very difficult to pick up for lefties. At 21 he's young enough to make an impact, almost certainly as a middle reliever.

I'm closing this topic. It can be discussed in current events.

Apparently Carl Crawford committed one of baseball's all time great baserunning blunders in the ninth inning. With Zobrist on first, Crawford hit a ball in the right field corner and didn't even look up rounding second. Zobrist, stopped at third was forced to attempt a run home. Zobrist was tagged out, and Crawford for some reason tried to go back to second. The Twins got Crawford as well, turning a 2nd/3rd with no out situation into a bases empty, two out situation. Justin Morneau won the game in the bottom of the inning with a walk-off home run. I caught the call on the radio and I'm curious to see the television replay.

You want boring baseball? Come see the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees. The Yankees as a successful organization preach plate discipline throughout their system. Last night some poor defense led to a five-run third inning from the Richmond Braves, and the Braves added two more in the fourth. With the game effectively out of reach at this point, you hope to see the teams play to the end in a crisp manner. To say these teams limped to the finish line is an understatement. To give you an idea of the fashion of the game, the Yankees batted 42 times and just eight of them swung at the first pitch. When it is in the neighborhood of 35-40 degrees out, you have little patience for wasted time. Phil Hughes tonight.

No wacky promotions either. They replaced the Grump with a mascot on loan from the Staten Island Yankees (one of three who portrayed the Grump was arrested for child rape and solicitation). He comes out, does stupid shit and shoots t-shirts into the crowd with the exact same mannerisms of a suspiciously absent staffer. They do Yankee trivia (sample question: who was the Ole Perfessor?) But there are few giveaways. The Herrs chip toss is gone, as are all the sponsored activities of years past.

Fun stat from Jayson Stark. The Nationals have never batted with a lead at any point this season. (They got their only win in their last at-bat.)

You'll have to give us a scouting report. I hate the Yankees with all of my heart, and I'm even giddy about the guy's potential. I'll let you guys know, but I'm not sure I trust any performance in the weather we've experienced.

Tonight I'm going to catch Phil Hughes pitching for Scranton.

How about Viscera? He debuted in 1993 (although there have been breaks here and there).

I doubt the Hardys are continuous though. If you looked at their debuts as jobbers, Mick Foley would earn consideration for debuting in 1986. The longest tenured employee at this point is probably Pat Patterson.

I could check it.....I don't think Dusty said JOHN Belushi, just Belushi.

Two things I take from that article. 1. Todd or Tim Worrell? There's a fun debate. I take Todd. 2. Ken Brett had one of the most interesting careers of any under-the-radar player. Besides pitching, Brett slugged .406 as a pitcher.

Don't forget the Giant Killer, Harry Coveleski.

King Felix so far: 2-0, 0.00 ERA, 17 IP, 4 Hits, 4 BB, 18 Ks.

Mercury's injury was one of the most brutal things I've ever seen in a wrestling ring.

Hulk Hogan vs. "Rowdy" Roddy Piper Mr. Perfect vs. Bret "The Hitman" Hart Bobby "The Brain" Heenan vs. Sgt. Slaughter Harley Race vs. Dusty Rhodes Nick Bockwinkel vs. Gorilla Monsoon Pedro Morales vs. Pat Patterson Vincent J. McMahon vs. Bobo Brazil Fred Blassie vs. Verne Gagne

Santana isn't a free agent until after 2008.

The Phillies have acquired Garciaparra.