vivalaultra

I can listen to DCFC in the same sense that I can listen to The Killers. I can listen to them and enjoy the hooks and stuff and tap my head and foot along with the music, but if I think about it too much, I just get embarrased for everyone involved.

His acoustic or Iron & Wine's acoustic? I haven't heard Ben Gibbard's, but Sam Beam's is really good and sad.

The problem that I have with Ben Gibbard is that on every DCFC CD, there's like...1 or 2 songs that I like, but the other 10 or 11 songs are whiney and trite. Dude can turn a clever phrase, though.

I can see your point and I recognize my error. However, I still think it's disproportionate that Lee's missing five games (all of which he most assuredly would start were he not suspended) while Chris Young only misses one start. But yeah, I wasn't considering that suspending a pitcher for five starts would make the rotation or pen short for 25 games instead of just one. I'm not a details guy.

Tomo Ohka...has been released. I hope the Astros sign him to a minor league deal like they did with Chan Ho.

By the same logic, a pitcher only plays every five days, effectively making their one start worth 5 games. Suspending them five starts is like a 25 game suspension for an everyday player. And suspending a SP for 5 games is the equivalent of suspending a starting position player for 1 game. I know that Lee and Young are both missing the same percentage of the season in days, but the Cubs are being punished more heavily by losing Lee for 5 games than the Padres are by losing Young for one start. I just don't think it balances out that when a position player and a pitcher get into a fight, the position player's team suffers more by having to play a whole week with a short bench and a possibly inferior player starting in place of the suspended player than the pitcher's team that only has to start a guy on short rest or have a bullpen game for one day.

Derrek Lee and Chris Young were both suspended for 5 games, owing to their fisticuffsmanship on the field the other day. I don't think it's fair that starting pitchers get suspended for 5-games, effectively only missing one start, while position players miss five games total. If Lee gets suspended for five games, Young should get suspended for five starts.

So, if the Os continue to suck, will this hiring be called a 'MacPhail'ure?

Nobody here cares about the Pirates, but I just wanted to pass along that Ian Snell is going to miss his next start on Tuesday because he burnt his finger while grilling chicken. Also, the Astros swept the Mariners. The 'Stros scored a combined 24 runs on 41 hits over the three-game set. If they keep on doing like they're doing, they've got a shot...unless Prince Fielder starts hitting inside-the-park homeruns everyday now...

According to research, it's a song called "Themata" by an Austrilian five-piece outfit with the horrible name of Karnivool.

The Astros finally gained a game on the Chicago Cubs last nite, beating the Seattle Mariners for their second win in a row. The Cubs last to the San Diego Padres 1-0. And Morgan Ensberg won me $40 last nite by hitting a homerun when the people I was at the game with doubted The Mo. Today Roy O goes against 'Gerard Washbin' (credit: Milo Hamilton). Roy hasn't gotten a win in the last month, but he's pitched well enough to have at least 9 or 10 wins.

Damn. That sucks for Big Z.

Showing emotion is one thing, I think, but moonwalking up the line with a shit-eating grin on your face is another.

Well, of course he doesn't deserve to get a 90-mph fastball thrown at his head/formerly broken wrist, but I think that most major league pitchers, unless they're being dicks can either knock a guy down, brush a guy back, or throw a changeup/offspeed pitch to send a message without heaving a fastball at the guy's coconut. Chris Young, incidentally, was being a dick by throwing at Lee's head. First off, he wasn't the guy that tried to show your team up. Second, he's a very well-liked, well-respected player. Third, dude had a broken wrist last year so you definitely shouldn't throw AT HIS WRIST. If it were me, I would've hit Caesar Izturis in the ass with a curveball or something.

It's really not. I'm not in favor of headhunting, but, ya know...if a guy shows you up on a homerun like Soriano did, I think he's entitlted to either be knocked on his ass the next at-bat or take a breaking ball in the ribs.

Jake Peavy said yesterday that, because of Soriano admiring his homerun off of David Wells, somebody on the Cubs shoulda got plunked. The whole event seemed intentional. Lipreading, it looked like the conversation went something like... Chris Young: something something...I'm not sure what he said cuz the camera wasn't on him. Derrek Lee: What, what? Is that right? Chris Young: Get your ass on first. I didn't throw at your fuckin' head. Then the phantom punches started. I gotta give credit to the Cubs that when they brawl, they at least ya know...attempt to brawl, either with each other or other teams. When the benches cleared in the 'Stros/Rockies game a few weeks ago, it was just a lot of standing around and posturing. Edit: I can totally understand Peavy's point. I can't stand the guy's that admire their homeruns or bebop up the line or pitchers that like...juke and jive all over the mound after striking a guy out. I just don't like guys trying to show up other guys. On the other hand, I don't think you're supposed to come out and say things like Peavy said.

Looking back at replays, it seems like it might have had something to do with yesterday's game with the homerun by Soriano where he moonwalked up the first base line. Still, Young threw right at Lee's head/wrist. I don't know what Young said to Lee going up the line, but Lee threw the first punch...even though I don't think either guy connected. Welp, there's at least two suspensions on the day, let's see what Big Z does in the top of the 5th...

Holy shit! A brawl at Wrigley?!?!?!? Chris Young hit Derrek Lee and it looked like nothing out of the ordinary, but suddenly...holy shit. Carlos Zambrano's gonna whoop somebody's ass.

What's up with Cubs' fans today? Reaching out and grabbing balls all over the place. Cliff Floyd looked like he was about to whoop some ass.

Another thing that I'd like to introduce is that baseball should have limited instant replay. I'm not completely in favor of the Questec system because, personally, I kinda like the arguements/discussion that comes with umpires and their various strike zones, but I think that limited instant replay on homeruns/fair or foul calls down the lines would be a good thing. Especially in the regular season when you don't have the umpires down the lines, it can be hard for them to waddle their way from first or third base to make a ruling on a ball that might or might not touch the yellow line or bunch off the chalk in fair/foul territory. I think a system where each team gets two challenges a game would work well...and it would make Clint Hurdle happy. About the DH: I grew up watching NL ball and personally, I just enjoy games a lot more when there's not a designated slugger that gets paid billions of dollars a year just to hit the long ball. I find the game is more interesting and compelling to watch when there isn't a DH because there's more strategy involved. The pitcher and catcher deciding whether to pitch around the 8-hole hitter to load the bases with two outs because the pitcher's on deck...but wait...the pitcher's Carlos Zambrano so what to do? Or the batting team is down by by a run in the 8th inning, a runner at second, 1 out, the pitcher's spot is due up. Do you pinch hit for the pitcher, even though he's only thrown 80 pitches and he's retired 12 in a row....just things like that make the game more of a chess match and more interesting, at least in my opinion. To me, the DH is kinda like the designated player in girls' softball and, come on guys...aren't we better than women? Seriously...

Yeah, I got the report backwards. Apparently, the asking price for LIDGE is a premium catcher and a ML-ready pitching prospect. So, it's not a case of the 'Stros not being willing to trade with the Braves for Salty, it's the Astros possibly overvaluing Lidge. And if Tim P. or Drayton even THINK about trading Pence for anybody other than Johan Santana, they should be strung up on Crawford Street Mussolini-style. I just dread that next season it's going to be an Eric Munson/Humberto Quintero platoon behind homeplate. Or, Biggio could always block another young prospect by shifting back to catching for the 2008 season...

I dunno. I imagine the asking price would start with either Qualls or Lidge (Wheeler has lowered his trade value considerably over the last couple weeks) and, even then, I heard that the Braves wanted a ML ready arm and a AAA/ML hitter for Salty and a prospect. I just don't see the Astros having or being willing to give up what Atlanta's looking for. Still, ya gotta at least inquire, I'd think.

I wouldn't worry about the Astros being that team. Purpura never does anything that could be classified as either super aggressive or imaginative. HE'Z SOOPER AGRESIVE AT THE BUFFET TABLE!!!!! AND HE IMAGINS HAMBURRRGERRS!!!!!!/fans on the astros.com messageboard

I'm convinced that Brad Ausmus will actually have to die on the field for the Astros to get rid of him. To put up those numbers and still be an every day player is mind boggling. Oh sorry I forgot he was the "clubhouse leader". Don't forget his "veteran presence" You forgot he's a "defensive specialist" and "really knows the hitters." Roger and Andy loved pitching to him, yessir! Oh, and the ladies in town think he's hot. A couple weeks ago, the Astros called up Eric Munson and said that they planned on giving him the majority of starts at catcher. Brad Ausmus was going to be the personal catcher of Oswalt and Munson would get the lion's share of the rest of the time. That lasted for one series. The bad thing is that the Astros don't really have any minor league catchers that are less than two years away from the majors; they did have Lou Saccamano, but he got suspended for doping and the other best prospect, JR Towels is probably at least 2 years away. And the crop of FA catchers for next season doesn't look too inviting outside of Jorge Posada.

And the chicks dig him. Saturday nite is 'Surfer Brad Ausmus' bobblehead nite, by the by. But the one I'm looking forward to is 'Roy Oswalt on a bulldozer' bobblehead nite. That's gonna be sweet.