sfaJack

Hawkins has said he prefers to be the 8th inning guy. And wasn't he terrible as a closer for the Twins?

Dodgeball > Kickball I'm waiting for an adult dodgeball league. I don't know of any, but if there were one, I'd play.

Cubs better go shopping for a closer.

Victor Zambrano then.

Randy Johnson, Jamie Moyer, and Brad Penny

Ummm...the 2002 All-Star game comes to mind, but otherwise it's not likely to happen. Jimy Williams just does some strange things sometimes.

I dunno Al. I guess they didn't want to burn a bench player that early in the game. It is only the top of the fifth now. Still doesn't make any sense though.

Jesus Christ...STOP PITCHING TO BERKMAN! It's that fucking simple. Give him NOTHING good to hit.

Somewhere, I'm sure Anglesault is weeping tears of joy over Pettitte's apparent re-injury. I don't know why the Astros wasted Brandon Backe in that pinch-hit spot there. It's one thing if you leave him in to pitch afterwards, but to burn a reliever you might need later in the game is silly. Why not let Oswalt hit there or Miller or even Clemens? Those guys aren't going to be needed later. It's kinda silly.

Didn't they abandon this already, after only two weeks or so? I could swear I read something that said they've already given up on it because they ended up with a worn out rotation and an exhausted bullpen.

Not that I've been all that upset about it, but outside of the Rockets' two titles (10 years ago now...geez), Houston has just about NOTHING to show in its sports history. The Astros' and Oilers' meltdowns are the stuff of legend. Maybe not the #1 tortured city, but I think Houston is a contender.

The Astros might want to worry about Brad Lidge. He's been awful lately. Perhaps his ridiculous rookie workload is catching up with him.

Dude, a quarter of the season is gone. Those stats ARE meaningful now. Just accept the fact that the Reds are an average team.

Whatever you do, don't base your choice on money. That's just about the worst thing you can do. If Criminal Justice excites you more, then you should probably go for that. I was an accounting major. Fits my personality perfectly.

That sucks. Could you hear the thump when she landed?

Yeah, but Lenny Harris is the all-time leader in pinch-hits. Or something like that. The Astros' TV announcers were making a big deal about how "clutch" he is because of it earlier in the week. I found it humorous, mainly because it's a "record" that means nothing and only further points out that he is only a bench-quality player, and has been his entire career.

Yes, if he ever earns one.

The Astros are getting their asses kicked again today. I love it.

Right on, Bruiser. And the best part is that they're not even going to have to dig themselves out of a huge hole in the standings.

First off, it's two completely different games, so it's pointless to try and compare their schedules. Secondly, baseball is a much more random game than football and to play only 16-20 games to decide a pennant race (so you can remember who all they played, right?) would be both pointless and retarded. That's why the World Series is best-of-seven, for instance: the better team usually wins because you remove quite a bit of the pure luck and randomness that can decide a single baseball game. Luck can win you one game, but it's not likely to win you 4 of 7. Oh, and I must say that, as a baseball fan with a rooting interest (for or against) in several teams, I have no problem remembering who they've played, their upcoming schedule, and any key head-to-head dates. But maybe I'm a nut or something.

Baseball players and managers don't even think every game is important. If they did, players wouldn't get "days off." Aside from Cal Ripken, every baseball superstar will just not play in some games -- obviously because the manager feels that that particular game isn't very important. If it were important, you'd want you star player out there, right? But baseball stars will sit out regular season games even when they're not injured. Does that happen in football? VERY rarely. The only time non-injured football stars sit out is maybe in the last game of the season, if the team already has a playoff spot locked up. But if Sammy Sosa just randomly sits out a game here and there, obviously Dusty Baker didn't think that game was so important, so why should I? ... Uh, yeah, whatever. If the NFL played even TWO games a week (not six, as baseball teams often do), I guarantee you there'd be guys just "sitting out" for the hell of it. Would you say that those games don't matter? Try playing 6 days a week a week in a place like Atlanta, Houston, or Arizona and tell me if the occassional day off isn't a terrible thing. Have you ever played baseball? You might not take the physical pounding you do in football, but it's damn tough getting out there everyday in the heat for three or four hours at a time. Those guys aren't machines. EDIT: damn it...Al beat me to it.

Ugh. Off of Rusch making ONE good start? He didn't even go five innings his first go-round and now because of one day you're wanting to put him in the rotation? No way. What the hell is wrong with Maddux being in there? He hasn't been THAT bad. He's had two bad starts and a couple of "ok" ones, but he's been much better lately and I think he's going to be a pretty effective pitcher for the next four months. Sure, the days of 20-win Maddux are over, but I guarantee that the Cubs will be better off with him instead of Glendon fucking Rusch in the rotation full-time.

He's a little off, but I don't think it's much to worry about. If not for one ball taking a bad bounce off his glove to give Luis Castillo an infield hit/RBI or making one bad pitch to Lenny Harris, he would have been fine yesterday. Yes, 3 of 4 from the Astros would be great. Better yet, just sweep it. GO REDS!

Cost me $45 yesterday to fill up my tank at Kroger, and that was with the .03 a gallon I get off for using my Kroger card. Interestingly enough, that same Kroger was offering 10 gallons of $0.99 gas if you bought $35 worth of groceries from them. As of Wednesday, they have put that on "suspension" for an "indefinite" period of time. Motherfuckers.

Ticket seller at Fenway Park box office?