This Week in Baseball 5/21 - 5/27

[devo]

I'm pretty sure that, troubles and all, Milledge isn't going to be traded until he gets a legitimate shot at the majors unless he does something really stupid. If he was going to be dumped for late season help, it probably would have happened already.

[Guest George's Box]

I don't like the Minaya iteration of the Mets. They're no fun. I'd always viewed the Mets, and being a Mets fan, as being pretty hip in comparison to the smug and obnoxious Yankees and their fans, which you'd expect given the circumstances, but it seems like the cultural cachet that comes with rooting for the occasionally-awesome-but-generally-sorry-ass Mets has pretty much evaporated at the expense of having a contender. You don't have goofy theme songs and anthropomorphized baseballs and rampant cokeheads and outfielders running into each other because they don't speak the same language (the origin of Yo La Tengo, by the way). It's just a bunch of generally interchangeable Latinos wearing ghettoized uniforms with Daddy Yankee songs on the PA all the damn time. Oh well. At least we'll always have the Cubs to be fashionably bad.

[Brett Favre]

You seem like a bigot more and more each day.

[Guest George's Box]

You're one of the bigger dumbasses here, so I'm relatively unscathed by your remarks, but if you want to tell me how the 2006 Mets are more interesting from a popular culture standpoint than the 1986 Mets, then I'm all ears. Also, the Mets wear black hats now instead of blue and orange. Just stating the facts.

[Brett Favre]

My remarks aren't mean to scathe you, but whatever. And this is coming from the guy who can fill up an entire board with comments about how the Cubs suck, and how Ozzie Guillen is a fiery latino, and how Grossman is the anti-christ, or whatever. Anyway, the Mets have the corniest PA people in the world if you ever listened to their games, and have probably the most exciting player in the game who not only dances after a run is scored, but has his own chant. You have the real life Pedro Cerrano in Delgado, you have freaking Milledge dropping songs about hos, you have Pedro Martinez, who is probably the most entertaining player in baseball, and that's without mention Lo Duca going out with teenagers and Wright on video game covers. Seriously, the team is pretty popular.

[Guest George's Box]

I stood by Grossman till he blew it in the Super Bowl. He took the day off because it was Super Bowl Sunday, which like New Year's Eve, is sort of a big holiday and such, but that's neither here nor there. The Mets PA stuff is pretty generic, as far as I can tell. Too many commands for everybody to clap their hands.

[Brett Favre]

That's not all they have. I can't really explain the other stuff because it's like gibberish. And their new chant, the crowd's, is "Lets go Mets...WHOOOOOOOOOO...Lets go Mets...WHOOOOOOOOOO!" It's something.

[devo]

Not even a mention of "Volare"? How disappointing.

[Brett Favre]

Someone who watches the Yankee games from Florida sent a letter to Michael Kay saying that if you re-arrange the letters in Lou Pinella's name, you can get I Paul O'Neill. Pretty interesting.

[CanadianChris]

Someone who watches the Yankee games from Florida sent a letter to Michael Kay saying that if you re-arrange the letters in Lou Pinella's name, you can get I Paul O'Neill. Pretty interesting.

No.

[Brett Favre]

Well both played right field for the Yankees, have fiery tempers, and were together in Cincy.

[devo]

Well, it took him 122 pitches, but Oliver Perez manages to throw seven scoreless innings with control that was elusive at best. He was lucky to get out of the jams he pitched himself into, but still, it's nice to see him not freak out when under pressure.

[EVIL~! alkeiper]

With Ryan Howard returning Friday, Chris Coste is attempting to preserve his roster spot by convincing the Phillies brass on the merits of his 68 mph fastball.

[bob_barron]

Having been to two Mets games, the PA stuff is pretty weird.

 

They also have Spanish lessons from Jose Reyes

[Spaceman Spiff]

Fuck you, Rod Barajas.

[Spaceman Spiff]

x2, 'cuz now Brett Myers looks to have hurt himself.

[EVIL~! alkeiper]

Remember when everyone made fun of Ed Wade for overpaying for Jose Mesa, Rheal Cormier and Ricky Bottalico?

 

I miss those days.

[Bored]

With Milton Bradley going on the DL, which again you never see coming, the A's officially have now hit double figures in number of players on the 40 man roster who are currently on the DL. Do they get like a free sandwich or utility infielder for that?

[Guest]

Mariano Duncan had a little altercation with Prince Fielder, and Russell Martin nearly charged the mound. Fun stuff going on in the Ravine.

[Above Average]

After watching that Phils game all I can say is... surreal. 3 runs on what can only be called bullshit, then Barajas' blunder, then Myers going down was insane. Gary Matthews ripping into Rod was the only thing that lifted my spirits. I just stayed with watching LOST after that chalking one up to us being Philly and then I find out that they pulled it out. It was a rea rollercoaster ride.

[Cheech Tremendous]

It kind of warms my heart that Roger went to do his minor league thing and got totally blown out of the water by Clay Buchholz. On the other hand, I fear that he's going to go from nice little secret to getting the Phil Hughes treatment.

[CanadianChris]

Well, this is just fantastic:

 

ST. LOUIS -- The father of the late St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Josh Hancock has filed a lawsuit, claiming that a popular restaurant continued to provide drinks to the reliever even though he was clearly intoxicated before the drunk-driving crash that killed him.

 

The lawsuit brought by Dean Hancock names Mike Shannon's Restaurant, which is owned by the long-time Cardinals broadcaster. It also names Shannon's daughter, who's the restaurant manager.

 

Police say Hancock was drunk, speeding and using a cell phone when his SUV struck the back of a tow truck in the early hours of April 29.

 

Also named in the lawsuit are the tow truck company and driver and the driver of the car who was getting help from the tow truck on Interstate 64.

 

America...land of opportunism.

[sfaJack]

*salutes the flag*

[2GOLD]

While he may have a case against the restraunt, not sure how he'd have any sort of case against the tow truck or the driver who was waiting for the tow truck. And if his father wins this, hell might open wide for all the lawsuits from parents who blame the car their drunk child hit for their death.

 

God, why didn't his father just go the distance and sue the state, the car maker, the band that was playing on his radio, the cell phone company and the St Louis Cardinals for allowing him to make money to buy the drinks. If you are going to go stupid, you might as well go for the Gold Medal.

[Slayer]

"That telephone pole jumped out and bit my car!"

[Guest Smues]

It is not the bar's fault for serving his dipshit son drinks. This lawsuit angers me on so many levels.

[Spaceman Spiff]

Which specific levels?

[Guest Smues]

Smoltz picks up win #200 at home and beats Tom Glavine in the process.

[devo]

Congrats to Smoltz on his 200th win.

 

Damn was that frustrating to watch. Mets can't plate a run with seven hits through eight innings and when Kelly Johnson gave them a giftwrapped opportunity in the top of the ninth, they barely manage to score a run on a Julio Franco chopper but do nothing else.

 

It's really disconcerting seeing that the Braves have the Mets' number again this year, especially considering how close the division race is going to be.

[Hawk 34]

I can only wonder what happens first, Jerry Narron's firing or Bailey finally getting called up. That's pretty much the biggest source of excitement with Reds baseball right now.