Frayed Knot

Houston GM Ed Wade: "I've been sent by my team to find German Duran"

But there could be.

I had forgotten this was a day game too. Two in a row. I agree it's time to think positive, and this song just happened to occur to me tonight for no particular reason. But I like that it did. Wake up, put your shoes on Take a breath of the northern air And rub those eyes Genuflect beneath the starry skies Before you climb the mountain First the foothills must appear Step high and light And take up your staff and shining armor (Chin up, chin up) You don't really have a problem (Chin up, chin up) In your hour of despair And smile when you're down and out (Find something inside you) Smile when you're down and out (Find something inside you) The stars on the horizon Stretch as far as the eyes can see They represent the souls of those like you and me And smile when you're down and out (Find something inside you) Smile when you're down and out (Find something inside you) (Chin up, chin up) You don't really have a problem (Chin up, chin up) In your hour of despair And smile when you're down and out (Find something inside you) Smile when you're down and out (Find something inside you) 'Smile' -- The Jayhawks

Stokes - 0.5 Green - 0.5 Santana - 1.0 Wright - 2.5 Church - 1.5 Martinez - 1.0

Pelfrey - 5.4 Green - 0.4 Rodriguez - 1.0 Castillo - 1.5 Church - 1.5 Evans - 0.2

Viva Zavada!!

Philly got smacked around (and almost no-hit) by Jair Jurrgens and the Braves - 11-1 A 4-team log jam in the NLEast Odd day in that our game was only one of three separate 1-0 finals today - and a fourth is in progress in the 8th inning

... on one of those deals where the batter/runner is running inside the baseline on a bunt (or swinging bunt)? I mean I know the guy's out and all (assuming you get the call) but does the runner(s) get sent back to his/their original base? ... I think they do. Point is, it would have been a ballsy play on Schneider's part to intentionally drill Corey Hart on that 9th inning play in order to keep the tying run out of scoring position because Hart was so far inside the baseline that the umps couldn't have missed it even if they were wearing sunglasses at night. I'm not advocating trying it necessarily, but it would be a helluva play if you pull it off.

Edgy DC wrote: Pitch to McGee Hickey or no? Oh hells yeah! No way you're putting the winning run on there. 'Specially to a 27 y/o rookie.

Quick 1-2-3 means Frankie (and you know it'll be him) gets the big boys of the Brewer lineup with no margin for error.

A hit and a walk and it'll be Sean Green to face JJ Hardy w/2 on and 2-out.

Continuing with the July 1st O-o-T-S: - Marlins beat the Nats ... again. It was tied late but the Nats pen coughed up some late runs ... again. - And the BoSox playing the 'payback's a bitch' card, getting 4 in the 9th (the last 2 w/2 outs) to send things into extras

Wouldn't Newhouse be Casanueva?

Charlie Newtown (Carlos Villanueva) in to replace Gallardo

Are you reneging? Is that a reneg?!? 7 lefties/switchies plus Wright & Pelfrey

The only thing I'll say in their defense is that it's rarely a cut-and-dried case where one option is a no-brainer over the other. Any cortisone or similar shot is an attempt to mask pain (so is aspirin for that matter) hopefully until the problem gets better (inflammation subsides, etc.). That the initial problem can become exacerbated by continued use is always a possibility and the trick is to know ahead of time whether the shot and short-rest method is overly aggressive or if the extended rest and/or surgery at the first sign of trouble is overly cautious. Based on the limited info above (and my internet degree in medicine) sounds like maybe they should have acted quicker with Putz but I'm not so sure about Carlos^2. The 'sit because he's not 100%' tactic is exactly the sort of thing fans and media complain about when stars do miss games despite being able to play (iow, damned if they do - damned if they don't) and certainly the Delgado surgery is something don't do unless absolutely forced into it.

A .346 batting average, a .414 On-Base average, and a .455 Slugging average at a premium defensive position, what more could you want out of a Met prospect? ... except maybe a dislocated left thumb!

Yes, it's time to announce the top B.O.C. awards for June. This month's nominees include those selected by your host as well as those submitted by various members of the voting public. As always, additional nominations are encouraged and may be tacked onto this list as long as they were properly logged onto the CPF between June 1st and June 30th. If there are any disputes the decision of the judges will be completely ignored. This month's winners cover a variety categories, starting with: * Best cat-fight of the month This [bruney-Rodriguez feud] was handbags at six paces -- Met Irish * The worst performance by a newcomer is ... Since the birth of Rob Dibble, the quality of Nationals broadcasts has dropped precipitously. -- Swan Swan H * Best diss-cription of a new ballpark The new $1.5 billion HR palace in the Bronx that they built next door to the old one they haven�t gotten around to taking down yet and on top of the parkland they may or may not get around to replacing depending on how they feel and fuck you Mr. Assemblyman but it�s none of your damn business when or if we replace it or how we arrived at the value of the land you handed us. -- Frayed Knot * The �how to make the 9th inning more memorable for both of you� award I find that concentrating and focusing my mind on sex can keep me from exploding during a baseball game. -- Edgy DC * And the Al Gore charisma prize goes to ... Bud Selig [speaking] could dampen a parade of Hooters girls -- Frayed Knot * Here�s the next envelope but I can�t read it "Iasseen better umps." -- LWFS (on a night of blown calls by umpire Dan Iassogna) * Now may I have the rigged envelope please If you're comparing your nation's electoral system to those of other countries, and you're looking up in the standings at Malaysia and Pakistan, you're in deep Shiite. -- LWFS * Sexual harassment!! Who, me? This [crotch-punching] never happens where I work. Well, not since I had my "counseling" anyway. -- FMan99 * Hey dude, when�s the band coming on? What kind of world are we living in where someone can smuggle grass into a Phish concert? -- Olerud Owned * Do you think it�s alright - to leave the boy with uncle clanky? m.e.t.b.o.t. is unfamiliar with the process of assembling new humans, but assumes it to be very labor intensive. ... m.e.t.b.o.t. is also aware of the destructive, though presumably innocent, tendencies of the early hardware releases of the human species and as such hopes to be placed on shelves of sufficient height and sturdiness during any periods of inactivity, until such time as the necessary software upgrades can be implemented to preclude the destructive behavior. as has been demonstrated to select human members of the cranepoolforum, m.e.t.b.o.t. is not capable of sophisticated evasive maneuvers and prefers passive methods of security. -- m.e.t.b.o.t. * Notice he didn�t say a 100? Every season Joe Buck's head looks more like a 60 watt bulb. -- Swan Swan H * But you can�t stop the argument now, I�m being entertained here! OK, Round 2, Telsa vs Edison ... GO!!!! -- Frayed Knot * But if I kill all the golfers won�t they lock me up and throw away the key? [PETA is] just trying to get your attention by glomming onto a larger thing. It's a skill they learned from their wilderness friend, the weasel. -- John Cougar Luchbucket * Listen up now, this announcement�s important I just instinctively took my glasses off after reading about Cronkite. -- Met Irish * Even their mothers won�t show up for this award The members of �Men Without Hats� don't even have four �Men Without Hats� songs on their iPods. -- Swan Swan H * No, but I did stay in a Holiday Inn Express last night ... You guys are overlooking mole reimplantation surgery, whereby a team of surgeons carefully remove Beltran's ear-mole, then implant pillowy portions of it between his kneecap and tibia on both legs for added shock absorption, strength and character -- John Cougar Lunchbucket * I�ll stick to you like glue honey There's no chance that Elmer Dessens' wife is named Elsie, is there? -- Swan Swan H * Sure he can shine, but can he dance? Nobody puts creepy sun baby in a corner - LWFS * When life imitates the Mets If the CPF injury rate keeps up like this, we're going to have to call in subs from a Buffalo Bisons board. -- Mendoza Line * The �Tell us how you really feel� award My assholiness sits dormant until there is a need for it to appear. When I am insulted, here it comes raging indignant, yet with just that little touch of self-awareness, like Groucho Marx when he is called an upstart in Duck Soup -- Swan Swan H * These are not Happy Days Not a good day to be a '70s pop culture icon. Somewhere, Henry Winkler is crossing the street very, very carefully. -- Mendoza Line * Eulogies in motion award And it seems to me you filled your bed With a bunch of little boys And a monkey and a llama And your circus toys And I would have liked to know you But I was not a kid Your candle burned out long before Your weirdness ever did -- Swan Swan H * As (will no longer be) seen on TV ... BILLY MAYS HERE WITH AN EXCITING NEW CELEBRITY DEATH! NOTED TV PITCHMAN BILLY MAYS, THE GUY WHO BROUGHT YOU THE HERCULES HOOK, MIGHTY PUTTY, AND OXYCLEAN, DEAD AT THE AGE OF 50. -- Olerud Owned * And presenting our next award: Tom Hanks� brother! Fred Travalena was like Rich Little, but more in your price range, y'know? ... The RC Cola of impressionists -- LWFS

Yup! Baltimore puts up 5 in the 7th and 5 more in the 8th to make up the largest come-from-behind in club history.

Braves won btw - on a one-out single in the 10th Of course that just means that they're gaining on us. Marlins leading the Nats in the 7th - but it was/is rain-delayed in the middle of an inning (and the inning the Fish took the lead too) so I think that means they have to continue it at a later time if they can't finish it tonight. Now if the rains had come 10 minutes earlier the Nats might have won.

Blaming the pitching coach is a crutch. What does "poorly prepared" even mean here -- that they not aware it's the pitcher at bat? So unless Warthen is giving them instructions to pitch to pitchers differently then they'd do otherwise (and I'm not buying that for a second) it's poor execution, not coaching.

Meanwhile, we're 5th worst, 7th worst, 6th worst, and 10th worst in those categories overall. Just happen to be 1st, 1st, 1st, & 2nd when it comes to pitching to pitchers. I don't even know how to explain that.

Tied at 4 in Atlanta in the 10th Also, Marlins are leading Nationals but they're already in their 2nd rain delay so who knows.

Meanwhile, since Wright's HR this clown has faced the minimum

... the Mets really DO give up more walks and hits to opposing pitchers. - WALKS: Tied with the Marlins for most given up to pitchers this season (14), no other team is in double digits - BAA: Highest BA-Against vs pitchers (.172) and it's not all that close - OBAA: Highest OBA-Against v pitchers (.248) and that one's REALLY not close (.207 is 2nd worst) - SLGA: [u:1dwdphjt]2nd[/u:1dwdphjt] Highest SLG-Against vs pitchers (.211), behind only Milwaukee