Frayed Knot

]Why shouldn't the Yankees have a commercial trollig for people to book commercials? Good, I'm glad they have the available space Mushnick's point - and it's been one he's been making for a while now - is that the NYY broadcasts (TV & radio) have been "billboarded" to within an inch of their lives, that it's come to the point where it sounds like a commercial occasionally interrupted by a baseball game. Yankee fans, in general, aren't too happy with the broadcasts of their games to start with, so when the ads per inning limit seems to already be bursting at the seems the thought of looking for ways to show-horn even more in there is not a pleasant thought to listeners.

Welcome FG. Seen your book but have yet to pick it up (looks like quite a project). Will get around to it at some point.

I think you're misinterpreting it. From the article: “Great to see you, George,” McEwen says. He introduces me as a writer working on a story and asks about Steinbrenner’s wife, Joan." In other words; this McEwen character introduces who Lidz is ... and then breaks the ice by asking George about Joan, presumably about how she's doing, etc. since he certainly knows her. That's how I see it at least. Now Lidz doesn't get to George without McEwen's help and clearly turned to him for that help, but I don't see anywhere that he lied about what he was up to in order to take advantage of an elderly and perhaps confused man.

KTE writers take note ... Still unofficial, but the word from Eddie C on FAN is that the off-day will get Lawrence's next start re-slotted on Friday. So it looks like for the Braves it's: Tues - Perez Wed - Hernandez Thurs - Maine And the for the Phils: Fri - Lawrence Sat - Glavine Sun - Perez

]I can't let this one stand. As a professional "journo" on decent-sized newspapers for 20 years, I have never once misrepresented myself or get info under false pretenses. An ethical reporter does not do this Now you see I wasn't saying that as an insult to journalists; I think it's sometimes a neccesary part of their job (see Vic's answer). After all, it's not like Woodward & Bernstein got to the bottom of their story by going up to WH or campaign employees and saying; 'Yeah, we'd like all the records you have slush fund activities because we're working on a story that your entire organization stinks to high heavens'. Nor to I believe that the 'Game of Shadows' duo were pre-announcing their final intentions every step along the way in building the steroids story. And isn't it a good thing that they didn't? There are certainly different tactics one would use in one circumstance that wouldn't be kosher in another, and my only point in bringing it up here is that I don't think Lidz took unethical steps to get his story or went nearly as far as some would depending on the type of journalism involved and the subject of the story being persued. The magazine piece Lidz wrote was mostly speculation about the future chain of command in Yankeeland and it would be leaving out a very important part of the story if he had, in effect, covered up his first-hand observations about George.

]According to the article, the story he was doing was supposed to be about George's wife, Joan. The story I read was not about Joan Steinbrenner Even if true, an article's focus isn't specific like it's a search warrant. If my warrant allows me to search your home for drugs the machine you have sitting in the middle of the living room may be off limits. That's not the case here. The stuff about Joan or about the kids may be in a future piece or simply scrapped for the unexpected turn his visit took. ]but I am on the fence about how the information reagrading George's health was gathered I'm not. He didn't misrepresent himself or get the info under false pretenses (things journos often do to get an in) and I don't think what he found is so sensitive to the point where it needs to be self-supressed. In fact, some of the complaints I heard were that George's failing health was already known and had been mentioned in varying forms by others in the press including NYY-insider Bill Madden, so that this represents some sort of unneccesary piling on by Lidz. I'd argue that the denials from within the Yankee camp to the various whispers over the last year almost required some kind of more concrete 1st-person judgement.

"Put it in the History books" -- Howie Rose following the final out of Glavine's 300th win.

Author Lidz's claim is that the mutual friend who got him into George's house made it clear that this tag-along guy he brought with him was a writer and was there as part of a story he was doing. Assuming that's accurate, there's nothing sleazy about this IMO. I didn't hear much of the talk-radio chatter about it this weekend, but at least some of the complaints have to do with a perceived privacy issue and that the NYY are a private corporation putting George and the public's right to know details about his health (mental or physical) into a different light than that of a politician or someone in charge of a public corp. But, in my mind, George forfeited a large portion of whatever "right" might exist there when he spent decades making himself an extrememly public figure and one who is the head of a company that he likes to wrap in the flag of being a civic asset when it suits his purpose. If you're going to march around for years proclaiming that 'Le Yankees C'est Moi', don't be surpised when the subjects want to know what the king's clothes look like.

TEAMRec - 1081st 542nd 54Diff Red Sox66 - 422729-8Yankees58 - 522434+10Blue Jays54 - 542529+4Orioles51 - 572724-3Devil Rays41 - 672318-5------------------------Tigers61 - 473031+1Indians61 - 473427-6Twins55 - 532827-1White Sox49 - 592623-3Royals48 - 601929+10-------------------------Angels63 - 453330-3Mariners60 - 482931-2A's51 - 572724-3Rangers48 - 601929+10

All teams have now reached the 2/3 point of the season (108 games played). This shows where they were at that point plus compares their wins thru their first 54 games to the next 54. TEAMRec -1081st 542nd 54Diff Mets61 - 473526-9Braves58 - 523127-4Phillies57 - 512631+5Marlins50 - 582624-2Nationals48 - 602226+2------------------------Brewers58 - 503028-2Cubs57 - 512334+11Cards50 - 582426+2Astros47 - 612225+3 Reds45 - 632124+3Pirates44 - 642321-2-------------------------D'Backs59 - 493128-2Dodgers58 - 503226+6Padres58 - 503127-4Rockies56 - 522531+6Giants47 - 612621-5

Guillermo is the Spanish equivelent of William so I'm just having a little fun - or taking the piss as you'd say. There's been a tradition in this place of flagrantly (and needlessly) Anglicizing Hispanic names, the favorite being converting Jose Mesa into Joe Table.

Glavine - 3.0 Delgado - 2.0 Milledge - 2.0 Castillo - 1.4 Reyes - 0.8 Sosa - 0.4 Wagner - 0.4

Good job boys. Keep on taking those 2-of-3s

Hey Jon Miller, any idea if Glavine's family is there tonight?

Delgado hit the snot outta that Sac "Fly". There are some small signs lately that he's starting to come around. Not enough of them yet, but they're coming around a little more frequently.

Memo to Dempster: We own your ass

I like how the ump wanted to stay in cuz it was only affecting his eyesight.

No Joe, we're not getting Wagner up yet, it's only the 8th inning. Dang! We were one more hit from blowing that thing open.

This is where you'd want a decent RH hitter to go up for Green vs a LHP and then stay in for defense. That's what Ben Johnson was hoped to become, or maybe Chip Ambres. Or even Milledge if Beltran was starting. * And I just became Rocky Swoboda!!

Castillo & Milledge now 7-for-7 with two walks !!

Well, that's one out past where he got last time ... he just leaves with a bigger lead in this one. C'mon Mota, I just sang your praises in another thread. Justify our newly found faith in you.

btw, the Mets have done their part in a fruitless effort to keep Bonds from breaking this record. So even though he has more ABs against the Mets than any other team except LA & SD (and those are close) the only NL teams that have served up fewer HRs to him are the two he played for (SF & Pitt) plus some of those who haven't been in the NL for the entire length of his career (fewer against Fla & Milw, but more against Col & Ariz). In other words, he's hit HRs against the Mets [u:7f87470c39]at a lower rate[/u:7f87470c39] (about 4.7% of the time) than any other team with a significant sample size.

Fontenot and Theriot: The Cajun Connection Two French names and both from Louisiana

]In a situation like that, for a relatively inexperienced rook to take that upon himself,in a spot like that, in a game like this, disturbs me. The way Willie was talking about it he gave the red light but Milledge (or maybe Rickey) saw something and took advantage. The Cubs were probably so sure that he wasn't going either that they scarcely gave him a glance. I suspect that's one of those things where you're allowed to go if you pick up on something despite the red light, but there'd be hell to pay if/when you don't make it.

That's 4 times on base for Castillo tonight. He and Milledge = 5-for-5 w/2 walks.