Frayed Knot

I was looking for a Reyes steal there too.Predictably, the talk radio world was killing Willie for not Sac-Bunting there, something that would have caused screaming from my corner of the world.Anybody think Reyes could/should have tried legging that 2B into a 3B? My reaction at the time that he would have been thrown out -- although it's sometimes tough to tell just from the split TV angles.

Benson - 3Wright - 2.5Piazza - 2Beltran - 1Offerman - .75Hernandez - .50Looper - .25

Don't speak ill of the dead.

Now you just have to come up with a reason why Cincy would be interested in trading a young SS who suddenly is sprouting a good bat.Welcome btw, I love your onions. Oh wait, those are Vadalia! Never mind.

Hey, it could be worse.Nats & Brewers tied in bottom 10 in Milwaukee, 1st & 3rd, new acquisition Mike Stanton in to pitch. Stanton throws over to 1st and has the runner trapped BUT .... he BALKED! Runner trots in from 3rd, game OVAH!Yes, it's the infamous 'Walk-off Balk'.Kinda tough to lose a game without throwing a pitch, but Stanton managed (not that it was his loss specifically)The worm is turning for the Nats. That's 6 losses in their last 7 games ... all by 1 run or 2. Pythagorous can be a cruel bitch.On the other hand, Raffy Palmiero just got hit #3,000 - 2B into LF corner.

Frickin' Braves defense was in the exact right spot all frickin' night just like it's been for years. I don't know how they frickin' do it.Piazza had two hard smacks toward the middle tonight. First one was slightly toward the 1st base side and there was Giles waiting for it. Now this 9th inning DP deflects off the mound and slightly on the 3rd base side and Furball is the one playing up the middle this time.Earlier, the difference in the game may have been that Francoeur in RF was able to cut off the ball before it got inot the corner and kept Reyes at 2nd (sure Sac Fly followed). And when Reyes singled to LF Kelly Johnson was playing him that way and kept him to a single (GiDP followed).Yeah, I know, the always play to the opposite field so it's not luck, it's by design. Except of course when Offerman pulled one over the 1st base bag ... and right to Old man Franco.Drives me frickin' nuts!

I Knew It!!!(just kidding)

Hudson on Saturday & Hampton on Sunday seems to be just about certain now.

So let's change the outcome of last night a bit.Specifically, the situation when Piazza was batting last night: 8th inning / tie score / 2-on / 1-out ... Now what pct of NYM fans would have spent last night and this morning claiming (on internet boards, on radio talk shows, on bar stools, around water coolers, etc) that "they knew" the outcome -- knew it as soon as he came up in fact -- had he'd hit into a GiDP?30%? ... 40%? ... 110%?And my point is certainly NOT that I knew otherwise. It's just that the "I knew it" claim is fast rising up the charts as the lamest act of the sports fan. Lame, of course, because he's never wrong. Fans often think their worst fear is about to be realized so when it turns out that way (and hitting being what it is - the odds are certainly with them) they can always claim to have known it was going to happen; something they're eager to remind you about right AFTER the fact. There are, every once in a while, claims of impending doom that actually happen in real time. Those are always fun because they put the speaker in the win/win situation of claiming "they knew it" if they were right, and that they're happy when wrong. For some reason I'm getting an Ambler flashback here.No real point gere btw, just ranting. May have something to do with briefly hearing Joe Badabingo's voice earlier. This would have been exactly the spot where he'd go into retroactive "I Knew It" mode for months to come and pass it off an knowledgable analysis.

Rich Harden loses a perfect game when Soriano singles w/one out in the 8th in Oakland.

Well, you can scratch your itchy - at least for now.Willie said on the pre-game that with a day off on Monday he's going to skip Ishii's spot in the rotation this time around. He'll be available for pen work through this weekend at least.So presumably we'll start Tuesday with Benson, Glavine, Zambrano, Pedro again and not see Ishii until next Saturday.

Supposedly the Mets turned down a straight up Matsui for Durham swap earlier in the year, at least in part because they thought his defense to be atrocious.

]Didn't Wright pull both of his dingers? One dead-center, one left-center.I was noticing just last week that Wright hasn't been pulling. Of course for the last 3 weeks he hasn't been hitting much of anything.The bigger crime on his error today wasn't even fumbling it, it was then rushing the throw on the slow-footed Estrada. Young mistake.

When you add Wang to the scrap heap to go along with Wright (at least August), Brown (maybe soon but for how long?) and Pavano (prolly short-term) - and then see Leiter DFA'd by the Marlins- and realize that the MFYs are currently short-handed and in Boston for a 4-gamer ... I wouldn't be surprised to see Al as a Yank before the weekend's out.The fun part here is that if they're going to get him they'll want to do so immediately. But DFA means that the Fish have 10 days to decide what they want to do with him, which means it's still a trade situation not just a waiver pickup. IOW, Florida can play hardball if they want (within reason anyway) and play the Yanx off against the Injuns or whoever else might want him.Al would probably WANT to come to NYC but I don't know if he has any say in it. He may have gotten a no-trade from them although he's not 10/5 any more.

-Whether I should go--is it worth it? How are the prices, food and whatnot? It and the food were fine, nothing extradinary. We were with a group when I went so did a buffet thing. And the group was dressed all kinds of ways - so, while you prolly shouldn't go totally ragged, there's certainly no specific dress code. Not sure what Edgy's talking about there.-Where is it located in the stadium? As mentioned, the entrance right near Gate C - which is essentially smack in the middle of the stadium; ie behind home plate-When does it open? Immediately after the gates? Something like that. Around 2 hours before game time.

Braves: 50 - 39, 2nd place - 2.5 GBWell, it's the Braves again and I'm sure y'all think you know these guys like the back of your hand .... but you'd be wrong. Or, as Butch once said to Sundance, "Who are those guys?"In this case, "those guys" - recognizable only to everyday Brave followers or to viewers who tune into WTBS looking for 'Friends' or 'Sex in the City' reruns then are too lazy to change the channel - are a bunch of recent call-ups (some directly from AA) who are doing nothing less than keeping their team afloat as some of the more familiar names have been injured (Chipper, Estrada, Perez, Jordan, Hampton, Hudson, Thomson) or just plain finished (Raul Mondesi). At times they've started games with 7 rookies in the lineup.In other words, when the main portion of his teammates were being born, Julio Franco was ... well he was still being called a veteren even back then.Kiddie Korps Roll-Call:C - [u:a7ff21e50d]Brian McCann [/u:a7ff21e50d]-- A 21 y/o drafted out of a Georgia High School (the Braves draft almost exclusively HS guys and many of them locally) has been filling in for both Johnny Estrada & Eddie Perez. 32 ABs, .313/.389/.500. Actually waited until his 2nd game to HR.IF - [u:a7ff21e50d]Wilson Betemit [/u:a7ff21e50d]-- 24 y/o, This guy was as highly touted as Reyes even before Reyes. It's taken him longer to get there but he's getting there, filling in mostly for Chipper at 3rd.150 ABs, .300/.363/.507 Started slowly, then hit .304 in May and .325 in June. [u:a7ff21e50d]Andy Marte[/u:a7ff21e50d] -- 21 y/o, his minor league career has been shadowing David Wright's for the last 2 years, and is considered at least as promising.44 ABs so far, he's one of the few not tearing things up right now: .159/.235/.250[u:a7ff21e50d]Pete Orr[/u:a7ff21e50d] -- 26 y/o A Canadian by birth who appropriately wears #4 - though he's no relation to Bobby. 101 ABs; .297/.336/.406OF - [u:a7ff21e50d]Kelly Johnson[/u:a7ff21e50d] -- 23, a former SS moved to the OF.132 ABs, .258/.376/.447 after a slow start. 12 of his 34 hits have been for extra bases.[u:a7ff21e50d]Jeff Francoeur[/u:a7ff21e50d] -- 21, Another Georgia HS product who signed w/the Braves after rejecting numerous football scholarships, this uber-athletic righthanded hitter was considered their top prospect when called up just last week. Has 2 HRs in his first 13 ABs including a 3R job in his first game.[u:a7ff21e50d]Ryan (Isles of) Langerhans[/u:a7ff21e50d] -- 25, This one actually started the season w/the team but willprobably see his time reduced due to Johnson & Francoeur.182 ABs; .248/.327/.412P - [u:a7ff21e50d]Blaine Boyer[/u:a7ff21e50d] -- 24, A reliever drafted out of (all together now) a Georgia HSCalled up in mid-June, the RHP has a 1.46 ERA in 14 games/12.1 IPs.[u:a7ff21e50d]Roman Colon[/u:a7ff21e50d] -- 25, Was relieving at first, but has since been thrust into a starters role w/mixed results. 5.44 ERA[u:a7ff21e50d]Kyle Davies[/u:a7ff21e50d] -- 21; We saw him earlier in the year as he skunked us in his 2nd ML start. 4-3, 4.32 overall in 11 starts.And what about the "old" guys on the team:Furball: Was having a lousy year, until hitting over .400 in July.Andruw: MVP-type season; 13 HRS & 1.151 OPS in June.Marcus Giles: Doubles machine (27 this year) is hitting .412 in JulyJulio Franco: Only plays about half the time but hit THREE-SEVENTY-FREAKIN-TWO in June with a 1.195 OPS ... from a guy old enough to be a '60 Minutes' correspondant.Thursday; 7:10 PM, Ch 11/TBSHoracio Ramirez (L, 8-5; 4.65) vs BensonFriday; 7:10 PM, FSNYJohn Smoltz (R, 9-5; 2.86) vs GlavineSaturday; 7:10 PM, Ch 11Kyle Davies (R, 4-3; 4.32) vs ZambranoSunday; 1:10 PM, Ch 11Jorge Sosa (R, 4-1; 2.89) vs MartinezPitching selections due to change depending on whther Hudson and/or Hampton are deemed ready to come off the DL.Currently on the DL: Pitchers Mike Hampton, John Thomson & Tim Hudson.OF Brian Jordan. 3B C. Jones. C Eddie Perez.Mientkiewicz played in St. Lucie last night, possibly will be reactivated.Matsui is likely to need more time. Either that or they've "lost" his phone number and pretend not to be home when he calls them.

Twas Kotsay that just inked the 3-year ext.Both he and Byrnes were rumored to the MFYs.

Wide Bee Gee1981 started without MTV and ended with it! Transitional year where toothless FM schlock-rock trio of death (REO Speedwagon, Journey, & Foreigner) was extremely popular. Folks were unsure any longer what was cool so they tried anything: Was the Alan Parsons Project cool? Was new wave cool? Was the “Stars on 45” medley series cool? We had to live through it to find out. The Hot Hundred in 1981 will make you hurl so very few from my list and theirs is the same.I tried to be representative even of the stuff I hated and limited my choices where possible to one per artist. I didn’t count the stuff covered in other years but actually released during this one (Police, J Giels, Men @ Work etc etc)First the Hall of Shame for being flawed enough to stay out of this list...:Workin’ for the Weekend – LoverboyDon’t Stop Believin’ – JourneyDon’t Let Him Go – REO Speedwagon Bette Davis Eyes (the No. 1 song of 81) – Kim CarnesHey Nineteen – Steely DanDoors of Your Heart – The English BeatBob & Doug MacKenzie – Great White NorthBlue Oyster Cult – Burnin’ for YouLove Is Like A Rock – Donny IrisHUNDREDS OF OTHERS....and now, your top 30...30. You Make My Dreams Come True – Hall n’ OatesWhat can you say, Darryl Hall could sing and this is bubblicious.29. Foreigner – UrgentI didn’t go for Foreigner but this is them doing what they did well. Gramm has a nice voice.28. The Breakup Song (They Don’t Write ‘Em) – Greg Kihn BandBetter than “Jeopardy” – the song, not the show anyway.27. Don’t You Want Me – The Human LeagueBest stupid guy-girl duet since “Paradise by the Dashboard Light”26. Flying High Again – Ozzy OsbourneNo matter how little he passed down to his kids, Ozzy had some singing talent, and his guitar player (who’d die soon) does nice work on this cock-rock-cut.25. White Girl – XPunk-ass punks from LA!24. A Thing About You – Tom PettyI could have gone with “The Waiting” but this one gets the edge.23. Under Pressure – David Bowie & QueenTwo of the best vocalists of the 70s team up behind a disco beat.22. Girls on Film -- Duran Duran What Duran Duran never got a whole lot better and this one had a forbidden video!21. Steve Winwood – Arc of a DiverWinwood was rare among 60s relics who held up in 81. Steve Miller’s “Circle of Love” album was embarrassingly bad.20. Billy Squier – The StrokeThis song just jackhammered into your brain at first listen and stayed there. Squier was a certified journeyman nobody when he released this tune about compromises in the record industry, only to torch his own career by dancing around a bedroom in Olivia Newton John’s clothes a few years later.19. I’m Lucky – Joan ArmatradingThomas Dolby’s keyboards nearly dominate this track but a happy little melody and Joan’s voice balance the scales. A quirky little song I always liked.18. Slowhand – The Pointer SistersThe sistas knew soul.17. Just the Two of Us – Grover Washington and Bill WithersI’ll nod to the nascent adult-contemporary category with this pretty, well-sung ballad.16. Never Say Never – Romeo VoidBNA: “I might like you better if we slept together…” This was an exciting, daring song that was a lot of fun dancing to. Very much an 80s classic.15. Start Me Up – The Rolling StonesWas this the last great pairing of Mick and Keith? Maybe.14. Gloria – U2This was the first U2 song I ever heard, thanks to a new thing called a video.13. King Crimson – Elephant TalkArt-rock would thankfully die a bloody death in the 80s, but this was it at its best – a wild, complex song with verses that went alphabetically -- Babble, burble, banter, bicker bicker bicker Brouhaha, boulderdash, ballyhoo -- “Undisciplined” from the same album was also pretty cool.12. Red Barchetta – RushBack then, you were either with Rush or against ‘em: My younger brother was with, so I was against. Rush were so gay, I argued then, that the only way they’d write a love song was if they wrote one to a car. Seriously! Secretly I always liked this one and I play it when I see it on a jukebox.11. Jumpin’ with Symphony Sid – Joe JacksonThere’s no one song from this that really stands out so I just chose the first one. Much cooler than the retro-swingers of the late 90s done with super players.10. Our Lips are Sealed – The Go-GosThis was a very innocently sexy song.9. Superfreak – Rick JamesI was working a summer manual labor job with a guy who introduced his girlfriend to me as “My Supafreak!” She gave him the dirtiest, most scrotum-scorching look I ever saw. He meant well. What a great summer.8. Wolves, Lower – R.E.M.Some hardcore fans argue R.E.M. started going downhill after the Chronic Town EP. This is raw early stuff, but its all there – Buck’s jangling, Mills’ great background vocals and Stipe’s pained mumbling. Plus you can dance to this one.7. Clubland – Elvis CostelloThe long arm of the law slides up the outskirts of town… This one barely beats “Beyond Belief” only cuz it was a bigger hit.6. Bad Reputation – Joan Jett“I Love Rock n’ Roll” was the big hit off this record but I hated it then and hate it today. This one was way cooler.5. Beautiful World – Devo“New Traditionalists” didn’t have the big Devo hit everyone might have expected following “Whip It” but this tune was pretty good anyway. My friends and I secretly dedicated this song to the Lunchroom Jockocracy.4. Let’s Groove – Earth, Wind & FireStrong little funk-disco thing happening here. I like the way the verse mimics the chorus.3. In Quintessence – SqueezeThis leads off “East Side Story,” which in a fair fight would get more Top-30 mentions. I love this one cuz it just blows you away right as it begins – the verse sung in harmony building to a goofy, brief chorus, organ and bass propelling it along.2. Unchained – Van HalenEddie’s guitar playing and David Lee Roth’s Rothness might be overrated from time to time, but maybe what I like most about Van Halen is the background singing. “And ya hit the ground runnin’!” That wasn’t unique to this song but it’s a good example.1. Message of Love – The PretendersNow the reason we’re here…. There’s absolutely nothing that’s not perfect on this cut! GF212121Jumpin' Jive is a great album. I'd have gone with 'Jack, You Dead,' but there are no bad calls on this one. Excellent choice. 'The Breakup Song' is absolutely one of my favorites. What a riff. A near-perfect pop song. And, good work for remembering Chronic Town.TK ROLLINCome on Wide, give us a break Hey, hey, hey, one break coming up THE BIG TRAINGood choice for a number one. And great job pulling Jumping Jive out of there. I'd go for... well, any song from that disk really. "Under Pressure" should be hiya.Twenty-Five Possible Oversights Widey Didn't Want You to Know About:- "For Those About to Rock" -- ACDC- "Pressure Drop" -- The Clash- "Bringin' On the Heartbreak" -- Def Leppard (only Def Lep I could ever stand)- "Just Can't Get Enough" -- Depeche Mode- "Every Grain Of Sand" -- Dylan- "Singin' The Blues," "Almost Saturday Night," or "The Race Is On" from Dave Edmunds' Twangin', the last of these with the Stray Cats- "Talk Dirty" -- John Entwhistle (WLIR's first ever "Screamer of the Week, I think)- "Telecommunication" -- A Flock of Seagulls (don't let this discredit my other more worthy suggestions)- Something from that J. Giels record that was everywhere that year- Billy Joel -- If you're one of those peeps who think he shouldn't have pretended to rock and stuck with piano ballads, Songs in the Attic came out that year- "Around the Dial" and "Destroyer" or "Better Times" from the Kinks' Give the People what they want. For maybe a half hour of rock history, the Kinks were cooler than the Who.- "Trouble" -- Lindsey Buckingham (Well, it was no worse than "You Make My Dreams")- "Pretty In Pink" -- The P Furs- "Airwaves" -- The Ramones (Come on!)- "Shut Up" -- The Replacements- Rush -- Exit Stage Left and/or Moving Pictures came out this year; TK Rollin will tell you which tracks to go for.- "Spellbound" -- Siouxsie and the Banshees- "History Never Repeats" -- Split Enz- "Wrack My Brain" -- Ringo Starr- "Wunderbar" -- Tenpole Tudor- "Talk to Ya Later" -- The Tubes- "Gloria" -- U2- "Chariots Of Fire" -- Vangelis (I bet you considered this one)- "You Better, You Bet" or "Another Tricky Day" -- The Who- "Kids in America" -- Kim WildeNice recollection of Billy Squire's career-altering pink tee-shirt. PATRICK McGOOHANSteely Dan wasn't THAT bad...If I had to pick one track from "Exit... Stage Left" it would proobably be Red Barchetta, so I'm with you on that one. As a drummer, though, YYZ was a thrill... and Villa Strangiato... and if you like biting social commentary, there's Broon's Bane/theTrees...OK, I'm a Rush dork.Nice choice on "Gloria." It's one of the best uncharacteristic and unrecognized U2 tracks IMO. Great vocal melody, and Adam Clayton strays from his boring root-note plunking to play a bass solo. Wow!WIDE BEE GEEI considered most of those... and named a few you said I overlooked (Rush, U2, and ya overlooked my intentional overlooking of Freeze Frame and repeat artist selections).I found 81 difficult in that there were lots of "second or third bast" efforts including many from the artists you mentioned (Edmunds, Split Enz, Kinks, Who, etc.) I considered 'em though.Missed the Ramones, Souxsie, Tenpole Tudor (who the hell?)And you'll have to beat the shit out of me before I recognize any Depeche Mode. Ugh. THE BIG TRAINI meant to take U2 out. I saw you had it. As an editor, I've shown myself to be quite wanting.Rush should qualify potentially for two selections as they had two albums.You can catch Tenpole Tudor tonight at the Victoria in Derby or tomorrow at Trillians in Newcastle. They take the fourth off before heading up to King Tut's Wah Wah Hut in Glasgow.They were roots/pop/punk with the aesthetic of a marauding army of singing swordsmen. Frontman Eddie Tudor appeared in the Sex Pistols' movie The Great Rock 'N' Roll Swindle, singing "Who Killed Bambi." Are you telling me you really considered and rejected "Talk to Ya Later"?WIDE BEE GEENah, I overlooked it. I assumed that album included She's a Beauty which I thought I saw on another list. That singer was really bad. I'll revise before the complilation CD comes out. NORRIN RADDmostly, an excellent list, with a lot of great R&B. great call on DISCIPLINE... a great album. some of the obvious horrible songs you overlooked (i think these were 81, though i'm not 100% certain):Celebration - Kool & the GangTainted Love - Soft CellJesse's Girl - R.SpringfieldLets get Physical - Olivia NJohnQueen of Hearts, +Angel of the Morning - Juice NewtonEndless Love - Diana RossMorning Train - Sheena Eastonbut there were some others that i THINK were from 81 that deserve some mention:Pretty in Pink - psychadelic fursTide is High - BlondieBeing with You - Smokey RobinsonCenterfold - JGeilsFire & Ice - PBenatarWe got the beat - GoGosand there were a bunch of movie soundtracks/songs/scores to talk about:Chariots of Fire - VangelisFor Your Eyes ONly - Sheena EastonArthur's theme - Christopher Crossalso, this was the year of the Sondheim show, MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG, which has some of his best songs ever, include WE HAD A GOOD THING GOING, and NOT A DAY GOES BY. also, i'm pretty sure this was the year of Laurie Anderson's O, SUPERMAN which is a pretty special piece of music-performance art-theater-whateveryouwantocallit. on edit: i must admit a fondness for Kim Carnes' BETTE DAVIS EYES. i guess this discredits the rest of my post. oh, well. there is no accounting for taste.DOCTOR SPONGEPut BOC in the top 30 NOW!!Funny, I read this post yesterday and then heard Blue Oyster Cult – Burnin’ for You on the Shea PA when the Spos were yanking Kim. Yeah, it's got legs.TK ROLLINI always like this sicky tune from that album from Soft White Underbellie ...Junkies down in Brooklyn are going crazyThey're laughing just like hungry dogs in the streetPolicemen are hiding behind the skirts of little girlsTheir eyes have turned the color of frozen meatNo, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, noJoan Crawford has risen from the graveJoan Crawford has risen from the graveCatholic school girls have thrown away their mascaraThey chain themselves to the axles of big Mac trucksThe sky is filled with herds of shivering angelsThe fat lady laughs, "Gentlemen, start your trucks"Oh no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, noJoan Crawford has risen from the graveJoan Crawford has risen from the graveChristinaMother's homeChristinaCome to motherChristinaNo, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, noJoan Crawford has risen from the graveJoan Crawford has risen from the graveJoan Crawford has risen from the graveJoan Crawford has risen

Ahem

AAA All-Star Game on espn2Dunno if any Tides are involved.

duan wrote:hang on I demand a recount; Jose Bautista was NEVER involved with the mets, what the Pirates did with Huber when they got him is NOTHING to do with us ;)Except you got it backwards. We sent Huber to KC for Bautista, then sent Bautista, Wiggy & Peterson to Pittsburgh for Benson/Keppinger.

In that case I'll listen to it with the sound turned down.

]If Kazmir blows out his arm, as Peterson promised he wouldPeterson said no such thing.

More on the amateur singings:http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/minors/050712latinupdate.html

Then all you'll need is a method to get people to actually visit that page in the first place.Aside from his relatives that is.