Valadius

There are no words for this: That's Josh Womack of the Long Island Armada of the independent Golden Baseball League. Incredible.

Okay, I HAD to drop by when I saw that Fernando Martinez is in the lineup. Been way too busy focusing on college stuff the last few months.

Manny suspended because he couldn't get it up. Hilarious.

If we can replace Marlon Anderson with someone better, I'll call it a wash. But I hope he's a guy we can part with if a prospect beats him out.

Ditto Seawolf.

He was subpoenaed: ]Mar 16, 2005 1:18 pm US/Eastern Mark McGwire To Testify On Steroids Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig Will Testify NEW YORK (CBS) ― Mark McGwire plans to comply with a subpoena and attend Thursday's congressional hearing into steroid use in baseball, The Associated Press has learned.

If I were a reporter, I'd call him up and ask him to explain himself. I must admit, I have a fondness for McGwire. I was 11 in 1998. The big home run chase was a big childhood memory for me. And I would feel cheated if the generation of players I grew up watching ends up getting shut out of the Hall of Fame. If you want to debate a player's stats, fine. If there's definitive evidence that a player cheated, fine. But basing a vote on rumors and innuendo is destructive to the process.

I for one am vehemently opposed to keeping people out of the Hall of Fame purely on suspicion of steroids. If there's hard proof, I understand. But if suspicion of steroids is the sole reason behind keeping someone like McGwire out of the Hall of Fame, those voters don't deserve their voting privileges. They're journalists, after all - go get some solid facts. However, if they based not giving someone a Hall pass based on something tangible - in McGwire's case, his low batting average - I completely understand.

Too much picking and choosing going on here. Don't buy it.

I am thrilled by the election of both Rickey Henderson and Jim Rice. Rice becomes only the third player elected in his final year of eligibility, joining Red Ruffing and Ralph Kiner. Grimmy, time to update the UMDB page on the Hall of Fame. And speaking of that, Gary Carter and Eddie Murray need their profiles filled out.

Who says I made any excuses? Obviously he changed his mind. So would I, after having the kind of second half he had last year.

The Daily News ran a "Where Are They Now?" on Anthony Young. He now coaches youth baseball in Houston. Article is here. Where are they now? Former Met Anthony Young emerges a real winner BY ANTHONY MCCARRON DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER Fans sent Anthony Young all sorts of good-luck talismans while he was enduring his infamous losing streak - four-leaf clovers, horseshoes, rabbit's feet. One woman gave him her treasured $2 bill. Psychics called the Met offices offering aid. Letters of encouragement poured in from folks who sat in the bleachers as well as Hall of Famer Bob Feller. More than 15 years after his record 27-game losing streak ended, Young still holds onto his memories of "what I'm known for," as he puts it. He still has most of the trinkets, stored in his attic in the same box he kept them in at his locker at Shea. Recently, he says, he poked around in the box and watched several old videotapes - his appearance on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and a meeting he had with the family of Cliff Curtis, the pitcher who set the record from 1910-11 that Young eventually broke. Nowadays, deep into a coaching career, Young gets occasional reminders from the kids on the five select teams he oversees. "Once they find out you were in the big leagues, they 'Google' you," Young says. "Then they say, 'Coach, you're known for a losing streak!'" Young, who will be 43 later this month, had a 9-5 job at a chemical plant for eight years after his playing career ended in 1996. But he wanted to coach and now runs five different teams of kids from 9-13 years old in Houston, his hometown. He also gives private pitching lessons as part of his own company, AY Enterprise. "It's a big business now and there's a lot of competition," Young says. Young says his teams have played tournaments against teams coached by ex-players such as Charlie Hayes, Chuck McElroy and Eric Anthony. "Life is good," Young adds. "I'm a grandfather. It's been a pleasure watching my kids grow up and I'm keeping busy with baseball." Young, who is also a regular at Met fantasy camps, knows that people will forever remember him as the promising pitcher who dropped 27 consecutive decisions from May 6, 1992 to July 24, 1993 - he's gone to memorabilia shows where people want him to acknowledge the streak next to his autograph. But sometimes he wishes everyone also remembers that he didn't pitch that poorly during the streak - managers don't keep giving you the ball if you're getting clobbered every time you pitch. "I got a bad rap on that," Young says of the streak, in which he had a 4.36 ERA. "I always said I didn't feel like I was pitching badly. It just happened to happen to me. I don't feel like I deserve it, but I'm known for it. It was an 82-year-old record and it might be 82 more years before it's broken. "Everything that could happen, happened. It was just destiny, I guess." At one point during the streak, Young converted 12 straight save chances and threw 23.2 straight scoreless innings subbing for closer John Franco. He was 0-14 as a starter and 0-13 as a reliever. It all ended on July 28, 1993 when the Mets scored twice in the bottom of the ninth against the Marlins. Young had entered at the top of the inning and allowed a tie-breaking unearned run after a Todd Hundley throwing error. A few weeks later, Young flew to Los Angeles to be on The Tonight Show. While mired in the streak, he had been prime monologue material for Leno and when they met, Leno offered the chance for comic retribution, telling Young, "You can make fun of my chin if you want to." "It was a lot of fun," Young says. While the end of the streak offered relief, it is not nearly Young's favorite moment of his six-year career with the Mets, Cubs and Astros. That would be his debut against the Cubs on Aug. 5, 1991 when he relieved Pete Schourek with the bases loaded in the seventh and got Shawon Dunston to ground out to end the inning. "That," says Young, "is one of the best memories of my life."

Delgado's always struck me as a classy guy. He signed a ball for my grandfather's 85th birthday 3 1/2 years ago.

My guess? He changed his mind.

Randy Johnson will pursue his 300th win as a San Francisco Giant.

The MOST I'd spend on Derek Lowe is $8 million a year. $18 million is beyond rationality.

Good Lord that's awful.

Ha, good luck with that. Guy's a head case.

That's pretty damn cool. Welcome a-bordick!

I'd grab Baldelli now with this news.

Again, the new MFYS looks like the Sarlacc pit monster.

Can you say Yorvit Torrealba?

Much better than the old one:

Sweet logo!

I warned about the bullpen all last offseason. I figured it would happen again.