July 31

:-) Fun stuff..... tomorrow at 4 PM (Eastern) is the trade deadline in organized baseball. Naturally, I follow the going's-on like I do elections. Fun, deadline, hysteria. Where will Roy Halladay end up? Will the Yanks get one more arm for the stretch drive? Will the Sox get that crucial bat? What teams are buyers? [Phils, Yanks, Sox...] What teams are sellers? [Pirates, always]. What teams are on the fence? [Mariners].

It's especially fun to look at what deals affect what other situations. For example, the Phillies pretty much got tired of playing around, waiting for Toronto to decide on a package for Roy Halladay. So, they instead snagged Cliff Lee from Cleveland. That HAD to affect the Halladay situation [Doc has a no-trade clause, and will cost both a goodly salary, as well as a fair package of prospects.] Philly went for Lee. Dodgers? Angels? Yankees? 4 PM (Eastern) tomorrow......

Contrary

Sometimes, I have a different view on things. I am not contrary for the sake of contrariness, and I hate revisionist history when it is coloured by someone's agenda.... [I hate hatefulness, too].

Walter Cronkite passed away yesterday. He lived a long, full life. As an adolescent and teenager, I trusted Uncle Walter, as did so many others. He was there to break us the news of our President's passing, and so many times, he was there as we breathlessly anticipated another launch into space.

I want to tell you that I am angry, and here is why: Yes, Professor McLuhan, the medium really IS the message.... there are so many television specials right now [not to mention internet stories] lionizing Walter Cronkite and mentioning his "brave stand against the unpopular Vietnam War" and many other words to that effect. Do you know that in the Tet Offensive, the Viet Cong were decimated? Do you know that after that [early 1968] the war in South Vietnam was to repel the forces of the North Vietnamese state? Years after the fact, Vo Nguyen Giap, the Commander in Chief of the People's Army, replied to the thought that the American forces had never been defeated in the field in Vietnam - he agreed, and added that it was also irrelevant. It was irrelevant because he and his forces never lost the will to win, while our society and government did. We lost our will to win in part because a man we trusted, our own fatherly Uncle Walter, lied to us. He proclaimed the war to be lost, and so we spat upon our brothers and turned our backs on those we had been helping. In the afterlife are over 50,000 American souls, lost in Indochina. They will undoubtedly be asking, "why?"

Don't look for any hints of this in the mainstream media. After all, they lionized Michael Jackson while ignoring Ed McMahon. The age of one trusted icon handing down Truth is gone, and thank God for that. Truth, it turns out, was merely Opinion, and we fell for it. Shame on us.

Starting Pitching

Chien-Ming Wang to the DL. Joba Chamberlain struggling. What to do?

Well, first and foremost, CMW's spot on the 25-man roster. Jon Abaladejo is up for now, adding a needed bullpen arm. On Thursday, we'll need a starter. Ivan Nova and Zach McAllister are not on the 40-man roster, so they would not make sense. Sergio Mitre IS on the 40-man, and he has had his cup of coffee [for Joe Girardi in Florida]. Makes perfect sense.....

IF [and it's a mighty big if] Mitre works out right, then let us worry about Joba, who blew up today. Let's hope Mitre works out. I'd prefer to keep Phil Hughes in the bullpen this year - he is light's-out, and BP chemistry is a funny thing. Philip's been locking down the eighth inning, and can go more than one inning, if needed. We can win the WS, with him and Mo.....

Hopefully, Wanger will come back better than ever. THIS time, we can get his rehab right. Plenty of time in the inors, building up arm strength. Maybe he'll be back in September?

What if Wang is shut-down for the season? What if Sergio Mitre doesn't pan out [or, what if Joba regresses]? Alfredo Aceves. Several pitches and arm angles. Mature approach to pitching. Think Eddie Lopat or Ed Figueroa.... yes, he can.

[1] Sergio Mitre.

[2] Alfredo Aceves.

Joba back to the pen [just for this year]?

Go Yankees!!

Hot Dogs

Silly me.....

I meant to wrap up the previous story by mentioning that I always watch the annual Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest [Live at High Noon on ESPN] from Coney Island. Tradition.

So, we polished off the hot dogs last night, cooked Potatoes O'Brien and bacon, had some coffee, watched the tube. Joey Chestnut won again, three years in a row. 68 dogs in ten minutes! [The Great Kobayashi came in second, with 64.5 in a bad, bad haircut ;-)]

Now, I enjoy eating. Always have. I eat hot dogs on the bun, with condiments. I never snap the dog in half and dunk the bun in water. I would like to see a 'natural' hot dog contest, eating them as mere mortals do, on Independence Day, and other summer cookouts. Not too much to ask, is it?

July 4

Happy Independence Day, everyone.

Even you Sassanachs who are all glum-faced.

70 years ago today, Lou Gehrig made his famous speech at Yankee Stadium, and indeed, he WAS lucky [and indeed, did catch a bad break]. Independence Day is celebrated by many things by many people, including baseball, fireworks, and hotdogs.

Derek and I went out to Harbor Park on Thursday night. Tides were hosting the Gwinnett Braves, and there were fireworks after the game. Derek's hometown team is the Atlanta Braves [and Gwinnett, heck, he lived over there when staying with his mom]. John Halama on the hill for Gwinnett and Jake Arrieta for Norfolk. We were also watching the two centerfielders: Jordan Schaefer, just sent down by the parent Braves, and Justin Christian, who had a short stay in the Bronx but is now in the Orioles organization.

I knew I had heard of Halama, but could not place him: came up with Houston, traded to Seattle in the Randy Johnson deal, etc etc.... sinkerballer. Sitting in the first row of the upper section, we could not see any sink, so I was naturally wondering if he was channelling Eddie Lopat. Through five he had given up only one hit, a bunt single by Mister Christian in the first.

Jake Arrieta seems to be the real deal. While Halama was hitting the mid-eighties, Jake was touching 95 on the gun. Across the aisle, just ten feet in front of us, two scouts had their radar guns out, and I trust those readings much more than the ballpark gun. Big guy, 6'4" and 220 or so, had some good movement as well. I feel we will be seeing him up for a cup [hey - it rhymes!] in September.

Jordan Schaefer had a miserable evening. He tipped a grounder in front of the plate and ran into it in fair territory. Out! Struck out as well and lipped off to the home plate umpire [Al Porter]. Later on, after his third weak out, he musta said something, because Porter ran him. Schaefer looked pretty good in CF, but lost at the plate.

Justin Christian. Got three hits, stole a base, played solid defense, showcased his speed. Two things: [1] He belongs in the bigs [2] but not in Baltimore. You see, I see JC as a scrappy, gritty, speedy guy, 4th outfielder, pinch-runner [sorta like what the Yanks already have in Brett Gardner, which is whyJChrist got the heave-ho from da Bronx]. As such, he fits best on a contender. Prove me wrong, J - win a starting nod at Camden Yards [I hope you do, and thank you for your time at YS].

Postgame ballpark fireworks are always cool [especially when wearing 3-D glasses - it made the moon look like something out of the Navajo mythos ;-)]. Across the Elizabeth River, someone was welding on a ship in drydock - it added to the sparkly lights. Nice touch.

Oh, the game? Halama had a one hitter going and gave up only one extra base hit. Arrieta looked good. After seven, Big Jake and the Tides were up 2-1. Both bullpens faltered. Gwinnett scored four runs in the top of the ninth and prevailed, 5-4. Enjoyable night :-)

Here's the text of Lou Gehrig's farewell speech [which I retrieved just now from www.LouGehrig.com - check it out!]:

"Fans, for the past two weeks you have been reading about the bad break I got. Yet today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of this earth. I have been in ballparks for seventeen years and have never received anything but kindness and encouragement from you fans.

"Look at these grand men. Which of you wouldn't consider it the highlight of his career just to associate with them for even one day? Sure, I'm lucky. Who wouldn't consider it an honor to have known Jacob Ruppert? Also, the builder of baseball's greatest empire, Ed Barrow? To have spent six years with that wonderful little fellow, Miller Huggins? Then to have spent the next nine years with that outstanding leader, that smart student of psychology, the best manager in baseball today, Joe McCarthy? Sure, I'm lucky.

"When the New York Giants, a team you would give your right arm to beat, and vice versa, sends you a gift - that's something. When everybody down to the groundskeepers and those boys in white coats remember you with trophies - that's something. When you have a wonderful mother-in-law who takes sides with you in squabbles with her own daughter - that's something. When you have a father and a mother who work all their lives so you can have an education and build your body - it's a blessing. When you have a wife who has been a tower of strength and shown more courage than you dreamed existed - that's the finest I know.

"So I close in saying that I may have had a tough break, but I have an awful lot to live for."

Amen, Mr. Gehrig.

God Bless Lou Gehrig, and

God Bless America.