24?

No, not Jack Bauer. Mike Mussina. Iron Mike won his 8th of the season, leading the Yankees and tying the league lead [with Dicey K, among others]. At the rate he's going, Moose will win 24 games. He's won 19 before, and 18, and he's come down to the wire on no-hitters, and he's almost been on the winning team in the World Series [which means, he was on the losing team in the World Series].

Realistically, I'll take two out of three. Mike no longer has the stuff to throw a no-no. 85 mph fastballs just don't overpower anyone except perhaps Little Leaguers. I don't think he will win 24, but I hope he DOES find a way to finally win 20. AND, be on the winning side in the World Series.

Go, Moose, go!

Happy Birthday, Arrr!

I'd like to take a moment and wish the happiest of birthdays to my Pirate Crewmember, Lovely Laura, who is eleven years old today. Aye!

I spoke with her for awhile yesterday, and she was really excited about the gift package which arrived [arrrrrr!ived] yesterday. [Having to wait until Christmas on the ship in a globe as it is kinda a tree ornament, but that's cool].

What a great gal :-) She's up in the Dakotas now, and I miss her terribly. Happy Birthday, Laura. Arrrrr!

Andy to Joba to Mo

Not exactly Tinker to Evers to Chance [the only Cub DP combo to ever win a championship, for those historically challenged amongst us ;-) ], but good enough for a 4-2 victory, which we needed.

Kudos to Andy for 6.1 and only two runs. Kudos to Joba for striking out three batters of the four he faced =:-0 Kudos to The Great Mariano for being himself.

Now, Joba only got in 30 or so pitches. Wonder if he stretched it out over in the bullpen afterward [the target was 55 pitches]. Still, we needed a win, and danged if 4-2 after nine isn't exactly that! I'll take it..... Okay, checking in with PeteAbe reveals that Joba indeed threw 27 in the 'pen for his 55 total. This points him to a start after the weekend - maybe 75 pitches or so, depending on how he's feeling after the 55 pitches last night.

Moustaches. Giambino, Damon, Shelley Duncan. It's said that Joba is attempting one, too, and that he looks like a grade-schooler. Jason says that his is staying as long as he continues to hit [up to eleven dingers and .250 as he's impressing enough for a 2009 contract, somewhere]. Damon and Duncan, idiot/caveman types both, were certain to follow suit. Wonder if Derek J will grow one? Sounds kinda like Sampson and the hair, really [which would be cool, but I'd settle for The Bronx Zoo, part II, minus the bickering]. Well, I have one [and that swashbuckling soul patch, too! ;-) ]

Hmmmmm

Ian Kennedy is headed to the DL with a strained latissimus dorsi. A lat. How on God's green earth does a pitcher strain a lat? Then again, we do seem to have met our quota of weird injuries [as in, Pavano's butt].

Reckon this means that Joba Chamberlain will get stretched out and take the next start? He could go four and program Ohly to get four [Ross seems to pitch better when he knows he's going in]. Is the alternative Kei Igawful? God, I hope not. He's straight from the Fahrenheit 451 playbook [remember, where the firemen SET fires?]

I have heard that Jon Lester's father has been diagnosed with cancer. Man, that is tough. I hope he is able to beat this; maybe Jon's experience will help him. My best wishes go out to the Lester family for a full recovery.

Lil' Moosie

Ian went six, giving up only one run in the process, and keeping the Yanks in the game.

They went on to win in the ninth, thanks to timely hitting {Matsui singled, Abreu - pinch hitting for Shelley Duncan, walked - Robby Cano singled Godzilla home}.

Interestingly enough, Kennedy is still not getting pitches called his way. Nearly 100 pitches, only 57 found the strike zone; doesn't mean he's wild - means he's nibbling and not getting all the calls. Last night, that was good enough. Thank God for rookie pitchers!!

Next up, Seattle. Hope we can start worrying other teams: Joe Girardi got ejected last night for arguing Giambi's straikeout, and maybe that worked to fire-up the guys....

Weasels Ripped My Flesh?

Weasels Ripped My Flesh? No, but Pixies sewed-up my kilt so that it is now two inches two small in the waist! I am not sure why the pix are ired at me, but they obviously had their wee seamstresses at work into the wee, wee hours.....

It all happened like this: This past weekend, I wanted to go to the Virginia Renaissance Festival, up in Spotsylvania. First weekend, Pirate special weekend, arr! and if there's one thing I enjoy, it's a good pirate fest. Might even have to go back to Saint Looey in September just to attend theirs, but that's another entire story.

Now, part of the fun is to hop into some semblance of piratical looking garb, and, being a Scotsman, mine includes a kilt. Specifically, a black AmeriKilt, [being a proper Scot, I will nae wear me family tartan as a pirate, I wouldna wish to bring discredit or suspicion upon the family in any way] formerly size 36 around the middle portion. [Ye may be aghast at hearin' o' it, but they tend to run on the small side - when I was running every day and avoiding: carbonated anything, alcohol, and eating dinner at restaurants, I just barely fit comfortably - going about 182 pounds. Now, around 188, mainly because of carbonation, rich foods, alcohol, and running only when I am uninjured, I can only get the snaps to properly align by really sucking in my gut to a degree wherein I could maintain posture for aboot five minutes only before passing out].

Along with the kilt go black leather Corcoran jump boots, black soccer sox, a long sleeve black shirt with chest and sleeve ruffles!, a red sash to go around me mid-section, and a tricorn pirate hat, complete with multi-coloured ostrich feathers. Alas, the Pix.... so, I went in a pirate T-Shirt and shorts, and was comfortable. Some mad woman kept calling me "Barry" and telling me that my horse kicked her in the head, but she loved me anyway. I told her I am not "Barely" heeheehee pun intended and asked her if she knew where Maurice or Robin or Andy was [eventually she tired of it and wandered off with her bone-on-a-leash "her draggin' " get it? haha]

This time around, I am going to order another black Amerikilt, and I am going to make it a 38" waist. That way, when the Pixy seamstresses "outsmart" me, they will actually be making the kilt the correct size. Good thing the pix have an attention span of around five seconds, or they might read this and try to outsmart me. No dice, pix ;-)

Had a good time despite being alone. Next pirate fest: Hampton, VA [alas, Smiley will be in Las Vegas]. Maybe I can get Matt and/or Kev to come along. Maybe I can talk Riki and her bairns into coming along.... One of the upcoming weekends will see me back at Spotsylvania, more than likely Celtic weekend, aye! So, anyone in Virginia or that neck o' the woods, shout me up - maybe we'll bump into each other at the Faire!

38 and fin

Scottish Premier League: After 37, Celtic and Rangers tied at 86 points, but we have the goal differential. Final match of the season, both away. Rangers have to beat Aberdeen and have Bhoys lose to Dundee United. If both clubs draw, Celtic wins the title. If both clubs win, or if both lose, Gers have to score at an impossible pace to overhaul the lads from Parkhead [if we win by one, they have to win by six to tie]. If they lose by one, they have to wish for us to lose by six...

We win! 1-0 away at Dundee U. Meanwhile, two flew into the Rangers' net, and alas for them, none into Abs' net. Bhoys win the league, and once again, "You'll never walk alone"! ;-)

Wee Margie, poor lass. Loves her Teddy Bears and tells me Celts = Crrrap. That's fine, we still won. Shoulda made her a wager... Gabba gabba hey!

El Deepo

Alexander Rodriguez. Homer in his first game back. Two balls over the outfield fence in his second [and the umpires even called one a home run!], plus one other double. It's a team effort, but we needed that.

Meantime, Darrell Rasner, our new stopper, twirled seven shutout innings. Joba "Our Next New Stopper" Chamberlain, threw a scoreless eighth and ninth to wrap up the Orioles, 8-0. That's right: Joba's being stretched out to build up his pitch count with an eye toward allowing him to start, this season.

So, when that happens, Phil Hughes will more than likely still be out, so I envision a rotation of Wang, Pettitte, Mussina, Rasner, and Chamberlain. This gives Ian Kennedy a chance to hone his craft at the proper venue, Scranton. For the relievers, Mo remains unchanged as our closer. Perhaps Krazy Kyle Farnsworth will step up and become the setup man, maybe he will share it with Ross Ohlendorf. I think Humberto Sanchez is just about ready to activate, and he has a real live arm, so perhaps that is just what the doctor ordered. Then again, Carl Pavano, coming off the DL, will begin to build arm strength in that role..... Nah, bad idea on that one. I say Sanchez. Thoughts?

Just Peachy :-(

Moose just got clubbed for seven in the first. It's at the Stadium, so the Yanks have all nine innings to go. So much for being the stopper. Ohly's in already.

{Post-game Update} Ended up 12-2, so we now turn to our new[est] stopper, Darrell Rasner. Ras is 2-0 this season, with an ERA of 3.00, albeit a 12 inning limited sample size.

A-Rod homered in his first game back :-)

Jeets was hit on the hand by a pitch and is listed as day-to-day. [Sorry, Melanie!] With the Attorney General in there, we'll have great leather, but a bit less pop.

Go, Yankees!

More odds n ends

Sleep. It must surely be over-rated. So, I'm up, rambling some more [generally hit the sack at 8 PM, up at four]....

Congratulations to Jon Lester for twirling a no-hitter, 7-0 over KC. As dearest Melanie will tell you, the first lefty to do so at the Fens since 1956 [a year in which our righty trumped that, with a perfecto, in the WS, which we won, no less, 2-0 over Newk]. Way to come back, JL.

Matt has an offer on his house! Maybe that is why I could not sleep: checked traffic, saw Cathy had sent an e-mail wondering if I could contact him, so I woke up the blighter and had 'im call 'is wifey.

May 19th. It's Pixie's birthday!! I sent her a nice Kokopelli birthday e-card [back in 2001, when she had known me for one and one-half days, she sent me a similar Kokopelli card on MY birthday]. So, she loved the card, and I am glad. Pix may have broken up with me, but she's still a good person, and we're still friends. We could still pal around, except she's in Tyler, Tejas. Happy birthday, Pix.