Sorry for the non-baseball post but I wanted to post this. I’m a huge fan of the franchise. I beat San Andreas twice (hey girls!) and loved Vice City. I’m sure almost every American has at least watched a piece on or read a story about Grand Theft Auto IV the past week. I was one of those Yahoos that went to the store at midnight on Monday to get the game and took the next day off from work in order to play all night. I’m not kidding, I spent midnight on my 30th birthday waiting on line to pick up my video game.

I’m sure you’ve seen at least one story on the cable news channels regarding GTA (I’m certain they write these to scare old people). Case in point: I was in my company’s break room yesterday and CNN was doing a story about the evils of Grand Theft Auto IV. First off, I swear they are basically re-running the same video game story over and over again and just interchanging the names Duke Nuke’em and GTA IV. Secondly, could any of these stories include someone with knowledge on the subject of the game on which they’re reporting if not just the game in question? The reporter obviously hasn’t played a video game since Pac-man if ever. The main anchor had the following exchange with another in studio anchor whom I assume was supposed to have done at least some research or maybe play the game (I do give CNN credit for putting two hot chicks on the screen to discuss hookers and lap dances, but they could have at least made out for a while! Zing!):

“Expert” on the subject Reporter: You’re character can get a lap dance, mug people, and drive drunk.

Appalled main Anchor: “If this video game is so lewd and distasteful, why is it such a big popular item?”

“Expert” on the subject anchor: “Well the big attraction is that you can play on-line with up to 16 players!”

As if that is some kind of groundbreaking feature. Wow, did she miss the point. I don’t watch CNN often, but I can assume if this female anchor, let’s call her Susie, was trusted with covering other popular tech products, I’m sure it would go like this:

Q: So what makes ______________ such a popular item, Susie?

The I-pod? - “It has ear phones!”
The I-phone? “It has an alpha numeric key pad!”
The Hi-Def TV? “It’s in color!”
The DVD Player? “It comes with a remote!”

Also, anyone that plays the game to get lap dances, kill hookers or drive drunk (A feature im certain they added for shock value; it isn’t fun or challenging) is either 14 or lacks the skills of a hard core gamer and thinks Pete Alfano articles are clever and funny.

Anyway, all the old ladies in the break room were watching with their mouths open and shaking their heads in shock and disgust as they ate their Weight Watchers microwave lunches.

You kids today with your loud music and your Dan Fogelberg, hula hoops, Zima and your Pac man video games…

Motherhumping Fifth Inning

Have you ever been in the midst of a deep sleep and be jostled then continue dreaming only you’re dream takes a weird turn for the worse. Yeah, that sums up an Oliver Perez outing.

Oliver Perez was cruising through the Nationals order until the fifth. Perez walked the leadoff runner, gave up a single and issued another walk to load the bases, single up the middle scoring two After getting an out on a liner to center putting runners at the corners, Perez ran the count full and with the runner going, induced a groundball to second scoring the third run of the inning. Perez surrendered a first pitch line drive but was bailed out by a brilliant defensive play by David Wright who made the risky throw to first to get out of the inning.

I didn’t use hitter’s names there so I could cut and paste that for later use; it’s going to happen again.

Not to bury the lede, but how in the hell did David come up with that ball? That is one of the best plays I’ve seen Wright make in his career. I would put that over that stop in 06 that started a game ending double play in Philly and the diving backward, over his shoulder barehanded grab in San Diego in 05.

After a Casanova turned a double to right into a single, Willie Randolph made a move highlighting his team’s bullpen woes, letting Perez sac bunt the runner over. I’m not going to criticize the decision to run into an out, but if you are, you should be sure your player can put down a simple sacrifice bunt. That’s the second time in the past four games a Major League player could not perform a simple sacrifice bunt.

I imagine a Butch Cassidy and Sundance Kid-esque conversation in the Mets Dugout:

Jerry Manuel: Casanova’s on Skip, who you want here?
Willie Randolph: Leave Perez in.
JM: Are you kidding, were you watching last half inning? He’s lost the plate, he can’t go out there without putting at least two on
WR: Don’t worry, Heilman’s going to kill us anyway.

Motherhumping Sixth Inning

And like a predictably bad movie, Perez left with two on and two out, Heilman walked Milledge to load the bases and then there his patented homerun ball resulting in a grand slam to Lopez.

Motherhumping Seventh Inn…

SIGH

You know what, forget it. I have to get to bed. Tomorrow is Hawaiian Shirt Day at work so…you know, if I want to…I can go ahead and wear a Hawaiian shirt and jeans.

An ugly, ugly, state of affairs.

Before I go, in other news…

Wesley Snipes was sentenced to three years in prison today for failing to pay taxes. Charges have yet to be filed however, for starring in the movie The Fan. (Note: Zing)

New Mop-up Duty Specialist

Aaron Heilman’s new nickname is Flow Bee as he sucks AND he blows.

Good God, I am tired of watching Heilman load the bases. I am tired of the way he purses his lips while looking in for the pitch. I am tired of Notre Dame. I hate the number 48.

Reyes’s error opened the door, and Heilman would have gotten out of the eighth, but I have absolutely no confidence in him right now, regardless of his luck against the Phillies on Saturday.

Second Heilman nickname: That guy who takes a shower while the Mets are in the field in the Eighth.

Give Duaner his eighth inning role back. Now.

The Cubs are a hot team. Zambrano is a dyed in the wool ace. The Mets were likely to score one or less, but game ball to Aaron who took the Mets completely out of the game.

Never blog angry

A rivalry is building in between the Mets and Phillies for the first time since, well ever. Friday night set the tone for the top two candidates for the National League East‘s season long battle for dominance. Forget ESPN’s Red Sox-Yankees obsession; it’s stale, over-hyped and cliché; Mets-Phillies is Major League Baseball’s main event.

Game One

Johan did what Johan was brought in to Due on Friday night, pitching striking out 10 and giving up another solo shot to Chase Utley. Though he was charged with three homeruns, two came on after Santana left the game in the seventh after Heilman was brought in to deliver his trademark gasoline ball to a two on spark. I have Zero faith in Heilman. The stand out performance on offense was premature MVP candidate David Wright who went 4-4 with a triple, two doubles, a single and a walk. The heart-stopping moment was delivered on a stolen base attempt by Jose Reyes, sliding into Chase Utley’s knee. Though Reyes was shaken up momentarily; no significant injury was sustained. I really wish he would slide in feet first, but he’s not likely to change his stolen base technique even at this early stage of his career.

Game Two

On Saturday, the southern half of the country was deprived of another classic. Fox unwisely chose to broadcast the Dodgers Braves game to the south and southwest United States. A Fox spokesman released the statement, “Come on, it’s not like the Braves are on TV 150 times a season on a nationally broadcast basic cable channel. The Braves are America’s team in this the year 1995”

As I live in the area given sub par baseball on Fox’s game of the week, I was forced to listen to the game via the Phillies broadcast delivered by play by play man and Campbell’s Soup pitchman Harry Kalas who’s deep voice and monotone cadence lulls listeners to sleep and diverts any and all audience attention from actual game play.

I cannot, in good conscience give any insight into the plays of Saturday’s game, as I was blacked out of MLB TV coverage.

I was treated to Fox’s “Bonus Coverage” of the bottom of the eighth. The game is over and I still can’t believe Heilman struck out two with the bases loaded rather than, say, give up a grand slam on the first pitch of the first at bat of the hitter he faced. The inning was prolonged by misreads/terrible reactions by both Carlos Beltran and Angel Pagan. I still don’t trust Aaron Heilman any farther than I can throw him. And with my bad knee, I shouldn’t be throwing anyone.

Why can’t Fox broadcast the rest of the game in their stupid “Bonus Coverage?” What’s the point of showing only the eighth, not the ninth, getting the audience interested and then going to local news?

Howie Long: We now are going to take you to the Meadowlands where the Giants trail the Cowboys 20-18 with less than 30 seconds remaining:

Joe Buck: The Giants have the ball at the 49; they’re going to have to get to at least the 35 to get into Tynes’ FG range and call time out right away. This play right here will decide if the Giants will advance to the NFC playoffs.

Troy Aikman: It’s plays like this that really test a quarterbacks patience. Eli has to focus, take his time. He has 20 seconds left, but a sack or even an incomplete pass brings up forth down. The Giants need a big gain here.

Joe Buck: Eli drops back to pass, he’s got time, rolls right, HE’S GOT BOSS AT THE 31, THE GIANTS CALL TIME OUT AND BRING THE FIELD GOAL UNIT ON TO TRY FOR THE WIN!

VOICE OVER: This has been a presentation of the NFL on Fox, we now return you to our studio broadcast.

Jimmy Johnson: Whew-we, that was exciting! NFC Football at it’s finest. I wonder if Tynes will make the field goal. I guess we’ll never know.

Now on Fox Four News, what you don’t know about ice cream, may be fatal…

Wright and Reyes were the big contributors today, according to the box score, anyway. David may be at his peak as a hitter and the League should be scared.

This series doesn’t quite have a playoff feel, but it’s as close to October as imaginable in April and each month the calendar page turns, the pressure intensifies. This isn’t the familiar struggle against Atlanta; a city 850 miles away with an indifferent fan base. Philly is a train ride away, a rabid fan base and a team that took the east by a game in 2007. The Mets collapsed, but they own the title NL East Champs. Disregard that other New York team; it’s two relatively meaningless series’ nothing more than six regular season games. 2008 is Mets Phillies.

Mr. Met verses Philly Phanatic (a San Diego Chicken rip-off, but whatever)
Reyes versus Rollins,
Wright versus Howard,
El Duque versus Moyer (obligatory age reference),
Beltran versus Burrell.
Potent pitching staff versus pervasive power throughout the lineup

This is Us versus Them.

The Mets may have won the series, but make no mistake, the NL East is far from over.

I turned on the game in the first inning and apparently Tuesday’s series opener was Roger McDowell day at Shea Stadium. Every player was wearing his number 42. I never would have guessed Roger was that important to the Mets. Sure he was a integral part of the World Champions bullpen but I really would have expected In fact, I assume that McDowell’s stature must have impacted Lastings Milledge and Paul LoDuca as they convinced their team to also wear 42. Amazing. I would have thought that Gary Carter or Keith Hernandez would receive that honor first. Of course they could have been honoring Butch Huskey…

Sorry for the random post, I started watching the archive at midnight and finished up around 3 AM.

Great game today out of Jose and David. With old age such a factor on this roster, the two are crucial to the Mets success. Its almost fortunate that Reyes didn’t hit for the cycle. After every Reyes homerun, he seems to hit a funk at the plate with an increased uppercut (see Jose‘s last at bat for a visual aid). Walks, singles, doubles and triples are fine.

Mike Pelfrey looked very solid in 7 scoreless. With El Duque and Pedro out, Pelfrey is essential to the Mets chances.

Welcome back Filthy Sanchez!

I have missed having Sanchez in the pen. A 6-0 lead in the ninth was a perfect environment for the goggled one’s comeback. Given the cold weather, the teams early mediocre start, Willie would have gambled putting in Sanchez in a key situation.

The Bottom line is that the Nationals are a weaker team the Mets need to make a habit of beating this year.

The Great Booing Debate of ‘08

Every year, it seems, the debate of to boo or not to boo is an issue in the Mets season (though it’s usually not until May). I suppose last seasons end left some residual angst and cynicism. For the record, I feel that booing should be exclusively reserved for two reasons:

1. Lack of effort. Steve Trachsel’s give up performance in the 06 NLCS comes to mind, a certain Braves southpaw’s third of an inning, this extends to the Mets front office.

2. Players you truly hate. Whether based on previous transgressions or solely on douchebaginess. Roger Clemens, Derek Jeter, Chipper Jones, Guillermo Mota, Jimmy Rollins.

If you’re going to boo a slumping player, cheering for him during success is hypocritical.

I would hope fans at Shea were booing management and Omar Minaya giving up on Lastings Milledge and trading him to a division rival. Kind of insulting to Church and Schneider but whatever. If that isn’t the case, it wasn’t like Lastings demanded a trade out of Queens. I can understand harboring ill will towards Paulie Ballgame after the Mitchell Report and some of his remarks. Who are we, Astros fans? It’s not that big of a deal, just bizarre.

Seriously, the whole Jackie Robinson day is getting out of hand.

Stop writing your angry email.

I agree that Robinson’s contributions to baseball were monumentally important to the game of baseball as well as American culture. I also agree that his courage to break the color barrier and the man himself should be and is respected universally throughout baseball.

That said, Jackie Robinson thing borderline absurd. Every player wearing 42 is off-putting and confusing. When I see Reyes or Wright not wearing their respective numbers my brain takes a minute to adjust. Besides that, it’s creepy. What’s next, every player hitting righthanded? The broadcast team referring every player to as Jackie Robinson? Rachel Robinson starting at second and leading off? It’s becoming like that bad SNL sketch in the 80’s after Bart Giamatti died and MLB mandated every player change their name to Bart and the sport would be known as Bartball. Tap the brake, MLB, it’s getting ridiculous. His number is retired in every ballpark in the Majors; we named a rotunda in his honor at Citi Field; he has a whole day. Every player in 42 is excessive and unnecessary.

Resume your outraged email.

What was Omar Thinking? What were we thinking?

Omar should have known better. We all should have known better. Pick up the 7.5 Million dollar option on an outfielder that only played in 87 games in 2007 and 98 games in 2006? Is that at least prorated?

We fell in love with the .392/.524/.341 OBP/SLG/AVG line and thought it was a bargain at seven and a half million. We rationalized that no other outfielder with that kind of production could be picked up for near that price. Even if he plays in 120 games, it’s worth it right?

Alou costs much more than 7.5 million dollars. With Carlos Delgado’s bat slowing, the Mets desperately needed a productive, solid and dependable bat for the middle of the order and they got one…for half the season…maybe.

Back in October the Mets were still reeling in the aftermath of one of the greatest collapses in baseball history. Glavine was leaving (though most fans didn’t mind that so much) and a season full of expectation and promise was left to only look to next year.

I signed off on the deal back then. I gave it a thumbs up and a knowing nod. I convinced that Alou was going to find a fountain of youth and have a healthy season for the first time since he was a Cub. Then I set out on a quest to find a real unicorn. He didn’t and I haven’t. Who knew?

The Mets expect Alou back in the lineup in May after undergoing surgery to repair a hernia. And by expect, they mean hope.

With Castillo now day to day and likely headed to the DL at some point, unless the Mets elect to play with 24 and an emergency player, Angel Pagan will now hit in the two hole. Pagan, a spring training standout, will hit in behind Jose Reyes who apparently has forgotten that not swinging at four balls grants you first base. Wright and Beltran are still solid and then you have Delgado who is still effective middle-in, but vulnerable outside, Ryan Church, Damion Easley and Brian Schneider.

Right now, save for the three and four hole, none of that lineup is Murderer’s Row or even 2006’s offense that gleaned significant production from the entire lineup, one through eight.

Moises Alou should have been an expensive luxury. A fourth outfielder. A DH for inter-league play, possibly a World Series. Moises Alou should have been the Mets answer to Gary Mathews Jr.: a extravagance made feasible by location in the best market in the country, not someone to count on as an everyday outfielder and lineup staple. It would have better served Omar to find a productive and non-injury prone corner outfielder to protect Beltran. The There’s no one better available than Alou notion should have addressed the question as to the availability of a better outfielder on the market than a combination of Angel Pagan, Endy Chavez and Marlon Anderson?

The offensive lag may be a hangover from a spring training shortened by injuries to nearly the entire squad. The Mets may shake off the cobwebs and start producing runs in copious amounts. Alou may return in May and stay healthy for the rest of the season. That may have been a horn on the head of that horse I saw this morning. Watching these first games, I have confidence in scoring chances only when the Mets number three and four hitters are at the plate.

And we should have known better.

With all apologies to Fire Joe Morgan (who does this much better and funnier), I couldn’t, in good conscience let this pass with out it’s due mockery…

Well here we are on a Monday and who else to judge the state of sporting world with anecdotal evidence and poorly thought out pronouncements. This one isn’t the worst thing in the world like the last time Pete explored Mets related issues. (Note: The article was removed from the website shortly after I posted it on this site. All other columns are available dating back to January) I probably could have let this go except for the fact it’s completely arbitrary, lacks any direction and I hate people that refer to themselves as “we.” Enjoy:

Monday Morning Quarterback
SPORTS LEAGUES, PLEASE GIVE THESE GUYS A BREAK

The too-long seasons mean more injury problems and a diluted product.
With everything that is going on in professional and college sports, we’re not going to predict the winner of the NCAA basketball final, or whether Tiger will win the Masters, or even if the gods are conspiring against the Rangers because major roadwork on I-30 coincided with the start of baseball season.

Good, because the last thing I wanted to read in the NEWSPAPER was in-depth analysis of both teams in the championship’s strengths and weaknesses as it relates to a head to head match up. Analysis of facts is not why anyone reads this stupid column. Also, how would he “predict” if the gods are conspiring against the Rangers because roadwork on I-30 coincided with the start of the season? I predict that Mookie Wilson hit the ball that went through Buckner’s legs allowing Ray Knight to score the winning run…22 years after it happened.

No, we have assessed this embarrassment of riches and are offering a radical suggestion to sports leagues- call a time out.
We don’t mean during the actual season.

Good because that would be ridiculous.

We understand the business of professional sports dictates that no one is going to shorten the regular season or playoffs, not with all those multi-million dollar salaries to pay. So fans will continue to enjoy a full time calendar of events in September and again in April, when baseball, basketball (college and pro), hockey, golf and auto racing are all in high gear.

I love how Pete takes a resentful tone towards the business of the sports world and then recognizes both college and pro basketball as legitimate enterprises, however college baseball, a non-revenue sport, is not included in Pete’s list of worthwhile April sports. At the Fort Worth Star Telegram, hypocrisy reigns supreme.

But if you’ve taken the time to look at the injury reports, you have to wonder what price is being paid by the athletes and teams and whether fans are getting their money’s worth.
There is an allstar team of pitchers who have recently returned from injury this spring or are on the disabled list – Josh Beckett, Pedro Martinez, John Lackey, Brandon McCarthy, Chris Carpenter, B.J. Ryan, Mike Hampton, Chad Cordero, Mark Moulder, Andy Pettitte, John Smoltz – we could go on.

Yep, a bunch of pitchers, most of them at the end of their careers and histories of injuries. Before I read this, I couldn’t imagine Mike Hampton on the disabled list, what a concept!

Among position players, Eric Chavez, Scott Rolen and Moises Alou would look good in the middle of a lineup.

Chavez is recovering from back surgery, Rolen broke a finger during a spring training drill, and Alou had to have surgery to repair a hernia. I just thought someone might wonder what their injuries were…since this is an article about why they got injured; Pete did not.

NBA players such as Yao Ming, Dwyane Wade, Stephon Marbury, Eddy Curry and Shawn marion have had their seasons cut short, while Paul Gasol, Andrew Bynum, Shaquille O’Neal, Jerry Stackhouse and Dirk Nowitzki (who must have the best recuperative powers in sports) are among the higher profile players who have had to sit out.

Your Dallas Stars lost…

Ok, I wouldn’t make anyone read this. Lets go to the next paragraph after Pete cuts and pastes injury reports from NHL.com

Sure, we know the mantra of injuries are part of the game, but how many of them can be attributed to constant wear and tear and not a freak accident?

Pete is really good at two things; lists and asking questions he has no intention of even answering. I want to try, here goes:
Companies such as Ford, Chevy, Honda and BMW are all automakers. How many more car companies are there? How much do they cost?

Given the money invested in athletes, teams are more demanding than ever about what players do with their so called “down time” during the offseason. The NFL is just one minicamp after another, while baseball players are expected to stay in top condition, and also do some throwing and hitting, which is easier for many teams in sunbelt cities. Many Latin players take part in winter ball.

Many writers took an English class after middle school and are expected to craft thoughts together to form valid points and logical opinions. Others work for the Fort Worth Star Telegram.
I assume that Pete is talking about Dominican Winter League Baseball, The Mexican Pacific League, the Puerto Rico PBL and the Venezuelan PBL etc. Winter ball is for young players that need to develop. Latin heritage is not required to participate. None of those injured pitchers played winter baseball, nor did Alou, Chavez or Rolen. Next

Demands are made on the NBA to provide stars for international competition, and not just in an Olympic year. Imagine the angst in the front office of the Houston Rockets, where team officials are wondering whether Yao will risk returning too soon from foot surgery to represent China in the Beijing Olympics.

For that matter, how many NBA players can resist the siren call of a pick-up game during the summer?

53 NBA Players can resist the siren call of a pick up game during the summer. Not 52. Not 54. Exactly 53 players.
.
If you believe that athletes – like cars – have only so many miles on them no matter how much regular maintenance they receive, the perhaps we should encourage them to give it a rest during the offseason. We’re not advocating that they become couch potatoes with a severe case of the muchies, but what’s the bid deal if they report to camp several pounds over their playing weight and easily winded?

Is this a joke? Is he actually asking why professional athletes shouldn’t maintain good physical health?

We know this is Heresy. Fitness experts will say that athletes are at a greater risk for injury if they are out of shape. But that wouldn’t be true if team trainers and coaches allowed players time to gradually build up their strength and stamina.

I hope Pete thinks heresy means ridiculous.
(Editor’s Note: Pete would have asked a fitness expert to go on the record to provide credible testimony as to positive and negative aspects of a player falling out of shape and then the aspects involved with that said player working to get back in shape, but he doesn’t know how a phone works. Also, he made up the occupation of “Fitness expert”)

Would a pitcher, for example, have a better chance of avoiding rotator cuff or Tommy John surgery- or at least delay it – if he didn’t pick up a baseball until January at the earliest?

Do you think Bill Belichick can survive with one less minicamp and more time to kick back with Bon Jovi CDs?

Didn’t he just advocate players reporting to their respective camps out of shape and then be given more time to get into shape?

It’s just getting harder to get enthused about the start of the season – any season- when the fans aren’t the only spectators.
Pete Alfano, 817-390-7985 palfano@star-telegram.com

It’s just getting harder to get enthused about reading a column – any column- when the author is also a spectator.

As per usual when reading a Pete Alfano op-ed piece, I’m never quite sure if he is making a point or if he is trying to express that there is no solution or that he wrote this in 2 minutes. Feel free to call his office or shoot him an email. He should change it to either, “More Questions than Answers” or “What’s your point, Pete?”

I’m not even going to rant about today’s loss to Atlanta. Yuck.

Never blog angry.

However, it never fails to amaze me how a few months of winter can make me forget how terrible the FOX broadcast team of Joe Buck and Tim McCarver are at their chosen profession. During the top of the ninth, McCarver contrasted Rafael Soriano’s cool demeanor to Jose Reyes’, and I’m quoting this, “zest for life.”

I know.

What the hell does that mean? Is Jose some kind of pro life extremest roaming the streets of New York City and other Major League cities exacting retribution on abortion doctors and blowing up planned parenthood clinics?

Maybe Jose should start a hip hop boy band called Zest 4 Lyfe. Jose could get a giant tattoo with the band’s name across his chest, David Wright could be the shy one, Ryan Church could be the gay, er, I mean, artistic one and Joe Smith could be the bad boy. I smell a sitcom.

Great offensive output from the Mets tonight. Carlos Beltran and David Wright were robbed of home runs. Carlos robbed by to a blown call by the umpires and David due to the fact that the Marlins play in a ridiculous football stadium with a 600 foot deep centerfield fence. Carlos getting screwed doesn’t change my belief that instant replay is unnecessary for Major League Baseball. Would instant replay have given Beltran a homerun instead of his third double? For those of you who say yes, ask an Oklahoma Sooner fan about the game against Oregon. When baseball is dragged reluctantly into adopting something new, I doubt they embrace it with open arms. The umpires get it right so often that when they blow a call, it’s a glaring error.

Also, throwing a red flag on the field is effeminate and demeaning for both the manager and umpire crew.

Regardless of the blown call, I can’t imagine why the crew reversed the initial homerun ruling. Rick Reed is a great umpire and crew chief. If Carlos would have sold it more, he would have picked up the first Mets home run of 2008.

BTW, if Carlos hits 73 more homeruns this year, will he get an asterisk (in a good way) home run king title?

David Wright is just raking at the plate. David’s off-season work we’ve heard about paid off, for the first three games anyway. The Mets need a big season out of Wright this year to supplement Delgado’ decline. That diving stop at third was a gem and more surprisingly, David didn’t airmail the throw over Delgado to a hotdog vender on the concourse area. When David hits his prime, it’s going to be scary.

Castillo is growing on me. Luis is a tough out. If he can stay healthy, the Mets may finally have the one-two table setters they thought they had with Kaz Matsui and Jose Reyes.

Castillo could be the Mets answer to Dan Uggla. That guy scares the crap out of me. They have a lot of hitters that scare the crap out of me. The Florida Marlins are afraid of success. If they wouldn’t have run Joe Girardi out of town, the NL East could be better than the NL West this year.

Bottom line, great cathartic win after Pedro’s injury and walk-off loss last night. This season might not be a total disaster after all.

Around the National League East

In case you missed it, Scott Spiezio has been given a minor league contract with Atlanta. Braves general manager Frank Wren was quoted as saying, “Well ya know, a big part of our fan base are douche bags. With Andruw [Jones] going to LA, we felt that took a lot away from our appeal. With Chipper [Larry Jones] and of course Tommy [Glavine] coming back, we felt we were one player away from a complete team of douche bags. Scott brings a heavy douchbagginess factor to our organization that we feel will restore the Atlanta Braves to the franchise of douchiness excellence we’ve established over the past two decades.”

Sorry for this rant but this caught my eye in my hometown paper and it really pissed me off. In case you were wondering what passes for baseball journalism in the Dallas Fort Worth, behold Pete Alfano’s whiney pointless drivel. With all apologies to Fire Joe Morgan (who does this much better and funnier), I couldn’t, in good conscience let this pass with out it’s due mockery…

It’s stale, it’s out of date, its hackneyed, it’s the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. I give you Pete Alfano. Don’t let his good looks deceive you folks; he is a testament to inept, over simplistic analysis in baseball “journalism”.

Monday Morning Quarterback
Mets-Yankees fiscal fight may affect everyone
(more…)