were back to baseball

Yes I know I know we haven’t been here all season. To be honest I was working on a couple of other sites but have since discovered that this one is and always will be the best.

So we are back and have a bit of work ahead of us to catch you up on my insane ramblings about the baseballs rattling around in my brain. Ok first you should know that I am a Yankees and a Brewers fan. So sometimes you will notice that I am a little bias. Well to bad its my site and I’ll be as Bias as I want. Seriously thou I try my best to be fair and when I am not feel free to let me know.

Well with this in mind lets start by talking about tomorrow nights game of the week. Yankees vs Red Sox. I don’t have to tell any of you how important this three game series is to both teams. The Red Sox (82-51) are just a game and a half up on the Yankees (79-52) I’m not really concerned for either team about wining or losing this series. Both of these teams know they are going to the playoffs and as we all know neither has a definite advantage. What is important is more of what happens on the field. Can CC Sabathia, tomorrows starter, win against the Red Sox, Can the Red Sox keep up their dominance over the Yankees this season. Tomorow will hopefully be a classic as John Lacky (12-9) will battle CC Sabathia (17-7). I don’t think CC will have another bad start against the Red Sox, I almost think he will have a little extra tomorrow night do to how poorly he has pitched against them, he will be hungry for a win. He needs to go out there and shut up all those people who are saying that he can’t pitch against the Sox. The Sox have teed off on Sabathia in the past so he wants to come up big, and this is why I’m calling this the game of the week.

Hungry CC ready for the Red Hot Sox

Garza says No NO

Matt Garza threw the first no hitter in the history of the Tampa devil Rays and the fifth this year as the Rays took down the tigers 5-0. His only blemish was a walk in the second inning. Garza being the classy guy that he is refused to take the credit deffering it to the fabulous defense that played behind him. Matt is having a good year at 11-5  but he has been up and down. Believe it or not there are still two other teams in the majors that have never had a no hitter. The Mets and the Padres are still without one.

I like the sudden turn this season away from sluggers to pitching duels. I think a lot of talented young pitchers are all starting to bloom at the same time and an age where great pitching once again will dominate baseball is not far off. If you include the missed call perfect game there have been six no hitters this season. Will there be seven? maybe. I think it would be cool if we had another no hitter or perfect game during the world series. I have Don Larsons Perfect game on Dvd and I watch it every year before the big series. Maybe this will be the year.

Can you tell me what team this is?

Gustavo Molina

Kevin Youkilis

Bill Hall

JD Drew (sometimes)

Daniel Nava

Darnell McDonald

Marco Scutro

Adrian Beltre

Eric Patterson

How is this for a starting line-up. Talk about getting bit by the injury bug. Who thinks the Red Sox can hold on to second with this starting nine?

Todays stupid suspention belongs to

Todays stupid suspension belongs to Charlie Mannuel Manager of the Phillies who has been suspended for one game and fined an undisclosed amount of money. Mannuel was argueing balls and strikes durings tuesdays game.

After being immediately ejected Mannuel decided he was going to get his moneys worth with C.B. Buckner and the brim of his cap made contact with Buckners forehead. Stupid

Phillies need a second baseman

Utley gets down and dirty

Very Bad news for the Phillies , Chase Utley will miss at least eight weeks with thumb surgury and his back up Placido Palanco is on the Dl for at least four. This leaves them with a hand full of Prospect replacemenrts and utility players.

Needless to say the Phils will be looking for a second baseman with some experience and hopefully a little more pop in his bat than what they are currently dealing with. Ty Wiggington would be the perfect fit here. The Orioles aren’t going anywheres and can use Julio Lugo to play second base. Wigiginton is batting .258 with 14 HR and should bring back a couple of decent prospects at the very least. Also look for the Phillies and Pedro to begin heating up talks.

Zambrano to get help

After an altracation that led to screaming at teammate Derek Lee in the dugout Carlos Zambrano was suspended without pay. It seemed that Zamranos days in the windy city had come to an end. Now Zambrano has been removed from suspension and placed on the restricted list where he will see a Dr and ” receive treatment” The cubs would not comment on what kind of Dr. He would be seeing, but it’s clear that he is recieving some kind of mental help or anger management.

To me this indicates that the Cubs will not be shopping him. As if they would find anyone to take on a huge contract with an anger management issue.The Cubs dont expect him to return until after the all-star break. My guess is that he will be in the Pen. Placing him on the restricted list allows the cubs to pull up a replacement during his absence without moving him from the 40 man roster.

Its been a while but Steves got gas

A few things have happened around baseball since last I posted and none has been more written about than Steven Strassburg. After an amazing debut where he struck out 14 including 8 of the last 10 batters he faced.  His start today wasnt as impressive where he went only five and a third and gave up two hits and only struck out eight. Yes he walked five batters. But at 2-0 Im still impressed. Yes he has beaten the Pirates and the Indians and that certainly doesn’t put him in line for a Cy Young but this kid got gas.

blown perfect game

Armando Galarraga was one out away from the 21 perfect game in th history of baseball before umpire Jim Joyce blew a call at first base and cost him baseball immortality.

Everyone will have seen the replay by tomorrow morning and its clear that he was safe. Even Joyce after viewing the replay admits that the call was wrong. So why not just reverse the call. I don’t think the Indians will care and anyone who protests is certainly an asshole. So I say give the kid his perfect game.  Even though it was against the Indians it still is a hell of a feat. Jim Joyce  might as well retire or resign because he will be booed in every venue in the country for causing irreparable damage to the game.

Big mouth Braden pitches a perfect game

26 Year old Dallas Braden threw the first perfect game for the A’s in 40 years. The last was by the great Catfish Hunter in 1968 against the Twins. He did it in 109 pithes and had six strikeouts. The last perfect game to be thrown was also against the Rays by Mark Berlehe last summer.

Braden is best known for yelling at A-Rod for running across the mound while returning to the Dug out. What really made him mad is that Arod shrugged it off like he was overreacting. First off he was overreacting, secondly if you are a 26 year old nobady you dont yell at the best player in the game. At the end of Bradens perfect game he apparently hugged his grandmother to which Aj Burnett watching in the Yankees Clubhouse yelled, don’t run over his mound granny.

Congrats to Braden for throwing a perfect game unfortunately it doesnt remove your label as being a loud mouth Douche. It just makes you a loud mouth douche that can pitch.

The worst at bat in the history of baseball

The worst at bat in the history of baseball overshadows a brilliant performance by Cliff Lee. In His return to baseball after starting the season on the DL Lee Pitched seven scoreless innings only allowing three hits and striking out eight. All this was for not as Eric Byrnes has the worst at bat in the history in the eleventh inning. With the bases loaded Ichiro on third and one out the sign came to lay down the squeeze bunt. For those of you who don’t know what this is as the pitch is thrown Ichiro will be running from third. Byrnes job is to put the bat on the ball NO MATTER WHAT! Or at least make every effort to do so. As the pitch was thrown Byrnes squared to bunt and  instead of making contact with the ball he pulled the bat back leaving Ichiro out to dry. So as if the caught stealing wasnt enough Byrnes ended up striking out to end the inning. So in Summery with one out and the bases loaded and the fastest man in baseball on third Byrnes was responsible for single handedly ended the inning and probably cost them the game as the Rangers scored twice in the 12th inning.  I have never heard of anyone else ever pulling the bat back on a squeeze play not even in little  league. So congratulations MR Byrnes you have etched your spot in baseball History as the owner of the worst at bat ever.