Angels +7.5; Rangers -7.5

I'll be honest. Games like this scare the crap out of me. They swung the bats great, scored a ton of runs, and they'll probably score two more runs over the course of the series. I should point out, though, they not only knocked the Gambler out of the last game early, they knocked him out of tomorrow's game early. Rogers broke a bone in his right hand punching the water jug after the Angels rocked him last week. So I'm of two minds. On the one hand, it's the type of game where Rogers would toss a one hitter. On the other hand, they'll start some kid that should get shelled, and he'll toss a one hitter. I hope I'm wrong. I am the eternal pessimist.

Bart was throwing a lot of strikes again, and didn't seem to be working too hard. Lots of fly balls, though, except of course for the one that bounced off his shin. Vlad and AK went deep to just about the same part of the ballpark. Tough start stonight for CJ Wilson, a kid who grew up in Fountain Valley watching the Angels. I think that would be tough. You root for a team your whole life, then you have to go out and pitch against them. I'm guessing the loyalty dissipates pretty quickly after you sign that contract, though. The first four Angels reached base, and they plated three in the first. The Angels were relentless, scoring in 7 of 9 innings.

Hank Blalock had the magic stick for Texas, belting two homers and driving in all three runs. He's a cornerstone the Crown City Guzzlers, the only fantasy team I care about, so this is just the type of game where I like to see him blow up. Between he and Grady Sizemore, I picked up some serious points tonight, which is great for a night without many games, and for a week in which I'm only getting five starts.

Worst case scenario, the Angels will leave Arlington up by 4.5 games. If they win one more, that goes up to 6.5. They could conceivably leave Texas up by 10.5 games, at which point Oakland becomes a bigger concern. Without a doubt, the credit goes to the pitching staff. With Vlad back in the lineup and killing the ball, we can see just how important the staff was in keeping the team above water during his absense. Hat tip to those guys.

Man, I've alluded to it before, but Jeff Davanon really runs a lot of bad routes in the outfield. It's like he's been taking lessons from Bernie "L Route" Williams. Call me crazy, but I still have more faith in him out there than Finley. And Maicer Izturis continues to make Bill Stoneman look like a genius and a moron at the same time.

Good game, guys. Let's get one more tomorrow.

Angels 5; Dogers 3 & Cubs 2; Sox 0

Didn't see much of the Angels game, but I got back in time to see Vlad single up the middle, and Garret pick up his 999th and 1000th RBIs, pushing the Angels to a two run lead that they wouldn't relinquish. Congratulations, Garret.

Frankie has been very shaky of late, and he didn't get any help from Davanon on the Olmedo Saenz popup that El Jeffe lost in the sun. After putting the tying run on base, Frankie recovered with a ground out to complete the sweep. This puts the Angels 6.5 clear of Texas, who lost to Houston, and gives them double digit leads over Seattle and Oakland. The worst case scenario has the Angels up two and half after their trip to Arlington, and if they stay hot, and Texas stays cold, they could lead by as many as 10.5. That's a nice position to be in.

Another fine day on the mound, with a quality start from Byrd, and solid relief from Donnelly. The pitching staff continues to surprise and impress.

A packed house at Comiskey saw the Cubs beat the White Sox 2-0, a solo home run from Corey Patterson (redundant, I know) providing the Cubs with all they'd need. Garland and Prior were both outstanding, and the infield defenses were excellent, turning numerous double plays.

It was hot. Damn, was it hot. And humid. Seriously, as a west coaster, I just never understood how uncomfortable 88 degrees can be. But the train was nice and air conditioned on the ride home. This was the first Cubs-Sox game I've been to in three years, the last one being on my birthday at Wrigley in 2002. Coincidentally, Garland also started that game, but that was when he sucked. Honestly, I don't remember much of anything from that game, except that the start was delayed by a little rain. We met up at Goose Island for a couple of beers beforehand. Then we never actually took our seats. We stood in the SRO section next to the beer cart and got pretty tanked. That was followed by a trip to Sluggers for a few more beers. Next we headed to my friend's then girlfriend's (now fiancee, and in four weeks, wife) apartment, where I consumed a couple of glasses of wine. After that, we picked up some tapas at Emilio's, where I also downed about a pitcher of Sangria. We figured we hadn't quite had enough, so we headed across the street to one of the bars on Clark Street for another beer. So you can see why the details escape me a bit. None of that today, though. Just a Polish Tailgate* before the game, at which I arrived late, no drinking during the game, and well, that takes us to right about now. Gotta stay sober for that softball game tonight.

**UPDATE**

Not my best game, but we won by the slaughter rule in about a half hour. 0-1 with sac fly, a line out, a walk, and a run scored. I know, I hate guys who walk in softball, but if I don't get anything to hit, I'm not going to swing at bad pitches. I also made one play in left, and, I'll admit, should have made the play on a ball that hit the top of the fence and came back into play. I didn't play the guy deep enough, but the air was heavy and ball wasn't carrying very well. It ended up being a long single, because the runner on first had to hold in case I caught it. I'm guessing he was on the bag thinking of tagging up (which would have been a good decision). Oh well, at least I didn't hold onto the ball looking for somewhere to throw it, before finally chucking it in after giving everyone an extra base or two, then blaming my weak arm on being "flat footed".

*Instead of driving, you take the train with a case of beer in tow, stake out a spot, preferably in the shade, and suck it down before heading in to the park.

Angels 3; Dodgers 1

It's a crazy game, ain't it? The Angels got four hits and three runs in the second inning and it was all they needed. Good thing, because it was all they got. Three runs on four measly hits. Ervin Santana, on the other hand, gave up a bomb to Jason Werth, and two more shots that would have been home runs if hit anywhere other than dead center, scattered 7 hits over 6 and 2/3, escaped from a bases loaded one out situation in the third, and cruised to his third victory. He did look sharp over his last 3+ innings, finishing with seven strike outs, including one which featured a very serious Jeff Kent twirling like a fool.

The Angels not only got timely hitting, but they got timely pitching as well. Santana induced a double play grounder after giving up a leadoff single in the seventh, and Shields started a 1-6-3 double play to end a threat in the eighth, retiring Jayson 'foul-o-matic' Werth in the process.

Another nice night of listening to Vin Scully. Really cool that he works without a color guy, although I thought he and Joe Garagiola made a good team on the national games fifteen or twenty years ago.

Angels still lead Texas by 5.5, and they're guaranteed to come out of their four game set in Arlington with a lead, no matter how bad it gets.

Probably very little in the way of a recap tomorrow, as I'll be at the Cell for the Cubs-Sox tilt. Although I guess I could recap my softball game tomorrow night. I know that would be almost as exciting for most of you as my golf post was today.

39 out; 35 in - 74

I don't often toot my own horn on this blog, unless I'm being facetious, but allow me to say "toot-toot". Cog Hill #2 is certainly no Cog Hill #4. It's about 700 yards shorter, and if you look at the course rating, it's about 5 shots easier. However, that doesn't diminish the fact that I shot two over on the front, and even on the back for a two over 74. Probably one of my best rounds in a while (the 81 I shot from the tips at Purdue's Kampen Course is still one of the best ball striking rounds I've ever had, and the 76 at Foxford Hills was mighty fine).

Snaked in a 15 footer for birdie on 2, fell apart on 3 for bogey, three putted 5 for par and 6 for bogey to go one over. Got it together on 7 and 8 for par, and blew a golden oppotunity on 9 after a great drive, and made bogey to go two over.

Drove the tenth green and missed a 12 foot eagle putt to settle for birdie. Bogeyed 12 to drop back to two over, and parred in, with a good birdie opp on 13, routine pars on 14 and 15, hit a tremendous 4-iron punch under the trees onto the green to par 16, got up and down on 17 for par, and snaked in a 8-10 footer on 18 to save a two putt par for the even 35 and 74 overall. 13 greens in regulation, which has got to be somewhere near a career high.

The rough was very playable, which was fortunate, because I didn't exactly light up the fairways (8 of 14). Greens rolled well, and weren't brutally fast. The course played pretty easy, but still, seeing 74 on the card is nice confidence builder. And while the putting wasn't great, it was light years better than it's been. The Scotty Cameron Caliente will be staying in the bag for a while.

I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that my buddy shot 75, his failure to get up and down on 17 being the difference between our two scores. He shot an 81 or 82 last week on Dubsdread, so he still has bragging rights on the big course. The fact that we really pushed each other to play better made for a great round.

No rounds booked for now, but I imagine I'll try to walk on somewhere next weekend, especially if there's an opportunity to play well again.

Angels 7; Dodgers 0

It's always nice to beat those guys.

Lackey was excellent through seven innings, throwing his curveball for strikes in the zone and out of the zone. He finished with 9 strikeouts to one walk. I think it's safe to say that he's putting it together this year. This is the guy we expected to have in the rotation after game 7 of the 2002 World Series. He's 6-2, his ERA is down to 3.50, and he's really been racking up the strikeouts lately. I'm getting the feeling now that we have two pitchers with whom we should win, two with whom we have a good shot to win, and then the fifth spot rotating between Escobar (solid when healthy) and Santan (feast or famine).

I'm with Sean. The pitching has really been unbelievable and unexpected this season. On the nights when the offense shows up, these guys look like world beaters.

Weaver bested Lackey for the first four+ innings, not allowing a hit. He didn't allow his first 'hit', and I use that term loosely, until Jeff (not Jerry, Vin) Davanon knocked one back up the middle under the glove of a very serious Jeff Kent, who wasn't quite serious enough about selling out to save the run. That plated D-Mac, who'd hit one to the moon that eventually fell to earth and went through Cesar Izturis' glove. Heads up baserunning got him into scoring position. A couple of hits later, and the lead was 2-0. The Angels would add single runs in the sixth and seventh, before D-Mac put it out of reach with a three run bomb to dead center. Shields and Donnelly pitched solid 8th and 9th innings respectively to close it out.

Texas dropped another one in Houston. That makes five straight, coming on the heels of five straight wins. The Angels have now picked up four games in five nights, and have increased their lead to 5.5 games. Suddenly, they've got a really nice cushion. Not that I expect sweeps, but if they hold their lead before heading down to Kelo v. New London Stadium for four against the Rangers, they've put them into position where a sweep at the hands of the Rangers would still find them in first place, and a sweep in the other direction could push their lead to double digits. Not a bad situation to be in.

Nice surprise getting Vin Scully on FSN tonight via the Extra Innings package. No offense, Steve, in case you stop by again. Looks like it should be more of the same tonight. And with the girl out of town this weekend (for those of you who believe in her existence), I'll be back in front of the TV tomorrow night, recovering from a round at Cog Hill #2 played in 95 degree heat.

What you learn from Sitemeter

Sitemeter is that little thing on the bottom that tracks blog hits. If you're cheap, like me, you get the free version that tells you all kinds of neat things (but not as many neat things as the pay version) like how many hits you've had, what pages people are clicking through from, the ISP of visitors, what time zone they're in (shout out to those of you in Cental Europe), etc. For example, it tells me that today I received my 2,100th hit since I got a Sitemeter account a little less than two months ago, right about the time I restarted this here blog.

One of the interesting things is the referral listing. It shows you where people have clicked over from. If you type the URL into the address bar, it just turns up as "unknown". But if you click the link on the sidebar of BHW's site, it shows the URL for his site. It's really not enough information to tell me who any of you are, although I suppose if I was really that interested, I could figure out a few of you. Some of you, like some guy in Atlanta, post really predictable comments, so I already know who you are.

Which leads me to the point of this post. I recently received a visitor who clicked through from a google search, which isn't all that rare. For example, Brian Carlwell's recent commit to Illinois brought a few people to the site who did searches on his name. But tonight, I got a hit from someone who who searched for 'steve physioc angels'. Now this isn't really a big deal. I'd imagine that given enough time in front of a computer, I too would run similar searches which would seem pointless to everyone else. This person had their reasons to search for information on Physioc (I'm giving the benefit of the doubt).

Now I don't know about you, but I when do a google search, I look through the first ten results, maybe the next ten, and on those rare occasions, I'll even click over to page 3. If I don't find what I'm looking for, I alter the search a little bit to see if I can pull up what I seek. But who in the world does a Steve Physioc search and clicks NINE PAGES THROUGH and is still clicking on the result links at that point? I can't imagine doing a search for Physioc and not finding what I needed in, oh, say the first few results, let alone 9 pages worth. Of course, if it's actually Steve Physioc (or members of the Physioc family), I guess that's understandable, and let me just say, Steve, thanks for visiting.

Sitemeter: Sometimes raising more questions than it answers.

Now even you can be a little more like me

I stole this from Richard over at Pearly Gates, but if you look over at the sidebar underneath all of those band links, you'll see a list of the last ten songs I've listened to on my trusty old Windows Media Player. It's a work in progress, because I usually listen to stuff on Rhapsody, but with the bigger hard drive on the new work computer, I'm letting Rhapsody download tracks to my hard drive to be listened to on WMP. Can't burn them, because they've got some crazy copy protection, but oh well. I think this is pretty cool, and yes, now you, lucky reader, can keep track of every song I listen to. I know you've been thinking 'I wish I knew exactly what Seitz was listening to so that I could listen to the same stuff and become almost as cool as him.' Well, your prayers have been answered.

And for Matt, Rhapsody has the Corvids' CD available, so some of those fine tunes may just turn up once in a while.

Angels 4, wait no, make that 5 so far; Rangers none so far

I'm only recapping the first inning and a half tonight. I have been called away to do research on local entertainment establishments. I suspect the game will be over before I return.

For all intents and purposes, Rivera replaces Finley in tonight's lineup. So far, I like the results.

That is all.

**Update** - Bengie. Yardball. I like it.

Angels 8; Rangers 6

Mike Scioscia is a dumbass. And so is any other manager who brings the closer into the game in a non-save situation.* There was absolutely no reason to remove Shields after the way he tore through the 8th inning. I'd love to see numbers on what Percival's ERA was in non-save situations compared to save situations. There's just a concentration issue or something. They amost lost this game when Scioscia made that move, and while Frankie didn't pitch well, this loss would have been completely on Scioscia's shoulders.

This one should have been out of hand after the first inning. Great job of picking up four runs with two outs after a Vlad rocket got to the wall too fast to allow Erstad to fo first to third. That kept the double play in order, and GA hit one right off the Rangers menu. They recovered, though, and picked up four more in the next inning, sending Chan Ho to an early shower. Hey, look on the bright side, Chan Ho. It's not like you gave up two grand slams to the same guy in the same inning or anything.

Bartolo was a little off. I'm not sure if it was Merriweather's strike zone or what (computer tonight - no extra innings because of the KCAL broadcast), but he wasn't getting strikes in bunches of quite the same size as he has been lately, which led to a lot of baserunners in the early innings. But he pitched well enough to win, and he pitched to the score, to the extent that's possible, and reasonable people can and do disagree.

Couple more hits for Dallas, as he is hopefully coming out of his slump. That's three hits in the last two games. Erstad remains red hot, with three hits. He's not hitting for power, but he's racking up base hits by the ton, and he's even walking.

Jeff Davanon could use a trip to the brain specialist. Guy comes in with the bases juiced, throws six straight balls, and what does Davanon do? Swings away and pops up. Honestly, make the dude throw you a strike in that situation. Please. If only for my sanity.

Had a tooth pulled tonight. First time I've ever done that. It was a wisdom tooth that was pretty much all the way in, but had a pretty big cavity, so the doc just yanked it. The novacaine has worn off, and it doesn't even hurt. I'll be throwing back a vicodin all the same, ya know, just in case. After the pain I went through a week and half ago, any discomfort this procedure may cause can't be anything more than child's play.

*Disclaimer - as the Idiot points out in the comments, there are exceptions, the most obvious being at some point late in a tie game. I should have been clearer. I was referring generally to games where the lead is too big to earn a save, like last night's game.

Mid Morning Round Up

I've been noticing that I get a fair amount of non-unique hits throughout the day, or in other words, the same people seem to be checking in for new content. Now, most of the time, my stuff tends to be limited to a loose collection of comments and thoughts built around game recaps, which means that there usually isn't going to be any new stuff until after the game (or during, if the urge to live-blog grabs me). There are a couple of things to talk about today, though, so I figure I'll do some bonus material. I don't know if this will become a regular feature. Rob McMillin already has his "Pickoff Moves", so I don't want to step on any toes. Also, I lack creativity, so I'm not sure I could come up with a cool name for a regular feature. Anyway....

Cabrera's hurt: I was going to take the opportunity to rip Cabrera last night, prompted by the solid play of Maicer Izturis, who was ripping up the PCL in his rehab stint. I mean, honestly, could any of us say right now that Cabrera is THAT much better than Izturis? But if he's hurt, I'll refrain. I say DL him. Can't take the chance of being down to 23 men while Donnelly (possibly) serves his suspension. Call up Bootcheck, and shorten the bench by one player. I mean seriously, it's the freaking American League. We can do without a bench player for two weeks.

Nice article on Ryan Tucker: For those that don't know, Ryan Tucker was the 34th overall pick, selected in the supplemental round by the Florida Marlins. Ryan Tucker is also a (soon to be) graduate of Temple City High School. Us T.C. grads don't get too many baseball players going high in the draft. I think Warren Busick, whom none of you have ever heard of (his brother Steve played linebacker at U$C and for the Broncos), was the last good one we had, and I think he ran into arm problems before he had a chance to get to the majors. I also don't think he went as high as Tucker. Our greatest active athletes are Rocky Biddle, and U$C running back/special teams player Desmond Reed. Good luck, Ryan, and make the Rams proud. I'm so generous, I'm not even going to hold the fact that you played for Temple City American against you.

Brian Carlwell commits to the Illini: Good news for Illinois fans. First Dee takes his name out of the draft, then Bruce lands his second quality big man for 2006, to go along with Richard Semrau. This is the bump that we're supposed to get out the tremendous season that the Illini just had. Let's hope this puts to rest some of the "He can only win with Self's players, and he can't recruit" B.S. that the naysayers have flung at coach Weber. As for Dee, I think circumstances have led him to make what was the right decision all along, although I feel bad for the way it happened. It's his dream to play in the NBA, and he's seeing his best friend get a ton of pub as the draft approaches, and I think most people knew that going pro now was the wrong move. It's a shame it had to happen the way it did, but I think he'll be better off. And I KNOW the Illini will be better off.

Angels 5; Rangers 1

Paul Freaking Byrd. What a performance. Complete game with 91 pitches against probably the best offensive team in the league. Wow. That was a very impressive performance, marred only by the home run by David Delluci, who appears to be about three times the size I remember him being from seasons past. Byrd had the Rangers beffudled all night, in true Jamie Moyer/Doug Jones fashion, with a fastball approaching 90 mixed in. Games like this are why they signed him, and now they're guaranteed to go into the Dodgers series with a lead in the division.

Vlad, well, there's not really much you can say about him anymore. He absolutely demolished the first pitch he saw from Chris Young in the first, and that turned out to be all Byrd needed. A sac fly and an RBI double completed a 4 RBI night for the reigning MVP. Up and down the lineup, the Angels hit tonight. Well, except for Finley, but I consider him to be somewhere other than up or down the lineup, and I wish Scioscia would, too. Anyway we can Sebestyen* him? Kennedy with three hits, Figgins with three hits, Erstad stays hot with two hits... If those three get on base like that, this team can score some runs.

It appears that the Angels will also pick up a game on the Mariners. I know, I know, why do I care about the Mariners. Well, they're as close to Angels as anyone is to the White Sox, and I think we've learned the hard way that you never count them out. Any steps the Angels can put between them are good things.

Chan Ho vs. Big Bart tomorrow. Park has apparently been picking up secrets from Bartolo, which is the only way to explain a 7-1 record with an ERA over 5.00. Not that this series is make or break, but it sure would be nice to wrap up a series win tomorrow, and set up the sweep for Wednesday (unlikely with the Gambler on the mound).

*Mike Sebestyen is a friend of a friend here in Chicago (or more accurately, a friend whom I met through another friend). High school football coach, and former high school athlete. Great guy. Teased often because he was, from what I understand, he's one of the few (if not only) position players in Fenwick High School history to be DH'd so that the pitcher could hit. Perhaps this isn't a rare occurence at other schools, but among the crew of Fenwick grads that I hang out with in Chicago, the practice of DH'ing for a position player has come to be known as being "Sebestyened".

Marlins 7; Angels 5

The big number put up by the Marlins really doesn't surprise me. The kid is going to be inconsistent. He struggled with his location today and got knocked around a bit. Shake it off and get ready for your next start.

What bothers me is the anemic offense. Once again, the Angels offense proves to be the cure for what ails a struggling pitcher. I can't remember how many times over the years the Angels have faced someone who has come into the game on an awful streak, only to have him leave looking like Cy Young. It doesn't help when your big RBI guy strikes out on a pitch over his head with two on. This is twice in two series' in which the opponent has been more or lessed forced to start a guy who sucks because they simply didn't have anything better, and the Angels have looked like a Little League team at the plate. Very frustrating.

Dallas in a big slump. 0 for his last 13. Not good. Hopefully it's just a little downturn, and doesn't represent something that the league has picked up on him.

Congratulations to the Maori Man on a fantastically played US Open. What a great birdie on 17 that was. A perfect answer for Tiger's birdie on 18. Tough day for Jason Gore. Would have been nice to see the big guy from Pepperdine make some noise on the last day. And Goosen! Yikes! What happened to that dude? Mr. U.S. Open really threw up all over himself today.

Angels 2; Marlins 1 ......... White Sox 5; Dodgers 3 ...... Cog Hill 1; Me 0

Missed the Angels game, except for a few innings of the radio feed, for a couple of reasons. Lots of traffic coming back from Cog Hill, and left early to tailgate before the Sox game (which didn't happen, also becuase of traffic). Also, any saturday games on the regular Fox will be missed because MLB is stupid. Not much to say on that other than what everyone already knows. Vlad is awesome. The bullpen is getting it done. Lackey is starting to really put it together.

As for Sox-Dodgers, I was pulling for the Sox, or rather, against the Dodgers. Dessens was very sharp, and Sanchez was blowing it by the Sox. Freddie Garcia got in a lot of early trouble, but ended up pitching pretty well. Brazoban was not good. And can someone explain the inexplicable defense by the Dodgers that allowed Willie Harris to practically walk to second base after pinch running for Carl Everett? I will say, it was nice of the Sox to provide me with a walk off home run, since I missed Vlad's. Too bad it had to be from Pierszynski, who's a dick.

My round at Dubsdread? Hit the ball OK to good, couldn't putt (although it was an improvement over Coyote Crossing), but mostly couldn't get up and down, which means I couldn't score (86). Exorcised some demons on 5, 9, and 11, finished with some good drives, and aboslutely BOMBED a couple of two irons off the tee on 8 and 16. I'm talking 240 or so with the two iron. So there were some encouraging signs, and there are a lot of places I can make up strokes when I head back in July. Those greens have me psyched out, though. Especially when the pin placements are as stupid as some were today (#14, I'm looking in your direction). My buddy had a four footer for birdie after hitting a beautiful four iron (I hit five iron, because I'm so fucking long). He barely missed and was left with a 20 footer for par. That's just dumb. Anyway, time to hit the range and work on a few things before the next trip.

Angels 3; Marlins 2

Not much on this one. I really walked in the door just in time to see the last pitch of the game (date night). Honestly if this gets more serious, I'm gonna have to limit dates to dinners after work on West Coast game nights.

Great at bat by Davanon to end the game. Reminiscent of Spiezio, only less important (slightly). Nice comeback after the last two demoralizing losses. The moral: sometimes you fuck up (Finley, I'm looking in your direction), and sometimes you benefit from a fuck up. Tough break for Alex Gonzales and Brian Moehler, but the Angels needed it after the Rangers win.

Boy, tough series in Arlington, huh. Too bad someone has to win. On the plus side, there's a loser in each contest as well.

Tomorrow's game is radio only in this household, and I'll probably head to Commiskey to tailgait before the Sox game, so I'm not sure what I'll come up. Cog Hill #4 in the morning, so if I show up to play, I may write something about that.

Book Meme - 'Cos I'm Bored

The Fatman tagged me for this thing (before he knew I had a blog, and after I'd been blogging for about two months), and I've been putting it off, but since today's on off day, and since we all need a little bring down from the week's excitement to this point, I figured I'd give it a shot. Prepare to be extremely unimpressed.

1) Total Number of Books I Own: Who the fuck knows? I'm certainly not going to go count them. 50? 100? Something in between sounds about right. I do know that I have books from college that still have the plastic wrap on them.

2) The Last Book I Bought: Here comes the boring part. The last two (bought at the same time) are So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish, and Mostly Harmless, both by Douglas Adams, and the last two books in the Hitchhiker's Guide series. Never got around to reading them, and wanted to read them before I saw the movie, which I still have yet to see. But hey, if this whole girl thing works out, I might start seeing more movies.

3) Last Book I Read: Currently reading both Mostly Harmless (about 30 pages left), and the Crossing, by Cormac McCarthy (put on hold while I finish the Adams books). I'll probably move on to All the Pretty Horses before finishing the Border Trilogy with Cities of the Plain.

4) Five Books That Mean a Lot to Me: I don't like the way this one sounds, so I guess I'll do my five favorite books, or those I'm most likely to re-read.

• You Gotta Have Wa, by Robert Whiting - Seminal book on Japanese baseball, and an interesting look at the cultural differences between Japan and the U.S. through the prism of baseball. A lot of great stories, including one by one of the Lee brothers, in which he relays the tale of a manager who called a squeeze with the bases loaded and a 3-2 count so as to avoid a double play. The sign was stolen, so the opposing manager called for pitchout, which would of course walk in a run. The batter, afraid of failing to get the bunt for it, lunged, missed, struck out, and the runner from third was a dead duck, resulting, of course, in a double play. This one was a secret Santa gift when I was a freshman in the dorms from a very creative guy that lived across from us (he hid the gifts and gave clues on where to find them). I don't think he was gay, he was just kind of cool. He was big Echo fan, too.
  
• Into the Wild, by John Krakauer - I like Krakauer's writing style, and this was a fascinating story, set in many parts of the country which I've visited. I've read this book at least five time.
• Bankruptcy Anthology, by Charles J. Tabb - You're probably thinking "what the fuck?" I have an acknowledgement from having done a fair amount of work on this one. Any book with my name in it automatically makes the list.
  
• Mike Nelson's Movie Megacheese, by Mike Nelson - I've never, ever, laughed so hard at a book before. So it's just a collection of bad movie reviews. Who cares? It's fucking hilarious.
• Fast Food Nation, by Eric Schlosser - I read this book four years ago, and I can count on one hand the number of times I've eaten at McDonalds since. But not only did this get me off mega-chain fast food, it praised In-N-Out to the hilt.
  

5) Tag Five People and Make Them Do This on Their Blogs: No. Seriously, no. The only other people I'd even consider sending this to are probably the other Angels guys, and they do pretty much primarily Angels stuff. If anyone wants to have at it, though, be my guest.

Baseball's Ike Turner

Sean channels Ike Turner, or probably more likely, Tim Meadows playing Ike Turner:

Guillen is baseball's Ike Turner, ladies and gentlemen. "Treat me with respect, you piece of garbage! You're a damn piece of garbage! Oh, baby, you know I don't mean that...c'mon back to Jose. Please? Jose loves you so much. Look, I brought you these flowers. Aren't they pretty? What are you still crying for? Look, will you just take the flowers? TAKE THE DAMN FLOWERS, BITCH!"

He doesn't allow comments, so I can't post this on his site, but damn, that's some funny stuff. Enjoy your deal with the Devil, Gnats fans.

Nationals 1; Angels 0

Colon goes back to getting the Escobar treatment. He was terrific, but the offense returned to their mid-May form and couldn't pick him up. Steve Finley continues to disappoint, picking the absolute worst time to strike out. Roenicke finally made the right decision, and in retrospect, with Erstad running, he probably would have been better off making the wrong one. As for Bengie, at least he didn't hit into a double play.

McPherson is sliding a bit again, but his defense has still been excellent, a nice surprise.

Not much more to say about this one, really. No fireworks, just good pitching. Three more games and I can go back to not giving a shit about the NL East again.

The day after

I'm just going to reiterate what I posted on Primer for the benefit of the Yudites and the Ballpark Guys, who seem to be far too angry at Rob for some odd reason.

Donnelly broke the rules. No one is denying that. It's not important if he was doing it to add movement to the ball, or if he was doing it to get a better grip, or if he was doing it because he thought it smelled neat. Not the point. He was wrong, he should have been kicked out, and he should be suspended.

Frank Robinson has every right to challenge any Angels pitcher who takes the mound. Scioscia has exactly the same right, and Robinson shouldn't be surprised if Scioscia does it. As long as there's no disincentive (like in hockey) for being wrong, why not do it? Especially if you know it's going to piss off the opposing manager. Gamesmanship is a two way street.

None of this changes the fact that I think Frank Robinson is a prick. He would still be a prick even if he hadn't had Donnelly thrown out. Anybody who walks into a press conference with only one issue of importance and immediately declares that issue off limits for discussion, then gets pissed off when people bring it up, is a prick.

I see no reason to discontinue comments, mostly because I rarely get any to begin with, and I won't start here. If anyone feels that they need to attack me the way they apparently attacked Rob, have at it. The Yudites didn't have a problem doing it on a site I didn't know existed, so they ought not have a problem doing it here.

And thanks for the traffic. I've had about 3 to 4 times my normal number of hits today. Feel free to come back anytime. It's not ALL Angels here, just mostly.

Corksuckers 4 + Cabrera 2; Angels 3

Well, the kid looks like he can pitch a little bit.

Two guys I didn't know were still alive: Carlos Baerga and Wil Cordero.

Unfortunately the wheels totally came off when Frank Robinson decided to have Donnelly's glove challenged. I don't know what they found, probably pine tar, but Shields was awful in the 8th, getting knocked all over the yard, including a homer to public enemy number one (yes, I've turned on Guillen as quiclkly as he turned on the Shields slider). If I'm Bart, the fist pitch I throw to Guillen tomorrow hits him square in the numbers, asssuming the rumor about him ratting Donnelly out is true.

Man, Frank Robinson's a real dick, isn't he?

Oh well, I can't talk about this one anymore. This is too depressing.

Orlando Cabrera sucks. Man, I can't say it any plainer than that. Guys in my softball league play shortstop better than that.

EDIT: Title update, Roman Moroney style. Ya know, for the kids. And thanks, Rob.

Blogger, WTF?

Question for any of you out there who use Sitemeter:

Do you occasionally get a bunch of hits all of the sudden from other blogspot sites? I mean, like 5-10 in succession, in a short period of time? What's up with that?

In the past hour, I've supposedly received hits from USAMediablog, Fallbrookinstsyle, Vishu8, depression1resources (I know I just turned 32, but I'm not that depressed. yet.), compteachis10, maristarrynight, dermatiteatopica (I thought no one knew about that rash), wordonthestreetis (word on the street is your blog sucks - j/k), omdatikvanmeou (I don't even know what language that is), and lordofthedamned (this one could actually be a real referral). Thanks to each and every one of you. However, I'm guessing these aren't actual people, but rather some random glitch in blogger software that occurs every few days.

So, anybody else getting crap like this? Anyone know why?

Angels 11; Exponats 1

I'm reminded of a song by one of my favorite bands:

Bottle yours
when the rain starts falling
bottle yours
in my heart
bottle yours

Hey, I love a good blow out as much as the next guy. I just don't want to see them turn around and end up with about three hits tomorrow. But who am I to complain?

This one was fun to watch, even if you had to watch some of it on TiVo and missed the first three innings (I'll get to that later). Missed the first few runs, but man o man did Dallas crush that pitch. Not too many balls make it up on to that hitters' backdrop, and he flirted with it earlier this season. Nice to see him pop one up there early in his career.

I'm no doctor, but my Bill Frist "Diagnosis by Video for Dummies" training tells me that Vlad is OK. But seriously, don't take my word for it. Check the box score. The only really surprising thing about his day at the plate was the ball he hit out didn't get out by very much. But hey, horseshoes and hand grenades, right?

How bad was this one for the Nationals staff? A Figgins triple, homers by Vlad, D-Mac, and Juan Rivera, and a double by Davanon? That stuff's gonna happen. But you really know you're going bad when you let Kotchman hit one to the outfield.

I can't say I approve of the negative response to the introduction of Guillen. Sure, he's a headcase, but I really think the guy gave it his all on the field for the Angels last year. He played hurt at times, and I think deep down, he just wanted to win, and I don't think the Angels would have won the West without him. However, he also went ballistic over one of the most obvious pinch run situations in the history of baseball, and the way he had swung it over the previous month+, I don't think the Angels would have won the West with him in the lineup over the last week+. I've documented it somewhere else (probably Primer), and I'll see if I can find it again, or maybe I'll redo it this week, but his replacements didn't exactly fall on their faces. And one of them provided a HUGE double (Curtis Pride) that tied the game in the ninth at Texas, a game ultimately won on a Troy Glaus homer.

Lost in the offensive explosion were excellent performances from Paul Byrd, and Steve Yan. Byrd has a tendency to give up runs after he gets them from his offense, so it was nice to see him hold them down while the offense could take off. Steve was unhittable. Great stuff from him. Wouldn't it be great if he could do it when it mattered?

Hey, is it just me, of was Figgins playing WAY too shallow on that double by Wilkerson? The guy has 25 doubles this season. Who the hell was positioning him?

Missed the beginning because I was at the Sox game for seven innings. It was really over after Contreras got knocked all over the yard in the second. Good game to go to if you, like me, don't really care all that much about either team. The heavyweights showed up, with homers by Sean Green, Luis Gonzales, Troy Glaus (about the fifth or sixth I've seen him hit at Commiskey), Frank Thomas, and............Chris Snyder (one of these things is not like the others). He really didn't get hit that hard at first, a few singles just squeaking through, and Jermaine Dye pulling a Garret Anderson on a ball that dropped in shallow right. But before too long, he was getting absolutely pounded. Give him credit, though. He hung in for six innings and saved the bullpen. Weird night for Dye. He loafed on the blooper, got easily doubled up on a ball that Royce Clayton bobbled, but also made a diving catch and a nice catch at the wall.

Date night, as the new girl I'm seeing came out with yours truly, a buddy, and his fiancee to the game. She doesn't mind going to baseball games, so that's a major point in her favor. Although, somewhat inexplicably, she doesn't mind hanging out with me, so I'm gonna have to figure that one out. Next step is to she if can handle a concert.

Best. Blog Meme. Ever.

Right here. Damn, that was hilarious. I may take a shot at that one right after I get to that book meme that Fat passed along to me.

Angels 4; Mets 3

Well, this was a nice surprise after yesterday's giveaway. Pretty much a solid if unspectacular game. The defense was good, the pitching was good, the hitting was timely, and the bullpen did it's job.

Great job by Peralta to come in knowing he was probably only going to face one batter, and get the strikout. You really can't do much better than Shields did. When he has that two seamer going, and he's getting the low strike, he's really good.

It's really easy to be down on Finley after what he did last night, and the two double plays he hit into in his first two at bats didn't make him look any better, but credit where credit's due. That was a huge double he hit. And great at bat by D-Mac to put the ball in play and drive in the tying run. Big enough for me to overlook the big strikeout that came later.

Anyway, not much else to report on this one. They let one get away yesterday, and they won one that, on paper, they probably shouldn't have today. It all evens out. 6-6 on a twelve game trip is fairly respectable, especially against the teams they played. Sure, there were games that they let get away, but that's going to happen, especially on the road. Great trip? No, but it could have been worse.

Spoon w/ the Clientele at the Vic, June 11, 2005

I've already covered Spoon here, so I'm not going to rehash everything. But for starters, the Clinetele was not so good. I mean, I guess they were OK, but they were kind of like the Innocence Mission with a guy singer. There are times where I want to listen to the Innocence Mission. Last night was not one of them.

So with that out of the way, let's get to the headliners. Incomplete and out of order set list (except for the first song, Chicago at Night, which they probably always lead off with in Chicago):

• Chicago at Night
• Beast and Dragon Adored
• Two Sides of Monsieur Valentine
• I Turn My Camera On
• My Mathematical Mind
• Delicate Place
• Sister Jack
• I Summon You
• Infinite Pet
• Small Stakes
• Way We Get By
• Jonathan Fisk
• Paper Tiger
• Everything Hits at Once
• Me and the Bean
• Lines in the Suit
• Fitted Shirt
• Anything You Want
• Utilitarian
• Metal Detektor

I think that's it. I may have missed one or two. Nothing from Telephono (which was not available at the merch booth, not even bootlegged), and only a couple songs from A Series of Sneaks, and those came during the encore. I wanted to hear Nefarious, Don't Buy the Realistic, Not Turning Off, Plastic Mylar, Car Radio, and The Guestlist/the Execution, but I guess I'll have to settle for a 20 song set.

Personally, I thought they rocked. And that's with my opinion jaded by two things: 1) the Angels blew two leads in the late innings on lost on a Cliff Floyd homerun (I was checking the wireless web on my phone during the show), and 2) my buddy walked out halfway through because he wasn't enjoying the show, which I thought was a little weird (but it was really hot in there). The latter was mitigated by me taking his spot, from which I could see everything very clearly, compared to the crappy spot I was in before that.

Britt Daniel looked like he was having a pretty good time, and that encouraged the crowd to do the same. Jim Eno was smiling throughout as well, and when the band is having fun, it usually makes for a pretty good show. So despite the Angels thing and the other thing, I give it a thumbs up.

Angels 3; Mets 5

Didn't see it. Was at the Spoon show. I'm just going to act like this one never happened, and I suggest you do the same.

Ivy w/ Astaire at the Double Door - June 9, 2005

This was Ivy's first trip to Chicago since late 2001, when they played the Double Door the same night the Beta Band were playing at the Metro. That was before I was into the Beta Band, so I wasn't disappointed, but looking back, I would like to have seen the Beta Band before they broke up. That night I was practically on the stage, but Thursday, I was pretty much dead center, about 15 feet from the stage, which is a good place to be at the Double Door. It was hot as hell, and I probably lost five pounds just standing there. It was as hot as it was the night we saw the Charlatans and BRMC at the Double Door almost exactly four years ago.

The show started about a half hour later than what was printed on the ticket, which meant I was 15 minutes early instead of 15 minutes late. I'd only heard a few Astaire songs, and they didn't really appeal to me, but they were terrific in person. They only have an EP available, so their set was limited, but I was pretty impressed. The band is made up of brother/sister combo Bruce and Erica Driscoll. Erica picks up where the last slew of bands I saw live left off by being hot. They also included an unexpected version of Shine On from the House of Love, which was pretty cool, since that's from one of my favorite albums (third album down, the Fontana recording). So thumbs up to Astaire.


See, she's hot

Ivy took the stage around 10:30 and played for about an hour and 15 minutes. Mostly stuff from the new album, with some older stuff, including their cover of the Orange Juice song "I Guess I'm Just a Little Too Sensitive". Incomplete and out of order setlist:

• Thinking About You
• Keep Moving
• Tess Don't Tell
• Four in the Morning
• Corners of Your Mind
• I've Got You Memorized (I'm pretty sure)
• This is the Day
• Ba Ba Ba
• Get out of the City
• These Are the Things About You (once again, I'm pretty sure)
• Get Enough

That's all I can remember. I'm sure there were another couple in there. They didn't play "Quick, Painless, and Easy" unfortunately, or "Lucy Doesn't Love You". They also didn't play "Let's Go to Bed" which the idiot next to me kept screaming for. I'm sorry, but If you're at a show with a band that has produced four full lengths and an EP, I don't care if they have an album of covers. I think it's a little lame to be asking them to play other people's songs. If they want to do it, cool. It's a nice surprise. I prefer the covers when they come out of nowhere, like when the Ocean Blue did 'Love Vigilantes', or when Crooked Fingers did 'Bring on the Dancing Horse' and 'Age of Consent. And who could forget when School of Fish did a great version of 'Save it for Later'? But I find the constant screaming for it a little rude.

Dominique Durand was looking more stunning than ever, and the rest of the guys....well...I wasn't really paying attention to them, because Dominique Durand was on stage.


She's married to the guy over her left shoulder

Although I did notice some of them wearing jackets, and I think Andy Chase was wearing some sort of tweed looking thing with elbow patches. It had to be brutally hot up there.

Anyway, another solid performace, worth the $15, but I could have done without the extra $11 tacked on by ticketbastard. I need to start a) deciding to go to these things a little sooner, and b) getting motivated to buy tickets at the box office. Now that my office is closer to the blue line, I'll have to start buying Double Door tickets on my lunch break again.

Tonight, the babes on stage concert series comes to an end with the Spoon show, unless you're a chick and you think Britt Daniel is attractive, which would certainly be a legitimate opinion. Dude seems pretty cool in interviews, and he writes a mean rock song. Review of that show forthcoming.


Babe? I don't know. I don't swing that way.

Angels 12; Mets 2

Tonight we experiment at L.A. Seitz of Chicago. Tonight's entry is being written while I'm both drunk, and suffering from the world's worst toothache.

Anyway, another solid effort from Bart. Man, that dude has been throwing a ton of strikes lately. His strike to ball ratio has been off the charts.

Nice to see them get to Ishii, who is just the type of pitcher that kills the Angels. A wild pitcher against a team that swings at everything is a bad combination. Fortunately, Legs showed some patience, drew a walk, and the floodgates opened. I'm not gonna look it up, but this makes a couple of game in which the predominantly left-handed lineup has done some serious damage against a left-handed pitcher.

Joel Peralta, big leaguer. Get used to it. That guy is here to stay. Hey, remember that Kevin Gregg guy? I don't.

Kelvim to the DL. Good call. Hopefully they'll make the next good call and make him have the surgery.

Anyway, I'm falling behind. I still have the Ivy concert review to write, the book thing that the Fatman is making do, and the Spoon review after tomorrow's show. Lots 'o work to do.

Angels 8; Braves 4

Couple of things to cover tonight, on what would normally be a happy occasion (and I guess still is, to some extent):

1) Let's stop the nonsense with Escobar. DL him, cut him open, fix it, and let him heal correctly. This two starts on, three starts off thing is getting ridiculous. It's pretty clear that the guy simply isn't right. He obviously did something in the fourth inning. You could tell when threw about 12 straight pitches under 90 mph. He finally realized that he couldn't get by on the splitter alone any longer and had to throw something hard. They have two guys capable of stepping into the rotation in Santana and Bootcheck. Give one of them the job for now and protect the investment before Escobar really shreds something in his elbow.

2) It's time to get rid of the illusion that Bengie Molina is a good defensive catcher. The guy can't catch the ball, which is a pretty important skill for a catcher to possess. I've never seen a gold glove catcher NOT catch so many pitches. It's not about his lack of speed. It's like he caught lackadasickitis from Garret Anderson. I'm not saying they should take him out of the lineup, because he's hitting right now. But let's just quit with the good defense thing.

3) Can anyone on this team play solid defense in right field? Or rather, can anyone who has a chance of being put in right field actually play solid defense in right field? Figgins? Nope. Davanon? I've followed his nose, and it says no (then again, he looks shaky in every outfield position, but usually makes the catch). Rivera? Not sold. Seriously, I love Vlad, but when he is the best defensive option you have in right field, well, let's just be happy that he's also the best offensive option in right field, too.

Great effort by the bullpen again, and Donnelly almost got himself a knock, and just may have if they weren't playing him up the middle. Something scares me about Frankie when he gets three fly ball outs. Oh well, it will pass.

Dallas is starting to hit, and it's at just the right time. It's coinciding with GA's resurgence, and Kennedy as well. Let's not forget that two of those guys are about a month behind everyone else. The offense is back to the point where I no longer consider the game a lost cause as soon as the Angels get behind. Or maybe I'm just in a better mood lately.

Kotchman actually hit a couple out of the infield, but foul. Baby steps, Casey. Baby steps.

Good win. Now let's go to New York and get back to .500 on the trip. Then Vlad comes back, things start to click, and the Angels will re-establish themselves in their rightful place atop the division stay (I hope).

Braves 3; Angels 2

Well, according to Rob, nothing much happened. I had a bad feeling about the offense in this one for some reason, and sure enough, they didn't come through. Honestly, I only saw probably the first three innings. The weekend, the red-eye, and the lack of sleep caught up with me, and I passed out about 7:30 CDT, and missed pretty much the whole thing. I woke up with the game over, and the TiVo tuned to the Discovery Channel to record Deadliest Catch.

Once again, I shirk my responsibility to you, the reader. I offer my apologies. Feel free to provide your own recap in the comments.

Ryan Tucker

Right handed pitcher out of Temple City High School was drafted 34th by the Marlins. I think that's the highest that TC has ever had a player drafted. Good luck, Ryan, and go Rams!

And while I'm on the subject, am I the only one who thinks it's weird that the Angels used two of their first three picks on middle infielders?

Angels 4; Braves 2

I know, this is late, but I just got into the office after taking the red-eye last night. Didn't really have time to recap because I was packing and what not.

Another strong start from Lackey, who finally looks like he's putting it all together. We've been waiting for this for a couple of years now, and it's great to finally see it happening. One mistake to LaRoche, which he paid for, but he didn't get rattled, and he got them through six and to the bullpen. This is how it's supposed to work; six strong from the starter, one from Donnelly, one from Shields, one from Frankie. Perfect. It's like when you make par by hitting it in the fairway, on the green, and a routine two putt.

The Erstad play: First, what is Roenicke smoking this season? How many crappy decisions has he made sending runners from third. Erstad was out by a mile, but for the collision. And what a collision it was. There can't really be any way to prepare for that if you're Estrada. He was just full on drilled, and poor guy, he almost held on. Smart play by Erstad though. He still has that football player mentality.

Angels got screwed on the close play at second where the throw pulled Giles off the bag (I think it was Giles at second). Note to the second base ump - once the runner hits the bag, it's no longer a force. If he comes off the bag, they have to tag him.

Good start to the trip. It's sad to think they have to win both of the remaining series to go .500 on the trip, but I'd sure take that right now. Vlad's starting to do some things on the side, so if they can tread water until he's back, they should be set up to make a run. And Dallas seems to be getting more comfortable at the plate. What he's done to this point doesn't matter. All that matters is what he does from here on in. And is it just me, or does he, for a power hitter, hit a lot soft line drives? A lot of them drop in, but I still think it's weird.

My round with TJ

Missed the game today, but from what I understand, the Angels were undone by the bullpen again. At least this time it was by the guys who are supposed to screw up. 2-4, not a promising start to the road trip.

I missed the game because I was playing in The Guardians' "Swing Fore the Home" charity golf tournament. The Guardians is a charity that raises money for the Jewish Home for the Aging. I was invited to play by LA Times columnist, T.J. Simers, for reasons that really don't need to be rehashed at this point. It's all in the posts below, complete with links to the relevant columns.

The day started with registration and collections of "goody bags", in this case, they consisted of very nice Adidas athletic bags, a couple of pairs of socks, a visor, and $50 to spend at the Nike merchndise booth by the first tee. They had all kinds of shoes and shirts, but I spent the money on a dozen balls and a new glove. I already get much better shoes (Footjoy Classics) at cost from the course at which I used to work. Also along the way, we collected samples of Pravda Vodka, and Corazon Tequila, which is very tasty Tequila. Having never gotten sick on Tequila, I still like to drink it.

Before teeing off, we did a segment on the radio show he does with his daughter, Tracy, on Sunday mornings. She was the reason we were there, and she was a lot of fun to hang out with the night before. Very funny and personable, especially for a domer. The first bachelor (at this point, if you're confused, you really need to go back and read the previous posts and columns) was a Dodgers fan, and he was asked his opinion on the McCourts. TJ got him to do a complete 180 on his answer before he was finished. Bachelor number two fielded a Shaq/Kobe question, and a 'no more beer at $C' question. I took a question on the Angels name change (I don't care, but I don't like Anaheim, so I'm sorta for it), and a question on Moreno, which ended with me complaining about the length of the Cabrera signing, what with all of the middle infield talent in the pipeline. It was pretty casual, and a nerve wracking, yet enjoyable experience.

Simers is almost universally despised by most commenters over at BTF, but I've always liked his stuff. He's just as irreverent and funny in person, and he's very quick. He never misses an opportunity to needle you about something. I ended up riding in the same cart with him all day, so we had a lot of good exchanges. He's very sarcastic, and he loves to make fun of people, so if you're sensitive, you're going to hate him, but if you roll with it, and give back, he's a fun guy to be around. And he seems to appreciate a quick wit, and I got the sense that he respects people with the stones to give as good as they get. One of the things we joked about was the way I mark my golf balls for identification (a common practice among most semi-serious goflers, and all serious golfers). For years, I've marked the space above the logo with a small '26'. He was determined to find out why*, but it took him a good 12-13 holes to get it out of me, and led to some pretty good back and forth as he pressed for an answer, while I dodged and weaved.

We shot 10 under (it was a scramble). That probably had us in the top ten, but not in the money (or Vodka, as it were). I didn't hit the ball as well as I did Friday, but I acquitted myself fairly well. One of the other guys was pretty good, and the other, well, let's just say he wasn't. By far the best aspect of the tournament was the free In-N-Out from the truck they brought on-site. For those that don't know, In-N-Out has some mobile units that go to special events or occasionally schools, where they cook up Double Doubles that taste as good as they do from a regular restaurant. I treated myself to a Double Double and a cheeseburger before I was done. Let's face it, In-N-Out is the real reason I keep coming home to visit. It is the greatest chain fast food burger in existence. There can be no argument over this.

All in all it was a great experience, and I'm glad I did it (despite the fact that Malibu Country Club is nothing to write home about). Met some great people, had a great time, played some golf, got some free stuff. Even saw Shannen Doherty in the pro shop after the tournament, as she was heading out to play (the place is public, but it must have some private memberships). The Guardians put on a first class event, and we were treated very well. All of the people we met in association with the tournament were first rate. And boy oh boy, do they have some money. When I rolled up in a Honda Civic, I think they thought I was the help.

So all in all, great event, great people, didn't get married, but got to come home for a couple of days. And I had another brush with media mediocreness.

*I do it in honor of the greatest European player in the history of the NHL, Peter Stastny.

Angels 13; Red Sox 6

Colon and the Angels took a little trip down memory lane today. His 11 strike outs reminded of the days when he was a dominant strike out pitcher. His five runs allowed over six innings, and his large run support reminded of last year, when he somehow won 18 games with an ERA over 5. The Angels remembered what it was like to actually win a game in Fenway park. The Angels pounded out 13 runs on 17 hits, and just demolished the Sox bullpen, tagging the relievers for 11 runs in three innings.

Congratulations to Garret Anderson, who passed Tim Salmon for the all time Angels lead in runs driven in. That's two Salmon records he's broken this season. He also missed the cycle by a double. He seems to be regaining his power stroke a bit, and he's hitting over .300. Figgins went deep for the second time in as many games, and D-Mac chipped in with a single and a run scored. I'm still looking for any little bit of production from him. Even in a 1-5 game, I think the hit helps build his confidence, and when he starts swinging the bat a little more consistently, he's going to be a force.

This game was long. Very long. And it's length seemed to make me more exhausted. Honestly, it's almost 2:00 am Chicago time (which I'm still on), and since about 6:00 am Chicago time yesterday, I've had about two hours of real sleep, plus the winks I got on the flight. I'm on fumes at this point.

Had dinner with T.J. Simers and his daughter, and the two other guys that are playing golf with us tomorrow. Talk about a small world, one of the guys is also a UC Riverside grad. Not only that, he's a Phi Delt, and played on their hockey team. He was probably one of the two or three players that we hated the most in those days. Of course, that's all water under the bridge now, but it was spooky when I found out. And I'm serious, we hated this guy. We had a pretty nice evening all told, and TJ picked up the tab at McCormick and Schmicks. I had the Halibut. Honestly, I've become a seafood snob. When it comes to Halibut or Salmon, I refuse to eat it unless it's wild Alaskan fish. That's what happens when your brother and his family move to Anchorage, and you read about the evils of salmon farming.

Tomorrow's game is a day game, so I won't be providing a recap. Hopefully something interesting will happen at the golf tournament, and I'll write about that. I tried not to oversell myself tonight, so hopefully I'll be striking the ball like I did yesterday. I'd actually like to win this thing (it's a scramble, so thankfully, the other guys get to putt, too).

Red Sox 7; Angels 4

Not much to say about this one. Actually, I only saw the bad parts. Donnelly has simply been awful of late, and he hasn't been tremendous all season. Shields looks a little overworked. The Red Sox have excellent plate discipline, and the fact of the matter is, if they aren't getting calls, they're going to get scored upon, because they're gonna be walking guys. That's what happened tonight.

I can only assume Escobar pitched well. I did see a hilight of a Johnny Damon line-out with the bases juiced, so apparently he was in trouble in at least one inning. I also saw a highlight of a Figgins homer. May have been his first as a righty this season, but I don't have time to check.

That's right, I'm shirking my responsibility to you, the reader. I hate to do it, especially after a couple of the largest traffic days in this blog's history (thanks to Matt and Scotto), but circumstances warranted that I miss much of the game. A friend of mine was in Indianapolis for the weekend, so me and a couple of guys drove the two hours down to West Lafayette to join him for 36 at Coyote Crossing. Great golf course. I won't bore you with the details, but I struck the ball very well, and could not putt for crap. 81 on the first round from the tips (6,800 yards) after bogeying 17 and doubling 18. The less said about the second round, the better. Suffice to say, I had about 30 putts on the front nine. Can't complain, though, as I took home the most cash. 22 greens in reg over the course of the two rounds (trust me, that's not bad), which tells me I need to hit the putting green. Anyway, we didn't get back until fairly late, and the traffic to my apartment from the West Loop was horrendous thanks to the Q101 festival (which I attended a couple of years ago when the Flaming Lips and Violent Femmes were playing).

Alright, I lied. Apparently I will bore you with the details.

Tomorrow's game I'll actually see, because it's a day game. Also, I'll be in LA. I leave tomorrow morning at about 6:20 am Chicago time, so I'll be in my parents' den in time for the first pitch. Why will I be in LA, you ask? I'll be playing golf on Sunday with LA Times sports columnist T.J. Simers. If you read his columns, and chances are you don't, you'll know what I'm talking about. Assuming you don't, you can check his column from a couple of weeks ago and draw your own conclusion. I make no apologies for my behavior, but keep in mind, it's also my parents' 40th wedding anniversary, so it was a good excuse to go home. And my mother put me up to it. Of course, that means that I'll probably miss Sunday's game, so you probably won't be treated to a recap. You may, however be treated to a recap of my round with T.J. I can tell how excited you are.

Christ! How did I miss this?!

Pitchfork is reporting that the Stone Roses are thismuch closer to reforming. This is huge. You may not realize it now, but someday, you will understand just how big this is. The band responsible for producing the finest album in the history of recorded music (and a disappointing follow up) may get back together. According the news item, Ian Brown, Mani, and Reni were reported taking in a show together. But that's not the big news. Mani and Reni are neutral players in this. Even the Ian Brown aspect isn't surprising, as he has been dropping Roses songs into his solo sets. The big news is this:

a most surprising admission has come from guitarist John Squire, who recently told Time Out that "the plan is to make a ferocious guitar record on my own. And then to put the Roses back together."

Now, anyone who has listened to "I am the Resurrection", most of the stuff from Second Coming, and "Love is the Law" from the Seahorses album knows that guitar Jesus, John Squire, is emminently qualified to write a ferocious guitar record. His last effort wasn't too bad, but it's pretty clear he's not a singer (although he is a pretty bitchin' artist). But the fact that he envisions a Roses reunion sometime down the line is nothing short of remarkable. I don't want to copy the whole story, but suffice to say these comments:

Squire referred to ex-frontman Ian Brown as a "tuneless knob" and a "paranoid mess."

aren't exactly shocking given the amount of bridge that been burned over the last ten years.

I'm not gonna lie. I'd shell out about $500 to see a reunion show. It would be that big of a deal for me. I have never heard an album that comes anywhere close to being as completely fucking mindblowingly good as the first Roses album. There's not a bad note on the entire disc. And it's not just that album. It's the whole creative period. You could put together two albums from the B-sides and other non-album tracks from their late '80/early '90s period and they would both end up in my personal top ten. If I considered Turns Into Stone and the Complete Stone Roses proper albums, they would be two of the ten best I've ever heard (to be fair, I don't consider Hatful of Hollow, Louder Than Bombs, or Outspaced proper albums either). To produce material like "Sally Cinammon", "Here it Comes", "Going Down", "Where Angels Play", "Standing Here", and of course, "Mersey Paradise", which is as good as any of their best album tracks, is simply incredible. And of course, they've created the greatest song ever written about ten car pile-up.

I'm standing warm against the cold
Now that the flames have taken hold
At least you left your life in style

And for as far I can see
Ten twisted grills grin back at me
Bad money dies I love the scene

Sometimes I fantasise
When the streets are cold and lonely
And the cars they burn below me
Don't these times fill your eyes
When the streets are cold and lonely
And the cars they burn below me
Are you all alone
Is anybody home?

Anyway, if you've listened to this album, chances are you know what I'm talking about. If you haven't, then for God's sake, get out there and find a way to listen to it. If you've listened to it and it didn't grab you, well then, I...I'm sorry, but there's just no hope for you.

I'll leave you with some Squire art.


Double Dorsal (Fools Gold single)


Love is the Law (Seahorses single of the same name)



Waterfall (Single of same name)




Bye Bye Badman (Used on cover of first album)

Angels 10; White Sox 7

My theory is that Frankie was a little upset that he wouldn't be pitching in a save situation, and decided to make things interesting. REALLY interesting. I would admit to my heart sinking when Uribe hit the long foul ball that almost won the game, but the fact is, I'd resigned myself to seeing them lose in dramatic fashion to the Sox AGAIN (see yesterday's post). The final out was a nice surprise.

Dallas is really starting to swing the bat well. 2 more hits tonight, and a walk, 3 runs, and 3 RBI. Nice production. And he really launched that homer. I rarely see balls hit that far to center field at the Cell. Any time you get two hits out of each of McPherson, Finley, and Cabrera, it's really a game you have to win.

At this rate, I'm picking sometime around mid-August before Kotchman gets one out of the infield. No joke, in the seventh inning, I told my buddy that the Sox were stupid to pitch to Molina, because Kotch was a guaranteed double play. Instead, they pitched to Molina, he ripped a two run single, and Kotch followed by hitting into a double play. Oh well, anytime the opposing manager outdumbs the Angels, it's fine by me.

Not as many insults tonight, but the crowd was smaller. Special thanks to the drunk lady who got off the Red Line at the North and Clybourn stop, then walked back over to the door by which I was standing, prompted me to remove my headphones (was listening to some Teenage Fanclub) just to tell me that "Anaheim sucks". I agree, Anaheim sucks.

Shields looked very sharp in the 8th, which was good to see. Note to Donnelly, you can't go to your mouth while on the mound. Three or four more automatic balls and he might figure it out. Interesting note, the scoreboard registered that as a pitch on their pitch count counter. I guess it technically has to be, but if I'm watching that to see how tired a guy is getting, it seems kind of stupid.

Much needed day off. Boston isn't scaring anyone right now, so let's go get a couple in Beantown and hope Texas takes tonights loss to the Tigers really hard.

Mr. or Ms. 1,000

Congrats to the visitor who uses something called "wideopenwest.com" as their ISP. You were the 1,000th visitor to the site. At least, you were the 1,000th visitor since I got that site-tracker thingy about a month ago when I re-started this thing. Of course, about 300 of those were probably me, so take that for what it's worth.

Yay.

White Sox 5; Angels 4

Ugh. Ya know, I've been to probably 10-15 Angels games in the six and half years I've lived in Illinois (a couple while making the two hour drive from Champaign), and I think the Angels have won two in that time. And they don't even have the decency to lose big. Well, except for that time that Ken Hill pitched. Seriously, I would prefer a 10-0 loss, where most of the crowd (including me) exits early, and everyone is pretty docile. But no. They have to keep playing close games that end with the White Sox winning in their final at bat, with drunk fans all charged up. Or games in which they're way ahead, and the White Sox stage an impossible comeback to win in what should have be their penultimate at bat. Of course, neither of those were as embarrassing as the time I saw them lose to a guy with a pitching arm that was hanging by a thread. That means the long walk out of the stadium is filled with drunken shouts of "Angels suck!" and "Percival sucks". No violence, though. I mean, what do you think this is, Dodger Stadium?

Lackey looked pretty OK, and shook off some trouble in the first inning. Really couldn't tell from out seats whether Figgins should have had a play on the Iguchi triple, but seeing how he judges fly balls in right, I'll say he should have had a play. You could tell that he took just an awful route. Once again, the offense chipped away, only to have it torn apart by lousy defense. Oy. That misplay by Figgins on the Everett "double" was the worst play I've EVER seen by a major league outfielder (hell, at least Canseco judged it well enough to have it hit him in the head) and how it went as a double is beyond me. Do we expect that little of a major league outfielder that we've determined a batter deserves a hit on a routine fly ball that gets completely botched?

Nice to see GA starting to swing the bat a little bit. Dallas didn't look bad, although for a power guy, he hits more soft liners than anyone I can remember. Kotchman, well, pretty much what we saw last year. Won't strike out, but won't hit it very hard.

Not much to say about the finish, other than it was incredibly predictable. I'll put myself through the same misery tomorrow night, this time without the 6'5", 250 lbs. guy sitting next to me and walking me out of the park. If you don't hear from me tomorrow, you'll know I snapped and started mouthing off at a bunch of drunk guys. Hey, I used to do it all the time when I played hockey.

And to the dipshits sitting behind me, I know it's fun to pronounce "Chone" phonetically, or perhaps you simply haven't progressed past hooked on phonics, but it gets really stupid after a while. I mean, in the abstract, phonetically speaking, is the proper pronunciation of Chone THAT much worse than the pronunciation of Sean? I know, it's Gaelic, but that's not the point, dammit.

Weaver inks (link)

Jered's in the fold. Only took 12 months for him to realize that the Angels were serious about their final offer. I'm not sure it's really worth it to rehash what was gain or lost by either side in all of this, but if the reports are right, and Weaver took the $4MM bonus, it's a pretty clear win for the Angels. It would have been nice to see him go through the instructional league and spring training, but I'd imagine he'll start at Rancho, if not some extended spring (which is ending soon). Keep him close to home for a month or so, and if he earns it, send him to Arkansas.

Ultimately, this gives the Angels at least three first round caliber guys out of the last draft period, with Weaver, Nick Adenhart, and Kendry Morales. Mark Trumbo may have been of that ilk as well. I don't know his whole story, but they signed him to a big money deal.

Baseball America is reporting that Weaver went for the $4MM bonus, so it would appear that Stoneman didn't move. If the Angels try to sign Washburn in the off-season (or before) you've got to think that Stoneman will be looking across the table and seeing nothing but his bitch in Scott Boras (pending the final numbers, of course). Then again, they'll be competing against a lot of other clubs, so maybe not.

What's done is done, Jered's in the fold, and it's time to see if he can be a big league pitcher. Welcome to the team, Jered. Good luck.

Sox vs. Angels - Liveblogging the HD experience

The White Sox and Cubs are broadcasting all home games in HD this season, whether they be on Comcast Sports Net or WGN. So this one is in HD today. It's the only game of the series I'll be watching on television, but man, it looks really, really nice.

• Both pitchers work pretty fast, with Buerhle in the "incredibly freaking fast" category, so this should be a quick one. I saw Buerhle on opening day, a 2:00 start. The game was over so fast that I ended up going back to the office before 5:00.
• Nice play by Figgins, as this one is rolling right along. Big ovation for the Big Hurt.
• Sox extend Guillen's contract. Reaction: At least he's good for some colorful headlines. And it's easier to do when the guy across town is taking all the heat.
• 2 on, none out, and they tell Rivera to bunt, which he predictably botches. Who the fuck is running this team? Christ, Scioscia, it's the fucking second inning! Next play, double play, and end of threat. It's no wonder this team can't score.
• 2 on, none out for the Sox. Bet they don't bunt.
• And the non-bunt pays off with a base hit. Bases juiced, no one out sounds a lot better than first and second with one out.
• Second straight inning with the bases loaded and none out. Wash might be able to avoid both spots with only one run total. But no, a two run double has probably put this game out of reach in the third inning. Wash has looked awful today. And they aren't calling smart pitches.
• Finley takes one out, providing the slightest glimmer of hope. He's been swinging it downright OK lately.
• Three straight innings with the first two men on. And Ozzie Guillen proves me wrong by outdumbing Scioscia and calling for a bunt with two on and none out, leading to a double play. These people are freaking idiots.
• Funny thing, I haven't gone through the game logs, but if I remember correctly, this is the first game in a LONG time that Washburn got out of the first inning without a threat, let alone 1-2-3. In most of the other games, he settled down and pitched very well from there on out. Today, it's been just the opposite. All kinds of baserunners, and more help from his defense, with a home to first double play, then a double play on a botched sacrifice. Weird how things work out sometimes. Although, he'll almost assuredly get the loss, so the more things change, the more they stay the same.
• Four straight innings with the lead-off runner aboard.
• No blood again thanks to the double play ball. Nice pick by D-Mac to start the double play. When people aren't talking about his defense, that means he's doing it right.
• Double for Finley. We really need that bat to be hot for a few weeks. Folllwed up by a single by Cabrera to drive in the run. The two big signings team up to get the Angels back in the game.
• Finally got the lead-off hitter, then gave up a single to Dye. Hopefully the good defense mojo can pick him up again.
• Peralta into the game. He looked terrific the other night, but I kind of have a bad feeling about this outing. I hope I'm wrong.
• I'm wrong. A double to Iguchi, but otherwise he looked strong. Maybe they found another hidden gem for the bullpen.
• Threatening. Marte - tough lefty - against D-Mac. Already 0-2, looking like a big K. If Marte throws a fastball here, he should be shot. Defensive swings keeping him at the plate. Just don't hit into a double play.
• Wow, he gets the double play ball, and Iguchi makes a bad toss for the error, and the Angels have the loaded for the might Q who comes through with a game tying single. Right about now, I'm kicking myself for removing Shields from my lineup in favor of Hermanson.
• Figgy time. I'd be taking three-one, but Figgy fouled off a pitch that was probably a strike anyway.
• Walks in the go ahead run. Wow. This would be a HUGE game to win. They're going to need every single break possible on this trip.
• Key question: Does Shields have enough left after yesterday's loooooooong inning?
• The early answer appears to be "No".
• Right now I'm really happy that I took Shields out of my lineup in favor of Hermanson.
• Well, I would have called for the intentional walk to load the bases, but apparently the Angels know that Everett isn't hitting righties well, and Shields strikes him out. Nervous time.
• And Timo comes through. Blown save. Loss. Ugh. Horrible start to the road trip. Too many lead-off runners on base.

Looking back, if you'd told me that they'd lose in the bottom of the ninth, I wouldn't have believed it, because they were in trouble in every inning. But when the sun is shining on you, you have to take advantage. The Angels got EVERY SINGLE BREAK and still lost. This could be the beginning of a long, long slide. I'm gonna be sick.

Angels 7; Royals 6

Whoa. Got a little crazy there at the end, but the Angels held on. I think this is actually a pretty good thing. Bad outing from Shields, but he picked a great time to have a bad outing. He did just enough to hold on, and if he worked out some of the kinks, he should be fine in his next outing.

The old man and the bat ripped a bases clearing double in the third, and scored on the Matt Stairs overthrow to complete the Little League home run. Then later, Mr. Clutch, Jose Molina, ripped a bases clearing double in the fifth to extend to a 5 run lead, which turned out to be just enough.

No homer from McPherson today, but he had a nice single in the second, an at bat in which he looked very confident to me. He also hit a ball hard for an out, and struck out twice, so maybe he's not as confident as I thought. Oh well, 3 out of 4 games isn't too bad. I still say we shouldn't send him down, although Matt may try to convince me otherwise. I mean, he did make three whole outs today. By the way, I haven't heard to many comments about his defense lately, but he sure looks OK to me.

Colon looked fairly sharp, and he owned David DeJesus. He's looking like very legitimate Cy Young candidate, and perhaps it's too early to start talking about that stuff, but with Garland's recent struggles (hey, thanks for nothing against the Rangers, John), I suspect we'll be hearing Colon's name more and more in that regard.

On to Chicago for three against the Sox. I'll probably skip tomorrow, but I've got tickets for Tuesday and Wednesday, so I hope to provide my up close and personal observations. Observation number 1: They have really good food at Commiskey. Tuesday I'll be going with a guy who likes to order a Polish loaded with grilled onions, which he then takes to the condiment section so he can add more raw onions to the mix. He's a pretty big guy, so I don't make fun of him for it. It's also a good idea to go with a really big dude when you're rooting for the other team.

On a further note, I'll be back in LA next weeked for a couple of days to play in a golf tournament, which I'll write about if I feel like I can handle the embarrassment of the whole situation. Trust me, you'll see what I mean if I do indeed comment on it.

England 2; United States 1

Headed down to Soldier Field yesterday to catch the Americans take on the English. Weather was pretty good. Only a few sprinkles, and it stayed pretty cool all day. My buddy Phil and his wife Claudia flew in from LA for the game. I pretty much root for England over anyone except the U.S. In fact, I still have the St. George's cross hanging in my front window that I put up during the 2002 World Cup, then never took down. That said, I was surprised at how many Americans I saw rooting against the U.S. Like, for example, Phil and Claudia.

The crowd representation on TV had to look pretty English. They had the flags all over the place.

Lots 'o flags

Americans don't really go for that, so it looked worse than it was. No doubt, there were a lot of England fans there, but I'd say the crowd actually cheered about 60/40 for the U.S.

We actually had better seats than I expected. We were in the third row at field level, just this side of midfield. I usually prefer to sit a little higher for soccer, but from where we were, you could see most of the game pretty well, and we got a great view of the little things that you don't always see from farther away.

Sideline action

One thing very noticeable from our seats was the size of Sol Campbell. He is a big dude.

Sol Campbell is big

Anyway, England jumped out to a 1-0 lead on a beautiful curl from Kieran Richardson, playing in his international debut. From just outside the 18 yard box he curled one over the wall and away from Kasey Keller. He added another goal just before halftime on a great finish of a Joe Cole pass. The U.S., who actually had some excellent chances (especially from Landon Donovan), managed to draw within one with about 12 minutes to go on a Clint Dempsey goal.

Celebrating our only goal

This game had more action in the first 30 seconds than the entire 90 minutes of Bayern Munich vs. Man United last year. Which leads me to ask, why the hell are they called Bayern Munich? Shouldn't they be either Bavaria Munich or Bayern München? That's always bugged me.

Anyway, not much to report other than that. There's a couple more pictures at my buzznet site. The weather held up, the game had some action, our seats were good, and we didn't have to wait for trains very long (seriously, we had perfect timing). A good time was had by all.