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Friday, June 03, 2005

Top of the 1^st

A NEW RULE

It started innocently enough. I was attempting to clean up the pile of magazines in my bedroom. There always seems to be a reason to keep a magazine, there’s always an article that you want to get to…sooner or later. Well, you can file this one in the “later” category.

There it was, an ESPN Magazine from April 12…2004. A-Rod is on the cover of this MLB preview issue. I pick it up and I’m about to put it into the recycling bag when I made my mistake. “What the ****, I might as well take a peek inside.,” I said to myself. Score that “E, B-B.”

The next thing you know my clean up efforts have gone awry and I’m reading Peter Gammons picks for the 2004 season. Now, this is the part where I really feel miserable. The pile of magazines that still remain doesn’t bother me as much as the fact that I’m going to share with you Peter’s picks.

Let me preface this by saying that I think Gammons is one of the greats. He deserves to be in the Hall of Fame. He deserves to be Commissioner of Baseball. He doesn’t deserve for me to review his picks.

He did pick the Angels last year to win the AL West followed by

Oakland

,

Seattle

, and

Texas

. Reverse the rangers and the Mariners and he nailed the division and while he picked the A’s to win the Wild Card, remember they did only finish a game behind the Angels.

It gets uglier in the AL Central… a lot. Peter picked the KC Royals to win the division. The same Royals that finished last with 104 losses. Following the Royals were the White Sox (who did finish second), folled by the Twins (who finished first), the Indians (who finished third) and in fifth, the Tigers, who finished fourth. All in all, other than picking the team that finished last to fini9sh first, it wasn’t that awful.

In the AL East, Gammons went with his hometown Red Sox to finish first, followed by the Yankees, Blue Jays, Orioles, and Devil Rays. The actual finish was NY,

Boston

,

Baltimore

,

Tampa

Bay

, and

Toronto

.

The NL West was a lot like the AL Central. Gammons picked the Diamondbacks to win the division.

Arizona

actually finished last with 111 losses. He had the division winning Dodgers in second and the third place Padres in third place. He picked the second place Giants for fourth and the fourth place

Rockies

for fifth. Not a great one, huh?

The NL Central is not pretty either. The Cubs who finished 16 games behind the Cardinals in 3^rd place are Gammons’ pick, followed by the Astros who finished 13 games back in second. Then Peter has the Cardinals, Pirates, Brewers, and Reds. The bottom three ended Reds, Pirates, and Brewers.

In the NL East, Peter was not the only one who was fooled when he picked the Phillies to finish first (they finished second). He then picked the third place Marlins for second. He should have known better, you never pick the Braves for anything other than first, but nonetheless he opted for third. Then correctly picking the Mets and the Expos was kind of a no-brainer.

So, there you have it, except the Peter picked the Cubs over the Red Sox in the Series in seven.

Here’s my new rule - on September 1, you throw away anything that has that season’s picks. Nobody should be subject to this scrutiny unless they want for bragging rights.

By the way, I just threw out the magazine.

Top of the 2^nd

THE SONG OF THE DAY

Chubby Checker’s “Limbo Rock”, which had the refrain “How low can you go?” We dedicate this song to the New York Yankees who were swept by the Kansas City Royals. It is the third time in Yankee history that the team had been swept in three games by the team with the worst record in the majors. The other times were in 2000 by

Detroit

and 1937 by the

Philadelphia

A's.

The not quite $40 million Royals completed its first three-game sweep at home of the more than $200 million Yankees in 15 years. The Royals had gone 78 series without sweeping anyone, the longest drought in the majors since the Phillies went 79 series without a sweep from 1996-97. Despite their three-game sweep, the Royals' record of 16-37 is still the worst in the majors and the Yankees have their first five-game losing streak in three years.

Not that it matters, but KC won, 5-2

Top of the 3^rd

A SIMPLE QUESTION

When the game is on the line in the bottom of the 9^th, is there anyone you would rather have up to the plate than David Ortiz? The Red Sox designated Papi hit a game-winning homer on a full count with two outs in the bottom of the 9^th yesterday, giving

Boston

a 6-4 victory over

Baltimore

. It was the fifth game-ending homer of Ortiz's career, including two in the 2004 playoffs. Ortiz’ three-run blast saved Sox closer (?) Keith Foulke from another ignominious defeat. It was Ortiz's 13th homer of the year, but the first for

Boston

in four games.

The Red Sox remain the only team in the majors without an extra-inning game this season, earned a four-game split to remain three games behind the Orioles in the division.

Top of the 4^th

WHAT’S UP WITH BUCKY?

Billy-Ball favorite Bucky Jacobson made an appearance in the Mariners clubhouse yesterday, saying hello to teammates and autographing baseballs. Bucky is coming off right knee surgery and is leaving for

Arizona

next week to start running and doing some work on the field. He has been running on elliptical machines and the treadmill to improve his strength and conditioning. Jacobsen hopes he can start playing in rehab games by the end of the month.

Maybe, when he is in

Arizona

he’ll run into Curt Schilling who is rehabbing in

Tempe

,

Ariz.

, at the Athletes Performance Insititute.

Top of the 5^th

SEVENS

Who needs Wood or Prior? The Cubbies have Glendon Rusch and right now that may be enough. Rusch pitched a four-hit shutout and Derrek Lee had three more hits to raise his average to .389, leading

Chicago

to a 5-0 victory, the Cubs' season-high seventh straight win. Rusch (5-1) allowed just four singles in pitching his first complete game of the season and his third career shutout. The left-hander retired 17 of his last 19 batters, struck out seven and walked one. Only one Padres' baserunner reached second.

The Cubs have gone from three games under .500 to 28-24 in one week, and have pulled within 5½ games of

NL Central-leading St. Louis

. The NL West-leading Padres lost consecutive games for just the second time in 32 games and lost consecutive games at home for the first time this season.

On the other side of seven,

San Francisco

dropped its seventh straight game last night, 6-5 to

Philadelphia

. The Phillies (27-27) swept the three-game series and moved back to .500 for the first time since they were 8-8 on April 21. They haven't had a winning record since April 18, but have won 12 of 18 and open a four-game series at home against

Arizona

on Friday.

Top of the 6^th

DOTEL CLOSED OUT

Oakland A’s closer Octavio Dotel will have reconstructive elbow surgery as soon as possible, despite receiving recommendations from four doctors that he try to rehabilitate the injury first. Dotel, who is in the last year of his contract, has indicated that the pain is to severe to continue trying without surgery which could sideline him at least a year and possibly up to two years.

Dotel is missing the ulnar collateral ligament in his elbow, which

Davis

said he tore at some point. The surgery will entail removing a tendon from elsewhere in his body and weaving it into the elbow area to alleviate some of the muscle strains he's been having.

Top of the 7^th

BILLY-BALL-A-GRAM - 6/3/2005

This birthday boy was the third player to hit two grand slams in consecutive innings.

EMIT JINGLE

BILLY-BALL-TRIVIA - 6/3/2005

Who are the first three players to hit grand slams in consecutive innings?

Send your answers to Bill@billy-ball.com 

Bottom of the 7^th

BILLY-BALL-A-GRAM ANSWER - 6/2/05

Which former 2^nd baseman, born on this date, became the symbol for Yankee mediocrity in the late ‘60s and early ‘70’s?

RARE LOCK ACHE - Horace Clarke

BILLY-BALL-TRIVIA-ANSWER - 6/2/05

What Yankee great announced his retirement on this date in 1935 and which Yankee great died on this date in 1941?

In 1935, Babe Ruth announces his retirement as a player at age 40.

In 1941, Lou Gehrig dies of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis at age 37 in

New York

. From that time on, the illness is known primarily as Lou Gehrig's Disease.

Top of the 8^th

DID YOU KNOW?

The Royals' sweepless streak wasn't even close to the major-league record of 134 series set by the Philadelphia Athletics from 1918-22.

Top of the 9^th

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND EVERYONE

Thanks as always for another great week of baseball. Have fun, buy a bobble ankle, hug your kids, hug your neighbors and root for your favorite team.

Where is today’s Mark Felt, when we need him?

See you Monday.

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Thursday, June 02, 2005

Top of the 1^st

THINK BEFORE YOU VOTE

Stop casting All-Star ballots. Just stop. Don’t vote, don’t punch holes, don’t fill in the blanks, don’t hang any chads. Stop.

It is bad enough that the general populace is given the vote and I don’t mean just for the All-Star game, but why must they vote so early and so often? What I really mean to ask is why must people vote like idiots?

Because there are sponsors involved, Major League Baseball starts the voting early. I think it begins on February 26. This is why in the results released yesterday, Chicago Cubs shortstop Nomar Garciaparra was among the leaders in the National League All-Star voting. Is it insufficient that Nomar is so dramatically injured that he can’t even volley with wife Mia Hamm? What about the fact that he hasn’t played since April 20? Does that not mean anything to anybody? The real reason that I don’t believe fans should be allowed to vote is because Nomar was batting.157 without a home run when he tore his left groin. What is with these people who voted 235,899 times for Nomar who holds a slim lead over St. Louis' David Eckstein. Eckstein who is hitting .301 is clearly unworthy of too many votes in the minds of these geniuses.

Now voting for Albert Pujols is not ordinarily a bad thing, but the fact that the St. Louis first baseman is the leading vote-getter with 570,004 is a stupid thing. You see Chicago's Derrek Lee, who has 268,189 votes, is the league leader in batting average, home runs and RBI. That’s the Triple Crown, folks. He is winning the Triple Crown and you have 300,000 votes behind someone.

Scott Rolen with his .257 batting average has received 404,404 votes to lead all third basemen. Ken Griffey, Jr. and his .266 batting average puts him in the outfield with Jim Edmonds and Carlos Beltran. Has anybody heard of Miguel Cabrera or Bobby Abreu?

Well, at least Mike Piazza is the leading vote getter behind the plate. Because a .242 hitter belongs in the All-Star Classic.

Look folks, be a little smarter. Major League Baseball, don’t start the voting until June 1. Fans, show you deserve the right to vote. Pay attention to what’s going on and try not to be idiots.

Now that we have that understood, I would like to once again talk to you about what happened in the last two Presidential elections….

Top of the 2^nd

BUDDY BELL’S DAYS NUMBERED

After defeating Randy Johnson and the New York Yankees last night, 3-1, Buddy Bell is now 2-0 as Royals manager and upper management in KC is visibly upset. Unnamed sources (it was Mark Felt) told me, “We hired Bell because he went 184-277 (.399) as manager of the Tigers and 161-185 (.465) with the Rockies. If we have a manager that starts winning we’re going to have to pay our players more and we really don’t want to do that.

Hey, by the way, have you seen our latest price buster specials at Wal-Mart? When you stop into the local Kansas City Wal-Mart, make sure you say ‘Ola!’ to our new greeter, Tony Pena!”

Top of the 3^rd

DERREK ON DEREK

Derrek Lee went 5-5 including a three-run homer, raising his major league-leading batting average to .380 and leading the Chicago Cubs to a 9-5 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Cubs swept the three-game series at Dodger Stadium for the first time since May 1995 and moved a season-high three games over .500.

Lee's 17th homer tied him with Alex Rodriguez for the major-league lead and lifted his big-league RBI total to majors' best 50. Lee also ranks among the top five in runs scored with 41 and hits with 71. All the more reason why he shouldn’t be an All-Star.

Derrek did his damage off of birthday boy, Derek Lowe (4-5). Lowe allowed six fo the first 10 Cubs to get hits and was lifted after allowing a season-high 13 hits and six runs in 5 2/3 innings. Clearly, Lowe felt, even on his birthday, it was better to give than receive.

The Dodgers have lost 24 of 38 games since going 12-2 to start the season, dropping them to .500 for the first time since they split their first two games.

Top of the 4^th

TIGERS STOP TEXAS

With a 4-1 lead going into the 7^th inning, the Texas Rangers looked like they were on their way to their 10^th straight victory, but starter Ryan Drese (4-5) quickly lost the lead and the streak when Detroit scored 5 times on their way to a 6-4 victory. Despite beautiful weather, and the fact that Detroit has won four of five, only 15,428 fans attended the game. The Rangers fell into a first-place tie with the Los Angeles Angels in the AL West.

Top of the 5^th

HIGH FIVE AND CRAPS FOR TORII

Torii Hunter went 5-for-5, including a grand slam, and drove in six runs to lead the Minnesota Twins to a 6-2 victory over the Cleveland Indian.

"Tonight, I will be at the casino -- I'm all in," Hunter said after the game. Hunter was immediately suspended by Bud Selig.

Top of the 6^th

THOME SAYS TOO MUCH

Phillies first baseman Jim Thome was ejected from last night's game against San Francisco for arguing a called third strike. Thome argued briefly with plate umpire Paul Schrieber and was tossed out after he said something on his way toward the dugout. I personally think he said something to the effect, “I stink and I don’t need your stinky calls to show everybody how much I’m stinking out this stinking season.” Thome, sidelined for almost three weeks because of a back injury last month, is batting .209 with two homers and 17 RBIs.

Thome tossed aside a water cooler in the dugout on his way to the clubhouse. I hope he didn’t re-injure his back.

The Phils defeated the Giants in the game, 10-6 on Chase Utley's pinch-hit, two-out grand slam in the 8^th. Jimmy Rollins had four hits, Bobby Abreu (Abreu has reached safely in 23 consecutive games) and Mike Lieberthal had three apiece and the Phillies finished with a season-high 19. The last-place Phillies have won 11 of 17 and are within one game of .500 (26-27) for the first time since April 22.

The Giants have lost six in a row for the first time since August 2003.

Top of the 7^th

BILLY-BALL-A-GRAM - 6/2/2005

Which former 2^nd baseman, born on this date, became the symbol for Yankee mediocrity in the late ‘60s and early ‘70’s?

RARE LOCK ACHE

BILLY-BALL-TRIVIA - 6/2/2005

What Yankee great announced his retirement on this date in 1935 and which Yankee great died on this date in 1941?

Send your answers to Bill@billy-ball.com 

Bottom of the 7^th

BILLY-BALL-A-GRAM ANSWER - 6/2/05

He celebrated his birthday last night.

CZAR SO ABNORMAL

Tuesday, Carlos Zambrano, pitching against the Dodgers allowed just one hit in a game for the third time this season.

BILLY-BALL-TRIVIA-ANSWER - 6/2/05

Can you name the two Rookie of the Year winners from the 1980s who played in the World Series before winning the award?

In 1981, the Dodgers' Steve Sax filled in for the injured Davey Lopes in the World Series. He won the 1982 NL Rookie of the Year Award. In the 1985 World Series, Todd Worrell of the St. Louis Cardinals, pitched in the World Series (remember the infamous blown call by Don Denkinger on which Worrell was covering first?). Worrell went on to become the 1986 NL Rookie of the Year.

Top of the 8^th

DID YOU KNOW?

There are eight players (Bret Boone, Ellis Burks, Eric Davis, Jose Guillen, Glenallen Hill, Rafael Palmeiro, Richie Sexson, Gary Sheffield) who have homered against all 30 big-league teams. Detroit Tigers outfielder Rondell White needs a homer against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays to join that group.

Top of the 9^th

ALOU RECEIVES EXTENSION

The San Francisco Giants extended 70-year old manager Felipe Alou's contract through the 2006 season. Since joining the Giants, Alou has a 214-159 record, and he has won more games over his first two campaigns (191) than any manager in franchise history. Alou hopes to manage long enough to reach 1,000 victories (he has 905) and see the return of Barry B*nds (to the size of a normal human).

The contract was extended through the 2006 season, with a mutual option for 2007. In addition, Alou gets special dispensation for extended hours for the early-bird specials.

Have a great day!

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Wednesday, June 01, 2005

Top of the 1^st

MAY WAS A STRANGE MONTH

But then again, aren’t they all?

May 1 - Standings

American League

East

1. June 1 - Baltimore 31-20 .608

May 1 - Baltimore 16-7 .696 - Can the Orioles stay in first place? Probably not. They’ve lost their catcher, centerfielder and number one pitcher to injuries. Can they stay in contention? Absolutely. Brian Roberts is having a break out season, Miguel Tejada is as valuable a player as there is in baseball, and Ray Miller is a great pitching coach. Lee Mazzilli’s team won’t go away quietly. Soso hasn’t homered since April 24.

2. June 1 - Boston 28-23  .549 3 

May 1 - Boston 12-11 .522 4 - Okay, first no Wells, then no Schilling, but Wade Miller is on his way to becoming the ace of this staff. Tim Wakefield seems to miss Doug Mirabelli, but the knuckleball catcher will be back shortly. Bronson Arroyo will straighten out or become the long reliever. The hitting has been patchy. But they’re in second place, beating the teams they need to beat and Manny has yet to get really hot. In addition, they seem to have been on the road almost all season and this team loves home cooking.

3. June 1 - Toronto 28-24 .538 3½

May 1 - Toronto 13-12 .520 4 - The Jays are actually a very interesting team in that they make things happen and they happen to be hanging tough in this division. I like starting pitcher Gustavo Chacin and manager John Gibbons, but this team will be thrilled to finish third.

4. June 1 - N.Y. Yankees 27-24  .529 4

May 1 - NY Yankees 10-14 .417 6 1/2 - Okay everybody knew they wouldn’t play as bad as they looked in April, they question is are they as good as their hot streak in May? There is not one pitcher on this highly paid starting staff that you can feel confident about when they go on the mound. The rest of the season is filled with a schedule against teams with a better than .500 record and that’s who the Yankees are having their biggest problems.

5. June 1 - Tampa Bay - 19-34 .358 13

May 1 - Tampa Bay 8-16 .333 8 1/2 - Poor Lou, poor, poor Lou, he gets no help from rich, rich owner Vince Naimoli. The good news is that it’s June and there are only how many months left?

Central

1. June 1- Chicago White Sox 35-17 .673

May 1 - Chicago White Sox 17-7 .708 - The White Sox have held first place in the American League Central every day this season and have owned the best record in baseball every day since April 30. As they should, they are back playing real baseball, timely hitting, stealing bases, and solid pitching from Mark Buehrle and Freddy Garcia and especially Jon Garland. Frank Thomas is changing his nickname from the Big Hurt to the Continually Hurt. The White Sox are 17-7 in one-run games this season, 10-3 at home.

2. June 1- Minnesota 29   21 .580 5

May 1- Minnesota 15-8 .652 1 1/2 - Did you know that since the innovation of the Wild Card that there never has been a WC representative from the AL Central? You just have the feeling that Ron Gardenhire and Terry Ryan may end that streak. The Twins starters have thrown six-plus innings in 20 of 21 outings. In case you were curious, that’s a good thing.

3. June 1 - Cleveland 25-25 .500 9

May 1 - Cleveland 9-14 .391 7 ½ - The Tribe is finally finding their stride. I really expected better things from this ballclub and they seem to be turning it around if they can start to hit when it counts. The team ranks near the bottom of the American League in RBIs. Every player deserves a theme song when they come to the plate. For Aaron Boone, it should be “Taps.”

4. June 1 - Detroit 23-26  .469 10½

May 1 - Detroit 11-11 .500 5 - The Tigers need Magglio Ordonez to return from his hernia operation. Ivan Rodriguez said he has a fracture in his right hand, but expects to continue playing despite the injury. I’m not sure that’s a good thing. He should sit for awhile and gain some weight. The team improved yesterday when they sent first baseman Carlos Pena to Toledo and replaced him with Chris Shelton.

5. June 1 - Kansas City 14 -37 .275 20½ -

May 1 - Kansas City 6-18 .250 11 - The Royals may have figured out how to win: fire the hitting coach, hire Buddy Bell to manage, and play the Yankees. However, in spite of their win last night, the Royals have the same record after 51 games that the New York Mets had en route to losing a major league-record 120 games in 1962.

                                                                                                                              

West

1. June 1 - Texas 30-20   .600

May 1 - Texas 12-13 .480 1 1/2 - Are you beginning to get the sense that Buck Showalter actually knows what the **** he’s doing? Kenny Rogers (7-2) won his seventh consecutive start yesterday and lowered his American League-leading ERA to 1.65. Mark Texeira is an All-Star, Gold Glove, and may even an MVP. Ricardo Rodriguez may be their next pitching star, if they ever bring him up from the minors. The Rangers closed the month first in home runs and third in runs and tied for the fewest errors with 25.

2. June 1 L.A. Angels 30-22 .577 1

May 1 Angels 13-11 .542 - The Angels have the lowest team on-base percentage in the majors and really miss Vlad Guerrero. The good news is he should be back in a week or less and they also should be getting K-Rod back in the ‘pen. Steve Finley is still looking awful, Dallas McPherson may finally be adjusting and Casey Kotchman has just arrived. Orlando Cabrera is still my guy at short.

3. June 1 - Seattle 21- 30 .412 9 ½ 

May 1 - Seattle 12-12 .500 1 - Here’s a team that needs to fire their hitting coach, even Ichiro is slumping. They’re hitting .250 with 149 walks and 334 strikeouts.

4. June 1 - Oakland 19-32 .373 11 ½

May 1 - Oakland 12-12 .500 1 - This is the closest this team may be this season. Now let’s see what you have in your money bag of tricks, Mr. Beane. Eric Chavez looks awful (Billy-Ball is being kind).

National League

East

1. June 1 Florida 27-22    .551

May 1 - Florida 14-8 .636 - The more you see this team, the more you like this team, but a bunch of nagging injuries, (Burnett, Castillo, Mota) hamper the team. Their 3.39 ERA is the best in baseball, so why can’t they beat the Pirates?

2. June 1 Atlanta 28-23    .549

May 1 -Atlanta 14-10 .583 1 - Let’s see, Raphael Furcal’s shoulder hurts and he’s struggling. Danny Kolb struggled as a closer, and Raul Mondesi was released. The team has the same On Base Percentage as the Seattle Mariners (.312) and their .249 batting average ranks them 26^th in the majors. Sounds like the Braves locked up another title.

3. June 1 - Washington 27-25 .519 1½ 

May 1 - Washington 13-11 .542 2 - If nothing else this team is exciting. The Nationals are 11-6 in one-run games; they trailed in 17 of their 27 wins. Marlon Byrd has been hot since he joined the team, but Cristian Guzman is hitting an abominable .183. Brad Wilkerson and Jose Guillen have both been effective.

4. June 1 N.Y. Mets 26-26 .500  2½

May 1 - NY Mets 11-13 .458 4 - Somehow, some way, this team will be better than .500 by season’s end, it’s just that nobody knows the way…yet. Anybody want Kaz Matsui? Anybody?

5. June 1 - Philadelphia 25-27 .481 3½

May 1 - Philadelphia 10-14 .417 5 - This team is doing so much better, they are practically at .500, which means they are still not playing as well as the Mets. They have just started their longest homestand of the season, 13 games and if they can do well, they will be able to do battle for third place.

                                                                                                            

Central

1. June 1 - St. Louis 33-18 .647   -

May 1 -St. Louis 15-7 .682 - LaRussa spends his nights thinking about setting the rotation for the playoffs.

2. June 1 - Chi. Cubs 26-24 .520 6½

May 1 - Chicago Cubs 12-11 .522 3 1/2 - Their recent hot streak has gotten them above .500. Whoop-dee-do, I mean, Whoop-dee-done.

3. June 1 - Milwaukee 24-27 .471 9

May 1 - Milwaukee 10-13 .435 5 ½ - Nice to see them doing better but they’re going nowhere.

4. June 1 - Pittsburgh 23-27 .460 9½

May 1 - Pittsburgh 8-14 .364 7- Nice to see them doing better but they’re going nowhere.

5. June 1 - Cincinnati 21-31 .40412½

May 1 - Cincinnati 10-13 .435 5 1/2 - The reds have proven that you don’t need to be cheap to stink.

6. June 1 -Houston 19-32 .373     14

May 1 -Houston 9-13 .409 6 - “Hello, may I please speak to Brian Cashman? What’s it about? Just say “Roger Clemens”. Yes, I’ll hold.”

                        

West

1. June 1 - San Diego 33  -19 .635

May 1 - San Diego 11-13 .458 4 1/2 - San Diego has the National League West lead, thanks to a major league-best 18-4 home record. The bullpen is a major league-best 14-5 and had a 3.30 ERA through Monday. The Padres won a club record 22 games in May. The Padres are an NL-best 13-4 in one-run games.

2. June 1 Arizona 30-22   .577 - 3

May 1 Arizona 14-10 .583 1 1/2 - injuries are starting to effect this team. Troy Glaus is hurting but producing.

3. June 1 - L.A. Dodgers 26-25   .510

May 1 - Los Angeles 15-8 .652 - 6 ½ Leave us not forget this team was 12-2. Leave us forget about this team, for now.

4. June 1 - San Francisco 23-27   .460

May 1 - San Francisco 12-11 .522 3 - Wouldn’t it be great to see this team thrive without the Pain-in-the-*terisk? It’s harder now that they’ve lost Armando.

5. - Post-juice baseball is a different game (read: better game). Watch these Padres on the base paths and watch them generate some runs.
6. June 1 - Colorado 15-35 .300  17

May 1 - Colorado 6-15 .286 8 - The Rockies wake up every morning glad they are not the Royals.

                                                                                                            

Top of the 2^nd

BASEBALL’S BEST RECORDS IN MAY

1. San Diego      22-6  .786

2. Texas             18-7  .720

3. White Sox      18-10 .643

4. Yankees         17-10 .630

5. St. Louis        18-11 .621

6. L.A. Angels    17-11 .607

Top of the 3^rd

YEAH, LIKE THIS WILL HELP

Buddy Bell was hired as manager of the Kansas City Royals on Tuesday, taking over the team with the worst record in the majors. Bell, who was the bench coach for Cleveland, will be the first Royals manager in about two decades with previous experience as a major league skipper. Bell went 345-462 managing Detroit and Colorado.

Top of the 4^th

JUAN GONE AGAIN

Juan Gonzalez's latest comeback lasted three pitches. Gonzalez returned to Cleveland for tests after straining his right hamstring last night in Minnesota. The delicate outfielder, got hurt in the 1^st inning trying to beat out a slow grounder in his first major league at-bat in over a year. He never made it to first base, turning right, dropping his head and heading directly into the Indians' dugout. It's the same hamstring he hurt at the end of spring training.

Top of the 5^th

COMING TO A THEATRE NEAR YOU

On July 22, a remake of the 1976 classic "The Bad News Bears" starring Walter Matthau opens with Billy Bob Thornton playing the cursing, drinking former minor leaguer tapped to coach a horrendous Little League team and lead them to the promised land, where they have to face their arch-rivals, the Yankees. Here's the good news: "School of Rock" helmer Richard Linklater is directing. Here’s the better news: we watched the original the other night ands it still holds up.

Top of the 6^th

WAL-MART DRAFTS

Arizona probably will use the top pick to sign Justin Upton, a high school shortstop from Chesapeake, Va., and the brother of Tampa Bay's B.J. Upton. No. 2 should be University of Nebraska third baseman Alex Gordon, who is hitting around .390 this season. The only problem is that the second pick could command a bonus of almost $4 million and there are rumors that the Royals won't be allowed to spend more than $2 million. KC GM Allard Baird denies this, "Our intention is to get the best available player," Baird said.

"We're not going to go crazy. We're fiscally responsible. But there's a difference to being fiscally responsible and being cheap. We are not cheap."

Allard, there’s also a difference between being cheap and being a fibber, although maybe not in this case.

Top of the 7^th

BILLY-BALL-A-GRAM - 6/1/2005

He celebrated his birthday last night.

CZAR SO ABNORMAL

BILLY-BALL-TRIVIA - 6/1/2005

Can you name the two Rookie of the Year winners from the 1980s who played in the World Series before winning the award?

Send your answers to Bill@billy-ball.com 

Bottom of the 7^th

BILLY-BALL-A-GRAM ANSWER - 6/1/05

R.I.P. This Oriole who shares the ML record for fewest errors in a season by a second baseman passed on this date in 1987.

I DREARY JAR - Jerry Adair who holds the ML record (with Bobby Grich and Joe Morgan) for fewest errors in a season by a second baseman (five, in 1964).

BILLY-BALL-TRIVIA-ANSWER - 6/1/05

On May 30, 1956, Mickey Mantle hit a home run that comes within 18 inches of leaving Yankee Stadium, something never accomplished by any major leaguer. Who was the Washington Senator pitcher who gave up this prodigious blast?

In the second game of a doubleheader against the Washington Senators, Mantle hit a pitch from Camilo Pascual The ball was still climbing when it caromed off the upper-stand facade, about 396 feet from home plate. Estimates are that the ball could have traveled more than 600 feet. It was Mantle's 20th home run of the season; no one else has ever hit 20 home runs before June. Mantle also homered in the opener, off Pedro Ramos, with two on as New York sweeps, 4–3 and 12–5.

Mantle’s longest measured blast was hit on April 17, 1953 at Griffith Stadium in Washington, DC. It is his best-known homer and the home run that coined the term "tape measure home run." The pitcher was Chuck Stobbs. It traveled 565 feet and was measured by Yankees' PR Director Red Patterson, who used a measuring tape to determine the exact distance. This was the only ball ever hit that cleared the left-field bleachers at Griffith Stadium in a regular season game in its 32 year history.Top of the 8^th

Top of the 8^th

DID YOU KNOW?

By winning the last two nights, the Cubs have a 931-930 record against the Dodgers since 1900.

Top of the 9^th

GOODBYE, GOOD LUCK, AND GOOD RIDDANCE

The Atlanta Braves are the latest team to give up on Raul Mondesi. Mondesi was hitting .211 (30-for-142) with four homers and 17 RBI.

Mondesi entered this season, his 13th in the majors, with a .275 career average, 267 homers and 843 RBI. Mondesi played his first seven seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers, making the NL All-Star team in 1995, and hitting at least 30 homers in three consecutive seasons from 1997-99. The Braves were his seventh club.

Bottom of the 9^th

VISIT-BILLY-BALL-WORLD

• Share your thoughts with the rest of Billy-Ball-World at the Forum - www.billy-ball-forum.com
• There’s always something new going on in the Billy-Ball-Bullpen, where blown saves are just a pitch away - http://www.billy-ball.com/bullpen.asp
• Catch up with Billy-Ball: http://billy-ball.seo-blog.org
• Add Billy-Ball to your Yahoo: http://add.my.yahoo.com/rss?url=http://www.seo-blog.org/5998_billy-ball/feeds/rss20
• Trivia questions are often from the creative minds of T. Scott Brandon
  t_scott_brandon@msn.com and D. Bruce Brown bbrown8870@aol.com and you are always encouraged to get their e-mailings.

Have a great day!

Support Billy-Ball via PayPal (on the home page) or Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/paypage/PBANN9XCMMFSH. The donations are anonymous to protect those of you who are too embarrassed to be seen giving to such a seedy enterprise.

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Brookline, MA 02446

Information provided in Billy-Ball has been gathered from A.P. reports, espn.com, sportsline.com, mlb.com and numerous other e-sources. Opinions expressed in Billy-Ball are obviously solely the opinions of the author of Billy-Ball and do not reflect those of source material no matter how off the wall they may be.

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Tuesday, May 31, 2005

Top of the 1^st

NOT EXACTLY GROOVIN’ ON A SUNDAY AFTERNOON

Sunday, I was sitting poolside at a graduation party for my wonderful (faux) niece Alyssa and I was talking with the host who is an orthopedic surgeon about the effects of steroids on the human body. Not good. The doctor explained to me that a major side effect of steroid use is avascular necrosis, a disease resulting from the temporary or permanent loss of the blood supply to the  bones. He said simply (knowing who he was talking to) that “avascular” relates to blood and “necrosis” relates to death. Without blood, the bone tissue dies and causes the bone to collapse. If the process involves the bones near a joint, it often leads to collapse of the joint surface.

Although it can happen in any bone, avascular necrosis most commonly affects the ends (epiphysis) of long bones such as the femur, the bone extending from the knee joint to the hip joint. He used Bo Jackson as an example (not though in relation to steroid use). Bo, you may  recall, had his baseball and football career end when he developed avascular necrosis of the hip. In other words, his hip died.

According to the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases website, which is helping me remember all the terms the good doctor used, avascular necrosis has several causes, “Loss of blood supply to the bone can be caused by an injury (trauma-related avascular necrosis or joint dislocation) or by certain risk factors (nontraumatic avascular necrosis), such as some medications (steroids), blood coagulation disorders, or excessive alcohol use.”

Having said all that neither the doctor nor I (especially me) has any idea whether B*nds is suffering from avascular necrosis. In addition, I want to make it perfectly clear that my mentioning him in this column is not even to imply any sort of connection. What I was asking the orthopedist about was about the effects of steroids on the human body and if the rash of injuries we have recently seen in baseball seems to be consistent with steroidal use. The answer there was most definitely affirmative. The body, the bones and tendons, often has great difficulty in carrying the added weight and stress put on them from the rapidly expanding muscles.

The doctor has seen this first hand. For a number of springs he has visited (on a personal, not professional level) spring training in Vero Beach. He noted that he watched bodies dramatically increase in size over time and pointed out this year was the first time he saw non-George Costanza-related shrinkage. He told me about going to dinner with a family friend, who is a Dodger prospect, and how the kid explained how many teammates over the years he saw were using “juice.”

I think what was even more distressing to me was his conversation with high school athletes, who would come to see him as patients. He would see these kids over the years and often notice a sudden unusual muscular explosion. He would ask the kid if he were using steroids and the answer was almost always yes. The kid, however, had no idea what he was taking (pills, not injections) and clearly had no understanding of the side effects, although seemed to have a sense of illegality.

All in all, it was a pretty grim conversation. I can tell you this, for those you who can’t see the difference between Whitey Ford scuffing up a ball and Barry B*nds using this stuff and becoming a negative role model for high schoolers, probably also won’t see the difference between taking home a stapler from the office and Enron. I think next Sunday, I’ll just listen to the Rascals sing “Groovin’” and call it a day.

Top of the 2^nd

BIG HURT AGAIN

In his first appearance in a White Sox uniform since breaking a bone in his left ankle last July 6, Frank Thomas strained a hip flexor and left in the 7^th as Chicago beat the Angels, 5-4. Thomas, went 0-for-2 with a walk, and was replaced by Timo Perez, who hit a two-run walk-off single to win the game for Chicago. Thomas said his latest injury wasn't serious, when is it ever, Frank?

Top of the 3^rd

CLEMENS HARRASSED AND HARANGED

Joe Randa homered and had three RBI, and Aaron Harang struck out 10 to help the Cincinnati Reds beat Roger Clemens and the Houston Astros, 9-0. Clemens (3-3) made his first start since last Tuesday when he left after five scoreless innings with a strained right groin. He allowed two runs in eight innings, giving up four hits and a walk while striking out seven. After a single to center by Sean Casey in the third, Clemens retired the next 11 batters in a row and 16 of his last 17.

The Astros were shut out for a league-leading ninth time this season and for the fourth time in Clemens’ 11 starts.

On the subject of 300 game winners, Greg Maddux got his 308th victory and the Cubs moved above the .500 mark for the first time in a month by beating the Dodgers, 5-3. The Cubs have won four straight and have a winning record for the first time since they were 12-11. Maddux (3-3) allowed two runs - one earned - and five hits in six innings to win for the first time in four starts since beating the New York Mets 7-0 on May 10. It was the third consecutive start without a walk for the four-time Cy Young Award winner.

Top of the 4^th

JAIME IS NUMBER ONE

Jaime Moyer is one of the real good guys in baseball and now he is also the pitcher with the most wins in Seattle Mariner’s franchise history. Last night, Moyer won his franchise-record 131st game for the Mariners, a 4-3 triumph over the Toronto Blue Jays.

"You have to be a little more hardheaded to do it my way," said Moyer, who allowed one run in six innings as he improved to 5-2. "You have to push. You have to have some longevity. You have to stay away from injuries."

Then he knuckled his locker stall: "Knock on wood." That by itself would have put Frank Thomas on the DL.

Randy Johnson had 130 wins for the M’s followed by Freddy Garcia who had 76, Mark Langston 74, Mike Moore 66. Joel Pineiro began the season at No. 2 on the active list -- with 43. Johnson’s win percentage (.637) in Seattle was lower than Moyer's (.652) in roughly the same number of starts -- 266 for Johnson, 277 for Moyer. Overall, Moyer has 197 wins in 517 games. The 42-year-old Moyer (5-2) is 131-70 with Seattle and 197-147 overall. Johnson was 130-74 with Seattle from 1989-98.

Top of the 5^th

STAYING AND GOING

The White Sox extended manager Ozzie Guillen's contract yesterday, picking up the 2006 option on his contract, adding two more years and including an option for the 2009 season. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

The Kansas City Royals have terminated the contract of Hitting Coach Jeff Pentland and replaced him with minor league hitting instructor Andre David who will take over as hitting coach for the remainder of the season. Heaven forbid, the Royals name a manager and then have him participate in the selection of one of his coaches.

Top of the 6^th

''BOSTON GANA!"

Juan Pedro "J.P." Villaman, the play-by-play announcer for a Spanish-language radio station that broadcasts Red Sox games died in a car crash early Monday, only hours after broadcasting Boston's win over the Yankees in New York. Villaman was an announcer for the "Spanish Beisbol Network" broadcasts of Red Sox games. Affectionately known to listeners as "Papa Oso," or "Papa Bear," Villaman was also popular with many Hispanic players, "As the Red Sox' popularity in the Latino community surged in recent years - with stars like David Ortiz, Manny Ramirez and Pedro Martinez - J.P. became a star in local and international baseball circles," Red Sox president Larry Lucchino said. One of his signature calls was yelling "Sientate!" or "Sit Down!" when an opposing batter struck out.

Villaman had been announcing Red Sox games since 1995 and to the Hispanic community he was like Russ Hodges because when pitcher Keith Foulke threw the ball to first, sealing the Red Sox's 86-year curse-ending victory in Game 4 of the 2004 World Series, he screamed, ''Boston gana!" (''Boston wins!") into the microphone seven times, so loudly his voice became raspy.

Top of the 7^th

BILLY-BALL-A-GRAM - 5/31/2005

R.I.P. This Oriole who shares the ML record for fewest errors in a season by a second baseman passed on this date in 1987.

I DREARY JAR

BILLY-BALL-TRIVIA - 5/31/2005

On May 30, 1956, Mickey Mantle hit a home run that comes within 18 inches of leaving Yankee Stadium, something never accomplished by any major leaguer. Who was the Washington Senator pitcher who gave up this prodigious blast?

Send your answers to Bill@billy-ball.com 

Bottom of the 7^th

BILLY-BALL-A-GRAM ANSWER - 5/31/05

Happy birthday to this hurtin’ Chi Sox

TANKS OF HARM

Frank Thomas

BILLY-BALL-TRIVIA-ANSWER - 5/31/05

Who was the first Colorado Rockies to hit for the cycle?

Dante Bichette

Top of the 8^th

DID YOU KNOW?

Hall of Famer Juan Marichal had more complete games (244) than victories (243)

Top of the 9^th

THE CAN OPENER

The way things are going in Brockton, the Rox may petition the league to officially name their Can-Am League after Dennis “Oil Can” Boyd. Eight years after his last professional appearance, The Can pitched six solid innings in his debut for the Rox allowing two earned runs and seven hits, walking one batter, hitting another and striking out four. Boyd left a 3-3 game after throwing 85 pitches, in the Rox 5-3 loss to the Worcester Tornadoes.

After retiring the first seven Worcester batters, Boyd missed covering first on a grounder in the 3^rd to allow his first hit but started a 1-6-3 double play in the 4^th. He walked to the back of the mound between most pitches, going through his pitch sequence aloud. After getting a double play to escape serious trouble in the 5^th, thrust his arms down in triumph, shouting to himself as he walked off the mound and back to the dugout.

"You asked how far can you stretch out a 45-year-old pitcher? A normal one, not too ... far," Brockton manager Ed Nottle said. "He's not normal."

That’s why he’s always welcome in Billy-Ball-World.

If you are looking for an excellent column on Boyd check out Bill Reynolds, of the Providence Journal - http://www.projo.com/sports/billreynolds/projo_20050531_31rencol.22759f1.html

Have a great day!

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Friday, May 27, 2005

Top of the 1^st

CHICO AND THE MOURN

the first great Venezuelan shortstop, Chico Carrasquel died yesterday at the age of 77. Carrasquel played in the majors from 1950-59 and with Nellie Fox was one of the great double-play combinations for the Chicago White Sox.

"El Chico" was the third Venezuelan to play in the majors following pitcher Alex Carrasquel (no relation) who played for the Washington Senators, in 1939) and first baseman/outfielder Chucho Ramos (also no relation) who played for the Cincinnati Reds, in 1944. But while he was the third Venezuelan, Chico Carrasquel was the first Latin to play in an All-Star game, starting at shortstop for the AL in the 1951 All-Star game at Detroit and singling in his first at-bat off Robin Roberts. Carrasquel was chosen over that year over the reigning MVP, Phil Rizzuto. The second Latin all-star was Minnie Minoso, who ironically pinch hit for Carrasquel in that same game.

His major league career began with the White Sox, where he played shortstop from 1950 to 1955.

Carrasquel would go on to be selected to the All-Star team a total of four times in a career in which he hit .258 lifetime with 55 home runs and 474 RBI.

Carrasquel was originally signed in 1949 by Branch Rickey and the Brooklyn Dodgers, who sold him to the White Sox where he replaced Luke Appling in 1950. He was traded after the 1955 season to Cleveland in a deal for Larry Doby to make room for future Hall of Famer, and fellow Venezuelan, Luis Aparicio, Jr. Carrasquel played for the Indians from 1956 to 1958, the Kansas City Athletics in 1958, and the Baltimore Orioles in 1959.

Those were very different times for Latinos. Carrasquel explained, “Luis Aloma was a pitcher—a Cuban guy—so he spoke English and he helped me, because in those days I didn't understand anything in English.... Today, the Latin players have [translators, etc.]. In those days, in the 40s and 50s, we don't have help. They say, “Go to ****.” Nowadays, you look at the lineup, it's a lot of Latin players, but in those days, what the ****, just one or two, so they say you have to speak English.... They told Hector Rodriguez to speak English and he said, “The only thing I know is, well, if he wants me to talk English, I know how to say ‘Chicago White Sox.’” I played shortstop, he played third base, and all game, what he said was, “Chicago White Sox, Chicago White Sox.” And I said, “Hector, please say something different.” He said, “Chico, they want me to speak English, the only thing I know is ‘Chicago White Sox.’” Nellie Fox, Billy Pierce, Minnie Minoso, they tried to help me and I got along with them real good....”

While Chico struggled in the US, he was a legend in his native Venezuela being a major influence on future countrymen who played Major League Baseball. Last year, before Ozzie Guillen's first home game as manager of the White Sox, three star Venezuelan shortstops threw out ceremonial first balls - Carrasquel, Aparicio and Guillen.

"He and [Omar] Vizquel and Guillen and [Andres] Gallaraga and all those guys, they are legends," said Cubs pitcher Carlos Zambrano, a countryman of Carrasquel's. "He was so big a name, one of the ballparks in winter ball has his name on it." The Venezuelan Baseball League belatedly honored its native son in 1991, when the Puerto La Cruz baseball park was renamed Chico Carrasquel Stadium.

Cubs catcher Henry Blanco, also a Venezuelan, won't forget him.

"It's sad, not only for me, but for all players from Venezuela," he said. "It's a big loss. He's a big idol in Venezuela and probably here in Chicago too. It's sad for everybody. He made everybody proud of what he did."

I think it’s hard for most of us to imagine the impact a  ballplayer can have on a country, but Carrasquel meant so much to Venezuela. During a nationally televised speech, yesterday, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez announced that his government had declared two days of mourning for Carrasquel.

"Viva Carrasquel!" Chavez shouted.

We all echo his sentiments.

Top of the 2^nd

SWEEPS

Well, this year’s television season came to a triumphant end Wednesday night marking the end of May sweeps, but baseball’s latest sweeps didn’t end until last night (how is that for a transition Carrie Underwood fans?).

The AL East is remaining compelling, last night Melvin Mora, Rafael Palmeiro and Miguel Tejada homered as the Baltimore Orioles completed a three-game sweep of the Seattle Mariners with a 5-2 victory. The Orioles have won 8 of 11 to move a season-high 14 games over .500 (30-16). Baltimore has won eight in a row at Camden Yards against the Mariners, who have lost six straight and 10 of 11 on the road under former Orioles manager Mike Hargrove. On a down note, lefty Erik Bedard joined starting outfielder Luis Matos and starting catcher Javy Lopez on the DL with a strained knee ligament. Bedard is 5-1, and a 2.08 ERA.

The Toronto Blue Jays beat up Red Sox starter Wade Miller for six runs in the 1^st and then went on to complete a sweep of the Sox with a 8-1 victory. The Red Sox have lost seven of 10.

Alex Rodriguez hit his major league-leading 17th home run as the New York Yankees completed a sweep of the Detroit Tigers with a 4-3 victory. The two-run shot gave him 49 RBI, also tops in the majors and was the 398th home run of his career, tying Dale Murphy for 42nd place on the all-time list. A-Rod needs one homer to tie Al Kaline and Andres Galarraga (399) for 40th place. The win was the Yankees fourth straight and 15th in 17 games.

It has seemingly been cold and rainy all May in this neck of the woods and if that’s the first sign of the apocalypse, then the second is that Tampa Devil Rays swept a series. The Rays and Hideo Nomo defeated Oakland last night, 2-1 to finish off a three game sweep. The loss dropped Oakland (17-29) a season-high 12 games under .500, the farthest the A's have been under .500 since they finished the 1998 season at 74-88.

Kenny Rogers, the 40-year-old Texas Rangers lefty, led his team to an 8-1 victory against the Kansas City Royals and in the process lowered his American League-best ERA to 1.69. Richard Hidalgo homered for the fifth time in five games, and Alfonso Soriano and Mark Teixeira also homered in Texas' sixth straight win. The Rangers have consecutive three-game sweeps at home over last-place teams Houston and the Royals,

Top of the 3^rd

DIAMONDBACKS WERE PEAVED

Last night there was a great match-up between two exciting young teams and two exciting young pitchers. Jake Peavy pitched a two-hitter for his first career shutout, and the San Diego Padres handed Brandon Webb his first loss of the season in a 10-0 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks. Dave Roberts matched career highs with four hits and four runs batted in (why can’t the Red Sox get players like him?), and Brian Giles and Ryan Klesko homered off Webb. Neither Peavy (5-0) nor Webb (6-1) came away with a decision in two previous meetings this season, but this time Webb allowed nine hits and three walks in his 6-2/3 innings, striking out six. Peavy struck out two, walked none, and needed only 94 pitches (65 strikes) in his first career complete game. He had seven strikeouts or more in eight of his nine previous starts.

Top of the 4^th

A FIRST FOR OLERUD

Last Monday, longtime major league first baseman John Olerud did something he had never done before, he hit his first minor-league homer. It’s not that Olerud previously had been a bad minor league hitter, Olerud had simply never had been a minor league hitter.

Olerud, a third-round draft pick of the Toronto Blue Jays in 1989, joined the team without ever playing in the minors. He spent the next 16 years in the major leagues, finishing last season by batting .280 in 49 games for the Yankees. However, in recent days he has been rehabbing in the minors following off-season surgery in preparation to joining the Boston Red Sox.

In his third at-bat, Olerud slammed a two-run homer, his first, and most likely his only as Olerud begins his Sox career tonight at Yankee Stadium.

Top of the 5^th

IN THE DAWG POUND

Rickey Henderson.

I’m just staring at that name for a moment, because whenever I feel I’m done writing about the man, there’s always something new to add. Rickey helped the San Diego Surf Dawgs win their inaugural game, 9-2 over the Long Beach Armada in the new independent Golden Baseball League. The 46-year-old Henderson went 2-for-3 with two runs scored, an RBI, two walks and, a stolen base.

Rickey, you did your thing and you are the king of the Dawg pound.

Top of the 6^th

EXTRA, EXTRA

"Three straight extra-inning games? I've never had that before, not even in the minor leagues. It's amazing. Everyone got their money's worth fans, players and owners."  That was Minnesota outfielder Torii Hunter on playing three straight extra inning games against Cleveland. Last night, Shannon Stewart homered with two outs in the 11^th off David Riske to give Minnesota a 5-4 win over Cleveland. The Indians had not played extras against the same team three games in a row since 1967, at Kansas City. The Twins hadn't played three consecutive extra-inning games since 1977. Of the 10 games between the Twins and Indians this season, six have been decided by one run and nine by three runs or less.

Top of the 7^th

BILLY-BALL-A-GRAM - 5/27/2005

Happy birthday to this hurtin’ Chi Sox

TANKS OF HARM

BILLY-BALL-TRIVIA - 5/27/2005

Who was the first Colorado Rockies to hit for the cycle?

Send your answers to Bill@billy-ball.com 

Bottom of the 7^th

BILLY-BALL-A-GRAM ANSWER - 5/27/05

Happy birthday to this “Bucketfoot” Hall of Famer

SLIM MOANS - AL SIMMONS

BILLY-BALL-TRIVIA-ANSWER - 5/27/05

On this date in 1930, Joe Sewell struck out twice, what was the significance?

Those were the last times that Joe Sewall, the Indians third baseman, struck out that season, striking out only three times in 353 at-bats.

Top of the 8^th

DID YOU KNOW?

The White Sox are the best team in the majors with a record of 33-15 (.688). They are six games behind the 1928 Yankees, who went 39-9 (.812) through 48 games.

The Royals are the worst team in the majors with a record of 13-34 (.277). They are four games better than the 1904 Senators, the 1932 Red Sox and the 1988 Orioles, each of whom went 9-38 (.191) through 47 games.

Top of the 9^th

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND

Thank you all for your support and readership once again this week, as always it is greatly appreciated. I also want to welcome all of you new readers who have joined the Billy-Ball community as a result of Rob Neyer’s naming us link of the month. I was just wondering if we can add a few more days to May in order to stretch out that distinction. Those of you who want to join me in thanking Neyer can do so via his website located at http://www.robneyer.com/.

On the subject of thanking, I want to thank so many of you who passed along good wishes to me and my daughter Elizabeth following last Friday’s Billy-Ball commencement address. Trust me, the Wesleyan commencement speaker, UPenn president Amy Gutman was nowhere near as inspiring as your responses (although Bill Belichick briefly spoke and that was wonderful).

For those of you who have been asking, it seems as soon as I got Elizabeth home, she is gone again. She leaves tomorrow to start three months in Seattle as a news reporting reporter intern for MSNBC. I can assure you she is an outstanding writer, although I still feel I have a few things to teach her about misusing commas and run-on sentences. I’m going to miss her this summer.

This weekend, I will do my best to catch up on your numerous e-mails and on that note, I will be taking Monday off (Memorial Day) to race in the Indy 500.

Have a fun day and a wonderful weekend.

Bottom of the 9^th

VISIT-BILLY-BALL-WORLD

• Share your thoughts with the rest of Billy-Ball-World at the Forum - www.billy-ball-forum.com
• There’s always something new going on in the Billy-Ball-Bullpen, where blown saves are just a pitch away - http://www.billy-ball.com/bullpen.asp
• Catch up with Billy-Ball: http://billy-ball.seo-blog.org
• Add Billy-Ball to your Yahoo: http://add.my.yahoo.com/rss?url=http://www.seo-blog.org/5998_billy-ball/feeds/rss20
• Trivia questions are often from the creative minds of T. Scott Brandon
  t_scott_brandon@msn.com and D. Bruce Brown bbrown8870@aol.com and you are always encouraged to get their e-mailings.

Support Billy-Ball via PayPal (on the home page) or Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/paypage/PBANN9XCMMFSH. The donations are anonymous to protect those of you who are too embarrassed to be seen giving to such a seedy enterprise.

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Brookline, MA 02446

Information provided in Billy-Ball has been gathered from A.P. reports, espn.com, sportsline.com, mlb.com and numerous other e-sources. Opinions expressed in Billy-Ball are obviously solely the opinions of the author of Billy-Ball and do not reflect those of source material no matter how off the wall they may be.

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Subscribe to Billy-Ball - it’s free - www.billy-ball.com

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Friday, May 27, 2005

Top of the 1^st

SOME MINOR THOUGHTS 

I’m going to be very brief this morning writing about something uniquely American - minor league baseball. There’s no minor leagues, to speak of, for basketball or football, unless you count the Southeast Conference, only for baseball.

Only baseball offers the fans of fifty states to see professionals play a game in a wonderful pastoral setting. Generations bridge their gaps talking about the players they once saw play before they made it to the “show.”

The game is priced right. In many communities it’s less expensive than going to the movies by the time the night is done. And you can bring the whole family. Minor league teams make sure their events are family friendly, and filled with family fun. There are wild and wacky promotions and there are enough activities between innings that you often can’t wait for the inning to end. The kids have a great time, and, most importantly, they learn to love baseball.

Tonight, the independent Brockton Rox, proud members of Red Sox Nation kick-off their short season, weather permitting. Ed Nottle will be starting his final season managing this team that the community loves. Since 1960, when Nottle started with Pensacola in the Florida State League, and except for 1983 when he was the bench coach with the Oakland Athletics, Nottle has worked in baseball's minor leagues, moving from one city to another for one job or another. Nottle wanted to be a big league manager. Not gonna happen. It doesn’t make him a bad person, in fact, they love him in Brockton. How many people in Philly right now can say they love Charlie Manuel?

The minor leagues are about dreams - dreams of becoming a big leaguer - a player, a coach, a manager. Dreams of getting to shake hands with someone before they become rich and famous. Maybe getting to know him. Dreams of sitting in the stands and wondering if maybe someday you will be good enough to wear that uniform in front of the home town fans.

There is plenty to learn about minor league baseball and many of the individual team websites are fun, many are as bad as the teams themselves. Check out www.minorleaguebaseball.com for an overview and learn about some of the teams that play near you. Go to a game, if you can get in and write to me about it. I don’t care who won or lost, tell me what it felt like. That’s always the best part.

So, I hope the weather holds up in Brockton tonight. Opening nights are fun. I won’t be there rain or shine, but I can assure I will be there many times during the season and when you go to Campanelli Stadium, or any minor league park, ask to speak to the boss and give him your suggestions as to what would make the experience more fun for you and your family. You’ll find something very surprising - they listen. They actually care what the individual fan has to say.

In Brockton, look for Jim Lucas. He’s the president of the team and one of the most decent people I have ever met in my life. His love for the game is only exceeded by his love for his family. He cares for the people who work for him and he cares about the fans. Remember the name, there’s nothing minor league about him or GM Dave Sacchetti or the rest of the staff. They are good people and would love to get to know you. Don’t forget to tell whoever you meet, that Billy-Ball sent you.

Top of the 2^nd

HEATING UP IN THE NL WEST

Pedro Feliz and Moises Alou hit two homers apiece and Brett Tomko pitched eight innings of five-hit ball in San Francisco's fourth straight victory, 10-2 over the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Giants are now 23-22 the same record as the Dodgers.

Troy Glaus, Tony Clark and Luis Terrero homered in Arizona's five-run 5^th inning, as the D-Backs defeated the Padres, 12-11. Arizona is now in first place by a half game over the Padres with the LA and SF just 4 back.

Top of the 3^rd

PHILS HOOK MARLINS

The red-hot Marlins (sounds delicious, not to self: ask Mark Bittman his favorite way to prepare marlin) were stopped in their wake last night by the Phillies, 8-5. The Marlins six-game winning streak came to an end as Al Leiter was beset by poor pitching and poor weather, lasting only 2 1/3 innings after enduring a 33-minute rain delay and giving up five Phillies runs. Leiter's earned-run average swelled to 6.91 while his record fell to 2-5.

The Fish have a half-game lead over the Braves who seem to have another potentially great pitcher. Kyle Davies pitched 5 1/3 innings, giving up five hits and one walk as the Braves shut out the Mets for the second straight night, 3-0. Davies and three relievers combined to complete a three-game sweep. Davies is 2-0 and has yet to give up a major league run in 10 innings which is in sharp contrast to his last two starts at Triple-A Richmond, in which Davies gave up 13 runs in 8 1/3 innings.

The Braves have won eight straight home games and are 16-5 when playing in Atlanta.

Top of the 4^th

HALL OF FAME MOVE

There are loads of reasons why people like the Red Sox centerfielder/hunk Johnny Damon, but if you are looking for more, here’s a couple. The likelihood is that like most of us, the only way Damon is going to get into the Hall of Fame is by buying a ticket.

Unlike most of us, Johnny played in the annual Hall of Fame game this past Monday. Although he played only one inning in the field, he made the most of the experience. Instead of taking normal warm-up throws in the outfield, Damon tossed the ball into the center-field stands and then called for the ball to be thrown back. He continued to play catch with the fans for about 10 more throws before the inning started. After the inning, he was interviewed on field and talked about getting to throw with his "peeps," which drew a thunderous roar from the fans in center.

After the game, as he was leaving Doubleday Field, fans were waiting to get autographs. Damon was approached by six year old Nicholas Giacomelli who was with his mom in front of the crowd. Damon walked over, didn’t say a word and handed Nicholas his No. 18 jersey that he was carrying and walked away.

Top of the 5^th

WHO REALLY CARES?

As I’ve mentioned more than once, my joy in Billy-Ball is the interactions with my readers. One of my favorites is Elden Kraus, who yesterday wrote,

“I just wanted to drop you a quick note to tell you as always I enjoy and appreciate your work.  I found an interesting sidelight to your work today.  Under the category, "Who really cares?"  While the White Sox are certainly off to a surprisingly strong 32-14 record this year, you might like to know that in 1951, with the identical start, the ChiSox finished 49-59 for a final record of 81-73 and in 4th place.  Again, with an identical start in 1957, the White Sox finished 58-50 for a final record of 90-64 and in 2nd place.  Reminding us all, it's not the start, but the finish that counts.  Baseball is a 162 game marathon to be savored and enjoyed rather than a frantic 16 game sprint like football that is meant to be gobbled and forgotten like a Thanksgiving meal.

To answer my own question, "Who really cares?"  Crazy baseball fans like you and I.”

And you too (but not Bono).

Top of the 6^th

DOCTOR, DOCTOR, GIVE ME THE NEWS…

Orioles catcher Javy Lopez was placed on the 15-day disabled list yesterday but 15 days is really at least six weeks because of a broken bond in his right hand. Lopez fractured the fifth metacarpal bone when struck by a foul tip in Tuesday's game against Seattle. He will have a metal plate and screws inserted into his hand during surgery today.

Doc what’s wrong with Brandon Lyon? Who would have thought after Arizona’s debacle last season we would care about the D-Backs closer situation this year, but we do, because it matters. Lyon went on the disabled list May 18, retroactive to May 13, with what the team said was a flexor mass strain in his right elbow but he has had two more MRIs the last couple of days. The second revealed "some changes of the ulnar collateral ligament" in the joint, and while Billy-Ball is no doctor, that doesn’t sound good.

The Cincinnati Reds placed pitcher Paul Wilson on the 15-day disabled list with tendinitis in his right shoulder. Wilson was 1-5 with a 7.77 ERA in nine starts. The move is retroactive to May 17. They shoot horses don’t they?

Blue Jays third baseman Corey Koskie had surgery to repair a broken right thumb and ligament damage sustained in a game last week. Koskie is expected to miss four to six weeks.

And finally, in mental health news, New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez told the television show Extra is proud to be in therapy, calling it "an incredible thing" that helped him discover a different life. Rodriguez donated $200,000 on Tuesday to the Children's Aid Society to benefit mental-health programs that work with young students in Manhattan. Rodriguez said he'd been in therapy almost a year.

Top of the 7^th

BILLY-BALL-A-GRAM - 5/27/2005

Happy birthday to this “Bucketfoot” Hall of Famer

SLIM MOANS

BILLY-BALL-TRIVIA - 5/27/2005

On this date in 1930, Joe Sewell struck out twice, what was the significance?

Send your answers to Bill@billy-ball.com 

Bottom of the 7^th

BILLY-BALL-A-GRAM ANSWER - 5/27/05

Happy birthday to “The Count”

John Montefusco

BILLY-BALL-TRIVIA-ANSWER - 5/27/05

In 1971, Vida Blue won the Cy Young Award and the MVP. He went 24-8, with a 1.82 ERA and 301 strikeouts in 312 innings, becoming the first pitcher in history to strike out 300 or more batters without leading the league in strikeouts. The man who led the league in strikeouts also had more wins and more innings pitched than Blue. Who was that man?

The Detroit Tigers' Mickey Lolich led the AL in wins (25), strikeouts (308) and innings pitched (376)

Top of the 8^th

DID YOU KNOW?

The Orioles defeated the Mariners last night in a game that took all of 115 minutes. Perhaps it was due to the Mariner battery of Jaime Moyers and Pat Borders, the first time both pitcher and catcher was at least 42 years old, wanting to get the early-bird special.

Top of the 9^th

HE DIDN’T HAVE MUCH

"I have a hard time evaluating what Blanton had, he wasn't out there long enough," said A's manager Ken Macha. "They hit his fastball. They hit his curveball. He didn't use many changeups. He said coming out of the bullpen that he felt good. Most of the balls were smoked."

Oh Ken, Blanton was out there quite long enough. Blanton was the A’s starting pitcher last night against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays and his evening went like this - Carl Crawford drove a ball to the gap in right-center field and for his third triple of the season. Then Julio Lugo, double (RBI); Damon Hollins, single; Travis Lee, double (RBI); Josh Phelps, walk; Jorge Cantu, double (two RBIs); Alex Sanchez, single (RBI); Toby Hall, error on third baseman; and Nick Green, sacrifice fly (RBI). The Devil Rays led, 6-0, and the fun had only just begun, but Blanton was done.

Britt Reames relieved and gave up a three-run homer to Crawford on an 0-2 pitch and before the inning was complete Damon Hollins added his fourth homer in five games, a solo shot to make it 10-0. The Rays won 14-6.

The 10-run 1^st inning was the most runs scored by the Rays in the 1^st inning in team history; the Rays scored 11 in the 8^th inning against the Mariners on May 28, 2000. And the six extra-base hits in the first produced a new team record for extra-base hits in an inning.

Oakland, which held a players-only meeting before batting practice, has lost four straight and 13 of 16. At 17-28, the Athletics fell 11 games under .500 for the first time since finishing the 1998 season with a 74-88 record.

Have a great day!

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Wednesday, May 25, 2005

Top of the 1^st

HOW GOOD IS BROWNELL?

Very.

You know how Billy-Ball works, I scour newspapers and the web for interesting stories that hopefully you will enjoy and hopefully you haven’t heard about. I often worry that you have already heard the story so I try to get at least a couple of angles on it so that you come out with something interesting to talk about with your friends.

So, if you have already read about Katie Brownell, please forgive me, but I love stories like this. Katie is from upstate New York, Oakfield to be exact, which is somewhere between Rochester and Buffalo. Katie is an 11-year old pitcher for her Little League team. She’s a tall 5’ 8”; taller than her Dodger teammates and most of her 6^th grade classmates.

Her team has played three games this season and in the season's first game, she allowed only one hit and struck out 14 batters in five innings (she got the other out on a grounder to the mound that she tossed to first). She’s also has a batting average of .714 after three games. Being the dad of two girls, it always giving me a special degree of pleasure of seeing a girl dominate a boy’s league and Katie has; she’s been an all-star since she was 9. Currently, Katie is the only girl in the Oakfield-Alabama Little League.

A couple of Saturdays ago she thrilled her fans in Oakfield, a town of about 3,200 with one traffic light, Katie’s Dodgers defeated the Yankees, 11-0.

Katie tossed the shutout.

Katie threw a no-hitter.

Katie pitched a perfect game.

Katie faced 18 batters, and struck them all out.

Not one of the boys got even three balls on her.

It was 18 up and 18 down.

All strikeouts.

Don’t look to see the videotape on ESPN, it was a Little League game in upstate New York.

It was a girl in a boys world.

It was perfect.

Top of the 2^nd

HOW GOOD ARE THE WHITE SOX?

Very

Following last night’s 2-1, 11 inning victory over the Los Angeles Angels, Chicago improved to a major league-best 32-14, equaling the 1951 and 1957 White Sox for the best start in the franchise's history.

Mark Buehrle pitched brilliantly and fast once again for the Sox. The extra-inning game was completed in less than 3 hours. The first nine innings were played in a 2:24. Buehrle's first nine starts had an average time of 2:21, including two games lasting less than two hours. His average last season was a major league-best 2:33. Buehrle has pitched at least six innings in 38 consecutive starts, the longest streak in the majors since Curt Schilling's 39 straight from 2001-03. I love this guy.

The White Sox lead the AL with a 3.19 ERA. Only once since 1967 have they finished a 162-game season with the league's lowest ERA (2.33 in 1993).

Top of the 3^rd

HOW GOOD ARE THE PADRES?

Very.

Following last night’s 9-5 thrashing of the Arizona Diamondbacks, the San Diego Padres are 16-5 in May, and are now 27-18 sitting atop the NL West.

Top of the 4^th

HOW BAD ARE THE ASTROS?

Very.

Following last night’s 4-2 loss to the Cubs, in which Roger Clemens lowered his major league-leading ERA to 1.19, allowed two hits and left with a groin pull and a 2-0 lead,

The Astros are 15-30. The Astros have lost seven straight and have the worst road record in baseball at 2-21. Only two other teams have started as poorly away from home since 1900.

The Astros will try to avoid their second consecutive three-game sweep tonight and are 0-5 thus far on their nine-game trip through Arlington, Chicago and Milwaukee. They're on pace to break the club record of 97 losses.

Top of the 5^th

HOW BAD ARE THE ROYALS?

Very.

Following last night’s 4-3 loss to the Texas Rangers, in which Richard Hidalgo homered twice, the Royals have the worst record in baseball at 13-32.

Top of the 6^th

HOW BAD ARE THE ROCKIES?

Very.

Following last night’s 6-1 loss to the Brewers, their fifth loss in the first eight games of a stretch of 13 in a row against teams with losing records, they have a 13-30 record. The Rockies are 3-19 on the road.

Only the Houston Astros (2-21) have a worse road record.

Top of the 7^th

BILLY-BALL-A-GRAM - 5/25/2005

Happy birthday to “The Count”

NO, JUST CHEF MOON

BILLY-BALL-TRIVIA - 5/25/2005

In 1971, Vida Blue won the Cy Young Award and the MVP. He went 24-8, with a 1.82 ERA and 301 strikeouts in 312 innings, becoming the first pitcher in history to strike out 300 or more batters without leading the league in strikeouts. The man who led the league in strikeouts also had more wins and more innings pitched than Blue. Who was that man?

Send your answers to Bill@billy-ball.com 

Bottom of the 7^th

BILLY-BALL-A-GRAM ANSWER - 5/25/05

Elden Auker, who also lost Game 7 of the 1934 World Series to Dizzy Dean.

BILLY-BALL-TRIVIA-ANSWER - 5/25/05

Can you name the Hall of Famer, whose record for most wins by an NL lefty, was broken by Warren Spahn?

Eppa Rixey

Top of the 8^th

DID YOU KNOW?

The Houston Astros' average age of 31.4 is fourth-oldest in baseball behind only the New York Yankees (34.3), Giants (32.5) and Boston Red Sox (32.2).

Top of the 9^th

CAN DO KIND OF GUY

Dennis "Oil Can" Boyd has earned a roster spot with the Brockton Rox and signed with the minor league team on Monday, extending his attempt at a big league comeback 14 years after he left the majors. The 45-year-old Boyd pitched 10 years in the majors before blood clots in his right arm ended his career. He had 13 complete games for Boston in 1985, was 16-10 in '86 and went 10-6 with a 2.93 ERA with Montreal in 1990. Boyd was 78-77 in the majors overall.

He is scheduled to start for the Rox against the Worcester Tornadoes on May 30 -- his first professional outing since 1997. "He pitched seven scoreless innings in the exhibition season and deserved to make the team," Rox owner Van Schley said.

With seven scoreless innings he deserves to make the Colorado Rockies.

Have a great day!

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Tuesday, May 24, 2005

Top of the 1^st

WHAT WOULD VEECK DO?

I’m trying to think more like Bill Veeck these days. What would Veeck be thinking about doing if he owned a major league team? What would he see that the rest of baseball cannot see or would refuse to see? I think about that and try to figure out what is touching the American public that baseball is not approaching.

The answer is Bo Bice.

For those of you who are not lucky enough to have a 12-year old girl, Bo Bice, if there is any justice, will be the next “American Idol.” “American Idol” is not just a talent or reality show, it is a huge phenomenon that dominates the airwaves. Other networks do their best not to schedule against it as much as schedule around it.

Here’s how Idol works. Hundreds of thousands of aspiring young people, some talented, some more or less talented, and a vast majority of them less than less talented, audition in front of the production team for Idol. The group keeps getting winnowed down until a dozen or so perform  each week on Fox (or on judge Paula Abdul). Viewers by the 30 million vote each week for their favorite and the person with the lowest total is voted off. No filibustering permitted.

Tonight the finals air live with long-haired rocker, Bo Bice competing against future Nashville star, Carrie Underwood (get this kind of information on ESPN!). They will sing, sing, sing, be judged, judged, judged, and we will watch enough commercials and product placements to erase the national debt of Ghana.

The winner will be announced tomorrow night in a spectacularly drawn-out affair that will keep us in suspense until the last four minutes of the hour show (talk about shows about nothing!). The winner will then get a record contract and be declared “American Idol.” The loser will get a record contract and be declared “American Idol” runner-up. All twelve of the finalists will tour this summer at a sold-out venue near you.

Understand the concept? Back to Veeck and my show, “Billy-Ball Presents: The Rookie,” the winner of which would make the major league club and play for the season. Every week, players would hit, pitch, and field and viewers would vote at 1-800-BASE-BAL for the next rookie sensation.

What other major league owner would have the guts to have this type of competition to find a player for his team? Yes, I know there are the minor leagues, and there are drafts, and there are unions, and agents, and the integrity of the game, and blah, blah, blahdy-blah.

There are so many reasons why this wouldn’t work which is precisely why it would work. This is truly an against all odds event, far more appealing and acceptable to the tastes of the viewing public than the boxing version known as “The Contender.” The only way I would watch that would be to see the two hosts of next year’s “Apprentice” programs, Donald Trump and Martha Stewart square off against each other in the ring.

Are you going to tell me that a drawing card like this isn’t worth the 25^th roster slot for the Rockies, Royals, Rays, or Pirates? I really don’t want to hear whining about how this would desecrate the historical value of the game because like Eddie Gaedel, Veeck’s midget, “The Rookie” would only add to its lore. And, there is the possibility that this man or woman (!) may actually be good. Wouldn’t that be a kick in the head!

Okay, that’s it. That’s my idea for the day. If you come up with a better idea, share it at www.billy-ball-forum.com and if you steal this idea at least give me a little credit.

I wonder what Veeck would think.

Top of the 2^nd

A GRAVES DECISION

Danny Graves, the Reds’ career saves leader, has been designated for assignment, a move that ended his eight-year career in Cincinnati. The Reds have 10 days to trade him or put him on waivers. Graves gave up five ninth-inning runs in Cleveland's 9-2 victory Sunday at Great American Ball Park, then was booed and taunted by fans as he left the field. He didn't react to the jeers as he walked off and got a drink in the dugout. When he moved to the end of the dugout by the bat rack, a man in one of the high-priced seats next nearby yelled at him. Graves yelled back and made an obscene hand gesture (half of the victory sign?). 

Although, he was 1-1 and had 10 saves in 12 chances, Graves' ERA is 7.76. First baseman Sean Casey said his teammates were shocked and disappointed with the clubs’ decision. "This is not his fault," first baseman Sean Casey said. "We stink. For us to be 15-28 has nothing to do with Danny Graves. That's the frustrating part for me.”

You gotta love a guy who admits his team stinks.

Top of the 3^rd

DOCTOR, DOCTOR, GIVE ME THE NEWS

The San Diego Padres All-Star second baseman Mark Loretta is scheduled to have surgery on a torn ligament in his left thumb today and is expected to miss at least two months. This is the second time for surgery on this ligament for Loretta who was hurt while sliding headfirst into first base while beating out an infield single against Atlanta last Tuesday night. Padres GM Kevin Towers said that if Loretta needs reconstructive surgery, he'll be out for the rest of the season. All of Billy-Ball-Nation sings, “Get back soon, Loretta.”

The team formerly known as the Los Angeles/California/Anaheim Angels have put closer Francisco Rodriguez on the 15-day disabled list Monday because of a strained right forearm. Scot Shields will be the Angels' primary closer in his absence but the LAAOA brought up reliever Joel Peralta who is making his first trip to the major leagues at age 29. He was 4-1 with a 2.60 ERA and seven saves in 16 appearances with Salt Lake. Peralta should fit in perfectly with the name challenged Angels as his full name is Joel Peralta Gutierrez.

Colorado right-hander Shawn Chacon left the Rockies' game against the Brewers in the top of the 5^th inning with a sprained ankle. Chacon, who reached on a fielder's choice bunt, jammed his right ankle on the first base bag during a pickoff attempt by Milwaukee pitcher Chris Capuano that was ruled a balk, allowing a runner to score. Chacon went to second base but summoned the trainer and was replaced by a pinch-runner. That was the only run Capuano allowed in Milwaukee’s 2-1 victory. The Rockies have now lost 27 of 31 road games this season.

The Houston Astros have called up left-hander Wandy Rodriguez from Triple-A Round Rock to start in place of Andy Pettitte, who has tightness in his left forearm.

Top of the 4^th

MORE WITH LES

The New York Times reports that in explaining why CBS would narrowly lose an important ratings title to Fox this season, viewership among those between the ages of 18 and 49, Leslie Moonves, chairman of CBS, blamed Yankee reliever Mariano Rivera.

According to the Times, as Moonves sees it, “the race between Fox and CBS was so close that if the ratings for a major sporting event carried by Fox - such as one of the seven epic playoff games between the Yankees and the Red Sox in October - were subtracted, CBS would have beaten Fox for the year. That series went to a seventh game, at least in part, because the ordinarily infallible Mr. Riviera squandered several Yankee leads.

"Mariano Riviera cost us more money than the Yankees," Mr. Moonves said.”

Told of Mr. Moonves's comments, a spokesman for the Yankees, said that principal owner,  George Steinbrenner, was never a fan of the CBS sitcom, “Everybody Loves Raymond,” but admitted that he thought that Doris Roberts, who played Ray’s mom was “hot.”

Top of the 5^th

THIS JUST IN…

The St. Louis Post Dispatch this mornings reports that workers at Lohr Distributing Co., a beer wholesaler in St. Louis, are on strike, disrupting the supply of Anheuser-Busch Cos. beers to the city's retailers, bars and Busch Stadium ahead of Memorial Day, which the newspaper describes as “an important beer-selling holiday.”

But rest easy Cardinal fans, a Lohr executive insisted that Busch Stadium won't run out of beer. Lohr has supervisory staff who could make deliveries, or it could hire temporary replacement workers during the strike (I believe they are called “scabs”). The union said that Lohr's last delivery to the stadium was Friday and that it didn't know the size of the beer inventory held there.

We may need to call in Jack Bauer to address the problem.

Last night, the Cardinals began a six-game home stand that ends Sunday. In the game, Chris Carpenter allowed four hits in seven innings, as the Cards topped the Bucs, 4-2. Albert Pujols' two-run double helped St. Louis beat the Pirates for the 10th straight time.

Top of the 6^th

FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO WERE WONDERING

Remember how former Cardinals pitcher Rick Ankiel, gave up pitching this spring to become an outfielder? Well things aren’t going peachy. Yesterday, Ankiel was activated from a back injury that had sidelined him since May 7, then demoted from Double-A Springfield to Class-A Quad Cities. Ankiel went 1-for-20 with Springfield.

Top of the 7^th

BILLY-BALL-A-GRAM - 5/24/2005

On this date in 1940, he lost the first night game ever played, to Bob Feller.

NUKE DEALER

BILLY-BALL-TRIVIA - 5/24/2005

Can you name the Hall of Famer, whose record for most wins by an NL lefty, was broken by Warren Spahn?

Send your answers to Bill@billy-ball.com 

Bottom of the 7^th

BILLY-BALL-A-GRAM ANSWER - 5/24/05

Happy birthday to this Dodger great who Branch Rickey described as the best outfielder Brooklyn ever had.

WATCH HAZE - ZACH WHEAT

BILLY-BALL-TRIVIA-ANSWER - 5/24/05

Last season Adam Dunn became only the second Red ever to post 100 runs, 100 RBIs and 100 walks in the same season. Who was the first?

Second baseman Joe Morgan also accomplished the feat in 1976.

Top of the 8^th

DID YOU KNOW?

Red Schoendienst is the Cardinals' career wins leader as a manager with 1,041 in 12 full seasons and parts of two others. Last night, Tony LaRussa picked up his 822nd win with the Cardinals, tying him with Whitey Herzog for second on the franchise list. La Russa has managed 1,501 games with the Cards, 49 fewer than Herzog.

Top of the 9^th

NO GARLANDS FOR GARLAND

Now there is another Santana sensation. Last night, 22-year old Ervin Santana made his second major league start memorable by throwing a five-hit shutout and handing Jon Garland his first loss of the season as the Angels defeated the White Sox, 4-0. Santana became the youngest Angels pitcher to throw a shutout since 21-year-old Jim Abbott beat Roger Clemens and the Boston Red Sox 5-0 with a four-hitter on May 17, 1989. Garland (8-1) gave up three runs and a season-high 11 hits, struck out four and walked one in seven innings.

 

Meanwhile in the NL, Dontrelle Willis became the league’s first eight-game winner as the Florida Marlins defeated the Philadelphia Phillies, 5-2. Willis (8-1) allowed two runs and seven hits.

Have a great day!

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Monday, May 23, 2005

Top of the 1^st

THE ROOKIE

You folks know about Joe Dillon? Joe was a star collegiate player for Texas Tech. His 33 home runs in 1997 was a school record and at the end of that year he was honored as a first-team All-American. Following his success at Tech, Dillon was drafted in the seventh round by the Kansas City Royals in 1997 and went on to play eight seasons in the Royals minor league system before an injury force his retirement in 2003.

So, like so many, Dillon returned to the place of his past glory, Texas Tech, as a volunteer assistant coach and to complete his degree and get on with his life. Dillon also had surgery on his back to address a bulging disc, "I was 27 years old and couldn't get out of bed in the morning," Dillon said. "I had a new baby boy, and every time I bent over to pick him up, I had to worry about my back going out.”

Then a funny thing happened, not only could he pick up his baby boy but he could play baseball again. Dillon went to spring training and won himself a contract. He began the 2004 season at Double-A Carolina playing 33 games there before the Marlins took him up the ladder another step and he played 108 games in Albuquerque. Dillon batted .325 with 30 home runs and 86 RBIs for the Isotopes. Texas Tech had lost their volunteer coach.

Dillon continued hitting well this season and was named the Pacific Coast League Batter of the Week for games beginning on May 9th and continuing through May 15th after batting .406 with four homers and 12 RBI in seven games. Dillon, riding an 11 game hitting streak, started the week by belting two homers while driving in five runs against New Orleans on May 9th. On May 12th, the slugger went 4-for-5 with three runs scored against Portland before following that up by going 3-for-5 two days later against Tacoma. For the week, Dillon collected 13 hits, scored 10 runs, and belted four homers which vaulted him into the Pacific Coast League lead with 12 on the year.

Then last Wednesday, a funny thing happened (well, it was kinda funny). Marlins’ third baseman Mike Lowell got hit in the face with a foul ball that he lost in the sun. Lowell was replaced by Joe Dillon, who just the day before had been recalled from Triple-A Albuquerque. The promotion was so sudden, Dillon had to use Paul Lo Duca's shoes, Jeff Conine's bat and one of Alex Gonzalez's gloves.

Dillon came up for the first time in the majors in the 5^th and singled and finished the game 1-4.

The story gets a little better.

By Friday, Lowell was back in the lineup and Dillon, who I’m sure was not complaining, was back on the bench. He was there Saturday as well as the Marlins were facing the Devil Rays. But with the score tied at 3 in the 8^th inning, Dillon was called upon to make his first home at-bat, as a pinch hitter. "I had choices to go with but I wanted a guy who could give me the power," Marlins manager Jack McKeon said.

On a 1-2 pitch and two outs, pinch-hitter Dillon hit his first major league home run, off of reliever Jesus Colome, to lead the Florida Marlins to a 4-3 victory over the Tampa Bay.

Dillon hit Tampa Bay a 1-2 pitch from (1-2) over the left-field wall to break a 3-3 tie.

"It's a great feeling, you always want to win games but obviously they mean a lot more up here than in the minor leagues," Dillon said.

"I hit it pretty good, it got in a little bit on me but it was either off the wall or out. When I went around first and heard the roar of the crowd go nuts, I knew it was a home run."

Dillon didn't recall homering as a pinch-hitter at any level of pro ball in his career. His teammates rewarded him with a shaving-cream pie in the face during a post-game television interview.

"You have to be excited and happy for him," center fielder Juan Pierre said. "Everybody remembers their first home run. You know he'll remember that for the rest of his life."

Way to go, rook.

Top of the 2^nd

THE VETERAN

Aaron Sele pitched like a kid again as Seattle shut out the Padres, 5-0. At 34, Sele is just a kid particularly compared to his battery mate. Sele was caught yesterday by Pat Borders. Yeah the same Pat Borders who was the World Series Most Valuable Player with Toronto.

The same Pat Borders who won a gold medal with the 2000 U.S. Olympic baseball team.

This is the same Pat Borders who has played with the Blue Jays, the Royals, Astros, Cardinals, Angels, White Sox, Indians, Blue Jays again, Mariners, Twins, Mariners again and just last week was back in the minors (he’s played in over 1,100 minor league games) playing for the AAA Nashville Sounds when the Mariners lost catchers Dan Wilson and Wiki Gonzalez to injuries.

This is the same Pat Borders who has had 17 major league seasons and nine days ago celebrated his 42^nd birthday, but was still catching, instead of spending it with his wife and six kids.

This is the same Pat Borders who has been a steady ballplayer with a career .255 batting average, but it’s not likely that anyone will retire his number. As John Levesque, Seattle Post-Intelligencer columnist so aptly points outs, “If ever it came to pass, we'd be in for a long ceremony. Borders has worn 7, 10, 15, 17, 18, 26, 29, 37 and 38 with nine major league teams.”

Steve Kelley, of the Seattle Times quotes Mariners manager Mike Hargrove, "There's not a lot in the game that Pat can't say 'been there, done that' about. He's been in almost all situations. If I was a pitcher, there would be some comfort in that, knowing that the catcher calling the game can get me through whatever I get into."

That’s why it must have felt good for Sele to see a familiar face behind the plate. Sele, basically, had been bounced from the Mariner’s rotation. These days you have to really be pitching miserably to be bounced from anyone’s rotation. But yesterday, Sele (3-4) struck out three and walked one in his ninth career shutout and 15th complete game. The last was a three-hit shutout for the Angels in a 7-0 victory over the Dodgers on July 29, 2002. He retired 13 of his final 14 batters and threw 69 of his 112 pitches for strikes in Seattle's first shutout of the season.

 

Sounds like Sele also had a pretty great catcher because even after this shutout Sele’s ERA is 4.62. "That was the best-pitched game we've had against us," San Diego manager Bruce Bochy said. "We just saw a guy who was locked in. He had great command."

Billy-Ball is a Pat Border’s fan because, not only does he play, but he thinks like us, "I love all of it," he said. "You just can't manufacture that kind of adrenaline. I'm 42, which is old in baseball, but relatively speaking, it's young. I enjoy it. I haven't lost the desire, the fun since I was in Little League. I go out there and, win or lose, I'm going to have a degree of a good time.”

One final item on Borders, in the 8^th inning he was facing Darrell May, a “veteran” who has been pitching professionally since 1992 (yeah, that was the year that Borders was the Series MVP with his .450 batting average) which is 10 years after Borders started his professional career, playing for Medicine Hat and Borders lined one of Mays’ fastball into left field for a single, the 809^th hit of Borders career and his first of 2005.

Way to go, old guy.

Top of the 3^rd

IT DOESN’T MATTER

It makes no difference who Pedro Martinez pitches for, the Yankees seem to find a way to beat his team. Petey was dominant for the Mets for seven innings but after Willie Randolph pulled him, Bernie Williams capped a three-run rally in the 8^th with a go-ahead double and the Yankees won, 5-3.

Way to go, Grady.

Top of the 4^th

SHOUT OUT OF THE DAY

This Pointer Sisters hit, heard most recently in the “Maid In Manhattan” soundtrack goes out to Brockton Rox wannabe, pitcher Dennis "Oil Can" Boyd, 14 years removed from his last major league appearance, who threw four more shutout innings for the Rox Saturday night.

Boyd, 45, battled the cold and rain, allowing two hits and striking out five in his second start. The Can set the New Haven Cutters down in order in the 1^st inning with a strikeout and two groundouts. Boyd struck out the first three batters of the second inning, but the third hitter reached on a wild pitch. He ended the inning with a fly out. Boyd struck out the first batter of the third inning before giving up back-to-back singles. He escaped the jam by inducing a double play. Boyd retired the side in order in the fourth.

As the Sisters sang,

“I know we can make it.
I know darn well we can work it out.
Oh yes we can, I know we can can
yes we can can, why can't we?
If we wanna, yes we can can.”

Way to go, Can!

Top of the 5^th

YOU COMPLETE ME

"Every once in a while you have to go up there to get it done," Mark Prior said yesterday after throwing 126 pitches and finishing with a six-hitter as the Cubs beat the White Sox 4-3 to avoid a three-game sweep.

Javier Vazquez pitched a five-hitter for his first shutout since 2003, and Craig Counsell's RBI single in the 8^th gave Arizona a 1-0 victory over the Detroit Tigers. Vazquez (5-3) struck out seven and won for the fifth time in seven starts. He hasn't walked a batter since April 25 and has lasted at least seven innings without allowing more than two runs in seven consecutive starts. The Diamondbacks have a half-game lead over San Diego in the NL West after their ninth win in 12 games. Arizona (27-18) didn't earn its 27th victory last season until June 17.

Matt Clement struck out seven, walked none and allowed four hits in Boston's first complete game this season, as he defeated the Atlanta Braves, 5-2. Clement is now 5-0 after lowering his ERA to 3.34. In his team-high 10 starts, Clement has 47 strikeouts and 22 walks. He also is the first Red Sox pitcher to start 5-0 in his first season with the team since John Burkett went 7-0 in 2002.

In Baltimore, Cory Lidle pitched a six-hitter, and Pat Burrell went 3-for-3 with a three-run homer as the Phillies defeated the Orioles, 7-2. Lidle (4-3) struck out four and walked one in his 11th complete game, the first this season. Sidney Ponson (5-2) lost for the first time since April 14.

Way to go, pitchers.

Top of the 6^th

ON THIS DATE

On May 23, 1994, the St. Louis Cardinals set a major league record by stranding 16 runners without scoring, losing to David West and three Philadelphia Phillies relievers 4-0.

Could someone check the box score to see if the Cardinals starting shortstop was Edgar Renteria?

Top of the 7^th

BILLY-BALL-A-GRAM - 5/23/2005

Happy birthday to this Dodger great who Branch Rickey described as the best outfielder Brooklyn ever had.

WATCH HAZE

BILLY-BALL-TRIVIA - 5/23/2005

Last season Adam Dunn became only the second Red ever to post 100 runs, 100 RBIs and 100 walks in the same season. Who was the first?

Send your answers to Bill@billy-ball.com 

Bottom of the 7^th

BILLY-BALL-A-GRAM ANSWER - 5/23/05

On this date in 1991, this two-time former Red Sox batting champion, passed away.

NESTLE PRUNE - Pete Runnels

Although Playground 10 and Billy-Ball regular, Paul Handman writes, “In fact, his name was actually Nestle Prune. His mother was Gertrude Nestle, heiress to the chocolate fortune amassed by her husband Farfel Nestle. His father, Peter Prune, a laxative mogul who founded Sunsweet Industries died prematurely of wrinkles and projectile diarrhea. Nestle won the batting title twice, which he attributed to his burning need to get off the basepaths quickly and head back to the dugout lavatory. His best year saw him steal 900 bases. He was also afflicted with terrible acne and pustules, owing to the fact that he always had a Crunch bar in his back pocket where his chewing tobacco should have been. Rest In Peace, Nestle Prune.”

BILLY-BALL-TRIVIA-ANSWER - 5/23/05

Who holds the Major League record for most consecutive stolen bases without being caught stealing?
Vince Coleman stole 50 consecutive bases without being caught from September 18, 1988 through July 26 1989.

Easy when I leave the answer with the question, huh?

Top of the 8^th

DID YOU KNOW?

The Astros have now lost five in a row, falling yesterday to Texas, 2-0, and have a record of 2-19 on the road, worst in the major leagues.

Top of the 9^th

HOWE AND WHY

The Kansas City Royals are reportedly talking about filling their vacant managerial position with Art Howe (why? I guess because he’ll come cheap because the Mets are still paying him a bundle). Other retreads being considered are Gene Lamont, Jimy Williams, Jim Fregosi, Grady Little, Don Baylor, Miller Huggins, and Phil Jackson.

Have a great day!

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Friday, May 20, 2005

Top of the 1^st

THE BILLY-BALL COMMENCEMENT ADDRESS 2005
Well, it appears that once again I have not been invited to give a commencement address at a college, high school or pre-school. But if I were invited, here’s what I would say:

“Ladies and gentlemen of the class of 2005 -

You are indeed a unique group of students and while every graduating class is different from the one that precedes it or the one that follows it, you are special. You are special because your time in college was dramatically shaped by two events. Two events that we never thought would occur in our lifetimes.

The first occurred just days after you arrived on campus as freshman…The tragedy of 9/11. No one could ever have imagined American soil being so viciously being attacked by terrorists. Sadness reigned. People of every age questioned their future, but none more so than those of you in college.

Yet from that difficult moment you learned how to put aside your petty differences and bond with one another. You didn’t need to be a New Yorker; we were all New Yorkers. You learned what your kindergarten teacher had hoped; you learned to play well with one another.

The next coalescing event took place early in your senior year. Once again, it was unexpected and shocking…the Boston Red Sox became the World Champion Boston Red Sox. No one could have imagined the feeling that was created by this “gang of idiots” could be shared by so many. You didn’t need to be a Red Sox fan; we were all Red Sox fans. We all shared the exultant feeling of the triumphant underdog

Is there a relationship between the two events? Logically, no. But there is a message of spirit that made sure that weeks after the World Trade Towers came crashing down, like Phoenix, the Diamondbacks won the World Series played in New York and Arizona. And the Angels, won the one after that. And the Marlins won in 2003. We did not miss a World Series; we did not miss a beat.

So this is your lesson, this is your take-away, this is your mantra - persevere.

If you are attacked, persevere.

If you are challenged, persevere.

If you are down 3-0 in the best of seven, persevere.

How do you do that?

Be decent and caring, be giving and sharing, be loving and supportive, and do the things you have to do persist, but do them honestly.

Look at yourself in the mirror each morning. No matter how many home runs Barry B*nds hits, no matter how many times he denies it, how he spins it, how he parses it - he is a cheater and a disgrace to the game. I know it, you know it, and he knows it every morning.

Be there for your friends, your colleagues, your neighbors, your community, your family, and never forget to be there for yourself. And, be kind to your body. Enjoy it. While some of the parts may be replaceable, it’s the only one you have.

Enjoy being yourself. Don't waste your time trying to copy the style of someone else. Babe Ruth  was Babe Ruth; you are not Babe Ruth, you are you.

Learn from those who persevered. Learn from Jackie Robinson who turned the other cheek until he earned respect, and then taught others how to show respect. Learn from Bart Giamatti, the esteemed former president of Yale  University, who turned his avocation, his love for the game of baseball, into his vocation, becoming the commissioner of baseball.

Follow a path that brings you joy. Baseball promoter extraordinaire Mike Veeck, who has known his share of heartache, perseveres because he says; “Fun is good!” And he is right, because if you are not having fun, it is hard to keep going.

If you see a glass half empty, buy a new glass…just don’t get it at Wal-Mart’s.

Don’t be by yourself. Look for others to work with and most importantly look for others to play with. Don’t worry about being traded. Worry about not being wanted. Make yourself so valuable that people want you on their team and are willing to do whatever is necessary to have you play with them and not against them.

Sacrifice. Be willing to give up an at bat to help your teammate. Don't put up with people who are not willing to sacrifice for you. Make sure you have your teammate’s “back”; if you do, they’ll have yours. Understand that teammates come and go, but good friends stay forever.

Get to know your manager and general manager. While you’re at it, make friends with your bartender and always wish the cashier at CVS a good day.

Know what’s important and what’s not. Keep your old baseball cards. Throw away your report cards.

Don’t be predictable. Go with the pitch and hit to the opposite field. Don’t be afraid to throw a curve when they are expecting a fastball.

Cheer. Remember the cheers you receive. Remember to cheer for others. Forget the boos. Forget booing. Root for a team, not against one.

Listen. Listen to veterans and learn from their experience. Listen to the sounds of the game and hear the music.

Dream. There is nothing wrong with that. Don't feel guilty if you always dream of being a ballplayer. Your life wasn’t so bad at 13 when that was your dream and it won’t be so bad at 53 when that still is your dream.

Smell the flowers. Enjoy the day. Treasure the moment. Only one thing in life is certain: uncertainty. Remember Yogi Berra, once said, "It's tough to make predictions. Especially about the future."

Pay attention. Know the signs…on and off the field.

No matter what time of the year it is, no matter what the weather, always pay attention to a ball field. A diamond is valuable because you can always find your way home.

Time should not determine the winner. It’s better to get it done right than to get it done fast. Deadlines, telephones, and appointments are all very unimportant in a tie game in the bottom of the 9th.

Don’t be afraid to fail. The greatest of the great failed close to seventy per cent of the time and still they were great.

Find solutions, don’t cast blame. Sometimes you're ahead, sometimes you're behind. The game is long and the season is even longer and, in the end, just play as well as you can play. That’s all you can ever do.

Remember if you build it, they will come.

Stretch.

Go for it. It’s better to fail long, then to fall short.

Remember Tug McGraw’s words, “You gotta believe.” Remember Tug McGraw, he persevered and taught others to do the same.

Know that the three sweetest words you can say are “I love you” and the two best words you can hear are “Play ball!”

If you forget everything that I’ve said, that’s okay. Just remember to keep moving forward and persevere.

Dedicated with all due respect, and more love than I can put into words, to Elizabeth Chuck, who on Sunday, May 22, 2005, will graduate from Wesleyan University and has survived, thrived and persevered.

Top of the 2^nd

PHILLING THE GAP

Brett Myers had another solid outing, leading the Philadelphia Phillies to a 7-4 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals. Myers (4-2) gave up three runs and six hits, striking out nine in seven innings. His ERA rose from 1.63 to 1.87 as he allowed more than two runs for only the second time in nine starts.

St. Louis fell to an NL-best 13-6 on the road.

Top of the 3^rd

MORE ON ABREAU

Bobby Abreu extended his hitting streak to 12 games with a single. He didn't homer for only the second time in 11 games. Abreu hasn't been caught in 12 stolen-base attempts. He's is hitting .550 (22 for 40) during his 12-game hitting streak.

Who would have dumped this guy from his fantasy team in April? Only ***** Billy-Ball.

Top of the 4^th

GOOD DAY, EH?

The Washington Nationals are heading back to Canada to play their “natural rivals” the Toronto Blue Jays. "We're not going to Montreal. We're going to Toronto. Like other teams, we've got to get our passports out, be courteous and answer directly to the customs guys. Hopefully we won't have any problems going across the border, win some ball games and come on back," said Nationals manager Frank Robinson on his team's return to Canada. The Nationals finished off a 5-2 homestand yesterday, beating Milwaukee 3-2 and taking three of four from the Brewers.

Okay, let’s cut the schedule makers a little slack here because when the schedule was drawn up, the Nats were still in search of a home. Hopefully next year, the Nationals will be playing the Orioles and Toronto, will be playing…hockey?

Top of the 5^th

NAME THE “EX”

There was a battle of the “Texas Exes” last night as Arizona faced Houston. Which native of Houston, former University of Texas star and former New York Yankee came out of the battle the winner? If you said, “Roger Clemens”…you’re wrong!

The winner was Brad Halsey who had the best start of his career as the Diamondbacks defeated Clemens and the Astros, 6-1. The Astros combined poor offense with poor defense committing a season-high five errors as they fell to 3-11 against left-handed starters. Clemens entered Thursday's game with a major league-leading ERA of 1.11 and left it at 1.29.

Top of the 6^th

SAY HEY, MAYS WINS

Joe Mays scattered seven hits in his first complete game in nearly three years, pitching Minnesota past the Toronto Blue Jays, 4-0. Mays struck out two without a walk in 93 pitches. It was his first complete game since a two-hit shutout against Boston on Aug. 16, 2002. It was the first time Toronto was shut out this year.

Joe Mays is the third “Mays” to have played in the majors since 1900. Carl Mays was the pitcher who fatally beaned Ray Chapman. Then there was some guy named, “Willie”….

Top of the 7^th

BILLY-BALL-A-GRAM - 5/20/2005

On this date in 1991, this two-time former Red Sox batting champion, passed away.

NESTLE PRUNE

BILLY-BALL-TRIVIA - 5/20/2005

Who holds the Major League record for most consecutive stolen bases without being caught stealing?
Vince Coleman stole 50 consecutive bases without being caught from September 18, 1988 through July 26 1989.

Send your answers to Bill@billy-ball.com 

Bottom of the 7^th

BILLY-BALL-A-GRAM ANSWER - 5/20/05

MRS. MISCOUNT - Curt Simmons of Egypt, Pennsylvania.

BILLY-BALL-TRIVIA-ANSWER - 5/20/05

Name the player who stole the most career bases without ever leading the league in that category.
Joe Morgan stole 689 bases in his career yet never led the league in steals in any year. He finished second in the NL in steals six times.

Top of the 8^th

DID YOU KNOW?

Roger Clemens led Texas to the 1983 NCAA championship. His mound opponent yesterday was Brad Halsey, who was a member of UT's 2002 championship team.

Top of the 9^th

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND

Thank you for all your feedback and support. Special thanks to Rob Neyer for his recognition. I can comfortably say that anything positive that is said or written about this space is due in a large part to all of you. Don’t ever think that writing to me (bill@billy-ball.com) is an intrusion. I persevere because I know you are out there.

If you have a site and would like to “re-purpose” Billy-Ball, please let me know. I’m particularly interested in the ones that might pay me some money.

Don’t forget to share your thoughts with the rest of Billy-Ball-World at the Forum - www.billy-ball-forum.com

Enjoy your weekend.

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Information provided in Billy-Ball has been gathered from A.P. reports, espn.com, sportsline.com, mlb.com and numerous other e-sources. Opinions expressed in Billy-Ball are obviously solely the opinions of the author of Billy-Ball and do not reflect those of source material no matter how off the wall they may be.