Thursday Wrap: Draining the TiVo

"You know...I'm starting to hate baseball."

GLENDALE, Calif. -- Good land-o-goshin!

I've got Mariners Report Daily, Royals Weekly and enough Red Sox Spring segments to make Roger Angell start longing for the NFL on Fox crew. But I press ahead...winning the benefit of tidbits like Riverdance-ing closer Jonathan Papelbon dressed in a see-thru shirt at a charity dance contest in Bumbledip, Fla.

On tap:

Dodgers v. Red Sox (ESPN-HD, Penny v. Wakefield)
White Sox v. Rangers (ComcastSportsChi. Haeger v.Padilla)
Yankees v. Twins (ESPN-HD, Kennedy v. Slowey)

Top 5:


1. Dodger Power/Seven-Run 9th: Game-winning Grand Slam from Dodger Jason Repko in garbage time against the Saux. This after a three-run shot from Lucas May in the same frame. Earlier, we saw an impressive Matt Kemp blast on an outside corner pitch from Mike Timlin.

2. At 41 and still in his prime? Tim Wakefield is proving that the knuckleball is truly the fountain of youth. He tied up more than a few big-league bats with that wicked googly. Kinda makes me wonder why we don't see more of this nasty pitch -- where has Steve Sparks gone? Want your kid in the NFL...teach 'em to long snap. Want 'em in MLB for 30 years? Have 'em pitch with no spin. (Although White Sox AAA knuckler Charlie Haeger got a bit touched up, watching three score on 5 hits in 3 innings of work today...but got a few "He gone"s for his efforts.)

3. The Cheetah! As we mentioned before, it's Spring for the umps, too. One thing that the 90 Percent baseball blog will offer you is top-flight umpire discussion. And I was lucky enough to have umpiring legend #4 Tim Tschida manning first to start the Dodgers game today. Not much more to say than he did swimmingly. Did you know...umps must rotate in Spring games, as Chester Cheetah was seen at 2nd base...executing that patented high-knee fist-pump to call the top end of a double-play.

4. Plus Free Use of the Clubhouse: Speaking of Papelbon, he's going to make $755K this year instead of the $450K range he made last year, thanks to the generosity of the Red Sox ownership. For the record, Mssr. Gagne signed a contract for $10 million with the Brewers in December, three days before the Mitchell Report was released. Sorry, Game Over. We'll always have 2004...

5. The New Hunter? Delmon Young, the Twins new hope in the outfield after Torii left for the Big A, c-r-u-s-h-e-d an Ian Kennedy hanger over the 408 foot center field fence against the Yanks in the top of the 2nd. They're crazy for him in St. Paul. (Local reference!) No bats where thrown at umps in his three ABs.


Honorable Mention: CWS big dude Jermaine Dye crashed into the right field wall of Tuscon Electric Park on a wind-driven fly ball. He appears to be fine, but took an awkward bump and fall. Left Fielder Brian Anderson made up for it by gunning down Babe-Ruth-of-the-Month Winner and former-Tiger Chris Shelton at home plate. "He gone" apparently also applies to such plays.

Wednesday: Nationals = Fitness! and more...

Better than last time: Santana showed some serious change-up Wednesday versus the Dodgers.

Just catching up on all things baseball and cleaning out the TiVo.

--Dodgers/Nationals - Tues (split squad - Nomar/Andruw/Ethier headlining)
--Dodgers/Mets - Today (Santana starts after his dismal debut/Penny starts for dem Blues)

Don't forget!! Dodgers v. Red Sox on ESPN at 1p EST/10a PST on Thursday!

Top 5:

1. Andre Ethier, competing for a spot in the Dodger outfield with Kemp/Pierre, smokes what would have been a 400+ foot dinger to right into a 20 mph gale against the Nats. Impressive power off of a left-hander, no?

2. The Nationals boasted some meat last year. So, I was intrigued to hear the MASN broadcasters saying the team was "in better shape than last year". They bolstered their case by pointing to Nick Johnson and Dmitri Young, pictured here in a photo taken days ago. Eh.




3. We all know base coaches are being prodded into wearing hard hats this year for their safety -- this in the wake of a liner killing a base coach in AA last year. Seemingly counter to this, MLB will also force base coaches to stay within the coach boxes this year, putting them 10 or so feet closer to the plate than they often stand. Chances this will actually be enforced seem low.

4. J. Santana punches out Andruw Jones with a wicked change-up on the outside corner, putting the slugger out in front and awk-ward...on March 5?!? I can't flippin' wait for the season to start. (He followed that up by doing the same exact thing to Andy LaRoche, the guy fighting for a job at 3rd who might end up getting the bump for...2003 Tiger Alum Brandon Inge??)

5. Diving attempt by Brady Clark, bubble left fielder for the New York Metropolitans, on a double to left-center by Dodger backup catcher Gary Bennett. As the SNY announcing team said:

"If that was a veteran, you're not getting a dive in March. If you're wearing #93 in camp, you're going flat out."

FUKUDOME WATCH:

Our hero breaks out on Tuesday with three hits and his first !SLAM-A-LAM-A-DING-DONG! (home run) in the MLB ranks. Booyah!

But then he didn't play today. :(

Everybody Hold A Good Thought . . .

. . . for Dodger favorite Davey Lopes.

Come Spring, Some Guys Experiment With Their Batting Stance, Other Guys Go Further

If The Prince wins a triple crown, can we give the credit to his anger over his contract or, perhaps, to his radical new diet?

It's Always Sunny in Tampa: Yankees/Phillies from Fla.

The Good Life: A Yankee Fan shows off two rings unrelated to baseball. To his left, another fan's shirt suggests that the "Mets Suck".

Bonus to the the YES Network for HD coverage on a perfect sunny afternoon from the HQ of NYY operations. (Fun fact: every spring game has sold out since the 1996 opening of Legends "Soon-to-Be George Steinbrenner III" Field. C'mon Devil Ray fans...you'll always have a special place in 90 Percent's heart for scouting Scottie, but you've gotta go to a couple games for YOUR team each year.)

Jeter appears to be a bit leaner than last year, maybe trying to one-up fitness-freak skipper Joe Girardi? J. Giambi is clearly not leaner than last year, perhaps trying to one-up Joba Chamberlain -- the pleasantly plump reliever hoping to make the leap to the starting rotation.

For the Yanks, we had Honest Andy Pettitte, fresh off apologizing to every human being he could find for using HGH (c'mon now...he even apologized to the broadcast team in the hallway). For the Phils, we had Cole Hamels (who is publicly aiming for the Cy Young this year). Awesome!

Top 5

1. Our new, lean Jeets goes deep in the hole on a Pedro Feliz grounder, lifts-off in patented Jeets fashion and torches a throw across his body to pinch the fleet-footed Philly at first (though called safe on the play, Huddy replay showed it was an out. Hey, it's Spring for the Umps as well.)

2. Disappointing day for current Philly/former Dodger rising-star...your attention please (pregnant pause) now starting (pause) in center field (with deep bass, one word) Jaysonwerth. He dropped a toughie in the sun on the run, missed the cutoff man on a throw from the warning track and did next to nothing at the plate in four tries, going 0 for 3, BB. Adding insult, his replacement in center was 1 for 1... and made a diving grab that made SportCenter.

3. Hamels hangs a breaking ball for Giambi that went about halfway to St. Pete! (A little local humor there.)

4. Skipper J. Girardi crossed the dugout to congratulate Melky Cabrera for a run-scoring sacrifice fly...in Spring Training. I think I remember J. Torre blinking once in 2001.

5. Tall Boy Kyle Farnsworth giving up a Home Run to Pat Burrell on his second pitch...a.k.a.: the moment Yanks gabber Michael Kay predicted that a great Farnsie spring would allow the Yanks to move Joba up from the bullpen.

FUKUDOME WATCH

0 for 3 today. What's Japanese for frownie?

Saturday of Spring Baseball

A Rough Day for Zito: 8 Runs on 7 Hits


Thanks to CSTV (Chicago Sports net), cw11/SNY (Mets net) and TiVo, Huddy was able to enjoy a Cubs/Angels and Mets/Dodgers doubleheader, care for a sick child, finish my 2007 taxes -- Federal and Cali, mind you -- all in one tremendous afternoon.

This season, I hope to do a little report on any and all baseball-related viewing...in person, on TV, via radio or Web. Presentation will always be clever and compelling, but may vary in format. For today, I'll go with the Top 5 of the day.

1. Ryan Church (loss of memory)/Marlon Anderson (bruised sternum) collison on an Andruw Jones pop-up to right
2. Met's rookie-hopeful Jonathan Niese pitches 2 scoreless innings, 3Ks
3. Cubs catcher Geovany Soto picks off speedy Angel Chone Figgins attempting a steal
4. Deep disappointment in Fukudome's not playing today
5. Cubs fans slurring in the fields of Arizona, instead of Chicago (related video below)



Honorable Mention: Olmado Saenz sighting in Mets' dugout!

Spring Training 2008: It's Morning in America...

In lieu of Ernie Harwell reading his wonderful recitation of Song of Solomon (For lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone; the flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle(dove) is heard in our land.) to open the season, I thought I'd express my feelings with some pictures and some haiku. 5-7-5.

My Wife Has a Statement

Inject Her With It
You Can Keep Your Hall of Fame
Misremembered



Here's Another Hit

Magg-lo and Miguel
Thinking About 1,000
At Comerica



Flavor Country

Ready for the plane
Lets an easy one get away
That won't happen here



Parking Lot

Complaints Are Many
Jeff Kent Is Older than dirt
It's Dodger Baseball!



Churchy

Honesty Don't Cover
A huge payroll for Stein
Better Call B. Mac



Sushi plus HGH

90 miles per hour
65 miles per hour next
Game Over for good



Opening Day

Best Super Bowl, Yes
Best NBA Season, Yes
Will Trade for Tickets



DirecTV

No haiku needed
It's easy enough to say
Extra Innings, please



Renewal

No offense to you
Chant Torre, Torre, Torre
Joe will win like Jim




One More

Thanks Bradley Lidge
For Pujols moonrocket shot
Now, get your shinebox

"It's an embarrassment for me to be wearing this (f'ing)uniform 'cause of the way I'm playing," Bonds exclaimed. "There, that's it. Now go away."

From now on when Barry is being talked about, Bud shouldn't be to too far behind. They are in this together, forever. Bud looked away at what players in his league were taking and Barry unknowingly took. Bud and Barry. Barry and Bud. Bad altogether baseball.

Bud could've nipped all this bairoid talk in the bud before it started. When his people came to him and said, "Bud, we have a problem here..." -- the used car dealer looked at baseball's balance sheet. Times were good. Fans flooded the gates. No need to look at 10 years down the road .... until it is 10 years down the road as it is now.

Barry is a whole different story. We will never really know if he knowingly took steroids unless he tells us. He was a Hall Of Famer already, so that part of his legacy is intact. Best thing he can do is hit 800 dingers and say f'you to everybody as he has for the last 20 years.

I put most of this on Allan Selig. And when the day comes as Barry is rounding the bases after he hit his 756th, Bud better be at home plate extending his hand and looking Barry in the eye and offering his congratulations. Anything less would be cowardly intentions. Bud better not let Barry stand alone. They are in this together and should stand together and face up.

The Battle of Lake Erie

Detroit and Cleveland are separated by 170 miles, a large body of water, and 2 World Series Championships. The Tigers have won 4, last being in 1984. The Indians have won 2, last being in 1948. This summer is the first in a long, long time these two teams have been good at the same time. Both are relatively young, have powerful lineups, and are making a mockery of the rest of the division.

I am very interested to see how the second half turns out. The Tigers look as good as they have all year, and that's with a shaky at best bullpen. Right now I am not as convinced about the Indians. They do rank in the bottom half in the AL in pitching, but I think their record away from the bandbox they play in is even more telling.

Regardless of what the current trend looks like, if either team goes on a skid, the Mariners will be there. The Tigers go to Seattle for four right after the break. Lose that series, and not only does the race for the AL Central tighten, but playoff aspirations do as well.

This Is My Niece

Her name is Maggie and I am very proud.

Now on to the season. We're at the half way point and we still have a few weeks before the real season starts (August 1). And of course this is the critical time when teams decide if they are playoff contenders or not by July 31. My travels navigate me through the Chicago market and I get to tune in to the creative exploits of Chicagoland sports radio. The city is fortunate enough to have 2 big league teams and unfortunately my attention is drawn to the White Sox because they are two spots behind the Tigers in the AL Central. Much yak over the last week has been what to do with Mark Buehrle. The left -hander wants a no-trade clause added to a possible 4 year 56M contract. The Sox refuse to grant the clause because the GM believes he wouldn't be able to build a contending team to fill other areas. I disagree because Buehrle is a coveted asset in that he is a left handed starting pitcher who pitches 200 innings, wins 14 games, doesn't go on the DL, and is in his prime at 28. This is what you build around. Not settling a deal and trading him would start a fire sale and send the Sox back at least 5 years. As a Tiger fan, I would say to Buehrle don't let the door hit you on the way out of Chicago. As a fan of the game, I would say letting this pitcher go would be a drastically huge mistake. Give the guy the clause.

when is the last time Ice Cube did something even the least bit righteous? Does Friday even count?

Cube Still Manages to Offend

Jokes aside, my interest in the Dodgers doesn't nearly match that of Mike and Ben. That said, I'm still deeply offended at the above image. How could one of South-Central's finest allow himself to be seen in a Giants jersey? I don't give a damn what any triflin' director says: Cube shouldn't be in an S.F. jersey.

Not That Any Of You Asked Or Anything

Here are my picks for this year's baseball season. Let the derision begin!!!

AL EAST
Boston
NY Yankees
Toronto
Baltimore
Tampa

AL CENTRAL
Cleveland
Detroit - Wild Card
Minnesota
Chicago
Kansas City

AL WEST (Who cares?!?)
Los Angelheim
Tejas
Oakland
Seattle

NL EAST
Atlanta
NY Metropolitans - Wild Card
Philadelphia
Florida
Washington

NL CENTRAL
St. Louis (I hate to say it)
Milwaukee
Chicago
Houston
Cincinnati
Pittsburgh

NL WEST
San Diego
Arizona
Colorado
San Francisco
Los Angeles

World Series: New York Mets over Boston Red Sox

The 2007 Baseball Season Is Almost Upon Us . . .

. . . so let's get our 90% Mentality started with this totally apropos quote . . .

"There's one word that describes baseball: 'You never know.'"

-Joaquin Andujar, former major league pitcher

Nick Punto just crossed my mind for the first time since November.