JD Challenger painting hanging in a Santa Fe gallery. Pix taken 06/2004. Nice stuff, right? 

This Is Heresy, I Know

I've been listening to a streaming radio station that features Rolling Stone Magazine's list of 50 Immortal performers. Great stuff: Miles Davis, Al Green, Buddy Holly, Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters, Stones, Beatles, Kinks, Clash, Aretha, Roxy Music, Sam Cooke, James Brown, heavy hitters all! Most of the stuff puts a smile on my face. Anyway, I've heard a few Janis Joplin tracks over the past couple days, and I swear that JJ sounds much like Marge Simpson! No foolin'. Pull out some old JJ tracks and listen for Marge. She's there.

Ann Althouse notes that listeners are abandoning all forms of radio. Hey, I am listening to this streaming stuff, and I plan to get satellite radio soon. That's good news. Most radio stinks.

Birdsongs: An Answer, Maybe

Was laying in bed last night listening to my favorite late night warbler. Poor thing. It's the only bird singing in the deep night. Each night it whistles out to everyone and no one.

I am fairly certain, but I can't be sure, but I swear that I heard a Cactus Wren give a very irritated, very abrupt, shut-up squawk to our nightime soloist. I'd heard that squawk before, when the Cactus Wren landed on the fence and warned me that his work in my yard would begin.

Anyway, check the link above. Might be cool stuff. Might be for the birds! (Heh.)

More Pix from the Big Ballpark

Ryan Klesko has a few choice words for the home plate ump after being called out on strikes. Wasn't fast enough with the camera finger to get Klesko and ump in nose-to-nose, breathing each other's air mode. D-Backs won 8-6. Took the picture from my seat, which was in the 8th fargin' row! 

Holy Michaels! It's Gino Cimoli

$90.00 for signed Gino Cimoli picture? Who knew? Click on the link above to view the photo. If you click here, you'll see that Gino's career numbers compare favorably with Bombo Rivera. Cool. When you click on the Bombo link, you find that Bombo's game compared favorably to Wycliffe Nathaniel "Bubba" Morton. Extremely cool.

De Bacle's D-Hacks won their first head-to-head last week 6-3. They are back in the thick of it this week. De Bacle wants to see a good outing from Kenny Rogers, who has yet to earn a W this season.

The Choppers are floundering two categories: wins by starting pitchers and stolen bases. "Well get our SBs," said Diamond Dick. "But Clemens needs some hitting behind him. He's a 40+ year-old-man who has pitched two gems, has an ERA under 1.00, and has yet to win a game. Go (expletive) figure."

Lottery Daydream (what I'd do if): I would consider joining Victor Davis Hanson and do this.

D-Backs RF Shawn Green steps to the plate after 3b Troy Glaus singled. Green singled. 1B Tony Clark, seen getting ready in the on-deck circle (Tiger fans: remember Tony Clark?), hit a three-run homer a couple of pitches later. We had seats in the 8th row behind home plate. Can you say "heaven on earth?" D-Backs won 8-6 and swept the weekend series v the San Diego Padres. 

Don't know the names of these purple and white guys. This is the 2d season for this plant. It flowered last summer, went dormant over the winter, and has come back this Spring. Beautiful, right? 

This and That

W.B. Yeats: He Wishes For The Cloths Of Heaven

HAD I the heavens' embroidered cloths,
Enwrought with golden and silver light,
The blue and the dim and the dark cloths
Of night and light and the half-light,
I would spread the cloths under your feet:
But I, being poor, have only my dreams;
I have spread my dreams under your feet;
Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.

Homage to King Tubby

King Tubby (born Osbourne Ruddock, January 28, 1941 - February 6, 1989) is a Jamaican musician, known primarily for his influence on the development of dub in the 1960s. In the 1950s, King Tubby's musical career began with the sound systems, set up on the streets of Kingston and playing dance music for the people. As a radio repairman, Tubby soon became quite helpful at most of the sound systems around.

Always thoughtful discourse from Victor Hanson

If we look back at the war that started on September 11, there have emerged some general rules that should guide us in the next treacherous round of the struggle against Islamic fascism, the autocracies that aid and abet it, and the method of terror that characterizes it.

Try These Numbers On for Size

Everything is working for the D-Hacks this week. "My momma told me that when you're shoulder deep in horsebleep that a pony must be lurking nearby," said De Bacle. Check these numbers:

• Cliff Barmes Hitting .778 for the week


• Javy Lopez .545 for the week.


• Derrick Lee .583 for the week


• Migeul Cabrera .571 for the week


• Chris Carepenter Complete game shutout of the Cubs


• Team Batting Average .393 for the week

4/20/05 Mini-Update

D-Hacks are still leading their head-to-head 7-1. Team is hitting .368 and ERA is 2.93. De Bacle takes no credit even though his recent line-up changes have energized the team. "I haven't left the (expletive) dugout all week. Talk to the new guys."

Mike Piazza moved back into the Choppers starting line-up after raising his BA 120 points in the last 5 days. The Choppers lag in the stolen base category and are leading or competitive in all others. They still rank solidly among the leagues lead pack.

Barnes? Barmes? Who Cares. He's Hitting .417!

For the record, his name is Cliff Barmes, pronounced with two syllables. De Bacle laughed off any concerns about alienating his new lead-off hitter. "That (expletive) is for talk radio hyenas. Cliff doesn't care. Hell, he went 3-4 today."

The D-Hacks fresh off last week's embarassment have raced off to a 7-1 lead in their head-to-head. The Choppers are sitting solidly with the lead pack in their league. "Keep your socks on boys," said De Bacle. "We've got 24 (expletive) weeks left in the season."

In a rare reflective moment, De Bacle, looked into the empty bleachers, took a long pull from his beer, and said, "I don't watch much TV during the season but I happened to see Deadwood the other night. That Al Swearingen is meanest (expletive) that's ever been on TV. You hear what he said Sunday night? He gave the lard-ass newspaper publisher some fine advice. He said. "Life is over when you're dead. Until then, more punishment is on the way. Now stand up and take it like a man." Cracked me up. Al Swearingen. (Expletive)."

De Bacle Beats Yankees to the Punch: Womack Out, Barnes In

De Bacle took a long drag from his Kool. He exhaled slowly dusting his audience with an acrid, garlic-flavored cloud. "I need a lead-off man who'll be a pest. Who'll always be on base and (expletive) with the pitchers and infielders. Womack's gone from both teams. I've brought in the kid, Barnes, from Colorado. He's been a pain in the ass most every at bat this year. He's got speed, power. I know the Rockies stink, but this kid's my kind of ballplayer. Womack is the Yankee's problem. Not mine."

Womack is hitting .220 with 5 RS, no RBIs, and 2 SBs. Barnes is hitting .395 with 4 HRs, 10 RBIs, 9 RS, and 4 SBs. "Jethro Bodine could have decided which (expletive)dummy to keep. It's not rocket friggin science." said De Bacle while stubbing his menthol into a desktop ashtray as if it were an exclamation point.

Barnes begins play tomorrow for both the D-Hacks and Choppers. In other weekend developments Brady Clark (.378, 2 HRs, 7 RBI, 11 RS, and 2 SBs) was added to both teams: D-Hacks when Jose Cruz Jr went on the DL; Choppers for Carlos Lee (.222, 1 HR, 8 RBI, 5 RS, and 0 SB) who was waived outright.

Dip into the Archives: More than a Pie

Here's one for mom that I wrote the following piece a couple years ago.

I rarely bake, but yesterday I made a pie. Mind you, this was no ordinary pie. The pie I baked yesterday came from my mother’s recipe box and was seasoned with my own memories.

"Save your forks,” my mother would say with a smile whenever dinner was to be topped off by one of her pies. On cold, Sundays during the dark, gray Michigan winters, my brother and I would help my mother bake pies in a tiny, windowed kitchen warmed by a waiting oven and our own eager expectations.

A piece of my mother’s pie required a special way of eating--never mixing a mouthful of piecrust with the filling. The filling needed to be carefully mined away from the layers of crust, which often called for very precise fork work.

My mother made the most wonderful pie crusts, light and flaky with a special flavor that is rooted deep within the taste buds of my heart. She didn’t follow a recipe. She mixed and kneaded by taste and feel. When we found her recipe box, her method for piecrust was the first card in the deck. I call it a method because it isn’t a recipe in the classic sense. Her instructions are simple and vague—2-crust pie: 2 cups flour (dash salt?), ¾ cup oil, add milk to measure almost one cup. That was it.

From these instructions, I am left to my own methods and memories. I don’t know much about baking, but I can follow recipes. And though I’m not a sophisticated cook, my dishes are tasty and digestible. Actually, I cook like I play golf; first I head this way, then I head that way, and eventually I reach the green. So it is with my cooking style. Ingredients are everywhere, pots here, and cutlery there, but eventually it all comes together.

I don’t know why I made the pie. It was just a feeling, perhaps a need. However, armed with my mother’s rudimentary instructions, I gathered the ingredients, the bowl, the pie tin, and the wax paper. After stirring the ingredients by hand, I dipped my finger in the bowl to taste the mix. Ahhhh. The sweet taste fired fond memories of a childhood spent in my mother’s kitchen, and of her gently slapping my probing fingers away from the bowl.

My confidence soars and my heart swells with the first taste of the piecrust I’m making in my own kitchen. It tastes vaguely familiar, but seems more viscous than memory dictates. I spread flour on the wax paper waiting on the countertop and prepare for the next crucial step, forming the dough into a crust.

I plunge both hands into the bowl and pull up a good-sized lump of dough. Something seems wrong when most of the dough sticks to my hands. Undeterred, I scrape off as much as I can and deposit it onto the wax paper. After placing another sheet of wax paper on top of the dough, I begin to flatten the dough with the rolling pin, and stop when it becomes pie-sized round. Time to peel the wax paper away from the dough, but it won’t budge!

The wet sticky dough clings to the wax paper like glue. With no way to get the dough from the wax paper into the pie tin, I wad up the whole mess, march to the garage, and drop it in the trash bin.

I start over. This is an empirical exercise, and I deduce that flour needs to be added to both sheets of wax paper in order to extricate the dough. I recombine the ingredients, and fight the 2nd generation of dough onto the floured wax paper. I place the now floured second sheet of wax paper carefully over the dough, and flattened the mound with a rolling pin. Nuts! The dough still refuses to separate from the wax paper. And so again, the wax-papered bundle is scooped up and spiked into the trash bin with such a fury that I hear a mighty splat as it came to rest. I am ready to call it a day.

For all my efforts, there is nothing to show but the flour and bits of dough littering the kitchen countertops. I gather the dough and flour together by hand, and to my astonishment a recognizable dough ball forms. After rolling the dough in the flour for a few more minutes, I flatten the small piece, place it in a baking pan and toss it into the oven, just like my mother did. She always made more crust than was needed for a pie and baked the “scraps” along with the pie. Because the pies were always saved for dessert, the scraps were our immediate reward for our work in the kitchen. This “scrap” would be an early litmus test of my baking abilities.

In 15 minutes I remove the “scraps” from the oven. Eureka! The baked “scrap” passes the taste and consistency test. For the third time in less than one hour, I mix the familiar ingredients. This time I dump the dough onto one sheet of wax paper and roll it liberally in flour. I flatten the dough and spread more flour over it, and flatten some more. Then I put the pie tin over the dough and quickly reverse their positions. Voila! The dough separates from the wax paper evenly and effortlessly, and covers the entire pie tin.

While heading for the pantry to get the can of fruit filling, I come to a quick, hard stop. I had forgotten to grease the pie tin. Panicked, I pull the dough from the pie tin, toss it back onto the floured wax paper, and grease the pie tin. Once again, I gather the dough into a ball and roll it flat. After successfully reversing the wax paper and pie tin, I remove the wax paper, trim excess dough from the edges of the pie and add the fruit filling. I gather the trimmed dough and roll it flat and then place it on top of the fruit filling. I now have a two-crust pie. After kneading the top ridges of the pie in my mother’s signature style, my pie is ready for the oven.

Mother left no directions for oven temperature or for baking time, so I go by sight and smell. I set the oven for 375 degrees and reach for the crossword puzzle on the kitchen table. Twenty-five sweet-smelling minutes later my pie is cooling, the crossword completed.

Though this was a solo effort, the kitchen was full of familiar joy and love when the pie came from the oven. My crust wasn’t bad. My mother’s was better. My pies will taste fine in time, as my mother and I bake together again in the years to come.

Miss you, mom.

Papago Relents; 39 Carded on Front Nine

A smooth 39 on the front this morning coupled with a routine 49 on the back gave me my second sub 90 round on Pappy in three weeks. Am I happy? You bet. You're always happy when your playing Pappy! Score could/should have been better save for lip out on 16 and a 5-wood on 10 that was one foot from glorious. As is the case with golf, that one foot from glory meant that I was in a bunker. I skulled my bunker shot over the green, chili-dipped my chip, and was down in two more for a double-bogey 7. On 8 my tee shot rolled past the hole and left me with a 10-footer for birdie. Of course, the birdie putt slid right just as it got to the hole for a tap-in par.

p.s. We played in front of the Papago Men's Club's Annual Tournament, which meant for diabolical pin placements.

The Bleacher Seat Asks: Is ESPN Out of Control?

Absolutely. When was the last time you sat through Sports Center? Do you think SC caters to adolescent attention spans?

Do you know who Mike Greenberg is? He's an ESPN blathering head and perhaps the most of annoying of ESPN's cadre of haircuts. Anyway, my main beef with Greenberg is that he explains stories rather than tells stories. Many are the times I've wanted to reach into the car radio and strangle Greenberg and shout, "Allright already! Get on with the damn story. I understand your point." To see Greenberg is to understand his narcissism. Once you understand he's speaking to entertain himself, his irratation quotient goes off the board.

You're a native walking through the Southwest deserts a couple thousand years ago. It's night, the terrain is rugged but passable. The moon, obscured by clouds, is nearly full. It was a typical hot summer day. Now it's a warm, pleasant evening and you're taking a batch of roots from one village to the next. You're travelling at night to avoid the heat. The brujo told you not to chew a root until you made it safely to your destination. You've made the trek before but not often. You know the landscape for miles around. You chewed a small root soon after you left camp. You're hearing sounds you've never heard before. You enter a small canyon that you thought was near the next village. You recognize the people and speak to them as you meet them. It isn't until morning light that you discover you were speaking with a patch of friends like those above. 

De Bacle Stabilizes Foundering Franchises; Promises More Moves

"I am no miracle worker," Dick De Bacle barked from his cubbyhole office. "What I am supposed to do when Piazza hits .130? Pat him on the fargin' head and tell him everything's going to be OK.? That ain't me. I am not partial to lollygaggers. Things got to change. Metheny's my catcher. Piazza will sit next to me on the bench." De Bacle, 54, took over the foundering (albeit 1st place) Choppers and Diamondhacks after they both suffered through an early-week mental meltdown by their former manager, who's been been placed under house arrest at his Jackass Flats ostrich ranch. His official MLB status is persona non grata.

On the field, the D-Hacks have recovered in their head-to-head match to trail by a more respectable score. "Respectable, (expletive)," was De Bacle's comment.

The Choppers aren't immune to De Bacles quick-strike managerial moves. Richie Sexson the slugging SEA first baseman who's hitting a terrible .233 has been benched in favor of Mike Sweeney (KC) who's hitting a torrid .353. "That (expletive) A-Rod may be next," said De Bacle, referring to Alex Rodriguez (NYY) who's hitting an extremely disappointing .229. "Young Tracy (Chad, ARZ .357) is raking. Reputations be damned. Nobody's immune. I am going with the hot hand."

De Bacle Moves Quickly, Decisively

Scottsdale, AZ: Dick De Bacle, new skipper of the Choppers and the D-Hacks, made two decisive roster moves today. First, De Bacle benched slumping Albert Pujols after Pujols went 1-5 including a game-ending double play in StL's 6-5 lost to CIN. Derrick Lee, who's have another fine day in CHC's doubleheader with SD, has taken Pujol's spot in the order. "Something ain't right," De Bacle said.

In another stunning move, The D-Hacks benched struggling Mike Piazza, who's hitting a paltry .150 (Met fans can't be happy) in favor of Mike Metheny and his .366 average. Metheny, off to a dandy start since signing with the Los Gigantes, was picked up on waivers. Austin Kearns of CIN, another lukewarm starter, was waived.

Enough is friggin' enough," De Bacle declared.

Honolulu to Honor A Baseball Founder

A moment of silence please.

The daily updates of the Choppers and D-Hacks are on hiatus for a couple of days. Management was shuffled after Monday's grievous omission that has sent the D-Hacks into chaos on the field and off. Long-time observers weren't surprised. The new manager? He's not well known. He's been beating the bushes. He was last seen having a highball with Crash Davis and Annie Savoy. Get used to this name: Dick De Bacle. He'll be reporting regualry once he learns the software. Good luck De Bacle!

Caution: Wren at Work

I am taking the day off and was sitting on the back porch surveying the yard for ideas. My eyes were half-closed, a nice breeze punctuated a still, dry, perfect sunny April morning.

The ususal commuters were hard at work in and around the plants and bushes. Insects of all size, shapes, and speed hummed around the flowers. Butterflys and similar fliers rode the breezes, stopping where they could and should. From the east wall came a loud, menacing squawk. I looked up to see a tough looking Cactus Wren, no bigger than a handful, announce his presence to the yard.

Wren was all business. It dropped to yard in front of the newly trimmed lantana, hopped into the bush and found a meal. Finished with the lantana, Wren, back on the ground, walked and hopped from planter to bush to planter checking each. It came within five feet of where I was sitting, cocked his head and looked right at me. "What tasties these morsels be," Wren said with a wink. Then it headed into the honeysuckle and ruella to finish his work in my yard.

Wren was systematic. It couldn't have been its first time in the yard. Wren was deliberate, calculating, thorough. My guess is that our yard is part of his daily duty as a card-carrying member of the High Sonoran Food Chain.

You're welcome back any time, friend.

"What a stupid I am:" My First Roberto De Vincenzo Award of the Season

Forgot to change my pitching rotation and it cost dearly. Adam Eaton and Tim Wakefield pitched beauties: Wakefield 7 innings against the dreaded Yankees and walks away with an 0.00 ERA` and Eaton goes 6 against the Cubs with 5Ks and an ERA of 0.00.

No complaining about D-Hack pitching this week. Fellas, I'll make it up to you. Drinks are on me.

After One Week's Play

• Choppers


• Move back into 1st place with a strong day at the plate and two saves.


• Postion Players: Team is hitting .285, which is the 7th best BA in the league. The Mets sat Piazza yesterday. He's hitting a frigid .188 for the season. Miguel Cabrerra (FLA) and A-Rod are hitting .269 both are well-below their career averages. Picked up Chad Tracy (ARZ) on Friday night. He's their 2nd year 1B; he's hitting .429 this young season. He looks to be a natural at the plate--quick swing, great eye, and he puts the ball in play. His single in the home eighth drove in the winning run yesterday.


• Pitchers: Leading the league in saves. Team ERA is 3.79. Would like to keep it there the entire year.

• D-Hacks


• Lost the head-to-head 4-3. Chris Carpenter got shelled. Miguel Batista gave up a couple of runs in an inning and a third, although he did get the win. These blow-ups caused the ERA to skyrocket into the 5s. That turned the tide.


• Team hit .280 for the week with lackluster performances from Luis Pujols (STL)who hit .250 for the week, which is awful for one of the best players on the planet. Cool developments: Ceaser Izturis (LAD) is hitting .429 and Javy Lopez rebounded a couple hundred BA points to raise his average to .304


• Pitchers: Six pitchers with ERA over 5.00. It's early so the ERAs are deceiving. Will be watching the waiver wires more closely for under the radar pitchers who are off to a good start.


Pre-season moves that have worked so far:
1. Cesar Izturis (LAD): He's hitting .407. Saw him play all weekend. He's tough out with excellent speed. Picked up on waivers.
2. Miguel Batista (TOR): Two saves and a win this week. Picked up on waivers.
3. Troy Glaus (ARZ): 4 homers, hitting .280. Picked up in a trade for Jeff Bagwell. Hey, I had three former All Stars at 1B and nobody playing 3B. It was a deal that had to be made.
Suspicious pre-season moves
1. Uggie Urbina: 9.00 ERA, 2Ks in 3.0 innings pitched.
Weakest stategy move so far
Not having the guts to bench Luis Pujols (STL) whose hitting a tepid .250 for the Derrick Lee whose hitting the cover off the ball. (.304. 5 RBIs. 5 Runs scored, a homer, and a stolen base)

Good for Tiger Woods. His references to his father were genuine and touching. I am partial to that these days. The brand for this site is your dad smiling. My dad smiling is to the right.

Going into Sunday's (4/10/05) Action

• Choppers


• Holding to 2nd place and staying close to the lead pack. Look for the lead pack to separate in the next 3-4 weeks.


• Postion Players: Seems like the whole damn team is hitting .270! Good power numbers are keeping me afloat. Piazza is hitting .178. Met's fans must be anxious.


• Pitchers: Doing well enough.

• D-Hacks


• Lead the head-to-head 5-4.


• Sluggish offensive still hurting. Team BA is .259 for the week. Average by most standards but good enough this week. A few Charlie Maxwell Sunday Afternoon Home Runs will put me way over the top.


• Pitchers: Carpenter (STL) starts against PHI.

A Trip to the Archives--Signing Pudge Rodriguez

You can click on the link above or read the text below. Guess my optimistic take owner behavior was juuuusssttt a bit outside.

Tuesday, February 03, 2004
Great ballclubs are built up the middle of the field, and while the words "great" and "Tigers" should remain at a distance, let's give the Bengals credit for putting bona fide major league players in those key positions--catcher, 2nd base, shortstop, and center field.

Let's applaud our good fortune at signing Pudge. He brings baseball savoir faire to an organization that is sadly in need of someone who can play the game. Yes, we may have been his last and only choice, but so what? It's our bad luck that a glut of free agents intersected with owners who finally, (after what? three decades) learned to forget about the Reserve Clause and learned to benefit from an open market for players? Cynics will moan about greedy agents, indifferent players, and colluding owners. It's easy and obvious argument to make, and thus it will be a popular argument. Like many counterfactual arguments, it's strength lies in the numbers of people who believe it, and their need to be consistent, rather than any matter of factual evidence. Instead of belaboring the obvious, let's consider this: Baseball may have, and modern pro sports may be, changing their economics for the better.

One more thing, Fernando Vina is an important signing, too. He plays the game hard, and he plays the game smart. He's a joy to watch. I've followed his career since his All American days at ASU and then when he was with St. Louis. He's a dervish on the base paths, and he can still get to his fair share of ground balls. Look for him to be a steadying influence for the new shortstop we acquired from Seattle and to be one of Pudge's on-field lieutenants.

Opening Day is nine weeks away! The Tigers are back on their way to playing the game the way it's meant to be played. It's our good fortune that the market turned sour for Pudge!

Hail Pudge!

Update for Thursday, April 7

• Choppers


• Jumped into first place on the strength of Jeff Weaver's 8 shutout innings agains the the Giants last night. Weaver's victory gave me the first win of the season for a pitcher. The team ERA is down to 3.86. Early season standing fluctuations are the norm. Once the season settles in, it is much tougher to make significant standings moves. It's imperative to stay in the lead pack. First place is always good.


• Postion Players: Only had four players in action. Eveyone got a hit and drove in a run except Mike Piazza. MP is 2-10 this young season; no worries here. Piazza will hit.


• Pitchers: John Lackey got roughed by TEX. Weaver saved the day.

• D-Hacks


• Head-to-Head matchup is now tied at 5-5.


• Sluggish offensive still hurting. Team batting average moved to .232 from .231 Jay Lopez is hitting .100. Must watch Javy. Good news is that opponnet is is now hitting .200. A good weekend could turn things quickly.


• Pitchers continue to please. Jeff Weaver pitches for both teams. His aforementioned outing solidified lead in pitching categories. Shingo Otsuka of (CWS) entered the 9th yesterday with a 3-run lead and gave up 3 home runs to CLE. His ERA for the day was 40.50. And you wonder why some baseball managers are cranky?

I checked my user stats and found that two people were referred to this site from search engines. One person was searching for "ELHS Baseball" on Yahoo! Hope you found what you were looking for--Go Trojans! The other search was for "Lobella Flowers" from another search site. Hope you enjoyed the pictures. May your lobella flourish.

The serendipity of distributed systems is a joy!

It's the big yellow guy that I am trying to show here. Reflecting sunlight gives it more of a shine. In reality, it's a deep, deep yellow. The accompanying dianthus are pink and white. Pot sits in front and hasn't gotten direct sun since last summer. 

Wednesday, 04/06/05 update:

• Choppers


• Fell from 2nd to 3rd in league rankings. Not worried. Fluctuations occur on a regular basis. Key is to stay with the lead pack.


• Indifferent day at the plate. Positive signs: Troy Glaus goes 3-4 with 4 RBIs. A-Rod goes yard before committing a decisive error in the top of the ninth that lead to Mariano Rivera's collapse. What are Yankee fans doing giving Rivera the raspberries? What chumps.


• Pitchers: Kenny Rogers (TEX) and Mike Hampton (ATL) both go six innings. Each gave up one run and neither factored in the decision. Team ERA is now 4.50.

• D-Hacks


• Picked up a little ground and now trail the the Head-to-Head 6-4


• Sluggish offensive still hurting. Team is hitting a combined .231. Good news is that opponnet is hitting .233. A good weekend could turn things quickly.


• Pitchers has been a pleasant surprise. Jeff Weaver starts for LAD tonight. Fingers are crossed

Will be uploading a garden photo later. Big yellow guy with some pink dianthus. Can't wait.

Yesterday's roundup:

• Choppers


• 2nd place after two days of play, one point behind the league leaders


• Dominating offensive categories, leading in home runs and runs scored, second in stolen bases and RBIs, and third in batting average. Power and SB stats are thanks to Messrs Matusui and Womack.


• Pitchers haven't seen much action. Benetiz of San Francisco pitched a scoreless 9th to pick up a save and lower the team ERA to 8.00. Mike Hampton and Kenny Rogers start today's games. Let's pitch some solid innings, boys! Waived Greg Aquino (ARZ) and picked up Brandon Lyon (ARZ), who took over as the D-Backs closer.

• D-Hacks


• Trailing Head-to-Head Matchup 6-3


• Sluggish offensive stats are hurting here. Moved Izturis (LAD) into the lineup and benched Carbrera (LAA) for the time being. Izturis went 2-4 with a homer at Pac-Bell yesterday.


• Pitchers has been a pleasant surprise. Chris Carpenter (STL) stated and pitched 7 innings for the win. Batista (TOR) picked up his 2nd save in two days!

We lost Saul Bellow yesterday. Bellow was our finest, and, arguably, our most important Post-War author. My favorite Bellow title. Read Bellow. Do it for yourself.

Not quite full rosters in action yesterday but interesting results nonetheless. Here are a few interesting tidbits:

• D-Hacks relievers posted two saves yesterday. One by Takatsu of the ChiSox and the other by Miguel Batista. Was all my preseason kvetching for naught? Must say I am pleased and surprised.


• My lone starter was Brad Radke, who was roughed up by the Mariners. Silver lining is that Richie Sexson, a Chopper teammate of Radke, did most of the roughing. Big Richie hit two HRs and drove in 5.


• Amusing early season stat that may amuse only me: Chopper pitching has a combined ERA of 9.00 after two days of play. What's amusing? 9.00 is the third worst ERA in the league!

I hadn't heard a Gregorian litany of the Saints since I was kid. I was mesmerized as they carried JPII's body through the corridors and down the stairways of the Vatican. For me, the Latin chants are mysterious, etheral, repetitive, and contemplative. They're the one common denominator among generations and centuries of Mongeaus.

Requim en Pace Juan Pablo el Segundo!

Listening to Carlos Santana's Caranvanserai (1972). A friend once said that "Carlos channels the Holy Ghost." If you want proof, listen to cut 5, Song of the Wind.

Rough Outing for Vazquez

I wrote hopefully about Javier Vazquez in an earlier post. He started today against the Cubs and gave up 7 runs and 10 hits in an inning and two-thirds. Ouch! No Cub homered. Two guys hit doubles, including Zambrano, the pitcher. Must have been a seeing-eye double down the right-field line. Good thing we have 181 left.

In the meantime, someone hide Dmitri Young before they come to test him. DY hit three homers for the beloved Tigers in an 11-2 rout of the Royals.

A quick check of the fantasy software shows a handful of players got hits, scored, and drove in a couple. Radke is starting for the Twins vs. Seattle. Urbina gave up a run and recorded a strike out in mop-up duty versus the Royals.

Thanks, Mr. Wells

I have three Yankees on my teams, Womack, A-Rod, and Matsui. Combined they went 8 for 16 at the plate with a home run, a stolen base, and a mittful of runs scored. Thanks to David Wells and the rest of the tepid BoSox pitching staff for getting me off to such a fast start.

MSU Women's B-Ball. A treasure of a team. They're never rattled. Haynie, the impish point guard has the guts of a cat burglar.

'59 Morris Minor that parked and for sale in the neighborhood. Wonder how the heater works? Looks like the air conditioner is the roof.
 

Saw this beauty on a sunny, summer, Sunday morning while strolling on the plaza in Taos, NM. It's a BSA 441 Victor, mid-late 60s vintage and in very nice condition.Owner was sipping some mud at a sidewalk cafe just off camera. He didn't mind, and, yes, that's my finger on the left, thanks. 

Opening Day Is Monday: Baseball Blogging to Return

Watched BoSox beat the Diamondbacks 10-9 in an exhibition slugfest from the BOB last night. Russ Ortiz walked six Red Sox batters in the first and allowed six runs. He faced nine batters and got one out. I had a similar outing in the Kiwanis Minor League at Valley Court. I came in to pitch the last inning of game because our starter had pitched the maximum number of innings allowed by the league for the week. We were way ahead. I managed to give away most of the lead by not throwing strikes. Our catcher, Bob Kramer, came to mound and replaced me. I moved over to 2d base where I stayed the rest of the season. I made the all-star team as a left-handed 2d baseman. We didn't turn double plays in those days.

Anyway, the D-Backs caught and passed the Red Sox in the 4th. Alas, the BoSox won. Troy Glaus hit two bullets off Red Sox starter Branson Arroyo that scattered fans in the left field seats. Glaus hit one of the hardest, longest home runs off Randy Johnson during RJ's AZ tenure. It was Bondsian. I am jazzed to have TG playing third on both my fantasy teams. Remember, I traded to get him on one of my teams. The rest of the D-Backs/BoSox devolved into exhibition ennui. I was in the sack reading when the game finished.

We have Suns vs. Lakers tickets for Tuesday. We're going to watch the game from the Southwest Airlines suite. Always love the suites. Golf, gardening, and the Spartans this weekend. Go Green.