Royal Pains

Ugh! The Royals! Usually I can say "boy those guys always have our number, don't they?" but this year we sort of had them going. Plus I used that excuse with the Twins this year. And everyone else that we were could have easily beaten but didn't.

Everyone has our number. It's written on the collective MLB bathroom wall. Meh.

Alex Gordon wasn't even in today! That should have been our saving grace! And I just lost my blog post which was almost done and now I have to re-visit this mess. ARRGGHH YOU ROYALS!!

Justin Masterson did not do what we needed him to. He did go 6 innings but he gave up 4 runs. Not cool. Lonnie Chisenhall didn't really help him at 3rd (he didn't help McAllister much on Wednesday, either) but technically none of those misses were errors, so Justin is on the hook for all 4.

Cody Allen came in and much to my surprise gave up 2 more runs - in just 1/3 of an inning! Not sure why I am surprised at this point...I realize he is not the same 0-run fella he was for his first month here. But dangit, why can't we have an awesome reliable bullpen again?!

Well, Joe Smith was before Allen and he was reliable. Rock on, Smith. Scott Maine finished the 8th with no incident.

Aside from The Chiz and Zeke, the lineup was pretty "old school" tonight, including a visit from Hafner! They got themselves 10 hits and 2 walks and even a hit-by-pitch (Choo! Just like old times!) but in that old school way, 9 guys were left on base.

Asdrubal had another good night after a night and a half off. I wonder if he got another shot in his wrist? He went 2 for 4 with his 32nd double, and came in to score a run after sealing 3rd. Fiesty! So he's got a 5-game hitting streak with 7 hits in those games!

Santana went 1 for 3 and his hit was a huge 2-run single! He's been getting RBIs along with his hits lately, belaboring the point that when he hits we win. It's not me - it's him!

Did Michael Brantley get a hit?

You know it! (And a RBI)

 Hafner was in the lineup with help from his friends LaPorta and Other Vinny Rottino. LaPorta got it done with one hit, but that's all that happened with those guys. Just the one hit. It actually coulda been better for Hafner, but he was robbed by this new kid from Akron, David Lough. Nice catch, kid. We'll be watching!

Kotchman was in and he was still rollin' from yesterday - he went 2 for 3 making him 5 for 8 over his last two games. Oh Casey, you are so solid yet so mediocre...will you lose your job to the bumble brothers LaPorta and Santana? It may be so...but do you really see LaPorta pulling this off, or Santana putting forth that much effort? No.

Speaking of effort, Kipnis can stay.

Ezequiel Carrera apparently had the best bunt my brother has seen this season, but it didn't even ping Tom Hamilton's radar (he was busy giving birthday shout-outs) and MLB didn't deem it clip-worthy. Oh well. Zeke went 1 for 4 and scored a run.

Tomorrow's a 7:10 game (really, even though we're in the Central), Ubaldo versus LHP (5.08). Ooooh scary, the first time we've seen a LHP starter in a while! Maybe all the new guys will bust out with crazy hits and we'll win the game. Who knows!

See you there!

Radio Chatter:
"When in doubt, it seems, when it comes to Carlos Santana just throw him something soft and he'll strike out."
- Tom Hamilton

"Rosie ate his pizza, my pizza, and this nice elderly people in the booth beside us, they got distracted and 'woosh!'"
- Tom Hamilton on Jim Rosenhaus's new favorite pizza place

"Proof once again that baseball fans are baseball fans no matter what the record."
- Tom Hamilton, amen

"With this roster expansion, everyone and their brother is getting to play."
- Tom Hamilton is not a fan

"The fans are being ordered by the scoreboard to make noise, or they will be thrown out of the park before fireworks."
- Tom Hamilton

It's All About The Kotch

Casey Kotchman was at batting practice yesterday even though he didn't play.

BAM!

There were a few plays at first that LaPorta missed that Kotch woulda gotten. Thankful for the day off, he came back refreshed and ready to hit the damn ball and hit he did! Enough about Casey for a minute...

Kluber was the starter and finally we got a quality start! Six innings and only 3 runs. He bested his last two outings, even (fewer runs and more innings) and bested the previous two pitchers. He gave up just 5 hits and struck out 5. His strikeout numbers seem to stay consistent over his starts, I'll give him that.

Kluber's 3 runs was all the staff was going to give up today. Allen, Pestano and Perez threw the next 3 innings with only 1 hit between them (Perez - it's a thing). Vinnie looked pretty sweet, striking out 2. The rest of the team couldn't keep up the pace, though and we needed one more inning to get the winning run. Esmil Rogers came in for the after-the-fact 10th and also did well, no hits or runs for him either.

Choo sat out today as a rest day (he was pretty crappy last night) so our new hero Vinny Rottino was the leadoff man, with his Godfather theme music just cracking up the radio guys every time. Unfortunately, his big show on the way to the plate translated in to nothing once he got to the plate. But he did have a rather nice catch in the outfield so I still like 'im.

Choo did come in for the 10th, by the way - and got a double then came around to score the winning run! CHOOOOOOOOO!

Kipnis is back to looking good, now with a 4-game hitting streak. Today he went 1 for 4 with a walk and he also scored a run. He hasn't stolen a base in a while though, hmm. Being that Kipnis is such a swell guy, he is the Indians' Clemente Award nominee for this year. Here's an article with a link to vote. But the voting kind of sucks, you have to give your info over to Chevy. I think I already gave them my info last year so whatever, no EXTRA spam.

Santa didn't hit but he walked twice, once intentionally in the 10th to get to Brantley, who also was walked to load the bases for a force out. That's pretty weird - the same tactic was taken by the Tigers the other day (albeit with the bottom of our order) and it totally backfired on them too. Although, while I would not walk anyone to get to Brantley I would walk Brantley to get him out of my way. Unless I was then going to have to face Kotchman who was 2 for 4 already with a couple of hard outs.

Kotchman didn't disappoint and in the 10th with bases loaded he smacked the game-winning single right over the head of the pitcher. Man give that dude one day of rest and there's no telling what he can do! Before that he had a double as well. Hovering at .231, baby!

Brent Lillibridge was in at short and guess what? That's right, you got it - he made an error. Argh! Asdrubal's wrist is still hurting, even though he got a homer last night before coming out of the game. We need more Jack at short, although he made an error today too!!

Aside from making errors, Lillibridge got a hit and got hit by a pitch. Hannahan also got on base twice with two hits and both guys got RBIs, and neither of their errors resulted in a run. That's different!

Much more hitting today than yesterday - 10 hits and 5 walks, plus a hit-by-pitch. Another walk-off win though, can you believe it? And now we're tied for last again yay!

Tomorrow we're in Kansas City for 3 games and on Central Time until next Friday when the Royals come HERE. We'll be climbing our way up through the Central first with KC, then Chicago, then more KC then more Chicago. The Twins are playing the Yankees, Tigers and the Blue Jays. I'm not sure which schedule is easier or harder - I don't think the Tribe knows either. Gotta see how it plays out!

The matchup is Justin Masterson versus RHP (4.50). Manageable, I say - once again, provided Masterson can keep it together. If he can pitch like we know he can, surely we can get a run or two off this RHP and be on a 2-game streak. Hooray!

See you there!

Radio Chatter:
"No we're not going to a funeral, that's the music for the leadoff hitter Vinny Rottino."
- Tom Hamilton

"If you're patient, Vasquez will walk you eventually."
- Tom Hamilton

"I was just reading the leadoff batter's handbook and it says that techno-pop-dance music is mandatory. I guess Rottino didn't get the memo."
- Jim Rosenhaus

"In the grand scheme of things, who cares? The Indians had all those great teams in the 90s and Hargrove was never manager of the year. All those great players and they never won awards. So at the end of the day, who cares? Let them have their vote."
- Tom Hamilton on year-end awards

"Trevor Plouffe couldn't even enjoy his 23rd home run, he thought Michael Brantley caught it."
- Tom Hamilton

"Atilla the Hun would be a calming influence in Boston. [...] He won't pop off as much and he really likes Kevin Youklis."
- Tom Hamilton

Still In Texas...

Hey, the 2013 schedule is up! You'll be pleased to know that next year we're not stuck playing the Rangers in September. In fact we're slated to play the Astros and the Twins. Yay! Who knows what baseball will be like next year, though. I for one am excited to find out.

But first - the rest of this year!

Jeanmar Gomez...let's be done with him now. He was slightly impressive at the beginning of the year but quickly lost his luster. Tonight he went 4 innings and gave up 5 earned runs with 3 of them coming via the homer. He only struck out 1.

David Huff came in for relief and we hope to see him in 5 days starting instead of Gomez, don't we? He threw 2 2/3 and struck out 4 with no runs scored. Esmil Rogers came in for that final out and he got it via the strikeout.

Chris Perez! Forgot about him! He came in for the 8th and gave up his requisite 1 hit and that was the end of that. Do you think he could get 5 more saves in 18 more games? I am guessing probably not...

The lineup was a little "older" today (no Neal, no Phelps) and 8 out of 9 dudes got on base, but they had a hard time converting hits into runs. What else is new, eh?

Choo is still on an on-base tear. His average is up to .281 now after going 2 for 4 tonight. He's got 11 hits and 9 walks in September!

Kipnis, on the other hand, not so much. The JK Kid did nothing but strike out tonight.

Santana finally did something, getting his first hit since his 3-hit run on Sunday. He went 1 for 3 tonight with a run and an RBI!

Cousin Michael trudges along. I am repeating myself but he got another hit tonight - 9 hits and 5 walks in 10 games in September. His average is .284. Still not the .330 I had promised when Grady got back but Grady ain't back so we've got forever!

Russ Canzler had a bad night for Russ Canzler. He didn't get a hit although at least he got on base with a walk. No errors either so better than last night.

Where we don't have Canzler, we have The Chiz! Lonnie was in today at third which implies no errors at third. Also he went 1 for 4. No extra bases or runs or RBI or anything but hey, no one else got extra bases either.

Casey Kotchman was up again today in another crucial spot for the Tribe and he delivered again! He got another RBI today. It wasn't a beautiful 2-RBI single with bases loaded - more like a fielder's choice infield hit that almost was a double play but whatever. He did it!

Brent Lillibridge had a bad night. At least he didn't screw up at short. But he went 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts and 4 left on base. He could not handle the heat today that's for sure.

Zeke had a good night, though! He went 1 for 3 with a run scored and a stolen base! He's not a super top-notch performer just yet - he's not reliable. But he's kept his average up over .250 and hasn't been completely inconsequential to the team. You can tell they are working on his batting and trying to get him to forget his few fat hits earlier in the season and just concentrate on getting on base.

Tomorrow is ONE MORE DAY against the Rangers. It sort of sucks listening to games I know we can't win. But then again I listen to games on the archive that I know we actually haven't won so who am I to complain?

It's Zach McAllister versus LHP (4.59) and I am pretty sure we don't have the ability to win tomorrow. Then again, I gotta tune in to see if I am wrong!

See you there!

Radio Chatter:
"He made the Indians look foolish."
- Tom Hamilton after the top of the first

"For the Indians, they'd better get great pitching because they aren't going to win a slugfest against this ballclub."
- Tom Hamilton

"You could hear the baseball screaming 'ouch' from up here."
- Tom Hamilton after Beltre's homer in the first

"Nelson Cruz is in a slump but does it matter?"
- Tom Hamilton

"Literally Madonna would love Dallas - the Material Girl in a material city. [...] There's a reason the television show is called 'Dallas' and not 'Fort Worth.'"
- Tom Hamilton is filling the air

"Nobody tried to catch it in the upper deck - they ran away from it, it was a missle!"
- Tom Hamilton on Josh Hamilton's homer

"Let's break for a station ID. Or maybe not...I don't think the FCC is listening."
- Tom Hamilton is getting restless

"So, Santa Claus makes a stop in Arlington on September 12."
- Tom Hamilton after Kipnis' error is called a triple for David Murphy

"The only way the Indians can beat Texas is if Texas has a bad night."
- Tom Hamilton

Manny Takes The Kids to Texas

It was actually a pretty good game today, with the Tribe coming back to get within 2 runs in the 8th. And Jiminez not totally breaking down. And Justin Morneau not being there.

Ubaldo went 5 innings and only gave up 2 runs, striking out 4. Unfortunately for him (and all of us, really), there were 2 errors behind him that resulted in 2 runs and oh yeah, a wild pitch for a run too. He actually just had that one bad inning where 4 scored. He didn't give up any in the first inning, or any more until the 5th when Beltre squeaked a solo homer over the wall.

Cody Allen came in for the 6th and his magic is gone - he gave up a run in the 6th and then left 2 on for Barnes in the 7th. Barnes got the last 2 outs, and then Joe Smith came in to seal the deal in the 8th.

The lineup definitely tried its hardest, but it couldn't overcome the two runs it had given up on errors. Choo, Kipnis and Santana led off and the rest of the card were kids from Columbus (and Brent Lillibridge, who is just the new guy). Manny did use everyone, though - Brantley came in for his first pinch hitting of the year, Hannahan and Kotchman made appearances as did Chisenhall, Cord Phelps and Vinny Rottino!

Choo led the boys off going 0 for 3 but with 2 walks and a run scored. That's 5 runs scored in September for him with 11 hits and 8 walks in his 8 games in September!

Kipnis had a great night going 2 for 3 with a walk. He didn't leave any guys on base but unfortunately no one was around for him to bat in! He's also got 11 hits in September (in 9 games) with 5 walks, and has been on base every day this month!

Asdrubal is still out with a sore hand, so Santana was 3rd. He was SHUT DOWN today though, yeesh. Dude left 5 on base.

Russ Canzler was back to hitting every day, after missing just one day by being shut out yesterday. Today he went 1 for 4 with a RBI and 2 runs scored! Except he totally fucked up a play at first and a run scored so that sucked big time.

Matt LaPorta was finally a difference-maker today! He went 1 for 3 with a huuuge RBI double. They also remarked that he had a lot of really good at-bats. Go Matt - do it again tomorrow!

He was pinch hit by Lonnie in the 8th, who got a big walk to keep the inning going.

Lillibridge went 0 for 2 but he did walk and came around to score. The oldest of old men, Kotchman (actually, younger than Choo) batted for Brent in the 8th and got an RBI single! Very exciting, the most exciting moment in Indians' baseball since like June.

Jason Donald was in at 3rd, because I guess maybe Lonnie isn't fully recovered. Bad move...he had 2 errors. He's a scrappy guy but sometimes his head is just not in the game and he is sloppy as hell. Sometimes, very tight. Today was not one of those times. He did go 1 for 3 but no runs and no RBI. Brantley came in to bat for him and it almost, almost seemed like a sure thing. But it was not to be.

Thomas Neal was back, this time playing left. He got on base by fielder's choice! Cord Phelps pinch hit for him and he was shut down too.

Zeke was batting 9th, as he is the experienced newbie, and he ended up going 1 for 4 with an RBI!

All these dozens of guys (ok, a dozen) got together to get 4 runs but it wasn't enough to overcome the 6 that Texas got. Josh Hamilton was 0 for 4 though, cool!

Tomorrow is more Texas, more Central Time and hopefully more Tom Hamilton (he was out today!) It's Jeanmar versus RHP (4.36) but that is a very deceptive 4.36 and we'll really be lucky to get 4 runs is what I think. But hey, baseball!

No Radio Chatter tonight because there wasn't much to write down as Hamilton was out (they didn't specify). HOWEVER, he has made it to the second round of voting for the 2013 Ford C. Frick awards given by the Baseball HOF. You gotta go to the Baseball HOF Voting Page on Facebook and Like the HOF (which, come on, you know you do!) and then you can vote for Hammy to make it through to the top 10 and the final ballot.

Do it!

Goodbye, Awful August!

Did we really have a chance today? I mean the Rangers are batting .278 as a team, and that's only because their catcher is only batting .209. Get rid of him and it's .289. They have 156 homers, we have 116. Their pitching isn't that amazing but what they lack in run preventing they make up for in run getting.

The Rangers average over 5 runs per game (the Indians, somehow, a smidge over 4) and Ubaldo held them to just 4, albeit in 5 2/3 innings. So, yay? He struck out 7. Also the team wasn't exactly sharp behind him, even though they didn't get any official errors. It was a little whacky out there. All-in-all, Ubaldo had a decent outing. Not the kind of outing you expect from someone who's super awesome (the guy we thought we were buying) but a good outing if you're going to take into consideration how he has pitched this year.

Esmil Rogers struck out 3 again, over 1 2/3 innings. He struck out 4 his last game, in 2 innings. Good with the strikeouts, pretty decent on keeping runs from scoring. Not today, of course. Today he gave up 1 run. But at least it wasn't the winning run.  He also made Nelson Cruz throw a little temper tantrum. It must suck to be the lowest-average guy even when your average is .262.

Cody Allen pitched 2 innings. Two whole innings, no runs. We'd better be signing that kid up for a few years. Not being facetious - he does 1 and 2 innings with no runs all the time. KEEPER!

Hits were few and far between today, so it was pretty miraculous that we managed to score THREE WHOLE RUNS! Only 5 hits for 3 guys. We did walk 4 times, though.

Choo was back in the leadoff, and apparently this mental break of not having to kill the ball, just hit it, put him back in his happy place. Because he went 2 for 4 with his 36th double! Absolutely nothing came of that, though - no runs, no RBI.

The order then went Kipnis, Cabrera and Brantley. None of those guys hit but they all walked once. Asdrubal came around to score!

Not sure what got in to Santana but he was swingin' away tonight and also went 2 for 4 with a double! He got an RBI and he came around to score. These things happened in two different innings, even!

And still here and still making things happen is Casey Kotchman! He got a 2-run homer in the 9th! It was the most excited I've heard Tom Hamilton in a long while. Because who doesn't love it when Casey Kotchman is good at the plate?!

So that was it, yo. No more hits down the line, no more runs. Hannahan walked once and was replaced by Lillibridge. Zeke played center as Brantley was DH, and Zeke didn't look so hot. Donald had a nice sliding catch in left but still...did we need to get rid of Shelley?

More Rangers tomorrow at 7:05, and it's the return of Jeanmar Gomez! If he could keep the Rangers in check (uh...) then we might have a chance against RHP (4.95). But there's a reason we sent Jeanmar down in the first place so don't hold your breath.

I'll be at the Nerf War with my sweet modded Nerf Big Bad Bow (explanation) so I don't know when I'll get to the game. But you know I'll get to it...see you there!

Radio Chatter:
"They'll always be second place behind those clowns across the parking lot."
- Tom Hamilton on the Rangers versus the Cowboys

"[Josh] Hamilton doesn't think much when he's up at the plate. He's up there with one thought in mind - see the ball, crush the ball."
- Tom Hamilton

"Sometimes 110 pitches seems easy. On a night like tonight it feels like 150."
- Tom Hamilton

"Even with two strikes...Carlos Santana seeing if there is a chance he could hit that ball to Pepper Pike. And he didn't."
- Tom Hamilton

"This is not the time of the year to be playing the Texas Rangers."
- Tom Hamilton

"Now that's a strikeout to remember!"
- Tom Hamilton on Nelson Cruz throwing a hissy fit after being struck out

"Wouldn't that be something if the Yankees didn't make the playoffs? Yes, Virginia there is a Santa Claus. [...] Two-hundred-ten million just doesn't buy you what it used to."
- Tom Hamilton

Bummer of a Game, But Check Out This Cute Kid!

I'm kind of tired today. I had a nice day yesterday at Jack's birthday party. Check him out in his new ride!

Roll Tribe!

Yeah, all of my friends' kids are this cute. I have good-lookin friends!

After yesterday being such a nice day, and then spending today hanging out with my niece, who had a nice time (we even found some old Municipal Stadium photos in my mom's photo box!) I came home to listen to this game and...well, it was a bummer.

No pitching and no hitting. No fun, that's for sure. It just so happens that Bartolo Colon shut us down yesterday (well, 1 run) and Coco Crisp got 5 RBI off us today.

Masterson had a bad game.

Rogers did all right even though he gave up 3 hits. Pure Rage came in to work for the first time in 6 days just to get some work in.

Kipnis was out. Zeke lead off. He got himself a hit on speed, which is what we brought him up to do. It was just 1 hit, though. He did steal a base on the hit but otherwise nothing.

Choo had another 2 for 4 game, his second in a row, but Asdrubal ended his little "streak" of 2-hit games by going 0 for 4.

Santana and Brantley each got 1 hit and each have a 3-game hitting streak. But no RBI for any of them. No RBI for anyone today.

Kotchman went 2 for 4. He seems to have decent nights when no one else does...which doesn't get us very far.

No errors on the field today. Holla.

So, like, whatever. We're still on the West Coast. I'll be there for the 10:10 game tomorrow in Seattle which is Ubaldo versus RHP (4.28). We really don't know what to expect, do we?

See you there!

Radio Chatter:
"For Joe West to miss a call on the bases...you know what folks? He could flip a coin and get about as many correct calls, with his eyes closed."
- Tom Hamilton on the accuracy of the umpire

"It's kind of depressing, to say the least, going from San Francisco to Oakland. That is part of the reason why this team wants to get the heck out of here and go to San Jose."
- Tom Hamilton

"If you have too much fun at Buffalo Wild Wings, having more beers than wings, your fantasy football team ends up with 23 quarterbacks and you go 'What happened?'"
- Tom Hamilton

"What the Indians need now are more players like Michael Brantley."
- Tom Hamilton, amen

"Folks here in Oakland are not speaking the king's English when they are 'visiting' with the guys in the visitor's bullpen."
- Tom Hamilton

"They're legit - and they're too legit to quit. MC Hammer used to be a bat boy for the Oakland A's."
- Tom Hamilton on the A's

"This is supposed to be the worst offense in baseball? You'd never know it this weekend."
- Tom Hamilton

Stop Me If You've Heard This One...

So Ubaldo came in to start and blows the heck up and gives up a bunch of runs.

Yeah, you heard it before. On August 4, and July 14, and May 27 and May 11.

Makes me just wanna...aaaarrrgghhh!

So whatever.

Chris Seddon came in for the 5th and 6th and 1 out in the 7th, and he only gave up 1 run off 5 hits. Interesting - he's started twice and has had 3 full innings of relief in just 10 days. He's a work horse!

Our man Herrmann was back, as we just can't seem to shake that 8th man. We can't make it through the rotation well enough to feel like we can have a normal-sized bullpen. The Professor took us through the 7th and 8th and didn't give up any runs or hits. Solid!

I'm pretty pleased with our hitting today. Really. It wasn't one of those games where our pitcher spazzed out and our bats went silent, and fielders dropped balls. This was all on the starter and the batters did well to get within 3 runs!

Kipnis was back today, as DH and in the leadoff spot. He ended up going 1 for 5 with 2 strikeouts. I'm pretty convinced that the kid is stressin' himself out right now and that's why it took so long to get his neck better. The good news is that today he had a chance to be a real hero (at bat with 1 out, bases loaded) and he at least didn't strike out. Didn't get that game-winning grand slam but at least he contributed!

I can't really pick on Kipnis, though. Asdrubal went 0 for 5 today. Santana was 0 for 3 and got hit by a pitch. Choo finally got a hit after being 0 for his last 16 - it was his 35th double. Woo!

For the second night in a row, the second half of the order was rampin' it up. They got 10 of the team's 11 hits and thus 5 of the 6 RBI.

Michael Brantley had a night worthy of Michael Brantley, going 3 for 4 with a 2-RUN HOME RUN, coming around to score all 3 times. HE was also in a slump, albeit not as long as Choo (0 for his last 10) but sort of monumental for a dude who's hitting .293 in August. Now if only Choo would ramp back up and Santana would stay up, we'd be GOLDEN!

Kotchman was also a little slumpy there, doing just about nothing against Boston, but he's gone 4 for 8 in the two games against the Angels. Tonight he went 2 for 4 again and this time he got himself a 2-run homer! That's his 11th homer and his career high is 14. Last year's total was 10. Think he'll beat it? He's got a month and a half for 4 more - why not? Here we go Kotchman!

Jason Donald was giving it one more shot before Kipnis came back to second. Although seeing how he's gotten 8 hits in his 6 games back, we might be seeing him at 3rd for a bit here. Heck, even short! Tonight he went 2 for 4 and scored a run. His average went up 15 points!

Jack Hannahan is still on the team. Good ol' Jack - not messin' with anyone. Just playing when asked, sitting when not needed...or hurt. Tonight he went 1 for 3 with a walk. Man...he's got half the at-bats of Choo and Cabrera. Where has the time gone with him? Sometimes I wonder if the post-baby energy surge turns in to the 1-year-old teething energy suck of doom. DOOM!

Zeke was batting 9th today (no Lillibridge! Boo!) and went 1 for 4. He got an RBI, and his average is still at .394. They were commenting on the radio that he strikes out way too much for what he's here to do. I kind of agree. Not like he strikes out all the damn time, but I think he's a little touched by the home run bug, having had a whole TWO in his short time here. But he did hustle on a ground ball to the pitcher today and made it to first. Granted, nobody was at first to catch the ball from the pitcher but Zeke was faster than the pitcher and THAT'S what he's here for.

I contest our hitting was pretty decent tonight, even without much help from the top. Some guys are still powering through. As soon as everyone else gets on board, heck, we might be able to overcome some shitty pitching!

Tomorrow is the return of Roberto Hernandez!!!!! IT'S GONNA BE AWESOME!! Or it's gonna suck. It will no doubt be interesting. He's facing RHP (5.82) who used to be good but is not so good this year (lulz no you guys not Ubaldo Jiminez!)

The game is at 10:05 again. No rest. Just one more day then we get an off day, ok? So drink yourself a Pepsi Max and I'll see you there!

Radio Chatter:
"Welp, this game could be over in a matter of minutes if Jiminez doesn't get Trout out."
- Tom Hamilton on Trout's second at-bat in the first with bases loaded

"How lucky are we that he's on our side?"
- Tom Hamilton with regards to the Wounded Warrior who visited the booth

"The Angels are on the verge of breaking this one wide open..."
- Jim Rosenhaus just before Pujols' 3-run homer

"Right now Seddon having a hard time fooling Pujols with anything."
- Tom Hamilton

Painful

Ack! We weren't supposed to lose this bad on the second day. That hurts, but what hurts worse is my favorite guy had 2 errors resulting in at least one unearned run, if not maybe two. And we lost by two.

For what it's worth, Manny Acta is on the radio right now saying that one of Asdrubal's errors wasn't an error and the guy was out, and Jack Hannahan didn't ground out he fouled a ball off his foot. Manny Acta is the first guy to tell you when the team sucks, I take his word for it when he says it's not our fault. After that he says our pitching sucks. Ha!

Derek Lowe did not have his best outing tonight, no sir. He gave up 4 runs in 6 innings, with 8 hits and 3 walks. Huh only 3 walks? Seemed he walked half the guys he faced! He got himself into some jams but also got out of them...just not as fully and completely as Ubaldo seems to be able to do.

The bullpen was actually worthy tonight! Esmil Rogers came in for the 7th and had to throw 25 pitches to get out of it, but he gave up no hits and no runs. Then Cody Allen, the new guy, walked one but got the rest. They brought him in for the 8th to face Miguel Cabrera! And he struck him out! They collected Allen's heart from in front of the mound and put in Sipp to get the next two. He walked Fielder and struck out the next two. Nice!

None of our lineup had a particularly big night. Well except Choo. Choo went 1 for 2 with 2 walks. His only hit was a double giving him 31 on the year, squarely in second place for doubles.

Asdrubal at least got a hit, but he left 3 on. Kipnis didn't hit but he walked.

Brantley also got 1 hit and left 3 on. And all of his outs were huge heartbreakers because they went very far in to right field but never over that damn fence, with all those dudes on base. His one hit was a ground-rule double so technically it went over the damn fence. It just needed help from the ground. He stole 3rd base on indifference and I sort of think the Tigers were like "eh, they never get anyone in from third. Let him go." Sigh.

Hafner, omg...he was a true DH tonight. He struck out 3 times before hitting a homer, but it was a solo homer. Too little too late.

Damon was on from a walk when Casey Kotchman hit his 10th homer of the year. Not only does that put him 4th on the team in homers (and only 2 behind Cabrera and Choo with 12 each) but it ties his 2011 home run total and puts him only 4 under his career-high 14! How does he do it? Nobody expects the Casey Kotchman!

That's all she wrote. The game wasn't as awesome as it could have been. Maybe it would have been more awesome without Asdrubal's errors and a little bias from the umpires. I coulda said it was a valiant effort. But no it was clearly a loss. A painful one.

Tomorrow is Josh Tomlin versus Justin Verlander. If he can give up 8 runs to the National League, we can get some runs for ourselves! Tomlin just has to pitch his mustachioed heart out.

Another 7:05 game and another game on WKYC - See you real soon!

Radio Chatter:
"So the taxpayers built Miami their beautiful new ballpark, and almost right on cue the Marlins are about to blow it up."
- Tom Hamilton is troubled by what goes on in Miami

"Boy the Indians have been begging for trouble tonight, haven't they?"

- Tom Hamilton on the Tribe having two on when Miggy is up

"That has to be the biggest time waster of all time."

- Tom Hamilton on fantasy football

"Verlander can make a guy look like he's swinging a hot dog at the plate some nights."

- Tom Hamilton tying together Verlander and Dollar Dog Night

"It's hard when you're out at first base to raise that right arm. I can see that. ... Just retire."

- Tom Hamilton on umpire Tim McClelland

Oh, Ubaldo...

I did it! I went to a wedding and manged to come back and listen to the game in my hotel room in full! It almost didn't happen because my computer was acting totally stupid, but I tried turning it off and back on again and eventually got the game to play. Nice!

This game was all Ubaldo's fault. Even though we had 8 LOB and only scored 1 with bases loaded and no outs, it was still on him. Even though our relievers gave up 3, still on him.

You don't give up 8 runs in 3 innings, bro. You just don't. Especially not when you're our second starter.

That's pretty much all I have to say about Ubaldo right now. There's no rhyme or reason to when he's going do well or do poorly right now. Remind you of anyone? Fausto, right. Whee!

Barnes and Accardo gave up 3, but Rogers did well in the 9th and we almost came back. But we didn't. Gave it a great try, tho!

The offense was exciting, though! How about that bottom of the lineup, huh? When I got home and loaded up the box score I thought I was looking at the totals for yesterday's game. Three morehits for Brantley? Get out!

Choo's having a rough start of the half. Yeah it's only 2 games in but he's 1 for 8. He did go 1 for 4 today with a walk so he's still hovering just under .300.

Dropping far from .300 is Asdrubal, who went 0 for 4 today but did have a walk, a stolen base on indifference and then a run. Tom Hamilton and Jim Rosenhaus pointed out what I've been noticing - he's swinging at junk. Just swinging away quickly and often. Hopefully when someone points this out to him (and soon), he'll rectify. He was hitting over .300 for most of the season so surely he can be fixed.

Kipnis is in the same boat as Choo, 1 for his last 8 with a walk. Yawn.

Hey, Lopez! Been a while since we saw him (not really)! He went 1 for 4 today ALSO and came around to score on a bases-loaded walk.

Hafner pinch hit for him in the 8th and got a RBI single! Cool!

Santana...well he went  0 for 3 but  walked twice and ended up coming around to score both times. That's progress! Still rough getting him in that lineup, tho - he was DH, Hafner hit, Marson hit, Kotchman killed at the plate and in the field. Careful, buddy!

Holy shit, Michael Brantley! I mean - holy shit! Six hits in his lat 8 at-bats! He's at .299 - do you think he's going to be hitting .335 by the time Grady comes back, as I jokingly predicted this spring? He's up from .280 on July 1. It's not a fluke, either - he hit like a sonofagun last season too. What about his hitting streak? Up to 12 now? Thirteen? How about 3 of his 4 homers coming in the month of July? His 4th was tonight - a 2-run bomb! Love. This. Guy!!!

And Shelley too! He ALSO went 3 for 4 and had a 2-run homer. He had 3 RBI on the day, getting hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the 2nd. He's got 5 home runs in his last 7 games. FIVE HOME RUNS IN HIS LAST 7 GAMES!!! Aaaaargh why do we still play Damon?!?!

Tied for 4th on the team in homers is Casey Kotchman who ALSO got a 2-run homer today. Dayum! He went 1 for 5 today with 2 RBI and he had this piece of niceness at first. Because he is so super awesome! See why it's hard to get excited about Santana?

If it's still hard to see, Lou went 1 for 4 today. Not too exciting BUT he's got a 9-game hitting streak and is hitting .293. He's up 60 points in his last 10 games. He did let 3 bases get stolen today but...I dunno, they can't do it all...?

So yeah, the offense did end up doing fairly well - 12 hits and 6 walks, with 9 runs. They actually almost came back, which is sort of unusual for this team but hopefully not unusual going forward. But it's hard for any team to come back from 9 down. This one is squarely on Ubaldo.

Rubber match tomorrow - Derek Lowe versus Villanueva who is sort of good but also a RHP. It can be done!

I'm sort of geeked because I'll be in the car and within radio range at 1:07, so I'll get to finish my trip home while dialed in. Will make for a short ride!

I'll see you there!

Radio Chatter:
"Boy, Chad Fairchild behind the plate has proved one thing - that he did not see an optometrist during the break."
- Tom Hamilton

"You can't make up for the first half in one swing of the bat."
- Tom Hamilton on Santana trying too hard at the plate

"You just hope Jiminez finds it before he is knocked out of this game."
- Tom Hamilton in the 3rd just before Jiminez gives up 8

"Fairchild is going to go home tonight, call his wife and say 'Nobody likes me.'"
- Tom Hamilton

"Nothing against Aaron Laffey but it feels like the Indians should have 8 runs themselves."
- Tom Hamilton

"As much as people talk about this club needing a hitter, they probably need pitching even moreso."
- Tom Hamilton

"You look at that big scoreboard in center and one number pops out at you - 8 in the third. That's your ballgame."
- Tom Hamilton

"A guy that was having a club sandwich suddenly had a baseball right in the middle of his plate."
- Tom Hamilton on Encarnacion's homer

"Hang on folks - this one's not over yet!"
- Tom Hamilton after the Tribe scores 4 in the 8th

"Remember, here in Canada, they know hockey."
- Tom Hamilton was going somewhere with this, he swears

All Star Shame (July 8th Game)

Disregarding the play of our two all-stars that culminated in a loss going in to the break, there was a lot to like about this game, boffins.

Of course, it's not like we'd been on a losing streak or that we'd not been scoring runs and we can be happy to have scored a big 6 on Sunday. Or that no one had been hitting and we were happy to see some hits, with several guys having a multi-hit game.

But there was a lot of baseball in that game and seriously, without Asdrubal playing lackadaisical and not hitting and without Perez having his worst game since the first game, the rest of the team had a hell of a game.

Little Zach McAllister was the starter and he went 5 2/3 giving up NO earned runs! Holla! Not only that but he struck out 8! Not that I don't respect Lowe but it's nice to see one of our starters routinely throw between 5 and 10 strikeouts. Unfortunately he didn't get a win out of it but oh well.

Smith took over next and had a typically Smith game. I think we can consider him solid now. Another guy who is working his way towards solid is...Sipp! No shit! He only came in for 1 out but it was a strikeout. No runs!

Vinnie looked a little rough, having to throw 30 pitches. Perhaps it should have been a harbinger of what was to come next. Pestano did end up striking out his side without giving up any runs. But it seemed like it took forever.

Perez gave up 3 runs, blew save. Huh.

Choo started off having a bad day but ended up going 2 for 5 with a homer. CHOOOOOO!!

Kipnis was his stellar self in this game. Feast or famine with that kid - he's had 10 hits over his last 10 games but it's like 2 or 3 hits, or none. Anyway he ended up going 2 for 4 with a walk and 2 runs. He got his 8th double...you'd have thought he had more, right? Just like how Choo only has like 2 stolen bases.

Hafner went 0 for 4 but he got on with a FC and came around to score. He didn't strike out or anything so at least he's making contact, right?

One of the big stars of this game was good ol' Cousin Michael!! He went 3 for 4, extending his hitting streak to 7, where he's got 10 hits in those 7 games. He's got 24 doubles, putting him squarely in the top 10 for the league. Man, I can't believe he got no RBI and no runs, though. Bummer!

Santana...did a thing. He got a single going 1 for 5. He ALMOST tied the game at the end but...no go.

The biggest star of the game was ex-Rays Casey Kotchman! The Kotch is now The Klutch! He went 3 for 5 with 3 RBI and a run. And his 8th home run!! Although he was a star in the game, he ended up not being the hero in the 9th. Ah well. Here's an interview with him from TribeVibe, being sort of creepy or humble, I couldn't tell which.

Damon was in the game. No Shelley today. Probably because I didn't have time to remind Manny Acta that we should see Shelley Every Day. But Damon actually did well and got his SECOND triple of the season going 2 for 3 and scoring a run.

Shelley gave an interview and said we don't need to look for any more outfielders or any more bats. I hear you, brother! Let's build these guys up instead! Where would we be if Duncan got more attention and we didn't have to wait on Damon's sorry ass? Maybe better...maybe better.

Speaking of sorry asses...Nick Hagadone broke his damn hand punching something after his bad outing Friday. BROKE HIS HAND!! So that's all she wrote for Nick Hagadone this year, I'm sure. The Indians are still trying to work out with the player's union just who is going to pay for this mess.

This was a rough game but we'll get over it. We've got 3 more glorious months of baseball! Hafner's back! McAllister will save us all! It's going to be fun times and I can't believe I have to wait another day and a half before we can start again.

Friday at 7:05 - Masterson versus a guy who's given up 17 in his last 2 starts. See you there!! (Late, cuz I'll be on the road) (No sorry, not another baseball getaway)

Radio Chatter:
"Shields is good at going soft, softer and softest."
- Tom Hamilton

"Hafner not totally 100% after his knee surgery...and he wasn't Rickey Henderson before it, either."
- Tom Hamilton on the likelyhood of throwing Hafner out at the plate

"[Manny Acta] feels that Kipnis is their best defender right now."
- Tom Hamilton just before Asdrubal makes 2 bonehead plays in the 5th

"This should be a sit-back-and-relax game...but 4 un-earned runs in the 6th inning changed everything."
- Tom Hamilton

"When they turn it over to the bullpen it's pretty much automatic."
- Tom Hamilton before Chris Perez's transmission blew

"Choo is a guy who didn't let his first 3 at-bats set back his day."
- Tom Hamilton after Choo's 8th inning homer

"This is interesting...how does Fernando Rodney at age 35 start throwing 100 miles per hour?"
- Tom Hamilton is talking about drugs

Inside the Fire[works]

So I got woken up early today on my day off so my friend could invite me to today's game. A mutual friend had 4 awesome season tickets for us to use if we were into it. Normally I'd be an "Angry Elf" to be woken at such an hour (10:30!!) on my day off but I sprung up and accepted the invite!

If you're not a fan of heat and sun, I'm not sure that there are any "awesome seats" at Progressive Field at 4 PM on a 92-degree day. Well, by like 6 PM the left field seats are good but for the most part everyone was there to bake. And bake we did.

BUT...these were "All You Can Eat Seats." But not the regular one, where you can get hot dogs, drinks, popcorn and nachos. This was the CLUB seats, which are now all "All You Can Eat" and in addition to that stuff you could get ice cream, pizza, sausages, hamburgers, fries and sno-cones. And buffalo mac & cheese which my friend said was not worth $5 when he tried it, and my other friend said it was ok for free but he agrees he'd be disappointed paying $5 for it.

My oven

 Since I don't eat carbs, I was pretty much screwed as far as variety goes. I did end up chowing 4 delicious sausages, 3 Diet Dr. Peppers and 3 cold waters. My friends tried the dogs, nachos, ice cream, pretzels and mac & cheese.

Here's a secret - there are upper deck All-You-Can-Eat Seats for $32. If you plan on going to a game on a hot day, you cannot beat these seats. Why? Because it's all the cold water you can drink, for free. You will drink $32 in cold water and pop. You will MAKE money on these seats on a hot day! I have no idea how people stayed both hydrated and financially solvent in the other seats today.

Another tip...if you find yourself with Club tickets and they are LOADED club tickets (most likely it is because you know some swanky and generous folks with season tickets), don't waste your loaded on over-priced drinks in the bar. Instead pool your ticket values and use them in the souvenir shop! I paid $4 for two Slider dolls after redeeming my friends loaded tickets and my 10% Indians Fan Club discount. Score!

So here's another interesting thing (I swear, I'll get to the game soon. I know you know it was quite a game!) - the folks sitting across the aisle from me were selected to play a game between innings. Some dude with a headset on came down and asked if they'd be in to it, described the game ("Wheel of Fortune") and the prize (4 Nickelback tickets) and had them fill out a couple forms. They asked the couple to wear some sponsor t-shirts during the bit, and when it was time the headset guy gave a cue and the nice little fella who does the scoreboard games did his thing. They ended up winning (hopefully with my help!) and they got to keep the First Energy t-shirts.

Since my entire section was empty - even my 3 friends had bailed for cooler quarters - I was sitting alone with my We Are All Kipnises t-shirt when the camera guy came up to film the "Wheel of Fortune" game. While he was waiting, he tool a bunch of shots of me looking absolutely stupid putting my fingers in the air and showing off my t-shirt. So if you saw the fat person with the Kipnis t-shirt on TV today with the matching red hat and face, that was me.

Ok one more thing - I enlisted the help of my mother to apply my SPF 50 before I left for the game today. She must have done an awesome job because I was sitting out there in the sun for 3 hours straight and I don't have a smidge of burn. Moms rule! I also had my secret weapon - an SPF 50 stick for re-applying face protection. Protected!

All of that heat (there was a lot of heat) was totally worth it because today's game rocked! I had told my friends that the Tribe had a good chance today, considering our performance in Baltimore and our performance versus Haren the day before. NOBODY was disappointed!

Derek Lowe took the mound, and you've got to imagine he pitched on a few hot and sticky days while in Atlanta. He made it 6 innings and only gave up 3 earned runs. He gave up 11 hits and usually when he gives up a ton of hits the opposition gets like 8 runs. I don't know if it was part of his game plan or what but he let guys get on base but not past 3rd. He also only struck out 1, of course. He looked GREAT until he very obviously hit a wall (no doubt a heat wall) in the 6th. That's about when I felt it too. He gave up his 2nd and 3rd runs and finished the inning out. Lowe ended up with the Win - his first since June 1! He also leads the majors with 19 ground ball double plays.

Hagadone, Sipp and Accardo came in and only gave up 1 run between them with 2 strikeouts between them. YES, THOSE GUYS!!! Sipp looked good, even!

Hey did you notice - Everybody Hits today! A couple of guys had a multi-hit game. I really liked our lineup. Sorry, Santana. I was disappointed to see Damon and not Duncan but....well he got 3 hits so hrmph.

The team was SO patient today at the plate. Their patience is absolutely magnified when it's a million degrees out. But they had Santana up to 58 pitches in 1 1/3 innings. They only got 4 walks out of it but they got pitches to hit!

Choo's back up in 2nd place in the division with 26 doubles, thanks to his RBI double in the 2nd. He went 1 for 4 with a run and that 1 RBI.

I didn't bring OMG ASDRUBAL!!! with me, once again being that I was in someone else's season ticket seats. I don't think it would have been seen by too many folks, although I was surprised at the number of signs around us in the fancy seats! 'Droobs went 2 for 4 with 2 RBI. Finally! He didn't hit in the last 2 games. I wonder what's up with that? I still don't think he's being patient enough. I had pointed out to my friend about him hitting at junk lately and she noticed it too. So there you have it.

Kipnis was on it today, going 1 for 3 with a walk, a RBI and 2 runs. He didn't steal any bases today - weird!

In a courteous move, Acta sat Choo, Cabrera and Kipnis in the 6th, 7th and 8th respectively. Because by then we were up by 11 and it was a million degrees, so why not use our use-able bench? No Shelley today, though - he's officially on the paternity list. Cunningham actually looked good in right field and went 1 for 1 at the plate!

Hafner's back! Hafner's back! And I saw him! And boy does he look good! Can you imagine...it was just like 5 weeks ago that he had knee surgery and he's been playing a bit in the minors and today he was just fine hitting and running at a major league level. Woah! He went 1 for 3 today with 2 walks and was, in my opinion, the driving force behind today's patience at the plate. I am SUPER stoked to see him back!

Brantley only went 1 for 5 today but his 1 hit was the clincher - a 3-run homer in the 1st! Only his second home run of the season and I saw it!  He did end up hitting in to a couple of fielder's choices and got a second run out of it.

You know who else got a home run today? Say it! Casey Kotchman! His was down in the right field short wall, just like Brantley's. Casey had an awesome night going 2 for 3 with a walk, 3 RBI and 2 runs scored. Plus he was part of 3 double plays! WE LOVE YOU KOTCH!

Hannahan was 1 for 4 today with a run. He looked GREAT at third!

Johnny Damon was making a fool out of me again today. When I last saw him it was that awful, ugly Cincinnati game where he fell over and shit in the outfield. But before that it was a Pittsburgh game where he went 2 for 4 and tried to smash my cousin with a foul ball. Today I told my friends what the deal is with him and here he went 3 for 4 and scored 2 runs. He also had an outfield assist, throwing out stupid Pujols. Hooray for Johnny Damon.

Sweet Lou had another awesome game! He went 2 for 4 today with an RBI and a run. He's got 15 hits in his last 10 games and a 6-game hitting streak with 11 hits in those 6 games. DAMN!! Makes it so hard to want Santana back...

Going to today's game was a nice surprise, and I was handsomely rewarded for enduring the heat. And you know, it honestly wasn't that bad. Well, 12-3 makes you forget a lot of stuff. But also there was a breeze and the more you sweat the more breeze cools you. I think I was thinking about how it could be worse - it could be like when i was at band camp, it could be like when I worked summers in an outdoor restaurant, it could be a pitcher's duel. It was none of those things - it was awesome!

Tomorrow is the Rays at 7:05. Their record's about the same as ours. They're starting a rightie - yeah rightie! Our man on the hill is Tomlin.

See you there!

Radio Chatter:
"He's still got the respect level that most batters don't have."
- Tom Hamilton on Travis Hafner

"Sometimes you gotta lose a battle to win the war. You just can't burn out a bullpen if a ballgame is getting out of hand early."
- Tom Hamilton

"Santana might be better off just jumping off the rubber than throwing to first."
- Tom Hamiltin thinks Ervin Santana has a bad move

"Derek Lowe had a chance to sit back and watch the early fireworks show."
- Tom Hamilton

"Shows that even the best players sometimes get a brain cramp."
- Tom Hamilton on Pujols trying to stretch a single and getting thrown out

"Strange things happen on the 4th of July, Rosie [...] The Indians summer league in Arizona was rained out today. [...] If it weren't the 4th of July it would have been declared a holiday anyway - rain in July in Phoenix."
- Tom Hamilton

"High school kids in Northeast Ohio throw their curveballs faster than Takahashi."
- Tom Hamilton on Takahashi's 68 MPH curveball

"I guess this is what it was like watching Mickey Mantle play."
- Tom Hamilton on Manny Acta on Mike Trout

"His former teammates, many years from now, are going to go on and on about 'You know, Torii Hunter is the best teammate I ever had.'"
- Tom Hamilton

"Would it hurt the Rangers to win once?"
- Tom Hamilton on the White Sox winning

Nobody is a Hero

Sunday strikes again, huh? I do need to stop complaining about Sundays because I think we're 5-7 on the year so it's not like we lose EVERY Sunday. But like I said before - it just hurts more because I usually get to see it on TV.

It was a stupid game today - stupid pitching and stupid hitting. It didn't matter that our pitchers gave up 7 because our batters could only muster 1. Everyone lost this game. Even Johnny Damon who thankfully didn't play today.

Lowe melted down and gave up 3 runs in 6 2/3. Three doesn't sound to bad but it's nearly unsurmountable when your team isn't hitting. Plus when he left the game he had 2 guys on base. He was pretty pissed at himself and once again started tossing shit around the dugout. Well, tossing it then picking it right back up because that's about as shitty as giving up 3 runs. Derek Lowe, the Gentleman Pitcher.

Smith did his thing and finished off the 7th without letting more score. Then Nick "Remember When He Was Good?" Hagadone came in gave up 3 runs, including a homer, in 2/3 of an inning. You know he was fucking good before because after giving up 3 runs in 2/3 of an inning his ERA is still under 6. Anyway he left and went in the dugout and had a bit of a "Remember when I was good?" sniffle over his performance (that's the kind of sad stuff you get to see on the TV on Sundays) while Esmil Rogers got the third out. But before he got the third out he gave up a home run.

Dayum!

On the offensive side, Choo was shut down. Asdrubal shut down. Kipnis was shut down. FOR THE LOVE OF PETE, BRANTLEY WAS SHUT DOWN!

Lopez got himself a hit - a big honkin' double off the wall. He then came around to score on a passed ball. End of story as far as runs go.

Lessee...Oh yeah, Shelley Duncan started today and even though he didn't hit (just like Asdrubal and Kipnis) he got TWO walks! SHELLEY EVERY DAY!!!

Today's big winner was You Can Always Count On Casey Kotchman (Usually). He went 2 for 4, hoofing out a single in the 5th.

Speaking of good fielding (we were talking about Casey Kotchman, of course) - Kipnis looked pretty fancy out there today. He had another nice one too. I also think that a couple of hits could have been avoided if Derek Lowe didn't fall to the side and check the bus schedule after every pitch. Several hits went right up the middle and it looked like Lowe was trying to get out of their way instead of do stuff like stop the ball.

Lowe did get a hit! He bunted himself to first on a bunt down the first-base line. He snuck by the Astros while they were waiting for it to roll foul. It didn't! This happened on one out. Excitement! Choo and Cabrera couldn't do shit to get him in. Horror!

That's about it for today. I did manage to get a lot of chores done due to the extra hour I had before the game so that's cool. I also got sunburn so now it really feels like summer time. Also I hope you had a chance to listen to the radio because Hammy and Rosie were continuing the saga of the FroYo machine and I can't really print it all here because there's so much of a back story. I did grab some for you. Just note that Rosie really likes the frozen yogurt machine and Hammy calls him out on it, but he likes it too.

Oh yeah also the Astros' announcer Milo Hamilton (no relation) came in to chat and call a couple innings. That was cool...he sounds great, and he's 85 years old! I really hope we get to keep our Hamilton that long...

We're off to face the Yankees now. I hope someone remembers to pick up our bats on the way from Houston to New York. I think they got left in Cleveland!

No break tomorrow - a 7:05 game. See you there!

Radio Chatter:
"In a classic case of the pot calling the kettle black, Tom Hamilton is eating a large plastic cup full of ice cream."

- Jim Rosenhsus

"The servers said 'Mr. Hamilton we advise you to get the biggest cup possible because Mr. Rosenhsus has requested a hose to be run from the machine to the booth'"

- Tom Hamilton

"You wonder Rosie if that's a function of hitting 8th. You think 'The pitcher is coming up. I should try to get extra bases.'"

- Tom Hamilton

"It's the bottom of the 6th, there are four hits and two runs and nobody's made an error - that's been called.

- Milo Hamilton

"You can see the video board on Mexico City, it's so big."

- Tom Hamilton

"Boy that ice cream has made you really sharp today. That's where the confidence comes in. You were confident when you went for the Butterfinger crunch..."
- Tom Hamilton after discussing Hagadone's lack of confidence

"I don't care if you're Manny Acta, Eric Wedge or even Joe Torre - if you don't have a bullpen you can count on, you're doomed any way because any decision you make blows up in your face."
- Tom Hamilton

Pwned!!1!

Justin Masteron pitched today. He pitched today. Justin Masterson pitched the fuck out of the baseball today!!!

Remember how Tomlin pitched yesterday and held the Reds to just one run? Masterson pitched even BETTER than that today. He went a full 9 innings and struck out 9 and gave up just 3 hits (only one of those hits to Votto/Phillips) and ONE RUN. ONE UNEARNED RUN, MOTHERFUCKERS. He was pitching in the high 80s/low 90s all night. His 106th pitch, the last pitch of the game, was a 95 MPH sinker that finished striking out the side!!

And of course, as is Justin's lot, he didn't need to hold the other team to 1 today, because our team decided to give him run support when he least needed it. Irony! (Right?)

We ALMOST had an "Everybody Hits" game but Marson didn't get his. He's back to backup catcher now so he gets a break. What's key is that some guys had a multi-hit game, the bottom of the lineup was looking good, and we're hitting homers again.

Choo went 2 for 4 tonight and of course they were doubles. Since he had a slow start, his slugging % isn't too wild (.430) but he is tied for 1st in the league for doubles! He's getting more awesome in the field, too.

OMG ASDRUBAL!!! #8 tonight, a 3-run bomb. Holy smokes was I not expecting that! I had all but forgotten that Asdrubal was our home run hero last year and had put it on the "fluke" shelf. I have a feeling he's going to be ramping up his homer production now, so keep an eye out. If you're friends with me on Facebook, you'll know every time. Don't forget there's still time to vote for him for the All Star Game!

Kipnis was out today. Did you think we could manage without him? Are you a little surprised we managed 8 runs without our JK Kid? Yeah me too! He was just restin', so we'll see him Friday.

Acta moved Brantley up to the 3rd spot, which is interesting because we need him to help some of those dudes down at the bottom but we also needed someone that could replicate Kipnis. Brantley being Brantley, he got a hit! A 4-game streak now! He ended the night 1 for 5.

Santana went 1 for 5, and had a lucky break on a "throwing error" at 2nd which wasn't actually an error but Bank Error In Your Favor, yaknow? Lopez was batting in the 5-spot for Brantley and playing 2nd for Kipnis. He did ok in his roles and ended up going 1 for 5 as well, with a double.


You know who's got a 6-game hitting streak? With 6 RBI and 4 runs in that time? Casey Kotchman, is who. And he continues to be amazing at the corner as well. Today he went 1 for 4 with 2 runs scored.

I started petitioning Manny Acta for "SHELLEY EVERY DAY" yesterday and today. No luck. Today we had Damon and he went 2 for 2 with 2 RBI and 2 walks and 2 runs. And a homer. Great, I hope Johnny Damon feels good about himself. Somebody proved something. He should go home now.

Lonnie, eh? You like? He was in at 8th tonight and he BROUGHT IT to the bottom of the lineup. Finally! A bases-clearing double with the bases loaded is what he done brought. He ended the night with 3 RBI, giving him 6 RBI in this series.

How awesome is this team going to be with Travis back and Jack every day? We'll be spilling over with hitting!!

I guess tonight's win means that The Battle of Ohio is tied. Gah, now I am looking forward to interleague AGAIN! (I am excited to see the Pirates with my cousin's kids.) I tell you what tho, I am not looking forward to our boys having to play in Houston this weekend. In the middle of the day and shit. It's gonna be awful. I wonder if Hafner were in if they'd even let him play. I bet his contract doesn't allow it.

Speaking of weather - the KSU vs. South Carolina College World Series game is delayed until tomorrow at noon. I wonder if I can find it on the radio anywhere?

So there's 3 more days of interleague for us, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The White Sox are taking care of the Cubs right now, so if that holds we'll be in first still on Friday, but just by 1/2 game. Houston's not that good - not even .500. But they're over .500 at home so we'll see. Our starters are really picking it up right now and our guys are getting in to the multi-hit groove so it's definitely a series we could win. Sweep? Sounds like fun!

Next game is 8:05 on Friday, Ubaldo versus a guy who's got almost the exact same stats (RHP, 6-5, 5ish ERA). Gotta check out those 'Stros before they join our league. See you there!

Radio Chatter:
"He may be sprinting to the mound after the third out, ready to work."
- Tim Belcher after the Tribe was up 5-0

"You can't hit that. Well, of course you can't hit that. I mean Willie Harris."
- Tim Belcher doesn't think Rosie can hit a breaking ball

OMG ASDRUBAL!!!

Hold on, gotta peel myself off the ceiling.

"He come with a fastball and I hit the ball hard." Fuck yeah you did, Asdrubal!

[Tape rewinding]

Man, what a SNOOZER today! At least compared to yesterday. Tim Belcher (filling in on the radio) was at least impressed. The most exciting parts of the game pretty much happened in the field. Our defense was pretty rock solid tonight.

Helping out the defense tonight was the rock-solid Tomlin. I shook his hand yesterday, you know. The one he uses to throw them strikes. He had THE POWER today! He went 6 2/3 only giving up 1 run. That's 1 run to this Reds team that has scored 33 runs off our pitchers in the last 4 games against Cleveland. NOT BAD, JOSH TOMLIN! And he only had to strike out 2! He also only walked 2. He held Votto and Phillips to 1 hit each. He tamed the beast!!

He also left the bases loaded in the 7th, but Esmil Rogers came in and threw 98 MPH balls at Mesoraco until he was out.

We were treated to Pestano and Perez for the 8th and 9th, which means the Reds didn't score any. But neither did the Indians so we had to go to 10.

Smith got some guys on base, and Hagadone - who is not awesome anymore right now - threw one in the dirt, and one of Smith's guys scored. They left it at 2-1 Reds.

Check out what I saw while I was on the indians.com schedule page, counting Reds' runs just now:

I think Aroldis Chapman's mom works in the scoring department

Anyway that's not how it ended. As you may have noted, we actually won 3-2 in the 10th. You know who got the win? Hagadone. LULZ.

Choo went 3 for 4 tonight! None of those hits were leadoff homers but you know he got a double, yes he did! And a walk and a run, naturally. He's got 6 hits in his last 3 games! He's also doing the good defense thing.

Asdrubal overcame his bad defensive Sunday and his bad offensive Monday and WON THE FUCKING GAME TODAY!!! OMG!!! Here I'll let Matt Underwood tell you. The guy he hit it off had a 1.06 ERA and he'd only given up 1 other homer this year. To Lopez last week! HAHA! Today a 2-run walkoff homer for Asdrubal! WAHOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

Oh man, ok, there were other guys playing the game today. Ahem. Yeah so Kipnis was shut down again (why does he tease us so?) but he's really turning in to a great second-baseman! Here's an interview with him on the MLB Network. He's got a cool shirt on it says "I play for the American League. We will win." I think he sounds dorkier than a Jason Kipnis should sound. Cool dork!

Santana didn't multi-hit today. He didn't even walk. BUT once again he was in the middle of thing happening, and he's the one who scored the run that tied the game. He was on base with a double! Getting more reliable for sure, but we still really need multi-hit games from him. We know you can do it!

Brantley is on to a 3-game hitting streak now. Are you following? He went 1 for 4 today. He also did this amazing shit in the outfield. Grady who?!?! I am not going to point out the huge difference between yesterday's left fielder and this amazing player.

Kotchman didn't get a homer today. Bummer, right? But he went 2 for 3! And of course he was smokin' at first base. I think every game now he's saving a run for us. And tonight he was the one hitting the run in!

Supermanahan went 1 for 4 tonight, and like everyone else he was dynamite on the field. Ok he had an error. But he also had a double play and a couple put outs!

Really the entire team was fantastic today. I had highlights for almost everyone! Shelley Duncan started in left because the old man is injured. Neither Dunc nor Cunningham did anything at the plate today but they kept left field from being taken over by flies and they didn't embarrass the team one bit. So I say that's much improved over the last two games!

Not sure how the Reds got away without hearing from Lonnie at DH but they did. Don't worry, he's got their number for next time.

Man I can't believe there was a walkoff win tonight. And it was my guy Asdrubal. And it was against Chapman, the closer a 10-year-old had just warned me about. Perfect ending to a fairly crummy day!

Sorry I didn't get any Radio Chatter. Tim Belcher was not as "on" tonight as he was last night. I'm guessing he was too busy admiring the pitching today (as opposed to last night where he was basically cringing the whole time.) He did drop a nugget that his nickname for Cousin Michael is "Favorite Player." He wasn't being cheeky, he actually calls Brantley that, whether or not he IS his favorite player.

Speaking of radio, all the fans at the Tom Hamilton Has The Best Home Run Call In All of Baseball agree that Jim Rosenhaus's call of the walkoff should be posted. I'd say it was Rosie's best yet. Of course it won't make it on the audio promos like Hammy's call of Santana's walkoff grand slam last year...but it was good. I hope it gets posted!

EDIT: Here you go!

One more against these Reds tomorrow at 7:05 and we're done with them until next year. Maybe by then Votto will be hurt and Phillips will be bad. Nuyk nyuk.

By the way, we're killing the Battle of Ohio. Way on top now!

See you there!

The Chiz Kid!

Oh man, oh man, oh man!! I was at the game tonight y'all! I saw all of those 19 runs! I cheered for all of those 13 hits! How lucky am I?!

I was supposed to be at batting practice today and got there in time but it was cancelled due to rain. Bullocks. The good news is that we get to come to a different game and will get free tix. We had nowhere to go but The Winking Lizard, where I drowned my sorrows in 1lb of ground beef. And a salad.

Back at the ballpark by 6 PM where we got to participate in "Photo Day." They have 2 players standing in for photographs with 400 of the first-come-first-serve fans. Our choices today were Tomlin and Cunningham. No offense to Aaron Cunningham but the obvious choice was Tomlin. He is not a tall man. That is to say, he is regular-sized but I guess maybe short for a pitcher. Maybe like 5'10" (stats say 6'1". No.) He was very very cordial. He shook my hand and I introduced myself. I think my friends did too. Then we moved along and paid $20 for a copy of the photo. I thought maybe it'd be free. We were told while in line that it was $5, actually. The young lady who told us this did say she was wrong, as she took my $20. We were slightly perturbed but since there were 4 of us, $5 each wasn't too bad. We're going to do it again.

I had brought along some baseball cards and pens for autographs, and went down to left field to try to get some, but nothing doing. It didn't help that the tarp was on the field until 15 mins before the game. I'll try next time.

By 7:05 the sun was out and the air was dry(er than it had been previously).  Being that we had some law firm's swanky seats, you betcha someone had dried them off for us. I got myself a Diet Doctor Pepper in a souvenir cup. They're doing a new thing now - $6 for one, $8 for one plus one refill, $10 for one plus two refills. That's a savings of $4 on one refill or $8 on two. Not bad! No way I could (should) finish two huge pops on a Monday night but the cups are good all season. So I'll be bringing my cup back for sure!

Derek Lowe was the starter. If you aren't familiar with his shit with Reds' manager Dusty Baker, here's some info. As far as I know there was no problem tonight. I do know nobody got hit by any pitches today even though the same two guys were pitching. They gave up 19 hits between them in just 5 innings so really they probably didn't want to put any guys on base on purpose. Anyway, Lowe wasn't at his best today. He gave up 7 earned runs in 5 innings. But since it was tied up when he left, it didn't seem that bad, yaknow?

We got treated to Smith in the 6th and 7th, who held them to just 1 run. He got 2 outs in the 7th, thanks to Kotchman's unassisted double play. Then he gave up a homer (Progressive Field is just a home run paradise lately) and Manny took him out after 1 2/3 innings for Pestano to come take care of the rest. Vinnie got out of it and then had a 1-2-3 8th, because he is in fact The Man.

VinneP52 - look who just sprinted in!

I feel so lucky cuz I got to see Pestano and Perez tonight. It's a treat to watch them pitch because of the huge energy they bring but also because when they come in you know it's over. Perez had a 2-run lead and you know he was going to give one up and he did. He started off strong but of course Brandon Phillips had to have the last word and he got on, then scored on a single from Bruce. But Perez took care of the next guy who struck out looking. Ballgame!

Crank it, Jerry!

So like I said we had 13 hits tonight and FINALLY we had a bunch of guys with a multi-hit game. Choo knocked the second pitch of the game from Latos out of the park, matching up Votto's homer in the first. He also got an RBI double, going 2 for 5 on the night.

Touch-em-all time for Choo!

Tonight was Asdrubal bobblehead night - they did include the compression sleeve but they left out the huge forearm tattoo - and I wore my custom-made Asdrubal t-shirt (they didn't make Asdrubal t-shirts in 2008!) but nothing brought him luck. He went 0 for 3 with a walk and a run. Oh well - we did really need that run today.

In the hole? Anything? No?

Kipnis was silenced today, which of course is weird. You don't expect the JK Kid to go hitless in a game with 10 runs and 13 hits for the good guys but there it is. He did turn 2 double plays, though!

Lopez was the DH again tonight. Better than nothing, I say. He was wearing a little thin until he got a hit in the 7th. Unfortunately he didn't get any runs or RBI.

Santana was looking more like himself today. He got a key 2 hits. Multi-hit Santana = win!! Those 2 hits turned in to 2 runs. You see how important it is to get on base, 'Los? I think he gets it.

Cousin Michael's back on to a 2-game hitting streak. He went 2 for 3 tonight, both hits being doubles. He had 1 RBI and scored 2 runs. Plus he looked good in the field...well, anyone looks good next to Damon...

Stretch it out Michael and Chiz. You've got a lot of left field to cover.

Johnny Damon...oh my God you guys, I almost cried. Seriously. He is so bad in the field. Just comically bad today. I felt bad for snubbing Cunningham in the Photo Day line because by the 3rd inning I was ready to vote for him for Mayor Of Left Field. Damon did get a hit, a RBI and a run but I am pretty sure he had a hand in about 7 Reds runs scoring. Please, can we be done with this Damon shit now?? Seeing him come to the plate is like seeing the goddamn pitcher come up. There's no room for that in Cleveland.

The other part of the bottom of the order was rockin' tonight, thank Og. Casey Kotchman not only had the aforementioned unassisted double play (easy peasy for the Kotch) but he also banged a 2-run homer in the 4th! I totally called it. It was 5-4 and there was 1 on for us and I was like "You know, he can hit homers. He had 14 in 2011. He needs 7 by the break, just 2 more." BANG! YES I DID!!! You're welcome!! He also got another RBI on a well-placed groundout. Because that's the kind of standup guy Casey Kotchman is!

The big news for the night was Lonnie Chisenhall who went 3 for 4 and was about 2 feet away from going for the cycle. He got the homer and the triple and a single, and in the 8th tried to get that double but didn't. Of course we gave him a standing ovation anyway! He ended up going 3 for 4 with 3 RBI and 2 runs. AWESOME!! This is the guy we went nuts for at his debut. Is he back?? Let's hope!

The beginning of Lonnie's big night!

There were just under 20,000 fans tonight, which I think was pretty good for a night that started with rain. Now, it seemed that about 10,000 of those fans were Cincy fans (indeed half of the fans by me were) but whatever. Money in "our" pockets either way. The guys next to us were trying to be rowdy but were ultimately nice. It didn't hurt that we won!

Some dickhead got thrown out for throwing something on the field in the 6th. I don't know what it was, but it came from waaaay up in the top of the upper deck. A cop went up there and people were quick to point the finger at whoever it was. Ha!

At one point a fan got smoked by a foul ball, and it turned out to be scary. It's scary when they call an usher down. Even scarier when an usher starts waving a yellow card and all the players go wide-eyed. Yikes...I just listened to it on the radio archive and they went off the air for a second while they tended to the fan - that was creepy! But not long after the second cop arrived but even before the EMTs arrived, fans around the injured fan started clapping to let us know she was all right. Whew.

Someone in front of us got hit by a ball when she reached out to catch it. It was an older lady. An older guy down her row slinked over to ask if she was all right, not before picking up the damn ball and quickly giving it to his wife to stow safely in her purse. Jesus, people! That was seriously uncool. The rowdy from Cincy (Kentucky) that was sitting next to us (his name was Lonnie, by the way) bought the lady a margarita. She never did get a ball.

Lots of crazy stuff in the game tonight for sure. All of it exciting and doubly so since we won!

Oh yeah and KSU won tonight too! They eliminated #1 Florida!!!! They're in the top 6 now and they'll be taking on South Carolina Wednesday at 8 PM. People at Progressive Field were pretty excited about this too!

I managed to get some stuff from the radio tonight, just for yous. Tim Belcher was in the booth and he had a lot to say about this game, being that both starting pitchers got smacked around. I didn't listen to 100% of the game but I got some good stuff. I've got to sleep!

Tomorrow is more Reds, Tomlin versus Leake. Pretty even...will our bats show up again?? That'd be fun. See you there!

Radio Chatter:
"Serves him right that he gave up the game-tying run to Choo, because he started the game with an 80-mile-an-hour curveball."
- Tim Belcher

"He looks like someone stole his dinner or something. He is mad!"
- Jim Rosenhaus on Mat Latos's Media Guide photo

"Progressive Field doing its best Great American Ballpark impression."
- Jim Rosenhaus on the number of homers

"...they craft the memos about proper press box decorum. But Kent State got a huge strikeout with the bases loaded and only one out, and that's an addendum to cheering in the press box where you get a waiver."
- Jim Rosenhaus on upper management cheering in the press box

"Does this look like a tennis match or what?"
- Tim Belcher on the scoring

"Are you sure? It seems like the 15th!"
- Tim Belcher in the 5th

"Count me as one who doesn't like a good-old-fashioned-slugfest."
- Tim Belcher

"That's why you don't make plans for after the game. You never know what kind of game it's going to be."
- Jim Rosenhaus

"A wild one here at Progressive Field."
- Jim Rosenhaus in the 8th. My friend predicted this would be used to describe tonight's game. 

O Noes, Derek Lowe!

Oh boffins, I bet you thought I forgot about you. That I listened to the game this afternoon and buried myself in my work then came home and buried myself in a hot bath and did my best to wash off this loss. But, not so. I just got busy at work then after work stuff. I am here now!

You know who was most upset about this game? Derek Lowe. You can tell he's upset because he threw a cooler full of ice in the dugout and that's not something a seasoned veteran does that often. Lowe is from Detroit and he had some 30 family members in the stands today. Plus it was game 3 where we'd rolled over the Tigers twice already. Plus he fucking rocks and should not be giving up 7 runs in 5 innings. But that's what he did. For some reason I can excuse this more than any of our other starters when they suck. Lowe's done so well for us this year, it's just as hard for us to see him do bad as it is for him.

Scott Barnes came in for 2 and was lights out. His ERA is still 0. Jeremy Accardo did the same and is pitching 1.54. Nice stuff from the "low end" of our bullpen!

The offense actually almost came back. The Tigers defense tried to give it back. But we came so close and it slipped away. Sorry, Derek Lowe. It was just not your day.

Our man Choo is at it again - a SEVEN game hitting streak in which he has gotten 12 hits!! He went 2 for 5 today but neither of hit hits were doubles. Weird! He of course came around to score.

Asdrubal's still getting it done, at the plate and on the field. HE got a double, because he is awesome and it was a two-run double. He also walked and came around to score, because that's the kind of stand-up guy he is. You should take a moment and vote for him in the All Star Game. You know he would vote for you. Well not for shortstop, because he wants to be the all star shortstop, and play every day!

Hey, welcome back Jason Kipnis! The JK Kid woke up and went 2 for 4 today and of course he stole another base because that's what Kipnis does now. He also showed a little patience and walked, and turned two of his on-bases in to runs. We need that guy!

Everyone can take a breath now - Santana's back! Well, I dunno maybe I'm jumping the gun but dammit, I've been waiting patiently! He went 1 for 4 today with an RBI and a walk. That's one! Now he can just continue on getting hits every game! We won't mention how he tried to stretch a single in to a double and was out by a mile...wouldn't want to embarrass him on his first day "back."

LOPEZ! Rockin a 1 for 2 tonight with one walk, one double, one sac fly and 2 RBI! Maybe he is fighting for his job? It does not hurt us that we've got 3 awesome guys fighting for 3rd base. Well, until we send one of them to the Red Sox.

OMFG MICHAEL BRANTLEY WITH A 15 GAME HITTING STREAK!! He got on base earlier thanks to Prince Fielder being awful, but he was cutting it close hit-wise, not getting one until the 8th inning. If we ignore Santana, our top 6 (well, 5) hitters are batting a .282 average. That equals the average for all of the Rangers, the top team in the league for average.

Casey Kotchman! Slowly and quietly working his way up the average ladder. Tiny hitting streak at 3. Today he went a crazy 2 for 4. Unfortunately the guys around him weren't knocking the ball around at the same time so he didn't get any runs or RBI.

Did you know Marson has a 7-game hitting streak? Amazing what every day of play will do. Of course he's still scraping the bottom of the barrel average-wise but he's been consistent and useful. Today he went 1 for 4 with a run so he's doing the same stuff as Santana is.

Choices, choices!

Well, now we move on to the St. Louis Cardinals. All I know about the Cards is that I rooted for them in the World Series and they looked amazing and unstoppable. But that was last year and so far this year they're only playing .500 ball.

Oh yeah the pitcher we're facing tomorrow? Jake Westbrook. He was totes my faves when he was on our team and I was crushed to see him go. His stats this year look pretty much the same as always, around a 4 ERA. So we might not get too far with him.

Speaking of St. Louis pitching, there's some other Indians blog-like thing that is not TribeVibe or the Indians Tumblr or MLBlogs but something called Cut4 which has entries separated by city. To get around to the St. Louis pitching part, the latest entry has a video of Chris Perez doing his "You can't see me" thing, which I don't think was previously available. Chris Perez used to pitch for the Cardinals, you know. We win! But anyway, check out Cut4, whatever it is.

I also like the blog for Topps Bunt. Bunt is an iApp but apparently only for iPad. I couldn't find it for my iPod Touch. I am not even sure what I'm missing. But their little blog is pretty good, with weird little videos from around baseball and even non-MLB baseball. Scroll down past the app update posts for videos. There's a video of Charlie Manuel getting into an argument with an ump that just made me laugh. I can only imagine how it sounded. You've seen Waterboy? It sounded like that.

Ok that's enough from me. Good try at a comeback today, bad job by Derek Lowe. He's sorry and he's sorry he threw that cooler.

It's another day tomorrow in St. Louis. An 8:05 start so I'll actually have time to fix dinner beforehand. See you there!

Radio Chatter:
"You can watch all the video you want, but as a hitter there's nothing like seeing it in person."
- Tom Hamilton on the Indians facing Crosby for the first time

"Everyone wants to know 'Did your team have a good draft?' but how do you really know until 5 years later?"
- Jim Rosenhaus

"Where would this club be without Jose Lopez?"
- Tom Hamilton after Lopez's RBI double

"The Tigers are desperate for a win. They can't afford to lose this game today, not with a 7-1 lead."
- Tom Hamilton

"He comes charging to the mound like a bull running the streets in Spain. He almost bowled over Leland who is trying to give him the ball."
- Tom Hamilton on

"Rocker woulda decked the driver and driven the cart himself."
- Tom Hamilton on the idea of John Rocker being driven to the mound in a funny cart

"He can call home tonight and say 'Cabrera and Fielder, they're not that good.'"
- Tom Hamilton on Scott Barnes