I’m winning.  I’m winning.  I’m winning.  And I don’t intend on losing again.  -Santana

Jake Westbrook  throws heavy and boring 90-mph sinker.  A stinker of a sinker.  Jake Westbrook throws a stinker of a sinker that when it’s going right, is very tough to beat.  I know.  I’ve seen it.  I’ve seen up close and personal.   I saw it up close and personal back in 2007.  I saw it up close and personal back in 2007 during Game 3 of the American League Championship Series.   Back in 2007 during Game 3 of the American League Championship Series, Westbrook’s sinker was going right.  He did allow a two-run homer to Jason Varitek in the seventh, but otherwise, he throttled my beloved Red Sox.  Throttled ‘em real good like.  Of the 20 outs that Westbrook recorded that day, only three came on balls hit to the outfield.  He ended three innings with double-play grounders, one with the bases loaded in the second.  That’s what Jake Westbrook looks like when his sinker is going right.  That’s what he’s been looking like for much of this season.       Read More »

I know we’ve come so far, but we’ve got so far to go.  I know the road seems long, but it won’t be long ’till it’s time to go.  So, most days we’ll take it fast, and some nights lets we’ll take it slow.  I know we’ve come so far, but baby, baby, we’ve got so far to go.  -Hairspray

I know what you’re thinking.  You’re thinking it’s too early for this.  Like Sean Penn and Chaz Palmenteri, too Hurly Burly for this.  Don’t call me Shirley for this.  That’s what you’re thinking.  It’s not what I’m thinking.  I’m thinking what Yogi Berra is thinking.  I’m thinking, “It gets late awfully early around here.”  Heck, we’re already 36 games into the season.  That’s 2/9 of all games.  That’s 22%.  22% mental.  The other half physical.  Let’s get physical, physical.  I wanna get physical.  Let’s get physical and see what’s what.  Like Stan the Man Musial always says:  “I never realized that batting a little ball around could cause so much commotion.”  These cats are causing a commotion.  A loco-motion.  My little baby sister can do it with ease.  It’s easier than learning your a b c’s.  So come on, come on, do the loco-motion with me.  Come on with me and let’s take a peak at the All So Far Team, shall we?  Sure we shall!           Read More »

Little boy, in a baseball hat, stands in a field, with his ball and bat.  Says “I am the greatest, player of them all.”  Puts his bat on his shoulder, and tosses up his ball.  -Kenny Rogers

Ok, here we go!  Another opening day has come and gone.  Cool Papa Bell once said, “I remember one game I got five hits and stole five bases, but none of it was written down because they didn’t bring the scorebook to the game that day.”  Well, Cool Papa doesn’t have to worry about that today.  I brought my scorebook.  I’m writing it down.     Read More »

This must be love, fits like a glove.  Well it must be love, it must be love – fits like a glove – fits like a glove.  -Kiss

Shhhhh.  It’s around the corner.  Baseball’s around the corner.  Smell it?  Hooray baseball!  I love baseball.  I’m Like Carl Yastrzemski:  “I think about baseball when I wake up in the morning.   I think about it all day and I dream about it at night.  The only time I don’t think about it is when I’m playing it.”  And considering I don’t play much of it anymore, I’m thinking about it all the time.  Today I’m thinking about the best defensive players in the game today.  What’s glove got to do with it, got to do with it?  Everything.  Always has.  Always will. Read More »

What does it take to be number one?  Two is not a winner and three nobody remembers.  What does it take to be number one?  Hey hey hey hey..  -Nelly

Opening day is just two weeks away.  Ahhhh, baseball.  The one constant through all the years, Ray, has been baseball.  America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers.  It has been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt and erased again.  But baseball has marked the time.  I know it’s a little early.  I know what Bill Veeck said.  I know he said, “This is a game to be savored, not gulped.  There’s time to discuss everything between pitches or between innings.”  I don’t care.  I want it all.  I want it now.  I want to know what the Big Fundamental wants to know.  “Good, better, best.  Never let it rest.  Until your good is better and your better is best.”  Who’s good?  Who’s the best?  Today we will discuss who’s the best.  We’ll discuss who’s the worst.  And we’ll discuss everything in between.  So, without further ado, let’s hand out the hardware:          Read More »

Star of the day, who will it be? Your vote will hold the key. It’s up to you. Tell us who, will be star of the day. -Community Auditions

Back by popular demand! Just in case you didn’t know.  Maybe you didn’t hear about it, you’ve been away a long time.  They didn’t go up there and tell you.  They didn’t go up there and tell you the Brass Bonanza Award is given to the week’s biggest loser.  Brass Bonanza was the Hartford Whalers fight song.  Need I say more? This weeks winner, er loser, are the St. Louis Cardinals. Hooray Cardinals! Read More »

Oh baby, I’m a star!  Might not know it now baby, but I are, I’m a star!  I don’t want to stop ’till I reach the top.  Sing it!  -Prince

Public Service Announcement:  Everybodys’s jibbering about Ubaldo Jimminez.  Everybody’s jabbering about Stephen Strasburg.  Jibbering and jabbering.  Blibbering and blabbering.  What about this guy?  What about Bob Adam Wainwright?  Last night, Adam Wainwright hurled seven shutout innings to lead the Cardinals to a 6-1 victory over the Reds.  That may not seem like such a big deal to you, but know this:  Wainwright has now registered 17 wins this season.  Wainwright has now registered a 1.99 ERA this season.  All through 25 starts.  Pretty good, right?  Damn skippy it’s good.  Since 1970, only five other pitchers posted at least 17 wins and an ERA below 2.00 through 25 starts in a season.  Only Vida Blue 1971 (19 wins; 1.37 ERA), Gaylord Perry 1972 (17 wins; 1.70 ERA), Ron Guidry1978  (17 wins; 1.79 ERA), Dwight Gooden 1985 (18 wins; 1.64 ERA) and Roger Clemens in 1997 (18 wins; 1.66 ERA).          Read More »

Change my pitch up, smack my bitch up.  Change my pitch up, smack my bitch up.  Change my pitch up, smack my bitch up.  -Prodigy

Public Service Announcement:  Like the man says, “He who laughs last, laughs best.”  Brandon Phillips laughed first.  Brandon Phillips laughed when he said, “I’d play against these guys on one leg.  We have to beat these guys.  All they do is bitch and moan about everything, all of them.  They’re little bitches, all of them.  I really hate the Cardinals.”  Maybe Phillips should have played on both legs.  Then, he could have laughed best.             Read More »

I’m on the top of the world lookin’ down on creation and the only explanation I can find is the love that I’ve found, ever since you’ve been around, your love’s put me at the top of the world.  -The Carpenters

Public Service Announcement:  Tony LaRussa once said Albert Pujols is  “the perfect player.”  So did Sports Illustrated.  Flavor Flav said, “I know it sounds crazy but it fits perfect.  Peter perfect pimped a perfect Peter.”   Albert Pujols pimped a perfect yesterday.  I know, I know, Phat Albert put up an ofer yesterday.  So what?  You know what he did do?  What he did do was play in his 1500th regular-season game of his big-league career.  Hooray Albert Pujols!  But that’s not all this cat has been done doing.     Read More »

If I were a carpenter and you were a lady, would you marry me anyway?  Would you have my baby?  -Johnny Cash

Public Service Announcement:  Ok, here we go!  Remember Chris Carpenter?  World Series Champion Chris Carpenter?  Cy Young Chris Carpenter?  NL Comeback Player of the Year Chris Carpenter?  Well folks, it looks like he’s back for good now.  For very good now.  If you watched the Blue Jays/Cardinals game last night, you know what I’m talking about, boyeeeeeee!             Read More »