Bay to Mets Drawing Closer

According to Mike Francesa from WFAN 660, the Mets will announce the signing of Jason Bay "Early next week". This is, of course, pending the results of a physical, but it looks like Bay is headed to the prom with the girl he didn't want to go with, simply because he didn't want to stay home. Now maybe Red Sox fans will get over the "Jason Bay is returning" delusion. More info as we get it.

UPDATE: According to our good friend Ian Bethune at Sox and Dawgs, the Red Sox will receive a 2nd round sandwich pick from the Mets, as their first round pick (#7 overall) is protected. They also get a supplemental pick because Bay is a "Type A" free agent. Keep that in mind as trade rumors involving Red Sox prospects get bandied about, as they will be able to replenish the farm in June.

Audio of Francesa's announcement is right here- Bay to Mets

In The Crease With Javier Gorriti-Power and Pain

As an avid Mets, Jets and Bruins fan, I have had more than my share of painful loses, embarrassing gaffs and infuriating moments. The Jets have won nothing in my lifetime and the same can be said for the Bruins. The Mets, of all teams, have given me one, count em' one, stinking championship. This, of course, is dwarfed by what is the circus posing as a baseball team in Flushing which almost obliviates said championship. Certainly Clemens beaning Piazza in the head, then Sean Estes missing Clemens entirely during interleague at Shea definitely does. On the bright side, the 1986 Mets are the coolest baseball team of all time, and that I can live with.

I take great pride and hope in the futility of my favorite teams. How can one man be subjected to the kind torture and embarrassment that these teams have bestowed on me and still be optimistic and happy to love these teams? Simple. Pain makes you a real fan. It's very easy to go buy your girlfriend's pink Sawx hat as you stroll down Lansdowne street in your Pedroia jersey as you incessently yell "Yooouuuuuukkk". There is no honor in that. It's just too easy. Ask your dad about what it means to be a Sawx fan, a real Sawx fan. 86 years of pain, that's what it means. All those crusty old bastards in northern New England have been in a bad mood since 1918 and by god no couple of rings is going to take that away from them.

The Patriots are the best organization in football. Tom Brady is the poster child for squeaky clean looks, manners and a winner (we will just ignore the other kid in LA and his single mother, that doesn't fit in with the image.). Bill Belichick is a genius.

I just threw up in my mouth a little.

The New York Jets have a history that includes Rich Kotite, Pete Carrol, Lou Holtz and Herm Edwards. These are quite possibly 4 of the worst coaching tenures of all time in the NFL. We've passed on Dan Marino (drafted Ken O'Brien), Warren Sapp (drafted Kyle Brady), they've drafted guys like Johnny Lamb Jones, Roger Vick (a FB!!!!) in the first round, just to name a few. The Jets have not won a playoff game since 2005 and a Superbowl since 1969.

This is why the Pats have no chance. I have stored up so much bad luck, pain and agony, there is no way the Pats can possibly overcome the credit I have amassed as a sports fan. This year's Jets are motivated by a coach that no doubt would love to fight Belichick in a bare knuckle brawl. His players will follow suit. It's not even about X's and O's, it's about being a real fan and being rewarded with the ultimate high, winning when you're not supposed to. Sunday will be one of those days, those moments, when putting up with all the crap, all the jokes and humiliations will be worth it.

Of course the Pats could win 35-3. That's OK, it will just add to my fandom street cred. And in this I take the most comfort, because they can't beat me.

Javier Gorriti, UMaine Black Bear from 1994-1998, is a frequent contributor to the CMSB and the PM JAB with Chris Sedenka. He is the president of Mermaid Seafoods in Portland ME. and has been working and living in Maine over the past 5 years. He can be reached at javier_gorriti at hotmail.com

Overnight at the Winter Baseball Meetings

The Central Maine Sports Blog is reporting that Francisco Rodriguez is not as close to signing with the Mets as widely reported. The CMSB sources tell us that K-Rod came out of meetings disappointed to the point that reps told other teams K-Rod was available to talk to them at any time. It looks like the Mets offered only 2 years, far from the 5 years K-Rod is looking for. Our source also stated opinions have surfaced in Las Vegas to not be surprised if K-Rod stays put in Anaheim(or Los Angeles, wherever the are).

Our source also states things are very slow otherwise.

Baseball Winter Meetings

The Central Maine Sports Blog has a source attending the Baseball Winter Meetings in Las Vegas. Fresh poop from the lobby of the Bellagio Hotel (and there isn't much of it)...


The New York Mets seem to be very close to signing K- Rod





Look for something brewing with the Astros. Other outlets have SS Miguel Tejada being moved, so stay tuned for that deal.





Maine Native Jim Beattie is attending the Winter Meeting and has promised a wrap up for us at the conclusion. Who knows, maybe the CMSB could be breaking news after the meetings. Stay right here for first-hand info from the meetings.

Saturday Morning Quick Hitters

Josh Beckett and Mike Lowell came back from the DL with a bang and propelled the Sox to an 8 - 1 win over the Texas Rangers. Lowell hit a HR in his 1st at bat back and Beckett pitched 5 innings, giving up no runs, 4 hits, walked none and struck out 7 for the win.

The Tampa Bay Rays couldn't surpass possible Cy Young winner Roy Halliday, dropping the game in Toronto 6 - 4. The loss with the Red Sox win shrinks Tampa Bay's lead to 2 1/2 games.

No movement in the AL Central last night as both Chicago and Minnesota won their games. The Minnesota Twins beat the Detroit Tigers behind a huge pitching performance from Francisco Liriano, 10 - 2. The Chicago White Sox beat up on the AL West leading California Angels 10 - 2. In other White Sox news, it appears Carlos Quintin will be lost for the rest of the regular season.

Brett Myers said "Boom.....Outta Here" to the Mets last night as he pitched 8 shutout innings to help Philadelphia gain a game on the Mets with a 3 - 0 win at Shea. The Phillies are back to 2 games behind the Mets in the NL East.

Apparently ther Chicago Cubs got lost on their bus trip to the ballpark and it didn't get much better on the field as they lose to the Cincinnati Reds 10 - 2.

Eric Gagne tried to give the game away from the Brewers, but they survive in 11, beating the San Diego Padres 3 - 2. The win combined with the Cubbies loss puts Milwaukee 4 games back of the Cubs and 4 game lead in the Wild Card over the Phillies.

The Los Angeles Dodgers moved to within 1/2 game of the Arizona Diamondbacks, beating them 7 - 0 Friday. Derek Lowe gave up 2 hits over 8 innings and Andre Either went 5 - 5 on the way to the win.

Sports Vortex Guest Paul Kuharsky has a nice piece on the Jags Richard Collier, who remains in critical condition after being shot.

Jason Peters ends his holdout on the Buffalo Bills.

Former Boston College player Mathias Kiwanuka thinks Redskins DE Chris Samuels play at the end of the game was dirty.

Looks like newly re-instated Packman Jones will start for the Cowboys.

Patrick Ewing and Hakeem Olajuwon enter the Basketball Hall Of Fame. Oh yeah, Pat Riley too.

The Cleveland Cavaliers signed Lorenzen Wright.

ESPN reports Zach Randolph may be headed to the Grizzlies.

Tuesday Quick Hitters

Adrian Beltre and Stephen Drew each hit for the cycle yesterday.....first time in 88 years that two players hit for the cycle on the same day.

Dustin Pedroia helped the Sox get past the Orioles.

Cliff Lee picked up win number 20 as the Indians dropped the ChiSox into a tie with the Minnesota Twins.

The Diamondbacks picked up some help over the weekend as they beat St. Louis and remain 2.5 games up on the Dodgers.

Ben Sheets went down with an injury as the Brewers fell to the Mets.

A-Rod and the Yankees, hoping to somehow make the playoffs, outlasted the Tigers.

Despite 4 turnovers, UCLA continued the upset trend from this weekend.

Clemson, Pitt, and Va. Tech were the other top 25 teams going down at the hands of the unranked.

Number 2 ranked OSU could be in trouble as they head into their meeting with USC on the 13th.

Also hit by the injury bug were Auburn and Mizzou while 2 OU players were reportedly involved in an altercation.

Outside of Mizzou/Illinois and Utah/Michigan, the rest of the weekend was filled primarily with blowouts.

Maine was on the losing end of one of those blowouts.

Both Peyton Manning and Tom Brady are set to start week 1.......we think, and the fans for their respective teams hope so.

The Ravens handed the keys to the offense to a rookie.

The Oakland Raiders continue to stockpile discarded receivers and are possibly interested in another.

Former Pats S Eugene Wilson was released by the Bucs....could Minny be his next stop?

Ocho Cinco says he is good to go.

Jags T Richard Collier is fighting for his life after being shot early Tuesday morning.

The Pats sign CB Deltha O'Neal who was released early by the Bengals.

Initial injury reports for the upcoming Redskins/Giants game are out.....by the way, isn't it about time for a name change controversy in DC?

The Lions added Rudi Johnson to their backfield.

Meanwhile in KC, players their "feel good" going into the opener....translation: they heard the rumor Brady may be out and Matt Cassel is still the back up.

The four letter network released their "experts'" picks.

New England fans had a few questions about the Pats' recent roster moves.

Thursday Morning Quick Hits

MLB

The Red Sox put another nail into the Yankees coffin last night.

Hank Steinbrenner is not impressed.

The White Sox got rundown by Orioles magic...

Denard Span saved the Twins, and helped the Twins gain a game.

The Mets bounced back against the Phillies.

The Cubs finished off the Bucs. Craig Hansen was shipped to the minors.

NFL

Ahman Green took a pay cut to stay with Houston.

Good news for one of my fantasy teams (not the case in real life), Peyton Manning looks good so far.

Sports Illustrated will have 6 regional covers for the NFL preview, who do you think gets the nod in the northeast?

NBA

With the injury to Monta Ellis, Marcus Williams will get a chance to run the point for GSW Hoops.

NCAAF

College football starts tonight. My wife is less than thrilled.

Friday Morning Quick Hitters

The Toronto Blue Jays continue to climb the wild card standings by demolishing the New York Yankees 14 - 3.

Carlos Delgado continues his offensive surge, leading the New York Mets over the Atlanta Braves 5 - 4. The Mets now have a 2 1/2 game cushion over the Phillies.

The Philadelphia Phillies lost that ground on the Mets by allowing the Washington Nationals to stop their 12 game losing streak. The Phils lost to the Nats 4 - 3.

The Minnesota Twins move back to within 1/2 game of the Chicago White Sox as they beat the California Angels 2 -1.

The LA Dodgers kept pace with the Arizona D-Backs by beating the Colorado Rockies 3 - 1.


The US Woman's Softball Team lead by Jenny Finch, take a second but turn down the sound, lost their first game since 2000, in a 3 -1 loss to Japan in the gold medal game.

the IOC is asking for an investigation of Chinese atheletes ages.

US Mens Indoor Volleyball Team, after early tragedy, are poised for a Gold Medal run.

Players Association President Gene Upshaw lost his short battle with pancreatic cancer.

The Pittsburgh Steelers signed James Farrior to a 5 yr deal.

Philadelphia Eagles, in dire need of a wideout, have interest in Anquan Boldin.

St. Louis Rams RB Steven Jackson officially signs deal.


The New Orleans Hornets, which NEVER sounds right, unveiled their new logos.

The Miami Heat signed Dorell Wright and seem close on Jamaal Magloire.

NBA Teams have been cleared to attemp the signing of Iranian 7ft 2in Center Hamed Ehadadi.

Thursday Quick Hitters

The California (editor's note:Jeff just won't call them anything else, seriously, it must be his love for Brian Downing) Angels pulled the rug out from under the Rays.

The New York Yankees rode the left arm of Andy Pettitte to a win.

Clay Buchholz continued his stellar play. Josh Beckett is looking to return on Tuesday. A discussion you heard on The Sports Vortex last night, before the game was over, was nailed on the head by Matty! Clay Buchholz was demoted to the Portland Sea Dogs.

The White Sox continued to blister the Mariners, and Ken Griffey, Jr hit another milestone in the process.

The Twins kept pace and remain one game back in the AL Central.

The Mets took advantage of the Braves, again. They also added another arm to their bullpen.

Brett Myers told the Nationals "Boom outta here!" as the Phils remain a game and a half back.

Cincy held the Cubs in check.

JJ Hardy powered the Brew Crew to victory.

The Cardinals got good news and bad news.

The D-Backs and Padres had quite a pitcher's duel.

Chad Billingsley threw a lot of pitches for the Dodgers and their atrocious defense beat them again.


Steven Jackson will apparently end his holdout. He may even practice on Thursday.






Oklahoma City waives Donyell Marshall.

Commercial Wars

When you watch certain teams, you get doused with commercials from the same sponsor on every break. Today starts a tournament and is very simple, which commercial do you hate more? Today's contestants-Procede (with a very special Gary Busey cameo) which floods Mets broadcasts every single commercial break. Who the HELL is Giueseppe Franco?



The next one is the FreeCreditReport.com guy. Personally, I think if the Jimmy Fund wanted to make some money, they should put up the opportunity to punch FCR.com guy in the face in an auction. The newest one with him on a bike is below.



Here's the deal, send an e-mail to sportsvortex@centralmainesportsblog.com and tell me which one you think is the worst, and they will advance to the next round. Also, if you have a commercial that you hate to see when watching a game on a regional broadcast that you would like to nominate, send a link to it in the e-mail. By the way did I mention this contest is F-R-EE that spells free? (please make it stop, please)

Tuesday's Links

Today's links are brought to you by Jeff's alarm clock....


Josh Beckett pitched to form last night as the Red Sox survived being no-hit through 6 innings and beat the White Sox 5-1.

The Yankees continued to slide, and lost to the Twins 4-0. Joe Girardi addressed his teams lack of hustle, as well.

The White Sox bats went quiet, on a night when John Danks was perfect through 6 1/3 innings.

The Twins got a hell of a performance from a new dad.

The New York Mets bullpen continues to be a bone of contention, and this team's Achilles heel. Pedro refused to throw his teammates under the bus, at least in the press.

Kyle Kendrick tossed a stinker in LA. Brad Lidge says he is good to go.

Manny-Mania is just getting ridiculous, and the Dodgers knocked off the Phils at home. TJ Simers is concerned about haircuts. The Dodgers are also keeping an eye on the innings of youngster Clayton Kershaw.


Aaron Rodgers took the field to a standing ovation from the Packers faithful. No word on whether they did the same thing when Tony Kornhesier stopped talking.

The Bengaals starters did not start the preseason well.

Manny To Mets Still Viable?

Updated 11:50 am- According to Gotham Baseball Magazine, one potential replacement for manny could be Pittsburgh's Jason Bay. The Pirates would want minor league catcher George Kottaras in a package for Bay, the Red Sox would want Mets phenom Fernando Martinez. Yet another win, win, win (except for the Mets farm system, yeesh). Also, Bay would be under Red Sox control until after next year.

11:10 am-According to the Newark Star-Ledger, the Mets have contacted the Red Sox about disgruntled slugger Manny Ramirez, as it appears Omar Minaya wants him more than Mets management. I have no clue what the Mets could offer at this point(maybe Fernando Martinez), but Ramirez in a lineup with Wright and a red-hot Delgado couldn't hurt. On the flip side, the Mets can also pick up his option for next season at 20 mil if they decide to keep him, so this would not have to be a rent-a-player philosophy. If the Red Sox do trade Man-Ram, I also wonder if that puts them back in the Teixeira race, and moves Kevin Youkilis to left field. If the Red Sox talk to Atlanta, and say figure out what the Braves might want from the Mets farm system, they could take the Manny haul and turn that into Teixeira. If Big Tex leaves at the end of the year, the Red Sox are compensated with 2 #1 picks in next years draft, and a farm system as deep as the Red Sox can afford that kind of turnover. If the Red Sox are serious about being done with Manny, and want to stop taking years off of Terry Francona's life, they need to move this guy within the next 48 hours. Keep in mind though, if something changes withing the next couple of weeks, the Red Sox could conceivably trade Manny next month during the waiver-deadline, because I find it unlikely someone will claim him on waivers. Maybe Ted Thompson could trade Brett Favre for Manny?

Saturday Morning Quick-Hits Part 2

American League

Mike Lowell's outburst in the 9th inning summed up the Red Sox night. Dan Shaughnessy wants Manny Ramirez to be shown out the door after he pulled himself out of the lineup right before last night's game.

The Blue Jays stabbed the Mariners in the heart in extras last night while wearing their throwbacks.

Seattle keeps finding new ways to lose. Just a sad season in the Emerald City.

Jermaine Dye's 2 run blast propelled he Chi Sox to a much needed win. The Chi Sox are still in first place in the Central.

Todd Jones took the blame for last night's loss, as he should. The Tigers are now 6 and half games back of the first place White Sox.

Minnesota lost, the game and Carlos Gomez. I can't for the life of me figure out why he is in still in the rotation and Francisco Liriano is still in AAA. Stop being cheap and give your team a chance, the Twins are still only 3 and half games back of Chicago.

The Angels hung on in Baltimore. Francisco Rodriguez is one step closer to removing Bobby Thigpen from the record books.

The Rangers unloaded on the A's, and moved into second place in the AL West. Kevin Millwood is headed to the DL, again.

National League

The Mets win again, and extended their lead to 2 games, thanks to Mike Pelfrey and Carlos Delgado. There is word in this notebook that Pedro will be back soon, that the Mets thought they had a chance at Xavier Nady, and that Angel Pagan is going to have season ending surgery.

The Phillies stink out loud. Watched this game, and Chase Utley was getting booed, although he had no comments for Phils fans like he did New Yorkers at the Home Run Derby. Charlie Manuel held a closed door meeting before last night's game, to unhappy results.

The Marlins knocked off the Cubs thanks to Jeremy Hermida. Former Red Sox prospect Anibal Sanchez is scheduled to return.

The Brewers are human after all, after falling the Astros last night. The Brewers are still in trade rumors, but Doug Melvin likes his team as they are now. Apparently he is unconcerned about his bullpen.

The Cubs promoted Brady Quinn's favorite Notre Dame target.

The Cardinals couldn't overcome the Mets. Ryan Franklin has stumbled since taking over for Jason Isringhausen. Chris Carpenter is on a rehab stint.

The Pirates said goodbye to Damaso Marte and Xavier Nady during the game yesterday. The Bucs proceeded to lose to the Padres.

Dan Haren got plenty of offense last night against the hapless Giants. The win got them back to .500 for the season, and keeps them a game ahead of LA in first.

The Dodgers got another strong performance from Chad Billingsley and offense from Nomar Garciaparra to knock off the Nats. Juan Pierre returned from the DL and started last night.

The Rockies won again, thanks to Aaron Cook. Don't be surprised if the Rockies make no deadline moves and hold onto Fuentes and Holliday.

NFL

Albert Haynesworth signed a one year deal with the Titans. Check out the incentives he has to make to keep the Titans from franchising him again next year.

Lamont Jordan is looking for work.

NBA

Sasha Vujacic re-signs with the Lakers. Ray Allen and the makers of brown suede headbands rejoice.

Former Celtic Ryan Gomes is back in Minnesota.

Delonte West and his tattoos may be headed east, like, Russia-east...

NHL

Former Lightning coach John Tortorella will interview for the vacant Islanders job on Sunday. He should be great with the New York media.

Eastern League

The Sea Dogs got back on the winning track last night, beating Trenton 2-1. Trenton's starting pitcher, Phil Coke, was removed after the first when he was traded to Pittsburgh.

AHL

Kevin Dineen may still be the head coach for the Portland Pirates next year. Great move by the Sabres organization if this comes true.

Saturday Morning Links Part 1

The Dodgers tied the D'Backs for first place last night in 11 innings. Watched the end of this game and let me just say this now, Jonathan Broxton is going to be one of the filthiest closers ever.

The Angels outslugged the Red Sox, although John Lackey didn't look particularly tremedous against his nemesis Manny Ramirez (in spite of his milestone performance). I know everyone likes to jump on the Angels bandwagon and say that "They never get any respect" or "East-Cost bias", and that may be true to an extent, but their record against Boston the last few years is awful. If they can't get the Red Sox monkey off their back (no pun intended), they will not go back to the World Series.

The Florida Marlins are Jamie Moyer's, ummm, well we have sponsors now, so let me just say, whipping boy. Also there is word from Brett Myers that he is ready to return. I assume if he isn't then the Phils will just say "boom, outta here!"

Tampa Bay finally snapped a losing streak . Kudos to the caller on the PM Jab yesterday who said "good pitching doesn't slump for long". Indeed.

The Mets saw their 10 game losing streak come to an end thanks to Bronson Arroyo. The Phils snuck back into first thanks to this Mets loss. John Maine is struggling. Thanks to Joe Namath for the correct pronunciation on that.

Richie Sexson drove in a run in his first at-bat for the Yankees, and Mike Mussina got his 12th win of the season.

The Cubs lost in Houston on Hunter Pence's walk-off double. Ted Lilly's performance was wasted, and Kosuke Fukudome did not resemble an All-Star. Also there is word that the leading candidate to buy the Cubs is a good friend of Bud Selig.

CC Sabathia was dominant again, and the Brewers look like geniuses right now. Sabathia also got it done with the bat again last night.

Speaking of Milwaukee, Gilbert Arenas takes a shot at the land of cheese and beer in his latest blog entry saying "No one wants to live in Milwaukee". Ouch.

Ronny Turiaf is officially a Golden St Warrior.

Kevin Love is averaging a little over 20 points a game for the T'Wolves summer league team, coached by Jerry Sichting who is an FOTV (Friend Of the Vortex). We will try and have him on again after the summer league is over.

The Islanders schedule has been released, but we still don't know who is going to coach them.

That is all for now, there will be a special edition of "The Vortex" this afternoon as Jon Shields from Bleeding Blue and Teal will be on with us to talk Mariners (the Red Sox play Seattle starting on Monday). The interview will be posted about a half an hour after it's done, and hopefully it will be in pure MP3 format for you.

Thursday Afternoon Baseball

It's a get away day for many MLB teams today, and there are a ton of games this afternoon, Twins-Tigers, Giants-Mets, Cards-Phils, Reds-Cubs and Mariners-A's. Pitching matchups-
Braden Looper vs Jamie Moyer in Philly, Barry Zito vs. John Maine in New York, Kevin Slowey vs Kenny Rogers in Detroit, Jorge De La Rosa vs. Dave Bush in Milwaukee, let's get going, shall we?

1:05 PM- Live from Philly, it's Cards v. Phillies. JA Happ was optioned to Lehigh Valley so that he wouldn't miss any turns during the All Star break. Harry Kalas, who is as smooth as Black Velvet, is calling the game. Moyer gives up a walk to Ryan Ludwick and does battle with Albert Pujols. Wasn't Pujols supposed to have major elbow surgery as soon as the Cards were out of contention? Oh wait, the Cards are still in it. Pujols lines a single into left and we have first and second with one out and the nimble Troy Glaus at the plate. Glaus K's, bringing up Rick Ankiel. He hits a screaming liner that glances off Moyer's glove and Chase Utley makes a fabulous glove scoop to nab Ankiel at first. 1 hit 2 left, Phils due up...

1:19 Pm- Jimmy Rollins grounds out to second, while Shane Victorino lines a broken bat single to right. That brings up one Chase Utley, who beats out a double play grounder to bring up one of Jarred Fogle's good friends, Ryan Howard. Howard's average and OBP are both putrid this year, his K rate is horrid, yet he is among the league leaders in home runs and RBI's. It's like watching Mo Vaughn minus the bat waggle.

As Looper and Howard battle, I can't help but think of how bad Looper was with the Mets. He was basically run out of town, now he is a successful starter with St Louis. This makes me wonder, why doesn't every pitcher out there who is on the cusp of fading away make a beeline for St Louis? The amount of ability they get out of pitchers is unheard of, it's like Denver

Broncos running backs. Howard has fouled off about 5 pitches now, and it's a 3-2 count. The 10th pitch of the bat is a high line drive to left-center and, in the words of Harry ,"It's outta here!!!!!" 2-0 Phillies.

Pat Burrell, who is currently trailing Corey Hart and David Wright for the last All-Star slot in the NL, lines out to right. Phils 2-0, probably heading to SNY next...

1:38 pm est- Gary Cohn and Ron Darling in Shea talking about how much power Fernando Tatis has. He is on second base with a double. Carlos Delgado attempts to get on base by pretending to be hit by a pitch, but to no avail . Delgado is hitting .429 this month. The Mets have been pretty hot as of late and now there are rumors of Jerry Manuel contract extension. Good lord. Delgado flies out to left, Nick Evans does the same, and after an intentional walk to Brian Schneider John Maine grounds out to first. Where's Keith Hernandez?

1:57 pm- Off to Detroit, and we are watching on FSN Detroit. Twins are up 2-1 in the top of the 4th, I'm sure they are glad to get out of Boston. The Tigers have Santa Claus there today, how hot must that guy be? I can see the headline now "Christmas in July Idea Causes Tragedy". Matt Joyce (no relation to James) hits a bomb to right and we are tied at 2. The Home run call was awful by the way. I would repeat it, but I'm not going to give it justice. The red-hot Marcus Thames, gets on thanks to an infield single and makes it second on Nick Punto's throwing error. Slowey looks off today, and it showed when he gives up a single to 1st baseman Jeff Larish and the Tigers take lead. Someone cue the Tiger roar. Lets head back to Philly....

2:13 pm- It's 3-1 Philly and the eternally boring Geoff Jenkins is at the plate. He stops in the box and stares after hitting a pop-up (which goes foul) and gets lambasted by Gary Matthews, Sr for not hustling. I wonder if Manuel will bench him like he did J-Roll.?Jenkins makes up for it with a single to left. Pedro Feliz follows with a single to left of his own, and now we have runners on first and second with 1 out. Chris Coste is at the dish now. I wonder if he made more for his book "the 33 Year-old Rookie" than he has in baseball? I'm disappointed none of these teams have commercials as good as the Brewers Sausages (I don't know whats worse, the Sausages choreography or the way the kid steals a slice of bologna as his his mom squeezes the life out of him). Coste pops out to second, although Adam Kennedy really had to battle the wind to snare it and we have 2 down and Jamie Moyer up. He blasts a check swing grounder to the pitcher and the Cards are out of it unscathed.

2:22 pm- The Applebees commercials, where the two little girls do Jon Cena's "You can't see me dance", they have to end (If anyone can download that to YouTube for me, I think John Corbett does the voiceover for it, and I'll give you some free pub). ALYSSA MILANO is in the booth on Comcast Philly! She is there to talk about her clothing line "Touch". Maybe she's a baseball groupie, but holy god she's still hot. The Phillies Phanatic is the best smelling mascot in baseball according to Alyssa. Now we have token shots of chicks in her clothing line. Braden Looper is the best-hitting pitcher in the NL, btw. Suck on that Micah Owings! Double play turned nicely by J-Roll. I really wish someone would ask her if she will ever do a sequel to "Embrace of the Vampire". I think she's flirting with with Gary Matthews, as he asks her "So you like tattoos?" and Alyssa coyly responds "Only two of them are showing". Why does my fastball top out at 48 mph? WHY? DAMN YOU GOD!!!!!! Adam Kennedy grounds out and the inning is over, which means Alyssa is now gone. They send her off with some music from :Who's the Boss" though, nice "Touch" (ba-dum-cha).

2:36 pm- Chris Wheeler is in the booth for another inning for the Phils, so we will head back to Shea. The Phils rotate about 400 people in and out of the booth during a game. What's the story with that? Channel 625, SNY here we come.

2:38 pm- John Maine is throwing well, Mets are up 3-1 in the top of the 5th. Bary Zito is batting a robust .087. Zito plays guitar for his family's rock group. Does anyone else think "Partridge Family?" Ralph Kiner is in the booth with Gary and Ron. It sounds like they had to wake him up to get him to talk. Darling is unhappy that some of the younger fans are at Shea with Yankees gear on. Giants have 2 on, 2 out thanks to Zito and Fred Lewis walking. Randy Winn has a 2-2 count. Awkward exchange between Darling and Kiner after Winn swings at a ball out of the zone to make 1-2.

Kiner: A little "help me out swing" right there.

Darling: "Thank you very much" (referring to the swing)

Kiner: You're welcome.

3-2 count on Winn, Maine just cant get anything in the strike zone but a fastball with no movement, and Winn lines a two run double to left and the Giants tie it up at 3 here in the 5th. With that John Maine is 'Boom, outta here!"

2:52 pm- Awkward commercial with a guy being called "cuddle bear" and being followed by the Verizon guy.

3:00 pm- Harry is back in the booth as the Phillies lead 4-1. Chris Duncan cleans Jimmy Rollins's clock with a cheap shot to break up a potential double play. Duncan gets booed off the field, and for good reason. That was interference, no doubt about it. Rollins makes a bad throw to first and the inning continues with runners on first and third for Kennedy. Lots of pop for kennedy, he has homerun so far this season. Interestingly he has more than Victor Marinez had before he got hurt. At the end of this inning we are going to Chicago for Cubs-Reds, bob Brenly usualyy good for a few laughs. J-Roll makes amend, throws a striek to first and the Phils get out a of a jam. To Chicago...

3:06 pm- It's 3-1 Chicago at the end of the second. What a screw job, the FSN Cincy feed is the only one in HD, no Brenly. Dammit! Back to Philly...

3:09 pm- Greg Dobbs is pinch-hitting for Moyer. Moyer's final line- 7IP, 7 Hits, 1 Earned Run, 4 K's. Dobbs gets on with a single and it's time for J-Roll. Oh look the Phanatic's ass. Wonderful. Russ Springer is in the game for the Cards. Apparently when you get to St Louis and you're a pitcher, you have to grow a goatee, especially if you are in the pen. 44,241 is the attendance in Philly today. Rollins is really scufflling at the plate right now, if he and Shane Victorino can get going then the Phils should make it through the rest of the season. If not, then, well, ugh....

Rollins nearly takes out a ball girl on a liner that went foul. Springer is very concerned with Dobbs at first. Victorino ended up on first and got revenge for Duncan's take-out slight, albeit a lot less dirty.

3:35 pm- Sorry for the break, my 3 year old thought that drinking orange juice directly out of the carton would be a good call. Not so much. Scoreboard watch- Phils 4-1 bot 8th; Det 6-3 bot 8th; Mets 5-3 bot 7th; Milwaukee 7-1 bot 4th; Cincy4-3 top 4th.

3:40 pm- Fernando Tatis hits a two run homer and gives the Mets a 5-3 lead. Tatis has 4 rbi's today. Unbelievable. Apparently darling was right about the Tatis's power.

3:48 pm- Ryan Madson is on to close it out for Philly, Brad Lidge is unavailable today (just a day off). A lead-off single to Ankiel, a fly out from Molina, a steal by Ankiel and we are up to date. Duncan, fresh off a cheap shot on Rollins, steps in and now has a 2-1 count. He walks, and Madson fails. JC Romero is in to take a crack at it, now....

3:53 pm- Mets now up 7-3, bottom of the 7th. The red hot Mets. Yuck.

3:57 pm-Romero comes in and gets someone out. Brendan Ryan is all that stands between the Phillies and a win. The 3-2 pitch is popped up to Utley, JC Romero has the 4th save of his career, and Ryan Howard is the player of the game with 2 home runs. Nice win for the Phils, great pitching from Moyer. Now if you will excuse me, I have to fix this blog's layout, quickly. Be on the PM Jab around 4:45 pm in case you can't get enough of me....

Friday's Free Thoughts

Kevin Love brings his game to Minneapolis

The NBA Draft wrapped up at 1 past midnight this morning as Adam Silver was being greeted with chants of "We want Russ (Granik)". Classy fans I tell you, classy. Derrick Rose and Michael Beasley went 1 and 2 respectively, there were a couple of trades, and the draft can be recapped here. The biggest deal was made after 2am, when Minnesota, who probably realized that they could have had OJ Mayo teamed up with Al Jefferson and thought "Wow, that would make sense, we better fix this quick" and made a trade with the Grizzlies that sends the draft rights to Mayo, Marko Jaric, Antoine Walker and Greg Buckner to the Grizzlies in return for the draft rights to Kevin Love, Mike Miller, Brian Cardinal and Jason Collins. The analysis? this gives the Wolves a great frontcourt anchored by Big Al and Love, a shooter in Miller, and dead weight contracts in Cardinal and Collins. The Grizz get a franchise player in Mayo who could actually put people in the seats, Antoine's wiggle (which has 3 or 4 more year remaining, yeesh) and not much else. Jaric and Walker have AWFUL contracts, so this one is a head scratcher to me. I do believe that the Wolves won this deal, of course if Mayo becomes Lebron 2.0 it may look ridiculous one day, but I doubt it. Score one for the long-armed GM. By the way did I mention the Grizzlies GM is Chris Wallace?

The Celtics draft highlight was trading for K-St forward Bill Walker. If this kid is healthy, watch out.

In other news the Yankees and Mets are playing a Day/Night doubleheader today at Yankee Stadium and at Shea, which will be the last dual location day/night DH for the two ballparks, as they are due to close down at the end of the year(in case you hadn't heard). Dan Giese and Sidney Ponson will start for the Yanks, who may be putting Hideki Matsui on the DL with a knee injury. The Mets will counter with Mike Pelfrey in Game One and Pedro Martinez in the night cap.

Why was Erin Andrews not at the NBA Draft last night?

On a show and site note, we had a great time at Chicago Dogs in Scarborough, ME for the NBA Draft last night. You can listen to the show in the Talkshoe Widget at the top of the page, it's the "NBA Draft Special", it was a great time on The Sports Vortex last night.