Baseball

From the start of Bob Geren's tenure as manager of the Oakland A's, he was doomed to fail.

The reason being is the style of managing he employs and it has nothing to do with the trades that Billy Beane has made during the time he's been manager.

The excuse of injuries as well isn't an easily bought excuse either because every team in baseball has to deal with injuries at some point during a season.

The difference is a good-to-great manager knows how to motivate and get the most from his players.

With a series win over the Toronto Blue Jays, Brad Lidge back and Raul Ibanez on his way back, it is time for the Phillies to take hold of the National League East.

Phils fans held their collective breath when closer Brad Lidge entered Sunday's game against the Toronto Blue Jays holding a slim 5-4 lead.

Raul Chavez dropped a bunt and Lidge's field and throw were late. John McDonald pinch ran for Chavez, and after Brad Lidge ran a 3-2 count on Marco Scutaro, he walked him to put runners on first and second with no outs.

Oh-oh.

Well there's no doubt that this has been an up-and-down season for the Atlanta Braves. Where one facet of the game has been stellar, another area would breakdown.

Young phenom, Tommy Hanson is apparently immune to his team's struggles, however.

Hanson burst onto the scene in the Arizona Fall League this past off season when he won the hitting dominated league's MVP. He won five of seven starts, and had 28.2 innings pitched, 49 strikeouts, and a 0.63 ERA.

That came on the heels of throwing a no-hitter at AA-Mississippi last season.

The legend was born.

Seattle Mariners General Manager Jack Zduriencik announced today that the M's acquired outfielder Ryan Langerhans from the Washington Nationals in exchange for Mike Morse. He will most likely be on the 25-man roster as soon as third baseman Adrian Beltre hits the disabled list.

Halfway through the 2009 season one can fairly say it has not played out the way most fans expected.

Manny Ramirez received a 50-game suspension for use of a banned substance, with steroid use believed to be involved, and the Dodgers remain in first place not only in the NL West, not only in the National League, but in all of baseball (as of June 28).

In addition to this, one of the Dodgers' best starters, Hiroki Kurdoda has missed significant time and has only pitched 36.2 innings.

It was summer, in the late 1950s. I was a young kid about to enter the "Sandblasters", an intermediate baseball league, just a step below Little League.

My old hand-me-down ball glove was feeling it's age, so I was saving my money for a new one. The fact that all my friends were sporting new gloves may have fueled my motives as well...

Finally the day arrived when I had enough cash to plunk down $8.95 at the Montgomery Wards store and buy my very own mitt. I didn't care that it was a Hawthorne, Wards' economy "house brand".

With 382 career starts for the Red Sox, Tim Wakefield now needs just one more to pass Roger Clemens for the most in club history. And the knuckleballer is just five wins from matching Clemens' Fenway Park record of 95.

Clemens, long the team leader in so many pitching categories, has slowly – and surprisingly – been encroached upon by his former teammate.

I finally had an opportunity to watch Tommy Hanson’s last start, which was against the New York Yankees on June 23. His line was not an overly impressive.

5.1 IP, 0 ER, 4 H, 5 BB, 4 K

It's a different Giants team and a different Giants organization since Barry Bonds has been gone. No longer are the Giants a team full of aging veterans past their prime like Omar Vizquel and Dave Roberts (if Roberts ever had a prime that is. I'm still wondering when it was).

A message to Rockies fans: One series loss does not mean the team is in a downward spiral!

Yes, I will admit the two losses in a row were a surprise to me, but not troubling. Two losses in a row does not mean a team is beginning to struggle.

It means that the Rockies are, after all, human.

However, that is not to take anything away from the success that the Rockies are finding on the diamond.

This team has shown the world that they should be included when the conversation turns to the top teams in baseball.