Fan News

In a week polluted with more Alex Rodriguez steroid allegations (in which none of us on B/R really honestly care about), the baseball was pretty good.

Carl Crawford showed us why he was the second draft pick by the Rays in 1999.

Trivia question: Can anybody tell me who the Devil Rays picked up with the first pick in the 1999 draft.

If you answered Josh Hamilton, you are correct!

Here's this weeks power rankings:

Am I dreaming? I never thought I would be able to start a game recap with that headline.

Yet, it is appropriate, as Vernon Wells and Alex Rios hit their fourth and second home runs respectively to lead the Jays to a 4-3 win and a series sweep of the Baltimore Orioles.

Wells started it off for the Jays, hitting a two-run shot after Rios' double put him in scoring position.

Unfortunately, the lead did not last long, as Luke Scott creamed a pitch over the wall for his fourth of the year, tying it up 2-2.

"There was absolutely no doubt that he (Wakamatsu) had the capabilities to one day manage in the big leagues," Mike Scioscia once said. "He was a terrific teacher, communicator, and he knew the game."

Who will win AL manager of the year?

I say not Garnedhire, not Maddon, not Girardi, and not Francona.

Who?

Don Wakamatsu.

The Phillies have many broadcasters, be it TV or radio. The famous Harry Kalas is the first name to come to mind, but there are many other key voices that make watching and listening to the Phillies a huge success. There's the dynamic radio duo of Scott Franzke and Larry Andersen and there's the TV trio of Tom McCarthy, Chris Wheeler, and Gary Matthews. And there was Harry Kalas. One of the greatest voices in all of baseball.

Billy Beane needs to take responsibility for his putrid hiring of Bob Geren he should say "I made a mistake, I take full responsibility for the hire and now I'm going to fix the problem."

What this really means is that Beane should be firing manager Geren as soon as the A's return home on Monday. Geren could go down as the worst manager in Oakland history.

The Reds entered the season knowing that the pitching staff would have to lead them in order for them to have the success that they have hoped for. 

So far this season the pitching has been as good as they could of expected.

Leading the staff today, was young Johnny Cueto who went eight innings of shutout baseball, allowing four hits with nine strikeouts sprinkled in. 

Most importantly, he showed some control and only walked one batter in the game. 

No Manny.  No Furcal.  No Blake.  No Martin.  All of them were missing from the starting lineup.

No problem!

Who needs stars at the plate when you have a star on the mound!  Chad Billingsley pitched solidly, and the offense scored big in two separate innings as the Dodgers defeat the Padres 7-3 at Dodger Stadium.

As an athlete and in most things I do, I consider myself to be a middle of the packer. An average hitter, with average speed (in my day of course) and an arm maybe slightly above average.

As a distance runner, the thoroughbreds win, the plow horses bring up the rear and I am at best a Clydesdale. And in football, the half back scored, the full back opened the holes and I was a situational back.

I wrote an article on Saturday http://bleacherreport.com/articles/166673-come-to-think-of-it-put-derrek-lee-on-the-disabled-list suggesting the Cubs should have put Derrek Lee on the disabled list.

Well, boy, am I happy they didn't listen to me (not that they read B/R).