Dave James

Dan, All I'm saying is enough is enough. A-Rod is right. 15 minutes of fame is more than enough for this guy, but for some inexplicable reason he thinks it's worth 30 or even 45 minutes. Time to get over it. BTW, Jim Palmer said he couldn't have cared less if A-Rod crossed his mound. I think for every Seaver, Gibson, Kaat and McCarver who says it's B.S., you can find others who say it isn't.

Braden is a punk. I saw a quote from him yesterday to the effect of "that's not the way we roll in the 209." Apparently this is a reference to keeping it real where he grew up. Give me a friggin' break. Good thing for him the AL has the DH. Otherwise, If he keeps popping off, he'd be in line for some chin music the next time the Yanks play the A's.

Hilarious tweet from Ken Davidoff at the NY Times: Somebody needs to take Mr. Braden out to the woodshed and explain to him as forcefully as necessary that it's time to give this a rest.

Nice sixth inning if you're New York. Not so nice if you're Josh Beckett. I'm a little concerned about Pena running for Cano. Hope Cano isn't injured.

When I wrote this, I wondered if they still called it by that name. Old habits die hard. Next thing you know you're going to tell me it's no longer Maple Leaf Gardens and that Punch Imlach no longer runs the show in Toronto.

Hank Azaria as baseball announcer Jim Brockmire. MLB is taking this video down wherever they find it, so there's no telling how long it'll be avaiable. Pretty funny stuff, if a bit on the edge. As some folks who have seen this have commented, Azaria missed his calling. http://sportscracklepop.com/2010/05/04/jim-brockmire-the-greatest-sportscaster-of-our-time

Volume 5 is available on iTunes. Historia de un Amor. Boy, that's a nice tune on the download. Who is the trumpet player? A nice Chet Baker-like sound going on there.

I'm sticking with my original prediction. Red Wings in six.

If you're a Red Wing fan, that was fun to watch. For the first time in this series, they played a solid game on both sides of the puck. Franzen gets the natural hat in the first period and Todd Bertuzzi dials up a four point night. Looks like some hard feeling are starting to develop. I think that's good for the Wings. That B.S. from Joe Thornton in the third period was bush league all the way. No wonder they ran him out of Boston. While a win is a win, Detroit still has a monumentally steep hill to climb. In the history of the SCP, only two teams have come back from 3-0 deficits, so this is, at best, the longest of shots. But, if they can find a way to win on Saturday night, then it starts to get interesting. One game at a time guys. The other series that's starting to throw off some sparks is the Habs and Pens. That was some intense hockey being played in the third period at the Forum tonight. I see that series going seven. I'd love to see the Canadians win this one.

Patti Bown, The BIg Piano on Columbia.

At the end of the 1950 season, Robin Roberts started three games in five days, the last of the three a victory over the Brooklyn Dodgers that clinched the NL pennant. Saying they don't make 'em like that anymore almost seems unnecessary.

Oops, Andy Pettite is going to miss at least his next start after an MRI revealed a strain in his left elbow. Frankly, that sounds a little ominous. Pettitte has been lights out and was again today against the Orioles. It would be unfortunate to lose him for any length of time. Given Javier Vazquez's struggles, I wouldn't exactly say the Yanks are knee deep in starting pitching. I would hate to see them move Joba back into the rotation since he seems to have gotten into something of a groove coming out of the pen.

I think this was mentioned elsewhere, but Volume 11 (Bird In France from 1949) & Volume 12 (Bird in 1950) of the Bird's Eyes series are available as downloads from eMusic. That strikes me as rather random. Maybe Philology is just testing the waters?

I was really impressed with Cervelli's defense last night. A.J. Burnett kept throwing splitters in the dirt and every time he did, Cervelli either went down and got them or at least kept the ball in front of him. For one night, he was the hardest working man in show business. If he keeps hitting, Girardi has some tough choices ahead of him. On the downside, just when you think Mark Texiera has made it safe to go back in the water, he disappoints. I really thought the light might have gone on after his four hit effort a couple of nights ago, but since then he's gone dead in the water. I haven't taken the time to research his past early season struggles, but my sense is that this may be the worst Spring he's ever had. Out here on the left coast, one has to wonder if the relationship between the Mariners and Milton Bradley is already on the rocks. Dan Wakamatsu pulled Bradley last night after he'd struck out twice in key situations and that apparently did not sit well with Mr. B. Word was that he left the clubhouse early and was really pissed off. I'm not sure how he rationalizes his reactions considering his complete lack of production so far this year, but then again, this is Milton Bradley. There's a reason this is his eighth team in the last 10 years. The guy has made a career out of second chances. Why teams keep thinking they can turn him around is beyond me, but I guess that's baseball.

Thanks for pointing that out, Chuck. I'm sure I wasn't aware of it.

If there's anything much sadder than losing a pet, I'm not sure I know what it is. Over time there's an unconditional bond that develops with an animal. The longer you have them, the stronger that bond becomes and the harder it is when it's time to let go. For me, two things have made the loss easier. The first sounds kind of clinical, it's quality of life, something that needs no explanation and the second, finding another dog or another cat to fill the void. Those things have, as the expression goes, sustained me in my hour of need. Although I'm probably a 60/40 dog guy, we have four cats. I love their independence and the fact that everything is on their terms. Dogs are your buddies. Cats are your acquaintances. That's their choice and part of what makes them special.

Don't want to be a thread hog, but I just listened to some of the cuts from James Brown's appearance at the 1969 Newport Jazz Festival. Nice set list with a couple of instrumentals from Brown's peerless band, all in VG++ / M- sound. Just released on WV today.

I've found some good early Fleetwood Mac, the Peter Green version when they were still something of a blues band, well before the train wreck.

Van Gelder was an optometrist, so the designation is not entirely inappropriate.

Dan, One of the great things about dogs is their resilience. Whether it's something small like misbehaving or something much bigger like surgery, they manage to stay on an even keel. They don't get depressed, they don't feel sorry for themselves, they just deal with it. Some people would say that's because they're not so smart. I happen to think it's because they are. All the best to your little guy.

How long have you had the crown? Even though dentists use some kind of gorilla glue when they originally affix these, just like any cement, it breaks down over time. Needless to say, munching on anything sticky when you have crowns or fillings, especially something like salt water taffy, is asking for trouble. On the upside, your dentist should be able to re-cement the crown without too much trouble, assuming, of course, that you didn't swallow it. Besides, this will give you a chance to see your tooth doc. Only an anti-dentite wouldn't enjoy that.

NYT review of the "Three Chords" Shaw biography. Looks interestting. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/02/books/review/Gates-t.html?hpw

Swell news for Mariner fans. Cliff Lee's agent says the chances of his client pitching in Seattle next year are about slim and none. Apparently, the M's haven't even had any discussions about an extension. I know it's early, but I'd think they might at least have let Lee's camp know they're interested. On the other hand, when the 2010 free agent market for pitching is this thin, Lee would be crazy not to test the water. Could someone photoshop a picture of Cliff Lee in a Yankee uniform? In the immortal words of Christopher Walken, "I got a fever!"

Another disastrous outing for Javier Vazquez. Against the White Sox today, he threw 65 pitches and gave up five runs in just three innings. Joe Girardi was asked after the game if Vazquez was going to make his next scheduled start in Boston this coming Friday but had no comment. I'm guessing that's a "no" and that Phil Hughes is now, for all intents and purposes, the team's fourth starter. In other not so encouraging news, Curtis Granderson injured his groin trying to go from first to third on a single and may be headed for the DL. Not that they''ll exactly miss his bat. He's only hitting .221 for the year. It's amazing to me what the Yanks are doing given that Johnson, Texiera, Rodriquez and Granderson's collective batting average is well below the Mendoza line.