This Week in Baseball 6/3/08

I know, I know, it's been far more than a week.  Well, let's just catch up then, shall we?  Last Friday, the last-place New York Yankees (the television announcers could not get enough of this:  they repeated it every chance they could and explained:  how often are we able to say that?) came to the Metrodome and split a four game series with the Twins.



Twice Alex Rodriguez was thrown out at third in two different games.  The first time he ran on contact of what turned out to be a not very deep fly ball, and was caught because he didn't make it back to second.  The second time he had already stolen second base, mind you, while his team had a lead, and then took off for third and was thrown out there.  Did he really think Hideki Matsui couldn't hit a single to advance him?  What a moron.



We were supposed to see reliever-turned-starter Joba Chamberlain last night, but his start was postponed and Andy Pettitte took the mound.  I cannot like Andy Pettitte, of course, by default:  he is a Yankee.  But let me just say that he is one handsome man:  all big features with an adorable dimple in his chin; big, pretty dark eyes.  Not too shabby.  Anyway, I cannot like Joba Chamberlain, either, again, because of the Yankee clause in my contract, and he was easy to dislike:  I mean, what's up with that name?  Joba?  What the hell is that?  So I read all about it on Wikipedia, and found out some things that make it harder for me to dislike him.  His niece couldn't say her new brother's name, Joshua, and it came out like "Jahba" and he liked it.  His given name is Justin Louis.  The name stuck and he legally changed it, just like John Paul "Boof" Bonser did who pitches for the Twins.  Secondly, his father is a member of the Winnebago tribe, almost died of polio as a child, and needs a scooter (which he named Humphrey) to get around.  Like I can hate him now!  I know it's reverse discrimination and frankly, I don't give a damn.



The A's have been playing much more like themselves lately, which is to say, losing.  However, there are some bright spots:  they swept, SWEPT, the Boston Red Sox, and they beat Detroit last night in the bottom of the ninth.  Bobby Crosby continues to concern me:  they announced during the game last night that he leads the American League with nineteen doubles.  Once again, in the not too great distance, I hear two of the four horsemen of the Apocalypse gaining ground.  Mr. Hendricks joked that Crosby might be the MVP this year.  "We won't live to see 2009," I answered.  "Better cash out the 401(k) and the stock options, baby."  I was even more sure of it when Crosby hit the game-winning double.



Till next week.