6/21 DLD: Sleeping it off

It's a curveball the Rockies (36-35) have never seen, as Zito has never faced Colorado.

"They break from the head to the ankles and we'll see it on Wednesday," Colorado manager Clint Hurdle said.

"We've just played flat the last couple of days," said A's catcher Jason Kendall ... "No excuses, I think we're just dead."

"A couple of balls were big, a couple were small, a couple I couldn't get a grip on."

Minor League Baseball teams are known for their game promotions. Every Tuesday, we preview 10 of the best for the upcoming week.

Mississippi Braves (Southern League)
Trustmark Park Stadium Replica Giveaway
Saturday, June 24 vs. Birmingham Barons

The Braves are currently in their second season at Trustmark Park, a beautiful facility located in Pearl, Miss. The first 2,500 fans to pass through the ballpark's gates on Saturday will receive a Trustmark Park Stadium miniature replica. The replica is the perfect item for those who have always wanted to take the stadium home with them, but did not know how to deal with the logistics of transporting a structure that weighs several hundred thousand tons.

"It was way gone--450 feet."
--center fielder Torii Hunter, on a David Ortiz sure home run that hit a speaker on the Metrodome roof and turned into a single

"There's some angels catching my stuff. That ball was supposed to hit [the Kirby Puckett banner in the upper deck]. What can you do?"
--Red Sox DH David Ortiz, on the blast

"It's like playing putt-putt golf, you've got to go around the windmill. This is Major League baseball. That's embarrassing."
--Red Sox manager Terry Francona, on the single

On Tuesday to reporters, White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen referred to Chicago Sun-Times columnist and Around the Horn contributor Jay Mariotti as a derogatory name for a homosexual.

Guillen also told Couch that he has gay friends, attends WNBA games, went to a Madonna concert and plans to go to the Gay Games in Chicago.

"He's not gonna run me out of town," Guillen screamed to the dozen or so scribes standing around him. "Tell Mariotti he can kiss my (bleep). He will lose his job before I lose mine, I guarantee you that. He thinks the (bleeping) (bleep) he puts in the paper is gonna get me fired? (Bleep) him and all his people around him. I'll leave this (bleeping) town when I want to leave. Maybe next week. Maybe (bleeping) 20 years, (bleep), but I'm gonna be a little while."

Ozzie was upset about a column written Sunday by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Ron Cook, who ripped Guillen for his dugout rant against since-departed rookie pitcher Sean Tracey. Because Guillen had screamed at Tracey (and other players) for not retaliating against a Texas squad that had twice beaned Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski, Cook called Guillen a "creep."

"What's a crip? What's that mean?" Guillen said, deadly serious, in his Venezuelan accent. When several media members provided a definition, he said: "Oh, I thought a crip was one of the gangs."

SAN FRANCISCO -- On Monday, July 3rd, American troops worldwide will be able to watch FSN Bay Area's local telecast of the Detroit Tigers vs. Oakland Athletics game live on American Forces Network, as FSN Bay Area, Comcast Cable, and the Oakland Athletics celebrate Independence Day one day early with the 4TH ON DECK: SALUTE TO THE TROOPS.

The 4TH ON DECK: SALUTE TO THE TROOPS Tigers-Athletics game will air live on Monday, July 3, 2006 at 7:00 p.m. PDT, which coincides with Tuesday, July 4th in many time zones in Europe, Asia and the Middle East. Following the game, FSN Bay Area and the American Forces Network will stay on the air for an additional 45 minutes to show live fireworks in High-Definition to viewers at home and U.S. troops serving around the world.