We haven’t had a fresh DLD in awhile.

A Zito hit, a Suzuki triple, a straight steal of home, an exceedingly suspicious sprinkler delay, and yesterday’s E-surance ad assisted base hit

Quake postpones Eagles-Giants game in Japan This was the first time a Japanese pro game was postponed or cancelled because of an earthquake, which seems remarkable considering how much seismic activity there is there. I was also amused by Kleenex Stadium in Sendai.

If you want to see kids playing cricket, here’s your chance.

The city of San Jose is making alternative plans for the land that they hoped to build an A’s stadium on. Or…maybe not. Have at it, conspiracy theorists.

Crappy umpiring hits Minnesota;

Kinko’s ceases to exist even as a name, but its founder is writing a book which will be of interest to old people like me who remember when it was revolutionary to find someplace where you could use a copier and printer at 3 AM.

Oakland’s streak: Lost 93
Texas’ streak: Lost 91

With a couple paragraphs from Blez .

A new Poetic Interlude has been sensibly pushed down the page by matters both more germane and conducive to interactive dicsussion.

Which doesn’t open for a year and a half. But when it does you can look forward to walleye tacos.

I don’t watch golf that often, but wow.

Controversial Prospect series.

Personally I am on the pro-Cahill side, though I want to see exactly what happens to him when he reaches Double-A. I gave him a strong grade B in the book this year, and have no problems raising that to Grade B+ given what he’s done in the Cal League. I would like to see his walk rate come down a little, and I also have some concerns about whether that rotator cuff issue will recur at some point. But overall there is a lot more to like here than there is to dislike.

http://www.minorleagueball.com/2008/6/16/552848/controversial-prospect-tre#comments

to link to this piece in the Examiner Magazine a few weeks ago. Might be of interest to other vegetarians like myself.

Until yesterday when I saw this moron’s letter to the editor:

Sam Whiting’s May 25 “Bright Ideas” article about Johanna McCloy’s efforts to bring veggie dogs to all Major League Baseball team parks is mind blowing. For goodness sakes, is there no limit to which annoying vegetarians won’t go in their efforts to try to convert people from enjoying meat in favor of the bland mishmash of unappetizing and virtually tasteless “food” these elitist snobs choke down their gullets? One of the pleasures of attending baseball games is scarfing real hotdogs washed down with cold beer. What’s next, quaffing soy milk with the veggie dogs instead of suds? Babe Ruth would puke his guts out.

MARC KIMBERLY

Concord

Um, no one’s saying you have to eat the veggie dogs, just that it might be nice for them to be available in oh, say 1 out of the 50 food stands.

Oh, and also, MikeA, annoying vegetarian or elitist snob? Someone create a poll!

So what’s new?

I guess firing the hitting coach wasn’t enough to right the ship?

With the weekend sweep, the A’s now have the most total interleague wins with 117, 1 more than the Yankees: http://cbs.sportsline.com/mlb/story/10827216 (though the Yankees have a slightly better winning percentage).

Cahill has been promoted from Stockton, and Herrera joins the team from his rehab in Arizona

Official Release

Clever enough to cheat investors out of $450 million, stupid enough to get caught, then, once convicted, incompetent enough to botch a fake suicide.

Which (begs? raises?) the question: What would be an effective, CSI-proof way to fake one’s death? Burn down your house? Subject yourself to a bite from one of those Lost bugs? Pay that puppy cloning company to clone you, then kill the clone, Prestige-style?

Package a combination of DiNardo, Meyer, Braden, maybe even Saarlooooooos to the Yankees and get Betemit as a utility guy back, and maybe Shelly Duncan. The pitchers have a bit of an advantage being lefty in Yankee Stadium

I would think that the Yankees would wish that they had claimed Dinardo now

at http://oakland.athletics.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080616&content_id=2943163&vkey=news_oak&fext=.jsp&c_id=oak

Will Joe Blanton be traded? I’m finally all for it. Think we can get anything for him, though?
—Gary S., Chandler, Ariz.

I do think Blanton finally will end up elsewhere this summer, and that’s obviously part of why I don’t think the A’s will trade Gaudin. You’re obviously down on Blanton, but I’m not getting that from any of the scouts I talk to.

“He’s a known quantity,” one said. “He gets [deep] into games, he’s durable, and he’s going to win a lot if he’s pitching for a team that scores more consistently that Oakland. “

Another said this:

“Blanton would win 20 games for the Yankees or Red Sox. I really believe that.”

I guess that ’s one scout that doesn’t know the difference between “mediocre” and “average”.

there is this wonderful thing known as the Internet now, and here we are, telling you that while you were sleeping, at 3:14 a.m. New York time, at 12:14 a.m. California time, two hours after the Mets beat the Angels 9-6, the Mets finally got around to firing Willie Randolph.

cowards, weaklings… BUMS!

for some reason this link won’t show up properly as a link…

___aim_hold_your_fire115840.htm” target=”_blank”>http://www.nypost.com/seven/06172008/sports/mets/ready___aim_hold_your_fire115840.htm