FanPost

dld 7/15/10 - welcome (back) to the 209

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via searchwiththeports.prodege.com

Dallas Braden returns to Stockton for a rehab start tonight

"I'm going to be the most excited person in that stadium and in that clubhouse, bar none, guaranteed, hands down," Braden said. "I'm going to have to reel it in and understand it's just a rehab start, make sure I feel good and not worry about anything else, but that's going to be hard to do with the city across my chest."

Braden could hardly bend his elbow in the weeks after pitching the perfect game. His flexor tendon was inflamed. His arm felt tight. He played catch only five times in June. Trainers diagnosed him with tendinitis, but Braden said there is no sign of structural damage.

Ports manager Steve Scarsone said the A's would like Braden to throw five innings or about 75 pitches.

From the Ports website...

Braden last pitched in a California League game on July 30, 2006, with the Ports. Braden was assigned to Stockton in 2005 and 2006, compiling a 8-0 record with a 3.49 ERA (22 ER/56.2 IP) in 10 career starts for the Ports. He struck out a total of 81 batters as well in his Ports career, including 64 in the 2005 season. He was named the A's Organizational Pitcher of the Year for his performance in Stockton and Double-A Midland in 2005.

Joe Girardi and Phil Hughes, good news — not that many people saw the late-inning collapse

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(Josh Outman and Corey Wimberly "get it.")

Paul Lukas on how MLB went from stirrups to pajama pants

All of which makes today's young players associate the high-cuffed style with crotchety old fuddy-duddies who told them how to dress a certain way. Once they make it to the majors, they want to leave that style behind, just like they stop wearing double-earflapped batting helmets. And if a player doesn't feel that way himself, he'll often face peer pressure from teammates. Check out this quote from David Wright's blog in 2006 (yes, Wright had a blog): "The veterans on the team give me a hard time about it when I wear the pants up. ... I guess the general feeling is that the pants-up look is a high school or college type of style. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but there's a high value on looking and acting like a professional in this clubhouse."

Of course, "looking like a professional" is in the eye of the beholder, but you get the larger point. (As an aside, Wright now has one of the strangest pants protocols in the bigs: Since 2008, he's gone high-cuffed for day games and low-cuffed for night games, an odd system that he's never explained except to say, "That's just how I like to do it.")

The Warriors have been SOLD! ... but not to Larry Ellison

People are using the internet to get high? What?

At least, that’s what Oklahoma News 9 is reporting about a phenomenon called "i-dosing," which involves finding an online dealer who can hook you up with "digital drugs" that get you high through your headphones.

And officials are taking it seriously.

"Kids are going to flock to these sites just to see what it is about and it can lead them to other places," Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs spokesman Mark Woodward told News 9.

I-dosing involves donning headphones and listening to "music" — largely a droning noise — which the sites peddling the sounds promise will get you high. Teens are listening to such tracks as "Gates of Hades," which is available on YouTube gratis (yes, the first one is always free).