Yo yall, tomorrow's game's at 5pm and the LurkerD clan will be at Triple Rock watching tv, eating french fries and drinking beer.  Well, the 2 of us that are legal will drink beer.  The other 2, probably lemonade.  

This game will feature the patriarch, Joe Kennedy, taking on Roy Oswalt at lovely Minute Maid park.

Care to join?  We'll be there pretty close to game time hopefully...

Okay, I've never made a DLD, but I keep coming here and looking for it, and it seems I kind of need it, so here we are.

Usual suspects:
> Slusser's game wrap, including:

Esteban Loaiza and Eric Chavez were pretty much the whole show on Sunday at the Coliseum.

> Ostler says a bunch of random stuff, including:

The A's missed a few signs in that game. ... Skipper Ken Macha got the word out that when A's third-base coach Ron Washington is patting himself all over, he's not searching for his cell phone.

And, let's see here:
> Ken Macha will be talking with Brian McRae today on MLB.com MIDDAY, whatever that is.  Let's see, that was starting at 9:30am this morning so it's probably over already, alas.  Anybody see it?  Care to share?

> Over at Baseball Prospectus, premature thoughts on the AL MVP.

> Since it's Monday and we've had our Monday Morning Minors, a reminder that the Minor League Ball site is pretty dang great.  Check out the regular "Prospect Retro" feature.

Ready!  Get set?  Dump!

I don't get it.  To me it is a no-brainer.  You do not resort to physical violence.  Ever.  It's part of good sportsmanship and self-control, both of which are essential for a top-tier athlete.

I see it as an embarrassing loss of control, stupid and inappropriate no matter what anyone said to anyone else.

If my kids see pics of baseball brawling in the paper or on the web we always talk about it with an attitude of a really bummer thing that happened, a shame - no matter which team did it.  When the kids play sports it is 100% unacceptable for them to get physical in any way under any circumstances, and dealing with frustration WITHOUT getting physical is a big part of what they're learning.

In the game thread there was great excitement about the brawl - mine too - Holy Moley!  But then, admiration for Kendall, praise for his losing it, a feeling it was "good for the team", that it showed "balls".  What the heck?  To me it is shameful and ridiculous and shows that he is (or was at least in that moment) acting like a big ole baby that couldn't control himself.  AND he got himself suspended, which is certainly harmful to the team.

I don't get it.

First of all, this is a grownup topic.  All you young'uns around here, go play in the Daily Link Dump or something.  Mommy & Daddy are just having a private conversation in here.  We'll be out in a little while.  Yes!  You can watch tv!

For all you folks without kids?  This might not be for you either.  There needs to be a level of fatigue which I believe can only be achieved with parenthood for you to relate to this diary.  And maybe both partners should have a full-time job.  2 kids might be especially good for relating.  And a longish term partner, not one of them newfangled shiny new relationships that are just so exciting still.

OK then.  Here's the thing.  Baseball season is back, and I am happy happy happy about this.  But it does have certain affects that are not so blessed.  I am speaking, of course, about the game-doesn't-end-until-10pm-or-later-and-by-then-I'm-really-tired-honey situation.  That is to say, Mr. Lurker D and I have a lovely habit of listening to games on the radio in the bedroom after the kids are finally asleep.  But lo the fatigue and sleep doth often overtake us, and lo, well.  What I'm trying to say is that the sex life does take a hit during the baseball season.  And I don't mean it gets a home run, either, no!  You know what I mean?  Am I the only one?

I feel a survey is in order:

Poll

Baseball, Fatigue, Sex?

11%

I am too young and should not be reading this diary.

15 votes

2%

Baseball on the radio is an incredible aphrodisiac! The voice of Ken Korach really sends me and my honey - we do it right while the boys are playing.

3 votes

12%

Quickies during the commercial breaks are the best - Vroom vroom vroom!

16 votes

6%

Tired? What are you talking about? After the game we're either so sad we do it to console each other or so stoked we can't keep our hands off each other!

8 votes

9%

Careful scheduling for off-days is the way to go. Can't wait for August!

12 votes

7%

Turn off the radio!

10 votes

22%

What is this sex of which you speak?

29 votes

14%

Thank goodness I'm single!

19 votes

14%

Thank goodness I don't have kids!

19 votes

131 votes | Poll has closed

Since I will not, alas, be getting a schedule magnet at the game, I wanted a 1-page full schedule formatted roughly like the one on the official website so I could affix it to my fridge.  I couldn't find one just as I wanted it, so I made my own.  It came out so nifty I thought I'd share.

It can be downloaded HERE.   Note that after you click "Download" on that page, you have to click "Download the file now" on the next page too to get the download.

(Link is http://www.savefile.com/files.php?fid=2929261 in case you'd rather copy and paste).

It's a pdf file of the schedule, prints on a 8 1/2 by 11 piece of paper Landscape-wise, color coded basically like the official one on the website (here).

Enjoy!

Mr. LurkerD (who unlike me really does only lurk here) and I have been reading baseball books like hotcakes this offseason, which has really helped us through the baseball-free tundra.  Some of them have been really excellent, all have been worth reading.  Here are my capsulated book reports for you, AN.

If you've read any of these, what did you think of them?  Agree or disagree with my assessment?  What was your favorite part?  Least favorite?  Have you read some other baseball books recently worth mentioning?  Tell us all about them...

Here are mine:

The Numbers Game: Baseball's Lifelong Fascination with Statistics, by Alan Schwarz, Thomas Dunne Books, 2004
Really great read.  A definite correction to anyone that thinks that the concept currently known as Moneyball is the first inception of using statistics in new and creative ways to influence the economics of running a baseball team.  This book is a history of statistics in baseball with tons of information about how different statistics developed, who embraced them in various ways, who fought them in various ways, and how they've affected the game from its beginnings through the present era.   Great stories.

Lords of the Realm: The Real History of Baseball, by John Helyar, Villard Books, 1994
Really incredible book.  This is a deep history of baseball as a business, with a strong emphasis on the business aspects between the players and the owners.  Goes from the beginning of the game through before the 1994 strike.  It's a long, detailed book that obviously took a ton of research coupled with a ton of access to write.  Impressive from start to finish with both the facts and the analysis of how the game's business has evolved over all its years.  Terrific resource and a wonderful read.

Juicing The Game: Drugs, Power, and the Fight for the Soul of Major League Baseball, by Howard Bryant, Viking, 2005
Good book.  Starts with the 1994 strike and goes right through the Canseco book coming out last year and the ugly congressional hearings that followed.  Good basic information on steroids and their affect on bodies, coupled with good stories from all different viewpoints on how baseball has (and hasn't) handled the steroid situation.  Some great side stories also woven in.  Definitely worth reading.

Foul Ball: My Life and Hard Times Trying to Save an Old Ballpark, Plus Part Two, by Jim Bouton, The Lyons Press, 2005
Good old Jim Bouton.  This book, which he ended up having to self-publish, tells the crazy story of Jim & co. attempting to do something that seems to be a no-brainer, and getting totally crushed in the process.  It's a bizarre story, well told, and this newer edition of the book has the Round Two update of what happened after the book was originally published, which turns out about as messed up as what happened the first time around.  The story is both hilarious and pathetic, all at once.  Good read.

and fiction even:

Summerland: A Novel, by Michael Chabon, Miramax, 2002
Totally different book - this is a fantasy novel for kids (i.e. 10-12 year olds).  That said, my entire family, at all of our various ages, really loved it.  The main characters are kids of that age, and these are baseball playing kids of course.  Baseball is woven through the whole story both as a metaphor and as an important part of the adventure story the book tells.  Really great fantasy story by a writer whose other, very different, books I've also liked.

check it out - we need to get some of these to the boys...

http://www.sportingnews.com/experts/stan-mcneal/20050421.html

<quote>
Plenty has been said about performance-enhancing drugs this spring. Well, get ready for a new wave of performance enhancers, only these do not cause side effects and are not subject to suspensions. Known as performance-enhancing contact lenses, they were designed to help hitters pick up the seams on the ball better and to protect the eyes from the sun.
</quote>

today's chron:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2005/03/29/DDGS9BMGBV1.DTL

what he said.

(since a diary can't be this short, i'll add that i think he gets 2 things just right in this column.  one is the fact that steroids have not tainted records any more than all the many other inequalities, substances, and other fun stuff have "tainted" records from other baseball eras.  secondly, the "get a life" aspect of the whole brouhaha.)

From today's Chronicle:

In Kissimmee, Fla., Tim Hudson was getting used to his first full spring training with the Atlanta Braves. He had spent his entire major league career with Oakland, where he pitched alongside Mark Mulder and Barry Zito, before he was dealt to the Braves on Dec. 16.

"This clubhouse is a lot different," Hudson said. "Our clubhouse in Oakland was more of a frat house, and here it's all business. I guess that's why the Braves have been as successful as they've been."