And your bizarre, yet somewhat fitting story from the All-Star Game goes to…..

July 12th, 2006 | Posted by PostmanR

JOEY CORA and CARLOS ZAMBRANO!

We’ll let the Chicago Tribune take over for a bit here:

The team’s only All-Star, pitcher Carlos Zambrano, was hit above the right elbow with a fungo bat during pregame practice Tuesday by White Sox coach Joey Cora. Neither Zambrano nor Cora was available for comment afterward. Cora said through a Sox spokesman that Zambrano was doing an interview with a Venezuelan journalist behind the batting cage and Cora hit struck with a backswing while he was hitting ground balls to infielders. X-rays taken at PNC Park were negative.

The article later indicated that Zambrano’s ‘elbow tendon contusion’ as they are calling it, was the reason he didn’t see any action in the All-Star Game, as he was slated to pitch the fourth and fifth inning.

We’re at a loss for why Cubs fans seem to hate A.J. Pierzynski so much. (OK, actually we’re not, but follow us here.)

Wasn’t it Cora who got involved in the brawl and may or may not have used his teeth as a weapon? And now, he goes ahead and injures the only Cubs starter of any value?

It’s time to reevaluate your hating priorities, Cubs fans.

OK, so it was a good, competitive game after all

July 12th, 2006 | Posted by PostmanR

Well, E went a bit loco on the whole All-Star Game ‘this time it counts’ thing yesterday – and deservedly so. I mean, yeah, the game ended in a tie a few years ago and good ol’ Bud decided the idea that whatever league won the game would get home-field advantage was a good one. A sort of make-up for the mistake, if you will.

And yeah, I can say it’s perhaps a little better than the formula before it, in which each league traded off home-field advantage every year. But, can’t we just say whatever team has the better record, whether it be NL or AL, gets the home-field advantage in the World Series? Doesn’t that make the most sense to everyone?

But no matter, a gala of stars baseball match was played last night, and I must say contrary to all the razzing we gave the event the past few days; it was rather enthralling and did not disappoint.

Props to the American League, who rallied from a one-run deficit with two outs in the ninth to take the game 3-2. The comeback was started by my boy Paul Konerko (who was 2-2 on the night) who grounded a base hit to left. Troy Glaus followed with a ground-rule double and Michael Young blasted a two-run triple right after him to put the AL up for good.

Mariano Rivera locked it down (although it wasn’t so easy) in the bottom of the ninth for the AL victory.

And just like the actual voting/managerial selections for the team, some guys got snubbed on the playing time. Nomar Garciaparra, for instance. The dude is leading the NL in hitting and he can’t get an at-bat. Sure, he was the final fan vote, but couldn’t Phil Garner have given him a shot in the ninth?

O well.

But hey, it looked like Ozzie Guillen broke down in tears during the Roberto Clemente tribute. Nice to see. Although, I’m sure Jay Mariotti will use this to write a column about Guillen’s sensitive side (that is, if he ever starts writing again), because you know, he’s all about flipping the script and completely changing his opinions.

Zing!

Side note: We could have gone with a photograph of Michael Young holding up the All-Star Game MVP trophey. But, we thought this picture of an excited - or perhaps constipated - Joey Cora would be a better fit.

All-Star Game 2006: This time it matters! Did we tell you it matters this year? Because it does, OK! It matters!! No ties, we promise!! Please watch!! This time it MATTERS!!!

July 11th, 2006 | Posted by PostmanE

Ahem. Excuse me. Got a bit carried away with the title, there, but you’ll have to forgive me. Yesterday, somewhere between starting a new job and getting a $130 traffic ticket on my bicycle and inexplicably sitting through the entire Home Run Derby, I was informed roughly 2,000 times that, yes, in fact, the All-Star Game does have some bearing on future happenings, and thus, it…um…matters this year.

It might have been the most frustrating day of my young life. And I’m not even mad about the ticket anymore. You get the gist.

Oh, but we are indeed here for the All-Star Game, purveyor of World Series home field advantage and daring venue of the world’s greatest, most talented, most dedicated baseball players. Except him. And him. And a bunch of other people who are good enough but didn’t win over enough fans this year, including him. Well, I’m sure they’re at least hosting the game in some sort of exotic, beautiful locale, the kind of place that would allow me to forget this mundane life for just one night. Oh, it’s in Pittsburgh. Christ.

Excuse my sarcasm. The game should actually be rather entertaining stuff, even if I don’t buy the whole concept of it “meaning anything” now. At the very least, it should prove to be more engaging than the Home Run Derby last night.

So, strap it in people. Unless you hate the Yankees. Or Red Sox. Or White Sox. Because, um, like every AL player is one of the three. Sigh.

Oops, sorry. Ahem…ALL-STAR GAME 2006! IT F$@#%G SDFDFS MATTERS! AHHHHHHH

Check That: Liriano makes All-Star Game after all

July 10th, 2006 | Posted by PostmanR

As commenter Jason pointed out, we never talked about Francisco Liriano’s All-Star snub. And really, we haven’t talked much about the All-Star selection process at all, because well, there seems to be a lot of blown smoke over the whole ‘who made it and who didn’t’ debate that all seems pretty unnecessary.

There’s undeserving guys who make it over deserving guys every year. O well. It’s the nature of the beast and far be it from us to get all worked up about it. And for those that have questioned Ozzie Guillen’s picks, it’s the same kind of routine Joe Torre used to do back when the Yankees dominated in the late-90s and early-Oughts. They both picked some of their own guys to fill out the remaining roster spots that had deserving numbers. It’s how it works. No need to go more in-depth than that, really. (And besides Buehrle, we can’t find anyone Guillen picked that was out of line from the Sox.)

And hell, unless you’re a rookie like Liriano, most players dread the All-Star game anyhow. Instead of heading home for a couple day break with the wifey and kids, you have to trudge out to Pittsburgh of all places and risk injury. (We don’t like that Major Leaguers think like this, but unfortunately we’re pretty sure they do.)

But, Liriano’s 10-1 record and 1.83 ERA are headed to Pittsburgh after all. Guillen has placed him on the roster in lieu of White Sox starting pitcher Jose Contreras who pitched yesterday. Guillen indicated he wouldn’t use Contreras unless he absolutely needed to tomorrow night. He’ll also be careful with Johan Santana and Roy Halladay who both started Sunday as well.

So there, a guy who deserved it (over A.J. Pierzynski in the final fan vote, we might add) made it after all. Awesomeness.

Tadahito Iguchi needs your help

June 29th, 2006 | Posted by PostmanE

Not a huge fan of the White Sox, am I, but I kinda enjoy Tadahito. Thus, I’ll give him an entirely inconsequential and ultimately fruitless blog shoutout.

Hey, All-Star voters. Tada needs you.

He’s currently around 150,000 votes behind Robinson Cano, who’s injured, for a starting spot on the AL East All-Star team. The final voting ends in a week, so Tada has some ground to make up here.

Can he do it? I don’t know. Certainly, his votes won’t be boosted any from this blog post.

Nonetheless, he’s better than Cano. And we believe in the power of the internet. Get it done!