Eric

Hate it. How many times so far have we seen a manager head on out to have a "discussion" with the umps on a close play just to give his own guys a chance to review the tape to see if he wants to challenge the call? It seems that any time there's a bang bang play where the runner is out, the next batter is taking their time to get up to the plate and when the runner is safe, suddenly the pitcher needs to collect themselves for a few extra seconds, all in order to give their guys in the booth a few extra seconds to figure out if they want to challenge the call. It's slowing down the game unnecessarily in order to combat a few really bad Ump calls. Umps get it right much more often than not, even on the bang bang plays.

Since it seems that the Puig Trainwreck appears to be an ongoing saga with no letup in sight, maybe we should just have a single thread devoted to the topic, maybe calling it the Puig Rubbernecking Thread or something.

Low Hanging Fruit: The Angels Minor League Opening Night was Monday. Seriously, awesome start for the,boys.

No problems for me here using Opera.

Aybar: Hey Mike, remember that scene in Showgirls with the Saved By The Bell chick? Trout: Dafug?

At least the Angels are not the only unfeated team. Included in that dubious distinction are the Twins and the Yankees. Sooooo.... They got that going for themselves.

Chuck, you know, if I'm willing to drop 3 grand to watch a series in Seattle in a weak year, I'm a fan. That said, this team is not the one to get frustrated with. This is a transition year. The earlier you get that, the less you will spend on medical expenses searching for the reason for your high blood pressure. Enjoy the baseball, not the results.

Scotch, Spinach, Broccoli, Sauerkraut, Hot Sauce, Pinto Bean and Beer induced diarrhea.

OK, I'll take the low hanging fruit: So you're saying you're not that good in the sack, huh?

I came in here thinking this was supposed to be the Unicorns Fart Sparkling Rainbows thread. I'm gathering this team has already lost even the most ardent supporters these past two games. Ugh.

We were talking about getting together when the 51's hit town. Do a little pregame tailgating and then catch the game. Unfortunately, though, it's in July and will probably be somewhere around 110, which would make it extremely fun (not). But that was totally tentative. If we get together again sometime soon, I would suggest possibly a Saturday night, that way we all don't have to worry about work in the morning or getting off of work in a mad dash to make gametime, and can relax a little more. Heck, maybe if there's a Saturday afternoon game it might work out best.

Had a great time meeting everyone. Unfortunately the game results could have been better, but it was fun nonetheless.

For some, this formula makes perfect sense and needs no explanation. For those that don't get it, no, it's not the latest dimensions of Miss April. 60 Wins, 60 losses, and 42 yet to be determined. In baseball, every team has both 60 wins and 60 losses to start the season with. It's going to happen, it's inevitable. Sure, there may be the anomaly here and there throughout the years, but most of the time, every team has at least both of those in their W/L column come the end of the season. These are the not so close games. These are the blow outs. The are the collapses. These are the dominations. Each team fails throughout the season and each team succeeds throughout the season. It's what happens in the extra 42 games that is the difference between 1st place and last place, from the greatest team that season in baseball to the most dismal. Today was just one of the 60, not one of the 42.

We're running late. Why? because the taxi we're taking to get there is running late. We should be there by 7:15 Sorry

I used to know many of the HB Police force when I worked for the city, quite a few who were ex-Marines themselves. That does not bode well the next 24-48 hours for those guys that stabbed the Marine Officers. The showers in the HB Jail have a tendency to get awful slippery if the cops there decide they just don't like you. Just sayin'.

This Angels team is simply not built to win a Championship. Hitting wins fans, Pitching wins Championships. This team has too many holes right now to even contemplate Playoff's. At this point a winning record would make me happy as I'm not thoroughly convinced even that is possible. The Angels need 2 more quality starting pitchers (which could be next year or the following if Richards, Skaggs and/or Santiago work out). As it stands right now, though, Richards is the most seasoned, with Santiago ahead of Skaggs. Skaggs has the highest potential upside, though. As a group, however, the Angels Starting pitching staff is just too young and inexperienced to carry through the year. Will I watch the Angels night in and night out? You bet your butt. Will I cheer them on? With all my heart and soul. Do believe that this year the playoffs are even a remote possibility? Not a chance. But, as I have said before repeatedly, the Angels need to develop talent from within, and with Richards, Skaggs and Santiago, they have a chance to do just that, which I think bodes well for the Angels down the road next year or the year after that.

MLB's blackout rules are arcane. Here's the deal, any time the Angels are not playing any of those 4 teams, you will be able to watch. If they are playing those teams, you will not be able to watch it on MLB.tv, you will need to watch whichever local TV channel is covering it. (At least, this was the way it was the last time I checked, it might have changed) If a local regional sports channel is broadcasting the game, you just need to have a TV subscription that includes that channel or you will be blacked out. If a local broadcast station is carrying that game, you need to get an over the air signal (because chances are, your local cable station in OK won't carry that station from TX, MO, or KS) or you will be blacked out. If the local team chooses not to broadcast the game at all, regardless of whether or not the Angels do, you will be blacked out. In all cases, you will not be able to watch the Angels feed, you will be restricted to the local teams feed only.

To describe it simply does not do justice to the abject horror that this individual (and ESPN by extension for beaming these images across the globe) has wrought to all of us. He wore a baseball bat the way that Steve Martin wore an arrow. He sported a mustache that looked like an inverted version of the horns that Satan himself would be proud to display. The rest of what can only be described as a foot long "flavor savor" much like the Ancient Egyptian Sarcophagi sported, without the blue and gold wrapping jutted out from his chin like a spear. And he did all of this while he displayed full facepaint not just on his face, but his fully shaved dome in the style of a baseball, all white with a swath of stitches running through both eyes so that his nose protruded out from where the sweet spot of the baseball would be.

What the everloving **** was that thing they just showed on ESPN with the bat through his dome? Jeebus!

Great game on ESPN between the Cubs and Pirates. But the best part of the game was the awkward exchange between the announcers over FCC rules violations over Boone talking about how he hadn't eaten and the BBQ looked so tasty he wouldn't be opposed to someone sending some up their way. There was a moment of sheer awkward silence between them that was gut-laughingly tense.

735

It's not Sunset. I was thinking of another bar. That address is correct.

Can't wait till 7:05 tomorrow night! Bring it! Jay Dub is going to rock the M's!

Interesting how many of the earthquakes that have been going on for the last month and a half or so just happen to be up and down the San Andreas, yet I haven't heard anyone (News-related) talking about it yet. My advice, if you live in the So Cal region, is to grab about 15 gallons of water per person that you live with, a week's worth of canned food, make a plan for where to meet up with loved ones, and make sure you have a fully stocked First Aid Kit and then have it in a place that you can get to in an emergency. Yes, I know it sounds kinda paranoid, but it's also something you should be doing anyway in case of emergency. Remember, geologically speaking, the San Andreas is years past due already. Stay safe, everyone.