Can You Spare a Moment for The....

~~This post should not be construed to mean that the organizations mentioned do not do important work. Rather it is a commentary about the poor working conditions and negative message that is sent by their tactics.

If I may go off topic from baseball for a bit....it is summertime in DC which means that the public advocacy groups have hired their yearly batch of idealist college students to canvas the city to raise money for a number of causes, be it the environment, Darfur, torture you name it. Every day a DCist can expect the hum of "can you spare a moment for the...(pick your cause)" to be louder than the cicadas that haunt our ears every 17 years. Now don't get me wrong, I am a liberal, an environmentalist, and I am against the genocide in Darfur and the torture of terror suspects. What bothers me however is that these poor college kids who have their hearts in the right place are preforming nothing less than slave labor for the benefit of organizations who accomplish very little other than to make us feel guilty for not stopping taking a moment for the environment. Granted, that automatically makes me a terrible person because it shouldn't annoy me that people are doing this for the general good of society. And of course it isn't always the case that every advocacy group actually accomplishes very little. But honestly lets face it, we could all do without the disapproving looks of John and Jane college kid. Here are some of the worst offenders that I have come across in my travels, not just in DC, but from personal first hand experience when I myself tried to take a "summer job for the environment."

Sierra Club - I actually worked one of these positions for a while and it was horrible. Every night after I finished my day job I would be loaded into a van and dropped off in a neighborhood where it was my goal to sell as many subscriptions as I could door to door. At the end of the night you would take a small percentage of the subscriptions as your pay for the day. Trust me, there was no way I was going to make even close to the $3,000 per summer that was advertised and I consider myself to be a good sales man. Now I know that the Sierra Club cares about the environment, but aside from being underpaid the poor kids that take these jobs are also (at least in my experience) unappreciated and mostly unwelcome by the people they talk to. To me it seems like you can't save the environment unless you have people that want to believe in what your organization is doing. Trust me, a few weeks with the Sierra Club would make even the most ardent environmentalist question if this is right for them.

State Level PIRG Operations - Where I went to college in Western Massachusetts MassPIRG was where it was at. Everyone who cared about the environment wanted to be a part of it. The problem was that it was completely left in the hands of students who again, had their hearts in the right place, but had no idea what they were doing. The only accomplishment that I ever heard about MassPIRG achieving while I was there was the closure of a grandfathered and polluting power plant years before. Everything else I heard about them involved internal strife, poor working conditions, and hastily elected officers who were there more to pad their resumes than to save the planet. To this day when I see someone working for US PIRG I can not take the organization seriously after witnessing what it allows its local branches to do.

Greenpeace - Nothing gets me more angry than Greenpeace. Especially because I think that the world needs an organization that takes strong action and drastic measures to make its point. But what I don't like is that they break the law and often times hurt innocent people. This gives the entire movement a bad image and paints a picture that all environmentalist are living in trees and shooting at loggers. Its a shame, if only we could find some happy medium.

Aside from all of this I still applaud those kids who are out there everyday in the heat and humidity. Like I keep saying, at least your hearts are in the right place even if you get on my nerves.

Something Positive For a Change

Finally a ray of light in a season filled with more injuries than a 12 year old knife juggling contest. Chamberlin was nothing short of phenomenal last night regularly hitting 99 mph on the radar gun while striking out seven and walking one in 6 2-3 innings. They even extended the Joba rules to 114 pitches.

Meanwhile has anyone ever heard much about Dan Giese? Yeah, neither have I. I did a little research and it turns out this guys story is a whole lot like the movie The Rookie. The long and short of it is that he was a career minor leaguer who left baseball and became a used car sales man before finally returning to the game. He made his first major league start against the Reds the other day, and even though he didn't win you still have to love a story like that.

Schilling Still Sucks

I feel like running around in a circle singing ding dong the witch is dead now that it looks like Schilling has thrown his final pitch in the majors. If it was for any other team I would say that he should give back the $8 million bucks he scammed from Boston. But since it is the sox I think that really the right thing to do would be to donate at least some of that money to a charitable organization. However knowing what I do about Schilling he probably would rather give the money to a skin head group who promotes the baby seal hunt. I hate Curt Schilling. What I hate even more is despite the fact that I loathe the man, I do think that he will make the hall of fame. But before I get to why I think that, here are a few quick facts about him:

10. He beats up orphans just because he thinks it is fun

09. He has never met a puppy dog that he hasn't kicked

08. He is a fan of George Bush (true)

07. Shilling is responsible for the flooding in the Midwest

06. He is responsible for Abraham Lincoln's assassination

05. He is a card carrying member of NAMBLA

04. It is well documented that he clubs baby seals

03. After he retires he has expressed an interest in forming a foundation that takes from the

poor and gives to the rich

02. He thinks world hunger is funny

01. He is an asshole (true)

Ok, but seriously I do think that he makes it to Cooperstown. Sure, he doesn't have 300 wins (not even close actually) but I think that in this day and age of 5 man rotations and 6th inning relief we can kiss that number goodbye for a long time. You know what, I don't think that I can further justify writing a post about why Schilling will get in, so you will just have to go with me on this one. Either way, ding dong the dick is gone.

Another One Bites the Dust

Add Farnsworth to the pile of disabled Yankees. I swear, what is going on? I know that it is pretty typical for players to go down around this time of the year but this is simply getting out of hand. If the Yankees keep losing pitchers I am going to have to get on up there. I do have a pretty mean cutter.

Dry Spell

Yeah, I haven't posted much this week but there is a reason.....have you noticed a certain team has been on a winning streak? Well I don't want to jinx it so I am not going to talk about it. I'll be back soon.

What Should The AL do To Protect Pitcers In Inter league Play?

Wouldn't it be nice if the Yankees could go at least a full series without losing a star player? It is bad enough to lose a positional player, but to lose the one true ace we have on our rotation is really crippling.

This brings up the topic of inter league play. I have always thought that it is a great thing, particularly since I live in a National League city it is nice to see some American League teams from time to time. It is also good for the sport to have teams that have rarely played each other face off. The question though is how much of a strain does it put on the pitchers who are not used to batting and especially base running? I have always thought that it is good for AL pitchers to have a few plate appearances. I mean after all at some point in their career they have certainly been forced to hit. But Wang's sprained ankle has me second guessing that idea. The reality is that star pitchers are not only worth a lot of money, they are also worth a lot wins and are next to impossible to replace. Since inter league play isn't going anywhere in the near future American League teams need to be smart about how much they are willing to let their aces do at the plate. Sure, Wang reached base on a fielders choice bunt, but why take the chance of having him run around the bases especially in such a lopsided game?

I would argue that the the rules of pinch running be adjusted in inter league games. A pitcher should still have to bat, but could be substituted for on base without forcing the pitcher to exit the game. It simply isn't fair to American League clubs to expect them to put their pitchers in a position that they are not used to, don't train for, and risk serious injury in the process. Then again I do not think this change should apply for the World Series so perhaps I am being hypocritical.

What do you think? Leave me comments and give me your opinion on this.

One Towel Has Been Thrown

No matter what sport you follow it is always tough to keep in the game when your boys (or girls) are not doing well. I still refuse to throw in the towel for the Yankees, but the Nationals, well that is another story all together. What started out as a season full of promise for the Nats has turned out to be pretty much a disaster with only a few glimmering rays of hope. At least for the time being the Nat's aren't in last place in all the majors thanks to the MOTHER FUhttp://www.withleather.com/post.phtml?pk=5974 Mariners.

There are so many problems it is hard to know where to begin, but I guess it should be with the most obvious....the gaping hole at third base. Yes Ryan Zimmerman is down 4-6 weeks but thankfully he will not need surgery. What is sad is that he hasn't played since May 25th and yet he still leads the team in home runs (8) and RBI's (27).

And then of course there is the internal feuding, which strangely we seem to be seeing a lot more of around the league this year. I just haven't seen a player (Elijah Dukes) and a manager go at it yet this season. Perhaps Dukes has forgotten that Manny Acta chooses if he plays or not. Now don't get me wrong Elijah, your stellar .207 batting average is almost as impressive as your .646 OPS but you might want to keep on your managers good side in case for some reason he decides you are terrible. I can't imagine why he would think that though.

Pitching.....all I can really say about pitching is that it is harder to watch than Jon Rauch's player photo.

I do want to end on a good note though. I care about the Nats and I am hopeful and optimistic that eventually they will pull it together. One has to hope that Zimmerman will come around from what is turning out to be a very mediocre season this year. Flores is the real deal, Guzman is much better than anyone gives him credit for, and there is no shortage of stories about the improving farm system. The Nat's are a team on the brink, I just hope it comes sometime soon.

Hard Ball

It is hard not to read the news these days without some new news about Clemens springing up. In case you haven't heard, in addition to whatever else he was or wasn't taking to increase his vitality apparently Rocket was using Viagra to help curb the dysfunction of a sometimes flaccid arm... Really? Viagra? Who knew that it wasn't just for ED anymore? I suppose that it makes sense considering that as we now know Clemens had a very active social life to keep up. I just hope he read the warnings because it clearly says that one has to be healthy enough to engage in sports related activity. But what really made me get up and take notice though was that apparently a lot of players in the league use it too. I can only imagine that it must be awkward in the locker room. After all it is impolite to point. Still, since Viagra isn't illegal what can MLB really do? I suppose they could some how try to ban the little blue pill, but that could be harder than it looks.

~~I know this post is juvenile but I just couldn't resist

Hot and Cold

I don't mean to keep boring you all with stories of the heat in DC, but this morning was possibly the worst it has ever been. That says something considering I have lived in DC for five years. Ok maybe not quite the worst because the metro did have some air conditioning, but we were packed in there so tight I feel like I should buy dinner for that poor girl I was forced to dry hump on my way in. Metro in the summertime is clearly my purgatory for all of those frogs that my friends and I sent to their untimely deaths when I was a kid.

Ok enough of the woes of heat and humidity. I knew what I was getting myself in for when I packed my bags so I am going to stop complaining at least for a little while.

On to yesterdays game

Every kid who plays baseball dreams of being the hero of the game. Knocking in the winning run when game is on the line in the bottom of the ninth. Well yesterday Melkey Cabrera had that chance. Imagine....bottom of the ninth, down by a run with two outs and bases loaded. It was Meleky's chance to be a hero. Instead a routine ground ball, game over.

Now I don't usually get too excited when I am forced to watch the MLB gamecast from the confines of my office, but I have been known to scream a little bit when crap like that happens. In fact yesterday when Melkey choked I accidentally let an F-bomb drop just as my boss was walking by. Fortunately my boss is also a Yankees fan and just wanted to know what happened in the game.

DC In The Summer....and Quick Game Notes

Every blogger who lives in Washington DC is writing about the same thing right now....the freaking heat. In case you have never been to DC in the summer time let me break down for you what a typical summer day is like:

• Temperatures in the mid 80's to high 90's.....all day, everyday
• 100% humidity.....all day, everyday
• Every now and then it rains, but that just makes the humidity even worse
• Tourists clogging up the Metro and and hijacking the city
• Sweaty armpits from the walk to work....if only I could wear that hooters tank top I got as a joke for my last birthday to work everyday

Seriously, summer in DC is not for the timid. When I was growing up in Vermont we would brag about how cold it can get. Well I would much rather throw on an extra layer than have to literally towel off every morning I get to the office.

Game Notes

Back on subject here, Joba did much better in his second start last night. Chamberlin lasted 5 innings until the pitch count clock dinged. It is an encouraging sign. It no doubt must be tough to go out there and be effective knowing that you only have a limited number of pitches. But he seems to be settling down and finding a new groove as a starter. With Joba progressing so well it will be interesting to see if Hughes retakes his spot in the rotation or if Rasner has proved his worth.

Sorry guys but that is all I have got today, I'm still sweating from my walk here.

Milestones

First of all, congratulations to Derek Jeter who as you can see is now in third place all time for hits in Yankees franchise history. It is quite an accomplishment to be listed with the names of Mantle, Ruth, and Gehrig. Regardless people will still hate Jeter if for no other reason than he is the face of the Yankees.

I would also like to congratulate Mike Mussina who very quietly is now 9-2 and who believe it or not sits on top of the AL in wins. What a turnaround for Mussina who was such a question mark coming into the season. At 39 it is pretty amazing that he can still produce wins, although that is not to say that I am advocating resigning him after this season.

It Could Have Been Worse

Really it could have been much worse. Here are some of the positives to keep in mind about Joba's first start:

• At one point he clocked 101 mph on the radar gun
• Going into the game his pitch count was limited to 65
• Even with all the walks he kept the Jays at bay through his three innings of work

Now of course there are other things to consider. Obviously starting is a lot different that throwing a handful of pitches in the 8th inning, especially when you know Rivera is coming up behind you. As the Jay's said after the game, Joba has relied on being able to get players to chase the ball late in the game. They aren't as willing to do that early on so Joba is going to need to fine tune and perfect his location. He missed the black quite a bit last night when he was behind on the count but that isn't something that he can't work on.

Joba has gotten so used to being close to perfect it isn't surprising that early struggles are going to get into his head a little bit. Fortunately I think that the pitch limit is going to help him work through it much more gradually rather than the trial by fire that Hughes and Kennedy faced. Still, it is too early to decide whether or not Joba will be the next Ron Guidry but that wont stop me from looking for the positives.

Could You Sleep Last Night?

Mark your calenders kids, today could be a trivia question...."on what date and against what team did Joba Chamberlin face his first time in the starting rotation" or some variation thereof. Of course the answer is Toronto and the opposing pitcher will be Roy Halladay. That is assuming of course that Joba turns into the phenomenal starter that we all hope he will be, otherwise June 3, 2008 will just be known as another day.

I've checked but at least in the Capital region I don't see that the game is going to be on ESPN, MASN, or any other regular cable channel so that means I am going to have to go in search of a sports bar that has the MLB package tonight. Even though I am trying to tell myself that it isn't that big of deal the truth is that I am really excited and anxious about tonight. More to follow tomorrow.

Joba-eve

We have finally arrived at the eve of Joba Chamberlin's first start. Are you excited? Have you been a good boy or girl? I know that personally I will be going to bed the second I get home from work so that tomorrow comes even faster! Ok obviously I am kidding, sure I'm excited to see what he has got but lets not make this out to be bigger than it really is. We have already seen the disastrous results of putting too much pressure on Hughes and Kennedy and even though I that I think Joba is in a better position than the other kids, our season doesn't rest in the hands of just one starter / setup guy / closer? Regardless, tomorrow the eyes of the baseball world will be firmly on Chamberlin trying to figure out if he is the next Nolan Ryan, or if he destined for a role in relief.

Meanwhile in a borough not so far away there is a pitcher who has already proven himself. A pitcher who just picked up win number 7 on the year. A pitcher who came oh so close to being a Yankee. But hey, what is the point of having a disabled list if no one ever uses it right?