Monday Morning Musings
*At the end of interleague play I am going to hand out the first annual Tim Lollar Award, given to the Red Sox pitcher who made the best offensive contributions against the N.L. this season. Granted, Wade Miller had two hits Saturday, but Tim Wakefield is the current leader after drilling a single, reaching on an RBI fielder's choice, then hustling home to score from first on Johny Damon's triple on Sunday.
Of course, unless you were living in South America during the mid-1980s, you can't call yourself a Red Sox fan if you don't know that Lollar was the Sox pitcher and .234 career hitter (14 extra-base hits and 8 homers in 231 career at bats) that drilled a pinch-hit single in 1986.
I just had to go online and find out what exactly the circumstances were on that hit. What a weird looking box score. Bob Stanley started the game, for one. Second game of a doubleheader against Kansas City, 6-5 loss. Lollar hit for Rey Quinones, which should tell you what you need to know about Rey's ability with the stick (the Dave Henderson trade happened exactly a week after this). Ed Romero ran for Lollar afterwards. Buddy Biancalana had a stolen base in the game for the Royals. Don Baylor got hit by a pitch. That's one's not a stunner, I suppose.
*Jon Miller is still a good listen. But man, does anyone make definitive statements and then have the opposite happen immediately more often than Joe Morgan? No sooner did he question Kevin Youkilis batting third Sunday night then Yook belted a homer, and he came up a triple short of the cycle.
*I'm thinking the LAA of A are going to repeat as West champs when all is said and done. They went on a brutal road trip and faced the White Sox, Red Sox, Braves and Mets and came out of it 6-6. The first nine were without Vladi in the lineup.
They faced Smoltz, Pedro, Benson, Hudson, Buehrle, and Garcia on the trip and came out even. The only real competition in the division is Texas and the Rangers are bludgeoning the ball, but this sums up their pitching -- they just called up John Wasdin.
Of course, that's assuming CHOAN! Figgins doesn't sink them with a misplay of some sort at a crucial moment. They had him in left field for some reason against the Mets on Sunday and in the inning or so I kind of half-watched while on the phone, I looked up and saw him run around in a circle after a ball like a dog chasing its tail.
*The Mariners went out and signed a pair of sluggers this offseason -- Richie Sexon and Adrian Beltre -- to play in one of the most pronounced pitcher's parks in baseball. Didn't make any appreciable upgrades in the starting pitching. And now they're sitting around scratching their heads and wondering why they're 13th in the A.L. in homers. Through Sunday they've hit precisely four home runs in June.
*Man, they kept advertising the NBA finals last night and I just couldn't reach my clicker. I really tried hard, though. Honest.
*OK, a win over Mike Tyson ain't what it used to be -- I think Official Dave's World Enforcer Steve Sears could take him out -- but Kevin McBride's win Saturday is still a nice feather in the cap for Cappiello Promotions, the folks who have just about singlehandedly kept the sport of boxing alive in Boston. Hopefully McBride will get another money fight or two and a chance to prove if he's for real, and maybe promising middleweight Ian "The Cobra" Gardner can get a look at the big-time.
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