dadlak

Interview With a President

2009-02-01T15:42:00.019-06:00

Perhaps as I write this, Ahmad Rashad is interviewing President Barack Obama as part of NBC's Super Bowl preview. I got to thinking how I might interview the new president. Being that he's a sports fan, I'd have to go with the traditional sports coach questions, and hope that he had a good sense of humor, which I think he does.

Me - OK, Mr. President. What a month! Inaugurated as President of the United States. Twice! Moved into the White House! Danced with your beautiful wife ten times in one night! Now a Super Bowl pregame interview with me. What's next? Are you going straight to Disneyland?

Obama - It's been quite a run for sure. Just living under the same roof as my family has been a big treat. The White House basketball court needs a lot of work, but isn't beyond hope. Have to decline that Disneyland trip. Sasha and Malia are just getting adjusted to their new school. Oh yeah, Michelle. Can you believe her and me? It's been fifteen years and I'm still a little stunned.

Me - I don't mean to dwell on the past, but I hope you'll comment on that amazing come-from-behind win over Senator Clinton in the Democratic Conference Final. I mean, she was preseason #1 in every poll. The pollsters could hardly spell your name to vote for you. How did you pull that off?

Obama - First let me say that Senator Clinton was a very tough opponent and can be proud of the fight she put up. We knew we were down bigtime, but we just kept playing. Indiana was big. I don't think many saw that coming. I was so impressed with Senator Clinton that I added her to my staff for next year.

Me - Will you be calling her at 3 a.m?

Obama - No comment. Can I call you at 3 a.m?

Me - And the General Election Bowl Sponsored by CNN, FOX, NBC, CBS, ABC and to a lesser extent C-SPAN, MSNBC and Comedy Central? That one seemed to go pretty well. When did you know you had it won?

Obama - When Aretha sang at the Inauguration. Oh, that was a little cold. Sorry, Aretha. You know I've got plenty of R-E-S-P-E-C-T for you. And that hat. Who saw that coming? No seriously, a lot of folks don't remember that we were tied after the two Convention Bowls. McCain brought in that rookie QB Palin. She really shook things up. Brought some new excitement to their side. But we stuck to our game plan. Really didn't make many adjustments, other than trying to dial down the celebrity meter a little. We just kept trying to execute. Things worked out. Ohio, Florida, Pennsylvania - the big close ones all broke our way. Helps to be a little lucky.

Me - Did you think McCain was getting desperate when he brought Joe The Plumber in late in the game. I mean, he hadn't played a down all season. In fact, he hadn't played since high school.

Obama - I'm sure McCain just did what he thought was best for him at the time. I'm not going to second guess him after the fact. He's a great one and he put up a great fight.

Me - You mentioned execution. Talk about your team. An almost flawless effort. The Rev. Wright thing kept bouncing back at you. Somehow they minimized the damage.

Obama - I can't say enough about my team. Two essentially perfect game plans for a rookie in his first postseason. Wish I could send them all to Disneyland, but I need them here.

Me - And your fans. A lot of teams refer to their fans as their 12th man. In your case, the number goes up to about 60 million. Talk about them a bit.

Obama - Oh man. Now you might have to cut me off. Our fans - 60 million is probably a conservative figure. I did pretty well in some mock high school elections and even down to the lower grades. Sasha tells me it was a shutout in her second grade class in Chicago. They made phone calls, attended rallies, donated money, laundered uniforms, you name it. When we get this country back on its feet, we're gonna have a day for them at Disneyland. Count on it, friends.

Me - Let's look ahead to next season. The Problems of Our Nation and the World. Wow, are they tough!? Like the Ravens' 2000 defense and the 2007 Patriots offense with Tom Dempsey on the sideline ready to launch 60-yard field goals, coached by a cross between Don Shula, George Halas and God. And you've gotta play the entire schedule at once. How are you gonna handle that challenge? Can you get it done in one term?

Obama - Well I wish I could give you the pat answer and say we're gonna play 'em one game at a time, but we've got to attack on all fronts - the economy, energy, health care, our two wars, foreign policy, replacing the BCS bowls with a national playoff. My team is real busy. They get a four-hour break this afternoon to watch the game, but they have to back to work at halftime (after The Boss, of course) if the game is more than three touchdowns apart. Honestly, guys and gals, I'll make it up to you.

As for the one term question. We'll play as hard as we can for one term. If the good people of the United States see fit to give us a second in 2012, we'll keep working for them.

Me - You know I gotta ask this one. Who do you like today? Steelers or Diamondbacks, I mean Cardinals.

Obama - I ought to be neutral. President of all the people, you know. But dang it, swing state Pennsylvania brought me 25 electoral votes. Arizona went for my opponent. Gotta root for the Men of Steel.

Me - A score?

Obama - Steelers 23 Cardinals 15 - The Cards score late and convert a two-point play to get close, but the Steelers recover the onsides kick to wrap up the win.

Me - Wow that's my score! GMTA. Who's your MVP?

Obama - Now you're trying to pin me down. Troy Polamalu maybe. We Pacific Island guys gotta stick together. Wish I had some of his hair.

Me - Just one more. You're a big roundball fan. Who makes the NBA Finals this year? Can LeBron and the Cavs break up the Celtics and Lakers party?

Obama - The Lakes look tough. Did you hear that Andrew Bynum got hurt? That could slow them down, but probably not until the Finals. Celtics or Cavs? That's a toughie. I think the Celts experience is good for one more year, but look out for the Cavs in 2010.

Me - And if LeBron takes it all then, is he on your short list for second term Secretary of State, as a Nike campaign in production seems to indicate?

Obama - Now you're getting way ahead of things. (Quiets, pantomimes a long shot with LBJ's trademark follow through). (Whispering) Sweet!

The End

Future Baseball Hall of Famers Still Active in Baseball

2009-01-19T13:00:00.002-06:00

January 19, 2009 Update - Congratulations to Rickey Henderson and Jim Rice for their election into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Henderson was elected on first try by a wide margin (almost 95% of the vote); Rice on his last by a whisker (76% vs. 75% required).

Here's an update on the prospects of various candidates for future induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Sure things if they stopped playing today

Ken Griffey, Jr. - Junior hasn't announced his retirement, but by the same token he doesn't have a job for the 2009 season. I'll leave him on this list. He's a sure first-ballot Hall of Famer.

Randy Johnson - The Big Unit will be pitching for his 300th career win sometime this season with the Giants. He's a first-ballot Hall of Famer whether or not he gets it, though 300 wins could propel him toward unanimous selection.

Tom Glavine - Missed most of 2008 season with injuries; trying to get healthy and find a job in 2009. In any event, with 300+ career wins, Glavine's a first-ballot lock whenever he's eligible - no later than 2015 as it's likely he'll pitch no more than one more year.

John Smoltz - Missed most of 2008 season with injuries, but has a job with the Red Sox in 2009. Needs to get healthy. If he gets healthy and does well, he could play beyond 2009. Effective retirement after 2008 is also a possibility if he doesn't recover. With 200+ wins and 150+ saves and a sterling postseason record, Smoltz will get into the Hall of Fame the first time he's eligible.

Trevor Hoffman - The all-time saves leader will be saving games for a new club in 2009, the Milwaukee Brewers. Pitching just 40-50 innings per year, Hoffman could go on for awhile. In any event, he's a first-ballot Hall of Famer whenever he retires.

Mariano Riviera - At age 38, this amazing pitcher had one of his greatest seasons - 1.40 ERA, 39 saves, 0.665 WHIP, 6 (yes six) BB and 77 Ks in 71 IP. His 482 saves are second all-time to Hoffman's 554 (516 to 558 if postseason is included). Arguably the greatest reliever of all time, Rivera is a sure first-ballot Hall of Famer and could top 95% of the vote.

Alex Rodriguez - A-Rod continues his inexorable march up the all-time leader ranks. At age 33, he's 12th all-time in HRs (553), 30th in RBIs, 42nd in runs, figures that would put him in the Hall of Fame if he retired tomorrow even without a World Series ring, which the Yankees' acquisition of CC Sabathia and Mark Teixiera makes more likely. Unanimous election in 15-20 years is likely if A-Rod beats Bonds' career HR record.

Derek Jeter - Jeter's got the stats (2,500 hits) and World Series rings (4) to get into the Hall of Fame on the first ballot if he retired tomorrow, which he won't. Some day in the 2020s, "Mr. Baseball" Jeter will be a first-ballot, and perhaps unanimous selection to the Hall of Fame.

Ivan Rodriguez - Pudge is still looking for a job for 2009. He'll find one if he's willing to work cheap. Otherwise, he'll enter the Hall of Fame in 2014 with one of the best offensive and defensive resumes in catching history.

Manny Ramirez - Manny doesn't have a job for 2009 either, but it's unlikely he won't get one. With 527 regular season HRs and 28 more in the postseason, Ramirez will be a first-ballot Hall of Famer whenever he's eligible, though unlikely to gain unanimous support because of concern about "Manny being Manny."

Pedro Martinez - After struggling with injuries the last two years, Martinez's career may come to an end. Even with seven seasons in the top four of Cy Young voting (three wins), Martinez may not gain first ballot election given that he only has 214 career wins, but he'll make it eventually on the strength of a .684 career winning percentage and 2.91 ERA.

Jim Thome - Thome finished the 2008 season with 541 career HRs, 14th all-time. His 966 OPS is 18th all-time. Now a full-time DH, Thome probably has a couple more seasons left, making him eligible for the Hall in about 2016, at which time his 600 career HRs should make him a first-ballot inductee.

Chipper Jones - A fabulous 2008 season (.364 batting average) pushes Jones into the "sure thing" category. Playing most of his career at 3B, Chipper has racked up 408 HRs and a 956 OPS. He won an MVP and played for many good teams, including one World Series winner in Atlanta. He might not be a first-ballot Hall of Famer if he retired today, but he'd get in soon. When he does retire, Jones will have the full resume of a first-ballot Hall of Famer.

Would be sure thing except for steroid issue

Sammy Sosa - Sosa wants to play, but didn't in 2008 and probably won't in 2009. I'll keep him on the "active" list until next year.

Would be sure thing except for DH issue

Frank Thomas - "The Big Hurt" is the right-handed version of Jim Thome, with a few more DH games and a higher batting average. After a disappointing 2008, Thomas will likely retire when he can't find a job for 2009. I think Thomas will get in, though probably not on the first ballot.

Don't need much more, if anything

Jeff Kent - 2008 was likely Kent's last season. He'll finish with 377 HRs, 1500+ RBIs and an 856 OPS - great offensive figures for a second baseman. He'll probably make the Hall of Fame some day, but not on the first ballot.

Vladimir Guerrero - Vlad finished the season with 392 career HRs, 2100+ hits, 1268 RBIs and a .323 batting average - well on the way to the Hall of Fame, but probably a couple decent seasons from being a sure thing.

Curt Schilling - Schilling couldn't come back from injury in 2008. I expect that his career is over. With just 216 career wins, Curt isn't a lock for the Hall, though his 10-2, 2.23 ERA record in postseason starts won't hurt. I predict he'll get in, although probably not on the first ballot.

Gary Sheffield - After his worst offensive season since 1991 (and this as a DH), Sheffield will probably finish his career with 499 HRs, one short of the magic mark. He won't get a lot of points for being a nice guy either. My guess is that Sheffield will spend a long time on the Hall of Fame ballot, and like Jim Rice, finally get in.

Great careers, but need more milestones

Todd Helton - Helton had a rough 2008 that puts his Hall of Fame candidacy at risk. His batting average (.328) and OPS (1002) are terrific (though perhaps inflated by Coors Field), but his career totals (1900 hits, 310 HRs, 1100 RBIs) are a little thin for a 1B candidate. Helton needs to rebound or he'll fall into the "promising, but falling off" category.

Carlos Delgado - A great 2008 (particularly the second half) propels Delgado into the Hall of Fame discussion. He's hit 469 career HRs and has a 929 career OPS. Another good season would push Delgado over 500 HRs and make him a very viable candidate, though not a likely first-ballot inductee.

Once promising, but have fallen off lately

Nomar Garciaparra - Once on a clear HoF trajectory, Nomar is now hanging on to his career at just age 34. His current career stats make him a marginal HoF candidate, supported mostly by a .314 BA and 888 OPS for a shortstop. Like Don Mattingly, Nomar will probably stay on the ballot a long time, with his hopes eventually landing with the Veterans' Committee.

Andruw Jones - Andruw probably killed his HoF chances with a hideous 2008 season (.158 BA, 76 Ks in 209 AB). His career may even be over. Ten Gold Gloves and 377 HRs might get Jones past the 5% hurdle, but he won't ever be a Hall of Famer.

Scott Rolen - 2008 didn't revive Rolen's Hall of Fame prospects. Physical problems will end his career soon. At this point, he wouldn't survive the 5% threshold.

Jorge Posada - An injury-plagued 2008 reversed whatever momentum Posada generated after a great 2007.

Long careers but still not sure by any means

Omar Vizquel - Vizquel's career is probably over after a very weak season with the Giants at age 41. Eventually, even eleven Gold Gloves and 2600+ career hits will leave Omar on the outside looking in.

David Wells - Boomer's 239-157 career record will be considered by voters in 2013 and may propel him over the 5% threshold. His 4.14 career ERA will keep him out of the Hall for a long time - maybe forever.

Mike Mussina - Probably has the best shot to make it of the players on this list. He retired after the 2008 season with 270 career wins and .638 winning percentage. A 3.68 career ERA will hurt his chances, but I think he'll make it someday, though certainly not on the first ballot.

Miguel Tejada - Miguel has piled up some great offensive numbers for a SS (272 HR, 1900 hits), but has been touched by the steroid issue. He did not have a great 2008 and may be on a downslope at age 34.

Jason Giambi - Giambi had a nice comeback season in 2008 and has a job with the A's for 2009. He has 396 career HRs, but being a 1B/DH and being involved in the steroid issue, he'll have to get to 500 HRs to have any chance at the HoF.

Andy Pettitte - Andy's steady 14-year career may be nearing its end. Supporting his HoF candidacy - .629 winning percentage and 14 postseason wins. Working against him - just 215 career wins at a 3.89 ERA. His career resembles that of David Cone, who missed the 5% threshold this year.

Jose Mesa - Retired after 2007. 4.38 ERA - no chance.

Billy Wagner - Career in jeopardy after injury that will keep him out for 2009. Fabulous numbers thru 2008 - 385 saves, 2.40 ERA, 1.009 WHIP, 1066 Ks in 818 IP. That last figure might keep Wagner out - just 818 IP. Once he gets on the ballot, he'll stay there. I don't know if he'll make it. Bruce Sutter might the best comp - he made it after a long stay on the ballot.

Bobby Abreu - A good, steady player, but rarely a great one, Bobby has a lot of work to do to become a clear HoF candidate.

Luis Gonzalez - Gonzo was great in 2001, just good in his many other seasons. His best stat is doubles where is total of 596 is 15th all-time. He probably stays on the ballot, but ends up with the Veterans Committee and never getting in.

Edgar Renteria - Now an everyday SS for 13 years, Renteria has 2,070 career hits, but still doesn't feel like a HoFer (just five All-Stars, three Silver Sluggers and two Gold Gloves).

Johnny Damon - After 14 years, Damon has 2,270 hits and a .289 BA. Unless he can somehow hang on and reach 3,000 hits (at least five years work), Damon won't make the Hall.

Playing at H of F level but early in career - special category

Albert Pujols - Have played just eight seasons, Pujols wouldn't even make the ballot if his career ended early, but two more seasons even remotely like the previous eight will put the best right-handed hitter of the 21st century on a clear HoF track.

Ichiro Suzuki - The AL's version of Pujols (albeit a singles-hitting, rather than power-hitting machine), Ichiro probably needs more than two more good seasons to eventually make the HofF (though 2,200 hits and a .330 average might get the job done). At age 34, Ichiro should have four or so more seasons to put his candidacy on strong footing.

Decent foundations, but need many more good years

Troy Glaus - A 3B with excellent power numbers (300+ HR, almost 900 RBI), but weak in other areas (.256 BA, 1271 hits). He needs to play several more productive years to become a serious candidate.

Lance Berkman - In nine solid seasons, Berkman has amassed 1449 hits, 288 HRs and a 973 OPS. Another five good seasons will make Lance a viable candidate.

Carlos Beltran - In 10 seasons he's hit 250+ HRs and stolen 250+ bases, scored and driven in about 1000 runs, while establishing himself as a Gold Glove CF. Five more good years and a World Series ring would make Carlos a strong candidate.

David Ortiz - After five straight top five MVP seasons, Ortiz fell off badly in 2008. His career figures aren't that imposing. He probably doesn't have enough good seasons left to amass a HoF resume.

Johan Santana - 109 wins, .689 winning percentage, 1.102 WHIP at age 29. He'll need six great seasons to line up with Pedro Martinez and even more to become a sure Hall of Famer.

Roy Halladay - 131 wins, .665 winning percentage at age 31. Roy needs at least five more big seasons to get in the HoF discussion.

More interesting names and careers

Miguel Cabrera
Jimmy Rollins
Jose Reyes
David Wright
Joe Mauer
Chase Utley
Ryan Howard
Alfonso Soriano
Amaris Ramirez
Justin Morneau
Magglio Ordonez
Roy Oswalt
Carlos Zambrano
Francisco Rodriguez

Retired, ineligible and electable

Roger Clemens - assuming he stays retired, a candidate for 2013 induction. A lot could happen between now and then with The Rocket's various legal battles. Once a possible unanimous inductee, Clemens could end up in a McGwire-like limbo.

Greg Maddux - with 355 career wins and a scandal-free career, now-retired Maddux is sure thing for induction in 2014 and a strong candidate for unanimous support, though it's likely that some stickler will prevent this.

Craig Biggio - retired after 2007 season with 3,000+ career hits - eligible for induction in 2013. A likely first-ballot selection with no chance of being a unanimous selection.

Barry Bonds - wanted to play in 2008, but by all accounts should be considered retired after 2007. Despite an amazing career, the steroids issue leaves Bonds' election in 2013 in doubt.

Mike Piazza - likely first-ballot Hall of Famer in 2013 as the best hitting catcher of all time.

Roberto Alomar - eligible in 2010 - great career through age 33; retired by age 36 - still amassed 2700 hits, 1500 runs and 400 SBs. Not first ballot, but soon.

Rafael Palmeiro - eligible in 2011 (probably not electable given steroid revelations - otherwise an almost sure thing with 569 HR and 3,020 hits)

Jeff Bagwell - eligible in 2011 - career cut short by injury - still 449 HRs and 948 OPS with half of career home games played in Astrodome). Not first ballot, but eventually.

Larry Walker (will be hurt by Coors Field factor) - eligible in 2011. "Only" 2160 hits, but 965 OPS, good all-around player. Will spend a long time on the ballot.

Bernie Williams - eligible in 2012 - decent stats (.297 BA, 858 OPS, 2300 hits, 288 HRs) for a CF; great postseason hitter (22 HRs) with four WS rings. Stays on ballot, election unsure.

Edgar Martinez - eligible in 2010 - great hitter at peak of career; career totals (2247 hits, 309 HRs) would seem to fall short, especially for a DH. Will stay on ballot but eventually go to Veterans' Committee.

Fred McGriff - eligible in 2010 - just seven short of magic 500 HRs. Election possible but not assured.

Retired, eligible, electable and not in

Mark McGwire
Lee Smith
Bert Blyleven
Jack Morris
Dale Murphy
Andre Dawson
Dave Parker
Tim Raines

September 20 Update - I've made two changes. First, Jim Thome, hitter of 540 career home runs, moves from "needs more milestones" to "sure thing" as he continues to contribute (33 HRs 87 RBI) as DH of the NL Central-leading White Sox.

Also Jim Kaat moves off the list. He's in the hands of the Veterans' Committee now, along with Ron Santo, Vada Pinson and several other players who came close but never met the 75% threshold.

I'll consider other changes at the end of the regular season. Getting no help from 2008 season were Andruw Jones, Nomar Garciaparra, Scott Rolen and Dontrelle Willis. Veterans helping their prospects were Mike Mussina, Carlos Delgado, Chipper Jones and Lance Berkman. New to the watch list should be Miguel Cabrera and Troy Glaus.

January 18, 2008 Update - I added some notes at the bottom based on the recent Hall of Fame election for 2008 in which Rich "Goose" Gossage was elected. Congratulations to a very deserving inductee who dominated hitters as both a starter and workhorse reliever over his long career with nine different major league teams. (photo from art.com)

July 2007 - Here's a list to chew on - potential future baseball Hall of Famers that are still active. Let me know your thoughts. Who's miscategorized? Who did I miss? Who shouldn't be there at all? Why?

My source is www.baseball-reference.com. They track Bill James' Hall of Fame Monitor stat, which awards points for various season and career accomplishments.

Sure things if they stopped playing today (in order of "sure-thingedness")
Roger Clemens (#2 All-time pitcher in James' Hall of Fame Monitor stat) - moving down "sure-thingedness" list based on Mitchell Report allegations.
Greg Maddux
Ken Griffey, Jr.
Randy Johnson (#4 on same list)
Craig Biggio
Barry Bonds (would be higher except for steroid issue - #9 all-time position player)
Tom Glavine
John Smoltz
Trevor Hoffman

My first list ended here. After doing some research, I added these names (moving them up from the "don't need much more" group)

Mariano Riviera
Alex Rodriguez
Derek Jeter
Ivan Rodriguez
Manny Ramirez
Pedro Martinez (bad omission from my first list--forgot about him as an active player.)
Jim Thome (added 9/20/08)

Would be sure thing except for steroid issue
Sammy Sosa

Would be sure thing except for DH issue
Frank Thomas

Don't need much more, if anything:
Jeff Kent - not as strong a candidate as I thought, but I'm leaving him here as he's the all-time HR leader among 2B.
Vladimir Guerrero
Curt Schilling - great post-season record helps.

Great careers, but need more milestones
Gary Sheffield
Chipper Jones
Jim Thome - moved to "sure thing" 9/20/08
Todd Helton - moved up from promising but falling off

Once promising, but have fallen off lately
Nomar Garciaparra
Andruw Jones
Scott Rolen - not as good as I thought; would need a career rejuvenation to get there.

Long careers but still not sure by any means
Omar Vizquel
David Wells
Carlos Delgado
Jorge Posada - probably too far away statwise, but does have four rings and is hitting better than ever

Adding to this group

Mike Mussina
Miguel Tejada
Jason Giambi (probably not after steroid revelations)
Andy Pettitte
Jose Mesa (seems unlikely; Lee Smith needs to get in first)
Billy Wagner
Bobby Abreu
Luis Gonzalez

Playing at H of F level but early in career
Albert Pujols
Ichiro Suzuki

The above two need their own category. They've amassed HoF-worthy points in seven years. But they wouldn't make it they had a career ending injury tomorrow. Probably should move up to "more milestones" category.

Still too early to tell

Carlos Beltran
David Ortiz
Lance Berkman
Johan Santana
Roy Halladay
Jimmy Rollins
Jose Reyes
David Wright

I thought of some more names for this group

Joe Mauer
Chase Utley
Ryan Howard
Aramis Ramirez
Alfonso Soriano
Justin Morneau
Magglio Ordonez
Edgar Renteria
Johnny Damon
Roy Oswalt
Dontrelle Willis
Carlos Zambrano
Francisco Rodriguez

Two more categories

Retired, ineligible and electable

Roberto Alomar
Rickey Henderson - eligible in 2009.
Rafael Palmeiro (probably not electable given steroid revelations)
Jeff Bagwell
Larry Walker (will be hurt by Coors Field factor)
Bernie Williams
Edgar Martinez

Retired, eligible, electable and not in

Jim Rice - 71% of vote in 2008; 2009 is last year of eligibility for induction by writers.
Mark McGwire
Lee Smith
Goose Gossage - elected for induction in 2008.
Jim Kaat - 9/20/08 - now under Veterans' Committee consideration

Bert Blyleven
Dale Murphy
Andre Dawson
Dave Parker
Tim Raines - new to the ballot in 2008. Only player new to ballot to make 5% cut.

Holidays Costly on Louisiana's Highways

2009-01-08T14:00:00.001-06:00

January 8 Update - Highlights

2008/9 Holiday Period Costly on Louisiana's Highways - 22 Die in 12 Days

Statewide Traffic Fatality Rates Down In 2008 From 2007

South Bayou Roads Remain Most Deadly in Louisiana

Lack of Seat Belt Use And Alcohol-Impaired Driving Are Persistent Problems

Improving Own Driving Habits Is Best Way To Stay Alive

Twenty-two traffic fatalities resulting from twenty accidents during the recent 12-day Christmas and New Years holiday period saddened the season for many Louisianans. These figures are compiled from news releases of the Louisiana State Police and other law enforcement agencies around the state, and may not reflect all traffic fatalities that actually occurred in the state during this time.

Christmas weekend was particularly gruesome as eleven people died in ten wrecks in four days between December 24 and December 27, with a single wreck on I-10 near LaPlace on Christmas Day killing three people, including two small children.

During the New Year's holiday between December 31 and January 4, nine people were killed in eight wrecks. Two deaths occurred in the early hours of January 1.

For the year 2008, 547 traffic-related deaths were reported on Louisiana's highways. The comparable total for 2007 was 613. The 2008 total represents a 11% decrease from 2007. By Louisiana State Police Troop Areas, the totals are - Troop A (Baton Rouge Metro) 90; Troop B (New Orleans Metro) 40; Troop C (South Bayou) 62; Troop D (SW Louisiana) 29; Troop E (Central LA) 73; Troop F (NE Louisiana)52; Troop G (NW Louisiana) 50; Troop I (Acadiana) 78; Troop L (North Shore) 73. Traffic deaths reported by Baton Rouge PD, East Baton Rouge SO, Livingston Parish SO, Zachary PD, New Orleans PD (incomplete reporting), Jefferson Parish SO, Lafourche SO, Bossier City PD, Shreveport PD, Lafayette PD and Slidell PD totaling 40 are included in these figures. Reports from Alexandria, Lake Charles and Monroe law enforcement, and various small town law enforcement agencies throughout the state remain inaccessible on the Internet, so these totals necessarily are not all-inclusive of all traffic fatalities that occurred in Louisiana during 2008.

The South Bayou area, including Lafourche and Terrebonne Parishes, remains the most dangerous area of the state in terms of traffic fatality rates. The area reported 62 traffic deaths in 2008, up 11% in a year when fatalities reported around the state went down. Fatality rates based on both highway miles and population are more than twice the statewide averages. Similarly, the North Shore area had a bad 2008, with 73 traffic deaths, up 13% from the total reported in 2007, and above statewide average rates. Traffic fatalities declined in the metro Baton Rouge area, but remain above statewide average rates based on both highway miles and population. Significant declines were seen in SW Louisiana, Acadiana and the New Orleans Metro area, although the latter may be due to missing reporting by the New Orleans Police Department for most of 2008.

More complete reporting resulted in Northwest Louisiana's reported traffic deaths increasing by more than 250% to 50 in 2008. This increase implies that there were many traffic deaths in this area of the state that were not included in the 2007 figures, making the actual statewide decrease from year to year even greater.

May and June were the most costly months, with 55 and 68 traffic deaths reported, respectively. The fewest traffic deaths were reported in July and August, 29 in each month.

As has been highlighted many times in LSP news releases, lack of seat belt use and alcohol/narcotics-impairment are critical factors in fatal accidents. Out of 436 fatal accidents, 161 (37%) involved lack of seat belt use and 93 (21%) involved alcohol or drug use. Motorcyclists, ATV riders and bicyclists remain at high risk. 44 fatal accidents involved one of these kinds of vehicles. Pedestrians are no match for motorized vehicles. 40 fatal accidents killed at least one pedestrian. Large tractor trailers add danger to the road because of both their large size and their high fates of speed and long braking distances. 38 fatal accidents in Louisiana during 2008 involved an 18-wheeler. Driving habits also play a significant role. Speed was cited as a contributing factor in at least 22 fatal accidents. I suspect that the actual total is much higher, as so many 1-car accidents involve the vehicle "leaving the road for unknown reasons". Drivers often want to blame "the other guy" for bad driving, but more than half (58%) of reported fatal accidents involved just one vehicle. Improving one's own driving habits is the best way to reduce the likelihood of being involved in a fatal accident - wearing seat belts, driving unimpaired, slowing down, keeping safe following distance, watching out for pedestrians, obeying traffic signals, etc.

November 18 - Sorry for the long interruption between posts. The traffic death story on Louisiana's highways has not improved. In fact, November is shaping up to be the most deadly month since June.

Traffic deaths reported by the Louisiana State Police and various other law enforcement agencies around the state totalled 40 in both September and October, an increase of about 50% from the rate seen in July and August. The North Shore area was particularly dangerous in these two months, with 21 traffic fatalities reported. This area now ranks third in the state for traffic fatalities both by population and by mileage (it was fourth in both categories in 2007). Overall, the south Bayou area (Houma and Thibodaux and surroundings) remains the most dangerous in the state by both benchmarks.

In November, the Baton Rouge metro area and central Louisiana (Alexandria and surrounding parishes) have reported seven traffic deaths each. I'm particularly concerned about November in that 31 traffic fatalities have already been recorded in 17 days. This would project to 55 for the month without considering the extra traffic that can be expected over the Thanksgiving holiday.

Non-use of seat belts, alcohol-impaired driving, motorcyclists and pedestrians continue to stand out as key factors in traffic fatalities. If all drivers would drive only while sober, wear their seat belts, and watch closely for motorcyclists and pedestrians, many fatalities could be avoided. Motorcyclists could help their chances of surviving an accident by wearing a DOT-approved helmet.

September 11 - July and August's reported traffic deaths in Louisiana were at less than half the pace demonstrated in May and June. In July 28 people died in 26 accidents; in August 26 people died in 24 accidents. So far through 10 days of September, five people have died in five accidents. Perhaps Hurricane Gustav kept some people off the roads and made other stop at non-functioning traffic signals.

All fatal traffic accidents are tragically sad, but perhaps the saddest in August resulted in the death of Lafourche Parish sheriff's deputy Martha Woods Shareef, who was run over in a parking lot while responding to a reported burglary.

Troop A responded to the most costly accident in July when an out-of-control dump truck caused a wreck on I-12 in East Baton Rouge Parish that killed three innocent people, a father, mother and 7-year-old daughter. Another child, the family's four-year-old daughter, was critically injured as well as orphaned in the crash.

July 27 - Amazingly and depressingly, June was an even more deadly month on Louisiana's highways than was May. At least 68 people died in 59 fatal accidents.

This despite the Troop C area (southern Bayou) reducing its traffic death toll from 16 in May to 2 in June. The rest of the state more than made up the difference, with 15 deaths in Troop E's area (Alexandria area); 14 in Troop I's (Lafayette); 13 in Troop A's (Baton Rouge area - though most of these occurred in the rural parishes); 9 in Troop L's (Northshore); and 7 in Troop F (Monroe area). Troop G's area (Shreveport) recorded its first two traffic fatalities of the year in June.

Through 26 days, July looks considerably better with 18 fatalities resulting from 18 accidents. Speculation in Florida, where I've been for the last week, is that high gas prices are keeping people off the roads. I'm hoping that Louisiana's law enforcement officers and drivers responded to the record carnage of June with more patrols and safer driving in July.

June 3 - At least 53 people died on Louisiana's highways during May, by far the deadliest month so far in 2008. The total surpasses the previously monthly high of 38 set in March. A total of 43 accidents claimed the lives, of which eight resulted in multiple fatalities.

As noted previously, Louisiana State Police Troop C's jurisdiction, which includes Lafourche, Terrebonne and part of St. John Parish has been the most dangerous area of the state. Ten accidents there in May killed 16 people, including three juveniles. This death toll exceeded by 33% the previous record for an area in a month (Troop A with 12 in February). It also exceeded the death toll in the historically dangerous Troop C area for the rest of 2008.

If a serial killer were taking people out at such a pace in this predominantly rural area, the entire consciousness of the populace would be occupied in stopping the carnage.

May 14 - Killing or saddening mothers across the state, Mother's Day weekend resulted in 15 traffic fatalities on Louisiana's highways in ten separate accidents. Three other fatal accidents, each claiming a life, happened on Thursday, May 8.

The deathtrap under LSP Troop C's jurisdiction in south Louisiana (Lafourche and Terrebonne Parishes) snuffed out nine lives in six accidents over the weekend. Friday afternoon, a two-car wreck claimed the life of an 18-year-old woman. On Saturday, a collision between two motorcycles, driven by a man and his wife, killed the woman. Alcohol is suspected to be a contributing factor, and both riders were wearing novelty helmets rather than DOT-approved helmets. A second accident on Saturday, this one a head-on crash on treacherous LA 308 (site of four fatal accidents in Lafourche Parish in the last three weeks), killed a 32-year-old woman and two of her three children, ages 10 and 8. A 13-year-old daughter survived to face the horror of losing almost her entire family. The children were not wearing seat belts at the time of the crash. A Sunday one-car crash in Terrebone Parish killed a 23-year-old driver, who was also not wearing a seat belt. A head-on crash on LA 1 involving a diesel truck resulted in a fire that killed two men. A 22-year-old passenger was killed in one last wreck, this one on LA 57 near Ashland.

The Troop C area continues as the most dangerous section of the state. Per number of highway miles, the bayou area's fatality rate is more than three times the state average and more than 45 times the rate for safest area, that of Troop G in northwest Louisiana. Per population, the Troop C area's fatality rate is more than double the state average and more than 20 times that of Troop G.

In just the first 11 days of May, 22 people have been killed in 15 fatal accidents. As the desk sergeant used to say on Hill Street Blues, "Let's be careful out there!"

April 23 - It's been another couple of rough weeks for traffic fatalities on Louisiana's highways. Since April 7, fourteen people have been killed in fourteen incidents ranging from cars going off the road and flipping to a 30-year-old male rescue firefighter being killed while responding to a previous wreck. Another 19-year-old female victim survived a wreck only to be killed when her disabled vehicle was struck and knocked into her. If you are involved in a wreck please be extra careful while outside your vehicle at the accident scene. This may be hard to do in the trauma of the original accident, but could save your life as many drivers are travelling too fast to react to a unforeseen roadside situation.

April 8 Update - The last three weeks have been anything but quiet on Louisiana's highway. The wail you may have heard on Sunday came from nearby Prairieville, home of two teenage boys killed in an accident just after midnight on the I-10 service road at Picardy Ave in Baton Rouge. Their vehicle, a Mazda 626 entering the service road from Picardy toward I-10 South and home, was rear-ended by a speeding pickup driven by a 56-year old Georgia resident. The blood alcohol level of the pickup's driver was later measured at 0.128, well above Louisiana limit of 0.08 for DWI. Two boys, 13- and 15-year-old best friends, were taken with serious injuries from the crash site to a local hospital where they were later pronounced dead. Here's a link to the Baton Rouge Advocate's news story on the wreck and the victims. Perhaps now some attention will be paid to this dangerous stretch of road, which I've been concerned about since last year.

http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/17377194.html

Overall, April 6 was an ugly day on Louisiana's highways, as four people were killed in three wrecks. April's gotten off to a bad start with nine fatalities in seven days. For the year, I've counted 101 accidents causing 114 deaths. As hideous as all this sounds, with every fatality being a mind-numbing tragedy for family members and other loved ones of the victim, the pace of Louisiana traffic fatalities as reported by LSP and other large jurisdictions (BRPD, NOPD in particular) is down significantly from 2007. At the current pace, fewer than 450 people will die on Louisiana's highways under these jurisdicitions, compared to more than 600 in 2007. I hope the difference of more than 25% is due to safer driving rather than to spottier reporting.

March 17 Update - New Orleans and the surrounding area accounted for all the traffic fatalities in an otherwise blessedly quiet week. Between March 8 and 15, NOPD investigated three fatal accidents that each killed one person. On March 16, Troop B responded to a three-car wreck on I-10 near LaPlace that killed an 8-year-old girl and injured ten other people. In the rest of the state, no fatal accidents have been reported since March 8. The five-stay stretch between March 10 and 14 was the longest without a fatal accident statewide since I started following this subject last year.

March 6 Update - TFC Dardar of Troop C reports that they investigated 52 fatal accidents that resulted in 65 deaths in 2007. This is nine more than I counted based on Troop C news releases. The extra nine fatalities brings my state total for 2007 to 659.

2008 continues to be a very tough year in the Troop A's area--metro Baton Rouge. State Police have investigated accidents that have killed 21 people. Baton Rouge and Livingston Police Departments add three more for an overall total of 24.

Statewide, the Troop C area (Southeast Bayou - Terrebonne, Lafourche, Assumption Parishes and parts of St. James and St. John Parishes) has suffered 10 traffic fatalities thus far in 2008, maintaining its unenviable position as the most dangerous area of the state, on both deaths per highway mile and deaths per population basis. The Troop C area's rate of 0.43 fatalities /100 miles is more than three times the state average of 0.14. On a population basis, the Troop C area's rate of 0.38 fatalities per 10,000 population is twice as high as the state average. Close behind in both categories is metro-Baton Rouge (Troop A's jurisdiction) at 2.8 times the state average on a highway mile basis and 1.65 times the state average on a population basis. Troop F's area has logged 11 fatalities so far in 2008. Statewide, 82 people have been killed in 2008 traffic accidents, seemingly horrific, but a rate that would project to less than 500 for the whole year, at least 150 fewer than I counted for 2007. I can't say for sure if the decrease is due to better driving or holes in my recordkeeping--I pray the former.

February 24 Update - LSP reported seven traffic deaths on a hideous Friday, February 22. Five happened in Troop A's jurisdiction--three in one St. James Parish head-on collision. Just two hours earlier in Ascension Parish, a one-car accident killed a 51-year-old man. Another St. James crash resulted in the fifth fatality . Troop D responded to two separate single-car accidents in Beauregard Parish, each of which killed a 40-something male driver.

Traffic fatalities within the Troop A area (Baton Rouge and surrounding parishes) now total a depressing 20 for 2008, far more than any other area of Louisiana and 20% higher than 2007's deadly pace for the area. This despite increased patrolling along I-10 and and I-12 that has helped hold the death toll on these major thoroughfares in the Baton Rouge area to one. Fifteen of the 20 fatalities have occurred in the parishes surrounding Baton Rouge.

On a positive note, both Troop B and Troop G have yet to report their first fatality, though NOPD has responded to two inside the city. This trend continues NW Louisiana's state-leading performance of 2007, and represents a significant improvement in the New Orleans area traffic fatality rate, assuming there's not some reporting gap.

The vehicle pictured was involved in a fatal accident in St. Rose, LA on May 31, 2007 in which two teenage girls were killed. Remind your teenagers (and yourselves) to buckle up, to not drink and drive, and about the dangers of excessive speed.

February 1 Update - Troop A's public information officer told me that the Troop investigated 100 fatal accidents in 2007 that caused 112 deaths. This was 37 more deaths than I counted from the individual news releases. I plan to contact Troops B and C and ask for the same information.

I started a new spreadsheet for 2008. Through January, I counted 29 deaths in 25 accidents. The Baton Rouge area has been the most dangerous with Troop A investigating 7 fatalities and the Baton Rouge Police Department one more (an 8-year old boy).

Louisiana Traffic Fatalities 2008

LA State Police News Releases

January 18 Update - I continue to collect stats about 2007. This week I learned that Troop I hadn't posted news releases on their website for part of the year because of a computer malfunction. My records show Troop I responding to 29 fatal accidents that caused 33 deaths. The Troop I public affairs officer told me that the troop responded to 88 fatal accidents causing 100 deaths. The additional 67 deaths from Troop I brings my recorded total for 2007 to 613. This total may double count as many as seven Troop I-area deaths that I got from news reports.
Here's a link to the updated spreadsheet:

Louisiana Traffic Fatality Spreadsheet 2007

Please let me know if you can't see the spreadsheet by using this link. I'm not sure if I'm using Google Docs correctly to allow open access to this information.

The additional deaths reported by Troop I also changed the danger rankings of the various parts of the state. I calculated two statistics - deaths per 100 miles of roadway (taken from the Louisiana State Police website) and deaths per 10,000 population (from U.S. Census 2006 population estimates for Louisiana parishes). I combined local and state police jurisdictions where appropriate - I added Troop A and Baton Rouge Police Department fatality figures; Troop B and New Orleans and Slidell Police Departments figures ; and Troop G and Shreveport Police Department figures.

Based on road miles, Troop C's area (which I call the Southeast Bayou) is the most dangerous in the state. This area includes Terrebonne, Lafourche, Assumption and parts of St. John the Baptist and St. James Parishes. The area has only 2,322 miles of roads (by comparison, Troop F's area in NE Louisiana has over 10,000 miles of roads), but still suffered 56 traffic fatalities in 2007. Its fatality rate of 2.41 per 100 roadway miles was 134% above the statewide average of 1.03 and almost 11 times higher than the Troop G area's (NW Louisiana) rate of 0.22.

In descending order, the remaining areas' danger rates based on roadway miles are: Troop A (metro Baton Rouge) 1.75; Troop B (metro New Orleans) 1.57; Troop I (Acadiana) 1.25; Troop L (North Shore) 1.23; Troop E (Central LA) 0.97; Troop D (SW LA) 0.75; Troop F (NE LA) 0.53; Troop G (NW LA) 0.22.

The most dangerous area based on deaths per 10,000 population was Troop E's (Central LA) at 2.51. In descending order the other areas are Troop C (SE Bayou) 2.14; Troop I (Acadiana) 1.64; Troop F (NE LA) and Troop L (North Shore) at 1.63; SW LA at 1.44; Metro Baton Rouge at 1.38; Metro New Orleans at 0.86; and NW LA at 0.51.

By average ranking from most to least dangerous - SE Bayou; Acadiana/Central LA (tie); North Shore/Metro BR (tie); Metro NO; NE LA; SW LA; NW LA.

I plan to contact Public Affairs Officers for other LSP Troops to get updated stats for 2007. I'll update the averages and rankings based on any new information. I expect that Troops A, B, C, G and L will have 10-20% additional deaths to report, which would add 20 to 40 deaths to the overall total.

January 4 Update - The New Year's holiday period fulfilled its deadly potential as the Louisiana State Police reported seven fatalities in seven separate accidents between December 28 and January 1. December 27 proved even more dangerous as three people died in three incidents.

December 27 was a tough day for non-motorists. An 85-year old bicyclist was struck by a car and killed in Baton Rouge. On LA 12 in Calcasieu Parish, a 52-year old male pedestrian was struck and killed while walking along a dark road at night. The other fatality on December 27 occurred in Pointe Coupee parish in a 2-car wreck that killed a 26-year-old man.

Two people died in traffic accidents on December 28. A 65-year-old women not wearing a seat belt was killed on LA 478 in a one-car accident. Later the same day, a 20-year-old man was killed in a similar accident.

December 29 claimed three lives, the first two in Rapides Parish wrecks that occurred just 5 hours apart. At 3:39 a.m. a 21-year-old female passenger was killed in a wreck with an 18-wheeler. She was not wearing a seat belt. At 8:58 a.m. an 89-year old man was killed in a 1-car wreck. He too was not wearing a seat belt. A third one-car wreck at 11:00 in Folsom killed a 23-year-old when the car caught fire.

New Year's Day was deadly for two motorists. A 38-year-old female died in a Tangipahoa Parish accident on LA 1094. She was not wearing a seat belt. In Lafource Parish, a 2-car accident killed a 49-year-old woman.

A positive sign is that alcohol was not reported initially to be involved in any of the fatal wrecks. One wreck happened at 2:10 a.m. on New Year's Day.

Five of the seven victims were not wearing seat belts. Please wear yours. It could save your life.

December 28 Update - The Christmas holiday period is behind us and the even more dangerous New Year's weekend has just begun. Here are some traffic fatality stats from the Christmas weekend and a wish for a fatality-free New Year's celebration.

Between December 21 and December 25, the Louisiana State Police responded to six fatal accidents causing seven deaths. This is the same number of fatal accidents and traffic deaths reported during the recent 5-day Thanksgiving weekend period.

Troop A responded to a Christmas Day wreck in West Baton Rouge Parish at the intersection of LA 1 and LA 3237 where a 47-year old male died when his vehicle collided with an 18-wheeler. The victim was not wearing a seat belt.

Troop C responded to a two-car accident on LA 3235 in Galliano, LA on December 23. Again a car and 18-wheeler collided. Both driver and passenger in the car, 20 and 24-year-old males respectively, were killed. Neither was wearing a seat belt.

Troop E responded to two fatal accidents during the period. The first happened on December 21 in Natchitoches Parish. Two cars collided head-on. The 49-year-old female victim was not wearing a seat belt.

The second accident in Troop E's jurisdiction happened on Christmas Day in Sabine Parish on LA 175. A 16-year-old male driver died when his car went off the road and struck a tree. He was not wearing a seat belt.

Three other fatal accidents were responded to by Troop L. One on December 22 took place in St. Tammany Parish on LA 36. A 18-year-old male passenger was killed in a one-car wreck where the driver was cited for DUI and vehicular homicide.

On December 23 at twilight, a 60-year-old male bicyclist was struck and killed by a hit-and-run driver on US 11 in St. Tammany Parish.

And just an hour later, a 67-year-old male was killed in a 2-car accident on US 190 in Tangipahoa Parish. Alcohol was involved in this crash.

The already-upon-us New Year's weekend, which runs from today through Tuesday, January 1, is even more dangerous than Christmas because of the likelihood that people will be drinking and driving as they celebrate the end of 2007 and beginning of 2008. If you drink away from home, designate a sober driver or call a taxi to get home. If you don't have to leave home, just party there and stay off the roads. Look at the pyramid of hazard, particularly for those in south Louisiana. Overall, Louisiana is one of the most dangerous states to drive in; south Louisiana is by far the most dangerous half of the state. The overnight hours between 10 p.m. and 3 a.m. are the most dangerous. And more people will be drinking and driving than usual because of the holiday. Do you want to pit your life and your family's future against those odds? Party at home. Stay overnight at the party or at a hotel you can walk to. Invite your friends to party with you and to stay the night. If you have to go home, take a taxi or designate a sober driver. Wear your seat belt and be extra observant of the driving habits of others, particularly at intersections and around curves.

Have a Safe and Happy New Year's celebration and a great 2008!

December 10 Update - Using police records and news reports, I've been assembling a spreadsheet of traffic fatalities on Louisiana's highways in 2007. Through December 10, the count is a grisly 496, suffered in 439 wrecks involving 626 vehicles.

As bad as this sounds, it's almost certainly an undercount, given that more than 900 Louisiana motorists were killed in traffic accidents in 2006, a total that was exceeded at least the last three years.

I lack data from Louisiana's small cities and parish sheriff departments, which don't publish data or news releases on the Internet. I expect that fatalities investigated by these jurisdictions make up most or all of the difference.

Still, the available data for 2007 shows some interesting patterns. State Police Troop C's territory (Louisiana SE Bayou country - Terrebone, Lafourche and Assumption Parishes primarily) is the most dangerous in the state (39% worse than second place Troop A (East Baton Rouge and surroundings); and almost 13 times more dangerous than NW Louisiana. Troop B's area (metro New Orleans) is close behind in third place. All 24 hours of the day are dangerous, with the hours between midnight and 3 a.m. being most so, given the number of cars on the road. By 4 a.m. the drunks are off the road or already dead, and the morning drunks haven't emerged yet.

All of this piles on top of Louisiana being of the three most dangerous states in the country, with a fatality rate 50% above the national average. Please, please stay off the road in bayou country after midnight. But if you have to, don't drink and drive and do wear your seat belt. Thanks!

My neighbor is a motorcyclist. This sign in his yard offers good advice.

LSP - Holiday Weekend Traffic Deaths Hold at 7; I-10 Reopened

November 26 - There are two pieces of good news to report. First, the holiday weekend ended without any more traffic fatalities being reported by LSP, NOPD, BRPD or Shreveport Police Department. The five-day holiday period ended with seven traffic fatalities reported in these jurisdictions, in line with data I've collected for 2007, and below the 2005 and 2006 rates of more than two fatalities per day for the entire state. The 2007 figures continue a positive downward trend for the Thanksgiving holiday period. LSP reported 17 fatalities during the period in 2005, nine in 2006 and six this year. (The seventh for 2007 was reported by NOPD.)

The second good news story is that I-10 has reopened across the Louisiana after almost 50 miles were closed for 10 days due to a natural gas well fire. During this period, I-10 traffic was rerouted along I-49, US 190, LA 415 and I-110 to Baton Rouge and to US 90 to New Orleans. Although State Police responded to more than 100 accidents along these highways in the ten days, most were minor and none resulted in a fatality.

November 25 - I don't know how LSP troopers face responding to fatal car crashes. I have trouble enough typing about them.

Friday was an expensive day as three people died in two crashes. The first occurred in Grant Parish when a Mercury Grand Marquis went off US 165 into a small group of trees, killing the 93-year-old driver and his 88-year-old passenger. A second 81-year-old passenger received critical injuries. The 88-year-old was not wearing a seat belt. The Grant Parish Coroner is investigating the cause of death.

Late Friday evening a one-car crash killed a 29-year-old man in Franklin Parish. He ran off LA 471. The car overturned and caught fire. The victim was not wearing a seat belt.

This brings the total number of fatalities reported by LSP and NOPD over the holiday weekend so far to seven. No fatalities have been reported by BRPD. Reports from other Louisiana police jurisdictions are unavailable on line.

November 24 - LSP responded to one fatal crash on Thanksgiving Day. Troop L reported a one-car crash in St. Helena Parish at 10:40 p.m on Thursday that claimed the life of a 32-year old male. The driver was not wearing a seat belt. Alcohol impairment is suspected. Baton Rouge and New Orleans Police Departments did not report any traffic fatalities on Thanksgiving Day.

November 22 - During the first day of the extended Thanksgiving holiday weekend, the Louisiana State Police (LSP) responded to two fatal crashes. The New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) responded to one fatal crash.

The New Orleans crash happened at 8:00 a.m. Wednesday at North Broad and Thayer Streets. A 56-year-old driver left the roadway, struck a barrier and went into the Sewerage and Water Board's discharge pit.

The first accident reported by LSP happened at 2:37 p.m. on Wednesday in Franklin Parish (Troop F), where a 78-year-old man from Winn, LA died in a one-car accident on LA Highway 4. The driver ran off the road and struck a culvert. He was pronounced dead at Franklin Parish Medical Center.

The second happened in a similar accident at 9:32 pm in Livingston Parish, where Troop A reports that a 47-year-old man from Holden, LA died in a one-car accident on LA Highway 441. Again, the driver ran off the road and struck a culvert. He was not wearing a seat belt. Alcohol is suspected as a contributing factor. The driver was transported to Wood Hospital in Amite, LA, where he was later pronounced dead by the hospital staff.

So far there are no reports posted by LSP, NOPD or Baton Rouge Police Department of traffic deaths on Thanksgiving Day. Also on the good news side, there have been no reports of fatal accidents on US 190 between Opelousas and Baton Rouge, a section of road that has experienced an exceptionally level of traffic since the parallel segment of I-10 between Baton Rouge and Lafayette has been shut down for almost two weeks due to the explosion and repair of a natural gas well just 100 yards from the highway near Ramah, Louisiana.

Recent Reads - November 2008

2008-11-18T13:46:00.008-06:00

I've been busy reading during the last two months. Here are reviews I've posted on Amazon.com since mid-September.

Songs for the Butcher's Daughter

by Peter Manseau

Second Chances

Language, setting, history, religion and romance make Peter Manseau's new novel "Songs for the Butcher's Daughter" a natural for lovers of historical fiction. Playing himself as a recent college graduate with a not-very-marketable degree in ancient languages, Manseau takes a job sorting old Yiddish books. Sorting grows into reading and translating, and we enter the world of Itsik Malpesh, a Russian-born Yiddish poet, whose "Songs for the Butcher's Daughter" are written for a girl he's never met, but longs for as he grows.

At one level a story about language and words, Manseau describes the pull of Yiddish, Russian, Hebrew and English on Jews in their journey from the Old World of eastern Europe to new lives in American and Israel. He also does a great job of explaining the processes of putting words to paper - by the impoverished poet, and by printers in both Russia and New York.

Manseau also excels with setting, taking the reader from the industrial city of Kishinev to the port city of Odessa, and of course, on to America, primarily New York and to a lesser extent Baltimore and Boston. Part of the story takes place "off camera" in Jerusalem, but being that the book is a first-person account by either Manseau or Malpesh, we can only experience this setting third hand.

As for history, Manseau gives the reader a glimpse into key aspects of the Jewish experience in the first half of the twentieth century - life in eastern Europe, their relationship with Christians, emigration to and life in the US, and the Zionist movement.

Despite the essential "Jewishness" of the story, overt discussion of religion isn't a major aspect until the very end when the issue of fate vs. free will helps explain the actions of a major character.

I'll leave it for the reader to discover the role of romance in the story. The title offers a big clue.

The story requires an impressive number of coincidences to reach its endpoint, but given the frequent ghettoization of Jewish people and remembering that in fact, the story is a novel, they are easy to go along with.

Manseau weaves two narratives throughout - his own as he discovers and translates Malpesh's work, and Malpesh's story. He also provides some insight into the travails of translation - should the translator "crib" (a literal translation) or attempt to create a separate work of art in his own language.

Four-and-a-half stars rounded up to five for excellent customer service by Amazon Vine, who provided me with a second copy of this book free of charge when I reported having lost my first copy (it was later found at a grocery store, where they picked it up and put it on their sales shelf). I'm very happy I got a second chance to read "Songs for the Butcher's Daughter." Readers from age 10 to 100 will enjoy this book.

The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American Dust Bowl

by Timothy Egan

Choked Up

Hurricanes come and go along America's Atlantic and Gulf Coasts. Property and lives are destroyed, but often rebuilt. There's some comfort in knowing that indefatigable Mother Nature caused the damage.

But in the plains and panhandles of Nebraska, Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas, an unprecented and unyielding natural disaster, rooted in the uprooting of native grasses in the name of progress, blew dirt into peoples' lives for almost the full decade of the '30s, killing thousands, ruining countless businesses, and emptying towns. It came to be known as the Dust Bowl, and Timothy Egan's book "The Worst Hard Times" tells the story via the recollections of a few octa- and nonagenarians who were there and lived through it.

Egan's narratives built around these recollections are heartbreaking. I could only read two chapters at a time without getting choked up emotionally as the denizens of the area, living in sod houses coughed up dirt, buried young children who'd died of dust pneumonia, and lived lives of grueling poverty. The Irish potato famine is the only agricultural disaster that I've read about that could top it. When the grasshoppers come calling, another outcome of the destruction of an ecosystem, the effect becomes biblical.

Part two of the story which recounts the federal government's effort to alleviate the disaster, is necessarily less compelling. Egan brings the story back to a more personal level in the last few chapters by sharing the diary of a Nebraska farmer who struggles to maintain a life with his wife.

A broader aspect of the tale is the lesson about understanding the fragility of ecosystems and showing respect for natural habitats developed over thousands of years.

"The Worst Hard Time" ranks with "Isaak's Storm" about the 1900 hurricane that destroyed Galveson, TX, as the best history books I've read about American natural disasters. The involvement of people who lived to tell the tale makes Egan's book even more compelling. Highly recommended to all readers, although a little depressing for teenagers who aren't history buffs.

The Given Day

by Dennis Lehane

Lehane's Best

Lehane ventures successfully from his usual genre of crime fiction ("Gone Baby Gone" and other Patrick and Angie detective novels, "Mystic River" and the psychological novel "Shutter Island") to create a fascinating historical novel about life in his beloved Boston in the early 20th century. The narrative builds toward the Boston Police Strike of 1919, which took place at a time when the Red Scare which was gaining momentum following the recent Russian Revolution. Anyone organizing more than three people (including policemen) to do other than hold a patriotic parade was considered a potential enemy of the state. Aiden "Danny" Coughlin, a first-generation Irish-American and second-generation cop tries to become a plainclothes detective by taking undercover roles in both the worlds of police labor organization and dissidents (all of whom were considered potential terrorists). Eventually Danny "goes native" and becomes a pariah of sorts within his own family--his father is a Boston Police Department Captain, his brother Connor is an aspiring Assistant District Attorney.

Paralleling Danny's story is that of Luther Laurence, a 23-year-old African-American worker in Columbus, OH munitions factory, suddenly laid off to make way for returning white soldiers. Without real prospects in Columbus, Luther and his pregnant girlfriend Lila strike out for Tulsa, OK, where oil money has created an affluent black society in Greenwood alongside the white nouveau riche. Luther can't believe his good fortune, which doesn't last long, and the end of which propels him to Boston to join the story there.

As a bonus to the reader, Lehane weaves through both stories charming (and often vulgar) vignettes about the life of emerging baseball superstar Babe Ruth, in his last years with the Boston Red Sox during this time. The opening scenes recounting a pickup baseball game between a trainload of major leaguers and Laurence's industrial league team in Columbus would stand alone as one of the best baseball short stories I've read.

Ruth isn't the only historical character with a prominent role - theatrical producer and Red Sox owner Harry Frazee, held responsible by Sox fans for 87 years for the "Curse of Babe Ruth" appears to negotiate Ruth's way to New York; J. Edgar (then just John) Hoover appears as an ambitious young lawyer in the new Bureau of Investigation; Jack Reed and Eugene O'Neill are among the radical left; then Massachusetts governor and future U.S. President Calvin Coolidge plays a key role during the strike and ensuing riot. Historical events of the period are also featured - the Great Influenza of 1917 and the Molasses Tank Explosion of 1918, of which I wasn't aware, but which was a very big mess.

The Given Day was my most satisfying and exciting read of 2008. I blew through the 700 pages in less than two days as the book became my constant waking companion. Lehane's style born in detective stories keeps the action moving. The larger story resonates in the current day with the domestic surveillance and executive power given by the Patriot Act in the post-9/11 era occurring in the long shadow of the Red Scare. Lehane lays much of liberal Boston's ugly history bare--racism, classism, ethnicism, and sexism were all rampant in the early 20th century as groups worked to put as many people as possible below them on the power structure.

It is by far my favorite Lehane novel of the five or so I've read, comparing favorably with another of my favorites, "Paradise Alley" by Kevin Baker about the New York City draft riots of 1863, which it greatly resembles in scope and style. The book's timing and ending leave hope that Lehane might tackle a future novel about the infamous Tulsa race riots of 1921 in Greenwood, OK. Five enthusiastic stars, especially for lovers of historical fiction and of Boston. Although a bit long for a classroom assignment, "The Given Day" would also serve high school and college students of early 20th century history well, especially regarding labor struggles and the Red Scare. Fans of Lehane's other works may be expecting something different, but should still enjoy "The Given Day."

North River

by Pete Hamill

Forever's Missing Pieces Found in North River

In his followup to "Forever", a sprawling "magical history" of New York City, journalist/novelist Pete Hamill streamlines both scope and genre to produce "North River", a family story set in Depression-era New York. Dr. James Delaney, a general practitioner serving mostly indigent clients during a time where no one has money, unexpectedly takes on the new challenge of single fatherhood when his daughter Grace leaves his toddler grandson Carlito on the doorstep on the way to a worldwide search for her revolutionary husband. Delaney's efforts to raise his young charge, care for his patients, and negotiate his way among the mobster scene (he treats WW I war buddy and mob boss Eddie Corso in the opening scene) carry the story until immigrant housekeeper and child caretaker Rosa joins the household. Unlike "Forever", the story here is compact enough that to reveal more would be a spoiler.

Hamill also softens the punchy journalistic style he displayed in "Forever", achieving a much more lyrical feel to what is a human story rather than a vehicle to recount history. Still, I enjoyed that Hamill set this story in the 20th century, the one period he bypassed in "Forever", which otherwise spanned more than 250 years. Readers who balked at the suspension of disbelief (i.e. that a man could live forever if he held to a shaman's orders) required to accept "Forever", will appreciate the simple story that Hamill tells here.

My whole family - myself, my wife, my father and mother - read and enjoyed "North River". Sit by a fire for a few hours this winter and enjoy it yourself. Five stars.

Being Written

by William Consecu

Heard But Not Seen

In his debut novel, Consecu brings a new sense to the postmodern approach of bringing the reader into the writing process--that of sound, as character Daniel Fischer hears pencil being applied to paper by an off-camera novelist while Daniel lives his life. Will he be a minor character in someone else's story, or will he take charge and become the protagonist? Of course, he pushes for the latter, ultimately in a reckless manner that leaves the reader to predict the story's ending for him or herself. Daniel's group of artistic friends can seem inbred and confusing at times, but they sort themselves out well enough to allow for the climax. Daniel's challenge is a useful metaphor for all young people trying to make sense of their lives.

One scene from the pay-for-gay-sex world makes this one unsuitable for younger readers, though I'd make an exception for aspiring young writers so they can experience Conescu's unique approach. Otherwise, recommended for readers of literary fiction, particularly so for those with an interest in the writing process. Four stars.

Hunk City

by James Wilcox

Aging Baptists

Years ago my wife and I read with joy and laughter James Wilcox's wonderful "Modern Baptists", his first novel about the wacky denizens of Tula Springs, LA, a fictional town on the north shore of Lake Ponchartrain not far from us in Baton Rouge, LA. Several follow-ups later we're still waiting to feel that magic again as Burma Van Buren and her pals and enemies, some of whom she's either in love with, formerly married to or "bunnying" with at one point or another, deal with the curious local culture and with the world at large. The "hunk" of Hunk City is gay landscaper Hunter Schein, whose sexual orientation is a great disappointment to Burma. For whatever reason, she moons over the desultory Bobby Perkins, her former boss at the Sonny Boy, now Redd's Department Store. The plot and minor characters are predictably zany, but somehow the only real surprise is the appearance of a tooth flosser, a service that I've never considered contracting, but Wilcox to his credit has. If you haven't already, head for "Modern Baptists" to see how it all got started in Tula Springs. Three stars for an pleasant enough continuation of the saga.

Requiem, Mass.

by John Dufresne

Family Matters

Dufresne's memoir/autobiographical novel (with a good bit of imagination thrown in, as he liberally warns the reader along the way) tells the sadly hilarious story of teenage Johnny Boy and younger sister Audrey's fight to save their family and their own sanity along the way while growing up in ironically named Requiem, Mass. Because mother Frances thinks that the two children living in her house are fiendish doubles for her real children, planted by foreign spies or interstellar aliens, Johnny and Audrey must communicate with her by phone, where she'll accept their "real" voices. Father Rainy, the lyin' long-haul trucker, maintains multiple identities and multiple families during his cross-country journeys, unconcerned because he's only married to one of the women. The kids react by adopting their own family out of the collection of oddballs living above and below them in the apartment building, and in one especially clever move, inventing neighbors - the Sandilands - for whom they can "babysit" to get away from the craziness. You'll ache thinking about what Johnny has to deal with. Precocious Audrey and her cat Deluxe are charming and as such provide a good deal of comic relief for both Johnny and the reader, a debt he works hard to repay later in life. As you can imagine, coming from this childhood, Johnny's path to adulthood as a writer living in Florida (not unlike the author) isn't straightforward. Neither is Audrey's.

Dufresne has a great way with dialogue, even from such widely disparate locations as central Massachusetts and northeast Louisiana. The end of the story is startling, but maybe less so given that Johnny tells the story as it will happen three years in the future. Overall, Johnny's adventures as an adult are somewhat less compelling than the coming-of-age story. Still, lovers of well-written comic fiction will enjoy this book. Four and a half stars, rounded up to five for Dufresne's excellent writing.

The Gulag Archipelago, Volume 3

by Alexander Solzhenitsyn

Time's Top Non-Fiction Book of the 20th Century

This amazing volume chronicles Solzhenitsyn's years in a Siberian labor camp for political prisoners and later in exile, a limbo status, where the state's support of physical needs is withdrawn, but the prisoner's reentry into mainstream society isn't allowed because of his status as a former prisoner. The final section takes place after Stalin's death in 1953, when both those in power and in prison were trying to figure how what to do in the absence of the mastermind of the Soviet Union's system of internal terror.

Soltzhenitsyn describes with alternating wit, pain, sarcasm, challenge the life of a zek (this story is also presented in his much shorter "A Day in The Life of Ivan Denisovich", which in the years after the death of Joseph Stalin was actually accepted by the Soviet government for awhile). For awhile common criminals were mixed with politicals - their sentences were generally shorter than the "quarters" (25 years) given to the politicals, and they were useful to prison management as stoolies.

Often soldiers recently released from German prison camps were imprisoned for political offenses. After his release from political prison, Solzhenitsyn surreptitiously collected information from other former prisoners about conditions in other camps and about ethnic cleansing programs around the Soviet Union. Their tales are harrowing. Detainees in one camp actually managed to take it over from its local management, who showed sympathy to their plight. Upper level Soviet officials visited the camp for "negotiations", after which they "agreed" to meet all demands. You can guess what happened next.

The Soviet Union may have lost 20 million citizens in combat, but Stalin's program of political terror must have killed at least as many more.

Of any man who lived, Solzhenitsyn probably did the most to expose the brutal nature of the Soviet regime, particularly that of Joseph Stalin, who in the rest of the world enjoyed status as Papa Joe, leader of part of the Allied forces that defeated Nazi Germany. His efforts to publish the Gulag Archipelago were always in jeopardy. As such he never had the entire manuscript in one place, making of the great political documents of the 20th century that much more remarkable.

Despite its length (Volume 3 alone runs to about 600 pages in hardback) and grim subject matter, I found Gulag Archipelago relatively readable. Solzhenistyn's personal style - much is written like he was telling you the stories face to face. Five stars for all readers, if only to highlight the dangers of a totalitarian government that spies and imprisons its citizens for their political and religious beliefs in name of ideology.

Forced Out

by Stephen Frey

Of Hitters and Hitmen

The worlds of minor league baseball and major league gangsters collide in Stephen Frey's new mystery. Frey handles the baseball content well in his first literary trip to the diamond. The gangsters are appropriately cruel and ruthless, and in one case introspective.

The plot regarding a young New York City-born athlete engaged in his own witness protection program as a talented, but moody minor leaguer in south Florida rolls along, led by retired and disgraced former major league scout Jack Barrett.

Gangsters want to take out "the Kid", whose talent and fake name echo the great Mickey Mantle. Barrett wants to take him back to the Yankees and superstardom and in the process rescue his own career and retiree finances.

Less compelling are many side stories about Jack's daughter and her social life.

As you'd expect, there are plenty of casualties at the climax, including one that leads to an over-the-top ending.

Also be forewarned that you may read more about torture techniques, in particular waterboarding, than you want to. If I wasn't before (which I was), I'm really against this technique after reading about its application in the world of gangsters.

Three stars for decent baseball content and some slimy gangster moments. If Frey decides to stick with Jack Barrett as a continuing protagonist, I'll probably stay with James Lee Burke and his alky cop Dave Robicheaux.

Return of Soxtober

2008-10-02T02:13:00.002-06:00

The Red Sox win in Game One of the 2008 ALDS reminded me of 2007's Soxtober craze.

Here are the marketing tangents I developed around that theme.

1) When the Indians beat the Red Sox (or win the World Series in Cleveland) -- Jaketober!2) A similar Diamondback triumph -- Snaketober!
3) A repeat of Curt Schilling's 2004 heroics -- Hunt for Red Socktober
4) Birds rather than midges invade Jacobs Field -- Flocktober!
5) Most of what Tim McCarver says -- Crocktober
6) Celebrity-ridden game coverage -- Schlocktober
7) Jim Rome does guest commentary -- Smacktober!
8) Rockies rally from 2 down against Jose Valverde in extra innings - Shocktober!
9) FOX camera scans stands for Hugh Laurie - Doctober
10) Clarence Clemons plays National Anthem - Saxtober
11) Baseball, hot dogs, apple pie and you know who - Trucktober!
12) Diamondbacks' stadium name sponsor JP Morgan Chase says invest with your Stocktober!
And a few more -
A 12-inning night game in Phoenix, would have us watching the Clocktober
All players are warned not to scratch themselves in certain places on camera to avoid Jocktober
Or to spit on camera - Hocktober
Leonard Nimoy does play-by-play in Spocktober
With the Braves missing the playoffs for two straight years we've not seen Coxtober
If there's a controversy about where a batter stands relative to home plate it could be Boxtober
Well-dressed player wives could inspire Frocktober
A finger-painting contest for the little ones - Smocktober!
Nestles or Hershey would sponsor the MLB playoff tie-in Choctober!
A moving, albeit somewhat geographically misplaced tribute to Steve Irwin - Croctober.
Fall football recruit-signing fan event - Faxtober (sorry for lack of baseball content)
Too bad the Padres missed the postseason--their run could have been Blacktober
Team with most future Hall of Famers can celebrate (or the ADA can sponsor) - Plaquetober!
Baseball PR reps get together at the special event - Flacktober!
Hitters spray line drives at infielders - Flaktober
Green Bay is 4-1 as we play in Packtober.
Between-inning cup rearrangement contest - Stacktober!
O'Neal attends a game between basketball contests - Shaqtober!
Don Rickles joins Buck and McCarver - Yoktober!
Joan Rivers or Rosie O'Donnell do the same - Yaktober!
If the free-swinging D-Backs strike out too much to win - Hacktober
The star of "School of Rock" gets a FOX series and shows up at the ballpark - JackBlacktober
Needing no last name, Jack Nicholson's appearance is just Jacktober.
The combined offense of the Phillies and Cubs in the Division Series - Lacktober
Mark McGwire makes a surprise appearance to discuss his past steroid use - Mactober
Morganna's daughter races toward the third baseman - Racktober
Frito Lay's big MLB playoff campaign - Snacktober!
Enraged manager pulls up all the bases - Sacktober
A simulated game for injured Red Sox pitcher Tim Wakefield - Mocktober
A game full of singles - Knocktober
Oddsmaking experts promote their Locktober! pick.
I'm not sure how one of the networks restrained themselves from declaring There's Only One FOXtober!Or how TBS has avoided Franktober!

MLB - September 22 - Check Me Out at MyTeamRivals.com

2008-09-22T06:00:00.000-06:00

September 22 - I found a new outlet for my baseball commentary. Check out my new website, National Pastime.

http://myteamrivals.typepad.com/nationalpastime/

September 21 - What a night of celebration in Chicago - car door slamming and who knows what else after the Cubs clinched the NL Central title with a 5-4 win over the Cardinals on Saturday afternoon. The Cubs racked up five quick runs and then held on after a three-run homer by Troy Glaus cut the margin to one. This is the Cubs second consecutive NL Central title and third playoff spot in six years. Break up the Cubs!

Tampa Bay's first sellout crowd of the season enjoyed a celebration of their own as the Rays clinched their first-ever playoff spot. Their 7-2 win over the Twins assured the Rays of at least the AL wild card position. A 2-1/2 game lead over the Red Sox gives the Rays about a 90% chance of being AL East champions. All this with one of the lowest payrolls in MLB, and from a franchise with a previous season high of 70 wins. All praise and honor to the Rays! It will be easy to root for them in the AL playoffs, and maybe even the World Series, as long as the Phillies (and maybe the Cubs) aren't the opponents.

Not Quite 100% - It's too early to celebrate in Philadelphia, but more nights like Saturday will result in the Phillies' second straight post-season (coolstandings.com puts the Phillies overall chance of making the playoffs at 97.5%). The Phillies survived the Marlins by a nervewracking 3-2 score. Perhaps both offenses were exhausted after Friday's 14-8 slugfest. Hitters one through five for the Phils went 1-19 with 1 RBI and nine strikeouts. Fortunately, Shane Victorino and Greg Dobbs showed up and contributed a homer, double and Dobbs' game-winning RBI single. The Marlins chipped in with two errors to produce an unearned run. The Phils may have caught a break in the 7th, when the Marlins put runners on 2nd and 3rd with no outs. Jorge Cantu tried to score on a grounder to third, but was thrown out at the plate by Phils 3B Greg Dobbs on a very close play. The replay showed that Cantu may have pushed Carlos Ruiz' foot off the plate before Ruiz applied the tag, but the out call held. The rest of the Marlins offense was about as weak as the Phillies - 16 strikeouts, nine by starter Joe Blanton in five innings, and including all three outs recorded by Phillies closer Brad Lidge in his 39th save in as many chances.

When Your Pitcher is Your Best Hitter - The Mets had a strange game in Atlanta as future-Hall-of-Fame starter Pedro Martinez had a better game with the bat (double and 2 RBI) than he did pitching (4 ER in 6 IP, including a grim three-run first). The rest of the Mets offense never got started against any of four Braves pitchers, as the Braves won 4-2.

Coming Up - The two games flipped the NL East standings, giving the Phils a half-game lead with seven to play (eight for the Mets). Philadelphia continues its series in Florida later this afternoon - Jamie Moyer opposes Chris Volstad. The matchup may favor the Marlins and Volstad has pitched very well lately, while Moyer was hit hard by the Braves in his last start. The 21-year-old Volstad (he'll be 22 on Tuesday) started the season in Double A. Moyer, now 45, pitched in major league games for the Chicago Cubs in 1986, months before Volstad was born.

The Mets send Mike Pelfrey (13-10) against Braves' rookie James Parr. Through two innings, it's looking good for the Mets as they lead 4-1.

Becoming an increasingly peripheral story, the Milwaukee meltdown continued with a 4-3 loss to Cincinnati. They do lead the Reds 4-1 through four innings of the series finale today.

September 20 - Miami Heat Wilts Phils - I got a better night's sleep so I'm up during daylight hours watching the Ryder Cup and reviewing last night's baseball action.

While watching the Rays-Twins game on ESPN, I followed the Phils-Marlins, first on http://www.foxsports.com/mlb and then on http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/, which provided far superior coverage.

You'd think that in a game where they scored in five separate innings, hit three homers and scored eight runs, the Phils would have a chance to beat even the red-hot Marlins. Wrong! A five-run first and six-run fifth propelled the Fish to a relatively easy 14-8 win in Miami. After a brilliant complete game win against Milwaukee in his last start, Phils' starter Brett Myers gave up 10 earned runs in four-plus innings. After 17 pitches in the first inning, the Marlins had five hits and five runs. Despite the bad start, the Phillies were still in the game, even leading 6-5 after yet another homer (number 46 on the season) from Ryan Howard. But the Marlins replayed the first in their fifth, a six-run assault capped by a 3-run homer from backup shortstop Alfredo Amezaga. So much for getting a break with Hanley Ramirez out of the lineup. Late in the game the Marlins fielded a batter with a .900 batting average - rookie CF Cameron Maybin, who was 9-10 in his brief major league career to that point. An out dropped his average to .818. Still 4-1/2 games behind the Phils for the wild card with just eight games to play, the Marlins are a longshot for the post-season, but so were the Rockies last year.

New Leader - The Mets took care of business, beating the Braves 9-5 in a game that was close most of the way. A late double with two on broke a 5-5 tie. New York takes over first in NL East from the Phils by 1/2 game.

Battered - The Brewers continued their recent collapse with an embarrassing 11-2 loss to Cincinnati, in which the Reds hit seven home runs. Jeff Suppan and Manny Parra absorbed the battering. They trail the Phils by two games in the wild card standings. Oh yeah, the Brewers' elimination number vs. the Cubs in NL Central is one. The Brewers must win all their remaining games while the Cubs lose all theirs just to get to a one-game playoff. I don't even think the Rockies did that, though they did win a one-game playoff.

And Stretched? The Cubs' prospects of winning NL Central took a very small hit, but the confidence of one of their pitchers may have taken a large one as Carlos Zambrano followed his historic no-hitter with a 1.2 6 8 8 3 1 pitching line in the Cubs' 12-6 loss to the Cardinals. Maybe his tired rotator cuff needed another long rest. Zambrano was stretched beyond expectations by his no-hitter, from which he couldn't be removed based on pitch count. Cubs' fans will be watching Zambrano's next start anxiously.

Replay Reversal - ESPN's game had a lot of promise - two contending teams and my favorite analyst Orel Hershiser in the booth. The Rays quickly removed any suspense about the outcome with six runs in the first two innings vs. Twins' starter Nick Blackburn. Now 2-1/2 games back of the White Sox, Minnesota's hopes hinge on a three-game series with the Sox starting on Tuesday. Before then the Twins have to survive two more games with the Rays. The win put the Rays within one win of clinching at least a wild card spot in the playoffs. Cool.

The most dramatic moment in the game came with the score already 6-0 when Rays' slugger Carlos Pena hit a high drive to right field with two runners on. Seemingly headed toward the stands and a home run, the ball suddenly bounced back onto the field. The umpire with the call signaled ground rule double. From my comfy couch I cried, "Replay! Home run!" The new replay rule was developed exactly for this situation, to determine whether a ball cleared a barrier for a home run. The TV replay showed that the umpire's call was based on the belief that a fan reached into the field of play to deflect the ball back into play. My call was that the ball was already in the stands when the fan dropped it.

A few minutes in the replay room confirmed my view for the umpires. The crew chief emerged, circling his hand in the "home run" motion. This was the first on-field call reversed by the new replay system. The Rays scored two more runs and the fan watched the rest of the game from his seat, rather than being ejected for interfering for a ball in play.

Substance Over Style - The Red Sox kept pace with the Rays with a 4-3 win over the Blue Jays in a game played in retro uniforms. Arrayed in their blue popsicle knits, the Jays had to believe it's better to play good than look good.

Thome, Thome, Thome - The White Sox improved their prospects dramatically with a nice 9-4 win over Kansas City, breaking the Royals' 7-game winning streak. Jim Thome hit his 33rd HR of the season, number 540 of his remarkably productive career. Thome is 38 years old. Another season as a DH could put him in the all-time top ten for home runs, although Alex Rodriguez, with 553 homers, will probably beat him to the spot. Two more seasons would allow Thome to challenge Frank Robinson's total of 586, currently seventh on the all-time list. I probably need to advance Thome into "sure thing" status for the Hall of Fame.

http://dadlak.blogspot.com/2007/07/future-baseball-hall-of-famers-still.html

September 19 - Phils Enjoy Southern Hospitality - It's early Friday morning and I hope the sleeping pill hasn't sunk in too deeply.

There was plenty of action in both leagues yesterday to keep us awake. In the afternoon thriller, the Milwaukee Brewers were fewer than 2" from a 6-2, rubber-game win over the Cubs. But those 2" were the distance betweeen Brewers' LF Ryan Braun's glove and a Cubs' fly ball with two outs and no one on in the bottom of the ninth. Reputedly a reasonable fielder in LF, Braun got a poor jump on the sinking liner and watched it sail under his glove and skitter away for a double. A couple batters later, the Cubs had a run in and two runners on for rookie C Geovany Soto, who cemented his Rookie of the Year Award with a game-tying three run HR into the left-centerfield bleachers. A game seemingly won by Brewers is now tied at six.

Squandered chances summarize the 10th and 11th, most egregiously by the Brewers, who put runners on 2nd and 3rd with no outs and still couldn't score. Soto's attempt for two-sided hero button fell into Corey Hart's glove with two outs and two on in the 11th.

The Cubs got their big hit in the 12th, a single by Derrek Lee with men on second and third to get a great 7-6 win and cut their NL Central magic number to two. After a "routine" win yesterday, the Brewers got another skunky batch that may take days to wash off their palates. Ryan Braun moved from 3B to LF for defensive reasons. I wonder if new manager Dale Sveum will consider a late-inning defensive replacement. With a 4-run lead going into the bottom of the ninth, you're really not counting on your slugging left fielder to get another time at bat. The Phillies use this strategy with LF Pat "The Bat" Burrell; I'm not sure who is caddy is now that Jayson Werth as a regular gig in RF. Could be ageless So Taguchi, or a young OF off the 40-man roster.

Even though they're leading NL East, the Phils have to feel good about putting another game between themselves and the Brewers if it comes to that. The Phils won a spine-tingler Thursday night, 4-3 over the Braves. Amazingly this was the Phils' ninth straight win over the Braves in The Ted during the 2008 season. Without those nine wins, the Phils are a dreary 33-36 on the road.

Cole Hamels and Mike Hampton matched up in this one. The Phils started well with a 2-run first aided by an error. Ryan Howard drove in his MLB-leading 138th run with a single through the shift. The Braves quickly tied the game on recent acquisition Casey Kotchman's 1st NL homer. The game continued tied 2-2 until the top of the sixth when Pat Burrell ripped a long home run to left off Hampton. Hampton pitched through the seventh, giving up just two earned runs, an encouraging sign for a great athlete and competitor since he signed a long-term deal with the Braves several years ago. The Astros fan in me says he never should have left Houston, where the fans loved his small stature and big heart. It's good to see Mike pitching again. I wish him lots of luck now that the Phils are out of town.

The Phils gave back an unearned run on Jimmy Rollins' failure to catch a popup that was probably Pat Burrell's ball. Brad Lidge made the error moot with a strong 9th (2Ks, the last against league-leading hitter Chipper Jones to end the game) for his 38th save in 38 chances. Despite my preference for position players and starters over relievers, I have to say that the Phils got the better so far of last off-season's deal with the Astros. The 'Stros got young, speedy OF Michael Bourn (.225, 5 HR, 25 RBI, slew of SB). Lidge has posted 38 saves in 38 chances, and solidified the end of the bullpen so that relievers Chad Durbin, JC Romero and Ryan Madson have been able to settle into their roles. Assuming the Phils get there, let's hope that Lidge doesn't contract playoff fever. At least it seems that his nemesis (isn't he every pitcher's nemesis) Alberto Pujols won't be there.

I have less to say about the Mets 7-2 win over the Nationals, other than that a loss might have crushed their spirit. Johan Santana started for the Mets, pitched seven strong innings, and left the on-and-off bullpen with a lead they couldn't lose.

So the NL standings still find PHL over NYM by 1/2 game in NL East. The Cubs magic number over the Brewers is just two. The Crew is 1-1/2 games behind NYM for the wild card. Both lurking and streaking are the Florida Marlins, winners of eight straight, and now just 5 games back of the Mets. They have just 10 games left, but six of them are with the Phils (three this weekend in Miami) and Mets (three next weekend at Shea). With the same 80-72 record as the Marlins but heading in the other direction are the Astros, losers of five straight after their hurricane-caused exile from Houston to "neutral site" games with the Cubs in Milwaukee.

Oh yeah, my AL Rookie of Year candidate Evan Longoria of Tampa Bay bolstered his case with three HRs in an 11-8 loss to Minnesota. The Rays still lead the Red Sox by 1-1/2 games. Minnesota's big win pulled them to within 1-1/2 games of the White Sox, who got pounded 9-2 by the Yankees, as various Yankee hitters swing for special prizes (or maybe that next contract) in "the last week of Yankee Stadium." Sadly, ESPN is planning to follow this story ad nauseum on Sunday. At least the Yanks play the White Sox, who are contending.

September 17 - Rookies of Year - Back to this subject, which I blithely sluffed off during last week's update. Fifteen seconds of thought would have identified two great candidates - Tampa Bay 3B Evan Longoria in the AL (voted onto All-Star team by the fans as the last reserve), and Chicago C Geovany Soto in the NL (voted onto All-Star team as a starter). Both players have had decent second halves, although Longoria had a stint on the DL. I'm going with these guys, though here are some other names worthy of consideration.

I know that OF Jacoby Ellsbury has started most of the season for the Red Sox, and leads the AL in stolen bases. Twins SP Kevin Slowey is a possibility. He's 12-10 with a 3.66 ERA and two shutouts. He pitched 66 innings in 2007, so I'm not sure that he's a rookie. New York's Joba Chamberlain got a lot of attention and pitched 95 innings to a 4-3 record and 2.56 ERA before shutting down. A clearer role and more innings would have helped his cause. 23-year-old lefty John Danks has had a nice season with the White Sox with a 10-8 record and 3.32 ERA. I'm surprised to see him listed as a rookie in that he threw 139 IP in 2007.

In the NL, Cubs' OF Kosuke Fukudome, although 31-years-old and a veteran of many seasons in Japan, qualifies as a MLB rookie. His weak hitting in the second half (BA down to .261) will probably keep him from being named Rookie of the Year, despite being voted onto the All-Star starting lineup. In a similar situation is Dodger pitcher Hiroki Kuroda, who in his first MLB season after many years in Japan, is 9-10 with a 3.77 ERA; nice for a fourth starter, but probably not award-worthy.

September 17 - Deja Vu in NL East? Both the Phillies and Mets must have a sense of deja vu this morning as the NL East pennant race unfolds. Led by a late-inning triple and HR from streaky slugger (and more frequently mentioned as MVP candidate) Ryan Howard, the Phils pulled off a thrilling 8-7 win over the Braves in Atlanta, while the Mets pounded both their bats and psyches into the ground in a galling 1-0 loss to the last-place Nationals. The outcomes put the Phillies up by 1/2-game in NL East, a situation that must look eerily similar to the Mets' historic collapse in 2007.

The Mets can be comforted, I guess, in holding their own 1/2-game lead in the wild card standings over the slumping Brewers, who lost their fifth straight; this one to the Cubs 5-4. The Brewers' loss came in a game started by heretofore unbeatable CC Sabathia, and in interim manager Dale Sveum's first game at the tap (I decided that one couldn't be at the "helm" of Brewers). The Cubs' magic number to clinch NL Central is now just four, though I imagine the Brewers' focus on the standings has moved elsewhere.

Rare for him, but consistent with what's been a high-scoring series between the Phils and Braves this year, Phils' starter Jamie Moyer had a rough outing, giving up 6 ER in 5.2 IP (though the last three runs scored on hits off relievers Chad Durbin and Scott Eyre). The bullpen hung tough in the seventh and eighth so that Howard could both drive in and score a run with a triple just over LF Omar Infante's head in the seventh, and then give the Phils the lead in the eighth with a 2-run HR to left off Braves' left hander Mike Gonzalez. Brad Lidge got his 37th save in as many attempts in a "Wild Thing"-like ninth inning that featured three walks and a game-ending strikeout.

With the 4-5 game, Howard improved his batting average to a personal season-high .249. His HR and RBI totals of 45 and 137 both lead the majors by wide margins. After being passed over for the NL All-Star team despite leading the league in both HR and RBI, Howard may be more difficult to ignore in MVP balloting, especially if the Phils hold onto a playoff spot. Still, his second half has been a microcosm of the season - .186 BA between the All-Star break and late August; an OPS of about 1.500 since. Managers are going to soon stop throwing to Howard in game-critical situations. The Phillies would be well served if LF Pat "The Bat" Burrell could break out of his second half slump.

The Mets wasted a strong start from Mike Pelphrey (7 IP, 1 ER) by scratching out just four singles and a HBP off Nationals' starter Odalis Perez and two relievers. They put two runners on with one out in the eighth, but top-of-the-order hitters Jose Reyes and Ryan Church failed to produce the clutch hit.

The Brewers loss to the Cubs was more action-packed, but still a loss as the Chicagoans amassed just enough runs off ace CC Sabathia to hold on for the win. Conceding nothing, Cubs' manager Lou Piniella used five pitchers to secure the win. Alfonso Soriano hit his club-leading 29th HR. He's missed about 1/3 of the season with injuries. In a full campaign, Soriano would have 40 HRs and 100 RBIs out of the leadoff spot and be right in the middle of NL MVP speculation. My favorite player on the 2008 Cubs is utility star Mark DeRosa (pictured above). A former QB at the University of Pennsylvania, DeRosa has put together a career year offensively with 20 HRs, 96 runs, and an 854 OPS while playing significant time at four defensive positions (RF, LF, 2B, 3B). He's also played innings at 1B and SS. Aramis Ramirez's power figures might anoint him the "best player on the best team", but for overall play, I'd chose DeRosa as the Cubs' MVP.

In a post-firing interview, former Brewers' manager Ned Yost admitted that he "didn't have the answers". If you have the answers, you should probably send them to interim manager Dale Sveum.

Braves' pitching bright spot Jair Jurrgens (13-9, 3.62 ERA) starts Wednesday's game against the Phils. Charlie Manuel counters with rookie J.A. Happ (0-0, 5.71 ERA) to take Kyle Kendrick's spot in the rotation. Kendrick has been miserable in recent starts. Two rookies take the mound in the Mets-Nats game. Brandon Knight (0-0, 6.43 ERA) will make his fourth appearance and second start for the Mets. Shairon Martis (0-2, 2.70 ERA) starts for the Nats.

In Chicago, Ben Sheets (13-8, 2.97 ERA) will try to halt the Brewers' slide. Jason Marquis (10-8, 4.36 ERA) takes the hill for the Cubs.

September 15 - Astros Blown Away - I'm in the middle of watching a potentially remarkable game as the Cubs and Astros play their second of two games in Miller Park in Milwaukee. The series was relocated from Houston by Hurricane Ike. As you probably have heard, Cubs' pitcher Carlos Zambrano pitched a no-hitter last night (10 Ks, one BB, one HBP - see photo from Nicco DiNuzzo of the Chicago Tribune). Zambrano's no-hitter was the first by a Cub pitcher since 1972 and the first at a neutral site anywhere since 1900 (though the neutrality of the largely relocated Chicagoans could be debated). Through five more innings today, the Astros still don't have a hit in the series. Today's Cub starter is Ted Lilly. Back to the TV.

The unprecedented second straight no-hit attempt lasted one through the sixth, but infielder Mark Loretta finally broke it up in the seventh with a clean single to right. Just before this hit, pinch hitter Reggie Abercrombie hit a shot to third that ate up 3B Aramis Ramirez. My first impression was of a hit, but the scorer called an error, and probably rightfully so as Ramirez played the ball off to the side rather than getting in front of it. Cubs CF Jim Edmonds also maintained the suspense in the sixth with a diving catch. I was rooting for an Astro hit. It just seemed like too much for the team to be blown across the country to play two "home" games in front of hostile crowds, only to be no-hit in consecutive games for the first time in MLB history.

The Cubs "held on" to win 6-1, as the Astros managed just the one hit in the two-game series.

More from MLB - Surprisingly, today's big story from Milwaukee was not a potential second no-hitter, but rather the firing of Brewers' manager Ned Yost with just twelve games left in the season. A grim and forboding four-game sweep in Philadelphia, which reduced the Brewers' wild card lead from four games to zero, hit a little too close to the bone for Brewers' management, who watched Yost and his team lose a big late-season lead in 2007 and miss the playoffs. Longtime coach Dale Sveum takes over as Brewers' interim (I assume) manager. Fox Sports Ken Rosenthal had an interesting take on the situation, noting that the Brewers will likely lose both pitching aces CC Sabathia and Ben Sheets to free agency, and that despite having a young, talented nucleus (Ryan Braun, JJ Hardy, Prince Fielder), this team's best chance at a post-season run is probably right now. Desperate times call for desperate measures.

Using the Phillies sweep to deftly shift the focus to NL East, the boys from the City of Brotherly Love did it all to tie the Brewers and get back in the race with the Mets (1 game behind). They scored at least six in every game and gave up no more than three. In the third game they stormed back from 3-1 deficit to win 7-3 for Joe Blanton. Both unexpected and gratifying were great pitching performances by both Jamie Moyer and Brett Myers on three days rest. Myers pitched a complete game 2-hitter to close the series in the second game of a day-night doubleheader. Ryan Howard continued his slugging September ways. He now has a ML-leading 44 HRs and 133 RBI. The Mets could have a two-game lead, but their young bullpen let a 4-2 ninth inning lead turn into a 7-4 loss to the Braves. Still, the Mets have a slugging lineup (Wright, Delgado and Beltran all have 100 RBIs), Johan Santana and two games up in the loss column over the Phils. They still have to be considered the favorites.

In NL Central, the Cubs mini-sweep of the Astros, combined with the Brewers woes (3-11 in September), puts the Northsiders in great shape to win the division. Their magic number over the Brewers is just six with 14 games to play. A tough situation for the Astros and two losses in Milwaukee may have put the brakes on the hottest team in baseball (12 of 13 wins before Ike). They now trail the Phils and Brewers for the wild card by 2-1/2 games - well within range, but tougher with their spell apparently broken.

St. Louis and Florida remain on the fringes of the wild card race - 4-1/2 and 5-1/2 games back respectively. The Marlins are riding a five-game winning streak. The Cards are trying to break the same losing streak.

The Dodgers, now 4-1/2 ahead of the D-Backs, appear to have NL West under control, barring a not unprecedented 8-game losing streak. Still, the D-Backs might not have the offense to capitalize on one more Dodger slump. Giants starter Tim Lincecum remains one of the best stories of the season. The slight, 24-year-old righty pitched his first-ever complete game shutout (a four-hitter) in beating the Padres 7-0. He improved his W/L record to 17-3 and lowered his ERA to 2.43. Lincecum also leads the majors with 237 strikeouts. Arizona's prospects of catching the Dodgers will not be enhanced by facing Lincecum on Thursday night.

In the AL West , the Angels continue to play hard as they drive for the best record in the league. They lead the Rays by 2-1/2 games for this distinction, and extra home game it brings. The Rays and Red Sox battle for AL East supremacy in a three-game series starting in St. Petersburg tonight, with the Rays leading by one game (two in All Important Loss Column - as I saw this phrase written by a columnist). Scott Kazmir and Daisuke Matsuzaka pitch in the first game. The Red Sox magic number over the Twins for the wild card is just eight.

The White Sox lead the Twins by 1-1/2 games in AL Central. The Sox play in New York, while the Twins go to Cleveland this week.

September 12 - Rain, Rain Go Away - I don't know what the record is (maybe ESPN does), but six major league games were postponed tonite due to rain. Four in the Northeast (at New York (2), Baltimore and Philly) and Chicago (WS), likely due to vestiges of Hurricane Gustav. Cubs vs. Astros at Minute Maid Park in Houston, because of the arrival of Hurricane Ike in the area. Saturday's game between the two NL Central teams has also been postponed. Sunday's game is in limbo, with the best option presented so far being a doubleheader on otherwise open Monday and an if-needed make-up game on September 29. Having won 12 of their last 13, and dealing with the threat to their homes and families by the storm, the Astros couldn't have had a less opportune time for a hurricane to hit their home town. Still, many will have it worse, especially the "heroes" who stayed behind in Galveston, likely to be swamped by a 22 foot wall of water from storm surge.

In the few games that mattered, the LADs beat Colorado in Denver by 7-2. The Rockies reign as NL champ is very near its end, as the team has lost six straight and trails the Dodgers by 9-1/2 games with 14 to play. After losing eight in a row, the Dodgers have won 12 of 13 to take command of NL West. Arizona finally won a game, beating Cincy 3-2, but remain 3-1/2 back with just 16 to play. Across SoCal, the LAAsoA (lassos?) clinched the AL West on Thursday night by spanking the Yankees while the Rangers lost to the A's. Also on Friday, The Red Sox got a big win over Toronto, 7-0 behind the 8-inning, 3-hit pitching of Tim Wakefield, the AL's version of Jamie Moyer.

September 10 - Ray's Day - This was a good night for LAD fans. They beat SD 6-2, in SD no less. In San Francisco, the Giants blew a 4-2 lead in the top of the ninth, but scored a run in the bottom to beat the D-Backs 5-4. LAD now leads NL West by 2.5 games.

Elsewhere in the NL, the Astros are charging hard (winning 12 of 13) but their party may end soon. Much of their starting "rotation" for the next few days is either coming off injury or "to be announced". Still, they are only 4 games behind the Brewers for the wildcard and playing much better than the three teams ahead of them - Brewers, Phillies and Cards. Their offense was terrific last night in a 9-3 win over Pittsburgh. Batters 2 thru 5 went 11-17 with 8 runs scored and 6 RBI.

The Phils fell 2.5 back of the Mets by losing to the Marlins 10-8 while the Mets were beating the Nats by the same score. Philly couldn't dig all the way out of a 7-1 hole. The Mets came back from 7-5. Carlos Delgado hit two more HRs (4 in last two games). The Mets bullpen pitched 5.2 innings and gave up just one run.

In the AL, the Rays got a dramatic win over the Red Sox in Boston, scoring two runs off closer Jonathan Papelbon in the ninth to turn a 4-3 deficit into a 5-4 lead. Troy Percival held off the Sox in the bottom of the ninth to stretch the Rays lead in AL East back to 1-1/2 games. In AL Central, the red hot Blue Jays (winners of 10 in a row) beat the White Sox twice while Minnesota beat KC. The White Sox lead is down to one game.

The Yankees clobbered LAA 7-1 while the Rangers beat the Mariners, postponing any celebration in Anaheim for at least one more day.

September 8 - Once again, I apologize for the very long delay between updates. Last Monday, when I might have been posting an update, we received an unwelcome visit from Gustav, Hurricane Gustav, that is. The power came back on Sunday morning. So once again, here's a two-week update.

The 2008 Major League Baseball season is down to about 20 games. The list of contending teams grows shorter, but there are still some important questions about which teams will make the post-season and who they'll play. Let's do this league by league.

In the American League, the Angels, Rays and Red Sox look to be sure things for the post-season. The Angels magic number to close out the second-place Rangers and win the AL West is just three. Angels Manager Mike Scioscia will try to keep his team sharp, organize his pitching and watch the other races with interest, as they will determine the Angels' first-round opponent. The Rays and Red Sox are locked in a close race for the AL East crown with the Rays leading by 1-1/2 games. While the Rays lead in the standings, the Sox schedule looks much more favorable with 14 home games and just 6 road games. The Rays have the opposite schedule (14 on road and 7 at home). Both teams have played .700+ ball at home and sub-.500 on the road. The Rays have a chance to negate this advantage starting tonight in a three-game series with the Sox at Fenway Park. A couple of wins would really enhance their chances to win AL East. The return of All-Star 3B Evan Longoria should help. Boston comes to Tampa in a return series starting next Monday. It will take a Mets-like collapse or two to put either the Blue Jays (now third ahead of the Yankees after an 8-game winning streak) or the Yankees in the post-season.

I wavered on how the AL Central would shake out; first thinking that the return of Francisco Liriano would favor the Twins and then seeing how a preponderance of road games might hurt them. The latter has played out so far, as the Twins are now 2-1/2 games behind the White Sox, despite the Sox winning just four of their last ten games. Both teams have 10 road games left. The Sox have a tough immediate task, hosting the red-hot Blue Jays in a four-game series while the Twins host the Royals. If they can stay close, the Twins will have a last shot at the Sox in a three-game series in Minnesota during the last week of the season. An AL Central wild card slot is mathematically possible, but unlikely as the Twins trail the Red Sox by 6-1/2 games. Even the White Sox trail their Red brethren by four full games.

I now expect the AL post-season matchups to be Angels vs. Rays (wild card) and Red Sox vs. White Sox.

The National League offers more uncertainty about which teams will qualify, as close races exist in both NL East and NL West. I'll start with the NL Central, where the Cubs hold a four-game lead over the Brewers and seem like sure thing for the post-season, though a recent 3-7 stretch might give Brewer fans hope that they could still win the division. Worrisome for the Cubs has been Carlos Zambrano's tired arm, which caused him to miss a couple of starts. Buoyed by the amazing pitching of second-half rental CC Sabathia, who missed pitching a no-hitter because of his own poor fielding play, the Brewers trail the Cubs by four games and lead the Phillies by the same margin for the wild card. There's not much season left, but it's still not impossible for either the Cards or Astros to sneak in for the wild card. Winners of nine of their last ten to go nine games over .500, the Astros look like the more likely candidate. They have four games at home with lowly Pittsburgh this week, which could propel them closer to the playoff mix.

In NL East, the Mets and Phillies will battle for the crown and likely the lone playoff spot. In a just-completed three-game series in New York, both teams did the minimum they needed to do. Behind fabulous starts by Brett Myers (CG, 3H, 10K) and Jamie Moyer (7 IP, 2 H), the Phils won the first two games to pull within a game of the New Yorkers. The Mets rallied behind Johan Santana (7 IP, 2R) and Carlos Delgado (2 HRs) in the third game to maintain a 2-game margin. The season series between the two teams is over. The schedule favors the Mets who have boatloads of games with the NL East weak sisters, Atlanta and Washington. The Phillies have six games with the Marlins and a series with Brewers in their next two weeks of play.

Someone will win the NL West. The list of contenders still hasn't expanded beyond the Dodgers and Diamondbacks. A "where-did-that-come-from" eight-game winning streak (still alive) has launched the Dodgers into first place, 1-1/2 games ahead of the D-Backs. The "Blues", as my online friends call them, finished their season series with the D-Backs with a nifty three-game sweep in LA. The rest of the schedule is either good news or bad news for LAD, depending on how you look at it. The good news is that all their remaining games are against teams with sub-.500 records. The bad news is that the next 10 of these games are on the road, where the Dodgers have a grim 28-40 record. The Dodgers finish in San Francisco, where the Giants and their fans could salvage something from their lackluster season by knocking their arch-rivals out of the post-season. Games with the Rockies and Giants make up much of Arizona's remaining schedule. If their offense can rebound from a dismal weekend in LA (5 runs in 3 games), the D-Backs should be able to make a strong run. Worrisome for the D-Backs are Randy Johnson's sore shoulder that caused him to miss Sunday's start against the Dodgers, and recent poundings taken by staff ace Brandon Webb, which have ballooned his ERA to 3.41 and diminished his "sure-thing" status for the NL Cy Young Award. I suspect he's more concerned about getting his act together to carry his team into the playoffs.

My current NL playoff picks - Mets vs Brewers (wild card) and Cubs vs. (ahem) Dodgers.

It may be a little early to get into individual honors, but why should I leave myself out of a discussion that's raging elsewhere. For AL MVP, White Sox slugger Carlos Quentin knocked himself out of contention with a self-inflicted (accidental) injury. Roaring to the top of the field is Red Sox 2B Dustin Pedroia, who now leads the AL in batting at .330 with a ton of extra base hits. Pedroia is on the field and at the top of an otherwise variable Red Sox lineup every day. Teammate Kevin Youkilis is a personal favorite. His offensive statistics and durability compare favorably to Pedroia. Other contenders could be Tampa Bay slugger Carlos Pena (despite a low batting average), perennial contender Alex Rodriguez, Justin Morneau and Joe Mauer from the Twins, White Sox OF Jermaine Dye, Indians OF Grady Sizemore, and Ranger stat machines Josh Hamilton and Ian Kinsler.

For AL Cy Young, Indians' ace Cliff Lee stands pretty clear of the field with 21 wins and a league-leading 2.28 ERA (154 K, 28 BB and just 8 HR in 202 IP). Second choice would be Blue Jays ace Roy Halladay. Angels closer Francisco Rodriguez and his likely all-time record save total (currently three short at 54) will get some consideration, but great starters like Lee and Halladay should clearly be favored, having covered three times as many innings as K-Rod.

AL Rookie of Year will take some research. I'll get back to you next week.
AL Manager of Year will go to Rays' skipper Joe Maddon. I think the Twins' Ron Gardenhire deserves serious consideration for blending mediocre individual talents into a winning team. Still Maddon's "worst-to-first" performance with the downtrodden Rays will carry the day.

In the NL, the MVP field is somewhat smaller. The winner will come out of a group including Mets sluggers David Wright and Carlos Delgado, Phillies 2B Chase Utley, Braves 3B Chipper Jones, Cubs 3B Aramis Ramirez, Cards 1B Albert Pujols, and Astros 1B Lance Berkman. Manny Ramirez would be in there if he'd played the whole year in the NL. Wright will get dinged for clutch hitting (less than .240 with men in scoring position); Delgado for a slow start (hit below .240 for the first half); Jones for playing for a loser and missing time with injuries. This brings the field to Utley, A. Ramirez, Pujols and Berkman. Utley drops by the wayside for a sluggish second half. Berkman has been great all year and A. Ramirez is the "best player on the best team", but my choice is the incomparable Albert Pujols. In a year without a player who has truly carried his team to victory, Pujols leads the majors with a .466 OBP, .646 slugging percentage, and 1114 OPS (leads by almost 100 points), and has drawn 93 BB while striking out just 48 times. He is a wonderful fielder at first base. I saw a play this year where he fielded a grounder at first and threw the runner out at third on a force play. Few 1B would try that play and many would throw the ball into left field. Pujols also provides great leadership to a young, rebuilding team that had a very poor 2007 season after winning it all in 2006, another year in which he should have been MVP. The more I write, the more I like Albert Pujols as the 2008 NL MVP.

I think that the Giants' Tim Lincecum (15-3, 2.60 ERA, 216 K in 190 IP with only 10 HRs surrendered) should be a clear choice for NL Cy Young. Brandon Webb's 19 wins for Arizona will get some attention, but his ERA has soared recently to 3.44. Ryan Dempster with 15 wins and a sub-3.00 ERA will get some vote as the "best pitcher on the best team". Johan Santana might be the best pitcher in the league right now, but his slow start and low win total (just 13) will hurt his chances. Like Manny Ramirez, Brewers' ace CC Sabathia would be a strong candidate for the award if he'd played the whole year in the NL, but I don't think that split years qualify for league awards.

Again, NL Rookie of Year requires research. Check back next week.

NL Manager of the Year looks like an almost sure thing for Sweet Lou Piniella, who has Cubs' fans thinking about the team's first World Series appearance in 63 years.

Note - I missed one good MVP candidate from the NL - Florida's outrageously talented SS Hanley Ramirez. Ramirez is hitting .294 (OPS over 900) with 29 HRs and 108 runs. A strong case could have been made for him being the 2007 MVP as he outhit winner Jimmy Rollins by a wide margin while playing the same position. Ramirez's 2008 stats are behind his 2007 campaign, making it very unlikely that he'll be named the MVP.

In which dadlak makes up for lost time with a very long update, and with renewed hope for his favorite team.

August 25 - Welcome Back dadlak -Blogging the Olympics and seeking medical treatment didn't leave quite enough time for an MLB update last week. I'll try to get back on an at-least weekly schedule or more frequently if events warrant.

NL East - This close-to-my-heart division is at the front of my mind too today after I watched the Phillies exciting extra-inning win over the Dodgers on ESPN last night. After a miserable 2-5 West Coast road trip (which included a four-game sweep at Dodger Stadium), the Phils rebounded to take two-of-three from Washington and three in a row from Los Angeles at home. Their long-slumbering offense even showed signs of awakening by scoring 17 games in two games vs. LA. The Mets pulled out to a 2-1/2 game lead, but fell back to just 1/2 game ahead after losing two straight to the Astros. The bullpen has been a big issue for the New Yorkers since Billy Wagner went to the DL. The Mets and Manager Jerry Manuel has decided to go with the closer-by-committee model rather than searching the waiver wire for a replacement. Ominously for the Phils, Mets' ace Johan Santana seems to be rounding into multiple-Cy Young form. The Marlins are just three games over .500, and also just five games out of first. They could still be a factor, but seem to be heading in the wrong direction. The Nationals broke a 13-game losing streak, but still trail by 2-1/2 games behind the Mariners for the worst record in baseball. Their "worstness" is magnified by playing in the National League, which lost the Interleague series to the AL by a wide margin once again. On the first pass of this paragraph, I forgot about the Braves, maybe deservedly so for a team who've lost eight of their last ten to fall 15-1/2 games out of first.

NL Central - The Phils trip to Wrigley Field this weekend could result in a matchup of division leaders. The Cubs continue their excellent play and hold a 4-1/2 game lead over the surging Brewers, who look more and more like the NL wild card team. Brewers rent-a-pitcher CC Sabathia has been in Randy Johnson-like Cy Young form since moving over (8-0 with five complete games and 1.59 ERA in 10 starts). Converting reliever Ryan Dempster into a starter has proved to be a great move for the Cubs. Dempster has a 14-5 record and 2.92 ERA with a club-leading 149 strikeouts in 164 innings, outpitching more famous and better-paid teammate Carlos Zambrano (but not outhitting - Zambrano's OPS is 972 vs. Dempster's 382). Dempster has dropped a remarkable 16 successful sacrifice bunts, twice any other Cubs' player. The Cardinals are just 3-1/2 games out of the wild card. Surprisingly, the once offensively-challenged Cardinals now seem solid in that department with the amazing Albert Pujols and solid Ryan Ludwick and Troy Glaus scoring lots of runs. The pitching staff gave up eight to the meager Braves on Saturday, wasting a great game by Pujols (2 doubles and a home run). The Astros are trying to stay close enough to help Lance Berkman win the MVP award. As in most recent years, the Reds and Pirates are looking to next year. Both teams are more than 20 games out of first.

2008's version of 2007's NL East or 2006's NL Central is the NL West. The Diamondbacks, despite being just six games over .500, lead the Dodgers by three games. Arizona helped their offense by acquiring slugger Adam Dunn from the Reds. FOX studio baseball hostess Jeannie Zelasko (queen of the Fox's big-hair broadcasting crew) had a great pregame line about Joe Torre, how he's basking in the SoCal sunshine "and watching the waves of Hall of Famers roll in", the latter a reference to the Dodgers recent acquisitions of Manny Ramirez from the Red Sox and Greg Maddux from the Padres. Maddux had one good start in blue but then gave up seven runs to the Phillies, not an easy thing to do. In fact, another big, but highly unlikely, winning streak could even put the Rockies (now 10 under .500 and 8 games out of first) back in first (though I've been saying this for several weeks). With the rise of young pitching ace Tim Lincecum, the Giants are somewhat less boring, but still no threat in the pennant race. The Padres are inexplicably awful, sharing a 48-82 record with the almost equally disappointing Mariners.

AL East - The Tampa Bay Rays have to be the best "worst-to-first" story in baseball since the 1969 Miracle Mets. Their management ought to get some film of the Mets to help convince the Rays that they can go all the way. Pitching continues to carry the AL East leaders as nine AL teams have scored more runs, but only one, the Blue Jays, have allowed fewer runs than Tampa Bay's total of 515. Much of the charm of the story comes from the Rays (nee Devil Rays) previous 10-year history, during which they amassed a winning percentage under .400 (.399 to be exact), and a season-high victory total of just 70. They now have 79 wins in 2008. Injuries to Carl Crawford and Evan Longoria were supposed to be crippling, but the Rays have won 7 of their last 10 and hold a 4-1/2 game lead over the Red Sox. The Sox have injury problems of their own, as outfielder J.D. Drew recently joined their hobbled ranks. Their lineup on Sunday vs. Toronto included such offensive liablities as Jacoby Ellsbury, Jason Varitek, Alex Cora, and Coco Crisp along with rookie Jed Lowrie filling in for Mike Lowell, who's on the DL. Obviously, established hitters such as David Ortiz, Kevin Youkilis (who's emerging as a possible MVP candidate), Jason Bay, and Dustin Pedroia will have to be at top form for the Sox to make a run at the Rays, and to even hold on to the wild card over the Yankees and AL Central runnerup (either Twins or White Sox). Pitching ace Josh Beckett has also had some arm troubles. The situation with the Yankees will be clarified this week in a three-game series at Yankee Stadium, the last regular season games between the teams at The House That Ruth Built. The Blue Jays continue to have a frustrating season - streaks of competence, but not enough overall to get in contention in the tough AL East. They're three games over .500 and three games behind the Yankees in fourth. Even seven games below .500, the Orioles have far exceeded my expectations. DH Aubrey Huff has been the best in the AL at that position (925 OPS), and Nick Markakis, Brian Roberts and Luke Scott have all emerged as contributors. With a .402 OBP, Markakis is particularly exciting at just 24-years-old.

Two relatively anonymous teams (at least to me) are battling for the top spot in AL Central. Both the White Sox (currently up by 1/2 game) and the Twins play great on the home (winning 2 of 3 or better) and poorly on the road (sub-.500) and have a combination of familiar and unknown players. Best known for the Sox are OF Jermaine Dye, C A J Piersynzski, 3B Joe Crede (all holdovers from the 2005 world champions), DH Jim Thome, 1B Paul Konerko, and of course OF Ken Griffey, Jr., recently acquired from Cincinnati. Lesser known are OF Carlos Quentin, who will become much better known if he wins the AL MVP award, which he could do with 36 HRs, 99 RBIs and 975 OPS so far this year and SS Orlando Cabrera, who's not a great offensive player, but is a dependable major league shortstop who's played recently on several playoff teams, most notably the 2004 World Series champs in Boston. Cabrera is also well known by his banker, as he signed a $10 million per year contract with the Sox. CF Nick Swisher came over from the A's to fill the CF void left by Aaron Rowand's move to the NL. On the mound, rookie starters John Danks and Gavin Floyd have the best ERAs and W/L records. Veterans Javier Vasquez and Mark Buehrle have been good enough. Bobby Jenks has done terrific work as the Sox closer, with 26 saves and a 1.71 ERA in 46 appearances. For the more budget-conscious Twins, the known quantities are former MVP Justin Morneau at 1B, and All-Star Joe Mauer behind the plate. Manager Ron Gardenhire seems to do a great job juggling the rest of the roster as no one's stats really stand out, and only youngsters LF Delmon Young and CF Carlos Gomez, acquired from Tampa Bay and the Mets respectively, have played in at least 120 games, and them to OPS of only 730 and 639 respectively. Somehow it all adds up, as the Twins are fifth in the AL in runs scored, despite being 7th in OBP, 9th in Slugging and 13th in home runs. Pitchingwise, the best thing the Twins do is avoid walking opposing hitters. They're first in that category while being seventh in ERA. By far their most impressive pitcher is closer Joe Nathan, with an 0.98 ERA and 35 saves in 55 appearances. Slightly better than average has worked otherwise, as young starters Scott Baker and Kevin Slowey share the ERA lead among starters at 3.74 and Glen Perkins leads the team in wins with 11. None makes more than $425,000 for the season. Again, manager Gardenhire is doing a great job managing his talent. Only Boof Bonser has thrown a significant number of innings (just over 100) while posting a terrible ERA (6.22). The Twins hopes are buoyed by the comeback of young supertalent Francisco Liriano, who won 13 games in 2007 before being injured. Less promising is a long road trip in early September made necessary by the Republican National Convention. The Tigers have been among MLB's most disappointing teams this year, as talk of a superteam with the acquisition of Marlins Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis has been met with the walk of a team two games under .500 with the sixth ranked offense and ninth ranked pitching in the AL. Will management try again next year with this crew, or continue with the breakup that began with waiving Gary Sheffield and trading Pudge Rodriguez? The Indians have won seven in a row, but it's far too little and too late to get back to the playoff spot that they (and I) expected. They already jettisoned CC Sabathia and Casey Blake. 2007 postseason relief star Rafael Betancourt has been a disaster in 2008 (6+ ERA). It will be interesting to see which direction they go next year. As for the Royals, well, they're the Royals and apparently immune from ever contending.

Being a two-week report, this wrapup has gotten a little long, so I summarize the AL West. Angels, Angels, Angels - now by 17 games with Francisco Rodriguez just posting his 50th save. The Rangers' recent slump has jeopardized any hope that Josh Hamilton or Ian Kinsler had in the MVP voting. The As are boring. The Mariners are terrible, despite putting Ichiro on the field every game (counternote - Ichiro's 754 OPS isn't very imposing - he's been a singles-hitting machine this year - just 14 doubles, 6 triples and 5 homers among 171 hits, with a modest 45 walks in 130 games). Baseball stats guru Bill James noted years ago that singles hitters without high OBPs and no power are among baseball's most overrated players.

In which dadlak's report devolves into a serial injury report. Later, he revisits Randy Johnson's remarkable 2008 season.

August 10 - Ouch, That Hurts! The season is almost three-quarters complete, but only one division appears settled. With a 14-game lead and repeat successes against the Red Sox and Yankees, the Angels look like a sure thing in AL West and a favorite to reach the World Series. Tampa Bay continues to hold the lead in AL East (now 4.5 games over Boston), but 26 road games and an untested nature makes the Rays no more than an odds-on favorite to win AL East. Six games ahead of the Twins and 8.5 over the Yankees, the Rays look solid for at least a wildcard spot in the playoffs, barring a complete collapse.

In the National League, the East could be won by any of three teams, the division-leading Phils, the Mets, or the surprising Marlins, who continue to get enough homers and just enough pitching to stay in the race. The Cubs have what Billy Packer might call a "working margin" in the Central, four games over the Brewers, and six over the Cards. At 16 games over .500, the Brewers are in good shape for the wildcard, but if you check back to last year's post on this date, I didn't hold out much hope for the Phillies and Rockies, who both made the playoffs. The Diamondbacks manage to stay just over .500 and just ahead of the Dodgers.

AL East - With an 11-3 win over the Mariners, the division-leading Rays posted their 71st win of the season, a franchise record (previous best was 70 wins in 2004). The Rays also welcomed injured outfielder Rocco Baldelli (pictured above), a participant in many then-Devil Ray losses, back to their lineup. Baldelli takes Carl Crawford's place on the roster as Crawford went on the 15-day DL with a hand jury. Baldelli may be rusty--he's played just 35 games since the start of the 2007 season (none this year), and even missed 70 games of the 2006 season. In that season, his best statistically of four major league seasons, Baldelli was a swing-and-a-miss guy, walking just 14 times against 70 strikeouts in 364 at-bats. Overall, Baldelli hit .302 in 2006 with an OPS of 872, but this is by far his best production. His return is a nice emotional story, but I doubt it will help the Rays much in their playoff quest. The Red Sox sent veteran knuckleballer Tim Wakefield to the 15-day DL; no indication that Curt Schilling is ready to take his place on the roster. In fact, the Sox injury report lists Schilling as out for the season. David Ortiz recently came off the DL, but hasn't contributed much, particularly since teammate Manny Ramirez went to the Dodgers. Since the trade, Ortiz is 3-for-28 with seven strikeouts and just five walks, as opposing pitchers seem comfortable pitching to him. The Yankees also put a starting pitcher on the DL as Joba Chamberlain went out with rotator cuff tendinitis. The Yankees will be hard-pressed to make up their standing without Chamberlain either starting or setting up. Yankee starters Chien-Ming Wang and Carl Pavano are also on the DL. According to Yankee manager Joe Girardi, Wang isn't expected back this season. Wang suffered a foot tendon injury while running the bases in an interleague game. Pavano, whom the Yankees snatched up at $11 million per season after an 18-8 season with the Marlins in 2004, has pitched just 111 innings in pinstripes in the last four years. He did pitch 3.2 scoreless innings in a rehab start with Trenton on August 8. A healthy Pavano pitching the Yankees into the playoffs would be a wonderful story, but probably needs a good fiction writer to make it happen.

The White Sox and Twins have been swapping first and second in AL Central. On Sunday the Sox nipped the Red Sox 6-5 while the Twins lost 5-4 in 12 innings to the Royals to put the Sox up by a slim half-game. Both teams have been great at home, but lackluster on the road. The return of Twins' starter Francisco Liriano could put them over the top. Liriano was almost unhittable in 2007 (12-3, 2.16 ERA) before being sidelined by injury. In his first two starts coming back from an April injury, Liriano is 2-0 with a 2.23 ERA. Tigers are no worse off than the Rockies were last year at this time, but they haven't developed any traction, losing seven of their last ten games.

Setting up their rotation for the postseason and staying healthy are the main challenges for the Angels, who lead the Rangers by 14 games in AL West. The Angels showed some vulnerability in a hideous 14-9 loss to the Yankees in which they made four errors (three in a six-run eighth inning that gave the game back to the Yankees after new 1B Mark Teixiera had given them a 9-8 lead with a grand slam home run). The Angels beat the Yankees in the other two games of the series in New York and swept a three-game series in Anaheim this weekend, one that ended when Mariano Rivera surrendered a game-ending single to Chone Figgins.

I started with the AL this week because of a discussion on another site, but my heart is still in the NL with the East-leading Phillies, who enjoy a two-game margin over the Mets despite a 23-inning scoreless streak in midweek. A 3-0 blanking by the Marlins was followed by a 12-inning 2-0 loss to the Pirates. Once the Phils started scoring again, they beat Pittsburgh 4-2 and 6-3 to solidify their division lead. Hopefully, the offense will stay energized as the team heads out for a seven-game West Coast road trip. News on the pitching front was mixed. Brett Myers turned in another strong outing on Saturday, but Brad Lidge was unavailable on Sunday due to a "sluggish shoulder". Tom Gordon also appears to be done for the season, as he considers "Tommy John" surgery on his 40-year-old pitching elbow. The Mets have stayed close despite having 13 players, including closer Billy Wagner and starting pitcher John Maine, on the DL. The Braves take second to no one for pitching injuries, having lost future Hall of Famer John Smoltz and staff ace Tim Hudson for the season along with Tom Glavine and reliever Rafael Soriano for lengthy periods.

In NL Central, the Cubs hold a four-game lead over the Brewers despite playing without closer Kerry Wood (first a blister, then a sore back) on a day-to-day basis. Staff ace Carlos Zambrano got blasted in a 12-3 loss to the Cards, but the team recovered behind Ryan Dempster to beat the Cards 6-2 and take the three-game series. The Brewers remain within sight of the Cubs and in good shape for the wildcard, despite a dugout shoving match between star 1B Prince Fielder and starting pitcher Matt Parra. Fielder later apologized for his role in the fight. The Astros lost NL RBI leader Carlos Lee to a season-ending injury, but pulled within a game of .500. At 12-1/2 games behind the Cubs and 8-1/2 out of the wild card, the Astros remain a very long shot to replay their late-season rush to playoffs of 2005 (or was it 2004?)

What can you say about NL West? Any team that stays above .500 has a great chance to win it. Today, that team is Arizona at 60-58. Like the Tigers in the AL, the Rockies can't get it together enough to threaten. They lost 16-7 to the light-hitting, last-place Padres. Diamondback's future Hall of Famer Randy Johnson probably won't get to 300 career wins this year (he has 293 as I write this), but his last six starts have resulted in a 5-1 record and sub 1.50 ERA with 32 Ks and just two walks. This from a guy who will turn 45 on September 10. He could get as many as 11 more starts - seven wins would make history and likely put the D-Backs in the postseason.

August 1 - Trade Talk - On my usual publication dates I was beating my head against the proverbial wall at the National Scrabble Championship. Four days and a 10-18 record later I'm back at the keyboard with another MLB update.

With a deadline of July 31, trades dominated baseball news the last few days, even ahead of some head-to-head series involving apparently playoff-bound teams. For the first time in history two players with 500-plus career homers were traded at the midseason deadline. For the umpteenth time, Manny Ramirez of the Red Sox had been lobbying for a trade, going so far as to display a hand-lettered "Manny for Favre, Straight Up" sign from the Sox dugout. This time, with just two months left on his seven-year contract, he got one. Ramirez landed with the Los Angeles Dodgers in a three-way deal that also involved the Pirates. As a replacement for Ramirez, the Sox got outfielder Jason Bay from the Pirates. The Pirates picked up four prospects - two each from both the Dodgers and Red Sox. With the Dodgers, Ramirez is reunited with former Sox teammates Nomar Garciaparra and Derek Lowe. He went 2-4 in his first game as a Dodger, a typical 2-1 loss to Randy Johnson and the D-Backs (second consecutive loss to Arizona by that score).

The Cincinnati Reds moved Ken Griffey, Jr. and his 608 lifetime homers along to the AL Central-leading Chicago White Sox, where he will play center field. Junior played right field for most of this stint with the Reds. Griffey joins aging sluggers Jim Thome and Paul Konerko on the White Sox. I don't quite get this deal, but it does give Chicago another fairly potent left-handed bat either in the lineup or off the bench. With a relatively old team, the White Sox have to play to win now. Junior's debut with Chicago was more satisfying than Manny's as he drove in two runs in a 4-2 win over KC.

Other prominent relocations saw the Yankees instigate three moves, trading for Pirate OF Xavier Nady and for future Hall of Fame catcher Pudge Rodriguez of the Tigers (to replace injured Jorge Posada), and picking up released Mariner 1B Richie Sexson. Most ominously, the Braves traded 1B Mark Teixiera to the Angels for 1B Casey Kotchmann and prospects. Even before this last trade, the Angels were playing like the best team in baseball. Teixiera will become a free agent after this season. It's clear that the Angels plan to make a strong run to keep him. Essentially out of the pennant race, the Braves decided to get a major leaguer in return, rather than the two draft picks they would have gotten when Teixiera left as a free agent after the season. I was surprised that the Angels would risk their team chemistry for a possible two-month player rental.

Going back to the divisions, the Phils reeled off a five-game winning streak to reestablish a slim one-game lead in NL East. The Mets, who made no deals at the deadline, are second. The Marlins, rumored to be pursuing Ramirez, but standing pat in the end, are third just 1-1/2 games back. The Phils' bats overcame some shoddy pitching against the Braves (Atlanta scored 8, 10 and 9 in the three games) to win two of three. Everything came together well in a three-game sweep of the lowly Nationals.

In NL Central, the Cubs made their opening argument for the division title, sweeping the heretofore hot second-place Brewers in a four-games series in Milwaukee. The sweep, enjoyed by many Cubs' fans who made the short trip north, pushed the Cubs' lead out to five games. As I write this the lead stands at four games over both the Brewers and Cardinals. Oft-injured OF Alfonso Soriano is back in the Cubs lineup and hitting well. Even having closer Kerry Wood on the DL hasn't slowed down Chicago in their quest for their first World Series in 63 years and their first World Championship in 100 years. As they move cloer I expect ESPN will track down Steve Bartman, who foiled the Cubs last chance for the Series in 2003 when he interfered with a foul pop in the Cubs' NLCS loss to the Florida Marlins.

Arizona led the NL West with a sub-.500 record for awhile, but an 8-2 stretch pulled the D-Backs to a semi-respectable 57-52 record and a three-game lead over the Dodgers. The futility of the division leaders probably kept Matt Holliday in Colorado as the Rockies trail Arizona by just eight games despite a 19-39 road record. As the trade deadline approached, there was lots of speculation that Holliday's big bat would be moving, but he remains a Rockie. SS Troy Tulowitzki rejoined the Rockie lineup from the DL. Colorado will probably need another streak like last year when they won 14 of 15 games to end the regular season to get back in the playoffs.

In AL East, the Red Sox look like less of a sure thing as the season goes on. They are three games behind divison-leading Tampa Bay and just 2-1/2 games ahead of the Yankees. The Rays continue to apply their formula of good pitching and defense and just enough hitting. For the Sox, Manny Ramirez may have been a distraction and unreliable (at least according to his teammates, who were interviewed by management on a one-on-one basis before the Dodger deal was made), but they may miss his formidable bat and knowledge of the Green Monster. Josh Beckett's ERA has crept above four, and the Sox start many games with at least three "out men" in their lineup - slumping catcher Jason Varitek, light-hitting OF Coco Crisp and rookie SS Jed Lowrie (though he is hitting .280). OF Jacoby Ellsbury has also seen his average slump below .260 with an OPS of just 677 (he does have 35 steals in 42 attempts). Starting pitcher Joba Chamberlain has settled nicely into his role as the Yankees number three starter. The rotation falls off a cliff after Pettite, Mussina and Chamberlain as the Yanks had to hire Sidney Ponson, persona non grata in most MLB clubhouses, to make some starts. Offensively, the Yanks miss DH/LF Hideki Matsui, but did add Xavier Nady to fill the gap. Alex Rodriguez is quietly having another fine season (.323 BA and 1007 OPS) and with a strong August/September that pushes the Yankees into the playoffs could still contend for another his fourth MVP award.

The White Sox lead the Twins by the slimmest possible margin of 1/2 game in AL Central. Slugging OF Carlos Quentin, who had a terrible 2007 (.214 BA 647 OPS) in 229 AB with Arizona, has to be in the MVP discussion with 28 HRs, 83 RBIs and a 934 OPS in 2008. Veteran OF running mate Jermaine Dye has quietly put together a similar season (25 HRs, 67 RBIs, 936 OPS). The Twins tightened this division by winning three of four in a midweek series with the Sox in Minnesota. I'll have more on the Twins next week, assuming they don't collapse.

The Angels (now a gaudy 69-40) and the Rangers offensive stars (Josh Hamilton and Ian Kinsler) are the only stories left in AL West, which the Halos lead by an imposing 12.5 games. Key for LA has been their now amazing 39-19 record on the road. They won all ways in the past week, 12-6 over the Red Sox using three three-run homers, and 1-0 over the Yankees, combining a 5-hitter by Ervin Santana with Francisco Rodriguez's 45th save. I suspect that K-Rod will be able to both break the MLB save record of 57 and rest for the playoffs.

In which dadlak investigates the disappearance of the Phillies recent four-and-a-half game lead and analyzes the anonymous brilliance of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

July 20 - He Talks About Angels -My first baseball post in almost a month comes in two parts. I'm about through with the All-Star Game; I'll add more if I think of anything else.

In the NL East, the Phillies somewhat comfortable 4.5 game lead is now gone, all gone. Though the Phils righted the ship somewhat after losing six straight, the Mets went on a 10-game winning streak. Now both teams have 53-46 records; the Marlins are biting near the surface at 52-46 after winning two of three from the Phils in Florida.

Good news for the Phils is the resurgent bat of slugger Ryan Howard, who now leads the NL in both HR and RBI. Despite the good power numbers, Howard was passed over for the All-Star team, a rare omission of the HR/RBI leader from the roster, but based on his .230 batting average and almost 130 strikeouts. Still, runs have been hard to come by for the Phils, and opponents' run have been sometimes hard to stop. After suffering with Adam Eaton give up eight earned runs in consecutive starts, the Phils reacted by trading for A's righthander Joe Blanton, only 5-12 this year, but coming off a 15-win season with a sub-4.00 ERA in 2007. Blanton will be thrown directly into the fire against the Mets on Tuesday.

In NL Central the Cubs continue to lead the Cards and Brewers, though not by much; the Brewers are just 3.5 games back in third. Milwaukee made two trades--the huge acquisition of Indians ace and reigning Cy Young winner CC Sabathia, and a lesser move to get 2B Ray Durham from the Giants. Sabathia moves into their rotation right behind Ben Sheets; Durham should get significant playing time as cant-miss prospect Rickie Weeks from Baton Rouge continues to struggle at the plate. Durham should also be a valuable PH. With pitchers batting eighth and a patchwork lineup, the Cards have stayed in the hunt and ahead of the vastly more talented Brewers. By season's end, I expect the Brewers to be the NL wild card and the Cards to get accolades for improving so much from last year's dismal record. The Brewers and Cards match up in tomorrow's Monday Night Baseball game on ESPN.

The NL West threatens to put a sub-.500 team in the playoffs. Hitting-poor Arizona leads the Dodgers by a game. The Rockies have moved up to third--just seven games out despite being 15 under .500. With the trade of Durham it appears that the Giants will rework their aging and mediocre everyday lineup rather than continue the illusion that they are contending. On an All-Star related thought, I was impressed by Dodger catcher Russell Martin. LA fans told me he was the real thing, but I hadn't seen him enough to choose him ahead of Cubs rookie Geovany Soto. Martin did it all for the NL All-Stars, catching, throwing and hitting. I can see why the Dodgers moved on from Paul LoDuca to this guy, who could lead them to the playoffs in this weak division.

In the American League, a fascinating three-way race is shaping up in the East. Just when it looked like Tampa Bay might shock the world by running away with the division, they hit a seven-game losing streak, being swept by the Indians, of all teams. With the Red Sox playing this evening, the Rays lead the division by a game over the Sox and by 4.5 over the Yankees, who can't be counted out despite their ongoing dramas, which include Joba Chamberlain's role, Jorge Posada's shoulder and Alex Rodriguez's marriage. For the Sox, David Ortiz is completing a rehab assignment in Portland. They'll be happy to see his big bat back in the lineup as they feature light-hitting Julio Lugo, Jason Varitek and Coco Crisp in the lineup on many nights.

The White Sox and Twins are locked in a tight battle for AL Central, with the Sox up by just half a fame. If these teams falter, the Tigers have recovered to .500, though they may not have enough pitching for a stronger move in the standings. At this point, all the Indians can move to salvage is fourth place ahead of the Royals, whom they trail by 1.5 games.

In AL West, the Angels have posted baseball's best record so far - 21 games above .500 and 8.5 wide games ahead of the second place Athletics, who've been busy trading their best pitchers (Rich Harden and Joe Blanton) for prospects. (I'm glad I didn't prepare a detailed analysis.) The hard-hitting Rangers (MVP candidates Josh Hamilton and Ian Kinsler) are close behind in third, but like the Tigers, may not have enough pitching to contend for the division or wild card. I'm watching the Angels against the Red Sox tonight--they seem to have a chemistry that transcends the performances of their individual players as non-entities like Maceo Izturis, Howie Kendrick and Casey Kotchmann (the hardest man to strike out in the AL) play on an everyday basis. I can't even tell you the name of their catcher (his name is Mathis). They used to have a Molina or two, but that information is probably out of date. Their pitchers and catchers have surrendered 28 straight successful stolen bases, attesting to the limited value of defense against the stolen base. Their most recognizable players are former MVP Vladimir Guerrero, who already deposited a TimWakefield high knuckler in the left field seats, and closer Francisco (K-Rod) Rodriguez, whose 38 saves puts him well on the way to breaking the single season record of 57, which has stood since 1990. The only barrier in his way would appear to be a desire to save K-Rod for the playoffs, given that the Angels have such a huge lead in AL West. Winning on the road is a big factor in the Angels success - their 31-18 road record is by far the best in baseball. Despite two HRs tonite, the Angels style is very much counter to baseball trends elsewhere--their players swing away rather than work the count, and Manager Mike Scioscia embraces one-run strategies like sacrifices and squeeze plays rather than waiting on the three-run homers. The Angels might even be the greatest unknown franchise in sports, as they've averaged over 40,000 per game attendance for the last five years. Since 2002, they've won the World Series and three other division titles, not including a likely one in 2008. As Wendy's says, that's way better than fast food, or at least any franchise but the Red Sox.

In which dadlak emerges from the road to talk about the recent Major League All-Star Game.

July 19 - Wow, a lot has happened since my last MLB post. Sorry for the delay. My family and I have been on a long car trip through the eastern US, going as far north as Kittery Point, ME and now landing in Orlando, FL. I've been posting a diary at http://ztrip2008.blogspot.com/ and photos at www.photoblog.com/dadlak which has left less time to post on MLB, even though I've kept up with what's going on. Here's an update.

MLB All-Star Game - The fans did a decent job choosing starters - better in the AL than NL, where a phalanx of Cubs' fans put both Kosuke Fukudome and Alfonso Soriano in the outfield lineup over much more deserving players like Pat Burrell, Ryan Ludwick and Matt Holliday. I was in Philly during the week when the last roster spot was being filled by fan vote. "Vote for Pat" was everywhere in Citizens Bank Park. I did my part by voting for Burrell ten times, but Pat fell short as the fans went for Milwaukee outfielder Corey Hart. This was a bit of a shame, not for Hart obviously - he's an up and coming player, but for the veteran Burrell, who's had the best first half of his career, with 23 HRs and lots of big late-game RBIs, and had a great second half in 2007 during the Phillies division run. Pat the Bat is also one of the league leaders in walks. NL Manager Clint Hurdle had a chance to add Burrell to the roster when Soriano was hurt, but went for Mets 3B David Wright, a selection that's hard to fault given that he could be an MVP candidate again by the end of the season.

In the AL, voters chose Tampa Bay rookie 3B Evan Longoria for the last roster spot. Longoria has had a fine season for the surprising Rays, but I'm convinced that some folks thought they were voting for TV star and Tony Parker spouse Eva Longoria, whose name differs by just one letter. I voted for White Sox OF Jermaine Dye, who's had a great offensive first half for the first place and otherwise offensively challenged Chicago White Sox.

Other omissions of note focused on pitchers. I was very surprised that Phillies ace Cole Hamels missed out, and somewhat surprised that perennial All-Star Johan Santana wasn't chosen. Santana's modest W/L record is more a result of poor run support than bad pitching. In the AL, Red Sox stars Josh Beckett and Daisuke (sic?) Matsuzaka rested over the break, the latter despite a 10-1 W/L record, as did surprising Yankee ace Mike Mussina, who amassed an 11-6 record and held together an otherwise shaky starting staff for the Yanks.

The game itself was one for the ages. Lasting a record-tying 15 innings, the game came within an inning of seeing position players J.D. Drew and David Wright on the mound. At 1:30 a.m. I was ready for the game to end, moreso if the NL took the lead, but I would have loved to see "This One Counts" get into such a pickle. Two pitchers who threw more than 100 pitches on Sunday, Brandon Webb of the D-Backs and Scott Kazmir of the Rays, both threw an inning. The NL's last pitcher, Phillies closer Brad Lidge, had warmed up several times getting ready to close out an NL win that never happened. AL Manager Terry Francona had committed to Rays management that he wouldn't overuse their young ace Kazmir. FOX broadcasters Joe Buck and Tim McCarver talked a lot about the prospect of a tie, an impossibility according to post-game comments by Commissioner Bud Selig. They never discussed the prospect of position players taking the mound. I doubt I'll live long enough to see anything close to this situation again, although it has happened now twice in just seven games.

Otherwise the game two highlight reels of exciting plays. The AL stole five bases. Their game-winning run came on a short fly ball to RF on which Justin Morneau scored inches ahead of Corey Hart's throw. Earlier in extra innings, NL outfielder Nate McLouth threw out Dioner Navarro by an inch or less to keep the game going. Marlins 2B Dan Uggla suffered a "three-peat" night - three errors and three strikeouts. In his other AB he hit into a double play. Ugg!

The prelude Home Run Derby may have been an omen of excitement to come as Rangers OF sensation Josh Hamilton hit 28 home runs in one round. Unlike the game the contest ended anticlimactically, as Hamilton lost by an exhausted 5-3 score to the Twins' Justin Morneau in the final round.

Back later with divisional updates. The short story is that the Phils still lead NL East by a game over the Mets, who recently had a 10-game win streak stopped by the Reds. Whew! The Phils play the Marlins in Florida today.

In which dadlak the Phillies fan is a little sad and bemoans baseball's split rules system (pictured is Ronnie Blomberg of the Yankees, baseball's first DH)

June 25 - DH or No DH, That Is The Question - Life is good but baseball is depressing as the Phillies lost their sixth straight game last night. Still, their standing among NL teams hasn't change much as the entire National League continues to struggle in interleague play. Over the last ten games for each team, NL teams are a cumulative 32 games below .500--an average record of 3.4 wins and 6.6 losses. Keep reading for my views on the DH rule, the most obvious difference between the two leagues.

NL East - The Phillies vaunted offense shut down this week, scoring just 12 runs in their six-game losing streak, which featured a sweep in Philly by the LAA Angels. Chase Utley broke an 0-24 slump, but no one is hitting very well, despite the team being healthy as a group for the first time all year. Fortunately for Phillies' fans the rest of the division has struggled as well. The Marlins pulled to within one game of first; the Mets and Braves are both within 4.5 games, despite two ugly losses by the Mets in New York to the lowly Mariners (5-2, a game featuring the first grand slam home run by an American League pitcher (Felix Hernandez) in about 40 years) and 11-0). Chipper Jones slipped below .400 at .395. Moving a batting average up from .395 is a tough proposition. I predict he'll not spend another day above .400 this season.

NL Central - This supposedly weak division now boasts the three best records in the NL by the Cubs, Cards and Brewers, who have won eight of their last ten to move nine games above .500. Even the Pirates have been respectable - 24-16 at home and coming off a 12-5 trouncing of the Yankees to salvage a little dignity for the NL.

NL West - The Diamondbacks continue to sink into the quicksand of this division, only to find that their rivals have sunk even deeper. Just two games over .500, the Snakes continue to lead the punchless Dodgers by 4 games. Having shown some signs of like behind the big bat of 1B Adrian Gonzalez, the Padres retreated to the basement with a 2-8 stretch.

AL East - The Red Sox and Rays continue their spirited battle for the top spot with Boston leading by a game this week. The Yankees and Orioles are both above .500. Toronto reacted to being last in this division by firing their manager, John Gibbons, and replacing him with their former manager, Cito Gaston. The Jays are an underachieving bunch. Erstwhile sluggers Scott Rolen and Alex Rios (who competed in last year's home run derby) have a total of nine home runs.

AL Central - A great week by the Twins pulled them within 1.5 games of the division-leading White Sox. The Tigers won enough to move just four games under .500 and six games out of the lead with more than half the season left. The Indians are the Mets of the AL, mysterious lurking in the second division.

AL West - The Angels sweep of the Phillies propelled them to a 48-30 record, best in the American League. Vladimir Guerrero slugged several home runs. The Athletics are eight games over .500, but there's no time this week for analysis of their success.

To DH or not to DH, that is the question - I tend to agree that nothing seriously broken about the game was fixed by the DH rule (although pitcher hitting, if not broken, is a pretty sad sight). Still, once an "experiment" has been in place for 35 years, it can no longer be considered experimental. Selig should get off his butt and push owners in one league or the other to standardize the rule. Which other major sport operates using two different sets of rules? None--when the NFL and AFL merged they developed a common set of rules. Same for the NBA and ABA. After 35 years of successful use (as evidenced by dominance of AL over NL in World Series, Interleague play and All-Star Game for most of this period, and by the likely election of a nearly fulltime DH to the Hall of Fame (most likely Frank Thomas) some time in the next 10 years), the DH "experiment" should be judged a success and adopted in both leagues. This all comes from a National League fan, but one who's not mesmerized by sacrifice bunts and the revered "double switch". AL managers have just as hard or harder job figuring out when to change pitchers, given that their decision isn't driven by when a pinch hitter is needed.

In which dadlak goes birdwatching, enjoys a satisfying Monday night, and notices a concentration of Manuels.

June 18 - Report from Birdland - I'm in the Baltimore area this week where I went to an exciting interleague game (my first other than the 1983 World Series and spring training games) between the Orioles and the Astros, won by the O's 6-5 on an 8th inning double by 3B Melvin Mora and a strong 9th inning by unknown closer George Sherrill (I'd never heard of him until last night, but he has 23 saves.) Neither of these 500-ish clubs figures much in the pennant races, so I'll move on to my regular weekly update.

In NL East, the division-leading Phillies had an odd week, sandwiching two monster wins, 20-2 over the Cards and 8-2 over the Red Sox (the latter on ESPN Monday Night Baseball being one of the most satisfying regular season games I've seen on television--Ryan Howard hit two HRs and a 3B; Pat Burrell also tripled for the first time since 2006), in among several close defeats. Probably the most galling was a 6-5 loss to the Cards that ended on a throwing error by Phillies' pitcher Tom Gordon. They still hold a 3-game lead over the Marlins. The big news in the division, however, was the Mets' firing of manager Willie Randolph. The move had been widely anticipated, but the Mets pulled it off with singular class (low) at 3 a.m. on a West Coast road trip after a Mets' win. Bench coach Jerry Manuel, former manager of the Chicago White Sox, takes over as interim manager. There are now two managers named Manuel (Phillies' Charlie is the other - I ate lunch in his hometown of Buena Vista, VA this week) just in NL East. (It's possible that the same situation existed in AL Central a few years ago when Charlie managed the Indians and Jerry the White Sox.) Chipper Jones average drifted down toward .400 as he suffered through his first mini-slump of the season. Adding injury to insult, he also got hit by his own batting practice ball, which ricocheted off the top of the batting cage and into his eye.

The Cardinals' strong play keeps the Cubs from running away with NL Central. The Cubs' 45-26 record is the best in baseball, but only 3-1/2 games better than the Cards. The loss of OF Alfonso Soriano to injury for awhile ought to hurt, but this team is going well enough to absorb it. I'm pushing Cards' OF Ryan Ludwick for the All-Star team. He's among the NL's top sluggers in his first year as a regular.

Arizona can't do much in NL West, but their pursuers are playing even worse. Their lackluster 37-34 record still leads the division by 4-1/2 games over the light-hitting Dodgers, who may struggle even more with ace pitcher Brad Penny on the DL.

In AL East, the Red Sox lead the Rays by two games (none in the "all-important" loss column) while the Yankees seem to be awakening from their slumber. A five-game winning streak has them five over .500. Their offense has been crushing the ball since Jorge Posada came off the DL. The spunky Orioles continue to play .500 ball with what appears to be a mediocre to anonymous lineup. (OF Nick Markakis looks like a good young player; it's hard to get excited by vets like Melvin Mora, Aubrey Huff and Kevin Millar).

The Tigers of all teams are making a move in AL Central. An 8-2 stretch has them five below .500 and 6-1/2 behind the White Sox. Dontrelle Willis won't be contributing much (little change there) as he was sent to Class A to work out his pitching problems. Some of the Tigers' relievers are getting healthy, which helps if you can score enough runs to get the lead.

The Athletics put together a 4-game winning streak to pull within 3 games of the AL West-leading Angels. Oakland will need to keep this up for another week before I'll put together an incisive look at this otherwise unknown team.

In which dadlak considers a singular game by the Phillies' "Flyin' Hawaiian" and travels (statistically) to LAA (Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim) land.

June 9 - Flyin' Hawaiian - As long as the Phillies stay in first, I'll open with the NL East. Not only did the Phils stay in first, they extended their lead to 3-1/2 games over Florida by winning all but one game during the week, including a three-game sweep of the Braves in Atlanta. Braves' players, coaches and fans had to be sick over Friday night's game, which Atlanta lost in 10 innings after 2B Kelly Johnson dropped a popup with two outs in the bottom of the ninth. The Phils tied the game on the error, added two in the top of the 10th and held on for the win when CF Shane Victorino threw out a Braves runner at the plate to end the game. Victorino had an amazing, perhaps one-of-a-kind game, hitting two triples, scoring the Phils' first run after the first, and driving in the tiebreaking run in the 10th and scoring the eventual game-winner on an Utley double with the second--all before he threw out the potential tying run by about an inch in the bottom of the 10th. Triples and game-ending plays at the plate rank among the most exciting plays in the game. In fact, Luke "The Loner" Gofannon, the hero of Philip Roth's comic baseball novel The Great American Novel tells his girlfriend, Angela Whittling Trust, that he loves her more than home runs, but that he doesn't love anything or anyone more than triples. The sweep of the Braves gave the Phils the best road record in the NL at 18-13.

In the rest of the division, Chipper Jones carries his .400 average further into the season than any player since Paul O'Neill in 1994 (he finished a long way under the mark), but both the Braves and the rest of the NL East teams have been under .500 while the Phils have won eight of ten.

The Cubs continue their strong play in NL Central, improving their record to 40-24, the best in the majors. The Cards remain 2-1/2 games back. The Brewers swept both the Astros and D-Backs to pull three games over .500. Ken Griffey, Jr. finally hit his 600th career home run today, becoming just the sixth player to reach that total (Bonds, Aaron, Ruth, Mays and Sosa being the others). Reds' pitcher Edinson Volquez continues to give the club hope for the future with an 9-2 record and 1.56 ERA. He held the hard-hitting Phillies to just two hits in the Phils' only loss of the week.

What was supposed to be the strongest division in the NL, with 2007 playoff qualifiers Colorado and Arizona, and near-qualifier San Diego, now looks like the worst, as the Diamondbacks reign NL West by 3-1/2 games despite being just four games over .500. With a 29-35 record, the Giants are slightly better than expected. The Padres, winners of seven out of 10, show some signs of coming to life. The Rockies at 24-39 and beset by injuries, have been mostly awful.

The big story in the American League was a bench-clearing brawl between the Red Sox and Rays. Coco Crisp charged the mound. Seven players will serve suspensions due to the ensuing melee. The fight notwithstanding, the Sox had a great week, sweeping the Rays in Boston and retaking first place in AL East. Manny Ramirez covered well for injured DH David Ortiz, hitting four more home runs.

White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen almost got fired for calling out his GM (begging for roster moves), but its hard to fire the skipper of a club with a 6-1/2 game lead, the White Sox current margin in AL Central. Their lead expanded quickly as the Sox matched a seven-game win streak with a five-game loss streak by the Twins.

In AL West, the Angels stretched their lead to 4-1/2 games over the A's. I promised more details on the LAA's, so here they are. Despite having familiar offensive performers such as Vladimir Guerrero, Garrett Anderson and Torii Hunter in their lineup, the team has just one regular (1B Casey Kotchman) with an OPS above .800. Clearly, this club is being carried by its pitching, which includes starters Joe Saunders and Ervin Santana with 9-2, 2.63 and 8-2, 3.01 records respectively. Francisco "K-Rod" Rodriguez converts almost every late lead to a win with 26 saves and a 2.17 ERA in 31 appearances. Somewhat ominously, Saunders has just 24 career wins, and Santana is pitching far ahead of 2007's 7-14, 5.76 record. Santana did pitch well in 2005 and 2006, and has 76 Ks vs 19 BBs.

In which dadlak enjoys a birthday gift, considers 100 years of Cub history, and almost confuses a rookie outfielder with a classic rock guitarist

June 2 - Meet the Bruces - The big news (at least for me) is in the National League this week, so I'll start there. The Phillies and Marlins played hot potato with the NL East lead this week in a three-game series in Philadelphia. The Phils had pulled within a half-game of the Marlins by sweeping the Rockies, and then took over first for a few hours with a 12-3 trouncing of the Fish on Friday night. The heavy duty run support and an 11-strikeout effort got Brett Myers his first win since April 17. The Marlins returned the favor and regained the lead on Saturday, beating Phillies' ace Cole Hamels 7-3. Sunday's game, like a gift televised by TBS on my birthday, was a tenser affair, as the Marlins built an early 5-1 lead on two homers by 1B Matt Jacobs, only to see the Phils claim their 14th come-from-behind win of the season 7-5. Jamie Moyer recovered from an ugly start to finish seven innings and earn the win. Chase Utley hit his major's leading 20th home run of the season. Geoff Jenkins came off the bench to hit a game-tying 2-run pinch homer, his first pinch hit of the season. Pat Burrell capped the offensive excitement with a clutch 2-run double in the Phils' seventh. Tom Gordon and Brad Lidge each pitched a clean inning. Homer man Jacobs batted with no one on in the ninth. The Marlins did their part in the field with a couple of costly errors, a hit batsman and a wild pitch. The win only secured a half-game lead for the Phils, but the team's overall play has been encouraging--strong offense with Jimmy Rollins and Shane Victorino back at the top of the lineup and Ryan Howard contributing; improved starting pitching as Adam Eaton and Brett Myers both earned wins with solid performances, and continued excellent work by a bullpen with the best ERA in the majors (who saw that coming?). Thanks to Charley Manuel and the guys for a great birthday present!

The Braves fell back to a tie for third with the Mets after being swept by the Reds. Atlanta hold the dubious honor of having the game's worst road record at 7-21. Perspective is everything, as the Mets mollified their fans with two wins in three games with the Dodgers. Costly ace Johan Santana -got his 100th career win. Santana pushed his season record to 7-3 with a 3.20 ERA, despite surrendering 12 homers in just 81 innings of work.

The Cubs had their way in NL Central and at 36-21 actually hold the majors' best record on June 1, their first such distinction in 100 years (not coincidentally, exactly as long as it's been since the franchise's last World Series win). The club has a couple of concerns--centerfield, where broken-down Jim Edmonds is getting a look and closing, which oft-injured Kerry Wood is doing, but for how long. The Cubs are a gaudy 26-8 in front of the Wrigley Field faithful. Close behind are the rival Cardinals, just 2-1/2 back. The Astros moved close to contention, but fell back with an ugly five-game losing streak in which their heretofore high-powered offense plated a total of five runs. They're now trying to hold off the resurgent Brewers and Reds for third. Reds' rookie right fielder Jay Bruce (almost said Jack Bruce there, guitarist for the old rock supergroup Cream) is tearing up the league, hitting .591 with 2 HRs and just one K in his first 22 major league ABs. One of the homers was a walk-off blast to beat the Braves 8-7 in a nationally-televised game. Bruce is 21 years old. His life is good. He's been playing CF ahead of regular CF Ryan Freel while Ken Griffey chases his 600th career HR (he's up to 599). Bruce's ascendance has fed speculation that the Reds will trade Griffey.

The Diamondbacks continue to have NL West to themselves, as the Giants, Padres and Rockies flounder well below .500 and the Dodgers struggle (winning just two of their last 10). Still, a 32-25 overall record and four wins in their last ten games take some of the luster off what appeared to be the best team in the NL for awhile.

In NL East, the Rays continue their run at the top. At 35-22, the second -best record in the game, they hold a one-game lead over the Red Sox and have won eight of their last ten games. They swept the AL Central-leading White Sox over the weekend, holding the Pale Hose to just four total runs. Ace Scott Kazmir pitched seven shutout innings on Saturday, bettering his record to 5-1 and lowering his ERA to 1.22. In Sunday's game, reserve OF Gabe Gross hit a walkoff homer.

The Rays don't have to look far over their shoulders to find the defending World Series champion Red Sox. Manny Ramirez ended the quest for his 500th career homer by hitting that milestone blast and another in consecutive games against the Orioles. The Yankees may have righted their ship, winning seven of 10, getting back to .500 and overtaking the Orioles for fourth.

In AL Central, the White Sox lead shrank to just a game over the Twins. Almost shockingly, the Indians dropped to six games under .500 and five games off the division lead. Rumors abound that Indians' ace CC Sabathia could be traded. Still, with relatively weak teams ahead of them, the Indians, and perhaps even the Tigers (six games back) have hope of winning the division.

The Angels stretched their AL West lead to 3.5 games over the A's. I will learn more about them for next week's report. Their team notes report that the Halos won four games in their last AB during a six-game homestand, two in the ninth and two in extra innings. Quite a treat for their fans, unless, like many Southern Californians, they completed their social obligations and left after the sixth inning. I should also mention the Rangers' sensational outfielder Josh Hamilton, who leads the AL in RBI and is near the top in most other offensive categories. Hamilton got a Sports Illustrated cover story this week. Along with his offensive prowess, Hamilton's claim to fame is being a recovering substance abuser, who has to pee in a jar every three days. Some observers call Hamilton "the best player (they've) ever seen." I might have to watch one of these Ranger games that come on Fox Sports Southwest every so often.

In which dadlak diagnoses the first-place Tampa Bay Rays and commiserates with Padres and Rockies' fans.

May 26 - Rays X-Rayed - In the AL East, Tampa Bay regained a 1/2 game lead with a crisp sweep of Baltimore while the Red Sox lost three straight to the A's in Oakland. I could be watching the Rays on Fox Sports tonight, but the family has taken over the TV for an indispensable episode of "Greek", which for its general lack of charms is less objectionable than "Gossip Girl." The Rays are 10 games above .500 for the first time in franchise history. Not great in either pitching or hitting (fifth in both runs scored and ERA) the Rays emulate the 2007 Arizona Diamondbacks' success formula--win the close ones and lose the blowouts. Left fielder Carl Crawford has been a decent player with the club since coming up in 2002, specializing in triples (19 in 2004) and stolen bases (58 with just 9 caught stealing in 2006). With just 180 walks and 532 strikeouts in 3500 career AB's, Crawford's plate discipline could be better, particularly for a guy who hits at the top of the order. Twenty-three year-old CF B.J. Upton looks like the core of the franchise (828 OPS with 13 SB), at least until he can become a free agent. On the defensive side, two young starters, James Shields and Edwin Jackson, have pitched well to mediocre records (7-6 combined) while Andy Sonnastine has racked up a 6-2 record with a 5.09 ERA. Promising starter Scott Kazmir came off the DL to post a 4-1 record and 1.50 ERA in five starts. Reclamation project Troy Percival, who pitched only 65 innings over the last three seasons, and not at all in 2006, anchors the Rays' bullpen with 14 saves (in 16 chances) and a 2.61 ERA. With only 21 errors in the first 50 games, the Rays appear to have a good defensive club as well.

I see two possible paths for the Rays--walking the tightrope the rest of the way (ala the '07 D-Backs) to qualify for the postseason, probably as the AL wildcard; or falling back like the Mariners did after challenging the Angels in AL West last year. The cynic in me expects a collapse, based on the franchise's long history of losing, the club's youth, and the fragile health of their closer. The fan of the underdog in me hopes that the Rays can hold on for their first-ever postseason berth.

The White Sox continue to lead a surprisingly weak AL Central, in which the preseason favorite Indians and Tigers are a combined 44-56. The Twins offer the best competition so far at 25-25. In the AL West, it's still the Angels by a little over the A's, with the Mariners' disastrous season (18-33) scraping the bottom of the both leagues.

Paucity of hitting has become a leaguewide story, as barely ten AL players can post .300 batting averages. The Red Sox and pitching-poor Rangers are the only two teams averaging five runs per game in a season where the Tigers were expected to average six. (Detroit scored 19 in one game this week and followed with one the next.)

Over in the National League East, the Marlins are playing the Rays' role, leading by two games despite a low-budget payroll and low expectations. The Braves, led by Chipper Jones and his .417 batting average, are in second after sweeping four from the Mets, a streak that dropped the Mets to fourth and caused Mets's ownership to review their manager's status. Willie Randolph didn't help himself by commenting that criticism directed his way might be racially motivated. Ryan Howard is picking up his hitting for the Phillies (14 HRs, 34 RBIs despite a .204 average), who could use some better starting pitching to make a run for the top.

In NL Central, a good three-way race is shaping up among the Cubs, Cards and Astros, with the Cubs leading the Cards by a slim 1/2 game this week. The Cards have surprised offensively, while the Astros have gotten just enough pitching to back a very strong offense led by MVP candidate Lance Berkman, Carlos Lee and Miguel Tejada. One positive sign for the Astros is that Roy Oswalt will almost certainly pitch better the rest of the way than he has so far (5.63 ERA).

Arizona stays atop NL West with a 30-21 record, but the Dodgers act like the main opposition, just 3-1/2 games back. Randy Johnson missed a golden opportunity to advance toward 300 career wins, pitching 6 innings and giving up only one run while striking out 10 and walking nobody. The D-Backs offense could muster only a sac fly along the way, and the Braves won in the bottom of the ninth on a walkoff 2-run homer by Jeff Francouer. If Andruw Jones can pick up from his pitiful pace (0.167, 2 HR, 7 RBI), L.A. could press the D-Backs even harder. The Rockies and Padres continue their disastrous seasons, combining for a 39-63 record, punctuated tonight by Colorado taking a 20-5 pasting from the Phillies in Philadelphia. The Padres are scoring just 3.5 runs per game, while the Rockies are giving up more than 5.

In which dadlak reports on the first week of interleague play, highlighted by such traditional rivalries as the Marlins and Royals, the Braves and A's, and Tampa Bay and St. Louis (well at least Anheuser-Busch has large breweries in both towns)

May 19 - Interleague Stories - Trying to get back on schedule after delaying last week's report until Wednesday.

In the AL East, the Red Sox regained first place. Young pitcher Jon Lester even pitched a no-hitter against the Royals, and Manny "Being Manny" Ramirez high-fived a fan during a relay throw to complete a double play (the accompanying picture isn't of that catch--Manny made this remarkable grab in 2004 vs. the Yankees - I'll try to add the You Tube video of Manny's catch, high five and throw - no such luck, the video got taken off You Tube before I could copy it). The Yankees sunk even further into the sea floor after losing two games to the Mets, the second by a dispiriting 11-2 margin, despite starting their ace Chien-Ming Wang. Without right-handed slugger Alex Rodriguez (due back later this week) and switch-hitting catcher Jorge Posada (unknown return from shoulder injury), the Yankees are proving quite vulnerable to good left-handed pitchers, as the Mets' Oliver Perez demonstrated with a 3-hitter over 7 innings. Tampa Bay held first place for four consecutive days for the first time in franchise history, but dipped back into second behind Boston, thus relieving me of the burden of learning about the anonymous roster for at least another week. This could be good news for the Rays, as my 2007 effort to learn about the equally anonymous Seattle Mariners was followed by that team's almost immediate departure from the pennant race and dismal start to their new season.

In AL Central, the Indians surprised the baseball world by losing three straight interleague games to the cross-state Cincinnati Reds. The AL has dominated interleague play for the last several years, so seeing a 2007 playoff team from the AL swept by an NL also-ran gets your attention. The White Sox put together a little streak at the expense of the lowly San Francisco Giants to regain first place. If they go on to win the division, Guillen's tirade last week will become the psychological stuff of legends. I still like the Indians, though their offense must improve.

The Angels and Dodgers traded lopsided wins in their interleague series. LAA of A retains a slight lead over Oakland in AL West. The Texas Rangers pounded lumps on the Astros, 16-8 in one game. Still, the Rangers won't contend if they have to score nine runs per game to win, which they might.

In NL East, the Phillies got off to a great start in their 1993 World Series rematch with the Toronto Blue Jays, winning the first game 10-3 behind Jayson Werth's three home runs, his first such game ever, including Little League. Ageless Jamie Moyer, who was active in 1993 (though not with the Phils or Jays) got the win. The Jays (you don't have to call them Johnson, either) rallied to batter other Phillies' starters and push the Phils back into a second-place tie with the Mets behind the division leading Florida Marlins. (After being shutout by the Nationals tonite, the Phillies are in third).

In NL Central, the Cubs continue in first, ahead of the Cards and Astros. Alfonso Soriano finally got his bat working, hitting seven homers in a week to silence calls to drop him and his sub-.200 average deep into the Cubs' batting order. Cincinnati celebrated with sweep of Cleveland by dealing with the ongoing rumors that Ken Griffey, Jr. will be traded. Junior is taking dead aim at 600 career home runs, but remains stuck at 597.

Arizona stretched its lead in NL West to 5-1/2 games. Randy Johnson got his fourth win with seven innings of shutout ball against the toothless Detroit ("they're not-so-great!") Tigers.

In which dadlak considers the possibility of a Sunshine Series, the prospect of a .400 hitter and the Hall of Fame potential of Astros 1B Lance Berkman
May 14 - Sunshine Supermen - Take a picture of the standings--the Tampa Bay Rays (you can call us Rays, or you can call us Jays, but you doesn't have to call us Devil Rays, or Johnsons, for that matter) are in first place in the AL East after pairing a win over the Yankees with a Red Sox loss to Baltimore. This is no doubt the latest in any season that the hapless Tampa Bay franchise (never a season above .500) has been in first place. I'll try to learn something about their players before my next update, assuming they're still in the race.

In AL Central, the Indians nosed above .500 at 20-19 and thus trail the Twins by just a half-game. The White Sox are just two games back, but not doing well enough to prevent a diatribe by their volatile manager Ozzie Guillen, who ripped both the press and White Sox fans in his latest profanity-filled tirade. Whatever changes the Tigers are making aren't helping much as their 16-23 record trails AL Central, behind even the Royals. Ace Justin Verlander's 1-6 record hasn't helped. The Tigers have gone 2-8 since nosing within a game of .500 after an 0-8 start.

More of the same in AL West, as the Angels and Athletics are paired at the top, just 1/2 game apart. The Rangers have shown some sign of life, winning 7 of their last 10 to pull within four games. We probably don't need to follow this story too closely, although it may save manager Ron Washington's job for awhile. The Mariners prevent the Tigers' ignominy from extending to having the worst record in the AL.

In the National League East, the Florida Marlins continue their bargain-basement run toward what now looks like a Sunshine Series. With an identical 23-16 record as the Rays, the Marlins have caused ESPN to ask the question, which Florida team will fade from contention first. The Marlins did sign superstar SS Hanley Ramirez to a rich contract this week, keeping their best player around for another six years. The Phillies and Mets lurk behind the Fish, with surprising relief pitching and come-from-behind hitting propelling the Phils to whatever success they've had. Future Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez is struggling with his recovery from injury--no telling when he'll be back to help the Mets. Braves 3B Chipper Jones has people talking about a .400 season as he carries a .415 average into mid-May. .370 maybe--.400 doubtful--the pressure would be enormous, and the standard is just too far above Jones' .309 career average. His previous best season's average was .337 last year.

In NL Central, the Cards slipped a bit and now trail the Cubs by one game. In nine starts, Cubs' ace Carlos Zambrano has put together a 6-1 record and 2.03 ERA. Surprising in this division are the Astros, who have won 8 of 10 to surge to 22-18, just 1-1/2 games back. Leading the 'Stros is veteran first baseman Lance Berkman, who's hitting over .600 in May and .392 for the season with a Bonds-like 1.260 OPS. At 32-years old, switch-hitting Berkman has quietly racked up a very good career, .303 average, .981 career OPS with 273 HRs. A few more quality seasons will put Lance in line for a spot in the Hall of Fame. 500 career homers isn't out of reach for a guy who's stayed relatively healthy throughout. A quick look at baseballreference.com's page on Berkman indicates that he may not need too many more good seasons, having already amassed 80-90% of the offensive stats for a typical Hall of Famer. 500 homers would make him a shoo-in. Working against Berkman is his similarity to other non-Hall of Famers who tailed off quickly after strong starts to their careers - Dick Allen, Mo Vaughn, Albert Belle, and Jason Giambi.

A 4-6 stretch brought the Diamondbacks back closer to earth, but they still lead NL West by four games as the other clubs have slumped as well. The Rockies and Padres continue to disappoint, and now carry the two worst records in the National League, behind even the Nationals.

In which the retirement of Julio Franco causes Dadlak to revisit the career of Von Hayes.

May 4 - Phils' Comebacks Put Them On Top -The Red Sox reasserted control of AL East with three straight wins over Tampa Bay. The rest of the division is tightly bunched within 1-1/2 games. David Ortiz rediscovered his stroke, but sat out today with a knee problem.

The Twins are this week's AL Central leader as their 5-game winning streak coincided with a 5-game loss streak by the White Sox. The Royals sank to familiar territory below .500. The Tigers followed a sweep of the Yankees in New York by being swept by the Twins. Manager Jim Leyland is promising "drastic lineup changes" for the Tigers.

No big changes in AL West as Angels and Athletics continue in first and second. Both teams have excellent 10-5 records in road games.

In NL East, the Phils, Mets and Marlins are bunched within 1/2 game with the Phils on top after a couple of come-from-behind wins during the week. Reliever Brad Lidge remains unscored upon and got the win today as the Phillies came from behind to beat the Giants in the 9th on an unearned run. Phillie fans' favorite Chase Utley leads the majors with 13 home runs. Utley's level of play and $85 million, 7-year contract make it likely that he'll be in Philly for a long time. It is likely that Utley is already the greatest major leaguer ever whose last name starts with "U". Challengers would include '70s outfielder Del Unser, who had a 15-year career and played on the 1980 World Series champion Phillies, and Willie Upshaw, who hit 123 HRs in a 11-year AL career, mostly with the Blue Jays. Utley already has 110 HRs and .304 batting average (915 OPS) in a career that's just entering its sixth year.

The Cardinals continue to surprise in NL Central. They lead the Cubs by 1-1/2 after winning an ESPN game tonite by 5-3. The Astros have pulled up to .500, led by hot-hitting Lance Berkman.

In NL West, the Dodgers were the week's big story with an 8-game win streak that was broken today by the Rockies. Still, they trail the Diamondbacks by four games. Dodger shortstop Rafael Furcal is hitting about .380. Rockies' shortstop Troy Tulowitzki, last year's Rookie of the Year runnerup, is out until at least the All-Star break with a finger injury. Even with him, the Rockies have managed only a 10-19 record. It could be a long season for the defending NL champs.

This week's aging player note is the retirement announced by 49-year old Julio Franco. Franco was playing for the Quintano Roo Tigers of the Mexican League in his 27th professional season in the US, Japan, Korea, Mexico and his homeland Dominican Republic. To Phillies' fans, Franco is best known for being a part of the infamous 5-for-1 deal of 1982 in which the Phils traded Franco (then a young shortstop) and four others (Manny Trillo, Jay Baller, George Vukovich, and Jerry Willard) for Von "the next Ted Williams" (or as Chris Berman called him "Purple") Hayes. Tall and thin like Williams, Hayes finished his career in 1992 with a .267 batting average and 143 home runs, just 77 points and 378 home runs short of Williams. Like Williams, Hayes wore #9 and did have a good batting eye, drawing 121 walks in 1987, but he still finished about 1,300 walks shy of Williams' career total of 2,021. Von's major league career ended just 15 years before Franco's. According to baseball-reference.com, Hayes' career ended up being most similar to that of Twins' outfielder Matt Lawton, who retired after the 2006 season with a .267 average and 138 HRs.

May 2 - You Know My Name - Those first names are Kosuke Fukudome (from Japan) and Geovany Soto (from Puerto Rico). Without researching I can state with almost complete confidence that the Cubs are the first MLB team ever to have both these first names on their roster at the same time. Fukudome is featured in a Sports Illustrated cover article this week. The 31-year-old outfielder is something of a sensation in Chicago, despite hitting just one homer and driving in 10. His specialty is getting on base, something he's done to a .455 OBP, buttressed by 22 walks.

Soto (seen at right) made highlight shows with eight consecutive strikeouts (all his ABs in consecutive games--in one game he struck out five times against five different pitchers) followed just two games later by two 3-run homers. Overall, the rookie catcher has helped the Cubs build their 17-11 record with an OPS of 1.036 and 21 RBIs in 25 games, similar to the strong performance he showed in a late-season callup (1.100 OPS in 54 ABs) . He's just 25-years-old and makes a minimal salary.

April 28 - The Big Unit - My internet connection wasn't cooperating yesterday, but appears to be better now, so come back later today for this week's MLB update. The Phillies had a good road trip and have pulled above .500 with Chase Utley and Pat Burrell doing good impressions of Mike Schmidt and Greg Luzinski in their prime.

The internet strikes again. I typed for 15 minutes, then couldn't save and lost all the new stuff. Here goes again. I'll be sure to highlight and copy before I try to save.

The American League East standings underwent a turnaround as the Red Sox lost five straight while the Rays won six in a row. They are tied at the top with the less streaky Orioles at 3 games over .500.

The White Sox lead a surprisingly lackluster AL Central at 15-10. The Indians are second, 2-1/2 games back. The Tigers have their offense going well enough to win a few games, but are still in last.

The Angels and Athletics co-lead the AL West at 16-10. The A's brought back DH Frank Thomas, released last week by the Blue Jays. Overall it looks like AL teams need a round of interleague games to improve their records.

In my beloved National League, the Marlins continue atop the East, led by SS Hanley Ramirez and LF Josh Willingham. No one expected much from this bargain-basement team. Just 1-1/2 back are the expected contenders, the Mets and Phillies. Mets' fans aren't too happy about the team's record, having expected a big start with new staff ace Johan Santana (who has actually pitched pretty well). Phillies' fans are probably a little happier, as they're hanging in there in April (traditionally a very slow month) with both reigning MVP Jimmy Rollins and starting CF Shane "The Flyin' Hawaaian" Victorino on the DL, while Ryan Howard's average hovers around .180.

The Cubs and Cardinals pace the NL Central. Led by veteran stars Derrek Lee and Carlos Zambrano, and newcomers Fukudome and Soto (need to look up those first names), the Cubs have a 16-9 record. The Cards are right behind at 16-10. Starter Adam Wainwright and perennial MVP candidate Albert Pujols have the Cards playing far above their moribund 2007 level. Tony LaRussa has been batting his pitcher's 8th in the order, a tactic that must take a lot of explaining to his new 9th place hitters.

The best baseball in either league is being played by the Arizona Diamondbacks, who lead NL West by 6 games, and lead the expected favorite San Diego Padres by a whopping 8-1/2 games. Typical of the Padres struggles was a 1-0 loss to the D-Backs in which Brandon Webb outdueled 2007 Cy Young winner Jake Peavy. Webb's record advanced to Carltonesque 6-0 with a 1.98 ERA. Picking up where he left off in 2007 is starter Micah Owings, whose OPS so far is 865. Oh yeah, he's also 4-0 as a starting pitcher.

A third amazing performance by a Diamondback starter has come from 44-year-old future Hall of Famer Randy Johnson. In three starts after an injury-plagued 2007, Johnson has 20 Ks in 16.2 IP, about his career strikeout rate. What a career this guy has had. He pitched his first full season at age 25, as a wild 6'10" oddity for the Seattle Mariners. In 1993, he figured it out, controlling his wildness and posting a 19-8 record and 3.24 ERA while striking out 308 and walking 99 in 255 innings. In his last full season with the Mariners (1997), Johnson was 20-4 with 2.28 ERA and 291 Ks and 77 BBs in 213 IP. From '93 to '97, Johnson's overall won/loss record was 75-20. More on Johnson later. Computer needed for stepson's social networking.

Back with more on Randy Johnson. After blowing through the National League to the tune of 10-1, 1.28 ERA and 116 Ks in 84 IP in a half-season of 1998 with the Houston Astros, Johnson moved over to the Diamondbacks and ran off four straight National League Cy Young Awards. Then at age 40 in 2004 he followed up with one his best seasons, despite poor run support that left him with a mediocre 16-14 record--290 Ks in 245 IP, allowing just 177 H and 44 BBs. The OPS of batters facing Johnson in 2004 was just 556, about 50 points below the career marks of Cesar Izturis and Augie Ojeda. This is for all the batters in the league for the entire year--amazing!

Johnson went to the Yankees for the 2005 and 2006 seasons. He won 17 games each season, but a 5.00 ERA in 2006 (his first above league-average ERA since 1989) and 60 HRs surrendered in two seasons convinced New York to cut ties with the then 42-year-old pitcher. His first season back with Arizona was effective (4-3, 3.81 ERA, 72 Ks in 57 IP), but cut short by injury.

For his career, Johnson has a 285-151 record (0.654) and 4636 Ks and 3077 hits allowed in 3872 IP. His postseason record, while not as spectacular at 19-16 with a 3.50 ERA, includes six wins in 2001, with three coming in the Diamondbacks win over the Yankees in the World Series, the third in a seventh-game relief appearance. For that Series, Johnson posted a 1.04 ERA, giving up just 9 hits and 3 walks in 17.1 IP while striking out 19.

Never very pretty, and a terrible hitter (.127 with 1 HR; striking out in almost half his plate appearances), Randy Johnson continues one of the most amazing pitching careers in Major League history. It would be great to see him get to 300 career wins and play in another World Series. The former might take two years; the latter maybe just one, given how Arizona has started the 2008 season.

April 20 - Jersey Jinx Averted in NYC - After another week the MLB standings look a little more normal. The Red Sox had a great week to take the AL East lead with a 12-7 record. Manny Ramirez hit three home runs against the Yankees, the first two of which encouraged Yankee reliever Kyle Farnsworth to throw behind his head, a move that earned Farnsworth an ejection and a 3-day suspension.

The Blue Jays released veteran DH Frank "The Big Hurt" Thomas two days after benching him and one day after Thomas's rant about the lineup move. Thomas accused the Jays of benching him to avoid an 2009 option based on 376 plate appearances. Jays' management said they couldn't wait for Thomas's bat to warm up.

The big non-story of the week was discovery that a construction worker had buried a David Ortiz jersey in the foundation of new Yankee Stadium. The jersey was summarily dug up to avoid a possible "jersey jinx." ESPN provided round-the-clock coverage.

The White Sox took over from the Royals in AL Central. The Indians and Tigers remain 4th and 5th, but no further behind than they were last week. The Tigers' offense awakened as they scored 11 and 13 runs in wins over Minnesota and Cleveland.

In AL West, the Angels lead the Athletics by one game. Pitchers Ervin Santana and Joe Saunders both have 3-0 records.

In National League East, the Mets have won 8 of their last 10, including four in a row over nemesis Philadelphia to take the lead with a 10-6 record. Their pitchers gave up only 10 runs in their last five games. Chipper Jones of the Braves is having a Triple Crown April, leading the NL in batting average, homers and RBIs.

Surprisingly, the Cards continue to pace NL Central, with the Cubs close behind. Derrek Lee is off to a quick start after a lackluster 2007 season. Albert Pujols is hitting and drawing walks at an MVP pace. Free agent pitcher Kyle Lohse leads a so far effective Cardinal pitching staff.

The Arizona Diamondbacks threaten to run away with the NL West race. Their 13-4 record is four games better than the defending NL champion Colorado Rockies. The Padres are struggling at 8-10, as their offense hasn't yet clicked. They lost to the Rockies 2-1 in a 22-inning game.

Dragging bottom are the Nationals, Astros and Giants. We saw the Rockies thrash the Astros 11-5 just one day after the 22-inning game.

April 11 - Upside Down - The first two weeks of the season find the standings somewhat upside down as the American League division leaders are Baltimore (albeit by a slim 1/2 game over the Yankees), Kansas City and Oakland, none of whom came close to making the playoffs last year or were expected to this year. The Detroit Tigers, expected to field a dominating offense after their offseason acquisition of Miguel Cabrera, are last in AL Central at 2-8 after losing their first seven games, and just lost pitcher Dontrelle Willis, also acquired from Florida, to a knee injury. Cleveland, also expected to contend for AL Central honors, carries a 3-6 record after 2007 Cy Young Award winner C.C. Sabathia was shelled for 12 hits and 9 runs in less than four innings of pitching against the Athletics.

In the National League the situation is similar as the division leaders are Florida, St. Louis and Arizona. At least there's one expected contender (the D-Backs) in there. The Marlins benefit from a thus-far MVP-style season from Hanley Ramirez. Albert Pujols is off to a good start with the Cards despite a sore elbow that would require Tommy John surgery if he were a pitcher. Not too unexpectedly, the Nationals, Astros and Giants trail the NL divisions.

On the individual front, both Livan Hernandez, who moved from the Diamondbacks to the Twins and Yankee ace Chien-Ming Wang are 3-0. Wang pitched the Yankees to a 4-1 win over the Red Sox last night with a nifty 2-hitter.

Opening Days - Major League "Preseason" Predictions

April 4 - Life and sports are moving so fast that my preseason MLB predictions are now offset in time by about a week. This may be related to Einstein's theory of relativity, as I'm working my way through Walter Isaacson's biography of the scientific world's "father of the universe". I'll try to post some preseason/early season observations about each division over the weekend.

National League

Division Winners - Mets, Brewers, Padres
Wild Card - Diamondbacks
NLCS - Mets vs. Padres
NL Champ - Mets
MVP - David Wright
Cy Young - Johan Santana

Braves, Phillies, Cubs and Rockies will also contend for wild card. Giants will be "for the ages" bad.

American League

Division Winners - Red Sox, Indians, Angels
Wild Card - Tigers
ALCS - Red Sox vs. Indians
AL Champions - Red Sox
MVP - David Ortiz
Cy Young - Josh Beckett

Yankees will be only other wild card contender. Orioles may be worse than Giants.

World Series - Mets vs. Red Sox - won by Red Sox in six games

April 2 - Check out this link for one of the best baseball articles you will ever read. It's Tom Friend's (ESPN The Magazine) story about Tony Gwynn Jr.'s hit off Padres closer Trevor Hoffman near the end of last season, a hit that helped keep the Padres out of the playoffs.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3243227

April 1 - They started the Major League Baseball season in March! In Japan! During March Madness! What's up with that??

More than a week ago, my wife and I went to lunch in a new pizza restaurant in downtown Baton Rouge. The place featured more flat screen TVs than pizza ovens. To wile away the time while our pizza baked, we (at least I) watched a strange event on ESPN--the labor-delayed start of an exhibition baseball game from Florida. The Boston Red Sox were scheduled for a noon (Central) start against the Toronto Blue Jays in their spring home of Winter Haven, FL. The Sox players refused to start the game because of recent developments regarding their upcoming season-opening games against the Oakland A's in Japan. According to the players, either MLB or the Red Sox or both had reneged on a promise to provide "appearance money" to the team's coaches for the trip, while the players would receive $40,000 each. At the same time, the Sox players were threatening not to board the plane to Japan, scheduled to leave in just two or three days.

It was a strange scene to envision--lawyers, club officials and player reps working their phones and Blackberrys so that a spring training game could begin. But begin it did, about an hour late, and without scheduled started Daisuke Matsuzaka, who was shelved to preserve him to start Opening Day in Tokyo. Terms weren't announced, but the coaches did reportedly get some money ($25,000 each?)

The Sox and A's played their regular season games in Japan, winning one each, while exhibition games continued both during and after in Florida and Arizona and across the country as the teams headed toward their Opening Day destinations. The Japan games have happened twice before, but more or less outside my attention, which might have happened once again if not for lunch in the pizza joint.

On Sunday, March 30 the regular season started yet again with a game between the Washington Nationals and the Atlanta Braves at the Nationals' new eponymous Nationals Stadium (how clever--think of what the Defense Department could have come up with--Operation National Pastime; The Red Zone (after the Nats' colors--whoops that's already taken by football analysts)). President Bush threw out the first pitch to Nationals' manager Manny Acta. There was a story that Nationals' catcher Paul LoDuca was snubbed for some politically-motivated reason that I don't remember and which the White House denied. The Nationals won the one-game series with the Braves in fine style, 3-2 on a walk-off home run by third baseman Ryan Zimmerman (great name, there). This game was on TV, but I missed it while watching a Netflix DVD of Dustin Hoffman in "Death of a Salesman" that had been around the house for nearly a month, gathering dust in the midst of March Madness. I did watch the "60 Minutes" report on one of my baseball idols, Bill James, a statistician who has changed the way many fans (and baseball management personnel, of whom he is now one) think about the game.

Most of the rest of the season got underway last night. Highlights and lowlights included a rainout in Yankee Stadium; the Braves and Pirates engaged in a battle of bullpen ineptitude won 12-11 by the Pirates in 12 innings (the Bucs blew a 9-4 lead in the 9th); the Nats extending their winning streak to two games with an 11-6 win over the Phils that featured Phillie closer Tom Gordon leaving the field with an ERA of 135.00 after surrendering 5 earned runs in 1/3 inning; Joe Torre and Johan Santana both enjoying successful debuts with their new clubs as Torre led the Dodgers to a 5-0 win over the toothless Giants, while Santana pitched the Mets past the Marlins 7-2 in Florida; the Royals nosing out the Tigers 5-4 in 11 innings; Cleveland outlasting the White Sox 10-8; Eric Gagne shortening his new career with the Brewers while getting the win by blowing a 3-0 lead in the 9th (the Brewers tacked on the winning run in the 10th); the Diamondbacks getting strong pitching from Brandon Webb to beat the Reds 4-2; and Jake Peavy shutting out the soon-to-be-hopeless Astros 4-0 in San Diego.

Tonite is April 1, and the rest of the teams (I think) will spring into action, spring weather permitting.

Oh yeah, neither Barry Bonds nor Roger Clemens has found employment as a player for the 2008 season. Bonds says he is ready for the right opportunity. It's still early for Clemens, whose recent seasons have begun no sooner than June 1. The Giants "de-Bonds-ed" PacBell Park. Given how bad their team is likely to be, they may "reBonds" it by midseason to deflect attention from what's happening on the field.

Recent Reads - September 2008

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Here are some reviews I've posted on Amazon.com during September and August. I've read more books than this since May, but I am still behind on reviewing.

The Tsar's Dwarf by Peter H. Fogtdal

As it was for me, Peter Fogtdal's "The Tsar's Dwarf" may be the first novel you've ever read translated from Danish. I hope that the book sells well and that some of Fogtdal's novels get the same treatment.

In a first-person narrative that reads a bit like John Irving channeling Charles Dickens on a trip through 18th century Russia, Danish dwarf Sorine Bendsdatter takes us on the journey of her life--a journey of survival in a world that treats dwarves as animalistic freaks of nature rather than as human beings.

Sorine battles with her owners, her so-called protectors, her lovers, demons from her past deeds, and her God, first living in her native Denmark and then in Russia after being given by King Frederick of Denmark to Russian Tsar Peter the Great. Along with being Sorine's personal tale of her fight for survival, identity and a small measure of happiness in mostly cold, gloomy and vermin-infested surroundings, "The Tsar's Dwarf" tells us a good bit of Peter's story. Some of the story could be interpreted as historical fiction. Other parts are presented through "dwarf eyes", imaginations built from cruel experience.

"The Tsar's Dwarf" isn't a thriller, but Fogtdal's fast paced writing style and short chapters, some just snippets, make it read like one.

As a tale of personal courage and a look at history in long-ago and faraway places, "The Tsar's Dwarf" is hard to beat. Five enthusiastic stars for adult readers and for well-read teenagers.

A Dog in a Hat: An American Bike Racer's Story of Mud, Drugs, Blood, Betrayal, and Beauty in Belgium by Joe Parkin

The recent focus on use of performance-enhancing drugs in various sports, but especially cycling, makes American Joe Parkin's cycling memoir "A Dog In A Hat" seem timely even though his career as an expatriate Belgian cyclist ended more than 15 years ago. There's little glamour and lot of the title elements of mud, drugs, blood and betrayal in Parkin's story of competitive cycling. Parkin writes colorfully enough so that you can almost feel the crashes, smell the cheap hotels, and taste the nasty road food eaten by cyclists on their multi-hundred kilometer rides. I expect that cyclists and serious cycling fans will really enjoy this inside look at their world. For the cycling lay person like me, Parkin could have provided a more satisfying reading experience by including a glossary to define the many technical terms associated with competitive cycling.

3-1/2 stars rounded down for the difficulty the average reader might have with the cycling jargon.

The War of Don Emmanuel's Nether Parts by Louis De Bernieres

In his debut novel from 1990, Louis De Bernieres drops you straight into morass that is South America in the '60s and '70s, or at least as seen through his fevered imagination. So many characters, including the title's Don Emmanuel (who turns out to be a relatively minor figure), are introduced in the first 25 pages that I had to keep a list on paper. De Bernieres ambition is impressive as he tackles politics, terrorism, Communism, economics, the military, ecology, natural history, anthropology of any number of Indian tribes, theology, spirituality, geography (jungle to mountains and in between), agriculture and even dabbles in butterflies in taking us to an imaginary South American country (a conflation of several actual ones) that he astutely never names, lest be accused of libel (or so I'd hope - the political machinations and military strategies of DeBernierera (for lack of a better name) make what we know about the horror stories of America's analogous institutions look like child's play). To top it all off, De Bernieres presents the story in a tragicomic style, frequently causing the reader to literally "laugh out loud." The scene from which De Bernieres gets the title of the book is one of those moments. There's also romance, from the overtly and almost pornographic sexual to the literally spiritual and a rather jarring amount of torture, explained in exquisite detail.

De Bernieres writing doesn't flow with the grace he demonstrated in Captain Corelli's Mandolin and Birds Without Wings, which were more romantic works at heart, albeit each with significant political content. The style of Don Emmanuel fits the humid, noisy, colorful world of the jungle. It's an entertaining read for most of the trip, and even one that finds some redemption (albeit again, mostly of a spiritual nature) among all the internecine warfare being depicted.

Fans of Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Isabel Allende will recognize and enjoy the setting (although De Bernieres' style is considerably more frenetic). Fans of Mark Helprin's tragicomic novels, A Soldier of the Great War, Memoir From Antproof Case, and Freddy and Fredericka will enjoy De Bernieres style in The War of Don Emmanuel's Nether Parts.

Amish Grace: How Forgiveness Transcended Tragedy by Donald B. Kraybill (Author), Steven M. Nolt (Author), David L. Weaver-Zercher (Author)

The authors examine all aspects of the amazing grace demonstrated by the Amish people in tiny West Nickel Mines, PA after the ghastly killing of five school-age girls by a distraught "Englishman". The Amish's version of Christianity, focused sharply on the Lord's Prayer and the Sermon on the Mount, tells them to forgive others, lest they be forgiven by God for their sins. Centuries of thinking and living this way make other reactions to tragedy almost unthinkable within the Amish community, though forgiveness does not erase grief. Christians may think differently about their interpretation of Christ's teachings after reading this book. Description of the killings themselves are mercifully brief, though still poignant.

Very highly recommended to all readers.

Songs of the Humpback Whale: A Novel in Five Voices by Jodi Picoult

I understand Ms. Picoult's desire to present compelling stories of modern day family life in literary packages but she unnecessarily complicates her first novel, "Songs of the Humpback Whale", with multiple narrators (at least you learn this up front on the title page) including a character that tells her story on a reverse timeline. Assuming she did her research right, I did learn quite a bit about the behavior of humpback whales, which I'm sure has some relationship to the behavior of the humans in the story, though I didn't take enough time to sort it all out. My wife and daughter are big Picoult fans, but they struggled with "Songs of the Humpback Whale" as well.

Three stars for taking on a challenging structure and for interesting technical info on humpback whales.

A Great Day in Cooperstown: The Improbable Birth of Baseball's Hall of Fame by Jim Reisler

For me Reisler's book was a very timely story, as I read it just before visiting the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in June 2008. He begins with the interesting public relations and (and almost religious) story regarding baseball's creation myth - that Gen. Abner Doubleday invented baseball in Cooperstown in 1839, a myth that caused the Hall of Fame to be placed there. The Museum itself both honors the myth and discredits it in neighboring rooms. Also entertaining are Reisler's accounts of how the first enshrinees handled that first day of immortality in 1939. Even among those who'd spent their working lives before the public, there were some who didn't quite appreciate the throng that gathered in Cooperstown. A fun puzzle is to try to identify the Hall of Famers on the front cover, both before you read the book and as you go through.

Recommended to baseball fans, particularly to fans of the history and lore of the game. Others might wonder what all the fuss was about, as baseball has been elbowed aside by other sports (pro football in particular) for the adulation of American sports fans. Me, I like baseball.

Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie - Resonating against the backdrop of current-day events in The Sudan is remarkable young author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's engrossing story set during the brief history of Biafra, a breakaway area of Nigeria that had a short, bloody existence as a nation during the 1960s. In the post-colonial era when many new African nations were born, many native Nigerians saw their new government as little more than a black version of their white European oppressors. Achidie's lead character, Professor Odenigbo, an ethnic Igbo, lives comfortably, to the extent that he can hire a houseboy, 13-year-old Ugwu. These two main characters provide the adult, academic and child's-eye, non-academic view of both revolutionary rhetoric and action.

Adichie's story of revolution is also a family story as Odenigbo's beautiful girlfriend Olanna, her twin sister Kainene, and her boyfriend, white author/journalist Richard become involved. Peripheral characters also play an important role in the interpersonal plot development. Adichie does a wonderful job describing the lives of various classes in Nigerian society - haves, middle-class and the dirt poor inhabitants of refugee camps. For me, she struck her only wrong note with a series of chapter summaries from a book being written by Richard. I felt that these could have been expanded to real chapters or left out. "Half of a Yellow Sun" refers literally to the design of Biafra's national flag. Ironically it also represents the reality of this small country, on which the sun never truly rose.

Highly recommended to readers of historical fiction, and to those who want to learn more about life in Africa. Four strong stars.

The Patron Saint of Liars by Ann Patchett - I'm beginning to think that there are novels written by women for women. Ann Patchett's debut novel, "The Patron Saint of Liars" must be one of them. I felt nary a whit of sympathy for, nor gained a dram of understanding about protagonist Rose Clinton, whose behavior toward the men who love her defies either.

Patchett does provide an interesting look into the world of homes for unwed mothers (which in itself is an ironic setting), a no doubt declining industry in a world that has become progressively more tolerant toward what are now called single mothers. But even that connection is disappointing after a prelude that implies that the setting may have some ultimately redemptive qualities, which it didn't, at least for Rose.

Two-and-a-half stars, rounded up to three for the look at homes for unwed mothers.

The Tender Bar by J. R. Moehringer

Journalist J.R. Moehringer has written a rollicking coming-of-age memoir set on Long Island and centering around a small town version of the TV bar Cheers. The story opens with the author at about age six being raised by his mother and grandmother at his grandparents' house, his golden-voiced and leaden-souled father having disappeared into thin air. Before long he finds that his best childhood friends and father figures are a bunch of bartenders and drunks at the most popular bar in town, Dickens. Once he reaches drinking age, it's hard for J.R. not to become an alcoholic. One of the bartenders is his uncle and the bar's policy is that relatives drink free (but must pay for any drinks they give to others).

Obviously, the young protagonist becomes a successful writer. How he reaches that stage provides two great stories--that of the struggling student and journalist, and that of the rollicking young alcoholic. That you are reading the book removes some of the suspense about the outcome, but Moehringer and a cast of Dickensian characters at both Dickens and his grandparents' house makes the journey very entertaining. If you like Frank McCourt's various memoirs, particularly Angela's Ashes, or if your childhood included alcoholic caretakers (parents or otherwise), you'll love "The Tender Bar".

I'm now current reviewing all the books I've read in the last three months.

Bridge of Sighs by Richard Russo

Russo’s latest novel about life in the rural Northeast promises much with its romantic title and cover art showing a country bridge merging into the famous bridge in Venice. Russo delivers a charming narrative on growing up in upstate New York, but little else in a well-written but ultimately disappointing effort.

As the story starts, protagonist Louis “Lucy” (Lou C. – get it?) Lynch and his wife Sarah are planning a trip to Venice to reconnect with childhood friend Robert “Bobby” Noonan, who has escaped rural New York to become a world-famous artist. Quickly the story flashes back to Lou’s childhood—an almost year-by-year account of life in a small New York company town from age six to high school that will resonate with readers who grew up in similar circumstances. Interspersed are “look-ins” at Noonan’s life in Venice and the Lynches’ life in present-day Thomaston, New York. Eventually the stories intertwine, but they lost me in the figurative and literal trip across the Bridge of Sighs and in a denouement that depends on the appearance of a completely new character to bring the tale to a close.

In spite of Russo’s obvious skill in recreating the feel of a boy’s life in a small town, I can only give his book three stars for an ultimately unsatisfying trip across its metaphorical bridge. Still it’s possible that other readers will get more out of the journey across the Bridge of Sighs.

Einstein: His Live and Universe by Walter Isaacson

Walter Isaacson's biography of Time's "Person of the 20th Century", Albert Einstein, welcomes us to the world of one of history's most famous scientists. So well known that his name is nearly a common noun synonym for genius, but still misunderstood on many fronts, Einstein emerges much more intact than most famous people subjected to a biography of this length. He wasn't a great father for most of his life, perhaps shockingly so in one case. At one time a revolutionary figure in his field, he became quite conservative in his views late in his career, with his major contribution coming tangentially as others answered his objections to more modern theories of uncertainty and reality. Often thought of as the father of the atomic bomb, Einstein played a very minor role, other than to recognize the awesome potential of E = mc2 and making the effort to communicate his concern to those who needed to know in the volatile days leading up to World War II. The story of the emigration of Einstein and other German scientists is chilling in its implication. Had they stayed and developed the bomb for Hitler, the world might be a much different place today.

A book about a theoretical physicist has a good chance to sail right over the general reader's technical ability to understand it. Isaacson does a good job of keeping that part of the story near the ground, presenting concepts and Einstein's famous "thought experiments", but essentially no higher mathematics. I did better with E = mc2 and issues of uncertainty and reality presented later in the book than with the theory of relativity. Isaacson does his best work examining Einstein's conceptual mind--his career-long search for a unified field theory that would explain all the major forces in the universe, and his long dedication to a unified form of world government that would mediate the risks inherent with nationalism and mechanized, even nuclear, weapons. The stories about Einstein's family life, while humanizing and revealing, were the least interesting to me, though they did convey Einstein's basic humility with his place in the cosmos.

It took me quite awhile to read this book, but I'll give it five stars, particularly for biography readers and those with a scientific bent.

A Golden Age: A Novel by Tahmima Anam

Ms. Anam tells the story of the 1971 revolution in East Pakistan that resulted in creation of the independent nation of Bangladesh. She focuses on how such a cataclysmic event affects the lives of just a few people--primarily a woman and her two almost-grown children with ties in both East and West Pakistan. Americans may think of the Indian subcontinent as being one giant overpopulated place, but the diversity of language, religion, and culture creates both animosity and shaky alliances. The drama and poignancy of the events during time of war bring to mind three other excellent books - A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens, Sophie's Choice by William Styron and the more recent The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. The relative obscurity of Bangladesh's battle for independence might prevent Anam's book from gaining the following of these classics, but the power of her story is hardly diminished.

My only quibble was how quickly Anam related the end of the war (which lasted less than a year) once the difficult choices at the heart of the story were made. Perhaps she thought that by doing so, she kept the focus on the family, and not on the larger story. Still, I would have liked to learn more about how such an apparently desperate and overmatched guerilla-based revolution succeeded in less than one year. Five stars for what is there minus a star for what is missing. Still, a highly recommended read for lovers of fiction about the subcontinent.

Now You See Him by Eli Gottlieb

Now You See Him served as an intro into my upstate New York period, as I followed it with Bridge of Sighs by Richard Russo. Gottlieb's short novel, his second and first since 1997, reminded me of another recent read on death in suburban/rural America, Jeffrey Eugenides The Virgin Suicides. The "him" of the title, author and minor celebrity Rob Castor, is dead before the story starts, perpetrator and victim of a murder/suicide. Around to tell us more about Castor, and eventually why the death of this childhood friend has hit him so hard, is narrator Nick Framingham. Little by little we learn about the relationships among Nick, Castor and Castor's sister Belinda, while Nick's marriage disintegrates along the way. Surprises ostensibly abound, both regarding current relationships, and in revelations about the past, but none are too surprising until the final, jarring scene, which I'm not sure I bought into. A quick and moderately entertaining read, Now You See Him is still well short of being either a great story or great literature. Three stars.

So Brave, Young and Handsome by Leif Enger

So Brave, Young and Handsome, Leif Enger's second novel (he debuted in 2002 with the charming and spiritual Peace Like a River takes the top spot among all books I've read in the Amazon Vine program. It's the book about the last days of the Old West that Larry McMurtry could have written if he wasn't already so famous--instead he wrote the mediocre Telegraph Days.

The odyssey of Enger's protagonist, one-hit wonder novelist Monte Becket living in the second decade of the 20th century, rumbles on water, land and rail across the Midwest and Far West, all the way on a Grapes of Wrath-like journey to California. In a brisk 280 pages, divided into very short chapters, our "hero" and his newfound friend, outlaw Glendon Hale, encounter all matter of obstacles and assistance - the latter from a Billy the Kid-like auto mechanic named Hood Roberts (after one of Enger's father's friends), the former in the person of aging and violent ex-Pinkerton detective Charles Siringo (a historical character), who pursues both Hale and Roberts. Becket joins Hale on his journey for forgiveness from a wife Hale deserted years ago to take up a life of crime. All the major male characters - Becket, Hale, Roberts and Siringo, are exquisitely drawn as is a California citrus rancher who comes late to the story.

Through the voice of author Becket, Enger maintains the slightly formal writing style of his first novel, though at heart the story comes from the same part of his soul that created the wonderful character of 9-year old Swede Land and her epic poetry about lawman Sunny Sundown in Peace. Enger even includes a Swede-like character, albeit with different passions, in Becket's outdoorsy son Redstart, named after a bird.

I savored this story in small bites for awhile before surrendering and reading the last 200 pages on one day of a business trip.

Five enthusiastic stars for all readers - McMurtry lovers will rank So Brave, Young and Handsome up there with the master of the modern Western's early, poignant works, and likely become Enger lovers, eagerly anticipating his next tale.

Now Depressed Ike Soaks US Midwest On Way to Canada

2008-09-14T10:00:00.000-06:00

Sunday, September 15, 10:00 a.m. - The NHC issued its last update on Ike at 4 a.m. At that time, Ike had been downgraded to a Tropical Depression centered on the Arkansas/Missouri line. The storm had quite a run over land, swamping low-lying areas from Freeport, TX to Terrebonne Parish in Louisiana, blowing out windows in downtown Houston skyscrapers (actually many of windows were broken by pea gravel blown off of neighboring rooftops), and perhaps most critically, stranding an unknown number of non-evacuees, who await search and rescue efforts by local and state officials and the Coast Guard. While hundreds of rescues have been made, officials call the total to date "a drop in a bucket", as tens of thousands of people in coastal areas of Texas failed to comply with the evacuation order.

Saturday, September 13, 4 a.m. - Ike made landfall a couple hours ago in Galveston, TX. Winds are still reported at 110 mph as the storm drives through Houston, making it a strong Category Two storm, liable to cause 5-10 times the relative damage that Gustav wreaked upon Baton Rouge. I worked in the chemical industry in Baton Rouge for more than 20 years and got to know many people in the Houston area, both within my company, and with supplying companies. My thoughts and prayers are with them tonight. Here's a link to a CNN story on the situation in Galveston and Houston.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/weather/09/13/hurricane.ike.texas/index.html?iref=mpstoryview

One piece of good news is that a freighter carrying 22 crew members that was marooned in the storm is now safely behind it. The Coast Guard and CNN report that the Cyprus-flagged Antalina is now awaiting a motorized tugboat to take it back to port.

Baton Rouge continues with a sultry, breezy summer night - temperature hovering the low 80s even at 4 a.m. with winds gusting to 30 mph, but relatively calm at the moment. The IR satellite map shown below indicates that we should get some additional rain later today as the storm continues to circulate, but without any dramatic weather, unless a tornado pops up.

Friday, September 12 - As of 11:00 a.m, Ike's outer band has produced a little rain and winds of maybe 15-20 mph with slightly higher gusts. All nothing we can't handle, though we are a little frazzled in the Gustav aftermath. My 2 p.m. medical appointment got moved up to 12:45 p.m. so that both patients and staff can go home early. Eyeballing the above map makes me think that Ike will make landfall at Galveston at about 1 or 2 a.m. on Saturday. I'm hoping that the storm continues its WNW track over the Gulf, leaving Baton Rouge affected only by the outermost band. Tornadoes remain a threat in the very unsettled air covering the entire storm circulation.

Thursday, 11 p.m. - Above is the latest NOAA forecast track for Ike. The storm is focusing on Galveston Bay and the Houston, TX area. A mandatory evacuation has been called for Galveston Island and perhaps for other low-lying areas of the Texas Gulf Coast. Landfall for the eye appears to be coming about 24 hours from now, but the storm is already affecting land with squalls in Louisiana and sea with storm surge in Louisiana and Texas, as seen in the satellite image below. Even though the storm has held at 100 mph sustained winds, the IR satellite image is disturbing in that it shows four very dark areas, the northernmost two of which will probably hit the southwest Louisiana coast. With the general track of the storm after landfall being to the north and east, and given the size of the storm, even Baton Rouge, Louisiana could be in for a very wet and windy weekend. The National Weather Service forecat for Baton Rouge calls for sustained winds up to 30 mph on Friday and 20-25 mph on Saturday with a ongoing 50% chance of rain and thunderstorms on both days. Predicted winds drop off to about 15 mph on Sunday and the rain chance to 30%.

Thursday, 8 a.m. - A very soggy and windy weekend appears in store for the greater Houston area as made a slight shift to the WNW overnight and speeded its approach toward land from 7 mph to 10 mph. Landfall of the eye is now projected at about Lake Jackson, TX (south of Houston) at 2 a.m. on Saturday. The storm is big, so heavy winds and waves should extend over most of the Texas coast and into southwestern Louisiana, both of which were hit hard by Hurricane Rita in September 2005. What passes for good news for Texas is that the storm may have stabilized at 100 mph (Category 2) rather than strengthen further into a Category 3 or even 4 storm. Still, Ike has another 42 hours over warm water to built its power. Without a significant change in Ike's path, Baton Rouge and eastern Louisiana should experience little more than a rainy weekend on the fringe of a tropical storm. One last thought is a wish for good luck and much learning from their Rita experience to the Houston environs, where as many as a million people will try to evacuate. Evacuation to the north appears problematic, as Ike should head north as well. San Antonio about 200 miles to the west may become a very crowded place.

September 10, 10 p.m. - The day has seen Ike move slowly to the NW toward the Texas coast. It has also strengthened back to Category 2, with maximum sustained winds at 100 mph. Other weather forces should push the storm north after it makes landfall near Victoria, TX, but if the storm continues to track NW instead of WNW and moves at 7-8 mph instead of 10-12 mph, the northward push could create landfall in Louisiana. Already the southwest corner of Louisiana has crept back to into the probability cone. The easternmost edge of the landfall probability cone has moved almost 200 miles to the east since 4 p.m. yesterday, a disturbing development for Louisianans after Tuesday's forecasts kept pushing the storm further to the south and west.

September 10, 9 a.m. - Ike's forecasted track has changed little in the last 15 hours, which is good news for Louisianans and bad news for Texans. I'd be happier if the storm would take a more clear westerly track and move a little faster. The last directional observation was NW at 8 mph. The eye of the storm is clear of Cuba. Nothing but warm Gulf water stands between Ike and the western Gulf coast, wherever it may strike. Landfall as at least a Category 2, and possibly higher seems likely.

September 9, 4 p.m. - Another 12 hours has put western Louisiana back in Ike's predicted 5-day cone, albeit not in the projected path of landfall early on Saturday morning. The storm is leaving Cuba with winds still at minimal hurricane strength of 75 mph. Gustav showed us what havoc that can wreak in Baton Rouge. Right now it looks as though LSU and North Texas should plan to play Saturday's game in Baton Rouge, as the storm could be plowing through north Texas just about in time for a 7 p.m. kickoff.

September 9, 5 a.m. - The forecast track for Hurricane Ike moved steadily south and west over the last 21 hours. As you can see from the map above, this is good news for Louisiana (and bad news for south Texas and northern Mexico). Louisiana is now completely outside the 5-day cone (no sure thing, as storms go outside this cone 1/3 of the time). Landfall is now projected near Corpus Christi, TX on Saturday morning. Prayers go out to the unfortunate people of western Cuba, who have experienced two hurricanes in less than two weeks. At long last, the rest of the Atlantic Basin in quiet--no other named storms or even tropical depressions or areas of interest at this time. Still, storms can form quickly. The end of September and October are historically busy months.

September 8, 9 a.m. - With Hurricane Gustav now in our past (except for the pile of brush in the front yard, the broken tree limb over the pond yet to be pulled down, and the outdoor potted plants still in the living room), life could be expected to get back to normal, except for the looming presence of Hurricane Ike, now a Category Two storm making its way across Cuba. The NOAA forecast map shows Ike traversing Cuba and emerging into the Gulf of Mexico late Tuesday night. Though the projected 5-day path points Ike's eye toward Port Arthur, Texas (about where Hurricane Rita hit in 2005), all of Louisiana is in the cone of possibility. Any northward movement of the storm would set up the Louisiana coast for another direct hit. We enjoyed our weekend and newly-restored power (watching lots of tennis, football (go Saints!) and baseball on Sunday), but now our task is similar to that of Tina Turner during her marriage to her performing partner--watch out for Ike!

Here Comes the Story of Hurricane (Gustav)

2008-09-07T17:00:00.001-06:00

September 7, 5:45 p.m. We got our power back last night at about 2 a.m. I spent about an hour out of bed turning out all the lights that were left on and adjusting the temperature controls.

Sadly for Kallie the power came back in time for her to watch her hero Rafael Nadal lose in the US Open tennis semifinal this afternoon in the completion of Saturday's Hanna-interrupted match. We watched part of the first half of the match at Acme Oyster House in Metairie as part of our go out of town program to dealing with no power and air conditioning. The food at Acme was outstanding, especially the chargrilled oysters. We look forward to the opening of the Baton Rouge Acme Oyster House, previously scheduled for September 5. I don't know the new date.

Times Grill in Baton Rouge disappointed us at dinner as their network failed just a few minutes into our dinner visit. Food was creative - BLTs on hamburger buns.

September 5, 5:30 p.m. Found a great place for lunch today. The food's just so-so, but they have A/C and a great network. About 2 hours after lunch, my daughter and I went back for a root beer and some Internet surfing. Not much change in our status. Now over 100 hours without power. Our utility is moving slowly. Still fewer than half of their customers have been restored. We did see some of their trucks in our neighborhood today, but I'm afraid our problems are deeper--in transmission lines that we can't see. Our subdivision has underground distribution lines, so I know they're not the problem. The reopening of Kallie's school has been postponed until Wednesday. It looks like our church will have power in time for Sunday services--good news. The curfew has been delayed until 10 p.m. tonight. Last night our first choice for dinner wouldn't let us in at 6 p.m. because the East Baton Rouge police were harasssing them about getting everyone out and off the roads by curfew time of 8 p.m. We drove down the street to DeAngelo's Italian Restaurant, which kept serving customers until 7 p.m, bless their hearts. As we left at 6:45 p.m. an East Baton Rouge sheriff walked in accompanied by a Border Patrol officer. We didn't know if they were there to eat or to harass the management. My theory is that Border Patrol officers in Louisiana probably don't have much to do. Everyone is trying to leave the state. Things are getting so bad that illegal immigrants may be going back to Mexico.

September 4, 11:30 a.m. Still no power at home, but I'm posting and enjoying the A/C at the Oschner Clinic. I was delighted to learn that the clinic would be open for business today, when I was scheduled for my first chemotherapy treatment. We came home from Jackson last night in a 6-hour car trip that included a last hour in East Baton Rouge Parish in violation of the 8 p.m. curfew. My daughter was disappointed that we didn't get pulled over. I was relieved, especially since we had four bags of ice melting in the trunk.

Check out my storm pictures at www.photoblog.com/dadlak.

September 3, 3:00 p.m. Did you miss me? We lost power at 9:00 a.m. on Monday morning, before we saw much of Gustav's fury. It's now mid-afternoon on Wednesday. Only about 6% of our utility's customers have their power restored, this out of 99% who lost power in the greater Baton Rouge area. Another local utility is talking about restoring power to "50% of their customers in one to eight days". We got dry ice to salvage our food and have used our gas grill to cook everything from pork chops to pancakes.

We drove from Baton Rouge to Jackson, MS this afternoon to deliver my stepson and his family to the airport. Their flights back to NYC out of both New Orleans and Baton Rouge were cancelled several times. They found a flight out of Jackson, about 180 miles from Baton Rouge, that would get them back to NYC late Wednesday night to avoid missing another day of work and school. We enjoyed the trip up here as it got us out of an increasingly clammy house. Both the temperature and humidity in Baton Rouge will be above 80 today. We've been fortunate that the temperature hasn't gone any higher. Gustav hung around after its initial impact to provide cloud cover and dump more rain, though our neighborhood was spared much of the latter.

We were very fortunate as the storm only covered our yard in a blanket of branches, twigs and leaves rather than covering our roof with a felled tree. Our neighbor across the street had two trees fall on his house. The first put a substantial hole in the roof. He was on the roof covering the hole with a tarp while the storm still raged. Another neighbor who was my daughter's 8th grade history teacher had three trees crash through the back of her house, taking out three rooms. A few houses down the street another house had one tree hit the front door and another large oak uprooted to fall through the entire left side of the house. Lost power and felled trees seem to be the main damage. I've heard about three fatalities, all people who were killed inside their homes by falling trees.

September 1, 8:30 a.m. - The eye of Gustav is about to make landfall near Port Fourchon, LA. In Baton Rouge all we've seen is some rain and wind up to about 20 mph. We had a tornado watch overnight, but fortunately no tornadoes. Tornadoes have been spotted in Mississippi and Florida. Gustav will be a strong Category 2 storm when it reaches land.

10:00 p.m. - Here's the latest radar map. The forecast map didn't change much, other than the hurricane moving closer along the predicted track.

9:30 p.m. - Here's the latest NOAA forecast map for Hurricane Gustav. We have everything inside and are hunkering down for a windy and rainy day in Baton Rouge tomorrow, with wind speeds up to 70 mph. The first rain band from the storm has already reached us, but without much wind. Mandatory evacuations are nearly complete in Lousiana's coastal parishes, with compliance estimated at 90-95%. Traffic arrangements were the best yet. Most people were evacuated to the east and north. Some came through Baton Rouge late last night, but by this morning there was no evacuation traffic moving through town. Locals have been buying up ice, water, plywood and generators. School has been cancelled through Wednesday.

Spectacular Beijing Olympics Wrapup - Team Land, Sea and Air Awards

2008-08-30T13:18:00.019-06:00

As tough as the competition was for individual Olympic Spectacle Awards, the choices for the team awards were even more difficult.

Best Men's Team Performance, Land Division - There are several great nominees - the Jamaican 4 x 100-meter relay team, which smashed the previous world record for the event by 0.3 seconds; the US "Redeem Team" basketball team, which rolled over the opposition by 30+ points per game before surviving a spirited gold-medal game effort by Spain; the US men's volleyball team, playing with almost the worst imaginable distraction after the father-in-law of coach Hugh McCutcheon was killed by a random attacker while sightseeing in Beijing before the games began; US beach volleyball gold medalists Todd "The Professor" Rogers and Phil "The Thin Beast" Dalhausser; and even the US 4 x 400-meter relay team, which shook off the ignominious baton-passing woes of their 100-meter teammates to win gold and set a world record. And the Spectacle goes to -- (sorry LeBron) -- the US volleyball team for beating a tall and powerful Russian team and the defending Olympic champion Brazilians in the last two rounds to claim the gold medal. Honorable mention to all the other nominees. Apologies to winners of sports such as soccer, team handball and field hockey, all of whom I'm sure are quite worthy, but of whose sports I saw very little.

Best Women's Team Performance, Land Division - My American citizenship (and LSU fandom, as recent Tiger stars Seimone Augustus and Sylvia Fowles both contributed to the team's success) is probably showing here, but the US women's basketball team look like an obvious Spectacle winner in this category. They dominated the field with smothering defense and efficient offense to claim the US's fourth straight gold medal. Team captain Lisa Leslie won her fourth consecutive gold medal and ran her individual game record to 32-0. Honorable mention goes to the US beach volleyball team of Misty May-Trainor and Kerry Walsh, repeat gold medal winners and winners of 108 straight matches; to the 4 x 100-meter Jamaican relay team and to the Brazilian volleyball team, the latter despite my not seeing their gold-medal winning match against the US.

Best Men's Team Performance, Sea Division - I wish I were more up on Olympic boating. If so, you might see some nominations from rowing and yachting. But I watched a lot of swimming and water polo, and as such, my nominees for this award come from those competitions, starting with the US 4 x 100-meter freestyle relay team, who outtouched heavily-favored and cocky France by 0.08 seconds. The US 4 x 100-meter medley relay team also gets a nod for winning gold and smashing the previous world record by more than 2 seconds. Oh yeah, how about the US 4 x 200-meter freestyle relay team that broke 7 minutes, setting a world record and beating the second place Russians by more than 5 seconds. The US water polo team came close to sweeping this category, but fell to nominee Netherlands in the final. The Dutch water polo team eked into the medal round with a 1-2 record but beat world power Hungary and a hot American team in the medal games. No big surprise here - the winner of the Spectacle is the American 4 x 100-meter freestyle relay team for winning as an underdog in possibly the most exciting swimming relay race of all time. The individual swimmers were Michael Phelps, Garrett Weber-Gale, Cullen Jones and 32-year-old Jason Lezak, who for all of the deserved hype about Phelps, may have swum the best single leg of any Olympic swimmer. Honorable mention to all the other nominees.

Best Women's Team Performance, Sea Division - This will definitely require some research, but I'm guessing that Australian swimmers will be in there somewhere. Indeed, Australian swimmers get the call with golds in the 4 x 100-meter medley relay and the 4 x 200-meter freestyle relay and a bronze in the 4 x 100-meter freestyle relay. Let's go with the world-recordsetting Australian 4 x 100-meter medley relay team - Emily Seebohm, Leisel Jones (pictured), Jessicah Schipper and Libby Trickett - for the Spectacle award.

Best Men's Team Performance, Land and Air Division - No doubt about this one as the dominating Chinese men's gymnastics takes the Spectacle award.

Best Women's Team Performance, Land and Air Division - Once again, Chinese gymnastics takes the Spectacle award as both men and women won the team gold medal. These girls not only overcame their competition, but also reports and rumors that some of their key athletes were younger than the minimum age to compete.

Spectacular Beijing Olympics Wrapup - Individual Land, Sea and Air Awards

2008-08-29T09:03:00.034-06:00

Friday, 10 a.m. - We had company all week until yesterday midday, so I had a hard time finding quiet time to write a wrapup post on the Beijing Olympics. Then Barack Obama and Cubs-Phils got in the way last night. Here I am this morning.

The word that comes most easily to describe the Beijing Olympics is spectacular. Spectacular backdrops like the Great Wall and the Forbidden City; a spectacular opening ceremony (that I'm still waiting to see on DVD); spectacular venues like the Birds Nest and the Water Cube; spectacular gold-medal winning performances from American swimmer Michael Phelps, Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt, Kenyan marathoner Samuel Wanjiru, German weightlifer Matthias Steiner, 15-year-old Chinese diver Chen Ruolin, the US men's volleyball team and many others too numerous to mention in one sentence; even spectacular runnerup performances from the likes of 41-year-old silver-medal American swimmer Dara Torres (with an injured shoulder no less) and Togoan kayaker Benjamin Bougpeti (the country's first-ever Olympic medal winner). The NBC networks breadth of coverage was spectacular as well as five different networks provided thousands of hours of live and taped action from almost every imaginable sport. Even spectacular photography from my photofriend Alain at the Games and around the city.

Up to now I've been directing my commentary away from the new king of Frosted Flakes, eight-gold-medal-winner Michael Phelps, but now is the time to give him his due. Phelps gold medal haul at Beijing is of course the all-time record for one athlete in a single Games; as his career total of 14 gold medals at both Athens and Beijing. He set seven world records in eight races. He won by body-lengths; he won by the length of a fingernail. After watching the prelims, I correctly predicted that the 100-meter butterfly and Serbian challenger Cavic would be the biggest hurdle in Phelps' race to eight gold medals. Relay races brought out the best in other US swimmers, as veteran Jason Lezak swam the freestyle leg of his life to nip loudmouth French swimmer Alain Bernard at the wall in the 4 x 100-meter race. Phelps also shows what talent, coaching and desire can be accomplish. Identified at the tender age of 11, Phelps and his coach set their clocks to eight and twelve years ahead and went to work. Phelps says he's coming back for more at London in 2012. Maybe sometime after that they're be a real "Michael Phelps Award" for the best performance of each games by someone who necessarily won't be named Michael Phelps, until the second coming (of Michael Phelps that is.)

Now for some summary awards. In recognition of the spectacular nature of the Games, I call these awards "Spectacles". I'll start with some obvious categories and hope that more creative ones come to mind.

Best Individual Male Performance, Land Division - Jamaica's Usain "Lightning" Bolt gets the Spectacle for three gold medals (100 meters, 200 meters, and 4 x 100 meter relay) and three world records. Along the way he celebrated during the last 20 meters of his recordsetting 100 meter run; ran hard all the way to nip Michael Johnson's legendary record in the 200 meters; and led off a Jamaican relay team that crushed the previous world record by 0.3 seconds. Honorable mentions go to American decathlete Bryan Clay (who built up such a huge lead in the first nine events that he could finish dead last in the 1,500-meters and still win gold comfortably); Kenyan marathoner Samuel Wanjiru (who had the misfortune of having his name misspelled up until the time he received his gold medal); German superheavyweight weightlifter Matthias Steiner (who lifted more than 550 lb and a heavy heart (his wife having been killed in a 2007 car wreck); and Ethiopian long-distance runner Kenenisa Bekele, double gold-medal winner in the 5,000 and 10,000 meter runs.

Best Individual Female Performance, Land Division - I almost went with Nastia Liukin, but decided that most of her performances took place above the land. I'll create a new category to honor her. This Spectacle award goes to Romanian marathoner Constantina Tomescu Dita, who along with having one of the most challenging names for both broadcasters and bloggers, took the riskiest approach to the 26.2 mile race, racing out to a big lead early on and then hanging on for the victory. She actually hung on quite well, winning by more than 30 seconds. Honorable mention goes to Jamaican sprinter Shelly-Ann Fraser, who after winning the 100-meters also proved that braces can be beautiful with her post-victory smile. Let's go with American discus thrower Stephanie Brown-Trafton for the other honorable mention. She won America's first discus gold since 1932 with a first throw of more than 216 feet, a distance that stood up to all the competition.

Best Individual Male Performance, Sea Division - This spectacle of Spectacles of course goes to American swimming sensation Michael Phelps for all the reasons mentioned above. Honorable mention goes to American swimmer Jason Lezak, even though he swam in a relay, for his amazing final leg of the men's 4 x 100-meter relay and to Togoan Benjamin Bougpeti for his first-ever-for-his-country bronze medal in men's kayaking.

Best Individual Female Performance, Sea Division - The field for this award is more wide open than the men's side. I'll give the Spectacle to versatile American Natalie Coughlin, who won six medals to go along with five she won in Athens. Coughlin won the 100-meter backstroke, took silver in the 200-meter individual medley and bronze in the 100-meter freestyle. She added a silver and two bronzes in relays. Unlike "eat, sleep, swim" Phelps, Coughlin is known for believing that there is life outside of swimming, making her medal haul even more impressive. Honorable mentions go to Zimbabwean (I love that word, even though the country is a mess) Kirsty Coventry, for a similar performance to Coughlin, to Australian breaststroker Liesel Jones for two gold medals and a large dose of redemption after being shut out of gold at both Sydney and Athens, and notably to 41-year-old American freestyle specialist Dara Torres, who mixed modern training methods and motherhood to grab silver in both 50-meter freestyle (by an agonizing 0.01 second) and in the freestyle relay. Later it was discovered that Torres had been swimming with an injured shoulder. As of this writing, she's already undergone surgery.

Best Individual Male Performance, (Almost All) Air Division - Without doing a lot of research, I'll give the Spectacle to Chinese gymnast Li Xiaopeng, who won gold in the parallel bars and helped the Chinese men to team gold with terrific performances on both bars and the vault, both events that spend more time in the air than on the ground.

Best Individual Female Performance, (Almost All) Air Division - A lot of gymnasts did great work in the air, but none impressed me as much as Chinese trampolinist He Wenna, whose nearly perfect work won her and her country a gold medal, and my Spectacle in the (Almost All) Air Division.

Best Individual Male Performance, Air and Sea Division - In a diving competition dominated by the Chinese in every other event, Australian men's platform diver Matthew Mitcham shocked the world and prevented a Chinese sweep with the highest scoring platform dive in history, a back 2 1/2 somersault with 2 1/2 twists, carrying a 3.8 degree of difficulty. He performed it perfectly, scoring four 10s and earning 112.10 points. Going into the last round of dives Mitcham trailed Chinese diver Zhou Luxin by almost 40 points, but Luxin performed a mediocre dive to open the water for Mitcham's miracle. Adding to the pressure on Mitcham, he also competed as the Games' only openly gay athlete. For his perfect final dive and gold medal, Mitcham wins a Spectacle award. Honorable mention goes Chinese springboard diver He Chong, who nailed his last diver for 100.7 points to win the 3-meter springboard competition by 36 points.

Best Individual Female Performance, Air and Sea Division - There's no mystery about my choice here. 15-year-old diver Chen Ruolin of China performed a similarly perfect 100-point dive to overtake Canadian Emily Heymans for the women's 10-meter platform gold. The amazing grace, skill and courage demonstrated by the slim 15-year-old blew me away and blows a Spectacle Chen's way.

Best Individual Male Performance, Land and Air Division - Chinese all-around gymnast Yang Wei's gold-medal winning performance wasn't the most dramatic (he won by a wide margin) or memorable, but it wins the Spectacle by far in this category as Yang jumped, flipped, spun, twisted, swung, dismounted and several other action verbs on six different pieces of gymnastics apparatus (floor, still rings, pommel horse, vault, high bar and parallel bars), a unimaginable feat for me, who endured crippling fear of even one piece of such equipment in middle and high school. Honorable mentions are probably due all over the world of men's gymnastics but most memorable for this American non-gymnast were Alexander "Sasha" Artemev's bronze-medal saving performance on the pommel horse, and teammate Jonathan Horton all-around excellence and leadership that same night during the team competition in which the US captured the unexpected bronze.

Best Individual Female Performance, Land and Air Division - No surprise here either as divine American all-around gymnast Nastia Liukin takes the Spectacle award for her gold medal performances in that event. Combining the elegance of her Russian parents and athleticism of her American training, Liukin, out with injury as recently as 2007, was transcendent throughout the women's gymnastic competition. There I go again. Honorable mentions go to Liukin's teammate Shawn Johnson, second in the all-around and gold medalist on the balance beam, to Romania's Sandra Izbasa for a gold-medal winning floor exercise routine, and to Germany's Oksana Chusovitina, who took a silver medal in the vault, which she dedicated to her young son, in remission from leukemia. Many wonderful young Chinese gymnasts will have to wait for team awards for their recognition.

Best Individual Male Performance, Land and Sea Division - Not too many events cover both land and sea - the steeplechase to a small extent; the triathlon to a great extent. Germany's triathlete Jan Frodeno gets the Spectacle award for an amazing performance at the end of which he outsprinted (yes sprinted after 1.5 km swim, 40 km bike ride, and 10 km run) his opponents for the gold. Honorable mention goes to whomever finished this crazy race, in particular to Canada's Simon Whitfield, who also had a sprint left in him. Altogether, 50 of 55 triathletes who started the event finished.

Best Individual Female Performance, Land and Sea Division - Australia's Emma Snowsill is an easy choice for the Spectacle here as she dominated the women's triathlon, winning by more than one minute in a total time of less than two hours. No shortened triathlon for the women--their swim, bike and running distances were the same as for the men. Snowsill finished just 11 minutes off the time of the male winner. Honorable mention to the other 44 female finishers.

Back with team awards later.

Michael Phelps Award for Best Performance By Athlete Not Named Michael Phelps - Athlete Kobe and Coach McCutcheon Both Honored

2008-08-25T08:00:00.001-06:00

USA's Kobe Bryant, right, goes to the basket as Spain's Rudy Fernandez defends during the men's gold medal basketball game at the Beijing 2008 Olympics in Beijing, Sunday, Aug. 24, 2008. USA won 118-107. Associated Press © 2008

USA's head coach Hugh McCutcheon reacts as he leaves the court after his team defeated Brazil during their men's volleyball gold medal match at the Beijing 2008 Olympics in Beijing, Sunday, Aug. 24, 2008. USA won the gold and Brazil took silver. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara)

Sunday, August 24 - Player Coach - In the last day of summer Olympic competition for four years, just a few Olympic competitions were held or televised on Sunday (US time) - men's basketball, men's water polo, and men's volleyball, so there are relatively few candidates for Sunday's final Michael Phelps Award of the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

From the basketball court, the nominee is reigning NBA MVP Kobe Bryant, who led the final US push to basketball gold in a scintillating win over Spain. He finished the game with 20 points and 6 assists. Bryant has achieved one-name fame throughout the world - not many wouldn't know who "Kobe" is. Honorable mention on the hardwood goes to teammate Dwyane Wade, who scored 27 points and made four steals in another performance that left opposing players and coaches puzzling on the question of how to stop him.

From the pool, the gold medal-winning Hungarian team gets the nomination as a group, given that I don't know enough to single out a nominee from their 14-10 win over the upstart US team in the gold medal game. The Hungarians defended their 2004 gold medal and won their ninth overall gold in men's water polo, which is the country's national sport. Did you know that water polo got its name from its original form in which the players rode on floating contraptions meant to play the horse part in the polo-like competition? I'd have to do some research to understand how water polo could become a country's "national sport."

My volleyball nominee stretches the award title by being a coach rather than a player. American men's volleyball coach Hugh McCutcheon began the experience of his life by having his father-in-law slain by a random assailant in Beijing on the day before competition started. His assistants coached the first three games before McCutcheon's wife told him to get back to courtside with his team. Perhaps inspired by their coach's courage, the US volleyballers overcame a succession of world class opponents, capped by a four-set victory over defending gold medalist Brazil in the gold medal game. McCutcheon is nominated for his courage, his team's performance, and to represent the efforts of thousands of coaches across the spectrum of Olympic competition.

With all due respect to Hungarian water polo, and in recognition of the deeply-held traditions associated with the Michael Phelps Award, Sunday's Michael Phelps Award is given in two parts - the athletic award to Kobe Bryant and a special coach's award to Hugh McCutcheon. Don't worry, whenever the award design is completed (I'm sorry to say that this process is still in the pre-conceptual phase as my award designer is currently dealing with 10th grade) and medallions are struck, each of Sunday's awardees will each get one of their own--none of this passing it back and forth, or a half-medallion each. They deserve it!

Saturday's Pantheon of Excellence - August 23 produced many Michael Phelps Award-worthy performances. Here are some photos. Please scroll to the bottom of this post to see who won.

Kenya's Sammy Wanjiru breaks the tape in the Olympic men's marathon at Beijing. (Anja Niedringhaus/Associated Press)

Matthew Mitcham of Australia celebrates his gold medal in men's 10-meter platform diving (Photo credit: Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

Kenenisa Bekele of Ethiopia wins the gold medal in the 5000 meters, and plans to win several more. By H. Darr Beiser, USA TODAY

USA players from left, Candace Parker, Lisa Leslie and DeLisha Milton-Jones pose with their medal after winning against Australia in women's basketball at the Beijing 2008 Olympics in Beijing, Saturday, Aug. 23, 2008. (AP Photo/Dusan Vranic)

The gold-medal exploits of Michael Phelps have received plenty of attention. Michael himself, who seems like a pretty regular guy, has found time in his "eat, sleep, swim" schedule (eating takes a lot of time given that he eats 12,000 calories a day), to have six (make that eight, of course) gold medals draped around his neck.

I started keeping track of what I thought was the best Olympic performance day-by-day by an athlete not named Michael Phelps. (Design of Michael Phelps Award medallion pending)

Here's my list (the days are when I watched the performance rather than when it actually happened in Beijing; and winners are limited to performances that I actually saw).

Saturday - Do They Even Have a Beach? The initial Michael Phelps Award goes to the Latvian beach volleyball team (Martins Plavins and Aleksandrs Samoilovs) that upset American gold medal favorites Rogers and Dalhausser. How many people around the world were scrambling to figure out where Latvia is, and whether it even has a beach? (It does--Latvia sits on the Baltic Sea; one of three new Baltic countries along with Lithuania and Estonia, created after the breakup of the Soviet Union). Congratulations, Martins and Alexsandrs, on Saturday's Michael Phelps Award.

Sunday - Age Before Mouthy - In a swimming performance that may be the best of the 2008 games when it's all over, US 4 x 100-meter relay anchor Jason Lezak swam down Frenchman Alain Bernard (the eventual 100-meter singles' gold medalist) from more than a second behind to win gold for the American team, which included leadoff man Phelps. Before the race, Bernard had brashly predicted that the French team would "crush" the Americans. At 33 years old, Lezak was an unlikely hero candidate, given the younger age of most top swimmers, but with 25 meters to go he thought about his age and how many more chances he would have to be in this situation (none) and decided to go for it. The French team stood motionless and speechless after Lezak outtouched Bernard by less than 0.1 second in the most exciting swimming race I've ever seen. As well as getting his own gold medal, Lezak saved the "eight gold medal" drama for both Michael Phelps and NBC, both of whom, I imagine, are extremely appreciative. A hearty "Magnifique!" and Sunday's Michael Phelps Award to Jason Lezak.

Monday - Sit and Swing - American gymnast Alexander "Sasha" Artemev should get a share of the bronze medals given to at least two of his teammates in the men's team gymnastics competition. Standing a shaky third over the Germans with the insidious pommel horse to go, Artemev's teammates Kevin Tan and Raj Bashrav (sp?) responded to the pressure by sitting on and stepping off the horse respectively. A similar self-destructive performance by Artemev would cost the US their hard-earned bronze medal. Artemev, with his own history of error-filled performances, swung his way through a dazzling performance that had the Chinese crowd oohing and ahing (however that goes in Chinese) like a circus act. The high mark lifted the American team to the bronze medal level of the award podium, and Alexander "Sasha" Artemev to Monday's Michael Phelps Award.

Tuesday - Go Togo! I was thrilled to see NBC covering men's kayaking. It's exciting to watch the paddlers battle their way through the manmade raging rapids of the Olympic course. Miss a gate and you're penalized 50 seconds, and you miss the medal stand. I didn't know enough about kayaking to know who were the favorites, but I had to root for giant Benjamin Boukpeti of tiny Togo, a coastal African nation with zero Olympic medals to its credit in the country's history. Leading going into the last round, Boukpeti thrashed his way through all the gates in the proper direction fast enough to earn a bronze medal. His Serbian competitor, a prerace favorite it seems, missed a gate and broke his paddle in disgust. Boukpeti broke his paddle in joy when his time and standing was posted. Imagine what he would have done had he known he'd won Tuesday's Michael Phelps Award. Go Togo!

Wednesday - Since Lazarus From the Dead - When I started watching the women's volleyball game between China and Cuba on Wednesday morning, China had won the first two games and were leading 15-11 in the third game of what appeared to be a routine three-game sweep by the defending Olympic champions. After an effective timeout, the Cubans roared back to win the third game and force a fourth. The Cubans' trials weren't nearly over as China rallied to gain seven match points during the fourth game. Cuba repelled every Chinese attempt to end the match and eventually won the fourth game 32-30 on their first game point. In the fifth set tiebreaker to 15 points, the Chinese led as late as 11-10, but eventually walked off the court in shock as Cuba prevailed by 15-13. Cuba remains the only undefeated team in its pool of the women's volleyball competition. As an aside, women's volleyball should put to rest for once and all the myth that women can't jump. Perhaps the victorious Cuban women's volleyballers can get better apartments; for sure they win Wednesday's Michael Phelps Award.

Thursday - Living Legacy - As thrilled as the American men's gymnastics team were with their bronze medal, the American women seemed disappointed in their silver behind the Chinese team. The opportunity for redemption came soon, however, in the women's all-around competition. America's two top gymnasts, Nastia Liukin and Shawn Johnson, would have a second chance to beat their young (some say too young) Chinese rivals. The competition was tight all evening. The nature of gymnastics scoring makes it hard to sense who's really ahead until the end. And NBC's broadcasters were convinced that the American girls were getting jobbed on their marks by the panel of international judges. The girls didn't pay any attention. They kept jumping, spinning, twisting and landing. Liukin and Johnson were the last two performers on floor exercise. Liukin, who looks just like her American mother, but performs with the soul of her Russian father (also an Olympic gymnast from the 1980s) gave an essentially flawless performance and earned a mark of 15.525, comfortably enough to beat the top Chinese opponent, Yang Yilin. Johnson, the quintessential American female gymnast - short, young, athletic, spunky - needed an almost unattainable mark of 16.125 to beat Liukin. She gave her own version of a nearly flawless performance, but her mark of 15.525 fell short overall. She settled for silver, and rightfully so, as Liukin was the better performer all night--her long legs sailing elegantly around and over every piece of gymnastics equipment, every move a thing of both artistic and athletic beauty. Oh well--getting a little carried away there, but Nastia Liukin richly deserved both her gold medal and Thursday's Michael Phelps Award.

Friday - The Reign of Spain - Rafael Nadal, reigning French Open and Wimbledon tennis champion, survived a strong upset bid by Serbian Novak Djokovic to advance to the final of the men's tennis competition. The match, which included Djokovic winning the second set by a dominating 6-1 score, ended after Nadal returned back-to-back overheads by Djokovic. Determined to avoid a third return, Djokovic pummeled a "sitter" overhead from just behind the net. Unfortunately he pummeled the ball out of bounds to lose the match. Not that he needs more recognition, Rafael Nadal still gets Friday's Michael Phelps Award for returning the first two smashes, leading Djokovic to think that he had to go for broke on the third chance. Nadal will face Chilean Fernando Gonzalez in the final. Honorable mention goes to Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt, who ran a 100-meter dash heat in 9.92 seconds while sightseeing the last 40 meters. And, if his name weren't Michael Phelps, Michael Phelps would have gotten serious consideration for an 0.01 margin victory in the men's 100-meter butterfly for his seventh gold medal of the games.

Saturday - The Man in the Middle - What are the most important parts of a 100-meter sprint? The start, of course, the race isn't long enough to recover from a poor start. And the finish--the ability to outlean the competition could spell the difference in a race often decided by hundredths of a second. New to the race, Jamaican Usain Bolt doesn't start particularly well. In Saturday's 100-meter final, he threw out his arms and started looking around 20 meters from the finish. In between, the aptly-nicknamed "Lightning" Bolt pulled so far ahead of the seven-next-fastest men in the world that he was able to celebrate victory before he crossed the finish line. The result of this three-quarter effort--nothing less than a new world record of 9.69 seconds, beating his own mark of 9.72. For a seemingly effortless gold-medal-winning, world-recordsetting race, Usain "Lightning" Bolt wins Saturday's Michael Phelps Award.

Here's a link to an NPR news report on Bolt's win Bolt Bolts to Victory

Sunday - No Tiebreaker - Four fine candidates emerged from Sunday's Olympic competition. The Phelps Award judges have spent all day trying to pick a single winner. Here are the finalists 1) Romanian gymnast Sandra Izbasa, whose won the gold medal in the women's floor exercise with a 15.65 score on the last performance of the competition. Even US cheerleader/analysts Tim Daggett and Bela Karolyi were impressed - well Karolyi anyway; 2) Ethiopian runner Kenenisa Bekele, who won the 10,000-meter run for the second consecutive Olympics; 3) German gymnast Oksana Chusovitina, a 33-year-old mother who took silver in the women's vault (she dedicated her medal to her once leukemia-stricken son, the reason for her emigration from Russia to Germany) and 4) Shelly-Ann Fraser, 21-year-old Jamaican winner of the women's 100-meter dash, making the small Caribbean country home to both the "World's Fastest Man" and "World's Fastest Woman" (Fraser as well may have been the World's Happiest Woman during her post-race interview, both her eyes and mouthful of braces shining, while the joyous words flowed non-stop from her mouth.) Izbasa gave the best performance; Chusovitina has the best story. I don't have a tiebreaking procedure, so for Sunday I'm awarding two Michael Phelps Awards - to Sandra Izbasa and Oksana Chusovitina, with honorable mention to both Bekele and Fraser.

He Wenna of China competes in the Women's Trampoline Qualification at the National Indoor Stadium on Day 8 of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games on August 16, 2008 in Beijing, China. (Photo by Phil Walter/Getty Images AsiaPac)

Monday - Jill In The Box - I wasn't that clear about the scoring system, but it was clear to me, the judges and all observers that He Wenna deserved the gold medal in women's trampoline. Her final performance demonstrated every element of excellence - consistent and high height, landings within the center square on the trampoline, and difficult tumbling with perfect form high above the trampoline. The crowd gasped like a small child playing with the world's greatest Jack-in-the-Box (or should I say Jill) as He bounced through her amazing performance. Both a gold medal and Monday's Michael Phelps Award to He Wenna. Honorable mention to Australian female triathlete Emma Snowsill for a dominating gold medal performance and to single-named Brazilian beach volleyballer Ricardo for knocking the second American team of Jake Gibb and Sean Rosenthal out of the tourney (not that I was rooting against them). I need to show Ricardo to my daughter, although at 6'7" and 240 lb, he might be a little too big for her tastes. Bronze, smooth and dark-tressed (a la Raffa Nadal), he'll surely rate as "pretty."

Matthias Steiner of Germany holds the gold medal he's dedicating to his late wife Susann, who died in a car accident in 2007, after winning the men's over 105 kg of the weightlifting competition at the Beijing 2008 Olympics in Beijing, Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2008. He dedicated his win to his wife Susann, who was killed in a car accident in 2007. (photo by AP)

Tuesday - Gentle Giant - Once an athletic powerhouse, particularly in the days of East Germany, Germany had had a quiet Olympics until Tuesday when Germans won two marquis events, the men's triathlon and the men's superheavyweight weightlifting. Known primarily as the training partner of countryman Dan Unger, Jan Frodeno surprised the triathlete field (and me) with a powerful 50-meter sprint after 1,500 meters of swimming, 4 -km of biking and 9,950 meters of running, perhaps the most overt display of physical fitness seen so far in these games, and enough for honorable mention for a Michael Phelps Award. Having gained almost 90 lb in the last year, superheavyweight weighlifter Matthius Steiner of Germany would never be mistaken for a fitness buff. But the extra weight helped carry him to a gold medal winning clean-and-jerk lift of 258 kg (almost 569 lb), just enough to beat his Russian challenger. When the "gut" (good) signal came from the judges, Steiner dropped the bar and came apart, his emotions spilling all over the lifting platform. At the medal ceremony we learned the reason, other than the thrill of winning gold. In 2007, Steiner's wife had been killed in a car accident. Devotion to lifting and pursuit of the gold medal kept him sane. On the medal stand Steiner displayed his gold medal in one hand and a photo of his wife in the other, and cried openly with both joy and sorrow. For a phenomenal performance and a touching story, Matthius Steiner wins Tuesday's Michael Phelps Award.

The United States team celebrates their win over Cuba in semifinals. (Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images)

Wednesday - Best of the Best - A busy day of medical appointments and two nice meals out with my wife limited my Olympic intake. In fact, the best performance I saw happened early Thursday morning, when NBC televised a women's volleyball game between the US and Cuba. In pool play the Cubans whipped the US in three straight sets. The US turned the tables 180 degrees in the semifinal game, winning three straight sets of their own against a progressively more confused and error-prone Cuban team. Particularly impressive in a stellar all-around US performance was veteran Logan Tom, who won points with jump serves, kills, blocks and digs. In fact, Tom has been the US team's high scorer throughout the Olympic tournament, more than 100 total points on service aces, kills and stuff blocks. For being the best of the best on this night, US volleyball star Logan Tom wins Wednesday's Michael Phelps Award.

Thursday - Perfection Under Pressure - What a pressure-packed moment for a 15-year-old. More than a billion countrymen looked for a gold medal after two straight Olympic upsets in women's platform diving competition; veteran competitor Emilie Heymans of Canada ripped dive after dive to hold a slight lead going into the final dive--China's Chen Ruolin's backward two-and-a-half somersault with one-and-a-half twists--a dive that garnered four 10-point marks and 100.3 points, by far the highest-scoring dive of the competition and enough to win the gold medal by about 10 points. Aware of the historical backdrop and Heyman's performance, Chen admitted a little nervousness, but called on her training and competitive experience to nail the final dive. For being better than she had to be in the most pressure packed situation imaginable, Chen Ruolin wins Thursday's Michael Phelps Award.

US gold medal-winning decathlete Bryan Clay collapses on the track after the 1,500-meter run (photo by dadlak off NBC's television coverage)

Friday - I'm So Tired - American decathlete Bryan Clay put one foot in front of the other often enough in the 1,500-meter run to hang onto a huge lead and win the gold medal in the men's decathlon. Clay led after the Day One events and finished in the top three of every other Day Two event - winning the discus. Clay finished dead last in his decathlon heat, but knew he had enough points to win the gold and the title of "World's Greatest Athlete" when he laid out flat on the track in exhaustion. What Clay may not have known was that his performances were also good enough for Friday's Michael Phelps Award. Honorable mention goes to Argentinian forward Luis Scola, whose 28 points and 11 rebounds kept Redeem Team USA a little worried in their men's semifinal basketball game.

Saturday - Abundance of Excellence - Let's review the candidates.

American men's basketball icon Kobe Bryant, who both played and willed his teammates to a 118-107 win over Spain in last quarter of the gold medal basketball game. This game was really played on Sunday (even in Central Time). We'll hold Bryant for tomorrow.

Kenyan marathoner Samuel Wansiru who won Kenya's first-ever gold medal by running the 26.2 mile course in an Olympic-record 2 hours 6 minutes 32 seconds (4:49 per mile pace) and made it look easy.

Australian diver Matthew Mitcham (just one year out of a career hiatus), who shocked the diving world, especially the Chinese looking for a diving sweep, with an all-time record 112-point (four 10s out of six marks) final dive to take gold in the men's 10-meter platform diving.

Ethiopian distance runner Kenenisa Bekele who added a gold medal in the 5,000-meter run to one he'd already won in the 10,000-meter race. Bekele also set an Olympic record.

American women's basketball star Lisa Leslie, representing both herself and the American team, both of which won their fourth consecutive gold medal. Leslie played on teams that amassed a 32-0 record in four Olympics. Women's basketball couldn't have a better ambassador.

It's hard to ignore any of these, but the next-to-last Michael Phelps Award goes to (drum roll) Samuel Wanjiru for a dominating performance in the marathon, one of the Games' premier events, a new Olympic record by almost 3 minutes in less-than-ideal hot and muggy conditions, and his country's first-ever Olympic gold medal in a race that Kenyans dominate elsewhere throughout the world.

Distinguished honorable mention to the three other very deserving candidates. I've included pictures of all the finalists in the gallery at the top of this report.

Beijing Olympics - Day Seventeen - "Whole Lotta Love" - US Men Upset Brazil To Win Volleyball Gold; Led Zep Guitarist Page Rocks Closing Ceremony

2008-08-24T19:00:00.015-06:00

Singer Leona Lewis (2nd R) and guitarist Jimmy Page (1st R) perform on a bus during the eight-minute performance prepared by London, host city of the next summer Olympic Games in 2012, at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games closing ceremony held in the National Stadium, or the Bird's Nest, Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 24, 2008. (Xinhua/Guo Dayue)

7:20 p.m. - Closing ceremony, but dinner first. Dinner slightly delayed. Back to ceremony. I didn't see opening, so can't relate this. We start with drumming. Big drums suspended in air. Trampoline foot drummers.

Now awarding medals for men's marathon. Winner is identified as Samy Wanjiru. Hope they got it right. Have seen Samuel Wansiru and Sammy Wanjiru in print.

IOC Chairman Rogge draws games to a close. Rest of ceremony will be an invitation from London to the 2012 games.

It all starts with "God Save the Queen." Now Chinese children's chorus singing the Olympic Hymn. Olympic flag being lowered.

Mayor of Beijing and Mayor of London will pass the flag. Former Mayor of London Ken Livingston was pivotal to London acquiring the 2012 Games.

London's show features a red double-decker bus and people dressed in various street clothes. Now bus is morphing into a topiary stage for British pop singer Leona Lewis (thanks Kallie). Now Jimmy Page playing "Whole Lotta Love" while Lewis sings. Guitar solo. Becks kicks soccer ball to the Chinese volunteers on the floor.

Flame extinguished to sound of song sang at opening ceremony. Back to the Chinese. Human pyramid on "memory tower" at center of stadium. Looks like Olympic flame. 400 performers. Looks like an anthill to me. Fabric draped on outside. Climbers have formed into Olympic logo, which is revealed when fabric is pulled away. Now big fireworks.

Now the ever-popular "Beijing, Beijing" with a chorus of pop singers and players of traditional stringed instruments. Wish I knew the name.

Now fireworks all over Beijing. Now Michael Phelps in London on video. Phelps says he will swim for next four years. Red white and blue flyover salutes Phelps.

British and Chinese opera stars contribute the next song.

Now Shawn Johnson with her hair down. She is cute either way.

Oops, NBC Olympics went off the air while I checked out the Phillies and Dodgers on ESPN. We're all wondering how "Car Wars" came out. I may call Richards Honda and Royal Nissan to find out.

The whole Olympic experience was a blast, and well timed as I got to watch most of what I wanted to see, even though some events were at inconvenient time (read overnight or early a.m.). I'll post a summary and the final Michael Phelps Award winner tomorrow.

6:15 p.m. - Volleyball! US vs. Brazil in men's gold medal game. Sets are tied 1-all. US leads third set by 20-15. Ace by Brazil. 20-16. Stanley spikes. Stuff block by Brazil. 20-17. Timeout US. Brazil won first set by 5; US second by 3. Priddy blocks. 21-17. Brazil kill. 21-18. Middle set and kill. 21-19. US timeout. Serve long. 22-19. Spike long. 23-19. Rocket by Brazil past double block. 23-20. Priddy kills. 24-20. Four set points. Priddy serves long. 24-21. Second chance. Brazil serves long. 25-21. Two sets to one for US.

Stuff block by Brazil. 0-1. Brazil serves long. 1-1. Block OB by US. 1-2. Brazil blocks out. 2-2. Brazil kill off US and OB long. 2-3. Serve long. 3-3. Brazil kill from left. 3-4. US block. 4-4. Brazil kill from right. 4-5. Brazil kill off US block 4-6. Stanley kills. 5-6. Brazil kill from long left. 5-7. Short set and US middle kill. 6-7. Blocked out. 6-8. Technical timeout.

Now 7-9. Short set in middle. US kill. 8-9. Four hits on US. 8-10. Stanley kill. 9-10. Stuff block by Brazil. 9-11. Priddy kill. 10-11. Ball serves long. 10-12. Center kill by Lee. 11-12. Brazil stuff block. 11-13. Salmon kill from left. 12-13. Change of pace by Salmon works! 13-13. Rally US hits out. 13-14. Back set and kill by Priddy. 14-14. Salmon in net 14-15. Rally and Brazil kill. 14-16. Timeout.

Now 16-17 after Brazil serves long. Middle kill by Brazil. 16-18. Block by Brazil. 16-19. Looking tough. US timeout.

Trade service errors. 17-20. US stuff block by Lee. 18-20. Stuff block by Stanley. 19-20. Brazil timeout.

Priddy serves. Great dig. Directional kill by Stanley. 20-20. Huge rally. Brazil hits into net. 21-20 US! Four in a row. Four points from gold. Need another point on serve.

Brazil hits out. 22-20. US can sideout and win. US serves into net. 22-21. Strange-looking play. Block by Stanley US. 23-21. Brazil kill. 23-22. US kill. 24-22. Double gold medal point. Stanley serves. Brazil kills off block. 24-23. Gold medal point. Stanley kills. US wins gold medal. 25-23!

First US volleyball gold since 1992.

Millar carrying cute poster of his kid - My Dad is Max Millar. Wish I saw it better. Best outcome possible for Coach Hugh McCutcheon.

2:30 p.m. - Got back from airport and lunch in time for 4th quarter of men's water polo gold medal match. Hungary leads 12-9 with 5 minutes to go. US had the game tied at 8, but Hungary has moved ahead on power play goals and a goal with less than 1 second in the first half.

Now 13-9 with 4 minutes left. US shot hits crossbar. US retains possession. 3 minutes left. US power play. Shot deflected high. Hungary ball. Another goal by Hungary. 14-9. 2 minutes to go. Powerful second half performance. 10 different scorers. Save by Hungarian goalie. Still first US water polo medal since 1988. Water polo has been an Olympic team sport since 1900. Jessie Smith scores. 14-10. 1:20 left. Speedy. Hungary timeout.

Pro vs. amateur matchup. Game effort by US. Another Hungary power play. Over now. Shot and save. US possession. Car doors slamming in Budapest. Hungary wins gold medal in water polo. US gets silver.

Good offense beat good defense in this one - Hungary was scoring 12 goals a game, best in the tournament; US giving up only six; also tournament best.

Beijing Olympics - Day Sixteen/Seventeen - Fourth Straight Basketball Gold for US Gals; Redeem Gold for US Men

2008-08-23T07:25:00.057-06:00

1:30 a.m. - This is really a Day 17 post, but I'll keep it here. I took a little nap during mountain biking (the coverage, not actual biking, which would be dangerous). I almost got up in time to bring you the start of the men's basketball gold medal game between the US and Spain. Spain is doing much better than in their 82-119 devastation at the hands of the US in pool play. The Spaniards lead 21-17 with 4-1/2 minutes left in the first quarter. Both LeBron James and Kobe Bryant are on the bench with two fouls. Navarro makes a free throw to extend Spain's lead to five, the largest US deficit of the tournament. Chris Paul gets a layup and gets fouled. The free throw closes the deficit to 22-20. Bosh blocks a shot. Gets fouled while shooting at the other end. So far Anthony has a couple of threes for the US. Bosh makes first. 83% from line. And second. Tied at 22. Great defense by Wade scrambles Spain offense. 24-second violation. Spain goes to zone. Lopez fouls Williams. His third. Position is short with Calderon out. Williams makes one. And another. US 24-22. Wade steal and dunk. 26-22. Long shot by Garbajosa. 26-25. Wade always bring energy and D to the game. Inside basket for US by Prince. 28-25. Garbajosa miss. US rebound. Rubio foul on Wade. Bad position. Wade to line. Makes one. Bosh tips in miss on second. 31-25. Marc Gasol makes inside shot. 31-27. Wade knocked to floor. Makes two. 33-27. 15 fouls called already. Nice inside move by Marc Gasol. 33-29. Prince makes middle jumper. 35-29. Lots of points so far. Whistle on US. Rubio makes two. 35-31 US. Wade drills three. 38-31. Wade steals and loses handle. End of first quarter. Great quarter by Wade.

I waited and searched all day for the women's volleyball gold medal game between the US and Brazil. Instead I saw a lot of track highlights from yesterday. Not sure where I went wrong. The game had to be on sometime. I think it was played early Saturday morning US time.

Looks like Bryant and James will be back for start of second quarter. Starting lineup back in for US. Offensive foul on Marc Gasol. Kobe makes three. 41-31. 4 of 5 for US behind three line. 12 of 16 overall. Howard pulls Pau Gasol down after losing him. Flagrant foul. Pau shoots two. Misses first. And second. Struggling from line throughout. Spain gets ball back. Long rebound comes out to Bryant for breakaway dunk. 43-31. US rebound. Bryant misses three. Bounces off backboard. Pau misses. Marc rebounds and makes. 43-33. Anthony makes three. 46-33. Steal by US. James headed downcourt. Fouled by Fernandez to prevent a dunk. James three off. Rudy Fernandez three for Spain. 46-36. Bryant stripped. Rubio fouled. Rubio makes two free throws. 46-38. Anthony drives into zone. Blocked. Kidd fouls Fernandez. No shots. Paul in for Kidd. Anthony foul. Wade in for Anthony. Kicked ball. Spain inbounds again. Pau Gasol move on Howard. Misses. US fastbreak with Kobe layup. 48-38. Pau follow 48-40. Paul misses layup. Howard called for push foul. Spain to line. Jimenez makes two. 48-42. Good Spain comeback. They were down 13. Back and forth with steals. James layup. Gets fouled. Misses free throw. 50-42. Wade steal and dunk. 52-42. Spain timeout.

Bosh rebounds miss. Wade hits three. He has 18. Playing in different universe. Reyes takes pass for layup. 55-44. Wade kicks to James for three. 58-44. Rudy F banks in a runner. 58-46. Bryant misses Bosh with inside pass. Good idea but bad execution. Fernandez drains long three. 58-49. Spain hanging in despite dealing with Wade. Prince in with 3 minutes left in half. Prince tips Bosh miss. 60-49. Mumbru fouled by Wade. Two shots. Makes both. 60-51. Spain foul. Wade makes three. 63-51. 21 for Wade. Made all seven field goals. Fernandez three. 63-54. Showtime between Wade and Fernandez. Paul makes a free throw. And another. 65-54. Nice inside passes. Layup for Reyes. 65-56. James has red, white and blue mouthguard. Bosh makes a free throw. Another. 67-56. Another Reyes layup. 67-58. Williams halfcourt violation. Holding on Prince. Fernandez makes two free throws. 67-60. Wade misses three. Navarro fouled on shot. Makes 1 of 2. Lane violation on Spain. Williams misses. Prince rebounds. Foul on Berni Rodriguez. Paul to line. Makes first. And second. 69-61. Spain turnover. Wade misses three at buzzer. Halftime.

Reyes makes first basket of second half. 69-63. Reyes air ball from close in. Jimenez fouls Bryant. Bryant air ball. No foul. James shot blocked. Fernandez misses. Anthony misses three. Howard rebounds and scores. 71-63. First field goal attempt for Howard. Reyes layup. 71-65. Travelling on Bryant. Three turnovers for US in 3rd quarter. Pau lefty hook. 71-67. Howard fouled on layup attempt. 48% from line for Howard. Barely scrapes the rim. Misses second. Tipped in by Anthony. Foul Marc Gasol. 73-67. Another miss. Bryant foul. His third. Navarro runner. 73-69. James misses. Spain rebounds. Miss on other end. US rebounds. Howard dunks. 75-69. Near turnover by Spain. Another Navarro runner. 75-71. US timeout. Spain shooting 60% from field.

Anthony misses three. Spain rebounds. Anthony steals. Gets layup. 77-71. Anthony hurt hand. Wade in for Anthony. Navarro misses three. Jimenez puts back. 77-73. Bryant misses. Travel on Rubio. Slipped. Paul and Wade in backcourt. Bryant to James for tough layup. Pau layup. James layup at other end. Fouled. Misses free throw. 81-75. Spain emerges from scramble. Great hustle by both teams. Wade blocks and fouls Marc Gasol. Misses first. Bosh in for Howard. Makes second. 81-76. Wade misses three against zone. US gets rebound. James passes inside to Bosh. Bosh fouled. Makes first. 82-76. Makes second. 83-76. Rebound by James. Ball fed into Wade inside. Gets fouled on shot. Makes first. First point of second half for Wade. Short. Bosh drops rebound. Paul rebounds Spain miss. Wade spins and makes. 86-76. Paul steals. Misses layup. Marc Gasol fouled. Before the shot. Would have been continuation in NBA. Navarro scores on drive. Bosh to Williams for jumper. 88-78. Steal by Williams. Offensive foul on drive. Alley opp to Pau. 88-80. Paul to Anthony for 3. 91-80. Navarro misses floater. Bosh rebounds. Wade slips. Travelling. 10 seconds left. Great drive and lefty layup by Navarro against Prince defense. 91-82 at end of three.

Navarro defended by Bryant. Williams misses. James fouls on rebound. His third. Tipped out by James. Navarro misses. Pau Gasol tips in rebound. 91-84. Bryant misses three. Alley oop to Gasol. 91-86. Anthony misses three. Fernandez makes three for Spain. 91-89. Crowd goes wild. Rooting for underdog in this one. 8 minutes left. Spain has the game they want. Timeout US.

Howard back in. Williams, James, Wade and Bryant. Tough drive by Bryant. 93-89. Foul on James. Four fouls. Steal. Bryant passes to Williams for three. 96-89. Huge basket. Wade fouls Jimenez. Third on Wade. Bryant to Howard for dunk. 98-89. Great work by Bryant. Fernandez left alone for 2nd three. 98-92. Kobe three. 101-92. Big run for Bryant. Howard near steal. OB to Spain. Paul for Williams. James saves rebound. James misses. Howard rebounds. James makes. 103-92. Fernandez dunks and fouled by Howard. 103-94. 21 for Fernandez. Makes free throw. 103-95. 5 minutes left. Long three by Bryant. Miss. Paul tips away pass for layup. Bryant blocks. US rebound. Howard misses layup. Fouled. First one off front rim. Make second. 104-95. Fernandez misses. Marc G rebound. Foul on Howard. Four on Howard. Two free throws for Pau Gasol. Bosh for Howard. Pau makes one 104-96. Another. 104-97. Paul misses three. Rudy rebounds. Paul makes while brother throws Bosh to floor. 104-99. 3 minutes left. Wade to Bryant. Makes three. Fouled. 107-99. Rudy Fernandez fouls out. Top scorer for Spain. Bryant makes free throw. 108-99. Navarro runner. 108-101. Bryant buzzer three. Miss. Jimenez three for Spain. 108-104. James to Wade for three. 111-104. Timeout Spain. Fabulous game.

Bosh, Wade, James, Bryant and Paul. 13 threes for US. Navarro fouled. Shoots two. Makes first. Misses second. Spain possession. Jimenez misses three. US rebounds. 1:20 left. Bryant runner. 113-105. Navarro miss. Bosh tips to Paul. 58 seconds. Navarro fouls Paul at 0:47. Makes first. 114-105. And second. 115-105. Kicked. Spain has ball with 41 seconds. Pau misses. Marc putback. 115-107. 33 seconds. Paul turns around rather than take ball to hoop. 26 seconds. Flagrant foul and technical foul on Rubio. Bryant to line for four free throws. Makes two. US timeout. 117-107. Kobe's 30th birthday yesterday. Big grin on Kobe. Coach K and Kobe hug. Coach K gets a small shower from a water bottle. Paul makes one free throw on personal. Misses second. 118-107. Bryant to bench. Spain steals and misses layup. Wade slips. Travel. USA chant from stands. James cheerleading. Spain dribbles out clock. US wins gold medal with 118-107 win over very game Spanish team. Bryant joins Phelps Award finalists. Props to Spain for a great, game effort. They couldn't have provided more worthy competition.

It's 3:28 a.m. in Baton Rouge. We need to leave the house at 8:15 a.m. Back to bed.

7:00 p.m. - Back to Beijing for the men's marathon, which is about 27 minutes old. Lots of Africans in the lead pack. Blistering pace by the leaders. Eight runners in lead pack, with Spaniard Martinez in the lead. Amazing to learn that no Kenyan has won Olympic gold in the marathon given that they've won countless Boston and New York Marathons.

Ethiopian Merga takes the lead at the 33 minute mark.

Now 40 minutes into marathon. Kenya Wansiru leading at 48 minutes. Seven in lead pack. Only 5 in lead pack at 55 minutes, including two Kenyans.

1:11 gone with five in lead pack. All from Africa. Ethiopia, Eritrea, Kenya (2) and Morocco.

The marathon dates back to ancient Greece. Its non-metric distance of 26 miles and 385 yards is the approximate distance from Marathon to Athens. Here's a Wikipedia link on the history of the marathon.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marathon

Same five runners in a pack at 1:16. Still the same at 1:21. Running in Mile 17. Pace is somewhere between 2:04 and 2:12 for the entire race. Lead pack stretching out a little at 1:25. Moroccan falling back a little. Now in mile 18 at 1:26. Ethiopia and Kenya running 1-2 with Ethiopian. Merga in front. Kenyan Wansiru almost even with him.

One question is how heat and humidity will affect Kenyan runner, used to running in cooler drier climes.

At 1:33 there are three together. Ethiopia, Kenya and Gharib from Morocco, who rallied back into the lead group.

At 1:35, Gharib falls back again. Merga and Wanjiru look like good candidates for medals.

At 1:39. Gharib catches up again. Pace is between 2:05 and 2:06, well below Olympic record of 2:09. Runners are past the 20-mile mark, aka "the wall". Analyst giving biochemistry lesson on "the wall."

Air temperature of 87 is way above normal for marathoners. Just reached 21 miles in 1:40:46.

Now at 1:46. Merga and Wanjiru in front of Gharib by a couple of seconds.

At 1:51, Wanjiru speeds up. Pulls ahead of Gharib in second. Merga dropped to third. Wanjiru should have better closing speed if he has anything left at the end.

Just two miles to go. Wanjiru running alone at 1:55. Gharib 13 seconds behind. Wanjiru has looked the best the whole way. Just turned on the road to the Birdsnest. Gharib holding second. Now at 1:58. Now at 2:00. Wanjiru's next goal is to break world record. Won't quite do it today, but probably will break Olympic record. Wanjiru looks a little more stressed, but he has run 25 miles. Lead is 19 seconds and growing. Birdsnest on Wanjiru's right. Lapping the rest of the field. Third place is more than 2 minutes behind. "Light frame and big engine." Nice turn of phrase. Makes me think of my daughter's question last night--do they have Olympic NASCAR? Making U-turn toward the stadium. Now making left turn into tunnel. Now in the tunnel. 2:04.30. Being led by a VW SUV. He emerges to the roar of the crowd. Circling the track. 2:05. Waving to crowd. Still moving beautifully. Samuel Wanjiru of Kenya. Now 2:06. Heading around last turn. 100 meters left. 2:06.32. Gold medal and new Olympic record. By almost three minutes. Gharib of Morocco gets silver in 2:07.15. Two minutes better than previous Olympic record. Ethiopians Merga and Kabiti are next. Merga leading, but Kebede running faster. Looks like Merga is OK, Kebede exhausted too. I don't know. Gap tightening. Kebede gets him easily. Merga can't finish running--almost walking. He had a kick. Merga had nothing. 2:10.01 for Kebede. Merga fourth, just barely walking. Official leads Merga off the track. Two Americans on track. Ritzenheim finishes in 2:11.59 in ninth place. Ryan Hall next in 10th. 2:12.32. Smiling winner Samuel Wanjuri enjoys the moment.

Men's platform diving. I watched some of this last night. Will be cool to see the winning dive.

Mitcham of Australia closes on China's Zhou on the second dive. Got four 10s and almost 98 points.

Third dive. 14-year-old Brit is European champ. His dive drew sevens and eights. Finchum gets sixes and sevens. American Boudia gets 75. Zhou of China gets 96+. All 9s and 9.5. He's the leader. Huo gets 91. Guerro of Cuba in second.

Boudia gets 81 on next dive. Zhou a little short. Flat feet while spinning. 92 points. Still in the lead. Mitcham. Awesome dive. 92 points. In 2nd place. Huo next. Overrotated a little. Big splash. 86 points puts him in 2nd by 5. Zhou ahead 20 in lead.

Boudia stuck on 75. Russian Gelparin. Great drive. 93.5. Zhou next. Fabulous entry. Analysts says no jump off platform. Judges like it. 93 points. Mitcham next. Great armstand dive and entry. 86 points from 9s. Now in second. 33 points behind Zhou. Galperin is third. One dive left.

Nice last dive by Finchem. 85 points. In 10th place. Huge dive. 3.8 difficulty. Came up short. Big splat and splash. Just 44 points. 7th place. Gelparin did great. 103 points. Got one 10 and one 8.5. Now Zhou. 3.4 dive. Little splash, but not straight entry. Bent knees on entry. Just 75 points. Opens door for Mitcham and Hou. 3.8 difficulty for Mitcham. Awesome dive. No splash. Straight in. Gets 112 points. 4 x 10s. New leader. Clinched gold. Can't be caught. Shock for Zhou and Chinese faithful. Hou dives next. Feet bent. Big splash. Might be out of medals. 86 points. Finishes fourth. Amazing final dive for Mitcham. The equal of Chen's dive in female competition. Matthew Mitcham of Australia wins gold medal.

Lots of candidates for Saturday Phelps Award - US women's basketball, Samuel Wanjiru, and Matthew Mitcham so far.

Interesting note on Samuel Wanjiru. Please note how his name spelling changed from Wansiru. Was spelled wrong in program. He informed everyone after he won the gold medal.

Womens 4 x 400-meter relay. Wide-open event. Sanya Richards anchors US team. In order from inside to outside are Nigeria, Germany, US (wearing red in honor of China), Russia, Cuba, Jamaica, Belarus, and Great Britain. Jamaica leads in second leg. Allyson Felix moves into lead. Monique Henderson next for US. 48.7 for Felix. Russia second. Jamaica third. Russia and Jamaica closing. Russia takes lead. Russia and US. Richards closing. Jamaica third. Sanya Richards runs down the Russian in the home stretch. Great stretch run for Richards. US wins in 3:18.54, by 0.28 seconds. Redemption for Richards, who lost the 400-meter individual race, finishing in third.

US is heavy favorite in men's 4 x 400-meter relay, particularly given that they took top three spots in individual race. Merritt runs leadoff. Wariner runs anchor. David Neville and 400-meter hurdle champion Angelo Taylor are the other two legs.

Australia, Poland, Russia, Bahamas, Great Britain, US, Belgium, Jamaica - inside to out. US has top ten times all-time. Merritt gets lead for US. Taylor running now. 44.00 for Merritt. US leads Belgium, then Bahamas. Neville running. Belgium still in second. Neville way ahead. 43.9 for Taylor. Wariner far in front. 44.1 for Neville. Wariner has anchored since Michael Johnson retired. Bahamas second. 2:55.39 is gold medal winning time for US. Bahamas second and Russia third. Olympic record. 43.2 for Wariner. Won by more than 2 seconds.

Men's 800-meter final. None from US. Lots of Africans along with Gary Reed of Canada. Some of the favorites didn't survive semifinals. Two Kenyans and two Algerians. Kenya and Sudan leading the way. Other Kenyan gets third. Reed can only close to fourth. Got too far behind. Will some names. Wilfred Bungie of Kenya gets gold, Ismail of Sudan, Yego of Kenya win silver and bronze respectively. Winning time 1:44.65.

Women's 1,500-meter final. American Shannon Rowbury is in the field. Smart girl. Two degrees from Duke. Jamal from Bahrain is heavy favorite. Other runners from Ukraine, Great Britain, Spain, Russia, Kenya, Morocco (2). No American woman has won a medal in this race since it was added to the Olympics in 1972. Jamal fourth after first lap. Rowbury fifth. Pack is tight after two laps. Standings unchanged. Jamal in front with a lap to go. Rowbury fourth. Field stretching out with Jamal in lead. Lagat of Kenya takes lead. Jamal second. Two woman race. Nancy Lagat wins gold easily in 4:00.23. Jamal fades badly. Ukraine gets silver and bronze. Rowbury finishes seventh.

Women's high jump. Vlasic from Croatia clears 6'7". Chaunte Howard third attempt. No good. Out of competition. Four jumpers at this height. Vlasic favored.

Men's 5,000-meter final - Bernard Lagat in this race for US. Underperformed in 1,500-meters. Didn't make the final. Has won medals for Kenya in previous Olympics. Kenenisa Bekele has to be the favorite. won the 10,000 meters. His brother Tariku is also in the final. Slow jog through one lap. Lagat thinks that Kenyans and Ethiopians will work together to keep him (an expatriated Kenyan) off the medal stand.

Back to women's high jump. Russian clears 6'8". Other Russian is out. Vlasic misses 6'8-3/4. Tia Hellebaut makes it and wins gold for Belgium. Favored Vlasic wins silver.

Back to 5,000 meters. Lagat dropping back at 10:20 mark. Now in fifth. Bekele leading. Four in front group. No medal for Lagat. Bekele and two Kenyans battling with two laps to go. 12:03 with one lap to go. Now just Kipchoge chasing. Kenenisa Bekele running away with it. 12:57.82. New Olympic record and gold medal. Kenyans are second and third. Lagat finishes ninth in 13:27. Bekele ran last mile of race in 3:57. Fabulous performance. Add Bekele to Phelps Award finalists.

Lisa Leslie(L) of the United States shoots the ball in a 92-65 win over Australia in the women's gold medal basketball game. The win was the American team's fourth straight gold medal. Leslie has been a member of all four teams. (Photo credit: Jeff Gross/Getty Images)

8:25 a.m. - What a fantastic finish in the baseball gold medal game between Cuba and South Korea. Undefeated in Olympic play coming into the game, the Koreans held a slim 3-2 lead as defending gold medalist and world baseball power Cuba came to bat in the bottom of the ninth. Somewhat remarkably, the Korean manager left his starting pitcher in the game. He gave up a clean single to the first hitter. Cuba's third place hitter laid down a perfect bunt to move the potential tying run to second. Their next hitter walked on some very close pitches that the announcers said would have been called strikes earlier in the game. Cuba's next hitter, the best in the tournament, also walked on a very close 3-2 pitch. I thought the pitch was low and outside, but the Korean catcher didn't, enough so to argue with the umpire and get thrown out of the game. At this point, the Korean manager had to replace his catcher. He took the opportunity to bring in a new pitcher too. A couple pitches later, Cuba's next hitter grounded a ball to the Korean shortstop, who started a game-ending gold-medal-winning double play.

The next event is the men's water polo semifinal between the US and Serbia. So far, the underdog Americans are hanging in with the powerful Serbians. Actually they're doing a little better than that with a 3-2 lead in the first period after two straight power play goals.

The news from water polo keeps getting better. Fueled by power play goals, the US has built a 7-4 lead in the third quarter. No one expects the Serbs to drown quietly, so the rest of this match should be nervewracking. The winner of this match will play Hungary in the gold medal game. Exclusion foul on US results in almost immediate Serbian goal. 7-5.

US shot skips over the cage. Serbian lob shot saved by US goalie Merrill Moses. Turnover by Serbia. Serbia steals. One minute left in 3rd quarter.

Dilemma. Women's gold-medal basketball started at nine. Headed there. Will check back on water polo during timeouts.

Australia is US opponent. They lead 13-12 in first quarter. Lawson ties game with a free throw. US leads 14-13. First lead of game. Long shot by Australia rebounded by Fowles. Lawson two. 16-13. Aussie shot from side. 16-15. Fowles loose underneath for layup. 18-15. Back to water polo.

Score still 7-5 with 7-1/2 minutes left. Shot clock violation by US. 7 minutes left. Exclusion foul on US. Shot hits crossbar. Another save by Moses. Power play over. Six minutes left. Offensive foul on US. Elbowing by US. Player ejection and short power play. Serbia timeout. Back to basketball.

Augustus at line. Makes first. Pride of Baton Rouge. #8 on Australia is a big woman. Makes second. 22-15 US. Drive and miss by Australia. Aussies with 5 seconds to shoot. Air ball. End of quarter. Aussies 4-17 in quarter. Water polo.

Serbia shoots wide. 5-1/2 minutes left. US power play. Save by Serbia. 5 minutes left. Power play. Shot hits upright. Just missed. 4 minutes left. Center pass and US goal! 8-5. Goalie touched it but didn't get enough. Third goal for US star Tony Acevedo. Basketball.

Now 25-15 US. Australia scores on third shot. 25-17. Pretty move by Parker. 27-17. Bad pass by Aussies. Turnover and fast break for US. Layup by Catchings. 29-17. Back to water polo.

Another US goal! 9-5. 3:18 left. Tough job for Serbia. Steal by US. Hungary has won last two water polo golds. Water polo their national sport. 2:32 left. Back to basketball.

Wow 32-17. Was 12-13 when I tuned in. That's a 20-4 US run. Aussie miss. Two from US on rebound. Aussies 5-28 from field. Pondexter scores. 34-17. WP.

US scores again! 10-5. Shot from left side. No hope for Serbia now. 2:25 left. US 11th and 9th in last two world championships. Serbs very glum. Offensive foul on Serbia. US foul. 1:55 left. Serbia power play. Save by Moses. His 15th. US possession. 1:20 left. Empty possession. 1 minute left in game. Serbia power play. Two more Moses saves. Candidate for Saturday Phelps Award. Counting down from 8. That's it! US wins 10-5. Will play Hungary in the gold medal match.

Aussie at line. Lauren Jackson. Looks like a model. Makes one of two. US turnover on inbounds play. 38-25 US. Miss and US rebound. Fowles hit jumper off Thompson assist. 40-25. Snell for Aussie three. 40-28. Augustus misses. Aussie misses. Fowles to Seimone. 42-28. Aussies shooting 24% from field.

Fowles fouls Jackson. Parker in for Fowles. Jackson makes two shots. 42-30. Catchings misses. Lawson rebounds Aussie miss. Pulls up and makes jumper. 44-30. US shooting 62%. Air ball. Shot clock violation. Parker goes down hard. Stays in game. Lawson three. 47-30. 11 for Lawson. Aussies miss three at buzzer.

Back to the hardwood for the second half. US field goal and Aussie free throw makes it 49-31. Taurasi fouled on a drive. Makes two free throws. Jackson layup. 51-33. Thompson just misses a three. Putback by Aussie. 51-35. Leslie turnover. Short with three. Jackson rebounds and scores. Leslie fouls. US getting hurt on boards. US calls time. 51-37. To the dishwasher!

Back. Jackson sinks three to pull Aussie within 12 at 59-47. Thompson fouled on shot. She'll shoot two. Makes both 61-47. Catchings layup off steal. 63-47. Nice dribble move but miss. Fourth foul on Leslie. Taurasi already has four fouls. Fowles in. Not much drop off there. Forced shot. Lawson rebounds. Fowles to the line. Misses first. Makes second. 64-47. Foul on Lawson. Summerton to line for Australia. Makes one of three after extra shot for violation. Outlet to Parker. Fouled while shooting. Makes one. 65-48. Australia to line. Misses first. Makes second. Back in a few.

US putting Australia away with defense and transition baskets. Score now 77-56. Leslie fouls out, but rejects the shot. Fowles back in. Might be Leslie's last hurrah as Olympic basketballer. Will win four consecutive gold medals. Pass a little hot. US turnover. Jackson three. 77-61. 6 minutes left. Pretty runner across lane by Fowles. 79-61. Aussie miss and rebound. Air ball on drive. Uncontested layup by Fowles. 81-61. Jackson followup misses. Australia shooting 26%. Good hustle by Fowles after two misses. Taurasi three. 84-61. 4 minutes left. Taurasi fouls out. Catchings subs. Fowles rejects. Another Aussie miss. US foul on rebound. Short shot. 3 minutes. Aussie reach in foul. Smith misses three. Another Jackson miss. Held ball. Aussies possession. Finally a make. 2 minutes left. 19 years on USA basketball for Lisa Leslie. Jackson fouls out. 20 points. Parker at line. Makes one. 85-63. Players on floor. Foul on Australia. Catchings layup. 87-63. Makes free throw. 88-63. Largest margin. Aussie make. 88-65. Lawson bank shot. What a game for her. 90-65. 1 minute. Parker converts on drive. 92-65. One last miss for Australia. Parker couldn't decide whether to layup or dunk and missed at buzzer. US 92 Australia 65. Total domination of world's second best team by world's best team. Lisa Leslie never lost an Olympic basketball game. Team candidate for Saturday's Phelps Award.

Post-game notes. As a come-lately women's basketball fan, I enjoy watching the youngsters - Fowles, Augustus, Parker and Pondexter, moreso than vets like Leslie, Thompson and Bird. Still they were all great.

My favorite Olympic commercial is from all companies, Nike, because I get to watch some of Marvin Gaye's amazing rendition of the National Anthem, maybe the best ever by this legendary singer.

Germany beats Spain 1-0 to win men's field hockey gold. I watched the last two minutes.

Interesting moment in taekwondo. Defeated and upset Cuban kicked the referee in the head, violating as Jim Lampley described it, the first rule of taekwondo, never kick the referee in the head.

From field hockey we went to boxing and now synchronized swimming. The former hasn't been the same since Howard Cosell stopped covering it many years ago. As much as I disliked Howard as a football and especially baseball announcer, he knew boxing and supported Muhammad Ali back in the '60s.

Synchronized swimming seems to slip over the boundary between art and sport onto the art side. The women's volleyball final is later today. I'll be back for that.

Beijing Olympics - Day Fifteen - US and Spain Advance to Men's Basketball Final

2008-08-22T06:59:00.023-06:00

8:00 a.m. - We open with a men's semifinal basketball game between Spain and Lithuania. The score is tied at 42 as the second half begins. US vs. Argentina comes on next. A great morning. Lithuania might have Zyvidas Ilgauskas from the Cavaliers, but I don't see him on the floor. They do have a lot of tall guys.

Now Lithuania is up 54-51 with 3-1/2 minutes left in third quarter. Time to empty the dishwasher.

Very competitive game. Pao Gasol makes free throw to tie game at 62. With 1 second left in 3rd quarter, Lithuania has a chance at a 4-point play--3-pointer and free throw. He makes it. Half-court heave long. 66-62 Lithuania.

Spain back within one. 67-66. Rubio lobs to Gasol. Basket and foul shot. 69-68 Lithuania. Makes free throw. Tied at 69. Easy layup 71-69 Lithuania. Back to kitchen.

Good run for Spain. Now up 79-74 with just 3-1/2 minutes left in the game. Now 81-74 Spain. Big three for Lithuania. 81-77. Fifth straight semifinal appearance for Lithuania. Three bronzes to show for them. Over the back foul. Still 81-77. Spain to line. Jimenez makes two. 83-77. Good defense and steal by Spain. 2 minutes left. 18th Lithuania turnover. Rebound. Foul Spain. Bad idea. Stops the clock. Best tournament for Spain since 1984. Two free throws. 83-79. Foul Lithuania. Gasol misses. Makes second. 84-79. Rebound Spain then turnover. Drive and score. 84-81. One minute left. Foul Lithuania. Fernandez makes first. 85-81. Makes another. 86-81. Two misses by Lithuania. 30 seconds left. Finally a foul. Too long to wait. Missed on first. Lopez shooting. Makes second 87-81. Lithuania makes a basket. Two free throws for Lopez. 3-pointer for Lithuania. 89-86. Jimenez at line. Makes. 6-6 for game. Makes second. 91-86. Lithuania misses long shot. Spain wins 91-86. Will play US/Argentina winner for gold.

Now watching Brazil-Italy men's volleyball while waiting for second basketball semifinal. Brazil leads two sets to one and 13-8 in the fourth. Announcers puzzled why Italian coach plays ineffective and injured players while more productive players sit. Now 13-9. Brazil hits into net. 13-10. Brazil hits long. 13-11. Timeout Brazil.

Italy hits OB. 14-11. Italy kill. 14-12. Italy overachieving in tournament. Ranked 10th coming in. Italy hits well out. 15-12. Italy scores on quick set. 15-13. Returned in kind by Brazil. 16-13. Big kill by Italy. 16-14. Brazil kill. 17-14. Analyst says Italian press should "crucify" the Italian coach. "Appalling decisions". 18-15. Serve into net by Brazil. 18-16. Stuff block by Italy 18-17. Italy serves long. 19-17. Huge hit by Italy. 19-18. Brazil kill 20-18. Injured player Fei can't respond to ball. Fei kills. 20-19. Offense/defense subs by Brazil. Stuff block Brazil. 21-19. No hope for that swing. Overpass by Italy. 22-19. Brazil serves long 22-20. Brazil kill. 23-20. Can sideout their way to the match. Good kill by Italy. 23-21. Brazil kill. 24-21. Match point. Stuff block Italy. 24-22. Italy survives one match point. Kill from backline. Touched on the block. 25-22. Brazil wins match 3-1 and goes to gold medal game.

Next is long awaited men's basketball match between US and Argentina. US looking for revenge against Argentina, who beat them in 2004 semifinal.

But first, the decathlon. Women do the heptathlon, which is already complete. US champion Bryan Clay has the lead after one day. 100-meter hurdles is first event of the day; sixth of the competition. Amazing athletes. What a variety of skills they have to display--sprinting, hurdling, distance-running (1,500 meters - the last event), pole vault, high jump, long jump, shot put, discus and javelin. Clay wins his heat in 13.93 seconds despite hitting about six hurdles. Clay OK with his performance. Four more events. Clay wants to "get this over" to go home to wife and kid. Clay still leads. American Trey Hardee is in third place. Clay is very low key. Czech Roman Szebrle is world record holder. Throws discus about 149 feet. Clay has great 176 foot throw. Krauchanka of Belarus is second in competition. Hardee way off his best - only 142 feet. Clay wins discus. Overall lead stretches to almost 300 points.

Now basketball. Dwayne Wade played on losing teams at 2004 Olympics and 2006 World Championships. Oberto and Ginobili lead Argentina. US wins tip. Putback by Kobe. 2-0. Manu misses three. Anthony misses. Argentina turnover. Anthony misses. Howard rebounds. Gets fouled. Makes first free throw. 3-0. Misses second. Manu scores on inbounds play. 3-2. Manu steps. Turnover. Jason Kidd turnover. Howard blocks. Delfino misses 3. James misses three. Howard tips rebound out. Bryant non-shooting foul. Bryant guarding Manu. Now Kidd takes him. Scola hook. 3-4. Kidd scores. 5-4. Fifth basket in five shots for Kidd in the tournament. Argentina turnover. Kidd misses. Kidd fouls Manu. Great move by Manu. Misses layup. James to the hoop. 7-4. Offensive foul on Manu. Wade in for Kidd. Paul and Bosh also in. Pretty move by Bryant. Makes layup. 9-4. James also in. Kobe drills three. 12-4. Ginobili misses. Foul on Ginobili. His second. Moving screen on James. 4 minutes left in first quarter. Only 4 points for Argentina. Wade steals. Kobe misses three. Bosh rebounds and gets fouled. Ginobili down hurt. Not looking good. Going to the bench. Bosh makes two. Andres Nocioni in for Argentina. 14-4. Turnover and Bryant dunk. 16-4. Sixth turnover. Oberto misses. Great pass from James to Paul. Three falls. 19-4. Turnover and dunk for Paul. 21-4. Two misses for Argentina. James fouled. Goes to line. Nocioni grabbed James around the waist. James still got ball to the rim. 18 straight for US. Timeout.

James misses first free throw. Misses second. Prigioni makes three. 21-7. Deron Williams answers. 24-7. Argentina in zone defense. Wade fouls Nocioni. Nocioni limping after injury in previous game. Makes one free throw. 24-8. And second. 24-9. Anthony three. 27-9. Good move and miss. Bosh rebounds. Williams misses. Bosh rebounds and fouled. 29-9. Makes free throw. 30-9. Nocioni makes shot at buzzer. 30-11. Ginobili headed for locker room.

Nocioni makes another 30-13. Offensive foul US. Delfino offensive foul. Another turnover. Paul from free throw line. 32-13. Push off on Nocioni. Paul dribbles through whole team for layup. 34-13. Scola hits off-balanced shot and gets fouled. 34-15. 34-16. Williams misses three. Howard fouls Delfino. Makes two. 34-18. 9-4 spurt by Argentina. Anthony rips three. 37-18. Fifth 3-pointer for US. Howard rebounds. Anthony short. Nocioni blocks Wade. Defensive play of game for Argentina. Argentina three. 37-21. Howard push off to get rebound after Anthony miss. Nocioni to the line. Makes two. 37-23. Kobe misses three. Nocioni misses three. Foul on James after rebound. Quinteros to the line. Makes two. 9-9. 37-25. Turnover. Argentina gives it back. Prigioni fouls Bryant. No shot. Kidd back in. James fouled. No shot. Fourth of quarter. James misses three. Bad foul by Kidd. Argentina back to the line. Gutierrez makes two. 37-27. Anthony misses three. Gutierrez layup. 37-29. Anthony fouled underneath. Will shoot two. 20-7 Argentina run after 30-9 US lead.

Redd comes in for US to attack Argentina zone. Anthony makes two. 39-29. Anthony blocks Delfino shot. Gutierrez scores. 39-31. Three for Kobe. 42-31. Anthony rebounds Delfino miss. Long three miss by Kobe. Nocioni fouls Anthony. His third foul. Anthony to line. Makes two. 44-31. Redd rebounds Quinteros miss. Offensive foul on CP. Nice move by Scola on Bosh. Makes shot and gets fouled. 44-34. Great defense by Argentina forces turnover. Argentina layup. 44-36. Foul on Scola. Prince in for US. Paul makes two. 46-36. Scola rebounds own miss and scores. 46-38. Paul misses three. Scola layup. 46-40. Kobe misses long three. Turnover. Kobe loose. Going in for dunk. Stripped. US maintains possession. Another Argentina run. 9-2 after 44-31. Three seconds left. Anthony shoots three. Foul called. Argentina coach doesn't like it. Three free throws. Makes three. 49-40. Delfino hits the rim from backcourt. Halftime. US 6-20 from three range. Only 33 field goal attempts overall. Too much long distance gunning.

Very nice comeback for Argentina without their star Manu. Were down 34-13. Won the rest of first half by 27-15. Got as close as six with possession but US defense held and Anthony made three free throws. Quiet game for James so far. Expect to see more of him in second half.

Only four fast break points for US. Anthony misses. Howard tips in the miss. 51-40. Held ball. Tied up by James. Shot clock at 3. Turnover. Tough shot by James missed. No Manu. Missed three. James rebounds. Howard layup. 53-40. Nocioni goes to basket. Foul on James. His third. Crawls in. 53-41. Still perfect for Argentina at line. Makes second. 53-42. James layup. 55-42. Scola jumper. 55-44. Anthony misses jumper. Gets rebound. James long three. Makes. 58-44. Bad miss by Scola. Kidd fouled. Third quarter starts OK for US.

No sign of Ginobili. Anthony misses. Howard rebounds. Gets fouled on putback. Anthony upset. Flagrant foul on Argentina. Howard misses first. Second one creeps in. 59-44. US retains possession. Good passing leads to Howard dunk. 61-44. Oberto shot. 61-46. Anthony short baseline jumper. 63-46. Wade in for Howard. LeBron is biggest US player on floor. Delfino hits 3. 63-49. Anthony fouled on layup. Better passing this quarter by US. Noiconi technical. 4th foul. Anthony makes four free throws. 67-49. US holds ball. Wade bad pass. Strong move by Scola. 67-51. Anthony takes the shot from Scola. Goes to bench. Bosh in. Bad communication between Kidd and James. Pass OB. Bosh blocks. James bad pass. James steal. Misses layup. Wade tip no good. Fouled. James to bench. Wade makes free throw. Misses second. US retains possession. 68-51. Wade misses bank shot. Great drive by Scola. 68-53. Wade fighting for rebounds. Goaltending on Argentina. 73. Scola plays for Houston Rockets. Good player. Scola jumper. 70-55. Wade to Williams for three. 73-55. Bosh fouls Scola. Turnover. Scola fouls Wade. His third. Wade misses first. And second. Argentina rebounds. Missed three. Bosh rebounds. Paul fouled on drive. Short on free throw. Great spin move by Paul. Makes second. 74-55. Prigioni misses long three. Anthony rebounds; fouled. Free throw machine. 11 in a row. Now 12. 13. 76-55. 21-point lead reestablished. Delfino three. 76-58. Anthony misses three. Wade rebounds. Fouled. Makes first. And second. 78-58. Delfino layup. 78-60. Travel on Williams. Delfino misses. Anthony foul on rebound. Missed free throw. Makes second. 78-61. US turnover. Delfino three. 78-64. Anthony miss. Delfino carrying Argentina in this quarter. Missed three. Bosh rebounds. Paul carry. Delfino misses three at buzzer. 78-64. 29-24 in that quarter.

Lunch time. Now US out by 19. 88-69. Eight for James in 4th quarter. Quinteros 88-71. James misses long three. Delfino dunks. Bad defense by US. 88-73. Bryant misses layup. Delfino brick. Alley oop to Bosh misses. Scola rebounds and makes. 88-75. Bosh putback of Anthony miss. 90-75. 22 points and 11 rebounds for Scola. Goaltending on Scola shot. 90-77. Turnover. Steal and dunk for Wade. 92-77. Delfino scores. 92-79. Bosh fouled. Shoots two. Makes two. 94-79. Bad pass. Taken by Paul. Pass to Wade for layup. 96-79. Delfino misses layup. Scola follows. 96-81. Wade misses. Bosh puts back. 98-81. Argentina miss. Wade fouled. Misses first. Makes second. 99-81. Paul to Wade. Good move. 101-81. One minute left. Boozer misses. Plucky effort by Argentina, but overmatched. US wins 101-81. Spain next on Sunday.

Beijing Olympics - Day Fourteen - Fumbling Relays; More Beach Gold for US

2008-08-21T18:43:00.035-06:00

USA team members Todd Rogers, left, and Phil Dalhausser, second right, celebrate after recording match point during the men's beach volleyball gold medal match against Brazil at the Chaoyang Park Beach Volleyball Grounds. (Jerry Lai/US Presswire)

7:45 p.m. - What a shocker! A sprint between Jamaicans and Americans won by a Jamaican. Defending gold medalist Veronica Campbell-Brown beat American Allyson Felix in the women's 200-meters. 100-meter medalist Kerron Stewart won the bronze. Campbell-Brown missed the Jamaican 100-meter team by one place, but focused her energy brilliantly on the 200-meters running a personal best 21.74 to beat Felix by 0.19 seconds. Felix had dominated the rivalry since Campbell-Brown beat her in the 2004 Olympics, but Jamaican mojo in Beijing sprints along with Campbell-Brown's great start and powerful running style added another gold medal to their haul, mon.

Jamaican mojo had an indirect effect on the men's 400-meter relay as the US team dropped the baton on the final pass in the first semifinal. Darvis Patton couldn't deliver the stick to Tyson Gay. Jamaica runs in the second semi. Jamaica wins easily despite making some very conservative passes. Usain Bolt didn't run in the semi, but will run in the final in pursuit of his third gold medal.

US women in 400-meter relay. In 2004, US was DQ'd for passing out of the zone. Same outcome for US women -- dropped baton on last pass. Unbelievable! US had a nice lead until Tori Edwards and Lauren Williams messed up the exchange. Williams ascribes problem to "voodoo dolls." Belgium won the heat. Jamaica runs in the next semi.

Amazing team for Jamaican women. Three 100-meter medal winners plus Veronica Campbell-Brown. Two non-medal winners are Brooks and Bailey in second and third places for the semi. Won by 0.63 seconds.

Now women's 10-meter platform diving. US hope is Laura Wilkinson, but event is dominated by Chinese women. She gets 72 points. Canadian diver does high difficulty dive on first round. Scores 83 points. Goes into first. Wang of China gets 79.5. 15-year-old Chen is next. Started diving at age 4. Another amazing entry. 85.5 points. Takes over first. All 9s with a couple of tens.

Big splash on next Wilkinson drive. Entered water at 45 degrees. Medal-killer. 43 points. Very nice dive by Canadian Heymans 86 points. Holds second. Chen gets 85, but holds first. Chen and Heymans within one point overall. Chen has harder dives left with more scoring potential.

Another bad entry for Wilkinson. Messes up a dive that he scored 10 on in Olympic trials. Only 46 points.

Heymans next. 3.3 degree of difficulty. Very good dive. 84 points. Back to first, but Chen to follow. Wang now. Great dive. 86 points. 3.2 for Chen. Looked just like Wang--maybe better. 88 points. One mark of 10.0. Chen up by 4.5 points going into fourth dive of six.

95 points for Heymans on next dive. Highest of meet. Wang gets 89. Looking good for a medal. Chen gets 89, but trails Heymans by almost 2 points after four dives. Wang alone in third, 40 points ahead of fourth.

Wilkinson finishes her career strong with 87 points. Heymans nails a 3.2 dive for 88 points. Maybe not enough. Awesome dive by Wang. But not far enough from platform on the jump. 90 points. Wins bronze. Heymans guaranteed silver. Pressure dive on Chen. 3.4 dive. Has gotten 10s on this dive. Looks like gold medal dive. Gets 100 points. Four 10s. Rocks the dive. 15-years old. Amazing. Phelpsian!

Yikes, another track event. Men's 400-meter final. Jeremy Wariner is US hopeful. 2004 gold medalist. LaShawn Merritt is another American. David Neville is third American. No Jamaicans. No batons to pass. No hurdles to jump. False start on Rooney from GB. Merritt wins easily. Time of 43.75. Wariner well behind in second. Neville dives for bronze. Great time. Fifth fastest of all time. Wins by 0.99 second.

Oh no. Short race with hurdles. Could be in US jinx zone. 100-meter hurdles. Chinese superstar and reigning gold medalist Liu Xiang withdrew in prelims with an injured Achilles tendon. Cuban Dayron Robles holds world record. Probably the favorite. David Oliver is US hope. At least one Jamaican in the race. I'm betting on him. David Payne also from US.

Here we go. Robles rules. US second and third. 12.93. Wins by 0.24 over Payne. Close to world record. May have let up at end. Good performances by US runners.

"The Dragon of Dirt" is the course for BMX riders. Race is the supercross. This is women's final. Big crash at beginning. More crashes. Another wreck. France wins gold and silver. US bronze. Three riders out of eight crashed.

Men's BMX supercross next. Three out in one wreck. Latvia's Maris Strombergs wins gold! US silver and bronze. Big wreck made up for lost time. No wrecks until more than halfway through.

Sunny day for men's beach volleyball. US vs. Brazil. Rogers and Dalhausser vs Marcio and Fabio Luiz. Brazil won bronze with Ricardo and Emanuel. Bunt by Marcio for first point. 1-0, Brazil. Good rally. Brazil serve wide. 1-1. Dalhausser serves long. 2-1, Brazil. Stuff block by Brazil. 3-1. Error by Rogers. 4-1 Brazil. Dalhausser hits out. 5-1. Fabio blocks Rogers 6-1. Rogers wins pushing battle. 6-2. Kill by Brazil. 7-2. Finally a US kill 7-3. Kill by Fabio. 8-3. Bad return by US and Brazilian kill 9-3. Rogers kills 9-4. Fabio in net. 9-5. Change sides. Dalhausser stuff block. 9-6. Good bunt by Marcio. 10-6. Rogers kills 10-7. Four out of five for US. Great dig and kill by Rogers 10-8. Dalhausser stuff block. 10-9. Brazil calls time.

Another block by Dalhausser. 10-10. Dalhausser blocks out. 11-10, Brazil. Technical timeout. Rogers bunts. 11-11. Fabio kill 12-11. US thinks its a bad hit. Rogers kill 12-12. Fabio kills 13-12 Brazil. Good bunt by Rogers. 13-13. Fabio kills. 14-13. Brazil error 14-14. Marcio hits off top of block. 15-14. Great rescue by Fabio. Easy kill by Rogers 15-all. Big kill by Fabio. 16-15. Brazil hits long. 16-16. Maybe a touch by US. Delay of game warning against Brazil for arguing. Kill by Marcio. 17-16. Great game by Brazilians. Hanging in great. Drop shot by Rogers. 17-17. Dalhausser kills. His first. 18-17 US. First lead of match. Rogers serves wide. 18-all. Rogers over top. 19-18 US. Soft shot. Rogers outjumping Fabio despite 6" height disadvantage. Big hit by Fabio. 19-19. Rogers kill. Set point. 20-19. Fabio kills to tie at 20. Dalhausser kill. 21-20. Second US set point. Nice bunt by Fabio. 21-21. Rogers down the line 22-21. Fabio hits into net. US wins first set 23-21. Whew! One of few errors for Brazil.

Brazil leads 7-5 after ballhandling error by Rogers. Rescue by Brazil fails. 7-6. Great get by Rogers. Now 9-8 US. Serve long by Dalhausser. 9-9. Pretty placement by Rogers. 10-9. Dalhausser roofs Fabio. 11-9. Blocked with elbow. Kill off Dalhausser's head and OB. 11-10. Rogers kill bounces into stands. 12-10. Bad return by Brazil. Easy kill for Dalhausser. 13-10. Fabio kills off Dalhausser block. 13-11. Ace serve hits back line. 13-12. Another ace. 13-13. Both went for that one, but unsuccessfully. Good bunt by Marcio. Now up 14-13. Just when things looked bleak for Brazil, they run off four straight. Bad receive. Rescued and killed. 14-14. Kill by Brazil. Bounces off Rogers and OB. 14-15. Dalhausser just hits line. 15-15. Line is inbounds. Fabio kill. 16-15. 17th kill for Fabio. Fabio blocks Rogers. 17-15 Brazil. Dalhausser error. Spikes into net. 15-18. 8 of last 10 for Brazil. Rogers kills 16-18. Fabio kill off Dalhausser. 16-19. Marcio off Dalhausser. 16-20. Four set points for Brazil. Easy kill for Rogers. 20-17. Second set point for Brazil. Dalhausser nets serve. 21-17 Brazil. One set all.

Third set is to 15. First two points to US. 2-0. Dalhausser blocks. 3-0. Fabio cut shot. 3-1. Marcio hits lefty shot into net after hot rally. Great dig by Dalhausser. 4-1. Mishandle by Marcio. 5-1. Ball very sweaty. Dalhausser block. 6-1. Timeout.

US came back from this kind of deficit against Switzerland. Another Dalhausser block of Fabio. 7-1. Same play. 8-1. One more time. 9-1. Time for Brazil to try something different. Great dig by Rogers but couldn't quite finish. 9-2. Marcio serves into net. 10-2. Fabio hits long 11-2. Fabio kill. Dig OB. 11-3. Rogers bunts in front of Brazil. 12-3. Block OB by Dalhausser. 12-4. Serve out off net. 13-4. Fabio hits wide. 14-4. More match points than needed. Stuff block by Dalhausser wins gold medal for US. Amazing last set by Dalhausser. At least six points on blocks.

Just what I need. More late night volleyball. US and Russian men meet in a semifinal match. US wins first set; Russia leads second 20-18. Stuff block by US 20-19. Now 22-21 US after a kill. Russian timeout. US goes on to win second set 25-21. Russia had a 16-13 lead in that set.

Set three now tied at 6. Russian kill makes it 7-6. US kill ties game at 7. US uses push shot to go around the block. Service error. 8-7 Russia. Per analyst, Russia depends on big serves to get points. US plays more scrambling style.

Russia ruling third set. Now leads 19-15. US misses line with spike. 20-15. Biggest lead for Russia. US kill. 20-16. Russia has beaten US nine straight times leading up to this match. Russia kill. 21-16. US kill by Stanley, his ninth to go along with six aces. 21-17. Another kill high off block. 21-18. Russian kills bounces out of court. 22-18. US kill 22-19. Fabulous back set by Russia. 23-19. Blocked out. 23-20. Russia hits out. 23-21. Russia timeout.

Nervewracking for Russia. US needs serve in. Big kill by Russia. 24-21. Set point. Kill off Russia blocker and OB. 24-22. Set point two. Stuff block by US. 24-23. US making them work. Stanley stuff block. Tied at 24! Russian kill. 25-24. Fourth set point. Bunt to floor by US. 25-25. Russian kill off block. 26-25. Fifth set point. Russian stuff wins third set. 25-27.

US still up two sets to one. Russia up 4-2 in fourth game. Tricky kill by US. 3-4. Russian kill to floor. 3-5. Russia touches US spike on way out. 4-5. Now 5-5. Middle kill by US. 6-5. Kill from front middle. 6-6. Receiving error by US. 6-7. Russians run into each other. 7-7. Serve long by US. 7-8.

US serves out again. 9-10. US kill. 10-10. Russian kill off US block attempt. 10-11. Good push by Russia. 10-12. US kill 11-12. US serve into net. 11-13. Millar stuff block for US. 12-13. Russian kill. 12-14. US push. 13-14. Russia crushes a kill. 13-15. Good read by Russia. US ball out. 13-16. US error. Technical timeout.

Stanley kills. 14-16. US serve into net. 14-17. Too many service errors for US. Russia gives it back. 15-17. No touch per ref. 15-18. Replay shows otherwise. Millar kills. 16-18. Stanley serve out 16-19. Great set and kill by Millar. 17-19. Russian kill. 17-20. Serve into net. 18-20. Russian leftside kill by Russia. 18-21. Russia in net 19-21. Mikhalov kills for Russia. 19-22. He is tough. Serve way out. 20-22. Block just out. 20-23. US kill 21-23. Mikhalov too good. 21-24. Easy kill for Millar. 22-24. Two set points left. Russian kill takes set four. 25-22.

15 point tiebreaker next. 2-1 US. Millar breaks through. 3-1. Great point. Blocked out. 3-2. Mikhalov over line. 4-2. Stuff block. 5-2. Block out. 5-3. Can't stop Mikhalov. 27 kills by Mikhalov. Priddy kill 6-3. Volkov kill 6-4. Return bounces over net. Killed by Russia. 6-5. Timeout. Volkov serves long. 7-5. Priddy just misses wide. 7-6. Stuff block by Russia. 7-7. Salmon kills. 8-7. Change sides. Russia kill. 8-8. Salmon backline kill. 9-8. Stanley serves long. 9-9. Lucky point for US. Russians misplay. Hit into net. 10-9. Serve into net. 10-10. Russian ace. 10-11.

Lost some stuff there. US was down 11-12. David Lee had great stuff block. Russian setter seemed to throw a ball. No call. Lee kills for US. 14-13. Match point US. Timeout Russia. Priddy serves. Lee stuffs! US wins! 15-13. Great comeback in last few points. David Lee is team hero. First US gold medal game since 1988. Fabulous outcome for US team and coach, Hugh McCutcheon, whose father-in-law was killed in an attack just after the Olympics opening ceremony.

More Photos from Beijing

2008-08-20T22:47:00.004-06:00

For more photos from the Beijing Olympics, check out my photofriend Alain's photoblog at http://www.photoblog.com/ofwordsandphotos/2008/08/20/

Alain is an excellent photographer and he and his friends are having a great time at the Olympics.

Beijing Olympics - Day Thirteen - May/Walsh Golden; Inside Volleyballers Advance to Gold Medal Game

2008-08-20T06:32:00.022-06:00

10:55 p.m. - Sorry for the skimpy coverage. Busy day of medical appointments and meals out. The US men carried on and beat Australia 116-85 and will face Argentina in a semifinal basketball game.

We got back just in time to see two very happy women in a rainstorm - Misty May-Trainor and Kerri Walsh - celebrating their gold medal in women's beach volleyball. They beat a Chinese team in straight sets. Winners of 107 straight matches and prohibitive gold medal favorite, the pair did everything expected of them. At the end they hugged everyone in sight and expressed both joy and relief at the victory and possible end of their careers. Both women are recently married and ready to start families. As Walsh said to the interviewer, "you can't imagine how much I want a baby." They joked about needing to start the next generation of beach volleyball champions. The relief no doubt arose from the concern about a crushing upset that would spoil the end of their fabulous careers. And in a bittersweet moment, May-Trainor scattered a small vial of her mother's ashes on the sand, as she did in Athens when the team won their first gold medal in 2004. Overall, a long-running story with the happiest of endings.

Midnight - I'm very happy that NBC is covering live the women's volleyball game between the US and Cuba. This is a semifinal game. Cuba whipped the US in pool play, but US is doing well tonite, winning the first set by 25-20. Set two is tied 4-4. Nice dig by US results in a kill by Logan Tom. 5-4 US. Hitting error by Cuba. 6-4. Over the net on Cuba. 7-4. Ace by Scott-Ahudda. 8-4. Technical timeout.

Now 10-6 after great dig by Logan Tom. Now Cuba timeout. Cuba kills makes score 12-7 US. Service error by Santos. 13-7. Lift by Cuba. 14-7. Cuba stuff. 14-8. Logan Tom is tournament's top scorer. Very versatile player--aces, kills and stuff blocks are added together as points. Tom has 97. Cuba kill. Now 15-9. Cuba stuff block. 15-10. Service error. 16-10. Too many errors by Cuba. Timeout. Cuba's fifth straight trip to Olympic semis.

Now US up 18-12 after commercial. Cuba hits out. 19-13. Errors are 19-2 in "favor" of Cuba. Stuff block by Tom. 20-13. Big kill by Santos. 20-14. Kill by Tom. 21-14. Timeout. Tom serving. Cuba hits into antenna. 22-14. Set two close at hand. Willoughby kills. 23-14. Cuba kills 23-15. Tom kills from backline. 24-14. Ten set points. Cuba kill. 24-15. Willoughby kill takes set two. 25-15.

Set three. Expect more focused effort by Cuba with their backs to the wall. US has to stay strong and avoid errors. US receiving serve at 86%.

Cuba starts with service error. 1-0, US. Big hit by Cuba. 1-1. Bad reception by US, but Cuba hits long. 2-1. Stuff block by Tom. 3-1. Easy kill by Cuba. 3-2. Tom/Bown block. 4-2. Cuba kill 4-3. Bown kills. 5-3. Ace for Tom. 6-3. Cuba timeout.

Analysts wondering if Cuba was ready for morning match. Most other matches played at night. Cuba kill off head of Bown. 6-4. Glass kills cross court. 7-4. Corner kill by Cuba. 7-5. Glass from left side. 8-5. Technical timeout.

Upset in making. Cuba was undefeated in pool play. Now 11-7 US. Scott-Ahudda ace. 12-7. Brazil and China in other semi. Brazil is world #1. Calderon kill for Cuba. 12-8. Ruiz makes it 12-9. Ace by Cuba. 12-10. US timeout. Match about where Cuba was against China. China was up two sets and 15-11. Blocked out by Cuba. 13-10. Santos kill. 13-11. Cuba warming to task. Serve long by Cuba. 14-11. 25th error by Cuba. Receiving error. US kill at net. 15-11. US serves long. 15-12. Rare US error. Santos serves into net. 16-12. Technical timeout.

US up 18-14 coming back from commercial. US kill. 19-14. Cuba kill 19-15. Service error by Cuba. 20-15. Good set. Haneef-Park buries it. 21-15. Tallest US player.

Goal within sight now. US hits out. 21-16. Tom passes. Haneef-Park kills. 22-16. US in net. 22-17. Too bad. Spike was out. Could see net call on replay. Willoughby kills after long rally. 23-17. Tom serving. Willoughby kills. Blocked long. 24-17. Seven match points. Tom serving. Best rally of match. Willoughby ends it with a kill from right side. 25-17 and three game sweep. Best game of tourney by far for US. Might be hard to US to get back to that level for gold medal game on Saturday. First trip to volleyball final for US women since 1984.

7:30 a.m. - Despite the late night I still had to get up early to eat and watch the US-Australia men's basketball game. So far Australia has been worthy of respect, trailing 41-32 with 5 minutes to go in the second quarter. Now 41-36. Aussies shooting over 50%. US getting many more offensive rebounds. James makes basket; misses free throw. Anthony rebounds and gets fouled. Now 45-36. Aussies shoot threes well and can catch up in a hurry. Newley makes two free throws for Australia 45-38. Kobe makes circus shot and gets fouled. Misses free throw. 9-18 from line for US. Aussie makes field goal. 47-40. Long three misses. Aussie misses early putback. Prince misses first free throw. Makes second. 48-40. Lebron drive the middle. 50-40. Newley hits three. 50-43. Kobe misses. Mills misses three for Australia. Rebound OB. Deron Williams misses three. 2 for 12 from long range. James misses on drive. Acrobatic rebound and putback by Bryant. 52-43. Williams hits three at the buzzer. 55-43.

Lithuania and Spain will play in other semifinal. Winner of US-Australia will play winner of Argentina and Greece.

US opens second half with threes by Bryant and Anthony. Lead now 61-43. Bryant drives and gets fouled. Great hustle by James to save a loose ball. Bryant makes one of two. 62-43. Twelve in a row for US. Kidd makes layup. 64-43. Great one-on-one move by Bryant. Makes layup and goes to line. 66-43. Timeout Australia.

Kobe misses free throw. US rebounds. Air ball by Australia. Kobe hits three. 69-43. Gotta go.

US women's softball beat Japan in 9 innings. Will play Japan again for gold medal. Japan beat Australia in 12 innings to get into gold medal game.

Beijing Olympics - Day Twelve - Steiner and Shawn Both Golden

2008-08-19T14:00:00.004-06:00

8:00 p.m. - Men's soccer on MSNBC; women's basketball on USA. US beats South Korea 104-60. Korea with no answer for Sylvia Fowles. She scores 26 and pulls down 14 rebounds. US plays Russia in semifinals. China vs. Australia in other semi. Winners play for gold; losers play for bronze.

Men's soccer match is between Brazil and Argentina - global heavyweights in semifinal. Winner plays Nigeria for gold medal. No score after 30 minutes of play. Argentina has free kick. Blocked by Brazil.

Back to USA for men's 2-man canoe. This looks like very hard work. Appears to be a pure sprint. 500-meter heat. Photo finish between Russia and China. China wins, but Russia and others advance.

Now the men's triathlon. No heats in this one. Swim 1.5 km; bike 40 km; run 10km. Winning time will be under 2 hours. Swimming takes place in a reservoir. Swimmers pass first turn buoy at 600 meters. New Zealander in first. Entire field around the buoy.

First guy gets out of the water at 17:50. Shane Reed of New Zealand. Bike ride should take almost an hour. Remarkable how tight the pack is after that long swim. Two bikers trying to break away, but not very far ahead. One of the US competitors goes to the wrong bike, but corrects himself - still lost a couple of seconds. Pack caught up to breakaway riders.

Competitors are well marked. Along with the decal on their helmets, they have their number inked on both upper arms and both thighs.

Another breakaway attempt accomplishes nothing. Almost the whole field is within a few seconds in the bicycling pack. Analyst says that drafting in the pack saves up to 20% of energy.

Alistair Brownlee of Great Britain is latest breakaway rider. Has a slight lead. Now a new leader. No one really trying to break lose from the field. A small group of about eight riders is lagging.

Now a group of three leads the way - Mexico, Belgium and Luxembourg are ahead by about 25 seconds. Still almost two laps of six left on the bike. Front group not rotating the lead very often. Analyst says they should rotate more often.

Two brothers racing - Shane Reed for New Zealand; Matthew Reed for US. Lead pack now has 35 second lead. Analyst says they need two minutes. Haven't seen the triathlon god Javier Gomez of Spain. Buried in chase group, but apparently he is the best runner in the field. Conceivable he could be more than 35 seconds ahead of the lead bikers.

Front group now out by 45 seconds. Race is in last lap of biking. Mexico fallen away from the lead pack a little. Just Luxembourg and Belgium in front. Analyst mentions need to create a little space for the transition to running. Having 30 or 40 bikers show up at once can get very hectic. Five or ten seconds can make a lot of difference.

First two are now running. Have 1:16 lead. Luxembourg in lead. Belgium second. Now the main group comes in about 55 seconds behind. Hunter Kemper of US and Brownlee are in front of big chase pack. Gomez in view. Moving up in chase pack. Belgium on heels of Luxembourg.

Belgium on top now. First lap about over. Analyst says that big guys are disadvantaged in the heat. Leaders now only 20 seconds ahead. Lead guys probably won't hold on at this rate. Brownlee and two Spaniards (Rana and Gomez) are in front of chase pack. Runners stretched out now. Looks like early leaders won't lead by end of second lap. Gomez moving up. Pack has caught leaders. Henning of Denmark and Brownlee in the lead. Early leaders dropped back quickly. Gomez and Rana are third and fourth.

Lead pack of nine runners now lead by Rana and Gomez. Brownlee third. Rana looks very smooth. Run about halfway over. Docherty of New Zealand now among the leaders. These four running together. Frodeno of Germany now joins group. Whitfield of Canada close behind. Lead group now numbers six. Brownlee in front. Analyst says that Gomez needs to get a lead because he's not a strong sprinter. Gomez now in lead. Frodeno second. Brownlee dropped from lead pack. Rana might be losing touch. One lap to go. 1:41. Whitfield won gold in 2000. Analyst seems to like Docherty. Whitfield has strong finishing kick. Gomez picking up pace.

Had a phone call - race finished in meantime - surprising gold medal winner was Jan Frodeno of Germany in a powerful sprint. Whitfield sprinted first then held on for silver. Docherty won bronze as Gomez fell back for fourth.

Argentina and Nigeria will play for gold in soccer.

Men's superheavyweight weightlifting next. MSNBC has this one. Latvian Scerbatish snatches 206 kg. Ukrainian Udachyn going for 207 kg. He's got it. Amazing. Steiner of Germany going for 207 kg. Competition combines snatch and clean and jerk. Scary. Bar tried to land on his head, but he got out of the way just in time. Chigishev of Russia going for 210 kg. Huge effort. He gets it airborne. Leader going into clean and jerk. 210 kg is 462 lb. I wish they'd relate this to an appliance.

Clean and jerk involves taking weight to chest/shoulders ("clean") and jerking it above head. Udachyn missed his third attempt. Latvian going for 242 kg. Cleans easily. Jerk OK. Total 448 kg. Udachyn drops to third. Steiner next. 246 kg (541 lb). Had it overhead for quite awhile. Couldn't get feet under control, a requirement for a completed lift. Almost threw it off the lifting platform.

Chigeshev going for 247 kg. Already the leader based on previous lift. Now destroying the competition. 8 kg ahead. Steiner missed 246 kg. Going for 248 kg. Silver medal lift. One excited German. Now in second. Still 6 kg behind the Russian. Chigeshev gets 250 kg. Scerbatihs going for amazing 257 kg. Cleaned well. Couldn't jerk. Still in third. Steiner going for 258 kg and gold. Gets the clean. And the jerk. Unbelievable! 258 kg. Going completely nuts. Total 461 kg. Gold medal for Germany's Matthias Steiner. Lost wife in car accident in 2007. One of most emotional victory outbursts. Steiner an early candidate for Tuesday Phelps Award along with countrymen triathlete Jan Frodeno.

China vs. Russia in quarterfinal women's volleyball. Rematch of 2004 gold medal match, won by China. Russia leads 9-7 in first set.

Had to do a little printing work there. China rallied to win the first set. Russia was set up to even the match, leading 24-22 in the second set before collapsing to lose 26-24. Russian women are among the tallest I've ever seen, even on US basketball team. They have two that are at least 6'8" -- mostly legs. Better teamwork, discipline and athleticism seem to be the margin for China. Russia is coached by an Italian--he has a translator to talk to his team. His predecessor, "the howling bear", yelled directly at them in Russian. Might make a difference. Russia up 16-14 in third set. Stuff block by China. 16-15. Another stuff block. Tied at 16. Russian kill from backline. 17-16 Russia. China kill by Wang Y.M. Tied at 17. Hit out by Russia. Had 13 errors in second set. China 18-17. Hit into net. 19-17.

Russia self-destruction continues. Now 24-19. Stuff block by China. They win 25-19 and 3-0. Sad match for Russia. Analyst calling for Russian coach to get pink slip.

Women's water polo semifinal next. Hungary vs. The Netherlands. Dutch are surprise team of tournament. Winner plays US for gold. Scored tied 2-2 in 2nd quarter.

Now in 4th quarter with just 2 minutes left. Netherlands holding on 8-7. Netherlands went only 1-2 in pool play, then upset Italy in quarterfinals. Used to dominate women's water polo but have slumped in last two Olympics. 1:30 left. Netherlands possession. Hungary undefeated coming in. Shot clock turnover to Hungary. 1 minute left. Good defense by Netherlands. No shot for Hungary. Foul against Hungary. Power play Hungary with just 22 seconds left. Strange ending. No defense by Hungary. Netherlands wins! Will play US in final on Thursday. Netherlands didn't qualify for Athens Olympics.

Pool round baseball between US and Taiwan (Chinese Taipei in Beijing-speak). No score in 4th inning. US batting in home half. Do you ever tire of my "Who is John Gall?" line. He flies out to right. Two outs. Lou Marson singles to right. Injured Yankee starter Chien-Ming Wang is from Taiwan. Marson is Phillies farmhand--a catcher. Could see some time with big club after Olympics with Ruiz struggling and Coste at age 33. Fly ball to center by next batter. US is 3-2 in pool play. Two games left--one each vs. Taiwan and Japan.

Taiwan leadoff hitter doubles into left field corner. Only second hit allowed by US pitcher. Good bunt moves runner to third. #9 hitter in RBI position. Grounder gets thru glove of 1B Matt Brown. Playing in. Couldn't make the play. Taiwan leads 1-0. Runner reaches first. US gets out without further damage. One run strategy works out for Taiwan.

Today's Marketing Question - whom do you like more (or dislike less), the Geiko caveman or gecko? I'm a gecko guy.

Triple off the right field wall for Dexter Fowler. Makes third easily despite admiring the shot for a couple of steps. US win gets them to the semifinal round. South Korea, Cuba and Japan already in. Barden plugs ball at base of right center field wall. Ties game at 1. He gets a double. Pitching change for Taiwan. Hsu out.

No pitching change. Defensive change. Announcers still trying to figure out who. Disadvantage of broadcasting from a remote studio. Fly to center. No advance. Strong throw to third. 1B Matt Brown next. Check swing strike out. DH Terry Tiffee next. Hitting .500. Taiwan down one player due to suspension for use of fertility drug. US has two injured subs. Backup catcher only non-pitcher on the bench. Tiffee walks on four pitches. US on 2nd and 1st with two outs.

Mike Hessman next. The living Crash Davis. 286 lifetime minor league home runs. Skied to center. Three outs. Tied 1-1 after five innings.

Man on second (double) and one out for Taiwan. Grounder to third. Runner holds. Two out. Single to right. Runner thrown out at plate by RF Schiurholz (sp?). Perfect throw.

Who is John Gall? Hitter of leadoff home run that gives US 2-1 lead in the home sixth. Pitcher gets careful and walks the next batter.

New pitcher. Sac bunt moves Marson to second. Fowler up next. Slice double down the line. Marson scores. 3-1 US. Fowler not running as hard as he could, but still made second. Barden strikes out. Third out on a grounder.

Leadoff hitter for Taiwan, Lin, homers to deep left. 3-2. Grounder to first. One out. Brandon Knight replaced as US pitcher. Mike Koplove in to pitch. A former Delaware Blue Hen. Good research team for these announcers as they name another half-dozen major leaguers from Delaware. Gets an out. Comebacker for third out. Nice job by Koplove.

Taiwan only 1-4 in Olympics. Lost even to China. Called strike three at knees on Mike Brown. One out for US in 7th. Tiffee grounds to short. Two outs. Called strike three on Hessman. US up 3-2 going into top of 8th.

US won gold medal in 2000. Didn't qualify for 2004 Olympics. Fowler tracks down a drive in right center. One out. Grounder to second. Two outs. Ben Sheets and Roy Oswalt led 2000 Olympians. o-2 to next batter. Now 2-2. Swinging strike out. Koplove retires all five batters he faces.

Gall doubles over the rightfielder's head. Marson up now. Swing favors current Phillies catcher Chris Coste. Count 2-2. Swings behind a pitch. One out. Trying to hit to right.

127 km per hour sounds fast, but is only 79 mph. Pitcher moves the ball around well. Donald singles to right. Gall scores. 4-2. Great piece of hitting and important run. Fowler next. Single, double, triple so far. New pitcher.

Next pitcher throws much harder - 147 km/hr. Donald steals second on strike two. Count 3 and 2 to Fowler. Missed low. Walk. Runners on first and second. Barden next. 1 and 2 count. Big fastball and big swing. Barden fans for fourth time. Did have an RBI double. Schierholtz next. Pop lands foul down left side. Swing and miss. Ends inning. One for US makes score 4-2. US needs three outs to get to medal round (without Taiwan scoring at least two runs).

Kevin Jepsen on for ninth inning. 154 kph on first pitch. Throws it past the batter. 0 and 2. Swing for strike three. Pitches in Angels organization. 23-years old. Looks like a great prospect. 0 and 2 to next batter. One hopper to third. Two outs. Lin up next. Has 2B and HR. Strike one. Maybe a different Lin. This guy is the SS. Other Lin was DH. Obviously, I'm not keeping a scorecard. Breaking ball low. After eight straight fast strikes. Fastball outside. 2 and 2. Fouled off to stands in right. Grounder to second. Game over. US wins 4-2! Joins Japan, Cuba and South Korea in semifinals.

3:15 a.m. Staying up far too late after an 8 hour car trip from Baton Rouge to Houston, but it's worth it to see Shawn Johnson win the gold medal in the balance beam final. Nastia Liukin finished second. Both routines were essentially flawless, Liukin's perhaps a little moreso, but Johnson's had higher difficulty, winning her the gold medal by 0.2.

On the track the results were more disappointing for favored American women. 400-meter favorite Sanya Richards cramped at the top of the stretch and finished third. 100-meter high hurdle favorite Lolo Jones was leading the race when she hit the ninth hurdle and finished seventh. Her postrace interview was gracious--she admitted that she messes up about twice a year, unfortunately one mess up in 2008 was in the Olympic final. Jones expected place at the top of the podium was taken by fellow American Dawn Harper, who couldn't quite believe the standings when she looked up at the scoreboard. She ran hard and took to heart her idol, Jackie Joyner-Kersee's, advice that anything can happen in one race.

Beijing Olympics - Day Eleven (And Tape from Day Ten)

2008-08-18T06:43:00.034-06:00

Shelly-Ann Fraser of Jamaica won the women's 100-meter sprint, giving Jamaica a sweep of the men's and women's 100-meter races. Picture: Phil Hillyard

7:30 p.m. - Usain Bolt is back in a men's 200-meter quarterfinal. This was Michael Johnson's event--the runner that Bolt most reminds me of. Bolt cruises to 20.29 victory. World record is 19.32 by Johnson. Literally no sweat. USA's Shawn Crawford finished second and qualified for semifinals.

Thanks, readers! If you Google "phelps best olympic performance award", my post on the "Michael Phelps Award For Best Performance By An Athlete Not Named Michael Phelps" appears third on the front page out of 88,800 hits. Not surprisingly, the rest of the page is occupied by information about awards won by Phelps--most notably an ESPY for Best Olympic Performance (perhaps a nomination, this show was on TV shortly before the Olympics, or perhaps a special award that assumes that no one will win more than eight gold medals in Beijing.)

Walter Dix now in 200-meter quarterfinal. His sixth race (four 100-meters and second in 200-meters). Dix started strong. Finishes second. Winning time for Zimbabwean was 20.23.

Third US runner in next quarterfinal, Wallace Spearmon. Irishman wins. Spearman closes fast to finish second. Holds chain in his mouth for the entire trip.

Dadlak News Item - Anheuser-Busch is apparently working on having "This Is Budweiser" designated as the National Beer Anthem. Chevrolet failed in similar attempt to have John Mellencamp "This Is Our Country" designated as the National Car Anthem.

Women's pole vault is next. We're watching a feature about Russian superstar Elena Isinbaeva. She's taking a nap now while they move the bar up to a height that challenges her.

Stephanie Brown-Trafton of the US wins gold in the women's discus. Uncorked a big throw on her first try. 212' 5". No one could do better. First American winner of the event since 1932.

Can it be? More women's beach volleyball. Women's heroes Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh are featured in a semifinal match. Opponents are from Talita and Renata from Brazil. Winner advances to gold medal match. One-year anniversary of May/Walsh's last loss. "Phelpsian" Score is 1-1. Hot start for US 4-1. Great rescue by May. US leads 12-6. Great hustle by May and great teamwork. Stuff block by Walsh. 14-6. Total domination so far. 15-6 at time out. Now 18-9. Now 18-10. Block by Brazil. Brazil in net. 19-10. Good cut by Talita. 19-11. Walsh kills. 20-11. Many set points. Serve short by Walsh. 20-12. May kills. US wins game. Second set almost the same. US in finals.

Women's trampoline next. China's He Wenna does fabulous performance to take gold. Textbook work. High, straight, spins and twists. Canada second.

Men's still rings. Bulgarian Jordan Joechtel has two problems. Won't medal. Ukrainian Vorobiov does very fine routine. Gets 16.325. Lots of power behind him. Yang Wei next. Gets 16.425 despite looking a little shakier than Vorobiov. Rodrigues from France. Excellent work until dismount. Does back layout. 16.225. Third place. Danger spot with top Chinese gymnast still to come.

Women's uneven bars - Liukin is only US qualifier. Ms. Liukin is in the stands. He Kexin of China gets 16.725. Took step on landing. One other weak point per Daggett. Liukin next. Great landing. Small errors per Daggett. 16.725. Tiebreaker working on the problem. He placed first. Ukraine drops off top bar. 14.875. Nistor of Romania next. Good exercise. Bronze at best. 15.575. Koval from Ukraine. 16.375. Possible bronze medal. Yang Yilin. Fabulous exercise. Close to gold. We'll see. 16.65. Bronze medal. Two left, but unlikely to challenge. Tweddle from Great Britain. 16.625. Outside of medal. Semenova 16.325.

7:40 a.m. - Sanya Richards is lone US qualifier in women's 400-meter final race. Both US and Jamaica have three women in 100-meter final. Now back to men's gymnastics. Yang Wei gets 15.45 on pommel horse. Sasha Artemev is best US hope in this event. Xiao Qin gets 15.875. Now Artemev. Was going great. Then fell off. Back on the horse. Finishes beautifully, but no medal for Artemev. Gets 14.975. British gymnast Louis Simth goes last. Two leg deductions. Very hard dismount. 15.725 - silver medal likely. Ude from Croatia. Great routine. 15.725. Ties for silver. No medal for Yang Wei. Gold medal for Xiao Qin.

My family explained the Chevy crossover commercial to me. It features a guy with no shirt ironing clothes and scrubbing a toilet, with a cutaway to Chevy's new crossover in the middle. The ad is aimed at women, telling them that Chevy's vehicle is as great as having a hunky guy who likes to do housework.

Women's floor exercise next. Liukin and Johnson competing for US. Johnson starts. Great routine. No one lands like her. One extra step on a one landing. 15.50. Very close to her all-around score. Kramarenko from Russia - 15.025. Jiang Yuyuan of China next. Very strong - five tumbling runs. Chinese fans love her. 15.35. Good for second. Dos Santos from Brazil. Bounced out of bounds. Again. Too many trips OB to medal. 14.975. Now Pavlova from Russia. She got a "zero" in vault. Left too soon. Stumbled on one landing. A little short. Lands another on her knees. No medal for Pavlova. Cheng Fei next. Biggest threat left for gold. Stumbled out of pirouette. Bad fall on tumbling run. No gold it would appear. Chung Fei very upset. 14.55. No medal at all. Lowest score yet. Liukin next. Great routine. 15.425. Silver medal performance perhaps. But still one left. Izbasa from Romania. Got 15.55 in team competition. Fabulous exercise. No missteps. 15.65. Gold medalist. Johnson and Liukin take silver and bronze. No medal for China. No apologies by Izbasa. She was the best in this event and as Bela Karoyli said, the top three will be on the podium.

Jamaica vs. US in women's 100-meter dash. Kerron Stewart of Jamaica is the race favorite. No Jamaican woman has won a gold medal. Muna Lee of US is very thin. Sherone Simpson of Jamaica is more muscualr. Ferguson-McKenzie from Bahamas. Shelly-Ann Fraser of Jamaica, just 21-years-old. Torrie Edwards of US. Veteran of US team. Lauren Williams of US--great in big meets. Jeanette Kwayke of Great Britain in Lane 9. Fraser runs away with it. 10.78. Jamaica both second and third. Actually tied for second. 0.2 second margin of victory. First ever sweep in women's 100-meter by any country. Ms. Fraser is one happy woman. Can hardly talk through her smile.

Lopez Lomong competing in men's 1,500-meter run semifinal. Not a sure thing to make the final. In fact, he finishes 12th behind leggy winner Kiprop of Kenya and many others. Bernard Lagat of US (formerly of Kenya) runs in second semi. International field in this one. Seems like all continents are represented except South America and Australia. Lagat dropping back, but in better position on the track. Lagat making his move. Has to get to top four. Now in fifth. Lagat struggles in. Only 6th or 7th. Bahrain wins. Lagat thinks he will get in on time. Was not good enough. Misses by 0.02. No Americans in final.

Men's 110-meter hurdles next. Liu Xiang of China is favorite. Defending gold medalist - first ever track gold for China. Struggling with sore Achilles tendon. Withdraws after a false start. Now sitting with ice on Achilles.

Must be watching women's triathlon on USA. Didn't realize this was an Olympic sport. It looks like women's marathon, but I knew they already ran that race. 10-km run going on now. Bike already happened. Not sure about swimming. Kallie would really have a problem with this event - long swims and long runs. It appears that running is the last leg. Australian Emma Snowsill is leading by 15 seconds, but only one lap completed out of four.

11:50 a.m. Finally table tennis on MSNBC. Austria vs. South Korea in the men's team competition. Chen for Austria; Ryu for Korea. Ryu leads 9-8. Ryu gets bronze medal for South Korea if he wins. South Korea already up 2-1 in this team match. 10-9 for Ryu. 11-9, Game One for Ryu. Looks like best 3-of-5 to 11. I reached my athletic peak in this sport in college when I could compete with players who were much superior athletes to me otherwise. We used to play tennis sets - to six games at 21 points per game. Chen born in China. Austrian citizen since 2000. Chen up 3-2 in Game Two. Ryu won individual gold in Athens. Now 4-4. Ryu is offensive player with killer forehand. Chen playing defense. Hoping that Ryu will make errors. Now 5-5. Ryu just missed. Now 6-5 for Ryu. 7-5. They take a short break. Chen goes for a return and misses 8-5. 9-5 on big slam. 10-5. Game Ryu. 11-5. Leads two games to none. Outcome looks pretty inevitable.

Hope they show some of single's competition--expected to be among biggest draws on Chinese TV, along with women's volleyball and men's 110-meter hurdles. Audience for that one shrank when Chinese hero Liu Xiang dropped out.

Capitol One has one of the funniest commercials where superhero the Armadillo designs his new credit card. His wife surprises him and he rolls up into a ball, just like the real thing. His manservant delivers the surprising punchline, "Ooh, guacamole!" and digs into the snack that Armadillo's wife just brought.

Chen wins a long rally. Then Ryu whiffs. 2-2. Chen misses into net twice. 4-2 Ryu. Slam by Ryu. Return long, 5-2. Timeout by Austria. China and Germany will compete for team gold. Now 6-2. Forehand return long. Too much spin by Chen. Ryu hits long. Another winner. 7-3. Ryu plays many from side of the table. 8-4, Ryu. Chen gets a slam. 8-5. Chen misses long. 9-5. Rally scoring. Winner of point gets to serve. Ryu misses 9-6. Ryu misses serve. 9-7. Korean timeout. Big drive by Ryu, 10-7. Medal point for Korea. Chen whiffs. Ryu wins, 11-7. South Korea wins bronze in men's team table tennis.

Gold medal men's table tennis doubles between China and Germany. Best of five games. China leads 2-1. They already won two singles matches. One more game for China and they win gold. Wang/Wang for China. Boll/Suss for Germany. 2-1 for China. 3-2 China. Germany hits long 4-2. Long again. 5-2. Germany down two matches and two games. At the edge of the cliff. 6-2. China long 6-3. China slam. 7-3. China backhand winner 8-3. Germany gets one back. 8-4. Towel off. China long. Good hit by Suss. 8-5. Big forehand by China. 9-5. Two points. China long 9-6. Germany long. 10-6. Many gold medal points. China long. 10-7. China wins next point and gold medal.

More men's beach volleyball. Rosenthal and Gibb vs. Brazilian team of Emanuel and Ricardo--reigning gold medalists. Brazil leads 17-15. Ricardo is quite a physical speciment. 6'7" and 240 lb. Built like a tight end. Strongest offensive and defensive player for Brazil. Heard some chanting. Knew there had to be Brazilians in the crowd. Gibb blocks 17-16. Kill by Emanuel. 18-16. Brazilians have achieved one name status. Rosenthal off Ricardo block. 18-17. Easy kill by Ricardo. 19-17. Ricardo stuff block of Rosenthal. 20-17 Brazil. Serve out. 20-18. Ricardo pushes it over. 21-18. Brazil wins first game.

3-all in second game. Not sure the stakes in this match. Maybe a semifinal. Seems like they've been playing forever. But could be quarterfinal. Definitely not a medal game. Brazil prevails, 21-16. They advance to semis to play their countrymen, who also have just one name each.

Sorry for rolling through men's water polo between Australia and Montenegro without comment. Not sure who won. Do know that Montenegro has only been an independent nation for about two years (used to be part of Serbia; part of Yugoslavia before that).

Back to baseball. US vs. China. US winning. The mysterious John Gall flies to left to end an inning.

Beijing Olympics - Day Ten - Bekele Distance Champ

2008-08-17T12:45:00.022-06:00

Winning feeling: Kenenisa Bekele of Ethiopia celebrates again in an event he has made his own Photo: Reuters

10:00 p.m. - Went out to dinner; watching DVD movie "The Kingdom" now in honor of stepson's birthday. Got to see a little of the individual gymnastics finals--women's vault. Taping the rest. North Korean won their only gold medal despite a bad landing. German Oksana (Soviet expatriate) Chusovitina won silver; China won bronze by a whisker over Alicia Sacramone. Kind of sad given that Alicia landed both vaults cleanly. Chinese girl landed one on her butt. Similar with gold and silver - North Korean had one great vault and landing out-of-bounds. Oksana was clean both times. Judging sometimes hard to understand.

This movie is about a fictional terrorist attack on Americans inside Saudi Arabia. All-star FBI team including Jamie Foxx (Ray), Chris Cooper (Adaptation and Seabiscuit), Jennifer Garner (Juno) and Jason Bateman (Michael Bluth in Arrested Development) has gone into investigate. Nathaniel Fisher from Six Feet Under is an intelligence biggie.

1:45 p.m. - I went to church early and missed all the morning events. Rowing was on when I got back, but I just watched while I ate lunch and cleaned the kitchen. As I remember, China, Denmark, Great Britain and Canada were among the rowing winners, with Canada capturing the coveted Eights gold. China spent a bunch of money developing a rowing program and it paid off with several medals. The US won their only rowing medal in the eights, a bronze.

Now it's women's volleyball, with the US and Poland in a tight match - not sure if we're still in pool play or in elimination. The match is one set all with Poland leading the third set 16-13. Now Poland leads 18-15. This is a pool game. US has already advanced to the medal round. Poland playing for their survival. Now 19-16 Poland. Kill for US. 19-17. Poland kill 20-17. Poland kill from left side. 21-17. US timeout. Set point for Poland, 24-18. First of six possible set points. Logan Tom bunts to keep America alive in set two. 24-19. Long kill by Poland wins second set. 25-19. They lead two sets to one.

Match in exciting third set. US up 12-11 despite starting 0-3. Last two US points on stuff blocks. Tom kills, 13-11. Polish kill. 13-12. Great serve by Poland. Tied at 13. Another block gives US a match point. Tom kills, US wins! 15-13. Second place in their group. Poland is out. US 4-1 in prelim round. Quarterfinal opponent will be Italy.

Men's 10,000-meter run is about halfway finished. It's more or less a replay of the African championship, as most of the top runners are from Kenya, Ethiopia, and Eritrea. There are two Americans in the lead pack and the pace is slow enough to put more runners in contention. There are a couple of runners from Qatar near the front. There are three Kenyans, three Ethiopians and two Eritreans in the top ten along with the two Qatarites (?) Now US runners have fallen into the second group. Only about 7 minutes to go. Bekele of Ethiopia has won this race before. He's in third. Portugese runner just lapped. Ugandan now in lead pack. Second place runner clipped heels of leader. There may be a Jamaican in the lead pack. Colors look right. Runners spread out all over the rack. More runners being lapped. Commercial.

Ethiopia goes 1-2; Kenenisa Bekele wins his second straight gold medal in the event. Kenya finishes third. An Ethiopian won the women's 10,000-meter race too. Sorry for the lack of late race coverage. Phone call from family.

Jim Lampley just conducted a nice interview with LeBron James and Kobe Bryant. They seem confident that the US "Redeem Team" can continue its excellent play and bring home the gold. Lampley asked a great question at the end--can this style of play be brought to the NBA to replace isolation and pick and rolls. They weren't so sure about that.

Women's beach volleyball at night - though probably not live. It's almost 5 a.m. in Beijing. This is Youngs/Branagh vs. Xue/Zhang from China. They're 4-0 against this American team. US hoping that tournament experience will help. Chinese women are in first Olympics. 19-year-old Xue kills. Youngs is the oldest player at 38. Xue is the youngest. Youngs won bronze in Athens. US recovered from 1-3 deficit to lead 12-9, but the Chinese roar back to win the first set 21-17. Several hitting errors hurt the US. Spikes OB or into the net.

May-Trainor and Walsh moved into the semifinals with a win over Brazil. Winner of this match will join them. Two service errors. Score tied at 1. Serve long. 2-1 China. Serve into net. 2-2. Cut shot. China 3-2. Youngs kill. 3-3. Zhang tap 4-3. Fabulous rescue by Zhang. 5-4. Youngs fans. 6-4. Youngs kill. 6-5. Good dig by US, but Zhang kills. 7-5. Youngs spikes long. 8-5, China. China rolling now before their home crowd. Up 13-8. US in big trouble. Zhang kills 14-9. Branagh kill. 14-10. Bunt by Xue. 15-10. Chinese don't look nervous. Ace by Xue. 16-10. Hugs after every point for China. Bunt for Youngs 16-11. Youngs to serve and follow. Zhang into net. 16-12. Kill by Xue 17-12. Time growing short. Block onto US side. 18-12. Three points from Chinese win. Ace for Zhang. 19-12. Right in the middle of the US pair. Zhang serves long. 19-13. Branagh serves into net. 20-13. Seven match points. Youngs bunts long. 21-13. China moves to medal round.