(in the dark) the shine of small things

[It] was Smith's 11th pickoff of the season, establishing what is believed to be an Oakland record. Kenny Rogers had the previous known high of 10 in 1998, but accurate pickoff records aren't available before 1987.

"That's kind of been my thing," Smith said. "Whenever I call my mom, her first question is always, 'Did you pick anyone off?' So this (record) is cool." - SF Chron.

He ended the game with 12 for the season. I know nothing about Greg Smith (seriously, would it kill the Bay Area papers to do profiles on A's players every once in a while? I know they're not expected to be around long, but a puff piece or two would not kill anyone), but I want to like him. Although he's gotten saddled with some tough losses this season, I find him fun to watch. Also, he smiled at me in Atlanta. ♥

With a week left before the trading deadline, rumors involving Huston Street have intensified, with the Dodgers, Brewers, Mets, White Sox, Rays and Reds all believed to have interest.

For the record, I would laugh. my. ass. off. if Street got traded to the Cincinnati Reds, although Billy hates me too much to make it happen, and I can't believe the Reds have need enough to give Billy what he wants. The more the trade rumors swirl about Street the more resigned I am to the fact that he's going to remain an A, at least for the rest of this season.

Seven days!

eta: Huddy left with elbow tightness. And has the gall to be all "I don't foresee it being that big a deal." Oh because you've never had issues with lingering injuries, or anything. Way to tempt the wrath of the whatever from high atop the thing, Timmy.

And then there were none:
May/June 2003 - Barry Zito wants to be the man
August 2003 - Hudson keeps his cool
June 2004 - The Talented Mr. Mulder

Just the cover stories so far. I'll throw out a heads up when the issues have been fully scanned. And hopefully I'll remember how to get rid of that graininess.

( blah blah blah barry blah blah blah )

Mulder's back from his longass honeymoon today. You have to imagine he'll make a decision in the next week. If Mark Alan Mulder would just announce he plans to return to St. Louis (pleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleaseplease), I would BE SO FREAKING HAPPY and I could stick my head in the sand and not have to check MLB.com or ESPN for the next two months and that might actually be kinda great. I'm tired of this offseason.

One of the Lebanese channels is carrying a Saudi broadcast of Waquofat Arafat. On the second day of the Hajj pilgrimage, the pilgrims swarm Mt. Arafat and the surrounding plain to pray at the Mount of Mercy and ask God for forgiveness. Muslims who aren't there are supposed to fast, in solidarity. Me and organized religion have been on the outs for a few years now, though I go through the motions, but part of me can't help but be moved by the visual of so many people, all dressed in white, all holding on to an idea and a hope bigger than themselves. The camera scans the crowd and you see all shades of skin, standing and sitting next to each other, all ages, men and women, arms outstretched, mouths moving in prayer or private communion with God. I suppose it's an image that scares a lot of people now, but it's amazing, really.

Going to see Dreamgirls with my 'rents in a couple hours. I'm looking forward to it. I hope I like it. I've had a bad run of movie luck as of late.

Eta: Okay, I lied - Danny is too cute: "I'm very content to see Barry just once or twice a year. It would be hard to go head-to-head against him for the next however many years. This is perfect -- we can still hang out during spring training." - Choice thrills ex-mates. And because I'm a dork, I am amused to no end that the story quotes Billy and Chavvy as well, on how very nice it is that Barry will be so close. I BET.

Oh my God, y'all, please tell me some of you were just watching the Marlins/Braves game on TBS. Because that was hilarious. The Marlins break a 3-3 tie in the 9 10th by scoring four...and manage to lose the game 8-7.

[Bad username or site: rickenbacker / @ livejournal.com], your boy cannot field. HE CAN'T, OKAY?

Oh, Marlins. You've killed me. You've killed me dead. You see what this is? It's called "coming full circle." Because that was SO the April/May Marlins right there. That was that game against the Cubs on ESPN where I died a little inside.

OH, AND NICE JOB NOT WINNING TODAY, NYM.

And Philly is busy not losing.* lol, what a day.

Don't ever leave me, baseball.

* Come on, Houston. I know things aren't the same between us. I took things out on you when you were just the kid in the messy divorce. I realize. But come on. You've got a walkoff in you for me, don't you?

How come NO ONE told me about this?! You're all fired. Can't exactly nail down what bothers me about the actor chosen to play Blade, except that he strikes me as a little on the slight side.

So, no suspension for Ozzie because of his recent comments but he was fined and ordered to attend sensitivity training. Yet there's no time frame for the training, nothing from MLB on when it need be completed, and it's up to the ChiSox to make the arrangements about who he goes to see. **rolls eyes**

After giving up 4 runs in the 8th to go down 5-1, the Fish rallied with two outs in the ninth to tie, and won it in the 10th (when Miggy C singled on what was supposed to be an intentional ball, heh. Except it was off Todd Williams, so aww, just a little). It was Chris Ray's first blown save, and I MISSED IT. Alas. Palmer totally called the comeback, too, while I...turned the game off in the ninth >.> Still, yay, Fish. Philly didn't play so the Marlins picked up half a game and are now 2.5 games out of second in the NL East. This series against the Yankees is gonna be interesting.

**pointedly averts her eyes from the Braves and their 10th loss in a row.**

Albert Pujols made his return, which was good enough to help the Cards....keep it together enough to not get blown out for the third straight game. Instead they lost 1-0. Huzzah? I'm really surprised by how quickly Albert's come back.

As someone once said, I know fandom's a complicated thing, but I don't really understand the total venom I've seen/heard from some Astros fans on the topic of Roger Clemens coming back. I understand the big hullabaloo about his return has been draining, and the drawn out business about which team he would go to was annoying, but the fact of the matter is, you're two games out of the wild card, and you've just landed a pitcher I think any team in baseball would give blood to have. I understand being tired but the "hahahahaha! see! who needs him?" reaction to the team losing a close game upon his return makes, like, no sense to me, in the grand scheme o' things.

eta: Peter Gammons has a cd coming out? o.O And they just played a clip and he sounds...not bad. **laughs** I don't know what to make of this. And the BoSox picked up Jason Johnson, which makes me a little happy, because I've always had kind of weird soft spot for Jason, even though he used to KILL the Orioles.

edit 2: Hmm.
Meanwhile, Mulder is suffering from a shoulder strain. He owns a 6-5 record with a 6.09 earned run average in 15 starts this season. Mulder, in his second season with St. Louis after five years in Oakland, has been especially disappointing over his last five starts. In those outings, Mulder is 1-3 and has given up 35 runs over 21 1/3 innings.

So he is hurt. Or 'shoulder strain' is STL code for 'excessive suckage.' Hmm. Either way, hope he comes back strong, for Bri's sake. Randomly, on the radio, heard a commercial for Southwest - "now fly nonstop from BWI to Oakland for one low fare." This is me, NOT checking southwest.com to see exactly how much it might cost to fly out to the West Coast for a spell. Yup. **sits on hands**

+ Hey, it's totally [Bad username or site: angisageek / @ livejournal.com]'s birthday. I usually miss these things, but I will now take this opportunity to say that despite her propensity for using words that I don't understand, and her refusal to Snoopy dance in front of her webcam for me, she seems a decent person, and I rather like her. I hope you have a good day!

+ Snow Patrol (feat. Martha Wainwright) - Set The Fire To The Third Bar

+ Going to see Over The Hedge tomorrow, because when I am not being 12, I'm busy being 8.

+So check out Girardi with the not-so-veiled threats:
[T]he story was Olsen, who said he and Girardi had a talk a few days ago.

"He said, 'Don't let anyone come and take your job because they out-work you.' Me and him came to an agreement where I'm going to work as hard as I possibly can," Olsen said. -- Olsen steals show in Marlins' victory.

**pets him** On the one hand, yay for Olsen pitching well, but I feel badly that Joe had to put the fear of God in him to get him there.

"I thought maybe if things went bad today I could have gone back to the minor leagues," Olsen said. "It was definitely a possibility, and I didn't want that to happen. I know that every time I go out there, my job is on the line. So every day it's a battle to go out there and keep my job." -- Marlins' offense backs Olsen Hmm. I worry a little about this mentality. I mean, yes, he should go out there and want to keep his team in it and work hard, but it's gotta eventually wear on a young pitcher to think he has to be as perfect as he can or risk losing his job.

[Bad username or site: cruzalicious / @ livejournal.com], I'm sorry to tell you Maddox was optioned to Triple A ;_;

+ Tough one for the A's yesterday, goodness. I didn't read any of the post-game stories, because they're all of the "zomg, Oakland lost to the 'lowly' Royals!1!?!!" variety, and I hate that shit. Tell me how the team lost, don't take shots at who they lost to. Not that I'm counting on Rich's smirk to turn things around in an instant, but Harden could be back in a week. Fricking finally. Ah well, May's almost over. Nothing like a new month. I can probably start filling out all-star ballots in good conscience now.

+ ( plus some 'cuz Leanne is all Linky McLinksalot )

Apparently Zito and Chavvy were on BDSSP last night? Why does no one tell me these things? **resents you all** Happily, there was a clip on their website. Download (here). It's about 8minutes, and while it doesn't seem to be the whole appearance, it looks to be a good chunk of it. Highlights: "the chavvy run," mentions of Huddy and Mulder (your question partly answered, Bri), and something that should amuse Jen - jokes on the contents of Z's locker ^_~

Chavvy's not too comfortable talking/joking about Z leaving, is he?

OOH. I totally recorded it! (Ah, the rewards of being too lazy to correct the vcr setting when you overprogram the O's game. Happy day.) Yeah, the clip isn't the whole appearance, the guys go on to play 'Know Your Teammate.' They fail at it, miserably, and hug. Hee.

MLB must have put a foot in people's asses, because both David and Haren finally had updates posted yesterday. Or maybe I have Jen-like powers and sometimes people do what I say. WHO KNOWS. Dan talks about the game on Sunday, and muses about Lost some more, and for serious, I would have a Haren icon, if it wouldn't jinx the hell out of him. I'm getting ready to head out to Richmond but I just had to point out:

Barry Zito and I sat next to each other on the plane back from our road trip and watched last week’s episode of Lost.

♥ Also, he talks some more about Barry and the example Barry sets and if you're not gonna re-sign him then at least plzdon'ttradehimbilly :(

Um.

**coughs** I may have inferred that last part. But seriously, I have so much love for this idea of Sensei!Zito, I can't even tell you. So the renewed trade whispers can please to be stopping now.

( + player blogs )

According to this, Danny Haren volunteered to become the second A's player rep. Does anyone know if Zito is still a rep as well?

Just, you know, wondering.

ETA: Awww. the BabyBraves are so fucking cute.

And interestingly enough, [Bad username or site: phantom_hpuff / @ livejournal.com] um, Lupe:

The McCann house had a fourth resident in the time prior to spring training, as Braves reliever Joey Devine also stayed there. :-P

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