ALL IS RIGHT IN THE WORLD -- MOSTLY

***A-ROD LEADS THE YANKS***
If you ignore the reality of the actual hitters, walking a guy to load the bases with one out in a one-run game, is the right move. Set-up the double play, force at any base, etc. However, when the next batter is the CLEAN-UP hitter, well...you might want to re-think your strategy. There is history behind the "walk-Teixeira-to-pitch-to-A-Rod" plan and it ain't good for the opposition. I don't think we'll see this plan again. Pettitte has overpowered everybody so far.
O'Neil & Michael Kay had their usual good time, occasionally interrupting their routines with some of the game. Apparently not satisfied with previous answers, Kay asked Paul if, when hit by a pitch, "How does it REALLY feel? Does it REALLY hurt?" You seem a little too preoccupied with pain, Michael.

***WHAT'S GOING ON HERE?***
With the season about 1/3 over, the standings are quite surprising. Only Minnesota occupies 1st place as was predicted. Tampa is in first place in the AL East, where New York & Boston were supposed to battle it out. Oakland leads the AL West over Texas and the Angels. The National League is no different. Atlanta is ahead of the favorite, Philadelphia, Cincinnati is beating St Louis and where the heck did San Diego come from? The pre-season talk for them was when they would begin to unload all their higher priced players, yet, here they are.

One bit of good news for Yankee fans, is that Bob "Wrong-Way" Matthews is predicting Tampa to finish on top with Boston as the wild card because of their superior (?) pitching. I don't know who he's watching, but Beckett is out with a bad back, Matsuzaka has yet to get thru the 5th inning with less than 100 pitches and at least 5 walks and Wakefield...well, consider this. ESPN has an elaborate formula to rate pitching performances, based solely on their statistics. 60-70 is generally a good score, 30-40 is not. Halladay's perfect game rated a 98. Last time out, Wakefield scored a -1. Thank you, Bob.

***I'M NOT SURE IF THIS IS TRUE, BUT...***
...I wouldn't put it past them. I talked earlier about the Baseball Owner's penchant for selling the same seat twice in one day (for two separate games), but the Florida Marlins appear to be going that policy one better: They are selling tickets to a game that was played three days ago! As a special promotion, they are selling unused tickets for Halladay's perfect game as souvenirs. These guys don't miss a trick, do they? What's really sad is that this will work.

***WHAT'S WRONG WITH C.B. BUCKNOR?***
He was one of the 4 umpires in the Yankee/Indian series this weekend. He made some awful calls. Calling guys safe at first when they were obviously out, out at 2nd whey they were safe and had a strike zone that had little relationship to the hitters or the plate. Oddly enough, there was very little grousing about his questionable calls and he never had to throw anyone out of the game. However, Joe West called the Yankee dugout long distance and tossed two players and a trainer.

***FROM DWIGHT PERRY'S COLUMN***
"Perception is everything," wrote Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun. "Jason Heyward, with nine home runs and 35 RBI, is having an amazing rookie season in Atlanta. Albert Pujols, with nine home runs and 34 RBI, is having a horrible season in St. Louis.
"Go figure."

***DAVID WHITLEY OF FANHOUSE.COM***
"The NFL awarded the 2014 Super Bowl to Mt.Everest. The first 1,000 fans to freeze to death will get officially licensed caskets painted in their favorite team's colors."
"I'm kidding, of course. The NFL would never give away merchandise."

CP-