CALIFORNIA "SWEET"

***GET OFF MY MOUND***
First Braden says it to A-Rod, then A-Rod says it to the A's pitchers. A slam & a solo by A-Rod, plus a gem by CC will give you a great shot at a win every time. They better get some wins now because Cliff Lee and King Hernandez are looming around the corner.
Rob Neyer said he went to Monday night's game and only saw two "Get Off..." t-shirts. The Commissioner's Office refused the A's permission to sell the shirt (so they couldn't use the team name or Braden's), Braden didn't like it and the Yanks ignored it. Apparently, so did the fans. Very classy, Oakland.

***BOSTON MEDICAL CENTER***
Okay, this is getting downright silly. Now Kevin Youklis had to leave last night's game because of an injury. It seems he hurt his ankle STEPPING INTO THE BATTER'S BOX. How could you make this up? He supposed to be able to play tonight but Francona has taken to carrying an oxygen tank around with him. There is a report that the Sox are considering changing their logo from a "B" to a caduceus.

***I CAN HARDLY WAIT***
There's a BIG special on ESPN at 9:00 pm tomorrow night, complete with a band, flags, confetti and fireworks. Why? LeBron James is going to announce what team he will sign with. He even had a press conference to announce when he would tell us who. And you think A-Rod's got a big ego? My pick: the Rochester Razorsharks, a member of the Premier Basketball League. Actually, the owner, Dr Severko Hrywnak (I'd like to buy a vowel, please), HAS made an offer:
$1 million, a Mercedes, a home on Lake Geneva, permission to also play in NBA (I'm sure), any number he wants and 49% ownership of the team. We'll be watching the ESPN show with special interest.

***KEEPING YOUR HEAD IN THE GAME***
The Colorado Rockies, down 9-3 in the ninth, staged a furious rally, scoring 9 runs to win the game 12-9. Rockies catcher, Miguel Olivo, was quoted as saying, "I don't know how many we got, but I knew we had a lot of runs." Wouldn't you think knowing the score was a stat you'd want to keep track of? I hope they told him who won.

***THIS ISN'T GOOD***
Robbie Cano has agreed to participate in the Home Run Derby at the All-Star game. After all the players whose swing got screwed up after doing this, I can't say I'm too happy. Reportedly, hitting coach Kevin Long isn't too pleased, either.

***FROM DWIGHT PERRY'S COLUMN***
• Headline at SportsPickle.com: "Tiki Barber suspicious that his new babies look a lot like Ronde Barber."

CP-