Pundits often talk about the "Dog Days of August," when cinderella teams would fade in the heat not only of the pennant race, but also the weather. We still have 10 days to go before August arrives and it's already going to hit 97 degrees here today. It's not affecting the cinderella teams though. Cleveland and Pittsburgh are still going strong.
***YANKS SHUT DOWN TAMPA***
It's been a tough two days for Curtis Granderson. He's been hit by a pitch twice, fouled a ball off his own leg three times, lost two balls in the roof at Tropicana field and ran into a wall catching a fly ball. He also stole a base and hit a home run (#26) to give the Yanks all the runs they needed to beat the Rays 4-0 last night. Forget Kevin Long the hitting coach, Curtis' best friend right now is Gene Monahan, the trainer.
Freddie Garcia continues to baffle major league hitters with his assortment of junk. I've seen slo-pitch softballs reach the plate faster, but it works. Derek Jeter singled to give him 3009 hits for his career, leaving him one behind Wade Boggs for 25th on the all-time list. Eduardo Nunex singled to drive in two runs in the ninth. That was his 52nd hit of his career, leaving him only 2957 hits behind Jeter. Just thought you should know.
***AROUND THE LEAGUE***
The Dodgers have fired their hitting coach, Jeff Pentland, because of "...a lack of performance by the club's offense." That's the price you pay when your team is scoring less runs than the San Francisco Giants. However, consider this: the Giants are in first place, while the Dodgers are fourth, 13 1/2 games out. Maybe the Dodgers have fired the wrong coach.
Stephen Drew, shortstop for the Arizona Diamondbacks, broke his leg while sliding into home. Along with disallowing collisions at home plate, Joe Torre announced he is looking into making sliding illegal. Don't worry sports fans. Considering Joe's track record, we are a few years away from a decision.
A side note: since Tampa Bay changed their nickname from 'Devil Rays' to just 'Rays', how long before Arizona goes with just 'Backs'?
***THEY SAID IT***
Speaking of offensive explosions:
"Seattle Mariners fans were shocked tonight when their team, who would have to go on a offensive tear to make it up to “light-hitting,” actually scored five runs in the first two innings.
Then reality set in and the Mariners didn’t score again and lost 6-5 in 14 innings." --Janice Hough
"The Mariners lost nine straight games around the All-Star break — while hitting nary a single home run. Look on the bright side: No one's accusing them of using steroids." --Dwight Perry
This one's for Vod:
"World Golf reports there are Nevada golf clubs where, for an additional $200-400, players can hire a ParMate - described as an extremely attractive and outgoing young lady - to caddy during their round. Sounds like one way to make a course play harder." -- RJ Currie
"An Arizona Diamondbacks fan fell over a railing lunging for a ball in the Home Run Derby Monday but his pals caught him by his ankles. He dangled upside down twenty feet in the air without spilling a drop of his beer. The next morning Exxon hired him to manage their pipelines." --Argus Hamilton
"New Raiders coach, Hue Jackson, proclamed, "We're chasing greatness." Mediocrity, they've caught." --Jerry Crowe
"Tiger Woods is skipping the upcoming British Open, citing leg problems. It wasn't clear whose legs were causing him problems this time." --Ian Hamilton
CP-
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