CHAD WHO???

Chad Qualls is giving "Chad" a bad name. I may have to go by Mr. Picasner until I can live this down.  When Girardi brought him in, I figured that he thought they had too steep a road to climb and he was saving his bullpen. The Bronx Bombers showed him that home runs mean you are never out of the game. The Yanks won the series which is still a good thing to do. Bring on Toronto.

Bobby Valentine will never learn.  Just when the Youkilis drama was just about over with, Valentine dredges it up by saying that whole fiasco was Kevin Youkilis' fault.  "He couldn't let it go," Bobby said. "There's no feud, it's all in his head."  Even Will Middlebrook, the rookie that made the trade possible, was quoted as saying, "Kevin could have been bitter but he wasn't. He talked to me, he helped me. He was a friend."  I wonder who will get the bigger cheers tonight in Boston.  Youkilis or Valentine?

The answer to yesterday's trivia question: Who was the last switch-hitter to win the AL MVP? It was Vida Blue of the Oakland A's back in 1970. He was a pitcher, but this was before the Designated Hitter so pitchers actually hit. To be fair, we should say Blue was a switch-batter, because he couldn't hit from either side of the plate.
Dwight Perry was the only one who knew the right answer, which means he might be almost as old as me.

Milwaukee Brewers Zack Greinke has been scratched from his scheduled start on Wednesday, fueling speculation that a trade is in the works. All the parties involved are denying it, of course.

A very exciting game yesterday, The Angels beat the Yanks 10-8.  It was a see-saw battle with 8 home runs, two great plays in the outfield by Granderson, some hilarious base running by New York and the game ended with the bases loaded with Yankees. So how did ESPN handle the highlights? They showed a home run by A-Rod, a home run by Trumbo, ONE of Granderson catches and A-Rod popping up to end the game. Next time, I think they'll show the scoreboard when the game ends. That way they'll have more time for teasers and commercials.

***THEY SAID IT***
"A woman filed a lawsuit against the Phillie Phanatic mascot, claiming he threw her into a swimming pool at a wedding. This is when the Philadelphia Phillies are having a bad season - the team is in last place, and the mascot gets sued.  The Phillie Phanatic is entitled to a trial by a jury of his peers. Let's see, the San Diego Chicken, Mariner Moose..."  -- Brad Dickson
"Edwin Encarnacion signed a 3-year, $27-million extension with the Jays. Think of it as re-Encarnacion."  -- RJ Currie
"The Los Angeles Lakers surprised the basketball world Wednesday by signing future Hall of Fame guard Steve Nash. He enjoyed the standard L. A. welcome ceremony. After passing the team physical he was given his jersey, his locker, and his choice of Kardashians."  -- Argus Hamilton
"Two days after the Fourth of July, Ray Allen agreed to leave the Celtics and join the Heat, thus validating that old American bromide -- life, liberty and the pursuit of South Beach. --  Dwight Perry
"Negotiations between Brooklyn and Orlando to have Dwight Howard leave the Magic for the Nets have apparently fallen through. Jeez. The Tom Cruise-Katie Holmes split was accomplished with less drama."  -- Janice Hough

CP-