The Detroit Tigers finally scored six runs today. Unfortunately, they blew the game anyway and lost to Tampa Bay. Not only did the loss bring their record to 3-25, but they lost on a base hit by Damon Easley, the player they cut even though they are still paying him $14 million this year. So...let's run through that one more time in case you missed it. The Tigers lost to have their record sink to 3 wins to 25 losses even though they scored six runs and to add insult, a player they are still paying $14 million beat them with a single. That's a tough day.

Oh...and the Tigers run explosion lifted their team batting average to .189.

I saw an article on ESPN.com in which the writer cast some doubt on whether or not Rafael Palmeiro would make it to the Hall of Fame. Geez! What is the writer nuts? Okay, Palmeiro has never excited anyone. There have been whispers that he was a mercenary type player who only cared about his stats. The argument is that he's never been the best first baseman in his league. Another argument is that he's only led the league in any category three times. But the arguments all fall flat. Just LOOK at the man's statistics:

- 1593 RBI - 27th All Time! That's more than Mickey Mantle, Harmen Killebrew, Rogers Hornsby, Al Kaline, Willie McCovey, Willie Stargell, Billy Williams and many others...
- 498 Homers - That number will be pushed well over 500 before he is done.
- 1000+ extra base hits - That's more than Mark McGwire, Mickey Mantle and many others
- 2660 hits - If he plays two more seasons, he'll hit 3000.
- 140+ RBI in a season...TWICE! - Not many people have done that.
- 24th All Time in Total Bases - More than Ernie Banks, Robin Yount, Harold Baines, Roberto Clemente, etc.

Enough said. The man is a Hall of Famer.

I'm really tired of this argument that since this is an offensive era, then the standards for making the Hall of Fame should change. Baloney! You still have to hit the ball. There are still only a few players that are going to make these magic numbers. We just happen to have quite a few happening right now.

Roger Clemens tries again tomorrow for number 298. I'm going to be on Maalox until it's over. Mariano Rivera sure makes a difference in the Yankee bullpen, but this Acevedo is starting to fall apart. He's looked VERY hittable lately and blew another game for the Yanks today.

We have heard a lot about Derek Jeter's progress but nothing at all about Ken Griffey. Why is there no news of him? I sure hope he can come back and play well.

Pedro Martinez is still the best pitcher in baseball. The man is amazing.

Rocco Baldelli and Hank Blalock have had amazing Aprils in their first full years in the majors. Baldelli hit is first homerun yesterday and hit a triple today and is hitting around .360. He broke the record for rookie hits in April with 40. He never walks but he doesn't strike out that often either. And unlike Blalock, does not benefit from having great hitters around him. I have been following him and he is a tremendously exciting player.

Blalock, unlike Baldelli, has dealt with high expectations since he was the number one draft choice. He has settled down within that Texas lineup and is also hitting in the .360 range. When teams like Texas and Tampa struggle, it has to be exciting to follow new players. In Texas, they can also follow Mark Teixeira who is starting to hit now.

I have been thrilled so far with how many of my predictions are coming true. But I can't get too cocky about it since the season is a long one. The team that I believed in the most, the Chicago Cubs, look great and I don't see any reason why they shouldn't win that division.

The Red Sox must be thinking now that whenever they are behind, they are right where they want to be. Three come from behind wins against the Royals and tonight they came back from six runs down to tie the Twins before the Twins then erupted again and won the game. Even so, the Sox must never think they are out of any game.

It has not been a good season for former Oakland Athletic players. Jason Giambi is the only Yankee not hitting and is below the Mendoza Line. His brother is currently batting .134 for the Red Sox. And Jermaine Dye hurt his leg again and is on the disabled list. Weird. To complete the picture, Miguel Tejada is doing just as poorly and seems to be in a huge funk since the A's said they wouldn't try to sign him after the season.

Mendoza Line? You might not know what the Mendoza Line is about. Mario Mendoza played for parts of nine seasons in the major leagues from 1974 to 1982. He was a pretty slick fielding shortstop but it's hard to figure out how a player could play five of his nine years with a batting average below .200 and continue in the majors for that long?

Although Mario Mendoza batted .180 in 1975 and .185 in 1976, his two years of batting .198 established forever the now famous Mendoza Line. George Brett and/or Tom Paciorek are usually given credit for creating the line. It is said that every Sunday, Brett would search the stats in the paper to see who was hitting "below the Mendoza Line."

I don't think I could be a major league manager. I was watching the Yankee/Seattle game and the Yankees are comfortably ahead 5-1 in the eigth inning. The Yankees bring in Jose Acevedo who I know they hope will fill the eigth inning role to lead into Rivera (who looked great tonight). The first batter, Brett Boone gets a meatball and hits it out. Of course the little prig flipped his bat. Okay. You threw a strike and he hit it. Acevedo then walks the next two batters. If I had a gun and was Joe Torre, I would have shot him. You know those two walks would score and they did.

I remember hearing some obscene statistic that over 50% of leadoff walks end up scoring. Right from our early days of little league, the coach is yelling, "Just let them hit the ball and let your fielders do the rest." Well, the guys I'm watching are making over a $1 million a year and can't "just let them hit the ball"?

The Red Sox and Royals played tonight and it was a great game for 8.5 innings. The high-flying Royals had their closer in the game and guess what? No, he didn't walk anyone but Royals closer (MacDougal) hit two batters and had a wild pitch. The pitcher that took MacDougal's place after all that hit another batter! When is the last time you saw three HBP in the same inning!? "Just let them hit the ball!"

Why does David Wells win every year and have one of the best winning percentages in the history of MLB and yet have a fairly high career ERA? You could make an argument that he has always played for good teams. But I counter that he keeps himself in the game and keeps his team in the game by throwing strikes. Wells has pitched five games so far this year and has given up ONE walk. One!! Oh, and he's 3-0.

Wells has averaged more than nine hits per nine innings in his career and yet he wins. The reason he wins is that he throws strikes. Tommy John was the same way. He didn't "THROW" a lot of strikes, but he sure never gave up many walks.

Let's take it one step further and compare the careers of Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine. Here are two remarkably successful pitchers. But Maddux has won far more Cy Young awards and has a career ERA that is a half a run better than Glavine's. To me, the stuff is about even and the only difference is the amount of walks given up by Glavine. Maddux has averaged 1.92 walks per nine innings in his career. Glavine has averaged 3.01 walks per nine innings. That is one more walk a game. And the one walk scored fifty percent of the time!

The most amazing game ever pitched was Roger Clemen's first 20 strikeout game against the Mariners. Roger not only hit the catcher's target nearly every pitch, but he didn't walk a batter. That's remarkable.

I'll make one more argument for pitchers who throw strikes: Pretty much everyone in baseball agrees that Mariano Rivera is one of the best closers in the history of the game. Rivera's first full year was backing up then closer John Wettland. That was the year that Rivera recorded his best strikeout per nine inning ratio. Since he's been a closer, his strikeouts are down per nine innings but so are his walks. "Just let them hit the ball."

I lied because I'll make one more argument: Not only is it important to throw strikes, it's important to throw them early in the count. I watched with interest (and some concern) the inning that Chris Hammond pitched for the Yankees. The batters that he got out all started with strikes and pitcher's counts. The walks and the hits came because he could not get the first three pitches over for strikes.

Walks are a killer and I think all pitcher contracts should have a walk clause stating that every walk was going to cost the pitcher $100.

Oh man! Clemens lost his bid for win # 298. He gave up four runs in six innings and gave up three gopher balls. Brett Boone should get plunked the next time he faces Clemens and swinging from his ass while hitting his homer in the first. His bat flip and other actions, for a guy who only has one great year in MLB, are arrogant and he needs some humble pie. Contrast that with the Yankee players who get their cue from Joe Torre and NEVER dig it into their opponent's back. ESPN.com reports that Derek Jeter will be back May 13th and Mariano Rivera was activated tonight. Good news on both counts.

The Red Sox beat the Royals as Wakefield (the most valuable pitcher in baseball) won again. The Red Sox are a very good team and will be in the race all the way until the end. Their relief pitching is coming around too.

The Cincinnati Reds are a mess. There is no doubt in my mind that Manager Bob Boone needs to go. They have way too much talent to be playing as bad as they are. With players like Dunn and Kearns and Boone (the non-arrogant one). Sean Casey is healthy again and mashing the ball. Felipe Lopez is the next great shortstop. They should playing with zest and winning their share of games. They look like at least a .500 team to me. Axe the manager! The team is painting by numbers right now.

Interesting matchup as Dusty Baker faces his former charges. The Giants have lost a little steam and I still think their offense will be a problem over the long run. The Cubs look good on both sides of the ball and should be solid all year. They're in the midst of a good pitching duel as Kerry Wood is dueling Kurt Reuter.

The death watch continues in Detroit as the Tigers lost again. Their team batting average is "up" to .182. Yeesh...

Since the games are really light tonight, I want to talk about something that is inside me and that I want you to think about. I want you to think about it because it's a problem that has brought MLB players down and could put you down if you let it. I want to talk about alcohol abuse.

This subject is important to me because I have faced the problems caused by alchohol and substance abuse all my life. My father hit a tree one night after being with a gal he should have been with and probably drinking what he shouldn't have been drinking. My mom remarried and stayed married for 29 years to a man who never knew when to stop. The drinking finally led to meanness and incoherence and my mom suffered a great deal before, in her mid-seventies, she had the courage to divorce him.

My former mother in law was a great woman with a big heart that I could tell my soul to and knew she would protect that exposed soul. She battled drinking and went to rehab three times and failed. It wasn't until her liver shut down on her and she miraculously recovered, that she decided she better kick the thing once and for all.

I have seen friends and coworker's lives slide down to oblivion because of drinking. These were good people who had good jobs and families and it cost them everything. Some are still out there battling it.

Baseball isn't immune. In recent months former players, Doc Gooden and Darren Daulton, were arrested for drinking and driving. Both arrests weren't the first time for these men who had too much to drink. Baseball has several traveling programs that were started by ex-players who were alcoholics and wanted to save today's players. One such player was Darrell Porter, whose excellent book, "Snap Me Perfect," went to the heart of his problem. Porter ended up dying at 50 and it was suspected at the time that his drinking had something to do with it.

Bad things happen to good people and sometimes you end up trapped in an addiction before you know it. If, in a lucid moment, you took a hard look, you would know whether you were an alcoholic or not. And if you aren't sure, there are plenty of places on-line that will tell you if you want to know. But don't even take their word for it. Ask your doctor and if your doctor thinks you have a problem, then let him help you seek help. Most employers want to see you get well and will stand by you if you want to get help. I know I would if I was your friend, family member or employer.

There is so much to celebrate in life. There are sunrises and sandy beaches and mountains in the distance. There are lakes and flower beds and sunny days and yeah, once in a while, a pitcher throws a no-hitter. Think about where you are and think about what it will take to help you to someday celebrate once again.

As could be predicted, the impossibly hot Giants, Royals and Yankees were all cooled off a bit today. There is no way that these teams are going to play .800 baseball this year. The six run blown lead by the Royals today will be a test of their new found success. Success depends a lot on the mental aspect of the team and its individuals. A game like that can really shake a team that isn't used to winning. We'll watch that one closely.

The Giants and the Yankees were stopped by unbelievable performances by top stars on their game. The Giants were no-hit by Kevin Millwood. The Yankees ran into Alex Rodriguez at his best as he went 5 for 5 with six RBI including a grand slam.

Millwood, who was given away by the Atlanta Braves in what had to be a cash saving measure, was brilliant. Millwood had one year of injury in 2001 that limited him to a 7-7 record. But that year was sandwiched around years where he won 17, 18 and 18 respectively. Why give up a pitcher like that? Today he displayed the kind of pitching that was very Brave-like by limiting the Giants to three walks and no hits. Without taking away from Millwood's performance, I am still not sure that these Giants will hit consistently. Besides Bonds, there isn't a single guy in that lineup who has a career of consistent production. All that said, you can't take away from what Millwood did today.

Alex Rodriguez is a guy who is going to erupt on you if you don't bring your best stuff to the mound. Jeff Weaver did not seem sharp and his good fastball wasn't there. There are a lot of teams where you can get away with less than your best stuff. But you are not going to get away with that in Texas. Between Gonzalez and Rodriguez and Palmeiro and Everett and now Blalock and Sierra, you have a lot of firepower. Don't bring your best and you're looking at a ten spot.

Rodriguez is one of those guys who seems to have the world figured out. He oozes this confidense that you can't miss. Jeter has the same thing. They don't swagger. They don't look arrogant. They just look comfortable in their surroundings. Even when A-Rod struck out to end the game the night before when the Yankees won their second game of the series, he didn't look like a guy who failed. He looked like a guy who would come back another day to beat you. And that's what he did today.


Speaking of guys who have that certain confidense, Pedro Martinez is pitching tonight on Sunday Night Baseball. He doesn't have the same velocity as consistently as a few years ago, but he just knows how to pitch better than anyone else I've ever watched. I have watched Martinez and Clemens a long time and Clemens has most of his career behind him now. Martinez will have to pitch as long as Clemens to be compared in the same sentence. But Clemens never looks comfortable. He is always twitching and fussing. His uniform always seems like his enemy and it never seems to sit on Clemens correctly. Martinez is in total control all the time. Tonight is another typical dominating night for Martinez. He always seems like he can put any pitch he throws anywhere he want to pitch it.

Pedro just struck out his tenth batter in six innings. Jon Williams just mentioned that it was hit 88th game with ten or more strikeouts. That seems awful low. Let's see...he's been involved in 264 starts and 88 out of 264 is one third of his starts. I guess that makes sense. It just seems like it would be more than that. But what seems even more unreal is what in the world were the Dodgers thinking when they let Pedro get away? The Expos were short on money. That's understandable. Sad, but understandable. But the Dodgers back when they were bringing 3 million people in the stands every year? Man, they blew it didn't they?

This is the greatest time in this history of being a fan of MLB. Do you want to follow your team 162 games a season? You can go to MLB.com and choose the MLB.tv option. For $80 a year, you can watch almost every game every day of the baseball season. I am watching the Yankee/Texas game right now in the background.

Or if you want to relive your childhood when the game filled your imagination on AM Radio, then choose the live radio option. Then during or after the game, you can go to any search engine's sports page and look at the game's box score with up to date statistics. You can click on the player's name in the box score to get that player's stats for this year or his career.

Or if you prefer, you can get a MLB subscription from your cable or satellite provider and watch all of your team's games in crystal clear digital signals. Then watch Baseball Tonight on ESPN for the highlights of every game as they are happening or after the game is over.

Hmm...maybe I shouldn't be watching. I haven't watched a Yankee game all year and as soon as I start, Texas scores four runs to tie the game and then the next half inning, throw out Posada at home to end the Yankee half. Am I a jinx?

Baseball fans, pinch yourselves because there has never been a better time to be a fan...flagrant or otherwise.

The Flagrant Fan is happy and impressed so far with his Yankees. The one fear is that they are peaking early instead of late and that's what happened last year. They started well and then the pitching broke down with drastic results in the Angels series. But this also feels a little like 1998 when they had the dominating year and you kept expecting them to cool off and they never did. Anyway, it's going to be scary at least until Clemens gets his 300th win. Once that happens, I'll settle down and accept whatever happens.


As mentioned before, I've been a MLB fan for 40 years and in 40 years, I've never seen anything like the start by the Detroit Tigers. Can you imagine how depressing it would be if your top hitter was batting .205. Let that sink in: The Detroit Tigers leading hitter after 20+ games is Bobby Higginson with a batting average of .205. The entire team for 2003 is hitting .177. That means that the Tigers get 18 hits for ever 102 at bats. The Tigers on-base percentage is .246. They have more strikeouts as a team than hits. They have hit seven homers in 20 games. And when they finally get on base, they can't stay there as they have tried to steal 11 times and have been caught 8! Their only batter with more than one homerun so far is Eric Munson and he is batting .158.

You have to feel big time for the Detroit Tiger fans. This is the worst nightmare one can imagine. What is especially tough is that the team is being led by a manager and coaching staff that is the cream of the Tigers great years. I have to hope the Tigers turn it around at least to respectability. No one can root for a team to be this bad.

Speaking of bad, why do the Expos have to play in Montreal at all? Hey, if only 5,000 fans are going to show up for a game, why not just bite the bullet and move the team to Puerto Rico. The Expos are a good young team who deserve loyal fans to root for them. The Expos had a hard blow this week though when young pitcher, Tony Armas Jr. went on the disabled list.

I wonder who is going to win the Chuck Finley stakes? Finley had a great second half last season and it's hard to figure out why he is where he is just collecting dust. My guess would be that he will sign with the Cardinals but that he could end up in Boston. He would be a big help to that team.

One thing lost in the Yankee loss last night was the two hit, no run ball pitched by Sterling Hitchcock over the last three innings. Hitchcock could still be a very useful pitcher in the course of the year. The Yankee starters are off to a great start but aren't exactly young. You can never have too many pitching options.

Thursday is the Flagrant Fan's day off. Have a great night and we'll see you tomorrow. Roger Clemens = 297. Go old man!

Adam Eaton outdueled Kerry Wood today to beat a very good Chicago Cubs team 2-0. Wood pitched great too, giving up only two runs in seven innings while striking out eleven. Eaton was just better tonight as he went seven innings also, giving up no runs while striking out twelve.

Adam Eaton broke on the scene for San Diego in the second half of 2000 and went 7-4. He was off to an 8-5 start in 2001 when his elbow gave out and that was it for the next season and a half. Eaton had what is now commonly known as Tommy John surgery.

Tommy John was the first to have Tommy John surgery...obviously. John started his career in 1963 with the Indians and then the Dodgers and had a fairly promising career going when after eleven years, he too felt something pop in his left elbow and had to shut it down. He was offered a radical new surgery by Frank Jobe where a tendon from the forearm is transplanted to the elbow to replace the ligament. John came back to pitch for fourteen more years!! and won 164 of his 288 wins AFTER the surgery. Hey! Why isn't Tommy John with 288 wins in the Hall of Fame?

The Sporting News claims that seventy-five current major leaguers had their careers saved by the procedure including Mariano Rivera, Matt Morris and Billy Koch. Most throw harder after the surgery and the Sporting News claims that Billy Koch could throw 108 MPH after the transplant and rehabilitation (http://www.sportingnews.com/voices/stan_mcneal/20020501.html). It really is amazing. Especially when you know people on the other side of the surgery.

Burt Barker was one of the best college pitchers of his time and outgunned many pitchers that went on to play pro ball. An elbow injury ended that dream for him just as WWII schrapnel ended his father's promising career (Yankee Minor Leagues). Burt has gone on to become one of the top Maine high school basketball coaches and is a school principal. Both of those are terrific accomplishments and important in the overall scheme of things. But you still have to wonder what Tommy John surgery could have done for Burt and what he could have done if he was a generation later.

I doubt Adam Eaton is going to give back his good fortune at having his injury in these days and times nor should he. Congratulations, Adam Eaton on your comeback and for being another success story to today's sports medicine.

Twenty-four year old Juan-Carlos Covarrubias-Serrano probably never knew that his few beers at a baseball game were going to forever affect his life. He was probably a regular fan just like you and me who went to the ballpark for the fun and the excitement. He got a little drunk, and in his stupor remembered that Carl Everett was a badass and has gotten away with it all his life. Everett has been a spoiled punk for all of his baseball career. He has disrespected umpires, players on the other team, his own players, his own managers, his team's top leadership and most of all the fans. His act was seen in Boston and it was one of the worst exhibits of player actions ever seen. His actions were shameful to his team, his sport and his family.

Juan-Carlos did a real stupid thing. He took that modern symbol of technology, the cell phone (probably each American's most prized possession), and threw it. What are the odds that a drunk man in the second deck would perfectly hit his target? Juan-Carlos tempted the odds and hit the target...the back of Carl Everett's head. The first irony of this story is that the weapon used, the cell phone, followed a story from a few days before where a fan tackled an umpire in...you guessed it...US Cellular Field in Chicago.

Who knows what happened. Maybe he had a fight with a girl on the phone and threw her and it away. Maybe he got a busy signal on a call and in frustration threw the phone. Hey, I've slammed mine down in anger for that reason before. Or maybe he wanted to plunk Everett. What a fluke that he was successful and finds himself in the position he is now. It was stupid. It was dangerous. But how many of us have this little scary, guilty feeling inside because of the time we drank eleven beers and drove home. Nothing happened. In my case, it was my first date with what would be my wife of 21 years. I was lucky not to hit anything and end up where Juan-Carlos is.

But I'm sure that someone else got caught or went off the road or god-forbid, even hit someone at about the same time that I pulled that stunt somewhere back in 1975. Juan-Carlos defied the incredible odds by finding his target. He also defied the odds of pulling his stupid trick a few days after the Chicago incident when the national eye was already blinking rapidly about the need to punish unruly fans more adequately. Juan-Carlos is one son-of-a-gun in trouble.

The fans in the stands rightly pointed him out. I have no problem with that. Carl Everett, the badass, wants to press charges. I have no problem with that. Sometimes in life, you have to pay for your mistakes whether you are sorry for them or not. That other fan that tried to tackle the umpire in Chicago is sorry too, but that doesn't end the consequences. It's too bad that these two young men have performed a tarnishing act in their lives.

What is the second irony of this whole story? And what perfectly tells us what is wrong with the elitism of successful athletes? The same man who said he would press charges was upset when he was hit by the phone. Carl Everett threw the phone back over the fence. The phone hit Daniel Sugayan, an Oakland Athletic staffer. Sugayan declined to press charges.

The Red Sox should do away with the Patriot's Day game. What is Patriot's day? It isn't about New England's football team. The holiday celebrates the Battle of Lexington and Concord and the rides of Paul Revere and Henry Dawes on April 19, 1775. Hey, what other baseball site will give you real history?

Anyway, Massachusetts and Maine are the only two states that celebrate this particular holiday. Why you ask? Maine was a part of Massachusetts until 1820 when it entered the union as its own state. Now you have history AND geography. The Boston Marathon is traditionally held on Patriot's Day and for many years, the Red Sox have played a game at some rediculous time like 10a.m.

In some ways, it's charming because the kids are off from school and can go see a game (at $45 a pop) and then have the rest of the day with the family. But the early time always means that the Red Sox will rest at least one of their stars. Garciaparra was that start today and the Red Sox got whacked by the Blue Jays. In a scene right out of The Natural, Toronto's Chris Woodward homered just as an F-15 fighter jet was flying over to start the marathon down the street.

Okay. the game and its start time are quaint, but if the Sox lose the wildcard by one game, blame it on Patriot's Day.



The Yankees, Royals and Giants have all started really strong, but one of the most surprising teams is the Colorado Rockies. At 12-7, they are still in waving distance of the Giants and are right in the hunt for the wildcard. It has become hip to believe that the Rockies will never be able to contend because of their ballpark and the atmosphere. But they have learned that power pitching and speed in the outfield helps enormously and they are playing well. They need to play better on the road and that is the other criticism of the team and where it plays. Statistics seem to bear it out too.

Larry Walker is amazing. Helton is great but Walker has been doing it a long time. If he could have stayed healthy in his career, there is no telling what he could have done. Even so he has 337 lifetime homers and 806 extra base hits in his career. His career average is .317, his career on-base average is close to .400 and he is a career slugger of .575. Listen to this streak of years he's put together from 1997 to 2002: .366, .363, .379 (he flirted with .400 all year along with Gwynn), .309 (an off year with terrible injuries), .350 and .338.

Walker has only played one year without extended time in recovery. In that remarkable year, it shows what he could have done if healthy his whole career. In that year, he .366 in 153 games with 208 hits with 99 of them of the extra base variety (46 doubles, 4 triples and 49 homeruns!). He scored 143 runs while driving in 130! Remarkable.

It will be interesting to see how he is ranked once he is finished. He is 37 so his time is running out. He has been a truly special player who probably won't have enough stats to make the Hall of Fame. And the best thing about him? He seems like one of those guys that it would be fun to go to a bar with.

The Fan will watch and see how long the Rockies stay in contention.

The suddenly pitching poor Atlanta Braves did what good teams (and lucky teams) always seem to do--They came up with a miracle in Shane Reynolds. It is easy to wonder what the Astros were thinking when they let him go, but I don't believe they were wrong. Reynolds was coming off an injury, his fastball was down in the low 80's and he was a fly ball pitcher for a team who plays home games in a field where fly balls are homeruns. No, the Astros did what was best for them although two straight losses to the Brewers would tend to make you wonder.

The miracle is that nobody else signed him. The Mets had a chance as Art Howe and Reynolds go back a long way. But it didn't happen. But where were the other teams? A guy who knows how to pitch (no matter what his velocity) would have worked for the Tigers, the Royals, the Giants and any other team that plays in pitchers parks. The Braves got him. And just when you would think they were down for the count and that this would be the year they would fade into the back regions of their division, he pitches two straight games without giving up an earned run and the Braves are on a roll. A funny game, this Major League Baseball.

Sammy Sosa was fortunate and it was good to see him glare at the pitcher after getting beaned in the ear by a pitch. Anyone who lived through the Tony Conigliaro days cringes whenever someone gets beaned. Speaking of such things, I wonder where the former Red Sox pitcher is that got nailed by that line drive a few years ago. I was watching that game too and that was one of the most sickening things I've ever seen. I don't have a strong stomach and tend to get worked up on such things. I'm glad I missed the Jason Kendell broken leg of a few years ago. Yuck.

Baseball Tonight was totally messed up by yet another Stanley Cup overtime game. I hate this time of year and can't wait until hockey is over. But there are so many teams playing in the Stanley Cup that the playoffs go forever. There is no doubt in my mind that 70% of Baseball Tonight telecasts will be delayed or lost altogether by the overtime hockey games. What a waste. Why do these hockey teams have to work so stinking hard to play their whole regulation game and maybe score a goal or two. What an exercise in futility. I think all hockey games should start out sudden death. That way, the first team that scores...wins. Then Baseball Tonight would never be lost again. At least the NBA is smart enough to have three point scoring events: the free throw, the two point shot and the three point shot. It sure prevents the overtime games.

What little the show was on was stunning from Bobby Valentine's extraordinarily sharp criticisms of umpire Joe Brinkman. That kind of REAL insider information has always seemed to be taboo. It gives Baseball Tonight even more credibility and raises its stature. It will be interesting to see how Valentine's comments play out with the league. If his comments concerning Brinkman are true, then baseball should take notices. There is a fine line where umpires have to run the game but remember that they are NOT the game. Some umpires provoke the players and that should never EVER happen.

It's early in the season but have you seen the leader board for slugging percentage? Here are the top five followed by their percentage:
1. Jim Edmonds .837
2. Carl Everett .755
3. Kevin Millar .732
4. Hank Blalock .715
5. Hee Seop Choi .711

Jim Edmonds is a streak hitter and to see him on top early is not a surprise. But Everett, Millar and Blalock? And who is Hee Seop Choi? Let's start with Everett. There was a lot of discussion early on that Everett and Showalter, his new manager, were going to have problems. Showalter is the disciplinarian and Everett is the bad guy. Well, Everett has deserved his reputation and has deserved the way fans feel about him but make no mistake about it, the man has talent and when he is focused, he can play really well.

And part of the reason Everett is hitting so well is that he has A-Rod, Palmiero and Blalock hiting around him. Blalock? Yup. Hank Blalock is phenom turned phenomenon. Last year he broke camp with the Rangers and started terribly. He was demoted after just a few weeks and that was the end of that for the year. This year, with a new chance and a new manager who is going to let him play, he has 22 hits in 13 games and is batting .415. The new phenom is Mark Teixeira who has started slowly (.160). It will be interesting to see if Teixeira will turn it around and if Showalter will grind away with him. The problem in Texas is still their pitching. Oh! And one more great stat concerning Blalock: He's only stuck out five times.

Hee Seop Choi was not the foreign player entering the league with the most fanfare. Contreras and Matzui for the Yankees got much more press. But Choi, in his first full year is in his second year away from his homeland of Korea. It's early yet, but he's walked 15 times in 12 games that shows patience and also leads to a gaudy .509 On base percentage. Chicago is going to win that division easily with their hitting and pitching.

Speaking of Contreras, the Yankees demoted him to Triple A today after a slow start. His main problem is that the Yankee starters are going deep into the game and Contreras is not getting innings. He seems to be a rhythm pitcher and pitching a batter or two out of the bullpen is not going to be his strong suit. It's really funny to hear writers talk about the Yankee starters in glowing terms and as another proof of the Yankees being able to buy pitching staffs. Excuse me. Isn't this the same starters that everyone was knocking after the playoffs because they were too old and not good enough? Weaver is the only addition but the other guys are the same. Contreras should get innings in Triple A and I believe will still help the team later this season.

Speaking of Koreans, Kim finally got a win as a starter for Arizona and his closer replacement (and predecessor), Mark Mantai, recorded his first save in over a year. It was a nice moment for someone who has worked so hard to come back.

I was watching the Red Sox game the other night and watched the Toronto Blue Jays pitcher (Tam) totally melt down and walk five straight batters. He wasn't even close and was low and outside on every pitch. Isn't it amazing how a MLB pitcher after several seasons of solid pitching can have a night like that. The Red Sox have won six in a row and have announced themselves as contenders for the long haul.

Watching that same game, I also noticed that the umpiring of balls and strikes hasn't improved one bit. Balls off the plate are being called strikes. Strikes inside are being called balls and they can't even seem to get half swings correct anymore. I don't understand why the quality is so poor. This isn't rocket science to know the strike zone.

The great thing about MLB is that each month and year brings pleasant surprises. The Flagrant Fan talked a couple of days ago about disappointments. But the pleasant surprises usually outweigh the unpleasant ones. Here is a short list for you on what is normally the Fan's night off:

- Buck Showalter has kept to his word and is playing Blalock and Teixeira. Blalock was given a real short leash last year and was demoted after a tough start. This year he is hitting over .400 and playing great. Teixeira started slow like Blalock last year but Showalter stuck with him and he's coming around now with several RBI in his last two games. Showalter must know how to motivate as badass Carl Everett is hitting over .340 and is playing really well.

- The play of the Royals (who have now lost two in a row) and the Pirates has been a fun development. The most pleasant development of these two stories is the starts of Kris Benson and his catcher Kendell. Kendell had never really been the same after breaking his leg three years ago but is back with a bang. Benson has an ERA under 1 after three super starts.

- The Cubs are pounding the ball but it is so great to see Ricky Ledee hitting so well. Way to go, Ricky! Keep it going!

- Kerry Wood has started 3-0. Prior is the big story but Wood is the ace.

- Tim Worrell has been around a long time. With Robb Nen out with a bum shoulder, Worrell already has six saves (already a career high) after a great year last year going 8-2 in long relief with a 2.25 ERA. Todd Worrell is the one noted for saves with 256 in his career. But it's fun to see Tim get the saves at this stage of his career.

- Roger Clemens started strong this season with three quality starts. At 2-0, he could easily have been 3-0. After last season's playoff meltdown and with only seven wins needed for 300, it's been great for the big pitcher to start so well.

- Kevin Millar has been lighting it up for the Red Sox. He leads the team (and Manny Ramirez) in RBI and seems as if he was born and bred to play in Fenway. Speaking of Fenway, isn't it weird to have those seats at the top of the Green Monster? Very weird!

- Felipe Alou has started with great success in San Francisco. The man is class and I remember watching him as a boy at Yankee Stadium. After all those years with the cash strapped Expos (a pleasant surprise in their own right), it's great to see Alou succeed. Oh, for you trivia buffs! The Alou brothers: Felipe, Matty and Jesus once played together for the Giants in the same outfield and combined for 5024 hits in their combined careers. Felipe's son Moises has added 1400+ hits of his own and is probably the best hitter of all the great Family Alou.

Tomorrow...the fine line of pitching without a blazing fastball...

I'm finding it hard to concentrate on baseball tonight. I watched American Idol and was so shocked and dismayed at its outcome that I screamed at the TV. I haven't screamed like that since the 2001 World Series when Arizona totally lucked out on bunts and bloop hits to deny the Yankees of their title. Oh well. It just goes to prove and is another lesson in that what should happen doesn't always. Ken Griffey Jr. should have had a monster year because he deserved it and worked hard to get back. And Derek Jeter should never have been nailed by that minor league catcher Huckaby. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr The Flagrant Fan is NOT in a good mood.

There is some injustice built into the history of baseball. Satchel Paige and so many of his contemporaries shouldn't have been past their brilliant primes to play in MLB. Jermaine Dye shouldn't have broken his leg just when he was reaching superstardom. Mickey Mantle shouldn't have destroyed his knees before there were techniques available to fix them. Ted Williams shouldn't have had to miss six seasons to fight two wars. He finished with 521 homers. He could have had 700. He finished with 2600+ hits and could have had 3800.

Billy Williams and Ernie Banks should have had a World Series win. The Red Sox should have had a better manager in the 86 series. Knuckleball pitchers like Waite Hoyt, the Neikros and others should be respected for the artists they were. Koufax should have had his body last longer than it did. Curt Flood shouldn't have sacrificed his career to get what was wrong righted. The World Champion Florida Marlins shouldn't have been dismantled so effectively. The Montreal Expos shouldn't have had their best year shortened by the strike that ended that season. Ralph Kiner should have had a longer career. Dizzy Dean shouldn't have blown out his arm in an All Star game.

Yes, injustice is a part of life and a part of baseball. The umpires shouldn't have been allowed to get away from the strike zone. Somebody should have cared enough about Willie Mays to quit two years earlier. Roberto Clemente shouldn't have died on that plane trying to help those people. Thurman Munson shouldn't have been allowed to fly and on and on it goes.

Life holds no guarantees and as I have told my son a million times, it isn't fair and it isn't going to be fair. But at least the good happens often enough to temper the bad and though it was way colder today than it should have been, at least there was one of the most beautiful full moons I've ever seen.

Goodnight baseball lovers. It will be better tomorrow...

I wonder what Mark McGwire is doing. I still haven't gotten over his quick demise and quick exit. Is he really a Hall of Famer? I look at his all time stats today and he only had 1600+ career hits. He had a hundred less RBI in his career than Mickey Mantle who had fifty less homers. He had a lifetime batting average of .263. He only has 84 more lifetime extra base hits than Wade Boggs (841 to 775). He is the only one of the top six home run hitters of all time to not also have five hundred doubles. McGwire had 252. Aaron had over 600! Bonds has over 500.

McGwire's stats compare closely with Harmon Killebrew. But Killebrew played in the era of pitching dominance when Carl Yazstrzemski won batting titles with a .301 average! I kind of feel like Simon on The American Idol. McGwire's stats don't thrill me. He could have done better and I believe he will get into the Hall of Fame on reputation. Sammy Sosa is having a much better career.

The all time stats are a fascinating place to hang out. Do you know that Stan Musial had over 1300 extra base hits in his career? 1300!?! That translates to 475 homers, 177 triples (that's ten a year for 17 years!) and 725 doubles. Holy smokes! He also had 3600 hits, drove in over 1900 runs...and this one is going to nail you...only had 696 strikeouts in his 22 year career. Amazing. In his best season, he hit .370 with 39 homers, 46 doubles, 18 triples and drove in 130 runs while only striking out 34 times in 611 at bats. Yet, how much do you hear about this guy? You hear about his peers like Dimaggio and Ted Williams, but this guy should be mentioned in the same breath.

Some more cool stats: Did you know that Carl Yazstrzemski finished seventh on the all time doubles list with 646? George Brett ended up fifth with 665. If you look at all the major statistics, Wade Boggs had a much better career than Tony Gwynn in every category except for average (Gwynn .338 to Boggs .328).

Did you know that Eddie Murray finished eigth on the all time list for RBI?

When you mention stolen bases, which players do you think of? Rickey Henderson of course. And then you think of Lou Brock and Maury Wills (and maybe Vince Coleman). Rickey had an 80% success ratio when stealing and Brock and Wills were 75% and 74% respectively. Who would have thought that Bert Campaneris had more steals than Wills and was successful 76.5% of the time! But the best modern stolen base guy? Tim Raines is fourth all time in total stolen bases and was successful a staggering 85% of the time (Ty Cobb was successful 84% of the time).

Two great sites for all time statistics are http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/alltime/leaders?type=0 and of course, http://www.mlb.com.

Have you ever wondered why some players are slow starters? Is it the colder weather and they need to warm up with the warmer temperatures? There have been many famous slow starters in baseball history and no one seemed to worry because when June and July kicked in, the homers would be flying over the fence or the strikeouts would start piling up. Remember the year that Mark McGuire and Sammy Sosa dueled for the new homerun record, McGuire started out fast and had a bunch of homers by the All Star break. Sosa came out of nowhere by hitting 20 homers in June. Sosa starts slowly and has started slowly this year. His average and RBI are there, but the homers haven't started flying yet. They will.

Mike Piazza is another slow starter but come August and September, he will be humming as usual. Pat Burrell has started slowly again. Greg Maddux has had a spectacularly slow start, but he didn't start like a gang of fire last year either. Once the weather warms up, he'll be there with his customary 18 wins.

But when a slow starter starts quickly, you have a career year. Jim Thome is defying every slow start he has ever had. He is also defying the notion that starting in a new league is difficult. He is currently hitting .340 with 12 RBI already. He even has two triples! Just imagine Thome running and then imagine him with two triples. Sounds like the start of a career year to me.

It's hard to root against Jim Thome. He murdered the Yankees whenever they played, but he is so good natured and seems like such a natural guy that you can't hold it against him. It's hard to blame him for jumping the Indians' ship. They were lukewarm in their desire to sign him. He saw the writing on the wall with the young players and the money drying up on the team. All the superstars he had played with were gone until he was the only one left. Why wouldn't he jump ship to the Phillies where their young players were just coming into their prime...players like Pat Burrell and Bobby Abreu. It looks like Thome will benefit from hitting in between those two. Abreu should also benefit in a big way. Burrell needs some protection and some help behind him.

The other quality about Thome is the quiet way he goes about his business and yet the obvious joy he takes in playing. That combination is bound to help any cynical team to a different level. I'll never forget the game winning homerun he hit against the Yankees in one of their playoff matches. He crushed my team, but there was so much joy in his face that I had to laugh and give it to the guy.

Okay. Thome was another of a long line of free agents that got a great contract. Okay, he's rich. But if you think Jim Thome is all about the money, you haven't seen him play. And if you still think that when he plays your team, be prepared to have him hit your best pitcher with the game on the line for a searing, soaring three-run homerun to the deepest part of your stadium's centerfield. And besides...does a man who is only about money leg out two triples in April?

Roger Clemens was brilliant today. He pitched seven full innings, struck out seven and only gave up one run. It was a terrific bid for win number 296. At the age of forty, it is amazing that he can bring the kind of power and dominance to the game. But you have to be afraid of wasted opportunities when so close to that lifetime goal of 300 wins in a career. The Yankees have averaged six or seven runs a game so far this season. Why couldn't they score three today? Argh! At least he didn't get the loss that he didn't deserve.

The Expos have won both of their "home" games in Puerto Rico. I think it is great for the fans down there to get the major league experience. But I can't imagine how this will be good for the Expos. It was a bittersweet loss for the Mets for me as old friend Mike Stanton gave up the game winning hit. Stanton, Nelson and Mendoza have all been scuffed around a bit so far this year. The trick when it comes to being a General Manager is to know when a player's peak is past and it's time to retool. That is not cold, it's business and every player understands it.

Well...the Royals are not going to win every game this season. It sure was fun to watch them win every day. Americans love Cinderella stories. We love when someone comes from behind and wins. We love when a poor, hard-working person or team overcomes and surpasses the previously dominant one. And then when that "Cinderella" stays at the top, we wait for someone else to come along and knock them off. That is why most of America is hoping someone in the National League East wins that division for the first time in eleven years. Before that, the Braves were absolutely terrible and THEY were the Cinderella team when their run started. Go Royals! You are the current Cinderella team.

Despite the fact that my favorite announcer ever (Phil Rizzuto) was an ex-ballplayer, one of my biggest pet peaves is the free job ex-players get in broadcasting, on Web sites like Yahoo and ESPN.com and even on local news affiliates. A person should only be allowed one easy, cushy and fun job in their lifetime.

Being a broadcaster has to be one of the coolest jobs on the planet. You get to watch every game for free in good seats. It's the only live way to watch a game and still have instant access to instant replay. You get free ballpark food, get to fly all over the country and stay in the best hotels. Why should someone who has already had a job for eighteen years and has accumulated $15,000,000 while doing so get another great job like that. The rest of us poor slobs should get that chance.

Then think about the antipathy of the announcer who is doing play by play who went to school for broadcasting and spent a lifetime moving up from the bushes and riding buses having a partner who was handed the job because the color guy won 14 games a couple of seasons? It's as bad as all those great post office jobs going to former soldiers so they can spend the rest of their lives behind the counter scowling at people.

Have you read Joe Morgan on ESPN.com or Jack McDowell on sports.yahoo.com? They sound like they are writing 9th grade what-I-did-this-summer numbers. I could write a column better than that. McDowell's great contribution today was that the Yankees acquired the best pitchers so they should win their division. Profound stuff, eh?

Sometimes it works. Bobby Valentine, Harold Reynolds and the former nasty boy from the Reds (whose name escapes me at the moment) do a great job, but it is still Berman or Ravitch and Gammons who bring the show home. Joe Garagiola was one of the best announcers of all time. But I guess the point is that there has to be equally talented color men in other places who have paid their dues and gone to broadcasting school who could do as good a job or better. They should get the chance.

The automatic filling of jobs by ex-ballplayers smacks of cronyism in a world where cronyism isn't allowed anymore. And the cronyism is pervasive. Johnny Miller broadcasts golf, NFL pairings feature ex-players all across the line and basketball has its share as well.

I say forget the ex-jock who has already had their fun and made their money. Let a regular joe compete for the great jobs now taken by washed up semi-superstars.