The Mets plan to pursue Anaheim pitcher Ramon Ortiz, who's requested a trade. But a deal won't be easy, as the Mets may have plenty of competition. "I think this is a guy who will attract a significant amount of interest," said one National League GM who wished to remain anonymous. "You get a guy with a live arm. The money is not a killer."

The Blue Jays are only a closer, a shortstop, two starting pitchers, a setup man and three bats away from competing with the Red Sox and the Yankees. Other than that, wonderboy J.P. Ricciardi is doing just great...

"As I said to him, 'Ramon, we're not just going to deal you. We think you have value to us,' " Stoneman said. "The only way we would do a deal is if it helped our club. This is a guy who can help our club, whether it's in the bullpen or whether it's starting."

Charlie Brown (4'2" 87-pound righty)

Theoretical pitch selection: 1) Fastball, 2) Curve, 3) Drop, 4) Knuckleball
Actual pitch selection: 1) Straight Ball, 2) Straight Ball, 3) Straight Ball, 4) Straight Ball
Note: Brown gave up an unusual number of line drives up the middle.

The "Lovable Losers" motif was fine in its day, but losing is not lovable anymore. Someone has to win, someone has to lose. But embracing losing - coming up oh-so-short, as the Mets have done - is not where it's at anymore.

The organization needs to move, and I have just the place: Salt Lake City.

Salt Lake City has the Utah Jazz. Dave Checketts is trying to bring in a pro soccer franchise. They also have a the Angels' Class AAA team. It needs Major League Baseball.

• The Angels hit four homeruns tonight. They hit just four in the previous nine games combined.
  
  
• Washburn still isn't striking anyone out, but he's not letting anyone to get good wood on the ball either. He's allowed just seven hits in his last 15 innings, while striking-out seven. Those balls are going to eventually start falling in again.
  
  
• I think we can officially say that AK has broken out of his slump- he's raised his batting average nearly 20 points over the past week and a half. How did he do it? Simple- he leveled his swing out. Did he really need to bring in his old college coach to tell him that?
  
  
• You gotta love Lima. He didn't like the ump's strike zone and he let him know. But he wasn't angry about it. He calmly made his case, and went back to work. He even began to argue a call, but then changed his mind and made sure everyone knew he missed on the pitch. He's just a good guy.
  
  
• Washburn is hitting .400 this year and .333 over his career. Seriously- can he play first base?
  
  
• Who else thought Turnbow had hit that Ventura pitch over the wall? I jumped out of my seat.
  
  
• Yard-work for Timmy: Tim Salmon played his first game in the field (and his first ever game in leftfield) since being activated. Good to see.

The Administration works closely with a network of "rapid response" digital Brown Shirts who work to pressure reporters and their editors for "undermining support for our troops." Paul Krugman, the New York Times columnist, was one of the first journalists to regularly expose the President's consistent distortions of the facts. Krugman writes, "Let's not overlook the role of intimidation. After 9/11, if you were thinking of saying anything negative of the President...you had to expect right-wing pundits and publications to do all they could to ruin your reputation.

1. There were ties between Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein before the war in Iraq- a position the administration has fervently defended.
   
   
2. The New York Times is filled with distortions and out-right lies.

...the Times has had in its possession a document that details contacts and collaboration which it determined that the government found authentic, and still editorialized about the purported dishonesty of Bush and Cheney? Obviously, someone's being dishonest, but more and more it looks like the supposed defenders of truth at the Gray Lady.

Jarrod Washburn is recovering "slowly but gradually" from the upper-back and neck spasms that forced him out of Sunday's game against Houston after only two innings, but the left-hander said he "fully expects" to make Friday's start against the Dodgers.

• New League, same result for D-Mac. In his first game in the PCL with Salt Lake, Dallas McPherson collected a single, a double, and a 420-foot homerun in the club's 8-6 win over Las Vegas (Dodgers). I guess his reputation precedes him, as he was also issued an intentional walk. It can't be long before we see him in Anaheim. (hat tip: Jeff)
  
  
• The OC Register reports that the Angels have signed 23 of their 48 draftees. The Angels top two picks- Jered Weaver and high-school outfielder Patrick White, have yet to sign.
  
  
• Sports Illustrated has named Arte Moreno the Most-Influential Minority in American Sports ahead of such names as Tiger Woods and Yao Ming (he was fifth on the 2003 list). I love the guy, but that's a bit much for lowering beer prices. (LA Times)
  
  
• Jarrod Washburn thinks the back spasms which forced him out of his last start after just two innings my be caused by sleeping in an awkward position. Now he's being sent for tests to rule out arthritis. Does this sound familiar to anyone else?
  
  Washburn says he should be ready to make his next start, but if he isn't Kevin Gregg would be the likely substitute. Hip-hip Hoo-ray.

1B- S. Hatteberg, Oak
2B- M. Bellhorn, Bos (write-in)
SS- C. Guillen, Det
3B- M. Mora, Bal
C- I. Rodriguez, Det
0F- V. Guerrero, Ana
OF- M. Ramirez, Bos
OF- C. Beltran, KC

1B- J. Thome, Phi
2B- M. Loretta, SD
SS- B. Larkin, Cin
3B- S. Rolen, StL
C- M. Barrett, ChC
0F- B. Bonds, SF
OF- L. Berkman, Hou
OF- B. Abreu, Phi

Posted by "Force":
Lackey does kinda look like a character straight out of "Deliverance".

Posted by "Shawzy":
I've come to the conclusion that Harden just isn't that good...

Posted by "Rob":
The A's just can't beat the good teams. End of sentence, end of story, end of season!

Posted by "Andy":
A's are hitting a lot of balls to the outfield off of Lackey. They'll get to him eventually.

Posted by "Blez":
Oh wait...I think I just heard Guerrero's home run just bounce off my roof. I'm going to bed.

• In the month of June only three everyday players have an OPS over .800- Guerrero, Figgins, and Anderson. Robb Quinlan and David Eckstein also have .800+ OPSs, but one is injured, and the other hardly ever plays.
  
  
• The Angels have been out-homered by opponents by a count of 10 to 22.
  
  
• Jose Gullen's line over the past 18 games: .242/.315/.439, 2 HR. That's not getting it done.
  
  
• The Angels' total line in the month of June is an anemic .265/.325/.373 for an OPS of .698- ahead of only Toronto and Baltimore. Ouch.
  
  
• I must continue to harp on the team's inability (unwillingness?) to work counts and draw walks. The Angels have drawn only 175 walks this season- good for dead last in the AL. Unfortunately this offense is built on batting average and hitting with runners in scoring position- both areas that are largely dependent on luck. Luck isn't something this team has had much of...

Game 1- L, ANA 0, HOU 5
(W- Munro, L- Escobar)

Game 2- W, ANA 6, HOU 4
(W- Ortiz, L- Clemens, S- Rodriguez)

Game 3- L , ANA 1, HOU 3
(W- Miller, L- Hensley, S- Dotel)

2.63- Starters ERA

6.35- Bullpen ERA

.307- BA, 1-2 hitters

.242- BA, 3-4-5 hitters

Ramon Ortiz. 6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 5 SO

Angels' catchers. 1 hit in series.

vs. Oakland (38-29, 1st) @ Angels Stadium, 6/21-6/24

• (F)utility infielder Shane Halter replaced Bengie Molina on the 15-day disabled list with a dislocated left ring-finger.
  
  Halter claims he's been playing with the injury for the past several weeks and it has affected his swing. Sounds like ass-covering to me...
  
  
• Darin Erstad jokes, but I'm not laughing (same article as above):

  Erstad, who hadn't hit a home run this season in 144 at-bats entering Saturday's game, watched on the clubhouse TV as Dodgers pitcher Hideo Nomo homered against the New York Yankees.
  
  "Nomo has one more homer than I do," Erstad cracked.
  
  "That's a good feeling."

  It has now been 278 days since an Angels first baseman last hit a homerun.

1. Chone Figgins (SS)
2. Jose Guillen (LF)
3. Vladimir Guererro (RF)
4. Garret Anderson (CF)
5. Robb Quinlan (3B)
6. Darin Erstad (1B)
7. Adam Kennedy (2B)
8. Pitcher
9. Molina/Paul (C)

After the outing, Weber reported right-shoulder soreness and was scheduled to meet with Angels team doctor Lewis Yocum on Friday for an examination.

• Was that a good start, or not? I'm conflicted. On the one hand, Colon's velocity was good, and his control was almost what you might call "fair." On the other hand, he's still missing up in the zone far too often, and he seems to be in love with his off-speed stuff. He was very effective when he was constantly throwing his fastball, but he keeps going away from it for some reason.
  
  I'm going to error on the side of optimism and say that this start, combined with the improvement he showed against the Cubs, shows that Colon has turned the corner. Now please, for the love of god, prove me right you fat bastard!
  
  
• I'm not quite sure he deserves it, but just to be safe, I'm going to give Rob mad props for his Bartolo Colon prediction. Mad props to you, good sir!
  
  
• Let me make this clear: losing two of three to the Pirates is unacceptable. Only scoring nine runs in those three games with a (almost) completely healthy lineup is unacceptable. Allowing the Pirates to score 12 runs in those three games is unacceptable. There was very little about this series that I'm willing to accept.
  
  
• The national league has got Kevin Gregg figured out. In his two inter-league appearances he has allowed 6 ER in 2.1 IP.
  
  
• Garret Anderson was the lone bright spot in this otherwise dreary series. He went 6 for 11, with one homerun, a double, and two RBI.

Negotiations have not begun with first-round pick Jered Weaver, the Long Beach State right-hander who was the 12th overall pick and could command a deal in the $7-million range or more. Weaver threw more than 140 innings this season, so the Angels want him to take a lengthy break. "I definitely need a rest, but I want to go out and play baseball again this season, as well," Weaver said Wednesday. "It will take me a little while to get my arm back in shape after the break, but other than that, there shouldn't be any problems."

A man sitting behind Nick O'Brien at a Texas Rangers baseball game Sunday knocked the boy against the seats as he dived to get a foul ball. Fans started chanting "Give him the ball!" but the man wouldn't give it up.

"I couldn't believe someone would do something like that to a 4-year-old boy," said Nick's mother, Edie O'Brien.

O'Brien said she swatted the man with a cardboard fan and called him a jerk, among other names. "I said, 'You trampled a 4-year-old boy to get this ball,' and he said, 'Oh, well,' " she told ABC's "Good Morning America" on Wednesday, adding that the man seemed proud he got the ball.

Meanwhile, the Rangers and the St. Louis Cardinals quickly made sure Nick got souvenirs of his own -- two bats and four baseballs, including one signed by Hall of Fame pitcher Nolan Ryan, a former Ranger.

Cardinals outfielder Reggie Sanders came out between innings to give Nick a bat and ball. "In my heart, I thought I should do something," said Sanders. "It's all about the kids."

On the eve of D-Day ceremonies, an association dedicated to the memory of Saint-Lô as it was before the destruction of the city organized a debate in the local theater involving two veterans, survivors of the bombing of the city and high school students aged 15 to 17.

The title of the debate, suggested by questions from the students, was "The Battle of Normandy, Invasion or Liberation?"...

...How could you welcome Americans as liberators, asked the young boys and girls, after they had reduced your city to ashes? Because "it was a sacrifice for France," replied their elders, shocked by the question.

• Great game from Washburn. What is it with this guy? He pitches like shit, and the offence scores 15 runs to get him a win. Then he'll spin a beauty, and pick up the no decision.
  
  Wash also collected a hit in his only at bat (he also had a sac bunt) to bring his career BA to .350. Can he play first base?
  
  
• Speaking of first base, Darin Erstad actually looked decent today. I guess Kotchman's stay in Anaheim desensitized me to the point where anything resembling production from a first baseman gets me salivating.
  
  
• Yet another example of why Figgins isn't the answer at third. That ball in the 7th ate him alive, and his error led to the game tying run. He did come through with the game winning hit though, so it's hard to stay mad at him. Just proves that he does belong somewhere, just so long as it isn't third.
  
  
• That's two straight games with a homerun for Anderson. Today's was a monster to dead center. It's great to see that the arthritis hasn't affected Garret's bat speed.
  
  
• I've been getting all over Scioscia for not using Robb Quinlan lately. Today he finally called Quinlan's number to pinch-hit for Washburn in the 7th, so one might assume that I'd be pleased by that move. Well, I'm not! Mike passed over Tim Salmon to get him in the game, and not using Salmon is even dumber than not using Quinlan. Tim Salmon must be the number one option from the right side, especially in NL parks where he's not going to get any other playing time.
  
  
• PNC Park sure is beautiful (the only stadium in the same league as SBC Park, IMO), but man is it ever a strange place to play a game of baseball. Jose Mota did a fabulous job of pointing out some of the oddities, including: some of the thickest grass in baseball, infield grass which reaches the baselines between 1st-2nd and 2nd-3rd, and some mighty imposing dimensions for right-handed power hitters.

Best Fastballs, Starters
1. Walter Johnson
2. Amos Rusie
3. Lefty Grove
4. Roger Clemens
5. Rube Waddell
6. Dick Redding
7. Satchel Paige
8. Robin Roberts
9. Bob Feller
10. Dazzy Vance

"Where is Nolan Ryan? Nolan Ryan didn't always know where his fastball was going, so he just missed my cut."

[Bill James has] got a four-part definition of "best"; here's my one-part definition: "Was this pitch so good that he could, and often did, get hitters out using this and very little else?"

"The Angels, who recently were shopping Ramon Ortiz because of his unhappiness with his role as a reliever, now need him because of Aaron Sele's injury."

NOTE: This is as off-topic as it gets. I wrote it a few days ago, but decided not to post it at the time. But what the hell? It's an off day- might as well post something.

I should explain why this turned into such a big production. It started with a little factoid I found on IMDB that was somewhat related to the world of sports, and was just too cool not to post. But the problem was that in order to post it, I would have to give a little background into how I found it. Or rather why I was looking in the first place. That what this is. It's a little embarrassing now that I read it over, but I'm always willing to embarrass myself for a chuckle:

Before the 2001 NFL season began, in a survey of 70 celebrities who had nothing to do with football conducted by "The Sporting News," she correctly predicted that the New England Patriots would eventually beat the St. Louis Rams in the season-ending Super Bowl by the score of 20 to 17. This amazing prediction was made despite the fact that vast majority of "football experts" didn't think the Patriots would even make the playoffs much less get to the Super Bowl. She's the only person to have ever correctly predicted the participants in, winner, and final score of a Super Bowl before a season begun in a published article in a major sports periodical or book.

"Don't let the final score fool you. After seven innings, this was a 1-0, well-pitched game. The River Cats didn't blow it open until the eighth, when Ben Weber- recently sent down from Anaheim- gave up six runs on five hits, a walk and a fielder's choice.

While praising his starter, Brumley declined to lay all the blame for the loss on Weber. He said the major-league veteran was victimized by some weird plays. "It's just kind of the way Web's year is going," Brumley said. "He threw the ball fine."

• The OC Register is reporting that Jose Guillen has been taking groundballs at first and third base.

  Guillen, who had to order a first baseman's mitt and break it in, played third base in the minor leagues. It's a longshot, especially now that Raul Mondesi is out for at least a couple of months, but the Angels are considering having Guillen play some first base to ease a glut of outfielders/designated hitters.

  Excellent. Best decision Mike Scioscia has made all year.
  
  
• Also from the Register: The Angel's second pick in the draft, high school outfielder Patrick White, has accepted a football schoolarshop offer from West Virginia. Good job Mr. Bane.
  
  
• From the LA Times: Times staff writer Ben Bolch reports that Casey Kotchman would likely be sent down no matter how much improvement he shows between now and when Erstad returns from the disabled list. Mike Scioscia was quoted as saying "With any young player you want them playing as opposed to just sitting here and not playing." Two smart moves in one day? What god did we please?

• Now Sele's down for at least a couple of starts with "arm fatigue." And so the pitching injuries begin...
  
  
• I get home to find that Oakland broke out in the late innings against Pittsburgh for the win. Hey, we were back in first place for about fifteen minutes there, and that's fifteen more then the Mariners.
  
  
• Changing subjects, how did everyone like the audio posts? I know people always bitch when Pinto does it, but the opportunity to blog at the ballpark is just too cool to pass up.
  
  
• In the second post you may have heard three girls chanting "lets go Angels" at the top of their little lungs. It was annoying right? Well, try sitting right in front of that for nine innings. They went non-stop. I'm usually pretty good at tuning annoying neighbors out, but the voices were so shrill. It was like three dull blades slowly slicing through my mind. I swear, sometimes you regret going to games at all.

What's going on w/Jenks? Is his rehab going well? I noticed he fell off the roster on the Stingers web site, could be a typo for all I know.

• The big news was obviously Garret Anderson's return to the team. He went 1 for 3 with a walk, but most importantly he looked very comfortable at the plate and in the field. But then again, GA would look comfortable on a city bus with a bad case of hemorrhoids.
  
  
• I was pretty sure that Sele's early success was nothing more than smoke and mirrors (his K/BB ratio of 21/15 was troubling), and his last two starts have illustrated that point. Sele's ERA over his past two starts is 6.45. While that's not in Colon/Ortiz territory by any means, it's not anywhere near his early season performance. I don't think he's pitched any worse in those starts- he just hasn't been able to scatter the hits as efficiently or work out of jams. It had to be expected.
  
  
• Jeff DaVanon was in the lineup again tonight, this time in left field (Guillen was at DH, Salmon got the night off). Obviously I don't have a problem with that- anytime the superstar is in the game I'm happy- but why was he playing left field? It doesn't take statistical analysis to see that he's a better center fielder than is Anderson- I'm reasonably sure even Scioscia would admit to that. Plus the fact that this is GA's first game back- wouldn't he be more comfortable in left (or even DH)? DaVanon playing everyday in center is never going to happen (I've made my peace with that), but tonight it would have made an awful lot of sense.
  
  
• Casey Kotchman had an extra-base hit! Woo-hoo! Break out the party hats! His career slugging percentage is now .272. Alfredo Amezaga's career slugging percentage is .317. Just thought I'd point that out.
  
  
• What can you say about Josh Paul? I guess I can understand why he was so anxious to his glove on that pitch- he so rarely gets that chance.
  
  
• Frankie looked a bit shaky there in the ninth. Hey, maybe he really can take over for Percival someday!

Clubs that have been checking on the potential availability of the Orioles' bullpen crew say the Orioles and Angels have talked about a swap of Buddy Groom for Ramon Ortiz.

...I find it hard to believe that the Angels aren't in the market for a reliever, preferably left-handed. I would suggest the Orioles' Buddy Groom. He's been rumored to be available for the last couple of years, and now with the emergence of BJ Ryan, it seems more likely then ever.

• Could this offence look a little more impotent? What's that now- 34 innings without a run or extra-base hit? If you want to gauge how bad the offence is going lately, just check out Vlad's last four games: 1 for 18 (.055), 2 BB, 0 XBH. And it's not much prettier for Guillen.
  
  When watching this game I felt as though I was trapped in one of those old Roadrunner cartoons, looking down off that cliff, watching the Angel's plummeting offensive numbers. There was of course that very satisfying whistling sound, followed by the highly anticipated bang and a puff of smoke as they impacted the desert floor below. The egde of the cliff broke a long time ago- they've just been running in mid-air for a few weeks, doomed to fall eventually. Meep-Meep!
  
  
• I have officially soured on Kotchman. The kid just doesn't belong here yet. I fear we are ruining him. Please send him back down to AA where he belongs.
  
  
• Note to Scioscia: There's this guy sitting on your bench named Robb Quinlan. He handles the bat pretty well and plays a decent first base. He's not a valuable piece of art- to be looked at and never touched- he's a ball player, so USE HIM FOR CHRIST'S SAKE!
  
  There were at least 10 instances where I would have inserted Quinlan as a pinch hitter, but Mike won't even consider it. He actually got Eckstein warmed-up to pinch hit before Quinlan! That's two of our 25 roster spots that are completely and totally wasted on guys who Scioscia refuses to use in any situation.
  
  
• On the bright side, Escobar is now a bona-fide stopper. Another fantastic game from him tonight- 8 IP, 0 ER, 4 H, 11 K, 1 BB. At least someone is stepping up in our time of need.
  
  
• I'm too mad and too tired to go on. More tomorrow, when I cool off.