muddysmind.com

Hrmm, soccer, yawn.

"Since my B-Day is coming up soon it would be kewl if someone would hook me up with the Crew's home kit."

LOL! You'll try to get some things any way you can, won't you.:-) Sorry, babe, it ain't comin' from *my* wallet.

BTW, Skywalker: Sorry all this soccer talk bores you. We would talk about baseball but it would seem all there is to talk about these days is steroids....of, course - not unless you've got something else?

when is your bday?

Mrs. M: Well Timhudson sure as heck did an awqesome job in his braved debut (despite the AP calling it "lackluster," ESPN agreed with me) and Gagne, the closing machine is on the DL. But the for the life of me, I can not answer this one question: where the hell did this dude on Around The Horn get off calling Mariano Rivera the greatest closer who ever lived? Hell, John Smoltz had more saves and blew fewer saves than his last year. I thnk tht title belongs to Dennis Eckerseley (who wrote the manual on closing for all closers ever after to follow) and Eric Gagne (anyone else go over a year without blowing a save opportunity?)

Brad Wilkerson hit for the cycle, a feat more rare than a no-hitter (not as rare as the unassisted triple-play Furcal pulled off 2 years ago, which is the second rarest event in baseball, the rarest being a 20 strike-out game. Actually scratch that, the rarest would be a pitcher throwing a 27 pitch game 'cause it has never happened.)

A-rod made up for his bush league play ofswatting the ball out of a fielder hand during the ALCS last year by showing some real class and saying he screwed up the other night when quite frankly, he made one of the worst fielding mistakes I've ever seen. 'Course, it comes second to the play Cabrera made last night being in perfect positiont o catch a routine fly ball and simply letting it drop to the deck. A 2 base, 1 run error. He didn't help his case on the next play by missing a more difficult play.

But speaking of defense, Rafael Furcal...one of the most erroneous shortstops in baseball has really picked up his defensive game, last night I saw him make plays that would have made the wizard himself (Ozzie Smith) drop his jaw. Talk about a kid really coming into his own. But then, one of the reasons he makes so many errors is his amazing defensive range. He can get to balls most shortstops won't go near, but sometimes he just won't quite get there, and thus an error. But usually they're errors that would otherwise be hits instead of errors that would otherwise be outs.

On the note of Tim Hudson again, the AP criticized him as being "force out by a pinch hitter, a problem he never had to face in the American LEague" well gee AP, no kidding, that's part of what makes the NL different, we don't have the DH and you use more strategy and more players in a game because of it. I realize most sportswriters think baseball does not exist outside of the Bronx, but in the NL, taking out an already fatigued pitcher when the other team pinch hits for their pitcher, is *not* uncommon. Idiotic AP writers. Tehy're probably the reason Bonds, who missed most of last season, was voted MVP. His team managed the wildcard despite him missing half the season, he draws more walks than he hits extra base hits and he's a mediocre left-fielder. Sorry, but I fail to see how he was the most valuable player in the league. Seems to me he cost his team more than he gave them. Maybe that honor should have gone to Eric Gagne who actually helped his team.

Just as I suspected....you did have something to say. I knew you wouldn't let me down.:-P

Unfortunatly, the only baseball players that really sound *truely* familiar to me are the legends: Babe Ruth and Mickey Mantle (who was my dad's all time favorite player). Ironically, I *was* a tinsy bit interrested in baseball when I was a kid but only because my dad took us to a few when I was a kid. He even tried to catch a fly ball for me. He actually did catch one for me and had the player sign it for me...but I wasnt' with him at the time. Come to think of it....I still have that ball somewhere.

I can't count how many games I've been to and yet I've come closing to catching only one foul ball. The kid in front of me caught it.

"The kid in front of me caught it."

What? And you didn't tackle him (pardon the pun)? Come on, Skywalker! You're a marine for God's sakes! I'm sure you could've taken him. You disappoint me.:-)

I was 6 for Christ's sake. I weighed like 45 lbs!

....and your point is.......?