Andre Ethier sits... should the streak still count?

Call me harsh, and I've been called worse, but Andre Ethier should have played today.
Seriously, he has a 29 game hitting streak. He's half way to Joe DiMaggio. And he sits?

Sorry, I know that TECHNICALLY his streak is still alive, but please! You don't sit in a hitting streak.

If a guy gets a hit in a game in April, is sent down to the minors and comes back up in September and gets a hit, does he have a 2 game hitting streak?

I don't like this "taking games off during a hitting streak" stuff.
Look, he's NOT going to pass DiMaggio. He has to do this for 27 more games just to match Joe D. But why even tempt the asterisks?

So for me personally, this whole hitting streak has lost some of its steam.
Harsh?

Maybe.
But we're talking streaks here.

Hey McCourt... Manny wasn't a free agent

Yesterday Mason and Ireland on 710 ESPN in Los Angeles had beleaguered Dodgers owner Frank McCourt on the air for a half an hour of questions being asked and calls from fans.

It should be noted that he will be beleaguered for a lot longer than he will be the owner of the Dodgers.

He of course painted himself as the victim, all the while saying "I take full responsibility." He pushed the blame elsewhere and made it clear that the $126 million he took from the Dodgers was NOT true (he said it was only about $100 million, most of it loans and it was cumulative.

I admire the guy to a degree for facing the music. But when he kept saying things like "I learned my lesson" and "I don't need all of those things anymore" which sounds a lot like someone saying "I swear this is my last cigarette."

One caller called in to ask why can't a marquee franchise like the Dodgers sign a Type A free agent. A good question.

McCourt dismissed it saying "What about Manny Ramirez?"

I so wish either Mason or Ireland pointed out that Ramirez was a trade. Manny wasn't on the open market and offered top dollar by the Dodgers?

He was in a trade with the Red Sox and Pirates of which the Red Sox picked up most of the contract. And yes he resigned with the Dodgers, but only after he received NO OTHER OFFERS.

The question was valid, especially when the likes of CC Sabathia could have been the difference between a trip to the World Series and an NLCS exit.

Ah well... the soap opera goes on as the Dodgers won't be able to meet payroll.
Look for the Chavez Ravine firesale coming soon.

Sorry Pirates fans... I won't jinx your team any more

It seems like every time I write something positive about the Pirates, they lose.
Every time I try to be positive about Pittsburgh and hope they finally make their way to .500, the team does a faceplant.

And I often have received nasty comments from Pirate fans when I criticize them... now I am getting flustered comments from Pirate fans when I praise them.

Here I am, a Red Sox fan blogging... and we Sox fans constantly get accused of only focusing on the Red Sox and Yankees. So I try to open up the discussion to the Pirates, and evidently I am causing them to lose.

So Pirate fans, I will stop blogging about them for a while.
But if we get to June and they are STILL sub .500, you can NOT blame me!

The Most Recent No Hitter For Each Franchise (Updated for May 3, 2011)

Last year I wrote a post where I had each most recent no hit game for each franchise. And with Francisco Liriano's gem tonight, that old post is now obsolete.

So dutifully, here is the updated list of each team's most recent no hitter.

THE MOST RECENT NO HITTERS
FOR EACH FRANCHISE

MINNESOTA TWINS
Francisco Liriano - May 3, 2011
1-0 over Chicago White Sox

PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES
Roy Halladay - October 6, 2010
4-0 over Cincinnati. (Playoff Game)

TAMPA PAY RAYS
Matt Garza - July 26th, 2010
5-0 over Detroit.

ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS
Edwin Jackson - June 25, 2010
1-0 over Tampa Bay



OAKLAND A'S
Dallas Braden - May 9, 2010
4-0 over Tampa Bay. (Perfect Game.)


COLORADO ROCKIES
Ubaldo Jimenez - April 17, 2010
4-0 over Atlanta.


CHICAGO WHITE SOX
Mark Buehrle - July 23, 2009
5-0 over Tampa Bay. (Perfect Game.)


SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS
Jonathan Sanchez - July 10, 2009.
8-0 over San Diego.


CHICAGO CUBS
Carlos Zambrano - September 14, 2008.
5-0 over Houston.


BOSTON RED SOX
Jon Lester - May 19, 2008.
7-0 over Kansas City.

DETROIT TIGERS
Justin Verlander - June 12, 2007.
4-0 over Milwaukee.


FLORIDA MARLINS
Anibal Sanchez - September 6, 2006.
2-0 over Arizona.


HOUSTON ASTROS
Roy Oswalt, Peter Munro, Kirk Saarloos, Brad Lidge, Octavio Dotel and Billy Wagner -
June 11, 2003.
8-0 over New York Yankees.


ST. LOUIS CARDINALS
Bud Smith - September 3, 2001
4-0 over San Diego.


NEW YORK YANKEES
David Cone - July 18, 1999.
6-0 over Montreal. (Perfect Game.)


PITTSBURGH PIRATES
Francisco Cordova and Ricardo Rincon - July 12, 1997.
3-0 over Houston. (10 innings.)


LOS ANGELES DODGERS
Hideo Nomo - September 17, 1996.
9-0 over Colorado.


TEXAS RANGERS
Kenny Rogers - July 28, 1994.
4-0 over California. (Perfect Game.)

ATLANTA BRAVES
Kent Mercker - April 8, 1994.
6-0 over Los Angeles.


SEATTLE MARINERS
Chris Bosio - April 22, 1993.
2-0 over Boston.


KANSAS CITY ROYALS
Bret Saberhagen - August 26, 1991
7-0 over Chicago White Sox.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS (AS MONTREAL EXPOS)
Dennis Martinez - July 28, 1991.
2-0 over Los Angeles. (Perfect Game.)


BALTIMORE ORIOLES
Bob Milacki, Mike Flanagan, Mark Williamson and Gregg Olson - July 13, 1991.
2-0 over Oakland.

TORONTO BLUE JAYS
Dave Steib - September 2, 1990.
3-0 over Cleveland.


LOS ANGELES ANGELS OF ANAHEIM (AS CALIFORNIA ANGELS)
Mark Langston and Mike Witt - April 11, 1990.
1-0 over Seattle.


CINCINNATI REDS
Tom Browning - September 16, 1988.
1-0 over Los Angeles. (Perfect Game.)


MILWAUKEE BREWERS
Juan Nieves - April 15, 1987.
7-0 over Baltimore.

CLEVELAND INDIANS
Len Barker - May 15, 1981.
3-0 over Toronto. (Perfect Game.)

Bonus
WASHINGTON SENATORS
Bobby Burke - August 8, 1931
5-0 over Boston.

The Padres and Mets are still on notice. As are the Nationals who haven't had one in Washington.

After you... no after you

Was it just me or did neither the Mets nor the Giants seemed interested in winning this game tonight?

The Giants get the go ahead run in scoring position in the 8th... Gotch.
The Mets get the go ahead run in scoring position in the 8th... nada.
The Giants load the bases in the 9th... zilch.
The Mets get a lead off double in the bottom of the 9th... zippo.

FINALLY it took a Huff homer in the 10th and even then Wilson lets the tying run aboard and had the winning run at the plate in the bottom of the 10th.

The World Champs throw Lincecum tomorrow and they'll be back at .500.
Maybe they'll play with some URGENCY tomorrow.

Hisanori Takahashi better be buying drinks after this game

Seriously, Hisanori Takahashi was a whole lot of suck for the Angels in the first two games of their series with the Red Sox.

Aces Jeff Weaver and Dan Haren got the losses, but they actually pitched well.
Jeff Weaver went 6 innings with 3 earned runs on Monday

Dan Haren was throwing a shutout today into the 6th and finished with 7+ innings, 4 runs, 8 strikeouts and no walks.

But Takahashi gave up 2 earned runs in 1/3 of an inning on Monday. Then today he let up 2 more homers and 3 earned runs in a single inning.

That's 5 earned runs in 1 1/3 innings of late relief. Two tight games that turned into blowouts. I am not even including 2 come from behind wins against two of the best pitchers in the AL on my Dodged Bullet/Teeth Grinder ledger because Takahashi made the games no brainers.

Seriously Takahashi. Pick up the tab at the bar.

Stay focused Pirates...

OK Pirates, we all know you guys have sucked since 1992.
And by sucked I mean posting a losing record for each of the last 18 seasons.
By sucked I mean 9 last places finishes over the last 18 seasons.
By sucked I mean 6 straight 94+ loss seasons including last year's 105 loss fiasco.

We all know that.
And only a lunatic would have picked the Pirates to win the NL Central. (Did anyone have them with a winning season?)

And here we are in May and already the Pirates are sub .500.

But wait!
The are only 2 games out of first place. And the two favorites for the division, the Reds and the Brewers, are not exactly tearing it up.

Let's say the Pirates win their next two games against San Diego (possible.)
And the Cardinals lose the next two games against the surging Marlins (possible.)

Then the Pirates would be above .500 and tied for first place in May.
Is that so hard?

And then play .500 ball the rest of the way... and get the whole "They haven't have a winning season since Francisco Cabrera" storyline off of their backs.

Is that so hard?

Stay focused.
I'm not asking you to be the 1927 Yankees (who beat the Pirates in the World Series.)
Just be above SUCK.