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There have been a spate of recent games like this. Lieber’s yesterday, but in a different way Robert Person’s, too. A much different way.

It isn’t that Person didn’t get bombed, but that he struck out 9 and walked none. Here Nomo, who many thought would benefit from the high strike, whiffs 14 and walks… none.

As soon as I close this blasted football magazine I’m going to track down the umpire ERAs, even if I have to joing a betting service to get them. There are definitely some guys calling the New Strike Zone, others’ calling the Old Strike Zone, and yet other calling both at once.

ESPN.com: MLB Boxscore: Toronto vs. Boston

Isn’t Buford exactly the sort of player the Rockies seem to go for?

Maybe I’m just thinking that way because I have him already. The only avowed interest comes from his dad’s alma mater, the Orioles.

MLB Player News

Clearly tonight I’m logorrheac.

The Cubs have been very good to me so far. Not that I drafted any of them.

But on a whim, because I thought someone would pay for Von Poppel, I picked up Jeff Fassero. And because I thought Fassero might fail I picked up Courtney Duncan. And, in another league, I picked up Tom Gordon because he was only $2.

And I picked up Miguel Cairo last week and then Eric Young scratched his cornea. And Cairo is proving he could help Tampa Bay, at least.

And when Fernando Tatis went down my reserve was Ron Coomer, who has been very productive.

None of this will last I fear. But right now I’m a Cubs fan.

ESPN.com: MLB Boxscore: Cincinnati vs. Chicago Cubs

There is something truly chilling about watching Jimmy Haynes get guys out. For a moment, when Brian Meadows was also mowing them down (in a manner of speaking) I thought sure all of hell would freeze over.

Right now it’s getting a little nippy.

ESPN.com: MLB Boxscore: St. Louis vs. Milwaukee

I’m not sure what to make of this Atlanta-Florida tilt. Smoltz pitched okay, but in the end his ERA is 8+.

Chuck Smith, also coming back (fron a much less serious) injury, now has 3 wins and an era of 2.93.

I’m not betting against Smoltz completely, he struck out 5 and didn’t walk any in 5+ innings, but it is a serious injury for a man in his mid-thirties who has had a series of injuries.

I guess I’m saying if I had him I’d stick with him, but I’m glad I dont’ have him.

ESPN.com: MLB Boxscore: Atlanta vs. Florida

This is just about how I feel. The Metropolitan Museum of Art – The Collection: Modern Art

I’m putting out the football magazine, which I don’t write but do edit and compile, and I came across this picture because of a dumb joke I’m putting into this week’s MLB column about cubism.

I am answering your mail, and hope you don’t get discouraged if there are fewer posts on the Blog. It seems to be working again, but my attention is distracted a bit.

But please, feel free to write.

Since I had mentally closed down the message board, without closing it down, I hadn’t been back. But I went home again tonight and found this post about overachieving pitchers.

Some answers, some opinions:

Sabathia–Obviously he has great stuff. Obviously he isn’t going to get by on that alone. Nobody does. I won’t say the good times end this week, but the Indians have to be hoping Jaret Wright works out.

Telemaco–I’m rooting for him big time. He was once Sabathia. If he can recapture just a small part of that all the years of anonymous work will have been worth it (if I’m accurately reading his mind). Can he keep it up? As well as anyone, I say. Maybe better than most, except for all those guys who actually can.

I think I wrote here (but maybe it was MLB) that Millwood’s problems had to by physical. They were. That doesn’t mean they’re intractable, but the only reason I would dream that he was going to contribute this year is if I spent real money on him this year.

Burkett has an excellent split pitching on short rest. Since the Braves need him I suppose they might continue that , until he breaks down. Which he will. If I paid for him ($1) I’d be looking for a way to convert him into something else, pronto.

Valdez is like Telemaco, with more accomplishment and without the long hiatus. If you have him keep him. If you don’t, and you’re desperate, go get him. He isn’t safe, but his potential is substantial.

My thoughts…

Are these guys for real?

If you had told me that someday Bob Abreu would be hitting .235 in late May, I would have had to kill you. The idea is practically impossible.

Obviously, it’s not, which means progressive thinking minds have to search for an answer. Is it the strike zone? If so, it’s hard to fathom a reason why without giving credence to only the most abstract and stupid of ways.

But after two years of walking as much as he struck out, Abreu is back to his 1998 ratio. The good news for Abreu owners is that he hit .312 that year with a .906 OPBs.

I’ve long been a proponent of the idea that good K/BB ratio is an indication that a hitter is doing a good job, not a harbinger (necessarily) of future success. Abreu is screwed up right now. He’s swinging when he shouldn’t be, and the big strike zone certainly isn’t helping. But he’ll get it together at some point.

Don’t sell him short.

ESPN.com: MLB Boxscore: St. Louis vs. Philadelphia

The question here is Will Oswalt continue to vulture wins?

ESPN.com: MLB Boxscore: Houston vs. Chicago Cubs

The best antecedant I could come up with, Scott Elarton in 1999, won 5 games in the first half of the year, when he pitched in relief (I don’t have the breakdown, so it’s possible only 4 of those wins came as a reliever–he made his first start July 3).

In both of Oswalt’s wins this week he came into a close game in the middle innings and threw 2 or 3 shutout innings, during which time the Astros’ potent offense put him ahead.

He’s gone in all but the wackiest of NL only leagues, but if you need a safe (and possibly productive) haven in your mixed league, you could do a lot worse than Oswalt.

It should be noted that the 23 year old Elarton partially tore his rotator cuff in 1999 after being made a starter. Oswalt is a similar age, not that there’s anything wrong with that.

Well, after I updated the site today by reposting the previous few days’ posts I’d been able to save, the whole thing got very messy. Maybe it isn’t Microsoft. Maybe it’s me.

When I saw today that Jimmy Haynes’ ERA had dropped below 5.00 I was sure that this was the first time since, um, high school. As you may know, his five-year scan is -$15, -$1, -$8, -$9, -$9. But, in fact, as the 2000 game by game log shows (http://espn.go.com/mlb/profiles/gamelogs/2000/pitching/5531.html) Jimmy spent most of the 2000 season with an ERA better than 5.00. In case you’re having any thoughts.