Start #1 of how many for Myers? - I'm not quite sure this is the kind of start that's going to get Myers back to Philly real quick. This was the Lehigh Valley version of what Myers has done all season long. It's been an unsuccessful combo of effective curveball and piss poor fastball location. So let's grade Myers first start as an INCOMPLETE, but give him an F if the goal of his trip up the turnpike was to reestablish and properly locate his fastball. Myers can strike out Triple A guys all summer long with his fantastic breaking ball, but it's darn near impossible to that impeccable control of it every time out and that's why he needs to harness that fastball to get back to the Majors. It's OK to pitch off your curveball...if you're nearing 50 like Jamie Moyer and unable to break 82mph, but Brett Myers hasn't crossed that road yet thankfully. He's gotta get his fastball back.

Some notes from a very long Philly.com article on how Myers wound up in Triple A

- " Late Monday night, Myers decided he would agree to the assignment if the Phillies would consider bringing him back after three starts, provided he was ready. He also wanted some family provisions. For instance, on days he was not pitching for the triple-A club in Allentown, he wanted the freedom to do his work early in the day and be able to return home to Delaware County after five innings. That's how pitchers do it in spring training on days they are not scheduled to pitch."

- "Sitting at his desk, Gillick reached for a Toronto Blue Jays media guide. He looked up Roy Halladay and read how the pitcher, after extended time in the big leagues, went to the minors in 2001 and rebuilt his delivery. He came back later that season, won a Cy Young Award in 2003, and has made four all-star teams."

Phils just keep bashing Atlanta- It wasn't pretty, in fact 5 walks in 5 innings in looks like a monkey's rear end, but Adam Eaton, similarly to Kyle Kendrick, kept the Phils in the game. And as I said on the show yesterday, Eaton hasn't been atrocious this year as this was Eaton's 13th start (of 17) where he's allowed less than 3 runs. If you just fell of your chair I'm not surprised. Perception is reality, and for most Phillies fans the 2007 version of Adam Eaton is 2008's reality, which is not true.

I'll swear to stop with the DEVIL Rays- But how bout the Rally Rays, can I call them that? Boston's porous pen allowed the Rays to come back from a 4-1 deficit, and take all three games from the Sox. A nice counter punch after the Boston sweep in early June.

Marion Hossa signs with Detroit- The Flyers have spent the offseason putting some wheels and youth on their defense, which was the right move, but I really would've like to see them add a point-per-game scorer like Hossa to their offense. The Flyers can roll three solid, young lines out, but until Simon Gagne overcomes his concussion issues, the Flyers like an electric offensive talent like Hossa.

Ugh, he's gonna come back! - Aaron Rogers, the only way you're going to be able to start for the Pack is if you KILL Brett Favre. That's violent isn't it? It's honestly the truth though, Favre will try to play as long as he has working arms, legs, eyes and lungs. And even without all those, his nearly dead corpse would still try to lead a football team. Mike Florio from PFT ponders non Pack possibilities for Favre.

Are the Sixers currently in the crosshairs of the NBA offseason? - I've known all along that Josh Smith isn't the prototypical low post scorer, but there's honestly so few of those 6'8 240lb guys who regularly command double teams on the block, so I'd be counting on Smith's freakish array of skills at the 4 to be enough to compensate for his lack of size and strength. Another thought is that signing the Smith might turn the Sixers into a younger, even more athletic and faster version of the Suns. Yeah, the team who finally decided that their philosophy of speed and scoring, wasn't good enough to win a title. I like Smith, alot and I know Atlanta holds his destiny because he's restricted, but if the Sixers don't get Smith, the summer will not be a failure. I just feel that he's this summer's best possible option to help the Sixers. If they are able to sign him, and things don't work out because Smith fails to mature even more, falls deeper in love with his jumper, or just isn't big enough to be the PF the Sixers need, then we're back to having a large chunk of the salary cap taken up by a guy who isn't necessarily the right piece of the championship puzzle. Remember, the Sixers still need to find a shooter, preferably one who isn't a defense liability as Kyle Korver was. James Jones might be that guy!He's a younger version of James Posey, who is also a FA, but because of his age, is more of a final piece type guy for a team on the cusp of a title. That's not the Sixers, not this offseason anyway. 

An ATL perspective on Smith's Philly visit



The numbers lie! - Showing you that you don't need to have great playing career numbers, to be a great coach. STL pitching coach (Kyle Loshe is 10-2!) Dave Duncan was lifetime .214 hitting catcher with 109 career homers. 
 
Christian Bale DONE with Batman if...

German automakers like Daimler, Volkswagen and Audi plan to shut down production during the game so that their workers can follow the match before the conveyor belts and Europe's biggest economy grind back into action after the final whistle."

Final thought on Euro 2008- I caught most of this year's matches, and the ones I didn't watch, I followed online, and there was some unbelievably compelling football played in the last three weeks. I'm a bigger fan of the sport than ever before! And if you caught just some of these matches, hopefully the Spanish games, I'd find it difficult to think you didn't enjoy the drama, grace and athletic skill  that this sport offers.

Welcome back Detroit - Because of the amount of time I spent in Michigan, I'll always have a place for the Tigers in my heart, but for now you know my "AL team" is the Rays. However, it is nice to see the Tigers back above .500, thanks to an 18-8 June, with 12 of those wins coming over some hapless NL West teams.

After 81 (or there abouts)...- The best team in MLB IS Tampa Bay. Evan Longoria is playing like a team leading, MVP as a rookie, they have 5 consistent starters and they'll be fishing for a co-stud for Kazmir come the trading deadline with all their prospects, and the bullpen closes doors on teams. The Rays are no first half fluke and are surely headed for a devilish locking of horns with the Red Sox til the very end of the year.

The end of Interleague - 149 wins for the AL and 102 for the NL. The AL's .593 winning % is the equivalent of a 96-66 record over 162 games, and good enough to have won every division in baseball in 2007. Why is the AL so much better? Here's a second or two to think about it...





Seven of the top ten starting staffs, reside in the AL

and more reasons why the AL is better

And one last thing....