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A little late (baseball season started in April), but since we've now reached the mid-season All-Star Game break, I'm afraid it's time to start boring you all with hardball talk.

Mid-season report card on DK members' teams:

Mapache's Dodgers (47-47). The best .500 team $220-million can buy! Season started ok, then quickly went into a death spiral. Starting pitching was decent (especially Kershaw and Ryu), but offense was feeble, at best. Bullpen was (and still is) among the worst in baseball; Brandon League should do everyone a favor and commit Seppuku. In early June, Cuban bananas-for-brains Yasiel Puig was brought up to The Show, and the miserable Dodgers caught fire; the sweep of the Giants at Phone Company Park was particularly enjoyable. The offense still mostly sucks, but SS Hanley Ramirez is on an ungodly tear. He needs to share the roids with the rest of the team. Despite a clueless manager (Don Mattingly), the Mighty Blue is still in the hunt, thanks to a pathetic, up-for-grabs NL West divsion. Which brings me to....

Bud's Defending World Series Chumps*, the Giants (43-51). No doubt Bud will try to blame his team's woes on the loss of Angel Pagan. And that's fine. But from what I've seen (which admittedly isn't a whole lot), the Fat Rapist Panda Pig (Sandoval) and the rest of the offense (with the exception of Ring-Around-The-Posey) is pretty abysmal. Also, the vaunted SF pitching staff has been no great shakes. Lickscum hurled a no-hitter against the Madres? Does that even count?

Gundy's Mariners (43-52). Sorry Gundy, I've not watched one second of Mariners baseball this season, but I have seen some low/highlights on the nightly MLB Network show. I don't think all hope is lost. Oakland and Texas could go into post-break slumps; you should at least top the constantly faltering Angels. But the M's are gonna have to go absolutely wild to win the division. What about this Iwakuma cat? From what I've seen, he throws some fairly nasty stuff.

Correction. The June sweep of the Giants was in LA. Most recently at Frisco Bandwagon Park, it was Dodgers 2 out of 3. If memory serves, the season series is tied 6-6.

Bud, all this reminds me.
A while back my neighbor asked, "Have you seen Barry Bonds lately?"
"No. Why?"
"Barry now fancies himself a cyclist. Looks like he's off the roids. He's trim. He's riding a $20K bicycle. Do a google image search."
So I did.

WOW! In-denial, Giants-homer Bud has called Bonds' roid years a "questionable era." (look it up, Bud)
But I don't know how he can maintain this laughable position after seeing a current pic of Bonds.
Barry's massive, freakish, watermelon-sized, steroids-juiced head has shrunk to the size of a normal human's noggin.
He's slim and trim.
It must be seen to be believed!
Jesus, man, those roids are incredible.

mapache61 wrote:No doubt Bud will try to blame his team's woes on the loss of Angel Pagan.

No, there are plenty of reasons for the struggles. Pitching has been off, for sure. Playing games after no hitters never helps either. Too much partying, I guess. I was at the Giants game immediately after Matt Cain pitched perfection, so I kind of know first hand.

I have tickets to Saturday's Nats-Dodgers game. However, I'll be in SF this weekend, so I won't be able to make it.

No surprise. Bud ignores/avoids all talk of Barroid Bonds and his "questionable era."

Speaking of which...
Barry Bonds comments on fellow juicer Lance Armstrong (Sept. 2012):
"I think if it wasn't for him, U.S. cycling wouldn't even be here."
"He was the greatest cyclist of all."


Well, sounds like the ASG was a snore, as usual. Glad I skipped it, as usual.

Bud, you'll be on the west coast this week? We're currently enjoying some lovely Trayvon/Zimmerman riots out here. You'd think a Bay Area or SoCal sports team had just won a championship.

Ok, on to the second half. The NL West is completely up for grabs (even the Madres have a chance). We'll see what happens....

A couple of baseball funnies from The Onion:

http://www.theonion.com/articles/nation ... s-b,33173/

http://www.theonion.com/articles/panick ... ire,33047/

I've been slow to respond to this due to the first image that's been rattling around in my brain. Bud Selig is truly horrifying

RE: Barry "Questionable Era" Bonds.
Bud, take it from Braun:
http://www.theonion.com/articles/ryan-b ... -us,33223/

Football season starting soon. For all you Cowboys lovers, good news:
http://www.theonion.com/articles/tony-r ... ery,33253/

Sorry for delay...........been a hectic summer.
thanks for interest Mapache61.

Well, my Mariners have had quite a ride this year.......liken to a roller coaster for us! You asked about Iwakuma.............he's the real deal and with Felix we have a very nice 1/2 going on there. I think we finally might have a rotation that if the offense and pitching can get on the same page at the same time might give us some excitement down the home stretch. We have some really good rookies and if they don't get tired in their first season look out Sept for us!
I know most people don't know these players outside the northwest, but I think we may catch peoples attention if we can string a few more wins together........and then we just need to get our manager back and that will help too.
I'm going over this weekend to attend the 8/10 game as Mariners are honoring one of the best players ever in the game and he did it the right way........Ken Griffey, Jr! Looking forward to this as it will be a sold out crowd and we'll see quite a few Mariners from the glory days!
On a side, sad what is happening right now with PEDs, but it has to get cleaned up............and by the way good ol' AROD can just stay away from baseball as far as I'm concerned and if you ask any Mariner fan they will agree!
GO MARINERS!

Hectic summer. Yeah. You can say that again.

Since my initial post I've seen more of Iwakuma on the highlight reels. Yeah, I'm impressed.

Just went and took a look at the standings. I see the Ms are only 12 games back or so. Still got two months to go. They could catch fire, sure. Look at my Dodgers. They shot from the cellar to first place in just over a month. With two months, I don't even count out Bud's Defending World Series Chumps*, who are also 12 back.

As for A-FRAUD, boy, he really p*ssed off Emperor Selig, didn't he? I hadn't really followed this Biogenesis thing too closely, and wondered why A-FRAUD was getting a much longer suspension than the rest of them. Then yesterdary I read an article about all of A-FRAUD's "obstruction of a MLB investigation" shenanigans, and how he has "frustrated the commissioner." Yep, that'll do it.

It's Rat Pack night at Nationals Ballpark. Wish I was there tonight!

http://curlyw.mlblogs.com/2013/08/07/wh ... ack-night/

Been a tough year. The Giants and Nats are playing such similar ball it's scary. Generally good pitching, but can't score runs. Poorer defense than expected. Underachieving stars. And a hated rival is ahead in each Division.

Yeah, too bad Bud's 2013 devils don't have Melky Cabrera. A steroid-juiced guy like that, putting up big offensive numbers, would've likely put a few more marks in the Giants' WIN column. Hell, you might even be within a few games of LA, in reach of making the playoffs, and another WS run.

Bud, for honesty's sake, please stop with your steroid hypocrisy. Accept that the 2012 Giants were at least partially a sham, just like every WS champ since the late 80s...including the Dodgers.

I don't care about roids, but supposedly YOU do (I won't bring Gundy into this). And your silence RE: Bonds is deafening.

I look forward to your next say-nothing Sinatra Night post.

After further review, I will give Bud a pass today. But only for today:
http://ftw.usatoday.com/2013/08/young-f ... -has-died/

Kids like this don't know Kemp has very likely jabbed a needle in his butt, just like Bud's homerun king Bonds. It's a sweet moment. And none of the rest really matters. No matter how broing it gets, pro baseball is ENTERTAINMENT, roids or not.

Its been a while (major PC problems and much work). Did you miss me? No? Don't lie.

Ok. I see Bud hasn't commented. So I'm left to assume the following:
Bud condemns steroids in baseball, yet Barry Bonds is still his legitimate Home Run King (ha!), and the 2012 Giants were legitimate champs.
In other words, a typical Bay Area sports fan:
"Steroids? Oh yes, very bad."
"Bonds used them? No. Come on, there's no proof. That's questionable."
"Melky Cabrera got busted? Oh, he's a total disgrace."
Well then, if steroids render the competitions illegitimate, how bout forfeiting some games in which Cabrera played?
Bewildered/hypocritical Giants fan: "Huh? Oh, but we did so much better without Melky, bla bla bla."
I call bullsh*t. You can't have it both ways.
Rest assured, the rest of the sports world laughs at San Francisco.
And this morning, we're ALL laughing at that poser, bicep-kissing clown Kappernick, and his overly dramatic mother, Harbaugh.
Go to hell, Niners.
Go Seahwawks!
Are you with me, Gundy?

Um, are you feeling better now, mapache61?

Agree! As our quarterback says 'GO SEAHAWKS!'.

Wow what a game!................

Now if my Mariners could just take a few pointers from the Seahawks I would be one happy girl! Oh, well, maybe next year!

And, ............. go Dodgers!

You mad, Bud? I hope so. Because that was my goal.
Relax, I'm done giving you grief about steroids, for this year anyway.
I'm now looking toward the NLDS, and I'm worried.
In July and August, nothing could stop the Blue.
And now they've gone cold at exactly the wrong time.
Not good.

The Seahawks are rollin. Bud and his Niners have to be at least a little nervous about SEA dominating the West. SF looked mostly pathetic yesterday against Indy. And the Colts aren't exactly what you'd call a powerhouse team. Still, it was only week 3. Long way to go.