Stat of the day
If Volquez and Lee remain the league leaders in ERA through tomorrow’s games, the leagues’ ERA leaders will face each other for only the third time:
6/26/1998 1.60 Leiter, Al NYM ....vs....... 2.19 Irabu, Hideki NYY
6/16/2002 1.89 Lowe, Derek BOS...vs...... 1.53 Glavine, Tom ATL
Elias Sports Bureau

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Guest update
Tom Hamilton, radio voice of Indians will check in

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Kudos to the Clones
CINCINNATI, Ohio – The Cincinnati Cyclones of the
ECHL announced this afternoon that they donated
$82,015 in goods and materials to the Cincinnati
community during 2006-07. The Cyclones wish to
express their gratitude to those charities and causes
seeking assistance. The Cyclones are the ECHL
affiliate of the NHL’s Montreal Canadiens and
Nashville Predators.
“We are pleased to be able to do our part to help our
community,” Cyclones Head Coach Chuck Weber said.
“The Cyclones appreciate what the community does for
us all year.”
More than 2100 tickets and 18 suites were donated
during the season to charitable causes. Twenty-seven
other memorabilia pieces were also issued on behalf
of the team, as well as more than 425 club signed
items for fund-raising efforts In addition to these
monetary contributions, the players on the squad
donated more than 300 hours to assist with
appearances to hospitals, schools and other locations
throughout the season.
The team also collected nearly 500 stuffed animals
during the annual ‘Teddy Bear Toss’ and the players
also teamed with the Cyclones Fan Club for the annual
‘Pucks-N-Pasta’ dinner that generated more than $3900
for the Stepping Stones Center. The club also
auctioned off five sets of jerseys for various
charities, that raised more than $23,000.

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In a freaky way, Hamilton is Rangers' Natural
Star-Telegram
But Hamilton showed up in Arlington this season, and I don't think it's too early to label him as the best overall talent in the Rangers' 36-plus years. Where it all eventually leads, we'll see. But I'm talking pure talent here. The sacred five-tool skills.

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Friday show
Guest
John Engelhardt, River Downs, handicaps The Preakness
Topics
Reds
Interleague/DH: Can we stop the insanity and get rid of the DH?
Things we miss from the 80's: See below

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We are in
Casey and I want to see the pitching duel Sunday....Volquez vs Lee....ERA leaders in each league. I went on-line and bought two in the Club Seats...section 302 and just printed them out.

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Friday topic
Things we miss from the 80's Sports, TV, movies, music, fads

Discuss in the FORUM

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Time to eliminate the DH
Ok, I guess the DH idea had merit in 1972...AL attendance and offense was way down. The league needed a boost..and the DH did that. But it's 2008. And the DH is silly.
How can you continue to have leagues playing by different rules and crossing over to play each other?
The Indians build a roster and play one way for 145+ games. But the Indians come to Cincinnati and have to take a bat out of their lineup?
The Reds build a roster and play one way for 145+ games. But the Reds will go to Cleveland and have to add a bench bat to the starting lineup? Silly.
And then, all of this happens again in the World Series!
You'll hear the idea of flipping the rules during interleague play....using the DH in NL parks and having pitchers hit in AL parks. This would allow fans to experience the "other way".
Stop! Time to reach a common ground.
Can you imagine if the NFL had AFC teams play with 12 guys on defense while the NFC used 11? What if the NBA allowed zone defense in the West and didn't allow it in the East?
As I've always said, if you can't put on a mitt and stand in the field, go play beer league softball.
I know, I know, the union won't allow MLB to get rid of the DH. It's a big money position. So how about a compromise? Eliminate the DH by 2010 and add a 26th roster spot.
Or...add two roster spots...allowing teams to carry an extra position player and an extra pitcher. More flexibility for managers. Two more jobs per team, 60 more jobs in the game.
What do you think? Discuss in the FORUM
1. Eliminate the DH
2. Add DH to NL
3. Keep the way it is

Doc on the DH Look at it this way: If the NL had the designated hitter, Jay Bruce would be playing right field in Cincinnati now.

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BP on Reds minor league SS
Baseball Prospectus
He Likes-A Valaika: With the recent addition of 2007 draftee Todd Frazier, the Reds affiliate at High-A Sarasota features as much offensive firepower as any team in the league. Leading the way so far has been shortstop Chris Valaika. A 2006 third-round pick out of Cal Santa Barbara, Valaika hit .307/.353/.493 last year in the Midwest League, but struggled following a promotion to Sarasota, where he hit just .253/.310/.332 in 57 games. This year, he's rebounded, batting .363/.393/.585 and showing unprecedented power with seven home runs in 135 at-bats. One scout who recently saw Valaika came away very impressed. "I like him a lot," gushed the scout. "He's got some Eric Byrnes in him just in the way that he's got that major league carry and swagger." More importantly, he can hit as well: "He really controls the situation at the plate and doesn't let it control him--it's a real fearless approach. And his power is legit--he hits balls out and they get out quickly and go a long way." The one question about Valaika throughout his career has been whether his athleticism will allow him to stay up the middle, and the scout shared those same concerns, but didn't think it effected Valaika's long-term outlook, concluding, "You can put him in left, right, or either infield corner and that bat is going to play."

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On this date: Magic was magical
Game 6 1980 NBA Finals: Lakers vs 76'ers
Rookie Magic Johnson fills in for Kareem Abdul Jabaar at center..
Magic scores 42, with15 rebounds and 7 assists.
Check out the CBS game intro
Due to low ratings for the NBA, CBS did not want to interupt "Dallas"...so the game was shown at 11:30...on tape delay.

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D-Backs not kidding around with young talent
The Sporting News
Arizona is aggressive when it comes to bringing up its players. Upton is a case in point; he was called up from Class AA at age 19 last year despite having just 823 minor league at-bats. He struggled at the plate in '07 but has been brilliant this year, hitting .326. It's an organization wide philosophy: If the guy is ready, bring him up. There are no minimum minor league requirements for at-bats or innings pitched. "I felt all along that if I perform, they would reward me," Upton says. "Doesn't matter how old you are. Just show you can do the job."

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West injured, Hornets lose
Times Picayune
"He took a good shot in the back," Scott said. "It's a good thing that Game 7 is on Monday. It gives him a good chance to get well. It gives our guys a chance to rest."

Horry leaves mark on West
"I'm not real OK with it," Scott told Yahoo! Sports. "But if I didn't know Robert on a personal level, I'd say that was a dirty shot. Yeah, if I didn't know him the way I know him, I'd say it was a cheap shot."

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Stat of the day
NBA playoff teams are 20-1 at home in second round games

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Webb Kentucky's best-ever ML pitcher?
Lexington Herald Leader
The way Webb has started this season, he could be on track to win his second Cy Young Award. By the time he retires, he might be the best pitcher Kentucky high school baseball has ever produced.

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Things noticed
AFC ranking of the safety postion: The Sporting News
Bengals 15th of 16 teams.
Dexter Jackson is a hard hitter, but his overaggressiveness gets him in trouble. Marvin White needs to do a better job of playing the ball in the air. Chinedum Ndukwe flashed potential as a rookie.

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Maxim Hometown Hottie
Careful opening

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Things I'm told

The Bengals are "sniffing around" WR Koren Robinson. No contract offered.....just looking into him as part of a fallback plan. He was released by Green Bay last week. He certainly has baggage...from his alcohol issues/suspension.

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Just give me a hammer
"Ownership really needs to see about getting Josh Hamilton back"
-Caller to Sports Talk Thursday night

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Preakness picks
From Dan Cronin:
Well.....obviously I had to eat crow with picking against Big Brown. I still believe it's because the rest of the field is no good.
Big Brown will win the Preakness
I believe Behindatthebar will be 2nd, and Racecar rapsody will be 3rd.
The best bet is the 3rd race Saturday and Cognac Kisses. You will get 3-1.
Pick 4 3,8,9 with 4,6,8,9 with 1,2,3,4,9 with Big Brown $60.