Scooter Indicted!

I hope the talking baseball rots in jail for a long, long time. Although, I hope the prosecutor will be willing to cut him a deal if he's willing to finger Joe Buck or whatever crazy producers MLB on FOX has.

Did you see that?

Did you catch a glimpse of that last night in Houston? It was beautiful, mesmerizing, awesome. It left me searching for historical comparisons and finding nothing.

That's right, Reggie Sanders' beard . You thought I was talking about something else?

He has the best beard I have ever seen in my life, not just among baseball players or athletes, but among all men, ever.

I've looked for a photo that does it justice but nothing does. It is neat, full, manly, and impressive. I praised Buehrle's beard last week, but his beard is unusual, unique. He shows a lot of self-confidence to wear that thing around. Reggie's beard must give the wearer self confidence.

Reggie has the platonic ideal of a beard. This beard is so fantastic I'd think the Yankees would have to let him keep it. Check it out:


This photo does not do justice to the amazing Sanders beard. I only wish I had been watching more of this NLCS so I could have seen more of it in action. I surely will not miss another appearance.

Houston

With postseason baseball coming to Houston -- currently the hottest Hip-Hop scene in the country -- can we get some local flavor? How about these?:

1. National Anthem each night by a different Child of Destiny? (Though not hip-hop, and maybe too obvious.)

2. "Take Me out to the Ball Game" by Paul Wall (pictured) and Mike Jones?

3. Slim Thug saying "Play Ball, Ni**az" (that would take about 30 sec) or singing that Greenwood song. (Every ballpark is required to play that, right?)

4. Swisha House bumper music for the Fox Broadcast?

5. Chopped and Screwed version of "Centerfield" for the Wily Taveras feature?

6. Maceo's "Nextel Chirp" for a, uhm, Nextel commercial.

I guess I can dream, eh?

AJ's K

1. As I watched the play in the ninth, I said... why the hell isn't the catcher tagging him? And he gets to first. Looked like a trapped to me. Ever think of tagging him just to be sure? Either way, Paul made a boneheaded play, and AJ capitalized on it. It's like the catcher's equivalent of a batter popping out with a runner at first, and not running it out, allowing the fielder to drop it and turn two. No way Mauer doesn't tag the guy. Mauer seems to tag everyone, but maybe he just drops a lot of strikeout balls.

1a. As much as I want to dislike him, Scioscia showed a lot of class afterwards, saying that his team has to play better than to let a "blown call" lose the game.

1b. I was almost homing AJ/Ozuna wouldn't score just to see Buerhle pitch the 10th.

1c. I told E to check out Buerhle's beard, she said it was gross, but then she said, "It's just like yours."

1d. Postgame grilling of the Umps! In Russia, the umps grill you after the game. America! What a Country! Yakov aside, that was odd. I felt a fatherly desire to protect the home plate ump from the nasty journalists.

2. White Sox Postseason record splits:
2-1 without sleeves. Man are those sleeveless unis abominations.
2-0 with sleeves.

3. Can I be the only person who thinks the cream-colored sleeves on the LCS managers' lettermen's jackets is butt-ugly? More props to Scioscia for wearing the hooded sweatshirt instead.

4. I didn't watch the NL game. I wonder what ML player/manager they have in the booth. Lou Pinella's some weird mix of Bowa (who I kindof like) and Kruk (who I don't). The combination of playing for this guy and in Tropicana must truly be unbearable. McCarver looks much better with Pinella in the booth: more stupid, but less anoying voice. But my real hatred is still for Buck. McCarver is the Madden, he's not supposed to be the straight guy.

4a. I still think the best idea would be to let a guy from the home team's base team in the booth. I know that would mean Hawk, but hey, variety would be better than Buck/McCarver forever, and if I hate the local guy, it'll change in the next city.

5. Yeah, I haven't written much lately. More work on the basement and, hey, it's not like the Twins are playing.

Rattling your Closer.

1. Okay, so when you've got your no-offense, pitching-only team into the playoffs the first things you go and do is play a practical joke on your closer and get him "Rattled." Charlie Garner - the manager (!) did this to Brad Lidge over an accidental obscenity in a post-game interview.

1a. Likewise, don't break your ace pitcher's ribs during the division-clinching celebration.

2. So, watching the gamecast at work today, not sure who I feel towards as neither my Twins or my late-season rooting interest Hafners are in it. So who do I find myself rooting for the most? Those damned White Sox. (I am such a traitor.) I know, the ChiSox are our enemy, but they're our enemy. One thing I like about the unbalanced schedule, is you play some teams so damned many times that you get to know them very well. I could probably name more players the Royals called up this year than some big-shot baseball writer on the East Coast. You get to know them and grudgingly respect them. Plus, Pierzynski is on that team, and he's always reminded me of my uncle. Yes, the same team I wanted to choke over the last two weeks is now the team I feel myself wanting to win.

2a. However, watching the recaps on ESPN, maybe i'll change my mind if I have to hear about small-, smart-, or Ozzie-ball for the rest of October. Look, they're a well-rounded team, with excellent pitching, a wide variety of quality hitters, and good fielding.

2b. Do you think that Konerko would mind DHing for the Twins?

3. My real rooting interest is probably the Braves. You grow fond of teams that give you about 60-70 of their games for free per year. I've watched more Braves games than games from any other team that isn't the Twins. (Maybe that's the real reason I want my exiled Twins to end up there, so I can keep tabs on them.)

4. The best thing I have come across so far: Deadspin's live blogging of daytime playoff games. Funny, funny, but you have to read up from the bottom. Here are links to the Cards-Padres game and the ChiSox-BoSox game.

Keeping the Dream Alive

Tonight the rain is falling,
Full of memories of people and places.
And while the past is calling,
In my fantasy I remember their faces.

The hopes we had were much to high;
Way out of reach, but we have to try.
The game will never be over,
Because we're keeping the dream alive.

I hear myself recalling
Things you said to me the night it all started.
And still the rain is falling.
Makes me feel the way I felt when we parted.

The hopes we had were much to high;
Way out of reach, but we have to try.
No need to hide, no need to run,
'Cause all the answers come one by one.
The game will never be over,
Because we're keeping the dream alive.

The game will never be over,
Because we're keeping the dream alive.