No, this can't be! No way! PITTSBURGH?!

I went to take a look at the MLB standings and had to clean the screen after the spittake when I saw this:

PITTSBURGH IS IN 1ST PLACE!

I had to check the calendar, yes this is July, not January 19th, there were no white lines around me when I woke up, and my name wasn't in the obituaries. I am not making this up! Click on the graphic and it will bring you to MLB.com Standings for July 19, 2011.

Wow. The 1st ball game I ever went to was at old Forbes Field, so I've had a soft spot for the Pirates ever since. Them and the Giants, too. That makes both of my favorite NL teams in 1st place, and of course my favorite AL and MLB team is in 1st place.

But Pittsburgh? Really?!

Anyone still up? 16 innings later...

30 ZEROs went up on the scoreboard before a run scored. Both starting pitchers, Beckett for the Red Sox and Niemann for the Rays pitched 8 brilliant innings. Josh Beckett gave up a single in the 2nd inning and the proceeded to sit down the next 20-something batters. The bullpen was equally as impressive giving up only 2 hits and 1 walk in the next 8 innings.

In the top of the 16th inning, Dustin Pedroia rang up his 3rd hit of the game (in a game with only 8 hits total) and knocked in Josh Reddick for the 1st and only run of the game.

Aceves pitched 3 scoreless and got the win. Iron Man Award goes to Jason Varitek for catching all 16 innings. 

Red Sox 1 Rays 0 BOX SCORE

"This used to be a family show!"

A big shout of thanks to Ian at Sox & Dawgs for posting this video of a man getting a handful of something that should ought not be seen on a family show. DO and Jerry lose it mid-game laughing uncontrollably like a couple of boobs over the next few minutes. They finally had to send it to Heidi after blurting out, "This used to be a family show!"

Original Video - More videos at TinyPic


Not quite NSFW, but may depending upon where you work.

Be careful when reaching for that foul ball

A Texas Rangers fan plunged 20' yesterday after reaching for a ball that was thrown into the stands by Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton after a foul ball hit by Oakland A Conor Jackson in the 2nd inning of that game had ricocheted into left field. Hamilton picked up the ball and tossed it into the stands. Local firefighter Shannon Stone, who was sitting in the front row of his section, reached over the railing and caught the ball before losing his balance and falling 20' to the concrete floor behind the scoreboard. After he landed, he repeatedly asked those around him to check on his young son, who had witnessed the fall. He died less than an hour later. Be warned that the following videos may be difficult for some to watch.

Additional video, click here.

I have been questioning for some time now how many balls are used in a ball game and the cost of all those balls. I believe that all MLB baseballs should remain property of MLB as long as they deem it, including any high profile or record breaking home run balls hit out of the stadium. (This would alleviate ugly litigation that frequently occurs over ownership of such balls.) Routine home runs and foul balls could remain property of the fan who catches it once MLB releases their ownership.

I remember when the player who caught the inning ending ball would drop it on the mound for the next pitcher. Any balls remaining on the playing field should remain property of MLB and used for batting practice, rather than having players toss them into the stands. This would also reduce the chances of such critical and fatal fan falls, and also reduce team's operating costs (albeit a small percentage of those costs.) I also understand that this practice adds to fans in attendance enjoyment of that game, but at what cost? I imagine that Stone's family might file a wrongful death suit against the Texas Rangers, Oakland A's, MLB, and quite possibly the manufacturer of the ball. Had that ball not been thrown into the stands by a player, as opposed to a ball being hit into the stands, Stone would not have fallen to his death.

Red Sox go ballistic on Astros

The Red Sox sent the Astros to the moon tonight behind a 13 hit, 10 run fireworks display just in time for the holiday. They started strong behind a 3 run 1st inning on 3 singles and 2 walks before registering their 1st out. Salty hit into a fielder's choice driving in the 3rd run of the inning. Miller pitched a strong 6 innings allowing only 2 runs on 7 hits and 2 walks while striking out 3 Astros. His record now stands at 2-0, with a 3.06 ERA. At the end of 6 innings, the score stood at 4-2, favor Red Sox. They opened it up big time with a 4 run 8th inning when Darnell McDonald bought some time for himself when he sent a rocket into deep left field and over the wall. He's still way below the Mendoza line however (.125), lower than even Mike Cameron. We'll see what fate holds in store for him.

Gonzo continued on his holy reign of terror hitting his AL leading 27th double, 1 of his 3 hits on the night, raising his batting average to .353, also leading the AL. His 74 RBIs also leads the league. His HR total is lacking, though. His 16 HRs trails Toronto's Bautista by 10 HRs. He'll have to start flexing those muscles if he wants to be the 1st Triple Crown winner since Carl Yastrzemski won it in 1967. That is no complaint, however. The Sox are getting a most excellent return on their investment.

Yamaico Navarro entered the game when Youk got lost in the NL's pitcher's pinch hitter shuffle. He proceeded to hit his 1st Major League home run in his 1st at bat of this season in the 7th inning. His line now stands at an AL leading 1.000/1.000/4.000/5.000.

A few interesting Red Sox AL's top lines:

Player's name      BA        OBP          SLG       OPS
Navarro               1.000     1.000        4.000      5.000
Reddick                .452       .490          .714      1.204
Gonzalez              .353       .407          .593      1.000
Lackey                  .333      .333           .667     1.000
Ortiz                    .302      .383           .565       .948        

(Gonzo and Papi are the only 2 with enough ABs, but you knew that.)

Red Sox 10, Astros 4 BOX SCORE

All in the family

Outfielder Darnell McDonald, who did not start Sunday's game but entered the game in the 2nd inning, is the cousin of Pirate's Sunday starting pitcher James McDonald. The two had never faced each other before today.

So who won today's familial face-off? It was a draw. James struck out Darnell swinging to end the 3rd inning with 2 men on. In the 6th inning Darnell reached on a throwing error by James, (but was caught stealing 3 batters later to end the inning.)