Author: Shannon

>What do the managers of winning ballclubs drink?  Are The Rays the reason that The Former Franchise coudln’t be bothered to show up at the All-Star Game?   Joe Maddon’s got some Cabernet Seaver on his desk!

Back in the visitor’s clubhouse at Fenway, Johnson is surrounded by reporters at his locker and Maddon is sitting in his office with a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon from Tom Seaver’s vineyard on his desk. He is talking about numbers, matchups and scouting reports.

Full story here

>Mushnick mentioned that the pregame ceremonies at the final game at Yankee Stadium won’t start until 8, which pushes gametime to 9pm. On a Sunday night. In September.

As I’ve previously mentioned, this means I can’t bring Mets Police Junior. He’s not awake at 9pm never mind the 1am end of game plus a drive home.

This game had been scheduled for 1pm. Why can’t ESPN show it then? Do people not watch sports on fall Sunday afternoons? The Sunday Night Football game will get a better rating anyway, so why torture New Yorkers?

>Looks like The Mets have accepted the Mets Police compromise of bringing The Apple to Citi Field.

The Post reports that even though there will be a new apple, the old one will have a place at the new park.

See Mets, we can meet each other half way on things. Now how about wearing the black only on Sunday?

>The Daily News reports Bob Sheppard has told a friend he won’t make the final game at Yankee Stadium.

That nails 2008 as the bizarro year. One too many in the old park. It would have been more poetic to wrap up with George and Torre and Shep and the playoffs.

Instead 2008 will always be more akin to a year in the place without the ghosts. 4th place, Hank, Girardi, Jim Hall – it’s all imitation Yankees down to the new retrofacade

I’m very sorry to hear Bob won’t make it and I wish him the best of health.

As for the taped Jeter intro – cool idea but it just doesn’t work in real life. Leave that on the south side of 161st with the ghosts.

>Thanks to Suzyn Waldman for pointing this out!

Prior to today’s action, Mike Mussina was 267-152 with a 3.69 ERA and 2793 K’s (over 2800 as I type).

Hall of Famer Jim Palmer 268-152 with a 2.86 ERA and 2212 K’s.

Sterling said Palmer says Mussina was the best pitcher the Orioles ever had.

Moose should make the hall.  There won’t be many more 250+ game winners.