The Site

Lately I’ve been searching the web for blogs and sites of interest to get ideas for Sour Grapes. I’ve even added a site meter, which gives me some information about how many people actually look at this site. The answer is a little depressing, but interesting nonetheless.

One of these days I’m going to obtain my own domain and move the blog away from blogspot, a wonderful site with one real great redeeming value: it’s free. I don’t know if I’ll ever get away from blogger software, which is pretty easy to use (Kenny 9 can confirm this), but is somewhat limiting in a design sense. Unfortnately Time Warner owns “sourgrapes.com”, which they are using for absolutely nothing. So although I like my blog name and plan to keep it, I have to come up with a domain name for the site. I’m working on it.

I’ve added some site links today in the sidebar. “A Cunning Trap” is not in the least baseball related. It is the new, inconsistently written but consistently well-written blog of Rob Morse, a former columnist for the Ex and Chron. What I like about it is Rob is kind of a low-level celebrity now retired into non-celebrity status, who is doing this, like me, for fun. He is also, like me, working through what he wants his site to be for himself and his readers, to the extent that either of us have any readers.

I am reminded of something the Cool man, another professional writer, wrote to me last year, that publishing this kind of work is truly an act of ego. I don’t know if what I write has any value beyond a few inside jokes, but if I didn’t think so, I don’t think I could keep it up. Rob got his thoughts published 4x per week for many years, and actually got paid for it. Go check out his free stuff.

A link I did not add to the sidebar, but provide a link here, is GlennDickey.com. You all remember Glenn Dickey, right. He was the pompous sports columnist for the Chron for decades who was always right in his mind, and usually right for real. He continues to write a daily column for which he does not, apparently, get paid. I guess I’m glad he’s still alive and kicking. He once published something I sent him about Jose Canseco.

Since I’m not writing at this moment about baseball, let me add a note about Barbaro.

It’s not clear to me if it is humane to keep that horse alive or humane to put the horse down after his stunning breakdown in the Preakness Saturday. It is clear that the primary reason for keeping the horse alive at this time is money.

It certainly is a shame to see such a promising horse crash and burn, but it confirms once again, how incredibly difficult it is to win the Triple Crown.

I saw the last one live at Belmont Park 28 years ago along with my wife and my college buddies. We had also seen Secretariat do it in 1973, so it didn’t seem so special beyond that incredible nose to nose race between Affirmed and Alydar.

They are all gone now (the horses, not my college buds), and in the interim although a number have come close, we can still say we saw the last one. I always root against a Triple Crown, except a couple of years ago when that great gelding, Funny Cide, gave it a try.


OK, just a little baseball.

Interleague…too many box scores.

Here’s an interesting one: Scott Kazmir won yesterday for Tampa, pitching 4 hit ball over 8 shutout innings to raise his record to 7-2. He sports a 2.39 ERA. He was one hot prospect when he was in the NL last year. Tyler Walker wrapped it up with a 1-2-3 ninth for his 8th save. Everyone in BABI could have had him before the Giants dumped him. It now looks like they dumped him too soon, but it might be that he just needed a change of scenery. The DRays beat Dontrelle yesterday, who went the whole way and while losing, at least didn’t suck.

Al Pujols, 22 homers and 54 RBI’s in 44 games. We’re 3 games past one quarter of the season. Those numbers seem unsustainable, but good for him.

Bruce Chen…there’s an NL name from the past. He got beat to a pulp, apparently again yesterday, bringing his record to 0-5 and his ERA to 8.08. He did get a hit, and maintains his 1.000 batting average.

Chan Ho Ho Ho. Ten earned runs. It doesn’t matter how many innings you pitched when you give up ten earned runs. Nasty.

We’ve been dying with Brady Clark all season, but he’s finally gotten hot, raising his average to .264 with another couple of hits yesterday. The best news: he led off for the Brewskies. It’s definitely easier to hit in the #1 spot than the #8 spot.

Pierzynski hit one out yesterday to dead centerfield. He’s batting .344 right now. How did he stink so bad with the Giants? He sure can take a punch, and I hope he gets to prove it often in the future.

The A’s are in first in the AL West with a worse record than the NL West last place Giants. What the hell happened to the Angels, 17-27? Don’t they have one of those $150 million payrolls?

Adrian Beltre, .206. That was some contract year he had in 2004.

The last book I read in a foreign language was “Waiting for Godot” in my college French class. Reading it in French didn’t make it a better literary experience. Anyway, that’s how I feel waiting for Mark Prior to return. Of course, looking forward to any pitcher returning from the deep DL is precarious. As they say, be careful what you wish for, you might get it.