Rex Hudler

Barons lose chance at sweep...... BIRMINGHAM (2) AT CHATTANOOGA (4) BIRMINGHAM AB R H BI CHATTANOOGA AB R H BI D Sandoval 2B 4 1 1 0 S Perez SS 4 0 1 0 J Hamilton LF 2 1 1 1 W Caceres 3B 4 0 0 0 J Reed RF 3 0 1 1 A Beattie 2B 4 0 2 0 G Alvarez 1B 4 0 0 0 D Stenson 1B 4 0 0 0 S Bikowski DH 4 0 1 0 J Chamblee RF 3 2 2 0 C Maldonado C 4 0 1 0 R Correll LF 4 1 1 0 T Nicholson 3B 3 0 0 0 A Diaz CF 4 0 1 0 G Reyes SS 3 0 0 0 G Senjem DH 1 1 1 1 J Piniella PH 1 0 1 0 D Sardinha C 3 0 2 3 C Durham CF 4 0 2 0 TOTALS 32 2 8 2 TOTALS 31 4 10 4 BIRMINGHAM 100 010 000 -- 2 CHATTANOOGA 020 200 00x -- 4 E--S Perez. LOB--BIRMINGHAM 8, CHATTANOOGA 8. 2B--J Chamblee, S Perez, D Sardinha. HR--J Hamilton 1 (6) (off R Mottl). SB--D Sandoval 1 (13), J Chamblee 1 (3). CS--C Durham, J Reed. S--J Hamilton. SF--D Sardinha. IP H R ER BB SO HR BIRMINGHAM N Cotts (L,8-4) 6 8 4 4 2 4 0 S Dunn 2 2 0 0 2 1 0 CHATTANOOGA R Mottl (W,5-4) 7 6 2 2 2 5 1 B Shackelford 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 K Keller (S,1) 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 HBP--J Reed by R Mottl. SO--BIR: G Alvarez 2, J Reed 2, G Reyes, D Sandoval. CAT: S Perez 2, A Beattie, A Diaz, R Correll. BB--BIR: J Hamilton, T Nicholson, D Sandoval. CAT: G Senjem 3, J Chamblee. T--2:42. A--3,303.

Game 1 NORFOLK (5) AT CHARLOTTE (3) NORFOLK AB R H BI CHARLOTTE AB R H BI E Snead CF 4 1 1 0 T Hummel 2B 3 0 0 0 D Garcia 2B 4 0 1 0 R Hankins 3B 4 1 3 1 M Scutaro SS 3 1 3 2 J Burke DH 4 1 1 1 J Toca LF 3 0 0 0 J Borchard CF 3 0 0 0 M Watson RF 4 0 0 0 M Rivera C 4 0 2 1 R Johnson 3B 3 1 1 1 A Rios RF 4 0 1 0 J Depastino C 3 0 0 0 S Morgan 1B 3 0 1 0 M Glavine 1B 3 1 3 1 N Murphy LF 2 0 0 0 J Wilson DH 2 1 0 0 J Nunez SS 3 1 1 0 TOTALS 29 5 9 4 TOTALS 30 3 9 3 NORFOLK 003 110 0-- 5 CHARLOTTE 000 010 2-- 3 E--K Wunsch. LOB--NORFOLK 6, CHARLOTTE 9. 2B--M Rivera, J Nunez, R Hankins. 3B--A Rios. HR--M Scutaro 1 (9) (off C Castillo), M Glavine 1 (2) (off K Wunsch), R Johnson 1 (2) (off C Castillo). SF--M Scutaro. IP H R ER BB SO HR NORFOLK M Bacsik (W,1-6) 5 5 1 1 1 4 0 G Roberts 1 1 0 0 0 2 0 P Strange 2-3 3 2 2 1 0 0 O Moreno (S,7) 1-3 0 0 0 0 0 0 CHARLOTTE D Wright 2 1 0 0 0 1 0 K Wunsch (L,0-1) 1 3 3 2 0 1 1 C Castillo 3 4 2 2 1 1 2 J Rauch 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 HBP--J Wilson by K Wunsch, N Murphy by M Bacsik. SO--NOR: E Snead, J Toca, M Watson, D Garcia. CHA: S Morgan 2, M Rivera, J Burke, T Hummel, A Rios. BB--NOR: J Toca. CHA: T Hummel, J Borchard. T--2:22.

Kip Wells is not too great. Biddle has looked pretty ordinary lately. Foulke was always doing as well as he is now, if not better. Clon's done worse than he should, Loaiza much better, it's more or less a wash. Kip Wells hasn't been bad at all. He has a 3.76 ERA and has only given up 90 hits in 105.1 IP. His walk and strikeout rates aren't great, but they aren't bad either.

That was back when the Sox bats were left in Birmingham, right?

My guess is that if Texas takes either Diaz or Pacheco, then Honel would likely be next in line to move up. If they don't, then you may see a lot of upward shuffling in Class A.

Keep in mind that Beane does everything based on odds. It is kinda like always playing blackjack in a casino instead of slots. Your winnings (results) will be more consistent in black jack, however sometimes you will hit the jackpot in slots. Teams that are willing to gamble a little more will go for a HS player with a huge upside, knowing that their overall odds for that player making the Majors, based on the long run, aren't as good for him as the college player.

If Bonds didn't WANT to take part in the HR Derby, he could have been honest and said that, and not insinuated that his father's health was the reason. I'll never try to defend Bonds mouth, but I think we are getting two separate instances mixed up here. If I am wrong, please correct me. Bonds never used his father's illness as an excuse or reason why he didn't want to be in the HR Derby. He simply said he didn't want to. Bonds (or someone speaking for him) had hinted earlier that he might not play in the All-Star Game at all because of the illness. But when it came down to it, he played (which must mean Bobby is doing much better, which is good). I think the two issues are separate. The only quotes I saw relating to the HR Derby were something to the effect of "I don't want to. I am adult and I don't have to do anything I don't want".

I don't have a problem with Bonds not wanting to be involved in the HR Derby. I think it would be better for baseball if he did, however. The problem with Bonds is how he says things. He could say Happy Birthday to you and make it sound like he is saying f*** you. Just like the comments about Babe Ruth. Whether he meant it to come across cocky or funny doesn't matter, it could only come across one way.

So give me some reasons Sox fans have given those players to think they are not the worst fans.... From an outsiders perspective, Sox fans haven't given people much reason to think anything but negatively towards them.

Rex, I am with what I think you are saying here. Booing the cubs, one thing. Same even with the Yankees, twinkies, and royals (this year). I thought the rest of the booing was totally classless. But then again I am not 16 years old. However I am proud that my 8 year old grandson showed a lot more class than some of the fans. I am not going to get into it any deeper. I wanted to know why someone would boo so I asked. Personally, I would never do it. To each their own, I guess. People can read into that how they want.

Gload is 2-3 witha double, single, run scored and rbi so far...

Ichiro Manny Ramirez Maggs Bernie Williams Johnny Damon Torii Hunter Hideki Matsui Vernon Wells Carlos Beltran Jacque Jones Juan Gonzalez Carl Everett Carl Crawford Rocco Baldelli Dmitri Young I know this is a stretch, but some people could have chosen others in front of him before the last 3 days. The fact that he is not known by the masses makes him underrated in my mind. He has gotten better and better and if you aren't playing that close attention, you might not have known how well he was really doing. I agree with you Jim, that he is a great player and is definitely a top 10 OF. But the number of people who know baseball really well, isn't as great as you think. Not compared to the masses of casual fans out there.

All I have heard is that he will consider going to an American League team that is in contention and plays on grass.

You are correct. However, some guys take longer to put it all together than others. See Curt Schilling.. See Randy Johnson... Cruz' upside is tremendous. With guys like him, there are no guarantees the potential will ever be reached. But, if it is, you certainly want the guy on your side.

I was referring to last night's game specifically and am not getting worked up. I just don't get it.

hey, if you dont like a guy, even if he is an all-star, and you bought a ticket, its ok to boo if you wish. player hating is one of the oldest traditions in baseball besides, f*** that asshole berman.... what he said still pisses me off No one said you didn't have a right to boo. I am just asking what it accomplishes. Does it make you feel better? Make you feel big? I just can't comprehend why you would boo someone.

That was short-lived, because it isn't anywhere near a feature story on it right now. It was merely one of about 8 stories on the All-Star Game. No big deal.

Before this weekend...... How many people would list Garrett Anderson in the Top 5 AL outfielders? Top 10? He goes about his business quietly without much fanfare. I think you can definitely say he is underated.

So booing their own makes all of the other booing okay? I will ask again, what is gained by booing players? Especially in an all-star game. It's not like they aren't trying to beat your team in the World Series.

You make it sound so glamorous! LOL

the rest...loiaza sucks.. Way to go baggs! LOL

Perhaps because their whole pitching staff has been getting pounded other than McCarthy and he is still only going 6 innings. One they probably needed some innings from him because the bullpen was worn out and/or two, they probably wanted to see what he was made of. Sometimes you gotta leave a guy out there and see how he reacts and handles himself.

That's exactly the point. The players have always played hard in All-Star games. The last thing they want to do is embarass themselves on a national stage. The thing that needed to be changed were the way the game is managed and the players expectations of how many innings they were or were not going to play. The "home field advantage" seems to have accomplished just that, however it was not necessary. There were other ways to fix the problem.

Good work, Scoop!

I am not sure of all the details. Perhaps MSF can probably expand on this. My understanding is that it is more of a chronic problem that can't be fixed. MSF, where are you when I need you??