6-4-2 — an Angels/Dodgers double play blog: Pickoff Moves

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Friday, March 10, 2006

Pickoff Moves

Dodgers, Heal Thyselves

An team made up largely of oldsters, injury-prone? Perish the thought! Kenny Lofton got hit by a pitch -- on the left knee! -- in yesterday's Grapefruit League action, Jayson Werth is still recovering from his injuries last year, Eric Gagné, Rafael Furcal, and Jeff Kent all getting a late start because of recovery, and on and on. The Dodgers might hope to avoid the injury bug, but it's tough to do when it's a built-in feature.

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Cubano fan at the WBC tells Fidel where he can go using a sign saying Abajo Fidel (Down with Fidel) in a country where he has a decent chance of escaping the wardens loose on that island jail. The sign, of course, was broadcast all over Cuban TV. One hopes Castro will kick the bucket some time soon.

Update: an earlier version of this summary said it was a Cuban player holding the sign. I apologize for the error.

"I Haven't Shot Anyone Yet": Angels 6, Giants 5

The idiot questions continue to dog Barry Bonds, who is actually starting to get my sympathy in this hailstorm of stupidity surrounding the publication of lengthy excerpts from Game of Shadows. Rightfully, Bonds says, "I haven't shot anyone yet", an observation that comes back directly to the question of just who's being hurt here by Bonds' alleged use of steroids. Is it Bonds himself? We don't know, but the Carrie Nations of baseball have decided they do, and like that hatchet-wielding halfwit, they've aimed their meataxes in his direction. I have no sympathy for them and their small-minded crusade; that they pick on Bonds, ironically, indicates the weakness of their argument. They allege that steroid use is widespread in baseball, but by choosing the biggest and most visible player alleged to have used steroids, if indeed it is widespread, it also shows just how few players 'roids actually are working for -- if any.

Back at the game. Matt Morris was what the Giants ordered, a mediocre righty veteran sans anything remotely overpowering -- an "innings eater". And, the Angels ate him up, four of their six runs coming from the rusty (or just not real good) starter. Hector Carrasco managed to strike out Bonds on a high inside fastball, which probably says more about Bonds' rust than Carrasco's ability as a pitcher. Though the Giants came back -- partly due to a home run by former Angel Steve Finley -- Kendry Morales came through in the ninth with a walkoff solo homer to win the thing. Hoo-rah.

Recap