TWIB

I used to love watching This Week in Baseball when I was growing up. I love hearing Mel Allen as he went through the show.

One of the token things I always look for during the season is the batting Triple Crown: lead the league in average, homers and ribbies.

Currently, one player from each league has a shot.

In the AL, Josh Hamilton is tied for second in BA (.333 [only .005 behind leader]), second in round trippers (12 [2 behind]) and first in RBI (53 [10 ahead]).

In the NL, Lance "Men at" Berkman is second in BA (.385 [-.032]), tied for first in homers (16) and first in RBI (46 [+3]).

This is only the second year in The Show for Hamilton, so I don't see him sustaining his pace, although he wasn't that shabby last year. He's a lefty, so he'll definitely get the opportunity against a lot of righties to pad those stats, especially since the Rangers aren't exactly a murderer's row. The main question is, will he get enough plate appearances?

Oddly enough, the top two men in average in the NL are switch-hitters. An article a week or so ago about Chipper Jones mentioned how hard it is for him because he has to practice two different swings. Berkman plays at HomeRun Park, so that'll help him a bit. His stats tell us that he's on pace with his 2002 and 2006 campaigns, which were his best years for average, homers and ribbies. He's more patient at the plate this year and he's an every-day player. The question though, is will his average hold up? He's a career .304 hitter. Those '02 and '06 seasons gave us .331 and .315. Plus, he's got Albert Pujols lying in wait for him. Sir Albert is a lifetime .332 hitter and his average, homers and RBI are all higher than Berkman.

One thing these guys can't control, however, is those RBI. They're kinda danged if they do, danged if they don't if the men in front of them get on base. They're likely to see better pitches with nobody on.

It'll be an exciting race to watch.

To be continued...

Grey's Anatomy

So, the season is over. What are we to expect from next season?

Meredith goes into bankruptcy after spending $2000 on candles and glasses for their future house because she can't afford medical care after winds whip up the flames and give her third degree burns over 90% of her body.

Derek gets hurt in an accident on his way to tell Rose that he's going back to Meredith and is in a coma for four weeks. He and Mer are put in the same room. Yang and Rose become best friends as they spend most of their time caring for the two invalids.

The girl that lived through the trial will be pregnant and her parents will sue Seattle Grace, Derek & Meredith. Her child will be a boy and she'll name it after her dead boyfriend with Derek as his middle name.

Meredith (and Derek in absentia) will be suspended for doing the extra attempt even though it worked. The chief will also be suspended for it being at his hospital.

George will retake his intern test, but fail again by one point because he is so disturbed by the new romance between Callie & Hahn. He will then become a manny for Bailey's boy so that her husband can go back to work. Several weeks later, a scoring error will be revealed from the first test, but George decides to stay a manny, saying he has found peace and enlightenment.

Tune in this fall to see what predictions come true.

CMAs

Me and the missus were watching the awards show tonight and two artists threw their guitars off-stage. Now, did they have to go hire a "hands team" to field the guitars, or is it someone from their crew they tour with whose responsibility is to catch the Fender? How much does that person get paid? If you drop one do you get fired? Or do you practice? If so, how many hours of practice do you go through? Do they have guitar crash-test dummies? Do you get your wages garnished if you drop one or break a string?

George Strait. Still going strong after all these years. To give some perspective on how many years that is, he was my big sister's heartthrob back in the day. Him and Joe Montana.

Why did Tony Romo dump Carrie Underwood for Jessica Simpson? That's like a new junior partner in a huge law firm being offered a Bentley as a signing bonus and saying "Do you have a used car I could lease?" Because everybody knows, if you got Jess, you get Joe too. *shudder*

And The Answer Is...

Yes, I can walk today. The only thing I feel is my right shoulder clicking a little bit.

Old Man Haiku

I know, I know. I'm not officially old yet. That'll happen in October.

Nevertheless, I submit the following poem:

Haven't played hoops in
ten years. Will I be able
to walk tomorrow?