I got the call from the bullpen earlier this week. Nomar Stalker came through with Orioles tickets for last night's Tribe game. His Dad's company has moved from Club Seats to tickets a few rows behind the Indians dugout. He knew I was trolling for cheap tickets sometime this week, so "F-R-E-E, that spells Free" came through for me and my Dad. Uniquely, a "Clash of the Titans" affair. Baltimore now with 40 wins (8 in their last 10 games) and the Indians remained at 47.

What did I take away from the game? Well, the Indians are in a rut. Their starting pitching has gone south. Last night was another game where the starter, this time Josh Tomlin, only went 5 innings. He gave up 10 hits and thankfully only walked one. Otherwise, the O's would have scored more than 3 off of him.

The Orioles had fantastic defense in this game, robbing the Indians of a few hits early. So much so, the Tribe only had two hits. A Valbuena single in the 5th and a Cabrera single in the 9th. This off a pitcher, Brad Bergesen, with an ERA over 6 and a non-winner since May 11. Really ugly, as Bergesen had an easy 6th through 8th innings, only having to toss 7 pitches, then 7, then 8 in those 3 innings.

They announced the attendance at 11,555. Probably accurate. But there was no atmosphere. How could there be when the final three in the lineup were Valbuena, Nix and Chris Gimenez. I need to hear an explanation on why Gimenez is still on this club. I don't think they could do it with a straight face.

I must say, the Indians do have a video that packages highlights from their history. They didn't even ignore Albert Belle, so that tells you something. It may have been one of the better videos they've produced. Shown late in the game, ostensibly to fire everyone up. Unfortunately, I think it depresses the hell out of those in attendance.

As we see that cavalcade of stars in the video, we naturally overvalue our present players. Shin-Soo Choo comes to mind. Don't get me wrong, he's a good player. I like him a lot. But let's not start elevating him beyond that.

For example, I used to call him the Asian Trot Nixon. Well, Trot had a three-year stretch in the early oughts where he averaged 26 HR and 90 RBI. But let's face it, he took a backseat to much better players on that squad, and was a cadaver by the time he arrived here.

So, let's compare Choo with Luke Scott (former Tribe farmhand) of the Orioles:

Shin-Soo Choo, 14 HR, 55 RBI, .291 BA, .386 OBP, .861 OPS

Luke Scott, 21 HR, 52 RBI, .293 BA, .353 OBP, .929 OPS

So, when we start talking about Choo at an All-Star level, keep in mind, he's barely our own Luke Scott.

The highlight for me was avoiding hot dogs at the game and getting some at Steve's Diner in Brooklyn after dropping my Dad off. Clean, no one there, got my dogs to go, it started raining. They tasted good, just like on Lorain.

Meal of Links

What happened to Yahoo?

After work today: Mow lawn or grill chicken? I decided to grill chicken. I used thighs and it was good stuff.

Look who dominated the DVD charts this week. "Kick-Ass"!

I've mentioned pot and Canada before. US legalization could cause a recession in Canada. With a picture of a guy smoking a "Bob Marley Joint".

I have a couple of favorite songs this summer. One is "Holiday Road" by The Dahlmanns. Yes, that's a cover of the old Lindsey Buckingham song from "Vacation". I can't thing of an easier sing-along while tooling around town. Then there is another cover.

This one by the Hotrats. Actually this came out earlier this year and somehow recently I stumbled upon them. This band was formed out of Supergrass. They have several covers including "Pump It Up", "Love Is The Drug" and "E.M.I" and an oddly haunting take on the Beasties" "Fight For Your Right". But they also perform a nifty version of Bowie's "Queen Bitch", of which I wish I had better sound.

"Holiday Road"/The Dahlmanns



"Queen Bitch"/The Hotrats



Exercise Yard

Who is advising these hoopsters? Chris Bosh admits he liked playing with people's emotions.

Visitor

2 Down: "Chocolat" actress (4 letters) Answer: Olin