(above, R.F.K. not shown : slug, Rosie Grier)

Rockies 14, Nationals 8

Clearly, that humidor is having no effect on a notorious pitcher’s park. This game took a little more than 3 hours to complete…and it felt like 3 days. The two clubs combined for ten intentional passes, which is kind of astonishing for a contest that featured neither Albert Pujols nor the Sultan Of Surly.

(apparently, all of these gentlemen are Major League baseball players)

The Marlins and Braves combined to feature 12 pitchers tonight in the Fish’s 6-5, 10 inning win. Florida got the D-Train off the hook after erasing a 5-2 deficit, and I have to give Joe Girardi a little bit of credit. His club still looks like they might lose 100 games in ’06, but they’ll do it while fielding a team that has fewer recognizable names than the Ukrainian national soccer squad (and a considerable lower payroll).

Atlanta are now 12 games behind the Mets, who beat the Phillies, 9-3 tonight in a game that featured a lengthy rain delay (and as a result, a short stint from El Duque). Perhaps the Braves will be mathematically elminated in time for some kind of notation on the front cover of the paperback edition of John Schuerholz’ “I’m The Anti-Billy Beane” book. On an evening when New York’s vaunted 3-4-5 of Beltran, Delgado and Wright combined for 6 hits, 6 RBI’s and 3 runs scored, Lastings Milledge (above) managed to steal a bit of the spo light by failing to score from first on a Julio Franco double to the warning track. SNY’s cameras lingered on Willie Randolph (supposedly) chewing out Milledge, followed by the obligatory grumbling from Ron Darling. I think it’s terrific the Mets are able to blame every imaginable violation of baseball ettiquette on one player. Short of changing the station when Al Leiter is trying to listen to Cousin Brucie, is there any atrocity this young renegade isn’t guilty of?

Congratulations to Randy Johnson on a) a highly effective performance in the Yankees’ 6-1 win over Cleveland this evening and b) getting himself tossed for throwing at Eduardo Perez in the 7th inning. The Unit had only thrown 78 pitches until that point and perhaps his overtaxed pals in the bullpen could’ve used a night off.

I’ve heard all the talk about Johnson protecting Jorge Posada — an earlier plunking victim of the Tribe’s Jason Johnson — but if the safety of the Yankee receiver was really the most important thing, Randy should’ve wrapped him in a blanket and carried him home. And who amongst us wouldn’t pay to watch that?

While I do enjoy taking a poke or 2 dozen at the Baltimore Sun’s Roch Kubatko — who seems to think there’s something inherently funny and/or lame about Saudi Arabia and Tunisia playing to a 2-2 draw today (a pretty exciting match if you were actually watching it) — he’s bound to strike gold every few weeks.

Thanks to Paul Blair for calling into ESPN Radio 1300 today as my weekly guest. Like many of us, he still wonders how the Orioles lost the ’69 Series, a subject that’s bound to come up many times with this weekend’s visit to Shea Stadium.


(not shown : Paul Blair)

And like many of us, Blair is convinced that if the’69 Orioles and Mets played 100 times, the Orioles would have won the vast majority of those games. If only the best-of-100 format had been in place back then.