Nationals 3, Yankees 2

(cake, ice-cream and sparklers at John Wetteland’s place after the game!)

Can’t Mariano Rivera have a day off without everyone making a big deal out of it? Grady Little was just on the phone — he’d have left Wang in the game, too, for whatever it’s worth.

In the College World Series, George Tech sophmore righty Matt Wieters is attempting to complete an unlikely double against Cal State Fullerton; having started the game catching, Wieters is trying to earn the save after having given Tech a 5-4 lead with a solo HR in the 7th inning.

(UPDATE : Never mind. Wieters was victimized by a Cory Vanderhook chopper with the bases loaded and two out that neither Michael Fisher nor Mike Trapani could up with. 2 runs scored and one at bat later, the gimpy Jeff Kindel couldn’t run down a shallow fly ball by the Titans’ Brandon Tripp. Cal State Fullerton are up, 7-5.)

Mark Prior’s line today against Detroit : 3.2 IP, 88 pitches, 7 hits, 8 runs, 4 home runs allowed, 1 walk, 2 K’s. Conversely, the incredibly well-mannered Kenny Rogers gave up little more than solo HR’s to Henry Blanco and Aramis Ramirez in Detroit’s 12-3 victory. In light of the Gambler being the most obvious choice to start for the AL in the upcoming Midsummer Classic, surely it is time for mini-cam crews to begin stalking him, 24/7.

Milwaukee’s Carlos Lee just hit a 9th inning 3-run HR to break a 3-3 tie with the Indians, his 23rd longball of the year. With all due respect to David Wright and all the 12 year girls holding up signs asking him to marry them (shame on you, Comcast TV), as long as Albert Pujols is on the shelf and the Brewers remain within shouting distance of the NL Wild Card, Lee has to be considered a bona fide MVP candidate.

Bad enough that Albert Pujols’ personal trainer is outed by Cards Fan Numero Uno and the wholesale denials aren’t swallowed wholeheartedly. Will Carroll still insists on making judgements based on facts, and in lieu of facts, trying to collect more.

Pujols request to be tested reeks of Barry Bonds’ 2002 assertion that he would be willing to take a test. I contacted Bonds’ agent and the Giants at that time, offering to pay for the test and to give the results only to Bonds and the team. According to “Game of Shadows,” that would have been a really bad idea for Bonds. Bonds could make the assertion because he knew that the MLBPA would never, ever allow that to happen. The same is true here; the testing program is in place and outside of that, it would be a grievous day before the PA would allow extra testing.

We’re left with more questions than answers, but no one seems to be asking the right questions. Do drugs make the users stupid or are we equally guilty in not demanding answers. Over and over, writers who missed the steroid usage of the nineties are saying that they’ll ask those questions this time. Jeff Pearlman said in Slate that he’d ask it of anyone, doubting first. Joe Posnanski doesn’t want to be a cynic and will trust.

Guys, there’s a happy medium here. It’s called information. I wouldn’t walk up to Albert Pujols and hand him a cup. I’d ask about his workout program, his supplements and his maternal grandfather. I’d ask Sweeney that if he feels steroids are against his religion, why didn’t he act against the colleague that offered him steroids?

I’d ask Chris Mihlfeld, a man who’s commitment is described as “total” where it stops. How does a total commitment stop short of supplementation and even performance-enhancement, or is it mere semantics? I’d ask him who he worked with when he was with the Dodgers and the Royals.

Information is the power and currency of the information age. The question is if we have the intelligence and courage to ask the right questions.