Bronx Cheer

The Yankees and the A's are playing a great on in Yankee Stadium. The score is 2-2 at the end of 11. Bernie Williams just ended the inning by getting tagged out by more than a step trying to steal second, of course just after the commentator said that Greg Myer was not a great defensive catcher and that Bernie should go. No one scored until the A's went up 2-0 in the top of the eighth. The Yanks tied it up in the bottom of that inning, and that's how it has stood since.

There's one thing that rankles me though. The A's held off on using Billy Koch, their closer, until the 11th. The pulled starter Tim Hudson after seven shutout innings and put in the Chad Bradford, who allowed the tying runs. Bradford is a fine pitcher, but if you have a closer why do you not use him at this point? I know that the thinking was that there were two innings left and your closer typically goes one, so why not let your short guy picth an inning to set Koch up. They didn't want to us Koch for two innings in the 8th and 9th innings but no they are using him in the 11th and 12th. Managers are so stuck up on that closer role.

Bonds-age

I love records. I am not old enough to have seen anyone hit 600 home runs. Bonds will only be the fourth man to do it. Bonds is just one away, and I'm excited. But it's incidental to the game. Players should play the game and let the records take care of themselves (Bob Brenley be damned). Fans should applaud when a record falls. They shouldn't take photographs in the stands on each swing that Bonds takes. And they shouldn't boo when he doesn't homer. Especially at home.

Tonight in the bottom of the first, Bonds took a 2-1 pitch and hit a grounder up the middle for a single (somehow that Jack Wilson got a glove on the ball and almost made a close play of it--that guy is fun to watch). When the ball left the bat an apparent solid hit--but not a home run--the San Francisco crowd booed! The man is representing your city. He's trying to get your team into the playoffs. And he just got a hit. Treat him with respect. And the fans say that the players today have no loyalty.