A Weekend Roundup

First - a major HT to BobG at Sweet Spirits of Ammonia:



Next - JG at Now for Something Different points out that Squeaker of the Mouse Nancy Pelosi broke the law - big time! (But she's a Democrat, so the MSM didn't feel it necessary to point it out, nor will she be charged for it):



And Tony at Opinionnation offers up a perfect cartoon response to Tony Blair's reaction to having his own troops kidnapped in what normal countries would consider an act of war:



And finally - Hope Springs Eternal:

Philly captures first win

Phillies rout Marlins behind Moyer
Philadelphia captures first win as Rollins, Burrell homer

MIAMI -- Toward the end of Spring Training, the Phillies began tinkering with Pat Burrell's stance. They wanted him to put more weight on his back foot and they asked him to bend slightly so he could better hit a pitch thrown close to his body. It remains, as they say, a work in progress, but Friday night, Burrell helped decide a game with his new approach.

Pat Burrell drove in four runs, three of them with a seventh-inning home run, as the Phillies routed the Marlins at Dolphin Stadium, 8-2, for their first victory of the season.

Burrell scored a run with his two-out, third-inning single, then helped turn the game into a rout with a three-run homer against Marlins reliever Ricky Nolasco, in this home opener for Florida before 40,397.

(snip)

Burrell said he used to put plenty of weight on his back foot at the plate -- that is, until he hurt the leg last season. That got him into a bad habit. With no back leg anchor, his batting average dropped to .258, though he was able to hit 29 home runs.

Manager Charlie Manuel, who encouraged the stance change, believes Burrell can be more productive. Manuel said, "He's capable of hitting 40 home runs, and capable of hitting 30 every year."

(snip)

Jamie Moyer gained the victory. The 44-year-old left-hander lasted 6 2/3 innings, giving up seven hits and two runs. Of his 93 pitches, 59 were strikes. Antonio Alfonseca helped him out of a two-runner situation in the seventh inning.

"I didn't think I threw the ball well," Moyer said. "I wasn't sharp with the ball. It wasn't a battle, but it was one of those nights where I was in between with everything."

With the Phillies ahead, 5-2, in the fifth, Moyer faced his biggest challenge. The Marlins opened the inning with singles by Miguel Oliva and Alejandro De Aza. But then Moyer induced popups from pinch-hitter Aaron Boone and leadoff hitter Hanley Ramirez -- who earlier had homered off him -- and then finished off the Marlins hopes by getting Dan Uggla on another popup.

With runners on first and third and no outs, Moyer said he was thinking that he didn't want to give in to the next hitter, but he wanted an out. He was really looking for a ground ball and a possible double play.

He got a popup.

"Now I need a ground ball, so maybe I can sneak out of the inning," he said.

He got another popup.

"Well, all right, it's time to get a little greedy," he said he was thinking at the time. "Make good pitches."

Though the final out came on yet another popup, Moyer said the important thing is that he had a plan. "You try to manage what you're doing," he said.

In the seventh, Moyer again was in trouble, walking the first two hitters. Then De Aza hit a sinking liner to left field that Burrell somehow caught. "That catch was definitely one of the turning points," Manuel said.

Manuel thinks it's a treat to watch Moyer pitch.

"He amazes me," Manuel said. "Seeing him work, he has more patience than the hitter does. He gets the hitter antsy and all off a sudden [the batter is] popping up or something. He'll come up with some stuff."

Moyer will sometimes try to test a hitter or a runner's patience by attempting a number of pickoff throws. He used seven in the pressure-filled seventh

"I try to feed off the hitter's aggression, regardless of the situation, whether there's nobody on or the bases are loaded," he said.

As a result, the Phillies now have something to build on. "I knew we were going to win sooner or later," Moyer said, smiling.


And finally - a Happy Easter to all ( and for all you Hebrew Hammers out there - Happy Passover, too!)