It Must Be Dumbass Day!

Pie in the Face Leads to Disabled List
Florida Marlins outfielder Chris Coghlan injured while celebrating

It's always funny till somebody gets hurt—and that goes for professional baseball players hitting teammates in the face with shaving cream pies while they're giving postgame interviews. Chris Coghlan of the Florida Marlins is on the 15-day disabled list and may need knee surgery thanks to a pie-ing that went awry after Sunday's game, USA Today reports.

Wes Helms' game-winning RBI in the bottom of the 11th set off the celebration. "It happened as I was going to pie Wes in the face and when I jumped I landed on my knee wrong," Coghlan, last season's NL rookie of the year, told the Palm Beach Post. Manager Edwin Rodriguez has belatedly banned the pie ritual.

Pastor Plans 'Burn a Koran Day'—September 11
Anti-Islam Florida church also vehemently anti-gay

A Florida pastor whose Bible is apparently missing the page that explains the Golden Rule has big plans for the ninth anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks—his church will play host to "International Burn a Koran Day." The Dove World Outreach Center, which is known for the "Islam Is of the Devil" sign on its lawn in Gainesville, says Islam is "a violent and oppressive religion," Kyle Munzenrieder blogs for Miami New Times.

The pastor, Terry Jones, tells Religion News Service supporters have been mailing copies of the Koran to the church. Jones and his congregation have vehemently protested the election of a gay man as mayor of Gainesville, notes Edge Boston. They plan another event, for next month, cleverly named "No Homo Mayor." Asks Munzenrieder: "The Westboro Baptist Church currently holds the title of most insane thing purporting to be a Christian church in America, but could a small congregation of horribly misguided Christians in central Florida soon be taking their place?" For more on Westboro Baptist's recent escapades, click here.

Gentle readers: before you comment, know this: I'm no fan of Islamofascism, but it isn't the book that creates the hate, it's the hateful interpreter that twists the words to to justify the means.

There's No Dying in Baseball!

Oops,....

Yankees Owner George Steinbrenner Dies at 80

NEW YORK -- George Steinbrenner, who rebuilt the New York Yankees into a sports empire with a mix of bluster and big bucks that polarized fans all across America, died Tuesday. He had just celebrated his 80th birthday July 4.

Steinbrenner had a heart attack, was taken to St. Joseph's Hospital in Tampa, Fla., and died at about 6:30 a.m, a person close to the owner told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the team had not disclosed those details.

His death was the second in three days to rock the Yankees. Bob Sheppard, the team's revered public address announcer from 1951-07, died Sunday at 99.

For more than 30 years, Steinbrenner lived up to his billing as "the Boss," a nickname he earned and clearly enjoyed as he ruled with an iron fist. While he lived in Tampa he was a staple on the front pages of New York newspapers.

Why Not Everyone is Cut Out for Major League Baseball

Baseball Fan Falls From Upper Deck
Man tries too hard to catch a foul at Rangers game

A Rangers-Indians game ground to a terrifying halt in Texas last night when a man flipped over the upper deck railing and plunged 30 feet to the seating area below. The fan was sitting in the front row, and reached out too far trying to catch a foul ball, witnesses tell MLB.com. He was still conscious when carried off on a stretcher, and is currently in the hospital. Four other people sustained minor injuries.

“Crazy. I looked up and saw him start to come down,” said left fielder Trevor Crowe. “He hit the luxury box, and then came down. It was the one of the scariest things I've ever seen.” The incident delayed the game 16 minutes. “We were going to wait as long as we possibly needed,” says team president Nolan Ryan, who added that the fall was a freak accident, and not a result of a railing malfunction.

Not to make light of this incident, but if you're going to go all out, do it right and make it count! Right, Aaron Rowand?

5 Moves to Building the Team to Beat

The Phillies didn't become "The Team to Beat" overnight.

Let's look at some of the moves that brought the Phillies to where they are today:

1. Jim Thome - he's not with the team anymore, but he left behind a legacy to our burgeoning infield that hard work and a team mentality wins the day. 2 League MVPs have emerged since his time with us
2. Ryan Howard - Thome's successor at first. How do you explain a player who hits .250, strikes out all too frequently, yet gets 50 HRs and a tremendous amount of RBIs?
3. Jason Werth. OK...I'll say it too: Werth every penny. Almost makes you miss Aaron Rowand.
4. Brad Lidge - "Lights Out," indeed. And proof that Ed Wade still has a great eye for talent down there in Houston (/snark).
5. Jamie Moyer - ostensibly brought in to tutor fellow change-up lefty Cole Hamels (and now J. A. Happ), he's become the true ace of a schizophrenic starting staff.

Well, We're Playing Here in Allentown (with Apologies to Billy Joel)

So, last night, the TrekMedic finally made it up to Coca-Cola Park to catch a Lehigh Valley IronPigs game.



The park is absolutely beautiful. $10 got me a seat 5 rows back from short right field. Food was cheaper than CBP. The only unruly fans were a handful over the right field fence and they were quickly escorted away. Early August and the night was cool and dry.

Unfortunately, they lost to the Rochester Red Wings 4-1.

Of course, NOBODY remembered to bring a camera, so it was up to yours truly to get in a few shots (forgive the quality, I was using a phone camera):

The view of home plate:



Friends o' Trek:



(L-R) TrainGuy, TheFed, Dr. Fed



The Good Lord willing, I might get to a Reading Phillies game sometime this year!

Look! Up In the Sky! Its a Bird,..Its a Plane,...

Its Captain Obvious!!

Union wonders why Bonds can't find work

Associated Press

The lack of offers to Barry Bonds will be examined by baseball's players' association as part of its annual review of the free-agent market, the union's head said yesterday.

Donald Fehr said yesterday his staff would examine the possibility of collusion against Bonds and others.

"We always look at the free-agent markets every year and make judgments about them, and if we come to the conclusion with respect to any player that there's a matter worth pursuing, we'll pursue it," he said. "But I'm not going to make any suggestions or accusations unless and until we come to that conclusion."

Less than two weeks before opening day, the 43-year-old home run king remains unsigned.

"He's in playing shape right now. He just hasn't hit off live pitching," Bonds' agent, Jeff Borris, said. "I've had conversations with Barry. It would probably take him about two weeks to get ready."

Bonds was indicted in November on four counts of perjury and one count of obstruction of justice, charges stemming from 2003 grand jury testimony in which he denied knowingly using illegal performance-enhancing drugs. The seven-time NL MVP has pleaded not guilty.


The TrekMedic ponders:

Barry Bonds can't get a job, huh?

It can't possibly be his salary demands, having shamed his way into the record books, could it?

Ya'think it might be one of the following:

• A - He's juiced
• B - He's a liar, a cheat, and a fraud
• C - He's a pariah
• D - All of the above?

The phone lines are open,...you drop a comment on which you think it is,....