Rocky

Interesting player: Micah Owings. He's looking like the real deal. Major league debut this evening in DC. 5 scoreless (one hit) innings in very cold conditions. Keep your eyes open when he faces the Dodger Blue. Your impression of Sedona sounds like you've got it correct. Jerome has a very important thing going for it to discourage resort development: the extremely steep terrain. It's a definitely a pretty interesting place. Did you get any of the stories of haunted hotels/hotel rooms?

The Big Hole in the Ground, eh? Sedona's not that small too... :) Nice time of year to visit up there I bet. Was it very crowded? It seems anymore, and especially on weekends, there's just way too much traffic there. In the 1970s, it was sure nice... went camping and fishing in Oak Creek, just a buddy and me, right before we started our senior year in HS (Aug 1971). We caught several trout... thems was some good eatin! Cubbies playing right now on WGN... looks like they are having their way with the Brewers! Dbacks just finished off the Nationals... rising star rookie pitcher Micah Owings threw 5 scoreless innings of one hit ball for his first big league win. Dbacks now 3-2 on the season... could be better, could be worse. They look pretty good for the most part. Not like very many of you guys care about them anyway.

Yep, that sounds like JD. Another selling point for you to come out here in June... JD practically owns Dbacks pitching. As laid back as the guy is, and though he doesn't seem any more intense against the Dbacks... he's plenty productive. And HIWAY! You've been here in AZ and haven't gotten in touch? I'm shocked! (not really) However, the Dbacks won't be playing their home opener until Monday.

Other than the occasional hairball, (my cat and) I (are) am having no trouble with Friskies and 9 Lives canned cat food, and Chef's Blend dry cat food. I'm most thankful for that fact. And the only table food my cat bugs me about is yogurt. For some reason, he likes yogurt...

I second THAT emotion!

It was a dark and stormy night... um... er... ... is THIS thing ON? I thought I was taught in biology class (the section on reptilian life in the desert) that the correct name for that one-eyed beast is the "one-eyed trouser snake". But I could be confused or mistaken!

And doncha know that a Schilling-Johnson match up is in "the cards" for that weekend!... if both of them are healthy still by then. Dback's won their season opener, first time in five years, they said. I haven't verified it, but they are probably correct. Let me know, mstar, and we'll get SimonZelotes and go see some big time baseball! ---------- Dave, I saw that about Carneal while watching the Mets/Cards game yesterday. 45 years... there must be some serious grieving going on for Twins fans. I'm sorta disappointed that Thom Brenemann, the main Dback's announcer for their first 9 seasons, just up and left. He took a job working Reds games with his dad (in Cincinnati). I can't imagine what loss baseball fans in MN must be feeling. Hopefully, the Twins will have a great season in his honor.

Not me, Jonny Gringo! :P But thanks for the benefit of the doubt.

So, Tom, what were your Keys to the game? ;) Anyway, the winter of our discontent has finally come to an end! So, Mstar, have you taken a gander at the BoSox 2007 schedule yet? Might be time to reserve your flights to be in the Valley of the Sun June 8-10 (Fri-Sun). It might be cheaper for you to buy air travel tickets and see three games for $15... at the Bob (oops, it's now Chase Field).

JL, I hope you don't mean me.... I get on Mr. Tape's case, but I never said that F word to him. But I can't be sure who you're referring to, because you suggested something about sound intelligence and common sense? Sheesh! Of course you're an ODDBALL. But what does THAT have to do with anything? :P ;) EXCELLENT Point. That is probably the most profound, poignant thing I recall you posting, Dot... nicely put.

You're NOT. I never watch ANYTHING on Fox except sports. And I do NOT count American Idol as a sport.

Aren't you playing the victim a little melodramatically now? Perhaps, you should make your decision on more appropriate bases. Take, for example, do you enjoy it here? Are there some areas of the cafe that you enjoy more, some you enjoy less? I certainly don't count you as a friend of Rocky, but I would (emphatically) not demand you leave. IF the cafe experience, for you, is a good one, you should stay. If the experience is not comfortable for you, well, YOU decide... don't cop out and set up the rest of the community to blame or to be indebted to (in the event you are NOT banished). oh, yes, and perhaps you might find some insight in Roy's thread (year 2027) on why he stays here... :)

The first half-inning has been played. Already, I have a correction. My source for the post above, cbs.sportsline.com said Suppan would be starting for the Cards. That was incorrect. Carpenter started.

First pitch of the 2007 season in Major League Baseball is in less than TWO HOURS! Tom Glavine and the Mets take on the reigning (defending?) World Series Champion St. Louis Cardinals, and Jeff Suppan. It will be on ESPN2 and should be broadcast in HD. It sure will be good to hear the voices of Jon Miller and Joe Morgan again (a team second only to the master, Vin Scully)!

Has the baseball season started yet? I watched some of the last spring training game for the dbacks yesterday on TV. Very exciting, especially the finish. Snakes led most of the game (until the top of the 9th, I believe it was). Padres came back to take an 8-7 lead. Going into the bottom of the 9th, Robbie Hammock (he caught Johnson's perfect game against the Braves in 2004), who's been languishing in the minors since '04, capped off a very good spring driving in the tying run. Justin Upton, another hot prospect, comes to bat with the bases loaded, score tied. Upton, THE first draft pick back in (I think it was) '04, hits a walk off grand slam. What an exciting way to end spring training. Upton's headed back to play for the Tucson Sidewinders (AAA, Pacific Coast League). Of course, last year, the Sidewinders wound up being the AAA champions, having beaten the International League champ. Micah Owings, who pitched that AAA championship game (for Tucson), has earned a spot in the dbacks starting rotation. The kid was 16-2 last year in combined A and AAA ball. It appears the dbacks have some good starting pitching. Brandon Webb's looking like he's ready for another big year, the Big Unit is expected to be in the rotation in a couple of weeks (he's been pitching, but they don't want to rush his 43 year old string bean body). Other than that, I'm thinking there's been plenty of hype about dbacks starting pitchers. Livan Hernandez (who MIGHT be good this season, but he's not necessarily mr. consistency) and Doug Davis, who I hadn't heard of before the big trade the dbacks had with the Brewers -- those two are question marks IMO... Then the position players are all pretty young... and expected to be a good hitting team (without a "thumper, who would be expected to hit 30+ HRs in the season). So, I'd like to see the dbacks and the stRangers in the WS... ;)

... latrines? uh, no.... that can't be right?

Hey Mstar, You might remember I had told you the Dbacks had some tickets for only one dollar/game... I just found out that is NOT true anymore. Those seats are now $5 (five dollars). What a drag. I'll still watch just about all the games on TV.

Hiway... I understand. It's a b1tch! Sounds like the start of the season's going to be chaotic for the fans. IF there's ANY consolation, sometimes changes can be undone... the NBA ball comes to mind. For some odd reason, they changed the ball at the start of the current season. Everyone hated it. So, they changed back. Only it took two months of struggle before "fixing" the problem.

I agree with Mr. Hammeroni on this Roy... And I think polar bear put it very well also! I'm glad you're here, Roy!

Why?

Moi? ????? What on earth could you mean? :P

If you talk to him again before he visits our cafe, please remind him that the "Hammer will shine in '79"!

I guess it's a good thing he wasn't as good a "closer" as, say Gagne was that one year! Urbina gets 14 years in prison Former Major League Pitcher Urbina Sentenced To 14 Years In Venezuelan Prison For Attempted Murder March 28, 2007 2:51 p.m. EST Eric Williams - All Headline News Sports ReporterCaracas, Venezuela (AHN) - Former Major League Baseball pitcher Ugueth Urbina found out Wednesday that he is being sentenced to 14 years in prison for being found guilty of attempted murder in his homeland of Venezuela. The Attorney General's Office announced Wednesday that Urbina was sentenced to nearly a decade and a half in jail for attempting to murder five workers on his family's ranch. Urbina, who last pitched in the majors for the Philadelphia Phillies in 2005, was also found guilty of illegal deprivation of liberty and violating a prohibition against taking justice into his own hands. "I am very disappointed and upset," his agent, Peter Greenberg, said. "We're hopeful that the judicial process will exonerate Uggie. I firmly believe he's innocent." Urbina, 33, was accused of joining a group of men in attacking and injuring workers with machetes and pouring gasoline on them at his family's ranch, which lies approximately 25 miles south of Caracas. The former reliever claimed that he was sleeping at the time of the alleged attack. Both, Urbina's former attorney and his present one, agreed that Urbina is getting the short end of a slippery stick. "The ruling was too severe," said Jose Antonio Baez, a former attorney who represented Urbina. Jose Luis Tamayo, Urbina's present lawyer, explained Urbina's side of the story, saying Urbina surprised workers at the ranch by showing up that night while they were bathing in the pool without permission. Urbina allegedly spoke sharply to the workers, but later left and went to sleep, according to Tamayo. Urbina pitched for the Montreal Expos, Boston Red Sox, Philadelphia Phillies and Detroit Tigers in his MLB career. Urbina ranks 30th on the career saves list with 237 with two of those two saves coming in the 2003 World Series for the victorious Marlins. In 11 major league seasons, Urbina posted a 44-49 record with a 3.45 ERA. He also led the National League with 41 saves in 1999 for the then Montreal Expos and was third in the AL with 40 saves for the Boston Red Sox in 2002. </FONT>

He still is... especially when he posts here at the ol' cafe ...! :)