Aug 9 - Morgan the Moron HIts New Lows.

Here a few blasts before we get started:

This Day in History: 1627 years ago today, the Roman Empire got routed by the Visigoths at Andriople. The casualties were staggering as the Roman’s had two-thirds of their army surrounded, captured and slaughtered by the younger and hungrier Visigoths. The Romans, who went into the battle laying four, were never the same. History will repeat itself tonight, as Jose Contreras will turn back the Yankee Empire in the Bronx.

Isn't it ironic that on the same day crude hits almost $64 a barrel, President Bush signs an energy bill that will do absolutely nothing to reduce this country's dependance on foreign oil. Mesaage to Congress - those subsidized wind farms marginally reduce our dependance on coal and gas, not oil. Message to Bush - Detroit is already dead so why not start digging the grave and move forward with higher fuel efficiency standards?

Sticking with our C-in-C for a moment: You got to give this guy credit - he stands by his guys (Palmeiro) even when they are confirmed ass clowns who lie to their fans and perjure themselves in front of Congress. There is a message here for those of you who want Bush to dump Karl Rove. Unless Rove gets caught on tape smoking crack and carjacking a pregnant women, his job is safe. Other then Paul O'Neil and Christie Todd, has this guy ever fired anyone? I suspect that if Bushie were the GM of the Sox, Alan Embree would still be giving up two run bombs at Fenway. Then again, if Bush were GM of the Sox, Boston would be looking to halve its revenue sharing outflows and Wade Miller would have had his foot blown off in Najaf.

Let me make this clear – I have always thought Joe Morgan was a rookie-ball analyst who sported a sub-standard IQ, poor verbal skills and an inability to criticize anything other then the weather and the speed of racial progress. As such, I have long thought Morgan had no business taking a spot in any broadcasting booth, let alone the one rented to ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball. With that said, my taste for Morgan was further soured the other night when I saw his ridiculous performance on ESPN. In case you missed it, the offense occurred when Karl Ravetch quizzed Morgan on steroid use in baseball. Morgan took the opportunity to express plenty of outrage, much like he did the other day in an interview with the Philadelphia Enquirer. Specifically, Morgan took aim at major league baseball for letting this steroid problem simmer for a decade when everyone knew bad things were going down. Everyone? Where the hell was Joe during this decade of discontent? I'll tell you where he was - he was stroking his pud and worshipping at the alter. Thankfully, Ravetch didn’t budge and decided to press Morgan with pointed follow-ups the second baseman had no interest or ability to answer. Pointedly, he asked Morgan to say whether Rafael Palmeiro belonged in the Hall of Fame. In typical Morgan fashion, he clumsily danced around the question, refusing to take it to the hoop and sink the layup that would beat Palmeiro. Morgan’s recent performance just cements his position at the bottom of ESPN’s scrap heap. This is a guy who has refused to criticize any specific player for the past 15 years. More importantly, if Morgan felt this way, how come he didn’t make any references to steroid abuse during all those Bonds’ games he broadcast over the past five years? The simple reason Morgan stayed quiet is he has no stomach for critical analysis. Even in this latest outburst, Morgan has distanced himself from any player-specific references. Enough is enough. My fingers are crossed that Morgan will be torched by the national media on this. It couldn’t happen to a more deserving guy.

I have never been a fan of Jets coach herm Edwards, but his stock fell to a new low today after I read one of his quotes in today’s New York Post. When asked about holdout John Abraham, Edwards barked, “We don’t play until September,” meaning he feels there is plenty of time remaining before this becomes an issue. Sorry Herm – wrong answer. That is not the answer of a coach – it is the answer of a fan. And it is the kind of response that I would expect from a guy at a bar wearing a green and white jersey with the name Klecko on the back. What Herm should have said is something like the following; “my attention and focus is on the players who are in camp and not those who are still at home.” Herm seems like a guy who always thinks things will just work. Accordingly, who cares if his biggest playmaker is holding out a month before the real shooting begins. Sorry Herm, preparation wins battles and having stars miss training campis nothing to dismiss. I’ll bet dollars to donuts that Edwards won’t be singing the same song if Abraham misses another ten days, comes in oout of shape and doesn’t register a sack until October.

The big series in baseball this week begins out in Oakland tonight where the A’s and Angles begin a three game set. Many are viewing this series as an opportunity to see whether this Oakland team is for real. Well, with Rich Harden going tonight and Barry Zito going tomorrow against a rookie, the A’s have great shot at sweeping this series and taking control of the West. The Angles luckily will miss Danny Haren, but Harden and Zito is enough punishment for one week. While the vaunted A’s staff has gotten most of the credit for Oakland’s turnaround, it should be noted that the offense has contributed as well. This is not the anemic team that some suggest. Just look at the numbers – the A’s are fourth in the AL in runs scored and sixth on OBP. Most think Bobby Crosby’s return sparked this offense, but if you ask me, the contributions of Jay Payton, Dan Johnson and Nick Swisher have been more unexpected and thus more important. Johnson, in particular, has been a force, slugging .550 with ten bombs in less then 200 at bats. He had a big rep coming through the A’s system, but did anyone in the organization really expect him to come in and make this kind of contribution so quickly? Eric Chavez, meanwhile, has recovered from a putrid April and is now on pace for a 100 RBI year. There are plenty of people, particularly on the East Coast, that still don’t believe in this team. Come Thursday night - this camp may be a lot smaller.

SOX BOX – Mark Belhorn’s days in Boston were already numbered but last night Tony Graffanino put a nail into Belly’s coffin. Graff slugged a three-run home run and went 3-3 with some nice base running. I would have taken 1-4 with a run scored over Belhorn, so last night was gravy city. So as the Belhorn cruise winds its way toward its concluding port, it is time for the Sox to turn their attention to another ship listing at sea. Of course I am talking about the USS Wade Miller, which got touched up again last night. Miller simply can’t get through a first inning without taking loads off the chin and last night was no exception. His fastball lacks any giddy-up and therefore he seems hesitant (or unable) to throw it for strikes. So that leaves him armed with just that “one o’clock -to-seven o’clock” hook and there is no telling when he is going to throw that over the plate. If I were the Sox, I would toss this guy on the DL and go with one of the kids. However, I would keep him around until the end of the season and perhaps tender him this winter. The reason: perhaps Miller just needs another off-season to get back to his 2002-3 form and how much can he command in arbitration coming off this year? On the flip side, the Sox may have surplus starters next year so having Miller around at 3-4M may not be such a smart thing to do. Last point on the Sox: Roberto Petegene has proven over the past five days why he has had trouble parlaying those gaudy AAA/Japan into a regular MLB job. Point of fact – Roberto has stone hands and brick feet. Bobby may have hit like Hideki over in Japan but he fields like that guy Kaz out at Shea. This is a guy who moves like Farley and scoops like an eighth grade band geek. He will not be around once John Olerud’s hammy heals.

I saw this stat published last night where Texas has already slugged 189 home runs this year. That puts them on pace to jack more then 270 bombs this year, a number that will surpass the record of 264 held by the 1997 Seattle Mariners. That is a lot of juice from one team and it begs the question of why this team didn’t off load some of that power for arms at the trade deadline. Do you really need 1.6 Dongs/gm to survive? Mark Texiera leads the club and is on pace to hit 45 round-trippers, but the scary thing about the Rangers is their depth. At this point in the season, it looks as if seven players will clock twenty balls out of play. On the other end of the spectrum, the Nationals will have just two guys hit twenty home run and the Giants may have only one. Home runs may be down this year, but you couldn’t tell that from watching the Rangers.