raising the question: how many senses of the word "baseball," or "player," or "baseball player," are there?

I'll give you one for damn sure - he is a grinder.

Cleveland Indians manager and former Prairie Chicken Eric Wedge, on Manky Dreadful infielder Mark DeRosa:

"He's a baseball player in every sense of the word."

He just wants to help the ballclub any way he can

"We just need to bring a little more energy and intensity to the table ... Through a season, teams go through ups and downs. It's a little dead period for us now. I know the media has been asking questions about Detroit coming in because they're simply leading the Central, but every game is important, every series is important. We're not really looking at the standings right now. We've just got to take some energy into each and every game."
-- Podzzzie

this new kid seems to have things pretty much figgered out already

New Cubs pitcher Randy Wells on his first major league start this Friday:

"The other team wants to win. I want to win. I have to go out there and pitch a game."
~

Smiff: The Greatest...or...THE GREATEST?

Rank Team Points Pts Change Waiver Moves
1. Lord Viper Elefantes 212.5 -0.5 10 63
2. Blue Ward Cyclones 205.5 2 3 9
3. Spackler Bents 174 2 11 27
4. Golemi Topki 170.5 0 6 19
5. Troglodyte Homunculi 170 0 8 41
6. Columbus Bureaucrats 160 -1.5 5 10
7. La Jolla Chemists 157 0 4 27
8. shot_at_bill 151 -2 9 40
9. Coach #31 132.5 -0.5 12 26
10. Mr. Baby's Fortune 122.5 2.5 1 16
11. clan of terrorists 114.5 -1.5 2 23
12. Maddogs 102 -0.5 7 31

Labels dat wouldn't fit:
and Smiff has hair
when the elephants dance it is the ground that suffers
we hatesez them
...add your own!
~

Anudder one of dese tings?

Yes, apparently:
2008 SelectSmart.com Presidential Candidate Selector

Your Results:
1. Theoretical Ideal Candidate (SMIFF!) (100%)
2. Dennis Kucinich (withdrawn) (88%) Information link
3. Barack Obama (85%) Information link
4. Alan Augustson (campaign suspended) (80%) Information link
5. Christopher Dodd (withdrawn) (78%) Information link
6. Joseph Biden (withdrawn) (77%) Information link
7. Hillary Clinton (75%) Information link
8. John Edwards (withdrawn) (72%) Information link
9. Wesley Clark (not running, endorsed Clinton) (71%) Information link
10. Michael Bloomberg (says he will not run) (71%) Information link
11. Al Gore (not announced) (68%) Information link
12. Mike Gravel (66%) Information link
13. Bill Richardson (withdrawn) (59%) Information link
14. Ron Paul (50%) Information link
15. Kent McManigal (campaign suspended) (44%) Information link
16. Elaine Brown (42%) Information link
17. Wayne Allyn Root (32%) Information link
18. Rudolph Giuliani (withdrawn, endorsed McCain) (31%) Information link
19. John McCain (30%) Information link
20. Mike Huckabee (28%) Information link
21. Tommy Thompson (withdrawn, endorsed Giuliani) (27%) Information link
22. Alan Keyes (22%) Information link
23. Mitt Romney (withdrawn) (21%) Information link
24. Chuck Hagel (not running) (18%) Information link
25. Sam Brownback (withdrawn, endorsed McCain) (16%) Information link
26. Newt Gingrich (says he will not run) (15%) Information link
27. Tom Tancredo (withdrawn, endorsed Romney) (14%) Information link
28. Fred Thompson (withdrawn) (12%) Information link
29. Duncan Hunter (withdrawn) (9%) Information link
30. Jim Gilmore (withdrawn) (8%) Information link
31. Stephen Colbert (campaign halted) (2%) Information link

Wow, Alan Keyes slightly better than Willard Mitt Romney.... and no Ralph Nader (thank God).

Smiff Early Warning System

Rambo opens Friday.

Twenty years after the last film in the series, John J. Rambo has retreated to northern Thailand, where he's running a longboat on the Salween River. Shit starts blowing up. With Julie Benz and Ken "The White Shadow" Howard. Rated R for strong graphic, bloody violence (FUCKING AWESOME!!) sexual assaults (Cool!), grisly images (Yeah!), language ("FUCKING [noun]!"), and Sylvester Stallone's script, direction and acting. Decker will go see it.

NOW it's over

Bears give nod to Orton

Ozzie's Wet Dream

With no sign that talks have progressed, David Eckstein is likely to begin negotiating with other teams next week.
The Cardinals aren't going to have him signed within their 15-day window. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch believes the White Sox will "lead the bidding" for Eckstein.

The gritty, gutty Eck who comes to play every day, gets the most out of his abilities, a Gamer! a Grinder!, a proven winner, a veteran, doesn't strike out, and is even shrimpier than Ozzie? Ozzie won't need the Viagra this year.

Meanwhile...
Joe Crede for Johnny Damon? Well, he's better dan Podzzzie or Erstad, but that's like saying Dan Quayle is smarter than George W. Bush.

likes to play! NO "off" switch! FIERY!

"This has always been my favorite place to play," Kendall said. "I'm just as excited as can be. This is a good change of scenery for me, being back in the National League. I'm fired up."

Manager Lou Piniella is as fired up as Kendall, because he now has a veteran catcher who plays the game the way he likes—without an "off" switch.

"He's an experienced guy who has played on winning teams and he's a grinder," Piniella said. "He likes to play and he likes to win."

Kendall wound up going 0-for-3 and dropped a throw from Alfonso Soriano that allowed a run to score in the fourth....