2007 Oakland A's: Life on the Disabled List

The Athletics are hurting. Really hurting. Even Stomper the elephant probably has a sore trunk by now. Yet somehow my guys are managing to hold on to the AL West lead over the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in Orange County California USA, albeit by a slim margin.

When the Oakland A's play .500 ball in the first two months of the season, there's reason to be happy. For a team with a track record, and history offensive starts that are slower than molasses, it is an accomplishment if they can play around .500 in April and May.

How does the "M*A*S*H Unit" manage in the meantime? For one thing, the starters that are available have gone 18 games in a row not allowing more than 3 ERs. Add on a major league record by not allowing a first inning run for 20 straight games to start the season. That will get you more than a few wins right there. (Because you can't count on the shitty offense)

Even if it's tatted-up, nipple-pierced rookies like Dallas Braden going out and putting the Orioles in their place yesterday , a win in April with practically a AAA squad is big win for this team.

Many sports enthusiasts call injuries "the great equalizer." I call them frustrating. You know it's going to happen. Every team has its fair share. But to who? And how long will they be out?

Here's a list of the A's walking wounded, a list that I hope will get shorter as the season progresses.

Mark Kotsay (surgery on his 137 year old back) - 60-day DL
Dan Johnson (hip) - just came off 15-day DL, rehab assignment
Estaban Loaiza (shoulder) - 15-day DL
Milton Bradley (hamstring that wont heal) - 15-day DL
Rich Harden (shoulder) - 15-day DL (retroactive to 4/16)
Bobby Kielty (calf) - Day-to-day
Nick Swisher (hamstring) - Day-to-day
Travis Buck (wrists) - Day-to-Day

List of A's who are dealing with or just coming off injuries:
Eric Chavez (shoulder)
Shannon Stewart (feet)
Justin Duchscherer (back)
Bobby Crosby (everything under the sun)

Blackburg's Darkest Day

I wanted to wait a bit before I wrote about VT. Let the tears and hugs have time set in and start the long healing process. One reason I waited to write about this was because I wanted to see how the news media handled the deadliest mass shooting in modern history. The early verdict: not too well.

NBC's decision to show the killer's manifesto was in poor taste given the timing. Two days after the shooting is way too early. The NBC execs deserve all the backlash they get. Signs have been posted by Hokie students around the campus telling the media to go away. The media shouldn't go away, but rather be sensitive to the victims and their families.

This tragedy clearly hit members of the news media hard as well. Brian Williams emotionally reflected on having college age children. CNN This Morning anchor John Roberts got choked up on the air before the convocation ceremony last week when discussing his college age son.

The media has a job to do, a job that should be done professionally.

More to come...

The photo above shows a board that was signed by fellow co-workers and delivered to VT this past weekend.

What about Larry?

Yesterday marked the 60th anniversary of Jackie Robinson breaking major league baseball's color barrier with the Brooklyn Dodgers, and the sport celebrated the milestone at every stadium with Jackie Robinson Day.

Over 200 managers and players around the league donned Robinson's no. 42, the number that was retired by MLB 1997.

Robinson's career was marked by both incredible stats and a segregated society. Black players couldn't stay in the same hotel as their white teammates. Arguing with umpires over bad calls wasn't a good idea, and dissertations with opposing players was forbidden in fear of a race riot.

In many ways, Robinson's career that was similar that of Lawrence "Larry" Doby.


Unless you’re a baseball enthusiast, or a fan of the Cleveland Indians, you’ve probably never heard of Larry Doby. Doby was the second black ballplayer and the first to take the field in the American League. He endured the same hardships as Robinson, but also put up all-star stats.

Here’s a snapshot of centerfielder's hall of fame career:

.283 career hitter with 253 home runs and 970 RBI in 1533 games.

Hit at least 20 homers in each season from 1949-56, leading the league in 1952 (32) and 1954 (32)

Led the league in runs in 1952 (104), RBI in 1954 (126), and on base percentage in 1950 (.442)

Seven time all-star (1949-1955)

The second black manager in MLB (Chicago White Sox 1978)

For most of his post-baseball life, Doby was ignored by the media. Every April, when MLB celebrates the accomplishments and the courage of Robinson, nobody mentions Doby's accolades. Even long after Robinson died and his jersey retired, in the eyes of writers, Doby was just another black centerfielder.

The ignorance is evident in The Great American Baseball Card Book, it said that being the second black ballplayer was, in the minds of the press, akin to being "the second man to invent the telephone".

The Indians are trying to change that stigma by planning Larry Doby Day on July 5, the day he made his major-league debut. Like Robinson's tribute yesterday, the Indians hope all its players will be allowed to wear Doby's No. 14.

Doby broke the color barrier a mere 77 days after Robinson. Since he wasn't the first to do it, in the eyes of many, Larry Doby might as well be the last.

Duke LAX: Charges to be Dismissed

This just in: Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson are on a plane to Durham, NC to wish Reade Seligmann, David Evans and Collin Finnerty best of luck in all future endeavors now that the charges against the men will likely be dismissed.

I'm also getting word that Elvis is alive and Neil Armstrong never walked on the moon.

Between a D.A. that needs to read a book on ethics, and a stripper that told more stories than Aesop, maybe Al and Jesse should have stayed home sick. I think they both came down with a nasty bout of rush to judgement last March . It's been going around for a while now.

The Duke Lax story dominated the headlines for days on end last March and April. With positive outcome now likely for the defendants, the case will be reduced to a blip on the evening news, or the scroll on the bottom of the cable news networks. It doesn't sell anymore.

If the situation was reversed, Court TV and ESPN would've had LOTS of company in its coverage of the verdict. And you can bet everyone's favorite reverends would have been in attendance.

Why? It's affluent, collar-popping white boys, "living it up" with a stripper, in a town where the majority of the residents are black. Just that alone must mean Seligmann, Evans and Finnerty committed these horrendous acts.

But she's not a stripper, she's a "victim". A "victim" that smeared the image of three college students for life. A victim that needs to be prosecuted.

Rape is such a horrible crime that most defendants are guilty until proven innocent. It's easy and sometimes normal to side with the "victim."

All you have to do is reflect on the events of past year in Durham.

Good Riddance Marshmallow Peep

This week the Marshmallow Peep will fly away, off the shelf at your local CVS, Ukrops, and other Peep places, for only a few cents on the dollar. And that makes me smile.

Peeps are by far the most disgusting holiday candy ever created. At 32 calories and 0 grams of fat, they’re not that bad for you. But that’s probably because they have no flavor.

Why can’t Marshmallow Peeps get recalled? Put wheat gluten in those little sugar-coated birds not my dogs Purina Lamb & Rice.

It seems as though the Marshmallow Peep has a love hate relationship in our candy-loving society. For me, it’s a deep hatred.

If for some ungodly reason you find the marshmallow bird delicious, the manufacturer Peeps, Just Born, has a fan club you can join. Also, peep coninseures need to check out the Peeps documentary Power of the Peep.

Fly away birdies.

RTD Website Getting Facelift in May

Let’s admit it. The Richmond Times-Dispatch website looks like your Erols or Prodigy homepage -circa 1995. It's the Sanjaya Malakar of online newspapers. Absolutely horrid.

Last weekend I was out with friend that writes for the 150 year old publication, and we couldn’t stop talking about how archaic and confusing the current site is. It doesn't read like a newspaper. Even the Tampa Tribune, another Media General property, has a spiffy site.

But changes are a comin’ soon.

Sometime in May, Central Virginia's largest newspaper is planning a makeover for its website, augmenting it to a point that would make even Dolly Parton happy.

According to my RTD chum, the new page, www.inrich.com, will have links to stories from all Media General properties in the area, with access to TimesDispatch.com videos and other content. Why inrich.com? The domain name of choice, Richmond.com, is already used by a competitor.

The RTD is already catching up in the ever-evolving world of videography. If you frequent the site for the latest on Jamestown, The Diamond debacle or Melissa Ruggeri's concert reviews, you can’t help but notice the influx of multimedia.

The RTD has more slide shows than Shockoe Slip has cobblestones.

VCU basketball standout Jesse Pellot-Rosa has one. Wanna experience the 2007 Monument Avenue 10K through the lens of P. Kevin Morley? There’s a slide show! Not to mention, the opportunity to purchase photos from the RTD vault. Cha-ching!

Welcome to 2007 timesdispatch.com, those of us that get our news via the internet are happy to have you.