Mets 8 Braves 7

What a game! These are the games that championship teams have to win, especially against their rivals.

Great comeback in the 7th inning. The Mets of the past two years never would have pulled that off. Floyd and Matsui even got big hits to keep it going.

Speaking of Cliff Floyd, he had a really helter skelter game last night. Gary Cohen keeps saying that every big hit he gets will break him out of his slump.
Third inning: Bases loaded one out, he grounds into a double play.
Seventh inning: First and third one out, he singles the run home.
Eighth inning: Bases loaded two outs, he strikes out.
Eleventh inning: Leading off the inning, trailing by one, he homers to tie the game.
twelfth inning: Bases loaded two outs, pops out to second.

He's credited with leaving 8 men on base, three times with the bases loaded minus one guy who was out on the double play. But he's still a semi-hero for hitting that homer.

Floyd wasn't the only one as once again the Mets are being haunted by that elusive sacrifice fly. Three hitters in the 7th and 8th had a chance to give the Mets a 7-6 lead with a fly ball. Franco hit into a double play, LoDuca hit one six inches, and Delgado pooped (combining popped and looped) out to short.

Trachsel pitched his normal game, give up some hits, give up some runs, but keep the game close.

A tough appearance for Bradford. He's been adequate this year, just had a rough night.

Heilman looked great, Duaner Sanchez is the best player ever, even Julio looked good in his one inning. His first appearance in a pressure situation since he imploded in the second game of the season.

But I am really worried about Billy Wagner. So far he has been zero improvement over Braden Looper. The fact that the team has improved has helped us win 3 of the 4 games in which he's sucked. If he has a finger injury that lasts all season like Beltran's injury last year, they should just DL him and let Duaner close.

Reyes was on base 6 times last night, but only scored twice. Gary Cohen is furious.

Carlos Beltran is starting to find his groove, he's got three homers in a week.

David Wright is also breaking out of his slump. I'm glad he was the one who got the walkoff hit.

Four wins in the five games of this homestand, 3 of them on walkoffs. Very exciting.

Did Anyone Call This?

Because I watched on DVR I missed the odd commercial near the end of Wednesday's episode.
The commercial, for a fictitious organization called The Hanso Foundation, marked the beginning of The Lost Experience, a massive worldwide game with online, mobile, and televised components.
Fans of the show already know The Hanso Foundation is the entity which is responsible for much of what is happening on the island. The foundation produced the infamous 16mm film reel found in the hatch and watched endlessly by Locke, and sponsored "The Dharma Intiative," an unknown experiment the logo of which is plastered all over the food the castaways keep finding.
The commercial that was televised Wednesday featured some enigmatic visuals of a DNA helix, the ocean, and a grainy image of Alvar Hanso, the founder of the Hanso Foundation, as well as a phone number, 877.HANSORG, and a Web address for The Hanso Foundation.
The phone number perfectly replicates a company voice mail where callers get "lost" in a perpetual robot voice loop.
Alvar Hanso's outgoing voice greeting ends with an unknown female voice saying "Where is Alvar Hanso? What have you done with him?" Many of the outgoing messages end with the phrase, "Namaste."

No More Hootie

Venerable sexist and good old Southern Boy Hootie Johnson resigned as the Chairman of the Augusta National Golf Club. I hope this paves the way for the new Chairman to allow female members.

Mark Cuban's Night Out

This comes from page6 so it could be all lies in an attempt to extort money, but we'll go with it anyway.

May 5, 2006 -- THEY say money can't buy happiness - and in billionaire Mark Cuban's case, it can't even get him into Bungalow 8.
The limelight-loving owner of the Dallas Mavericks was denied entry to Amy Sacco's late-night funhouse, even after he offered door demigods Disco and Armin $1,000 to let him inside - a cringe-inducing ploy used primarily by tacky out-of-towners.

An eyewitness tells Page Six that Cuban, accompanied by party promoter Usman Shaikh and a few young ladies, was initially turned away after Shaikh approached Disco and told him that Cuban owned the Mavericks.

"Disco was not impressed," says our snitch. "One of the girls asked if Armin was there and if she could talk to him. Armin comes out and asks Cuban if he wants to buy a table. Cuban says yes. Armin goes inside, comes back about five minutes later and says, 'Sorry, there are no tables available. I can't help you.'

"The girl then asks if they could just go in without a table, but Armin says no. Cuban then says to Disco something to the effect of 'I'm Mark Cuban . . . What's it gonna take?' He offers him cash - I think it was a thousand bucks. He reaches in his back pocket, and at this point the girl he is with yanks him by the arm and says, 'No, you can't do that here.' She was mortified."

Cuban then announced that it was "embarrassing" he couldn't get into the club, at which point Shaikh, a corporate lawyer who promotes parties at Pink Elephant, convinced Cuban and his posse that they would receive warmer treatment there.

Once inside Rocco Ancarola's nightspot, located on the same crowded West 27th Street club corridor as Bungalow 8, Cuban was spotted chatting up several young women at his table. As he asked one hanger-on to round up some girls, he was overheard saying, "Just say I'm a billionaire. They'll come over." He also cracked, "For every billion dollars I have, my [bleep] gets 10 inches longer."

The last stop of the night for fun-loving Cuban and company was Scores West, where cash is by far the most important credential. We're told Cuban dropped thousands of dollars on champagne and "funny money" in the VIP room before leaving around 5 a.m.

How Could It Miss His Giant Noggin

Barry Bonds got hit in the forehead/bill of cap in batting practice the other day. Every kid could tell you not to put your face or fingers right up against the gate/mesh net. The pictures made me laugh.

Derby Picks From Brother-in-law Derick

Derick's Derby Picks:

"My pick to win is #10 A.P. Warrior.

I also like #8 Barbaro alot too.

I like an exacta box of #5 Point Determined, #6 Showing Up, #8 Barbaro, #10 A.P. Warrior, #11 Sweetnorthernsaint & #18 Brother Derek.

Normally I don't suggest a 6-horse exacta box ($30 cost for every dollar bet), but in a field this size it is worth a shot.

I highly suggest betting to place and show in these major races. You can often get a good price because the pools are so large."

Mets 6 Pirates 0

This is the type of game the Mets normally lose. A young pitcher, get him in trouble early but let him off the hook. Get great pitching and ruin it with bad defense. That has been the Mets formula for the past few years: runners on base but no timely hitting to drive them home. Good starting pitching sabotaged by bad defense and a bad bullpen.

Wright and Nady left two men on in the first, Reyes stranded two in the second. Theb in the 3rd inning with the bases loaded and none out, one run already in, Floyd pops out, Franco strikes out and Woodward grounds out.

Gary Cohen gave some ridiculous stats about walk-off home runs. The first two in franchise history were hit on the same day in early 1962. Overall the Mets hit 6 walk-off homers in 1962 and 6 more in 1963 and that total is still the most in franchise history, even those were the two worst teams the Mets ever had.

Glavine pitched another great game, I've never seen him strike out batters like this.

Gary Cohen won't shut up about a perfect game or no-hitter. Other teams have homer announcers who don't jinx their own pitchers, not the Mets.

I really thought Glavine was going to give up runs in the 6th when Wright made an error, then Woodward booted an easy ground ball that should have ended the inning. Thankfully, he kept his cool and got the third out.

David Wright looks to be out of his slump finally.

Jose Valentin even broke through with an RBI single.

Xavier Nady has been the best and most consistent hitter on the team this year other than Carlos Delgado. Big three run homer by him to give the bullpen some breathing room. And Tom Glavine too, he wants to get to 300 and he's pitched well enough to have a couple more wins this season, so he was definitely thankful for the extra offense.

Duaner Sanchez is my favorite player on the team. I don't even know what else to say.

I really like the way Willie is using Jorge Julio. He walked the first batter but struck out the side. I just hope he isn't teasing us, and he won't revert back to the Julio of old in a pressure situation.

Does anyone know why there were dogs on the field before the game?

So they accomplished taking 3 out of 4 against Washington and Pittsburgh, if they can take 2 out of 3 from Atlanta this will be a very successful homestand.

Not That Howard Stern, the Other Howard Stern

Howard Stern, lawyer for Anna Nicole Smith responds to reports about her pregnancy:

If Anna Nicole is pregnant, she obviously doesn't want anybody to know yet. If she's not pregnant, she's not denying the rumor because she thinks it's funny how much of a stir it's causing. She'll leave it up to you to guess which one it is. But note to all media --- please stop sending reporters and camera crews to her house because that really does cross the line of being overly invasive.

Thanks,

Howard Stern

The Site's Name Says It All

Normally I want my readers to look at Paul's Poop as a place to come to for all your entertainment needs. But once in a while, as a service to the public I have to place a link that you all just need to visit. If a pictures is worth a 1000 words then ladies and gentlemen, you are about to see a million.

They Should Do a Reality Show

Zacarias Moussaoui was formally sentenced to life in prison on Thursday for his role in 9/11.
His final remarks were:"God curse America. God bless and save Osama bin Laden -- you will never get him."
Moussaoui will be sent to a Super Maximum security prison "Alcatraz of the Rockies" where he will join the Unabomber, the Shoe Bomber, Eric Rudolph and Terry Nichols.
Sounds like a fun bunch.

Another Gambling Problem

Charles Barkley, in response to questions about John Daly sort of admitted his own gambling problem.
"Do I have a gambling problem? Yeah, I do have a gambling problem but I don't consider it a problem because I can afford to gamble. It's just a stupid habit that I've got to get under control, because it's just not a good thing to be broke after all of these years."
It's only a problem if you lose money you can't afford to lose. Makes sense. Charles is taking a reasoned approach here, saying he enjoys gambling, but he gets out of control, so he needs to learn how to gamble at lower stakes and not try to break the casino.
He claims he's lost $10 million gambling over the years. This is a more believable figure than Daly's $50 - $60 million. I wonder if Daly wins $5 million on one trip to Vegas, then 2 months later he drops $4 million into the $5000 slots, does that mean he lost $4 million, or won $1 million? If he doesn't count his winnings against his losses then his estimate makes sense, but is meaningless. If he never wins, well, then he's a bigger fool than I thought.

I'm Moving to Western North Carolina

Former Redskins star quarterback Heath Shuler moved one step closer to Congress by winning the Democratic Party primaty with 76% of the vote. Shuler will now oppose republican Charles Taylor in the general election this fall. Taylor has been in Congress for 16 years but he may be ripe for the picking considering that he is the only Congressman voting against a plan to buy the land where Flight 93 crashed for $10 million in order to establish a permanent memorial. Taylor's unpopular but well-reasoned argument is that the federal government is already the largest landowner in the country and for no purpose should it acquire more land. This may not be the time to make that stand.
Anyway, Shuler will be a great Congressman for the people of North Carolina. Plus, like Mohammad in The Sopranos, him and his girlfriend/wife have a dog. He trains labrador retrievers for hunting.

LeBron Turns It On

LeBron James is becoming a man this week against the Wizards. All questions about him have been answered and I now believe that he is going to be one of the best players in NBA history. Last night he hit the game winning shot for the second time in the Cavaliers' series against the Wizards. With a few seconds remaining LeBron got the ball, weaved around 4 defenders (and a 5th, the sideline) to make a layup over Michael Ruffin with less than a second remaining. That shot gave the Cavs a 121-120 win in overtime, and a 3-2 lead in the series.
I still don't think the team is good enough to beat Detroit in the next round but it's a growth process and he has certainly grown from the days even earlier this season when he was kicking it out to Flip Murray at crunch time.
I really think we are witnessing something historic right now.

Life's Burning Questions

What happens when a teammate dates your sister? Why does Manny Ramirez like 24? And why does Matt Leinart feel a burning sensation when he pees. The answers to all these questions and more are over at The Pizza Parlor.

Mets 4 Pirates 3

A win is a win, but this is not the way you want to get them.

Pedro Martinez and Carlos Delgado are awesome. Walkoff home runs are always exciting but they should have gotten that win for Pedro. Why did Willie take him out? For Jose Valentin? Why isn't Franco the first pinch hitter off the bench? I guess it wouldn't have mattered because Heilman pitched two good innings but I'd like to see Pedro stay in the game longer.

I'm definitely worried about Billy Wagner and these blown saves. He could blow 10-15 games this year. In his first four seasons with the Mets, Benitez never blew more than 6 in a season. His last year he blew 7 in half a season before he was traded to the Yankees.

Luckily, for the second time in about a week the team was able to cover for him and win the game. That was always the problem with Benitez and Looper, their blown saves would always result in losses. In all three of Wagner's blown saves, the game was still tied and the Mets had a chance. If you give your teammates the chance to pick you up, sometimes they will.

Endy Chavez is awesome. He is 10 of his last 16. They have to find a way to get him some at bats. A couple starts a week for Floyd, Nady and Beltran. He also made an incredible diving catch in the 11th. I thought either Beltran or Matsui could get there, but he came out of nowhere.

Huge home run by Delgado. He had been in a 1 for 18 slump. Hopefully, that will snap him out of it. Floyd has been horrible all season, Wright has sucked lately, Beltran has been out, Delgado needs to carry the offense.

My sister left the game in the sixth inning.

If Glavine can beat Maholm tonight the Mets will have accomplished the first part of what I set out for them before the homestand.

Cleaning Out My Mom's Attic

Seven years ago today I appeared in a kangaroo court in Syracuse on trumped up charges of violating the city ordinance against open alcohol containers.

Idol Chatter

Elliott is the only one who can sing more than one type of music.

Paris is squeaky and annoying. And agree with what they often say that it's hard to be compared to another artist, because her rendition paled in comparison to Mary's. I know Mary has a recording studio, but listen to her belt out "too strong for too long" then hear Paris squeak through it, you can see she's not good enough.

So Chris sang two more songs that no one ever heard of and bored me to tears. Just another week.

Katharine is so hot. I'm glad they talked about the panties. It seemed as if she was wearing some kind of shorts. Seacrest definitely rewound 1000 times on his TiVo to see her drawers. I don't get why she was on her knees but I kind of liked it.

I hate Taylor making a fool of himself once again. Him singing "Play That Funky Music" was more of a parody of himself than Saturday Night Live did. He actually cut out the screaming and dancing for the second song and it was very enjoyable.

Earl Woods Dies

Tiger Woods, father Earl died after a long battle with cancer. He didn't live long enough to see Tiger fulfill the bold predictions Earl made for him (having a bigger social impact than Ghandi and Mandela combined) but Tiger definitely did enough good things that should make a father proud:

"I’m very saddened to share the news of my father’s passing at home early this morning. My dad was my best friend and greatest role model, and I will miss him deeply. I’m overwhelmed when I think of all of the great things he accomplished in his life. He was an amazing dad, coach, mentor, soldier, husband and friend. I wouldn’t be where I am today without him, and I’m honored to continue his legacy of sharing and caring. Thank you to all who are sending condolences to my family and our Foundation. We are truly blessed to have so many who care during this difficult time."

Bit of Gambling Problem

Golfer John Daly used to be an alcoholic. He recovered from that, and became a compulsive gambler. In his new book he says he has lost between $50 million and $60 million during 12 years of heavy gambling and that it has become a problem that could "flat-out ruin me" if he doesn't bring it under control.
He told one story of earning $750,000 when he lost in a playoff to Tiger Woods last fall in San Francisco at a World Golf Championship. Instead of going home, he drove to Las Vegas and says he lost $1.65 million in five hours playing mostly $5,000 slot machines.
He has spent the last 10 years paying off gambling debts with his sponsorship income (he's made $8.7 million in winnings on the PGA Tour) and appearance money.
He said he owed $4 million to casinos in two years of gambling until he won the 1995 British Open at St. Andrews, his second major. That victory and the ability to get handsome appearance fees enabled him to pay off the debt.
Now he plans to start at the $25 slots in the casinos and set a "walkout loss number," which would tell him it's time to leave.
"If I make a little bit, then maybe I move up to the $100 slots or the $500 slots, or maybe I take it to the blackjack table," he wrote. "It's their money. Why not give it a shot, try to double it? And if I make a lot, I can ..."
Spoken like a true gambler.
Somewhere TallSkott is reading this and holding his hand over his eyes.

Should I Stay or Should I Go?

I always say that college athletes should leave for the pros as soon as they can. If you are going to be a high draft choice, go. Learn on the bench and make some money, because you can never tell what might happen. You might have a great season but still fall to the 10th pick, like Matt Leinart.
But if you don't need the money, maybe it isn't a bad idea to stick around as the college campus celebrity. Let Joakim Noah and this picture be all the evidence you need.

PP 1K

This is the 1000th post in the history of Paul's Poop. I started on 11/3/2005 as News U Can't Use and roughly three months later, on 1/28/2006, I hit 500. Now exactly 6 months later I'm at the 1000 mark. Thank you for reading and commenting and may we all be together for 1000 more.

Should Make for an Interesting Sex Tape

Hours after she dumped her second Greek shipping heir, Stavros Niarchos, because he didn't reimburse her for big bills he ran up, Paris Hilton was shopping at The Grove Mall in LA with Matt Leinart.
She tried to be incognito in a brown wig, but it didn't work.

Nationals 6 Mets 2

It amazes me that over the many years I've been a Mets fan, no matter who was on the team, the Mets cannot beat rookie/young pitchers. Already this season the Mets have lost to Kyle Davis (twice, the second time he didn't pitch well), Clay Hensley, Matt Cain (he's a top prospect) and now Michael O'Connor.

They only got two hits off him, one of which was the LoDuca home run.

The Mets should send John Maine back to Norfolk, and he doesn't even live there.

Delgado reminds me of Cerrano more each day. Curveball, bats are 'fraid.

I hate Mike Stanton.

Two home runs for Beltran since coming back. Let's hope he can keep it up.

Bring on the Buccos, too bad we are facing Ian Snell and Paul Maholm.
Luckily we have Pedro and Glavine going. But that means those are the two pitchers who WON'T pitch against the Braves this weekend.

My sister is going to tonight's game to see Pedro because my brother in law has several Pirates (Burnitz, Casey, the shortstop Wilson) on his fantasy team. Maybe we can get her to contribute a recap.

Crazed Lunatic Hates Intermarriage

Miami Dolphins lineman Jason Taylor was the victim of what is now being called a hate crime. Taylor, who is black, to Katina Thomas, the hot white sister of his Dolphins teammate, Zach Thomas.
According to Davie police, Taylor and his wife, Katina, were on their way home from church Sunday evening when Taylor saw a red pickup backing up at an intersection in the path of his car.
As Taylor attempted to pass, the driver of the pickup "intentionally swerved directly at Taylor" and caused him to run off the road.
The passenger in the truck, who wasn't charged, allegedly got out and started to bang on the hood of Taylor's trunk. The 6-foot-6, 255-pound Taylor then got out of his car and was confronted by the 5-foot-11, 168-pound Burns, who was allegedly yelling racial insults and threatening to kill Taylor, according to a police report.
After grabbing Taylor's shirt, Burns allegedly went back to his truck, got an "unknown metal object" and tried to stab Taylor with it. Taylor suffered a minor wound to his left forearm but declined medical treatment.
Both men then jumped back in the truck and took off, with Taylor following and dialing 911. He lost the truck in a trailer park but was able to identify Burns from a photo lineup that police provided.
Police located the truck and tried to arrest Burns as he walked out of a trailer home, but he resisted violently and then tried to kick out the rear window of a police car. Burns was eventually subdued using pepper spray and taken to jail.

Interesting NFL Signings

With the success of Tony Gonzalez, and the emergence of Antonio Gates, NFL teams are looking to undersized college basketball power forwards, for the next wave of great tight ends. The New York Giants signed Jai Lewis from George Mason, who is 6-foot-7 and 275 pounds. The St. Louis Rams signed Ed Nelson from UConn, who is 6-6, 262. The Rams also added a 5-10, 200 lbs running back from Morehouse College, John David Washington, son of Denzel.

Babies

Shaq and Kobe, inextricably linked forever both had kids yesterday, within six minutes of each other Monday morning.
Shaq’s wife, Shaunie, gave birth to a baby girl, Mearah Sanaa O'Neal just before 5 a.m. Monday morning.
It's the third girl for the O'Neals, with Mearah joining sisters Taahirah and Amirah and brothers Myles, Shareef and Shaqir.
Six minutes later in a hospital far, far away, Vanessa Bryant delivered Gianna Maria-Onore Bryant, the second child for her and Kobe Bryant, just hours after he hit the game winning shot against Phoenix.
Jim Gray reports that Gianna weighs 6 lbs, 7 oz.

Disappointment

Very disappointing end to the Nuggets season. Melo had a horrible series and was not able to show his late game heroics. He missed three late shots in game one, and the other three losses weren't even close. If the Cavaliers win their first round series Melo won't even have team success over him anymore. Big changes could be in store for Denver next year with the problems they had with K-Mart this season. I still think Melo is a winner but he may need some more time to grow into that role.

Coked Up Rabbit Killer

Artie Bucco, real name: John Ventimiglia, was busted for drunken driving and cocaine possession yesterday. He admitted to cops he drank four glasses of wine at a Manhattan eatery before getting behind the wheel of his 2004 Volkswagen Jetta and driving home.
Cops spotted him with his headlights off and weaving in and out of the oncoming traffic lane on Seventh Avenue in Park Slope at around 1 a.m., authorities said.
When officers pulled him over, Ventimiglia was unsteady on his feet, his eyes were bloodshot and he reeked of alcohol, according to the criminal complaint.
Prosecutors said the star had a blood-alcohol content of .12. The legal limit is .08.
The boozed-up actor also had a zip-lock bag with cocaine residue in his back pocket, cops said.
Ventimiglia, 42, was arraigned at Brooklyn Criminal Court yesterday on charges of DWI, reckless driving, operating outside the lane, operating without headlights and criminal possession of a controlled substance.
He was released on his own recognizance.
Sources said Ventimiglia later maintained he had a couple of glasses of wine at a Long Island City art gallery opening. The actor claimed he had found a parking spot near his Park Slope apartment and had turned off his lights as he tried to pull in.
He said he couldn't park the car properly, so he drove around the block to look for another spot with his headlights turned off. That's when, he claimed, police picked him up.
Ventimiglia is the latest of a slew of the mobster serial's stars to find himself on the wrong side of the law.
Lillo Brancato Jr., who played Matt Bevilaqua, was charged with murder after he and an accomplice gunned down a cop after he interrupted them robbing a home for drugs.
Tony Sirico, who plays Paulie Walnuts, was arrested 28 times before becoming an actor.
Robert Iler, who plays Anthony Soprano Jr., pleaded guilty to misdemeanor larceny in April 2002 after cops arrested him and three other teens for stealing $40 from two victims on a Manhattan street.
Vincent Pastore, who played Sal "Big Pussy" Bompensiero in the show, pleaded guilty to punching his former girlfriend last April and was sentenced to 70 hours of community service.

Mets 2 Nationals 1

Good teams have to win games like this. It's a long season sometimes you have to get lucky. Obviously. I'm referring to the last play of the game when LoDuca got up with men on first and second and one out. He hit an easy doubleplay ball back to the pitcher, who threw it into centerfield, allowing the winning run to score. But luck is the residue of design. If Franco hadn't walk, and Reyes hadn't single, the Mets wouldn't have been in position to take advantage of that lucky break.

Zambrano actually pitched well. Too bad he didn't get the win. If he can even give up 3 runs in 6 innings he'll help this team. Bullpen was excellent once again. I love Duaner Sanchez.

Huge home run for Carlos Delgado. The longer a game goes and you can't score, the harder it is to break through.

More struggles with men on base. Man on third, one out in the third, Reyes and LoDuca strand him.
Matsui makes out with the bases loaded (again) and two out in the fourth.
We know Jose Valentin sucks so I won't harp on that.

Terrible base running by Reyes on his double that should have been a triple. Once he didn't bust it out of the box, he should have stayed at second. It looked doubly bad after LoDuca doubled.

I'm looking forward to the start of the John Maine era tonight. I hope he'll be good enough to salvage something from the Anna Benson trade.

They'd Better Get a Good Lamar

'Revenge of the Nerds' being remade

LOS ANGELES, California (Hollywood Reporter) -- Kyle Newman has signed on to direct "Revenge of the Nerds," a remake of the seminal 1984 teen comedy.

The project is being developed by Fox Atomic, the new young-adult genre division of Fox Filmed Entertainment. The studio is eyeing a summer start date.

The film reteams Newman with scribe Adam F. Goldberg, who is rewriting the latest "Nerds" incarnation.

Who Needs Em?

Today I had a very enjoyable "Day Without Immigrants." I didn't even notice they were missing. Beers will be very happy. Although I didn't need to get a lawn mowed or a table bussed so perhaps I missed out. If immigrants left a gaping hole in your life please use the comments section to share it.

I Hope It Was Worth It

Four USC guys cost themselves millions in the NFL Draft. Here's how they did it:

1) Matt Leinart wanted one more year of banging coeds and being a star in LA before being a shitty rookie quarterback. He definitely would have been the first pick last year.
2) Reggie Bush's parents couldn't live in their house one more year, so they got a nice new place...and never paid rent. Then Reggie lied about it on TV. Probably would have been the #1 pick without this. At the very least he could have been the top pick by agreeing to a contract.
3) LenDale White ate too much, refused to run, then when he did he ran too slowly. In short, he put on a "what not do before the draft" clinic. Even after all this many expected him to be a late first-rounder. He wasn't taken until the 45th pick.
4) Winston Justice pulled a pellet gun on a kid. The Eagles were considering taking him with their 14th pick. Instead he fell all the way down to 39, where the Eagles snapped him up.

A-Rod Humps His Bat

Vai Sikahema Has Good Taste

VAI SIKAHEMA has mixed emotions about his nephew, "Napoleon Dynamite" starJon Heder.

"I love him as a person. He's a great kid," the NBC-10 sports director and former Philadelphia Eagle said. But, as his wife and kids howled with laughter while watching the movie, Vai says he "just didn't get it."

Vai, whose wife, Keala, is the younger sister of Heder's father Jim, (a Temple med school grad) also gives a thumbs-down to "Benchwarmers," out now, in which Heder stars alongside Rob Schneider and David Spade.

"My nephew Reno Mahe and a lot of other Eagles would all go around quoting the 'Dynamite,' " says Vai, a former Iggle himself, who didn't tell the Birds about his connection to Heder because he was embarrassed after seeing the film.

We told Vai that we didn't like it either the first time around, but it grew on us on second viewing.

But he stands firm. "I'm never gonna watch it again," he said.

Their relation was reported in the April 10 Sports Illustrated in which Heder calls Vai his "famous relative." Vai hasn't seen Heder for several years, but plans to see the actor this summer.

Cleaning Out My Mom's Attic

My mom recently asked us to clean out her attic, throw out the shit we don't want and take to our own homes, the stuff we do want. I found several gems during this expedition and I'll post pictures of them. In this first installment I found a drawing done by AK of the three Syracuse roommates, me, JusTON and BC. The picture comes with a Vin Juice bonus drawing on the back. This drawing is almost 10 years old.

My Favorite Couple Plays My Favorite Game

The Pittsnogles were joined by Mike Gansey to play "For Love or the Game" in ESPN Magazine.

Another Great Japanese Import

The Mets lack of success in bringing over players from Japan continued with the 50 game suspension of Yusaku Iriki for using a performance enhancing drug. The Mets gave this douche $750,000 in the offseason. I guess he won't be replacing Bannister in the rotation.

Braves 8 Mets 5

Tough end to a road trip, but we certainly can't be disappointed. We have a 6 game lead on the Braves at the end of April.

Trachsel looked horrible. Randolph should have taken him out a few batters earlier, and could have even removed him one inning earlier. He just didn't have it. This team is not going to continue playing .667 baseball if Trachsel and Zambrano don't improve and if Bannister can't go more than 5 innings when he comes back from injury.

I don't want to hear about the new improved Jorge Julio because walks will hurt you, but it's the home runs he continues to give up that will kill you.

Carlos Beltran and Endy Chavez each homered. That was good. Jose Valentin got a hit. That's even more surprising.

Ramon Castro stayed red hot with two more hits, but his average actually came down as a result. He flew out to end the game but that ball could have dropped in.

Jeff Francoeur had an amazing game including that diving catch on Castro's ball.

Another rough day for Delgado who is now mired in a huge slump. In the 9th inning Reitsma walked Beltran, started Delgado 2-0, then for some reason Delgado swung, flied out the Jones and ended the threat. He should have taken a strike and kept the pressure on. Huge mistake.

Now the Mets get four games this week against two inferior teams (Washington & Pittsburgh). Hopefully they can take 3 of 4, then 2 of 3 from Atlanta on the weekend.

Mets 1 Braves 0

There's nothing better than winning a 1-0 game.
Now the Mets are guaranteed to win the series from the Braves and to have a winning road trip.

Great pitching by Tom Glavine. Willie did the right thing by letting him bat in the 7th, even though he only got one more inning out of him.

Aaron Heilman probably had his best inning in relief all year and Wagner did what he was supposed to do.

David Wright's misplay in the ninth should have been an error. His bad defense is coming at the worst times.

Delgado, Wright and Floyd left on a small village. Delgado was the worst, striking out four times.

Good timing for LoDuca to hit his first home run as a Met.

Nice to see Beltran back in the lineup.