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2006-04-25 12:22
by Mark T.R. Donohue

If you haven't signed up for Baseball Prospectus Premium yet, maybe your concern for Todd Helton will convince you to do so. Will Carroll's invaluable "Under the Knife" column has been all over the Helton situation, laying out all of the possibilities while remaining as soothing and anti-alarmist as journalistic integrity will allow. I'm not going to undercut Carroll and BP by quoting any of what's there been written, but I feel close enough of a bond with Will (in the sense that I feel fairly confident that he maybe knows who I am) to relay that one upside of Todd's stomach pains being so severe is that it probably rules out a chronic condition. But, on the downside, his being out of the hospital doesn't necessarily mean he's on the road to recovery, either. Helton remains without a diagnosis, but when he gets one, you'll hear it here first. Well, maybe at UTK first, but we will be the first to steal it.

Where are we sending the embarrassment ninjas this week? Will it be to Cincinnati, where it took GM Wayne Krivsky 20 whole games to realize that Tony Womack can't play anymore? Could it be Arizona, where the awful Russ Ortiz finally lost his spot in the rotation after one win in his last 16 starts (and with three years, $23 million remaining on his contract)? The chat rooms of ESPN.com are disqualified as they're not in fact a physical place, but just today I read there Joe Morgan continuing to insist that no one who didn't play baseball could ever teach him anything about the game and someone informing Rob Neyer that Joey Gathright is a "potential superstar." Sometimes I wonder about this country.

But England, on the other hand: Liverpool made it to the FA Cup final. Hells yeah. They ought to be prohibitive favorites May 13th against the Hammers of West Ham. Plus, Steven Gerrard claimed the Premiership's version of the MVP. That ought be enough soccer coverage for this month. I promise I won't bother you again with it until the eve of the big game at Millennium Stadium.

Comments
2006-04-25 13:01:48
1.   Bob Timmermann
Enough soccer coverage until I post match chats for the World Cup that is...
2006-04-25 13:27:35
2.   Mark T.R. Donohue
We can start our own breakaway republic, soccertoaster.com. I hope my Irish ancestors can forgive me, but I'm pulling heavily for England this summer....
2006-04-25 13:30:41
3.   Masoo
I, too, am both a baseball fan and a soccer fan. And I very much enjoy watching Liverpool play. So I decided to avoid the soccer sites for a couple of days so I could watch the FA Cup match this afternoon without knowing the outcome. Living in the States, it's not too difficult to keep oneself in the dark.

Then I do a Google news search for "womack" because I fear the dunderheaded GM for my favorite baseball team, the Giants, will want to pick up Womack. And I'm led to this post. Where I learn ... well, you get the picture.

Don't blame you a bit for talking about Liverpool, in fact I think it's terrific. Just wish I'd waited another 2 1/2 hours before I started fretting over Womack.

2006-04-25 13:31:49
4.   Mark T.R. Donohue
Dude, Tony Womack's evil mojo is STRONG.
2006-04-25 13:46:41
5.   Bob Timmermann
With Mark, Ken, and I, I think we can safely set up a World Cup site if we put our minds to it.

But Ken will make me root for Sweden.

2006-04-25 15:27:47
6.   Kels
Helton news.

http://colorado.rockies.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/press_releases/press_release.jsp?ymd=20060425&content_id=1417581&vkey=pr_col&fext=.jsp&c_id=col

2006-04-25 15:28:24
7.   Mr Customer
I must say that I prefer the Germany Schedule over the Korea/Japan Edition. WC Soccer from Europe is like a whole June full of Christmas Mornings.

Except when the Netherlands lose, that is.

2006-04-25 18:10:20
8.   yankee23
Speaking of soccer, does anyone know if ESPN Deportes is the only station covering the Champions League Semi tomorrow? Apparently ESPN2 has a date with the Jump Rope Championships.
2006-04-26 20:37:59
9.   Voxter
I was trying to think of an Arsenal song to post here, but all the ones I know are a bit dirty for this public forum. And hey, talk about the World Cup all you like, clearly some of us here enjoy it.

I hope my Irish ancestors can forgive me, but I'm pulling heavily for England this summer....

I'm fairly certain mine never will. Out there somewhere are Mulcahys who died in 1918 who are doing sommersaults in their graves cos I have a soft spot for Gerrard. (When he's not playing Arsenal. I just love that duck-footed way he runs.) That what we get for being crap at football, though.

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