Catching Up

Reviewing yesterday's action in sports while I cancel my April 26 flight reservations for a record-breaking night in Philadelphia...

Jimmy Rollins may have had his streak end Thursday at 38 games, but at least he can take consolation in knowing that by having a 30+ game hitting streak, he has etched his name in the record books alongside other legends such as Jerome Walton, Ken Landreaux, and Luis Castillo. That's immortality, baby.

The insurance provider for the Los Angeles Dodgers has to be sweating bullets these days. Eric Gagne joins teammates Kenny Lofton and Nomar Garciaparra on the disabled list. Gagne has been experiencing pain in his arm that is so intense that it prohibits him from playing effectively. (It's a toss up which he is finding more prohibitive- the arm pain or the new steroid testing.) Doctors are responding to this latest ailment by removing the functioning pain nerve from his arm. This seems to me like waking up and seeing your house on fire, and then deciding that the best course of action is to remove the battery from your smoke detector.

Also for the Dodgers, Jeff Kent is dinged up and Olmedo Saenz and Sandy Alomar Jr are both eligible for the senior discount at LA movie theaters. The only good news is that J.D. Drew has shocked the world by beating the odds and making it almost a week without an injury. I guess the other good news is that they play in the NL West, where .500 is good enough to be the champ.

I'll never cease to be amazed by SF Giants fans, who once again proved that logic and sensibility have no place in being a sports' fan. During yesterday's home opener, Giants fans gave Barry Bonds an extended standing ovation during player introductions. If there are any Giants' fans that read this blog, can you please inform me if there is anything other than the fact that his jersey reads "G I A N T S" that makes you want to root for this guy? Aside from the whole lying/cheating thing, he never gives anything back to the community, he's a jerk to everyone around him, he doesn't even live in the Bay Area in the offseason (he lives in Bel Air), and he's never delivered a World Series championship to SF fans. Does nothing else matter as long as he can hit baseballs into McCovey Cove? Help me understand.


Viewing tip for Friday: The MLB package is free for a few more days. For those who can't afford to buy the package for the remainder of the season, tonight might be your only chance to see Felix Hernandez pitch. The Mariners host the Oakland A's tonight with a 7:05 local start. Check him out if you don't have Friday night plans, or Tivo it if you do.