Fouled-Off Bunts: So A Fat Reliever Walks Into A Bar Edition

What more can you say about this story? [edit: the posting appears to have been pulled! Hmmm... I'm having my detectives get to the bottom of this one!]

As good as this all was, it only got better. Not five minutes after Rijo leaves, Ray King comes romping into the Sushi Bar, with two HOT BABES hanging all over him. The noise level of this rather quiet restaurant went up a few decibles. Ray causing a scene just by talking to Schneider, Johnson and FLop. Everyone talks about his belly. Ray loves his beer. Japanese Beer. Sapporo is his favorite. He ordered a few right away. The babes giggling away.

The African Queen asked me who this guy was? I told her relief pitcher Ray King. She shockingly replied" "NO WAY!! NOT WITH THAT GUT!!"

Read the whole thing to find out why you don't mess with Ray's women.

More on Cordero's signing and how he turned down a 2-year deal from the Nats. Reading between the lines, I'm going to up the Trade-o-meter a few notches. From this and other things I've read, Cordero is turning into a strong union guy. And Stan Kasten is going to near the front of the line at any anti-union rally. Well, it's not so much the union as it is those pesky salaries. (He's even endorsed a plan that would do away with player's agents, letting the union itself do negotiating.)

Cordero feels pressure from the Union to take the team for everything they're worth, thereby establishing the future salaries of other college closers -- a recent draft phenomenon. Kasten, meanwhile (as any good businessman would), wants to pay his guys as little as possible while ensuring some sort of cost certainty.

Those two positions can't really coexist.

I don't think this means that they're going to rush out and trade him just to be done with him. But, perhaps, instead of waiting for two A prospects, they'll take an A and a B? I dunno... just some idle speculation.

Good news about Ayala (second item). He's started to throw his slider in BP. That pitch, more than any other, would be the one that would make his elbow bark.

Ibid, we've got a new PA guy.

Tom Boswell praises the recent stathead game strategy approach that Manny Acta's talked about recently. Fewer bunts, less stealing, etc, etc... But he laments that Acta's non-frank lameness might cost us the #1 pick. Gee, Tom, just yesterday you assured us that this team would be better than last year's. Now you're using words like "may" and "could"?

Tom can write circles around me. And he can probably analyze a rhombus or two around, too. But this flip-flopping, weasley approach where he's always giving himself outs or completely contradicting what he wrote just THIRTY DAYS ago!!! really kills any credibility he has.

HOT BLOGGER ACTION!!!
--OMG takes a closer, stat-ier look at yesterday's factually dishonest Boz column

--Distinguished Senators, who can write circles around Boz, has a book for you to read.

--Mets Geek has an article looking back at the Roberto Alomar trade, which I'm only pointing out because the Nats have 3 of the participants in camp.

--And today's fun read comes to us courtesy of this guy. He's compiling links after link of all those stupid spring training stories where generic athletes say that they're the in the "best shape" of their life.