I'll bump the game thread in a couple hours, but there are a bunch of interesting stories out there that I want to link before I forget:
-P- Royce Clayton is bummed about not starting at shortstop for the Jays:
This reminds me of that episode of The Office where Dwight has to give a speech, then panics and can't go on stage. Michael takes his place and bombs, and then Dwight gets his nerve back, walks on stage and gives an absolutely insane speech cribbed from the speeches of Benito Mussolini, and the crowd goes wild. Later, at the hotel bar, Michael says, "Dwight gave a great speech. That's the word on the street, anyway. And I entertained Dwight to no end with my bar stories - so I captivated the guy who captivated a thousand guys. Can you believe that? A thousand guys."
Congratulations, Royce. You replaced the guy who captivated a thousand guys.
-P- Speaking of not starting at shortstop, 2004 first overall pick Matt Bush is now a pitcher. Good luck to him - with what observers describe as a good command of a mid-90s fastball, it sounds like he may have a future.
Every time I start to feel bad for the Padres for drafting Bush, I remember that our own first overall draft pick, Bryan Bullington, has pitched all of 1.1 innings in the majors - and he's five and a half years older than Bush.
-P- Amazingly, seven pitchers in their forties will start tomorrow, assuming nobody gets diagnosed with osteoporosis or has an arthritis flareup or something. The aged wonders are Roger Clemens, Jamie Moyer, Kenny Rogers, Tom Glavine, Greg Maddux, John Smoltz, and Woody Williams.