All Over the Place

June 12th, 2009 | by Ray Flowers |

It’s Friday, so forgive me. I’m all over the map as we wrap down the week. I’ve got a cold and I’m tired, but I also have plenty of fun scheduled for the weekend starting tonight with Game 7 of the NHL Finals (you can read more about that below). So proceed with caution moving forward – hopefully you won’t nauseous as I’ll be jumping around from sport to sport in today’s entry.

Emilio Bonifacio will hit ninth in the batting order in interleague play with the Marlins using a designated hitter for their pitcher. Since his red hot start that included 16 hits in his first 33 ABs (.485) Emilio hasn’t hit like he belongs in the big leagues with a 50-for-219 stretch that has produced a .228 batting average. Emilio may stay in the ninth hole once the club returns to the NL brand of ball, that is if the Marlins decide to use their pitcher in the eighth hole like Tony La Russa. Chris Coghlan figures to continue to hold down the leadoff role for the club with his .350 OBP this season, a number that is .365 in his 12 games in his current role at the top of the order.

Ryan Madson since Brad Lidge was placed on the DL: two appearances, no runs, two saves. Like a cool drink on a hot day.

It came out a few days ago, but did you see the report in the USA Today that said it’s not wind conditions that is leading to all the home runs at Yankee stadium, the real reason is that the dimensions of the part are so small? “The wall structure is slightly different than the old park,” AccuWeather said. “The main difference involves curvature. The gentle curve from right field to center field seen in original Yankee Stadium has largely been eliminated at the new stadium… Not only is the famed short porch even shorter in the new stadium, but the walls themselves are not as tall.” AccuWeather reported that 20 of the first 105 home runs hit at the new ball yard would not have gone out of old Yankee Stadium. This is significant in that the new yard is on pace to surrender 293 home runs this season, a total that is just 10 homers off the major league record which is held by Coors Field in Colorado in 1999.

I’m pretty sure that when Joe Mauer was out of the spotlight his body became inhabited by the spirit of Ted Williams. Mauer hit his 13th home run of the season Friday, and with three more RBI he now has 39 ribbies in 39 games. Despite missing the entire month of April, Mauer is not only the top catcher in baseball in standard 12 team mixed leagues according to the Player Rater, he is also one of the to-10 offensive weapons in the game at the time of this writing. That’s utterly amazing.

I touched on the moron that is Chad Ochocinco the other day in Woe is Me, but this guy just cannot stay out of harms way – he simply cannot help himself. According to the Cincinnati Enquirer Johnson has gotten three tattoos on his face (look for a link to a picture on the right side). Yes, I said face. He has two crosses on his right cheekbone, on the left side of his face he has a map of Florida, and on the bridge of his nose he has the letters “OC” for his name. Good to know that if he ever passes out drunk people will know that he is a Christian who lives in Florida and likes to drink Orange Juice.

Kevin Slowey had a huge game on Friday as he struck out 10 Cubs on his way to his ninth victory of the year against only two loses. That gives him a run of six quality starts in seven outings, and in that time he has lowered his ERA from 5.50 to 4.23.

Game 7 of the NHL Finals is about an hour away. Are you as excited about the tilt as I am? Probably not, but if you want a little extra NHL knowledge in regards to the series and Game 7 in particular click on the link to may latest NHL article titled Western Conference Review. There is nothing like the majesty and tension of an NHL Game 7, and with this one being in the Finals, do yourself a favor and watch the game on NBC or CBC even if you aren’t a hockey fan. Trust me, you won’t be disappointed, and perhaps you can approximate the thrill that the players will be experiencing tonight if you merely think back to your childhood when you used to screw around with your friends setting up that Game 7 scenario so that you could win the Cup for your club. Someone will get to turn that dream into reality tonight.

By Ray Flowers

Tags: Brad Lidge, Chad Ochocinco, Chris Coghlan, Emilio Bonifacio, Joe Mauer, Kevin Slowey, Ryan Madson, Ted Williams