ok, everybody, let's get the Tatooed Dude into the All Star game. He's had a great start to the year, and who knows, an AS appearance just might be the thing to keep it going. AS voting is open, so be sure to NOT check the box for some dude named "Mora." Instead, skip down to the write in section and, um, write him in! Be sure to select the team and position, above the write in box (not sure if it matters or not, they can probably figure it out, but just to be safe). Also, don't forget to vote all 25 times. Now, in the vein of "Droooooooo!", everybody, "TATOOED DUUUUUUUUUUDE!" ("Dread Piiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiirate!" just doesn't have the same ring out loud). Do it. Do it. Do it.

So, I thought something was up when SBNation was doing NFL previews in worst to first order and the Cardinals preview still hadn't shown up by the time the Niners preview had come and gone. Yep, you guessed it, last time I checked, there are 32 NFL teams, but there are only 31 NFL previews on SBNation. Explanation?

Scenario #1: They are going to rank us above the Colts and Saints. Not likely.

Scenario #2: We are going to be so bad that we don't even merit a preview. Not likely.

Scenario #3: One season removed from a Super Bowl appearance, and we're back to being the league afterthought. Highly likely.

The more things change, etc. Rodney Dangerfield, your office is calling.

He now pitches for the Mariners’ AAA affiliate, the Tacoma Rainiers. Got this pic at last night’s game against the Rivercats. He didn’t get into the game, but it was good to see him nonetheless. Couldn't say more than a few words to him due to overzealous security, but still as fan-friendly as ever.

The Petit Unit also pitches for the Rainiers these days, but somehow I don’t think anyone will be too disappointed I didn’t get a pic of him.

what else needs to be said at this point that dbacks4life didn't already say, just fire the guy. I know it's on the players to play better, etc., but we've given him more than enough time to establish his cred as a manager and he hasn't done it (not sure if anyone could being put in the same position as he was with the qualifications he had, but, all the same, the experiment needs to end.) If that's something he's going to learn over time, then heck, extend his deal out 15 years and maybe he'll figure it out someday -- we'll be patient, right? As was previously said, it all starts at the top. Managerial credibility is not our only problem presently, but it's a big one, and it's a place to start.

And, no, I really don't "hate" A.J. Hinch, I pre-wish him the best in his next job. Heck, move him back to the front office, I'd be fine with it. We're wasting valuable time here, time to get a real manager. Gibby? Butler? Your offices are calling.

Have at it.

so, the fiancee and I took in Friday night's Rivercats/Aces game here in Sacramento (no pics, sorry, recently moved and haven't dug the camera out yet). As you've probably read by now, Buckner had a pretty good outing, carrying a no hitter into the 5th. What you probably didn't read was how it was broken up. Yes, J. Yuma's Fiancee (JYF) was the perpetrator. For someone who doesn't like baseball yet will watch the occasional live Rivercats game, her timing was quite suspicious. Buckner was cruising in the 5th and had just retired Josh Donaldson for the second out when JYF remarked, "Man, this guy's pitching a good game, we don't even have any hits yet." Of course, Steve Tolleson next approached the plate and stroked a single to kill the no-no. Granted, she was a big hit in our section being that it was a Rivercats home game, but I restrained myself and calmly let her know to never, ever do that again. Of course, she didn't see what the big deal was since it helped the 'Cats, so hopefully her magic will be used on a pitcher not with the Aces next go 'round. Sorry Billy.

ok, Cardinals fans, let's cut through all the BS and nut up for this year. I don't care if you bandwagoned after last year's run, the more Cards fans the merrier. we're gonna get brutal in here, but we can take it because we're real football fans, right? let's wipe the 2:37 away and live Cards football through thick and thin. no one else thought we'd ever make it that far, so let's live it up. post if you're a real fan.

i'm torn, sometimes i really enjoy living in the past, especially when i have a few free hours and my '01 world series dvd's at the ready. we're at +1 on '04, so things are pretty close to even at this point, just let me know if I should grab doc and marty, fire up the delorean and get the flux capacitor, um, fluxing. what would have happened if marty mcfly would have run into teen wolf in 1985? weird.

First of all, I know it won't happen, but I'll be the first to say it. It would be one thing if Chip Hale had taken over and we wouldn't expect any more than an Al Pedrique caretaker finish to the season. Seriously, c'mon, we passed over Gibby and Brett Butler for this? And, (yes, I know I've already bitched about this to no avail), but a multi-year deal? Seriously, we're not going into 2010 with Hinch in the driver's seat, right? J. Byrnes is going to play puppet master this year and then realize what a fool he's been, correct? Seriously, we look like complete %$*?># to the rest of the league right now, I mean it's one thing to develop players, but who can take a front office guy seriously as a manager, ex-player or not. I can't get Price's comments out of my head, he was spot on. Hindsight, looks like a horrible move, not saying I predicted it, but can't have been any worse with Melvin. Agree, disagree, go for it. We all know it's the elephant in the room that no one wants to talk about.

now that the dust has settled, I don't get the multi-year deal for Hinch. Doesn't he have to prove that he can manage first? I get the caretaker manager part of it after the start we've had, but why more than that? Don't we want to motivate him to perform? Now he can extend his learning curve out a few more years. Not to mention the fact that if guys like Gibby or Brett Butler feel passed over, we're chancing losing those guys down the road at some point. (Price's recent comments re Melvin's firing etc. point in this direction).