Not unlike the little leaguer last year who threw a perfect game by striking out all 18 batters she faced, this high school kid, Anthony Velazquez, threw two consecutive perfect games,  

"I'm giving a nice, big strike zone today, I'm calling all the corners," Richie McCarren, the home plate umpire, said while polishing his shoes in the parking lot before the game, as news crews and reporters dashed to the field. "I don't want to be the guy who calls a borderline walk and ruins this kid's shot at history."

But even the umpire couldn't help him out in his bid for a third consecutive perfect game:

After getting the leadoff batter out on a grounder to third and striking out the second, something got in the way of his streak: Jamie Liebowitz's rear end. Anthony hit him in the left buttock, leaving the Cardozo senior on first with a historic welt and Anthony without his perfect game.

"That's the only way to break up a third perfect game," Jamie, 17, crowed between innings. Anthony's chances for a no-hitter were then dashed in the second inning when Cardozo's right fielder, Mike Bean, smacked a single down the third-base line.

So Bayside had to settle for a disappointing drubbing of Cardozo -- the umpire, invoking the league's mercy rule, ended the game after five innings because Bayside was leading 11-0 -- and Anthony had to swallow a one-hit shutout with six strikeouts and no walks.

The Scene:  Shea Stadium, 1986.

The Game:  RBI Baseball re-enacting Game 6.  

The Commentary:  Vin Scully.

In one of the best mashups I've every seen, this guy redid Game 6 of the 1986 World Series playing RBI Baseball for the Nintendo.  And then he layered Vin Scully's call over the video.  It's an absolute must see.  

Watch the Met's comeback and win

(Largely cross-posted on my personal blog which is read by non-baseball fans, so please forgive some of the details with which you are all too familiar)

Tonight was opening night for most major league teams.  When I got out of class tonight, I flipped the radio over to AM, which I only do when I'm looking for sports.  I was looking for the opening game for my beloved A's against the Evil Empire.

(I don't actually hate the Yankees as much as most people do.  I think there's something to be said for having a dominant team that everyone hates.  They should win it all every few years so that we can continue hating them.  No one hates the Devil Rays, but if they consistently won, year in and year out, we'd grow to hate them.  So it's a good thing that the Yankees win the World Series every few years - it makes things more interesting).  

But this is supposed to be Oakland's year.  They've got a deep pitching staff, a deep bench, and some new mashers who are liable to take opposing pitchers deep.... often.  So I was excited to hear them.  

I missed the first part of the game because I was in class learning about open meeting laws and eminent domain and financial conflicts of interest.  As I turned on the radio and headed home, I heard Ken Korach's voice pouring in crystal clear on AM 1240 Talk City, the new home of the A's in Sacramento, much better than the crackly, fuzzy KFRC, even if 1240 is only going to play 111 games this year.  It wasn't as nice as Bill King's voice, but I've got no beef with Korach, and to be honest, I was never that attached to King, as good as he was, since I didn't really listen to much baseball on the radio until the last couple of years, once I moved back to Sacramento, and even then not at all regularly.  

The first thing I heard was Frank Thomas' second inning at bat.  The first pitch was fouled off down the left field line and into the second deck.  You could hear it in Korach's voice that he was trying to will it fair, so that the Big Hurt's first hit in a green and gold uniform would be a homerun.  No such luck.  But I hoped.  I was excited, after the first pitch, of what was in store for Thomas and the A's this year, that wouldn't have been quelled in me even if Thomas K'd looking on three pitches.  Thomas had pulled a Randy Johnson fast ball foul.  He really is healthy this year, isn't he?  

Pitch #2 to Thomas was also fouled off, to the right side.  

Pitches #3, 4, 5... Quite frankly, I missed these pitches while I realized that I was stuck behind a very slow driver on the way home.  Normally this would have infuriated me (I suffer from road rage, not a particularly bad strain of the virus though - just driving fast, yelling, and lots of the F-word.  When I graduated from high school I got into an accident; I rear-ended a guy, it was my fault and that I was speeding contributed a little bit to it - don't worry, no one was hurt.  Since then I'd been pretty cautious about my driving, and over the years, it's been almost 7 now, I'd regained some of my speed.  The speed (or Fast if you're a VW commercial fan) returned in full force earlier this year, when, as part of a political internship I have, a CHP officer told me to "drive aggressively" to keep up with him, while I was in a minivan.)  Anyway, I realized that I was only going about 25 mph, when on this road I normally would have been going nearly twice that.  And I further realized that I didn't care.  I was listening to the A's at that moment, and my speed no longer mattered.

I came to a traffic light and shortly after I turned the corner, I heard Korach's call for Pitch #6  to Thomas.  It was inside if my memory serves me.  With two strikes on, I had no idea what the count actually was, but I knew there were two strikes, I hoped that Johnson wouldn't bust Thomas inside again with a fastball.  I thought that Thomas trying to swing at a Randy Johnson fastball inside might put too much pressure on Frank's fragile foot.  

Then I heard it.  

*CRACK**

Korach's voice got louder and the cheers in the Coliseum nearly drowned him out.  I don't remember the exact words he used.  I do remember hearing the words "lined," "shot," "left," "first deck," or something along those lines.  The crowd was raucus.  I took my right hand off the steering wheel (when you drive aggressively, you use two hands) and pumped my fist in the air.  "This is the year!"

It was at that point that I discovered the A's were now down "only" 7-1.  As I got to the next stoplight, I thought "Damnit Zito!  Get your head out of your ass."  Then I calmed down a little and thought "If he gave up 7 runs in two innings, he must be hurt.  And my heart sank a little, and wished it weren't the case.  What a long season that would be.  I was comforted by thoughts of last year's game in Tampa Bay, where he gave up 11 runs.  (Is it strange that I was comforted by that?)  I thought to myself, "Zito's a slow starter (like Chavez - dang you Chavez pick it up), he'll figure it over the next few starts.  We'll be fine."

I think by the time I got home we were out of the inning, Kendall having struck out (pick it up J-K). I sat in the driveway in my car for a minute or two before I walked inside.  

The rest of the night I had the game on the radio in two rooms.  I wasn't listening particularly intently, but it was nice knowing it was on, and baseball was back.  It made a day when I was stuck writing a paper better.  

Members of AN, I blame this on you.  Until I found this site, I don't even remember when that was anymore, I thought I was a diehard A's fan.  I soon realized I was a casual A's fan.  I've been on this site constantly this offseason. Frequently using it to successfully procrastinate rather than doing my law school homework.  It's prevented me from being interested at all in football (go Niners) or basketball (go Kings) or the NCAA (well, at least until it became bracket time - and even then I only passively cared about my bracket - damn you Villanova). But you all have made this opening day that much sweeter for me, because you've had me looking forward to it since that last weekend series between the A's and the team formerly known as the California Angels (aka the Vernon Angels of Stanton) last fall.  

The grass is greener, the chalk brighter, the dirt dirtier, it's opening day.  

Go A's.  

That 11-year-old kid that threw a perfect game the other day got rocked in her last start.  She gave up 15 hits (to the LL A's!)

It's too bad too, because it sounds like she's been handling the publicity pretty well.  It would have been great to see her rack up another 18 K's.  

http://www.democratandchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050521/SPORTS/305210001/1007/SPORTS

(May 21, 2005) -- OAKFIELD -- Friday evening, six days after her pitcher-perfect performance had focused the eyes of the sports world on this dot-on-the-map town of 3,000, Katie Brownell took the mound.

The 11-year-old adjusted the long blonde hair flowing from beneath her blue Dodgers cap, took a deep breath and threw a fastball toward the plate.

As four television camera crews, including one from CBS Evening News, focused in, Athletics leadoff hitter Tommy Manzella smacked a triple over the center fielder's head.

It would be that kind of night for Katie. Six days after striking out all 18 boys she had faced in an Oakfield-Alabama Little League game, Katie wound up getting batted around for 15 hits in an 11-3 loss.

"She just wasn't herself out there tonight because it had been such a long, long day," her mom, Denise Bischoff, sighed. "But I'm still proud of her. Win or lose, I always am."

And the 200 spectators -- roughly twice the normal crowd for a Little League game here -- are still proud of her, too.

They're grateful for the national exposure Katie has generated for their rural Genesee County town. Some folks are so thrilled they want to rename the field after her -- the only female among the league's 71 players.

"It's been unbelievable," said Katie's father, Mark Brownell. "The phone hasn't stopped ringing. I just got done talking to Letterman's people before I came here and we turned down Conan O'Brien because he wanted her tonight and we told them that there was no way Katie was going to miss a game."

The week had been both exhilarating and exhausting. Katie's remarkable feat was picked up by virtually every newspaper in the country and attracted the attention of not only Letterman and Conan, but also ESPN, Tony Danza, Ellen DeGeneres, Today, CNN, Mitch Albom, Sports Illustrated and Time magazine.

Even President Bush's people caught wind of Katie's 18 Ks, inviting her to attend his appearance at Greece Athena High School next Tuesday.

"That would be really cool if I was able to meet the President," Katie said.

Friday turned out to be her most demanding day. It began with a 6 a.m. appearance at the Little League field so a camera crew from Good Morning America could show her delivering a couple of pitches. Katie's first delivery on national television sailed over the catcher's head, but her second toss was a strike down the heart of the plate.

Later in the morning, there was a live interview on ESPN2's Cold Pizza, as well as numerous requests of another kind from her fellow students.

"A bunch of people were gathered around her locker asking for her autograph," said her good friend and classmate, Katie Schultz. "Several seventh-graders wanted her to sign their T-shirts. It was wild."

By the time she arrived at the field for her game, she seemed exhausted.

The bleachers on the first-base side were packed. Standing on the top row were three television cameramen, chronicling her every move.

"She got about two or three hours' sleep last night," her mother said. "I don't think she's going to have any problem falling asleep (Friday) night. She'll probably collapse from exhaustion."

"We never thought it would take off like this," said league president Eric Klotzbach. "She really has captured people's imagination nationwide."

Particularly other girls.

Her advice to them: "Just believe in your dreams and go out and have fun."

This is just what the A's need.  She pitches and hits.  She's batting .714, but no mention of her OPS.  

http://www.newsday.com/sports/baseball/ny-spgirl0519,0,7353820.story?coll=ny-sports-mezz

OAKFIELD, N.Y. -- Katie Brownell is a shy 11-year-old girl of few words. But when she gets on the baseball field, she lets her pitching do the talking.

Brownell is the only girl in the Oakfield-Alabama Little League baseball program in this community about halfway between Buffalo and Rochester. On Saturday, that didn't stop her from accomplishing something league officials can't remember anybody -- boy or girl -- ever doing.

She threw a perfect game for the Dodgers in an 11-0 victory over the Yankees.

How dominant was she? She struck out all 18 batters she faced in the six-inning victory. She never got to a three-ball count on any of them.

"As far back as I can remember, I don't ever recall hearing of a perfect game," said Eric Klotzbach, league president.

Katie said she knew she had a chance for something special in the fourth inning. Fortunately, Katie's coach, Joe Sullivan, realized that, too.

He had intended to pull Katie at some point during the game and was ready to do it when the scorekeeper told him she had a no-hitter going.

"I can't pull her out," Sullivan said after taking a look at the score book himself.

So, Katie kept mowing down the opposition and completed the task. Then the place exploded.

"Everybody congratulated me," Katie said.

Katie, who is in 6th grade, also pitched a one-hitter in the first game of the year. She accounted for all 15 outs in the five innings she pitched in that game. She had 14 strikeouts and got the other out on a grounder to the mound that she tossed to first.

"She's been pitching for three years, but she's really came on and excelled this year," said Jeff Sage, manager of the team, who didn't get to see Saturday's game because of his job as a firefighter in Rochester. "She bats really well. She's a solid, all-around ballplayer."

At the plate, Katie's hitting .714 through the team's first three games.

Her sense for the game developed from playing baseball with siblings and friends.

"She had older brothers and we were always outside, so the minute she could pick up a ball, she was" playing, said her mother, Denise Bischoff.

In her first year with the Dodgers, Katie, the daughter of Mark Brownell, played with her older brothers, Jonathan and Joshua. Initially, she wasn't even going to play baseball this year, and instead eyed the softball team.

"Two weeks before the first game, when was it too late for her to switch over to softball, she decided to stick with hardball," Sullivan said. "Fortunately for us."

But usually not together.  But this is rather amusing.

From PE.com:

http://www.pe.com/ap_news/California2/CA_XGR_Angels_Name_184221CA.shtml

"Assemblyman Tom Umberg, a Santa Ana Democrat whose district includes Angel Stadium, said his bill was an attempt to promote truth in sports advertising. He likened the Angels' name change to a company selling orange juice that contains no oranges.

"The team actually plays more games in Oakland than they do in Los Angeles," he said. "It's more accurate to call them the Oakland Angels than the Los Angeles Angels."

                  * * *

Umberg's bill would require Angels' tickets to state that the team is based in Anaheim, not LA.  AB 1041 would "Requires a professional sports franchise (franchise) that includes a geographic location in its name but does not play a plurality of its games in the location used in its name, to include on all tickets, advertisements, and promotional materials a notice indicating that the franchise does not   regularly participate in sporting events in the location indicated by its name," according to the Committee analysis.  (Read the bill and full analysis at http://www.assembly.ca.gov)

The Assembly Committee on Arts, Entertainment, Sports, Tourism, and Internet Media passed the bill 9-0.  The bill now moves to the Assembly floor for approval.  

Despite the obvious suckage of the Angels, I say Oakland should annex them.  That would mean we could get Vlad!  Corner OF, big hitter.