Ryan Church fails to tag third base - is called out

Stephen Strasburg - San Diego State phenom

Patricia Kara - one hot case opener

I never watched "Deal or No Deal" until their syndicated 30 minutes show...I knew they had hot models who opened cases, but I never noticed anyone in particular until I saw Patricia Kara...on the one hour show, she usually is with case #9...what I like about her is that she is not some 20 something ditzy chick...she is freakin 37-years-old!!!...she is MILF material (even though she doesn't have kids)...as an added plus, she is Greek, just like me...her real name is Panayota Karamouzis...she can open my case anytime she wants...

Happy Birthday Tina Fey

HAPPY 39TH BIRTHDAY TINA FEY

Miguel Angel Sano, the 16-year-old Dominican who can make or break the Pittsburgh Pirates

The Pittsburgh Pirates have a decision to make that will impact their future...should they sign Dominican wiz Miguel Angel Sano to a rich contract...he is described as Albert Pujols in Hanley Ramirez's body...however, Sano is only 16-years-old...Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Dejan Kovacevic writes about the Pirates dilemma...

The Pirates' pursuit of Miguel Angel Sano, an elite 16-year-old Dominican prospect who projects to play right field, is fraught with risk whether they sign him or not.

Looking at three risks from each side, let us start with those that come with signing him:

• Most obvious is money. Sano could command a bonus of $4 million or more, which is 10 times greater than the Pirates' record investment in the region, the $400,000 paid to Venezuelan outfielder Exicardo Cayones last year. Few things are less predictable in sports than a 16-year-old baseball player, and it is far from certain Sano would ever see Pittsburgh.

• An excessive bonus could tick off the rest of Major League Baseball, just as the Oakland Athletics did last year with their record $4.25 million bonus for Dominican pitcher Michael Inoa. The draft and Latin American systems operate mostly through unwritten, unspoken agreements that teams should not throw out the entire pay scale, and low spenders such as the Pirates benefit from that more than anyone.

• The Pirates spent $9.8 million on the draft, $2 million on Latin America last year., each a franchise record. If they shift too much draft money to Latin America, they could damage their draft class, something that should be a great priority. Unless, of course, ownership adds money to the overall pool.

Among the risks of not signing Sano:

• The Pirates' talent evaluators, who are effusive in their praise of Sano's potential, could become dispirited. Signing talent in Latin America is much like recruiting college athletes in the United States. Connections are made, including with the athletes' families, and countless hours are invested beyond simply watching the players play. The Pirates have forged a bond with Sano, his family and his representatives, but none of that will matter without a check.

• The Pirates will stop getting special tryouts in the Dominican. The system on the island is that teams known to sign elite talent will get exclusive looks at top players. Such was the case when the Pirates' brass -- already in the country because of the opening of the team's new academy -- watched Sano and 14 other players in a workout late last month. Other teams have been denied such access, and that could happen to the Pirates, too, if they never step up beyond $400,000.

• If Sano really does become "Albert Pujols in Hanley Ramirez's body," as agent Rob Plummer described his potential the other day, the Pirates will regret it for years to come should it take place in another uniform and he could have been had for the same price it took to sign free-agent bench players Eric Hinske and Ramon Vazquez.

The Forum in Inglewood has not changed after all these years

Jerry Crowe of the Los Angeles Times writes about what happened to the old Forum in Inglewood... "Actually, the doors have swung open quite often in the last 10 years, not only for religious services but also for concerts, video shoots, rehearsals and whatever else the owner can book into it, including USC and high school basketball games. Even the Lakers are exploring the possibility of returning to the Forum -- for an exhibition game in October. Their former center, Shaquille O'Neal, participated in graduation ceremonies at the Forum when he received his MBA from the University of Phoenix in 2005." ...

Jerry Crowe

College football writer Tony Barnhart of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution released his Spring Top 25 for the 2009 football season... "We did our RE (Ridiculously Early) Top 25 back in January, just hours after Florida had won the BCS national championship. Now we’re done with spring practice and June will be here before we know it. So let’s do our Spring Top 25, which should give us enough to argue about between now and two-a-days in August." ...

Tony Barnhart

Paul Dougherty of the Cincinnati Enquirer writes how the Cincinnati Bearcats dynamic coach Brian Kelly somehow finds time for everyone... "One BK is dropping the puck at a Cyclones game. The other is 100 miles away, speaking to a group of minority coaches in Indianapolis. I swear I heard Kelly was teeing it up at Shaker Run not 15 minutes after I saw him running on the treadmill on campus. The man is so scheduled up, he doesn’t need a Day Timer. He needs a stopwatch. If it’s 12:30 on Tuesday, this must be the Salvation Army luncheon." ...

Paul Daugherty

Jeff Rabjohns of the Indianapolis Star writes how the basketball recruiting battle between Purdue and Indiana has heated up again... "This comes at a critical juncture for both schools. If Purdue lands these recruits, it could go from seasons like last year's when it reached the Sweet Sixteen to making a Final Four push. If IU wins, it could rebound quickly from the decimation of the Kelvin Sampson era." ...

Jeff Rabjohns