Government at it's best

-5...4...3...2...1... Liftoff for More Government Waste: One reason the national debt keeps getting worse is lack of cost discipline in government programs. Officials know that no matter how poorly they perform, Congress will always give them more money, while no one is ever fired for screwing up. If anything the incentive is to drag feet: Poor performance is rewarded with additional years of funding.

Case in point: NASA's preposterous Webb Space Telescope project. It was announced in 2002 as a project that would cost $1.2 billion (all figures in this item are in current dollars) and launch no later than 2010. In 2006, NASA said the cost had risen to $2.6 billion and the launch date slipped to 2014. In 2008, NASA said the cost was up to $5.2 billion. Last week NASA told Congress that it needs $8.7 billion for the project and cannot launch before 2018.

The new price reflects a sevenfold cost overrun in a single decade. No private business would tolerate such nonsense. Yet no one at NASA or its contractors has been fired or even disciplined for this bungling. Congress just keeps shoveling the money.

If the Webb launches in 2018, that would mean: 16 years just to build a space probe! During that very long period, hundreds of NASA middle managers and their aerospace- contractor counterparts will be handsomely paid to push paperwork about the Webb. The longer they drag the project out -- that is, the worse they perform -- the longer they are well-paid for accomplishing nothing. Former NASA executive Alan Stern told The Washington Post that endless streams of funding increases for bloated projects such as the Webb "rewards bad management." Rewarding bad management is one of the few things Congress is good at!

In a classic Washington bit of make-believe, the House of Representatives appeared to cancel the top-heavy Webb telescope project last spring, zeroing it out of a budget bill. This was when Barack Obama and John Boehner were swearing they would reduce government spending. Canceling the Webb was among the few specific examples of actual savings mentioned by either. This week, the Senate is expected to add back $500 million for the "canceled" project. Much of the work on the Webb is being done in Maryland, and Maryland Sen. Barbara Mikulski has dutifully carried water for every NASA money request. Mikulski argues that Webb spending creates jobs. So would hiring people to dig holes and then fill them up. Government should either create jobs that are beneficial to society, or cut spending so that Americans can make their own decisions about how resources should be allocated. Creating wasteful jobs is a negative for society.

Bear in mind, it's only 2011. NASA says the new space telescope won't launch for another seven years. There's plenty of time for the price to balloon even more. NASA managers know that no matter how much public money they toss out the window, there will never be any form of discipline.

NASA is not a major part of government -- just half of 1 percent of federal spending. But if Congress cannot impose cost discipline on even this relatively small endeavor, how can Congress ever tackle a $14 trillion debt?

In other NASA news, the agency recently announced plans for a new heavy-lift rocket. Expect the Mississippi congressional delegation to support the project regardless of cost, since the primary engineering work would be done in that state.

The heavy lifter of the Apollo program was called the Saturn V, a wonderfully evocative name. The new rocket is to be called the Space Launch System. I am not making that up -- NASA is so poorly run that it can no longer even come up with good names. NASA might as well have dubbed the project the Big Thing With Flames Coming Out. Amusingly, the agency is touting the planned rocket as "affordable" though the initial price tag is $18 billion. And that's just the lowball. NASA knows that if the program is authorized, then unlimited cost overruns will be approved by Congress.

Speaking of Congress, the latest New York Times/CBS News poll shows an all-time-low 9 percent of Americans believe Congress is doing a good job. The 9 percent -- who are these crackpots?

Time to change the celebration rule

Watching the ref watching the player after a touchdown to make sure he doesn't celebrate too much is funny-Adventures in Officiating: Scoring on a pick-six against Oakland, Brandon Flowers of Kansas City briefly put his foot on the ball and flexed his muscles. He was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct for "using the football as a prop." Celebration penalties have become ridiculous. Taunting should be penalized, but what's wrong with celebrating? The game is, at heart, entertainment. There is no reason players should not entertain the audience by dancing after a score. Plus, the rule is enforced inconsistently. In the Rams at Dallas contest, Dez Bryant used the ball as a prop to celebrate a touchdown, and there was no yellow. The only way to make enforcement of the celebration rule consistent would be to penalize any show of emotion following a touchdown. That, of course, would be silly. If consistent enforcement of a rule would be silly, the rule is silly.

Who comes up with these movies,nothing to go watch

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I Coulda Been a Computer: The new flick "Real Steel" posits that robots replace people in prizefighting. Presumably, in the tradition of feel-good boxing films, the hero robot, Atom, will be a 1-to-100 underdog against an unbeatable champion. Then by winning, he will gain the affection of a pretty girl robot.

Obviously "willing suspension of disbelief" is required for a movie like this. What seems striking about "Real Steel" is not the implausible premise, but that the action is supposed to occur in 2020. In this flick, just nine years from now, not only will gigantic fighting robots be common in American cities -- Hugh Jackman will find the parts for Atom by scrounging through a junkyard, because well before the year 2020, gigantic used robots are already being tossed out as trash.

As TMQ has noted, Hollywood tends to assume technological advances happening too soon to be probable. The movie "2001: A Space Odyssey," released in 1968, had Pan Am commercial flights to orbit in the year 2001. "Blade Runner," released in 1982, was set in 2019, and depicted super-advanced cyborgs plus colonization of planets in other star systems. "I, Robot," released in 2004, was set in 2035 and had armies of super-strong sentient, clairvoyant robots. Maybe there someday will be boxing robots that trash-talk with each other during weigh-ins. But it's not going to happen in nine years.

Oh those Eagles

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It’s official: The Eagles (1-4) are in major trouble. They have lost four straight. Their run defense is still woeful. They committed five turnovers Sunday. What would have been a great comeback for the Eagles fell short when Michael Vick threw his fourth interception on the Eagles’ final drive with less than two minutes to play. The interception was not Vick’s fault. His pass ricocheted off the hands of Eagles receiver Jason Avant and Bills corner Drayton Florence into the arms of Bills linebacker Nick Barnett.

However, all the Eagles—Vick, the coaches and all the players—deserve blame for a season that is coming unglued. The Eagles’ final error was almost comical. On fourth-and-1, with 1:23 left to play, the Bills coaxed Eagles defensive end Juqua Parker into jumping offside, allowing the Bills to maintain possession and run out the clock. It's an embarrassing mistake in what has been an embarrassing season for the Eagles.

Coach Andy Reid was desperate enough to call for an onside kick to start the second half, with his team already trailing 21-7. These are indeed desperate times for the Eagles.

Halladay gets no run support in a 1-0 loss

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PHILADELPHIA -- There had been so much hope and excitement in February, when the Phillies assembled their rotation for the ages in a once-in-a-lifetime news conference at Bright House Field in Clearwater, Fla.

The 2011 team could have been the greatest in franchise history.

But a once-promising season ended in crushing disappointment Friday night when the Phillies lost to the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 5 of the National League Division Series at Citizens Bank Park, 1-0. The ending was a startling contrast to those joyous moments in Spring Training: Ryan Howard collapsing to the ground as he made the final out of the season, likely tearing his left Achilles tendon; and Roy Halladay, sitting at his locker for more than 20 minutes after the game before slowly removing his uniform for the final time.

Heartbreak. Disappointment. How could this have happened?

"The hard part is you think about all the hard work you put in over the course of the year, all the anticipation, all the excitement," Halladay said. "You have two days leading up to the game today, knowing how big the game is going to be. All of a sudden that kind of dissipates. It's tough. It's hard to have it end like that. You always want to finish happy."

The Phillies -- who finished the regular season with a franchise-record 102 wins and the best record in baseball -- not only failed to win the World Series, they failed to advance past the first round of the postseason for the first time since 2007.

Halladay deserved better. He allowed six hits, one run, one walk and struck out seven in eight innings. He pitched brilliantly.

The Cardinals scored their only run in the first inning. Halladay allowed a leadoff triple to Rafael Furcal, which has been Halladay's glaring statistical anomaly this season. Leadoff hitters in the first inning hit .484 (16-for-33) with one walk against him. Furcal might have caught a break on the play when center fielder Shane Victorino appeared to miss the cutoff man. If Victorino had hit his mark, Furcal might have been thrown out at third base, although manager Charlie Manuel was not convinced it was possible.

Halladay deserves to win a world series ring

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PHILADELPHIA -- Roy Halladay is a man of few words, not one to divulge much about his anxiety after Lance Berkman hit a towering three-run home run to right field, or his relief when Ryan Howard returned the favor and validated Halladay's effort to keep his team in the game on Saturday.

The day before he pitched the Phillies to an 11-6 victory over the Cardinals in Game 1 of the National League Division Series, Halladay was unsure how to answer a question about respecting a red-hot lineup, yet remaining competitive and attacking.

So Halladay recited Shakespeare: "I came here to bury Caesar, not praise him."

Et tu, Berkman?

The moment Berkman's home run to right field in the first inning led Halladay to spike the rosin bag behind the mound could not have been a greater juxtaposition from Halladay's last appearance in the 2010 NLDS against the Reds. Then, he wrapped his arms around catcher Carlos Ruiz, and teammates danced on Halladay's mound after the veteran right-hander joined the ranks of baseball immortals by throwing the second no-hitter in postseason history.

"I couldn't think of a worse start, really, than putting your team in a hole like that," Halladay said. "You get to this point, you're not going to pack it in. And I feel like sometimes, you get in those situations, you try and do too much, and it continues to get worse."

Said Phillies manager Charlie Manuel: "He was kind of like a Rocky movie. He got mad after he gave up the homer. That ticked him off, and he hung in there, and he got going. But he's special. He's everything that people talk about."

Halladay had a 3.66 ERA in first innings this season. From the second inning on, it was 2.14. After Berkman's home run, Halladay retired 23 of his last 24 batters, allowing only a single by Skip Schumaker in the second and sending down the final 21. Rafael Furcal's left-field flyout to end the eighth was the only ball hit out of the infield after Schumaker's hit.

"If you get three runs in less than nine innings against the guy, you've actually made him do worse than he normally does," Berkman said. "That's how good he is. That's why he's making $22 million a year, and that's why people consider him the best in the game."

Halladay was rewarded. Howard's three-run home run in the Phillies' five-run sixth gave them the lead, and Raul Ibanez capped the big inning with a two-run homer to give Halladay cushion he didn't need.

"I know he's in the room, so I don't want to swell his head too much, but that was huge," Halladay said of Howard. "It's starting to get late in the game, and one swing of the bat, you're up. We were able to add on after that, which made my job a lot easier."

Sox are unraveling

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BOSTON -- Terry Francona's memorable run as manager of the Red Sox, during which he guided the club to its first two World Series championships since 1918, came to an end.

"We met with Terry Francona, Theo Epstein and Ben Cherington Friday morning to discuss the 2011 season, ways to improve the club in the future, and Tito's status," the Red Sox said in a statement. "During the meeting, Tito, Theo and Ben agreed that the Red Sox would benefit from an improved clubhouse culture and higher standards in several areas. Tito said that after eight years here he was frustrated by his difficulty making an impact with the players, that a different voice was needed, and that it was time for him to move on. After taking time to reflect on Tito's sentiments, we agreed that it was best for the Red Sox not to exercise the option years on his contract.

"We have enormous respect, admiration and appreciation for Tito and the job that he did for eight years, including two World Series Championship seasons and five playoff appearances. His poise during the 2004 post-season was a key factor in the greatest comeback in baseball history, and his place in Red Sox history will never be forgotten. We wish him only the best going forward."

The Red Sox had until Oct. 8 to decide whether to exercise the $4.25 million option they held on Francona's contract for 2012.

RedSox may be looking for a new coach

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NEW YORK – These men are hired for these jobs in baseball, to manage ballgames for a few hours a night and try not to do anything so stupid that it gets in the way of the actual baseball players.

For the other 21 hours, well, that”s the hard part.

Following a Thursday press conference (that followed a 7-20 September) in which Boston Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein admitted there were issues with player conditioning and preparation, numerous outlets reported Friday morning that manager Terry Francona would not return for his ninth season in Boston.

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The Red Sox had only six wins in September.
(Getty Images)
If true, Francona would not be fired, technically, but his option for the 2012 season would not be exercised.

Francona met Friday morning with owner John Henry, upper management and Epstein, after which the club released a statement that read, in part, “We all plan on taking some time to process the thoughts expressed in the meeting. There are no immediate plans for an announcement.”

Francona left the meeting without comment for waiting reporters. The statement, the events of September, and the end-of-season debriefing apparently would stand for another news cycle.

Francona and Epstein had sat shoulder-to-shoulder Thursday afternoon in a small room at Fenway Park. Each was bent a little at the neck, each crossed his arms across his chest, each blinked at the table too much.

They were miserable. One, or both, seemed on his way out. For good. That much was clear.

Out there, past the old brick of their ballpark, across the ruins of their season, the New York Yankees – the stinkin” Yankees – were readying for October, like seven other teams.

But not the Red Sox, the $165-million Red Sox, the hugely favored Red Sox, the collapsible Red Sox.

How much would you pay for a caught ball?The Sox paid 100 million for a dropped one

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BALTIMORE -- Carl Crawford's Wednesday night could not have been laden with more irony, disappointment or circularity.

It was a ball that just eluded the glove of a sliding Crawford in the ninth inning that plated the winning run for the Orioles, the team whose 4-3 victory was part one of two outcomes that eliminated the Red Sox from reaching the postseason.

With the game tied at 3 and the winning run on second base, Robert Andino hit a liner to left off Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon that Crawford charged. He went into a feet-first slide, keeping his glove low to the ground on the glove-side of his body, his right, but he couldn't snag it.

It was eerily similar to a play from two days earlier that Crawford also could not make, in a 6-3 loss to the O's.

"It was low, so I knew that I had to just try to slide," Crawford said of Wednesday's attempt. "I couldn't dive. I had to try to get up under it, and I wasn't able to. I had to try to make a sliding catch. I couldn't come up with it, though."

The ball stopped dead next to Crawford's glove. He sprung to his feet and fired home, but the throw was well off the mark -- he might not have had a chance to catch Nolan Reimold at the plate anyway -- and the Red Sox walked off in shock.

Time to shift to my playoff team..go Phillies

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Roy Halladay started the Phillies' last postseason with a no-hitter, and he'll have the chance to get his team off to a great October start once again.

To the surprise of no one, the veteran right-hander and 2010 National League Cy Young Award winner was confirmed, in the typical homespun manner of Philadelphia manager Charlie Manuel, as the Game 1 starter of the Phillies' upcoming NL Division Series against the Wild Card-champion St. Louis Cardinals, slated for Saturday at Citizens Bank Park.

"I think if you're good baseball people, you should be able to see how we're setting it up," Manuel said. "I shouldn't have to answer that."

He shouldn't, because the numbers speak for themselves. Halladay, who went 19-6 with a 2.35 ERA this season, went 2-1 with a 2.45 ERA, including the opening-game no-no, in last year's postseason run.

He'll be followed by left-hander Cliff Lee, who went 17-8 with a 2.40 ERA and a Major League-leading six shutouts this year. The Game 3 and Game 4 starters are expected to be lefty Cole Hamels (14-9, 2.75) and Roy Oswalt (8-10, 3.86), respectively.

Halladay's last start of the regular season came last Saturday, Sept. 24, at Citi Field against the Mets. He earned his 19th victory by pitching six scoreless innings, allowing four hits and one walk and striking out three. It was a strong tuneup for this coming Saturday, which gives him six days of rest before his team's 2011 postseason lid-lifter.

He expressed confidence in his team's chances after that win.

"It's nice to go in [to the postseason] on a strong finish, even though that doesn't always determine how things are going to work out," Halladay said.

Put away the bats and grab your golf clubs

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BALTIMORE -- The Red Sox had their bags packed for either a one-game playoff at Tropicana Field, or even better, a trip to Texas to start the American League Division Series. But by the end of one final unraveling, they had nowhere to go but home.

This, after the worst September collapse in baseball history.

A surreal month ended in jarring fashion, the Red Sox suffering a walk-off 4-3 loss to the last-place Baltimore Orioles with two outs in the bottom of the ninth.

"We should have won that game," said slugger David Ortiz, "but it seemed like everything was going in the wrong direction. So many things happened that you think about -- you're very disappointed."

One strike away from victory, ace closer Jonathan Papelbon couldn't finish off the Orioles, who beat the Red Sox five times in seven games over the final two weeks. Nolan Reimold drilled a ground-rule RBI double to tie the game, and Robert Andino followed with the crushing capper, a line-drive single that Carl Crawford trapped, and then dropped.

"You get in that situation, you hope things go your way. It's a game of inches," Papelbon said.

And that was how Boston's 7-20 September ended, and shortly thereafter, the season.

A.500 team

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CHICAGO -- The Blue Jays' 2011 campaign came to an end on Wednesday afternoon with a ninth-inning comeback in a 3-2 victory over the White Sox at U.S. Cellular Field.

Toronto entered the ninth trailing by a run, but loaded the bases against left-hander Chris Sale and scored the tying and go-ahead runs on back-to-back walks.

The Blue Jays' year comes to a close with an 81-81 record under the guidance of rookie manager John Farrell. It marks the fourth time in eight seasons the club has finished at least at .500, but the mark is down from an 85-77 record in 2010.

What if the Rays and the Sox are still tied after tonight

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An actual must win game...The contingency plans are set. Major League Baseball has set up start times for potential Wild Card tiebreakers in both leagues as the regular season comes to an end. Either or both of those games would be played Thursday, the day before the American League playoffs start.

If the Red Sox and Rays finish in a tie for the American League Wild Card, a play-in game would be set for Thursday at 4:07 p.m. ET at Tropicana Field. The Rays went 12-6 against Boston in the regular-season series to earn home-field advantage for the tiebreaker.

Ozzy is out

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CHICAGO -- After eight seasons, two American League Central titles, one World Series championship and countless entertaining moments on the South Side of Chicago, the White Sox agreed to manager Ozzie Guillen's request to be released from his contract. The move allowed the manager to pursue other opportunities.

Guillen is expected to be named the next manager of the Marlins, possibly as soon as Wednesday. Marlins manager Jack McKeon announced earlier Monday that he will retire when the season ends. Guillen had prepared a statement for his blog, "Ozzie Speaks," in the event that a deal with the Marlins became official, but that has not yet happened. The post was inadvertently published for five minutes late Monday night.

Red Sox could miss the playoffs..go Phillies!!

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NEW YORK -- They were refreshed, following a scheduled day off and then a rainout. They had a reshuffled lineup that had Carl Crawford batting second for the first time in more than a month. They had their ace on the mound.

At last, the script was right for the Red Sox to cure their many problems of the last few weeks.

But then the game started, and everything fell apart again in a 9-1 loss to the Yankees.

Who can figure out how things have turned so sour for the reeling Red Sox?

"We all want to win," said Red Sox manager Terry Francona. "It's up to us to go win. We know what's in front of us. We just have to play better."

And they have to pitch better -- a lot better.

Slipping sox

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BOSTON -- By Wednesday night, the unraveling that had been going on for three weeks finally seemed to shift from disappointment to disbelief. How did the Red Sox get here?

As they departed for the final road trip of the season, the Sox were faced with the reality that their recent play -- which includes a 5-16 record in September -- can no longer continue.

If it does, their season, which once seemed like an automatic ticket to October, will stop short of that.

Brady seems to be the new Manning

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Brady sets Patriots passing records
Mon Sep 12, 11:52 PM ET
Miami, FL (Sports Network) - Tom Brady set a couple of passing records for the New England Patriots in their season-opening 38-24 win Monday night against the Miami Dolphins, going for 517 yards through the air.

When Brady connected with Wes Welker on a 99-yard TD pass with 5:44 remaining, it gave him 511 yards on the night, moving him past the team mark of 426 set by Drew Bledsoe on November 13, 1994 in a 26-20 overtime win over the Vikings.

Brady, who finished 32-of-48 passing and threw his first interception since last October, also topped his former record for longest pass in team history. That was a 91-yarder from him to David Patten in a contest against Indianapolis on October 21, 2001.

The pass to Welker, which came down the left sideline, moved the Patriots to a 38-17 lead, just after the Dolphins failed on a fourth down pass in the end zone.

"I only threw it 25 yards," Brady said. "It wasn't like I threw it 99 yards. Wes did all the work. I just put it out there for him."

Brady's 517 yards were also the most in Monday Night Football history. The record is 554 yards, set by Norm Van Brocklin of the Los Angeles Rams in a September 28, 1951 contest vs. the New York Yanks.

Bluejay pitcher turned outfielder

- TORONTO -- Adam Loewen has been in the Major Leagues as a position player for less than a week, but he's already enjoying his time more than he did for three seasons as a pitcher.

The former starter transitioned to the outfield after fracturing his left elbow in July 2008. Instead of trying to suffer through a rehab process that would have lasted at least 18 months, Loewen decided to start his career over as a position player.

Loewen signed with the Blue Jays as an outfielder and began what would eventually turn into a three-year journey back to the Majors. He now finds himself getting to do what he always wanted to as a teenager growing up in Surrey, British Columbia.

"I was always told when I was 15 by older guys that played, 'Oh, you're going to be a left-handed pitcher. I don't know why you're hitting,'" Loewen said. "But I always enjoyed to do it. I knew I was going to get drafted as a pitcher when I was 18, there was no doubt about that.

"I accepted it, I knew I wasn't going to hit anymore, so I just enjoyed my last couple of swings as a college player."

Loewen always preferred to hit, but his 6-foot-6 frame with a southpaw throwing arm had scouts drooling over his abilities on the mound. It was enough, at the time, to make Loewen the highest Canadian drafted when Baltimore selected him with the fourth overall pick in the 2002 First-Year Player Draft.

Four years later, Loewen was pitching in the Major Leagues . Unfortunately, he was unable to stay healthy. After parts of three seasons in the big leagues with the O's, he had little choice but to go in a new direction.

Loewen was close to an agreement to return to the Orioles as a position player until he received a call from Cito Gaston. Loewen grew up a Blue Jays fan, and the sales pitch from a man who led Toronto to back-to-back World Series championships in the early '90s was enough to make Loewen switch organizations.

What's up with Manning

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Manning's condition remains a concern for Colts
Mon Sep 5, 2:04 AM ET
(Sports Network) - Peyton Manning's neck continued to be a concern for the Indianapolis Colts as they faced an increased chance that the four-time MVP quarterback wouldn't be ready by Week 1 for the first time in his career.

Manning has started every game for the Colts since 1998, but had a second surgery on his neck in May and was only activated off the team's physically unable to perform (PUP) list on August 29.

On Sunday, Colts owner Jim Irsay declared on Twitter that there was nothing to say about Manning's condition except that the Colts were moving "cautiously" and "deliberately" while projecting his recovery time.

But Manning was being re-evaluated by doctors as concerns grew that his rehab was taking longer than expected, according to a report on ESPN.com.

Citing sources, the report revealed that doctors have been unable to agree on a reason for the slow pace of Manning's recovery, but that there was no new procedure scheduled for the 35-year-old.

Earlier, an unconfirmed report from an Indianapolis radio host said Manning needed yet another procedure less than four months after the May 23 surgery to correct a disk-related issue in his neck.

The Colts have sounded unconvinced that Manning would be ready for Sunday's game at Houston, and perhaps beyond.

"He will participate in practice on a limited basis," the Colts said in a statement when he was activated from the PUP list. "All of his practice work will be scripted and on a controlled basis. The participation in limited football activity is a standard procedure in the club's rehab protocol."

The Colts signed Manning to a five-year, $90 million contract in July -- the long-term deal that was envisioned when the team put its franchise tag on him before the NFL lockout.

Manning has passed for 54,828 yards and 399 touchdowns in 208 consecutive regular season starts and guided the team to a Super Bowl title after the 2006 season.

He has stated that he wouldn't consider playing just to keep his consecutive starts streak alive, saying that he respects football too much to take the field without being ready.

Manning also had surgery in March 2010 to relieve pain in his neck caused by a pinched nerve and didn't miss camp. This time around, however, he was unable to meet with team medical personnel because of the lockout.

The Jays Making some moves

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The D-backs sent second baseman Kelly Johnson to the Blue Jays on Tuesday in exchange for infielders Aaron Hill and John McDonald.

Johnson was hitting .209 with 18 homers and 49 RBIs for Arizona.

Hill was hitting .225 with six homers and 45 RBIs for the Jays while McDonald was batting .250 with two homers and 20 RBIs.

In corresponding moves, the D-backs transferred right-handed pitcher Jason Marquis to the 60-day disabled list, and the Blue Jays recalled catcher Brian Jeroloman from Triple-A Las Vegas.

Seems like jays pitchers should give up while ahead

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BALTIMORE -- Brandon Morrow turned in the kind of effort most pitchers dream of on Saturday night. The Toronto right-hander all but dominated the Orioles, limiting them four hits over 7 2/3 innings.

In fact, Morrow really had trouble with just one batter: Adam Jones. The center fielder notched two of the team's four hits off Morrow, a three-run homer that capped a four-run outburst in the sixth and an RBI single that provided some insurance in the eighth inning as the Orioles rallied for a 6-2 victory over the Jays before 19,396 at Camden Yards.

Morrow (8-6) looked dominant for five innings. He retired the first 15 Orioles before Nolan Reimold singled to open the sixth. The right-hander stuck mostly with the fastball and shut down the Baltimore hitters with little trouble.

"Everything was there," Morrow said.

Morrow allowed just three balls out of the infield in those first five innings. He threw 44 strikes on 56 pitches through those frames, as the Orioles struggled to mount anything offensively.

Morrow entered the sixth inning with the Jays (57-56) holding a 2-0 lead, but Reimold singled to break up the perfect game and moved to third when Blake Davis added a one-out single.

Robert Andino then hit a potential double-play grounder to Yunel Escobar, but the shortstop booted it, allowing Reimold to score and moving Davis to second. Jones lined a three-run homer to right on a 95-mph fastball two batters later that gave the Orioles (44-66) the lead for good at 4-2.

Finally we get to see the bluejays top prospect in the majors

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ST. PETERSBURG -- Top prospect Brett Lawrie is set to make his highly anticipated Major League debut on Friday night in Baltimore.

The Blue Jays purchased Lawrie's contract from Triple-A Las Vegas following a 7-6 loss to Tampa Bay on Thursday afternoon.

Lawrie will immediately move into the starting lineup at third base with slugger Jose Bautista sliding back to right field.

God damn jays relievers

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ST. PETERSBURG -- The Blue Jays' much-maligned bullpen suffered another major blow on Thursday afternoon.

Toronto had two late-game opportunities to close things out but was unable to seal the deal against the Rays at Tropicana Field.

The end finally came when Shawn Camp surrendered a walk-off single to Robinson Chirinos in the 12th inning of a dramatic 7-6 loss to Tampa Bay.

Travis Snider works on swing in minors,comes back swinging a hot bat

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TORONTO -- Travis Snider's new outlook and approach at the plate appears to be paying off in a big way for the young outfielder.

The 23-year-old has been on an tear since being recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas on July 4. His success continued on Wednesday night with another impressive performance against the Mariners.

Snider matched his career high with five RBIs while Brandon Morrow had little difficulty taking care of his former team in an 11-6 victory over Seattle on Wednesday night at Rogers Centre.

Bluejays don't like day games

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TORONTO -- Maybe the Blue Jays just aren't morning people.

We all have a little bit of trouble pulling ourselves out of bed in the morning to go to work, but this Blue Jays team seems to especially dread the early wake-up call, having dropped yet another day game Sunday afternoon, 7-2 to the Yankees.

The loss plummeted Toronto's record in day games to 13-25, as opposed to a rather favorable 34-23 record when the team plays at night. It's a stat that has not been lost on Blue Jays manager John Farrell.

Win streak ends at 5

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TORONTO -- The Blue Jays' surging offense came to a standstill when matched up against one of the best pitchers in baseball.

CC Sabathia held Toronto in check for almost his entire outing with a dominating performance in front of 45,606 fans at Rogers Centre on Saturday afternoon.

The Blue Jays' winning streak was snapped at five games, thanks in part to the eight quality innings from Sabathia in a 4-1 loss to the Yankees.

Oh no...son of a bitch

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TORONTO -- You could almost hear the collective hearts of Blue Jays fans drop on Thursday night as Jose Bautista writhed on the ground in considerable pain after turning his right ankle while sliding into third base.

The 30-year-old slugger was running into a routine forceout in the fourth inning when he slid feet-first and caught a cleat in the dirt beside the bag.

He immediately left the game for X-rays, which came back negative. He will be re-evaluated on Friday morning before likely going for an MRI to determine if there is any muscular damage.

Jose Bautista is the best player the past 2 years

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CLEVELAND -- Jose Bautista's outstanding start to the 2011 season is second to none in Blue Jays history.

One swing on Saturday night made sure of it.

Facing Josh Tomlin in the third inning, Bautista hit a solo home run into the left-field bleachers at Progressive Field, giving him 30 for the season.

Not satisfied with that number, Bautista broke a 4-4 tie in the 10th inning with his 31st shot, also into the left-field bleachers. That blast proved to be the gamewinner.

Bautista is the first Blue Jays player to hit 30 homers before the All-Star break, which he did in his 83rd game. His first shot broke the record of 29, set by George Bell in 1987 in his 84th game. Bell finished with 47 long balls that year, a career high.

Bautista went deep 54 times last season, setting a team record.

Bautista is the first player to hit at least 30 homers in the first half of the season since Alex Rodriguez did it in 2007.

Snider gets called up from AAA Las Vegas and gets rolling fast

Travis Snider recorded three doubles and a pair of RBIs as the Blue Jays roughed up right-hander John Lackey en route to a 9-7 victory over the Red Sox on Monday afternoon at Fenway Park.
Snider, who was recalled from Triple-A before the game, reached base four times and recorded a run. He was helped out by second baseman Aaron Hill, who homered and notched a pair of RBIs.
Toronto chased Lackey before the end of the third. The right-hander allowed seven runs on nine hits while striking out two over just 2 1/3 innings.
Center fielder Rajai Davis opened the scoring for the Blue Jays in the first. He doubled to lead off the game, stole third and came around to score on an error by Kevin Youkilis.
Lackey was dealt the final blow in the third. He allowed three consecutive hits to open the frame. Adam Lind and Hill delivered RBI singles, while Snider added a two-run double in what ended up being Lackey's final batter.

Mike Vick ,just win and ppl will forget anything

Nike re-signs Vick to endorsement deal
Fri Jul 1, 12:45 PM ET


Michael Vick, who has done a remarkable job of repairing his image since being released from prison in 2009, has another big step in his comeback.

CNBC reported Friday that Nike, which had ended Vick's contract in 2007 after he admitted his involvement in a dogfighting ring, has re-signed the Philadelphia Eagles quarterback to an endorsement deal.

“Michael acknowledges his past mistakes,” Nike spokesman Derek Kent told CNBC. “We do not condone those actions, but we support the positive changes he has made to better himself off the field.”

Vick's image has improved, in part, because of numerous public service appearances and speaking engagements regarding animal abuse outreach. His comeback accelerated dramatically during the 2010 season, when he became the Eagles' starter and re-established himself as one of the league's top stars.

In 12 games, Vick set career bests in completion percentage (62.6), touchdown passes (21), passing yards (3,018) and passer rating (100.2) while leading the Eagles to the NFC East championship. He threw only six interceptions and showed his old magic as a runner, putting up 676 yards and nine touchdowns, while earning his fourth Pro Bowl selection.

"Michael is excited to have a long-term and strong relationship with Nike,” Vick's agent, Joel Segal, told CNBC.

Nike had dropped Vick as a spokesperson in August 2007, canceling the release of his fifth signature shoe, the Air Zoom Vick V. At that time, the company released a statement saying that cruelty to animals was “inhumane, abhorrent and unacceptable.”

CNBC reported that this may be the first time in the history of sports marketing that an athlete has been dumped and then re-signed.

who gets to decide what movies we get to watch?

I'm still mad that the movie "white men can't jump" never came to yarmouth..i was so pumped to see that movie in 1992..the 15 year old me couldnt wait to see that movie..and it never came.
We went to see the movie "Hall Pass",it was pretty good,but i thought that the boobs and black penis was a bit much for a few ppl in the seats that night..a few kids were there behind us..one of them was maybe 10 years old...so someone decided that black cock,and naked Boobies is ok for kids,but the movie Black Swan was too much for us in yarmouth,a academy award nominated film with lesbian scenes was too much for us..but its totaly ok for kids to go watch a rude with alot of swearing and close-ups to a penis...watching Mila Kunis and Natalie Portman having love scene cant be that bad to watch.

The Kings Speech won the academy award,and i wanted to go see that one,but it was only here for a week...but Beverly hills chiuahua was here for a month.

i think if a movie wins a oscar,the theater should bring it back so you can get a chance to see it.maybe if Black Swan or The Kings Speech had more boobs and huge black cocks it would of played for longer.

For you Jays fans...Morrow on DL

TAMPA, Fla. -- Blue Jays starting pitcher Brandon Morrow will miss the start of the regular season because of inflammation in the flexor muscle of his right elbow.




Morrow felt discomfort in the elbow during his Sunday bullpen session. He approached Toronto's medical staff with the news and had an MRI on Monday.



The examination revealed inflammation, and though Morrow felt like he was still able to pitch, the Blue Jays decided to take a cautious approach. He will be placed on the 15-day disabled prior to Opening Day, retroactive to Tuesday, and is expected to miss just one start.