Wow.

Jose Offerman's lawyer says his client never hit anybody with a bat.

So I suppose in these pictures he's just holding the bat menacingly and not really doing anything with it. The pitcher apparently broke his own finger and the catcher punched himself in the head.

Good luck with that.

When Jose Offerman Attacks

Former Great Falls Dodger great Jose Offerman went ape the other night. Offerman played for the LA Dodgers for a number of years before becoming a journeyman player, now a part of the independent Atlantic League.

After being hit with a fastball, Offerman charged the mound with his bat. He struck both the pitcher and the catcher, who tried to break up the fracas, in the head. He's been suspended indefinitely and is facing assault charges.

This may be a career killer (see sarcasm dripping). Too bad, really. He was my favorite Great Falls Dodger back when I was eight years old.

The Dodgers have completely decimated themselves these last couple weeks. They went from a decent lead (for the NL West) of the division to fourth place, six and a half games out. The pitching rotation is broken with Schmidt and Wolf on the DL and Tomko and Hendrickson being, well, worthless. The few decent pitchers that are left haven't gotten anything in the way of run support. Meanwhile, Grady Little has done his best to make a comeback improbable. Dodger Blues put it best in their "Asshole of the Moment" feature:

8.13.07 - Grady Little
Andre Ethier is the only Dodger hitting worth a shit, and where does Grady have him in the lineup? Eighth—so the opposition can pitch around him. It's no different than buying a rose bush, putting it under the sink, and then wondering why the leaves are turning brown. Idiot.

They do this to me every year. I still blame the Braves.

Kim Jong Il shows off sweet new shades, jammies.

Few things are funnier than BBC articles trying to explain what's going on in American sports. See highlighted caption:



I love English understatement. Article here. And if you really want a good gut laugh, check out the BBC's "simple guide to the basics of American football."

An excerpt:

Downs are the most fundamental, and confusing, part of the NFL rulebook.

The attacking team, or offence, needs to move the ball forward in chunks of at least 10 yards, which is why the pitch has yardage markings.

They have four chances, or downs, to gain those 10 yards.

When the ball has advanced that far another first down is earned, with four more chances to go a further 10 yards.

If the offensive team fails to move 10 yards within four downs, possession is surrendered, although the ball is usually kicked, or punted, to the defending team on fourth down.

While most scoring comes from near the defending team's end zone, a touchdown can be scored from anywhere on the field, and on any down.

First KG, now this.

Just so everyone knows, Lea and I are both perfectly fine and were in our apartment at the time of the collapse. All of our friends and coworkers that we've spoken to thus far were away from the bridge as well. It is a bit chilling, though, to think how often we've crossed the 35W bridge over the river.....

On a lighter note, tonight the Los Angeles Dodgers are holding a steroid awareness clinic for kids prior to their game against the San Francisco Giants. I'm sure that has nothing to do with Barry Bonds being on the verge of tying the homerun record.