Another loss, change of subject

Ho hum, another west coast road swing and another loss. Corey Patterson started last night and while getting one hit still managed to lower is OPS. The latest VORP* shows that Patterson is a -.03. His OPS+ which is OPS adjusted by park is 83. 100 is average. This is HORRIBLE. He must be let go or traded for a Dodger Dog and a bag of boiled peanuts.

*VORP stands for Value of Replacement Player. The higher the number the better that player is than the average, bargain bin player.

Instead of dwelling on these horrible stats, let me move on to happier, off-topic things. Today is the day of the Champions League Soccer Final. The Champions League is a Soccer Tournament made up of the best teams from all over Europe. It is the most prestigious annual soccer tournament and the annual game is played much like the Super Bowl, in a predetermined major city. This year's game is in Moscow and pits two English teams, Manchester United and Chelsea. I have been fascinated in recent years with European soccer because of the passion. Manchester United is like the New York Yankees, Dallas Cowboys, Los Angeles Lakers, and Detroit Red Wings all mixed into one. Their coach was even knighted. That is the equivalent of our president awarding the highest civilian award to Joe Torre. I encourage people to watch because it is the best soccer game in the world and, while there aren't a ton of goals, the buildup to a goal is like nothing else. Also, once someone does score, the excitement is unparalleled. In between these goals there is constant chanting and cheering by the fans which is a lost art in American sports. Watch the excitement in that stadium and hope that one day it can be equaled in at least one American sport.

Johnny Cueto tonight. Hopefully he can lower that 5.75 ERA and Griffey can hit something other than a single. His slugging percentage is plummeting because all he does is hit singles. Hit 600 then hope we can trade him and call up Bruce. That would also entail Dusty started Bruce over Patterson which may be a problem but we will deal with that when the time comes.

Have a great Champions League Final Day and Go Chelsea.