A Few Days Prior and Ahead

-Where is Bud Selig? Where? Some of the things going on right now are ridiculous. From more steroid fallout with Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz, to a fairly prominent pitcher flaunting that he doesn't pay any attention to the banned substances list, to beanball wars, The Commish has to show that he's in control of his sport. Do I believe he is? Negatory.

-As referenced above, Reds pitcher Bronson Arroyo spoke openly and honestly about his supplement usage in a recent interview with USA Today. Arroyo stops just short of saying he doesn't care if he fails a drug test, but does seem rather cavalier about what he's doing. Regardless, he does make some good points, especially the one about not enough care being given to the players' long-term health.

-Pedro Martinez was alright in his Phillies debut on Wednesday againt the Cubs. He had some good movement on his slider, reached into the lowish 90s on his fastball, and showed a good change up. He also was clearly done at the conclusion of five innings, which is inline with how he's pitched in his most recent incarnations in the majors. One thing he definitely was --- better than Jamie Moyer.

- It was pointed out to me the other day that Pedro might very well be the best pitcher the Phillies have ever had. Not in his current condition, of course, and you can argue his greatness versus that of Steve Carlton. But Pedro is on the short list.

-Can Cliff Lee really be this good? Another solid outing for the newly acquired Lee, who's now 3-0 with a 1.13 ERA and 23 strikeouts in 24 innings with the Phillies. So far, so good.

-I never thought the day after Cliff Lee shoved it to the Cubs for his third straight great outing after arriving in Philadelphia that hardly a word would be spoken about him. Turns out, when your local football team signs a quarterback who spent time in federal prison, THAT is a pretty big story too.

-Jake Peavey made a rehab start.

-Brett Myers is about to.

-It doesn't look good for the Nats signing Stephen Strasburg.

-Jonny Gomes hit three home runs in his first three at-bats last night against the Nationals. A natural hat trick, if you will, which Nats centerfielder Nyjer Morgan knows all about as a big hockey fan.

-Finally, I have been remiss in not mentioning Josh Willingham's two grand slams in one game against the Brewers on July 27th. Willingham pulled a feat actually more rare than a perfect game, as in MLB history there have been 18 perfect games while only 13 players have ever hit two grand slams in one outing. The two most famous of these (in my mind) are Fernando Tatis hitting two grand slams in the SAME INNING in 1999 against the Dodgers and Bill Mueller hitting a grand slam from both sides of the plate against Texas in 2003. Both Mueller and Tatis are the only players in major league history to pull their respective feat. Maybe most amazingly, Tatis hit both of his slams off of the same pitcher, current Phillies reliever Chan Ho Park.