A Hall of Fame outfielder, one of the top sluggers of the 21st century, and a fragile pitching staff headline today's Birthday Team:

C: Tommy Clarke
1B: Prince Fielder
2B: Jerry Buchek
3B: Ron Jackson
SS/Manager: Billy Jurges
LF: Chase Headley
CF: Tony Gwynn Sr.
RF: Floyd Robinson

SP: Brandon Webb
SP: Aaron Harang
SP: John Stuper
SP: Gus Krock
SP: Joe Borden
RP: Buck O'Brien

Bench OF/1B/depressing story on a bunch of different levels: Dan Thomas

Went to a Durham Bulls game once where the OF was soaked after tons of rain. They actually roped off probably a good 50 feet of the LF corner that was just a massive puddle and made a ground rule that if you hit it there, you got a double. I recall it was a low-scoring game because every RHB was trying to yank it down there for a cheap double.

That's a pretty good bday team but they better have a well-stocked buffet.

Looking at Robinson's b-r page, did he get hurt or something? Solid production and full-time starter from 25-29, then mediocre part-timer at 30 and basically done.

Bench OF/1B/depressing story on a bunch of different levels: Dan Thomas

Jesus, that's a terrible story.

I know he died 32 years ago, but the "Sundown Kid" nickname that the media gave Thomas really troubles me. Mocking a guy's religious beliefs is so far over the line that the line is no longer in sight.

Certainly it was not typical of pro baseball players in the 1970s to refuse to play on the Sabbath, but I mean, jeez. What's next? Sammy "Mr. Ramadan" Khalifa? Khalil "The Fasting Baha'i" Greene?

What's next? Sammy "Mr. Ramadan" Khalifa? Khalil "The Fasting Baha'i" Greene?

I agree with you on principle, but the awesomeness of these potential nicknames is making me reconsider. The Fasting Baha'i!

I'd never heard of Thomas - ugh.

Walt - old (Durham) park or new?

Michael Cuddyer has a fairly lengthy flickr photostream. Looks like he had a problem with today's upload--a lot of the San Diego shots repeat--but there's some interesting stuff in there.

Looking at Robinson's b-r page, did he get hurt or something? Solid production and full-time starter from 25-29, then mediocre part-timer at 30 and basically done.

He suffered a serious knee injury in 1967, and never really regained his form afterwards.

Walt - old (Durham) park or new?

Old

This article starting by talking about Forbes Field and going on to talk about the field being flooded by the Allegheny River confused me, since Forbes Field is nowhere near any river. But no, this was at Exposition Park, which is basically where they then put Three Rivers Stadium and then PNC Park.

The Pirates left for Forbes Field halfway through the 1909 season. Exposition Park was used by the short-lived USBL and Federal League teams, then torn down in 1916.

Is it odd that Tyler Colvin is used as a defensive replacement at 1st? bb-ref has him there in 3 games in the minors. Sorry if I've asked this before. Anyway, it doesn't say much for Giambi's defense.

Christian Friedrich, Rockies' late 1st rounder in 2008, got a win in his major league debut at San Diego today. He has 7K's and 1BB in 6 innings. He had some elbow problems and very poor numbers in AA the past couple years but got off to a good start in AAA this season.

Game of the day (yesterday): Pirates 5, Nationals 4. This one started out relatively tame; the Pirates put two on with one out in the first, but didn't score, leaving the game's inital run to be tallied by Washington on a Wilson Ramos solo homer in the third. The Nats added a second run in the fourth on Rick Ankiel's RBI single, which drove in Bryce Harper, but Pittsburgh tied the score in the bottom of the inning on solo homers from Andrew McCutchen and Garret Jones. From that point on, the teams combined for two baserunners over the next 3.5 innings, neither of which reached scoring position. That streak ended in the eighth, when Nate McLouth walked, took third on an ROE, and scored on a sac fly, giving the Bucs their first lead of the day at 3-2.

Then came the ninth inning. In the top half, Washington made quick work of Joel Hanrahan, with a Ryan Zimmerman single and a 2-run homer by Adam LaRoche restoring the Nats to a one-run advantage. The bottom half was rather more tumultuous, as befits an inning pitched by the perennially tumultuous Henry Rodriguez. Alex Presley singled with one out, then advanced to third on consecutive wild pitches. Yamaico Navarro (who has a fantastic name) fanned for the second out, but Rod Barajas lifted a come-from-behind walkoff homer to left.

The game gets a 4.53 score, which is quite good, roughly 94th percentile. You wouldn't expect anything less from the Nats, who've been baseball's most exciting team so far this year (without accounting for Strasburg and Harper, even).

Game of the day (last year): Before actually announcing the pick, a footnote about 5/8/11. In six of the seven AL games that day, the road team scored exactly five runs. In the other one... the home team scored five runs. I found this rather alarming to look at. (The 5-run-scoring teams went 4-3, for whatever that's worth.)

Anyway... Angels 6, Indians 5. Cleveland took an early 1-0 lead on an RBI single from Austin Kearns in the top of the second. Both teams put two runners on in the third, but neither scored until Grady Sizemore padded the Tribe's advantage with a solo homer in the fifth. LA rallied with two outs in the sixth, putting two runners on with a single and an E5, then cashing in with a 2-run double by Alberto Callaspo, who went on to score the go-ahead run on a Hank Conger single. The Halos put two more runners on in the seventh, but couldn't extend their lead, and Cleveland countered quickly in the top of the eighth, scoring twice on three singles and an RBI forceout. LA responded in the bottom of the inning, as Howie Kendrick doubled, then took third and home on a pair of infield singles (by Mark Trumbo and Peter Bourjous, respectively). Erick Aybar's ensuing double plated both Trumbo and Bourjos, giving the Angels a 6-4 edge. In the ninth, the Indians scored on back-to-back doubles from Sizemore and Asdrubal Cabrera with one out, but Jordan Walden struck out both Shin-Soo Choo and Carlos Santana to end the game with the tying run stranded in scoring position.

Much like yesterday's entry, it's a solid game, thanks to the lead swings in the late innings, but not utterly spectacular. Still, a 4.45 is nothing to be ashamed of.

Thanks, Walt.