Walt mentioned yesterday he'd be interested in seeing a "Best Birthday Team of the Month". I haven't done a ton of research, but this pretty much has to be the one for June, doesn't it?

If you'd prefer not to use Brown almost entirely on the basis of his Negro American League career, Babe Herman shifts to RF and Chris Shelton takes over at first base.

C: Jason Kendall
1B: Babe Herman
2B: The other Luis Gonzalez
3B: Debs Garms
SS: Derek Jeter
LF: Topsy Hartsel
CF: Bill Robinson
RF: Willard Brown

SP: Howie Pollet
SP: Elmer Ponder
SP: Ren Deagle
SP: Henry Schmidt
SP: Elmer Singleton
RP: Mike Myers

Designated Malcontent: Elijah Dukes
Drafted by the Rockies, chose football and/or dog fighting instead: Michael Vick

Dan - Richard Barbeiri has done some articles on baseball birthday months at THT. He's done December through June, 7 down 12 to go.

Also at THT, today is [url=http://www.hardballtimes.com/main/blog_article/40th-anniversary-near-no-hitter-in-debut/]the 40th anniversary of a pitcher flirting w/ a no-hitter in his debut[/ur]. Bill Slayback. And he never heard of you either.

Even though I just submitted it, I can't seem to edit the above. Let's try that again: today is the 40th anniversary of a pitcher flirting w/ a no-hitter in his debut.

Bill Slayback. And he never heard of you either.

No relation to Vic Tayback, I assume.

Dunno. Not an expert on the Slaybacks and Taybacks from wayback, jack.

In 1973, Slayback recorded a 45-rpm record written by Ernie Harwell called "Move Over Babe (Here Comes Henry)." The record captured Hank Aaron's journey in overtaking Babe Ruth for the all-time home run record.

Released in the United States and Japan, the song got airplay on radio and the NBC Game of the Week. [3] The song is included on Rhino Records' CD "Baseball's Greatest Hits."

I think I have that CD, wherever my CDs are now. I'm not sure how many of baseball's greatest hits made it over to my iPod.

So, what happened in the Cardinals/Marlins game yesterday? Matheny blew a double switch? Apparently he took out Freese (hitting 7th) and a pitcher (hitting 9th) and put in Greene (hitting 9th) and a pitcher (hitting 7th), but that was deemed wrong and the pitcher ended up hitting 5th.

Dan - Richard Barbeiri has done some articles on baseball birthday months at THT. He's done December through June, 7 down 12 to go.

Thanks for the mention, Chris. (Though, for the record, "Barbieri.") Hopefully only 5 to go, unless they've added some months I'm unaware of in the mean time.

I don't have my spreadsheet with all the month teams in front of me, although from memory I think March (which has really fantastic pitching and pretty solid hitting) is the best one at the moment. Weirdly, the Month Teams seem to generally lean heavily on pitching or hitting, rather than being roughly equal in both elements.

Ports help Nuts put an end to marathon game

Saturday's 18-inning game not only was the longest in the eight seasons of the Modesto Nuts, but also introduced a new phrase to the game's lexicon. Baseball, meet the intentional balk.

Before Helder Velazquez ended the game at 12:11 a.m. with a single to right field to score Dustin Garneau from third base for the 7-6 Modesto win, the weary-legged catcher had to make his way into scoring position.

Garneau did so with a single off Josh Whitaker, an outfielder called into pitching duties, and moved around to third on a balk and a sacrifice bunt. Whitaker also balked twice in the 17th inning, following a walk to Kyle Parker, moving the Nuts' baserunner to third base with one out.

All three balks certainly appeared intentional, as if the Ports were making it easier for the Nuts to score and conclude the five-hour, five-minute marathon battle.

So interim Stockton manager Todd Steverson was asked directly prior to Sunday evening's game if those balks were intentional.
"Yes," Steverson said without hesitation. "We had a position player out there and I didn't want to put another position player on the mound and get him hurt. This is minor league baseball and we have restrictions. I didn't get any of my pitchers hurt and I didn't get any position players hurt. So a game on June 23, 2012, well, these guys will be playing many more games more important than that."

Fascinating. What if the umpire refused to call the balks? What if he threw the pitcher (and/or the manager) out of the game instead?

Thanks for the mention, Chris. (Though, for the record, "Barbieri.") Hopefully only 5 to go, unless they've added some months I'm unaware of in the mean time.

Lousy Smarch weather!

We had a position player out there and I didn't want to put another position player on the mound and get him hurt.

Josh Beckett remained sitting on the bench with 5 days rest.

[9] Why didn't he just balk the guy home?

Re # 9
Can't a team just forfeit if they want? It seems like they tried to lose in the 17th but failed at it, before losing in the 18th.

If they are not allowed to simply forfeit, they could have just BB'ed the first guy, and then brought all the outfielders in and had someone chuck the ball to the CF wall, allowing the base-runner to circle the bases. Why go thru the charades of waiting for the opponent to get an RBI single?

Yeah, I don't know why they didn't just issue a third balk in the 17th. It sounds like the manager was wary of outright throwing the game.

"I was kind of hoping they'd put the ball in play right then (in the 17th) rather than going another inning," Steverson said. "I hate to see a game end like that, but that's what happened."

Why didn't he just balk the guy home?

It's not just about the teams. A promise has been made to the public to put on a specific sort of performance. Forfeit and there could be repercussions.

Game of the day (yesterday): Padres 8, Astros 7 (10). Houston's Wandy Rodriguez worked a perfect first inning. That would be the last of those for a while.

San Diego's Ross Ohlendorf took the mound for the bottom of the first. Houston's leadoff man was Brian Bixler, who started the game with his second career home run. One batter later, Carlos Lee matched him, putting the 'Stros ahead 2-0.

It didn't last; few of them would. After the first out in the second, Rodriguez served up three consecutive singles to Jesus Guzman, Logan Forsythe, and Everth Cabrera, all of whom actually are real baseball players, to score the first Padre run of the day. Then, for a change of pace, he gave up a double to Nick Hundley, driving in two more and putting San Diego in front. After Ohlendorf flied out (deep enough to move Hundley to third), Chris Denorfia's hit drove in the fourth and final tally of the top half of the frame. That qualifier is needed because Jason Castro doubled to lead off the bottom of the second, and JD Martinez singled him home. Houston would later put the tying and go-ahead runs at second and third with one out, but fail to score them... at least in this inning.

San Diego stretched their lead with a Carlos Quentin single, a runner-advancing groundout, and an RBI hit by Forsythe in the third. In the bottom of the inning, Houston loaded the bases on a walk, single, and hit batter, but didn't score, making this the second scoreless half-inning of the game. Rodriguez added a third, working around a leadoff hit by Hundley in the fourth, and then the scoring started again. Bixler led off with a double. The next two hitters flied out, but Brian Bogusevic walked and Chris Johnson singled in a run. The Astros then pulled a double steal to put runners at second and third. Ohlendorf walked Jason Castro on four pitches to load the bases and was then lifted from the game for Brad Boxberger, whose results were not notably different; he issued a four-pitch walk to Martinez to force in the tying run before striking out Jordan Schafer to leave three runners on.

Rodriguez had settled in at this point; he worked a 1-2-3 fifth, bringing his teammates back to the plate. Bixler worked a one-out walk, then moved to second on an errant pickoff throw; Jed Lowrie's double brought him the rest of the way around the bases with the go-ahead run. Rodriguez was flawless again in the sixth, and Boxberger allowed the first two Astros to reach on a hit and a walk in the bottom of the inning. Brad Brach came in to pitch and immediately coaxed a double play ball from Martinez; after an intentional walk to Schafer, he ended the inning by getting Rodriguez to ground out.

Why a starter who had already pitched six innings and allowed five runs was allowed to bat for himself is a mystery to me, but Rodriguez stayed in to start the seventh, striking out a pair of Padres before being relieved by Fernando Rodriguez, who finished the perfect inning. Brach matched the efforts of the Houston pitchers in the bottom half, marking the first time all day that the Padres retired the side in order. With the second Rodriguez still in the game, Cameron Maybin led off the eighth with a walk, then stole second to put the tying run in scoring position. A strikeout and a popup put him in danger of being left there until Guzman hoisted a 2-2 pitch over the left field wall, giving the Padres a 7-6 lead.

Luke Gregerson took the mound in the bottom of the eighth. He struck out the first two hitters he faced, which brought Castro to the plate. Castro took a 3-1 pitch out of the park to right, tying the game at 7. Brett Myers worked around a 2-out single in the ninth for Houston, and Dale Thayer worked a perfect ninth for the Padres to send the game into extras. Brandon Lyon pitched the tenth for Houston, and after a first-pitch groundout by Maybin, the Padres put him to work. Headley walked on five pitches, then stole second. On the seventh pitch of his at bat, Quentin doubled, bringing in Headley with the go-ahead run. Jesus Guzman then worked Lyon for 10 pitches before striking out, and Forsythe flied out to end the inning. Huston Street earned the save in the bottom of the inning, allowing only a two-out walk.

Some serious back-and-forth in this one: 2-0, 4-2, 6-5, 7-6, 7-7, 8-7. The multiple late-inning swings are particularly valuable in terms of excitement, helping this game beat the other 8-7, 10-inning game yesterday (Cards over Marlins) easily.

After Boxberger was removed with no outs in the sixth, the Padres bullpen recorded 15 outs and allowed one hit. Of course, that one hit was a game-tying home run.

Game of the day (last year): Royals 3, Cubs 2. Kansas City's Danny Duffy pitched into and out of trouble in the first. With one out, he walked Starlin Castro. Once the celebratory parade ended and play resumed, Aramis Ramirez added a two-out single, but both runners would be left on. Chicago starter Carlos Zambrano also walked a batter in the first, but Eric Hosmer was removed from the bases on Billy Butler's double play ball. Duffy retired the Cubs in order in the second; Zambrano gave up singles to Mitch Maier and Mike Moustakas before escaping on his second double play ball in as many innings.

After a groundout to start the third, the Cubs put together three consecutive hits by Reed Johnson, Castro, and Jeff Baker; unfortunately, the third of those hits resulted in Johnson being thrown out at home, pulling the teeth from the rally. Alcides Escobar tripled with one out in the third, and Jarrod Dyson followed on a genuinely weird play: a bunt single on which the runner stayed at third, which seems like an odd hitting choice with one out and the prospective first run of the game 90 feet away. A foulout and a flyout stranded the runners on the corners.

Duffy was flawless in the fourth, while Zambrano worked around a walk. In the fifth, Duffy hit Lou Montanez with a pitch, but got a double play ball from the next hitter, rendering Johnson's ensuing single harmless. The bottom of the inning started with a groundout, followed by a hit from Escobar, a walk to Dyson, and consecutive RBI singles from Hosmer and Butler. Alex Gordon also singled to load the bases, but Zambrano mitigated the damage with a lineout and a foulout.

Given a lead for the first time in the game, Duffy celebrated by giving it right back, serving up back-to-back one-out homers to Ramirez and Geovany Soto. He also allowed a hit to Alfonso Soriano (who I hear is available), before coaxing a double play from Carlos Pena to bring the inning to a merciful end. Zambrano worked a perfect sixth, his first 1-2-3 inning of the day. Duffy allowed a single and a steal to Johnson in the seventh, but no runs, and Z made it two straight 1-2-3 efforts in the bottom of the inning.

Both starters came out after seven, both with lines that were relatively effective even if Fangraphs would hate them: a combined 14 innings, 17 hits, 4 walks, 4 K's, and 2 homers allowed, plus a hit batter. The bullpens took over, with Greg Holland starting things off with a perfect top of the eighth. John Grabow came in for the bottom half, got Gordon to fly out, and was removed for Jeff Samardzija. Bullpen Jesus walked Jeff Francoeur. Once the day's second ticker-tape celebration was complete, Francoeur also stole second, and saw Mike Moustakas earn a free pass behind him. Soto then committed a passed ball, advancing both runners 90 feet. Samardzija struck out Wilson Betemit for the second out, but then allowed an infield hit to Chris Getz on a comebacker, bringing home the go-ahead run. He hit Escobar to load the bases before James Russell came in to strike out Melky Cabrera and end the inning. Joakim Soria struck out the side in the ninth to end it.

Plenty of runners on base, a game tied into the late innings, and two signs of the apocalypse. Not too shabby.