Oral Roberts is Going Down!

I'm bored again. I'm not interested in steroids, I don't have March Madness, and I'm tired of hating Peter Angelos. That's not to say I hate him any less than I ever did, but I don't have the fighting spirit to bitch about him. Now, if he tried to stop fireworks at RFK, then we'd be talking. But yeah, I mean, go to Hell, Angelos. Totally.

Spring Training continues despite my best efforts to convince them to start the season in mid-March. Nothing really dramatic has happened, but we are starting to get a sense of who's popular with the decision-makers and who's on the outs. Inning-Endy Chavez' struggles have been well documented, but Bowden and Robinson seem inclined to stick with him no matter what. He took a walk yesterday - his first of the spring. Zach Day, who might pitch tonight, is in danger of losing his fifth starter job, and Bowden would be perfectly happy to stick him in the bullpen. Jose Vidro has gone from rehabbing a surgically-repaired knee to nursing a hyperextended elbow. He's in no danger of losing his job, but we may be seeing more of Jamey Carroll and Brendan Harris than was planned. Nick Johnson is on thin ice, apparently. He's on the trade block, and they're tinkering with his swing. Terrmel Sledge is alos being offerred, but it's more because they don't have a place to play him.

Who's helping himself? My pick for starting center fielder, "SoulPatch" Ryan Church, is having a good spring, but is doomed to start the season in the 504 (that's New Orleans, in case you don't listen to Master P). Day's possible replacements, John Patterson and Jon Rauch, are doing well. It's especially gratifying to me that two of my pet causes, ¡Livan! and Tomo "Landlord" Ohka, are pitching masterfully. Ohka's pencilled in as the fourth starter, which is a damn insult considering that the two guys in front of him have proven histories of failure and not pitching. The biggest revelation in Spring Training, though, has been Washington Post reporter/blogger Barry Svrluga. Svrluga's columns are honest and insightful. His blog posts are amusing and . . . well, insightful. He understands the value of a running gag and appreciates how good the first Son Volt album is. We're lucky to have him as our beat reporter, and I hope he keeps blogging.

Speaking of running gags, Jon Rauch is Tall Week marches on. Let's see what he and Barry are talking about today:

"So, you think you've got a shot at fifth starter, Jon?"
"Damn right I do, Barry! You seen Zach Day out there? More like Zach Gay! Ha ha ha! You want to use that on your blog?"
"No."