Stephen on the Piazza-to-first-base mess: "I can't understand why this is such a friggin' problem. Why didn't Phillips and Howe sit down with Piazza and just lay out a scenario of the move to first base. It's not like he's being asked to go to Iraq to install a new government, he's being asked to do what Yogi Bera, Bill Dickey, and Johnny Bench had to do, move out from behind the dish." (The Eddie Kranepool Society, May 9 entry)

Derek Milhous Zumsteg reports from Safeco. "[Mark] McLemore's defense at short could only get worse if there was a large dog (an adult husky or malamute, say) attacking his ankle all game long." (U.S.S. Mariner)

Nate Silver: "Not since Wilford Brimley's turn in the movie Cocoon has there been such a popular matinee idol in Tampa. Rocco Baldelli looks great in a uniform, has a fantastic baseball name, and with his Rhode Island roots, keeps it real for Florida's large community of New England expats. Oh yeah, he's also hitting .355, in spite of making solid contact about as often as a Palm Beach County voter with a punchcard ballot." (ESPN.com)

Will Giants chase Guerrero? John Shea: "Maybe it's time to start considering a successor [to Barry Bonds], and who better than Vladimir Guerrero, the five-tool marvel who's thriving in near obscurity in his seventh season in Montreal?" (San Francisco Chronicle)

Doug Pappas: "The new CBA renames the luxury tax the 'Competitive Balance Tax.' It really should be called the 'Yankee Tax, or Stupidity Surcharge For Anyone Else Dumb Enough to Owe It.'" (Baseball Prospectus)

New Diamondbacks blog: But it's a DRY heat.

Hall of Fame legend looks back on career that began in Billings. Interview with George Brett.

The designated hitter.

The DH I love. I think it's great. It gave people like me who put in their time a chance to maybe extend their careers a couple years, after playing on Astroturf.

And get that 3,000th hit.

Well, I mean, I would have got that regardless. But it would've probably taken me an extra year because I probably would've blown out my knee again playing on (bleeping) Astroturf. I blew it out five times, four times. I am not an Astroturf fan. It made me a better hitter, because I wasn't a home run hitter. But I wasn't a home run hitter because I played in the biggest park in the American League. You play 81 games in one ballpark, you'd better be well adept at playing in that ballpark.

So our theory was we always had guys who could run and had guys who hit it to all fields. Now if I came up playing in Tiger Stadium or in Yankee Stadium, I probably would've been a completely different hitter, you know? But I took advantage of what I had. And I had the biggest park in the American League and a fast field. So what do you do? You hit grounders and line drives and run like a bat out of hell.

(Billings Gazette)

Bittersweet breakout: Giambi's 4-for-4 game marred by error. He improved his line to .209/.346/.448. Higher OBP than Nomar, Damon, or Varitek. (Boston Herald)

All player records down the drain at Wrigley. The Cardinals led the Cubs 11-9 in the fifth inning at Wrigley. Then the game was called because of rain. (USA Today)