Roch, just to update you on a previous item, yes the CB Bucknor costume has officially sold out at the Party Zone in Frederick. Guess all the kiddies will just have to scramble together items at home so they can at least try to make a Country Joe West costume.

Roch,

Check out the box scores from the web site for hawii baseball. Looks like Brian Synder and Matt Wieters are hitting very well. Is that leage equivalent to A or AA?

Gee, no CB Bucknor or Angel Hernandez in the Series? Wonder why that is...

They could get Ray Charles costumes Kona & probably still pass for CB

Roch, thanks for the updates on Arieta and the other young players. Keep 'em coming. For a long time only the true hardcore fan kept up with such things, but I feel like that is changing, especially with Weiters.

This stuff matters. It is the future of the team (actually that was always the case) but now people are starting to realize it.

I have an open question for anyone who thinks that what Millar did wasn't a big deal. Would you feel the same way if it had been the Yankees instead of the Red Sox? Because to me, there's no difference - I hate the Red Sox as much, if not more, than the Yankees now. And that's why this feels like a betrayal - because they're not just any other team, they're a hated division rival, and he should have known (and cared) that it wouldn't sit well with O's fans. But maybe not all O's fans feel as strongly about the Red Sox as I do, and that's why this doesn't bother them.

Laz Diaz went to the same umpire school CB did. The one in the back of the Pep Boys store.

Have they completely done away with the merit system?

But wasn't Eddie at Cal's 2131 game despite being an Indian at the time?

Also, didn't he attend Cal's final game?

Well Anne, if the Boston Red Sox, had, at one point in time, been the Baltimore Orioles then I might loathe them as much. New York stole a franchise from Baltimore and Baltimore was without a major league club for around a half century.

That being said, I would not care if it was New York either, its a not issue for me.

For the most parts fans care more then players about things like this, to them its a business.

If you stocked shelves at Target would you be offended that Garth Brooks stopped dealing with Target and produced an album for Walmart?

Roch, it looks like Arieta is actually Arrieta -- two Rs. Let's hope this matters because you will be writing about him plenty in the future.

Apparently he is being used as a setup guy:

6 G / 8 IP / 5 H / 3 BB / 6 K / 0 ER

"a" for "Alright so far."

Comparing E Murray with Millar??? One was with a team 2 years, maybe 3... the other large chuncks of his career & was the face of the organization most of those years.... the comparison doesn't fly.

I am almost positive Eddie was not at the last game at Memorial Stadium or at 2131. He was at Cal's last game, but he was retired by then.

I was not happy when I heard about Millar doing the promo and first pitch. I don't think it is the end of the world, but it was not a very loyal thing to do to the Orioles. I agree with people who say we don't need him. We need people who are loyal.

Someone said if Cal did the same, we would not be upset. The reason that this would have never happened, is because Cal WAS loyal. He stayed with the team through the good times and bad. We need more people like that...not more Millars.

Phil: Thanks for pointing out the typo. I corrected it.

Jeff V - not the same thing!

Millar did not "stop dealing" with the O's and he did not start playing for the Red Sox.

The equivalent you might be looking for is if Brooks signed a deal to sell his record exclusively at Target but then did a commercial telling people to shop at WalMart.

But that is still not the same.

Look at the Steve Kline interview. He said signing with Baltimore was a mistake, his teammates stunk, the fans in St Louis are better and he wished he were still in St Louis.

Millar said or did none of that. He said nothing disrespectful of the O's and he said nothing of consequence to indicate he did not want to be an Oriole.

Look at it this way - What if BJ Surhoff doesn't retire and comes back to play for Boston in 2008. He is reborn as pinch-hitter and occasional DH and is going strong 2 years later.

In 2010 the O's go to the WS and want their most recent Oriole HOF inductee and Baltimore county resident to throw out the 1st pitch.

Do you have a problem with that?

What if Boston says "stuff it!"? Do you say it is in bad taste to ask an active player from a division rival to throw out a 1st pitch?

Or do you say the BoSox are just petty?

I bet you don't have a problem with BJ throwing out the 1st pitch for the O's even while playing for the idle Red Sox.

So why is what Millar did so offensive?

Excuse me Tom? I said I do NOT have a problem with it. I was using the album example to show how it is a business to players for the most part.

Now if the O's had been eliminated by the Sox in the ALDS THEN he had thrown out the 1st pitch I would have to say that was bad taste.

Millar is on WBAL tonight between 7 and 9 and should be on the website shortly after.

Betting on baseball 101. Game one has the [ In Vegas at the Hilton ] Red Sox Minus $210 - Col. Plus $175 This will be based on a $100 bet to make it simple. Any other wagers such as $50 just break it down. You go the the window at the Hilton and place a $100 bet on the Sox. [ Sox minus 210 or $210. He takes your $100 and gives you a marker saying you have bet $100 on the Sox. Game over and Sox win. The man gives you your $100 plus $ 47.50 so you win $47.50 . If the Sox lose he keeps your $100. If you take Colorado Plus 175 or $175 you give the man $100 and Colorado loses, you lose $100. but if Colorado wins and since you took the DOG he gives you your $100 plus $75 more.

I have no issue with Millar throwing out the first pitch in Boston. His play on the field for the Orioles shows he is a professional and part of this organization.

Heck, if I had been asked to throw out the first pitch I would have jumped at the chance.

Now if it had been the Yankees...that would be another story -- but that is more about emotion and the fact that I loathe everything about the Yankees.

Simple answer, the Yankees are not the Red Sox, period. This was simply a special occasion. 86 years without a World Series win after a ground- breaking comeback. The Yankees have nothing like this to celebrate, they have 26 rings they keep reminding us about. Baseball fans understand history & it's significance. "Hometeam" fans don't. They only see a uniform.

Speaking of Yankees, it's a shame on Red Soxs fans that Johnny Damon is left out of these celebrations. Whatever he did post 04 should not affect the contributions he made in 04'.

Hate to hear the pettiness from O's fans. Taking 10 years of no- postseason out on one guy because you hate the fans from the guy's former team. Shame, shame, shame. Giants fans could care less about Davey Roberts (active on roster) throwing out the ball tonight.

How come no one has commented on Joe Girardi interviewing for Torre's job? Don't tell me he didn't know Torre's job was on the line. No wonder he didn't want to talk to the Orioles.

Slightly off-topic here, but ... all the plugs for good old Anita's show can get frustrating. It *would* be nice if a journalist had a chance to grill Mr. Millar, live, on his fun little Red Sox gig. Problem is, she's not a journalist. I don't know how she does it, but even when she's on the radio, she conveys how absolutely giddily starry-eyed she is just to have the attention of professional athletes.

For Marks, doesn't it seem to be all about her? If you want to hear a lot of goofy giggling and junior-high level sexual double entendres, tune in by all means. Otherwise, she'll just side with Kevin. And laugh -- a lot.