Reds 6 Giants 3- Giants lost, blah...blah...blah but the big news is that Barry has decided that he won't participate in Monday's Home Run Derby. Bad legs and all that. Now, this can't be considered that much of a surprise as Barry can't even deign to show up for team photos. But still, if there's anybody who should be there, it's Barry. It's his house. It's like Springsteen going on tour but not playing New Jersey. It's like Dick Cheney going on a trip to Europe and not going to Transylvania. It's like Steve Miller not going to "Swingtown." Oh yeah, he's got bad legs and all that but it's not like the Giants are in the playoff race so it's not like his missing out a few games due to competing in the Derby would set the team back. The only thing the Giants have left this season is the circus surrounding Barry and the Home Run Derby is about as circus-like as it gets. If you’re doing the circus, you might as go all the way

A's 3 Mariners 2- Hey, the A's are in a big series right now, a big four game series against the M's. The M's have to be considered one of the big surprises in the season because, well, nobody thought they'd be any good. Whether or not they have any staying power is a whole other matter, but right now the Mariners are 3 1/2 games ahead of the A's. In game 1 of the series, two long lost A's, Nick Swish and Bobby Crosby both homered as Chad Gaudin picked up his eighth win.