the astros champ'ship DVD is gone -- hallelujah! why not celebrate by visiting the VEB store and buying t-shirt? . . . . and thanks to all of you who have already made a purchase. i need to know how the shirts wear and what kinda comments (if any) you get on 'em -- good, bad, indiff'nt. send feedback to vivaelbirdos@yahoo.com.

you?re aware by now that edmonds will miss the entire pittsburgh series. here?s a bit more insight from will carroll at baseball prospectus:

that don't sound so good . . . . mr carroll may be a cubs fan, but he's a very credible source. i'll see if i can get him to elaborate for us.

it took me two weeks, but i finally got the Perfect World Box launched on the left-hand sidebar. you'll note that the cards already have stolen a game -- last wednesday vs the brewers, an 8-3 win in the real world but a 3-2 loss in the perfect world. that's right -- despite the 5-run margin, that was a pretty lucky victory. the cards mustered only 10 baserunners -- 6 singles, 3 walks, and a double -- which projects to an output of just 2 runs. but the cards bunched the hits together and got a two-base outfield error thrown into the midst of a rally, maximizing their return on a rather thin principal. i'll be updating that box daily (mostly) henceforth.

david pinto muses on the great pujols . . . .

nl central ace pitcher watch I: ben sheets returned to action yesterday with a so-so outing: 5 ip, 6 h, 4 r, 0 w, 6 k. he needed 96 pitches to get through those 5 innings. but they say his velocity was good and he threw without hindrance; bodes well for him and the brewers.

nl central ace pitcher watch II: from the cubs' official site: "The Cubs will get a first-hand look at Kerry Wood, who is scheduled to meet the team in Los Angeles on Monday and throw a side session. Wood is rehabbing from arthroscopic surgery on his right shoulder and threw a three-inning simulated game on Saturday in Mesa, Ariz. Mark Prior (shoulder) threw on the side Sunday. He has yet to get the go-ahead to face hitters."

despite a not-so-hot outing last night (6 ip, 6 h, 4 er, 1 w, 7 k, 2 hr), anthony reyes is making a pretty strong case for himself down in memphis. through 3 starts (18.1 innings) he has walked 1 guy and struck out 17; his groundout/flyout ratio is 23 to 14.

been wondering where hector luna fits into the fractured 2b picture? words thereupon at beat-writer blogs obviously you're not a golfer and birdland.

is it just me, or does paul maholm bear a slight resemblance to herman munster?

marquis             maholm            munster
2-0, 3.97            0-1, 7.71