Manager Chuck Tanner long has referred to Rich Gossage as his Marilyn Monroe, says Phil Rogers of the Chicago Tribune.
"I wasn't going to take her out," Tanner says. "I wasn't going to take him out."
Here's a nice story by Rogers, looking at Goose Gossage's early days with the White Sox and his relationship with slugger Dick Allen and the young gosling's manager, Tanner.
Something strange is going on in Beantown. And quite frankly, I think it's some kind of trick.
The Red Sox have fixed up Fenway Park for the Yankees' visit and Globe columnist Kevin Cullen has called for the end to the Red Sox Nation's favorite chant.
You know the one I'm talking about. And you're not getting me to say it.
I suppose that next Boston is going to do something about Bucky Dent's nickname.
Retire the chant? Ain't gonna happen.
The anti-Yankee slogan is big business for T-shirt sellers. And the Yankees Suck fan page on Myspace has 1408 friends including, allegedy, Dane Cook and Teddy Bruschi.
Oh, nuts, I accidentally let it slip.
Here's the column if you want to look at the slogan some more and giggle at it.
As the days begin dwindling for Yankee Stadium and Shea Stadium, a look at what's happening in Detroit.
This footage was shot Wednesday at Michigan and Trumbull in the Motor City.
For the sixth year in a row the Yankees ranked No. 1 in the 2008 Harris Poll of favorite baseball teams but the Mets dropped from seventh place to 10th.
The top-five teams in the poll were:
1. Yankees
2. Braves
3. Red Sox
4. Cubs
5. Dodgers
Bringing up the rear were the Rays, Angels and last, and in this case least among Americans, the Blue Jays. The poll did not survey fans residing in Canada.
One interesting tidbit in the poll showed that the Yankees are the favorite team of:
People who live in the East, Gen X (ages 32-43) and Democrats.
Eight is enough, already.
One day after being booed off the mound at Wrigley Field, Carlos Marmol, whom I thought was a pretty nondescript Cubs reliever, was named to the All-Star team Sunday to replace teammate Kerry Wood.
Wood has a blister on his finger and wouldn't be able to pitch in Tuesday's game. And apparently, Marmol was next in line in the players voting for NL relievers and would have replaced any injured NL reliever, not just Wood.
But it still means that the Cubs have eight All-Stars.
Marmol was jeered Saturday night after the Giants scored five runs in the ninth. Instead of being lectured by manager Lou Piniella the next day, he was told that he was going to our All-Star Game. Marmol said he was "surprised" by the news.
Hopefully between now and Tuesday, everyone else on the NL roster can somehow bow out in deference to the remaining Cubs who are not yet coming to Yankee Stadium as All-Stars.
Just thought you'd be interested in these numbers:
Under Willie Randolph, the Mets were 34-35 (.493) and, it seems, they hated each other's guts.
Since Jerry Manuel took over, they are 17-9 (.653), have won nine in a row and do a lot of hugging after every game.
Maybe we should all become more Zen-like
We all know why Barry Bonds isn't playing right now but White Sox manager is one of the first to come out and say why.
"Barry can't play for my team," Guillen told the Chicago Tribune's Mark Gonzalez Friday night.
"Maybe Barry changed the way [ Josh] Hamilton changed," Guillen continued, alluding to Hamilton's battle with a drug addiction, "but I don't like a player like Barry Bonds on my club, with all respect to Barry, a Hall of Famer. To me he's the best in the history of baseball, no matter what.
"But he's not the type of player we're looking for in this organization. It's all about the team. It's all about teammates."
Here's the entire story.
Anthony asked me to post this video of All-Star Corey Hart because:
(Choose one)
A. He refuses to learn how
B. All of the above
Hey, it's Saturday morning. This is when we do our kids programming.
Lakewood, NJ, isn't all that far away but it's like a different world when Pork Roll, Egg and Cheese do their mad dash between innings at Lakewood BlueClaws games.
The BlueClaws are a Class-A affiliate of the Phillies.
Darn that Pork Roll, anyway.
The Brooklyn Cyclones really, really, really want you to attend next Monday's game against the State College Spikes.
Not only are they giving away Boomer Esiason-Craig Carton bobblehead dolls, but it's also Pork Rind Day at Keyspan Park.
The highlight, I think, is a pork rind sculpture contest with the winner earning an all-expense paid trip to Hanover, PA, to tour the Utz factory and headquarters. Second place is a year's supply of pork rinds and third place is a sixth-month's supply.
And there's more. One of the between-inning contests will also feature two amazingly lucky fans diving into a pool of pork rinds for a hidden treasure.
I hope Mrs. Chicago Norm doesn't see this. We once spent a good portion of a vacation looking for unpuffy pork rinds in gas stations in Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Mississippi, Tennessee, Arkansas and Oklahoma. I'm not kidding.
On on May 14, 1982, a bench-clearing brawl erupted during a Twins-Tigers game in Detroit.
During the fracas, Tigers pitcher Dave Rozema stormed out of the dugout and attempted to deliver a flying karate kick to the Twins' John Castino. Rozema whiffed, tore eight ligaments in his knee and had season-ending knee surgery the next day.
I told you that so that I can tell you this:
Tonight, the West Michigan Whitecaps (Comstock Park, Mich.) are giving away Dave Rozema karate kick bobble-leg dolls.
Hey, Anthony and Jim: Let's chip in and buy one of these on eBay for Hammerin' Hank's desk. (That's our boss; he's into mixed martial arts.)
The Lake Elsinore Storm (Class A, California League), thinks that this is a good idea because they’ve done it before.
Tonight’s game against Bakersfield is Nothing Night.
No tickets, no concessions, no field announcer, no sausage races.
I hope they have lights. And restrooms.
Cynthia Rodriguez plans to file divorce papers to end her marriage with Yankee slugger Alex Rodriguez Monday in Dade County, Fla., Family court, according to reports by several news organizations, including the Associated Press and the Miami Herald. And one of her lawyers has invoked the name of Madonna.
The AP report says the suit claims a "long period of infidelity on the part or Mr. Rodriguez, an all-star baseball player for the New York Yankees." It also claims "emotional abandonment."
A-Rod has been romantically linked to entertainment superstar Madonna and there have been reports of frequent late-night visits to her Park Avenue apartment. Madonna's marriage to Guy Ritchie has also been rumored to be on the rocks.
According to the Herald story, Rodriguez’s wife is represented by attorneys Maurice Kutner and Anthony Sabatino, of Miami, and Earle Lilly and John Van Ness of Houston.
Lilly said he was hired by Cynthia Rodriguez last week to launch the divorce case and told a Houston TV station KTRK that the Yankee's “relationship with Madonna was the final straw for Mrs. Rodriguez.”
Alex Rodriguez has refused to comment on his relationship with Madonna, and Madonna denied any romantic involvement with A-Rod in a statement posted Sunday afternoon on People Magazine's website.
“My husband and I are not planning on getting a divorce,” Madonna said. “I know Alex Rodriguez through Guy Oseary, who manages both of us. I brought my kids to a Yankee game. I am not romantically involved in any way with Alex Rodriguez. I have nothing to do with the state of his marriage or what spiritual path he may choose to study.”
Kutner, one of C-Rod's Miami lawyers, told the Miami Herald his client saw divorce as her only remaining option.
"She feels that she has exhausted every opportunity to salvage the marriage, and that Alex has emotionally abandoned her and the children and has left her with no choice but to divorce him," Kutner told the newspaper.
To read the Miami Herald score, click here.
The Final Score just wanted to let you to know about this story as quickly as possible, and you can be sure that there will be follow-up posts as the story unfolds, although it will be tough to beat Anthony's comment about what Madonna and A-Rod have in common:
"She hasn't had a hit in 15 years. He hasn't had a clutch hit in 15 years."
I know most people are taking a vacation from their computer today, but just in case you dropped in for a Final Score fix, here's what happens when an ambidextrous pitcher faces a switch hitter.
Have a safe holiday and please be sure to come back with same number of fingers that you started off with today.
Well, it's halftime and the Tampa Bay Rays have the best record in baseball.
I guess there was something to them casting off the Devil from their name after all. Or maybe it's because their third baseman's name sounds like Eva Longoria.
I went to a Rays-Red Sox game in St. Pete last September and there were so many Red Sox caps I thought I was at Fenway Park. But Monday and Tuesday when the Rays hosted the Bosox, the Tropicana Field crowd actually cheered the home team.
Think 1969 Mets. Could another team go from worst-ever to first? I'll get back to you in October.
If the season ended today, the division playoffs would open with the White Sox at Tampa, AL wild-card winner Red Sox at Angels, Diamondbacks at Cubs and the NL wild-card winner Cardinals at Phillies. Some interesting possibilities there for Chicago Norm, dontcha think?
Of course, the Mets proved last year that you actually do need to play out the season before declaring a champion.
For the record, if the 2007 season ended on June 30, which is when many teams had played 81 games, the Mets, Brewers and Padres would have won their divisions and the D-Backs would have been the NL wild card. In the AL, the Red Sox, Indians and Angels would have won their divisions and the Tigers would have been the wild card.
Now that you have all this information, here's your midterm quiz:
1. Who would you rather see win the World Series?
A. Rays
B. Cubs
C. None of the above
2. Who would the TV networks rather see in the World Series?
A. Rays-Cubs
B. White Sox-Cubs
C. Yankees-Cubs
D. Red Sox-Cubs
3. Who would Chicago Norm rather see in the World Series?
A. White Sox-Cubs
B. White Sox vs. Anyone But the Cubs
C. Anyone But the Cubs.
Feel free to answer any or all questions. Whoever leaves the best comment gets to choose a picture subject for an upcoming post.
It's garbage day - in more ways than one.
The trash collectors helped Chicago Norm wake up extra early, leaving him lots of time to waste looking up dumb things on the web. 
The Reds called up infielder Jolbert Cabrera from Louisville the other day which helped Cabrera move into a tie with Johnson as the most-common name in the majors untl the Indians sent Asdrubal Cabrera to the minors, putting the Johnsons back in the lead.
For a second, there were six Cabreras on current MLB 25-man rosters: Daniel, Orioles P; Miguel, Tigers 1B; Asdrubal, Indians 2B and the hands-down winner of the name I'd most like to hear Bob Sheppard to announce upon his return, even though Cleveland has already come and gone; Jolbert, Reds 3B; Orlando, Chisox SS who enjoys calling the press box to challenge any official scorer who gives him an error; and of course NY's own Melky.
The six Johnsons are The Big Unit; Jim, Orioles P; Tyler, Cardinals P; Nick, Nats 1B; Kelly, Braves 2B; and Reed, Cubs P. Tyler is currently on the DL.
Tied for third are Rodriguez and Jones with five each.
In case you're wondering, the most-common name ever in baseball is easily Smith. I'm too lazy to count them, but there have been more than 150 in major league history. Johnson and Jones would be jockeying for the runner-up position.
Wow, I've probably wasted an hour on this. Thank goodness I'll be away for a couple of weeks and Jim and Anthony can have their blog back.
-------
Thanks to Anthony for pointing out that Asdrubal was sent down Monday and forcing me to update this entry. I refuse to do this again if two guys named Rodriguez get called up in the next few minutes.
In honor of Friday the 13th, the Hickory Crawdads of the South Atlantic League are running a "Hairy Scary Back" contest tomorrow.
Quoting from a news release:
"Fans who believe their back is the hairiest and scariest of them all need to pre-register for the contest, and the 'winner' will be selected at the ballgame. Whoever is deemed hairiest and scariest (or H&S, for short) will win a generous prize package that includes a Crawdads cap and, most crucially, a free laser hair removal procedure."
OH.....MY......GOSH
On June 12, 1973, the Yankees swapped wife-swapper Mike Kekich for Lowell Palmer of the Indians. Fritz Peterson, with whom Kekich had swapped families in THE SCANDAL OF 1973 remained with New York.
I’ve mentioned before that Fritz was my bowling instructor at Northern Illinois University.
And now here’s another tale of swappage involving Fritz and myself.
It was the summer of 1971 and as editor/sports editor of the Northern Star newspaper, I decided an interview with NIU’s own Fritz Peterson was in order when the Yankees came to Chicago for a three-game series in late July.
Before teaching bowling, Fritz had been a baseball star at Northern, which is about 60 miles west of Chicago. So he had plenty of exposure to the Cubs and White Sox during his pre-Yankee days.
My big question was, did he ever hope to wind up with the White Sox and, stunningly, he said yes. So I had a pretty good story.
Now all we needed was a picture.
We were all sitting in the visitors dugout at old Comiskey Park and the sun was casting a rough shadow on Fritz. So our photographer suggested that we swap seats. And we did.
OK, the first tale was better, but what else do you have to read this early in the morning? And don't worry, I've never had any contact with Mike Kekich and I'm totally out of Fritz Peterson stories.
This day in Mets history: Let's just say the wind was blowing out at Wrigley
On June 11, 1967, Ron Swoboda, Jerry Buchek, Jerry Grote and Bob Johnson homered for the Mets in the second game of a Sunday twin bill at Wrigley Field.
And the Cubs almost tripled that output, launching seven fair balls into the bleachers and beyond for a total of 11 home runs for the two teams in a single game (and 13 for the day). 
For nostalgia fans, here's who hit the Chicago home runs: Adolfo Phillips (3), Randy Hundley (2), Ernie Banks and Ron Santo. The Cubs won the game, 18-10.
For Phillips, the HR barrage gave him four for the day, as he also hit one in the second inning of Game 1. Tommy Davis also homered in Game 1 for the Mets for a total of 13 HRs in the DH.
Enjoy the box scores: Game 1 Game 2 , where you'll see names like Nick Willhite, Al Luplow and John Boccabella.
Thought you'd enjoy seeing some prices from the pictured program:
TICKETS: Box seats (first 10 rows) $3.50; other boxes - $3; grandstand $1.50; bleachers $1. Grandstand for children under 14 - $1.
FOOD:
Under the heading "Lunch Well and Economically," it read:
"You'll enjoy a snack at Wrigley Field, where we serve only the best of food and drinks, and at prices lower than you'll pay elsewhere. Pay no more than those listed prices)"
Vienna Corned Beef Sandwich: 60 cents
Hamburger Sandwich: 45 cents
Bratwurst Sandwich: 40 cents
Smokie Link Sandwich: 35 cents
Oscar Mayer Hot Dog: 30 cents
Pro's Cheese Pizza: 40 cents (Ron Santo was a part owner of The Pro's Pizza)
Pro's Sausage Pizza: 50 cents
Wrigley Chewing Gum: 5 cents
Budweiser Beer: 40 cents
Old Style Beer: 40 cents.
Coca Cola and Fresca: 15 and 25 cents. (Soft drinks would come in a paper cup with a Saran Wrap cover. We'd just open one edge of the wrap and drink through the opening.)
SOUVENIRS:
Cubs Jackets (adult size): $9.95
Autographed Baseballs: $2.75 (facsimile, although you had to figure that out for yourself)
Souvenir Baseball Caps: $1.00 and $2.50
Pennant (All NL Teams): 75 cents.
Picture Pack of 12 Cub Players: 25 cents
Just think - a family of four sitting in the bleachers or grandstands could watch a twin bill and chow down for less than 10 bucks, and still have enough to pay for the El and transfers. And I'm pretty sure that although the food choices were quite different in New York, a day at Yankee Stadium or Shea would have cost pretty much the same.
And now, let's return to 2008 where a trip to Yankee Stadium or Shea can easily cost a family of four more than 300 bucks.
On June 10, 1975, almost exactly 10 years before the Talking Heads released the song, "Burning Down the House," Shea Stadiium was looking like a war zone before the opening pitch of the Yankees' game against the California Angels.
Yankees? Good question. Check out the accompanying picture.
Playing home games in Queens for the second straight season during the Yankee Stadium renovation, the Yanks presented a 21-gun salute in honor of Army Day.
The cannons were filled with blanks, but the blast was so powerful that part of the outfield wall wall was toppled, some windows broke and another section caught fire.
Shea was filled with smoke and the game was delayed. But they did eventually get the game under way and the Yankees won, 6-4, scoring four times in the second inning on pretty much nothing. Full details of the game here, courtesy of retrosheet.com.
In a totally unrelated story. Nick Cannon and Mariah Carey are still married.
When I was a kid I was a fan of a particular baseball team. So when it came time to vote for the All-Star team, I would vote for all of my team's players in one league and vote for the worst potential All-Star team in the other league so "my" league would win.
In that spirit, here's this season's All-Worst All-Star teams from the ballot I picked up from Yankee Stadium the other day and their stats going into Friday.
Each team submits one representative for each position and three for the outfield before they even know who the regulars are going to be.
All of these players are on the All-Star ballot along with the Jeters and the A-Rods and the Wrights and Reyeses. Some of them are injured, or have been released or traded or sent to the minors, but you can vote for them anyway.
NL
C: Josh Bard, SD .200-0-7
1B: Dan Ortmeier, SF .219-0-5
2B: Jayson Nix, Colo. .111-0-2
SS: Troy Tulowitzki, Colo. .152-1-11
3B: Nomar Garciaparra, LA .226-1-5
OF: Wily Mo Pena, Wash. .202-1-8
OF: Andruw Jones, LA .165-2-7
OF: Dave Roberts, SF .118-0-1
AL
C: Kenji Johjima, Sea .221-2-14
1B: Ben Broussard, Tex. .159-3-8
2B: Juan Uribe, Chisox .198-3-15
SS: Tony Pena Jr., KC .156-0-7
3B: Willy Aybar, Tam. .297-1-2
OF: Jacque Jones, Det. .151-1-7
OF: Jerry Owens, Chisox .000-0-0
OF: Chris Denorfia, Oak. .260-0-6
DH: Gary Sheffield, Det. .213-3-12
Eighteen years ago today, Bucky Dent was fired as Yankees manager.
I am told that for some reason, Russell Earl Dent isn't exactly revered by Red Sox fans and has been given a nickname by them that contains a lot of asterisks and exclamation points.
But, yes, on June 6, 1990, Stump Merrill replaced Bucky Dent at the helm, marking the first time that a manager who had a nickname on top of a nickname was replaced by one who just went by his nickname.
Bucky was born Russell Earl O'Dey. Stump Merrill's given name is Carl.
On June 5, 1955, one of Chicago Norm's favorite lefthanded pitchers served up a 550-foot home run to Mickey Mantle at Chicago Norm's favorite ballpark.
It happened during Game 2 of a Sunday double-header at old Comiskey Park. Mantle came up in the fourth inning against Billy Pierce and launched a rocket toward one of the light standards in leftfield.
Quoting from www.themick.com:
"Some papers reported that Mickey's drive landed on the roof or hit a light tower but didn't go out of the park. But the Comiskey Park attendants on the roof went to the Yankees locker room after the game to tell Mickey that his homer had cleared the roof and gone completely out of the park."
Even though the ballpark is long gone, I still know it like the back of my hand and find just a little hard to believe that the ball crossed the street on a fly and reached the parking lot, and only traveled 550 feet.
But that's what they said and they were there and I was probably at home slurping Franco-American spaghetti in front of the TV while watching Flash Gordon, or whatever was on TV on a Sunday afternoon. Or it's possible that my dad was watching the game on WGN and I actually witnessed the feat. If so, I was way too young to comprehend.
Anyway, it's in the record books as Mantle's fifth-longest home run. I can't even fathom No. 1, which supposedly traveled 734 feet.
This picture also came from www.themick.com.
What's wrong with this picture?
The card is from the 1990 Donruss set, which was jam-packed with errors.
Back in the day, a cynical person suggested that the trading-card company created the boo-boos to stimulate sales. Oh, wait, that was me.
So, tell me. What's wrong with this picture?
The Great Debate - Who will win more games this season, Pedro Martinez or Joba Chamberlain? Or will Joba save the Yankees season? Frankly, Chicago Norm doesn't care.
But as the two get ready for tonight's potentially career-altering ballgames, here's an interesting piece of trivia:
On June 3, 1995, Pedro pitched a perfect game. Well, sort of. He pitched nine perfect innings and then yielded a leadoff double to San Diego's Bip Roberts in the 10th inning of a 1-0 Expos victory over the Padres at Jack Murphy Stadium. He was immediately taken out of the game.
Pedro, just a 24-year-old, got the win as the Expos had scored in the top of the inning. More details on this game at retrosheet.com.
And Joba? On June 3, 1995, young Justin Louis Chamberlain was a 10-year-old presumably fist-pumping on some sandlot in Lincoln, Neb.
I've gotten a ton of nice e-mails the last 36 hours about my column suggesting the Mets and Yankees should play their makeup game on Sept. 11.
A few readers say the day should be one of solemn remembrance and quiet contemplation. I get that and would never tell anyone how to commemorate the day.
But, with all due respect, sometimes people like to gather on days such as this to share their grief (and hope) with others, whether it's at a house of worship or restaurant or family living room or baseball stadium.
Let me put is this way: If I want to be alone, I can close my door and turn my phone off and then I'm alone. But I can't tell other people they have to be alone because I want to be. That's not right.
Many readers want to know who to contact to make this happen. Well, you can contact MLB or the Yankees (who own the rained out home game) or the Mets. I'd be surprised if anything were to happen; at the least, MLB should be made to answer for why it couldn't schedule one of New York's teams at home on this day.
Finally, a few readers have mentioned playing on Sept. 11 would give the Yankees 27 straight days of games and that's against MLB rules. Yes, the players on both teams would have to agree to give up their off day to play this game.
Well, all I can say to that is:
MLB player's minimum salary: $390,000
MLB average salary: $3.1 million
I think the guys could suck it up this one time.
Seeing the Dodgers here at Shea today reminded me that Don Mattingly was supposed to be Joe Torre's bench coach but had to beg off to take care of some scary family issues.
Remember when it seemed like the Yankees manager job was Mattingly's to lose this offseason? If you think things in sports (or life) are preordained, consider this:
-- If Mattingly got the Yankees job
-- Girardi would have gotten the Dodgers job (he was LA's first pick)
-- and Torre would have been sitting at home when Randolph was going through his struggles. Maybe Torre would be the Mets' manager right now. And how much fun would that be?
Is there anything in sports TV that's more useless? Why does TBS feel the need to have a Sunday afternoon national game? Today, it was the Phillies vs. the Marlins.
I'd love to know what the ratings are for those games vs. reruns of "Everybody Loves Raymond" or "Forrest Gump" or whatever TBS usually has on Sundays.
Does the executive who signed off on paying baseball money for these games still have his or her job? I know, I know, they wanted to get in on the baseball postseason. But really...Bud Selig and his cronies must have thought the TBS boys were kidding when they proposed this.
I was filling in Jim on some of the things he missed while he was in Italy:
-- Willie Randolph almost got fired
-- Joba Chamberlain is being transitioned to the Yankees rotation
-- I feel lucky when I pay only $4.15 for a gallon of gas
But this might be the biggest development of all. From the AP today:
Carl Pavano (elbow ligament replacement surgery) might be ready to start throwing off a mound next week. He has been working on a half-mound since last week.
So the Yankees have that going for them. Which is nice.
Newsday baseball guru Jeff Weinberg suggests this debate:
Who stinks more: Mark Buehrle, Mike Pelfrey or Ian Kennedy?
You should know two things:
1) Buehrle gave up a grand slam to Franklin Gutierrez last night and owns a lovely ERA of 5.73 (which is nothing compared to White Sox teammate Ehren Wassermans's 14.25 - an improvement seeing that he went into the game with an ERA of 22.)
2) Weinberg did not exactly use the word "stink."
Other than being lefthanded hitters who give the Yankees trouble, what do A.J. Pierzynski and Nick Markakis have in common?
Both were born on Long Island, and neither played high school ball here.
Pierzynski, pictured, was born in Bridgehampton but attended Dr. Phillips High School in Orlando, Fla.
Markakis was born in Glen Cove and went to high school in Woodstock, Ga.
Our thanks to Newsday sports editor Hank Winnicki for A) constantly pointing out that Markakis was born in Glen Cove and B) somewhat resembling Pierzynski.
