Guest blogger (2/22)

Hey. I'm Brick. Brick, the Bad Weather Hating Bactrian. Mehring had to duck out to get ready for Mass and he's also "geeked up" about dueling marathons of MacGyver and NCIS.

And if any of you have ever seen Mehring "geeked up" you know that nothing intelligent will be typed or spoken by him for another couple of days.

So, I'm just popping in here to point out that weather lately...to put not too fine a point on it...has sucked.

Snow and cold yesterday.

High of 21 with flurries today.

High of 22 tomorrow.

The 10-day forecast has one day with temperatures above 32 degrees.

This sucks.

And it had better turn around soon or -- by Roudha -- I'll do something drastic.

46 dies insquequo Oris Dies

Meet Roudha

No. Do not bow. Camel God Roudha does not need such praise. I have heard your cries and I have done what I can to give dry weather to the city of Philadelphia tonight so that Game Five of the 2008 World Series may be concluded. Enjoy.

In the name of me, Bud Selig has caught a lot of dung over the last few days...Well, more than usual. Before you jump on that bandwagon, why not check out these two posts.

First, here is Winks over at The Bucky Channel: A Passionate Plea in Support of Bud Selig

Look, this is a circumstance that has never happened before in baseball's history. No World Series game has ever been suspended for a day, much less for two days. But that's what happened this season, and instead of going back to Tampa tonight for a Game Six, we're going to play 2 1/2 innings (at least) of baseball in Philly.

It's the decision that was made, but it's still unacceptable to many. And why is that, exactly?

Because Bud Selig made the call.

No matter what the decision, people always find a way to criticize the moves Bud Selig is making. The guy just never seems to get a break. I say that he could very well be the best commissioner of a major American sport. Maybe not, but it certainly is up for debate. Yet, everyone just loves to come down on the guy.

Camel God Roudha's only quibble would be that there are 3-1/2 innings remaining instead of 2-1/2, but Roudha is forgiving of other errors. Not everyone can be an omnisc...omnicen...all-seeing and all-knowing Camel God.

Next, the oddly named radio silence at The Junkball blues with Second-Guessing Selig

I'm watching national analysts tear apart Selig -- it seems like one supports Selig for every five that second guess him -- and it's occurred to me: why is this such a huge issue?

First off, more baseball is never a bad thing, and that's a fact -- the weather was bad in Philadelphia, and that forces the first suspended game in the history of the World Series (due to rain). That's way cool. Now we have an historical opportunity to watch the final 3 innings on a separate night, and the game will be finished.

Secondly, for all the trouble Selig is getting for allowing the game to go into the sixth inning, why isn't he getting more credit for an absolutely correct judgment: that no World Series game will end this way, that he would not have officially called the game after 4.5, even with the Phillies leading, and that "this is no way to end a World Series."

Say what you will about other Selig blunders, even the decision to let the game go later, but I think Selig actually upheld the integrity of the game by "skirting" the rules -- that is, I believe he got the spirit of the game correct, even if he didn't completely go by the letter.

Camel God Roudha could not have said this any better.

Roudha out.

Apologies from Roudha

What? You were expecting Charlton Heston?

Mehring wanted me, Camel God Roudha, to make some apologies for the lack of original posts on the blog over the last couple of days. There are some really good reasons, but they aren't important right now.

But, there are a couple of things to pass along and who better than I, Roudha, deity of Camels?

So, here is Jay over at Mariner Minors with the recap of last night in the Mariner system.

Here is an actual story with an actual Timber Rattler tie-in at the Post-Crescent website.

Timber Rattlers manager primarily a teacher

Pollreisz, 61, is old enough to be a grandfather to his players. He knows they have a generation gap the size of the Grand Canyon, but even though he may not know anyone who claims a spot in his players' iPods, he speaks a language that has bridged that great divide.

"Baseball," Pollreisz said. "The answer to that simply is baseball. They want to learn how to get better, and I'm here to teach them. If you gain their trust, somewhere along the line, they'll want that knowledge."
...
"He's the most positive person I've ever met," Timber Rattlers president Rob Zerjav said. "He teaches them. He's not just a manager. He's always teaching, he's always instructing, but just a real enjoyable person to be around."

Head over to read it all and to check out the action shot! Roudha demands!

No rain today. Come on out to the game! Roudha...requests.