TampaBLAB

Media Matters is running a web ad on the media's love of John McCain. Chris Matthews must be torn on how to equally love McCain and Barack Obama.

Up until now, we have shied away from most of the trade rumors surrounding the Rays, because most have just been writers telling us what the Rays should or should not do. But for the first time, we are hearing rumors involving the Rays and these rumors seem to have teeth.

If reports are correct, the Rays are having serious conversations with the Pirates about acquiring Jason Bay, who is signed through '09 and is set to make $7.5 million next season.

The Pirates and Tampa Bay continue to discuss Jason Bay, a process that became deep yesterday, and two prospect names known to be in the mix on the Rays' end are shortstop Reid Brignac and pitcher Jeremy Hellickson...To be clear, although these names have come up, that does not mean they could be lumped together. Brignac was ranked No. 3 in the rich Tampa system by Baseball America, Hellickson No. 8, and early indications have been that Bay will reap no bounty of prospects.

One can read between those lines and it seems pretty clear the Pirates want Jeremy Hellickson or Reid Brignac. However, most people in the know are saying Hellboy and Brignac are untouchables. We agree the Rays won't even discuss David Price and Wade Davis, but we have a feeling Hellickson or Brignac could be had if the Pirates up the ante a bit.

Later in the same piece, Dejan Kovacevic updated the article with this item...

An American League team source just called from Toronto (where the Rays are playing): Says Brignac and pitcher Jeff Niemann are the names coming up most often.

In other words, the Rays are sticking to their guns and insisting the Pirates take Jeff Niemann.

Jon Heyman has one source saying the chances of a deal are "50-50". He also indicates that the Rays offer is the best available, even though Kovacevic says that the Rays have not offered an elite prospect.

No truly elite prospect is being offered for Bay, and no bounty -- say, four of a team's top 10 prospects -- is expected, either, as some teams have expressed concern that Bay's 2008 revival is not far enough removed from his disappointing 2007. That has not stopped management from entertaining offers, though, and doing so seriously...The chance that Bay will stay with the Pirates, the source said, still is better than 50-50.

Right now we have a good old fashioned trade deadline stare-down. Everything we have ever seen from this new Rays' front office suggests that they will not be the one to blink first. That means no Hellickson. no Brignac.

So now, it seems that the only question is whether another team steps-up and trumps the Rays offer of Niemann (and?) or if the Pirates decide not to trade Bay.

Pirates, Rays, Cardinals discussing Bay [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]
Five players that could be dealt by deadline [ESPN]
Trade Report Blog [SI.com]
Pirates Notebook [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]

By Brendan McLaughlin

Fast food chains would go broke in a world full of me. I jump on a Big Mac maybe twice a year, but when the urge strikes… get out of my way.  Maybe it’s because I regard the offerings of McDonalds, Taco Bell and Burger King to be more candy than food- a pure pleasure in moderation that turns toxic in excess. Like Criss Angel!

But  City Council members in Los Angeles want to impose my abstemious eating habits on the poor, bloated citizens of South L.A.. A proposal meeting with lots of support would  ban new fast food restaurants in 32 square miles of La La Land for at least a year.  I’m hard pressed to think of a more pointless, ineffective and insulting way to combat the very real epidemic of obesity.

The argument is that the poorer neighborhoods of L.A. have fewer grocery stores and no Spago’s at all. It’s hard out there  for a pimp looking for a spinach salad topped with seared ahi.  A survey showed these areas have a higher percentage of fast food joints than 90210, but they also have fewer restaurants of any kind. So reducing the number of Arby’s locations isn’t going to give these folks more choices, it’s just going to make their lives even more inconvenient. But councilwoman Jan Perry knows best.

What she doesn’t seem to realize is that the proliferation of drive-thru eateries everywhere is merely a symptom of other, more solvable problems. Federal agricultural subsidies have created an incentive to grow vast quantities of cheap corn that end up in almost every menu item on the board including the chicken nuggets, the burgers, the fries and the soft drinks in the form of high fructose corn syrup. The corn ethanol debacle is making these items pricier, but the low low price of a fast food lunch is only possible because of taxpayer funded subsidies.

Fast food restaurants also thrive because our economy generally requires families have two full time wage earners to stay afloat. That leaves little time for leisurely family dinners. So instead of trying to redline poor neighborhoods against Chick Filet, how about educating people about the joys of healthy food starting in the public schools where most of us first cultivate our taste for junk food?

If you really want to save people from themselves, the answer is not to give them fewer choices. It’s giving them more (with a side of fries).

If you see this text on Facebook...remember, type in "The World Of Big Pauly" into Google and this pic should be on the top or near the top within the next few days.

The old Clearwater Beach hotel, the Spyglass Resort is loaded up with more than 500 sticks of dynamite. Criss Angel, the popular illusionist and star of "Mind Freak" will have less than three and half minutes to escape before that dynamite goes off.

As another historic beach landmark bites the dust, the city of Clearwater is making a spectacle of it and tonight on A&E Television, and it will be broadcast live as it is imploded and Angel will attempt to escape from a fiery death.

It's kinda sad to see this piece of history gone, however, if this stunt doesn't go as planned, Clearwater Beach may become famous for something else. This guy better be fast!

The Rays Confidence Graph will appear every Wednesday and is a look at how much confidence Rays fans have in the Tampa Bay Rays. The graph is designed to give us a look at how our emotional bias as Rays fans fluctuates through time. The "confidence" in the team is an inexact measure of how fans feel about the team's current strength as well as how much confidence fans have in the franchise for the next 3-4 years. Notes on this weeks agida-level can be found after the graph..

Notes on the RI Confidence Graph...

• The most common response for "Confidence in 2008 Rays" was 8 (They will be in playoff contention all season) with 57.3%.
  
• The most common response for "Confidence in future of franchise" was 10 with 36.2%.
  
• 96.0% of respondents feel the Rays have a shot at the playoffs in 2008. That number is down from 98.6% a week ago.
  
• 100% of respondents feel the Rays should be at least a .500 team in 2008. Last week that number was 100%.
  

HEAD COACH JON GRUDEN (On practice and roster moves) “We signed Carl Stewart, a fullback that was with us for the majority of the offseason program. He’ll give us some depth at the fullback position. He’ll replace Torrie Cox on the roster. I was very pleased with practice today. Still plenty of things to clean up. We had a live goal-line scrimmage. Lee Roy Selmon showed up today, from the University of Oklahoma, so we had an ‘Oklahoma Drill’ on his behalf. He asked for it.” (On which side won the Oklahoma Drill) “Well, it’s an offensive drill. I thought Kevin Carter made the play of the day. There were some good things on both sides, some good physical plays. I was pleased with the offense. We ran the ball six times in the goal-line situation, scored four touchdowns and came off the ball; I was pleased with that.” (On trick plays in practice) “We do have some gadgets. You can’t practice them every day because the defense sees it once or twice and they’re pretty astute guys over there. We try to sneak one in every once in awhile. We think we had a nice one today, although they say it was called back; we had a motion error. So there was some good and some bad about that play.” (On if players know the Oklahoma Drill is coming) “No. I think when they see Lee Roy Selmon they should have an idea. That’s kind of been our history around here, to jazz it up when our Hall of Famer shows up, and that’s the way it should be.” (On Jeremy Zuttah) “I can’t say how pleased I am with him. Again, we don’t want to credit these offensive linemen too much publicly, but [I do] for what he’s doing, coming in here out of Rutgers where he played the tackle position. One day you’ll watch him [and] he’s playing left and right guard, the next day he comes out here he’s playing mostly at center. All these positions are foreign to him, he’s learning a new offense and I really like him a lot.” (On depth in the secondary) “Depth was a big part of last season’s team if you look at it. [Luke] Petitgout got hurt; we lost two halfbacks; Earnest Graham stepped up; Luke McCown stepped up in New Orleans. We had a lot of guys get pushed to the forefront last year. Micheal Spurlock, the first guy ever to return a kickoff [for a touchdown]. I think winning football teams, teams that compete for championships, are teams that have 47 men that can play. That’s what we’re after. We’re trying to keep the right 53 and on game day keep the right 47. Injuries are part of this game. So we do feel pretty good about our depth but we’re still looking for guys to step up.” (On struggling with the 80-man roster limit) “Yeah, it’s a struggle. I’ll tell you, what’s disappointing about it is that there are a lot of guys you don’t get a chance to look at. There have been a lot of guys come out of obscurity become great players, and we’re not affording opportunities to a lot of really good players. We can adjust our schedule if we have 14 players, but not affording guys opportunities like we have in years past – I don’t know how everybody else feels but I find that disappointing.” (On the battle at tight end) “It’s a very good position. Obviously Ben Troupe didn’t go today; he had a mild concussion and he’ll be back tomorrow. Ben Troupe has been really impressive here. We like Alex Smith; he’s started for three years for us. Jerramy Stevens is really playing well. He’s got a suspension for the first couple games; we realize that. John Gilmore’s a good player. He’s complete. He can play on the line of scrimmage, he’s a very good blocker, he has functional speed and we like what he’s doing. So that’s a position we’ve leaned on in years past and I think if we want to lean on it this year we can do that.” (On if they’re seeing anything new from Michael Clayton) “Well, we know he’s a very good player. What I’ve seen is five or six consecutive days where he’s put his fist down and said, ‘I’m a go-to receiver.’ If he continues to do that, he’s going to be a big part of this offense again. Hopefully he stays healthy and continues doing exactly what he’s doing. He’s focused, he’s all business and he’s running all kinds of routes. He’s running inside routes, outside routes, and he’s showing very good stamina. And we know he can run with the ball after the catch. So we like what he’s doing but we’ve got a long way to go.” (On Maurice Stovall making one-handed catches) “I think today he tried to make every one of them a splash catch. Just go up and catch it with two hands. He’s got two of them, I keep him reminding him. But he is a big, physical presence and he’s acrobatic for a big guy. He’s a guy we sorely missed in the playoffs last year and down the stretch, not only of his receiver ability but his special teams ability. He’s right in the mix. He’s going to be hard to keep off the field if he keeps playing the way he is.” (On how he is feeling, and jumping in on some drills) “I feel pretty good. I’ve worked hard on my conditioning. I’m getting old, but I still love it. I love the practice. I feel a good vibe on this football team right now and I want to assist any way I can.” (On Jeff Faine) “He’s the same every day. He’s a consistent pro and he’s a very good player. Our inside pocket has been very good, our second-level blocking is going to be improved. We’ll isolate our perimeter offense this afternoon, try to get some timing where we can utilize his athletic ability. But he’s the real deal. He’s a leader. He doesn’t say a lot but he’s a model of consistency and at that position that’s critical.” C JEFF FAINE (On this training camp compared to other teams) “I have been through some pretty tough camps, but Coach Gruden has taken care of us pretty well and I think that is something that will pay dividends as we go through the season. Health is an important value as you go through the season, especially upfront with the offensive and defensive lines. I think the way that we are practicing now and taking care of each other; we are still practicing hard and getting our work done, but Coach is looking out for us in practice as well.” (On the talk of this year’s offensive line) “I think it applies pressure on the group. It does not matter if one player plays well and four players play bad, that is not going to look good. As a group we are taking it all on ourselves. They are talking so good about us that it is going to be taken as a challenge from opposing defensive lines as they face a supposedly better offensive line. We got a lot of potential but we have a lot of work to do.” (On the age similarity) “I do not think it deals with age more than the quality of the person. We have quality people in that group. We get along well. There are not really any bad attitudes or someone not willing to work. I think that is a compliment to the management for brining in quality guys. It is a good group which goes farther than the age difference.” (On the running game) “I think we can be successful on what the defense gives us. We have the ability to get outside, but we also have the ability to go up the middle as well. I think that we are able to adapt and that is what Coach Gruden’s offense have been known for. The situation that presents itself in the game is what we will take advantage of.” (On playing in full pads) “It is going good. I think it went real well today, but it is still early. It has not even been a week yet and it feels like we have been here for three (weeks). I asked on our strength coaches today what he thought and he said, “It looks better than it did this time last year.” I did not know that but that is good to hear from a reliable source.” (On scoring in the goal line drills today) “It is huge. I thought once we were up there we could put it in every time. Any time you can do that it is encouraging and it is good to see your running back in that end zone. It is what we get paid to do.” (On adapting to a new system) “The biggest challenge for me is adapting mentally. Just because of how much is put on the shoulders of the center with this offense. The places I have been, the things that I do are handled by a quarterback solely. Here, there is a lot more on my plate, but I take it with open hands. I take it as a compliment Coach Gruden to allow me to take on those responsibilities.” (On the toughness of the division) “I thought the AFC North was a tough division while I was with Cleveland. Personally, I love playing against 4-3’s because it allows you to space out and do some things. Staying in the division is going to be fun and it allows me to go back up to New Orleans to see some of my old teammates. I am familiar with the other two opponents which is good and I think I bring a little flavor from the AFC North as well.” (On a center’s instincts) “You have to be alert at all times. You always have someone bearing down on you it seems and when you don’t you have a linebacker looming ready to come downhill at you. It is definitely a brawl, face-to-face and no space involved. That is one of the things I am going to miss facing Chris (Hovan). It is not the same practicing against him because playing with him was a lot of fun and always a challenge. It often reminded me of the Notre Dame-Purdue games. We have become great friends and he is a great competitor.” (On the rivalry between him and Chris Hovan) “I think he took it a little more personal than I did. It is just the competitiveness. He was actually the first player that I met in the locker room when I came to the Bucs. It was pretty cool how we handled the situation. It is ironic how we left it in New Orleans and he was the first guy to greet me when I got here.” (On adapting to Jon Gruden’ tactics) “I have never had a head coach like this. I think everything he does is positive. I think the yelling and screaming is perfectly placed. He is an extremely intelligent, one of the most intelligent coaches that I have ever been around. He asks, demands and gets a lot out of his players and I am excited about playing for him.” (On his clothing line) “I grew up in downtown Orlando, and I already had a couple businesses going up in Cleveland. So, I looked at downtown Orlando and asked myself what it needed. I strived to do something different in downtown and provide something it needed. I am starting to get into fashion. In college I was a white t-shirt and jeans guy and it did not bother me, but now I have a little money in my pocket, so I was able to afford some new clothes and expanded my wardrobe and have gotten into fashion.” (On living up to his new contract) “My teammates have handled it very well. A lot better than when I was drafted, but part of that is being a rookie though. When you come around to free agent season you have earned the contract and respect you get. As a rookie you have somewhat earned your contract but not have quite proven yourself on this large of a level. My teammates have been real good about it, and it is what it is. I can not tell you how much I am making this season or how much I make a game, I am just going out and practicing as hard as I can and preparing for the games. The contract stuff is for the off-season so I am not really concerned with that now.” (On growing up Orlando and returning near home) “It definitely did not hurt my situation. My first intention was to come back to New Orleans. I love that city, it really helped me sort of revive my career. I came down there from Cleveland and they really embraced me, both the fans and the organization. The chips just weren’t there and after that a couple of options presented itself and Tampa was definitely my top pick.” (On having attention as an offensive lineman) “The thing that impresses me with our unit is at a really young age, they are very mature. The tough thing for me as a rookie was playing amongst all these veterans. I have to take a step back and appreciate that these young guys are really stepping up in maturity and working hard and acting as true pros. I appreciate these guys doing what they are doing at such a young age. I think it makes it a little easier to put our heads down and keep working hard and not rest on these laurels. Offensive linemen by nature are team players and not really worried about these preseason predictions. The goal is to win and win every week and get to the Super Bowl.” (On helping fellow linemen improve) “I think I bring in some veteran leadership and some flavor from other teams. These guys have only known each other and not known linemen from other teams. I take pride in what we did in New Orleans and I think I was a big part of it, helping lead the league in least sacks allowed. That is one of our goals I would like to see us strive for as a unit and start a tradition that we can keep going.” (On following John Wade) “To come in and step into his place is tough, and I treaded lightly, but it is what it is and that is a business. Maybe I am different and maybe some people don’t like it better, but hopefully in the long run it will help improve this offensive line.” DT JOVAN HAYE (On coming into camp this year and competing as a starter) “I just know a lot more than I did last year. I have a good grasp of the defense and it’s almost like I’m trying to fine tune my skills right now. That’s all I’m concerned about, I’m not worrying about starting or anything like that I’m just trying to get better.” (On battles in practice with C Jeff Faine) “We’ve been going at it all camp, he kind of got yesterday and I told him I owed him one so things are going happen. It’s great competition out there, it’s only going to get us better and a guy like Jeff Faine he’s a great center and I’m glad we have him.” (On whether he gets juiced up when you go goal line in training camp or if it’s something you dread) “Oh you have to get juiced up, it’s football. Games are won on the goal line, offense got the best of us today but you know if they’re getting the best of you then you know they have things going good on their side but its great competition.” (On if there was a wager involved in the goal line drill) “Just bragging rights.” (On the comments by Head Coach Jon Gruden in regards to needing more pressure) “He’s putting a lot of weight on my shoulders, as far as getting to the quarterback. It’s all about pressure, pressure, pressure, and after what the New York Giants did I think everyone around the league is pressing the pass rush. Gruden just wants us to get after the quarterback and I think we’re doing a good job. We’re not where we want to be as far as that’s concerned but it’s turning the corner.” (On the Oklahoma drill) “It was my first time I actually have seen it down here but he said something about when Lee Roy Selmon is here. So we’re going to have Oklahoma drills more often so when Lee Roy is here guys expect it. It was pretty good.” (On if the Oklahoma drill seemed to fire up both sides) “Oh yeah, it’s all competition in camp. Especially your first couple days, everyone’s trying to out do each other before we start getting to the dog days. It’s real good competition.” (On if the team would be ready to play a game now) “We could right now, but it’s just take it day by day. I’m pretty sure if we had a game coming up right now we’d be ready to go. When it’s all said and done it’s all football. You have to be ready to go whenever.” (On the depth at defensive line) “It’s real good because we have some quality guys like Marques Douglas, Jimmy Wilkerson, and Dre Moore. Basically when guys are out of there especially like the starters there will be no drop off. Having guys that have been around the league and played a lot of football it’s going to be great for us this season.”

…who lived in $520 dollar shoes! This will definitely be bad for Obama’s image. Isabel Wilkinson: A Week In John McCain’s Shoes — His $520 Ferragamo Loafers, That Is

Sam can’t eat crow… with chopsticks… stuck in his eyes. Think Progress » Warrantless Wiretapping Supporter Sam Brownback Now Outraged Over Chinese Government’s Domestic Spying

Two years ago on Rays Index, we relayed a story about BJ Upton in which he apparently was more concerned about his "walk-up" music during a triple-A game, and decided to call the pressbox to relay his "frustration".

Those Crazy Kids Just Can't Keep Their Mouths Shut [Rays Index]

    Buccaneer Hall of Famer Lee Roy Selmon popped in on this morning’s practice.  In honor of his presence, the Bucs installed the Oklahoma Sooner 1-on-1 drill.  Defensive lineman Kevin Carter had the play of the day in this exercise, shedding off a block by Donald Penn and stuffing the RB.   I asked Kevin Carter if he is going to point out that play to the rookies and say, “that’s the way it’s done around here.”  Carter told me, no need to talk.  The play will be on film tonight.  It will speaks volumes by itself.

    The offense also won the goal-line war.  They scored on short-yardage four of six times. 

    I had a chance to talk to WR Michael Clayton.  He has definitely ramped up his game, he has to. This team can’t go the season with only two affective receivers (Galloway and Hilliard.)  Clayton knows it, the Bucs know it.  For more on Clayton’s development, stay tuned for my report ABC Action News at 6.

    We continue to be on alert for any developments involving Brett Favre, or a possible trade between the Cowboys and Bucs for QB Chris Simms.  As I’ve stated in two previous blogs, Simms is just wasting space on the field.  We wish him well wherever he lands.  He’s a class guy. 

    Torrie Cox’s season ending injury really hurts special teams.  That is becoming an area of concern right now.  We’ll keep you posted as I make periodical checks with ST Coach Rich Bisaccia.

    WR Joey Galloway still hasn’t set foot on the practice field.  Team says it’s a slight groin strain.  When you’re his age in this game, you can’t dismiss any strain or muscle pull.  Espoecially when your talking about the only deep threat this team has right now.

     Earnest Graham returned to practice today after suffering a slight ankle sprain on Tuesday.  TE Ben Troupe got his bell rung yesterday, suffering a slight concussion.  He was held out of today’s workouts. 

      Tom Korun

       

   

     

THE GOOD: The Ghost of Tom Seaver. At some point in the 3rd or 4th inning, we suddenly remembered a story told by Tom Seaver. Occasionally Seaver would come back to the dugout after warmups or after the first inning and tell his teammates that they only needed to score 1 run that day. Matt Garza was that good last night. With the Rays up 1-0 after Eric Hinske's home run in the 3rd, we just had a sense that the game was already over, the Jays just didn't know it yet. At one point Garza retired 14 of 15 from the 3rd until the 7th inning...Big double-play started by Jason Bartlett with men on first and second to end the 2nd inning. The Rays turned 3 double-plays on the night...Another gold glove play by Evan Longoria in which he went into foul territory for a ground ball and made a strong, accurate throw to first to get the runner by 2 full steps.

THE BAD: Somebody missed a sign in the 5th. With Dioner Navarro on first with no outs, Eric Hinske took a called third strike with Navi on the move with the pitch. Navarro was thrown out stealing to kill a potential rally.

THE TELLING: With the Angels running away with the West, it is looking more and more like 5 teams remain in contention for the final 3 playoff spots, with the Rays, Red Sox and Yankees in the East and the White Sox holding a half-game lead in the Central over the Twins. The Twins are 1 game behind the Red Sox in the Wild Card. No other teams are within 5 games of a playoff spot in the AL (division or wild card). Detroit is an outside possibility, 5.5 back in the Central, but the Rays could add a nail to their coffin this weekend at the Trop.

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA...

• Sorry, no Live Blog-A-Baloo for today's afternoon tilt, but we should be back next week.
  
• The Jays were originally scheduled to start lefty John Parrish, but instead called up right-hander Scott Richmond who will be making his major league debut. [MLB]
  
• Saturday's game, which features a concert by LL Cool J afterward, is now sold out. [Bradenton Herald]
• No surprise here... The Rays did not get Mark Teixeira. He was traded to the Angels. [ABC News]
• Joe Maddon was surprised (as were we) that the Angels landed Mark Teixeira, knowing that the Angels rarely trade away their young talent. [MLB]

"I am [surprised at the Angels making a big deal]," Maddon said. "They've never been one to part with youth. And so this is a bit of a radical departure from the past. While I was with the Angels there were no real significant acquisitions. No real names like a Teixeira. We got Alex Ochoa one year. We got Jimmy Abbott one year, though he was kind of on the back side of things. So we never really got that. As much as they hate to see Casey go, they know it's going to augment them."

• More trade rumors from Outs Per Swing. [Outs Per Swing]
• And even more at the bottom of this post. [Outs Per Swing]

You shelled out a car payment for those high-end pots and pans I talk about in today’s Essential Kitchen Gear, so you better take steps to protect your investment. Although you might be tempted to grab the steel wool or belt sander the next time you have to remove a layer of solidified bacon grease or burned sugar from that formerly gleaming stainless steel, just put the power tools down. It doesn’t have to be that way.

For stainless steel cookware, typical dish soap and water will take care of daily use – and you can even throw most brands in the dishwasher — but you’ll want to have an abrasive cleanser on hand. Don’t scrub with anything metal and stay away from harsh powders and liquids like Comet or Soft Scrub; those will clean well enough but could scratch the surface of your beautiful pans. (more…)

Besides the (very) loud music, here’s your introduction to Criss Angel > The Official Website:

Don’t miss the first LIVE episode in MINDFREAK history as Criss attempts to escape from an imploding building! Watch it LIVE on Wednesday, July 30 at 10 PM EST / 7 PM PST on A&E, or watch it LIVE here on www.CrissAngel.com!

It’s always fun to watch a building implode!  The whole “escaping death” part is just a bonus.  We find out more in the news section:

… From within a 9-story former hotel outside of Clearwater, Florida, Criss will attempt to escape a building that is loaded with explosives and set to detonate.

Clearwater!?!?  Now famous for Scientology AND Death Defying Stunts!?!?

Anyway, Angel has 3 and a half minutes to get out of handcuffs attached to a balcony railing, through three or four locked doors, and up 3 flights to the roof, where a helicopter will whisk him off to safety.

Cool.

Even cooler is the building that will host the stunt, the old Spyglass Resort Motel.  You know this place - it’s 10-story building with 100 foot mural of the hot air balloon on it.  Clearwater artist Roger Bansemer painted that mural back in 1978 (Tampa Bay’s 10 has the story of the mural). 

This place became quite the dump over the past few years, but the rooms were cheap!  That, along with many of the balconies facing the beach, the Spyglass became the perfect place for partying spring breakers.

Not everyone is impressed with Angel’s plans to escape getting blowed up.  Steve Otto says the stunt is “pretty lame.”  Ernest Hooper agrees, challenging Criss Angel to attempt to find a parking spot at Clearwater Beach in 3½ minutes on a Saturday.  Eric Snider simply says Angel is repugnant, pretentious, and unimpressive.

Good grief, ya’ll.  The dude is giving Clearwater Beach some free marketing national coverage, and BLOWING UP A BUILDING!! 

Actually, Advanced Explosives Demolition is blowing up the building, and Applied Science International created a video simulation of the implosion.

Those of you interested can watch Mindfreak on A&E tonight at 10pm, or see the webcast beginning at 9pam on AETV.com, watch it live at CrissAngel.com, or watch it live from Clearwater Beach - they will have giant screens there, too.

You gonna watch/go to this?

From the SESH email list:

"We met with the City of Tampa this morning regarding the Beautification of Nebraska Avenue. The meeting was very productive and positive. Funds will be made available for this project; however, the city and state have to go through their respective processes and we, as an association, have our work to do in order to put the project in motion. The state showed some concerns about other situations where Civic Associations have failed in their quest to maintain sections of roadway but Shannon Edge, Director of Community Relations was very quick to applaud SESCHA as . . . . . . . . passionate and active association in the City. I know many of you have expressed a desire to get involved in the project. . . . . . . The goal is to have our section of Nebraska Avenue finished by Super Bowl in January. While that may seem like a lot of time, there is much to do behind the scenes."

Buffalo 8, Durham 7. Jeff Niemann didn't do the Rays any favors in his last start prior to the trade deadline. In 4.2 innings, he gave up 5 runs on 5 hits and walked another 6 batters with only 3 strike outs. Niemann dropped to 7-5 with a 3.53 ERA...Justin Ruggiano was 3-4 with 2 doubles and a solo home run. He had 2 RBI...Fernando Perez went 1-3 with 2 walks and his 34th stolen base...Reid Brignac added a double and a home run in 5 at bats, driving in 3. It was his 25th double and 8th home run.

Montgomery 2, Huntsville 1 (gm 1; 8). Jeremy Hellickson was dominant, but did not get the win. He struck out 9 in 6 innings, allowing 1 run on 3 hits and a walk. After giving up a solo home run and a single in the 2nd, Hellboy retired the next 12 in a row, with 7 Ks before giving up a single in the 6th....Chris Nowak was 2-4 with a solo home run in the top of the 8th inning...Rocco Baldelli DH'd, going 1-4 with a double.

Montgomery 4, Huntsville 2 (gm 2). Stephen Andrade filled in as a spot-starter in the nightcap and threw 3 scoreless innings...Eddie Morlan gave up 2 runs in 2 innings of relief...Rashad Eldridge went 2-4 with a double and is hitting .297 with a .395 OBP.

Vero Beach 6, Jupiter 3. Ryan Morse gave up 3 runs (1 earned) in 5 innings...Cesar Suarez broke a 3-3 tie in the 9th with a sac fly, and Matt Fields followed with a 3-run home run.

Columbus 6, Augusta 4. Jeremy Hall struck out 5 in 6.1 innings, and gave up 3 runs on 6 hits and no walks...Greg Sexton was 1-5 with a 3-run home run...Stephen Vogt added 3 hits in 4 at bats with a walk and an RBI.

Hudson Valley 7, Tri-City 3.

Princeton (off-day)

NOTES FROM DOWN ON THE FARM...

• Rocco Baldelli will conclude his rehab assignment on Friday and Joe Maddon hinted that he would rejoin the Rays at that point. However, he did not say if Rocco would be activated or just workout with the Rays. [The Heater]

Maddon said Baldelli wouldn't need to move up first to Triple-A Durham. "He would come here whenever that moment is" and get readjusted to major-league pitching, Maddon said.

• Baseball Handyman compares Desmond Jennings to another great athlete in the Cardinals organization. [Baseball Handyman]
  

 
1. Illusionist Criss Angel (pictured) brings his Houdini-style antics to Clearwater Beach. His latest stunt – escaping from the Spyglass Hotel, 215 S. Gulfview Blvd., before it is impoloded – will be broadcast live on tonight’s epssode of Criss Angel Mindfreak on A&E at 10 p.m. For those who want to witness the spectacle in person, City of Clearwater officials advise arriving between 6 and 7 p.m. The stunt can be viewed from behind a 500-foot safety perimeter on screens that are set up on the north and south ends of the beach.

2. Mark Knopfler plays Ruth Eckerd Hall.

3. St. Pete for Peace continues its Wednesday evening documentary screening series with 9/11 Chronicles: Part 1 – Truth Rising, which follows Alex Jones, Luke Rudkowski and others as they set out to find out the truth about 9/11. The screening starts at 8:30 p.m. and takes place at Cafe Bohemia, 937 Central Ave., St. Petersburg.

4. South Florida’s pot humor comics perform as part of the 420-Friendly Comedy Tour. The two-show run kicks off tonight at Tampa Improv.

5. Journey headlines a classic rock bill at Ford Amphitheatre; Heart and Cheap Trick provide support.

A

According to the Trib:

""I'm very happy to tell you that in our capital fund budget, we have marked $7.3 million to replace the current library," he said.

While the county commission's 2009 budget must survive two more public hearings in September before it is fully approved, he said he didn't expect anything to change.

"We've worked really hard on this," he said, adding that it is possible to be building by late 2011 or early 2012 if the budgeted funds are approved.

Over the weekend, Louis Gray posted on his blog “Roll Your Own Blog Leaderboard With Google Reader Trends.” After seeing his article, of course I had to look at My Google Reader trends, too. A couple of things immediately jumped out at me. One, I’m guilty of self-promotion and My Google Reader trends certainly reveal that. Two, I some of my top shared items are from other people’s shared items. I’m a re-sharer!

Let’s take a look at whose items made my list. Here is the stuff I share:

1. Rob Diana’s Recommendations (wow, go Rob!)
2. Read/WriteWeb (guilty!)
3. Items shared by louisgray
4. Corvida Raven’s Recommendations 
5. (jeff)isageek’s recommendations
6. Franklin P’s recommendations
7. louisgray.com
8. Caleb Elston’s Recommendations
9. Shey Smith’s Recommendations
10. SheGeeks
11. Mashable! (I believe this is Steven’s doing)
12. WinExtra (see?)
13. Items shared by Robert Scoble (no list is complete without Scoble)
14. SitePoint Blogs (I miss Josh on RWW, but he’s still his awesome self here)
15. chrisbrogan.com’s recommendations
16. Silicon Alley Insider
17. Adam Ostrow’s Recommendations
18. MG Siegler’s Recommendations
19. Profy.Com (I told you to read this blog)
20. sarahintampa (guilty again!)
21. The Inquisitr » Tech
22. CenterNetworks (a one-man blogging machine!)
23. VentureBeat
24. TechCrunch
25. Alexander van Elsas’s Recommendations
26. LiveSide - Windows Live news and interviews
27. The Social Times
28. ParisLemon
29. Steve Spalding’s Recommendations
30. David Risley
31. AppScout
32. Lifehacker
33. I’m Not Actually a Geek
34. Regular Geek
35. Inside Facebook
36. Marshall Kirkpatrick
37. MediaPost | Online Media News
38. Download Squad
39. Alexander van Elsas’s Weblog on new media & technologies and their effect on social behavior
40. SEO and Tech Daily
41. CrackBerry.com blogs
42. Mark Evans
43. The Social Networker
44. ZDNet Blogs
45. Stay N’ Alive

The reason why some of these items say “Recommendations” and some say “Items Shared” is due to the Feedly Firefox plugin. If you haven’t already heard, the Feedly plugin taps into Google Reader and gives you access to anyone’s Shared Items, even if they don’t appear in your Google Friends list. This is extremely useful since the only way to be “Google Friends” with someone is to either email with them or chat with them. But with Feedly, you get immediate access to anyone’s shares, just by following them on Feedly.

For example, if you want to see my shares, follow me here: http://www.feedly.com/feedly#preview/user/15218633955327620808/state/com.google/broadcast

If you’re using Feedly and share tech/social media stuff, I would like to follow you too, so please leave your Feedly profile URL in the comments.

You shelled out a car payment for those high-end pots and pans I talk about in today’s Essential Kitchen Gear, so you better take steps to protect your investment. Although you might be tempted to grab the steel wool or belt sander the next time you have to remove a layer of solidified bacon grease or burned sugar from that formerly gleaming stainless steel, just put the power tools down. It doesn’t have to be that way.

For stainless steel cookware, typical dish soap and water will take care of daily use – and you can even throw most brands in the dishwasher — but you’ll want to have an abrasive cleanser on hand. Don’t scrub with anything metal and stay away from harsh powders and liquids like Comet or Soft Scrub; those will clean well enough but could scratch the surface of your beautiful pans. (more…)

Putting my children to bed is always interesting. They ask wacky questions ("Will you come to my NBA draft even if it's on a Friday night?") or ask for stories about when I was a kid ("Tell us again about the time you sold everything in your toy box and got in trouble!")

Anything to prolong going to sleep.

The other night, Youngest was scared about something. After checking underneath the bed and in the closet, I assured him he was safe. Kid wasn't buying it and said he couldn't fall asleep.

"Then don't worry about going to sleep," I said. "Just rest your eyes and make up a story in your head. You can say your prayers, or count to ten, maybe talk to God."

He stopped rubbing his eyes and looked at me. "Talk to God?"

"It's an idea." I looked at the clock. Almost 9pm. I had stuff to do and was willing to try anything. "Maybe you could ask him to watch over you."

Kid sat straight up in bed. "Mommy, I watch the news with Grandpa."

Fantastic.

"I see how people get murdered and killed every single day," he said, justifying the need for future therapy. "If God can't watch over them, how is he going to watch over me?"

I took a deep breath. Don't you just love him?

"That's a very good question," I said.

Youngest folded his arms and waited for an answer. I did my best.

"I ask myself that same question every day. All I can tell you is that we make sure you are as safe as possible and momma, nana, and grandpa are all right here in the next room. We're not going to let anything happen to you, okay?"

I kissed him on the forehead and gave him an extra-long squeeze. Kid went to sleep after that - comforted more by his Momma than by the big Poppa.

Well. I do have a better track record.