Well, that certainly was an [exciting/annoying/excruciating/awesome] game, wasn't it? Note to self: choose proper descriptor before posting. With no game this evening, you'll obviously need something pass the time, and SnakeBytes is here for you.
Recaps of this afternoon's outing:
[yahoo.com] Kennedy, LaRoche lead Diamondbacks past Cubs - Ian Kennedy pitched eight strong innings for his first victory in 2 1/2 years.
[chicagobreakingsports.com] Cubs Game Day: D'backs rout Cubs - "The wind is blowing out to left field at 27 m.p.h. this afternoon, so you'd think the Cubs offense should be able to get back on track against Arizona right-hander Ian Kennedy. Think again."
A whole roster of stories after the jump.
Team and Player News:
[www.westlinntidings.com] West Linn's Cole Gillespie makes The Show - Apparently they gave Gillespie some trouble before they let him know he'd been called up. "They asked me if I remembered taking a drug test in spring training. I told them yes and my manager said 'Well, do you have anything you want to tell me?'
[AZCentral.com] LaRoche productive in April - "For a player who is known for his slow starts and bad Aprils, Adam LaRoche hasn't exactly lived up to the reputation... Entering Tuesday night's game, he was hitting .286 with a .394 on-base percentage and .482 slugging percentage, numbers that are about in line with his end-of-year production averages."
[mlbtraderumors.com] Free Agent Hot Starts - Kelly Johnson is included on this list, and deservedly so.
[Beyond The Box Score] BtB Power Rankings: Week 4 - The Diamondbacks move up three spots to #9. Not bad for a team that just moved up to .500.
Around Baseball:
[sbnnation.com] The Perils Of Day Baseball - Jim wrote an article for SBN on the trouble of daytime games for most fans.
[azstarnet.com] Talks ongoing with 2 MLB teams - Pima County says they're in talks with two teams to move to Tucson for Spring Training, and about the prospect of bringing a Japanese team in for next season.
[yahoo.com] Rockies' catcher Miguel Olivo passes kidney stone, keeps playing - Passing a kidney stone during a game? That's pretty hardcore.
[wsj.com] New York Yankees: Not the Most Hated Team in Baseball - The Indians? I'm extremely skeptical.
[espn.com] All-Star Game changes: Rosters expanded, DH to be used every year - No confirmation to the rumors that Selig ordered a special All-Star Game Abacus because this time, it counts.
[yahoo.com] Dodgers problems worsen after GM Colletti picks on Matt Kemp - "Bill James has a saying that goes something like, 'Bad teams often focus all of the blame on their best players.' That's what Ringmaster Ned is doing, right or wrong."
[letsgotribe.com] Let's Go Tribe Simulates The 'Baseball Tonight' Experience For Non-New England Fans - Comedy or tragedy? You decide!
[Hardball Talk] MLB denies that Twitter crackdown but facts say otherwise - Sounds like this could turn into a full brouhaha. Walkoff Walk laments this may end their This Tweet In Baseball feature just as it begins.
That should probably be enough stories to keep you busy at least long enough for Jim to get a recap up, so enjoy the rest of the day!