Marz’s thoughts:  Congratulations to Roger Clemens on his 350th career victory. We hadn’t seen this accomplishment since Warren Spahn since 1963. There aren’t too many more players besides Greg Maddux that will accomplish this feat. I remember going to Spring Training in 1985…my first big league camp not knowing that I was warming up and catching a legend. You have accomplished all your goals. I remember talking to you back when you were just a kid and saying that you would win a World Series, Cy Youngs reach milestones and you have reached them all!
P.S. – Happy 4th of July!

Cuch’s thoughts:  The best part of this past weekend was seeing Ernie Harwell in the booth for Sunday Night Baseball. Listen to him call a game. It is not about him…it is not about the fancy call…it is not about the squeezing in unnecessary knowledge to prove you are smart. It is about calling the game and only that. It is about being a legend and not thinking about it! I could hear the difference 10 fold over many other announcers and it makes me wish that he was calling the games of my favorite team when i was younger and I could have grown up with him. Oh well – I did NOT grow up in Detroit!
P.S. – If i hear anything EAGLES anymore again, I am gonna hit John over the head with my highlighter and trust me…he doesn’t want that.

Marz’s thoughts:  I think the Yankee run at the postseason is over. There is way too much dissention on this club. You have the veteran players arguing amongst each other about the way the Yankees are performing on the field. Scott Proctor needed to burn the stat sheet instead of his glove! Just because you put a Yankee uniform on doesn’t mean you are going to win championships and finish in 1st place each year. You need to go out and play as a team, perform as a team and that is how you WIN championships…and this bunch of Yankees don’t get that concept. Good Luck next year.
P.S. – It was a blast going to Saturdays Phils-Mets game with Cousin Jimmy Durante…at least the part that i could see when his nose wasn’t blocking my view!

Cuch’s thoughts:  In the final man voting, we here at "Leading Off" have endorsed Chris Young of the San Diego Padres and Pat Neshek of the Minnesota Twins. Will they get it? It seems unlikely with the trend in voting BUT they are the two that deserve it most! There will always be snubs at All Star games, selection shows for tournaments and awards like the Oscars but here you have the power to send the right two guys and the two that "Leading Off" endorses!
P.S. – Gotta defend Cousin James here…the guy had a nice time in Philadelphia and he had nice words to say about the stadium. If John keeps up his trash talking, i am gonna have to sing the Mets song to shut him up!

MARZ WINS!!!!!

Johnny Marz defeated Casey Stern by a score of 4-3 in "All the Marbles" at Mickey Mantle’s restaurant. Cole Hamels took a no-hitter into the 8th. Pat "the Bat" Burrell hits a HR for the first run of the game to give Marz a 1-0 lead. Three wild pitches from Orlando Hernandez led to the Phillies 2nd run. A Jimmy Rollins 2-run HR capped off the 4 run inning for Marzano as he took a 4-0 lead into the 9th. With the no-hitter no longer in tact, Casey mounts a comeback in the 9th sending pinch hitter Damian Easley up. Easley singled followed by a Jose Reyes single. In what Stern called the most important at-bat of the game, Paul LoDuca swung over a 3-2 slider for out number 1. Carlos Beltran launced a 3-run homer to make it 4-3. The tension was as high as you will ever see for a VIRTUAL contest! Carlos Delgado went down on strikes and then David Wright (he is on the cover of the game) went down on strikes to end the game and Marzano walked away with the win!

Cole Hamels got the victory
Tom Glavine took the loss
HR: Burrell & Rollins for Philadelphia
      Beltran for New York

Tune into the Midday show later on at 1 ET for more including the jersey presentation from Marzano to Stern!

Marz’s thoughts:  It was great having Joe Garagiola on the show today. It was great hearing from a fellow catcher who played long before I did. It shows that baseball hasn’t changed from 1940 – 2007. There are the same topics, same on the mound chatter and same love for the game. If you get a chance to pick up the book – it is called "Just Play Ball"…you won’t regret it.
P.S. – Had I known that I had 191 hits, i would have played 5 more years to get those final 9 hits!

Cuch’s thoughts:  Today is the last day of voting for the All-Star game and lets push to get Matt Holliday there. Alright, it just doesn’t seem possible but how does a guy that leads the NL in batting and it a big reason why the club is around .500 not go as a starter!? His nearly 900,000 votes will keep him around 5th or 6th overall and that is a shame. Of course he will be brought on by the coaches but lets hope he doesn’t have to wait year in and year out to know if he will get that shot!
P.S. – Tomorrow we will break down who some of the buyers and sellers are in baseball. Will your Astros be sellers? Will your Yankees be buyers? Will your Expos be buyers? Wait – oh, nevermind!

Marz’s thoughts:  The Yankees have been struggling the past week and a half and you can see the frustration in last nights game. A fly ball to RF fell between Abreu and Cabrera who each pulled up. Andy Pettitte looked into the outfield in disgust with the lack of effort from his teammates in what would have been the 3rd out. The next hitter singled and drove in a run. After the inning, Pettitte was seen in the dugout throwing his glove and obscenities around. Joe Torre had to intervene and speak to Abreu and Cabrera. I like that fact that Pettitte still cares and wants to see more from his team considering he has received very little run support this season.
P.S. – I can’t wait to get home so I can download Paris Hilton’s ringtone. From what i hear, i can get the song at NO-TALENT.com.

Cuch’s thoughts:  The fans are allowed to vote and that is fine but this has to be the 1st year that they are not that bad! Normally, i do not like what the fans decide. Yes, the big markets effect it because Shawn Green ends up being in 5th place in the OF which is mind boggling. However, my bigger compaint is not getting the little guy who truly deserves it in. This year, we are getting a better response with leads by Russell Martin and Prince Fielder. Still, I would love to see Matt Holliday in the All Star game and he will have to hope to make the reserves and it appears as if that would be the case his whole career unless he becomes a no-brainer! This year the fans escaped my wrath but normally I would prefer to see coaches and players decide the whole thing!
P.S. – Caddy Pete is a good man! He listened to Marz act like a loony for 4 hours on Monday and took it all in stride! He also coached Marz to 3 really nice shots. Too bad, he took another 130!

Marz’s thoughts:  Be sure to come on down to Mickey Mantle’s restaurant tomorrow (Saturday the 23rd) at 4 ET. I will be in a showdown with Mighty Mouse himself "Casey Stern". I have been practicing and will be doing so ALL NIGHT tonight as i gear up for the game.
P.S. – I would be stuck on an island with ANY female but Rosie O’Donnell and that is how you pass the Marz Quiz!

Cuch’s thoughts:  Bob Howry had him in his sights. He had Kenny Lofton dead in a rundown and made the right move to run him back to the base he started on, but he waited too long to make the throw and Lofton got back. He later scored on a double down the line. The Rangers win and it just adds to the fundamental miscues that the Cubbies have had this year giving Lou Piniella a headache.
P.S. – Please VOTE for Matt Holliday for OF for the NL. He is leading the league in average and helping the Rockies become one of the hottest teams in baseball.

TWO DAYS FROM "FOR ALL THE MARBLES" in NYC at MICKEY MANTLES…

Marz’s thoughts:  The Mets need some help from their offense. They are going to need some help from the Carlos’ – Beltran and Delgado will need to pick it up for the ineffectiveness of their starting staff. I do not think the pitching is all that great so they will need show their strength which is their offense. They might be the best team in the NL, and if it proves true, it will be because of their O!
P.S. – Have Jerry Hairston Jr. give me a call and i will spot him the 30 bucks to pay for his cell phone bill…haha

Cuch’s thoughts:  Well Chad Qualls has to understand that he can’t throw a ball in stands. I am not getting on him for being violent. It was simply frustration and that is fine but the big problem here is that someone may not be paying attention and get hit by a ball. The ball wasn’t in play and that is why the 3 game suspension is fine. It was an innocent move but the punishment does fit the crime.
P.S. – With the new developments of "Power Cord gate" i think that Marzano is at a slight disadvantage. One thing is for two – there will be two GEEKS sitting in front of their PS3’s LATE into Friday night practicing for their big moment at Mickey Mantle’s Saturday.

Marz’s thoughts:  Everyone talks alot about Tim Lincecum’s mechanics and how they are going to lead to injury. I disagree…I think his mechanics are going to lead to inconsistency. The movement of his head away from the strikezone is causing him to be wild. Until he learns to control his head and take it towards homeplate, he will struggle at the big league level. I will further breakdown his mechanics tomorrow on the show!!
P.S. – Tomorrow, I will come up with another big word much like today with "DaDaDuty"

Cuch’s thoughts:  Sammy Sosa went 0 for 4 with 3 strikeouts during his first big chance at 600 home runs. He was facing his old team for the first time ever in the Chicago Cubs. Tonight, he will have another shot at it and against Jason Marquis. He should hit it at home which is nice for the Rangers fans. Arlington is a hitters yard which is nice for Sammy and it should come against the Cubs which is fun for baseball and its fanbase.
P.S. – Alex Rodriguez is currently on pace for 67 HRs and 181 RBIs to go with 162 runs scored. That is RIDICULOUS!!!

Marz’s thoughts:  Edwin Jackson was 0-8 and he finally had a chance to win a game. He was throwing the ball well at 97 mph with good breaking stuff. I guess when you have bad luck, it just doesn’t end. He came up injured short of 5 innings and didn’t get the win. The offense finally came through and he couldn’t reap the rewards.
P.S. – Ever hear the EJ the Engineer theme song? My donut has a first name, its J-E-L-L-Y

Cuch’s thoughts:  How about Dmitri Young going 2-5 with 2 runs scored for Washington against his former teammates? The Tigers won the game but Young has shown that he could be a valuable commodity to someone. In Washington, he has been among the league leaders in average!
P.S. – Rosie O’Donnell wants to be the next host of the Price is Right. MUST SHE RUIN EVERYTHING!!!???!!!???

Marz’s thoughts:  As of this moment…reports suggest that Sam Perlozzo is out as Orioles Manager. This team has lost 8 games in a row but as far as I am concerned, Sam Perlozzo lost more than games. He lost his team. It looked as though this team was just going through the motions and that is a tell tale sign that a manager has lost control. Someone asked me if I were going to start an organization, who would i choose as my skipper? I would chose Joe Girardi. If the Orioles make this choice, i think it is a good one!
P.S. – Now that it is a level playing field with our video game matchup this Saturday…Pete from Garden City can stick it!

Cuch’s thoughts:  Why does the USGA feel it needs to make an incredibly difficult course to be extra cool in the US Open. I am not anymore impressed because you have a course that has a winner at +5. The course is a par 70. If you make the 288 yard par 3 a par 4 or you adjust it at the right spots and it is now legit. This is just designed to be extra cool and have pros struggle.
P.S. – THIS saturday be there! Mickey Mantles restaurant…4 ET…Casey vs. Marzano – more to come!