BASEBALL: Houston at Arizona

Thanks to Paul (and I suppose to Mike too!) for a great one to watch. Paul was correct in that the matchup of Dontrelle Willis and Pedro Martinez was tremendous. We visited with my dad yesterday evening and after a late dip in the pool around 8:30pm, we tuned in to the game on the Sunshine Network. I was amazed to see the contest was already the 6th inning. After Pedro was pulled, the Marlins rallied against the Mets bullpen and won the game and the series. Perhaps there is something to the John Donodeo style TOTW curse? I mean, the guy was a true P.E. genius, right? No one ever taught a better sex ed class. And now look at him...he's a world-reknowned mountain climber!

But I digress. This still isn't completely a closed Regis forum, right? No, this is a blog where fans flock to get their daily dish of sports excellence. So let's get to it and make the Astros-Diamondbacks game today's one to watch.

I'm picking this for 1 reason: I want to see how Roy Oswalt looks after nearly being traded earlier in the week. The Astros apparently tried to swing a 3 team deal that would have sent Oswalt to the Mets and the O's Miguel Tejada to Houston. Financial considerations aside, this would have been a bad deal for Hosuton. Oddly enough, in this modern world of baseball, a consistent 16-20 win pitcher is more rare than a power hitting shortstop. Imagine saying that back in 1985? No way. But it's true now, and a team would be foolish to give up on Oswalt.

While the Astro hurler has a mere 8-7 record, he does have a pretty good 3.23 ERA. And shell-shocked closer Brad Lidge surrender several potential Oswalt wins by himself. The D-Backs will start Miguel Batista, who has pitched well this year by his journeyman standards. Both teams still cling to playoff aspirations despite having less-than-impressive seasons. However, the performance of Roy Oswalt is what I'll be monitoring most closely. Would it surprise anyone if I revealed Oswalt's on my fantasy baseball team? Didn't think so.

My pick: Houston. I need the win, Roy Oswalt needs the win, and so do the Astros.

Returning to our photo tribute, ESPN reported yesterday that Anna Kournikova was contemplating a comeback to the ATP tour. On one hand that might take away from her modeling career and lead to fewer spreads in Maxim and FHM magazinez. But at the same time, it would also mean more of those skimpy tennis outfits!