Late yesterday morning the mid-level unified Delaware County Special Olympics softball team, the Stars, made their appearance at the state softball tournament in Indianapolis.

Despite heroic efforts from our county organizers, two athletes did not show up to the tournament and the Stars were forced to forfeit the game. However, we borrowed a player from the low-level team and used our playing time to play an all-in-good-fun game with the Hamilton County Strikers.

The highlight of the game came in the bottom of the fifth inning. We were down 14-4, and if we couldn't score a run, the Strikers would win by mercy killing. After a quick out, I found myself at the plate. I blooped on over the second baseman's head for a base hit. I would end up 3-for-4 on the game with--count 'em--TWO balls leaving the infield.

Then Jerry, who isn't much of a softball player anyway but who also didn't show up to a practice all season, did the most unlikely of things and hit the ball into the no-man's land in front of third base. The opposing pitcher, muscles rippling, grasped the ball with his perfectly tanned arm and, as our eyes met across the infield, he hesitated on the throw and I was safe at second.

Glen, who is less “a softball player” and more “the guy who drives the bus” came through with a ground ball that the shortstop bobbled, scoring the lead runner (me!) from second and extending the game. We would play a regulation seven innings in our time allotment, the first time we've ever done such a thing.

Other highlights included our shortstop catching a liner so hard-hit that the base runner felt the need to give him a high-five, a six-pitch inning (for the good guys!), and a throw from an outfielder resulting in a runner being out at second.

Even though we lost something like 15-6 and came in fourth in our four-team division (or would have if we hadn't forfeited), we were pleased with our performance and not at all bitter about accepting our bronze medals. I've got it hanging on the wall in my office to allow all to bask in the glory that is the Special Olympics medallion. No one's actually come by to see it yet, but I imagine they're just being polite and hanging back to let everyone else go first.

Shawn's got a lovely review of Little League, Big Dreams by Charles Euchner. I wanted very much to review this book, but I didn't feel right requesting the review copy when I still haven't made it through The Last Nine Innings, so instead, I'll send you over to see what Shawn has to say about it.

The book examines the super-hot spotlight recently put on the Little League World Series. Per the press release:

Little League baseball has become a multi-billion dollar national and global phenomenon. But is that a good thing? … Commercialism, exploitation, corporate interest, and national media pressure are stark realities in the NFL, NBA and MLB…should they be realities in Little League baseball too?

While I'm all for building character in today's youth, putting kids into these highly competitive situations always gives me an ookie feeling. It's like beauty pageants or the national spelling bee: nothing good ever seems to come of it.

Little League, Big Dreams is on sale now for $22.50.

I chose a good game to miss in favor of drinking Blue Moons with my coworkers last night and the Reds gave it up to the Pirates of all teams to the tune of 7-3.

Chris Michalak wasn't very good, allowing six runs (earned) on nine hits and two walks. Am I the only one who thinks that perhaps Michalak should have been on a somewhat shorter leash? I mean, the guy gave up six freakin' runs. And it's not as if the bullpen was all tired from being used in the previous game, what with Ryan Franklin being left out to dry in that disheartening loss against the Cardinals.

Bill Bray gave up the other run (earned) on three hits and a walk in two innings. That's not so awesome either. I guess it was going around.

Scott Schoeneweis, Todd Coffey, and Rheal Cormier didn't suck at all, though. They each pitched a scoreless inning on one hit.

But you know who sucked even less? Ian Snell. He lasted seven innings and gave up only one run. I remember back in spring training when Brandon Claussen looked like he was going to be our number three and he talked about the starters going into the seventh inning this year. Man, that seems like a long time ago.

This game wrap has taken a turn for the extremely bitter, especially for a game I didn't even see. Let's look for a bright side, eh? Ooh, Edwin Encarnación had a solo home run and so did the Latin Love Machine. Rich Aurilia continues to start at shortstop, thereby delivering us from Royce McClayton. Narron seems to have gotten the message about not sitting EdE. Things could be worse.

Wait, they lost to the Pirates. No they couldn't.

The loss brings the Reds' record to 62-60. They try to dispel the disillusionment of literally dozens of fans tonight when they continue the series with the Pirates. Eric Milton takes on Paul “I never noticed that there isn't a vowel between the last two consonants in my last name” Maholm.

In Ricciardi blogged down by Wells rumor in today's Toronto Star, Richard Griffin describes how former Jays special assistant to the GM, Keith Law has rankled his former boss with his new job: a blog on ESPN.com.

In last night's blog posting on ESPN.com, Law, a former Jays special assistant to GM J.P. Ricciardi, officially became persona non grata with his former front office mates, stirring the pot surrounding the uncertain future of Vernon Wells in Toronto.

“Vernon Wells has told Blue Jays' management that he has no intention of signing a contract extension to stay in Toronto,” Law wrote online. “He and his family would like to move closer to his home in Texas, and he has become increasingly disenchanted in Toronto as he has faced public criticism from general manager J.P. Ricciardi.”

I find this story interesting because it demonstrates the growing importance of bloggers in sports. People have certainly been hypothesizing about whether the Jays will be able to extend Wells, but those idle conversations haven't merited a response from Wells and the general manager:

“The conversation never happened,” Wells said, curtly, following last night's game. “It's a complete fabrication.”

“He's become a writer,” Ricciardi said of the Harvard-educated Law. “It doesn't take long. Keith Law is officially an idiot.”

An idiot, huh? Might as well come out and say it's true yourself, Mr. Ricciardi, sir. This is a proud moment for bloggers. Maybe, if I work real hard and have just a little luck, Wayne Krivsky will be calling me an idiot.

Maybe, just maybe, he already does.

The Crack Technical Staff keeps talking about how yesterday's game with the Cardinals was the most important game of the season. He says that when the Reds lost it, it felt like they lost all hope with it.

Now, girlfren' ain't hearin that kind of negativity, but if you wanted to choose a game to be the microcosm of the 2006 season, that one wouldn't be bad. Consider:

• They kept it close well into the game but fell just short to a struggling Cardinals team
• They failed to pile on the offense, but in the end were undone by the bullpen
• They made a crappy pitcher look good
• Questionable management decisions came at exactly the wrong moment
• Wayne “Kriv-dawg” Krivsky traded Adam Dunn and Edwin Encarnación for two second baseman, three lefty relievers, and a catcher during the game

OK, I made that last one up, but I think you can see what I'm getting at. And losing to the Pirates tonight certainly doesn't contradict the notion that our boys are done.

But I can't stand the idea that we've come so far and are already on the way down. I can't be listening to that attitude for another month and a half. C'mon guys! Turn over a new leaf. Tomorrow's the day you can beat the Pirates. You can hope, anyway.