It’s amazing what ESPN will do to promote/protect it’s brand. After spending the greater part of this past off-season primping Pedro Gomez for “All-Bonds, All The Time (Except when he has to go to the “trainer’s office”)”, they were slow to the punch when the controversial book “Game of Shadows” was released, yet have hurried to report on every positive thing he’s apparently done this year. Now, it’s front page news that MLB isn’t going to honor him when/if he breaks Babe Ruth’s former HR record.

Could this be a bigger non-story?

I know it was a wire story, and not a Gomez exclusive, or even Shelley Smith scribbling something on a well-used napkin, but what’s the deal? Unless they unveil a special “Stickin’ it to Whitey” episode of Baseball Tonight, let’s move on. It’s bad enough they’re promoting it as the “career HR record by a lefthanded batter”. Hell, if you wanna go that route, I’m sure the folks at Elias Sports Bureau could come up with a record a day to throw a party for. (Though I think they’d have to settle for an anniversary party of when he became the biggest horse’s ass in the game.)

There. I’ve now given two (and change) paragraphs on a “non-story”. I hope Bonds cripples himself. Or gets a nasty rash from this afternoon’s injection.

In other news (and ESPN doing good for a change), we have video of Delmon Young’s bat incident. Hardly a “thrown bat”, but definitely more than a “flip” or “toss”. I don’t know what you’d call it, but it was kinda wicked. Unfortunately for those of us dying for a heckle, he’ll probably be at home in the corner when the Bulls make the early May trip to Indianapolis. Double unfortunately, even if he is back for the two-game series in August, neither night is “Bat Night”. Although I suppose there’s still time to plan this. (August 22, the second night of the series, however, is “Budweiser Night”. If that doesn’t just scream potential, I don’t know what does.)