MLB draft hits the air

...And you know? It's not bad t.v. If you're into that kind of thing, of course. (And yes, you can actually watch live online.)

Peter Gammons, Steve Phillips, and Keith Law are sure a lot better than Mel Kiper, Jr. and whatever unfortunate mook gets to sit next to him.

And did you know? This is actually the first time the draft has been held anywhere. (It has customarily been conducted by conference call.)

As for the Giants pick: well, the draftniks love it -- you've got to like a big-bodied, projectable high school lefty nobody thought would go this high -- and Madison Bumgarner (pictured; surf's up!) is hands down the best name in the draft thus far.

As the first round winds down, the analysts have been extremely complimentary of the Giants three first-round picks. Stay tuned to ESPN2 for more.

Meanwhile: four of the A's starting pitchers are in the top 20 in the American League in ERA.

I'll give you a dollar if you can name them.

-Zed

QWTOFDY
"I've had a perfectly wonderful evening. But this wasn't it."
-Groucho Marx

You can't argue with results!

In Your Sleep:

I'm actually really sleepy. So just trust me that this article on sleep is really interesting: [click.]

In Sports:

After a slew of injuries, the A's have become so short on outfielders, they actually traded "future considerations" for one last week -- Chris Denorfia -- who'd just had elbow ligament replacement surgery and is out for the season.

For more "future considerations" -- you can tell these are primo players, right? -- they picked up Ryan Langerhans from the Atlanta Braves on Monday.

Langerhans will, without question, go down as the worst player in A's history.

See, he joined the team in Boston and played Tuesday; he was hitless in four at-bats, including two strikeouts, and dropped a ball for an error in centerfield. After which he was traded away for another outfielder, Chris Snelling of the Nationals, the next day.

Snelling could actually develop into a player; he's a nothing-but-mash guy in the minors who's had a long series of serious leg injuries. Other than that, he could pay off -- but if he's a little jetlagged on arrival, he may not last long enough for us to find out.

Let's just be thankful they're not short on left-handed pitchers.

-Zed

QWTOFDY
"Ah, but a man's reach should exceed his grasp, or what's a heaven for?"
-Robert Browning

Bay Area sports scene on the rise

Let's start narrow and pan out.

For starters, of course, the Warriors had the Mavs completely dead from the opening tip last night, and the nation is finally starting to go, "Uh, what?"

The sea of yellow shirts was a truly gratifying sight.

The 49ers, it is said, will trade for SEA WR Darrell Jackson. A fourth round pick? That's a steal. This guy went for about 1,000 yards with 10 TD's last year. He and Ashlie Lelie, plus perhaps a draft pick, and Vernon Davis healthy? How nice for Mr. Smith.

Meanwhile, this year's draft (as well as next) will remind the older Faithful of the Bill Walsh "Genius" drafts of yore.

The Sharkies, of course are swimming through the playoff chum.

The A's are always in it, and the Giants sure look a sight better than a week ago.

Plus, the Earthquakes are on the way. (Yes, the Spartan Stadium deal appears dead, but Lew Wolff will stoke other embers.)

Of course, the whole sports world is bleeding into Silicon Valley, and away from the Area's known hubs.

But perhaps that's the price for continued success.

And for the rest of you... there's always JaMarcus Russell.

-Zed

QWTOFDY
"If you were happy every day of your life you wouldn't be a human being, you'd be a game show host."
-Gabriel Heatter

Earthquake rumblings fall through

It's unfortunate, I think, but talks between San Jose State University and the future San Jose / Bay Area / ?? Earthquakes appear to have died.

The Earthquakes, whose rights as a future Major League Soccer franchise are owned by Oakland A's honcho Lew Wolff, were trying to parlay a private real estate deal into a unique facility-share relationship with a state school.

I'm all for thinking outside the box (which is a penalty in soccer) but it appears this one was not meant to be. Wolff, whose fledgling 'Quakes share a South Bay office with the A's, has said all along he has other options, though this was clearly his favorite. Look out for more on how Wolff, a merely medium-sized magnate, tries to marry sports and real estate in a bid to make money from Silicon Valley interests.

For background: the Fremont A's are a done deal, and the Santa Clara 49ers a distinct possibility.

-Zed

QWTOFDY
"People resent articulacy, as if articulacy were a form of vice."
-Frederic Raphael