SIX SHOOTER fires at Pat Barry

Greetings, aging baby boomers and their offspring, it's your ol' pal Pistol Pete here with another addition of SIX SHOOTER - 6 questions for owners of the MBL. This month we highlight (if one can call it that) Boston Red Sox owner and A-Rod aficianado Pat "Jiggles" Barry. (seen at the LEFT instructing his team in the merits of the "swingin bunt")


Mr. Barry has been one fo the Pistol's favorite targets since 1999, whether chasing the SF Giants or the Buffalo Sabres. The two got together when their teams met a few weeks past. During this interwivew, Mr. Barry sat behing the Pistol, being most comfortable where he usually is in the standings. Danny Klassen was no where to be seen during the session. Come to think of it, who's Danny Klassen?


Why have the Red Sox had such a hard time (30-66) beating the Giants?
Pat - Well as an organization that cherishes good sportsmanship, the Red Soxalways find it good form to spot an adversary an advantage before ultimatelywhacking the hell out of them. Think the Yankee 3-0 advantage in 2004.Certain cynics have mentioned the total lack of a pitching staff for 10years in Boston. Luckily, they've been banished to Braintree with DanRather and other naysayers.

When and how did you get to the MBL?
Pat - I got to the MBL circa 1997. I found the web site (that'll date me) and liked what I saw. I contacted Jack and there was an opening. I was offered Seattle with Griffey and A-Rod (at that time, Jack's wife insisted he not give up the Sox). Griffey and Arod!!! I accepted the offer immediately. Who couldn't win with those guys I said? Hmmmm.

Who/what was the greatest rock concert you ever saw live?
Pat - Probably the best concert I ever saw was Paul Simon on his Graceland tour. Excellent. Anytime the Boss is out with the E Street Band is an event. Persona lfavorite Allison Krause with Union Station is tremendous and the late grea tHarry Chapin never had a bad show. So I'm not a head banger. Sue me.

Worst baseball movie ever made?
Pat - Can you make a bad baseball movie? I never cared for "Bull Durham", but I can't call that a bad movie just a very overrated one. My personal favoriteis "Bang the Drum Slowly" with a young Michael Moriarty and Robert DeNiro.Phil Foster introduces the world to TEGWAR, Great flick. For purefantasy, you can't beat "The Natural", a rare instance where a movie isbetter than the book.

Cher, Madonna or Pink?
Pat - Pink. If you gotta pick a tart, pick a young one.

If I were MBL Commish, I'd.....
Pat - ....break up the Spellos Brother Cartel, do odd things with the schedule, and revitalize the league. Oops too late. We might as well keep Jack, I'm out of ideas.


BATTER UP!!!!!!!

Regards-
Pistol

First Quarter Review

Senators Lead Surprise Stories of 2006

When Pistol Pete wrote his projections of the National League races two months ago, the Washington Senators were described as also rans likely headed for a fourth place Capitol Division finish behind the Florida Marlins, Seattle Mariners, and Houston Astros. With the season nearing the quarter-pole, the Senators are sitting at 28-8, three games ahead of the second-place Mariners. So, how are Gordo's Gladiators getting it done?

• Washington is second in the league in runs scored and home runs trailing the Cleveland Indians and St. Louis Cardinals, respectively, for top honors.
• The Senators are 12-3 at RFK Stadium, the best home record inthe league.
• The Senators are a perfect 9-0 in decisions against left-handed pitching, and 22-0 when leading through seven innings, tied with Seattle for the top mark in the league.
• Washington has the fifth-best team ERA in the league--3.80.

Pistol did project that the Sens would need to beat up on lesser teams to contend. Through their first six series, Washington has done just that, posting a 16-2 mark against the Astros, White Sox, and Devil Rays. The Senators split series against the Blue Jays and Mariners. Most impressively, Washington swept the favored Marlins, 6-0, in an early season test of their progress.

Chone Figgins should be a candidate for MVP given his importance to this team. He is having an incredible season offensively, and his flexibility keeps him in the lineup most everyday. Mark Teixeira surprisingly trails secondbaseman Ron Belliard for the team home run lead, and Jose Valentin is getting his fair share of at bats at third at the expense of Hank Blalock. There are some holes, however, especially in the outfield where Jose Cruz, Jr., and former Montreal Expo Brad Wilkerson strikeout with regularity. The fate of the Sens rests on the ability of the rest of the team to offset these black holes.

On the bump, Miguel Batista (1.77, 12 saves) will be hard challenged to keep his current pace throughout the season. In the rotation, rookie Scott Baker is showing signs of fatigue and may be sent to Oklahoma City in the next few weeks. Dan Haren will probably have to serve as the rotation's stopper for the Sens to stay in the race.

The team most hurt by the Senators' hot start is undoubtedly their RFK patrons, the Nationals. Hoping for a quick resurrection of their sagging attendance after two years on life support in Quebec, the Nats have seen coverage of their team reduced because of the Sens' surprising success, leaving the Nats--and their beefroid-injecting leftfielder--fighting for coverage deep in the newspaper.