On a night where the San Francisco Giants won handily in Atlanta, scoring almost every inning, we find out that Messenger lied to us. Randy Messenger, the reliever who the Giants received in exchange for Benitez, had an injury before yesterday’s contest…so he said. Yesterday, Messenger claimed that a line drive in batting practice hit his left hand and broke his finger. Today he came clean and fessed up that he really punched a plastic equipment cart after giving up the winning hit in the 9th.

“I wanted to clear the table and let everyone know what really happened.” - Messenger

Well, thanks Randy for clearing the air…now you’re useless to us for the next 4-6 weeks. Up to this point I have felt that he’s been one of the most consistent relievers out of the pen for us. It’s disappointing to see him go down like this.

In other news, Lance Niekro decides that he’s not going to make it in the big leagues as a position player. Not shocking or much of a surprise. What intrigues me however, is that he’s trying to make a comeback as a pitcher at the triple A level. Now, typically, a kid in Niekro’s shoes becomes an all-time minor leaguer. But a kid with the geneology of Niekro gets a second chance. I know it’s not fair, but the kid does have the genes to make it happen. It’s probably a long shot and I’m even laughing at myself that I am even considering giving this some hope…but with the year we’re having…give his knuckle ball a chance!