No, Fred Lewis isn't in the starting lineup/Somebody call tech support!

...except I was betrayed by technology tonight.  More specifically, I was betrayed by my inability to operate it correctly. Having switched to a fancy iPod recording device (everyone loves digital) for the day, I didn't have the mic switched to the right setting.  Every writer, at one point or another, has a day where they tape over something, think they were recording but weren't, or generally misplace an interview.  You just hope it's not something that can't be replaced (a 45 minute sit down with someone it took three months of negotiations to get, for example).  This is probably the worst one I've ever had.  The following people and their interesting comments will not be appearing in tonight's pregame, with parenthetical heavy summaries in their collective steads:

• Jeff Kent, talking about his relationship with Barry Bonds (not as bad as the media liked to make it seem), and their time together.  No, they're not BFFs, yes they did speak, occasionally on a very personal level.  Yes, Bonds brought baggage as a teammate (that chair, for example), but it was something guys dealt with, made easier by the fact San Francisco was a very successful team in their time together.  He also said his injured hammy is a day to day thing.  It's not the worst he's ever had.  Kent isn't in the lineup tonight.
• Mike Lieberthal talking about how, as a player, he takes in the trade deadline.  (He's a fan and follows it closely, and yeah, they look for guys who will improve the team they're playing for.  In Philly, I got the impression he was routinely disappointed in this regard.)
• Randy Wolf, on the state of his injured shoulder. (Here's some actual news for you- he won't be throwing for a while.  Shuttin' 'er down, he is, as inflammation has returned.  The shoulder just isn't right, and he won't pick up a ball again until he's "perfect".  I remember that part.)  Wolf acknowledged the possibility that he might not pitch again this year, though he said they're a long way from that point.  He also said the he came back too early, and won't make that mistake again.  (Regarding that, he put a lot of responsibility on himself, as opposed to accusing the organization of pushing him to come back against his will- he felt good enough to give it a go, but hindsight being 20-20, he clearly wasn't.)   
• Grady Little talking about the deadline (Scott Proctor is a guy they'll use before Broxton, a proven innings eater who wants the ball every day, etc.), Wolf, and Barry Bonds.  That stuff was really interesting.  I asked him if he was disappointed that a moment for baseball that could be celebrated is instead filled with controversy.  Little seemed to imply that the uncertainty was a bad thing.  And that if Bonds was doing stuff, a lot of the guys he was facing probably were, too.  That I can't deliver a direct quote here is disappointing, but I have no doubt it'll be somewhere tomorrow, so keep an eye out.
• Ned Colletti talking about the deadline, and a general lack of activity.  He said they looked for guys up until the end, but the price was just too high.  Teams wanted packages of players either on the major league roster or on their way to it in a hurry.  It was a price they weren't willing to pay.  But the improvement of Andy LaRoche made the trade of Betemit a lot easier for him to make. 

So like I said, a lot of good stuff went away.  It happens to everyone at one time or another, but I apologize that it happened tonight.  The good news?  With the incredible amount of media in the building, there won't be a word uttered from a player or GM that won't be around somewhere. 

Should anything interesting happen (Penny struck out Bonds on three pitches in the first) we'll bring it to you.

BK