Today, July 5th, is the anniversary of the day Larry Doby broke the color line in the American league in 1947. Just 11 weeks after Jackie Robinson integrated the National League, Bill Veeck brought Doby, a tremendous athlete into Cleveland.

Doby’s teammates looked the other way when introduced to him. Doby had not been part of the team in spring training like Robinson had for the prior two springs.

Doby played nine innings at first base for the Indians and then only pinch hit for the rest of the season.

In 1948, with the friendship of second baseman Joe Gordon helping him, Doby played a major roll getting the Indians to the world series against the Braves.

It was not easy for any man of color in those days to do anything significant in America’s white society, but Larry Doby stood tall and paved the way, just as Jackie Robinson did, in waking up America to the inequites of racial prejudice.

He did it on a baseball field in Cleveland July 5th, 1947.

Now, folks question why the Giants are doing so well in the NL West. Two words. Barry Bonds. As Ed Stern pointed out wisely in his commentary the other day, the opponent’s must always be aware of Bonds at every turn of the batting order. He makes everyone a better player, and when he is hot, which he is right now, he is the “Man”.

Jesse Foppert and Damian Moss are the two weak links on the team right now and will cost the Giants if not replaced.

Click below for a look at baseball today.Billy Koch has always pitched with a lot of emotion, a 97 MPH fastball, and little else.

The A’s moved Koch in perhaps their best trade of the year for Keith Foulke. Koch’s delivery allows the batter to get a very good look at the ball, resulting in some pretty good swings at some tough “cheese” as they say.

Now, Koch is rarely throwing the ball with any consistent speeds over 96 and he is a disaster for Chicago. Better to move him to the set up roll, then let him give up the lead in the ninth.

Jerry Manuel demoted Foulke last season when he faltered, thus easing his trade to the A’s in the off season. I can’t understand why he is waiting so long to knock Koch out of the box. Perhaps it is the multi million dollar salary that Koch is getting paid that holds Manuel back.

It’s tough to win in Texas in the summer, just ask the A’s who struggled to split four games last week in Arlington. Texas has stumbled against lefties all year, tonight Jamie Moyer against John Thomson, who has had a truly up and down season. The Mariners aren’t hitting all that well, tonight it may change against Thomson.

Aaron Harang needs to give the A’s six solid innings. I have often compared Harang to former A’s pitcher Gil Heredia who couldn’t get past the seventh inning, no matter how many pitches he threw in the game. It didn’t matter if Heredia threw 85 or 185 pitches, the seventh inning did him in. Harang strikes me the same way, get him out after six no matter what, and if they start hitting him in the sixth, get him out before too much damage is done.

The A’s have hit Ramon Ortiz in the past, so this game might feature more runs than the one run put up in Friday’s contest.

Greg Maddux and Javier Vasquez, Braves against the Expos. Vasquez first got my attention when he beat Maddux a few times when Vasquez first came into the league and Maddux was still Maddux. Vasquez hasn’t pitched decently lately, is he overworked, neither has Maddux, is he hurting, we’ll see today.

Ramiro Mendoza gets a start against The Rocket today in NY. Starting Mendoza in the Bronx means the Boston bullpen will pitch many innings today. The question is can Boston duplicate yesterday’s run barrage enough to offset what will happen to Mendoza.

Matt Morris takes his sore shoulder to the hill in Wrigley against the Cubs against Shawn Estes. If healthy Morris is the choice, but that is a big “if”.

Houston turns to Kirk Saarloos who has earned another chance to start with his fine work out of the bullpen. Jeff Suppan is trade bait and can help his cause with a good game today in Pittsburgh.

How about bringing Matt Stairs back to Oakland for the stretch drive? Stairs can rake off the bench and I’d feel better with him platooning in the outfield than Terrence Long.

Will the A’s go to little ball as Ken Macha suggests in todays paper? The A’s might try little ball the same time Billy Beane takes a few months off to see what hell looks like when it freezes over.

See you at the park.