ZEN DAYLEY: THOMAS IN OAKLAND MORE CONCRETE

Roy Halladay's cruising but that could change faster than the weather in Ottawa ...

• From the Washington Nationals radio broadcast via Baseball Digest Daily comes word that the Oakland A's have picked up Frank Thomas.
  
  This could be read as a sign that the Athletics figure the league was caught on to Jack Cust, who coming into last night had struck out three times as often as he's got a hit in 54 at-bats this season. Cust is stuck one homer -- one less than Matt Stairs hit tonight for the Jays.
• Hardball Times is ahead of us all -- John Brattain's take that if Thomas is getting signed, then that really makes the argument that Barry Bonds, who was more productive last season and could actually play a real position once a week without being a threat to himself, is getting hosed.
  
  John's other point: Half the teams in the AL (small sample sizes, granted) are getting little to no production from the DH spot.
• It's just lovely to read Ottawa described in a U.S. paper as "baseball purgatory," but it's made up for by the fact that the Lehigh Valley IronPigs owner said he had the "Wrigley Park" of Triple-A. Cue the sports nerds: "Wrigley Field!"
• The Baltimore Sun feature on Orioles closer George Sherrill, the one-time Winnipeg Goldeye, brought home the value of learning to keep on keeping on. It's also a kick that Charley Kerfeld, the eccentric Houston Astros reliever of the late '80s -- the guy who would turn around and catch a soft flare back to the pitcher just to taunt the batter -- was the one who discovered Sherrill in Winnipeg.
• Frequent commenter Tyler King is starting an online baseball sim league. Anyone can join if they don't mind finishing second to the Portland Ballsheviks, who will be flying a fictitious pennant at the fictititious Sagar-Sager Stadium.
  
  (Why Portland? Best selection of microbrews in the league, baby!)