A dog and a horse

It's no secret I like baseball. And dogs. I'm also intrigued by powerful stories involving death.

That's why I was so gripped by this sad tale of Harry Kalas' dog, the aptly named Scout.

Harry's widow, Eileen, says the golden retriever wouldn't leave the announcer's side for two weeks before he died:

"He usually would sleep in another room, but for some reason he wanted to be right there with him."

After Kalas' death, Scout "wouldn't leave [Kalas'] suitcase alone. I put [the suitcase] in a closet, and he just howled." She said she had to give the dog to a family friend.

Christine was particularly saddened by this tale. I tried to console her by saying maybe he wasn't just mourning, but cheering for his master's favorite team by howling, "Raauuullll!"

A horse is on the market: The flavor-of-the-day former Cy Young pitcher the Phillies are rumored to acquire has gone from Pedro Martinez to Roy Halladay, a stud pitcher suddenly placed on the market by the Blue Jays. Doc is the type of pitcher you wouldn't mind giving up prospects for, but I don't think the Phillies need to make this move, nor is it their modus operandi. I don't see it happening, but if the Blue Jays can convince the Phillies to make a move, they can check out Only Time Will Tell's scouting report on the Lakewood BlueClaws.

Today's games: The Red Sox, who need to start winning again, lead the A's 5-2 in the 7th. The Phillies, who finished with 22 runs last night, are tied with the Reds 3-3 in the 8th. Kudos to the kid who caught Brandon Phillips' home run in the 4th inning and refused to throw it back. Jeers to the kid who caught Phillips' home run in the 6th and, prompted by his dad, threw it back on the field.